Thursday, October 31, 2013

Healthy Halloween!!


SPOOKTACULAR SALE!! 1 day only!!

Choose any Beachbody challenge pack through ME and get $20 cash back!!

Challenge pack includes workout of your choice (Focust25, insanity, p90x, many more), shakeology home direct, 30 day trial to Team Beachbody Club, free shipping, and free coaching from me which includes nutrition tips, meal planning, guidance and motivation to help you complete the program.  Plus I have an accountability group starting next week that you can be a part of!

Choose Shakeology Home Direct and get $10 cash back!!

I cannot go a day without Shakeology!! It's an easy meal packed with a days worth of vitamins and nutrients my body needs which has helped me get my results faster.

Don't miss out! Let me know if you're interested!

Shakeology Sale
Spooktacular Savings



To order, go to www.teambeachbody.com/JulieLittle, you first must sign up for a FREE Membership, click on "Join Team Beachbody" to get a user name and password and then click on "Beachbody Challenge"  and then "Challenge Pack".  You will then get to choose the workout you would like as well as the flavor of Shakeology.  My favorite workout right now is Focus T25 and I'm loving my Chocolate Shakeology!!





Yes, it's Halloween today...we carved our pumpkin last night and have the costumes all ready to go for tonight!  I know, it's a little late, the day before Halloween, but typically because it's always so warm here at this time of the year the pumpkins always go bad before we get to Halloween.  We cranked out 2 pumpkins and of course toasted the pumpkin seeds to go along with it!

Pumpkin Carving
Carved Pumpkins


Carving Pumpkins
Happy Halloween 



Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds



So, tonight will be filled with tons of candy at everyone's disposal.  What's your game plan?  Are you going to stay strong and stay away from the candy that adds up so quickly in calories?  I love this article that breaks down the calories and fat in each of the popular candy bars...take a look at this before you leave the house.  


Healthy Halloween




For me, I'm going to make myself a "candy bar" Shakeology before I leave.  No...not one that has a candy bar in it, but one that tastes like it does!!  It will satisfy my need for something sweet yet provide me with healthy nutrients and keep me from craving all the other junk of the night!!


Butterfinger Shakeology Recipe

Butterfinger Shakeology

1 Scoop of Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup of unsweetened Almond Milk
1 1/2 TBSP of Butterscotch pudding mix
1 1/2 TBSP of PB2 (or peanut butter)
Ice and Blend to Taste



Snickers


4 oz almond milk
2T PB2 (or peanut butter, the more natural the healthier)
1T slivered almonds 
1T Sugar Free Caramel syrup
1 scoop chocolate shakeology.


Choose a healthy alternative this Halloween...don't wake up tomorrow morning wishing you hadn't eaten all that candy!!

Click here for more information on Shakeology.


Sunday, October 27, 2013

Breakfast Oatmeal Bake

Over the weekend at the Dream Team retreat we had breakfast together on Saturday morning.  One of the fabulous ladies made the most delicious Blueberry Oatmeal Bake that I am definitely making again...very soon!

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE oatmeal...I could eat oatmeal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...but I try to only enjoy it once a day!  But this day, I ate a little piece of heaven in a bowl!  It was the perfect blend of oatmeal, fruit, and crunch!

Now, I haven't made this myself yet...however, it will be made in the VERY near future!

Clean Eating Breakfast Oatmeal Bake
Clean Eating Breakfast Oatmeal Bake


Breakfast Oatmeal Bake

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 2 cups low-fat or skim milk or almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp best-quality vanilla
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit of your choice
  • 1 large unpeeled Pink Lady apple, grated (apple should be firm)
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon 
  • Salt to taste
  • Eat Clean Cooking spray
Preparation:
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a 3 quart casserole dish or baking pan with cooking spray.
  • Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  If you are preparing this the night before don't add the liquid ingredients such as milk and grated apple until the morning.
  • Place mixture in casserole dish.  Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Tip:  If you have more people to feed, simply double the recipe!

ENJOY!!


Thursday, October 24, 2013

Health's a Journey, Commit to the Ride!


On August 26th of this year, I decided to embark on a new health and fitness journey in my life! I have always lived a fairly healthy lifestyle but, like anybody else, have gotten lazy at different times in my exercise and eating. 

Over the summer I had been trying to change up how I eat and make it cleaner and without as much processed foods and get motivated again to be consistent in working out. I knew I was looking for a change but didn't know exactly what it was.

As I was searching out clean eating on Pinterest, I came across a blog that really sparked my interest. I started reading everything I could on her blog and then saw a post that nailed me! It was a post about her upcoming "challenge group". Like I did, you might say, "what's a challenge group"? As I asked questions I found out that it's simply an accountability group done thru a private FB group. One that holds me accountable to the goals I have for changing my health and fitness (refining my eating to be clean and becoming more fit and toned). I decided to take the leap and join the accountability group!


I committed to 60 days of clean eating, committing to a Beachbody workout (T25 is what I chose), and drinking Shakeology every day for one meal per day. I am currently on day 52 of the challenge and have greater energy throughout the day and not as many food cravings. I've lost over 5 lbs and over 5 inches. I am getting stronger and feeling so much better overall!

I have gotten so addicted to how amazing I feel through this and so excited about the opportunity to share this with other people, I decided to become a Beachbody Coach and be able to help other people in their health and fitness goals by running accountability groups of my own. The change starts with US!

This isn't a "change for 60 days", this is truly a lifestyle change in how I live my everyday life. I am amazed at how feeding my body with healthy nutrients and often throughout the day makes a world of difference in how I feel!





If you're looking for a change in your health and fitness message me and I can get you the details on my next challenge/accountability group.

Roasted Garlic & Garlic Pumpkin Hummus

Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Pumpkin Hummus

Two of my favorite things...Pumpkin and hummus!  


What can be better than adding the two together in a delicious side dish!  I  have recently added hummus into my everyday snack with a bunch of veggies.  I love the crunch of the veggies and the creaminess of the hummus!  Sure does make getting my broccoli down a little easier!  :)


There are so few ingredients in this recipe...this is all you need!








So first, I had to roast my garlic...I've never done this before but, thanks to pinchofyum.com she told me how!  It's super easy, just simmer the garlic cloves in olive oil until golden!







Blend all the ingredients together, it was a bit thick but be patient, it will blend...and then, the final dish, so DELISH!  Perfect blend of sweet and salty!







INGREDIENTS
•   1-2 cloves roasted garlic (see above)
•   2 tablespoons olive oil
•   2 tablespoons water
•   1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
•   ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
•   1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
•   ½ teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary (more to taste)
salt to taste


INSTRUCTIONS
•   To roast the garlic, I like to simmer the peeled cloves in a small saucepan with olive oil for 15-20 minutes over low/medium heat. The garlic gets the roast-y flavor and then you get some bonus garlic infused olive oil out of the deal. Bam.
•   Puree all ingredients except rosemary in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add more oil or water as needed. Stir in the rosemary (I found that the blender didn’t really like the tough rosemary pieces in there so I just stirred it in at the end).

Serve with apple slices, crackers, carrots, wheat toast, raw or roasted vegetables, pita bread, and/or anything in the world.

Recipe from pinchofyum.com

Monday, October 21, 2013

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins




I am always in search for a great snack or easy meal.  I've always loved meatloaf but with all the added sauce it makes it difficult to eat it as a quick snack on-the-go.  These muffins come from Jamie Eason's 12 week Livefit program, they looked great so I decided to try them!  It gives me a perfect blend of complex carbohydrates and protein for a complete snack.  Often I will make a double batch and freeze them to grab for a quick snack or lunch.    I'll usually take 2 for a snack with a handful of veggies or for lunch I'll pair it with a big salad.  They are easy to make and easy to take and go!  The best part is that the kids love them too!

Be creative with these.  I like to add zucchini or shredded carrots in mine, in addition to what the original recipe calls for.  


Ingredients 
  • 2 lbs ground turkey or chicken
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp dried yellow mustard
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder (or 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic)
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1/2 - 1 cup finely chopped spinach


Additional add-ins (optional)
  • 1 Zucchini shredded
  • 1-2 carrots shredded
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese (adds an Italian taste)


Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • Spray muffin pan with olive oil
  • Mix all your ingredients together in one large bowl
  • Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin tin.  Muffins should be about the size of racquet balls.
  • Bake for 40 minutes
  • Makes 12 muffins


Serving size 2 muffins for women and 4 for men.

Calories: 80
Fat: 2 g
Carbs: 4 g
Protein: 11 g

21 Day Fix Container:
2 muffins:  1 Red, 1/2 yellow

Original recipe came from Jamie Eason but it's been modified with changes I prefer, see original recipe here.