Turkey tacos!

Today I was 100% hangry after doing the run around for appts with one of my kids. It happens, things take longer then expected. So when I got home I wanted something quick, healthy and easy. 

Here's what you'll need:

4slices nitrate free turkey breast slices

1/2 cup broccoli slaw

2tbsp feta cheese

Mustard of your choice( I used Dijon and spicy brown!) 

Make them into yummy little tacos! 

See! Easy quick and it didn't throw me off. I added a serving of fruit to the side! If you want more to add, sliver some almonds, or wrap all the ingredients into a whole wheat high fiber tortilla! ( la tortilla factory makes a good one!) even Ezekiel tortilla would work! Enjoy! 

Spaghetti Squash served with a side of Accountability!

   Funny title right? Catches your attention a little bit...hopefully!  Nothing more fun then sharing the most popular meal in my house along with my secret weapon to how I managed to lose 25 lb. and over 25 inches from my body! 

   Its no secret how I gained the weight. LIFE. It kinda just sneaks up on you when you get busy, or when you have babies. Everyone has a story on how they got to where they were. Everyone also has their story of when enough was enough. I'll share mine with you on another day! The biggest thing that helped me.... Accountability. I had people rooting and cheering for ME. It wasn't just that they were trying to keep my spirits up, they genuinely wanted me to succeed! Nothing felt more awesome then a bunch of woman, and a few good men who empowered me (and many others) to do the best I can. Get this though... all this.. was done in a group setting. The MORE the MERRIER! It was amazing to see my journey unfold, their journey unfold, and how much success was being made just by simply sharing daily our triumphs, trials, and "wanna be" failures. Everyone always seems to get back up after a fallout.  There is something about having the encouragement from people you know and love, and total strangers who love you anyways that makes you want to keep going. Mostly because you feel like you're changing their lives too. And to be honest, You are!  Eventually you fall in love with the feeling of helping people, and them helping you! Its one of the reasons i'm a coach! Positively changing lives, and helping them find more to their worth, and that they are allowed to make time for themselves is the most rewarding feeling one can experience. If you don't have an accountability partner, I encourage you to find one! Or Heck, find a coach! Someone who is willing to be honest with you, help you make realistic goals, and someone who will hold you to it through good times and bad! Kinda like a marriage, but with a healthy lifestyle! 

             "Accountability: The glue that ties the commitment to the results!"- Bob Proctor

   NOW, back to what I love most... FOOD! I am literally obsessed with this recipe. Its like a big bowl of comfort food! It just popped into my head one night and I about died when it hit my lips! Plus its like the EASIEST recipe in the whole wide world. This typically feeds 3 of us. 2 adults, 1 child.

Heres what you need:

- 1 Spaghetti Squash

- 8 cooked slices of nitrate free, uncured bacon ( turkey or pork is up to you!)

- 3 cups broccoli (we sometimes sub for brussels)

- 2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- Salt and pepper, maybe a dash of garlic if you would like

- Your favorite hot sauce (optional) 

How to make it:

- Slice the Squash in half, and Bake at 375* for about 30-40 mins. In the meantime pan fry the bacon or on a griddle if thats how you like it. Once it's done set it aside on a paper towel to soak up the left over fat. When there is about 5-10 mins left on the squash, I would start to sauté the broccoli in the olive oil. Once your squash is done use a fork to scrape out the inside so its long and noodle like, add to your pan with the broccoli, crumble the bacon on top, mix and you're Done! If you wanna get real fancy, add an egg cooked to your liking, and its delish' for Morning noon and night! You welcome! :) 

   

PiYo Meal planning!

   Well todays the day! I get to Officially start PiYo! I am eager to see the results with this low impact program! The most important part about this program though is the nutrition! They include a guidebook to help maximize your results.  In that guidebook it helps you find a caloric window for your size and body, included with that is how many servings of food groups you are allotted. It also has lists of foods and what the servings are.

   So for the next two to four weeks we will be eating most of the same thing with just a FEW variations. 
   Here's what I bought:

Veggies:                               Fruit:                                  Protein:                           Healthy Fats:
Broccoli                              Oranges                   Wild Caught Salmon                   Avocado
Bell Peppers                   Raspberries                     Ground Turkey                      Feta Cheese
Cauliflower                     Watermelon                   Chicken breasts                     Coconut Oil
Green Beans                   Honeydew                             Eggs                                  Nut butters
Sweet Potato                 Strawberries                     Sirloin Steaks 
Spinach                                                                     Cottage cheese
                                                                                       

For my Free Foods: Lemon (for the juice!), black coffee, teas,  lots of spices, and balsamic vinegar! And because Shakeology can be placed in many  different ways, I left it off the list! I wouldn't think about missing a day! 

Breakfast: 2 eggs sprinkled with Feta cheese. A side of brussels sprouts and a choice of   fruit! 
Lunch: Vegan Tropical Strawberry Shakeology with watermelon, water and ice.
Snack: Bell peppers with cottage cheese
Dinner: Veggie and steak stir-fry! 
                    
    As I mentioned before the reason we eat a lot of the same thing is because it works. I don't have to think more then I should. I'm a mom and a wife who is just as busy or distracted as the next. SO after getting my list all checked off, I washed and rinsed everything. Then I sliced and diced everything out in the portion sizes! One has and E on it for a serving for Emily and one has a J on it for Joshua (my husband)! So, now you have to be patient and see what I make up with these! Don't worry i'll share exactly what I did, how much I used ( even though i've always been a "wing it") Cheers to getting started right! 

My final Results!

   After a quick three days I finally feel back to human again! I spent two weeks in travel mode, and completely slacked in the fitness and nutrition department. I hardly worked out, and I only ate so so. which is not my normal routine.  Here's what my three days looked like.

Morning:

WATER! Nice and cold to wake me up and get my body goin'.

Chocolate Vegan Shakeology (my daily dose of dense nutrition!)  with 1/2 of a banana, water and just a touch of ice to make it cool. 

Mid Morning:

Fiber sweep(healthy fats combined with fiber to help you belly!) (TMI alert, this stuff did its job! I musta needed that fiber to de bloat me!)

Afternoon:

Vanilla Refresh(protein packed shake) with 1/2 of my servings of strawberries blended in with water and ice. 

I enjoyed the rest of my strawberries by just plain eating them! 

Carrots and Hummus ( hummus never tasted so good!)

Mid afternoon:

Jicama with mashed avocado, with a dash of salt n' pepper! 

Some Vanilla Rooibus Tea! (my favorite EVER! unsweetened though!)

Dinner:

Vanilla Refresh with just water, and Ice and EXTRA cinnamon since its a FREE condiment. 

With some boiled carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, drizzled in coconut oil, and sprinkled with salt n' pepper. 

AND to top it all off, i guzzled nearly a gallon of water each day!

https://www.facebook.com/FortitudeInFitness

   I ate the same thing all three days to cut the cost of buying a million different things for just the three days. It works for me, and that way I don't have to make more planning then necessary! During the first day, I felt pretty icky, mostly because I felt like i was hungry but I knew I wasn't, I was full but my body wanted coffee, sugar, and LOADS of carbs. ( I'm not saying carbs are bad here!) I mean like I wanted cookies, and "naughty foods"! Day 2, lord I don't even know what I did that day! It was such a breeze!  I was tired, but I blame having been so busy for so long for that one. Third day, was honestly the hardest. I was HANGRY! I'm sure you all know what that word means. Come on now.. be real.. we've all experienced this. I wanted eggs... I wanted chicken... I just wanted a big meal. So I did end up adding a touch of extra veggies and avocado, and that helped! I pushed thru, took the day to relax, and finished the day strong! 

  So my final results, 2.5 lbs lost and 3.5 inches gone! Goodbye post vaca bloat and back to my healthy routine! Now, to get back on my train of Healthy livin' I've got my meal plan in hand, and my PiYo in my DVD player to get started tomorrow with the help of my amazing husband! Cannot wait to write my thoughts about that! Until next time......