Vacation...

Let me start off by saying wow St. Kitts and Nevis are absolutely stunning islands in the Caribbean. If you want to go somewhere that is still relative untouched then visit either of these islands soon as tourism is going to be huge there soon.  We literally visited a few beaches where we were the only ones on the beach and a few times maybe had another couple, but it felt so secluded.

We stayed at the Marriot on St. Kitts and if you like staying in one place you totally could do that a the marriot.  The pools, the beach, the restaurants, the casino, all of it right at your finger types.  But I don't recommend this.  Dane and I like to get a car and venture around (we picked these islands for the safety factor 'cause we know we like to get up and see the culture of where we are visiting).  One day we drove around the entire island and you know what's cool.. not a single stop light!  The locals tourist vans and taxis are the only cars that you really see and they kind of drive fast, so just let them pass you and then you can ease along and look at everything.

This trip we went with my brother, Rich, and his wife, my bestie, Stacie.  This was their first international trip and we wanted to make sure it was a great experience.  I think if you ask them they would both say yes.  (I hope they both say yes!  Cause Dane and I had a great time traveling with them.)

Climbing to the peak of Mt. Nevis

Here is a little run down of what we did if you are thinking of having a great vacation.

Monday- Catamaran and snorkling 

Tuesday- Brim Stone Fort, drive around the island taking photos, and beach at the resort

Wednesday- Major's Bay (had the beach almost complete to ourselves) amazing view of Nevis but wear reef walkers as there are sea eggs and urchins here.

Thursday- Romney Plantation, Sand Bank Bay (only one other person there, a local spear fishing!)

Friday- Ferry over to Nevis and attempt the Mt. Nevis peak hike/climb (do not recommend unless you take a guide and are in serious shape, instead try the Source hike)

Saturday- Sand Bank Bay first for some snorkeling then to Shipwreck beach for monkey and mongoose watching and laying out on the beach (another great snorkeling beach with a bar and grill)

Good bar and grill places on some of the beaches where you can get the local catch of the day which always seemed to be Mahi Mahi.

Favorite Restaurant with delicious food and lovely setting was Marshalls (car battery died and a nice local, Sean, drove us back to the Marriot. Thanks Sean)

Also, if you run into SweetPea, a local woman in her 60's who will probably ask for a ride somewhere.. feel free to give her one as she will tell you all the gossip in the island!

Needless to say it was a great vacation.  I did exercise 2x and did the hike/climb but that was it (I had some weird rash that needed benadryl so I wasn't up to more exercising.)  I started the trip off by eating mostly healthy but then said ohh whatever enjoy some nachos, and dessert.  So I ended up indulging a little more then I thought I would.  But no worries.  Enjoyed eating everything and now am right back on track!

There is no Magic Pill

Let me start off by saying I wish there was some magical pill, shake, supplement, diet that makes things easy.  I wish I could just wish away fat and have the body that everyone dreams off.  I wish, I wish, I wish.  But here's the thing if someone tells you that they have found the perfect formula and all you have to do is drink their shake, or take their supplement then they are LYING to you.  And deep down you know it. 

As someone who takes their health and fitness very seriously I can get angry at seeing others promoting fads that will fade or that may even be unhealthy for those trying it.  I get angry because I know what I want to do is actually help people change their lives.  Help people learn about proper nutrition.  Help people start an exercise regimen to not only lose weight but rev up their metabolism and build up their bone density.   Help people be the best they can be physically and hopefully in doing so build up their self-esteem and give them a community of women who are doing the same thing.

It is not easy for some of us to lose weight and keep it off.  It takes diligence.  It takes building strong healthy habits.  It takes exercising and moving our bodies.  It takes making smart choices in the kitchen.  This is what I want everyone to know.  It isn't always easy but it is possible and it does get easier the longer you practice your healthy habits.  It does get easier knowing you have a support group around you building the same habits you are.  

I choose to become a Coach and help others because I have a passion for fitness.  I have a passion for food.  And I have a desire to see others succeed.  I run challenge groups every month.  I have free groups for both clean eating and exercise.  I want everyone to benefit from the things that I know work.  I have the tools and I want to share them.  

Yes I want to share them with You!

Hearty Steak and Potatoes recipe from Hello Fresh

If you know me then you know that I am not the cook in the family.  My handsome hubby Dane does almost all the cooking.  But there are times when I need lunches or he just doesn't feel like cooking.  And I need an option that is healthy for me.  So in came this coupon from Hello Fresh.  It was $50.00 off your first 2 orders.  Basically $25 off the first order and $25 off the second order.  I thought for the discount I would give it a try.  I was able to pick 3 meals for 2 people.  This week I was able to find 3 gluten free options which is great (next week they only had one gluten free option which is kind of a problem so we'll see how that goes).  But so far this week I have done two of the 3 meals all by myself and they have turned out pretty darn tasty!  Here is the recipe for the hearty steak and potatoes.

Ingredients for two people

*Yellow Onion-1

*Rosemary- 1/4 oz

*Yukon Gold Potatoes- 16 oz

*Red Cabbage- 4 oz

*Mustard Seeds-1tsp

*White Wine Vinegar- 2Tbsp

*Sirloin Steak- 12oz

*Balsamic Vinegar- 1/2 Tbsp

*Soy Sauce-1 1/2 Tbsp

*Cranberry jam 4 tsp

1. Preheat and Prep

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion.  Strip rosemary leaves from stems and finely chop. Discard stems. Halve potatoes lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch-thick wedges.

2. Roast Potatoes

Toss potatoes on a baking sheet with a large drizzle of olive oil and chopped rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until lightly browned and crisp, about 30-35 minutes.

3. Cook Cabbage

Heat a large drizzle of oil in a medium pan on medium-high heat. Add onion and cabbage and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, tossing.  Add mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop.  Stir in white wine vinegar, pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Sear Steak

While cabbage cooks heat a drizzle of oil in another medium pan over medium-high heat. Pat steak dry with a paper towel, then season all over with salt and pepper.  Add to pan and sear until browned and cooked to desired doneness, 4-7 minutes per side. Remove and set aside to rest.

5. Make Pan Sauce

Add 1/2 TBSP balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 TBSP soy sauce, cranberry jam and 3 TBSP water to same pan over medium heat. Stir to combine. let simmer until reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

6. Finish and Serve 

Thinly slice steak against the grain.  Divide steak, potatoes, and cabbage between plates. Drizzle glaze over steak and serve.

That is it folks! Enjoy! 

Hello Fresh

Wanted to share the I got this great coupon in the mail from the company Hello Fresh.  Here is what it says on their website.

Pick a plan that fits your lifestyle

When signing up, pick a plan depending on your dietary preferences, schedule and household size. We'll deliver your HelloFresh box to your doorstep at a time and day of your choosing (Mon-Sat), free of charge. And, you are always in control, as you can pause, modify or cancel your subscription anytime. 

Get quality ingredients at your doorstep

We source ingredients directly from independent producers to deliver you nothing but fresh, top-quality products. And, you don't need to be home to accept a delivery. Our boxes are layered with an isolating wool and ice packs to keep ingredients farm fresh and cool until you get home.

So I thought okay let's do this.  I have my first box coming this Tuesday.  I'm not much of a cook but the recipes coming next week look pretty easy.  I'll let you guys know what I think of the quality, and how easy this was for me.  If your interested there is an option for me to send you an invite and you get $40.00 off.  So let me know if you want to try it too!

Chicken and Spaghetti Squash Recipe

If I can make this then you can too.  My husband is the cook in the family and I tend to not be in the kitchen at all but I saw this posted the other day on facebook in one of those cute videos and I thought I can do that.  

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

3 chicken breast

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

1 cup chicken broth

small container cherry tomatoes

bag of baby spinach

salt

pepper 

Prepare

Spaghetti Squash

-poke a few holes with a fork and microwave for 5 minutes.  Cut in half and scoop seeds out. 

-a touch of olive oil, salt and pepper and put face down on baking sheet.

-Bake 400 degrees F for 40 minutes

Skillet

-Cut chicken breast into chunks

-cook chicken in a little bit of oil, when done take out and set aside

-cook 1 Onion in skillet turning slightly brown then add in 4 diced garlic cloves

-add salt and pepper

-add cherry tomatoes that have been diced in half

-add chicken broth 1 cup 

Reduce for 20 minutes

-add prepared chicken

-add bag of baby spinach

Stir

When the spaghetti squash is done fluff and plate.  Scoop skillet contents on top and voila.. delicious.

spaghetti squash prepped.. turn over and bake in oven

onions, garlic, tomato, and chicken broth reducing

chicken ready before being tossed back in the mix

Enough for at least 3 meals.

The long road back.

I'm sure many of you feel the same way I do right now.  After having a great Christmas it seems so hard to get back on track.  There are still Christmas cookies and goodies in the house.  Plus any chocolates you received as presents or you simply bought yourself.  You body feels sluggish.  Your tummy is upset.  Your face may be breaking out from over abundant sugar intake.  Ahh we could go on and on but the truth is we have the power to change.

You have the power.  You have the power to give away or throw away the goodies, the cookies, the chocolates.  You have the power to shop for healthier options, to fill our fridge with real foods: fruits, veggies, organic meat, fish.  You have the power to not buy processed foods.  Your body recognizes real things not names on the back of a box that we can't even pronounce.   Here's the catch though.  It is hard to do this alone.  It is hard when no one is supporting you and keeping you accountable.  It can seem like the road back to healthy is going to be a tough one.. BUT.  You don't have to do it alone. 

I honestly don't think I could do this alone and thank goodness I found my support network.  I even created my own support network knowing what I would need to succeed.  I need challenges. I need goals.  I need rules.  I need encouragement. I need a group of people with similar aspirations.   Thank goodness for Beachbody.  With this company I have found all that I need and have created a support group that offers the encouragement that it takes for me to succeed.  That doesn't mean I don't stumble myself (cause Christmas goodies certainly got me!) but when I do I'm ready to get right back on track.  And I'm ready to help others do the same.

If this sounds like you.  Or you are ready to start!  Then please contact me and lets get you started.  Please fill the form out below and I'll be in touch!    

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Catching Up..Results... Sickness

So I realize it has been over 2 weeks since I updated you guys on my life and the program Core De Force.  There is a very good reason for that.  I came down with the nasty, nasty flu, and it totally knocked me out for a good week and a half.  So sorry that I have been MIA but I was MIA in everything.  I didn't get to post on either of my workout, accountability groups because not only could I not work out but I really was craving all kinds of carby comfort foods.  But I am about 90% better and looking forward to getting back into the groove of things.  

Let us back track a bit though so you can see some of the results from Core De Force before I got sick.  Here is my week 3 before and after photo.  I was quite impressed with my own results!  I will say leading up to the photo I was eating according to the meal guide and working out everyday following the prescribed workout calendar.  I was down about 5lbs in 3 weeks and it was really starting to show.  I felt great overall in my body except for some tight shoulders.  STRETCH!

A big part of my results comes from staying on track with a healthy diet.  I will be honest and say I could not have done it without my daily shakeology.  (I don't say this because I sell it.  I started selling it because of the discount and then I realized I could help others achieve goals to and I became a working Coach not just a discount coach!)  Because it is packed full of vitamins and nutrients that my body needs I tend to crave less food because I am actually feeding my body a food that it recognizes and not just chemicals in our overly processed foods of today.

Now I did make it to the end of week 4 of Core de Force.  So I was about 28 days in and took my before and after photos.  I was a total of 6 lbs down and I was going to measure at the end of 30 days which is how long the program runs.  Again I was happy with my results thus far and really ready to take it up a notch for the next 30 days.  I was going to do another round but up the ante with the bonus workouts that are probably a little harder.  

But then disaster struck in the form of the nasty influenza.  I hate the flu!  I had 2 workouts left for my 30 day completion of the program and Monday night "BAM" I was out for the count.  This laid me up in bed for 2 days without doing anything.   Then I went back to work wearing a mask so as not to get others sick.  But after working 3 days I was back in bed for another 48 hours.  I completely lost my voice and was not able to work out for a week and a half.  OUCH!

A very hard part for me when I'm sick is I still want to eat.  But I really truly don't want to eat healthy.  I mean who wants a salad when they are sick.  So I tend to want comfort foods which tend to be carbs.  I eat a ton of gluten free bread and corn bread and then I wanted hot and cold food for my sore throat.  So a ton of soups and then of course a boat load of ice cream.  Needless to say I was not eating according to the guide.

But here we are now and I am ready to get my diet back on track.  I am going to give myself a few more days before I start the program again because I really don't want to push it to hard to soon.  So for the next few days I will keep it easy with some yoga and other light workouts and this coming Monday I will be back on the workout program!  

Now having said all of this there is something I want to you to realize.  I didn't give up.  I won't be upset with myself for having gained some of the weight back.  I won't be upset that I'm not going to hit the weight-loss goal I set for December 30th.  I will tell myself that this is life and you just get right back up and get right back on track.  Set new goals and crush them.  I've told my accountability group that I am back and need their support and they are here for me and that helps a ton.

(if you are interested in purchasing Core De Force for your own amazing results click on the right side tab SHOP or fill out the form on the fitness page and I'll get back with you)