Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks

My husband and I are HUGE Ohio State Football fans!

 

Saturdays in the fall, you know where to find us. ;)

 

Along with football, I love football food!

 

I love buffalo dips and wings in dip, and of course you can't forget the Buckeyes! Yum!

 

Not exactly going to allow me to stay on track if I am eating all of this every Saturday. Hehe!

 

Today I really wanted some wings, so I made a healthier version of the fried hot wings of the past and they were a huge hit!

 

Give them a try and drop me a comment to let me know what you think!

 

 

Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp crushed Rosemary, or 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder
10-12 skinless chicken drumsticks

Preparation:

1. In a large Ziploc bag combine balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey, rosemary, and garlic powder. Seal the bag and shake to combine the ingredients. 

2. Open the bag and add the chicken. Seal and coat chicken with the marinade.  Allow chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. 

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes.

4. While the chicken is baking, pour the marinade in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.

5. After the chicken is done baking, baste one more time with the marinade for extra flavor.

Enjoy! :)

Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired?

Are you ready to make a change?

 

Are you ready to take control of your health, have more energy and feel BETTER!

 

Wouldn't it be amazing if you could lose weight while you are making healthy changes?

 

Do you want to lose 20 pounds by Christmas?

 

Do you want to look and feel fabulous for that Holiday Party and rock your SKINNY jeans for New Year's?

 

YOU CAN!

It’s possible!

 

Believe it! Believe in YOURSELF and you can do it!

 

Maybe you have more to lose, or maybe you have less, but the point is-->It’s possible!

 

I don’t normally focus on weight loss. The GOAL is to be healthy, and when you are striving to be healthier, the weight will fall off. I am proof of that! ^^ So, let’s all rock the best version of ourselves over the holidays this year!

How?

*Shakeology (daily nutrition-in the form of the easiest, healthiest meal of the day)
*30 minute workouts
*Healthy eating
*Support
*ACCOUNTABILITY

This Challenge Group starts October 5th for 3 weeks!

Day 1 of the New, Improved YOU!

I will share with you meal plans, tips, motivation and inspiration! And of course ACCOUNTABILITY!

 Message me  HERE for more details! **Spots are limited!**

Almond Crusted Pork Chops with Honey Dijon Glaze

Who loves spending a fortune at the grocery store? Not me!

I do my best to base my meals around what is in the weekly ad, and to stock up if it's an amazing sale and something we eat often.

 

Pork has been on sale a lot recently and a few times it was so cheap, I could not help myself... I stocked the freezer!

 

So, what does one do with all these pork chops?!?!?

 

I had a recipe that we loved, but it was not that healthy: it involved pretzels and mayo and frying them... Although tasty, that recipe should be saved for a treat day but not for everyday.  Certainly not for a freezer full of pork chops. Lol!

 

I decided to give that same recipe a different twist to make it healthier, but still taste AWESOME!  I couldn't be happier about the results! This recipe has earned a place on our weekly menu!

 

 

It's been a while since it's happened, but my husband and I actually bickered over who would get the leftovers! LOL! That's how good it was and it was just as good the next day! Next time I will double the recipe. ;)

 

Would you believe me if I told you that this recipe is not only tasty, but that it only takes 30 minutes to prepare from the moment you walk in the kitchen, til the moment you sit down to eat!

 

This dressing used as a glaze on the pork chops, is like icing on the cake! The pork chops are delicious on their own, but add this and it takes it to a whole new level!

 

 

Ingredients:

 

4 boneless pork chops (1/2 inch thick)

3/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 egg whites

1 TBSP olive oil

Preparation:

1.  Chop almonds and place in a shallow dish (If making a double batch I recommend using a pie plate). Stir in salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Beat egg white in a small bowl.  

2.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.

3.  Dip pork chops in egg whites and then dredge in the almond mixture.  Add pork chops to the skillet. 

4. Cook 5-6 minutes on each side (I did 5 minutes on each side).

5. While the pork chops are cooking, whip up some homemade honey Dijon dressing.  I used the recipe from the Fixate cookbook, but any homemade honey Dijon dressing will do. (Comment or email me if you would like to order the Fixate cookbook)

6. Remove pork chops from pan and serve with a side of sautéed zucchini topped with fresh grated parmesan and top pork chops with a drizzle of the Honey Dijon glaze. 

Enjoy!

***If you try this recipe I would love to hear what you think! Please feel free to share and comment below! :)***

Thai Chicken w/ Peanut Sauce in the Slow Cooker

Over the summer when I received my kids school calendar, I was putting the dates in my phone and I started to panic...summer was almost over! 

I don't know where the time went, but school was starting in just a couple weeks.  This made me think about all the hectic, rushed mornings and busy evenings filled with practices and early bedtimes for school the next day. This year, I will be prepared! Before school even started, I wanted to have my freezer full of grab-and-go healthy meals.  One of my favorite grab-and-go meals is a meal already prepped, in a freezer bag that I can just dump in the slow cooker in the morning and not touch until it's time for dinner!

I have a few of these recipes already, but I wanted more variety in our dinners, so I gave this one a try.  

Can we all say--> WINNER!

Before I commit to making this for my freezer dinners stash, I wanted to give a try first.  I had seen several versions of this on my favorite recipe search spot, Pinterest, but I couldn't find one that included enough veggies or was healthy, most of them included adding sugar. So, I decided to take the best of the ideas I had found and create my own version!

I think most people associate Slow Cooker with WINTER, however I challenge you to think outside the box. I LOVE using my slow cooker in the summer (and all year round) because it uses less energy than the stove or oven, and does not heat up the house like using the stove or oven! 

Simple. Healthy. And keeps the house cool!

Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 cups carrots, cut in medium sized pieces
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (preferably homemade)
2 TBSP rice vinegar
3 TBSP fish sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic
2-3 TBSP peanut butter
Garnish optional: chopped peanuts

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients, except peanut butter, into a gallon sized resealable bag.  Freeze.

When ready to cook:

Remove from freezer the night before to thaw in the fridge overnight. Dump into the slow cooker and and cook on low 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken and stir in peanut butter. Serve over rice or noodles and garnish with chopped peanuts.

OR

Remove from freezer. Run bag under warm water until it releases from the sides of the bag.  Dump into the slow cooker and cook on low 8 hours. Shred chicken and stir in peanut butter.  Serve over rice or noodles and garnish with chopped peanuts.

Enjoy!

My Journey through P90X3- Part 1

I'm Baaaaaaaaaccckkkk!

I took a little summer hiatus from the Blog.  We spent a lot of time traveling, visiting family and overall just having a great time! Unfortunately, this left me with very little time to Blog, or do anything with Wi-Fi.  BUT, the kids are back in school, routine has returned to our lives and I am ready to catch up!

First, I'd like to catch up on my fitness journey.  Over the summer, since we were traveling I did continue to work out for the most part (everyone needs a little break once in a while).  I mostly used Beachbody On Demand, and tried many new programs that I had not done before; Turbofire is one I fell in love with! Then, after Beachbody Coach Summit, (more on this later) and the release of CIZE, I found THE program that was going to get my booty back in gear. 

CIZE, by my favorite trainer Shaun T, is a super fun Dance workout.  Shaun T teaches you a dance routine to a song, step by step, and then at the end you put it all together and DANCE IT OUT! I am definitely NOT a good dancer (check out the video below for evidence), BUT I love to dance! It's so much fun and in the privacy of my own living room I was able to let go and just MOVE.  CIZE was perfect for getting me back into the workout routine that had been all over the place during the summer.  I got my routine back and I had a daily source of happiness and stress relief.  It feels so good to just let loose and dance.  Even when I couldn't master the routines, I still had fun and just danced my heart out!

I'm Not a Dancer: my CIZE video 

If I'm being really honest here, I would admit that the summer was STRESSFUL! Don't get me wrong. I had a BLAST and LOVED  traveling and visiting family, but doing that with kids is stressful too. No routine. Seeing lots of new people (read: new people to test limits and boundaries) and general lack of sleep from time changes and busyness.  We were all, kids included, ready to get back to normal.  After returning home from about 8 weeks of traveling here and there, having visitors stay with us and being out of routine, we were back home.  There were a couple days of enjoying the peacefulness that comes with just being the 4 of us, and then the kids settled back into being kids.  You know, the popular phrases in our house became, "I'm just using the bathroom. I don't need an audience." and "When does school start?" Lol! Other moms can relate! I loved all the time we had together, but the kids and me, were ready for our normal routine! Don't get me wrong, I am definitely not complaining! We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to do so much this summer. Beachbody blessed us financially and with many travel opportunities!  I am so grateful that we were able to take advantage of it! I am simply setting the scene for the chaos that is a mom's daily life. Haha!

Enter CIZE! CIZE provided a daily dose of happy endorphins, stress relief, a little "me" time and the return of my normal workout routine.  I wasn't crazy sore or pushing my limits with weights each day, but my dancer muscles were sore and I worked out a great sweat each day.  This was the perfect program for what I was looking for--> FUN!

I'm Not a Dancer but I love CIZE Part 2

Once I finished CIZE, I wanted to challenge myself a little more.  I had eased back into my routine with CIZE and now I am ready to step it up. My birthday is coming up and I want to be rid of the summer vacation pounds by then.  I chose to try a new program, P90X3. About 7 years ago, my husband and I attempted to do P90X together.  We made it about 3 weeks before we started slipping up, cheating on our food, and by week 4 we had basically quit.  P90X3 is the 30 minute version of P90X.  Tony Horton is a genius and delivers all of P90X in only 30 minutes, instead of an hour to an hour and a half.

I am already seeing the benefits! I am almost done with Week 2 and I am done 3.4 lbs, feel so much better, and my pants feel a little looser in the waist thanks to less bloating! The picture on the left is my before picture from Day 1 of starting P90X3 and the picture on the right was taken on Day 11.  I can't wait to see where this program will take me!

There is no better gift than feeling HEALTHY on a day when I am "supposed" to feel older. Bring on 33! :)

Shrimp "Scampi"

One thing the 21 Day Fix Extreme eating plan had me doing was getting creative! I LOVE pasta and I really wanted to create a dish that was just as comforting and satisfying without breaking my eating plan.  The result: Shrimp "Scampi"!

Traditional Shrimp Scampi is made with butter, lots of butter, but I wanted to give it a different spin.  It was delicious and loved by the whole family. :)

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp
2 lemons
3 medium zucchini
1/2 package of brown rice and quinoa spaghetti noodles
1 bunch parsley
4 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation:

Prepare the pasta according to package directions.  Using a Veggetti (or a spiralizer), make the zucchini into "noodles".  Place 1 tsp olive oil in a saute pan.  Heat over medium heat and add zucchini noodles.  Cover with a lid and steam, tossing frequently, for about 5 minutes until tender.  Strain pasta noodles and zucchini noodles.  In a large stock pot add 2 tsp olive oil and garlic.  Heat over medium heat until garlic is fragrant and browning, careful not to burn it.  Add shrimp and cook about 5 minutes until just pink.  Remove from heat add pasta and zucchini noodles, zest from 1 lemon, the juice from 2 lemons, a handful of parsley leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Eat What You Have Challenge

AHHH! It has been way too long since I have posted! My apologies.  Although I have not had the time to write some new posts, I have a lengthy list of ideas that I want to share with you! Let the writing juices flow!

I like to shop for DEALS. When I find a great deal I stock up on that item and then it takes up space (lots of space) in my pantry, fridge and freezer.  I have found lots of good deals lately, so it was time to clear out! This is what led me to start the Eat What You Have Challenge.

How often do we go to the store and buy what we need for a recipe, without checking to see what we have first? How often do we start with a recipe or a meal we want instead of opening the fridge to see what we have first? How often do we create a meal plan based on ideas from Pinterest instead of what is already in our house?

I am SO guilty of doing all of these! I started this challenge 13 days ago and I am still going strong!  The Eat What You Have Challenge simply means: be creative, make meals from the food you have and do not go grocery shopping.  Pretty simple, right?  Since I am still going strong, I had to make a slight modification to this as I still have small children, so I have gone grocery shopping, but I only purchased the perishable items my family cannot live without: milk, eggs, fruit, and veggies (and in MODERATION).  Every recipe I have made has been with ingredients I already had on hand.  I had to get creative.  I had to make some adjustments and substitute this instead of that, but in the end I have made some delicious new recipes! Not to mention the money I have saved.  Phew! My bank account is thanking me! ;)

Here are some of the meals I made since starting this challenge:

 

Oatmeal with dried blueberries! Yum! I don't know about you, but I have a lot of dried fruit in my pantry.  For a while my kids would eat it as a snack with some nuts, but recently they decided that wasn't cool any more. Kids change their minds so often, it's hard to keep up! I didn't want the fruit to go to waste, so I needed to find a way to use it--> Oatmeal! Cooking it with oatmeal rehydrates the fruit and therefore my kids had no idea that they were eating the food that they rejected the day before.  A win for Mommy! Not to mention this uses 2 items in my pantry, it's delicious, healthy and the whole family loves it.  Needless to say we had this for breakfast a few times. :)

 

Fish Tacos!  I usually prefer fresh fish, especially since I live near the coast. I feel like there is just no excuse to eat frozen fish...except when I find a great deal on one of our favorites! We try to eat fish regularly, but that can get pricey, so occasionally buying frozen keeps the cost down.  I used some frozen white fish from our freezer and used some Greek yogurt to make a scrumptious sauce.  Lots of people have asked what I put in the sauce and really it's simple: whatever I want! Lol! I usually wing it and just open the fridge and add whatever sounds good.  Sometimes I add relish to make a mock tartar sauce, other times I add cilantro, garlic and the seasoning I used on the fish.  It just depends on what I am in the mood for!

 

Baked Chicken & "Hashbrown" Casserole!  This was so simple and so yummy.  Thawed 2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces and seasoned both sides with Chicken Dust. My husband made this delicious Dust for some grilled chicken a while back and it was yummy, so I wanted to try it on baked chicken too! Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your chicken strips.   The "Hashbrown" Casserole is actually spaghetti squash! Recipe for this one is coming soon! I am still tweeking the recipe!

 

These meals were not crazy, or gross or out of the ordinary.  The key to this challenge is to start by cleaning and organizing the fridge, pantry and freezer.  Knowing what you have, create a meal plan that only uses the ingredients you have on hand.  For me this meant really being creative with lunches.  Once I had the dinner figured out, I used the leftovers to repurpose for lunches.  For instance I used the left over chicken and make a Chicken Quinoa bowl: leftover chicken-chopped, quinoa, steamed frozen veggies, and some seasonings for flavor.  That's it! It didn't feel like leftovers because it was totally different from how we ate the chicken for dinner. 

 

Are you up to the Challenge? How long to you think you could go without going to the grocery store?

3 Day Refresh (AKA Bloat Be Gone) RESULTS!

I would like to rename the 3 Day Refresh "The Bloat Blaster!" or "Bloat Be Gone!"  Do you think anyone would want it with a name like that? Hehe! But in all seriousness, this 3 day program works miracles!

I finished up the 21 Day Fix Extreme on Easter (sidenote: I have a blog post coming soon with this one but I had some technical difficulties when my phone decided to delete all my pictures, and I am not as tech savvy as I wish I was in order to "find" them on the mysterious Cloud.  I am determined to find them, so I WILL...it's just taking longer than I thought. Lol!).  Anyway, back to the 3 Day Refresh...so after I finished 21 Day Fix Extreme and the very strict eating plan, I let loose a little.  I was still eating healthy, but I definitely let myself indulge in a few too many cheats and a few too many carbs.  The result: feeling BLAH and BLOATED!    Enter the 3 Day Refresh! 

I LOVE this program for many reasons:

1) It is fast (literally 3 days from start to finish),
2) It's effective. 
3) I am back on track with my healthy eating.
4) I feel GREAT-->  healthy and MORE ENERGY
5) No more BLOAT!
6)  and I can see the beginnings of AB definition.

Woohoo!

It's completely worth it to get even 1 of these results, but 200% worth it for ALL of these amazing BENEFITS!

I like doing the 3 Day Refresh every couple months, just to keep things on track and in check.  I also like to do it after a bit of indulgence like a vacation or a delicious holiday!

5 signs that you may need a detox:

1--> Food Cravings
2--> Bad Sleeping Habits
3--> Brain Fog
4--> Excess Weight
5--> Low Energy Levels

If you answered yes to any of these, consider the 3 Day Refresh. It's only 3 days and you will feel so much better! Healthier! More energy! And you will probably drop a few pounds.  That never hurts. Lol! Plus, look at some of the yummy food you could be enjoying while detoxing/cleansing/refreshing?!?!? Delicious!

In addition to all this food, you also get tea, LOTS of water, a Fiber Sweep and another snack! All of this food for only 3 days and amazing results!

If you want more info on this awesome program send me a message! I could chat about this amazingness (yes, I made that word up and yes, it fits this program perfectly) all day!

Have a Happy, Healthy Day! :)

Deviled Eggs: The Kind the WHOLE Family Loves

Do you have dozens of beautiful colored eggs sitting in your fridge?

There are so many things you can do with hard boiled eggs, but the most common around this time of year is Deviled Eggs.

I LOVE Deviled Eggs.  I love how easy they are to make and eat. I love that they make such a perfect snack, but what I don't love is the all the mayo in typical recipes that makes them unhealthy. 

Enter the kid approved recipe I am sharing with you today! I didn't want to skimp on the flavor, but I wanted to eliminate the mayo, and the result was delicious!

 

 

I know, I know.  These eggs may not look the prettiest, but they definitely deliver on the flavor front! Besides, I think they look pretty awesome considering my 4 year old created them!  I added the ingredients but he did all the peeling, mixing and filling. :) Proud momma over here!

 

 

My kids always want to help in the kitchen, and this is perfect for little hands.  Even my 2 year old helped for a little bit, until she became to hungry and asked to just eat the egg she peeled. Haha! She loved it plain and she loved it deviled!

 

We started with our hard boiled eggs that we dyed for Easter.  My son and daughter helped peel the shells off.  Great job for little hands! I did go back over them to make sure there were no little shell pieces left.  This is why some of the eggs look a little lopsided, because on some of them more than the shell came off.  ;) But overall, they did a great job!

 

 

 

Next I cut them in half and put the yolks into a bowl.  Some of the eggs that were misshaped and not able to hold a filling were added to the mix.  Next I added the mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt to the yolks.  I gave my son a fork and told him to mash all the yolks and mix everything together.  He loved getting to smash the yolks!

 

Lastly, using a spoon we scooped some of the filling and placed it back in the eggs.  Topped with an additional sprinkle of paprika! The swap of Greek yogurt for mayo cannot even be tasted! My kids loved eating them and loved helping me make them!  I am sure we will be making these again in the near future! 

Ingredients:

12 hard boiled eggs

Filling:
12 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 -1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Peel 12 hard boiled eggs. Slice in half, lengthwise.  Place egg yolks in separate bowl.  Mix all filling ingredients together. Start with 1/4 cup Greek yogurt and add more to your liking as you mix it.  Using a spoon, place the filling inside the remaining egg whites.  Sprinkle with paprika. Enjoy! :)

30 in 30 Free Fitness Challenge Group!

Interested in getting a little taste of what Challenge Groups are like?

You have heard me talking about them and how fabulous they are! Challenge Groups have helped me so much because of the accountability.  Keeping me focused and on track was key to getting into a routine and helping me lose weight and keep it off.  Here is the perfect chance to take Challenge Groups for a test drive!

This group is completely FREE!

All you need to do is comment "ME!" and I will add you to the group!

(This is a Facebook group so please send me a friend request on Facebook www.facebook.com/kayla.gossett.1)

Mulligan! I need a Do-Over!

Half way through last week, I decided that I needed a do-over. I just couldn't finish 21 Day Fix Extreme knowing that I didn't give it my best shot.  The first week was not great. I was trying to find my footing with the eating plan and figuring out what works for me, then I cheated WAY to much and gave in to my bad habit of stress eating.  Normally, I wouldn't beat myself up over it.  It was only one week. No big deal.  Except this program is only 3 weeks! That's it! So one week is a big deal.  So, I decided that I wanted a Do-Over! I am counting Week 1 as practice, and treating this week as my final week! Things have gone MUCH better since I have figured out how to make this eating plan work for me, so I am excited to see how one more week will effect my results!

The eating plan is not easy, by any means.  It's easy to plan, but not necessarily easy to carry out.  I miss half and half.  I drink my coffee with a tsp of organic half and half.  After a few weeks of drinking it black or blended with a tsp of coconut oil instead, I miss my coffee.  I look forward to the Extreme days because I can have fruit! Yay! On my last Extreme day I had a half a banana with almond butter and a some of a peach.  It was delicious!

That being said, I am still eating very yummy food! The biggest thing for me is finding ways to prepare food that I can eat on the Countdown to Competition Plan and that my family can eat as well.  I am not the kind of mom that cooks a different meal for everyone. No way! I feed my kids what I eat.  We all eat the same foods for dinner, but sometimes their food has a different spin. 

Exhibit A:

These turkey meatballs are FANTASTIC! I used the recipe straight out of the 21 Day Fix Extreme recipe book. Delicious! My husband even came out of our back room and asked what I was making because it smelled so good.  Everyone (except me) had seconds!  They were super easy to make, so next time  I will make a triple batch so I can freeze the rest and have them on hand for a quick dinner.  I ate my meatballs over zucchini noodles with garlic, pepper and tsp of olive oil.  I made quinoa pasta for my kids, mixed some zucchini noodles in with the regular noodles and topped it with spaghetti sauces and meatballs.  The kids and my husband have all asked me to make it again! :)

Exhibit B:

The Countdown to Competition Plan includes a lot of fish.  We like fish in our house.  My kids will eat grilled fish no problem, but we have had it a lot since I started this plan.  I knew I needed to change it up for the family so they wouldn't tire of it.  Tonight I grilled the fish, seasoned it a little differently to appease my own taste buds, and served it with a salad.  However, for my kids I put all the same stuff in a tortilla, added cheese and a special sauce (Greek yogurt mixes with a salsa) and served them tacos! It was a huge hit! My 4 year old ate 2 whole tacos! Then they finished their dinner with strawberries. 

This healthy eating thing, is a journey, not a one time gig.  It's important to me to teach my kids how to eat healthy and to enjoy eating healthy foods at a young age.  That is why I am declaring Week 1 a Mulligan! I may have had a few too many cheats the first week and it took me a few days to figure out when and what to eat to make this plan work for me, but I am not giving up! I am seeing this through!

21 Day Fix Extreme-Week 2 Menu

21 Day Fix Extreme Week 2 is going well! Week 1 was a little difficult because in addition to adjusting to a new eating plan, I also had a lot of stressful events happen mid week.  Needless to say my willpower was not at it's best and I definitely did some cheating.  Thankfully, I am not really in a competition, so it's NOT THAT SERIOUS! I am not beating myself up over it.  BUT I am back on track!

Week 1 was definitely an adjustment.  I followed the Countdown to Competition plan to a T for several days, but it was hard because I was SO FULL! I was eating when I wasn't hungry, and in fact, I still felt full from my last meal.  It definitely wasn't working for me to eat when I wasn't hungry, and this was reflecting on the scale.  I am not giving up, but I don't want to continue with a plan when it's not working, so I made some adjustments for Week 2. :)  I am very happy with these changes!

First, I still planned out the 6 proteins a day I was supposed to be eating, but if I wasn't hungry I decided I was not going to make myself eat them just because I was supposed to.  Instead, I decided to skip one of my snacks if I wasn't hungry.  If I skipped a protein, I added another veggie.  This has worked beautifully! I haven't been hungry or stuffing myself and I feel great!

Second, I have been drinking LOTS more water, especially on the Countdown to Competition days.  Normally I drink around 70-80 ounces a day, but I have upped my intake to at least 100 ounces. It sounds like a lot, but it's really not too bad and it definitely has helped.  My plan of attack to drink all this water was to fill my 32 oz Camelbak twice and I take it with me everywhere! I take it to meetings, when I'm driving to drop/off pick up kids, and even going room to room in my house.  It's easy to keep up my water intake when I always have water with me. I also keep a cup of water with lemon in the fridge that is 20 oz.  I refill this cup 3-4 times.  I love to pull out this cold lemon water to sip on while I'm cooking.  This has worked really well for me! The extra water has really helped!

Lastly, I have switched to tea.  I made iced tea to drink in the afternoon and had hot tea several times in the morning.  I have been drinking black coffee, but I really LOVE coffee and black coffee just is not the same and my usual coffee with a TBSP of half and half.  It just made me miss it more to drink it black, so I decided to just switch to tea for the next 2 weeks until I finish this challenge.

Here are some pics of the yummy food I have been eating this week! Eating healthy should not make you feel deprived! This week has been delicious!

I am really excited for the last week of 21 Day Fix Extreme! I have another delicious menu prepared! I love trying new healthy recipes! :)

Transformation Tuesday-Just For Mom's Challenge Group Results!

One year ago, in March 2014 I signed up to be a Beachbody Coach.

 I had no idea what I was getting into. I had no idea I just found my passion. 

When I signed up I was unhappy, inside and out and I wanted to change. I signed up for a discount and the accountability.  I knew if I told my friends and family what I was doing, I would be more likely to actually do it.  I wanted to lose weight.  I wanted to be happy in my own skin.  I wanted to be healthy. 

I gained so much more than I ever thought possible! Not only did I regain my happiness with my body, but I also got healthy.  I have made my whole family healthier.  Although you can see my physical changes and results, the bigger change is the one you cannot see.  The change that was made inside.  The joy and passion I have found through being a Coach.  The best part is that I get to help others, outside my immediate family get their smiles and confidence back too! One pound at a time!

My Challenge Group last month was Just For Mom's.  It was a 30 day group focused on helping other moms, just like me, get healthy. In just 30 days these amazing ladies were able to juggle their schedules, babies, husbands, jobs and busy lives AND lose 53 pounds! I am so amazingly proud of all the hard work these ladies put in.  It's not easy to make new habits, to change your lifestyle, but they did it!

This is why I LOVE being a Beachbody Coach! I offer Challenge Groups, like Just For Mom's, every month, and every month I am seeing lives changed for the better, and people getting healthy.  I LOVE what I do because there is nothing more empowering than helping someone achieve their goals! 

If you are interested in joining a Challenge Group or joining my team, then let's chat! Find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kayla.gossett.1) or send me an email. I would love to share my passion with you! 

Garlic Lime Cilantro Shrimp! (Or Chicken for non-seafood fans)

What started as boring grilled shrimp on my menu plan turned into a mouth watering, can't get enough feast!

I had my shrimp ready to grill and I was trying to decide, "how do I want to season it." I bought a lot so I would have leftovers to eat throughout the week on my 21 Day Fix Extreme meal plan, therefore it had to be delicious or I would be regretting it all week. Haha! Did I want southwestern? Smoky? Spicy? Nothing was sounding like what I was looking for. So I opened my 21 Day Fix Eating plan book and started looking over the lists of freebies! (items you can add to anything, in any amount and it doesn't count as a container! Yippee!). The freebie list consists of mainly seasonings (minus salt), vinegars, and fresh herbs. That's when I saw it: LIME! I always have cilantro on hand and who doesn't love garlic?

Why didn't I think of this before?!?!? This is one of my favorite flavor combinations but I had never tried on shrimp before. I decided to give it a whirl! 

Ingredients: 

2 lbs shrimp (1 lb would be enough for my family of 4, but I wanted extra to eat the rest of the week)

2 limes

2 handful of cilantro leaves, chopped (or more if desired)

garlic powder, pepper, and sea salt; to taste

This recipe is so simple and fast! It's a great dinner to throw together when you are short on time, but it's delicious, so even if you have all day I would still choose to make this recipe!

Simply spray the grill with olive oil, cook shrimp over medium/high heat until pink. In a bowl whisk together the juice of the limes, cilantro, and seasonings. Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss! Voila!

Garlic Lime Cilantro Shrimp could easily be substituted with chicken or scallops. Yum! It can be served in tacos, on a salad, or over quinoa or rice. This recipe is also delicious with avocado! Enjoy!

This shrimp was so tasty, flavorful and versatile! How will you serve Garlic Lime Cilantro Shrimp?

Day 1: Soo Much Food!

The Countdown to Competition Plan (CTC) for 21 Day Fix Extreme is the same plan that trainer and 21 Day Fix creator, Autumn Calabrese, uses before her bikini competitions.  CTC is a very different eating plan from what I have ever done before.  It includes A LOT of lean protein and veggies. After following the CTC plan for 2 days you follow one day of the 21 Day Fix Extreme  (21 DFX) eating plan. 21 DFX eating plan includes all the of the food groups in balanced portions. The CTC plan is not meant to be a permanent eating plan, but rather one that you use before a big event, such as a wedding, vacation or competition. I will be blogging about my 21 Day journey with this eating plan and workouts! I love the excitement before starting a new program!

Day 1 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme started with a delicious breakfast of eggs and asparagus I was even looking forward to getting up on Monday morning because I knew it was going to be tasty.  I was feeling great and I even managed to drink my coffee black since half and half is a no-no on the Countdown to Competition Plan.  I am NOT doing a competition, but I want to challenge myself and see how my body will respond to this plan.  If it works well, then I know what I will be doing before my next vacation! :)

 

Coffee in a cute mug ALWAYS tastes better!

The CTC plan urges you to eat many small meals throughout the day. Here is some of the other foods I ate on Day 1:

 

 

 

 

It was so much food! I was so full all day long! At no point was I even remotely hungry and I only ate my next small meal because I knew if I didn't eat every 2-3 hours I would not be able to eat all my containers for the day. 

 

At the end of the day I can honestly say it was a WIN! I was never hungry, I followed the plan to a T, and ALL the food was delicious, especially the Garlic Lime Cilantro Shrimp! (Look for a recipe post on this one coming soon!)

 

I am very excited for this challenge! I can't wait to see what other creative, healthy meals I can make! :)

 

 

My name is Kayla and I am a Stress Eater.

Normally on my blog I share about fitness, meal planning, recipes, positive tips and how it can help get, and keep a smile on your face and build self-confidence.

But not today.

Today, I am going to get more personal. Today I want to share something different.

Last night my Aunt passed away. This news has really hit my family hard. We are all mourning her loss and it is tearing me apart that I cannot be there for my mom and cousins in person. All I want is to hug them and hold them close, but phone calls and texts are as close as I can get.  It's been a difficult day, with lots of tears and memories. Today is not about meal plans, or workouts or losing weight. Today is about praying for my family that is grieving.

So, why can't I stop thinking about food!?!?!?!?

I am a stress eater! As soon as my brain registers stress, I immediately start craving food. Comfort food. Chocolate. Cake. Chocolate Cake. Homemade foods that my mom always made. Pasta. Brownies. Coffee drowned in syrup and whip cream.

None of these food are going to bring back my Aunt.  None of these foods are going to make me feel better. In fact, if I were to eat any of these, the first thing I would feel was guilt. These carb filled foods I am craving will only make me feel more weighed down and probably bloated.  I am already sad, with a puffy face and eyes, I do not need a puffy gut too.

I am doing my best to resist these cravings, but it's hard. These habits run deep. This is what I do when I am stressed. I eat.  And eat. And eat.  My wonderful husband offered late last night to go to the store and get me a delicious treat. At first I said yes! Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting please!  But I took it back. Eating my feelings would not heal the hurt.

I have been craving food all day and I resisted the chocolate chip banana bread sitting on my counter, and the omelet with cheese and sausage and more cheese that I wanted. Instead I stuck with what I had on my meal plan (thank goodness for meal prep because it would have been harder to make the healthy choice if  it wasn't right there in my fridge, ready for me).  I made scrambled eggs with mushrooms and onions.  It was delicious!

Then I made coffee. I LOVE coffee! On the 21 Day Fix Extreme meal plan sugar and cream are no-no's, so coffee is allowed but it has to be black.  So far, this hasn't bothered me. Today I poured my cup and almost spit it out it was so terrible.  Not sure what happened, but I made the worst cup of coffee I have ever made. Ever. And I have had a lot of practice. So, I made the rash decision to drive the 2 minutes to my favorite local coffee shop (with a drive thru so I didn't have to get my daughter out of the car) and order an iced caramel mocha. "Would you like a regular or a large?" I got the regular, surely that would help my guilt, right? Wrong. I got about a 1/4 of the way through my drink and had to stop. I put it in the fridge. The guilt was too much.  This wasn't helping me, it was making me feel worse.

I decided to change gears and try to get my mind off food. I read books with my daughter, we colored pictures, we cuddled, and loaded the dishwasher (can you believe that even when you are sad, the dishes and laundry still pile up?). I was starting to feel a little better, but I knew what would really help my guilt and focus, exercise. Ugh! I hate it. I don't even like working out. I do it, but I don't love it. But it's science that when you exercise and have all those happy endorphins floating around you feel better. So I decided to get my workout done early. Even my daughter seemed excited about joining me. I did Lower Fix from 21 Day Fix Extreme and threw in 10 minute abs to ease my guilt about breaking my meal plan. As much as I hate to admit it...it worked. I felt much better after working out. It didn't take away the sadness or the tears sitting just behind my eyes waiting to make their next appearance, but it did relieve some guilt. Even typing this post while cuddling with my dog is a bigger stress reliever than stress eating will ever be. Sabotaging myself is not going to bring my Aunt back.

The focus today should not be on food, the focus should be on my Aunt and all the wonderful memories I have of her. The focus today should be supporting my family, even from afar, as we move through this difficult time.

To my Aunt: You will be very dearly missed. We love you!

Meal Prep for Week 1 of 21 Day Fix Extreme

You know how every time you watch the Food Network you get hungry?

You're looking at food, thinking about food, "tasting" the food as they describe it.  How could you not get hungry? I know I do! Yet, we do this to ourselves everyday when we don't have a meal plan.  We spend our days thinking about what our next meal is going to be. Do I have the ingredients? Do I have to stop at the store? Maybe I'll just pick something up? This opens the door to making food decisions when you are hungry. In my case, that NEVER ends well.  I LOVE meal planning because it takes the thinking out of my meals. I do not have to wonder what I am eating for dinner, or my snack, because all I have to do is check my meal plan.

I am a planner, list maker, and organizer extraordinaire!

I also know, that there are not many other people that love making meal plans. Haha! So, I want to share with you what I planned for this week and how I prepped. :)

First, some background.  I chose to do 21 Day Fix Extreme for several reasons:

1. This program was just released, so I HAD to try it!
2. 21 Day Fix (the original) will always hold a special place in my heart because this is where I started. This was my first program that I actually followed the way it was supposed to be followed, and it was the first program that I EVER completed. EVER.  How could I not give the Extreme version my best shot?
3. I just finished Insanity Max:30 and I am ready for a new challenge!

21 Day Fix Extreme comes with a specific eating plan that focuses on balance, portion control and clean eating.  The original 21 Day Fix comes with portion control containers, and lists of foods "allowed" for each container. The Extreme version is the same, only it "cleans" up the food lists a bit, and eliminates the treats.  21 Day Fix Extreme also comes with the Countdown to Competition Plan that Autumn Calabrese uses when she is preparing for a competition. I am going to try to follow her Countdown to Competition plan.  It's a lot of protein, but I want to prove to myself that I can do it! Using the lists of foods provided and the number of each container you are allotted, you make your meal plan. Some people can just wing it and keep tallys throughout the day of each container they have eaten.  I cannot do that. I must plan. I must know that I will not only have green (vegetable) containers at the end of the day.  Plus, I LOVE food. Making a meal plan allows me to sit down, plan out my week of meals, including the grocery and prep list, and then I don't have to think about food any more. 

**I will be sharing my complete meal plan after I have tested the menu this week!**

Meal Prep takes this to a whole new level! The best part of meal prep is not only do you not have to worry about what you are eating for your next meal, you don't even have to make it! It's already done for you, ready to heat and eat!

Do you have any idea how much time you could save if you meal planned and prepped? A LOT!!!! I spent 3 hours on Sunday prepping my food for the week. 

I made:
*double batch of turkey chili
*double batch of hearty beef and butternut squash soup
*hard boiled eggs
*asparagus
*washed/sliced 3 packages of strawberries
*sauteed mushrooms and onions for omelets and steak
*sliced peppers and onions for Chicken Fajitas

This means only one round of dishes. One round of chopping. One round of clean up. Everything is portioned and prepped, so all I have to do now is check my meal plan and pull out what I am eating. So simple.  It makes it so much easier to eat healthy because it's already done and ready! Plus, it saves me SO much time during the week.

Have I sold you making a meal plan yet? ;)

Insanity Max:30 --> In Review--> What I learned!

Do you know how you can tell a great fitness program from one that is mediocre?

If you come out of it, not only physically changed, but mentally and emotionally better! The best fitness programs are the ones that not only tone the body, but improve the whole person.

Max:30 definitely did this for me! 

I learned so much about:

myself, 

my will power,

my strength,

my courage, 

my "want-to", 

my determination,

my ambition 

and desire to better myself. 

I want to be someone that my kids look up to. I want to be someone that doesn't give up in the face of opposition.  I want to be someone that stands up to a challenge. I want to be someone who inspires others to want these things for themselves, because you CAN!

I chose to do this program because I loved Shaun T's other programs and I wanted a challenge. I wanted to prove to myself that I can do hard things! When Max:30 was released I was so excited because this was exactly what I was looking for: a challenge wrapped in a cute, little 30 minute window! Let's be real, we are all busy and an effective workout in only 30 minutes is amazing!

These workouts are TOUGH! Every. Single. Workout. is HARD! BUT, it is made to be that way. If it was easy, it wouldn't be Extreme and it wouldn't deliver awesome results.  The first workout for me was almost embarrassing.  I only made it to 7:36 before Maxing Out.  Me, pushing as hard as I could, and I could only make it 7 minutes.  I didn't let it discourage me, instead I saw it as a challenge.  I am pretty competitive, especially with myself, so the next week I challenged myself to not only make it past 7:36, but to make it at least 2 minutes longer.  I not only met my goal, but I exceeded it! The second time I did Cardio Challenge I made it 11:20 before Maxing Out. Almost a 4 minute improvement in only one week!!!

These are the "sweaty selfies" that I (shamelessly) took and shared with my Challenge Group after my workout. I was amazed at my progress after only a week, but after 3 weeks I was seeing major improvements in my stamina, endurance and strength! I felt great! I wasn't the only one! All the participants in my Insanity Max:30 Test Group also saw great improvements and had amazing results!

I loved writing down my Max Out time during each workout. It was so motivating and inspiring to see how far I could go and push myself each time.  I wasn't comparing my body to others, I wasn't staring at the scale every morning, I was challenging myself to improve my strength and endurance.  Unlike basing progress on the scale, basing your progress on your performance during your workout translates into EVERYDAY LIFE! Challenging myself to improve each and every day, also applies to being a mom, being a wife, time management, etc.  Pushing yourself to improve your Max Out time is a mental challenge, far more than it is a physical one.  Yes, it is VERY physically challenging, but mentally you can overcome the physical.  So when my arms wanted to give up and drop me on the floor during tricep push-ups, it was my mental strength that came into play and pushed me to hold on for 10 more seconds, or 3 more push ups.  It is my mental strength that improved the most!  

Do you know how amazing it feels to know that you won the mental battle and pushed yourself further than you thought you could go? That when your body wanted to give up, you challenged yourself to keep going and your mental strength had the endurance to do it?

That feeling is what made me push play every day.  

That feeling is what made me feel like a million bucks after every workout.

That feeling is what made me feel like I could conquer any challenge set before me, each and every day!

I can't wait to repeat this program again soon! I loved it! :)