Cocoa Nut Butter Protein Balls

These are sooo easy and can be modified however you want if there are allergies!

Ingredients:
- 5 cup QUICK oats (old fashioned requires more sweetener IMO)

- 1 cup any Creamy nut 🥜 butter (just make sure it’s clean and there’s no added sugar or oil)

Yogurt, Shakeology powder, loose granola on top! 1.5R, 2Y, 2 tsp

- ¾ cup sweetener of choice (I combined local Honey🍯 and Pure Maple Syrup)

- ½ cup cocoa

- 2 scoops / packets Shakeology (any flavor and either whey or vegan will do)

** if for a kids’ class, you could switch 1 cup of Oats with 1 cup Rice Krispies for a crunch

**other modifications can be diced cranberries, nuts, coconut or chocolate chips. These will require more sweetener to make it sticky enough to hold, so instead swap out ½ cup Oats for these modifications.

Directions:
1. Mix together with a mixer or you’ll get an arm workout too. It doesn’t matter which order you add ingredients, I mix once all are in the bowl.
2. Roll into balls (24-30), or put in a 13x9 pan and make bars (yields ~20-22 bars depending on thickness).

Serve with plain greek yogurt for breakfast (see above) with 2 - 3 balls (these are sweet enough so you don’t need a sweetened yogurt like Vanilla, and then you forgo the additives that aren’t great for you anyways). You can also put additional Shakeology in your yogurt and stir together before topping with loose granola, or crumble a few balls.

For lunch these can be a healthy carb (2-3 balls), or for snack (kids 4-5 balls, adults 2). These are heavier than my 21-Day Fix Granola Balls so I limit these to heavy fitness days like training, or days I work out for longer than 40 minutes.

Let me know how you like them! I find them very kid friendly!

Baked Donut Holes - Yes, please!

✨ Baked Donut Holes ✨

I’ve got an end of summer treat that is going to make your stomach happy… without throwing off all your results!

Ingredients
* 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
* 1½ tsp xanthan gum
* ¾ cup coconut sugar
* 1½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
* ½ tsp ground cinnamon
* ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
* ¼ tsp sea salt
* 1 large egg
* ¾ cup + 1 tbsp coconut milk beverage, divided use
* 2 tbsp extra-virgin organic coconut oil, melted
* 1¼ tsp pure vanilla extract, divided use
* ½ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 350º F. Lightly coat two mini-muffin pans with spray. Set aside.
2) Place flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a food processor (or blender). Pulse to blend. Set aside.
3) Combine egg, ¾ cup coconut milk, oil, and 1 tsp. extract in a medium mixing bowl; whisk to blend.
4) Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Process for 30 to 60 seconds, scraping sides occasionally, until a smooth batter forms.
5) Fill prepared pan with approx. 1 Tbsp. batter per muffin cup. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until tops of donuts are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
6) To make glaze, combine powdered sugar, remaining 1 Tbsp. coconut milk, and remaining ¼ tsp. extract in a small bowl; whisk to blend.
7) Dip top of each cooled donut hole into glaze and place on a serving plate.

Notes:
For vegan donut holes, substitute 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 2 tbsp water for egg. Mix flaxseed and water; set aside while combining dry ingredients.

Check your GF flour for xanthan gum; some contain it and some don’t! If yours does, you can omit that.

Portion Fix Containers: 1 donut hole = 1 Yellow
2B Mindset Plate It: Enjoy as occasional treat, be sure to track

Repurpose leftovers & make them "fresh" again!

This is hands down one of my favorite meals, soooo freaking delicious and scary how simple it was. I like to buy the cauliflower / broccoli rice already made at the store because it’s the same, or less, cost and saves me that much more time.

We are fortunate to live very close to The Fish Factory so fresh sashimi is right at our finger tips. I chose Tuna and Salmon, but they also have Kingfish and Copia (white fish, similar to Kingfish but more fatty) sashimi.

Add any veggies you like, I chose red peppers (highest source of calcium), cucumbers (for crunch), and yellow cherry tomatoes. This is amazing with 1 tbsp Ponzo sauce on top and a dash of lemon or lime, to taste. This pleased everyone!

Tofu Tacos - you might be surprised!

Tofu tacos, I know you think I’ve lost my mind?! But, stick with me here because they’re pretty delicious! Tofu is super versatile and can stand in for meat in pretty much any dish. In these tacos, the tofu soaks up all the amazing spices and, once it’s cooked, you can’t even tell it’s not meat! If you don’t believe me, try it and decide for yourself!

Ingredients
* 2 tbsp nonfat plain yogurt
* 3 tbsp fresh lime juice, divided use 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped, divided use
* 1 medium tomato, chopped
* 1 medium onion, chopped, divided use
* 1 medium jalapeño, seeds removed, chopped (opt)
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 cup assorted vegetables (like sliced mushrooms, spinach, carrot slaw)
* 1 (14-oz) package firm tofu, crumbled
* 3 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 tsp chili powder (or chipotle seasoning, habanero seasoning, or cumin)
* 4 (6-inch) whole-wheat tortillas, warm
* 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

Instructions
1) Combine yogurt, 2 tbsp lime juice, and 1 tbsp cilantro in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
2) Combine tomato, ¼ onion, jalapeno (if desired), and remaining 1 tbsp cilantro in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
3) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining ¾ onion; cook, stirring frequently, until translucent (about 3-4 minutes).
4) Add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp (about 4-5 minutes).
5) Add tofu, garlic, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until tofu is lightly browned and veggies are tender crisp (about 3-4 minutes).
6) Add remaining 1 tbsp lime juice and reduce heat to medium low - bring to a gentle boil. Remove from heat.
7) Top tortillas evenly with lettuce and tofu mixture. Drizzle with yogurt sauce and serve with tomato salsa.
Yields: 4 servings

Portion Fix Containers: 1 green, ½ red, 1 yellow, 1½ tsp
2B Mindset Plate It: Add a side salad or more veggies to make a great lunch!

Meat substitutes like tofu - yay or nay? Got a recipe you love? Share below!

The best Olive Oil Dispenser ever!

I’ve been asked more times about this gadget than anything else. Normally the rule in our house is any “kitchen gadget” has to have at least two functions fo runs to buy it. So a waffle maker that has switchable plates so I can make quesadillas too? that’s a winner and a worthy purchase. This however, is the exception to my husbands rule because it’s only for olive oil, but we use it daily, multiple times a day in fact.

Two main reasons I bought this… 1) my husband doesn’t measure. He just eye-balls everything and it stresses me out. Like, big time! So, now he knows and I can see too ;) Not only is that money wasted on olive didn’t need, but brings me to reason 2) olive oil is a great healthy fat, but you don’t get unlimited amounts and a little goes a long way. Quite often I find 1-1.5 tsp is plenty for what i’m cooking, but prior to this, I think the Rachel Ray swirling action over the skillet was more like, 1 TBSP or more. That’s unwanted calories I don’t need!

Best. Purchase. Ever!! Go to Amazon and get one, you will not be disappointed. i didn’t share a link here because I’ve noticed vendor run out of stock often and then the link will be a dud. Happy shopping and you’re going to love it!!

Chicken Skewers on the barbie!

✨Balsamic Chicken + Zucchini Skewers✨

BBQs = summer, am I right?! Skewers are a delicious and an easy weekday meal that you can throw on the grill!

Ingredients
* ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 2 tsp minced garlic
* 2 tsp honey
* 1 tsp dijon mustard
* 1 tsp oregano
* ¼ tsp garlic powder
* ¼ tsp onion powder
* ¼ tsp salt
* 1 pound chicken breast, cut into chunks
* ½ red onion, cut into chunks
* 2 medium sized zucchini, cut into chunks
* ⅓ cup feta cheese
* Wooden skewers, soaked in water

Instructions
1) Combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, honey, dijon mustard, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a bowl and mix well.
2) Preheat your grill. Assemble 6 skewers, alternating chicken and veggies.chopped veggies; let sit for at least 30 minutes.
3) Preheat your grill. Assemble 6 skewers, alternating chicken and veggies.
4) Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side.
5) Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Portion Fix Containers: 2 skewers = 1 Green, 1 Red, ⅓ Blue, 2 tsp
2B Mindset Plate It: Serve with salad or more veggies for a great dinner option.

What is your favorite food to grill? If you have a great bbq recipe, please share!

Salmon + Grilling = Best summer niiiiiiights!

✨Honey Mustard Salmon with Roasted Veggies✨

This is a salmon lovin’ recipe 😂 Anyone else obsessed with Salmon? I’m fine if it’s just me, leaves me with more food to eat and leftovers for tomorrow! ha!

Ingredients Parchment paper Olive oil Cooking spray
* 2 lbs mini bell peppers, assorted colors
* 1 lb medium asparagus spears, ends trimmed (approximately 30 spears)
* 1 tsp seasoning blend of your choice
* 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
* 2 (6 oz each) raw salmon fillets
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 2 tsp Dijon mustard
* 2 tsp raw honey

Instructions
1) Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place parchment paper on one large baking sheet and one small baking sheet. Lightly coat with spray. Set aside.
2) Spread bell peppers and asparagus spears evenly on the large baking sheet. Season with seasoning blend and drizzle asparagus with lemon juice.
3) Lightly coat veggies with spray. Bake veggies for 10 minutes. While veggies are baking, top the small baking sheet with salmon and sprinkle with garlic powder.
4) Spread mustard evenly over salmon and drizzle with honey. Place salmon in the oven.
5) Bake veggies for an additional 10 to 20 minutes, or until tender-crisp.
6) Bake salmon for 15 to 20 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve salmon with veggies.

Portion Fix Containers: 2 Green, 1½ Red
2B Mindset Plate It: A great dinner option

What is your favorite veggie to roast for a tasty summer evening dinner?

Get excited about water all over again!

✨Blackberry Mojito Water✨

While you're out celebrating Labor Day, make sure to drink 1/2 of your body weight in oz of water (if you weigh 180 lbs, you should drink 90 oz / 3 liters). If that's challenging, try infused water, here are some ideas to get you on the right track. Adding fruits, veggies, and herbs to water is a natural way to add flavor, remove boredom and not use any containers in the process; they’re all FREEBIES! Just the name if this has me drooling :)

Ingredients
* 1 cup ice
* ½ cup fresh blackberries
* 3 slices of lime 4 fresh mint leaves
* 1¼ cups cold water

Instructions
1) Place ice in a tall glass and set aside.
2) Combine blackberries, lime, and mint in a large cocktail shaker. Mash well with the back of a wooden spoon or muddler.
3) Add water; cover and shake. Strain into ice-filled glass.

Portion Fix Containers: ½ Purple 2B Mindset: Enjoy!

How do you make water more exciting to drink?

7 ingredients to Yumminess!

This is one of the easiest, tastiest muffins and it’s so dense, you will be full! I love this as a side to breakfast with Ultimate Portion Fix or 2B Mindset!! it’s also a great snack during the day!

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas, the riper, the sweeter
2 extra-large eggs (large will do, but I like the extra protein)
2 c old-fashioned oats
1 c plain greek yogurt (look at protein and sugar on the side, you want high protein, low sugar)
½ c maple syrup or honey (if you use vanilla yogurt, or extra ripe bananas then cut this to ⅓ c)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ c chai seeds (you do not need to soak these, just dump them in)
** top with nuts, seeds, oats, chocolate chips, or nothing, they’re pretty as is. I chose chocolate chips as my topping, but once I made these, the batter was plenty sweet so I never added them. If you know me, you’re probably questioning my mental health or thinking someone took over my blog. It’s true, I passed on chocolate. Don’t expect me to do it again :)
** I wish I added Vanilla Whey Shakeology, I will in the next batch. It’ll help sweeten it if you’re cutting the sugar (which I always encourage)

Directions:
1) In no particular order, dump everything in the blender! Don’t you love that, easy as can be! Get your kids involved, this is that simple.

The order doesn’t matter, i did bananas, eggs, oats, yogurt, seeds

How beautiful if this? I hate waiting for chai seeds to soak. Glad that’s not involved!

2) Blend 2 minutes or until it looks very well mixed. If you have some on the edges that didn’t get mixed in, you can stir it and blend again, or grab a spoon and eat it. I opted for the second options. YUM!

3) Pour in 12 lined muffin cups, or straight into silicone muffin holders. Anyone ever used these? Thoughts? I’m nervous to try, I don’t have a lot of faith in the sides not to go limp and spill batter.

I could have easily eaten this whole thing and never cooked them. No one would know expect you and I!

But, I poured 12 muffins and opted to pass on chocolate chips since it was plenty sweet. This is why it’s important to taste your batter :)

If your blender looks like this, you know it was DAMN DELICIOUS!!!

My kitchen smells good and before I had a chance to portion out breakfast for tomorrow and freeze the rest, my kids ate 4. Gone in 5 minutes flat. Glad this was simple since I’ll likely be making more in 2 days!

4) Cook at 175 celsius for 20 minutes. Stay near by so you can keep an eye on them and enjoy all the smells!
**Bananas can be replaced with sweet potatoes or pumpkin. Both would be delicious year-around, but especially in the fall.

How to make Spring Rolls

I love spring rolls and I make them every week, if not twice! They are a super fast lunch and then I can use the leftover protein, typically sashimi, for dinner as a poki bowl, hand rolls, or make sushi with it. I love simple recipes that taste delicious and this fits the bill, plus it’s super healthy! Watch and learn and use whatever vegetables you have on hand + your favorite protein. These rice papers can be purchased at any asian market or some large grocery stores carry them too.

What did you put in yours?

How to easily cut the sugar

🍬 Let’s talk sugar 🍬

You might think you’re avoiding it, but sugar can be sneaky! Low-fat and “diet” foods often contain extra sugar to help improve their taste and to add texture in place of fat. It’s in everything! I’m talking breads, cereals, sauces, salad dressings, yogurts, soups, crackers… the list goes on.

Start checking your ingredients list for anything ending in “ose” - glucose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, maltose… These are all forms of sugar, as are syrups like corn and rice syrup. The closer to the front of the list, the more sugar the product contains. So, as we plan for the week and map out what our meal plans will look like, here are some small changes you can make that will have a BIG impact:
🍬 Skip sweetened yogurt and go with plain instead
🍬 Leave the sugar out of your morning coffee/tea - try a dash of cinnamon or unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead
🍬 Avoid anything that says “diet” on the label
🍬 Choose fruit when you’re feeling a craving for something sweet - I love apple slices with peanut butter and pumpkin seeds!

How do you make sure you’re skipping extra sugar? Do you need to incorporate any of these tips? Have any tips to share with us?

Pause and Meditate

I’ll be honest, mediation can be easy for some, but it is Hard. As. Heck. for me. Which probably means I need to do it so desperately bad, amiright? It would be easier for me to spend 30 minutes doing Insanity Max 30 with Shaun T than it would to be quiet and at rest and meditate. So this channel was designed specifically with me in mind. Just kidding. But really, this is AN AMAZING resource being added to Beachbody on Demand at no additional cost, so take advantage of it as much as you can! Right now, the whole world is quite a stressful place. Elections are coming, rioting and racism is happening (how is this even possible), Covid is not going away no matter how much we hate it and try to obey the rules; now more than ever, we all need a healthy way to relax, unwind, and reduce anxiety.

Growing research shows that meditation has a powerful impact on our well-being and is proven to help de-stress, decrease anxiety, promote positive physical and emotional health, improve sleep (fall asleep faster and sleep longer), improve sex-life, renew your energy, reduce negativity, and enhance your self-esteem, focus, inspiration and empowerment. All of these things = increased quality of life; that’s our goal right? None of those sound bad to me, so why is this so hard????

Meditation can help you:

• Build skills to manage stress

• Gain a new perspective on stressful situations

• Increase self-awareness

• Focus on the present

• Reduce negative emotions

• Increase imagination and creativity

• Increase patience and tolerance

There’s an entire channel dedicated to this (must be kind of important) including:

• 4 meditations from the Beachbody Yoga Studio (most under 10 minutes) perfect for first thing in the morning, or last thing at night;

• 13 Themed Meditations from the Unplug app;

• 60 meditations from Elise Joan based on her “I AM” cards from Barre Blend (let me know if you don’t have these);

• A 21-day guided program called Unstress: 21-Days of Meditation for Relaxation, Calm, and Less Anxiety, produced in partnership with the premier meditation app, Unplug, coming soon.

11 workout hacks --> get out of bed and get shit done!

1) Get enough sleep - sounds so easy right? Who doesn’t love sleep, but this is a major issue for most of my clients whether they’re up through the night with little ones, awake from drinking caffeine too late in the day, or wine disrupting their REM sleep. 7-9 hours is the suggested length of deep sleep and the best ways to get this are:
a) make the room as dark as possible - I love black out blinds,
b) use a white noise machine (this is my FAVORITE and under 70 decibels), a sound machine, or white noise app on your phone. The differences are: White Noise Machines offer a steady sound, simulating a fan, it’s doesn’t have a repeating pattern so your brain doesn’t get trained to listen for it, which is stimulating for some. A Sound Machine will have an “ocean”, “outdoor sounds”, “wind”, “babbling brook,” “white noise,” etc and they are usually repeating patterns. Honestly the crickets make me feel like there are things in my bed and the babbling brook makes me want to pee, so neither make me drift off to sleep, LOL, but the kids seem to like them and it works.
c) invest in soft sheets, these sheets on Amazon are my favorite, I have 4 sets.
d) keep the room temperature between 60-67 degrees,
e) drink a warm cup of tea when you start winding down, but make sure it’s herbal, not green or black tea, as those have caffeine and produce the opposite effect,
f) you’ve heard this one a million times, but I’ll remind you again, limit screen time. It stimulates your brain and eyes and sends you to bed with lots of thoughts swirling around and lastly,
g) journal things you're thinking about. When I have a lot of things to do the next day, I worry I’ll forget and it keeps me up thinking / stressing about it. If I make a list of everything I need to do / am thinking about, I’m able to put it at rest and fall asleep much faster.

2) Lay out exercise clothes the night before - I especially do this when I travel because it’s very easy to wake up on vacation and talk yourself out of it. But if everything is ready and staring me in the face, I remember I had intentions of getting moving and I’ll be thankful later. I’m 99% more likely to follow through with my workout plans. Some even wear them to bed, I might have done that before, just make sure if you do this, that your workout bra doesn’t have underwire in it.

3) Put alarm out of reach - the snooze button can be the devil and ruin your day. I never would have believed it till I listened to this podcast on the snooze button by Mel Robbins. Check it out and you’l be moving that alarm clock tomorrow :)

4) Schedule coffee maker to go off at a certain time - the smell wafting from your kitchen will give you just another incentive to get up and crush your workout and it’s been proven that small doses of caffeine on an empty stomach can help you push harder, thus get more, out of your workout,

5) Let the light in - expose yourself to natural light as soon as you wake up. Getting blue light from the sun turns off your brain’s melatonin faucet, which in turn can erase any morning fog you feel and give you energy to get going,

6) Sniff Peppermint oil - a small study found that drinking 500 ml of mineral water spiked with peppermint oil improved power and performance and lengthened the time to exhaustion. Young Living oils are the only oils approved by FDAA for consumption.

7) Fuel up / don’t sit down - chose a bite to eat that’s carb-focused and 100-150 calories. ½ banana and peanut butter or Shakeology stirred with water (as a bowl) are my two favorites, both with 16-20 carbs quickly available for your workout.

8) Drink up - dehydration can have a huge effect on physical performance since you lose ~ one liter of water during your sleep through sweat and breathing. I have a lot of ideas for ways to flavor your water without adding extra calories, so try to drink 16 oz. water when you first wake,

9) Stay accountable with a group - telling yourself you can’t work out is easy to do; making that excuse to someone else is a whole other story. studies have shown those that check-in with an accountability group are 20% more likely to succeed and get better results than those that go at it alone. I offer BOD Groups every single month and you’re always invited to join so make that commitment to show up every day and let do this together,

10) Download a new playlist - create a “wake-up” list of energizing songs to get you motivated to move. Research shows that music can reduce the perception of effort and increase endurance up to 15%! Beachbody Super Trainers shared their favorite playlists if you need some new ideas; now go crush that workout,

11) Workout @ home - you’re more likely to workout when your living room, playroom, study is your workout space and you walk by it and hear it call your name. You’ll save money, miss out on germs and save the commute time so there’s really no reason you can’t fit it in. Beachbody on Demand has programs from 10 minutes up to 90 minutes so there are plenty of options to fit the time you have available.

Fruity + pretty = delicious!

Passion fruit is tart and tropical and the perfect match for the mellow, creamy flavor of Vanilla Shakeology! If you’ve never bought passion fruit, look for fruits with purple, yellow, or orange skin - it should be smooth and free from bruises. Heavier pieces will have more seeds and juice. Cut the fruit with a sharp knife and scoop out the seeds and pulp like you would a kiwi!

Can’t find passion fruit? Canned passion fruit nectar can be used instead! Can’t find canned?! Try pineapple and add a squeeze of lime 🤤

Ingredients
* 1 cup water
* 1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology
* ¼ cup frozen passion fruit pulp -OR- 3 passion fruit, peels and seeds discarded
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
* 1 cup ice

Instructions
Place all ingredients in the blender - cover and blend until smooth.

Portion Fix Containers: ½ Purple, 1 Red
2B Mindset Plate It: Enjoy as part of breakfast

Eat like your life depends on it!

The color of your veggies means something!

Our bodies are pretty amazing things and do so much for us, we owe it to our bodies not to fill it with crap! Did you know that the color of food actually tells you something? It’s like a fortune cookie :)

Blue/Purple: Lower risk of certain cancers, urinary tract health, memory function, healthy aging. Ex: purple cabbage & eggplant.

White: Heart health, healthy cholesterol levels, natural detoxifiers, lower risk of some cancers. Ex: Cauliflower, artichoke, garlic, onion, mushrooms, parsnips, turnips.

Red: Heart health, lower risk of some cancers, memory function, urinary tract health. Ex: Beets, red peppers, radishes, red onion, rhubarb, tomatoes.

Orange/Yellow: Heart health, vision health, healthy immune system, lower risk of some cancer. Ex: Butternut squash carrots, peppers, pumpkin, sweet potato.

Green: Lower risk of some cancers, vision health, strong bones and teeth. Ex: Arugula, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, leafy greens, spinach.

Which color do you tend to eat the most? What changes will you make after reading this?

Cleanse Day 3 - FINAL DAY!!!

From top to bottom, left to right:
1) Breakfast - Water first + Shakeology with your favorite fruit, or if you’re blending it, ½ banana makes it soooo creamy. Did you know, cauliflower can replace banana in shakes and still give it creaminess without sugar and you can save a purple container for later? I learned this fact watching Rachel Ray on tele :)

2) Fiber sweep (am snack) - I swear they’ve made this more lemon-y. This used to be my least favorite part and I don’t mind it at all!

3) Lunch - I’m consistent, what can I say?? Vanilla-nutter bowl with blueberries (1 fruit) and red peppers & cherry tomatoes (1 veggie). Had trouble eating all this in one sitting so saved ½ my bowl for post-nap. Maybe my tummy is shrinking because I can out eat my husband sometimes. ha! It’s amazing how tired I feel when I’m cleansing. 1) it’s less calories so I don’t have the same fuel for my body, but 2) my body is cleansing and working hard so I tend to listen up and nap. One-and-a-half hour nap felt AH-MAZ-ING!

4) Beet the Clock juice (pm snack) - Day 3 and this is the one recipe I was most looking forward to! Enjoyed it with a cup of cherry tomatoes on the side (1 veggie). I’m ready to pack this juicer away though; I’m sick of cleaning this machine. Tried all 3 juices in the booklet and this was my favorite; however, my husband enjoyed them all way more than I did. Macros and juicing details are here. Are you a fan? See 3-Day Refresh recipes here.

5) Dinner - Last Vanilla Fresh of the cleanse; pretty sad about this. :o( I seriously love it y’all and would buy it if the packets were sold separately. Went back to the spinach salad because it’s a lot of food so it takes just as long to eat as the family, especially with the incision in my mouth. But I love all these veggies and it’s a favorite to finish with. I went out with a bang!

Well, that’s a wrap! Looking forward to my results tomorrow!! I can already tell I’m sleeping better, but excited to see what the scale says. You can read about Day 1 here, and day 2 here.

3 Day Refresh - Day 2 is in the books!

From top to bottom, left to right:
1) Breakfast - Water first + Shakeology with your favorite fruit, or if you’re blending it, ½ banana is always amazing and a creamy addition.

2) Fiber sweep (am snack) - Today I stirred this much faster and enjoyed it 100%. Less water, stir quickly and throw it back, that’s the secret :)

3) Lunch - Another delicious day and I’m sad that I’m already ⅔ done with this cleanse. It really isn’t hard and the benefits you reap, while eating 5 times a day, is pure amazing. I made a bowl again with 1.5 tsp nut butter stirred in, and berries and red peppers on the side. There are heaps of options in the kit so no day has to be the same.

4) Kalange juice (pm snack) - I’m still not a huge fan of juicing, I’ll be honest. there is so much clean-up and the loss of fiber confuses me. I want that fiber in my body! But, I’m a rule follower and I’m supposed to get as many mushy foods or drink things through a straw while I heal, so juicing it is. I had a side of red peppers and cherry tomatoes (not pictured) See 3-Day Refresh recipes here.

5) Dinner - Last Vanilla Fresh of the day and no peanut butter allowed at dinner; no dramas, it was still delicious. My 7 yr old thought it was frosting and was begging for a taste. Tonight I chose a dinner recipe that required cooking thinking it would be softer / easier only teeth. I made the “Kale with Pine Nuts” but at the last second, I omitted the pine nuts and added olive oil instead for a healthy fat. I’m worried the pine nuts will get stuck in my incision. Added a few cherry tomatoes too for color and flavor and it was delicious!

Day 2 is done and I’m looking forward to Day 3!! Read about Day 1 and Day 3 here.

1st cleanse in 2020! Day 1 is in the books!

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Timing is everything, isn’t that what they say? Well, I didn’t nail the timing on this one, but I also don’t back down on a commitment so here I am, crushing day one and already looking forward to tomorrow!

A little background, yesterday I had oral surgery and had a tooth removed, yeah, GONE! Nothing was put in it’s place and this is the first smile since surgery. I’m delightfully surprised that ½ my face isn’t drooping. They suggested meals that are “mushy” or can be sipped through a straw, so I thought this would be the perfect timing for a 3-Day Refresh. Right? Wrong! ha!

From top to bottom, left to right:
1) Breakfast - I started with water and added a squeeze of lemon to make it more exciting, followed by Pumpkin Spice Shakeology. Note - this is a vegan cleanse so you can chose pumpkin spice, vanilla, chocolate, cafe latte, peppermint mocha, or salted caramel, but it needs to be the vegan formula.

2) Fiber sweep (am snack) - just the name makes me want to visit the toilet, but this cleanse does not have you glued to the bathroom one bit. In fact, I don’t notice any changes in my bathroom habits except possibly more peeing from drinking extra water to cleanse my body. Fiber sweep is lemony and gets quite thick, very fast, so I pour it in a breakfast glass + add 10 oz water and chug! (think back to your college days, down the hatch!)

3) Lunch - so delicious and oh so filling. I mean, seriously, this is a cleanse yall?!?! Look at all this food while others are fasting, juicing, or starving themselves. I choose to “eat” Vanilla Fresh protein shake rather than “drink” it, I just think it’s that good and want to savor it. Clean dark roasted peanut butter (1 healthy fat) is pretty damn delicious swirled in I must say, but you get a few healthy fat options (avocado, hummus, etc) if you aren’t feeling nut butter. Tip —> Almond butter is preferred over peanut butter because it has less bloating effects. I had a side of blueberries (1 fruit) and red peppers & cherry tomatoes (1 veggie) for a great combo!

4) Zing juice (pm snack) - I can’t believe I’m 42 yrs old and this is my 1st time juicing?!?! My 7 yr old even knew how to do it so he showed me. Any chance I have to get my kids in the kitchen is a win in my book. Of course after making my “juice” we needed to make some fresh lemonade. Cheeky monkey. Juicing is an option so if you don’t have a juicer, no dramas, you can do 1 veggie and 1 healthy fat (think celery and PB, cucumber, tomatoes and avocado salad, etc) and stick with the plan. I think I prefer the raw food over juicing, I just hate to see all that fiber being tossed out, but with my dental situation, I’ll try to juice each day. See 3-Day Refresh recipes here.

5) Dinner - Last Vanilla Fresh of the day and I was missing my peanut butter, but still delicious. I was worried about my teeth and thought about blending my salad, but thought I’d tough it out and see how things go. Delicious although I ate like a bird being very cautious of my stitches. That salad is huge and should have salt and pepper on it, along with pumpkin seeds, but I chose to add extra olive oil instead in fear a pumpkin seed might get stuck in one of my stitches. So many veggies, I love it!

The last beautiful picture is me winding down for the night with my ice pack strapped on my face and I was trying to drink water when it dawned on me, I couldn’t do both. Ha! I have ice for 5 days and then heat for a week. Wish me luck, this is going to be a long recovery! Read about Day 2 and Day 3 too!

Do you like vegetables? if not, what’s the hang up for you? If so, what’s your favorite?

Sweet Potato Hash Bake

Yum. Yum, yum. yum. These not only taste delicious, but they smell delicious and through these over a bed of rocket and you’ll have a perfectly balanced pre / post workout meal for whatever fitness program you’re doing.

INGREDIENTS:
-2 sweet potatoes
-2 tsp olive oil
-1/2 tsp paprika
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp chili powder (you can add more, but the kids and I don’t do spice so this is our comfort level)
**I like to double the above so I have extra potatoes for dinner. I also mix in white russet potatoes because that’s what my kids prefer and I did too as a child till I learned how much better these taste and are for you. I’m not going to fight them on this one, they eat pretty well.

Pour over silicon baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celsius or 375 farenheit. Remove from oven and crack 8 eggs over the baking sheet and cook an additional 5 minutes so they are over easy. If you want your eggs cooked more thoroughly then crack over potatoes at 10 minute mark. Enjoy and serve immediately so eggs don't continue to cook. I like to serve this over spinach leaves or a bed of rocket / arugula.

Ultimate Portion Fix containers = 3/4 cup potatoes = 1 yellow and 1/2 tsp

Miso glazed Eggplant

This picture doesn’t do it justice to how delicious it is. It is so flavorful, super filling and such a great serving of vegetables. My entire family loves it which I never dreamed my 6 yr old son would TOUCH. AN. EGGPLANT. There are so many recipes on Pinterest, but a lot have unnecessary sugar. The miso is so strong, I’d let it speak for itself. So often people take a vegetable and douse it in sauces and it’s no longer healthy. What’s the point in that? Fried okra? Why not grill it? I digress…

Cut eggplant in 1/2 lengthwise and soak in a bowl of water, any temperature fro 5 minutes. Meanwhile make the sauce.

SAUCE:
1 TBSP miso glaze
2 tsp cooking sake
1 tsp olive oil (1/2 for sauce and 1/2 for frying pan)
Cook over medium to light heat and stir together until well blended.

Drain bowl with eggplant and slice eggplant meat in criss-crosses (make sure not to cut too deep so skin is cut). Microwave for 4-5 minutes (1000 watts vs 750 watts) and remove carefully. Divide sauce evenly amongst eggplant halves and cook face down on frying pan on medium. Only needs 1-2 minutes on stove. Remove from heat and enjoy with your favorite protein. I ate both halves which was enough vegetables and carbs (~26 carbs per eggplant) so this with Tuna was my dinner portion. I was VERY satisfied.

Let me know if you try it and any modifications you make!