Pre Weekend PepTalk

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What’s more difficult -weekends or weekdays??Pre Weekend PreTalk

Weekends often include going out to eat, alcohol, more access to food/snacks because you’re not distracted by work, less of an eating routine & just generally MORE TEMPTATIONS.

Couple all that with a missed workout(s) or lack of activity & you could be gaining a half of a pound of FAT every weekend! Maybe more.

You might not see it until later but it adds up weekend after weekend. I have to remind myself how HARD I work & how hard it is to lose unwanted fat. You have to decide WHEN it’s worth it & when it’s not.

How to PREVENT it:
1. Grocery shop BEFORE the weekend to stock up on more fruits & veggies, your fav healthy treats, a motivating fitness magazine & more water!

2. Determine your game plan.. What will you eat this weekend & when? What’s worth it & what’s NOT. When do you need to bring snacks & when does your workout HAVE TO happen?

3. Get an accountability partner or join a challenge group for accountability

4. Fit your workout in EARLY

5. Remove all *trigger foods* & drinks from sight and access.

Picky Eater Approved

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picky eater approvedIs it tough to get the whole family on your healthy journey with you??

{{Recipe below. Message me if you have questions}}

You have to transition (& trick) their taste buds a little

If you have a pre-teen, a teen or a picky eater spouse, try this one on him/her!

My pre-teen wants one every day after school.

It beats the sweet cravings, the overload of carbs, & urge to snack on empty calories.

Since it’s made from whole-food based, minimally processed, all-natural Shakeology, you know it has 3-4 servings of fruits & veggies, antioxidants, low on the glycemic index, high protein, loaded w/vitamins & minerals, 70 superfood ingredients condensed, pre & probiotics, etc!
Mission accomplished.

“Vanilla Peanut Butter Banana & Honey”

RECIPE:
1.5 cups Ice*
1.5 cups Vanilla Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology
2 T Natural Peanut Butter
2 T organic raw honey
1/2 Banana
BLEND IN A BLENDER

*add more ice to make it thicker & less to make it thinner.

Superfood Protein Peanut Butter Bites

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Superfood Protein Peanut Butter BitesThese are THE BOMB! Have you tried them yet??

It’s time to make a couple of batches.Use as pre-workout, a snack, or to satisfy your PB craving and/or chocolate craving in a SUPERfood, healthy way. And kids love them too!

RECIPE:
Mix all ingredients in large bowl:
1. 1 cup “Just Great Stuff” powdered PB (or PB2. Both avail at Amazon.com. Just Great Stuff is similar to PB2 but seems to have cleaner ingredients AND is Organic)
2. 1/2 cup all-natural Peanut Butter
3. 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
4. 6 packets all-natural Stevia
5. 1 scoop superfood Vanilla Shakeology or Chocolate #Shakeology
6. 1 cup dry oatmeal

Mix well. Form into golf-ball sized bites. FREEZE for 1-2 hrs & keep frozen. When you want one, let it stand for 30 seconds to thaw a little Makes ~15’ish..depending on size. They’re ~80 calories each & ~8g protein.

Peppers and Hummus

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Peppers and HummusWould you eat this as a snack?

Since it was late afternoon when I feel slightly sluggish, naturally I craved chocolate & “bad” carbs for a minute, but this was actually DELICIOUS! I *never* used to snack on sweet peppers but they’re PERECT with hummus (no, it’s not homemade & yes, I know how.. Just no patience or time to make everything homemade all the time #RealLife lol)! 150 calories & packed with nutritional value (100 calories of hummus which was 3 Tbsp & 50 calories of SWEET peppers!

Favorite pre-workout snack

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Favorite pre workout snackWHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PRE-WORKOUT MEAL or SNACK?

You have to figure out what works best for YOU based on how fast you metabolize food so you know how much to eat for energy but still be able to digest it before you workout, foods that you digest well, foods that are low on the glycemic index (better for fat burning during your workout), foods that give you energy, how much time you have before the workout, what fits YOUR nutritional needs, etc.

This is a toasted Ezekiel English Muffin (freezer section of your grocery store) with “Just Great Stuff” powdered PB (from Amazon.com), with Half banana. I’m all for all-natural PB (i love PB) but given MY personal nutritional needs, adding PB would’ve made this a meal at 400-500 calories when I just wanted a little fuel/snack right now. The honey drizzle was just for the picture, but it was good! You can get GF Ezekiel Muffins too!

Happy Monday!

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Happy Monday!Happy Monday! ARE YOU COMMITTED THIS WEEK?

TIPS to Shake Things Up:

  • Do a new program! Hybrid, crosstrain! Add HIITs 2-3x/wk!
  • Up your weights, reps, sets, new lifting exercises!
  • Switch up your routine
  • Eat more greens & salads
  • Prep your food & snacks
  • Drink Shakeology
  • Avoid the processed & frozen foods *pretending* to be healthy
  • Hide the foods/ snacks/ drinks you KNOW hinder your results & you KNOW you over-do.
  • Check your portions & calories for your size, age, goals, etc. Are you eating/grazing more than you realize? Are you not eating ENOUGH? Are you getting enough water & protein? Do you know how much sugar/saturated fat/sodium is in some of your “staple” foods?
    Check labels for SUGAR like a boss! Too much of anything, even if it’s sugar from healthy foods, will be converted & stored as excess fat. Just don’t resort to “sugar free” chemical processed crap as a substitute, instead choose foods naturally low in sugar & naturally low in saturated fats as much as possible.

Strive for Progress, NotPerfection!

PB & J

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PB & JWho LOVES PB & J ?!?!

I used Ezekiel toasted English muffin (check freezer section), a clean organic strawberry spread from WholeFoods and “Just Great Stuff” (Amazon) instead of real PB since it was just a pre-workout small meal/snack.

Sweet Snack

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Do you crave something sweet in the afternoon?

Here’s a little snack/small meal (whatever you would like to call it).

It’s 1/3 cup granola, 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt sweetened with Stevia, 1/4 banana, 2-3 strawberries, a few blueberries and 1 tbsp of “Just Great Stuff” drizzled on top (of course added water to Just Great Stuff to get it to peanut butter drizzle.

Peanut Butter Banana Shake

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What’s your favorite post-lifting meal or snack?? This is MY favorite post-lift meal‬. Change it up to meet YOUR needs, i.e. you can add more calories using a whole banana and/or adding dry oatmeal.

Or add Peanut Butter if you’re not having it as a post-lifting meal (the fat in PB, although “healthy fat,” slows delivery of the whey to your muscles).  I add Stevia too.  And I prefer “Just Great Stuff” powdered peanut butter for my post-lift shake vs PB2 because it seems to have cleaner ingredients. You can buy it on Amazon.com ‪

Vanilla & Maple Oatmeal

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You like?!

I usually have more color in my meals/snacks as a rule of thumb (like leafy greens and fruit) but this rainy day, pre-cardio fuel called for oatmeal ‬.

I used 2 packets instant oatmeal (use maple brown sugar flavored or any flavor you choose, or make steel cut oats), add enough water that it’s VERY soup-like, heat in microwave 1 minute, let it cool a little, then stir in 1/2 scoop Superfood and Protein supplement (aka Vanilla Shakeology). Heating Shakeology messes with its nutritional superpowers, but to my knowledge, adding it to something warm does not.

300-400 calories depending on brand/flavor of Oatmeal, 16-22g protein, low sugar if you use a lower-sugar oatmeal or steel cut oats. Enjoy!