Insanity Max 30 Guide to Eating Out

10 Tips for Eating Out

1. DO YOUR RESEARCH
 Even when you don't have time to cook, eating out doesn't have to mean unhealthy. Use the internet or your smartphonw to look up the menu or nutritional info of almost any restaurant and decide what you want to eat, before you leave the house so you will know what to order and how to order it.

2. PAY ATTENTION TO HOW FOOD IS PREPARED
 Menu items usually have a description, indicating how the food is prepared and if not, ask.
DO NOT get anything deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, au gratin, or in cream sauce
DO look for items steamed, broiled, baked or sauteed

3. DRINK WATER NOT SODA OR JUICE
 Soda is a huge source of sugar and calories, and can ruin your diet by itself.

4. CONTROL YOUR PORTION SIZES
 America is known for its LARGE portions so pay attention and learn your portion sizes.

5. EASY ON THE SALT
 When you 're not cooking your own food, you can pretty much guarantee the food you're eating has too much salt. Ask restaurants to go light on the salt or omit it altogether. try to avoid the salt shaker and look for lower sodium options.

6. SKIP THE BOOZE
 sorry to bring bad news, but beer, wine and margaritas are filled with sugar and empty calories. Eat your calories, don't drink them. Plus, when you have a drink or two, you'll want to eat more!

7. SEND BACK THE FREE FOOD!
 The breadbasket, rolls, tortilla chips, wonton noodles or whatever else they put on the table right when you sit down isn't FREE of fat, calories and sodium. You didn't order it, so don't eat it!

8. HAVE IT YOUR WAY
 Most menus use healthy ingredients, but the preparation makes them unhealthy. the great part about eating at a restaurant is 9 times out of 10, they will happily prepare your food however you would like it prepared. Really, speak up, don't be shy.

9. "UNDRESS" YOUR FOOD
 Always ask for the sauce/condiments/dressing on the side. And instead of pouring it on, dip your fork in the sauce before you take a bite.

10. SKIP DESSERT
 Skipping dessert can save you 500-1,000 calories or even more. You'll be glad you did.

Why Shakeology!?!

Shakeology has been and a huge tool in helping me in my weight-loss fitness journey. I drank green smoothies for a couple years. You know, the smoothies, full of delicious blended fruits and veges. I would blend my spinach and fruit and other things and take them everywhere. My friends used to make fun of me and my sludge-y drink that was browning in my mason jar. Sometimes they were delicious, sometimes not so delicious. I was always looking for healthy superfoods to add to my smoothies to get the healthiest drink possible. But some of those things are so expensive. I was so excited to find Shakeology because it had all these amazing ingredients I had read about that had amazing health benefits and it was all packaged in a drink that costs around $4.  And it was delicious. I am hooked. The benefits are amazing. More energy, healthy foods, more regularity, feel great. Now some people are not too excited about paying around $4 per drink, but let's be honest, most of those people are perfectly fine spending that kind of money on a drink from Starbucks! And this is way healthier than a drink from Starbucks. I am officially a Shakeology addict and proud of it!

Check out some of these great recipes for Shakeology that are not only shakes, but also delicious "treats".

Also, here are some links to other sites where you can find some treats

Vanilla Almond Energy Balls from Beachbody Blog

No Bake Shakeology Cookies from Spark Recipes

And these are my favorite Shakeology Breakfast bars from Autumn Calabrese

Hope you Enjoy!

Over-Night Oatmeal

I am a BIG fan of Pinterest! I was on there the other night and realized that I have 64 boards! That is a result of many nights of late night nursing, I have recovered somewhat from my Pinterest addiction. However, there are some amazing things you can find there. 

One of our favorite breakfasts is oatmeal. It is easy, it is healthy (depending on what you put in it) and makes you feel warm on cold winter days. I am a HUGE fan. We have recently been introduced to over-night oatmeal and crock-pot oatmeal (which I will share on a later post). This is a simple fun way for the kids to make their own breakfast and make it the night before so the mornings can go a little more smoothly.  We have a basic recipe we follow and then do a lot of our own add-ins and creations to make them our own. It is super quick and sometimes delicious and sometimes not, depending on the concoction made. Hope you enjoy!

Basic Recipe:

1/4-1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 cup milk, we use coconut, you can use any kind, cow, almond, soy, etc.
2 tsp ground flaxseed
2 tsp Chia seeds
1 tsp honey (we have also used agave and stevia and sometimes plain old sugar)

Combine all these ingredients in a seal-able container. We like Mason jars and their plastic lids, because we have an abundance of them. And stir or shake it up.
Then, put lid on and place in fridge overnight and enjoy in the morning!

Favorite recipes
Chunky Monkey
1/2 a mashed banana
1 TBS cocoa powder or chocolate or carob chips
1 TBS PB2

Berries and cream (or Peaches and Cream)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup yogurt, we use greek plain
1/2 cup berries, frozen or fresh

Raspberries and Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup Raspberries, fresh or frozen
Chocolate or carob chips to taste

Almond Joy (my favorite)
1 TBS cocoa powder or chocolate chips
1/2 TBS raw coconut flakes
1 TBS slivered almonds

Good old Brown Sugar and Cinnamon

My Progression

Today I took after pictures and before pictures.  These pictures marked the end of my P90X3 journey and the beginning of my Insanity Max 30 journey.  These pictures show my beginning on Sept 12, 2014 when I was starting the 21 day fix program. I learned so much from that program, the thing I am most thankful for is that I learned how to eat. I learned what the correct portions were and the right foods to eat to fuel my body and give it the nutrition it needs to be healthy. Shakeology helped me to overcome my unhealthy cravings. Shakeology is a delicious protein drink that is full of dense nutrition that helps you overcome those cravings.  I did 5 weeks of 21 Day fix and then started P90X3, starting Oct 13. I stuck with the meal plan in 21 Day Fix. P90X3 is a 90 day program, 7 days a week. It was tough and with the Holidays it was tough to stick with the eating plan, because of all the treats and parties, but I did not miss a day of working out. I love the 7 days a week workout plan because I was in such a routine of waking up at 5:30 am and getting my workout done before the kids were awake and it kept me consistent. Yesterday I finished my P90X3 and this morning I woke up and started my Insanity Max 30. It was a butt kicker. It is designed to push you to your max until you can't go any further. I thought that I would be doing pretty good, having done P90X3 for 90 days prior.  I started the workout full force and at 6 minutes and 38 seconds I was done. I had to take a break because I was going all out. It was brutal, but I can't wait until tomorrow!

On September 12, 2014 I started at 165 lbs

Today on January 5, 2015 I am at 148 lbs.

I have lost almost 16 inches.

On this journey the last few months, I am not as concerned with the scale. The scale is a good indicator on where I am at, but the best indicator is how I feel, how my clothes fit and how I am doing mentally. Those are my indicators.

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Winding up the end of the year and here are some of my favorite things that I have found in 2014. Some are fitness related, some are not.  Everything here are things I definitely can't live without!

#1- 21 Day Fix!!

It has literally been a life changer for me. This program, coupled with Shakeology, which is also one of my very favorite things, has helped me reset how I think about food. It has taught me the right things to eat and the right portions. Shakeology has helped me overcome my cravings and is a delicious drink that is SO healthy and full of dense nutrition that helps your body get what it needs.

www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/mmakelle

# 2- The Nutri-Bullet

I love using this for everything!! We got it at Costco this summer and use it ALL the time. To blend our morning Shakeology drinks, to blend eggs, making salsa, making spaghetti sauce, anything. And it comes with this awesome recipe book to try all kinds of different things from smoothies to soups.

# 3- Jawbone

This is a more recent love because I got it for Christmas. I wear bracelets all the time and this fits right in with them and you can't tell it is a fitness tracker.  It tracks my sleep, it tracks my steps and helps me set fitness goals. The app connects to your phone so you can also keep track of your meals and calories and water intake. I love it!!

#4- Journals and Notebooks

I am constantly making lists and keeping journals. This is a picture of how many I am currently using. One is a journal I am making for my husband. Around October, I decided I wanted to be more appreciative of him and be more aware of all the good he does for our family. So, every morning I write in this little notebook the things I noticed the previous day that he did to show our family or me he loved us. It has really made a huge difference in our relationship and he doesn't even know I am keeping it. The plan is to fill it up and give it to him for his birthday in a few weeks. Writing down the memories that I have with my kids and keeping track of what I am grateful for. I know there are all kinds of apps for these things, but there is something so great about writing things down.

#5- The Kale Salad from Costco

Costco really should be on this list, because I am there a couple times a week sometimes. This salad is my FAVORITE!! It has Kale and brussel sprouts and all kinds of greens making it super healthy and then it comes with a poppyseed dressing and pumpkin seeds and cranberries. YUM! If you have not tried it pick it up next time you are at Costco!

#6- Mascara

My 2 favorites are Too Faced Lash Injection and Loreal Voluminous Butterfly Intenza. I love 

make-up and getting all fixed up, but with 4 little kids this does not happen every day. So most days it is just a coat or two of mascara and some tinted moisturizer. These are my favorite ones right now because they do not clump and make your lashes look super thick and long.

#7 Mentos Gum

This might possibly be the best gum I have ever had. You know how you chew gum for a long time and after a while it gets kind of grainy and loses it's flavor. Not Mentos gum. It stays smooth and full of flavor FOREVER. Nothing compares to it. And it comes in a giant pack so it lasts forever. The other day I was digging through my church bag and found 3 containers of it! I guess I wanted to make sure I didn't run out of gum at church. 

Hope you all have a happy New Year!

Favorite 21 Day Fix Salad

This salad is my favorite salad.  It is 21 Day Fix and easy to make.

I was out shopping with my kids one day and did not pack lunches and the kids were starving and I was starving. The closest restaurant...Burger King.  I though there was no way I would be able to eat anything there that would stick with my meal plan. so when I took the kids in and was checking the menu that had a salad, 

Cranberry Chicken and Apple Salad with Apple Cider Vinegarette, 

I thought I would try it and portion it out and see how it would work.

I ordered it with grilled chicken instead of crispy and no blue cheese, which is not on the list of 21 Day Fix Foods. it was delicious. 

And now I found a way to re-create it at home!! 

21 Day Fix style is as follows

2-Green containers= Romaine Lettuce

1- Purple=diced Fuji Apple and a few cranberries

1-Red=Chicken breast

1-Blue=feta Cheese

This salad is so easy to make ahead of time and take with me or just whip up after I get my kids lunch ready. It is so filling and tastes delicious. The Feta Cheese makes it so I don't miss my salad dressing.