1. Salami Chips

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place salami slices on a cookie sheet in rows. Place the cookie sheet with salami in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the chips are crinkled.

2. Fruit Skewers

Cut your favorite fruit and place them on a skewer instead of in a plastic bag. This is a great way to meal prep and store fruit by placing skewers in a container. It is also a great way to dip fruit in yogurt. Just a few combinations listed below:

·                   * Strawberries, Honeydew Melon and Cantaloupe

·                   *Strawberries and pineapple

·                   * Green Apple and honeydew melon

·                   *Orange and Pineapple

·                   *Mango, Strawberries, Pineapple

3. Pretzels and Nuts

All you need are pretzel sticks, peanut butter, and your favorite nuts. Crush up the nuts of your choice. Dip the pretzel stick in peanut and roll it in the crushed nuts.

4. Peanut Butter and Fresh Fruit Sandwich

Toast whole wheat bread, spread peanut butter, and add your favorite fruit. You can substitute the peanut butter for a nut butter of your choice. Here are a few of my favorites:

·                  * Peanut butter and strawberries

·                  *Peanut butter and bananas

·                  *Peanut Butter and Green apples

5. Frozen Fruit Cups

Cut pineapple and a pear into cubes. Place in a Styrofoam cup with 1/3 cup of pineapple juice. Add orange slices. Freeze overnight.

6. Banana Yogurt Split

Slice Banana in half and add 3 tablespoons on yogurt in the middle of the banana. Top with your favorite fruit and nuts.

7. Apple Quesadillas

Add thinly cut apple slices to one side of the quesadilla and the cheese of your choice on the other side. Flip the side with the apple slices over. Spread butter on the tortilla. Place in a non- stick pan. Cook until cheese has melted

8. Ground Turkey Nachos

Cook 1 lb. ground turkey in skillet until brown. Drain if needed. Add taco seasoning if you desire. Place tortilla chips on a cookie sheet. Add cheese and ground turkey throughout the chips. Place in oven on 350 degrees until cheese has melted. Add lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

9. Cucumbers and Tomato Salad

Cut cucumbers and roma tomatoes in cubes. Add mozzarella or muenster cheese, salt and pepper. There are a few dressings you can add to the mix:

·                  *Italian dressing

·                  *Oil and vinegar

·                  *Balsamic vinegar

·                  *Apple cider vinegar

10. Mini Ranch pockets

Add a packet of hidden valley ranch seasoning to the ground turkey In a bowl. pat about a tablespoon amount of ground turkey onto wax paper. Once complete place in skillet until done. Place on romaine lettuce leaf.

5 Meal Planning Tips For Beginners

When people begin their journey to eating healthy they have a tendency to overthink and over analyze the process. Actually, the majority of time people do not know where to start. Meal planning is not often discussed when they embark on the journey of eating healthy. I was in this same boat when I began my journey to eating healthy. I did not know where to begin but I also knew that I did not want to eliminate certain food groups like the majority of diets require. Planning for 4 to 5 meals a week is ideal and will not allow you to over complicate or over stress yourself. So here are a few tips that I have found to help me when I begin meal planning for a week. 

1. Gather your favorite recipes or recipes you would like to try. I recommend printing out the recipes if the source of your recipe is from online or jotting down the title of the book with the page numbers if you are using a recipe from a book. I actually have a board on Pinterest that I created to keep up with different recipes. 

2. Make a list of the common ingredients that are required for your meals. This will help you see what you already have in the pantry and refrigerator. Mark next o the items that you already have at home so that it makes grocery shopping easier. I have constructed a meal plan several times without doing this step and I have bought items that I did not need. 

3. Write out the meals you have chosen on a calendar. It is always best to be able to visually see your meal plan. This is a time to bring out your crayons, colored pencils, and even uncover your inner virtual creativity. You are the creator of your weekly menu.

4. Set aside a day to go grocery shopping. This is the hardest part of meal planning. My main advice would be to make sure you eat before you go to the grocery store. In the beginning I would say to myself "I have control, I can run in and out in no time and get something to eat afterwards." Oh man, Oh man was I wrong. Lets just say that the meal plan went out of the door and my basket was filled with unnecessary items. So please please please east before you go grocery shopping. Don't forget to bring the list that you created to the grocery store. I usually go grocery shopping for my main items on Saturday and if certain places have deals during the week I wait to go to those places. 

5. Meal Prep is the fun part. It allows you the opportunity to be a chef. I have a family of to adults and one toddler so I usually cook double the servings so that there are leftovers. Usually when I meal prep I put on some music and get swept away by the bold aroma of the food. (can't you tell I love food). Ideally, meal preparation helps to eliminate the stress of forgetting to thaw out food or what to cook all together. 

What are some of your meal planning tips that help you to successfully stick to a meal plan?

4 tips on how to survive the temptation of the weekend

Friday has arrived and the weekend is just about to start. Don't allow the weekend to unravel your progress. Here are some tips to staying on track over the weekend:

1. Stick to your Meal plan. Take a picture of it. even if you're not eating that exact meal for that time during the day, keep up with WHAT you are eating. for example protein, carb, veggie instead of tuna, wheat bread, lettuce for lunch.

2. Don't be afraid to eat out. Have a blast. Once again just zone in on your meal plan for that particular time.

3. Meal preparation is very key especially when it comes to your snacks. We use the weekend to run errands, travel, shop, etc. so make sure that you prepare your snacks the night before or the week before so that you won't stop and purchase food along the way.

4. This is a great time to experiment with recipes. For example, have a pizza a night. Yes I said it, a pizza night. I believe whole foods and fresh market sell fresh pizza dough. Make a pizza instead of ordering out. Make your own entrees. Recipes are every where for you to be able to experiment.

These tools  to help you stay strong throughout the weekend.

Refining Yourself

So can I be real with you all? For many years I struggled with my appearance and actually seeing my beauty. My mother always told me I was beautiful, my grandparents always did, aunts, etc. Even though I was being told that, I never could see what they saw. I remember being called an ugly duckling by one of the popular guys in high school. I also remember how people would tease me for being into my studies and called me a nerd. When I was at a pivotal point in my life I still fought to see the not only the beauty of myself on the outside but on the inside as well.

After the birth of my daughter I began to little by little to see myself in a different way. I saw myself as a strong woman who fought hard through the prodromal labor, experiencing back labor, and then 12 plus hours of real labor. I saw myself as beautiful on the inside but struggled to see the beauty on the outside. It wasn't until recently, after I became a beachbody coach, that I realized that I was beautiful from the inside out and outside in. 

Beachbody has helped me to increase my self- esteem and self- worth. I became a coach to inspire other women who have struggled with refining themselves and couldn't give value to who they were. I want to encourage women who have been teased and/or bullied that they are more than those words uttered from pure ignorance. Team beachbody has pushed me out of my comfort zone and also has taught me to keep improving myself mentally and spiritually. I may not have a major weight loss story to share with you but I have a heart for helping women achieve such goals and more. Fitness is not just about your physical state but improving on how you see yourself and the internal mindset to change in your favor. It helps you refine yourself in so many ways beyond the physical. I became a team beachbody coach to supply women with the answers to how to increase their self- esteem and self- worth.

10 Power Snack Pack Ideas

Do you find yourself needing an extra boost during day but are not a fan of coffee? Are you a stress eater? Well here's a solution for you. Before studying today, I put together a little power snack pack to satisfy both my need to snack while studying and it gives me an extra boost.

Here are some combination ideas.

1) Green Apple slices, cheese cubes, pretzels

2) Green Apple slices, peanut butter (or any nut butter), pretzels

3) Orange slices, mixed nuts, cheese cubes

4) Orange slices, pretzels, boiled eggs

5) Raisins, mixed nuts, boiled eggs

6) Green Apple slices, boiled eggs, mixed nuts

7) orange slices, crackers, cheese

8) Muenster Cheese and Strawberries

9) Banana and Strawberry Peanut Butter Sandwich

10) Granola, Greek Yogurt, any fruit, any nuts

You can mix and match any of these. Get creative. Power snack packs are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and iron. It offers affords you an opportunity to naturally satisfy your body nutritionally and  increase your energy. It also easy to pack before leaving the house. Please feel free to share any of your combinations. 

The Balancing Act

For the past couple of days my mini has been requiring much more attention from me; more than the usual. You see, she just got her twelve month shots, started walking, and her back molars are making their way through her little gums all at the same time. Man, I can only imagine the discomfort she is experiencing. Both internal and external factors of the uncontrollable are taking over her. Yesterday I spent the entire day on the couch nursing her while she slept off and on trying to find peace. Overtime I would lay her down she would instantly wake up crying. And I am not talking about a little whimper. I am talking about a boisterous cry like "Mommy please". As a single stay at home mother it is hard to find time to even workout during the course of the day let alone when my mini is needing more attention than usual. My workout can wait at this moment but I can focus on my nutrition and catch up on gathering recipes for a future meal plan week.

The further and further I am on this journey of fitness and motherhood, I am realizing that finding that balance can be hard. Though one that does not mean you have failed. Yesterday I had a moment wherein I felt like a failure. I did not do nothing... absolutely nothing. I did not clean up, I did not workout, I did not do anything. But then I realized something. Balance is not just accomplishing something but there are times when you are not going to have the able to accomplish some things in the course your day, week, month due to the uncontrollable such as a toddler coming into her milestones and just wanting to be cuddled. The balancing act has been so misconstrued and can cause negative emotions to arise. 

In reality, it is okay if your balancing act becomes a bit wobbly. I took this time to relax and rest myself while being able to comfort my mini in her time of need. I made it a rest day. Tomorrow I will be doing my workout before my mini wakes up. This is how I am able to fit in my workouts. 

Mixed Berry Shake

Mixed Berry Shake

8- 12 oz of unsweetened almond milk 

3 whole strawberries 

A hand full of blueberries 

2 pinches of almonds

1 cup of ice

1 scoop of vanilla shakeology 

Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender. Pour into your favorite cup. Sit back, relax and enjoy your mixed berry shake that has a wide range of nutrients. 

Shakeology is a meal replacement shake that offers you complete nutrition. This shake also features all natural fruits and vegetables that are freeze dried and compressed into a delicious powder. If you are interested please visit www.shakeology.com/jaci3 for more information.