"Healthy Stuff" Bowl

Even after traveling all over the world, and having my fair share of rice and beans in Africa and Asia, I'm not sick of it. In fact, I love to dress it up!Last night I was running low on time to cook, and needed to use up some bell peppers we had left over in the fridge. So I decided to improvise and experiment.

Enter in the "healthy stuff" bowl. Like several of my other recipes, this can be very early customized to your personal tastes, as well as what you have on hand.

Healthy Stuff Bowl

Ingredients
(Makes 4-6 servings)
1 lb ground turkey
1 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cups rough chopped kale (just depends on how much green you want!)
2 tsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

Directions
1. Heat up your cooking oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add in your onions and chopped bell peppers, cook until tender.
3. Add in the ground turkey, and brown through, mixing with the vegetables.
4. Season with the garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, red pepper, cumin and chili powder.
5. Add in kale and 1/3 cup of water, cook and mix until it begins to wilt.
6. Add in the cooked rice and tomato sauce, stir and mix together until incorporated.
7. Cover and cook on medium low for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
8. Enjoy!

If you wanted, you could add in black or red beans. Or substitute the brown rice for quinoa! The possibilities are truly endless. Experiment and find out what you like, too! But if you are short on time, this is an easy one to throw together and have a balanced meal.

What about you, do you like rice and beans or do you have to spice it up a bit to eat them?

Exclusive 21 Day Fix Extreme Test Group

Extreme. All in. Dedicated. Committed.

All these words come to mind when I think about this new program that I am about to start officially at the end of this month, the 21 Day Fix Extreme. Now I went over a few of the differences between the programs in this blog post, so if you want to know the difference between the 21 Day Fix and the Extreme version, check that out.

I have been previewing and doing the workouts the past few days and all I can say is man, this is about to blow everything out of the water for me, and I can't wait to go all in and get my results. I am all in with this for 21 days, and committed to making it happen.

The workouts are absolutely more intense, but it leaves you with such an incredible sense of accomplishment when you are done. Today I did Plyo, which I already tend to be nervous about any Plyo workout because jumping is a challenge for me still. But I gave it my all, my legs are now rubber, but I feel amazing knowing that I gave it my all and finished it!

So, starting on February 23rd, I am opening up an exclusive 21 Day Fix Extreme test group to a maximum of ten ladies.

What this will look like...
A 30 day challenge and support group to keep you accountable. We will be using a closed online Facebook group as our platform to check in.

Our first week will be preparation for our 21 day journey. Getting our meal plans figured out, shopping, prepping, etc. We will share recipes and ideas for our meal plans and work out schedules. We will also begin drinking Shakeology to make sure our bodies are filled with good nutrition before jumping in!

March 2nd, we will all officially begin our workouts, meal plan, and GO ALL IN.

There will be daily posts made by me to help keep us all motivated, accountable and informed. I post recipes, tips and motivation.

Every night we are all required to check in with the group to share how our day went! This is absolutely key. Account ability has made ALL the difference in my fitness journey, and I fight for my challengers to keep going, because I know there are hard days. But we stay accountable no matter what.

We go all in for 21 days. When you stay consistent and follow the plans you lay, you will see results. That's what I absolutely love about all the Beachbody programs, they give you real results. I have seen that time and time again in my own life, and in others.

It just takes guts and commitment from you to go for it. And that's why I am leading this test group! -To take YOU from start to finish, so it's not just one more DVD on the shelf, but something that gets you results in your life.

What are the requirements?
-You must be a lady! Sorry guys, but this time the group is just for ladies.
-You need to have a base line of fitness (if you have done any of the other Beachbody programs before you should be fine)
-You're ready to shed some layers and tone up!
-Be able to commit to the whole 30 days with us
-Have a willingness to learn
-A strong desire to change and see results
-Commit to the eating plan (correct portion sizes and healthy clean eating, it's NOT a crash diet)
-Commit to the daily 30 minute workouts
-Be committed to checking in with our accountability group

What you get...
-A complete fitness and nutrition package, with a month's supply of Shakeology, your complete set of workouts
-An in depth nutrition guide that lays out the eating plan
-Your set of color coordinated containers for perfect portion sizes and portability.
-A Shakeology shaker cup for your nutrition on the go
-Countdown to Competition specific eating plan guide (for maximum results)
-Access to our exclusive test group
-Daily motivational posts
-Personal accountability check ins with me as your coach
-One on one check ins and access to me for any questions you have
-Group accountability and encouragement as we all daily check in and share
-Support every step of the way
-A chance to win $500 or more with the Beachbody Challenge when you submit your results at the end of our challenge to the Team Beachbody site.
-A FREE T shirt when you complete the program and submit your results to the site.

So, if getting extreme, focusing in and taking the step to change your life sounds like something you want to do, please reach out to me. I would love to see if this is a good fit for you and offer you a spot in our exclusive test group!

Since there are only a maximum of 10 spots, be sure to let me know as soon as possible if you want in. You can reach me through my contact info on this blog, or find me on Facebook and message me there!

Let's get extreme, y'all!

Creative Valentine's Date Ideas

Every year Valentine's day comes with more filly cards, more hearts, and more candy than I remember from the year before. Seriously, how did this holiday get so big that it's put out literally the week after Christmas? I'm not sure. But, here we are, less than a week away from the holiday of love.

One thing you must know about me is I love to celebrate. I love cooking dinners for special occasions, getting dressed up for no reason, making home made gifts, and creating fun events to celebrate the people I love. But the way that Valentine's Day is traditionally run, does not get my creative motor running.

Sure, flowers are beautiful. Candy is nice. Chocolate, even better.

But seriously, that's all we can think of to celebrate love? Buy flowers and candy and go out to dinner at way too overcrowded restaurants and come home exhausted? That's not particularly my idea of a night of a fun celebration of love.

So, I'm sharing some ideas that I think would be fabulous Valentine's Day dates that get out of the box and let you have some great fun together. Of course you can go the traditional route, and that's fine, but here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

1. Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt. Whether you, your honey, or both of you plan one for each other, think of a Valentine's Day scavenger hunt you can do together! Have it take you to some places that mean a lot to you, or you can even do it around your house and have it lead to your present for your special honey. Make a day of it and have fun!

2. Cook a gourmet dinner together. This is a lot of fun. Seriously. Grab a recipe you both want to try, go out and shop for the freshest ingredients together, grab a bottle of wine, some candles, and go home and get to cooking! Put on your aprons, cook, and then go get fancied up and set up a candle light dinner and enjoy your creation!

3. Valentine's Game Day. No, I don't mean football. Get your favorite board game or card game, or pick up a fun new one together. Turn up the heat and set some stakes for the one who wins! You could also get some ingredients to cook your own personal pizzas to have during your game day!

4. Have a Valentine's Day on a different day. This is actually what Zach and I are doing, because he works on actual Valentine's day! The perks to this, things are less crowded, and you get better prices! You could even have a mid week Valentine's Day this year, and grab a room at a hotel for the night, order room service, and just be with each other! Check Groupon for local last minute deals, too!

5. Instead of trinkets for gifts, write each other love letters. This is also something we are doing this year. We are both writing each other love letters! Words of affirmation are both in our top love language, so those written words are cherished forever and mean so much. You could give them to each other over your home made dinner!

6. Chopped Inspired Dinner Date.  Also another thing Zach and I are doing! Inspired by the TV show Chopped, we are creating our four course dinner together, but with a fun flair. Zach is picking out ingredients for me to create an appetizer, and I am picking out ingredients for him to create dessert! We have a set dinner menu, and a cheese board before, but it's time to get creative for the appetizer and dessert!

7. Breakfast in Bed Valentine's Day.  Start off your Valentine's with a bang. Go all out for breakfast and prepare breakfast in bed either together, or for your honey. Do the works! French toast, bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits, eggs benedict, whatever you like! Bring it in on a tray for the two of you to share, and you could even snuggle in bed and watch a movie in the morning after you enjoy breakfast!

8. Valentine's Camping. Now hear me out, because some of you may live in a cold place! But if you have a small enough tent, set it up in your living room (or your bedroom if you have kids), or make your own blanket fort. Deck it out with twinkling Christmas lights for ambiance, put down an air mattress or lots of blankets and sleeping bags. If you have a fire place, cook s'mores! Just have fun and be together.

There you have it, eight simple, low cost ways to dazzle your special someone for Valentine's Day. Just because everyone else is doing flowers and candy doesn't mean you can't think outside the box! Get out of your routine, shake things up and have some fun this year and actually celebrate love and the one you love instead of going through the motions.

What's been one creative Valentine's Day date you have seen? I always love new ideas!

21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme

Maybe you have heard the buzz about the 21 Day Fix. I did this program several times this past year, and absolutely love it. It has completely changed how I look at my portion control, and given me a fantastic base line to know what I need to eat to nourish my body and fuel my body.

One thing that I love about the 21 Day Fix is that it is not a crash diet. This isn't something that can only be for twenty one days and never be sustained. The principles taught in the 21 Day Fix are applicable beyond the 21 days, and can be repeated over and over. The emphasis on twenty one days is that that is how long it normally takes to create a habit.

And who doesn't want to make a habit of having a healthier lifestyle?

Now the game is shifting again as the launch of the 21 Day Fix Extreme happened on Monday of this week. What is the 21 Day Fix Extreme you may ask? Well, it's the 21 Day Fix turned up with a punch of intensity.

Today I just wanted to share a little bit about the differences between each program, so that whether you are looking to get your fitness started, or take your fitness to the next level, you will know which one is for you.

Let's start with the similarities of the 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme.

• Both come with a detailed eating plan and guide to help you get the maximum amount out of your nutrition for 21 days.
• Portion control containers come with both the 21 Day Fix and the Fix Extreme. These containers represent each food group, and your nutrition guide tells you how much of each container you have each day.
• Container sizes are the same.
• 30 minute workouts, 7 days a week.
• A bonus workout
• Amazing results from focusing on nutrition and exercise together.
• You need a set of light and heavy dumbells or a resistance band for both workouts.

Now's lets cover the differences of the 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme.

• The 21 Day Fix is for people at ANY level of fitness. There is a modifier with low impact moves for each workout. 
• The Fix Extreme has a modifier as well, but the moves are still at a higher level of intensity. 
• 21 Day Fix Extreme takes it up a notch, and Autumn (the trainer and creator) recommends this program for people who have done the 21 Day Fix, or completed other extreme or intense workout programs before, or for those who have a base line of fitness already.
• You can have treats on the 21 Day Fix. Things like chocolate and wine are worked into your eating plan over the 21 days, if you want to.
• The 21 Day Fix Extreme has an extremely cleaned up meal plan, and no treats are allowed. But the good news? It's only 21 days!
• The container COUNT is different between the two programs, the 21 Day Fix Extreme kicks it up a notch. 
• The 21 Day Fix Extreme comes with a "Countdown to Competition" guide that gives you Autumn's specific plan to a T for how to prepare for an event or to get the most extreme results in the twenty one days.

So, in short, the 21 Day Fix Extreme follows up the original 21 Day Fix, and kicks it up a notch. But, at the same time, it is a stand alone program in and of itself. If you already have done intense workouts before, and tend to go to more extreme workouts, you could absolutely do the 21 Day Fix Extreme right from the beginning. 

Both of these programs will challenge you and stretch you, you just choose your intensity level, and dial in. The 21 Day Fix has taught me so much about nutrition and portion control, and how to eat to fuel my body. I am excited to see what the 21 Day Fix Extreme does over the next month, and to share that journey with you as well!

If you have any other specific questions about the 21 Day Fix, or the 21 Day Fix Extreme, please contact me and I can give you all the details you need. If you need a personal coach, tips or recipe ideas, just reach out and ask, and I would be more than happy to help you.

So, who's ready to go EXTREME with me?

Marriage Tip #11

I know that I just had a blog post with a marriage tip, but after some quiet time this morning my heart was just so on fire with this topic that I had to share it with you! This tip specifically goes out to my fellow wives out there, but it can be a learning point for you husbands, as well.

This marriage tip comes from a passage in the Bible, Ephesians 5:33, to be exact.

"Neverthless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband."

This is a powerful passage in the Bible, and Ephesians 5 packs some punches and doesn't mince words. This passage and concept is absolutely under fire in our culture today. Our view of the definition of "love" and "submit" and "respect" has become incredibly skewed, marred, and tainted by the dark negativity of the world.

A lot of people look at this passage and cringe, thinking that it means women are "less than" men. That is a whole other topic that I won't get into today, but I will say that that is not what this passage is saying. I am well aware of the brokenness of so many relationships these days where women are treated less than, abused and not loved. But today I want to focus on one key point this passage makes, because it is something that I personally am learning and growing in.

My tip is this...wives, respect your husband.

Now, I really encourage you to read the whole passage of Ephesians 5, because you will see that it is filled with so much goodness. It talks about the roles of husbands and wives, equal, with different roles, as God intended it because he created us differently.

In several marriage talks I have heard, a main theme is that women crave love from men, and men crave respect for women. This speaks to the fact that God created us differently. Our drive and motivation is different, and that is not a bad thing, it's just different, and we both have to meet each other in the middle.

Men are called to love their wives, wives are called to respect their husbands. Because God knows the deepest desires of our hearts, especially in relationship.

Now, here's my take on it and what I'm personally learning, and a little bit of vulnerability!

I absolutely respect Zach, with all of my heart. And I try to verbally remind him of that often. Because I do. I think he is an incredible man, full of integrity, he loves me, and he honors the Lord, among thousands of other qualities that make him who he is.

What God convicted me of today, is that sometimes my actions do not line up with or show that respect. And even though my heart is in the right place, my actions are being disrespectful of Zach and who he is.

Some things I wrote when this came to mind:

"Respect the way Zach does things, even if it is not how I would do it."
"Respect his way of processing."
"Respect how he drives, and know that his motivation is always to keep me safe."
"Respect the time he needs for himself."

Just a few simple things, but they hit me in profound ways. I'll let you in on a little insight, a lot of our disagreements happen when we are tackling a project together, or when we are driving together. That's where the first three convictions came from.

I am a classic backseat driver, unfortunately. I'm not sure why I even am like that, but regrettably, I am. Thankfully, I have gotten a lot better than I was at first, but those moments still come up and I have to ask forgiveness a lot for back seat driving.

And when we try to handle a task together, like filling out paper, grocery shop, or put something together, we both have different methods of how we would do that. And, you guessed it, that can cause us to butt heads sometimes, and I know that I have had to apologize for that a lot as well.

It boils down to one thing, just like how we do things differently, or process differently. We are two separate people, coming into a relationship as one. We both process differently (I am a verbal processor, he is an internal processor). I am very details oriented, and he is big picture oriented. So when we say work on a project together, or a task, we may have different approaches. And sometimes, I try to hammer my point home to be "right."

Wow. I know that I am not the only one who does this out there. I think as women, a lot of us may struggle with that because it's control, and giving up control can be difficult.

But, it has been put on my heart that I need to show my respect by respecting that fact that Zach and allow that to be okay. To surrender control, and know that Zach has my best interests in mind, because he is also submitting to the Lord.

So, my challenge to you wives out there. Look in your heart and examine what ways your actions may not be showing respect to your husband. They may be subtle things that don't outright scream "disrespect." And husbands and wives, I challenge you to lovingly have a conversation on respect. Husbands, how do you feel respect, and when do you feel disrespected? Also, ask your wives how you can love her better!

Marriage Tip #10

Life can be full of ups and downs. Highs and lows, good days and hard days. That applies to marriage as well! There are days where things are awesome- you communicate well, you're really feeling it, and it's a good day. And then there are days that are hard- miscommunication happens, you snap at each other, and it's just a hard day. 

One key that we have found that helps us through the good and the hard days is something simple, yet incredibly powerful. Prayer.

Since Zach and I started dating, we made prayer together a priority. When we were dating, it was usually before we went our separate ways for the day or the night. After we got married, we made it a habit to pray together before we went to bed every night. We also ask each other regularly how we can be praying for each other throughout the day while we are at work. 

Something that I am incredibly thankful for in Zach is his intentionality with prayer when we are experiencing conflict or miscommunication. He has been such a great positive force in our marriage for leading us in prayer during those difficult times. 

The days where we just feel "blah," or we feel off, or we are experiencing miscommunication or frustration, we bring it before the Lord and lay it at his feet. I can tell you that it is incredibly freeing. It brings such a great amount of peace, and resolution. It helps us start over and get off on the right foot, no matter what had happened before that point.

I can't tell you how many times we're sitting on the couch, or in the car, and I'm just in tears, frustrated at myself, and Zach leads us in prayer, and the peace just covers us completely. It helps us lay down our burdens, and realize that we are not fighting each other, we need to fight for each other and fight against the enemy. 

When we join together in prayer, it's a powerful force.

I want to encourage you, whether you are married or not, when you are feeling frustrations, if you are experiencing miscommunication, or just having a hard day, bring it to the Lord. If you are married, humble yourself and bring it to the Lord together. 

Start off with something simple, ask your spouse what you can pray for them for during the day. Send them a text and let them know you are praying for them. 

Then make it a goal to try and pray together, maybe it works best for you in the morning before you both leave for work for the day, or maybe it works best for you at night, like with Zach and I and you want to close out the day in prayer together.

Whatever the case, I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and ask your spouse how you can pray for them today! 

How do you and your spouse connect through prayer? 

10 Weekly Meal Staples

When I used to open my refrigerator or pantry, I used to find only a few predictable things, if that. Generally, when I went to the grocery store, I did it on a whim and got whatever seemed right at the time. That ended up leaving no food in the fridge or wasting food later down the road.

However, since I have started meal planning, our fridge and pantry tend to be very predictable in quite a few healthy staples. This is helpful particularly when I have the munchies, and reaching for a healthy snack is actually a real option now.

Laying a good foundation of some healthy staples to keep around in your kitchen can be a great key to your success with staying on track with health and nutrition. So I'm going to share some of our top favorite staples that you would likely find on a weekly basis in our kitchen!

1. Spinach or kale. Lately it's been kale, but every week I make sure that we have a stock of some leafy green to throw in smoothies, beef up our veggie intake, and have a great source of nutrients.

2. Eggs. Yup, whole eggs! I've never really liked just egg whites, and studies are showing now that the cholesterol found in eggs is the good kind, not the bad. Eggs are a fantastic source of protein, and a super easy breakfast choice!

3. Sweet Potatoes. These are quick to chop up for roasting along side baked chicken, easy to throw in whole to bake, and all around a delicious source of nutrients! Generally we eat these more than regular potatoes, but you can find regular potatoes in our pantry every now and again too.

4. Greek Yogurt. Good ol' plain Greek yogurt has so many uses! Did you know that you can substitute it for sour cream? Or you can sweeten it up naturally too? So many good uses, and it packs a great punch of probiotics!

5. Carrots. I have a tendency to want to snack on something crunchy...anyone else? Carrots are great to have to curb that crunch craving, and you get a serving of veggies in! These are also great to just throw in some soup or with a roast.

6. Bananas. We go through some bananas, let me tell you! Great "fast food" pick when you are running out the door, really hungry and need something fast that packs an energy punch.

7. Shakeology. Love the stuff! I usually have my Shakeology in the morning or after my workout. It delivers an incredible punch of super food nutrition, gives me energy and also helps curb my sweet tooth!

8. Chicken. Of all meats, chicken is probably the most used in our house. It's fast, easy to throw in the oven with some seasoning, and then you can shred it, chop it, put it in soup, tacos, pretty much anything you want!

9. Zucchini. Since I was given a Vegetti by my sweet husband, we normally keep a supply of zucchini handy in the fridge for some zucchini noodles (or zoodles) at least once a week. We've experimented with a lot of different recipes that are fantastic!

10. Rolled Oats. Super cheap, healthy, whole food. I pick up a container of oats usually once a week and we have it for breakfast with a banana. No instant oatmeal here, just the old fashioned stuff. Seriously, it's so much better and doesn't take a long time to cook.

While of course the contents of our fridge and pantry vary from week to week, generally you can find these staples in there most any week. It's crazy to think back to the way I used to eat, used to grocery shop, and how my cupboards and fridge used to look.

They used to be filled with bread, pasta, lunch meat (the bad kind), heavy calorie sauces, cream, leftover sandwhiches from work. Honestly, nothing good or nutritious. As I've told before in some of my stories,  I hardly ever ate any fruits or vegetables, ever. I honestly am not sure how I kept skipping out on that.

But I am glad to say that I love the change, I enjoy eating fruit and vegetables now, and I love keeping our fridge and pantry stocked with things that will nourish us and help us be healthy. What do you keep in your fridge and pantry? What's one staple you just couldn't live without?