Chicken Chili

I have been craving chicken chili for weeks. Yesterday was finally cool (and rainy) enough in Texas to make it. I have had the recipe in a box for years. It is my mom's and when I looked at the email, it was dated 2006 when she worked at Crane. She has been retired for around 8 years. smile emoticon

1 medium onion chopped
3 TBSP olive oil
1 4oz can chopped green Chilies, drained
3 TBSP whole wheat or almond flour
3 tsp ground cumin
2 cans of Great Northern Beans
1 14 oz can of chicken broth (I used organic)
1 1/2 cup shredded chicken breast (cooked)

In a large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent. Add chilies, flour, cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken, cook until hot

The rest is up to you! Cheese, crackers, etc!

I would double up next time to have more left over. We go to town on this stuff. Thanks mom!

Hammer & Chisel

This past Sunday, I had the chance to hear Sagi Kalev, the man behind Body Beast,  talk about his latest program, Hammer & Chisel.  Release date:  December.    This is the first time that Beachbody has had two celebrity trainers work together.  Autumn Calabrese, creator of the 21 Day Fix is his cohort on the program. Different components of weight training, and a nutrition guide, that will challenge you more than ever.  This is not for the weary.  This is for someone who is ready to step up their game.  Sagi said it challenged him.  His own program challenged him.  He is so passionate about helping others, he cried on stage.  This big, bag, ripped dude cried. 

This is one of the many reasons I love this company and what they stand to achieve.  Helping people reach their goals by living healthy and fulfilling lives.

There are two previews of the program now on Beachbody on Demand.  They are only there until the end of the month  I also have a promo video if you are interested in checking it out.  Just let me know!

Transformation Tuesday

‪#‎transformationtuesday‬ - Me.

I come across this picture every so often. I had the freshman 15 plus a lot more. It started in HS, and working at Dairy Master all the time did not help. I had no self control. Something I struggle with to this day. I also had really bad acne. Like the giant ones that are under the skin. And what made them funner is that they always seemed to be on the tip of my nose or middle of my chin. It got worse in college. I had ZERO confidence. I literally hated myself. I would see all of these pretty girls walking around campus and want to be them.
At the end of my education, I started to lose some weight. I was actually pretty small. But I didn't do it the right way. Once we were married I had a very hard time finding a job so that is when I started to exercise on a regular basis. I have never looked back. The nutrition continued to be a problem. A big one. People see my eat, they laugh. I can eat more than my husband. Over those several years, I gained 20 pounds. It stayed with me for a long long time. So I was pretty thick. Sure as heck not healthy cause I didn't know what the meant. Nor did I care.
All the time I was severely depressed/anxiety. Again NO self confidence. Almost paranoid - so worried about people thought about me. If one of my friends did not message me back, I thought "oh my gosh they are mad at me". It would make my stomach turn.
Over time, it got worse. To the point or almost costing me a lot and hitting rock bottom. I sought treatment. That is the same time Beachbody came into my life. Someone posted on Facebook about a group they were doing. I thought why the heck not. I had no idea what I meant. I had heard of Shakeology but wasn't sure what it was or did. No one in my group knew what I was doing. I would get up at 5, do Les Mills Pump every day, drink my Shakeology, and go take care of my head. My physical transformation was not huge, but enough for me. What changed was how I looked at nutrition for one. People say there is no magic pill - well, this might be close. It is not a quick fix, it is not crap. It literally changed how I ate food, and MY HEALTH, and what clean eating met, and how we can prevent things from happening. I became a student.
The biggest takeaway? CONFIDENCE, LOVING MYSELF. Not caring what people thought of me. Yes, I am a little feisty now. Better than being a door mat. I am a good friend and love you til it hurts, but also stand on my own two feet.
I chose this. I had to share what an impact this had on me. It is so competitive out there. Some people need cheerleaders, some need a push, some need a hug. So I wanted to be that person. To provide tools to help women love themselves and get some of that swagger back into their step.
Who the heck knew I would build a business doing so? DANG. I don't apologize for it. No one should. It taught me to have goals while serving others. It taught me that I , ME, can start to build a future for my family.

I still struggle, I still mistakes, I still fight hard everyday. now? I just have a better attitude about it . I attribute that to some good personal development. (something I never did before, and if you did it I thought you were a big fat nerd)

E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E has a story. We can chose how we write it. How it ends? leave that to the Big Guy upstairs.

Remember How - Before making another unhealthy choice

I run private groups on Facebook for motivation and support.  It is a safe place to go and be with people with common goals.  The groups themselves do not cost anything, but to get in to you, yes, you do have to make an investment.  It is an investment for your health. 

One of my sweet, sweet girls shared this with us today:

"This was me a year ago. I hated myself: my reflection, how I looked in my clothes, and how I felt walking up a flight of stairs. I'm so glad that I loved myself enough to give Shakeology and Beachbody a try. It has changed my life!"

Don't let this be you.  Do something now.  Do something before the holidays make it worse.  Have a plan of action in place to help balance it all out.  This is what I do.  I help. 

This changed everything...

A lot of people say they were hesitant, or skeptical when it came to becoming a health and fitness coach. I was not one of them. I had such a life changing experience that I jumped at the opportunity. No one had to ask me. I had ZERO experience. Nada. Zilch. I did not even know it was network marketing. When I found out, I said "so?", and kept on going. I jumped right in, started to learn and went for it.

At 40, I had found my passion. I never once thought "I am too old". Who cares? I run my own business, my own hours, and create freedom for my family and our future. We are able to look at long-term goals and believe they will happen.

Only 20% of Americans like their jobs. Are you one of them? Do you want to be present with your kids more? Be around other motivating people?

My goal is to add some stay at home moms (or dads), or moms in the workforce who are ready to make some changes.

You just need to be:
self-motivated, disciplined and goal-oriented
open-minded to training and learning new things
willing to grow your business on social media
passionate about health and fitness
willing to invest in your own health
supportive of others while on your own journey
seeing the bigger picture before it is in front of you

If any of this sounds like something you want to consider, please fill out the application below and we can then talk further.

I look forward to hearing from you!

https://fitfashionmom.wufoo.com/forms/qil04mq07g169b/

"I can do anything I put my mind to"

Sometimes we want to give up before we even started.  It looks hard, we think we can't do it, without even trying.  One of my jobs is to help with that mind shift.  This is more mental than physical.  Letting your guard down, trying something different, or for the fist time, can literally change everything.  I love this story.  It is true transformation for a better quality of life.   Take the first step, especially before the holidays to have a plan in place.  What is stopping you?

“I can do anything I put my mind to. I learned that being healthy and strong are necessary for a fulfilling life.”

For most of my life, I felt like the fattest person in the room. I was made fun of, called names, treated poorly by many, including family and friends. To escape this emotional cruelty I turned to food. When I found out I was pregnant it was bittersweet because I was 5 months along and didn’t even know it. I used my pregnancy as an excuse to eat even more—after all, I was eating for two. As the years passed, I got dangerously heavy and even walking a few steps left me breathless. Everyday tasks, such as shopping and driving, were nearly impossible because my stomach was so huge.

Thankfully my sister, who’s also my Beachbody Coach, told me all about 21 Day Fix and encouraged me to give it a try. In the beginning I couldn’t even get through one workout, even the modified version. But I refused to quit and every day I could see and feel I was making progress. I loved Autumn as a trainer. She’s so motivating and uplifting and I felt as if she truly cared about me and wouldn’t let me fail.

The other part of the program that was key to me losing so much weight was the portion-control containers. These things are absolutely amazing because they take all the guesswork out of eating. I LOVE THEM! And I will use them forever. I also drank Shakeology every day throughout the program and still do. It took away my cravings while fueling my body with proper nutrition. Without Shakeology I never would have achieved the amazing results that I did!

21 Day Fix and Shakeology have changed my self-image completely. I am healthy and strong. And until now, I’ve never been able to look in a mirror and smile at the girl who’s looking back at me. I can get in and out of my car with no problem. But beyond all that, I’m most proud of the inches I’ve lost—which is almost 100!

Cafe Latte Shakeology - For Real

As if it could not get any better.  They have announced a new flavor of your daily dose of super food nutrition.  I don't say that lightly, it is true. 

A few things to know about Café Latte:
1) The new flavor is made with whole coffee fruit, which is indigenous to India and Mexico, it's the the fruit that coffee beans come from.
2) By sourcing whole coffee fruit for Shakeology, which is often discarded, we are minimizing our carbon footprint and increasing sustainable farming.

With that information, you can see the research and time it takes to develop. The Q&A to make sure it is the best flavor while staying all natural.  It is the healthiest thing you can put into your body. =)

It has so many benefits, it is silly.  What I think is the most important are the health benefits.  This is preventative medicine, as it reduces inflammation in the body.  Did you know that is how the root of disease is started?  Many a many autoimmune diseases have been conquered with this.

Fibromyalgia
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Thyroid Issues (Hashimoto's)
IBS
Lupus

Also:  lower of blood sugar levels and cholesterol  Good for the heart. 

I can't say enough about it.  I just can't.  It is part of my every day diet.  If I miss it, I can tell.  

If you want to be on the list for this release (early 2016) leave me your email.  We can talk about the other flavors right now. =)

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I found this from allrecipes.com.  I like their stuff, AND I like "spicy".  This is straight from your home.  No packets needed. You can also double or triple up, depending on what you are making.  I did one pound of ground turkey and this was perfect!

1 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cummin
1 tsp seal salt
1 tsp black pepper

Mix ingredients and here you go!