Time is ticking!!

The challenge is almost over!!! The race for the winner's seat is hot! Many of you are neck and neck (based on blog activity, workouts logged and mini challenges completed)... I'll be asking for your finishing stats on Monday (weight & measurements).

First, here's another mini challenge for you...

Pick your favorite exercise from the video workouts and do 100 of that ;-) then comment with what your fav is!!

Cauliflower "fried" Rice

Veggies are a big trend in food right now... using low calorie vegetables to replace noodles, rice, bread, crust, etc. is not only popular but super smart and tasty!

Here's a delicious recipe for cauliflower "fried" rice...

What you need:
1/2 head cauliflower (make into rice by grating it or use food processor until it resembles rice)
1/2TBSP coconut oil
1/2C peas
1 egg
1TBSP soy sauce
Optional: spicy chili sauce

How to:
Heat oil in pan. Add egg and cook through. Add "rice" and all other ingredients. Cook 5-7 minutes. I topped mine with chicken stir-fry. You can make the rice a meal all on it's own... add another egg to boost the protein!

What's your favorite veggie replacement meal?

Bonus Workout

Is 15 minutes just too much time some days? I hear ya! BUT... that's still no excuse to skip your workout... Here's a 7 minute killer. Now, come on... who doesn't have 7 minutes???

50 jumping jacks
10-20 wide leg squats
25 jumping jacks
10-20 push-ups (on knees or regular)
50 jumping jacks
25 crunches
25 jumping jacks
15-20 lunges on each leg

Ready, set, go! Post below when you're done!

BONUS FOOD PLAN

We all like to mix it up, right? So, I've decided to give you all a mini bonus plan! Here are some more meal options to incorporate into your current plan! Remember to also check the recipe page for more!!!

BREAKFAST

Farmer’s Egg Burrito

1 whole egg, 2 egg whites

1 slice cheese 

1 low-carb/high fiber tortilla

(Saute eggs w/ spinach, tomato, mushrooms, salsa. Top w/ cheese and wrap in tortilla)

Cereal & Milk

3/4C Uncle Sam Original or other high-fiber/low sugar cereal

1C milk choice

1/2C berries

 Berry French Toast

2 slices Ezekiel bread

1 beaten egg

1C berries

Cinnamon & vanilla to taste

(Dip bread in egg mixture. Cook in skillet on medium. Top w/ berries, cinnamon and/or ‘Greek Yogurt Pudding’: 3TBSP Greek yogurt mixed with 1TBSP sugar-free pudding mix and Stevia)

SNACK

 Cinnamon Apple “Pie”

1 apple

1TBSP crushed nuts

(Slice apple, microwave 1-2 minutes, top w/ nuts and cinnamon)

Optional: top with 1/2C Greek yogurt

Fiber Fill-Up

1 Trader Joe’s Fiber Muffin or high fiber granola bar (Fiber 1)

1 TBSP peanut butter or small handful of almonds

*Tip: Fiber promotes healthy digestion, keeps you fuller longer and has many other great health benefits

Banana Split 

1 small banana

1/2C Greek yogurt (optional: add Stevia, cinnamon and/or sugar-free pudding mix)

1TBSP crushed nuts

(Slice banana. Top with yogurt & nuts)

LUNCH

Chicken Salad Sandwich

1/2 grilled chicken breast

2TBSP Greek yogurt

1 lime wedge

1/4C diced celery

1tsp balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper to taste

Optional: 1TBSP diced strawberries

2 slices sprouted or whole-grain brea

(Shred chicken & mix all ingredients in bowl. Spoon chicken salad onto toasted   bread)

Roma Mozzarella Salad

1 sliced string cheese

Veggies: sliced tomato, cucumber, romaine, peppers

1TBSP olive oil, 2TBSP balsamic vinegar

Optional: Add sliced chicken breast

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

1 sliced grilled chicken breast 

1 low-carb/high fiber tortilla

Veggies: romaine, tomato, cucumber, peppers

Top w/ 2TBSP light Ranch (or Greek yogurt) and hot sauce

Tip: Cooked chicken is good up to four days if properly refrigerated

Tuna Lettuce Wraps

1 can solid white albacore (drained)

1/2C cooked brown rice

2TBSP Greek yogurt

Veggies: celery, pickle, cucumber

Salt and pepper to taste

2TBSP balsamic vinegar

Whole romaine leaves

DINNER

Chicken Garden Fajita Salad

1 sliced chicken breast

Veggies: peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, tomato

1/2C black beans

Mixed spinach and/or romaine lettuce, salsa as dressing

(Saute chicken with veggies. Add black beans. Combine with greens and salsa.)

Mexi Quinoa Bowl

1/2LB cooked lean ground beef or lean ground turkey

3/4C cooked quinoa

1 can green chillies

1 TBSP avocado

Squeeze of lemon

(Mix cooked meat, cooked quinoa & chillies together in skillet. Top with avocado & squeeze of lemon.)

*Time Saver: Makes 2 servings, save leftovers for another meal

Stuffed Peppers

1LB ground beef or buffalo

4 bell peppers

1 stalk celery

1/4C chopped onion

1 egg

1/2C tomato marinara sauce

1/2C mozzarella cheese

1TBSP olive oil

Salt, pepper & oregano to taste

(Preheat oven to 350. Cut golf ball size hole around pepper stems. Pull out stems, seeds & membranes. Rinse peppers, inside and out. Brush pepper skin w/ oil & set aside. Mix beef, egg, celery, onion, marinara and spices. Evenly stuff peppers. Pour water into cooking pan - just enough to cover bottom. Arrange peppers in pan & bake 30-45 minutes until meat is brown throughout. Remove peppers and sprinkle w/ cheese. Makes 4 servings)

Sweet & Sour Beef & Broccoli

4oz sliced steak (suggest: sirloin)

1C fresh broccoli

1/2TBSP olive oil

1/2TBSP pickled ginger

1/2TBSP soy sauce

1/2C pineapple

Optional: mix in 1/2C pre-cooked Oat Groats

(Spray skillet, add thinly sliced steak strips and allow to brown. In small bowl, combine oil, ginger & soy sauce and whisk. Add broccoli and sauce to skillet along w/ 1TBSP of water. Reduce heat, cover & simmer until broccoli is tender)

MINI CHALLENGE

PLANK!!!! AS SOON AS YOU READ THIS, I CHALLENGE YOU TO PLANK FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN!! YOU'LL START TO SHAKE, WOBBLE AND MAYBE CRY HAHA... BUT KEEP GOING UNTIL YOU LITERALLY COLLAPSE, THEN LET US ALL KNOW HOW LONG YOU LASTED BY COMMENTING BELOW.

Cheat Meal Clean Up

Yum, check out Kristie's cleaned-up version of the typical burger! She used ground turkey instead and added veggies to the actual patty... Use large Romaine leaves as a bun, add tomatoes & pickles ... and wow, you've got a delicious and nutritious dinner!!! Thanks for sharing, Kristie!!

Yummy "Comfort Food" Dinner

This is one of my favorite meals and the whole family loves it, too!! Chicken Meatloaf Muffins with Cauliflower Mash! It's a cleaned up version of the typical meatloaf and potatoes. We had this last night and I'm sad to say that we didn't have leftovers...cause I want it AGAIN! My hubby took what we did have left for lunch today. Note to self... make a double batch next time! I recommend you do that too!! Here's the recipe

CHICKEN MEATLOAF MUFFINS

1 LB ground chicken (can use turkey or lean ground beef, instead!)

1 bell pepper (any color), diced - I used several mini bell peppers of different colors

1/4C diced cherry tomatoes

1 egg

2tsp dried oregano

sea salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and mix well (I use my hands). Spray a muffin tin with Pam. Evenly fill each muffin cup - fills 10. Bake 20 minutes. You can top with a little low-sugar marinara, if you want. Three muffins are a serving. These are also great snacks for on the go - snack portion is 2.

CAULIFLOWER MASH

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

Steam cauliflower for 15-20 minutes. Let cool & blend. Before serving sprinkle on some pepper and sea salt. You can add a little coconut oil.

Mini Challenge!!

Remember that "cheat meal" I asked you all to email me???... Well, most of you didn't do it haha!! BUT... here's your next mini challenge... Turn one of your favorite "bad" meals into a healthy one. Use lean meat, grill instead of fry, substitute Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or cheese, use zoodles instead of pasta, etc... Just clean up your fav cheat meal!

The idea of this challenge, is to get you all to put the healthy tools you've learn to use. You know what healthy looks like and consists of. Part of the battle, is getting creative and just doing it!!

Tonight, I'm making healthy spaghetti. Zoodles, lean ground beef & low-sugar marinara. Olive Garden's meat spaghetti has 790 calories!! My CLEANED UP version has under 300!!! Wow!

Create your CLEANED UP meal this week and email me the picture and recipe!! Ready, set, go!

Week 2

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving... but I hope you didn't eat too much haha! Now, you have a few weeks left until Christmas - where you'll likely over indulge again ;-( ... so let's kick into high gear and really make some great progress these next 3 weeks of the challenge!!

Many of you have already lost weight, inches and bad habits - way to go!! If you didn't do as well as you wished you would have done last week, that's no problem... get on the right track NOW!! This challenge is all about learning new healthy habits to last a lifetime... bad days and bad weeks are going to happen, just learn from it and move forward.

Continue logging your workouts on the workout tracker page and check the recipe page for new additions that you can add to your food plan.

Be sure to email me with your favorite "cheat" food!! We have a new mini challenge soon! 

PREPARE!!

Just got home from a Costco run to stock up for a week or two. I wanted to share with you all some of my must-have staples!!

Share you pics!

When you make a meal that's too good not to share.... Please do!! Send me a picture of the meal so I can post for all the challengers to drool over!

Check out Brittney's yummy apple "pie" wontons!! Doesn't it look AMAZING??!!

Hey, what's that on the side?? Looks like ice cream!! BUT it's not ;-) She chose plain Greek yogurt on the side for a healthy, delicious dessert!!

*Be sure to check your email and get back to me about your favorite "cheat" food. I'm preparing a mini-challenge for you all!

Holiday Party Treat

Have a sweet tooth? Going to a party and need to bring a dessert? Well, I have just the thing for you and it's actually HEALTHY!! Oh... and delicious!! Wonton Apple Pie Cups...

What you need:
2-3 medium apples (any color), diced
1TBSP coconut oil
1tsp vanilla extract
1-2tsp cinnamon
15-20 wonton wrappers

How to:
Melt oil in a pot. Add diced apples and cook 5-7 minutes. Add vanilla and cinnamon and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly soft (depends on the size of apple chunks).

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a muffin tin with pam. Press one wonton wrapper into each muffin cup. Bake 7-10 minutes until slightly golden. Fill with apples. Bake an additional 5-6 minutes. You can top with a small spoon of cool-whip, but they're fantastic plain too!! Or add a side of plain Greek yogurt!

Zoodles

I LOVE zoodles - noodles made with zucchini. You can replace starchy noodles with the super low-cal zoodles for any dish! Tonight, we had lean ground beef with low-sugar marinara on top of zoodles. It was a hit with the family!

Last week, I made Asian stir-fry with zoodles instead of chow mein or udo noodles. YUM!! For the sauce, I mixed 1/4C low sodium soy sauce, 1 chunk ginger (size of a TBSP), 2TBSP oyster sauce, 1TBSP rice wine vinegar, 1/4C water...blend. I marinate the cubed chicken in the sauce and then pour it all in a wok w/ a little coconut oil. Add any veggies you have. When it's all cooked, add the zoodles and cook 1-2 minutes.

CHOOSE healthy

People often (usually!) make excuses to explain their poor food choices and lack of exercise. Let me tell you, I have heard them ALL!! Of course there's the common, "no time" excuses, which I don't even kind of believe... I'm a stay at home mom with my own fitness business plus I do freelance weather anchoring and modeling... I know many of you in this challenge have your hands WAY full too but are still kicking butt. We are all busy but everyone has a little time - it just depends on what you CHOOSE to spend it on.

When going out to eat, people will say "there aren't any healthy options" or "I didn't know what to order" (get grilled meat an veggies - simple! You can even get a grilled chicken salad at Mc Donalds)... or there's the work party treats that you HAD to eat... really?!! You were forced and tortured to eat them? Just say NO... it's your body, health and CHOICE! People admire a strong will.

Anyway, that brings me to dinner last night... My husband has free Olive Garden for the whole month as part of a news story he's doing. He can get 4 meals a day. Yikes! Most people would say "it's free, I have to eat it". Not me! I say - Olive Garden can keep their carb-packed, fat-loaded food. I only fuel my body with food that will benefit me... not make me feel yucky. Now, that doesn't mean I won't eat any of it. I do love their salads, so my hubby brings me one a few times a week (remember, he has this free stuff for a month). I never eat the croutons or dressing... Instead, I add beets, cucumbers, asparagus, spinach, more tomatoes & chicken. Then I use low-sugar balsamic as my dressing.

It's all about making adaptations and CHOOSING healthy!!

So for those work parties coming up....
- Bring healthy snacks with you so you're not starving at work... EVER! Those cookies will jump into your mouth in 2 seconds if your hungry!! Prepare ahead!!
- Say no. You don't have to take a treat just cause it's offered. Show some determination and will power. It WILL be admired!
- Choose greens and lean protein. Skip the carbs, sauces and sweets.

Day 1

Why not start off with a mini challenge?

Today, I challenge you to do a bonus 200 crunches in addition to your normal workout. Do them all at once or throughout the day... Just do them! Then comment below!

DO IT!!! ;-)

Prepare Ahead

Check out the Prep Page for preparation tips and to see what I cooked today for the week ahead... and here's my little cutie telling you all about his favorite bars (which are part of our prep)

Text Reminders

If you'd like random text reminders/encouragment/accountability throughout the challenge. Please text me with your name: 602-481-3756

**Also, see the PREP PAGE for pictures of what I'm preparing for the week ahead...

WELCOME

Welcome to the 2015 Fit Challenge! I am excited to have you all on board! This year's challenge is set to be the best yet!!

Don't gain weight like most people do every holiday season! Get leaner, stronger, healthier & more fit than ever before!!!

This blog will give you all the tools you need to get in the best shape!! Be sure to check in often to see "get fit tips", new recipes, mini challenges AND (most importantly) to log your workouts.

*Now... navigate around a bit and get cozy with this place!

HOW TO GET WORKING OUT...

For the workout portion of this challenge, you all get access to Icon Fitness' iFit Daily website, which is normally $9.99 a month. There you will find hundreds of exercise videos of all kinds! Feel free to try anything you want, but my recommendation is to do one of my very own series - FIT IN 15 or FIT MAMAS (for pregnant/postpartum ladies and those looking for a low-impact/beginners workout).

They all go in a specific order, getting harder as you progress through the challenge... so start at workout 1.

Here is how you can get your 30 day access... CLICK HERE

After the challenge, you can cancel you access or enroll in the monthly system. I'll send out a reminder to you all after the challenge so you can cancel without ever being charged!

Let me know if you have any questions!

I'm excited to come into your living room and kick your booty each day... virtually ;-)

EATING RIGHT

You should all have your food plans by Friday. If you don't have it, please email me!

The plans are semi-customized to fit your needs. However, they are just a template - follow as closely as you can, but there's room to make your own modifications, too... make them healthy ones!! For example, you can swap out a different veggie or use ground chicken instead of ground beef... Or if you're eating out, you can have a turkey sandwich instead of making one at home, but use your plan as a guide (the sandwich should have veggies, turkey and maybe some hummus or mustard - no cheese or mayo). This challenge and your plans are to teach you what a complete/healthy meal consists of and how to make healthy choices. One of the biggest problems I see on food plans is a lack of protein and too many carbs... again, your plan displays balanced meals that will give you the fuel you need without added "junk".

You can also incorporate any of the meals on the recipe page here, that will help so you don't get bored and you'll learn new recipes. Check out the meal prep page for ideas on cooking ahead to save time during the week. 

I add to the pages throughout the challenge, so check back frequently!!