Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie and The Purpose Driven Life

This morning, I read the chapter "what matters most" and these excerpts really stood out, "The essence of love is not what we think or do or provide to others, but how much we give of ourselves."  and  "The most desired gift of love is not diamonds or roses or chocolate. It is focused attention." Wow, what a powerful message, and it couldn't be more relevant in life. What do you think about these statements?

I thought I did a good job of spending quality time with people that matter most to me; however, the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is an area that really needs a lot of work.

My husband and I have a limited amount of time to share together with busy schedules, a 5 month old, and my husband in law school, which consumes his life. I realized after reading this how I associate “quality time” with time where we can be affectionate, tune out the world and just be together, or talk about feelings J There is no better feeling of love than when my husband gives me his devoted attention. I also realized that maybe I needed to reanalyze my interpretation of “quality time” and ways that I could improve the time we do have together, even with the mundane day to day tasks.

So this morning instead of doing my normal routine of getting ready (since when I am home with Bradley even showering can be impossible), I decided to give my husband my full attention before he headed off to work and school and listened as he talked about “the law”. I rarely understand what he is talking about, just like when I go on and on about intubations, central lines, angiograms, and ballon pumps; however, after reading today’s message in the Purpose Driven Life, I realized that when I give my husband my devoted attention as he talks about something that is important to him, I am showing him love. It turned out that my husband and I really enjoyed this morning and sharing that conversation together and it was a great start to the day.

I have often thought that I do a good job of giving people my complete attention and being present in the moment, but in reality, it’s an area that could use a lot of work. Sometimes, I need a wake-up call, which today’s reading provided, to put my focus back into what matters most, my relationships. After all, you can never get back time.

So today, think about how you use your time and how you can be present in the moment with the people you share it with.

Are your relationships honestly your priority, and how can you ensure that they are?

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to START to be GREAT

Well, sickness prevails this morning. I guess it was only a matter of time since the munchkin has been under the weather now with a virus going on a week and a half. 4AM came very early and the last thing I felt like doing when I woke up was to work out, but I pushed through the excuses and actually feel 100 x better now that I did it. I'm still sick but at least, not draggin’ my butt anymore.             

    

I wasn't always like this, and a short time ago probably would have laughed in your face if you told me that I would be getting up at 4AM to workout out almost everyday. Well, I am hear to tell you that PEOPLE CAN CHANGE. You CAN change. It doesn't happen overnight, but when you make it a daily habit, it gets easier and chances are you will begin to LOVE working out. It may sound strange, but it is absolutely true.                     

There are still days when I don't feel like working out and my mind wants tell me to be lazy and listen to my laundry list of excuses, however, almost 99% of the time, I feel better after my workout. I never regret a workout.

I have read many studies that say it takes 21 Days to make something a habit. 21 Days is just 3 weeks. Why not make a health your new habit? DO IT FOR YOU! Do it to be HEALTHY for your family! Think about what is important in your life and how great it would be to gain energy, be more physically fit, be emotionally healthy, and live a BETTER LIFE! I know it can be intimidating, especially if you haven't worked out in a while or ate healthy, or maybe you never have.

You CAN change! Just start moving! If you have bad knees or get winded easily, DO WHAT YOU CAN. Just MOVE your body! You don't need fancy equipment. Your BODY is all you need! Start walking or march in place. Just MOVE your body! It's FREE! Keep doing it, and it will get easier! All it takes is making a decision to do it, making a commitment to be better than the day before, and it WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

TODAY is the PERFECT day to start living YOUR BEST LIFE!  

Build BEAUTIFUL muscles and get seriously LEAN in just 30 Minutes A Day with P90X3!

 P90X3 is HERE!! 

Get P90X results in just 30 Minutes a Day! Can I get an WOOOHOO?

I have 2 spots let in my P90X3 Test Group. To be considered for this exclusive opportunity, please complete the form at the bottom of this page :)

If you remember, P90X and Shakeology are what helped me get LEAN and TONE after having my baby. It took just 90 Days. Even I was blown away!

However, trying to make time for workouts that last sometimes and hour and half just isn't convenient for the vast majority of people, like myself, with a jam-packed schedule.

I wish this was released when I had my baby :)

What makes P90X3 unique?

P90X3 combines a highly structured, plateau-busting schedule with an unprecedented variety of moves that
keep every muscle challenged every day for 30 minutes of full-throttle intensity that leaves any other workout in the dust. It’s a whole workout in half the time.

What is P90X3™

P90X3 is a 90-day extreme fitness program designed to get you ripped in just 30 minutes a day. Each one of these accelerated 30-minute workouts has been uniquely developed to produce the greatest physical change in your body, in the most efficient way. Whether you’re too busy to do longer workouts, or you simply want to maximize your time and your results, P90X3 is the perfect program for you.

Why is P90X3 effective?

Study after study shows that the most dramatic body transformations happen . . .
in the first 30 minutes of exercise. Tony Horton took everything he’d already proven with the Muscle Confusion™ of P90X®, added in the Muscle Integration of P90X2®, and tailored new routines to take advantage of this science of shorter workouts.

The result was Muscle Acceleration. And when a test group was put through the program, the results were mind-blowing. On average, participants in the group lost over a third of their body fat. Those would be great results even doing hour-long P90X workouts, but these folks got to those numbers in just 30 minutes a day.

Tony Horton is your personal trainer

Trainer Tony Horton has created some of America’s best-selling fitness programs—P90X, P90X2, 10-Minute Trainer®, Power 90®, and now P90X3—all in collaboration with Beachbody®. And as your personal P90X3 trainer,

Tony will be right with you every step of the way. Encouraging you, guiding
you, and challenging you to make the most of every 30-minute workout,
so you truly end up in the best shape of your life.

When you purchase P90X3 through me, you will also receive a network exclusive DVD: 

P90X ONE on ONE® “On One Leg” (a $19.95 value)
It’s an entire workout on only one leg! Just when you thought you had seen it all from the Master of Muscle Confusion, he comes at you hard with a little twist.

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Bad A$$ Babes Challenge

Way To Go MEL!!!! Your Results are PHENOMENAL!!

I am blown away with her 60 day results from the 60 Day Challenge.

Unleash your inner Warrior and Get GREAT Results! 

Bad A$$ Babes 60 Day Challenge starts March 31st! Only 3 spots left. Message Me For Details Today!

Share this with anyone who would be interested 

Includes:

*Complete Fitness Program (Your choice of Body Pump or Body Combat)

*Nutrition Education & Meal Planning Help

*Accountability

*1:1 Support

*Motivation

To be considered for the Bad A$$ Babes Challenge please complete the form to get started 

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Spicy Chicken Eggplant Pizza Recipe

Eggplant was on sale at Hy-Vee the other day, so I snatched up the opportunity to make some fun and easy meals. I posted my Eggplant Pizza the other day, and here is another.

I wanted to use up my left over Eggplant before it went bad, so I whipped up this little treat J

What was an experiment using what I had on hand, turned out to be quite tasty!!

Recipe:

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes (if chicken is already cooked)

Ingredients & Materials: (this can be doubled or tripled depending on how many mouths you need to feed)  

1. ½ Medium Eggplant (Cut into ¼-1/2 inch round slices, depending on desired thickness) I cut mine into ¼ inch slices but will do ½ inch next time since they were a bit flimsy. I also cut off the skin, but you can keep it on if you’d like.
2. 2 Tablespoons All Natural Southwest Spicy Mustard -A little goes a long way-it’s a bit spicy J
3. ¼ cup diced white or yellow onion (I used yellow)
4.  ¼ cup Red Bell Pepper
5. 2.5-3oz finely shredded cooked skinless, boneless chicken (You should cook this at home verses buying pre-cooked chicken, otherwise the fat and sodium levels will probably be much higher)
6. Non-stick cooking spray
7. Cooling Rack and Cookie Sheet or Broiling Pan Set (I used my Broiling Pan Set, but I think the cooling rack & cookie sheet works better)
8. Spatula & Oven Mitts to remove pizzas when you’re done

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. When the oven is preheat, lightly spray your cooling pan or top of broiling pan with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Place the eggplant slices spread out on top of the rack.  
4. Place the cooling rack with eggplant on top of cookie sheet or top of broiling set onto of bottom pan if that’s what you are using.
5. Bake in middle of oven for 10 minutes on 425 degrees.
   
6. Remove from oven carefully when the timer goes off.
7. Lightly spread southwest mustard evening on top of eggplant, similar to how you would prepare a pizza with pizza sauce.
   
8. Next add small amount of shredded chicken to each eggplant piece, then add a small amount of diced onions and red peppers.
9. 
   
   

9. Place back in oven for an additional 10 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and plate.

Eat up!!

• ½ of a Medium Eggplant made 6 pizzas, and I ate them all J The nutrition info is for all 6; however, you could cut the servings down to 3 if you’d like. I would also suggest eating it with a fork, because it was a tad messy but GOOD!

Nutrition Info for 6 pizzas

Calories: 219

Fat: 3g

Carbs:28g

Fiber:6

Protein: 20

Strawberry Breeze Recipe

MMMmmm this is making me yearn even more for Sunshine! Here is a refreshing recipe that is perfect for Summer or Strawberry lovers like myself. As, you can see in the second picture, the recipe makes a ton. It is very refreshing, satisfying, and will get you charged for the day!

I love Shakeology, because it gives me so much energy and has been the only thing that I have found to curb my sweet tooth and cravings. Plus, it's all natural and loaded with nutrients and other good for you stuff. There are too many things to list, but it is equivalent to 40+ servings of fruit and veggies.

If you ever want to try some, I have single serving packets for sale anytime. I usually have Strawberry, Vanilla and Chocolate on hand and sell them for $5. Just message me if you ever want some 




Nutrition info for Strawberry Breeze:

With 30 calorie Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk-
Calories: 211
Fat: 3.5g
Carbs: 28
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 17g

With Water-
Calories: 181
Fat: 1g
Carbs: 27g
Fiber: 6g
Protein: 16g

FREE Fit Club Starting in West Des Moines, IA-Interested??

I will be starting a FREE Fit Club in the Des Moines area, probably West Des Moines. 

I will offer a free Beachbody workout, then we will finish up with some sizzling dance moves (aka dorkiness and laughing required). This will be all about getting together and having fun with a side of fitness. 

Who is interested??? Please message me  on facebook HERE Feel free to share this with your friends. The more, the merrier!

Details: To Be Announced
The days will be on a weekday, since I work Saturdays and Sundays at the hospital. We will probably meet once a month or more if I have a great deal of interest.

Eggplant Pizza Recipe

Eggplant is a great alternative to pizza dough and is surprising quite satisfying. This works great as an appetizer or finger food during get togethers; however, they are not the best cold because they tend to get pretty soggy. 

They are great for a meal, too.  For a meal, I like to add a side of fresh mixed greens and grape tomatoes drizzled lightly with light olive oil. 

I cook these with the skin but do remove the skin before eating. It peels off fairly easy. Some people like the skin, but I have not yet acquired a taste for it :)

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant (12, half inch slices)
• Non-stick Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1 teaspoon Chef Paul's Magic Pizza & Italian Seasoning (It's salt free)
• 1/8 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion (optional)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• ½ cup organic tomato sauce (or organic spaghetti or pizza sauce) 
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup fresh chopped basil
• 1 cup low-fat or fat free shredded mozzarella cheese
• Optional ingredients: diced turkey pepperoni, shredded cooked boneless skinless chicken, black olives, mushrooms

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place a cooling wire rack onto a large baking pan.
3. Lightly spray cooking spray over the tops of each eggplant slice.
4. Add seasonings (Chef Paul's seasoning and sea salt) to each slice on both sides.
5. Bake slices for 10 minutes.
6. Spread sauce, chopped onion and optional ingredients if you wanted them, and minced garlic over the slices then add Parmesan evenly over each slice.
7. Sprinkle basil over each then top with mozzarella cheese.
8. Bake another 5- 10 minutes.

Nutritional Info per serving (3 pizzas): This does not include optional ingredients.

If using fat free mozzarella cheese

Calories: 139

Fat: 6g

Carbs: 13g

Fiber: 3.5g

Protein: 10.5

If using low fat mozzarella cheese

Calories: 153

Fat:7.25g

Carbs: 12.5g

Fiber: 3.5g

Protein: 10.5g

MEat N Veggie Lovers Stovetop PIZZA Bake: C-Lean & Healthy

My Husband, Paul, and I eat healthy most of the time. We came up with this recipe, because we both LOVE PIZZA, but wanted a healthier option that was equally satisfying to our food-lover taste buds. So Pizza Bake was born. It actually is a concoction of foods and flavors we love, thrown into a big pot and cooked. The finished product is DE-LICIOUS!! It will also keep you satisfied for hours and can feed an entire family in one pot. 

Ingredients

• 2 small Zucchinis chopped
• 1 & 1/2 lb lean ground grass-fed beef (May also use lean hormone free ground turkey)
• 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
• 1/2-1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped or sliced
• 1/2 cup green bell peppers, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (Optional-may also use garlic powder)
• 2 jars organic spaghetti sauce (You can also make your own using 2-28 oz non-drained cans of all natural, no salt added, crushed tomatoes with 2 cans low sodium tomato sauce, 1&1/2 tsp sea salt, and 1 Tablespoon italian seasoning)
• 1 Tablespoon or more :) Chef Paul's Magic Pizza & Pasta Salt free/sugar free all natural Seasoning (This stuff iS AWESOME and adds the perfect combo of seasoning-we use it for almost all of our Italian recipes)
• 1 cup low-fat or fat free part-skim mozzarella cheese (I used Kraft Fat Free)
• 2 1/2 oz turkey pepperoni slices (This can be omitted to make it CLEAN-but SO worth it)
• Optional: black olives (My husband loves them but I think they're nasty)

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, cook beef on medium-high heat for about 8 to 10 minutes or until crumbly and no longer pink. Drain liquid and throw cooked ground beef in large stew pot. Set aside for now.
2. In the same skillet that you cooked the beef, saute onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and bell pepper over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.
3. Add saute'd veggies to the stew pot with beef, add minced garlic, turkey pepperoni slices and organic spaghetti sauce or homemade version (ingredients listed above).
4. Cook on medium heat until mixture reaches a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. 
5. Sprinkle cheese over the top and gobble it up :)

Note: You can also cook the beef and veggies in the stew pot, verses, using 2 separate pans. Just remove the beef and set aside to cook the veggies, then add the beef back to the pot. 

Nutrition Information

Per Serving (1 cup): Makes about 8 servings

Calories: 243

Fat: 7g

Carbohydrates: 20g

Fiber: 5g

Sugars: 5g

Protein: 25g

Strawberry Kale Shakeology Recipe

Total Time: 5 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: None

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2. 1 scoop Strawberry Shakeology
3. 1 cup chopped raw kale, stems removed
4. 1/2 medium banana
5. 1 cup ice

Preparation:

1. Place almond milk, Shakeology, kale, banana, and ice in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories	Total Fat	Saturated Fat	Cholesterol	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
256	5 g	0 g	5 mg	335 mg	37 g	7 g	14 g	20 g

Dark Moon Shake Recipe

Total Time: 5 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: None

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2. 1 scoop Strawberry Shakeology
3. ½ cup fresh or frozen blackberries
4. 2 Tbsp. chopped raw pecans
5. 1 cup ice

Preparation:

1. Place almond milk, Shakeology, blackberries, pecans, and ice in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories	Total Fat	Saturated Fat	Cholesterol	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
295	14 g	1 g	5 mg	306 mg	26 g	9 g	11 g	19 g

FROZEN FUDGY OAT BARS: HEALTHY AND SCRUMDIDILYUPCIOUS

I picked up this little slice of chocolate awesomeness from our Team Beachbody's nutrition team. Chocolate and Peanut Butter are the perfect combination!

Total Time: 3 hrs., 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 8 servings, 1 bar each

Ingredients:
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 scoop Beachbody Whey Protein Powder, Chocolate or Vanilla Flavor (or equivalent)
½ cup all-natural peanut butter (I used prepared PB2 to reduce the fat content)
½ ripe medium banana, mashed
Nonstick cooking spray

Preparation:
1. Combine Shakeology, oats, and Whey Protein Powder in a large bowl; mix well.
2. Add peanut butter and banana; mix well with a spatula or clean hands.
3. Place in an 8 x 8-inch pan that is lightly coated with spray. Cover with plastic wrap and press down to flatten into pan. Freeze for 3 hours.
4. Cut into 8 bars.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories: 155

Fat: 9 g

Saturated Fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 4 mg

Sodium: 64 mg

Carbohydrate: 11 g

Fiber: 3 g

Sugar: 3 g

Protein: 9 g

INVESTING YOUR TIME WISELY

I often hear people rattle off a laundry list of activities for themselves or their kids and how stressed they are keeping up with everything and their commitments.

How much of these add value to your life and your family's life, and how much of these actually pull you away from what's truly important in your life? I often ask myself that very question.

I am not one to judge how a parent should raise their child, since obviously I am a novice and by no means perfect; however, lately I have been analyzing my OWN list of daily todos and question how much VALUE they are adding to my life and how much they are actually taking away.

I received a magazine at my door and an article called “How to Invest Your Time Wisely”. The article was quite insightful and surprisingly applicable to my life. Here is an outline of the article, which was broken down into 4 main strategies.  

1.       Be organized

a.       Prioritize – Prepare a todo list of things that are important and urgent, focusing on quality verses quantity.

b.      Think Ahead – If you find that you have extra time on your hands, why not move on to something that is scheduled for later. By thinking ahead, you increase your productivity and can reduce the stress of being over-extended in the future.

c.       Simplify Your Life – Learn to say NO to things that are unimportant or only seem to consumer time.

2.       Avoid Time Stealers

a.       Procrastination and Indecision – Procrastination is a thief of both time and productivity. Pondering life’s uncertainties and which decision would be BEST will probably only cloud your mind with unnecessary worry and anxiety.

b.      Perfectionism – Setting unrealistic standards for yourself or others may invite disappointment and even failure and even hinder personal growth.

3.       Be Balanced and Realistic

a.       Balance Work and Recreation – Work hard and enjoy the rewards. Workaholics often deprive themselves of the fruitage of their work and end up burnout and exhausted, on the other hand, being lazy squanders precious time that could be spent adding value to your life.

b.      Do Not Scrimp on Sleep – Sleep deprivation increases the body’s stress response, slows metabolism, impedes learning and contributes to accidents, errors, and irritability. Sleep is a good investment of time and aids in concentration and fosters learning.

c.       Set Realistic Goals – Learn to be content with what you can actually obtain. That does not mean give up on your dreams, but do not let mere desires take over the reins of your life.

4.       Be Guided By Good Values

a.       Consider Your Values – Your values enable you to gage what is good, important, and worthwhile. Good values help you set sound priorities and make the best use of your time.

b.      Make LOVE your Foremost Value – We cannot truly be happy and emotionally secure without love, especially within the family. Riches and careers may come and go, but love can last a lifetime.

c.       Set Aside Time To Address Your Spiritual Need – Many studies have analyzed the correlation with happiness and God. Their findings are unanimous, that those who are spiritual/connection with God are happier and describe their life as being “more fulfilling”.

Free Workout Videos by Autumn

 Autumn Calabrese is the Designer of Beachbody's Newest Phenomenon, The 21 Day Fix. Autumn is a celebrity trainer, national bikini competitor and mom. The 21 Day Fix makes living healthy SIMPLE. The program is designed to create amazing results in just 21 Days. The program combines SIMPLE NUTRITION and SIMPLE FITNESS (modifiers available for ANY fitness level). Workouts are 30 minutes a day, 7 days a week. The nutrition plan is a portion-controlled system with color-coded containers to make eating healthy and getting optimal results CONVENIENT enough for any lifestyle.

Get started TODAY with the 21 Day FIX!

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