Transformation Tuesday - Meet Jan C. He lost 122lbs and WON $1000

Jan C, age 24 from Ozone Park, NY, lost 122 lbs with P90X3, INSANITY, and Shakeology. He entered his results into The Beachbody Challenge® and won $1,000!

See whole story here:  http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/see-how-jan-lost-122-pounds-and-won-1000

Transformation Tuesday - Randi - grand prizer winner 2014! Lost 150lbs and gained $107,500!!

Wow!!!  I got to see this on stage LIVE at summit when they announced Randi as one of the winners and gave her the check!  And after the celebration, I saw her in the parking lot with her family, calling everyone.  She very much needed this money and was still crying tears of joy when I saw her! This could be any one of you out there wanting to lose weight.  Winners are voted for!

Her coach also received a check for helping her reach her goals...her coach was her sister!  Neat story...see the rest of it here: http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/100000-grand-prize-winners-of-the-beachbody-challenge-2015?ICID=CT_BLOG_BEACHBODY_CHALLENGE_WINNERS

Meal Monday - 21 day fix approved Mac and Cheese (with Broccoli and Chicken)

Fixate Cookbook Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Chicken
4 oz of dry whole wheat pasta
4 tsp butter
2 T unbleached whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 1/4 cups of sharp cheddar cheese
3 cups of chopped, cooked chicken
4 cups of chopped steamed broccoli
1 ts sea salt
1/2 tsp of ground pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Melt better, add flour whisking for 1 minute.
Add flour, cook, and whisk for a minute.
Add almond milk and cook 1 to 2 minutes until thickened.
Reduce heat and add cheese.
Add chicken, broccoli, salt, and pepper and cook til heated through.

Each serving is 1/2 green 1/2 yellow 1/2 red 1 blue 1/2 T

Thirsty Thursday! Detox Shake!

Fit Tip Friday - Making it a lifestyle, not a diet

Before you can really start to eat better and make it a lifestyle - not a diet - there are some important things you can do to help you get started.  First you need to purge unhealthy items.  You will want to get rid of things that will be tempting.  Then you will want to get some important pantry staples. See below for a great list from Darin Olien's book - Superlife.

Kitchen Purge and Re-Stock

Before you begin, do a quick grocery cleanout, followed by a trip to get some necessary staples for your pantry.

Items to toss

·        White refined sugar (anything containing it too)

·        Homogenized, pasteurized nonorganic milk, yogurt, or butter

·        Margarine

·        Ordinary table salt

·        Refined white flour an anything made from it (breads, tortillas, crackers, pasta, cereal, and so on)

·        Deep-fried anything

·        Polyunsaturated refined oils (sunflower, corn, soy, canola, and so on)

·        Meat and poultry raised by factory farming methods – meaning, most supermarket meat and packaged or cured meats of all kinds

·        Eggs from factory farms

·        Synthetic beverages (Coke, Pepsi, Kool-Aid, Tang, Sunny D)

·        Instant or microwave oatmeal

·        All processed microwaved foods (popcorn, instant meals, and so on) And get rid of microwave, too!

·        Non-organic corn (non-gmo)

·        Soy sauce

·        Boxed processed foods, mixes (cereals, rices, instant, packaged meals)

·        Plastic storage containers and bags

·        Chemical cleaners

·        Anything containing high-fructose corn syrup

·        Drinks containing sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate

·        Foods with butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a preservative

·        Sodium nitrates and sodium nitrites (processed lunch meats)

·        Blue, green, red, and yellow food coloring (the artificial colors blue 1 and 2, green 3, red 3, and yellow 6 have been linked to thyroid, adrenal, bladder, kidney, and brain cancers)

·        Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

Now that you’ve cleared out some space, here are few staples to buy. Get organic and or wild harvested products when possible:

Pantry Supplies

·        Herbal Teas

·        Fermented beverages such as kefir and kombucha

·        Nut milks, including almond and cashew

·        Natural salts such as Celtic and Himalayan Sea Salt

·        Spices – cinnamon, clove, cardamom, allspice, turmeric, etc.

·        Fermented products such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and miso

·        Garbanzo miso paste

·        Apple cider vinegar

·        Sweeteners such as stevia, coconut palm sugar, yacon syrup, molasses, agave, and raw honey

·        Amino products like coconut secret aminos and braggs liquid aminos

·        Steel-cut oats

·        Cold pressed, organic extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, grape-seed oil sacha inchi oil, avocado oil, and toasted sesame oil

·        Raw organic nuts and seeds, socked and sprouted whenever possible

·        Ezekiel sprouted bread

·        Ezekiel sprouted corn tortillas

·        Organic local fresh herbs, veggies, and fruits

·        Organic sprouts

·        Organic free-range/pasture-raised meat, if you’re eating meat

·        Unpasteurized organic grass-fed milk and butter and organic free range eggs

·        Glass storage containers and bottles

Some kitchen appliances you may want:

·        Vitamix (high-powered blender for smoothies, soups, purees, and so on)

·        Dehydrator (low temperature cooking for preservation of nutrients and enzymes; a great kitchen tool for making snacks such as kale chips and dried fruits and veggies)

·        Toaster oven – for conserving energy; faster than a bigger oven

·        Steamer – keeps the veggies out of the water an in the steam minimizing nutrient loss

·        Coffee grinder – for grinding dried spices and seeds

Transformation Tuesday - Meet Amber

Meet Amber H. 

She lost 80 lbs with Hip Hop Abs. 

She entered her results into The Beachbody Challenge®, and won the $500 Daily Prize for March 25th!

For more of her story and others go here:  http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/i-just-wanted-to-feel-happy-again-and-i-do

Transformation Tuesday - Jennifer lost 51 pounds with 21 day fix!

Read her whole story here! http://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/success-stories/transformation-tuesday-jennifer-lost-51-pounds-with-21-day-fix-and-21-day-fix-extreme

Thirsty Thursday - Strawberry Kiwi Shakeology

Transformation Tuesday - Lisa lost 14lbs and won $500 with 21 day fix

Lisa says its Easy and Doable!!

Read her whole story here:  http://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/success-stories/easy-to-follow-and-doable

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Angela! She lost 48lbs with Piyo and T25

Meet Angela L. She lost 48 lbs with Focus T25 and PiYo. She entered her results into The Beachbody Challenge®, and won the $500 Daily Prize for April 18th!

Read more of her story here: http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/i-am-a-more-confident-healthy-and-positive-person

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Lindsay! She lost 116lbs!

 Meet Lindsay K. She lost 116 lbs with P90X, P90X3, INSANITY, and 21 Day Fix. She entered her results into The Beachbody Challenge®, and won the $500 Daily Prize for April 28th!

Read the rest of her story here: http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/i-want-to-live-life-to-its-fullest

Fit Tip Friday - Road trip snacks

We travel all summer long and its key to have a ton of healthy snacks to keep us from stopping and getting unhealthy ones.  Here are some of my favorite go to on the road snacks:

1) Fruit - blueberries, grapes, or apple are best for the road.  They are easy and not messy!
2) Nut butter and jelly sandwich - doesn't need to be refrigerated to taste good and keeps you full with the protein of any kind of nut butter and Ezekiel bread.
3) Nuts or seeds - cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds.  Give you the saltiness of chips and keeps you full.
4) Shakeology packets - dump in a shaker cup with water!  Not as good as having a blender and some special ingredients to add but gets the job done.
5) Eggs - hard boiled are easy to take on the road - make sure you peel them before you leave!
6) Carrots and hummus
7) Homemade energy bars or energy balls - (click for recipe).  These don't have bunch of fillers and you know exactly what goes into them because you made them!
8) Veggies - Any veggies are easy to take as long as you wash and cut them and bag the before you hit the road.
9) Roasted Chick peas - see recipe here
10) Baked Chips or Popcorn - not the best option on the list but better than regular chips!

Thirsty Thursday - Mixed Berry Popsicles

Summer is approaching!  These are great on a hot day!  My kids love them!

Thirsty Thursday: Salted Cashew Delight

This is my new favorite Shakeology recipe!

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Magnolia

Meet Magnolia T. She lost 13 lbs with FOCUS T25. She entered her results into The Beachbody Challenge®, and won the $500 Daily Prize for April 30th!

Read the rest of her story here: http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/strong-enough-bear-children-get-back-business

Thirsty Thursday - Banana Honeymoon Shakeology Pie

Shakeology Spotlight: Chlorella

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Joshua! He GAINED 20lbs with Body Beast and won $500

Meet Joshua S. He gained 20 lbs  with Body Beast. He entered his results into The Beachbody Challenge®, and won the $500 Daily Prize for April 27th!

Read the rest of his story here:  http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/huge-gains-like-i-had-been-longing-for

Fit Tip Friday: Office Abs!

Sometimes you’re sitting at work and have 5 minutes until your next meeting, or you’re waiting for a phone call, why not use that opportunity to get in a quick ab workout? Today Autumn is going to show you 5 CORE MOVES you can do at your desk using only your OFFICE CHAIR!

Check out the Beachbody blog for more! http://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/fitness/autumn-calabreses-quick-office-workout-sexy-abs

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Jacqueline who lost 62 lbs with Body Beast an Piyo and has OVERCOME diabetes

Meet Jacqueline V. She lost 62 lbs with 2 rounds of Body Beast and 1.5 rounds of PiYo. She entered her results into The Beachbody Challenge®, and won the $500 Daily Prize for April 6th!

Read the rest of her story here:

http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/i-no-longer-have-diabetes