What's For Dinner Week 3

So after all that meal prepping last week we still have enough left over to go into this week. It was such a crazy week with Back to School Night and Maille's birthday we certainly were appreciating the quick and easiness of the meals. We had pizza on Thursday because the Birthday Girl insisted and we celebrated mine and my sister's birthday yesterday so no need for a meal there either. So this week I am only planning for 3 days!!
Here is my review of what we did eat last week:


Taco Chili-amazing!! We actually found really good whole wheat burrito wraps and made that instead, but you could use this chili all by itself or even as a great nacho inspired dish. Either way this is definitely a keeper in our house.


Chicken Teriyaki-This was good, but not my favorite. I think that with the soy sauce and sweetness of the teriyaki it just didn't feel as healthy as I had hoped so I was more inclined to put this as in an emergency only case. The kids weren't huge fans either.


Sausage, onion and peppers-This was fantastic! Not only was the sausage really soft and we had whole wheat pasta with it. You could have sandwiches if you choose, but the small side of pasta was just enough and the flavors from the tomatoes and onions was really good. We are used to using a lot of sauce and this showed us that less is sometimes more. Will be making this again for sure.


Sesame chicken-This was a fail on our part not the recipe. We put it in the crockpot and it just cooked too long. Of course we tried it first to be certain and the flavors were so good, but because the chicken was like jerky we didn't get to have it. This resulted in Pizza for the night. I will be making this again, but will probably only have it on a Saturday or Sunday where I can check on it and make sure it isn't overcooking.


So here are the recipes left over:
White Bean Chicken
Beef Stew
Cheeseburger Soup
Thai Chicken Wings

We are adding Pulled Pork with carmelized onions, Skinny Chicken Pot Pie, and Healthy Meatloaf.
I will be posting pictures below when prepping begins but here are the recipes if you are going to be following along!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches- This recipe I got off of the www.foodnetwork.com
but I modified it slightly to give it more of a healthy alternate such as using olive oil vs vegetable oil. I am using tenderloin versus the shoulder as well and there is little fat on the tenderloin. This will be a great dinner for tomorrow night when the EAGLES play :-)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 teaspoons hot paprika

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 3 -to-4-pound boneless pork tenderloin or pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste

3 tablespoons tomato paste

6 whole wheat rolls/buns

Directions:

Combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar, the paprika, mustard powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet; add the pork and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, 5 minutes.

Remove the pork and transfer to a plate; whisk 3/4 cup water into the drippings in the skillet. Transfer the liquid to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.

Add the vinegar, tomato paste, the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 cups water to the slow cooker and whisk to combine. Add the pork, cover and cook on low, 8 hours.

Remove the pork and transfer to a cutting board. Strain the liquid into a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Roughly chop the pork and mix in a bowl with 1 cup of the reduced cooking liquid, and salt and vinegar to taste. Serve on buns with barbecue sauce and coleslaw.

      

Skinny Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie:

I got this recipe from the amazing blog www.skinnymom.com

I modified the vegetables to be fresh because that is my preference but you can use a mixed bag of frozen veggies too. If you do that change the amount of time from 45 minutes before serving to 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1lb of chicken
1 small onion
3 1/2 celery stalks, diced
2 10.5 ounce cans of Organic Cream of Chicken Soup (we use Wegman's brand)
1 cup of skim milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
fresh assortment of veggies: carrots, green beans, corn
2 TBS fresh parsley chopped
12-oz can Pillsbury Grands Jr Flaky Bisquits

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Top the chicken with the diced onion and celery.
3. In a small bowl, combine the chicken soup, milk, water, garlic powder, thyme, salt and black pepper; whisk until mixed well. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
5. About 45 minutes before serving, remove the chicken from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and shred with two forks. Place the shredded chicken back in the slow cooker and add the vegetables and parsley. Stir to mix. Cook for an additional 45 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Once preheated, bake the biscuits according to the package directions.
7. To serve, place a heaping 1-cup serving of the chicken mixture in each bowl and top with a biscuit.

What's For Dinner Week 2

So after a crazy back to school week and figuring out schedules we think we have our routine down. One of the things that made the transition easy was meal prepping. If you haven't had an opportunity to check out my first post I am finally putting all my pinterest pins to use. I am committing myself to reviewing each of the blogs that have put out easy crock pot meals in hopes that I myself may become a Betty Crocker and start concocting my own recipes, however, that has not happened yet so pin I must.
Last weeks meals were all amazing and if you haven't check out www.mynaturalfamily.com you definitely should. The recipe I enjoyed the least was the lasagna. It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't awesome either. The recipes I highly recommend are the sun dried tomatoes recipe and the santa fe chicken. You can use tortillas or chips with the santa fe and we put the sun dried tomato recipe over a bed of pasta. These were big hits in my house.

Now onto this week. I will be adding pictures tomorrow when I officially start prepping (its college football day so watch I must). I am making 8 of the 12 recipes and I went to the grocery store and spent $120! Now what is so amazing about this is that I am not only prepping for this week, but slightly into next week as well so this is truly amazing stuff. Please check out this site. She gives so many great ideas and there are other recipes she shares as well. I just wanted to make what I had room in my fridge for. I also want to add that some items I already had so my $120 bill may be more inclined to be higher if I didn't have the extra ground turkey (substituting ground beef) and chicken from prior purchases, but I think it all evens out. I hope this makes your meal planning easy this week. Pictures to follow tomorrow!!!
http://www.graciouslysaved.com/2013/08/12-easy-paleo-ish-crock-pot-meals.html

Here are the recipes: 

Taco Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked ground beef

1 medium onion chopped

1 can corn drained

1 can black beans drained

1 can navy beans drained

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 small can diced green chiles

1 package taco seasoning

Directions: Place all ingredients in freezer bag and freeze until ready. 

Write on bag: 1 can diced green onions, shredded cheese

   1. Thaw slightly, place in crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. 

   2. Serve with shredded cheese, chopped green onions and fritos.

Thai Chicken Wings with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken drumsticks or wings

1/2 cup bottled salsa

1/4 cup Peanut Butter (almond butter for Paleo)

3 T lime juice

3 T soy sauce

3 T water

2 T freshed chopped ginger

1/4 cup sugar

2 cloves garlic chopped

Directions: Place all ingredients in bag and freeze until ready to cook. 

Write on bag:

   1. Thaw slightly and place in slow cooker. 

   2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

What's For Dinner?

Each week I have tirelessly planned what we were going to have for dinner only to not follow through simply because I didn't feel like making it. Now that I am finding meals that I can make ahead of time I wanted to share what we will be making for dinner each week and the blogs that I use to find my meals.
Have you ever noticed really fit people answer the question so evasively? "What do you have for dinner?" Their responses are so vague with "chicken and steamed veggies" and I feel like screaming can you be more specific!! Needless to say the specifics will be here and I will be charting what we thought of our different meals for the week.
This week I found this amazing blog called www.mynaturalfamily.com
She posts a ton of recipes and I chose only 4 this week since it is a short work week and I made a ton of food so I figure I can do leftovers some of the days too.
1). Paleo Lasagna
2). Santa Fe Chicken
3). Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
4). Beef Stew

Here are some pictures of what I prepped and I wish you could come into my kitchen to smell how good all of this is. For the 2 hours it took me to prep all these meals it is well worth it for the time and energy it will save me during a busy back to school work week as well as allowing myself to make sure we are eating healthy as a family. Some of the recipes called for things I had never used before like Tapioca Starch. I was able to find it at Wegman's so if there are any ingredients you struggle with finding just let me know. I can give you a rundown of what I used, but I was able to find most of the items on the list. Cost to prep all 4 of these meals which I know will last us all week was $100. To feed a family of 6 on that cost alone is a shock for us because we have been close to $200 weekly so money savings was big and that just makes this even more exciting.
Share what you are making for dinner or post a recipe you would like me to include in our family menu. I am always looking for ideas!!

Meal Prepping and I can still get my healthy shake in while I work

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken-this was still hot so the bag was steamy which is why I opened it. Smells so good 

Santa Fe Chicken 

Paleo Beef Stew 

Paleo Lasagna

5 Most Effective Ways to Start a Routine

As the new school year is approaching I am reminded that the little routine I have developed with the kids is going out the window. I am going to have to figure out breakfast, lunch and dinner in a different way and I also have to think about my workout routines and meal planning.

Here are my tips to starting a new routine that is going to help you with those Back To School Routines and keep you on track towards your goals!

1). Plan your morning ahead of time. Think about the tasks you need to complete before you or the kids walk out the door. Start with the biggest one first. So if you are looking to workout, shower, get the kids ready for school and eat breakfast decide which one is your biggest task. For me I am going to do the routine in the order I listed. My workout takes 30 minutes and if I plan ahead I will be able to get that done and out of the way for the day.

2). Resist the Phone! Sure it is fun to check Facebook and see what is happening in the news, but when getting into a routine it is a huge distraction and once you get sucked into the social media vortex you realized you just lost 15 minutes of time.

3). Set Goals! What do you want to accomplish in your day? What is most important and what can you leave for another time? One thing I do with my routine is if there is something I didn't accomplish at the end of the day it automatically gets added to the next day. Making a checklist is a great way to start a routine and gives a sense of accomplishment when you can check a box off. I love lists!

4). One of my favorites-Start with the easy routines first. What does this mean? You need to look at what you want to accomplish and go for the easy ones. If you start with the most difficult first it will be less likely to make it into a "routine" but rather a hassle and something you will abandon. An example would be my goal of trying to get up at 5AM to workout. It hasn't happened yet, I just go to bed too late and I'm not mentally ready. So I need to plan ahead and start with 6AM and then work my way to an earlier time.

5). LESS IS MORE!! Do not add to much to your new routine. If you have over 10 items on your routine you will become overwhelmed at the amount of tasks to accomplish in a day. Take baby steps and find the most essential. As you ease into the easy routines you can add to them, but do not exceed 10!!

I saw this quote from Steve Jobs and thought it was really something that puts life in perspective. We get dragged into so much "other" stuff that sometimes we lose sight of what we really want. So as you start your routine make sure it adds value to your life!

Comment below with what your routine will look like? Help other parents getting ready to tackle the new school year and even if you aren't a parent are you going to be starting a new routine yourself?

Vacations, BBQ's and Graduation Parties Oh My!!!

At this time of the year it is so customary to get ready for one event to the next. That is no different in this house where we have been thrown into the mix of all the celebratory gatherings. The only downside to all this partying is the constant buffet that is laid before us at each one. In Pennsylvania the common foods at a BBQ are hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni salad, potato salad, and our beloved tomato pie. Now obviously other homes may differ, but whenever we go to these events these seem to be the staple.
Now if you don't know what tomato pie is it is absolute heaven in a box. It is a cold rectangular shaped pizza, but it is cold. The sauce is put on top of the dough like traditional pizza, but the only topping is parmesan cheese. Why am I obsessing over tomato pie? Well simply because you could easily eat 5 pieces and not take a breath in between it is that good. It is also terrible for anyone who is doing a portion controlled diet or simply just making a healthy lifestyle change. So what is the lesson to learn from this? Well no matter where we go or where we are from we are always going to have that one thing that is going to cause us to make a decision. My feeling is that I would like to enjoy the tomato pie and need to make sure that the rest of my food choices are smart and sensible. I also need to decide if the extra cardio in the morning is going to be worth it.

So as an easy way to make the choices here are some great alternatives for you to choose or bring to the next gathering. That way you are not faced with the tough choice and have control over what you eat at these celebrations. Also it is a great way for you to enjoy that food you really do love.

Macaroni Salad
http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/recipe-quick-pasta-salad

Potato Salad
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/learn-cook-best-basic-potato-salad

Brownies
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/fudgy-brownie-recipe-grain-free-paleo/

Tomato Pie (I still have to try this and be the judge, but let me know if you do!!)
http://www.americanflatbreadproducts.com/farmers-tomato-pie/

The original from Corropolese Bakery

Update on Max30 Results!!

So I have taken a long hiatus from blogging from the simple reason that life gets in the way. That didn't stop me from finding time for my workouts and planning my meals. I am so thrilled with the results I got from Insanity Max30. To find a program that actually works for me and keeps me motivated day in and out is really rare. The motivation I have gotten from my fellow challenge group members has allowed me to push further and it is no longer about my weight loss, but how can I inspire someone? How can I motivate them to get these results? Overall it has to come from YOU!! You have to decide if you are worth it! You have decide when it is time to make a change and it is YOU who needs to decide if it is going to be tomorrow for the rest of your life or TODAY is your day.
Here are my official after photos from 120 days of Max30. It is not an overnight journey. It is a lifestyle change that will open you up to so many more possibilities than just physically feeling your best. It has made me feel more confident, self aware of the great things in life, and also how to empower others to do the same for themselves. If you are someone who thinks you could benefit from the support and motivation of a FREE COACH then you can reach out to me and I will give you completely FREE advice about what works, what doesn't work, what may work for you and better yet just how to get started!!

3 Day Quick Fix RESULTS

So I finished the 3 Day Quick Fix from the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan and WOW! As I wrote in my first post I had my reservations about how often I would need to eat and if I would feel starved, but after the 3 days I feel great. The best part I was able to keep up with my workouts without feeling sluggish. I think this quick fix is perfect for people who are going to an event and want to look and feel their absolute best. This is by no means a diet that you can maintain for longer than 3 days. Why do I say that? The food is very boring, you are eating everything in its original state which is fine for a few days, but I think that if any type of lifestyle change is going to happen with nutrition you need to eat healthy, but find a balance.
The menu was simple:
Meal 1: 1 Red Egg Whites        1 Yellow Steel Cut Oats     1 tsp coconut oil
Meal 2: 1 Red Grilled Chicken 1 Yellow Yams
Meal 3: 1 Red Steamed Fish     1 Green  Steamed Veggies
Meal 4: 1 Red Grilled Chicken 1 Green  Steamed Veggies  1 tsp coconut oil
Meal 5: 1 Red  Steamed Fish    1 Green  Steamed Veggies  1 tsp coconut oil
Meal 6: 1 Red Ground Turkey  1 Green  Steamed Veggies  1 tsp coconut oil

FINAL RESULTS: 
Before: 142.5 lbs (RIGHT) 
Pounds Lost: 6
After: 136.5  lbs (Left) 
Inches Lost: 2 

So overall this is exactly what I needed to lean out the area that I feel I need to work on the most which is my stomach. If anyone would like more information about the 21 Day Fix or what workouts I do during this eating plan just feel free to comment! 

3 Day Quick Fix Review

After my binge eating from the weekend I decided to take drastic measures and tackle a meal plan that has been staring at me for months. It seemed an impossible task 6 meals in one day! Nothing but chicken, fish and veggies....this did not seem like it was going to work. Plus it had me drinking coconut oil. However, since I have taken on so many tough challenges lately I figured I would give this a try and let you know what it is REALLY like.....

Day 1: Daylight savings still has me totally thrown off. I'm not sure what time it is in my house because I still have to change clocks in places that don't automatically do it. I get my daughters ready for the day and then the boys wake up. I still have not managed to get my first meal in. This is going to be a challenge. In my life being busy is a constant and finding time to eat is really difficult. By 8:30 my Mom arrives to help with the kids and I am finally able to make my steel cut oatmeal and egg whites. I use pepper on the egg whites and cinnamon on the oatmeal and have a glass of water. I down the coconut oil and surprisingly it isn't too bad. The day then consists of me prepping my meals (chicken, fish) and getting ready to eat every 2 hours. Well the best laid plans are not always possible. Between playing with the kids and getting a quick 30 minute workout in (I love morning naps) I was able to eat again at noon (so I wasn't sticking to the every 2 hour mark). I had grilled chicken and yams with cinnamon and it was good. I felt full I didn't have a craving for anything. After the kids went in for the afternoon nap I was able to eat the fist and broccoli combo and that was surprisingly satisfying. I am not a huge fish person. I love shrimp, scallops, lobster, but fish I am just not in love with. So this was my biggest hurdle, but it wasn't bad at all. Now most of the day consisted of the same routine. However, this is where I really need to improve. I only ate 4 meals today. I ate my chicken with green beans and it was delicious. I need to make it a point to fit the other 2 meals in. I will set my alarm and try to beat the morning rush of 4 little ones asking for breakfast or in the twins case (crying) and focus on them. I will be posting my before and afters on Thursday and will give an update about tomorrow's challenges!!

When You Fall Off Your Diet

Anyone ever have those weekends or weeks where the diet was just not coinciding with the workouts. Well if you have then you would be like me this weekend. I have been doing really well with the clean eating regime. I would say that every once in awhile I would find myself eating a pretzel or 2 or  eating a handful of chocolate covered almonds, but nothing that would make me think "oh wow that was really regrettable." This weekend I just didn't seem to make good choices and even though part of me is feeling a bit defeated after the fact I realize it isn't going to change anything. Yes, I probably have gained some of the weight that I have spent many hard earned hours sweating off, but I am going to get up early finish my workout and make good choices. I think part of the battle that we deal with in our fitness journeys is having those moments where it is ok to be defiant, but having the sense to come back and start fresh. I certainly don't want to go on a month long binge of eating poorly.
My post is meant to inspire you that today can be the day you start fresh. Make a healthy choice. When your are faced to going out to lunch with a colleague get the side salad instead of the fries. You may wish you had the fries at first, but as the day wears on you will feel really good about yourself. Start with simple replacements and work your way up to whole meals. Tomorrow I am going to be starting the 3 Day Quick Fix. It is part of the 21 Day Fix nutritional guide and I am using it as a way to cleanse my body and really lean out. It consists of a lot of protein and vegetables and the best part is I can continue with my workouts. Find your fresh start!! You can do it!! Get your support and if you don't have someone that will help you then message me! :-)

Insanity Max30 Results

On February 28th I finished my first round of Insanity Max30. I was so shocked when I did the cardio challenge on Saturday because I was finding that the exercises that were near impossible to me in the beginning were easier. However, in a program like Max30 you don't just let things get easier, you have to push yourself to make those movements harder and in many instances that meant moving faster. At the end of my 60 day transformation I am 14.5 pounds lighter and lost 10.9 inches overall. To say that this program has transformed me is an understatement. I have had to reach a new appreciation for fitness and health. I realized that by putting in this extremely hard work I wasn't going to negate it by eating foods that would not benefit my results. I decided to invest in Shakeology. With so many people talking about the benefits I knew I needed to do what Beachbody suggested. They believed in this product and I believed in Beachbody. Since starting Shakeology I feel healthier, I feel more energized. I am so glad that I made this investment. I invested in myself and sometimes I think that is really hard for people. I know it was hard for me. I have 4 children and being a stay at home mom this year (I am on maternity leave) I knew every cent counted. I also knew that by being fit and healthy I was going to be a better parent. I urge anyone who is considering this program or any Beachbody program to make the full investment in yourself. You do deserve it! You will not regret it!
Insanity Max30 was exactly what I needed to push me. It gave me the feeling of competition again. I competed with the old me. Each week I would look at the time I had gotten before and thought I am stronger than that person is and would make sure to work to my max. Many people rely on a scale to show progress, but I used my time as my progress. If I could beat my time by 1 second I knew that I was getting results.
My husband has been so supportive of me working towards my goals that he decided to join me in working out with this program. He has always been the type to lift in the gym and do a little cardio. After showing him that this type of resistance training can give him the results he wants he took a leap of faith and abandoned some of his old ways to give this a try. His transformation is amazing. He has lost over 10 pounds and 14+inches. The amazing thing is that he didn't look out of shape in his before picture, but looking at his after picture he looks like a very fit and athletic guy who is also strong. I am so excited for the next 60 days because we are going to continue to follow the meal plan and the workouts.

Before-12-30-14
After 2-28-15

After-Top
Before-Bottom

Before-12/30/14
After 2/28/15

Eating Healthy and Tricking Your Kids

As a mom on a mission to get my family eating healthy I have had to find ways to mask the dreaded "is this vegetables" question. Tonight was no exception and I am so proud of the way my "mashed potatoes" turned out that I decided to share my recipe and give other parents hope that you too can enjoy clean eating and have your kids eat too. If you are a parent who was blessed with a child that either eats anything you give him/her or loves their veggies then this is just another alternative to add to your weekly menu.
You can tweak this recipe as I have done because just googling it you will find many variations. I tried to make it as healthy as I could so if you hate low fat you can use whole fat it doesn't matter

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes:

INGREDIENTS:
1 med/large head of cauliflower
1TBS reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup of Low Fat Grated Parmesan
1/2 TBS Chicken Stock
1/2TBS Chives (optional) I prefer fresh but you can use dry

Directions:
Boil a large pot of water (about 7 cups)
Clean the cauliflower
Cut the cauliflower into small pieces
Place the cauliflower into the boiling water
Boil the Cauliflower for 8-10 minutes
Once boiled drain the water
On a plate lay 2 sheets of paper towel
Using a spoon take the cauliflower out of the pot and place on the paper towel to dry it
As you dry place in the food processor
Keep repeating until all cauliflower has been dried
Add your ingredients: cream cheese, parmesan, chicken stock, chives
Use your food processor to combine all all ingredients
Make sure all the cauliflower is combined and that there are minimal to no lumps (fools the kids better)
Serve

Beachbody Coaching

I get asked frequently about what made me decide to become a coach. After all I'm busy with my four kids and starting a business just seemed like it would be a really hard thing to do right now. However, after giving it some thought and realizing I was already "selling" the products by using them and promoting them all the time it just made sense. When I signed up I was more excited by the fact that I would be able to help people reach their goals. I wanted people get the sense of accomplishment that I get when I finish a program or complete an exercise that was impossible for me (plyo push-ups). It was about connecting with people and actually making a difference.
To say I was eager to get started was an understatement. I basically dove in head first to this endeavor because I wanted to do it right. I knew that in order to be successful at it I needed to give it 100%. I have been so fortunate to have people put their faith in me that I can help them find the right program and guide them with their nutrition. When I see the posts that I lost 2 lbs this week or that I have already lost 8 lbs by doing this program I am so happy for them! I can only say that if you are type of person that wants to help someone and get the sense of joy that I get out of seeing their accomplishments this may be the perfect fit for you. It's not about 'selling'. It's about promoting a healthy life and giving people the feeling that they can achieve it. The products speak for themselves. I feel healthier than ever before and I know that it will only be a matter of weeks before I am back to that girl in the picture from 2 years ago.
So now to the part about the perks to coaching aside from meeting amazing people and helping them live a healthy life; you can make money. As a coach you earn a 25% commission. This isn't dependent on how much you sell or anything. You also get a discount of 25% on all Beachbody products. Many people decide it is worth it just to sign up and get the discount because they are enrolled in Shakeology so that will bring the cost down significantly. At this point I can say that my Shakeology is paid for and I am also making enough to contribute to our monthly bills. Since I am on maternity leave it feels good to contribute to the household income again.
If you are considering being part of our amazing team I really encourage you to contact me. I will give you the 100% truth about the business and see if it really is a good fit for what you want to accomplish.
Our team is small but we are mighty and we support each other daily. It is a great way to connect and feel part of a team and that is what we try to do. So if this team sounds like we are for you then join us. Just fill out the contact me form and I will be happy to answer your questions and give you feedback!
foxyform

Insanity Max30 Month 1 Review

So last Saturday marked my 1 month (30 days) into Insanity Max30. I have never had a program challenge me the way that this program has, but it is the kind of challenge that can be addictive. You want to get better, you want to do more and you want to max out. My body has transformed so quickly with this program it is hard to believe that I looked the way I did 30 days ago.

Some things to keep in mind with this program, it is not for the beginner. If you are looking for a program to begin with I would recommend T25 or 21 Day Fix. This program has some high intensity moves that had it not been for my experience with the original Insanity and T25 I would probably not have seen the results I did. I say that because it takes some focus and getting used to in terms of the movements. There are a lot of combination moves such as switch kicks with a punch, high knees with a punch, any way to maximize a movement Shaun T finds a way.

As you think about starting your journey there are few things to consider. How are you going to fuel your body? Are you going to just work out and not change your diet? The reason my results were so quick to show in 4 weeks is because I stuck to a pretty disciplined diet. I drank Shakeology for breakfast, had a banana for a mid morning snack, 2 hard boiled eggs with tomato for lunch, an apple and seeds/almonds for afternoon snack, and then dinner which was either sirloin, chicken, fish, or ground turkey. So plan your meals, think about how you will fuel your body because that is the best way to see results.

Cheat Days

So every weekend I set aside one day as my cheat day. I like to pick Saturdays because we are generally out doing errands and have to stop off to get lunch/dinner somewhere with the kids. Lately though we have been ordering take out because taking four kids (2 newborns) into a restaurant is just not a good time. So because of this I wanted to offer a few tips to help those of you that feel like you just never do well dieting and that depriving yourself of the foods you love will just have you binging and gaining all your weight back.
What I do is I schedule my cheat day. It is a day that I can look forward to when working out and eating right and it feels like a little reward for myself. I also only pick one meal for my cheat. I do not eat poorly all day long. Eventually when you start eating clean those foods that you love now (french fries, hamburgers, pizza, etc) will not taste as good because your stomach will be used to the good food and thus you may feel poorly after you eat anything greasy or fried.
This happened to me after Disney on Ice just this week. We went to the show on Wednesday and it was amazing. They did such a great job, but we neglected to eat prior and so we decided to buy something at the show. The typical foods were served chicken tenders, hamburgers, cheesesteaks, etc. There was nothing of nutritional value in this whole show. So I purchased a hamburger. I immediately regretted my decision about 3 bites in. My stomach felt awful. I couldn't even finish it. So in essence I realized that my new eating habits were doing something right and that these old foods that I loved so much were not loving me in return. It was very easy to not finish the burger and french fries that normally I would engulf.
So my hope for you is that if you do decide to give yourself a cheat day you may find that the things you are loving may not be your favorite food for long and that is a very good thing!

Finding Motivation

Some days are truly easier than others. Finding the motivation to workout daily can be the biggest hurdle that anyone needs to overcome. I know that I struggle with it some weeks. Particularly this week. I don't know why, maybe it's the weather, maybe it's just I'm not in the mood, whatever it is I remind myself of one very important quote: It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish." So for me when I feel like I am just going to have an "off" day I remind myself of that goal that I set for myself and I realize that taking an "off" day is one day further I am away from reaching that goal. Another great tool to use to help get motivated is finding a buddy. I know that if I didn't have my friend texting me that she finished a workout I may not get as pumped as I do to workout. The little check ins to see how we did or which workout we were going to do that day really makes me feel accountable. If you can find that one person in your life that you can do this with it makes the journey easier and more doable. Post a quote that motivates you or share what ways you motivate yourself.

How to Defeat Late Night Cravings

So every night for the past 10 months I treated myself to dessert. I love dessert it is the best thing that has ever happened to food, but it is the worst thing for my body. So as I am sitting here typing this I would love to go upstairs and snack on some Hershey Kisses or whatever else we have in the pantry that has even the smallest hint of sugar, but I am not giving in. Do any of you have these vices? How do you combat it? I find that distracting myself is probably my best bet, I have never been able to have just a few bites and be ok especially if it is a giant piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. When it comes to the need it, gotta have it I have always been a bit of an obsessive person. When I was younger and wanted something from the store like new shoes or a new top I would think about it constantly until I bought it. Sometimes I am that way with my cravings and I am hoping that by cutting sugar out of my diet it will eliminate those types of wants. However, we are creatures of habit and my habit has been a long steady 10 months of dessert each night. So back to how to deal with those cravings and using distraction as my go to; some things I like to do to distract myself are: finding a game to play with the kids, reading a book/magazine, watching a movie (in our basement away from the kitchen), browsing the internet or working out. The last option has actually been my routine for the past few weeks. I liked to snack right before dinner or right after lunch so I have been planning my workouts around those times. Other things I have tried and work are drinking a large glass of water with lemon. This seems to make me feel full and satisfied. I would love to hear back from any of you with your tips and things that have worked/failed in the past so we can create a list. Hope everyone has a great week!

Why You Don't Take Your Whole Family Grocery Shopping

So today I am going to embark to the grocery store. I will take my list with me with the essentials and I am planning on sticking with it. WISHFUL THINKING..... So I get to the grocery store and I am immediately stricken with the "oh great I forgot my list"Has this ever happened to you? I know I want to get some veggies and fruits, but now my mind is drawing a blank and I am being pulled in 10 directions by my kids, husband and the guy who is peddling cheese at the dairy counter. After walking around aimlessly for 10 minutes I am immediately in the zone getting my apples, bananas, onions, carrots, etc. I got this I am thinking to myself. 45 minutes later, 2 tantrums, 1 lost husband and $130 grocery bill we are on our way. I am about 5 minutes from home when I remember the list and of course the essential cleaning items (detergent, bathroom cleaner, light bulbs) forgotten.....well there is always tomorrow, but I'm not going.

Grocery Shopping and all its Glory

I actually used to like grocery shopping. I found it to be relaxing perusing the aisles to see what I could buy and get excited about the snacks and meals I would create. It was up there with a Target shopping trip, but because Target has Starbucks it will always be second place. However, now I find it to be more like mission impossible. Trying to take my clan of children to the grocery store is both insane and stupid. I spend more time putting food back then putting it into my cart. My 2 year old refuses to sit in the basket and when she is not in the cart she is running around like a lunatic. I swear we do get out, but the way she acts is like she has just been released from prison. This results in me needing to get her and then the back is thrown out and the ear piercing screams. It is such an enjoyable time. I have resorted to ordering online trying to truck all 4 of my children to the store is not going to happen, at least by myself and so I discovered Peapod. Oh how amazing it is that you can still go aisle by aisle to choose what you want and stay within a reasonable budget. They deliver it right to the door and even bring it into your house and put it on your counters. It is a great service. However, today I must go to the grocery store. There were some items I forgot to add to my list and some cleaning products that I have run out of so alas me and my 4 children will brave the freezing cold to get the necessities. Now before I started back up with my workouts I formed some really bad habits. I was really good about writing out my meals for the week and then shopping according to those budgets, but the funny thing about pregnancy those meals never seemed to satisfy my craving for oreos dipped in peanut butter, go figure. So I began aimlessly buying whatever looked good and believe me everything looked good. Frozen steaks to make cheesesteaks, yep toss them in there, oreos, oh I can add that to my sundae, Chips Ahoy, blocks of cheese to shred over tostitos (yum, nachos) I could go on. Soon our grocery bills were enormous much like my body at this point so we finally started meal planning again. Now that I am fully committed to my workouts I have really stayed on track with the meals, no sugar (as you can read I love my sweets) and eating from the nutrition guides. I use the 21 Day Fix containers so that helps me keep my portions controlled.

And Here I go again on my own....well not exactly

Now I may sound crazy but it only took me a few weeks to really feel like myself again. I was just very eager to get back to feeling like my old self. It started with nutrition because I was breast feeding and then I was getting antsy to do things around the house. By about 6 weeks post partum I was ready to start working out again. I did small things but was eager to get into a Beachbody program. A friend of ours had the 21 Day Fix and was lending it to me and I was beginning to work out doing that and then the wonderful holidays came. I realized that my bad habits that I had for the last year were harder to break than I imagined. As a Christmas gift I received Insanity Max30 and that is where I felt like I was truly getting back to being myself and really ready to commit to being healthy for myself and my family. 

Here are my before pictures

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This was Day 1 of Insanity Max30 and I am almost finished Round 1. I will be posting those pictures very shortly. As I have seen my progress and realized that my love for what I do could help someone else struggling I decided to become a Beachbody Coach. So hopefully by reading my story you feel like you can relate to me in some way or you simply feel like I would be a great help to you in achieving your goals this year. Whatever the reason I would love to help. Contact me using the links or you can find me on

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/fitwithfour

TeamBeachbody: www.teambeachbody.com/bethnyce

Shakeology: www.shakeology.com/bethnyce

And Babies Make 4

By October I was over being pregnant and just anxious to meet our little boys! Finally on October 6th they arrived! Declan and Ciaran, I still look at them in amazement that I was able to carry them 1 day shy of 38 weeks. 

Sometimes Life Has Other Ideas

Fast Forward to April 1, 2014...my husband and I were going to our first ultra sound for the baby. Our doctor wanted to make sure we had the correct due date. At this point I was 11 weeks pregnant. As we anxiously awaited seeing the first picture of our little one we came to realize that the screen looked split. My immediate reaction was that the tv was broken and that we were going to be moved to another room. Then I started to realize what was happening and the ultrasound technician says "Well there is Baby A and there is Baby B, that is how we refer to twins." I just sat there stunned. I thought it was an April Fool's joke I mean it was April 1st after all! However, after being reassured that it would be illegal to post someone else's ultrasound picture during my appointment I became excited, fearful and anxious. There was some laughing and crying in that moment. After the dust settled and we began processing what lie ahead for the next 8 months I wasn't sure what all was going to be happening to me. I didn't want to seem like a bad person for worrying about what my body was going to look like after having my children. I was excited and if I had to get stretch marks and the whole bit I was up for it, but I just couldn't imagine being able to carry 2 at once! 

Months went on and my diet as well as my workouts started to diminish. I was no longer able to do T25 even modified and the idea of just doing walking was depressing since I loved my Insanity type workouts from the past. I just remember feeling like I was losing myself because my love for working out was no longer part of my life at least the way I wanted it to be. I filled my time with projects around the house and that seemed to be enough fitness for me as I was much more tired this pregnancy. 

This is me at week 32 (I had almost 6 weeks left!)

My Fitness Journey

I have always considered myself a person who was athletic, but I had an unhealthy relationship with food. I love to eat. I love to eat all the foods we are not supposed to. As I grew older I started to realize that if I was ever going to be truly happy with myself I had to stay away from the things that were keeping me down. So after having my second daughter I decided to give into the late night infomercials and purchase Insanity. It was the best decision I have ever made (other than marrying my husband ). 
For the next 60 Days I was totally transformed. I went from a person who was out of shape, sort of flabby, and exhausted to someone that was excited to wear a bikini and go shopping! The nutrition plan that was included was really easy to follow and my older daughter actually liked the recipes. This was a win win in my book! These were my results after 60 days! I was so happy and excited to start the next journey which would be T25. I promised myself that if I was to ever get pregnant again I would be healthy and fit and make sure to do the modified workouts.....well sometimes you can't plan for everything. 

About 1 month before I had our 2nd daughter

Happy Birthday Brynley!! 



60 Days Later!!!

Family Vacation 2013!!

Me at the beach finally rocking my 2 piece :-)