Meal Planning~ Week of August 22

Sunday- we usually eat out..I try to ask for a box to cut my portions in half
Monday- a favorite- chicken sausage with veggie
Tuesday- sweet potato broccoli bake
Wednesday- my friend will be visiting- not for sure of our plans
Thursday- hamburger in a bowl
Friday- slow cooker steak fajitas

Beachbody Health Bet

Wanna get paid for working out?  Would you like a little extra cash just for building healthy habits?  If so, Beachbody’s Health Bet has you covered!

What is Beachbody’s Health Bet?

Beachbody is literally betting cold hard cash that you will fall in love with getting healthy!
During the Challenge Period, from September 5th – October 2nd, 2016, anyone who meets the requirements below will win an equal share of a $1 million dollar pot funded by Beachbody! As a BONUS – for every Challenge Pack sold from July 27th – August 31st, 2016, Beachbody will add $5 to the pot for up to a $3 million dollar pot!

Beachbody’s Health Bet focuses on building healthy habits.

I totally love that in the Health Bet you aren’t focused on the scale.  It’s not about weight loss or getting visible abs.
You are rewarded for creating healthy habits.
Workout three times per week and drink five Shakeology shakes.  That’s it.  No pressure to workout for hours.  No embarrassing weigh ins.  You workout, drink a shake, and post them in your Beachbody Challenge Tracker app.  Super simple.  No stress.

How much will you win?

It depends on how large the final pot will be (minimum of  $1 million and maximum of $3 million) and how many people participate.  So it could be $5, $15, $50 or more.   Beachbody will announce the total pot amount in early September.
But the good news is this… whether you get a big check, or just enough to buy a Green Tea Frappuccino, you will be a winner in that you have created the healthy habits of moving your body and drinking a health shake!  You will be a stronger, more fit, more vibrant person at the end of the month than you were when you started.

Want to join me?

I will run a special Health Bet challenge group for the entire contest period.  We start September 5th and run through October 2nd.  So you will not only earn the Beachbody Health Bet payout, but you’ll also get the support of me and a group of other ladies on the same journey to become the healthiest version of ourselves as possible.  Oh, and some cash too

What do you need to join?

1. I need to be your official Beachbody coach.  If you don’t have a coach, sign up here for a free Team Beachbody membership…beachbodycoach.com/swawerek   (If you are already working with a coach please reach out to him or or to see if they are offering challenge groups for the contest period.  Or, if you are not working closely with a coach, I would love to support you on my team)
2. A Challenge Pack which is your workout program bundled with Shakeology.  
3. A smart phone to access the My Challenge Tracker app.  (Works on iPhones and Android – I’ll send  you the link to download the app.)

Ready to get paid to get fit?  Let’s do this together!

Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies

kinny Chunky Monkey Cookies ----> YUM! These are a perfect little snack for school lunches, work, after school snacks, or that killer craving time of the month, and with only 47 calories, you get a healthy little treat with less guilt! ~ Be sure to tag a friend that needs these too ~

Ingredients
3 ripe bananas
2 cups old-fashioned oats
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash bananas in a large bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients. Let batter stand for approximately 20 minutes, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Makes 30 'cookies'

Freezing Directions:
Cool completely, then place cookies in a freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Nutritional Information (per cookie):
47 calories; 7.5 g carbs; 1.6 g fat; 1.5 g protein; 1.3 g fiber;

Egg Muffins (paleo...clean eating...whole 30)

I was in the mood to try something new for breakfast...and expand my taste buds to include eggs. These are great..makes a lot...quick and easy for breakfast.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. Pork Breakfast Sausage
• 1 T. Olive Oil
• 1/2 Sweet Onion, thinly sliced
• 3/4 C. Bell Peppers, chopped or thinly sliced(any color)
• 1 `1/2 C. Spinach(packed)
• 1 t. fresh Oregano, chopped or 1/2 t. dry oregano
• 9 Eggs
• Dash of Pepper
• 3/4 t. Real Salt
• 1/4 C. Coconut Milk or Almond Milk

 Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin.
2. Place the ground sausage in a sauté pan and heat on medium high. Break up the pork into crumbles with a spatula as it cooks.
3. When the pork is half way cooked, add 1 T. of olive oil, onions, peppers, and oregano to the pan. Saute until the onion is translucent. Add the spinach to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook for 30 seconds, remove the lid and toss the ingredients. Spinach should be wilted but still bright green. Remove from heat.
4. Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl along with the pepper, salt, and milk. Whisk together until eggs are well beaten.
5. Add the sausage and vegetables to the egg mixture and mix in until well distributed.
6. Divide the mixture between the greased muffin tins(12 total), making sure that each tin has a somewhat equal ratio of eggs/fillings.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Cool for a few minutes and remove from tins, loosening the edges first with a knife.

21 Day Fix Snack Ideas

So...I had every intention of running this as a FREE challenge group...But summer is going by so quickly that I just figured that I would make it a blog post. We have been busy every weekend up here in Pickerington...kids busy playing all day..if I had a penny for each time I hear mommy I'd be rich..LOL!!! So I asked a few friends to also contribute to this blog post with some of their favorites. These are all 21 day fix approved...all clean eating (something that seems so hard.but it's really not).
So without anymore chit chat here are 10 easy peasy snacks to keep your health/nutrition goals in check!

1. Greek yogurt with grapes- Mix Greek yogurt and  grapes. For a cooler treat freeze the grapes. 1 red, 1 purple

2. Cucumbers with hummus - I really like English cucumbers because there is no need to peel them. Equals  1 green, 1 blue

3. Carrots and guacamole - Grab the carrot chips and the single portioned out guacamole.Equals  1 green, 1 blue

4. Almond butter and whole grain waffle- Heres a yummy snack that will curb that sweet tooth and keep you full. Equals 1 yellow, 1 blue

5. 2 Hard boiled eggs- I slather on the hot sauce and some spicy mustard and they are delish! Equals 1 red

6. Banana Ice Cream- Freeze a banana and blend in the blender with a bit of almond milk. Freeze in the freezer...so yummy! Equals 1 purple

7. Kale Chips- Another one of my faves…the healthiest green potato chip you will ever eat. De-stem and tear kale into bite size pieces, then add a tsp of extra virgin olive oil. Lay pieces flat on a cookie sheet sprinkle with your favorite spices. I like cayenne pepper. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Equals  1 green

8. Pop Corn- Love this one! Add yummy toppings to fresh popped pop corn like cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Equals  3 cups = 1 yellow

9. Tuna and hot sauce- I know it sounds weird but the hot sauce takes all the fishiness away! Equals 1 red

10. Baked apple- Core and then cut your apple in half, dust with cinnamon. Place on baking sheet center side up at 400°  for 15 minutes or until the apple becomes slightly tender. Equals 1 purple

Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potato

Ah! I was so happy to find a recipe that combined my two loves~ Mexican food (I seriously could eat Mexican each night) and sweet potato. I knew this recipe and myself would be a match made in foodie heaven :)

Ingredients

1. • 3-4 medium sweet potatoes
2. • 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
3. • 1 small onion, diced
4. • 5 garlic cloves, minced
5. • 1 lb ground beef (or chicken)
6. • ¼ cup chili powder
7. • 1 tbsp cumin
8. • 1 tsp salt
9. • 2 cups tomato sauce (or a 15oz can)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Scrub your sweet potatoes and pierce the skin a few times with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until they’re easily pierced with a fork.
2. While the potatoes are baking, let’s make the sauce! Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a medium sized pan over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the beef to the pan and sauté until cooked through. Drain the fat if needed/desired. Add the garlic and sauté until it becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chili powder, cumin and salt to the pan and stir it like you mean it! Add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir again like you mean it! Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven once they’re cooked through, cut open in the middle and stuff with the enchilada filling. These are extra delicious topped with chives, chopped onion, and avocado!

Mexican Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed off and diced into 2" chunks
• 2 bell peppers
• 1½ cups broccoli florets
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• optional: ½ tsp chili powder
•  
• Instructions:
• Heat a large pan on medium high heat.
• Add oil and heat until shimmery, about 20 seconds.
• Add diced chicken, stir occasionally until lightly browned on all sides- about 5 minutes.
• Add peppers and broccoli and continue to cook until veggies are slightly browned and softened- about 10 minutes.
• Add spices and a little water to help coat the stir fry with the spices (about 2 tbsp- adjust as needed).
• Cook until water is completely absorbed.
• Remove and enjoy!

Tip: I cheated when it came to  cooking my chicken. I put mine in the slow cooker and then shredded it! Busy mom didnt have time to cook on stove top...LOL!

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