Team Hoyt

I had the absolute honor and privilege of meeting Dick ad Rick Hoyt this weekend who were in my town to complete the half marathon.  To date they have competed in over 1,100 races including full marathons and several Iron Man competitions.  They are such a wonderful example of strength and endurance in the face of what would seem impossible to most.  Dick was such a pleasure to speak with and had such kind, encouraging words for me.

It is hard to believe all of the whining I have done over the years because of my asthma, or just because I was tired.  Not to say that every person doesn't encounter their share of struggles, and the size of an obstacle is definitely in the eye of the beholder, but still.  It absolutely puts things in perspective.  

Such a wonderful family and an incredible inspiration for breaking down barriers for the physically challenged. Nothing is impossible!!

For more information on Team Hoyt, follow this link to their website.  

Whole food cornbread

So I am sure that I have posted this recipe in the past, but I love it so much I couldn't help posting it again!  I made this tonight, and as usual I added about 1/4 cup of honey during the step where you add the cream to the corn on the stove. It isn't in the original recipe, but I like things sweet!

I must credit this recipe to the wonderful Lisa at 100 Day of Real Food.  She has some really incredible recipes and advice for those looking to make the switch to a healthier, whole-food lifestyle.  And she does it on a budget.  BONUS

** modification 1:  Like I said up top, I add 1/4 cup of raw honey because I like it sweet and we eat it more as dessert than as a side with dinner

** modification 2:  I add more corn than it calls for.  I put 3/4 cup in the food processor and grate it down to a rough grit, and then add 1/2 cup of whole kernels

SERVES: 6-8 SIDE SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

• ⅔ cup + 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup whole grain corn meal, preferably organic (I used Arrowhead Mills)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ¾ cup corn kernels (I used unthawed frozen ones)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk ⅔ cup whole-wheat flour together with corn meal, baking powder and salt.
3. In a small pan over medium heat melt the butter. Whisk in 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour and keep whisking until it begins to brown. Add the frozen corn kernels and let thaw in pan for a minute. Pour in heavy cream and whisk entire mixture together until it thickens (should only take a couple minutes). Mix in tablespoon of maple syrup and remove from heat.
4. Add creamed corn mixture, eggs, sour cream and grated cheese to dry flour mixture. Blend together well without overmixing.
5. Pour batter into a square or round glass baking dish.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Backbend Challenge!!

Everyone knows that I love a good challenge :)

So recently I challenged my sister to do a backbend every night and hold for 30 seconds.  We have been talking about getting back into tumbling for ages, but never seem to get any further than the "ya we should" discussion.  NOT ANYMORE!!

Today she decided that we would make it a 30 day challenge.  30 days, 30 seconds per day... who knows, maybe we will change it up along the way and add time, or walk-over!  End goal is a tumbling pass.  I should probably set a goal date?  MY BIRTHDAY!  Today is the 13th, so we are exactly 5 months away from my birthday.  DONE

I will do a tumbling pass by my birthday :)  HOORAY!!

DO you have any goals that you have set recently?  What are they? What is the deadline?  Let me know!!!

xo

10 weeks with T25

Today marks 10 weeks into my journey with T25!! I am so happy that I took a leap of faith, not only with the program but with myself and I am seeing it through. 

Although I am a bit behind schedule, I have completed every workout so far and I am loving my results!! 

Put in the work and the results are guaranteed!! 

Hoorayyyyyy for baby biceps!! 

  If you have any questions about the program, let me know  

Shakeology: Not your average protein shake

I have NEVER been a very big fan of protein shakes.  I would always spend too much money on them at the local supplement store and then let them sit in the pantry for months on end because I could never enjoy them enough to drink on a regular basis.  Chalky, artificial tasting, yucky-ness.  


For years I had been hearing about Shakeology, but like many stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the price.  I remember thinking that people were crazy for spending that kind of money on a protein powder that they could get for a fraction of the cost at a supplement store... but then I realized that I was one of those people spending money on the lower-priced item and dreading every sip.

At $4/day how can you afford NOT to drink it?!

FINALLY I gave Shakeology a try and I couldn't be happier!!  When I placed my order, vanilla was the newest flavor so I gave it a shot.  Holy moly.  It is like a vanilla shake.  The best part is, you can add practically any flavor to it and it is amazing.  I love peanut butter, so that is an easy go-to but also, a cup full of fresh or frozen fruit with a splash of low-cal OJ gives you an awesome smoothie!

My favorite recipe right now is to use a scoop of vanilla ShakeO with 1 1/2 cups of cold coffee and 5 ice cubes.  Pop them in the blender and BOOM you have yourself a low-cal, nutrient PACKED Frappuccino  :)

Another thing I have been considering is making my own caramel sauce to add.  I have seen a bunch of crock-pot caramel recipes on Pinterest and have been dying to try them.  I will be sure to let you know how that goes!

If you want to know more about Shakeology, head over to my coaching page and check it out.  Or leave me your email in the comments and we can chat about it!!

Summer body under construction

I am so thankful that I found T25 and made a commitment to stick to it.  With the awesome support of my boyfriend, family and friends I found a workout program that I not only see incredible results from but also look forward to doing!  *WIN*

I have gotten a lot of questions recently about how the videos are and if I feel as if it is really repetitive.  My immediate answer is always no.  They are so engaging and honestly so kick-ass that you don't even have a chance to get bored before it is over.  Push play, sweat your ass off (literally) and then BAM 25 minutes later you are DONE!  SO great right?

Today is March 10th which means you have exactly 100 days until Summer is officially here... WORK NOW!!!!  You will not regret it :)  I promise!

Go to my Team BeachBody page HERE and take a look around.  If you want to know more about T25, or any of the other amazing programs, leave me your email in a comment and we can chat :)

xo

Alpha Grad!!

Happy Tuesday all!!

This weekend I was SO, SO excited to complete the Alpha round of T25!!  It took me a bit longer than the 5 week timeline (8 1/2 weeks, 10 days of which I spent sick as a dog) but I am proud to say that I did not skip a single workout!  I went along with the schedule and completed all 30 workouts, including some extra in between, plus Zumba classes!

I feel AMAZING.  Official weigh in = 6.8lbs down, and many inches lost all over my body.  I don't have before and after pics yet, I am hoping to have Randy take them later.  I would love to take them when there is still natural light in the house!

This is my "crazy, sweaty, I don't care" selfie that I took on Sunday after finishing the last workout!  Geek haha

I cannot say enough amazing things about this workout.  It has changed my workout mentality completely, and while I cannot wait for the weather to get nicer so I can get back to running a few days per week, I know that I will continue with this program.  I'm addicted.  

IT IS 25 MINUTES PER DAY PEOPLE.  EVERYONE'S GOT TIME FOR THAT!!!!