We're ALL IN.... again!

I've been involved with AdvoCare for over 3 years and still get excited about every cleanse/challenge I do. In 2015, over 70,000 people started the 24 Day Challenge together.  This year, over 128,000 jumped in to start the year off on the best foot. Clay and I are two of them!

2015 was a crazy year for us with selling our house quickly and moving to a temporary place, designing and building a house, moving again and of course, having a baby. Needless to say, it was often tough to focus on ourselves, so we're ready to take back control and get off this fluff!

I decided to do something a little different when we began planning our challenges- I am going to blog through it in addition to using my Instagram account.

Clay is doing the regular challenge with no modifications. He did add on ThermoPlus and Crave Check.

Since I am breastfeeding, I elected to change up the products I use to ensure Riley is safe and put together a program that's similar to the challenge. I will be using the peaches n cream Fiber Drink, Probiotic Restore Ultra, OmegaPlex, Spsrk, meal replacement shakes, Catalyst and Muscle Gain. I will also use the Post Workout Recovery.

I put together our meal plans and spent an hour or so prepping on Sunday. I like to chop veggies once, put together salads in mason jars and bag dinners to make things easier and prevent excuses.

Clay has eggs and reduced sodium turkey bacon every morning, and grilled chicken and green beans/blackeye peas every day, even off the challenge. I make them and put them in bowls to grab and go every week.

I also build mason jar salads.  Put dressing on the bottom if you want, softer veggies (bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers) next, then harder veggies (carrots, onions). Top with protein and then add your greens. These hold for 5 days or so if in mason jars and make life so much easier. Just shake it up to coat with dressing and you can even eat from the jar!

I seasoned the pork chops and put them in a bag. We were having boiled cabbage with it, so I chopped it and put it in its own bag.

Clay is having cheesesteak (with no cheese. Ha) one night, so I browned the beef and put it in a bag with sliced onions and green bell pepper after it cooled.  I can pour the bag in the skillet when it's time to cook and only have to clean one dish.

I also put together overnight oats in mason jars - just the dry ingredients: steel cut oats, flavor god gingerbread cookie, cinnamon, vanilla Muscle Gain, flaxseed. I only made three because some mornings, I'll have a shake. I'll add unsweetened almond milk to a jar the day before I plan to eat it. Prep only requires a good shake and about a minute in the microwave. Another eat from the jar meal!

I cut bell peppers into strip and bagged them, as well as carrot sticks. Snack size bags are perfect and being portioned makes it easy to eat while I'm nursing. I also bagged frozen mixed berries, spinach and chopped radishes to mix with Muscle Gain and almond milk for smoothies.

I am a firm believer in prepping for the challenge and beyond. I started this a few years ago and have done it almost weekly since. With the busyness of life, it's easy to find excuses to eat for convenience instead of health, but when I do, I feel TERRIBLE. Plus I mean, who wants to wash dishes daily? This helps eliminate some of the chores that come with cooking, and I'm all for that!

From Freezer to Slow Cooker

Before Bryson was born, I stocked our freezer with easy crock pot meals .  Since he came along, I've found it's so much easier to spend an hour or two in the kitchen on Sunday prepping meals for the week than to cook each night.  I have to clean the kitchen once instead of every night, which leaves a lot more playtime with my little man.

I got this crazy notion to prepare a month's worth of crock pot meals, thanks to my friend, Kim.  Since I don't have the freezer space for that, I cut it in half and did 16 bags that provided supper for Clay and me, as well as lunch for one of us.  It took me 96 minutes to get everything chopped, measured and bagged.  Clean up each night was as simple as packing leftovers and tossing the slow cooker liner!

This round, I made:
- pesto ranch chicken x2
- meatloaf (1/2 ground turkey, 1/2 ground beef) x2
- garlic beef stew
- balsamic roast
- ribs
- sweet Asian meatballs x2
- fajitas x2
- Philly cheesesteak
- beef w/ sugar snap peas
- chicken teriyaki x2
- tex mex chicken

Coming up with the list of things I wanted to make was the hardest part.  I tried to make similar recipes so I could use all of what I bought.  Since I was buying so much in addition to the groceries we needed for the week, I also matched sales and did a lot of ad matching.  What can I say?  I love a couponing high!  I got all of this plus our regular groceries for less than $150!

To start, labels bags with what's in it and the date.  DO NOT skimp on bags.  Great Value and other cheap bags leak and the last thing you want is garlic beef stew frozen to the bottom of your freezer.  I prefer Hefty slide zipper bags.

Start with a staging area.  Get everything you plan to use in one area that's easily accessible.  Open cans and jars.  It makes things so much easier when you can just grab and go.

I used to drag the garbage can beside me and dump everything as I went, but have started using a Rachael Ray trick and keep a garbage bowl handy.  It prevents me from tripping over the trash can.  Now I only have to worry about Bailey being under foot...

Invest in Reynolds slow cooker liners.  They're something like $2.50 and prevent you from having to wash the crock pot with each use.

All of the recipes below are either my own creations or adapted from recipes I've found online.  We prefer to eat as healthy as possible and live on the AdvoCare/Paleo diet, so all of these recipes fall into that category.  When possible, I've included a link to the original recipe.

Pesto Ranch Chicken Source

- 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

- 1 small jar Classico pesto

- 1 package dry Ranch dressing mix (I use homemade Ranch mix)

- low sodium chicken broth 

- Combine chicken breasts, pesto and Ranch mix in the bag.  Add chicken broth when cooking.  I use roughly half a box of broth- it's never enough to cover the chicken as I don't like the texture too much broth gives chicken, but does give it some flavor and moisture.  Chicken doesn't need to cook long because it dries out. The max I ever leave chicken in the crock pot is 6 hours on low.

Meatloaf

- 1 pound lean ground beef (I use 97/3)

- 1 pound lean ground turkey (I use 97/3 when possible)

- 1 egg

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 small can no salt added tomato sauce

- 1 tablespoon dry Ranch mix

- salt

- pepper

- Mix all ingredients except the tomato sauce and half the mixture.  

- Form the mixture into two loaf shapes.  Top each loaf with tomato sauce and place in individual bags.  

- When cooking, just place in crock pot.  No liquid necessary.  This doesn't take long to cook, but can go all day if necessary.  I did 6 hours on low.

Garlic Beef Stew Source

- 1.5 pounds lean steak, cubed, or stew meat
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 medium carrots, sliced
- 6* cloves of garlic, finely diced
- salt
- pepper
- no salt added tomato paste
- 2-3 cups low sodium chicken broth

- Combine all ingredients in the bag and just toss in the crock pot when you're ready to cook.  No additional steps needed.
- * I never tried this because I had a stomach bug when we cooked it.  Clay wasn't a huge fan of it because it was pretty garlicky.   I think I'll probably reduced it to 3 cloves next time.  I like green beans in my beef stew, so I'll probably add some frozen cut green beans to the bag.
- I used a soup/stew preset on my crock pot, so it cooked for 3 hours on high and 6 on low.

Balsamic Roast Source

- 1.5-2 pound roast 

- 1 large onion, sliced

- 8-ounce can no salt added tomato sauce

- 1/2-cup balsamic vinaigrette (I used Marzetti brand I got on sale)

- extra virgin olive oil

- salt

- pepper

- garlic powder

- Season each side of the roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and brown the roast on all sides.
- Allow it to cool, then put in the bag with the remaining ingredients.
- When cooking, just put everything in the crock pot.  No additional steps required.  Cook low and slow- I did 8 hours on low.  

Ribs Source
- rack of ribs (I used baby back, trimmed of all visible fat)
- pepper
- salt
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cayenne (I didn't add this because Bryson was eating them)
- BBQ sauce for dipping, if desired
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

- Rub the ribs with the seasonings and place in the bag.
- Pour the broth in the bag before freezing. It will act like a brine and make the ribs more flavorful and tender.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.

Sweet Asian Meatballs Source
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 egg
- salt
- pepper

- Combine all the ingredients and form into balls.  I made the meatballs palm-sized, but you can do mini balls or big ones.  Totally your preference, just make sure they're the same size.  Separate the balls into 2 bags.
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4, depending on the size.

Fajitas
- 2 yellow onions
- 4 bell peppers (I used one pack of tricolor and a green)
- small handful of taco seasoning (I make my own from this recipe, minus the salt)
- 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

- Rub the chicken breasts in taco seasoning.  Toss everything except broth in 2 bags, no need to chop the chicken.
- Dump the bag in the slow cooker, then pour in broth.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  As the chicken cooks, it will become very tender and will shred easily.  Shred the chicken using tongs or two forks, then wrap up in a tortilla or put on a salad!

Philly cheesesteak in a bowl Source
- 1.5 lb lean steak, sliced thin (I use eye of round most often)
- 1 green pepper, sliced thin
- 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
- 1 tbsp low sodium worcestshire sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- pinch of black pepper
- pinch of chili powder
- 1 tsp-1 tbsp hot sauce (optional)
- 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella shredded cheese (optional)

- Combine all ingredients except broth and cheese in the bag and shake well.  Toss in the crock pot and add chicken broth.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Since the steak is sliced so thin, it doesn't need long, but does get more tender the longer it cooks.  Eye of round is super lean, but can also be chewy, so the extra time in the crock pot really helps the flavor and texture.
- Add cheese on top in the last 30 minutes to give it time to melt.  Dairy isn't allowed on the 24 Day Challenge and some Paleo eaters avoid dairy, so if you follow either of these, leave out this step.
- We've eaten this on a wrap, but it's good all by itself!  No carbs necessary!

Beef with Sugar Snap Peas  Source
- 1.5 - 2 pounds lean steak, sliced very thin (I used sirloin)
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger (or about 2 tsp dry ginger)
- 5 scallions, sliced on the diagonal
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, either finely minced or made into a paste
- 1.5 - 2 cups snow or sugar snap peas (fresh or frozen)

- In large bag, combine in all of the ingredients except the peas.  Toss to coat everything in the sauces.
- Put the snow peas or sugar snap peas in a smaller bag and place it in the big bag.  I used sugar snap because I couldn't find snow peas.  I've since  made it with snow peas and they're both fantastic!
- Cook the ingredients of the large bag on low for 6-7 hours.  Add the sugar snap peas in the last 30-45 minutes.  They'll give the dish a freshness and crisp crunch!

Chicken Teriyaki Source
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp Splenda brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup low sodium, low sugar teriyaki sauce or 1 teriyaki chicken seasoning packet
- 2 scallions, sliced on the diagonal
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

- Pour soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, sesame seeds and teriyaki sauce or seasoning in the bag.  Close and shake to mix.  Break up the brown sugar with your fingers if it clumps.
- Add the chicken to the bag, then toss to coat.
- Pour the contents of the bag in the crock pot, then add chicken broth.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  In the last hour, add the scallions and stir to make sure they're covered by the liquid.
- If you want to make a sauce, pour the leftover liquid from the crockpot into a pot and get to a rapid boil.  Let it boil for 3-4 minutes, then reduce to a simmer.  It'll take a while to reduce unless you add cornstarch, which of course, I don't do, but it will reduce to a thicker consistency and it's soooo good!

When you've made all of your bags, lie them flat and remove all the air you can.  Place them on the bottom of your freezer, as flat as possible.  When they're frozen through, you can file them like books on a shelf.  Thanks for that tip, Grandmama!  It saves so much space in the freezer!

Tex Mex Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- no sugar added salsa
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
- juice of 2 limes

- Put the chicken in the bag and add all ingredients.
- Cook on low for 5 hours.  I shred the chicken when it's cooked and add to a salad with black beans.

Baby Chicken (or turkey) Nuggets

Our little linebacker began taking interest in our food around 2.5 months and was attempting to steal our forks at 3 months.  We started him on solids at 4 months.  Since he was beginning so early, we decided to feed him purees in lieu of the original plan to practice Baby Led Weaning.

I am a firm believer that good health starts from the beginning.  Growing up, my favorite snacks were carrots with ranch dressing and strawberries.  Today, if you put a crudite tray in front of me, I am still all over it.  Clay and I try to be healthy and really wanted to build a foundation for Bryson that would last a lifetime.  That meant foregoing the convenience of packaged foods and artificial flavors, both in his purees and the adult food he consumed.  Sure, if bacon cheeseburgers and onion rings are your thing, it's easier to give baby a piece of what you're eating, but baby's well-being should trump convenience every time.

I started out making Bryson's purees.  With each new food, he got the jarred stuff once or twice and if he liked it, I made a batch.  I used only organic frozen varieties even though we aren't strict about eating only organic fruits and vegetables.  Frozen vegetables are much more nutritious than canned, or even from the produce section oftentimes, because they're frozen at their peak.

At 6 months, we began to give Bryson chunks of food, starting with things we knew he liked: carrots, pears, etc.  Now that he is almost 8-months-old, he is almost past purees.  At dinnertime, we all sit at the dining table and Bryson gets some of what we're eating.

Since some of our food isn't baby-friendly, I have been experimenting with recipes for Bryson and have stumbled upon a hit!  Not only does he love it, but it's great for him, is easy to make AND can be frozen for future use!

Seriously, iPhone, you couldn't take a better picture??

Ingredients:

- 1 pound ground chicken

- 1 apple 

- 1-2 adult carrot(s)

- 1/2 yellow or white onion

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

- 1/2 garlic clove

- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

- dried thyme, if desired

- black pepper, if desired

Directions:

- Peel the apple and shred the carrot. Cut into chunks and put in a food processor with the garlic and onion.

- Process the ingredients until they're smooth, but still chunky.  They don't need to be pureed.

- Combine apple, carrot, onion and garlic with ground meat.

- Add in the white of the egg.  Adding the yolk may make it runny.  Add desired spices.

- Mix everything together well.

- Add 1/4-cup of the bread crumbs and mix.

- Add remaining bread crumbs if needed.

- Form into balls, then flatten each ball into a nugget shape.

- Heat a stovetop grill or pan on medium heat.

- Add 1 tbsp olive oil and allow it to heat up.

- Cook the nuggets on each side for roughly 7 minutes.  Don't overcrowd the pan or they take forever.

- Finish in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes if you're unsure if they're done.  Babies CANNOT eat under-cooked meat.

Tips:

- I actually used turkey because our grocery store stinks and didn't have ground chicken. You can use any meat, but I recommend using something with 9% or less fat. I used 97/3 because I prefer extra lean.

- Bryson has never had garlic before, so I only added it to half. If your baby hasn't had or doesn't like onion, garlic or spices, play around with the combination.

-This yields a lot of nuggets, so you can freeze them for later.  I packaged 5-6 nuggets together in plastic wrap, then put all of the packages together in one ZipLoc bag.  Adding the plastic wrap helps prevent freezer burn and makes it easier to get smaller portions out.

The apples and carrot release their juices during the cooking process, so the nuggets are super soft and easy to chew.  When Bryson took his first bite, his eyes got huge and he grabbed for more.  I'd say he's a fan!  I hope your little one loves them too!

First Sick Boy Appointment

The last year has been full of firsts.  Most have been happy experiences that I want my memory to absorb like a sponge.  The most recent first is not one of those times.  It's one that I don't want to remember and wish I wouldn't have to experience again.

On Saturday, October 6, Bryson started crying roughly two hours after going to sleep. That's not normal and his cry was unlike any I had ever heard. I ran to his crib panicking because he was obviously in pain.  As soon as I picked him up, I realized he had a fever. I woke Clay up and had him grab the thermometer, which revealed a temp of 101.9. We undressed him, rubbed his head down with a damp ramp rag and gave him Tylenol.

Our little wiggleworm, who usually loves lounging on the baby recliner (a.k.a. Boppy), wasn't content anywhere but Mommy's arms. I held him close and rubbed his head.  Within 5 minutes, he was OUT!  For 45 minutes, I rubbed his head, face and chest, and sang to him.  When I checked his temperature again he was a cool 99.0, so I put him in his rock 'n' play and tried to get some rest in the event we had to go to Children's.  Four hours later, another temp check revealed an even cooler 97.4, which is much closer to his usual since he got his Mommy's low core body temp.

The following day, he was back to his smiley self.  All week, he acted normal, but Tuesday night, began to cough in his sleep.  The cough progressed some through the week, so finally, on Friday, we went to the doctor.

He looks really sick, huh?

The whole three stinkin' hours (that's for another time) we were there, he charmed the nurses, as per usual.  We were in a waiting room alone for roughly an hour and a half (ugh) and we kept a good rapport going.  In fact, it got so lively that nurses came in to listen to him talk.  They gathered around when they realized a 3-month-old was already saying "Mama."  I'm not sure anybody believed he was sick!

Talking to Mommy and trying to eat her hair.

When the doctor came in, Bryson pulled the stethoscope off of his neck and tried to eat it too.  It just looked so nummy!

While the doctor had Bryson's mouth open to look at his throat, we investigated the toofie situation since he's showing so many teething symptoms.  Because most babies get lower teeth first, I hadn't thought to look at the upper jaw.  He still has a thick layer of tissue on the lower teeth, but his upper jaw is FULL.  No wonder I'm constantly covered in drool and everything makes its way to B-Man's mouth!

He's even started sucking his lower lip in and rubbing it on his upper gums.  Hahaha

The examination revealed a pretty yucky infection in both ears, so he got an antibiotic and a shot.  The shot was rocephin and my gosh, the needle was huge.  It's no secret this Mommy doesn't like needles and seeing that one head toward my baby's leg broke my heart.  Apparently rocephin is a painful shot- he cried and cried and cried.  Nothing I did calmed him down... until baba made an appearance.  It was almost suppertime anyway, so we had a baba in the doctor's office while we waited the mandatory 15 minutes after a shot.  We walked out of there just as we came in- with big smiles on our faces. 

He had to go for his 4 month appointment yesterday and they checked his ears.  They're all clear and this little man is once again a picture of health!

I'm considering getting a bubble to keep him in so we don't have to do that again!

The secret to [my] success.

Until this spring, I thought my clock didn't have a 4:50 AM. When my head hits the pillow at 10:00 PM, I'm out, so as far as I knew, my alarm clock went directly from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. I got engaged and was struggling to fit an 8-hour workday, a workout and wedding planning into a 24-hour period... multiple times a week. My body doesn't like anything beyond 10:30 PM (as evidenced by the incessant yawning that begins promptly at 9:00 PM). Since working on DIY wedding projects at night while my fiance and dogs lounged around just wasn't working, I got this hair-brained idea- I would hit the gym at 5:30 AM so my nights would be free.

I discovered "Boy Meets World" airs at 5:30 and 6:00, so 45 minutes on the elliptical passed quickly and made waking up before the sun much easier. I actually liked working out in the morning. It set the tone for the rest of the day and I could always count on an energy boost during the time I usually suffered from the dreaded afternoon lull.

THEN I went to Jamaica and spent a week on the beach with my new husband, only looking at a clock to know when to start getting ready for our dinner reservations. Basking in the slow Jamaican lifestyle for a week will make an American lazy!

I have continued working out and [for the most part] eating right, but I really have ZERO motivation to do so. With two 5Ks and possibly a half marathon quickly approaching, it's about time to do something. This time, instead of busting my butt and trying to pack half marathon training into a 12-week period, I'm starting slow.


So what's my plan?

Step one: Make a bet with my husband.
I have a strong competitive nature and do not like to lose, especially to Clay. Monday night, I coerced him in to a bet. If I reach my goal weight and keep it off by the end of 10 weeks, our house gets a professional deep cleaning. We won't discuss the other end of the bet because it's just not important.

Unrelated story: Our friends joke that Clay and I are so competitive that we even try to outdo each other in sickness. When he got a stomach bug last year, he threw up for 24 hours and was very weak for 48. I got it, threw up (and had other unmentionable issues) for hours, passed out due to dehydration and hit my tooth on the ceramic tile floor. Did I mention this was within 24 hours of getting engaged and that we spent Christmas night in the ER?

Step two: Find friends who will hold me accountable.
This includes you. If you're on My Fitness Pal, add me here. You have my permission to bug me if I don't sign in for a few days.

Step three: Get new gear.
As an early Princess Andrea Day gift, I bought a new pair of Nike pants and the Nike sensor for my shoe. I even bought a Couch to 5K app on my iPhone.

Step four: Set goals
Sidenote: Don't do the whole "Where do you have xx pounds to lose" thing. I'm 5'9" and hide weight well. The goal weight for our bet is 15 pounds by October 4. I know I don't want to lose more than that and 15 may be pushing it, but we shall see when I get there. Until then, my short term goals are as follows:
August 30: 4 pounds down
September 13: 9 pounds down
October 4: 15 pounds down

Step five: Make a plan
Since I'll be running a good bit, I can't do my traditional low carb lifestyle. I am hoping to jumpstart with the Couch to 5K plan. I started last night. The C25K app is genius and made my interval run SO much easier.

What are some of your health and/or fitness goals? How do you want to accomplish them?