Thursday, 26 June 2014

21 day fix approved Banana Oat Muffins!

**No flour, no sugar and no added junk**
a friend of mine introduced me to a delicious muffin recipe that is 21 day fix approved! so for you fixers out there, one muffin would equal 1 yellow container. and for those of you who dont have the fix, get it here or just enjoy :)

STEP 1:

preheat oven to 350 F and gather ingredients

here is what you will need...
1 banana










1 cup of oats









1/4 cup of almond milk (i used vanilla unsweetened for more flavor)











1/4 cup of egg whites








STEP 2:

mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. I used a whisk for this and found that worked really well.

STEP 3:

Place into muffin slips. you can put a little butter or spray some cooking oil in each muffin slip if you choose to. For this time i did not. this will make around 6 muffins

STEP 4:

bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, and enjoy!

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

21 day fix week 2!

Wow I cant believe week 2 has past already! times flies when your having fun. Well time to give a little look into what week 2 brought

As of day 14 I am officially down 4 pounds! ive decided not to take measurements until the very end, but my clothes fit better and this energy i have, seriously where was this all my life?

This week ive learned i am in love with creating new shakeology flavors and trying new things! I will make a whole post on this when im done, be excited! it is crazy delicious. i never knew it was legal to have something so healthy taste so naughty

So lets talk progress. My energy has increased significantly. I feel better, and not tempted at all to eat what i used to. I am beginning to perform better at many workouts (except some i cant do due to previous injuries from an accident) and can feel myself putting more umph into every workout.

Now food! where do i start with this. I never had any idea so many amazing flavors and mixtures can be made. and let me debunk a myth right now, my grocery bills have already decreased since eating better, so that can no longer be an excuse! I will also make a post of meal ideas when im done to help anyone that may be starting out.










Let me share one of my favorite parts so far. Workouts are only 30 mins! i can look like a complete disaster and it doesn't matter!!! you know that time you spend wasting looking presentable for a gym... nope not at home. yoga in PJ's.. well why not?! and my toddler loves these workouts! seriously i will show this with a video coming out from myself super soon!

its important to know i do struggle! some days im so tired the last thing i want to do is workout, but its amazing how that can change once you get started. and some days i just want to cheat because its convenient... don't! that 10 seconds of pleasure sure isn't worth it. once on your lips, forever on your hips ;) I have those negative voices in my head saying i cant do it, and i am determined to prove myself wrong!


                                               2 weeks down , 1 to go! of round one that is

Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Cauliflower Rice: How To

Cauliflower Rice

 Today I discovered a delicious alternative to rice! Dont get me wrong, I am a rice and any carb really lover! And usually I do not like the taste of cauliflower. However, im trying to limit my carbs and since I am doing the 21 day fix filling that spot with a vegetable has worked much better! (I can have rice on the 21 day fix, but choose to fill that spot with other things ). So here is a how to for cauliflower rice. Enjoy!

You will need:
        cauliflower (of course!)
        cheese grater or food processor




Step 1: wash the cauliflower and dry well throughout

Step 2: grate the cauliflower or put into a processor. your looking for small rice like pieces in size, be careful not to make it to small or it may go a little mushy.



Step3: cook the cauliflower rice. There are a few options here. I choose to put a little coconut oil (you can use any oil) in a pan and “fry” it. You can also put it in the microwave, but do not add water since cauliflower absorbs water easily, for best results nothing else is needed




Step 4: season with whatever you choose if you'd like to, and enjoy!


21 DAY FIX! - adventuring into portions

Introduction and Week 1!


While doing P90x3 recently I noticed something crucial to my adventure to a healthier life! I was learning how to add 30 minutes a day of fitness to my life, but I am just terrible at anything to do with food! I've done weight watchers many times, and would always do well at first but would get lazy as time went on. And counting calories for every meal, yeah not for me. In comes the 21 day fix. This program includes 30 minute workouts on 2 DVD's (plus a bonus if ordered through me here), a nutrition guide, perfect portion containers, a shaker cup and a schedule to follow for the workouts. I've seen many amazing results, but truly thought for a long time there was no way I could follow it, I'm a busy mom and would never have time to follow it … WRONG!

 Let me start by introducing this program a little more. The 21 day fix was designed by Autumn Calabrese. She designed a nutrition plan that is guided by the use of color coded containers, each representing a different color for different categories. For example, green is for vegetables and red is for proteins. This is what makes this program SO easy to follow! No calorie counting or point counting, if it fits and is on the list in the nutrition guide, you can have it! The calorie target guide in the book will let you know how many of each color container you should have per day. Simple right? TOTALLY! This program was designed for people of all ages, sizes and fitness levels. My grandmother, who is 65 is currently doing it with me and loves it! (Advice #1: do this with someone you love or a friend, this will make the journey all that more exciting).



The workouts are 30 minutes a day, that is only 4% of your entire day! Everybody’s got time for that! During these workouts you will see modification options for beginners or people like myself who have limitations. I was in a car accident 4 years ago that left me with neck and back pain and weakness, so this is something I really love about these workouts!


Now lets talk food! At first glance of the portion containers I thought to myself , wow these are small I will be hungry. Wrong again! I can happily say after 1 completed week there are times I am forcing myself to eat because I know it's better if I do. I am following a plan to build lean muscle and lose weight, therefore I am eating every 2 hours and not eating any carbs (yellow container) or fruit (purple container) after 6pm. Here are some really fun 21 day fix approved meals ive made in the last week. Its been really exciting exploring new foods. And let me tell you, I dont know how I ever ate cereal and boxed food! This real food business is the real deal!
                                                      1 red : 1 egg white, 2 pieces of turkey bacon
                                                     and water infused with lemon and raspberry
 
1 purple and 1 red: Greek yogurt                                                                 1 green and 1 red: veggie salad
with fresh strawberries and blueberries                                                        with a homemade turkey burger


2 red and 1 purple: lean chicken breast and 
cottage cheese with strawberry and pineapple with a side of avocado

 1 1/2 red and 1 green: lean turkey taco salad                                 1 1/2 red. 1/2 purple, 1 green, 1 yellow: 
        topped with greek yogurt                                            chicken quesadilla made with salsa with Greek                                                                                                        yogurt and sauteed kale in coconut oil




We all know how crazy life gets, and this program does a wonderful job of teaching you how to prepare! The times we find the hardest to stay healthy are those times where we are rushing or are very hungry from forgetting to eat. Planning is essential! And trust me, coming from someone who never plans it is simple and helpful! Here is my tip, for the first week create meals and ideas you love, and keep them going for the next 2 weeks adding something here and there fore variation. This will actually save you money when grocery shopping since you will only buy what you need, and never leave you in a situation where your so hungry and the only option is pink goo chicken from a fast food place!


Now lets talk my real secret to success here... Shakeology. I've heard it all from “I dont drink my meals” to “its a scam” to “its to expensive”. Shakeology is a great source of dense nutrition.its amazing to have one shake that you can go to that gives you everything you need in one meal. you are getting natural energy, will help you control cravings, lose weight and boosts your immunity. it makes you healthy. you can put more energy into your workout because your feeding your body good food. It can be drunken in substitute to a meal, but does not have to be! Let me show you all your getting in only ONE shake!

 Amazing right. Now here is the deal, it works out to be $4 a day, that’s it! The average person
would spend more money than that on any meal, especially fast ones like pizza or fries and chicken fingers. I'm not going to lie, I was skeptical at first as-well. I mean after all, how good could this really taste and it would never work. Wrong, I have made some amazing tasting shakes. so far my favourites are chocolate peanut butter cup and vanilla frappucino. I will later reveal all my favourite flavor recipes thus far!

I used to always have painful cramping and bloating, and since drinking this daily with diet change I haven’t had it at all! I am in a better mood, have more energy and have lost 3 pounds in just over 7 days!



Stay tuned for more progress, recipes and tips as I continue onto my next 2 weeks!

Thursday, 5 June 2014

Watermelon Kiwi Pops!!

Okay so these are way to amazing not to share! My toddler LOVES popsicles. she cold live off these things if we let her. so it lead me to thinking, theres got to be a way to let her have her popsicles witoht all the sugar and crap in the store bought ones. so we did some trying around today and got these delicios things. Enjoy!!

Watermelon Kiwi Pops

- blend watermelon in a blender and add it to the popsicle containers (abot 1/2 to 3/4 the way)

 - put in the freezer until its slightly frozen
- blend kiwi in a blender, and add to remainder of popsicle container





- freeze and enjoy!!

thats right! SUPER easy! you wont be sad you tried this one :)

Monday, 2 June 2014



I wanted to start with a little about me! My name is Brittany and I am a nursing student, coach and momma to a wonderful almost 2 year old little girl. I love family, health, saving money, new recipes and fitness! My journey to a healthier life began many years ago as i battled with yoyo dieting and obsessive food binging. I was unhappy in my life, with myself and had given up completely. I met my amazing partner who helped me see who i wanted to become. After a few more years of yoyo dieting and weight problems i finally decided enough was enough after my daughter was born because i need to be the best role model for her! and so ive began my journey to overcome those negative thoughts i have in my head telling me i cant do it, change my eating habits and work to being a more healthy, alert and active mom and nurse. welcome to my journey :)