I really lead an exciting life!

Yesterday was a good day!

Ran errands, got my work done, closed a couple of deals, spent time with Brian and we ended our day with a trip to Grove to see the in-laws.

Here's a few highlights:

Stopped by the health food store and found this lovely slice of heaven

WHOO-HOO!!!  It really doesn't take much to get my excited, obviously.  I've been wanting to try this one!

We went to the in-laws and I got a present.

you'll just have to turn your head sideways to look at, I can NOT get it flipped.

But it is beautiful!

We ended our day with a great dinner.  I had some very yummy gazpacho.  The walls of the restaurant were interesting and I thought this was a cool photo.

Wait until you hear about my day today ;)

Discussion:  What kind of excitement do you have in your life these days?

Pretty Toes!

I've had another couple of busy days.  Lots going on.....

It's hard to take photos of yourselves with a 20 month old!

Especially when she can't wait to see the picture before it is done taking!

Me see baby! Pease Nona!

I went to the Farmer's Market on Tuesday.  I got some great things there.

I made the best kale chips!  They were so yummy!

Put them in the oven to crisp up

Drizzle with nutritional yeast, olive oil and salt mixture.

Eat.

Enjoy.

YUM!

I just about ate them all myself!  Chase stopped by and he loved them, Brian and Madelyn wouldn't touch them!

Yesterday I had Madelyn for the day.  We played, ran fast, pretended to be doggies and of course, piggyback rides and just had a blast all day long!

I might have created a monster - all she wants to do is stand in the window and look out at the scenery.

Feeding Grumpy grapes!

I find the strangest things in the strangest places after Madelyn has been here.

Painting Madelyn's toenails.  She sat very still and was so excited!

Pretty toes!!!!

I have to say, even though I am completely worn out after Madelyn is here, I absolutely love Wednesdays!

Fit Club Tuesday!

Good Tuesday!  That means another Fit Club!  I love Tuesdays, I get to workout with my friends!  There is nothing better than getting healthy together!

Remember that we are at my house for the next month or so.  I'll be finding another location soon, but in the meantime......

Fit Club Workout: 

We are doing the BEST OF CHALENE JOHNSON this month!  We've TurboFire'd, Chalean Extreme'd and Turbo Jam'd.  So tonight we will be mixing it all up!  I'm thinking a little Jam first and then some abs (CE) and stretch (TF).  I think we can work all 3 in tonight!

Fit Club Recipe:

Strawberry Salad with marinated tofu

I LOVE strawberry salads.  I make them frequently and they are so easy and I can change them up according to what I have on hand.  Plus, they are so pretty!

This one is mixed greens, red onion, sliced almonds, strawberries and mandarin oranges (canned, drained).

Marinated tofu:

I used the cubed tofu, drained.

in a shallow bowl (pie plate works great too), I added bragg's liquid amino's, liquid smoke, chopped garlic, chopped onion, couple drops of tobasco sauce, dash of lemon juice.  Put the tofu in the bowl, pour the sauce over it and make sure all of it is covered.  Stir several times and leave it for at least an hour. 

When the tofu is marinated to your liking, you can bake it or saute it.  I sauteed mine.  I put a little bit of olive oil in the pan and then dumped the whole tofu and marinade in the pan.  I cooked it until the liquid was gone.

I put that on top of the strawberry salad and then used a balsamic dressing on top of that!

Equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Add spices to your liking.

Then eat and enjoy!

So YUMMY!

Discussion:  Do you like  to mix up your workouts?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter - He is Risen!

Hope you have a wonderful, blessed day!

not a lot to talk about

It's been a couple of days since my last post.  I just haven't had much to say.  I know EXACTLY what you are thinking......   yes, there are times when I don't have a lot to say.  They are few and far between, thank goodness - oh wait, that probably isn't what you were thinking huh?

Life has been busy, I'm getting most of my workouts in, going for walks, trying to stay on the meal plan I created - eating clean.   Brian and I have been busy with the rental properties, but nothing really new on that front.  Weve been doing a good job of staying on track with our goals and to-do lists!

It's been crappy weather for most of the week and that always makes me a little down.  I need the sunshine to keep me going! We've been trying to get to the lake house to get the yard mowed and just check on things there.  I'm so ready for the summer and boating and swimming!

We are gearing up for Easter tomorrow.  We don't have big plans, just hoping to get together with the kids.  Planning on a good meal, good conversations and fun!!  I want to color Easter Eggs, but will have to do this by myself at this point.  But, I'm thinking that will be okay too!!

I'll try to have a more interesting day today, with photos and some exciting things to talk about!

My Madelyn Time!

I love Wednesday's because I get my Madelyn time in. 

We have had a GREAT day, I'm worn out, she's tired and a bit crabby, but so much fun has been had. 

We've run fast, hula-hooped, watched part of Sesame Street and Dora, looked for squirrels and birdies, talked about the tractor and the boat,

 had our Shakeology ice cream, ate lunch with Grumpy and Uncle Jake  ( she had onies and I had salad and minestrone ) and got new fancy shoes. 

Wow, what a day!

I can't wait for next Wednesday to see what we decide to do next!

Discussion:  Do you have special days with certain people that you do different activities?

Fit Club Tuesday!

FIT CLUB TUESDAY!!!

It's another Tuesday!!!  We are still celebrating the BEST of Chalene Johnson.  This means that we are doing my favorite workouts from Turbo Jam, ChaLEAN Extreme and TurboFire!  These are my favorite workouts and of course I love sharing them with you!

Tonight we are doing either Dynamic Flow Yoga from ChaLEAN Extreme or 3T from Turbo Jam and HIIT 15 from TurboFire.  It's going to depend on how many show up and what I feel like doing.......bwaaa haa haaa!!

This morning I did my workout.  I am doing the CE/TF rotation and loving every minute of it.  I did Burn it Off and Extreme Abs.  I am pretty sure I'll be feeling that one tomorrow morning!  I was dripping sweat everywhere!

FIT CLUB RECIPE:

I want to share this SUPER Easy recipe from fitnessista.com for protein cookie balls!  She calls them amaze balls and I AGREE!!

So easy to make, I made just a few small changes, but want to make sure she gets the credit for the recipe!

AMAZEBALLS

So I made these last night with the thought in mind for the post today.  However, they were gone before I could take a photo.  You'll just have to trust me that these are THAT good!  I'll make another batch and get the photo before I allow Brian anywhere near them!

2 T vanilla or chocolate protein powder ( I like Sun Warrior or SHAKEOLOGY, my first choice)
2 T almond or natural peanut butter
2 T shredded coconut (unsweetend is best)
1 T pure maple syrup or honey or brown rice syrup
pinch of sea salt, Stevia and cinnamon

1. In your food processor, add the protein powder, almond butter, coconut, and pulse until the ingredients are mixed

2.  Add the cinnmon, sea salt, Stevia and Sweetener and pulse again.  Mix will start to clump together

3.  Add in chocolate chips ( I really like the Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Mega Chunks), dried fruit (cranberries are yummy) or any other things you'd like (butterscotch chips are yummy, but not as healthy)  Pulse again to chop up the chocolate chips and whatever you've added in.

4.  Roll mixture into balls.  I like them smaller, but you can make them to your preference.

Save in a ziploc baggie and munch for a perfect pre or post workout snack!  Yummy and Healthy!

Discussion:  What do you like to have pre or post workout?

a pretty perfect day!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day.  Brian decided that we needed to workout and then get outside to enjoy it and soak up the sunshine while it lasted!  It is April Showers time you know????

He took the tops out of the jeep and off we went....

My best guy, good music and sunshine.  Doesn't get much better than that!

Not many clouds in the sky....

He even packed a cooler picnic lunch.  He wanted it to be a surprise what food he packed.  Not sure if the tape is to keep me out or the cooler closed, but we are a little redneck like that!

We ended up in Bella Vista AR.  We are thinking about taking a RV trip that way, so Brian decided we could go to the Visitors Center there and get some info!  We found a great picnic area and ate lunch and then took a walk!

It was perfect!

Starting our walk

Came across this guy.  Brian thought it would be best if I didn't sit on him....

Swans and ducks were on the lake

Tulips blowing in the wind (no we didn't tiptoe through them!)

Should've though!

We ended up walking 1.9 miles in 37 minutes.  Not too bad!  Got home in time for a little rest before our house guest got here and then enjoyed time with him and got to see the kids and Madelyn as well!

Today's weather is a different story.  Back to overcast, stormy forecast.  Oh well, they can't ALL be the perfect day!

Discussion:  Do you do random, fun things with your family?  What does your perfect day look like?

journaling and eating clean

It's been a busy couple of days.  I feel like I am getting back into the swing of things and this excites me to no end!!!

I've just felt a little out of sorts and I am BACK!!!!

My workout got done last night at 9 PM.  CRAZY!!!  But, I GOT 'er done!

I'm back to journaling and this is my last couple of days!!!  I had been keeping my journal very sporadically and now I'm keeping track of it daily!

I keep track of my meals, water intake, workout, class info, reading, audio, goals, to-do list.  It is consice, but complete!  LOVE IT!  It keeps me focused and on track.  I also use my fitbit website to track my food intake (protein, carbs and fats) and steps/calories burned!

So, I have a pretty good idea of where I am and where I need to be, what I need to work on too!

Recently, I was sent a copy of the new Tosca Reno The Eat-Clean Diet Stripped and The Best of Clean Eating by Clean Eating Magazine.  I was so excited to get to review these books.  You all know how much I LOVE cookbooks and cooking.  I use Tosca Reno's books frequently and this one will be no exception.

The Eat Clean Diet, Stripped is for people that need to lose the last 10 lbs (HELLO!!!!  Jumping up and down, that is me!!!!)  Since I am eating a mostly vegetarian diet, this book is perfect.  I have added fish and eggs back in occasionally and the recipes and meal plan is perfect for me! 

A few of the recipes I am looking forward to trying:

Go Bananas Chocolate Tofu Pudding
Surfer Dude Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Super Sloppy Janes
Lots O Peppers Seafood and Black Bean Chili
No Bake Power Balls
Goodness, I could go on and on.  There are so many wonderful sounding recipes!!!

Of course, she offers great advice on being healthy, weight loss secrets and ways to boost your metabolism.  The info is great and I'm going to put the book to good use and see how long it takes to drop those last 10 lbs!

The Best of Clean Eating is just that - the BEST recipes!  This cookbook has a wide variety of recipes.  A little heavier on the animal products, but there are some great sounding recipes in here!  I know that I'll try several of these as well!

Pumpkin Pasta Surprise ( with a few modification for me)
Baked apples & Figs
Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon
Black Eyed Pea Stew
CE's Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough (includes a gluten free version)
Ginger Tofu Stir Fry Rice Bowl
Roasted Red Pepper and White Bean Hummus

So many to choose from and all easy to follow!  The book includes tips for slashing your grocery budget, meals for one or two, quick and easy, seasonal meals and 5 ingredient meals. 

So, check out these books, pick up your copy and you can even order right here! 


















Discussion:  Do you have a favorite cookbook or do you have MANY favorites????  Please share them here!

Do'd it!!

Madelyn was here yesterday and we had a BUSY day.  First of all, we had to take a morning nap, go eat lunch with Uncle Jake and Morgan (Morgan sounds a lot like mailman), and then every girl needs to stop by Target to see what they have right?

Who wouldn't want their own feather boa?

Then we headed to the park for a play date with Olivia and Julie. 

First up, swings:

Then the slides:

Of course after all this fun, you become fast friends, right?

After the excitement of the park it was time for antother nap, but the fun wasn't over yet.

Hula Hoop time! 

Do'd it NONA!!

Luckily, there are no photos of Nona do'ding it!!!

Discussion:  Do you have fun memories of the park?

Shakeology makes the big time!

I was so pleasantly surprised yesterday when I went with Brian to his doctor's appointment.  I had forgot to take my kindle and I was not looking forward to sitting in the waiting and waiting and waiting room.....

However, much to my surprise the new copy of O magazine was there. Low and behold, an article about Shakeology and Darin Olien.  I read the whole thing ( it is several  pages long) and was fascinated again.

I loved it and stopped on the way home to get my own copy!  Pick one up today as well and let me know if you would like a sample!  This stuff is da bomb!

Order your Shakeology today!  Order on Home direct and get free shipping, a free workout and a free shaker cup the second month.  No contract, you can cancel at any time and there is a 30 day, bottom of the bag, money back guarantee.  What do you have to lose except weight and sluggishness?  Chocolate is my favorite, but greenberry isn't bad either!!

Want to learn more about the exotic ingredients in Shakeology check out this video

Then when I got home, look what was waiting for me at the front door......  more excitement. Insanity:  The Asylum.

The new Insanity workout!!  I'm scared......

Yes, it is autographed by Shaun T himself!  I won this for making Success Club with Team Beachbody in Feb!  Go Me!!

I'll have a more detailed post about the workout and the equipment that comes with it in a while. I'm only on week 3 of my ChaLEAN Extreme and TurboFire rotation.

Discussion:  Do you excite as easily as me?  I love getting things in the mail and finding a nice surprise!!!

Best of Chalene Month!

It's another Fit Club Tuesday!  I love Tuesday's when we get together to exercise and share health and fitness tips!  It's so much fun to sweat together!

This month we are doing the BEST of Chalene!!!  Last week was TurboFire and this week will be ChaLEAN Extreme Burn it off!  and Recharge!  Can't wait!

If you are in the area, please check out my Fit Club!  6:30 PM at my house, see you there!

I'm still doing the ChaLEAN Extreme/TurboFire rotation.  This is the best of both worlds.  Weights and Turbo!  My dream workout!  Have you found your "soul mate" workout?  I tell you it makes a huge difference when you do. I can't wait to do my workout, look forward to it and I get upset if I miss one!

If you are looking for free fitness coaching, accountability, motivation and a chance to win fun prizes for working out, please sign up for your free account on my website. 

Fit Club Recipe:

I had a GREAT strawberry salad yesterday and decided to look for a recipe similar to share with you all.  I found this one in my cookbook collection:

Spinach and Strawberry Salad - Paula Deen (Paula Deen Celebrates)

1 10-12 oz pkg baby spinach, washed and dried
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 med cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced

Dressing:
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/3 c sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp poppy seeds

1.  In a large salad bowl, toss together the spinach, almonds, strawberries and cucumber.  In a small glass dish or jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the emon juice, vinegar, sugar, oil and poppy seeds.  Whisk in the glass dish or shake if using a jar.

2. Dress the salad right before serving.

Serves 8-10

Discussion:  Have you found your soulmate workout yet?  If so, what is it?

Super Saturday

We had a BLAST at the Beachbody National Super Saturday Event today! 

I hosted this event with Leah Redling and we shared the info from corporate.

Then we got to the workout!  TurboFire HIIT 20!  We had sweat rolling and just had a great time!

I showed the modified moves and Leah got down to business!

 After the workout we tasted Shakeology ( Lemonana and PB&J) and just enjoyed visiting with other friends that are ready to help end the trend of obesity in our nation!

I can't wait for our next quarterly event!  Tentatively scheduled for June.  Hope you can make it to the next one!  It's sure to be another GREAT time!
If you want to get started on your own journey to better health, remember I offer free fitness coaching at my website:  Missouri Fit Club and am on facebook and twitter!  Let's get healthy together!

Discussion:  Do you have a success partner?  Do you think you need one?  Do you find you push yourself more when you know you are going to have to be accountable to someone else?