Creamy Chicken Salad

A classic bridal/baby shower, birthday party, or family gathering food is chicken salad. I have not eaten it in a while because of the ingredients that are put into it. When I got the Fixate cookbook and saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it I made this for dinner one night, it was husband and 1 year old approved! I even had some extras for the next days lunch, which is always a win for me!

Ingredients:

Directions:

- Cook chicken on stove top and let it cool in fridge for 15-20 minutes

- I used a ninja chopper for my green onion and almond

-After chicken is cool, mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl

Combined mixture

Lettuce wraps, yum!!

Serve with lettuce wraps, whole grain wraps, or my husbands favorite Hawaiian rolls! Enjoy and share at your upcoming party!

Mac N Cheese

This past weekend I got my Fixate cookbook in the mail and have tried 3 recipes already, I have loved every single one of them! The cookbook has 101 recipes to use with the 21 day fix portion control program. This cookbook is broken down into different sections and I have fallen in love with it! I like simple recipes that uses items I already have in my own kitchen and that the husband and baby boy will love! The family has loved all 3 recipes so far...so that is a win in my book.

Here is the recipe for the Mac n Cheese with Broccoli and Chicken. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Mac n Cheese

Ingredients:
- 4 oz. whole wheat macaroni 
- 4 tsp. organic grass fed butter or organic coconut oil
- 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
- 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 1/4 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 cups cooked and chopped chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
- 4 cups chopped broccoli florets, steamed
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Sauce mixture after heating and stirring 

Directions:
- cook macaroni according to package directions
- melt butter or coconut oil in large sauce pan over medium heat
- add flour; stirring constantly for 1 minute or until brown (don't let it burn)
- slowly stir in almond milk; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture thickens and there are no lumps
- Reduce heat to low. Add in the cheese; stirring constantly until cheese is melted
- Add chicken, broccoli, noodles, salt, and pepper. 
*Stir until heated all the way through and serve!

Little guy enjoying the meal

Family Approved!

Finished product

I cooked the chicken, broccoli, and noodles the night before so the day of cooking I did not have to do much. This made making the dinner super simple and quick!

Check out my video to hear all about the fixate cookbook and my special for this month!

If you are interested in more information email me or fill out the application below!

Homemade Balsamic Dressing

Needing something clean to put on your salads. I love me a big a salad with lots of greens! A typical salad dressing has a lot of additives placed in it. I had been using just olive oil but I was looking for something to add flavor and change it up a bit. I found this recipe for balsamic dressing in my 21 day fix eating guide. It is amazing, only a few ingredients, and clean!

Ingredients:
*1 tsp. honey or pure maple syrup
*1/4 c. lemon or lemon juice
*2 tsp. dijon mustard
*6 tbsp. olive oil
*6 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions:

* Combine vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend the ingredients well. 

* Stir in mustard, mix well.

* Slowly add oil, mix well!

Enjoy on salads! I also add this dressing on top of my veggies and add some peanuts, almonds or cashews for a little crunch, one of my favorite summer dishes!

Order one of the bundle packages from me this month and get entered into to win a FREE fixate cookbook! The 21 day fix and fix extreme are on sale this month so hurry to get in on this! 

Fill out the application below to get started today!

Shakeology No-Bake Cookies

I am huge sweets lover...anything chocolate I will demolish. I have been trying to find clean recipes to curb my sweet tooth. Yesterday I stumbled upon a recipe for shakeology no-bake cookies. These cookies are clean, simple and taste amazing! They taste exactly like no-bake oaties chocolate cookies, except these are full of protein and good for you!

Ingredients

Ingredients:
-1 cup Chocolate or Vanilla Shakeology
-1 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter
-1/2 cup honey
-1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

Ingredients mixed together

Directions:
-Combine all the ingredients together in large mixing bowl. 
-Mix together well with a rubber spatula or by hand.
-Roll mixture into balls and place into container
*Optional: you can flatten out the balls to look like normal cookies, I keep them rolled into balls because it is easier to store them.

Shakeology No-Bake Cookies

Store completed cookies in the refrigerator for easy snacks! Enjoy this tasty clean treat :)

3 Day Refesh

I have been wanting to do the 3 day refresh through Beachbody for a long time but I kept telling myself not right now it is not a good time and making every other excuse possible. I had been snacking A LOT and since memorial day have not been eating the best. I finally said enough was enough...I need to break from these bad habits and it is time to get back on track. I had gained back only 1 pound but I could tell in my stomach and the way my clothes were fitting I was bloated and just tired all the time from putting junk into my body.

I started a 3 day refresh challenge group on Monday June 8th and started my refresh on Thursday of the week. I wanted other women to join me in this 3 days because I knew I would need support, motivation, and somewhere to check in when I was wanting to stop. I spent the first few days preparing my menu, starting to slowly withdraw from caffeine, and grocery shopping for my fruits and veggies! 

Sample Meal Plan

I was nervous and worried I would be hungry all the time...the honest truth there was never a time I was hungry during the day and most of the time I had to force myself to finish the meal. I made the meal plan above in a word document and had this with me at work and while away this weekend to stay on track and have for quick reference.

For breakfast I had chocolate shakeology and a fruit option. I switched up my fruit every morning and had banana, watermelon, and strawberries. I love the chocolate shakeology plain with ice and water blended. Adding your fruit into the shakeology is also an option and adds variety to the breakfasts!

Breakfast Day 1: Chocolate shakeology and 1/2 banana

There were 3 optional tea times one in the morning,one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. These are typically the times I have coffee or want to snack.  I drink coffee everyday and was worried I would have bad headaches, I never had a craving for coffee and the tea option definitely helped me with this and I now love tea! I used organic green tea and organic herbal passion tea throughout the 3 days. 

Afternoon tea time: Unsweetened green tea

   For the mid-morning snack it was the fiber sweep drink. I was most worried about this because of how it looked when I made it the first day. I was very surprised at how easy it was to drink and
the flavor was not bad at all! When doing the refresh don't let the sweep sit, drink it right away after mixing it with water.

Morning fiber sweep

For lunch everyday you got the vanilla refresh shake, 1 serving of fruit, 1 serving of vegetables, and 1 serving of healthy fats. I was thinking there is no way this is going to fill me up, I will be starving! Everyday for lunch I was full and did not want to eat more when I was finished. I added cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, water, ice and blended my refresh up. It tasted exactly vanilla shakeology to me and I loved it!!

Lunch day 2: Vanilla refresh, strawberries, cucumbers and 1/2 avocado

Lunch day 3: Vanilla refresh, watermelon. carrots and hummus

For the afternoon snack you get 1 vegetable serving and 1 healthy fats serving. I typically was not hungry yet for this but I wanted to follow the plan exactly so I ate it! Sometimes it was more than an hour after lunch due to work or not being hungry yet. For day 1 I had cucumber and hummus. Day 2 carrots and 1/2 avocado. Day 3 carrots and hummus. 

Dinner was my favorite time of day during the refresh! I loved trying the new recipes provided in the refresh program guide. I will definitely be using these recipes again and trying some of the recipes I did not use yet from there. I always struggled to finish my meal because I was so full, this was a great feeling that I wasn't hungry and I didn't want to eat more after finishing. For dinner you get the vanilla refresh, 1 serving from the dinner recipes (provided in the guide), and optional organic vegetable broth. 

Dinner day 1: Veggie stir fry recipe, vanilla refresh, and organic vegetable broth

Dinner day 2: Cucumber&tomato salad, vanilla refresh, organic vegetabl broth

Dinner day 3: spinach salad, vanilla refresh, organic vegetable broth

 RESULTS!! I was gone for the weekend with family and there were temptations everywhere. I almost put off the 3 day refresh until Sunday but I knew I would eat and drink all weekend if I wasn't on this. I stay committed while away and I am so happy I did! In the 3 days I lost 3.5 pounds and 1.5 inches from my waist. I feel so much better and more energized. I now know I can do anything I put my mind too and things (food/drinks) I thought I needed everyday I do not need! You can tell the difference in my belly from the bloating I had from all the junk. Here are the before/after pictures!

All in all, I loved the refresh and would recommend it to everyone starting a new fitness journey, wanting to break bad habits, or you have plateaued and want to try something to kickstart your body again! I am going to do this again at the beginning of my next challenge group which kicks off July 6th! This will be a great time to join right after the holiday weekend. If you are interested email me for more information or you can check out my coach website!

Right now, would be the perfect time to get your refresh. This month the 21 day fix and fix extreme challenge packs are on sale. They also have the kickstart challenge pack for the 21 day fix and fix extreme on sale! With the kickstart you get the whole challenge pack plus the 3 day refresh with it! This is a great time to join me and start your new healthy lifestyle! 

Guilt Free Coffee Creamer

If you are anything like me you love coffee! But really you love the flavored creamers more. I would add so much creamer to my coffee that it would be white. Was this healthy for me...NO but I loved it and needed it in the morning to get me going. I still have my coffee every morning and even mid-afternoon depending on how crazy my day is! I no longer add creamer full of additives and extra calories. I now use a clean alternative to coffee creamer and it does the job! No more guilt over enjoying my coffee and creamer!

Guilt Free Coffee Creamer Recipe:

-2 cups unsweetened almond milk 

-4 tsp. vanilla extract

-2 tbsp. honey

-1 tsp. extract of your choice (my favorite is caramel)

👉mix ingredients together and store in the fridge!

Shelf life of this creamer in the fridge is around 2 weeks. 

Hope you enjoy this clean alternative for your coffee!

How Challenge Groups Have Changed My Life

My fitness and health before starting challenge groups was difficult and not consistent. I was 4 months post baby and I lacked the motivation needed to get back into shape. Before I was pregnant, I was confident and felt comfortable in my own skin. That was completely different after having my son. I lacked confidence, when I looked in the mirror I did not recognize that person, and I constantly had negative thoughts about myself running through my head. I was going to the gym and eating "healthy" but was not getting results. Everything changed both physically and mentally for me when I joined my first challenge group.

I was hesitant to join an online group with women and men I had never met before. Honestly who isn't?!? We are scared because we fear judgement and we think we have nothing to share. Trust me these thoughts ran through my head a million times. I am the type of person who thinks I can do everything on my own and hate asking others for help. I would rather struggle and fail a million times before asking for help. BUT...I was at point where I knew I needed help. I was not holding myself accountable, made every excuse possible, and I was not making any progress. 

My first challenge group saved my life...and no this is not an exaggeration! The group provided me with everything I was needing and much more. If you are anything like me you are competitive and when others are counting on you to show up you have to succeed. I had a coach and the other challengers in the group posting daily on their progress, completing their workout, eating a healthy meal, and motivating me to do the same. Negativity was not an option and I was constantly reminded daily that I was worth it to make the change! This type of thing drives me to push myself and failure was no longer option.

In the challenge group I was provided all the tools I needed to succeed. In the first week we spent time talking about measurements, meal planning, recipes, and what to expect with the program. Over the next 21 days I was motivated daily to stick with my meal plan, get my workout in, provided with food ideas, and supported by others when I had a bad day. I thought I had it all figured out till I joined this group. I learned portion control and clean eating. I learned this is a lifestyle change and 1 bad day does not define you or the progress you are making towards your goals. I learned I am WORTH it! I learned I am capable of anything I put my mind to. I learned setting goals is important and when you think it, you believe it and will become it! Challenge groups changed my life and I want to share with everyone this experience and maybe just maybe change a few lives along the way!

Fear is normal and if you have fear that is a good thing that means you are moving in the right direction towards change! Any change especially a change regarding your health and lifestyle is terrifying. Trust me on this one...it will be a change you will never regret. You are WORTH it and your health is not something to chance! I want to show you how to live a healthier life. I want to show you it is not rocket science, there is no magic pill or quick fix to live healthy. Let me show you how 30 minute workouts, portion control, shakeology, and change groups can change your life!

My next group is forming now Jiggle Free June and I want you in my group! I want to help you! MSG me for more information or to get started! To give you even more incentive to join me from now until June 30th for every 21 day fix or fix extreme package sold, beachbody will donate $10 to the International Justice Mission! Get healthy and help a great mission at the same time!

Watch this video to get more information on challenge groups!