Reflecting on 2014

I am sitting here reflecting on my 2014 year…
Where I was last year at this time, and where I am now. The difference is astonishing, really!

Sometimes I think back to before and it feels like a dream. Like a bad dream and place that I was never actually in. But I was. I was there. I was at a low place. I know posting this makes me vulnerable to peoples judgement and I am ok with that because the truth is most of us find ourselves in a low at some point in our lives, right??

It is crazy what you can do and what changes you can make in ONE year.
I love the life I am living.. and I never dreamt it was possible to be here.
-Financial freedom
-Freedom to be home with my daughter EVERY day.
-Gained self confidence
-Gained self worth!
I realized that I DO belong somewhere special here on this earth. I have a PURPOSE.

Do you ever feel like you are just running on a hamster wheel? Not sure where you are going or if you are going in the right direction..?
Been there!

Who wants a new opportunity for 2015?
My biggest goal for this upcoming year is to find and help people who are stuck like I was. And to help them make the same changes in their life! Because I promise you, it is doable! And it is SO worth it!

Comment "IN" below and let's get started :)

How to Shop CLEAN!

So it is 2015! You can't use the holiday excuse anymore. Your talking about starting a new meal plan, working out, the whole works! Let me help you get started right. I want to share some tips that I use while shopping to make sure that I am hitting the right areas of the store! ;)

1) Prep for Success

Make sure that you have your meals for the week prepped out and ready. What I do is plan a few different recipes for each meal. For example maybe 2 lunch recipes, 2 dinner, and 1 breakfast. This is because I usually have plenty of left overs. So no need to cook each night/day of the week! 

Have your meals planned out and write the ingredients that you need for each recipe out on a grocery list! Here we goooo to the grocery store! PS- when you are writing out your grocery list, think about where in the store you will get those ingredients ;) … are any of them in the middle aisles??

2) Shop the outside aisles!

 When you are shopping in the grocery store, the key is to stick to the outside aisles. Why? Because the middle aisles are usually filled with canned and boxed foods- a no no for a clean eating diet. 

Below is an example of what shopping in the grocery store should look like. And this is really what it looks like for me! In and out of the middle aisles just a little bit and then back to the outside. When I started taking clean eating seriously and started the 21 day fix, this pattern just kind of fell into place. I heard about "shopping the outside aisles" after I had already been doing it. But it makes sense right?! 

The chips, pop, candy, boxed dinners, canned veggies, etc. Stay out away! :) Spend more time looking for fresh produce that you can snack on and make healthier meals with.

When I walk into our grocery store, the first thing there is produce. I do the majority of my shopping there. Then I work my way around the store… meat, dairy, frozen, checkouts! I do go into the middle aisles a tad just for maybe some salsa, almonds, chicken broth, or oatmeal. But other than that I really don't need anything in them.

3) Produce is your friend :)

Like I said before- when I am in the grocery store, the majority of my time is spent in the produce department. You should have vegetables incorporated into your lunch and dinners. And also eating fruit each day. These things seem to disappear out of my fridge fast, so I pick up a LOT of it! ;) And to be honest- I usually have to make a few extra runs to the store during the week if/when I run out of produce. 

When I got home from the grocery store the other day I decided to take out all my groceries and figure out how much of each category I was buying. This is what my groceries for the week typically look like. Neil works on the road during the week so I am cooking for Chloe and I. Granted I usually have some things at home still that I don't have to buy and I also end up going back to the grocery store sometime at the end of the weekend for more.

As you can see in this picture, 60% of my groceries are produce. 20% is dairy. This is usually egg whites, unsweetened almond milk, greek yogurt, some yogurt for Chloe, and maybe some cheese if a recipe calls for it. 15% is meats. That is typically chicken breast, maybe salmon, ground turkey. I like to get my protein in other forms too- like Tofu and egg whites. Only 5% of the groceries I bought were shelf items. TWO items- chicken broth for my chicken picatta that I will make later this week and walnuts for a new salad that I am going to try out!




Do you need help getting started with meal planning and clean eating? Feel free to contact me through my blog or Facebook and I can give you more tips! You can also check out my recipes which are also located on my blog for some ideas! Let me know how it goes!

Remember: Find clean recipes, write a grocery list, shop for food, and consciously make sure that you are sticking to outside aisles! Happy Grocery Shopping!! :) Did I mention that I LOVE grocery shopping?! LOVE IT!!


xo
Briana

New Years resolution

I have been thinking lately- what will my New Years resolution be??? Hmmmm

I honestly can say that I don't think I have actually ever set one before. But this year I want to. And I want to stick with it! 

I have been thinking today that I might make a resolution to organize my time better. Something that I really struggle with. I am a schedule oriented person but get off task really easily. If I could get that under control and break my day into different time for cooking, cleaning, family, work, etc. I think it would be good for both me and my family. And would also help me be more chill throughout the day ;)

What is your New Years resolution going to be?! Any ideas yet? I would love to hear them!

Healthy 2015!!

2014 is closing soon. Now is the time to get a good start on 2015.. make changes that you have been wanting to make for a long time but keep on giving yourself excuse after excuse. Been there, done that!
No more!!

I am offering you a FREE, yes free! 5 days to Healthy eating group starting on Dec. 26th!

My goal with this group is to give you the key information that will help you make healthier choices when shopping, cooking, and eating! We will end the day before New Years! This way you have what you need to make healthy choices for the New Year 

Let your friends and family know! The more the merrier!!!
My goal is to help as MANY people as I can create healthier habits for themselves in 2015!

Who's in!?

Buffalo Chicken Fries

Buffalo Chicken Fries!!!??

Can you say YUM?!?!?

These were so good. I was always a fan of buffalo wings growing up. It was like a weekly thing in our house. My mom still loves them and so do I!

But you can always find a healthy alternative for something that is not all that healthy! Why not try it out? What is something that you love but it not good for you? It is ok to have it every now and then! But maybe find a healthy alternative for that so that you can enjoy it more often and still stay on track ;)

If you want, you can always ask me for my advice on a healthy alternative meal!

Anywho.. this meal still had that satisfying, filling, hot wing goodness. I think the mix of the sweet potatoes with the hot sauce and everything else just mixed together perfectly. You are going to love it!

And guess what- Its SUPER easy to make! Like ultra easy!

What you need:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
-greek yogurt (about 2 tbsp.)
- Feta cheese
- Buffalo sauce
- optional: green onions for garnish :)

Directions:
- peel the potatoes and cut them into wedges. Cut off the ends first, stand them up and cut down the center.
- Preheat the oven to 425, spray the baking sheep with olive oil, and back for 30ish minutes.
-Meanwhile, cut your chicken breast into chunks and boil in water. (You can also fry it in a pan with olive oil if you prefer)
-When the chicken is done shred it with 2 forks

Add you sweet potatoes to your plate. Top it with the chicken, hot sauce, a couple spoons of greek yogurt, and some feta cheese!! I added a side of broccoli also :) You've got to get those veggies in ;)

Enjoy!! And let me know how you like it! Leave comments :)

xo
Bri

Santa's "Workout" Shop

Ready for Santa's Workout Shop?!


Why would you want to wait until after the holiday to start getting on track to a healthier you when you could start working towards your goals now?!

Here is a little secret: Every day counts! Every week counts.. and every month counts! So don't keep putting YOU on hold.

I am hosting a 3 week group starting on December 15th for anyone who wants some support, accountability, and motivation through the holiday season.

You will get the support of myself and others in the group, a meal plan to follow, and workouts to follow!

Perfect! You've got your nutrition. Your Support/accountability. And your workout!

Let's get to work!

Contact me via my blog or Facebook message me to hold a spot!

xo
Bri

Surviving a flight with a busy toddler

Holy Moly- we leave for our vacation in THREE days. I can't believe it has came up so quickly. This will be Chloe's second plane ride. We went to Lake Tahoe back in December and will now be leaving for Mexico!!

I am sitting here in bed and just going over the "lessons learned" from our last flight with Chloe. Man was it interesting to say the least. I will go over the Do's and Don'ts that I learned from this experience. lol yeahhhh. It was more than interesting.

Chloe is a very very very active toddler. Like she CANT sit still. My mom and I actually just took her to a dance show tonight. She loved watching the dancers.. briefly! haha Otherwise she was literally climbing up and down the bleachers over.over. and over. again. AND she threw a little fit when I wouldn't let her continue down the stairs. So you can about imagine how our first plane ride went!!
Got a little picture/vision in your mind!? haha

#1 lesson:
The first trip we went on I think we were OVER prepared. We wanted to have anything and everythi
ng to keep her occupied during the flight that we honestly just had way to much stuff.
We brought puzzles, a dvd player, play doh, a sticker board, colors, stickers, blanket, bunny, snacks, more snacks, and much more where that came from. We had a big bag of stuff just for Chloe. haha

The reason I will NOT be doing this the second time around-
I found out that its the small things that entertain her. She watched very little of the movie because she was so excited (makes sense right?!) .. hello mom, we are on a PLANE?! And you think I want to stare at this movie and be quiet?! Not happening.

This time around I will be bring a few things that she was entertained with the first time around. The trip TO Lake Tahoe was kind of a learning lesson.. she was also very very excited so wasn't all that interested in focusing on toys or anything else. The trip back was much better than I had expected actually! She played with Play Doh for a long time, then her sticker board FOREVER, and otherwise she ate some snacks!

#2 lesson:  
Pack LIGHT. And by light.. I mean the stroller too if possible! We hauled along our big Jeep stroller on the plane. We brought it to the boarding gate and everything. It was definitely nice to have don't get me wrong.. but my goodness!!! When it came to loading that thing up and throwing it on the cart they have without holding up the entire line of passengers… Anxiety level RISING.. hahaha
Seriously though, it was so unnecessary. Plus the dang thing BARELY fit into our trunk.. and to find room for our luggage after we had it in the trunk was another task of its own.
So PACK LIGHT!!
























#3 lesson:
Try to stay cool, calm, and collected. I think maybe my fear of the whole situation going bad made it harder on me as a mom than it needed to be. This time around I am really going to try to just go with the flow and stay CHILL. hahaha Which is not at all easy to do in the moment.. but we will have her dad along this time to help us out also ;) Score!












What am I going to do differently this time around?
So I am sitting here in my bed, it is 11:30 pm and I am thinking about how I am going to pack for this trip and what I am going to do differently this time around. And I am the type of person where, unless I get this off my chest and think or type it out… write a list or something.. I won't be able to sleep.

So this time around I think I am definitely going to be packing lighter. Chloe is potty trained now so that will make things easier on the plane. I will bring..

A few pull ups in case
Extra underwear and a pair of pants
Fruit snacks
sippy cup with water (doesn't get nasty as it gets warm)
A banana or other snack
Sticker board (shown in picture)!- she LOVES this thing
Play doh- also loves!
MAYBE her little kids tablet

Other than that I am going to pack up the rest in our suite case.. including her blanket and stuffed animals.. WHY?? Because those are so hard to hang onto throughout the airport and on the plane. She isn't incredibly attached to them so this is possible for us.. she won't even notice!














Last Tips-
  

Be Creative with them! Chloe loved it when I played "pretend" with her dinosaur fruit snacks. (I might get some JUST for this trip) haha We played "dinosaurs" for a very long time. If you bring play doh you can make different animals, shapes, etc out of it! I think we also made ducks and played pretend with those for probably an hour! And the sticker board she loved.. mainly because it had animals on it. She wasn't so interested in sticking them on the board as she was playing pretend with them.

So honestly as I write this, I am finding out that all of her favorite activities had to do with playing "pretend" with different things. So finding out what your child enjoys and likes most will help. And bringing along things that can take up a lot of time.

For instance- Chloe likes to color, but only for about 3 minutes at a time. So that would probably be a waste of time/space/effort to bring those along because I know it won't grab her attention. Now if we could PAINT on the plane, that would be a different story! ;) haha

I hope this helped you!! If you are leaving for a trip and worried about how things are going to go. I promise, you are not the first one to bring a toddler on the plane. Our last flight had a toddler walking up and down the aisle almost the entire time. Its perfectly normal ;)

Safe Flights!

xo
Bri

Stay on track through the Holidays!

Do you need some extra help/motivation to stay on track through the holidays?!

Of course!!! We all do :) This time of year is usually when we fall of track the most and give our selves excuse.after.excuse. Obviously you want to enjoy yourself during the holidays!! Family, friends, FOOD… BUT why not have a little accountability and support to help keep you on track so you don't go over board??

I have an accountability group starting next monday, the 15th! If you are interested at all or want to know more about what it all entails, shoot me a message and I would be happy to chat with you!

Happy Monday!!

xo
Briana

What is the best time of the day to exercise?

What time of the day do you typically work out? Have you ever wondered if maybe working out at a different time would benefit you more?! I have.. So I did some research and read an article on it!

I usually ALWAYS workout first thing in the morning.. either before or after breakfast. I try to get it done right away before my daughter gets up ;) I found that this is actually really benefiting me.. waking up and working out first thing in the morning.

In the morning, before you have eaten, your body is forced to use its fat stores as energy. This isn't as effective as burning glycogen when it comes to losing body fat. SO, I learned that its good to do easier workouts in the morning before breakfast. If you are going to do cardio or something that is going to get your blood pumping more, eat a little something before hand! If working out in the morning, like me, is the only time you have-- Eat half of a banana or something small before you workout.

Working out when your glycogen stores are full is the best time! Glycogen is recharged by carbohydrates and is used up very quickly with brain activity, exercise, and other activities. This means that you glycogen levels are usually the highest after you digest a meal containing carbohydrates. This is why early morning workouts are not ideal. You may hit something called "the bonk". This is what happens when your body runs out of glycogen. Basically you will feel like you hit a brick wall and completely run out of energy.. I know I've been there!!

Working out at night before bed is your last option. The reason for this is that training late at night can actually effect your sleep. Some people have a hard time falling asleep after working out. You need this time to recover. Sleep is very important in recovering and training. Some people actually fall asleep very well after working out. So if this is your case, you are fine! :)

The bottom line is that exercise is very important. So first of all make sure you are working out when you can. If it is not the ideal time of day, that is fine. There are ways to make it work by changing your diet plan, the times that you eat, etc. There are many different things that can effect the quality of your workout/progress. Making sure that you actually get a workout in is the most important.

I hope this helped some of you! I know we don't have time to pick and choose an ideal time of the day to workout. But I thought by sharing this you could see how you can maybe sculpt your meals  around your workouts better in order to benefit more!! Because after all you are doing all that hard work, you mine as well be getting the best results possible!

xo
Briana

Crock pot Balsamic Chicken

Crock pot recipes.. ahhh my FAVE!!

Why?! Cause this mom doesn't have time to make a miraculous meal rarely EVER in the evening!
This last week/weekend with Thanksgiving and shopping things got a little crazy and I was just ready to get back into the loop of things and into a normal routine/schedule. That went for my meals and working out also.

For this week I decided to do something simple but delicious. I lovvveeee chicken. So if you can put chicken in the crock pot, throw in a few ingredients, and just wait for it to cook and turn out awesome. <<<That's winning in my book! So I am going to bring you a winning recipe ;)

I haven't given this to Chloe to try yet, but I really think she would have liked it! She had some left over Chili from last night.. which was ALSO a crock pot meal! (which you can also find in my recipes) hahaha Yesss I am a little bit lazy so far this week in the cooking department. BUT that doesn't mean I can't make something everyone loves. And honestly, a lot of times I think crock pot meals are the BEST!

So here you have it! Super easy..

What you need:
Chicken breast- as much as you want (I used 3 breasts, enough for leftovers!)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 small onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:
Put Chicken breasts at the bottom of the crock pot, add ingredients on top, give it a stir. Cook on low for 6 hours or High for 4 hours. Serve with your choice of sides!


I hope you enjoy this recipe! I love bringing you family friendly recipes that are EASY to get on the table! Let me know what you think :)

xo
Bri

Train Insane or Remain the Same!

You know what kind of workouts are my FAVORITE?!
Ones that can get you in incredible shape in only 30 minutes/day :)

I did Insanity back in December 2012 after I had Chloe. It helped me gain back all the muscle I had lost during my pregnancy plus more! I loved it.. but working out for an hour a day was not ideal.

I can't believe that I ever thought I was going to be able to make it to the gym at least 4 days a week.. * Note: it didn't work * ;) After you have kids you find out that when you leave the house for 2 hours a day, you just start to feel guilty instead of relaxed. You get tired of bothering people to come over and watch your child. Its more work than the working out part itself...

And that is why I am here.. doing these FUN workouts and in the best shape of my life AFTER having a baby.

>>> Who is ready to MAX OUT in 30 minutes a day with me!?
This releases tomorrow! And I have a feeling its going to go fast :)
So like, comment, or message me to get first dibs!!

Dear Fat,
Prepare to DIE.

xo, YOU!

Turn a "mommy meal" into a "toddler friendly meal"!

This whole week I have been focusing on how I can turn MY meals into a toddler meal as well. Doing this will not only make dinner much much easier, but will make the week go by smoother also!

Meal prepping for myself has not always been something that I have been good at. It took me some time to figure out how it was going to work for me and what method to use. So for awhile I really struggled in this area and I think it held me back. I now write out my meal plan for each week! I usually eat the same meals throughout the week. Its just easier for me this way, and I don't have to worry about cooking everyday!! Which is a HUGE plus for me!

So this weekend we were sitting on the couch watching the movie Tammy and I was doing my work. I thought to myself, why on earth don't I just make this easier for myself!? Why haven't I been prepping Chloe's meals also and incorporating them with mine so that I can cook 1/2 as much?? (note: Neil works on the road during the week so its just Chloe and I, making it a bit easier) ;)
But honestly, why do I do this to myself every week?? --prep my meals and then have no plans for what I am going to make Chloe for dinner every night? Its craziness. I mean sometimes I do have a plan, but who has time to make 2 separate meals?! Not this girl!








So anyways.. let's get to it!! I created a meal plan that hopefully will work for both me AND my little one. :) And so far it has been very successful!

I will put the links to each of the recipes in here as well!


Here is our meal plan for this week. Basically we are eating all the same meals, I am just altering some of them to make them more "likable" for a toddler. Read on and you will understand :)

For the Egg muffins, I simply added breakfast sausage to Chloe's and cheese. For mine I left out those things and added red peppers. Super easy. You already have it all out so just mix up the separate bowls and add them to your muffin tins! Bake for 25 minutes and your done. Easy breakfast for 2 in less than 30 minutes. And this can easily be your breakfast for the whole week!

http://brianacitrowske.blogspot.com/2014/11/egg-muffins-mommy-and-toddler-approved.html

Today we also made some Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders! .. awesome alternative to regular Chicken Tenders! Still kiddish and fun :)

http://brianacitrowske.blogspot.com/2014/11/almond-crusted-chicken-tenders.html

I haven't made a recipe post yet for the energy balls.. but they are super easy!!

- 1 cup oats
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- about 1-2 Tbsp. honey
- Dark Chocolate chips, optional

(You can really alter this to your liking and just add more peanut butter and honey as your go to make it stick together better.)

Mix all the ingredients together and form them into a ball. Place them in a zip lock and store them in the fridge. :)

Lastly, we made sweet potato skins with Chipotle Chicken for dinner! We had this last night and Chloe loved it. It was very good! In the link below I actually have the recipe as well as how I converted it into a toddler friendly meal!

http://brianacitrowske.blogspot.com/2014/11/sweet-potato-skins-with-chipotle-chicken.html



I really hope that this was helpful for you to be able to visually see OUR meal plan for the week with the recipes to go along with it!
I would love some feedback. Let me know if this is something you like and I can continue to do it and post it!

xo
Bri

Almond crusted Chicken Tenders

Yum yum!!! Talk about a meal that both you and your little one are going to LOVE!!! 

Growing up I loved chicken tenders!! :P … I ate them all.the.time. But I now realize that they are not all that good for you lol. SO I am striving to make healthier alternatives for Chloe as she grows up. She loves chicken! And almonds! So this mommy hit the jackpot here.. You could EVEN make Homemade ketchup.. and I didn't even think about that until now! Totally doing that! She would love it.. except when we give her ketchup she just licks it off of her food! silly girl :)

This recipe is so easy that its really a little ridiculous. You would think that making these almond crusted chicken tenders would call for some serious prepping and cooking time. Not at all! Prep time takes about 10 minutes or less! Bake for about 25-30 minutes at 400!!

What you will need:

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- About 1 cup almonds

- spray olive oil

Thats it!!! Oh and a food processor/small blender- I used my ninja chopper ;) works WONDERS!

Directions:

- Heat oven to 400

- Add the almonds to the processor or blender

- Cut the Chicken breasts into tenders as shown in the picture

- Spray the Chicken tenders with olive oil. You could also rub olive oil on them.

- Dip the chicken into the chopped almonds until they are completely coated.

- Lay out on baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Let me know how you and your little ones like it!!!

xo
Bri

Egg Muffins- Mommy and Toddler approved!

This week has been FULL of meal prepping.. like I mean crazy! So I am bombarding you with meals and ideas on how to cook for both yourself and your picky toddler :)

Here are the Egg Muffins that I made this AM. These took less than 30 minutes and will easily get us through the rest of the week. I served the with a banana!

You can put whatever you want into these really! I will tell you what I put into both Chloe's and mine. But you can add whatever veggies/cheese/meats that you want!

What I used for mine:

-6 eggs
-red pepper
-kale

What I used for Chloe's:

-5 eggs
-kale
-cheddar cheese
-breakfast sausage, cooked (used about 1/4 lb.)


Heat the oven to 350. Use 2 separate bowls to whisk the ingredients together. Pour them into your muffin tins. *About each egg counts for 1 muffin tin. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Final Body Beast Results!

I am so so excited to show you all my FINAL results with Body Beast and tell you a little about the program and how it went for me!

I think I will do a separate blog post later about my entire journey with Body Beast and what not! But if you would like to ask me anything right now or want to know how it went feel free to message me!

My last day of this 90 day program was last Sunday. I am pleased with my results, especially since I did not stick to the meal plan to a T. This last month was a struggle on that subject ;) But I did eat healthy and tried to stick to a plan for the most part.

The biggest changes I have noticed is that I really just feel stronger and more muscular all over. And NO, I do not mean manly muscular- refer to pictures :) I mean just much much more lean muscle. I can definitely tell that I have more ab definition also, which is something that is not easy for me to achieve. OH- and my booty is definitely LIFTED and reshaped!!!!! This was such a nice mix up from the cardio workouts that I was so used to. I loved working a different muscle group each day.

My plan right now is to keep doing these workouts as well as incorporating the 21 day fix workouts. Our vacation is in less than THREE WEEKS. So I am determined to be in my best shape by then. I will also be blogging about how that is going for me.

I would love an accountability partner during this time! Or anytime really :) If you want someone to keep you held accountable let me know and we can keep in touch!

Sweet Potato Skins with Chipotle Chicken

 Happy Monday! Or tuesday.. or whatever day it is for you :)

I am bringing you a new recipe! BUT this week I am doing something a little different.. I am going to show you how I convert my ADULT meal into a toddler friendly meal. I will also be posting recipes later this week incorporating this also. So make sure you follow me and don't miss out!

T- less than THREE weeks until we are on the Beach in Mexico.. You heard that right!! Know what that means?! This momma has to kick it into high gear! Today was day 1 of my meal plan and workout plan I have written up for myself and so far it was ok. I cheated a couple times today, not going to lie. But tomorrow is a new day and I am sticking with this! Tomorrow its double workouts. I need to get some food cooking in the morning to so that we have our meals for the rest of the day/week.

Something I don't normally do either is meal prep for Chloe. With Neil being on the road I usually just make up whatever comes to mind. But to be honest, that gets REALLY stressful. Especially when you have a toddler who is hungry RIGHT. NOW. This week I am meal prepping for both Chloe AND myself. Blog on that later also ;)

Here is what you will need:
3 Sweet Potatoes
2 skinless Chicken breast
3 chipotle peppers, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups spinach
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. chili powder
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
mozzarella cheese (optional)
























Directions:

1) Heat the oven to 350. Rinse the sweet potatoes good and stab them with a fork all over. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes

2) Put the chicken in a dish and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, salt, and pepper on top. Put that in the oven at 350 also for about 30 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, stir together in a medium bowl- olive oil, garlic, chipotle peppers, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and lime juice.

4) Wash and cut up the spinach. In a small pan "wilt" the spinach. (picture shown) Put the pan over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

5) When the chicken is done, shred it with 2 forks and add the spinach and chicken together.

6) When the potatoes are done take them out and cut them in half. Remove the insides leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch of the insides. (You can use the insides for something else or another recipe- we will be using them for our toddlers) ;) Spoon a little bit of the chipotle mixture onto the potatoes and bake them *at 400* for an additional 10-15 minutes or until softer.

7) Add the chicken/spinach to the chipotle mixture.

8) When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and add the chipotle/chicken mixture to the insides of the potatoes. Top with a little mozzarella cheese and place back in the over for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.




















How I converted this to a toddler meal:

1) Not all toddlers will like the Chipotle flavor. Although I don't think it is that spicy, some will have a problem with it. If you think it might be a problem, simple don't add some of the chicken/spinach mixture to the chipotle sauce. The chicken is extremely moist and delicious the way it is!

2) Instead of giving your child a potato skin, give them some of the insides. You could even place that back in the oven with your skins to get a little softer. Add some olive oil to them if needed!

3) For a veggie, we did broccoli as a side!

I really think Chloe enjoyed this meal. She LOVES sweet potatoes just like I do! It took her awhile to eat the chicken since I did give her the stuff with the sauce, but she dug into it after her sweet potatoes were gone. :)



Make sure you follow my blog for the future recipes I will be posting! And the ones I will be posting this week along with my meal plan! And of course feel free to contact me with questions and let me know how you like it!

xo
Bri

Egg Whites and Avocado Tostadas

Hey there!! So I found a recipe a while back and I have been debating whether or not I want to try it.. you know those recipes that you pin on pinterest and then contemplate trying because you aren't sure if you will like it etc etc. Well thats where I was with this one. I found it a few weeks ago and ended up trying it this week!

Talk about an EASY meal.. all you have to do is cook the egg whites. That is IT! And then just put it together.. oh my heavens do I love meals that are THAT easy to throw together! With a 2 year old standing up in her high chair and refusing to eat lunch, who has time to make a miraculous meal seriously? Not this momma.

Ingredients: 
Egg whites
Corn Tortilla
Salsa
Guacamole or Avocado slices (I used HM guacamole)

Directions:
All that you have to do is cook up the egg whites and then throw it together like shown in the picture :) Its so simple!!!



Here are my recipes for my homemade salsa and Guac. ;)

*Guacamole*
2 ripe avocados
juice of 1/2 a lime
pinch of paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of sea salt





Directions:
1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit.
2. Scoop out the avocado and place in a bowl.
3. Add the seasonings and lime juice.
4. Either mash and stir together or blend in a blender



*Salsa*
4-6 roma tomatoes
1/3 cup cilantro
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 jalapeño
1 lime juiced
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Directions:
1. In a sauce pan, heat 1/4 cup water.
2. Slice the tomatoes in half and add them to the pan.
3. Let them sit for a few minutes on one side, then flip to cook a few minutes on the other side. Remove from pan.
4. The skins of the tomatoes should slide off.
5. Add the tomatoes and other ingredients to a food processor or blender.
** If you don't have a blender you can cut up the ingredients for chunkier salsa
OH>> And if you don't have a Ninja chopper, it is a great investment! ;)























Let me know what you think!! ENJOY!

6 months ago today I started living

6 months ago today my life changed. Not only the way I feel and look on the outside, but the way I think and feel on the inside.

I LITERALLY started living that day. 6 months ago I was at such a low place in my life.. I was literally lost! I felt stuck, ashamed, worthless, and I was FULL of fear. Fear of failure and rejection. Fear that I would never be good enough or be capable of doing something great in this life. I was living in my comfort zone I guess you could say. I was not living, I was just existing.

At MOPS yesterday we talked about fear. How it can keep you tied up and put a restraint on your LIFE. That hit home for me.. I realized that wow, before this opportunity came to me I really was living a life of fear! Fear of both success and failure. I dont think I even wanted to deal with anymore change than I had already experienced… After all I had a baby, moved into an apartment, bought a house, graduated college, and got married all in the same year. Maybe I was just scared of changing anything more in my life. I held onto that fear and it drug me into a deep deep place in my life where I have never been before. I remember just wanting to cry because I literally didn’t know what to do next in my life.

<My first taste of Shakeo!!! Tastes darn good.

I think it is a miracle of God that this opportunity came into my life when it did. All of a sudden I was offered this and something in my heart told me that I needed to do this. I have never felt such a STRONG desire or will to do something like I did this. I took a leap of faith!! And wow am I glad that I did.. because that day I finally started living again.

Starting out I had no idea where this journey was going to take me. I had no plan. I just knew that it was going to be something positive in my life. And this is not all about fitness and losing weight. My whole mindset has changed. I think differently! No longer am I afraid of failure or goal setting. I set goals and fail forward every single day. I live for it! I live to help people do the same. To help others reach their goals that they thought were impossible. To help them step out of their comfort zone and take a leap of faith. To be fearless!

SURPRISE! Working out with your babies can actually be a fun time. Not always.. but she sure makes things interested and NOT boring! ;)

I have learned that if you put your faith before your fears, anything is truly possible and you will live out your life to the fullest.

Aside from all of that I have met some amazing people who I consider good friends. I don’t think we go a day without talking and I can tell them anything that is going on in my life. I can’t wait to one day finally meet them in person! Recently I have been able to leave my job and stay home full time with my daughter. Something that I NEVER ever believed was possible. Never in 1 million years would I have even imagined myself owning my own business and working from home full time. The thought of it just makes me get butterflies! Thank you God for this miracle and opportunity in my life. <3

We have freedom to go where we want when we want because I can now work wherever and whenever.

If you are out there reading this.. GO do something incredible with your life. Put no limits on yourself! Be fearless and set goals that scare the crap out of you!


xo,
Briana