Getting Beach Ready!

This fall and winter have been terrible... scratch that, HORRENDOUS.  For whatever reason I got outta the swing of things and let my new schedule get the best of me.  Needless to say, I gained a ton of weight!  Since my new work schedule is pretty hectic I knew I had to go back to shorter, intense workouts so I reached out to an old friend to sign me back up with beachbody!  Yes, a little disclaimer - I AM now a beachbody coach, however that doesn't change my results.

Being a nurse, I get up at 5:30 a.m. and I don't get home until after 8 p.m., by the time I am home I have ZERO energy.  When researching on workouts that were condensed I came across beachbody and fell in love!  I get up 45 minutes earlier (15 minutes to wake up and have coffee, 30 to get my workout on!) and my life has been forever changed! In just two short months I lost 15 lbs and I fit into jeans that I couldn't even fit my big toe into months before.  Not to mention my energy is through the roof!

Here is a little before and after...

I am still not quite where I want to be, but if I could do this in 2 months, I can easily kick some booty and be at my goal by June!  That being said, I need a little motivation and I am hoping that YOU will join me.  My next challenge group begins May 2nd!  Email me with any questions on how you can join our team in the next online accountability group at angela_0926@icloud.com!

Looking forward to chatting and getting beach ready with you! xoxo.

Vanilla + Almond Combo Plus a Little Pilates!

Shewww.  I had Pilates scheduled on my active rest day today... Little did I know that it was going to have my abs and booty on FIRE.  Anyhoo, I am glad I squeezed my workout in early as today is going to be a LONG one.  This morning I got the kids up and made them breakfast before my fiancé scurried them off to school.  I work evening shift at the hospital from 3-11:30 tonight and before then I have a million errands to run (fun errands at least!)

So for the past few years, the only Shakeology I ever ordered was chocolate because it is too darn good.  I got a little crazy this past month and switched up my order and decided to go with the barista pack, you get a box of chocolate, mocha, and vanilla.  I am SUPER happy I did!  The mocha tastes like a Starbuck's Frappucino (duhhh, I am a huge coffee lover!) and the vanilla is so versatile it goes with almost anything! The vanilla + almond butter combo I whipped up this morning was to die for and perfect after my pilates workout.

Ingredients:

-1 scoop or packet of vanilla Shakeology
-1-1.5 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or your milk preference)
-4 ice cubes
-1 tbsp of almond butter (nut butter of your choice)

Then just blend away! Yummo!

Now I am headed to check off my laundry list of to-do's today! xoxo.

My Grocery List

In my house it truly is all about balance and moderation.  In my early 20s I suffered from yo-yo dieting and binge eating due to restrictive eating habits.  For the past few years, our home eats for the most part clean, yet we make room for the things we crave.  This has totally ended my binge eating!  So I wake up in the morning and can't stop thinking about Five Guys Burgers and Fries, what do I do?  For dinner I will make some type of "healthified" version of burgers AND fries!  Here is a peek at some staples in my home!

Produce:
-cucumbers (remove skin and slice up immediately to put in fridge for cucumber water and "chips" for my hummus)
-tomatoes (because duh.. burgers... BLTs...)
-spinach (chop it up for salads! or add to smoothies)
-asparagus (my favorite ever! throw in the oven with a teensy bit of EVOO + salt and pepper and call it a day!)
-avocado (no explanation needed!)
-baby red skinned potatoes
-organic sliced bell peppers and onions (yep, I'm lazy)
-jalapeno peppers 

Dry Goods:
-water and lots of it! (our new thing is to buy a few of the big jugs, and add different variations of fruits and mint to them)
-almond thins, special k sea salt chips, thin rice cakes (any type of crunchy chip for my hummus)
-honest kid juice boxes (for the kiddos)
-rice (I like to make a few portions at once so I can toss into tupperware containers for my lunches at work + protein + veggie)
-arnold sunflower + flax bread (only 80 cals a slice!)

Dairy:
-SO delicious Coconut Creamer (for my coffee - I am a coffee addict!)
-Unsweetened almond milk (for my shakeology!!! all day every day!)
​-eggs (yes, i eat the WHOLE egg)
-Trader Joe's Light 3 Cheese Shredded Blend (THEE BEST low-fat cheese ever!)
-light laughing cow spreads (good for toast, eggs, wraps, you name it!)
-Fage 0% greek yogurt

Meat:
-Laura's 96% lean ground beef (I did mention Five guys earlier...)
-Extra lean turkey
-Extra lean boneless chicken breast
-Pork Tenderloin

Frozen:
-1/2 the fat Edy's Ice cream (I told ya, it is about balance for us!)
-yasso greek yogurt ice cream bars
-Alexia's 98% fat free french fries (ahem.. Five Guys.)

So this is just an example of a typical grocery list in OUR home.  This is what works for us, and how I can lose weight or maintain my weight without losing my mind! xoxo.