New Rules To Live By

Chalene Johnson's Motivational Monday message for this week is AMAZING! I honestly just realized I've been doing it wrong all along...pretty bad huh?!

I challenge you go listen to it and start living by these simple rules yourself.

A New Vegan Shakeology!

Beachbody has out done themselves AGAIN...chocolate vegan Shakeology is now available!

Watch this video for more info on what's in it.

Watch "Darin Dishes the Details About Chocolate Vegan Shakeology" on YouTube

Order yours TODAY at www.MyShakeology.com/StephAlaniz

TTYL

Doctor's Offices.....

I'm sitting here in an office waiting for my daughter's appointment to finish...trying to read and its so loud! I don't think I could take this every day - ahaha! I've always thought when you go into an office you are quiet or at least as quiet as you can be. Apparently everyone doesn't follow this rule...

And now I've done something to my Kindle and she's froze up so I can't read now. BUT I was able to read a chapter each of my bible study book titled "I Used To Be So Organized" and the new book I'm reading "Fated" by Alyson Noel.

I'm really enjoying Fated...I can't put it down! I was reading Fifty Shades of Gray but I just couldn't anymore. It's just so "dirty" and its kind of hard reading in public and imagining what I'm reading while I'm at a softball game. Not my cup of tea! Maybe I'll pick it up again later, but for now its just not for me.

Weekly Goals

Goals
1. I am a DIAMOND coach
2. I have summers OFF
3. We are going to Disney World for Xmas 2014
4. We are debt free minus our mortgage
5. We have all necessary insurance to protect our family
6. I increased my personal income by 25% = $7000/yr
7. We bought Jeff a new-to-us vehicle CASH
8. I wear size 8 comfortably
9. I am organized in all areas of my life
10. We pay for Dom's college CASH

It's a HOT one...

I'm writing this blog as I wait for my daughter's next game to start. May I tell you how freakin' hot it is out here. We've been here since 7am and it is now 5:20pm. This is the life of a softball mom! I must tell ya that I wouldn't have it any other way.

This morning I woke up anxiously at 5am to do my Insanity workout and followed it with HIIT 15 from Turbo Fire. It was an intense workout. It's weird, but I've noticed that I burn more calories when I workout after work versus first thing in the morning. Downside is that IF I don't workout first thing then I may or may not get that workout in. And if I don't...then I'll regret it big time.

My eating today has been ok. I had a Vega One protein shake after my workout. For breakfast I made a sandwich with 1 egg, a thin slice of provolone cheese, 3 slices of brown sugar ham lunch meat on 2 slices of light honey wheat bread. Then after our first game I ate 1/2 of a sausage wrap with mustard. For lunch we ate Subway where I got a footlong turkey, bacon & avocado on honey 9-grain bread. I only ate 1/2 the sandwich! I added provolone cheese, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and light mayo to it. I then had a banana when we got back to the fields and some strawberries after their game. Then I NEEDED a refreshing pina colada snow cone after their 2:30pm game. I was starving at 6pm so I had a pink lady apple - my fav.

Operation Get Rid Of This Belly...

IS IN FULL FORCE!

So today as I was getting ready for work I really noticed my belly. Not like I don't any other day, but today was different as I tried to keep sucking it in. As I was doing this I kept hearing Chalene Johnson say that your belly is usually the last place you'll lose the weight - WHAT?! It definitely is the first place I can tell when I've eaten bad or too many carbs.

Then I read an email from my friend that said "Today is exactly 5 months until your birthday!" After reading that I decided I have to do something...really do something and not just lolly gag around the situation anymore. I DON'T WANT TO BE 35 YEARS OLD WITH A CHUNKY BELLY! And don't forget this is not just for looks...this is for health reasons too. Belly fat is no bueno and with a family history of diabetes and high blood pressure we MUST get rid of this and stop it before it has a chance to develop.

It is also important to me to have my family eating healthy. So with this little project of mine I will be weeding out the bad stuff and replacing it with the good in my home. I might need to do a cleaning of my pantry!

Operation Get Rid Of This Belly is mostly about eating the right foods. I'm still going to go hard core with my workouts, but it's time that I really focus on my nutrition.

So bottoms up!

TTYL

Steph





Freezer Cooking & Whatnot

Today is day 10 of INSANITY! Yes sir...

So I didn't wake up early to workout but I am going to do it after work today...I promise!!! Then I will follow it up with TIU's Cowabunga workout that came out yesterday on YouTube.

So off that topic and on to another....

Freezer cooking - does anyone else do it?!

I'm getting back in to it slowly, but I just have this urge to jump right in - ahaha! Yesterday I made French Toast Sticks from 30-Day Gourmet's e-book for daycare providers. They are super yummy but call for Texas Toast which I've only seen in white flour form. If you know where I can find this bread in wheat PLEASE tell me! Today I'm going to make McMom's Breakfast Sandwiches from The Family Homestead's website. Everyone liked these last time I made them so I'm gonna go with it again.

Here is a list of other recipes I plan to make in the month ahead to stock our freezer:

1. "Soup"ier Meatloaf

2. Cheddar Broccoli Soup

3. Taco Rice

4. Zippy Spaghetti Sauce

All of these are taken from the 30-Day Gourmet book entitled BIG Book of Freezer Cooking. I purchased an earlier version of this book years ago when I went to a freezer cooking workshop where I learned how to make their AMAZING homemade chicken pot pie.



So how do you keep your family out of the fast food lane?!

TTYL

Steph

Been Slacking....

on my blog! I can't believe it too. I said I was going to post everyday of my Insanity journey and I haven't....


I started over on Day 1 last week because I didn't feel the prior week was good enough. I had missed 2 workouts and that wasn't a good way to start off. So today is day 9 and I have Pure Cardio to do when I get off of work.


Today's Food Journal:


7:15a: TIU's Banana Split
           Mocha Coconut coffee w/ 1/2 cup Almond/Coconut Blend milk w/ 2 packs stevia


10a: 2 hardboiled eggs 
        1/2 cup pineapple & 1/2 cup grapes


12p: Great Value Chewy Chocolate Chunk Granola bar


1p: Salad - spinach, red & green leaf lettuce, cucumber, tomato, guacamole, salsa, and leftover grilled chicken thigh / Diet Dr Pepper

3:30p: 1/4 cup unshelled pistaschios
           fruit salad - pineapple, strawberries, grapes

6 - 7p: munched on french toast sticks I was making :(

8p: 1 piece of homemade chicken pot pie

9p: pysllium husk w/almond milk


UPDATE: so I didn't end up exercising...I know! I've rescheduled the workout for this day to Sunday since it's a "rest day".

BTW - if anyone can advise me on where I get wheat Texas Toast for my french toast sticks that would be amazing! 

TTYL
Steph

Insanity Day 5: Pure Cardio

It's Day 5 of Insanity! Pure Cardio was today's workout and it was rough. I couldn't catch my breathe AGAIN! This time it is straight cardio...nonstop. The other workouts this week would do cardio circuits for a period of time and then you'd rest for 30 seconds. I'm hoping as time goes by and I get used to the workouts that I'm able to burn more calories. All the workouts aren't very long...about 40 minutes. I've been burning between 350 - 400 calories per session. 

Today's Meals:

M1: Berry Smoothie (1.5 scoops of Vega Sport Vanilla, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup frozen blackberries)

M2: Protein Pancake (1 whole egg, 2 egg whites, protein powder, oatmeal, a little bit of water)

M3: Salad (3 cups of mixed greens, 3 oz chicken breast, cucumber, 1/2 apple chopped, pecans, juice of 1 lemon) 

New Protein Powders

So I've been checking out different protein powders that are natural. I'm trying to stay away from mainstream powders that use splenda or have a lot of ingredients that I don't know what they do. So I've been researching powders that aren't made with whey protein. All the mainstream powders usually are whey protein.

So I've come across two powders that I really like...Tone It Up's Perfect Fit Protein and Vega Sport's Performance Protein. Both use stevia as the sweetener and come in vanilla flavor. Vega Sport also has a chocolate flavor that I haven't tried out.

Here's a video promoting Perfect Fit Protein. I really like how it comes in individual packets for traveling purposes. Of all the brown rice proteins I've tried, this is the best tasting...SERIOUSLY!

Vega Sport's Performance Protein is delish too! It uses plant-based protein such as pea protein in its formula. I must say for my first taste of plant-based protein...this one is really good.

Now, if you have only been accustomed to whey protein powders, you may need to transition into brown rice or plant-based. They do not tend to have a creamy, sweet texture like whey does.

You may be thinking..."This girl promotes Shakeology and drinks it daily so why does she need a protein powder?!" Well, Shakeology is a meal replacement with protein, veggies, fruits, aminos, super greens, etc. - it is not a means for recovery. Now when I say that, I should clarify that it is not a means of recovery for me...I still prefer an actual protein powder. Vega Sport also has 5,500 mg of BCAAs and 5,000 mg of glutamine per serving. Both needed for muscle recovery. Since I've been drinking the Vega Sport I haven't been as sore as I normally was.

From Perfect Fit's site:

Perfect Fit Protein boasts a complete and balanced amino acid profile, making it a complete protein. Your body needs help synthesizing certain essential amino acids to build and repair tissue, and all 8 of them are naturally occurring components in organic, whole grain, sprouted brown rice.

So what are your favorite protein powders and WHY?!