Tag: LLHealthyFit

Simple Steps To A Healthier You

Leave a comment

holistic wellness, disease prevention, nutrition

Think about how many conditions come with being overweight as a result of not making healthy choices including: problems with bones and joints, heart disease, diabetes type II, and more. I often wonder why we spend money on materialistic items rather than on our health!

Here are some steps that helped me start my journey to a healthier me and I wanted to share with you!

1. Drink water; divide your body weight in half and that is the number of ounces each day you should strive to drink.

2. Eat breakfast (*I used to skip breakout out of laziness or because I was rushing out the door to work. The solution for me was Shakeology; a meal replacement packed full of nutrition. Skipping my breakfast that takes a few minutes is no longer an option for me!)

3. Avoid added, refined sugars (*Have you ever noticed how much sugar is in milk?)

4. Eat veggies (*I eat about 3-4 cups of veggies each day for my calorie range.)

5. Exercise (*25 to 40 minutes a day is all that is really needed to see results!)

6. Improve regularity (*Often times this is not a fun topic, but something that is important to pay attention to. A bowel movement should be daily. If not daily then flaxseed can be used to help with this. For me, Shakeology has helped with regularity.)

7. Get Support – Many would think that support would come from family and friends. However, people are less likely to encourage and motivate you when they are not mentally ready to change their own habits. It is very important to put your blinders on and surround yourself by individuals who want this mental and physical transformation. Virtual challenge groups are a wonderful way to have support without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home!

For more tips, support, recipes, meal planning, and other health and wellness assistance, please apply here by completing my get support form!

Chicken Quesadillas – Made Your Way

Leave a comment

Chicken recipe, Chicken Quesadilla, Chicken lunch recipe, Chicken dinner recipe, 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, The Master's Hammer and Chisel

Here is a lunch or dinner option for the entire family. I like this option because you can add few ingredients to a quesadilla for picky eaters (chicken and a little cheese), to sneaking in a few veggies for your kiddos, to an array of veggies added. I often will make these near the end of the week so that I can use up excess ingredients that would go perfect in the quesadilla. Also, instead of a whole wheat soft taco, you can use the same ingredients and place over sautéed spinach.

WHAT YOU NEED:
– Cooked chicken, shredded
– Mushrooms, chopped
– Peppers, chopped (*use whatever you have available)
– Spinach, sautéed (*easier to sneak in the added nutrition for the kids)
– Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
– Whole wheat soft taco

I sautéed the spinach first then proceeded to place a soft taco in the frying pan; layer half of the taco with your ingredients. After a couple minutes or until the ingredients are heated to your liking then fold over the soft taco and you are ready to serve with a side of veggies and a little fruit.

My daughter loves these and it is easy for her to help me make!

For more tips, support, recipes, meal planning, and other health and wellness assistance, please apply here by completing my get support form!

The Value in Meal Planning

Leave a comment

Meal planning is an important piece of the puzzle! If you choose not to attempt meal planning, you may find yourself leaning on excuse after excuse and that will not get you anywhere. I try to meal plan for the entire week and that includes weekends. Here are some reasons that I choose to meal plan:

1. Nutrition – I am able to eat balanced and healthy throughout the day. I use the concepts from the 21 Day Fix nutrition guide. It provides for a solid foundation for eating balanced as well as portion control. You will notice that my meal plans incorporate the count of each color coded container based on my calorie range. There is no such thing as counting calories or points; think healthy and simple!

  • Red: Protein
  • Green: Veggies
  • Purple: Fruit
  • Yellow: Carbs
  • Blue: Healthy Fats (avocado) and Cheeses
  • Orange: Nuts and Dressings

2. Money – I end up saving money by not buying all of the boxed processed foods. It will depend on your budget whether you choose to buy organic or not. Regardless, you will be eating healthier. There is less food wasted as a result of planning my meals.

3. Efficiency – I know exactly what I need when I go to the grocery store ahead of the time and this eliminates the need to go back to the store during the week. I focus on buying only the ingredients required to make each recipe since many of the ingredients you may already have in the pantry.

4. Simplicity – My dinners do incorporate more variety for my family; however, you will notice that breakfast, snack 1, and snack 2 may be consistent from day to day each week, but this is something that is easy for me as it relates to shopping and prepping. Each meal plan will vary depending on if you are only feeding yourself or if you are using the meal plan to feed your entire family. It will also depend on whether your kids are in school or not, etc. This is where we can spend more time and talk, individually, to further help you meal plan!

5. More Time for Family – I find that overall, I am less stressed during the week as I know exactly what there is to eat when I meal plan. Less time is spent cooking dinner and more time is spent together as a family; we have time to talk about our day or catch up on what happened in our daughter’s life.

Be prepared and you will be successful!

Tips:

  • Plan a crockpot meal on your busy day(s)
  • Chicken can be boiled and shredded on Sunday; then use for your recipes during the week
  • Allow for one cheat meal each week
  • Mashed up avocado in place of mayonnaise on burgers
  • Pay close attention to ingredients; especially High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Eat frequently throughout the day (Breakfast, AM Snack, Lunch, PM Snack, Dinner)
  • If you are going on a road trip then pack a cooler with smarter food choices. Apples and almonds are a great on the go snack.
  • Drinking your shakeology before an event or running errands will help you avoid temptations!
  • Start meal planning by using recipes that you know that you enjoy and then each week browse Pinterest or my website to add a few new recipes. Keep the recipes that you enjoy in a binder or saved to your computer.
  • If you get in to a rut then always try to think simple. Perhaps steak and broccoli for dinner. If you did not eat all of your carbohydrates for the day then add some brown rice and make a stir fry!

For more tips, support, recipes, meal planning, and other health and wellness assistance, please apply here by completing my get support form!

 

 

EGGS – Know What Your Buying

Leave a comment

This post is all about EGGS; store bought eggs versus local farm bought eggs. My own personal experience…there is a difference between store and farm fresh eggs laid by HAPPY hens who are allowed to scratch around in the dirt and eat fruit and veggie scraps as part of their diet.

There is a visual difference between the color of the egg yolk. I find that the egg yolk is a more richer color than store bought. Diet of the hens plays a HUGE part in the quality of the egg. Similar to the importance that nutrition plays in our lives!

We should all want to be informed about the different labels on egg cartons from the store. What do they mean?! Are those labels worth the additional money?!

Cage Free: These hens are usually roaming within a building, but not outside. The hens can walk around, flap their wings, and preen their feathers.
Free Range: These hens have access to roam outdoors for part of the day, although it is probably very limited and on dirt or concrete rather than pasture.
Pasture Raised: These hens are kept in moveable chicken coops that are rotated around a field. The hens have access to consume small insects as well as vegetation growing where the coop is located.

Certified Humane: The hens must be cage free, with access to perches, nest boxes, and dust-bathing areas. Outdoor access is not a requirement and debeaking is allowed.
Certified Organic: The hens are fed vegetarian feed, no cages, and no antibiotics. Debeaking and forced molting is allowed. At this time, on large organic chicken farms, access to outdoors may mean nothing more than a small door opening onto a concrete yard.
Omega 3: All eggs contain small amounts of omega 3 fatty acids and these levels in eggs can be raised by supplementing the hens’ diet with things such as fish oil, flax seed, or alfalfa meal (or by simply allowing the hens to forage on pasture/lawn).

To prevent infection, particularly in large flocks, antibiotics are given. I prefer eggs from hens that are not given antibiotics.

As a consumer, I only buy eggs from a local farm (my parent’s-located on Forsythe Road for those of you who live local). I’m lucky to have this as an option! When you buy eggs from a local farm, you have the opportunity to ask questions about how the hens are raised, the living conditions for the hens, and what the hens are fed. Unless noted on the package, the eggs bought from a store are likely coming from large farms where hens are caged (*4-6 birds in a cage where the bottom is the size of a folded piece of newspaper).

  • Other Option(s) to buy eggs near Mars, PA:
    -Stormy Oaks, Freedom Farms

NOTE: Be sure to visit the farms to evaluate based on the above information.

OH! There is not a difference in the taste of brown eggs or white eggs!

For more tips, support, recipes, meal planning, and other health and wellness assistance, please apply here by completing my get support form!

Farm Fresh Eggs, Eggs, Veggie Egg Muffins, Clean Meal with Eggs, Egg Breakfast, Eggs in Muffin Tin, Breakfast, Egg Nutrition, Store bought versus farm raised