CHOOSE UP

Something that everyone can do daily is "choose up."  What does choose up mean?  It means always looking for a healthier option.  You don't have to be perfect, but look at what you would normally choose and try to choose one step closer to healthy.

Some examples of choosing up are:

• Riding your bike instead of driving to the store
• Drinking water instead of juice or soda
• Making turkey burgers on whole wheat buns instead of grabbing a burger
• Eating fruit instead of desert to satisfy a sweet craving
• Buying food with whole, real ingredients instead of crap
• Going to the gym instead of watching TV
• Giving up a spa day  to pay for an appointment with a personal trainer or nutrition coach 
• Sweet potato fries instead of french fries
• Eating half of the brownie 
• Buying whole wheat bread
• Eating fish instead of steak
• Eating real oatmeal instead of boxed cereal
• Gelato instead of ice cream
• Buying real peanut butter instead of Jif

Okay, you get the idea.  I realize that there are times when choosing up may be the chicken burger with fries instead of the bacon burger with fries.  You still need to give yourself credit for choosing up. 

A million small choices will make a huge impact on your life and on your health.

PRE OR POST WORKOUT MEAL

This is our current favorite pre or post workout meal (sometimes we do it for both).  The white bagel works only when you are within the window before or after a workout - any other time we use whole wheat bagels.

Toast bagel
Light layer of cream cheese
1 egg - we like over easy
Avocado
Drizzle with sriracha (spicy sauce)


**Jake eats the entire bagel, but if you are not a large male then you are probably good with half

WHY WEIGHT ON THE SCALE DOES NOT MATTER

124 lbs

140 lbs

124 lbs

140 lbs

I fretted every minute of the day if the scale said more than 124.  That was MY weight, that was what I had been for years and I found comfort in that number.  I always believed that if I could just get down to 115 that I would look toned and reach my ideal body shape.  If someone had told me I needed to gain weight to reach my ideal, I would've pretended to listen while silently thinking how ridiculous they were.

Fast forward years and kids and many little micro lifetimes lived and I am here.  Exactly where I believe in my heart I am supposed to be.

I weigh 140+ pounds now.  I still stress knowing this is what I weighed 9 months pregnant, but I know that I am strong and powerful and I love and respect my body.  I did have to get rid of some jeans.  I have an ass now and I love it - so instead of getting pissed that I couldn't zip my old jeans, I went and bought new ones that accentuate the butt I worked so hard for. 

What I have learned:

• Throw out your scale - IT IS DOING NOTHING POSITIVE FOR YOU
• Eat clean all the time
• If you must indulge do it with whole, real food and then move on 
• Drink more water
• Work out hard enough that you repeatedly feel like you are not going to make it through the workout
• SWEAT
• Find a trainer - it is worth every penny
• Do squats - they build your butt - the heavier the better
• When your jeans don't fit - get rid of them and know that getting bigger can be a good thing :)
• Eat small, balanced meals throughout the day
• Prepare your food in advance so you have healthy meals you can prepare in a pinch
• Experiment with your diet until your body tells you, "I love the way I feel"
• Expect that you will have to modify your diet occasionally to keep feeling great
• Don't compare yourself to others - all bodies are unique and what you may have to work REALLY hard for might come easier to someone else (this goes both ways)
• Love and respect your body - treat it with care and compassion 

*The results above were achieved working out with a trainer 2X a week for two year.  Yes, it cost A LOT of money and it was worth it.  Want to read about it  click here to read my blog about why I think great trainers are worth every penny.

PROTEIN COLADA SMOOTHIE

My new favorite :)

1-2 C water (depending on how thick you like your smoothie)
1 scoop vanilla protein (I love MRM)
3 strawberries
1 spear fresh pineapple
1 valencia orange
1 small banana
2 Tbsp of shredded coconut
Handful of ice cubes

Blend & enjoy!

*I add spinach to this sometimes too.  It still tastes good, but it did not look as pretty in the picture.  

VITAMIXER VEGETABLE SOUP

Cauliflower (about 1/2 head)
1 pepper
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
1 potato
Spinach (large bunch)
5 C water (add more if too thick)
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Braggs liquid amino acid         
Vegetable better than broth 
Olive oil

Saute onion, garlic, peppers in olive oil until soft
Cook cauliflower and potato in microwave for about 5 minutes (until soft)
Put all ingredients (except spices) in Vitamixer and blend - I split into two batches in blender
Once blended, pour into a sauce pan (or if it fits you can just heat up in Vitamixer)
Add seasoning to taste (I used 1 TBSP Braggs and 1 - 2 TBSP of better than broth)

Serve with good bread.  I toasted one piece of bread with olive oil and Parmesan cheese and topped it with cilantro (more for looks than flavor).

MY FAVORITE WORKOUT PANTS EVER

They come in black and grey

Hands down my favorite workout pants!  I have Lululemon and I like these much better.  You can wash them a million times and they still look new, you cannot see through them - ever and they suck you in at all the right places.  Bonus, Nordstrom's stands behind everything they sell so if you don't like them you can take them back.  I know you will love them though. 

Here is the link :) No, I don't work for Nordstroms.

Zella Capri Pants

TURKEY BURGERS

I never measure when I make this.  I did put approximate amounts and pictures down below.  As long as it all sticks together so you can cook it - you're good!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for the pan to saute and to make the burgers)
Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Celery
Spicy peppers (jalapeno, serrano or similar)
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Ground turkey
Cooked millet, brown rice and quinoa mix (millet and brown rice have been my favorite so far)

Saute the first five ingredients and let them cool - I put them in the fridge to get them cooled down quicker.

You can change this to your flavor preference (oil, 4 cloves garlic, 1 large onion, 6 mushrooms, 4 stalks celery)

*This time I doubled it so I could freeze the extras.  To freeze: I put on a wax papered cookie sheet and once frozen I put them in freezer bags.  

I serve them on whole wheat buns with avocado, lettuce, onions and tomato.  They are yummy with Alexia brand spicy sweet potato fries. 

Put turkey in large bowl with good sprinkle of garlic, salt and pepper

Add sauteed mixture (once cool) and spicy peppers to the turkey

Add 2-3 cups of your pre-cooked grain mixture

Mix all ingredients well - I use my hands 

Form into patties and place in a medium pan coated with olive oil - I sprinkle with more garlic powder too.  Brown on both sides (I cover for the first 10 minutes to help them cook through).  Total cook time about 15 minutes.