Workout & Meal Plan for 12/19-12/25, 2016

Christmas is only 7 days away and the excitement around here is building.  We spent this weekend making Christmas goodies to give to our neighbors and have been listening to Christmas music in the car whenever we go anywhere.  Tonight we plan on watching a Christmas movie (or 2) before going to bed.  Our favorites are Home Alone and Christmas Vacation. 

No matter how busy my weeks get during this time of year, I do my best to stay on my routine as much as possible or to at least plan ahead for when my schedule goes off plan.  This allows me to know when I need to pack a healthy snack with me or if I need to make a crock pot meal that is ready and waiting for us to eat before rushing out the door again.  I also never skip my workout.  This time of year is bound to throw a lot of temptations at us and I like knowing that I can indulge in a few of those treats because I at least got a great workout in that morning.  (Although, I have to remind myself that you can’t out-train a bad diet). 

I included my weekly workout and meal plan below.   You’ll notice that I eat the same thing several days in a row.  I like doing this because I make a double or triple bath of a recipe and I can eat several meals before having to cook again (can you tell I HATE to cook!?)  There are a couple meals on Christmas that I can’t plan ahead for because I am not sure exactly what our schedule will be that day but I do know that I will make the best choices possible given the situation.  It’s Christmas and I plan to enjoy the day without feeling guilty. 

I’m starting a New Year, New You accountability group on January 2nd and Beachbody will give all people who participate and meet the requirements, a cut of $2 million dollars!!  If you’re interested in joining fill out the application here: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Lh7oruXXc5HlcQDsu1FS_xBySb2u2log1SOEGiDutEg/edit

My Fitness Journey in a Nutshell

I've always enjoyed exercise.  In fact, I remember being in 5th grade and doing Jane Fonda and Kathy Smith step aerobics tapes with my mom and sister in our living room.  My uncle even made my sister and I our own steps out of plywood! 

Fast forward a several years to college and my twin sister and I joined a gym that we would go to several times a week which we enjoyed doing.  But once I got married and had my first daughter, going to the gym just wasn't something I was interested in doing anymore.  I worked full-time and didn't want to be away from my daughter any more than I already had to.  And let's face it, driving to and from the gym and being there at the busiest time of day just wasn't my ideal way to spend an evening.  

That's where Beachbody came in.  My sister ordered a workout program called Insanity and was raving about how great of a workout it was.  I immediately ordered it and the rest is history!  Shaun T quickly became my most beloved "celebrity" (who I have gotten to meet twice now!)  and Insanity was my soul-mate workout.  

I got up at 5am every morning and pushed play while my husband and daughter slept.  It was the perfect solution to getting my body back in shape without the guilt of missing out on time with my family and it saved us the extra expense of a gym membership. 

Almost a decade later, I'm still LOVING Beachbody and everything they stand for.  That's why I was so sure I wanted to become a Beachbody coach.  I want to share with everyone how living a healthy lifestyle is possible and it's easier than most people think.  You pick a workout program that you enjoy doing in the comfort of your home, you drink a delicious shake that tastes like a decadent dessert and the results follow!

If you are interested in starting (or continuing) your own fitness journey, you should join my next challenge group.  Fill out this application and I'll get back to you ASAP.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1wUWp6ub5nf_6wgBzPAJSQazVLq3pTCI8HZ1scfXJn32bWA/viewform

Protein Cookie Dough Balls

This recipe is my new favorite!  I can honestly say these cookie dough balls are so delicious that if someone had handed me one and said they were healthy I would not have believed them until I made them myself.  Try them and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:
3 scoops vanilla Shakeology or protein powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup honey

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together
Form into balls
Place on wax paper and put in freezer to set, then move to refrigerator
Enjoy!

It's been 3 weeks since my last post!  Yikes. I am guilty of letting my busy schedule control me and I didn't make this blog a priority.  I will work to be better about being consistent.  I also am brainstorming topics for other blog posts.  If you have a specific topic you'd like me to address please comment below and let me know what you'd like me to post about.  My goal is to provide value to as many people as possible. Here is my week at a glance.  

It's a three day weekend and I couldn't be happier about that!  I have so many projects that I want to accomplish and now I have the time to devote to getting them done. I normally work on my meal and workout plan on Sundays but I decided to get that done today so I could cross it off the list and move on to other things. This is what my upcoming week looks like. Of course it's not written in stone.  Most weeks unexpected things come up that cause me to make adjustments to either my workouts or the meals but at least I have a game plan to guide me.  If you need help creating a meal or workout plan I'd love to chat with you!

How is it Sunday already! This weekend went by so fast.  I was out of town for a large part of the weekend so now I'm trying to get caught up.  The most important thing to do is to figure out my meal plan so I can succeed this week.  I didn't get to the grocery store so it was extremely difficult to piece my meals together with what little food I have left in the house!  Oh well.  It won't always be this difficult.  I definitely had too many treats this weekend while hanging out with my sisters and going to a concert so I plan on being laser-focused on my nutrition this week and killing my workouts.  Here is what I came up with:

Here's my plan workout and meal plan for this week.  I had to change up my workouts from how I originally scheduled them because my husband will be going out of town and I won't be able to leave the house in the morning to run with my sister.  That's why it is so critical to sit down and spend a little time looking at the week ahead of you.  You can figure out what nights you need to have supper ready to eat from the crock pot or warmed up in the microwave or which days you are short on time and need to do a shorter workout.  I follow the meal plan from the 21 Day Fix which is detailed at the bottom of the chart.  Let me know if you have questions about it.  It's the easiest way I've ever found to keep my nutrition on point!

This is a recipe my family begs for!    It is so delicious and as easy as it gets. As you may know, I do not like cooking.  In fact it's one of the things I absolutely despise doing!  That's why I am always looking for delicious crock pot recipes that are healthy and taste good, too.  If you try it I'd love to hear what you thought of it.  Enjoy!

Balsamic Roast Beef

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients:

2.5 pounds roast beef, boneless
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beef broth
1⁄2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
1⁄2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions: 

Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

We like to sautee veggies in olive oil and minced garlic for a side dish and sometimes add baked potatoes or sweet potatoes.  

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  This is so true!  When it comes to getting the results you want with your fitness program you can't ignore your nutrition.  That is why I choose to plan out my meals for the week over the weekend.  On Fridays I make a list of the recipes I plan to make.  On Saturdays I go grocery shopping and on Sundays I do any pre-cooking necessary.  Here is my exercise and meal plan for this week.  If you need help or advice on your meal plan please contact me and I'd love to help you!

Tasty Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

Some mornings you just need a warm, delicious breakfast but you don't want to ruin your healthy eating regime.  Look no more!  You can have your favorite breakfast item and not feel like you blew all of your hard work from the week.

The answer is................

Tasty Oatmeal Protein Pancakes:
makes 1 serving (5 pancakes)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup egg whites (I buy them in the cartons).
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Max Pro Elite Vanilla Ice Cream protein powder)
1/2 medium banana
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Stevia (a pinch)
Vanilla (a splash)

Directions:

1.  Grind oats, stevia, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and protein powder in the blender until it's like powder.  Pour into a separate bowl.
2.  Blend egg whites on medium speed in blender for about 30 seconds.  Add banana and spend again.
3.  Add dry ingredients to the blender and blend.
4.  Pour (1/4 cups of batter) onto a preheated griddle and cook like pancakes.
5.  Top with sugar free syrup.