Tag: On the Go Breakfast Option

Ham & Veggie Egg Muffins

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I’m on a mission to make good use of all the produce in my refrigerator. Also, I was looking for a twist on my Veggie Egg Muffins. Typically, after a holiday gathering, there is excess food. These egg muffins are simple to make and are a great alternative to cereal in the morning when breakfast is often grab and go. You will either see me eating these egg muffins or with my multi-vitamin in hand – Shakeology.

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

  • 10 to 12 eggs
  • 1 cup of cooked ham, cubed (*I used the left over smoked ham from Easter)
  • 1 (10 oz) bag of baby spinach, chopped (*Chop half the bag and use the rest for a salad or another dinner (Wedding Soup – FIXATE) depending on how much spinach you want; only need a couple handfuls, chopped, for the 12 muffins)
  • 5 small to medium mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup of mild banana peppers, finely chopped
  • Ground pepper and salt (optional) to taste

Tip: You can add cheese to this recipe. If you use cheese, try to keep cheese to about a 1/4 cup per day for balanced eating.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Lightly coat a twelve-cup muffin tray with spray (*sometimes the ham & veggie egg muffins can stick in the tray)
  3. Place eggs in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Season with pepper and salt, if desired.Ham and Veggie Egg Muffins-2
  4. Add ham, spinach, mushrooms, onions, banana peppers; mix wellham and veggie egg muffins, breakfast, eggs, muffinsHam and Veggie Egg Muffins-3
  5. About a 1/4 cup or more in each muffin cupham and veggie egg muffins, eggs, ham, egg muffins, breakfast
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into center of cups comes out clean. I will place muffin cups on a cooling rack before storing in the refrigerator.Ham and Veggie Egg Muffins-5Ham and Veggie Egg Muffins-7

    Ham and Veggie Egg Muffins-6

    All pictures associated with this blog post are copyrighted by http://www.LLHealthyFit.com

  7. Enjoy!

For the 21 Day Fix, 2 veggie egg muffins would be 1 green container and 1 red container.

The color coded containers are available for purchase in my fitness shop.

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

Country Heat – Week 3

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Week 2 is a wrap and week 3 of Country Heat started this morning! So stay tuned for all the updates and videos on my Facebook (fb.com/LLHealthyFit.com) and Instagram (MelissaBrown66). I would like to take time right now to reflect on week 2 as well as share my workout and nutrition plan for week 3 with you. Remember this is a process of changing old habits and replacing them with new ones. It is not always going to feel seamless!

Workout:

Week 2 was the first time that Dance Conditioning was on my workout schedule. This is a nice mix of dance cardio and traditional moves such as abs, lunges, and bridges. Every routine has me sweating and looking forward to the next! These workouts are my ‘ME’ time and life sure seemed more stressful than usual last week. The added stress did not allow my immune system to stay on point. The result was a cold and very tight neck muscles. I would catch myself often clenching my jaw and it took a few days until I could relax. Here are things I do to combat a cold and to feel like myself again:

Ways to Overcome Cold

I’m looking forward to week 3 and being able to breathe easier during my workouts without this cold! My workout schedule for week 3* looks something like this:

Country Heat - Week 3 Schedule

*I follow the Country Heat Deluxe workout calendar versus the basic.

Meal Plan:

Calorie range 1,200 to 1,499 – Plan A per the Country Heat calculation in the nutrition guide that comes with the program. I love the meal plan because it uses the color coded portion control container system developed by Autumn Calabrese. Shakeology comes in 7 different flavors. I alternate usually between two different flavors for my meal plan. Be sure to search my site for recipes to include in your meal plan.

Here are some tips this week if you are finding it difficult with nutrition/meal preparation:

  1. Carve Time Out To Develop Meal Plan: Pick a day of the week (weekend or week day) to determine the food items that are going to be part of your meal plan broken out into breakfast, AM snack, lunch, PM snack, and dinner. You can find me developing my meal plan on either a Sunday or Monday. The day can fluctuate based on your schedule, but it is important to set time aside each week.
  2. Meal Preparation: There are certain tasks that you can do in advance to make preparing food less time consuming on you. So you developed a meal plan, used the meal plan to make a grocery list, and shopped…now what! There are certain tasks based on your meal plan that can be done in advance for the week ahead.
    • Portion out snacks into containers or zip lock bags. This way they are available for a quick grab and go or can easily be placed in a cooler bag for wherever the day takes you.
    • Broil chicken or brown ground meat; store in an air tight container.
    • Chop vegetables; store in an air tight container together or separate by vegetable type.
  3. Set Goals: Ask yourself what you would like to accomplish this week? These goals should be specific to what you are going through and make the time frame achievable. Be sure that these goals are visible to you! WRITE THEM DOWN! Here are some example goals that I use for my nutrition:
    • I will drink 1/2 by body weight in ounces of water this week.
    • I will measure my food in the portion control color coded containers this week…let’s face it…we can become relaxed and get off course. Back to the basics helps me refocus.
    • I will take 15 minutes every single day to clear my mind this week. I like to break this 15 minutes up into 3 mini mind breaks! I’m not looking at my phone or checking email.

Country Heat - Week 3 Meal Plan

If you would like to join my Back to School – Back to You accountability group there is still time. We kick things off on August 22. If you have been thinking about making a change or if you are like me and let the summer fun in the sun get the best of you…do not just give up. The time is now to jump back on the horse and JOIN ME! You always find time for the things you want the most…why not make your health and wellness a priority?!

If you do not currently work with a Coach, please make sure to make me your FREE coach here.

 

Chocolate PB Shakeology Ice Cream with Love Crunch

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I used to be a toasted bagel and cream cheese kind of gal with the occasional ice tea or even coke for breakfast. It was convenient to purchase, quick, and something my brain had trained me to ‘think’ I needed to function when at work. I now get the question almost daily about my Shakeology. This has become my breakfast on the go! People just don’t get what Shakeology is all about until they take the plunge and try it for themselves. I know I was that skeptical girl! At first your mind is going to probably tell you YUCK! This is because your mind has been trained to like artificial sweeteners and flavors. Definitely chat with me regarding ways to mix your Shakeology depending on the flavor you purchase. Ultimately, I have learned that you CAN kick the bad habits and train your brain to crave foods that are going to better fuel your metabolism and nourish your body!

Now people want to know how I mix it and why it always looks so darn good.

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

  • Shakeology – Vegan Chocolate, Chocolate, or Café Latte
  • 10 ounces of milk (*I use Unsweetened Almond Milk. You can use regular milk, but be aware of the sugar. The other option is 1/2 water and 1/2 milk.)
  • 1 cup Spinach (*OPTIONAL – If you have trouble getting your greens in for the day, adding to the shake is an option. I do not always add Spinach to my shake.)
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract, Caramel extract, Coconut Extract, etc. (*Pick one that you enjoy!)
  • 1 TBSP of PB (*You can use the powdered peanut butter…PB2)
  • ice (2 handfuls)
  • 1/3 cup of Love Crunch Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter

WHAT TO DO:

I combine all ingredients in my blender except for the Love Crunch (last ingredient in my list above). The tip is to add enough ice that will allow your blender to blend without getting stuck. Sometimes I have to stop the blender and shake the container a bit, but that’s how I get the ice cream consistency. Pour mixture into a cup or bowl. Top with Love Crunch Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter. Enjoy your Shakeology ice cream with a spoon!

If you are interested in learning more about Shakeology and clean eating, please contact me at Melissa@LLHealthyFit.com or fill at the application on my Get Support page.

 

 

 

Veggie Egg Muffins

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I am all about a fast, easy, and healthy breakfast for my family! Also, I like recipes that my daughter can help make alongside me. I feel this recipe is a great way to sneak in veggies too. I have prepped this ahead of time and eaten the veggie egg muffins the next day as a quick grab and go. It is a bonus having parents who live close by and have farm fresh eggs available! I try my best not to support factory farms.

Veggie Egg Muffins

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

  • 10 to 12 eggs
  • 1 (10 oz) bag of baby spinach, chopped (*you can chop half the bag and use the rest for a salad or another dinner depending on how much spinach you want)
  • 1 medium pepper, finely chopped (*I usually use red, orange, or yellow; your preference)
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped (*you could use a regular onion)
  • Ground pepper and salt (optional) to taste

Tip: You can even add mushrooms and cheese to this recipe. If you use cheese, try to keep cheese to about a 1/4 cup per day for balanced eating.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Lightly coat a twelve-cup muffin tray with spray (*sometimes the veggie egg muffins can stick in the tray)
  3. Place eggs in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Season with pepper and salt, if desired.
  4. Add spinach, peppers, onions; mix well
  5. About a 1/4 cup or more in each muffin cup
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into center of cups comes out clean.
  7. Enjoy!

For the 21 Day Fix, 2 veggie egg muffins would be 1 green container and 1 red container

The color coded containers are available for purchase in my fitness shop.

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

Country Heat – Week 1

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Country Heat - Facebook Cover

Country Heat is for customers with a beginner or intermediate fitness level who are looking to lose weight and get in shape with a fun, dance cardio workout program paired with an easy portion-control nutrition plan. Each Country Heat workout is 30 minutes or less with no complicated moves. I just wrapped up the 21 Day Fix Extreme program and Country Heat caught my interest as it is a break from lifting weights. I’m blown away how something so fun can leave me dripping in sweat! A bonus is that the workouts are to the hottest country music around! My official launch challenge group starts tomorrow August 1st. Spaces are limited and there is still time to join! The cool thing is that when the Country Heat & Shakeology Challenge Pack is purchased, customers have a free 30 day trial to the club membership so that they can start streaming their Country Heat workouts on Beachbody On Demand. *Please just make sure that I am your coach before you make your purchase.

1.  EMAIL me at Melissa@LLHealthyFit.com with your order confirmation # and let me know that you would like to be in the Country Heat Test group.

2.  Make sure we are connected on Facebook by messaging me on

3.  Lets get this party started!  I’m so excited!

Workout:

The workout calendar is 6 days a week. There are 2 new workout routines each week to learn; the same workout routine for 2 days in a row and then alternate on days 5 and 6.

My workout schedule for week 1* looks something like this:

Country Heat - Week 1 Schedule

*I will be following the Country Heat Deluxe workout calendar versus the basic.

Nutrition:

In the nutrition guide there is a formula that you can use to figure out your calorie range and your nutrition category. There are 4 different plans to choose from based on your weight and goals. Your food is broken down by 7 groups:

  • Veggies
  • Fruits
  • Proteins
  • Carbohydrates
  • Healthy Fats
  • Seeds & Dressings
  • Oils & Nut Butters
Country Heat Portion Control Containers.jpeg

The secret to success is in the nutrition!

 

I love that for each group there is a list of foods along with serving sizes for each food. So your goal is to choose from each list and put together your meals each week! If you are new to meal planning, please do not stress. I am here to help you! I always say to keep it simple, repeat meals that you enjoy, and do not over complicate things. Once you get the hang of the meal planning and preparation then you can start to change up the recipes.

Meal Plan:

Calorie range 1,200 to 1,499 – Plan A per the Country Heat calculation in the nutrition guide that comes with the program. Shakeology comes in 7 different flavors. I alternate usually between two different flavors for my meal plan. Be sure to search my site for recipes to include in your meal plan.

Country Heat - Week 1 Meal Plan

If you would like to join my Back to School – Back to You accountability group there is still time. We kick things off on August 22. If you have been thinking about making a change or if you are like me and let the summer fun in the sun get the best of you…do not just give up. The time is now to jump back on the horse and JOIN ME! You always find time for the things you want the most…why not make your health and wellness a priority?!

If you do not currently work with a Coach, please make sure to make me your FREE coach here.

EGGS – Know What Your Buying

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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!

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