Monday Meal and Exercise Plan for October 13 - October 20th

Exercise Train Wreck.

This was week 2 of this flu/cold business. The whole family has been in and out of the doctor. I also started working again after 10 months of looking for work. I feel blessed to have a job and be able to contribute to my family financially again. It definitely is going to take a little adjusting on my exercise schedule. I've been a little behind on my Brazil Butt Lift Schedule. So I'm starting this week completely over. I only did 3 days out of 6. FAIL! There are times where we will get sick, things will come up, you will fall down. It's up to you to get back on that horse again.

Here are a few snap shots of this week. By the way some of these moves, I've never seen, nor done before. OUCH! They feel weird, but work!

Tomorrow is a new day, a new week! If I'm going to get these workouts in, it just means I have to get up an hour earlier. It is possible. If there is a will, there is a way. You just have to make yourself the priority! Happy weekend all! 

Eating Clean.... Why not? You are what you eat.

When I first moved to Hawaii, I really didn't think that I ate "that bad." I followed the usual fads and ate my rice cakes, kept my calories down, and all of the usual shenanigans. I could not figure out why I was still getting fatter, bigger, wider and clothes were getting tighter. I started following my upline coach, Marlena Hedine. She had been in my shoes and also lived in Hawaii like me. I contacted Marlena and talked to her about my struggles and all that. I was introduced into clean eating. I thought clean eating was just cleaning your vegetables. True story! By eating 5-6 small meals a day your metabolism works so much better. It doesn't have to work as hard because it is always being fed.

Documentaries. My first documentary I watched was called Super Size me. Americans as a whole have become dependent on fast food eating. Spurlock ate at McDonald's restaurants three times per day, eating every item on the chain's menu at least once. He gained 24.5 pounds in 1 month. It took him 14 months of a regimented diet to get that weight back off. Super size me shows you what you don't see behind the scenes where McDonald's food is made. I'm not trying to stab just McDonald's (I'm sure other chains are just as bad) but do you know what's in your chicken nuggets?

This is what is in those chicken nuggets you love so much. This image alone makes me want to puke. 

When I became a mother I vowed to protect my child from any harm that I could. We are so protective of our children, yet we feed them poison such as this. I understand that we aren't perfect. I don't pretend to be. My daughter is almost 3 and until I went home to Missouri a few months ago, she had never had a happy meal. I refuse to knowingly feed her crap like this. Do I give her brownies, ice cream, chips? Sure. In small amounts of moderation. I try to do organic (Non-GMO) though as much as possible. It just makes me feel better knowing that I'm doing all I can to give myself a healthier life. 

What is a GMO? Genetic Modified Organism. Basically the crap they put in to make chickens bigger, corn more plentiful. We have more people to feed in the world and it makes the dollar stretch a little further. Doesn't sound to bad yet though, right? HOWEVER......

I would suggest watching the documentary Genetic Roulette. This was an eye opener for me. 

Genetic Roulette

So the question I hear a lot is, "what makes Shakeology worth $4 a serving?"

First, I will say, "how much is a chicken nugget meal at McDonalds? A 6 piece mighty kids meal is $4.29 at most US locations (more in AK and HI). A 10 piece meal is $6.99- $7.50. Next question. What nutritional value is in a 10 piece chicken nugget meal? 

10 piece chicken nuggets: 470 calories, 30 grams of fat, 22 grams of protein, 30 grams carbs, 900 mg sodium, and 65 mg of cholesterol. 

Now lets add the fries in. 

Large Fries: 500 calories, 25 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, 63 grams carbs, 350 mg sodium, and 0 mg cholesterol. 

I don't even think I have to add in what that soda is as well. Most females are supposed to eat between 1200-1400 calories a day. At 970 calories for one meal, you do not have much left for the rest of the day. 

Shakeology: 130 calories, 2 grams of fat, 16 grams of protein, 14 grams carbs, 200 mg sodium, and 5 mg cholesterol. 

The Science Behind Shakeology

I hear many people that say, "I need to research Shakeology." I understand that. You want to see the value. I honestly never see people research anything else they put into their bodies, but let me show you why it's so important to have. The energy I get from the natural foods in Shakeology is huge. I can tell a huge difference if I miss a day. A few weeks back when I had the flu the only thing I could keep down besides a few crackers and Top Ramen (yuck) was my shakeology. I know that is how I recovered so well. 

Just remember. You are what you eat. I would much rather be a Super Food than slime. Just sayin'. 

Thai Turkey Meatballs

Tonight I made Thai Turkey Meatballs. I have to say it was delicious. Every bite was full of flavor. The sauce itself clumped up on me. I think I cooked it too hot. Next time I will add a little more Sriracha to add more heat to it. This recipe made me exceptionally happy because my basil plants has been thriving and I haven't had anything that requires a large amount of basil until now. This will be a go to meal for us. I will switch between this and my turkey meatloaf muffins. 

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground turkey (or ground chicken)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
2 teaspoons Sriracha
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic

For the sauce:
§   
§  1/4 cup soy sauce  
§  2 teaspoons fish sauce
§  2 teaspoons sugar (I used splenda)
§  3 cloves minced garlic
§  2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
§  1 tablespoon minced scallions
§  2 teaspoons Sriracha
§  2 teaspoons cornstarch

Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes. They will be a little crispy on top and softer in the middle. Perfect!

Coconut Chicken Bites

1 lb chicken tenderloins or chicken breasts
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
Become Inspired to Eat Healthy. Watch Now. 
Preheat oven to 400°F. Create an assembly line for easy coating of each tenderloin: Place all chicken strips on one plate. Next to that, place flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Lightly whisk eggs in another wide, shallow bowl. Combine panko, coconut, salt, and pepper in a fourth and final wide, shallow bowl. Now, take one chicken strip and toss it in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then, dredge the floured strip in the egg bath. Next, gently toss the chicken strip in the panko/coconut mixture, pressing to coat on each side. Place the coated strip on a plate or cookie sheet until you have finished coating all of the chicken.

Next, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat on your stove top. Add one tablespoon oil, swirling to coat. Add half of the chicken strips in a single layer, leaving space between each one. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a foil lined baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Add the remaining one tablespoon oil to the pan and then the second half of the chicken strips and cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove that second batch and place on the baking sheet. Set it in the oven for 10 minutes, so that the chicken tenders can cook through.

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

This week has been crazy. My daughter started school. She gave me the flu which seemed way more like the plague than anything. Oh my it was awful. I was set and ready to go Monday morning to rock my Brazil Butt Lift Challenge and Bam!!! Sick as a dog. Planning is so important. Every week I make my meal plan. I post it on the refrigerator and check it off throughout the day. If I'm gone all day then I make all the check at the end of the day. We keep a pretty busy schedule. I get up at 5:30 just to workout and get it done some days because it's the only time I know I have to get it done. I'm like a lot of you. When I'm home with my family it's near impossible to get it done. You have to make time. A little less sleep? It sucks. So sometimes I have to go to bed before my husband. I don't want to, but I also don't want to be Mrs. Crankypants all day long. Another reason I'm not so tired on those days is I take the Energy and Endurance product by Beachbody.  It's an all natural product that helps with that extra tiredness and gives you a boost to push that workout. I can't tell you how much this product has saved my lethargicness on some days that I really want to say screw the alarm, I'm staying in bed. I'm just like you. I value that sleep. Thursday when I was well enough to not want to puke through a workout I rocked Bum Bum on Brazil Butt Lift (BBL) and  Les Mills Pump and Shred. I can't tell you how much better I felt. Friday I went to the doctor and he is couldn't believe how great I look. This meant a lot because he is a stickler for health. All you need to do is give a little time to exercise and plan those meals. Eat every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism going. Little changes. How many times have you said, "I don't have anything planned, let's hit that McDonald's drive thru?" I know I have. Maybe not McDonald's but Taco Bell/Pizza Hut. As a former fat girl, I'm a stickler for those dang Pepperoni Pizzas from Pizza Hut. I was 238 lbs from doing things like that. My thighs rub, I was out of breath tying my shoes.Ugh. I will NEVER be that way again. If you fail to plan what is in store for the day you will fail. You might make it through today, maybe even tomorrow, but what about next week. Habits are hard to break. You can do this. I'm here to help.

Eggs, fresh salsa and avocado

I call this my "Backhanded Macarena." It has some fancy smancy name on the Brazil Butt Lift videos, but I kinda make it my own. This was a little harder than I expected. After a few days of BBL, I'm sore. I can already tell a change in my body and it's week 1.

After having the Flu for 4 days I had a late kick off to my challenge.  It's amazing how just Day 1, How much better I feel after working out. 

When it comes to breakfast, it's important to get those 6 meals in and healthy ones at that. My go to is usually just eggs with veggies. I try and make the same amount of veggies as egg. A few days a week I use whole wheat toast. This carbs definitely make my workout seem a little bit better. 

Headed to the farmers market with my daughter with my shakeology.