Meal Plan: June 28th - July4th

I can't believe that July is here already!  Something told me this summer was going to go by fast.  Dance is back this week so we need quick meals but keeping them healthy.

Sunday: American Bison Burgers
Bison burger with cheese, lettuce and tomato

1 red, 1 blue, 1/2 green (with bun 2 yellow)

Monday: Pesto Grilled Cheese Panini
Recipe inspired by Cooking Light
I will make these when I get home from work and pack them so we can eat in between classes.
1 blue (there is not enough pesto to count for a blue), 1/2 green, 2 yellow

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Sausage
Dance starts at 6:00 this evening.  What is quicker than pasta?
Recipe from Cooking Light

1 yellow (2 if you got em), 1 green (I count the tomato sauce as a green since it is not jarred), 1 red

Wednesday: Turkey Cobb Salad Wrap
Recipe inspired by two Cooking Light
Our family favorite salad taken to go.
1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue

Thursday: Travel Day

Friday: MexiKale Salad
Recipe inspired by Wegmans
Pretty much I kept the kale and the dressing and it with more Tex Mex flavors

Saturday: 4th of July!
Look at this fun dessert one of my BFF's made last year.

Meal Plan: June 21st - June 27th

There are a lot of carbs in this week's menu.  I must be craving them.  This week I have add the equivalent 21 day Fix containers.  Would you like to see more of this?

This is what we are having for dinner this week.

Sunday: Father's Day Dinner 

Monday: Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
Recipe from the Skinnytaste Cookbook
I'm going to make mine open face.
1 red, 1 green, 1 blue, 1 yellow

Tuesday: Burrito Bowls aka Chipotle at home
Recipe from Damn Delicious with chicken from No. 2 Pencil.com
1 red, 1 green, 1 blue, 2 yellow

Wednesday: Tuna Melts
I'm making my tuna with avocado instead of mayo and trying an organic mayo for the family.  First time not using Duke's.  Not sure how I feel about that.
1 red, 1 green, 1 blue, 1 yellow

Thursday: Mediterranean Turkey Burger
Recipe from Cooking Light  Needed a recipe to use more of the pesto from last week.
1 red, 1 green, 1 blue, 1 yellow

Friday: Couples Wedding Shower

Saturday: Make your own pizzas

Recipe Inspired from Fits Simple

Click. Stream. Sweat.

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In addition to BoD, Premium members receive a 10% discount on purchases including Shakeology!

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What is Beachbody on Demand?

Premium Team Beachbody Club members stream workouts directly to a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device.  I use AirPlay on my iPad or iPhone to connect to our Apple TV so I can see it on the big screen.  I can't wait to use BoD during our family vacations.

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Fit Inspired: How my scale motivates me and keeps me accountable.

Let me start by saying that the scale is not the only indicator of losing weight.  There are other Non-Scale Victories (NSV) that can show you that working out and healthy eating is working.  You can lose inches before you see the number on the scale go down.  Or your clothes can start fitting loser.  That's why I suggest taking measurements and pictures before starting a program.  If you get discouraged with the scale number taking your measurements or picture again can be the motivator you need to keep going.

That being said one of my motivators is my scale.  Say what?  No, I did not type that wrong.  I have had the same scale since I started my fitness journey 9 years ago.  So how does it keep me motivated?

This particular scale allowed you to enter your starting weight and your goal weight.  Every time I weight myself this scale tells me what I currently weight, of course, but then it shows me how many pounds I have lost, my starting weight and my goal weight.  I have never changed the starting weight.  Why?

It reminds me of where I have come from.  It makes me not take my hard work for granted.  To date, I have lost the equivalent to a toddler.  And if you are trying to see the number I will tell you that I was 10 pounds heavier right after having my first child.  (Side note:  I will never forget the nurse telling me she only weighed 6 lbs.  I instantly knew the rest was mine to lose.)  When I see that I have passed my entered goal weight it reminds me that you never achieve your fitness goals, you just make new ones.  Success is a journey.  Not a destination.

Be Inspired.

With love, Alli

Summer Break Fitness Challenge

Need to get ready for summer vacation?

Need to take off pounds from your summer vacation?

Kids are home so your gym routine is off?

Going to a wedding?

Need motivation to keep you going?

Join my Summer Break Fitness Challenge 

Starting July 6, we will be doing exercising for 30 min a day, following a clean eating meal plan and drinking the Healthiest meal a day, Shakeology.

I started this program on a whim to shed a few pounds for a wedding I was attending.  I never expected it to be so life changing.  I have gone down a size in my clothes,  have more energy and actually look forward to working out.  Plus, I never feel like I'm dieting because my meals leave me feeling satisfied and full.

Food Inspired: Healthified Bacon-Wrapped Mozzarella Stuffed Burger

 

Inspiration: Foodbeast

I hate to even call this an inspiration because really I would file this under the"please don't eat that" category.  This burger has been shared all over Facebook and I challenged myself to clean it up.  It does have cheese it just melted into the burger.  I think my burger is the same size a the top portion of the original!  We grilled ours to perfection instead of deep frying.  Deep frying a burger, really?  I'm pretty sure even with the added homemade fries, made in our Actifry, my burger came way under the original calorie count.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

4 strips of cooked turkey bacon, crumbled or diced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Combine ground beef, bacon and cheese together in a large bowl.
2. Make 4 patties.  They will be bigger than usual because of the cheese and bacon.  Mine averaged between 5 and 6 ounces.
3. When the grill is hot, spray the grates with oil.
4. Grill the burgers on medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until it is no longer pink inside.
5. Serve on a whole grain bun or make a lettuce wrap.

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Meal Plan: June 14 - June 20

Our daughters had their recitals this past weekend which means we are getting a short break from dance!  I am attending an online training from home this week.  I'm sure to get the work from home big time.

This is what we are having for dinner this week:

Sunday: Breakfast Dinner - French Toast with Cinnamon Maple Apples and Turkey Sausage
French Toast Recipe 

Monday: Healthified Bacon-Wrapped Mozzarella Stuffed Burger with Homemade fries

We have all seen this burger on Facebook.  No, thank you Foodbeast.  I have accepted a challenge to clean it up.  Look for my version in a future Food Inspired post.

Tuesday: Chicken Pesto Bake, Wild Rice and Sautéed Zucchini and Squash 
Recipe from Skinnytaste.com

Wednesday: Fund Raiser at Glory Days for my daughters dance company

Thursday: Last Day of School!  Girls Pick! Pizza and a movie.

Friday:  Take out at home! Stir Fry Vegetable Fried Rice 

Saturday:  Jimmy Buffett Concert!

Quote Inspired: You Better Work

Isn't this the truth. The sad but true truth. In a world where all issues are resolved by the end of a sixty minute television show we are all looking for instant gratification. No matter what your goals are it will always take work to succeed. This quote spoke to me on many levels. Relationships, job, coaching, parenting, blogging, exercising. Whew... That's a lot of work. I need a nap. Do you ever start to feel discouraged? I know I do. It's a little corny but I just keep telling myself that Rome was not built in a day. You have to keep doing the work. There is no magic pill.

How To Be Successful In Life: 13 Tips From The World’s Most Successful People 

from Lifehack.org

1. Think big. - “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” - Michelangelo
2. Find what you love to do and do it. - “You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job and not be paid for it.” - Oprah Winfrey
3. Learn how to balance life. - “There is an immutable conflict at work in life and in business, a constant battle between peace and chaos. Neither can be mastered, but both can be influenced. How you go about that is the key to success.” - Phil Knight, CEO of Nike Inc
4. Do not be afraid of failure. - “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” - Henry Ford
5. Have an unwavering resolution to succeed. - “I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.” - Colonel Sander
6. Be a person of action. - “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” - Leonardo da Vinci
7. Avoid conflicts. - “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” - Theodore Roosevelt
8. Don't be afraid of introducing new ideas. - “A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.” - Mark Twain
9. Believe in your capacity to succeed. - If you can dream it, you can do it. - Walt Disney
10. Always maintain a positive mental attitude. - “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” - Thomas Jefferson
11. Don’t let discouragement stop you from pressing on. - “Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed.” - Abraham Lincoln
12. Be willing to work hard. - “Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top.” - J.C. Penney
13. Be brave enough to follow your intuition. - “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs

I totally said number 2 when I decided to be a Beachbody Coach.  What are your goals?  Are the health and fitness related? Click here to inquire for more information.

Keep doing the work!

Be Inspired.

With love, Alli

Food Inspired: Healthified Copycat Turkey Bacon Ranch Wrap

  

Inspiration: Arby's

Ingredients

4 Flatout Light Original flatbreads or favorite wrap
8 oz 98% fat free roasted turkey deli meat
8 slices precooked bacon/turkey bacon
4 slices Cheddar Cheese
1 tomato, thinly sliced
Red onion slices
1/4 cup Ranch yogurt dressing
Iceberg or Romaine lettuce

Directions

1. Spread ranch dressing all over the center of the flatbread.
2. Top with turkey, bacon, lettuce, cheese, onion, and tomatoes. Fold the sides in, and then roll up.

Meal Plan: June 7th - June 13th

My husband and I are so excited that this week is recital week.  One dress rehearsal and the recital on Friday.  That means we can do whatever we want the rest of week!  There are two very happy parents in this house.

Weekly Meal Plan:

Sunday: Pineapple Chicken Skewers with Wild Rice
Sneak Peak recipe from Autumn Calabrese's new cookbook, Fixate.

Monday: Tacos with Baked Crunch Shells
Make your own taco shells recipe from Eating Well

Tuesday: Healthified Copycat Turkey Bacon Ranch Wrap

Wednesday: Spaghetti with Sausage and Simple Tomato Sauce
Recipe from Cooking Light

Thursday: Flank steak with Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes

Friday: Pulled Pork, Mustard Potato Salad and Cole Slaw

Saturday: Dinner Out

Be Inspired!

With Love, Alli

Fit Inspired: June is 21 Day Fix Month!

If you have been thinking about starting a workout program let today be the day you stop thinking and start doing.

4th of July Cookouts are just around the corner! Don't let the ribs be the only thing smokin'. Let's get ready for it together. Starting June 13th we will do a round of 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme to get us ready for Independence Day weekend. Feel free to throw in some P90X3, PiYo, running... I would love for you to join us. We are here to motivate, support and encourage each other. Let's do this!

Contact me for more information.

Food Inspired: Cheesesteak Burgers

                       

Inspiration: Cooking Light Magazine

I loved the idea behind this burger but I wanted to make it closer to the original.  Everyone loved them. The best part was that they didn't need mayonaisse or ketchup. They were great on their own.  

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 slices provolone cheese

4 whole grain hamburger rolls (or go sans roll)

1 lb lean ground beef (I use 90/10)

Directions

1. Combine onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and beef. Shape beef mixture into 4 patties.  Put to the side.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onion and pepper; sauté 6 - 9 minutes.
   
3. Once the onions have browned remove from heat.
   
4. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes. Turn patties over; cook 2 1/2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.
5. Top patties with onions and peppers. Cover the onions and peppers with cheese; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
   

Be Inspired.

With Love, Alli

Meal Plan: May 31st - June 6th

This week I am implementing the 80/20 rule. With as much as we have eaten dinner out perhaps it is more like the 70/30 rule this week. The 80/20 Rule is something like this: 80 percent of the time your meals are clean eating, no processed, good for you foods, and 20 percent of the time you have the freedom to eat as you please. I typically eat 6 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and three snacks. That's 42 meals a week. If you are following the 80/20 rule, that would mean that I could relax for 8 meals out of my week. I'm really only telling you this so I don't feel guilty about putting Cheeseburger Pie on the meal plan. No, no honestly, no one can be at 100% all the time, and you are probably going to fall off the "diet" wagon if you feel like you have to be. When I go to the 20% (probably more like 10% for me) I do still consider my portion sizes and I make sure the following meals are back in the 80%.  

We are trying lots of new recipes this week. 

Weekly Meal Plan:

Sunday - Dinner Out - My birthday dinner

Monday - Dinner Out - My in-laws drove through town and took us out

Tuesday - Chicken Nuggets and Homemade Steak Fries

Recipe from Autumn Calabrese

Wednesday - Thai Basil Chicken

Recipe from the June 2015 edition of  Cooking Light Magazine

Thursday - Shrimp Scampi

Recipe Inspired from Skinnytaste (I'm going sans skewers in a grill pan)

Friday - Cheeseburger Pie - My oldest daughter has a craving.
Get the Recipe

Note: I'm using cheddar cheese instead of processed American cheese.

Be Inspired!

With Love, Alli