Movement Monday: Speak the Life You Want

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here

"What you radiate outward in your thoughts, feelings, mental picture, and words, you attract into your life." -- Catherine Ponder

Do you believe in the Law of Attraction?  It's considered one of the more powerful forces in the universe, yet most people do not understand how to use it to create the life they desire.  Perhaps you've used it without realizing.

The Law of Attraction says, What you think about, talk about, believe strongly about, and feel intensely about, you will bring about.  You are a culmination of your thoughts, which form your beliefs which lead to your actions.

The Law of Attraction is not new, although the naming of it may be.  Christian's are commanded to "pray without ceasing," in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  Praying causes you to speak what you want.  It shifts what you dream and believe into the tangible.  There are many biblical scriptures that relate to this truth.  "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." - Matt. 21:22

Understanding this simple truth will work wonders in your life.  So how do you use this simple law to get what you want in life?

First, you must ask for what you want and not for what you don't want.  This is more difficult than you think because our brains are trained to avoid the negative.  It's easy to say "I don't want to be ____," or "I don't like ____," but speaking about what we don't want leaves a lot of ambiguity as to what it is we want.  Plus, it gives energy to what it is we don't want and believe it or not, we are more likely to receive exactly what it is we did not want.

An affirmative thought is 100 times more powerful than a negative one.  I remember having a conversation about speaking in the affirmative with my son while he was recovering from knee surgery during his Freshman year in high school.  He was afraid to lose his opportunities to participate with the varsity football team in his Sophomore year; an opportunity he had worked diligently for the last year until he was injured.  I encouraged him to speak about what he wanted and to remind himself of it every single day.

We need to be clear and speak on what it is we want.  When we understand exactly what we want, we are more likely to seek the information to bring it into existence.  This leads us to the next step.

Believe that you'll get what you want, then take action.  This is why the first step is so crucial.  It is easier to believe and take action on something that is distinct.  For example, a lot of people will say they want to lose weight, not realizing how vague this statement is.  They may succeed in losing some weight, but do it is such an unhealthy way they've left their body in a worse state than they started.  The weight they've lost may have been mostly muscle mass leaving them weaker and unhealthier than they started.  Their lost muscle mass leaves them with a slowed metabolism leaving it more likely for the 'lost' weight to be found again.

“You don’t get in life what you want, you get what you believe.” -- Oprah Winfrey


Once you believe in your concrete desires, you must take action.  Taking the actions that will create your desired result affirms your belief that what you want is within reach.  It adds to your expectation.

Lastly, receive what you want by becoming a match for it.  Focus on creating positive emotions towards your desires.  Be grateful for what it is you do have, even the lessons you've learned or you are learning in the process of reaching your goal.  Speak on your gratitude for your desired results as if you've already achieved it.  This is exactly what daily affirmations are; a visualization and statement of your goals as if you've already reached them that you repeat daily.

Movement Monday: Just Get It Done!

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

I'm just returning from a trip to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India for work and it was an eye-opening experience!  It was a busy week and nearly every moment was utilized while I was in the office.  I barely had time to think about how jet-lagged I was.  I won't even count the number of cups of espresso I had the first day I was there, but to my surprise, by day 3, I was back to my regular caffeine habit -- a cup or two in the morning to wake me up.  

Besides participating with my co-workers in their experiences in the office and providing technical training as the team lead, I was interested in an entirely separate aspect of this travel -- could I set a workout plan a stick to it?  I knew the meals weren't entirely in my control due to the strong recommendation to avoid all uncooked items, like fresh fruit and veggies, if I wanted to keep my insides in tact.  I managed to add another challenge to this difficulty when I arrived at the airport and realized I managed to leave my Shakeology and Go Macro bars behind.

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." -- Amelia Earhart

I became a fitness coach because I'm passionate about fitness and I love helping and supporting others become their best!  I enjoy sharing my life experiences as a working single-parent, whether good or bad, to help others.  Even with the numerous experiences I've had and shared, there was at least one situation that I couldn't seem to come up with a real answer for when current or potential clients rationalized business travel as a reason for avoiding starting a health improvement regimen or getting off track on their planned routine.  I always believe that if it's importantant to you, you will do it.  Since 'feeling good' about themselves is important to most people, having the right motivation to stay on track is the key to maintaining a reasonable portion of healthy activities while traveling for business.

In my workplace, it is common knowledge that I am also a group exercise instructor, so many coworkers feel very comfortable discussing their struggles and shortcomings in this area.  What most don't realize is my commitment to myself and my own health and fitness, but quickly find out when I share some of my strategies for just getting it done.

I had a couple opportunities to share with my co-worker I was traveling with during our 30+ hour journey after he expressed his frustrations with the way he was feeling about his health and exercise stamina.  Over the past 2 years, he had taken on more responsibilities at work that required him to travel to locations all over the world and really wanted to get his health back on track.

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action with without vision is a nightmare.” —Japanese proverb

So here are 4 things that helped me while traveling for business.

1. Have a Clear Vision of What it is You Want - We all want to live our life to it's full potential and that means creating a powerful vision of what we want for our lives.  The more powerful the vision, the more it will compel you to find a way to get it done, even when it is not comfortable.  I knew skipping a full week of exercise would add to my challenges when I returned home when I needed to teach classes, far beyond the jetlag and the attempt to get back to my normal routine.  I didn't want to deal with this additional struggle.  Even more compelling than this was the bridesmaid dress I wanted to slay at the end of the year.  I could not afford to get off track.
2. Set Realistic Expectations - Since I had 4 full days in India, it would have been great to get in 4 exercise sessions since I easily get in more than that over the same span of time while at home.  However, realistically, I knew I'd be dealing with jetlag and I wouldn't arrive to my hotel room until the early morning hours on the first day.  Instead of pressuring myself to complete something unreasonable, I planned for 3 days of exercise.  I wouldn't beat myself up if I only completed 2, but I knew if I got the first day in on Wednesday (day 2 of my trip), the rest of the days would be easy.  

   

   Day 3 - 2nd workout using BOD in my hotel room
3. Create An Action Plan for Success - I checked out the hotel ahead of time to see if there was a gym and thankfully there was, but I also knew I had access to Beachbody on Demand for plenty of great workout options.  I also made sure to pack my workout clothes.  Seems simple, but 'forgetting' workout clothes is a huge excuse for not getting it done!
4. Celebrate Your Success - I documented and shared my workout completions with my accountability group and on social media.  The goal was for me to share my happiness for getting it done.  It is so rewarding to share your wins, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem to others.  I'm not doing it for them, I'm doing it for me!

   

   Day 4 - Finishing up my last workout session in the hotel gym

I am happy to say that I wasn't the only one getting my workouts in.  My co-worker was determined to make a change to his routine so he could start feeling better next year.  However, when I shared with him that I completed my first workout on day 2 and asking him about his plans for the Cap10K next year, he was motivated to get started while on the trip.  He successfully completed 2 workout sessions and was extremely proud.  I was super proud too!

My next accountability group is getting started today and there is still time to join us!  We're going to get it ALL DONE during this busy holiday season.  My goal is to help you maintain control over your busy schedule while taking care of you!  We'll all learn and implement simple techniques for managing our busy lives so that we can truly enjoy this holiday season and get next year started right.  Leave a comment here or connect with me on social media and I'll let you know how to get started.  Let's get it #fALLDONE!

Movement Monday: How We Lose our Balance

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

This is a continuation of last weeks message, cause my goal is to KISS - Keep It Short & Simple!  I want you to create movement... THIS week... TODAY!  OK?!  So check out last week's blog if you missed it - Is Balance a Mission Impossible? 

I personally have moments where I spend more focus in certain areas of my life and let others go.  I may have a few weeks where my nutrition is spot on, followed by weeks where I'll skip out on planning and prepping to spend focus on other areas.  Luckily, my body and my mind will literally get tired of missing out on their required nutrients, my workouts and energy will suffer and I get right back on track!

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony." -- Thomas Merton

Many times, however, we don't really recognize when we're off track, because of the gradual slide.  If you've never really taken the time to really get in tune with your body and know what it feels like to feel good, you don't really get what it feels like to not feel good.  If you have gotten to that point, where you feel invincible, powerful and strong, you don't realize that you're not until you're in desperate need of change. 

So, how is it that we get out of balance in the first place?  The idea is that if you watch for the actual cause of the problem you can catch yourself before you "hit rock bottom," or get to that dreaded place that's difficult to return from.

Perfectionism: I was once a perfectionist.  Burnout changed that for me.  I realized I was striving for the impossible and wasn't really having fun.  Since perfection can never be reached, more time is spent trying to be perfect than actually accomplishing tasks which just makes you tired.  If you are a perfectionist, take time to figure out what it is you're trying to prove because the only person who should care about what you're doing is you!

Control: So many people mistakenly think that tasks will just get done faster, or correctly if they do it themselves, but there comes a point where this is no longer true.  Control freaks often don’t trust others to help them accomplish the task at hand; therefore, they spend time micromanaging or just doing the work themselves. They work long hours because they need to do it themselves.  True, it may take additional time showing someone else the way you prefer it done, but if you allow someone else to make that task their main focus, you will soon find that they will find even better ways to get it done.  You've gotta just let it go!

Escaping: It is so easy to get out of balance when you're running from something difficult.  Grief (a death or major event) and loss (the end of a relationship) are two examples of this. If not checked in time, it can be extremely unhealthy.

"Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them." -- Thomas Kinkade

Recognition or a badge of honor: Some people just don't realize how big their ego is and what how much it needs to be fed.  When you're putting in extra time just to hear someone give you kudos, you should question yourself.  When you do things for the right reasons and with the right perspective, it will work out alright.  Recognize what's truly important to you and plan your days and life accordingly.

There are many other ways that people can get out of balance, but if the activity is hurting yourself or others, you should do some serious self examination and determine if you are being honest with yourself over your true motives and make sure you are creating the life you want to be proud of on your last day.  How do you want to be remembered?

This is the third in a series of posts about getting it ALL DONE!  Fall is a great time to evaluate what you're doing right now to get it all done!  With kids back in school, most parents have more mission critical activities and responsibilities.  These are the kinds of activities and responsibilities that tend to cause us to feel overwhelm and will lead to burnout if left unchecked. Since I don't know anyone that wants to feel drained and exhausting for their holidays I'm focusing my next online fitness challenge opening October 31st and running through the first day of Winter.  I want you to find YOUR balance so you can learn to get it fALL DONE!

Movement Monday: How To Get It ALL Done

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

Busy.  Busy.  Busy!!!  "I'm just so busy!"  Who doesn't say this?  The days go fast.  The weeks go faster.  Our calendars are jam packed.  Every minute of the day is filled taking care of something.  All the while we feel overwhelmed and even though we're getting stuff done, we don't seem to accomplish what we want for our own life! 

Why?!

"It always seems impossible until it's done." -- Nelson Mandela

As a health and fitness coach, "busy" is the excuse I hear the most for people not caring for themselves.

• "I'm just too busy to go to the gym."
• "I'm too busy to cook meals."
• "I'm too busy to _______" [fill in the blank with anything that involves taking care of yourself]

Once again the question is WHY?!

"It is not enough to be busy... The question is: what are we busy about?" -- Henry David Thoreau

Yes we have our children's needs, our spouse's or significant other's needs, work responsibilities, but why do we choose to give to others before ourselves?  Why do we choose to place the activities that will actually allow us to do more for the people we care about on the the back burner?

Anyone that's taken my 5 Day Productivity Workshop knows that it's not about Time Management but Life Management.  It's your life.  You get just one life.  Why not manage your life to your liking?

So, how do you find the time to get it ALL DONE?  How do you find the time to do for you self, so you can be at your best for all that you want to do?  Just take a look at some of the most successful people.  How do successful people get it done?  Maybe considering successful people in general is not relate-able, so I will put myself out there for consideration.  I am a single mother, pre-silicon design verification technical team lead, health and fitness coach, PiYo and RPM instructor currently teaching 5 classes/week, crazy football mom who not only ensures my son has what he needs, but diligently works to support the team by running the social media accounts for the football boosters and most importantly takes the time to enjoy my family and friends who mean the most to me.  How do I get it all done to my liking and still get sleep?  I'll list a few:

1. Exercise - Exercise is more than just an activity to aide weight loss.  Increasing your heart rate increases blood flow to the brain.  This makes you more alert and focused to tackle your challenging tasks. Regularly completing physical activity also improves your confidence, giving you the determination to get the job done.  Additionally, routine movement gives you more energy and allows you to get better sleep which makes you less stressed and an overall happier person to be around.
2. Protect your focus - Multitasking is a myth.  You spend more time and energy trying to context switch on complicated tasks.  According to a study by Microsoft, it takes the brain 15 minutes to re-focus after losing your train of thought during your work.  You can get more done spending 15-50 focused minutes on a task than attempting to manage a couple things at the same time.  Our life is full or interruptions and distractions, so you have to be proactive to avoid distractions while completing tasks.  If this means silencing or turning off your phone, do it!
3. Set routines - We are creatures of habit.  Believe it or not, our brains are meant to operate on auto-pilot.  When you create regular routines, setting what your do when you wake up, go to sleep, prep your meals, pack your gym bag, grocery shop, etc., you can use your brain power for developing and creating things that make your life and the lives of the people around you better.

The Fall season is a great time to evaluate what you're doing right now to get it all done!  With kids back in school, most parents have more activities and responsibilities.  Many start to get overwhelmed with the continuous requests on their time due to the increased number of activities and commitments.  This can become a draining and exhausting downward spiral leading into the holidays and I don't know anyone who wants to spend the holiday season feeling defeated.

Getting it ALL DONE is the focus of my next online fitness challenge opening October 24th and running through the first day of Winter, just in time to get it fALL DONE!

Fish n' Fries

Who eats fish and fries a.k.a fish n' chips while they're watching what they eat?

Me! Me! Me!  Especially if the fish is broiled and the fries are made from carrots.  Not only is this meal much healthier than the fried version, it is also much quicker to prepare and much quicker to clean up.

So tell me... are you a "Fish n' Fry" person or a "Fish n' Chip" person?  If you're a 'fish n' chipper', you can easily switch out the carrot sticks for carrot coins.

I hope this recipe saves your dinner by letting it be known that you can have fish n' fries (or fish n' chips) when eating healthy, regardless of what you like to call them.

Fish n' Fries

Ingredients:

• 2 baking sheets lined with foil
• 1 1/2 pounds catfish nuggets
• 1 pound carrot sticks (~3 C)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Combine chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and salt in a small bowl
3. Place carrot stick in a bowl and toss with the olive oil and 1/3 (~1 Tablespoon) of the seasoning mix.
4. Place carrot mixture on 1st baking sheet
5. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until carrot stick are tender and start to crisp
6. While the carrot sticks are baking, toss the catfish nuggets with the remaining seasoning.  Mix well.
7. Add fish mixture to the 2nd baking sheet.
8. When carrot sticks are finished, turn on the oven broiler.
9. Place fish in broiler for 10 minutes, turning at minute 6.

Servings: 4 - 1 Red & 1 Green  

Mini Veggie Egg Cups

I've been inspired by a new round of the 21 Day Fix and viewing posts and videos from the program's creator, Autumn Calabrese to create more recipes for my "Fixers."  This recipe is simple and easy and came straight from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Eating Plan booklet.  I whisked up 2 batches and put one in the freezer.

I have included the recipe below and some pictures from when I made it.  At the very bottom I have added a link to a video Autumn created while making these egg cups.  I consider cooking an art and just like any form of art, the interpretation of the recipe is truly in the eye of the chef.  You will  see that we took slightly different paths, so do what works and is easiest for you.

Ingredients:

• Non-stick cooking spray
• Reynolds Aluminum Foil Jumbo Muffin cups (optional, you don't even have to use Reynolds, but just make sure the paper liner can be removed.) 
• 12 large eggs
• sea salt of Himalayan salt (Mineralize) and ground black pepper to taste
• Oregano, Basil and/or Marjoram to taste (this isn't in the recipe but I love any one or all of these spices in my eggs!)
• 1 10-oz. bag raw baby spinach finely chopped (I made a double recipe and had a hard time utilizing 2.5 5-oz. bags, so do your best)  
• 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 green onions finely sliced

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Lightly coat a 12 cup muffin tin with spray.  (I prefer to use the Reynolds Aluminum Foil Jumbo muffin cups with this inner paper removed because I strongly dislike washing more dishes than necessary and I really don't want to get inside 12 or 24 muffin tins to catch what got stuck.  Spray the baking cups just like you would the pan and don't forget to remove it when reheating in the microwave.)
3. Place eggs in a bowl and whisk to blend.  Add in seasonings, if desired and stir.
4. Chop veggies and add them to the whisked eggs.  Mix completely.
5. Spoon egg mixture into tins evenly.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly from the center.

Servings:

2 muffin cups is 1 GREEN and 1 RED.

These will last ~1 week in your refrigerator.  They can also be frozen.  Check out Hatch Green Chile Extravaganza for more muffin cup ideas. 

Check out Autumn's video too! http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/nutrition/recipes/mini-vegetable-egg-cups

Asian-Fix - 2 Recipes portioned for 21 Day Fix

I had a taste for Asian food after completing my 2nd round of the 3 Day Refresh.  There was something about this Ginger-Carrot recipe they have in the program guide that really had me thinking about what else I could add ginger too.  I could write a whole article about the benefits of ginger for you overall health as it is believed to stimulate digestion by aiding in ridding the body of toxins built up in the liver, colon and other organs, but you probably just want to get to the recipes, right?

OK, before I do, though I have to say just two small things.  The first is that these two dishes were planned close together because I had the ingredients on hand.  It's always a goal to use up the fresh veggies buy so it doesn't go to waste.  I happened to have cabbage, carrots, cilantro and peppers.  It's helpfult to plan your meals this way so you don't waste your money letting your food spoil.  Second, both of these recipes are low-carb.  I'm not a low-carb eater per se. I exercise too intensely for that.  I do try to limit my carbs in the evening, so I try to create dishes that will fit my lifestyle.  I will also add that I do consider portions when cooking and have followed 21 Day Fix eating since March of 2014, so these are perfect for someone who does the same.

Ginger Carrot Chicken Meatballs

• 2/3 C shredded carrots
• 1 C chopped or shredded cabbage
• 5 stalks of green onions chopped
• 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 Tbsp. chopped garlic, or 1 garlic clove pressed
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 egg, beaten (when I tried it out, I used 2 eggs and you can see from the pictures it might have been too much)
• 1 Tbsp. liquid aminos (I use Braggs liquid aminos, but any soy-free seasoning will do)
• Cooking spray

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare baking sheet.  I like to cover with foil for easy clean up.

Combine  first 7 ingredients to a large bowl.  Add the ground chicken.  Beat egg(s) and add aminos.  Pour into mixing bowl.  Use clean hands to combine all ingredients.  Form into 12 equal sized meatballs and place on the baking sheet. (check out Hatch Green Chile Extravaganza! at Green Chile Sliders for directions on scoring meat into equal sections).

Bake for 20 minutes.  (Serve over rice or veggies)

Makes 3 servings (4 meatballs)

21 Day Fix Portions (meatballs only): 1 Red, 1 Green

Flavorful Asian Cod

• 1 lb wild cod, cut into cubes      
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 Tbsp. liquid aminos (I use Braggs liquid aminos, but any soy-free seasoning will do)
• 1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
• 1/3 C almond flour (can use almond meal)
• 1/3 C coconut flour
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Peanut Oil
• 2 tsp. Olive oil
• (omit oils if pan frying, otherwise use cooking spray if broiling)

Directions:
After cutting cod into cubes, set aside.  Beat 1 egg in a dish or bowl large enough to hold the cod.  Stir in the liquid aminos and Sriracha sauce.  Add cod to the dish and ensure every piece is coated with the mixture.  Let set for about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, in a separate large flat bowl, combine flours, powders and pepper.  Mix well.  Prepare iron skillet for pan frying with oil, or turn on broiler for if not.  If using the broiler, I recommend lining a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup and spraying with cooking spray.

Finally, toss the fish in the flour mixture.  Be sure to shake off the excess when transferring to the pan or baking sheet.  If broiling, top spray generously with cooking oil over the top of the fish as the almond flour tends to burn at high heat.

Pan fry for 3 minutes each side or broil for 8-10 minutes.

Serve over rice or your favorite veggies.  For the picture, I sauteed the remaining cabbage I had from the first recipe, onions and red, yellow and green peppers and mushrooms.

Makes 3 servings.

21 Day Fix Portions (when served over 2 C Veggies and): 1/2 Blue, 1/2 Orange, 1 Red, 2 Green, 3 teaspoons (1 teaspoon for broiled)

Hatch Chile Mini-Quiches

I absolutely LOVE New Mexico Hatch Green Chiles!  Not sure what made them so special to my palate, but when it's there harvest time in late July/early August, I can't help but come up with new dishes or try out new recipes that include them.

Finely chopped green chiles

So, last week, one of the dishes I created was Hatch Green Chile Mini-Quiches.  Since I track my nutrition using 21 Day Fix containers these can easily be converted and they contain a lot of veggies.  I also happened to be going through my monthly clean eating challenge at that time, so I also had to ensure the ingredients followed the rules of the challenge.  If you'd like to join one of my free clean eating challenges, head on over to www.techifitness.com/nutrition and add your name to my contact form or find me on Facebook - Kara Henson or Facebook - Techifitness.

OK, we really came here for the recipe right?!  I'm so glad you did.

Hatch Green Chile Mini-Quiches 

9 Farm Fresh Eggs
3 C Spinach, chopped
1 C white or yellow onions, diced
3 TBSP chopped cilantro
2-3 roasted New Mexico Hatch Green Chiles (about 1 C), finely chopped
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (to taste)
Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
Oregano, Marjoram, Chives (fresh or dried, to taste)
Red Chile Powder (opt.)
3 Chicken Sausage Patties (or any lean breakfast sausage), crumbled

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees    
2. Chop veggies and add to bowl
3. Beat eggs add to bowl
4. Add seasonings and mix well (I love eggs with tons of flavor so I use a lot!)
5. Add in sausage crumbles

Scoop ~1/4 C into muffin tins, coated with cooking spray or lined with foil tins.  I detest cleaning muffin pans, (probably because I only have cheap pans), so I always use foil tins with the paper liner removed.

Bake at 350 degrees for ~25 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen or 6 servings.  Each serving is 1 Red, and 1 Green.

More green chile recipes coming soon!  I'd love to hear what you make with your green chiles.  Share a link to the recipe or share your pictures here or on Facebook!  Show me some green chile love!

Plan for Success

By far, the way you eat determines your success in any weight loss regimen.  Even if you're goal is not weight loss, who isn't looking for improved health?  Isn't that the goal anyway?  Improved health means improving the way you feel and the way you look.  That's a complete WIN!

I used to be a person who would workout hard so I could eat anything I wanted.  During my initial weight loss journey, this was fine.  I knew eventually I'd have to start focusing on my eating.  At the time, I didn't understand that focusing on my eating did not mean a diet.  I go into my former struggles in "Getting Fixed", so I won't go into it all again.  Bottom line - you can't out exercise a bad diet.  Plus, when you set your goal for wellness, you will eat in a way that gets you to your ideal weight.

So the biggest deterrent from eating well, is time.  As a single parent to a busy athletic teen,  a full time engineer and a fitness coach, I know a little about managing a busy schedule.  It takes more time to prepare fresh foods than it does to dump something from a can or a box.  However our bodies were not designed to eat the convenient and processed foods.

I know I've done this before.  I started out with the greatest intentions by buying fresh fruits and veggies.  I get everything home and in the refrigerator.  Then, my week gets busy and the prep time scares me.  The fear of getting all that food chopped, cooked and onto the table for myself and my family would allow me to block it out.  Before I knew it, the food would go bad.  What a waist of money!  I've actually heard people say that they just eat out because they waste the food the buy for their homes.

There's no skirting around the issue, but following a nutritious eating plan will take a little bit of planning.  As I always tell the people I work with,  "No one ever plans to fall.  But you can fail to plan."  I find that when I don't plan, I don't get as many fruits and cruciferous vegetables into my meals.  These are the foods that provide you with the biggest bang for your buck in your health improvement effort.  They are packed with so many vitamins, minerals, fiber, you name it.  Plus with their generally lower calorie content, you can eat a lot more, helping to keep you satisfied throughout the day.  I will tell you what how I plan to keep my eating on track and avoiding last minute restaurant food runs.  I hope some of these tips will benefit you and give you ideas of how you can "plan for success," for you and your family.

Create a Meal Calendar

Planning your meals ahead of time can help you shop.  A smart planner will plan to use foods that are on sale and to save on prep time, use foods that can be cooked once and then combined in different recipes.  Baking or grilling chicken for one dinner can then be used in a casserole for another dinner and chicken salad for a couple lunches.  The same goes for the veggies you buy for a recipe.  I used to have a hard time using up celery.  I'd make a recipe that would use 2 stalks of celery and then may not ever get to them again.  Planning meals and snacks that help you use up all the ingredients you buy requires a little extra time, but will save you money in the long run.  

I created this meal planner from a template in Microsoft Excel.  I would get suggestions from family requests, websites or recipes I want to try.  I even add my meals where I plan to dine out with friends.  If you need some help planning your meals, TeamBeachbody has access to meal planners for $2.99/week.  You can get access to this site by going to getfit.techifitness.com, clicking 'Join' and choosing the 'Club Membership.'  There are plenty of other sites that also gives you access to meal planners, as well, but this is the only one when my coaching is included at any level of membership.

Finding ways to use up all your fresh ingredients leads me to my next tips, because they provide more options to ensure you have healthy food available when you need it.

Washing, Cutting and Packaging Fruits and Veggies is a Part of the Shopping Process

This one is a relatively new one for me, but it has proven to be help me out the most.  When you think of getting your fresh fruits and veggies ready for use, just like shopping and unloading the groceries, you are more likely to use them up and you are more likely to grab them in a crunch.  In addition, you are less likely to buy too many of them. 

Always wash any fruits and veggies that you bought before putting them in the refrigerator.  For fruits and veggies I plan to take to work with me that week or want my son to grab as a snack, I package it up in a single serving size.  This way, when I'm packing my meals for the day, I can grab and 'toss' into my lunch bag.  Also, I've noticed that my son will grab grapes quicker when they're washed and in a sandwich bag, than if they are just washed and in the original bag.

Chopped Peppers added to single serving bags

Before you start, make sure you have plenty of containers or sandwich bags (or larger) on hand to package up your fresh fruits and veggies.  If they are being used for a recipe you'll make later, go ahead and package them up right then.  It'll make your recipe prep that much faster.  You'll feel like one of those chefs that are displaying their recipes on the News & Talk Shows.

Prepare Extra and Package It Up! (Freeze if necessary)

I try to double any recipe I'm making for dinner, unless it's for the first time.  This helps me cook once and eat twice.  Plus, if there is a dish you and your family really enjoys, you know that you will not have to fuss over it the second time, which actually makes it taste even better.  Dishes that freeze well include enchiladas, soups and chili, casseroles, stewed tomatoes and so many others.  For your best results, minimize the air in the container and do not freeze longer than 3 months.


When it comes to breakfast, don't be afraid to cook a huge pot of oatmeal or other breakfast cereal and place a single serving into containers.  This really helps getting out of the house in the morning go a little smoother.  My son will grab his "oatmeal circle," as he calls it since the oatmeal is stored in a round container.  He also knows that his containers are the larger 1 C serving while mine is the smaller 1/2 C serving.  I also either boil up eggs for the week, peel them and store in a huge Ziploc bag.  These will not last longer than about 5-6 days.   To change things up, I'll make scrambled eggs (4-5 whites/1 full egg) with the veggies I prepped earlier.  I'll make more than one serving so it will last a couple days.  The same goes for bacon (any kind),  and sausage.  It is easy to pop these in the microwave to heat up a fast hot breakfast before dashing out to start the day.

Go Ahead and Roast Up Those Veggies

Just like I cook up a large quantity of oatmeal, I like to roast many of the veggies I will eat during the week.  Roasting veggies is a nice change from steamed, stove top cooked or microwaved.  You get a wonderful flavor.  It's also something you can do it bulk based on what is on sale.

Cinnamon-Coconut Roasted Sweet Potatoes

 You can roast almost anything! I've tried broccoli and cauliflower, to potatoes (both white and sweet), to peppers, onions, green beans and my latest favorite, baby Brussels sprouts.  Plus you can change up the flavors in so many different ways depending on your tastes.  In the sweet potatoes I have pictured that day I chose to rub coconut oil and them and sprinkle with cinnamon.  This was an idea I learned from a friend.  Sweet potatoes are also super tasty with olive oil, garlic and a little bit of sea salt.

Roasted Green Beans

I saw celebrity fitness trainer Chris Powell talk about roasting green beans on one of his episodes last year.  Roasting green beans turn a vegetable you might normally eat with a fork into finger food.  Here, I toss in olive oil and add marjoram, oregano and sea salt.

I started roasting baby Brussels sprouts just recently as they are more tender over the larger variety.  I love to add garlic and onion and toss in olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, oregano and marjoram.  You can really use any of your favorite seasonings with these.  Pictured are some Red Peppers I purchased that were on sale.  It is easy to add these to a breakfast taco or with eggs for breakfast.  I can also add these to any other veggie with my dinner.or on a sandwich for lunch.  Roasted red peppers add a twist to almost any dish!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts plus Red Peppers

When making a shift towards healthier eating remember to think small.  Think of making small changes over time.  Creating healthy habits help your success in the future.  The better you get at planning, the more likely you are to make it stick!