21 Day Fix // Day 2 & 3

It's the end of day 3 and yes its ONLY day 3 but I do feel pretty good! I am sore so last night after my workout I took an Epsom Salt bath. It actually does feel good to be sore because I know I am working my body out and it needs it! It's not horribly sore but when I go to sit down or stand up I sure feel it in my quads!

I switched todays workout with Yoga instead of the lower fix because I don't want to push myself too much to where I can't do any workouts. The yoga is great because it helps to stretch your muscles and it feel more like a recovery workout which is nice!

So far the eating part is going very well, much better than its been in a long time. For one I think this is because I have been off from work so I don't have any distractions or temptations with food at work. I work at a restaurant that has amazing food, yes healthy too but the chicken parmesans and, smoked gouda mac and cheese always look so amazing, especially when you are trying to eat healthy! It actually has been nice because I feel like I am off to a great start and I love that I prepped some foods ahead of time so I literally can just grab and go!

Tomorrow I am going back to work so I will finish tonight with setting myself up for tomorrow! I will pack my lunch and get my breakfast ready for tomorrow! I also plan on prepping ahead again for the week after work. My plan is to prepare some sweet potatoes in the oven and make some more couscous, I'd like to have better carb choices instead of whole grain bread.

On the post about Day 1 recap I wrote what I'd like to improve on, which two of the things was to drink more water and eat more protein. Even now for Day 3 I still need to up my water, and my protein. For the protein part, I am going to make myself some bacon in the morning and have my shakeology, that will count for 2 Reds and I will still need 2 more. Protein isn't just meat, I can have eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, shellfish, etc. I think the problem is I really don't eat a lot of protein and this has helped me to realize that. So I really need to work on that and somehow incorporate that into my diet, it will probably help me to stay fuller longer too. As for water, I am buying a nice big liter of water and drinking that and filling it up! I don't know why its been so challenging for me to drink up but even after Day 3 I still need to work on that!

Tonight for dinner I had chicken, peppers and pineapple shish kabobs! Was cool to make and I grilled them on my little grill! I will have a post coming up about the little grill we have that is super convenient and easy to use!

21 Day Fix // Day 1 Recap

Day 1 // Recap

So I got through day one perfectly fine. I was happy that I prepped because it help me stay motivated, even though it only being day one. Prepping is key, if you have to make something every time you are hungry you tend to put it off. Then you end up eating something you aren't supposed to because you are hungry and don't want to take the time to prepare what is right for you. I will say this, the exercise was a little hard for me, I still enjoyed it and it went quickly. I did soak in an Epsom salt bath because I knew I would be sore tomorrow (today) and I was hoping it would help. Well, I am sore, it's not horrible but my body knows whats up now! LOL it is TIME! 

Here is some of the meals I had yesterday, I didn't skip breakfast, I just wasn't hungry so I started right with lunch. 

Lunch: 

Salad with tomatoes and some shaved carrots with jack cheddar cheese and the Fix approved Dijon Vinaigrette [2 Greens 1 Blue 1 Orange]

Dinner

For dinner I grilled some chicken and zucchini. I also had whole grain veggie couscous. I love couscous, its nice and light you can add anything to it, similar to a rice and risotto. The chicken I just seasoned with salt pepper and cajun seasoning and for zucchini I used a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. For me grilling is fun, I have this little grill that is super easy and convenient to use so grilling up some chicken, beef and/or seafood will be a nice help to keep on track! [1 Green 1 Yellow 1 Red ]

Snack // Sweet Tooth

Okay so after my work out I decided to have my shake and make a little something for my sweet tooth, which of course I never have but I was in the mood for something! The shakes are great! I love them and I've tried chocolate, vanilla, coffee and strawberry. I like vanilla and strawberry the best. The shakes are great because you can add anything to them: fruit, veggies, oats, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc) and flavor extracts (almond, vanilla, hazelnut, etc). When I am working morning shifts I usually add a lot to my shake like 1/2 banana, cinnamon, oats (1 yellow) sometimes spinach, and it really holds me through the day until lunch time if not a little after depending on when I get a break. 

For my little sweet treat I made a banana & peanut butter quesadilla . (how to make here)

[1 Red 1 Purple 1 Yellow 1TSP]

For Day 2:

Things I would like to improve tomorrow would be to: 

• Drink more water. I did drink 6 glasses which is still good but I do love water, and would like to drink more of it.
• I'd like to prepare a couple more meals and get them ready for the rest of my week 1. 
• Drink less coffee. I love, love, love, LOVEE coffee and I have it everyday because I love it. However, I would like to scale it down a bit, so maybe just 1 cup today (day 2).
• Incorporate more protein (red). I had 2 all day which I'm aloud 4, doesn't mean you "have" to have all 4 but protein is good for you and it helps repair muscles too.   

Day 2 I am ready for you! Any recipe ideas let me know! If you have any questions or want to signup for 21 day fix email me at: patiooforchids@gmail.com. I would love to help any way I could! :-)

Banana & Peanut Butter Quesadilla

This is perfect for a sweet treat or a little snack, even good for breakfast!

[1 Yellow 1 Purple and 1 TBSP]

I got this idea from a group challenge I did when I first started 21 day fix! Group challenges are great because everyone works together to help motivate each other. You can also share recipes and advice! Definitely recommend them, they are worth a try!

For this little meal you will need:

• 1 medium or small skillet
• 1 small whole wheat tortilla 
• 1 TBSP of Peanut Butter
• 1/2 of a Banana (not even)
• Small sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

Heat skillet to medium and spray with butter cooking spray. 

You take your small whole wheat tortilla and put 1 TBSP of peanut butter on it, spreading it out. Slice half of banana into small round circles, not too thick, place on 1 half of the tortilla only. Sprinkle half with bananas with some cinnamon, or any other spices you'd like to use. Fold over and place into hot skillet. I usually leave it for a minute or 2 on each side. Doesn't take very long at all. You can leave it as is or cut into small triangles like I did! Enjoy! 

After you can cut into small triangles if you would like to! I think this goes perfectly with your shakeology but its also a great snack or breakfast idea and takes about 5 minutes to make! :-)

21 Day Fix

I've gone back and forth, trying to stick to eating right and being healthy and I always go back to my old ways. LOL not that it's a bad thing, I am enjoying myself and eating what I want when I want and not necessarily worrying about what I "look" like. However, it has come to the time that I just want to feel better and have more energy! I feel heavy, tired, and out of shape, and I don't want to feel that way anymore! So, I've decided to get back to 21 day fix, a wonderful Beachbody Program that I have done before and it worked great! I loved it and I stuck to it, it was challenging but I really enjoyed it! So here I go...

Day 1!

I prepped most of my meals for this week, even though I am starting on a Thursday, yesterday so that I would be ready to go today! The 21 day fix is a Beachbody Program that uses color containers to help you track and choose the right foods to eat for the day. You don't have to use all of them in one day but its based off how many calories are right for you to have and you base your diet off of that section. Green is veggies, Red is protein, Purple is fruits, Yellow is good carbs, Blue is healthy fats, and Orange is seeds and dressings. You also are aloud 2 TBSPs of healthy oils/butters, such as peanut butter, olive oil, coconut oil, etc.

For my calorie intake I am in the 1200-1400 range so I am supposed to have 3 Greens, 4 Reds, 2 Purples, 1 Blue, 1 Orange and 2 TBSPs, when your range goes up the number of each colored container changes.

When I first start it is always too much food, I don't really eat a lot, I tend to graze and eat only when I am hungry. This program though helped me to eat the right portions of food and I would feel better after I eat, such as not feeling bloated or still hungry. You can mix and match things and it helps you get creative! The best part for me was I was still able to have bread and pasta, whole grain but still it tastes great and it satisfied that craving for me. I am luckily not big on sweets so the Shakeology is great because I can get a sweet tooth fix by having my shake, which I usually have after my workouts or for early morning work trips when I know I won't eat breakfast and while be hungry around lunchtime.

As for the workouts, they are no joke. I thought I was in shape until I started the first workout and was horrified that I was doing the modifications, almost barley making it through the 30 minutes! LOL but everyday got better and every week I got stronger and I continued to see results! How can you not do it?! It's 30 minutes thats it! Don't knock the home DVD either, you sweat and feel like you got a great whole body workout in!

Can't wait to post my results at the end of the 21 days for you all to see! I'll be posting some meal ideas, even if you aren't doing a Beachbody Program or on a special diet, the meals and recipes are healthy and taste great!

How I did iT: Paying For Family Vacation In $1.00 bills and Change

Okay! So figured my comeback post could be about something we all wish we could do and were better at: SAVING!

Saving money wasn't something I was always good at or thought about doing. It actually really wasn't that easy for me until about a couple years ago. I work in the hospitality industry, so 5 days a week sometimes 6, I am bring home all cash. This gave me the advantage of dividing my money up and depositing what I had into my account only when I needed it because I was receiving checks too. What I started doing was taking part of what I made every time I worked and setting it aside. My goal was $200.00 a month. When I would reach my $200.00 goal I would deposit it into my savings.

$200.00 became $400.00 then $600.00 and then before I knew it I had $1000.00! WOAH! (lol) What my thought was exactly, when I was 22-23! Now I am rich and I can go shop at Target and buy whatever I want, right?! WRONG! Granted yes at the time this was a lot and yes it still is a lot, most people don't have $1000.00 just sitting in their savings account and there are some people who do. Regardless 94% of people today would like to have a better grip on their finances and have more savings. It's a security thing, you feel safe and secure, and to say at least I have something to fall back on even if it is "only" $1000.00. 

Well, it wasn't until a couple years ago that I actually started saving all my $1.00 bills. Now my boyfriend helps and so whenever we spend cash or when I come home from work, no matter how many $1.00 bills I have I save them all. It is easy and simple, it doesn't seem like it will ever be a lot or that it will take forever but you will be surprised. Before you know it you will have more than you ever expected. 

We decided that we would use our $1.00 bills and all our change we save for our family vacation we take every summer. We have a separate account that we put our $1.00 bills in and for the change we just take to a coin machine, even though you have to give a percentage to the company it is easier for us. Its nice because we use that account for our trip and things we need for the trip so we don't feel like we are going out of pocket or worry about bills coming out because its all separated, its a nice reward for us and stress free! 

What are some ways you save and how do you plan you family vacations for summer?