Palate Tastings: Honey Chipotle Chicken Thighs

Hello Lovelies!  

This week's meal prep consisted of some Honey Chipotle Chicken Thighs which were DELISH!  I coupled them with Basmati Rice and Mixed Veggies.   I also drizzled about a teaspoon of Ken's Steak House Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger and Soy salad dressing onto my mixed veggies to give the dish an Asian flare.  

I was able to prep 3 lunch containers for Monday through Wednesday.  I ate one chicken thigh by itself once the chicken was finished cooking.  Don't judge me; I couldn't wait..... I ate the last chicken thigh on top of a salad.  It was soooooo tasty!

If you want to try and prepare it yourself, the recipe is included below.  

For my afternoon snack, I prepared mason jar salads and had Ken's Steak House Raspberry Pecan Dressing to top it off.

Remember, your meals do not have to be dull and boring.  Try and spice it up the healthy way.  Let me know if you tried it and how you liked it!

Until Next Time,

MACROS: Carbs, Proteins and Fats Oh My!

Happy Eve of Christmas Eve Lovelies!

The holidays are here and I am sooooo excited!   Christmas is by far, my most favorite Holiday of the year.

As you can tell by the title, this is far from a Christmas post.  Well, if you are focusing on your health and want to gift yourself a healthier lifestyle, then I guess you can consider this somewhat of a Christmas/holiday post.

If you are wondering how to lose fat, build muscle, or just maintain then knowing your MACROS will assist in helping you reach your goals.  To put it simply, the term MACROS is short for "Macronutrients" which are the nutrients that provide you with calories or energy to live.  There are 3 macronutrients that you will need to be familiar with while tracking your progress:

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats

According to your weight loss/gain goals, you will need to know how much and often of each to consume.  Each macronutrient has its own benefits for the body.  Each macronutrient also accounts for certain number of calories per gram.  Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram.  Proteins provide 4 calories per gram.  Fats provide 9 calories per gram.

The Friedman Sprout 

CARBOHYDRATES:

Carbohydrates are used as your main source for fuel.  They are mainly found in starchy foods such as grains, potatoes, fruits, and dairy products.  Carbohydrates can also be found in vegetables, beans, and nuts. Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and offers more of a continual and stable flow of energy. Simple carbohydrates provide an immediate or a spike in the blood sugar and is broken down quickly making the need for more in order to sustain blood sugar levels.  Complex carbs consist of potatoes, grains, breads made from whole grains, oats, and fruit in its natural state.  Simple carbs include candy, soda, honey and sugar.  45%-65% of your daily caloric intake should consist of carbohydrates.

PROTEINS:

Protein is the most abundant nutrient in the body next to water.  It is important for growth, cell regeneration, muscle building and preservation, tissue repair, etc.  Protein is mainly found in meat, poultry, fish, dairy, nuts, beans and vegetables.  Once consumed, protein is broken down into amino acids, which are the basic building block for proteins.  10%-35% of your daily caloric intake should consist of protein.

FATS:

Don't misconstrue FATS.  Not all fats are bad fats.  Your body needs healthy fats for growth, protection, and energy.  Fats are found in meat, fish, butter, dairy products, vegetable, nuts, lard and grain products.  Saturated fats remain solid at room temperature.  Unsaturated fats remain in its liquid form at room temperature.  Unsaturated fats are found in oils and plants.  Fat is the last nutrient to digest in the body.  20%-35% of your daily caloric intake should consist of fats.

Whew!  Now with all of that being said, lets get on to calculating your body's needs for the day.  Remember, your body's needs all depend on what you are trying to achieve.  I found a MACRO calculator that I like and I think it would be a great start for you to find out how much of each macronutrient you should be consuming.  Click HERE to calculate your MACROS. I've also included a shopping list of items that fall into each of the macronutrient categories.  This is designed to help you with choosing what to include in your meals once you have your MACROS calculated.

MACRO NUTRIENT SHOPPING LIST

Let me know if you have any questions.  I wish you well on your quest to a healthier lifestyle!!

Until Next Time,

Work It Out Wednesday: 90 Day Challenge Update

Good Morning Lovelies!!
First I would like to thank everyone who has decided to join in on the 90 day challenge.  It is going strong on my Facebook Page.  Please check it out here.

We are currently on Week Three and I have posted the workouts below for you to try.  I have also posted the video explaining what I eat.  Please don't hesitate to ask questions.  I want to help you accomplish your goal!  It is very fulfilling when you accomplish such a milestone.  Once I accomplished mine, I set another one so that I remain focused and on track.

The key is to begin right where you are.  Your day one might be different from the next person's, but what matters is that you get started.

WEEK ONE

WEEK TWO



WEEK THREE 

Until Next Time,

90 Day Challenge Requirements

Happy Thankful Tuesday!!
You have a lot to be thankful and grateful for!

Today, I want to go over some items that you will need while on this challenge.  We will begin this challenge on Monday April 29th!!! You will have the remainder of this week and the weekend to get your grocery shopping completed and to write out your plan for the next 90 days.

First things first; get your head in the game.  You have to have a new mindset in order to accomplish what might seem impossible to you.   Remove the word CAN'T from your vocabulary. 

Next you are going to have to EAT.  Stop starving yourself and depriving your body of the nutrients it needs.

Then, you have to get to MOVING.  You don't have to spend hours in the gym or even go to a gym.  You can use what you have at home i.e. stairs, your back yard, your garage, your living room etc.  It all depends on what your goal is at this point.  I will send you weekly workouts to do each day.  To some it might seem like it is not enough and to others it might seem crazy.  But, think about it this way.  Are you even doing any of this right now?  Do you even take 30 minutes out of your day to focus on creating a HEALTHY body for yourself?  Now is the best time as ever to get on board.  We are all going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable.  Your body is going to respond to these changes if you carry them out properly.

Requirements: 

• A Positive and Can Do Attitude
• A Current Photo:  Take a picture of your body as it is right now.  Look at it and focus on what you want to change in that picture.  Tuck it away so that you can use it later for a comparison.
• Food: Write out your grocery list.  There will be a video posted tomorrow showing you all my groceries for this week.
• DO NOT CALL THIS A DIET.  This is taking control of your diet/nutrition, but you are not dieting.  When you diet, you only do something for a period of time, and then you return to your old eating habits once you are finished.  We want to make this a part of our lifestyle.  Believe me; you will not be eating salads everyday all day.  You need more than that anyway :-).
• Get your Body by Vi Shakes on order.  Contact me and I will get you signed up.

Take the remainder of this week to get your mind in order and to get all of the items that you will need.  Make this fun for the entire family!  Please don't hesitate to ask questions.  Let's go!!

Until Next Time,

How to Obtain a Flat Stomach

Hello Loves!
Today I want to talk about the most popular question that I have been receiving. How did you lose your belly fat? What is the secret to flattening your abs?  Well folks, there isn't a magic wand that you can wave and have that flattened midsection appear.  The key to getting your abs flat is your nutrition in conjunction with a form of cardio.   I am telling you this from what I have experienced with my own transormation. 

 Think about this for a moment.  Hypothetically speaking, you perform 100 crunches, 50 leg lifts, and 5 sets of 60 second plank holds for 5 days a week for 4 weeks and you still end up with the same "stomach" that you had 1 month ago.  What seems to be the problem you ask?  Well, if you do all of that work and do not change your eating habits, then you will be only MAINTAINING or even GAINING more body fat.  You have to change your diet/nutrition/eating habits.  You should couple that change with some form of cardio.  This will help increase your heart rate and get your metabolism kicked into gear to burn fat. 

I will tell you what I did to achieve my goals in 3 months, but you have to remember that I was training for my first figure competition and I was working out 6 days a week with 2 cardio sessions per day.  I began my day by first praying to God to sustain me throughout the entire process of changing my body.  I then proceeded to get on my elliptical machine for 45min to an hour on an empty stomach early in the morning.  This is what some call "Fasted Cardio".  Since I had been asleep for the past 6-8 hours, my body did not have any "Food Fuel"  to pull from in order to assist me with my cardio session.  Therefore, my body had to tap into my "Fat" storage to fuel my workout.  Once my morning cardio session was completed, I followed it up with a hearty breakfast that consisted of an egg white omelet that I coupled with spinach and oatmeal.  Since I wasn't adding any sugar to my oatmeal, I added my serving of oatmeal and spinach to the egg whites then proceeded cook my omelet as usual.   Sometimes the omelet turned into scrambled egg whites :-).   Believe it or not, this is a very tasty "entree".   I rarely use salt which is why I have fallen in love with Mrs. Dash Seasonings.  I also add a little salsa to my omelet for more flavor.

For the duration of my day, I eat a total of 5 to 6 meals.  This is key in keeping your metabolism in a "Fat Burning" mode.  There is more to come on the balance of my meals.

Start your day off right and give your body the energy to work in high gear for the remainder of the day.  You have to fuel your body with the proper nutrition.  There is so much that I have to share with you all but I can't do it all in one post.  Be on the look out for recipes, meal preparation tips, workouts that you can do at home, and more. 

Don't wait until tomorrow to begin. START NOW.  Remember this; consistent small changes will equate to big accomplishments.

Until Next Time,

Weightloss Journey and Figure Competition

Hello Loves!
I have been up to lots of great things!  I am very excited and kind of afraid to share my latest fitness results with you all. But, in order for me to be an inspiration and encouragement to others, I have to share where I have been, where I am now and where I am planning to go.

I have always wanted to compete in a figure competition and I made my mind up late last year to do so.  I began training at the beginning of January 2013 and I competed in my first figure competition on April 13, 2013.  I have never experienced anything like it before.  I had an amazing time and I learned a great deal of information!!  I didn't place but I met my goal of getting into enough shape to hit the stage.  I plan on competing again in August and I am working to WIN!

I will be sharing some tips and nutrition information that helped me attain my goal.  In order to continue to improve my body, I have to set a new goal which is to be in a position to win in my next competition.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  Your goal might not be the same as mine, but whatever it is strive for it!  I did it and you can too!!

 

 

 

 

Until Next Time