My Fit Habit

Showing posts with label clean eating. Show all posts

I often get asked about 'those shakes' that I drink - so I thought I'd do a post about what Shakeology is and why I LOVE it.

So first things first - I am a LAZY person. I am in a constant battle against that fact, but it's the truth. Anything that helps me maintain a healthy lifestyle with minimal effort, I'm into. I can make a shake in less than 2 minutes in the morning, and I can take packets on the go and make it while traveling (which I do a lot of lately). I stay pretty busy, so knowing that I had at least one meal that is packed with nutrients is important to me.

When I started my challenge group in December, I was pretty skeptical about drinking Shakeology. I thought I'd get sick of it, thought I wouldn't like the taste, and didn't really see the point in drinking it. But it was part of the requirements, and I knew my coach wouldn't lead me astray, since she'd been through what I was going through. Now, I never miss a day. I actually think of Shakeology as my reward for finishing a workout every morning.

Positive side effects:

1. Increase in energy

2. My skin cleared up (probably a side effect of clean eating as well)

3. Keeps me full for 2-3 hours (due to the carb to protein ratio - it's NOT just a protein shake)

4. Improved digestion

5. Curbs cravings for sweets

What is Shakeology?

Shakeology contains over 70 ultra high-quality ingredients conveniently located in one glass, to deliver nearly all the nutrients you need to maintain a healthy diet. It's good for you, and good for everyone, because everyone's diet is deficient in some of the key nutrient groups packed into just one Shakeology serving.

Protein from whey, which is highly absorbable, gives you 8 essential amino acids that help you build muscle, lose weight, support brain function, and keep your skin and bones healthy.

Vitamins and minerals support optimum health.

Antioxidants boost the immune system and help reduce free radical damage that can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, blood pressure, and stroke.

Phytonutrients support immune function and have anti-inflammatory properties.

Prebiotics support digestive and immune health.

Digestive enzymes help in the digestion of foods and increase the absorption rate of those foods for optimum health.

Flavor Review

I started out with Vanilla because I thought it would be the most versatile for recipes, and I stand by that decision. Vanilla is my main flavor: I love it plain with water or almond milk, and I love making recipes with it as well. I tried the Chocolate and Strawberry recently, and I have to admit I've been cheating on Vanilla with Chocolate! I'll be honest with you, I don't love Strawberry. I know a lot of people were crazy excited when that flavor was introduced earlier this year, and they really love it. For me, it's not a favorite, but I have made a couple recipes with it that I liked.

I loved this video about Shakeology: See Why 100 Doctors Recommend Shakeology

Ways to Try Shakeology
1. Message me about trying Shakeology and I can help you find a flavor you like.

2. You can purchase a week's worth of samples from me to try out Shakeology and see if it's the right fit for you for $35.
3. You can purchase a Shakeology cleanse for $55 to jump start your weight loss program or break a plateau.
4. You can sign up for Shakeology HD (home direct) which gives your free shipping and automatically ships your Shakes to you each month. You can cancel at any time with no questions asked. There is also a 30 day money back bottom of the bag guarantee. If for any reason you do not like the shake you can return the empty bag for a full refund.

5. You can purchase Shakeology in the bag or 24 individual serving sizes, both are the same price. With individual serving sizes you can have an assortment of Greenberry and Chocolate, Chocolate and Vanilla, Tropical Strawberry and Vegan Chocolate, and Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry.

What do you get for your purchase of Shakeology HD?
Your first Shakeology order not only comes with a month's supply...
You receive a calendar of 30 different ways to make each flavor.
You receive free shipping when you sign up for Home Direct.
You not only get a shake but you get a nutrient rich meal that you do not have to worry about creating yourself!

Even if you don't think you're a 'shake' person, I'd encourage you to give Shakeology a shot. (From one skeptic to another!)

Once upon a time, I went to dinner with Chris and my friend, Dana. We ended up at Brio Tuscan Grille and I had the most amazing grilled salmon with veggies (their Grilled Salmon Fresca). I'm not typically a huge fan of chain restaurants, but this meal haunted me (in a good way) for the next week.

In an effort to be more adventurous in the kitchen, I decided to try my hand at recreating this meal, and the results are below. I was SUPER happy with how it turned out and can't wait to make it again!

I ended up googling multiple recipes for the pesto vinaigrette and balsamic glaze, and the below recipes are clean/lower fat and sugar adaptations that were still delicious, but MUCH healthier.

There are a lot of moving parts to this meal, but it comes together pretty quickly, especially if you have someone else doing the grilling! This can easily be cut in half or doubled for company.

Grilled Salmon Fresca

Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 3-4oz salmon filets
1 bunch of asparagus
1 large sweet potato
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (I used heirloom tomatoes from Trader Joe's)
2 Tbs. crumbled low fat feta cheese
2 servings pesto vinaigrette (recipe below)
2 servings balsamic glaze (recipe below)

Start by making the pesto vinaigrette and balsamic glaze, since those can sit ready while you prep everything else.

Sweet potato: Cube and roast for 20-30 minutes at 375. WATCH it closely the last 10 minutes or so, sweet potatoes burn quickly.

Tomatoes: Cut in quarters or halves, set aside.

Salmon and Asparagus: Heat grill to 500 degrees. Wash salmon filets and pat dry, brush lightly with olive oil. Grill skin side down 5 minutes, or until the fish easily comes up from the grill, and flip. Grill another 3-5 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily. While this is going on, grill the asparagus 8-10 minutes until they've reached your desired level of grilled (we like them pretty well done).

Assemble as you see fit (I'm trying to learn to 'plate' food better), top with crumbled feta, and enjoy! And tell me if you like it :)

Pesto Vinaigrette

Servings: 10

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan
3 Tbs. red- or white-wine vinegar
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Blend all ingredients until smooth. This isn't really enough to put in the food processor, I used a stick blender but a normal blender will also work.

Balsamic Glaze

Servings: 2

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. dijon mustard

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a small pot, then reduce heat and simmer until thick, about 10 minutes.

I LOVE my job as a Beachbody coach, but I also have a full time job (that I love just as much!). My day job has me traveling as often as once a month, and that challenges me to stay on track while entertaining clients, working 12 hours days, and living out of a suitcase.

So how do I stay healthy while traveling?

The same way I do when I'm at home: PLANNING and PREPARATION.

Workouts:

Since I'm training for a half marathon right now, I created a hybrid schedule of distance running and ChaLEAN Extreme. I pack my resistance bands in my suitcase, as well as my running shoes so I don't have to miss a day no matter what my planned workout is.

One way I save space is by only packing my running shoes, and wearing those for strength training. If I were doing a program that is more cross training focused I'd need trainers, but since my current program is all about strength training and not much lateral foot movement, I'm OK using running shoes for the DVD workouts.

Healthy Eating:

Shakeology is really the secret to my success on work trips. I pack enough Shakeology to have two each day. Normally I only have one per day (I like it as breakfast) but when I'm traveling I can't always predict where I'll be eating, so having a backup healthy meal replacement is key just in case. I can always grab a bottle of water (or my blender bottle) and mix up a shake, and then I know I've had a healthy meal with the right carb to protein ratio to keep me full.

I always check to see if my hotel has a mini fridge. If so, I make it a point to stop somewhere (even if it's a bodega) to pick up fruits and veggies. If not, I've listed the healthy snacks I pack below.

What I love to bring with me:

- raw nuts. Emerald brand makes pre packaged bags with 100 calories worth of nuts, or I portion them out on my own into snack bags.

- Quest bars: These are clean protein bars with no artificial sweeteners. I always have them with me when I travel.

- Shakeology packets: My favorites to drink with just water are chocolate and strawberry, or I grab an iced coffee (no milk, no sugar) and add in Vanilla Shakeology.

- Kale chips: These don't always make it to the destination in one piece, but they are still delicious.

- Whole apples with peanut butter: Apples don't need to be refrigerated, so I can pack them and keep them in the hotel room without worrying.

I'm not even sure I can call this a recipe, it's almost more like a method to me. I call it a hash because I can't think of anything better :)

Turkey Spinach Sweet Potato Hash

serves 4

1 lb ground meat (I usually use turkey, but chicken, pork, bison, etc would work)
Leafy greens (spinach is my favorite)
2 sweet potatoes, cubed

I cube the sweet potatoes and either roast them (375 for 20 minutes, but WATCH those suckers they burn easily) or sauté them (steam for a few minutes until soft, then sauté in olive or coconut oil with seasoning).

While the potatoes are cooking, brown the ground meat in a pan and cook through. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and whatever else sounds good. When it's almost cooked through, add in the greens and cook until wilted.

Layer sweet potatoes and meat/spinach mixture and top as you like.

That's it! See what I mean? It's a method not a recipe, infinitely adaptable and nutritious.

My favorite combinations:

Mexican

- season meat with cumin and chili powder, add in chopped bell peppers. Top with greek yogurt and salsa

My Standard

- season meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Top with greek yogurt and a little ketchup or sriracha.

Breakfast Version

- Season meat with salt and pepper only, scramble a couple eggs in with it. Saute the sweet potatoes with a dash of cinnamon. Top with greek yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup (trust me). I haven't tried it but I have a hunch diced apples cooked with the sweet potatoes would be amazing.

Mushroom

- add in mushrooms while meat is cooking (they will take longer to cook than the greens). Top with diced swiss if you're feeling cheesy.

BBQ

- season meat with salt, pepper, paprika, and add in one diced onion before the greens. Top with greek yogurt mixed with BBQ sauce and green onions.

The possibilities are pretty much endless. As you can see, greek yogurt is essentially my personal Franks (I put that sh*t on everything!) because it's a great replacement for sour cream (my second favorite condiment) and it's packed with protein.

One of the biggest complaints against eating real food every night is the time it takes to cook. YES, I eat a home cooked meal every night and NO, it doesn't take me all night. For the most part, I don't eat packaged snacks and I always have real food for lunch, too.

How?

Meal planning and prepping. I'll share my thoughts on how to meal plan another day, today's post is all about prepping.

Every Sunday I do my meal plan for the week and we go grocery shopping. Costco trips are once a month; since it's just Chris and I bulk shopping is less frequent. Sunday afternoons I take 30 minutes to 1 hour to prep the food we bought.

In the photo above, I chopped up three peppers, 2 cucumbers, made 7 green shake bags, and bagged my green beans for the week.

Here's the breakdown:

- peppers are sliced for snacking with hummus, and for the fajitas we're having this week

- cucumbers are ready for snacking as well, or for salads if I'm caught needing to make a quick meal

- green beans are my afternoon snack almost every day, with almonds.

- the green shake bags are baby spinach (bought a huge container at Costco), frozen mango/peach and frozen berry. I can add these into the blender with my Shakeology and unsweetened almond milk in the morning and don't have to worry about measuring anything.

Typically, I'll also cook up a batch of quinoa or brown rice, and do any other chopping I'll need for the week ahead. This week happens to require very little prep time, which I LOVE.

What else can you prep?

- marinades

- breakfasts like protein pancakes or overnight oats

- other types of snacks: portion nut butters or yogurt into reusable containers to grab every morning

- ingredients for dinner: chop cauliflower or sweet potatoes to roast, bake chicken breasts or brown meat for crock pot recipes

Doing prep on Sunday afternoon saves me 10-15 minutes in the morning, extra time I use to play with my dog (or catch up on TV shows, oops!).

Are you using time as an excuse to eat healthy? STOP. Would you rather "lose" an hour a day now, or lose years off your life? Once you get into a routine of clean eating, I promise the time won't feel lost, it'll feel like time you're investing in your health and your future.

Still feel overwhelmed? I'm here to help. Send me a message if you're interested in learning more about clean eating and how you can make fitness and healthy living a habit!

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Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Shakeology

21 Day Fix Upper Fix and Lower Fix Review

21 Day Fix Total Body Cardio Review and Day 1

Shakeology Review and Testimonial

Recipe Re-creation: Grilled Salmon Fresca

Shakeology Cleanse Day 1 - My Experience

Staying on Track While Traveling

Mango Morning Shakeology Bowl

Turkey Spinach Sweet Potato Hash

Clean Eating Meal Plan 1

Clean Eating Costco List

"I want to spend a lot of money to get healthy and fit."

SAID NO ONE EVER

Save Time with Meal Prepping

Easy Chicken Fajitas

Instagram

"I want to spend a lot of money to get healthy and fit." SAID NO ONE EVER

Instagram

"I want to spend a lot of money to get healthy and fit."

SAID NO ONE EVER