Healthy Snacks

I always like to have healthy snacks in my fridge or snack cupboard for myself and my family to easily grab without to much effort. I try to include at least a protein in the snack as well as a fruit or vegetable. Here is my go-to list

• Greek Yourt + Honey + Fruit
• Guacamole + Veggies
• Veggies + Hummus
• KIND bars
• Apple Slices + Almond Butter
• Banana + Almond Butter
• Shakeology
• Homemade Protein Balls
• Popcorn (plain) + Almonds
• Cottage Cheese + Fruit
• Raw Almonds
• Raw Cashews + Strawberry
• String Cheese + Grapes
• Protein Bar
• Homemade Trail Mix
• Homemade Granola Bars

The weeks meal plan is a little Bland, I'm getting back to the basics to see if I can get my HORRIBLE eating habits under control. When I don't have my meals planned out and prepped then I usually just find something quick and easy to eat and it usually is not healthy as I'm sure you all can relate.
Breakfast will be vegetables and eggs. I usually steam veggies for dinner and then use the leftovers the next day in my eggs. I also like to eat something sweet for breakfast so I will usually eat a couple kiwis or strawberries.
My morning SNACKS are always Greek yogurt with some sort of fruit in it, this week I'm going to have kiwis or fresh pineapple. I always try to provide fresh fruit for my family instead of the fruit in a can in which always has added sugar and a bunch of other stuff.
Lunches are going to switch off between my nourishment bowl and Chicken Tostada. The nourishment bowl is crammed packed with nutritious food that is very good for your body and of course the Chicken Tostada is delicious.
Afternoon snacks are

Flynn Lee

We welcomed our third baby boy into this world the morning of December 29, 2015.

It was such a beautiful experience even as a planned csection. I was 39.5 weeks when I had him. I was able to have skin to skin with him right after he was born. 

I was also able to breast feed as soon as we got into the recovery room. Which is what I wanted. 

We are still going strong with breast feeding 5 weeks later. My goal is to breast feed him until he is 1 year old. 

I'm still pretty sore from the surgery and plan on taking it easy until my 6 week checkup and if I'm allowed to get back to working out then I will start there. I have been honing my healthy eating habits the last 2 weeks along with walking everyday and I feel great. 

I was over weight before getting pregnant

I have looked online for blogs to follow about moms that are overweight before they got pregnant and how they stayed active and ate healthy through out their pregnancy. Let me tell you there are not very many blogs out there on this topic, and only a few blogs that are about most of the pregnancy and after pregnancy. SOO I decided I wanted to blog about my pregnancy and after baby weight loss.

I was what a doctor would call obese for the last 7 years after 2 kids being a single parent working 2 jobs and trying to go to school. I wasn't making the healthiest choices and working out was unimaginable on top of it all. I became a stay at home mom and I was working on a healthy lifestyle when I found out I was pregnant. I was about 4-5 months into the journey and mostly inconsistent with healthy eating but on track with working out. (healthy eating habits is my weak point) I was working on changing that when we were surprised with the pregnancy. I had horrible morning sickness until about 20 weeks and pretty bad nausea that happens even today. I ended up loosing about 10 lbs in those first 20 weeks because I wasn't able to keep anything down. I am starting to feel better, eating healthier and even got a workout done today.
My Healthy Pregnancy Goals

• Stay as active as possible which includes one of these a day
• jogging/walking 3-5 miles 
• 21 day fix workouts
• lifting weights
• swimming
• yoga or pilates
• Healthy Eating
• I cut out all bread/gluten (it makes me almost instantly nauseous)
• Eat every 2-3 hours
• Drink at least 100oz of water a day
• Get the correct amount of fruits/veggies a day

Those are my goals and I hope I can keep up those goals up until the date I deliver this sweet baby.

Clean Eating: My Basics

Eat Clean Principles

1. Eat more. Eat 5-6 small meals each day, spaced 2.5 - 3 hours apart.  Protein and complex carb at each meal with a big glass of water!

2. Eat breakfast everyday, within an hour of rising.

3. Make your last meal 3 hours before bed.

4. Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal.

5. Eat sufficient healthy fats every day.

6. Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water each day.  Add some lemon, limes, cucumbers or orange slices for extra flavor!

7. Carry a cooler packed with clean foods & snacks each day.

8. Depend on fresh fruit and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.

9. Adhere to proper portion sizes (see below).

10. Eat only foods that have not been overly processed, or that contain artificial additives (sweeteners, colors, preservatives, etc.), saturated and trans fats. 

READ THE INGREDIENTS LABEL!  

What to Avoid:

• Avoid all over-processed foods, particularly white flour and sugar
• Avoid all chemically charge foods
• Avoid foods containing preservatives
• Avoid artificial sugars
• Avoid artificial foods such as processed cheese slices
• Avoid saturated and trans fats
• Avoid sugar loaded beverages, including sodas and juices
• Avoid or do your best to limit alcohol intake.
• Avoid all calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value. I call these anti-foods
• Avoid super sizing your meals
• AVOID ANYTHING that contains the following on the label:
• High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup
• Aspartame
• Sucralose
• Maltodextrin
• MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)
• Enriched 
• Modified, Genetically-modified, etc.
• From concentrate
• TIP:  When you see the words "diet", "sugar-free" or "lite", chances are it contains artificial sweeteners like Aspartame which is POISON!

Complex Carbohydrates from Fruit and Vegetables:
6 portions each day.  A portion is:

• 1 cupped handful or a piece of fruit such as berries, grapefruit, melon, apples and mangoes.
• 2 cupped handfuls of vegetables including broth based/vegetable puree soups.

Complex Carbohydrates from whole grains and starchy carbohydrates: 
(I have became my own version of Paleo so this may be different then what you normally see)
2-4 portions each day.  A portion is:

• 1 handful sized serving of sweet potato, yam, banana, corn, carrots or squash

Lean Protein
6 portions each day.  A portion is:

• 1 cup or handful of dairy products such as low fat soy, almond, hemp, rice, or skim milk, cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt cheese or plain fat free sugar free yogurt.
• 1 scant handful of raw, unsalted nuts (also a healthy fat)
• 2 tablespoons of all natural nut butters such as almond or peanut butter (also a healthy fat).
• 1 palm-sized portion of lean meats
• High quality, sugar- and chemical- free protein powder 

Beverages:

• 2-3 liters per day of fresh, purified water (sodium-free)
• Clear herbal tea (unsweetened)
• Black coffee in moderation
• Green or Black tea

Sweeteners/Sugars that are OK to use in moderation:

• Organic Cane Sugar
• Agave Nectar 
• Maple Sugar Flakes
• Rapadura Sugar
• Natural Stevia (plant-derived, non-processed)

Stay at home mom

I have always had to work.. Since I was 18 years old, a single parent and barley out of highschool. One, two sometimes even three jobs. That was in 2007 skip ahead a few years and it's 2012 and I had my second son. I was able to work only part time until he was 7 months old and then I got a job in a daycare in my youngest sons classroom where I was again working full time 45-50 hours a week. In September of 2014 I was blessed enough to move in with my boyfriend where I was able to be a stay at home mom. It has been an amazing 8 months!! I am so very blessed! My hope is that my beachbody business will allow me.to be a work at home mom when they both get to school. 

New Week

Tomorrow is Monday which means a brand new week for me. I am super excited to kick this weeks butt and loose at least 2.5 lbs. I am doing mostly Paleo eating all week long with a few exceptions. I have decided on 2 desserts which are Chocolate Moose and Apple Crisp and of course they are both Paleo. My goals for this week are..

Fitness:

• Do ALL my workouts (doubles week) taking Sunday off
• Yoga/Stretching every morning

Nutrition:

• Eat 90% Paleo
• Drink 1 gallon of water each day
• Enjoy 3 cups of green tea each day

Family Adventure:

• Explore Itch-Ka-Pee park with the boys
• Take picture of my boys each day

My Life:

• Finish Personal Development Book
• Write in my Gratitude Journal each day
• Meditate each day

Career:

• Complete power hour each day
• Help 2 new people become fit and happy