Hey guys! I've posted several #foodporn status recipes to instagram lately so I thought I would do a little round up for you! I've really been digging THIS recipe book lately... I found it at a thrift store (naturally) and I cannot stop using it. I got a lot of recipes from that book, but there's a different one here and there! Steed Classic DinnerI didn't get this meal from any cookbook, but its a classic and a go-to in our house. We love fish and sweet potatoes! I say we probably have this once a week on our lazy nights. Ingredients:
Lettuce WrapsI modified these slightly from the Slim and Scrumptious book because we didn't have all the called for ingredients. It still turned out fab though! Ingredients:
Directions:
Frozen Hot ChocolateAgain, from S & S book cause HI. So good. I made these as a special (but super easy) Valentines treat. Ingredients:
Chicken Noodle SoupSkylor's stomach was not feeling too hot the other night so I whipped some soup from THIS cookbook. I'm a big fan of Cooking Light! I think for the most part the recipes turn out pretty well. I added some zucchini just cause we had some that was about to go bad but the recipe doesn't originally call for it. Ingredients:
Let me know if there's anything else you'd like the recipe for! A big part of your health is your food- I don't claim to be perfect but I love finding good, healthy recipes! If you find one that you think is the bomb, please send it my way! I hope you have the best Tuesday and that your week is short :)
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I have really been looking forward to sharing this post today! I've been working on it for the past week and a half and am excited to finally post it. I'm sure that a lot of you will be able to relate on some level or another... but I am so grateful to have found a community that I really connect with and look forward to engaging with. If you've read my blog before, you've probably read about my love for Tracy Anderson. Her workouts are so different than anything I have ever done before. Don't get me wrong, I love a good sweat session at the gym and feeling strong every once in a while. But I love Tracy's stuff more. She helps you connect with your body in a way that I didn't think was possible! I have had a relatively short Tracy journey compared to others, but even so it has changed my whole perspective. Exercise is not just about burning calories- it's about learning how to more and connect with yourself. That's where the true changes take place. A couple of my tamily members volunteered to talk about their Tracy Anderson journey and a little bit about the GYBG challenge that we recently completed! If you want to reach out to any of these women, find them on instagram! I'm sure that all/any of them would love to chat with you if you have questions. I just wanted to thank all these wonderful women for contributing to this post! It warmed my heart :) Read a little bit about my #GYBG challenge HERE. Meet GeorgiaInstagram: @silvercontinent Website: www.silvercontinent.com Shortly after the birth of my youngest, four years ago, a friend introduced me to the Tracy Anderson Method. The possibility of a complete workout at home, when my newborns' schedule allowed, was a plus. At this time in my life, flexibility was key. Just a few years prior, due to a busy work schedule and frequent travels, I had completely put any sort of exercise to the side. Joints and lower back were in pain, stamina and strength diminished. Fast forward to last December, at the urge of clients and friends, I set up an Instagram account for my fine jewelry business. Shortly after, I noticed a post for the inaugural #tarealtime competition. Last July I started streaming and a lifestyle shift took place. Streaming is now fluidly part of my everyday. In the midst of winter, my body wants nothing more than to shut down and hibernate. 5am streaming looks very different in New York City's December through February than during the rest of the year when there is abundant sunlight and beautiful mild temperatures to help me rise gradually. The 33 day #GYBG challenge gave my whole system a jolt, a shock of sorts, even with temperatures in the teens and dark morning skies greeting me daily. In hindsight, posting a response to each day's challenge question on Instagram along with my amazing teammate Caty (@catynasr) was a bit of a challenge in itself, but getting to know Caty and so many other dynamic women (Mothers, artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, business women) proved so very rewarding. A community of women empowering women to find balance in their everyday. Across cities, states, countries, even continents. How powerful is that?! As I prepare for a trip to India in the coming weeks, it is evident the challenge has helped prepare me set a fixed time for me, before my busy day begins, alongside my morning meditation where I can find the balance I need to have a fulfilling, creative, purposeful day filled with joy no matter the season or where in the world I may be. Meet LauraInstagram: @laurad.tam I started my Tracy Anderson fitness journey in 2008 when Gwyneth Paltrow appeared on Oprah and showed us her "pint-sized" miracle. My official journey began with Tracy's mat DVD. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced, and the arm section is still a challenge for me today. I naturally progressed to Metamorphosis immediately upon it's release. I loved how you could take a body type quiz to help you determine what DVDS to select. This was the first time that I could choose a customized program to fit my fitness needs. I successfully completed the program while my girls were still babies. Up until I started streaming this January, I would pop in any one of those workouts as well as the Continuity workouts, and fit in a great workout right from home. At Tracy's New York Crash Course this past fall, I realized that this was not how the Method worked, so once the GYBG challenge was announced, I knew it was the right time to start streaming. It was literally the night before the challenge started when I realized that all of my local friends ultimately said they wouldn't be able to partner with me. I reached out to Agi on Instagram for help with finding someone, and she suggested Annie (annietamer). Annie messaged me back that night saying yes! She had no clue who I was or if I was actually going to "show up" everyday. With my heart pounding, I remember rushing downstairs at bedtime to fetch my wallet so I could sign up. I woke up like a kid on Christmas, beyond excited to be apart of this community of women and to do my first streaming workout. (I followed many of you for months, not so secretly wishing to be apart of the TAmily) Of course the workout exceeded my expectations and I was instantly hooked. I looked forward to the fun challenges Tracy had for us everyday. I really enjoyed getting to know Annie throughout those 33 days. She was fantastic! Hand downs, the BEST partner for me. As an avid exerciser, I easily found time to do the workouts everyday. What I struggled with and still do to this day, is the video posting and my outfits. I am the type to roll out of bed still in my pajamas, and push play. If it's a heavy jumping workout, I will throw on a sports bra. Most times, I don't even wear shoes. So in the beginning of the challenge, I'd eagerly assemble matching leggings and a bra with coordinating sneakers and socks. After about 1 week, I found this to be a hassle and went back to my ratty "workout" clothes. This translated to me not wanting to post videos. It seems like almost everyone in the TAmily wears a different pair of gorgeously stylish leggings everyday. Other than my lame outfits, I was astonished at how incredibly supportive and encouraging everyone was. I loved seeing the different interpretations of the challenge coming through each person. It was also a time to self-reflect a bit, and consciously think about what I was putting out in the cyber world. I am so grateful that I was able to participate in the GYBG challenge. I plan to continue to stream and share my journey as much as possible! Meet MichelleInstagram: @mbrooke1230 So I started my journey with Tracy about 3 and a bit years ago. I have had many years of diets and a variety of fitness regimes from taking multiple classes in the gym, boot camps at 6am, a personal trainer, training for long distance running and exercise dvds such as Taebo. I was never over weight but I love food, I find comfort in food and just really enjoy eating! If i have a bad day I have nice food as a treat, If I have a good day I have nice food as a reward. When I say 'nice food' to me that is a burger, chocolate. pizza or chips etc. I am not one of these people who naturally make healthy choices - I eat healthy food because I make myself, if health wasn't an issue I would eat junk all day every day! Gradually my weight had increased, naturally my weight fluctuated over the years. It had gone upto a point where I didnt feel confident and I NEVER went on the scale. One day I ordered the first mat dvd and had it in my 'collection' alongside Tae bo, Core secrets and Neil Mcandrew. I really enjoyed the tracy workout but did it mixed with the other DVDs, along with boot camp or trainer sessions. I dont know what clicked but something did and I decided to do more and more tracy and learn about her method. I packed up the bootcamp (no more 6am sessions! and £100s spent per month in fancy gyms) and dedicated my workout to TA. I have never looked back! I now have all but one of the TA dvds! I started collecting - I did 3 workouts per week and the results were showing .... fast! which made me buy more DVDs and learn more about TA. I then moved onto metamorphosis, I got to half way through year 2 and moved onto streaming when Tracy started the 33 day challenge. I fell in love with streaming straight away, my only regret is not doing it sooner! I reduced my spending elsewhere so I could afford it. Looking back at weight charts, I didnt go on the scale for some time when I started TA as I just didn't want to know! I went from 132lbs (first recorded weight) to 112lbs (lowest weight to date) for my wedding. This is probably in around 1 year as I wasn't trying really hard to lose weight, I did it gradually. That was in the first year, since then I have maintained my weight around the lower end (117lb-113lb). I feel happy in my skin, which means so much to me. I really LOVE working out - especially streaming. Streaming has helped me to connect to the TAMily and really feel I am getting the latest workout possible. If not for the 33 day challenge I don't think I would have had that push to do streaming, as I was planning to wait until I finished Meta. The challenge has given me a great start to 2016 and I feel stronger than ever. Meet TaraInstagram: @rawckkthatbody Nickname: TRawckk (t-rock) I have actually been a gym rat since I was 17. I grew up doing many sports and I danced as well. As active as I've been I don't ever think I was in awesome shape! Ha!! I taught group fitness for 8 years at a local club, but I left & went on my own. The gym really wore on me. I loved it but I found being employed there is a little different than being a member! I am still teaching. Again, on my own. It presents its own challenges but I love it!! I no longer have a gym membership. I thought I'd miss it, and also fall out of shape! I still teach my dance fitness classes, teach Tap, Hip Hop & Conditioning at a dance studio, jog, did P90X (omg so hard but I loved results!!)! I do try to stay active. And I do love cardio. But I need more. Variety. I found TA online a few years back. But all I did was her arm workout! Guilty! And it was online so I really didnt realize how HUGE her empire was. Yes, I had seen her on TV as well. And I knew she was a celebrity trainer AND a girl I grew up with worked for her out in LA! Wowie. I received Meta as a gift this Christmas. Loved it. Then a friend of mine, @gippersmith, who we know is die hard as well, asked if I would give this #gybg challenge a shot. She explained it then emailed me the info. I was hesitant at first-cuz I can be lazy and my schedule is crazy. But.....it didnt take much to say 'what the heck...! Ill try anything once!' Im all about committing but it scared me I wouldnt be able to fulfill my end of the deal for her! But I did. We did. I fell in love with TA-more with the streaming workouts-literally instantly. Its bad-azz! I also became kind of addicted to the results I was noticing. Now I need to work more on my diet! With this workout I have to be so focused. So connected. If not, I'll faceplant! I have felt stronger. More confident. I look forward to an extra workout each day now. I love how motivating it is. I love the community. The women are amazing. Uplifting. Supportive. They encourage. Applaud. Comfort. I can't say I've experienced much like it. I am going to continue streaming until summer at least. I want to push my body AND mind and see what its capable of and where I can take it/go with it. Me again. Haha, hey guys!
So I hope that you found these women as inspiring as I have! Everyone is on a journey and everyone is at a different place in their journey. It's amazing that we can all connect despite our different places! If you have a free minute, just search the #TAmily on instagram. You are going to be AMAZED at what you find. It is SUCH a supportive community of women and is truly a treat to be a part of it. If you are ever interested in trying out some of Tracy's stuff- let's chat! And don't forget to post on insta cause you will get a TON of tamily love there! So. Everyone loves Nordstrom. They have phenomenal customer service and gorgeous pieces available at their stores and online. BUT, like most college students/newly weds we can't afford it a lot of the time. Obviously, the next best thing is Nordstrom Rack (and I personally LOVEEEEEE shopping online and they make it so easy). Everything is good quality and its all significantly discounted. Which freaking rocks. I only ever buy workout clothes cause... HI. I wear them the most and it totally motivates me to workout when I look cute. I've really been digging Adidas stuff lately and I about died when I saw this jacket! For reals, I think that it is really cool in a sexy-sporty kind of way. I hope that you guys like this outfit! I know that this technically isn't a 'fashion' blog, but feeling good about the way you look is a part of being healthy and well! Honestly, being happy with the way you look can build self-confidence and encourage you to take care of your body (when you love/like yourself, you'll treat yourself better, promise!) I just wanted to take a second and thank you all so much for reading my blog and supporting me in this new chapter in my life! It's a step outside the box and I am just super grateful! I hope you all have a fabulous Tuesday :) Guys! I have a really exciting post for you all today. If you couldn't guess with the tag line... its all about those pearly whites. Dental health is so important! I thought this post was perfect right before Valentines Day.... cause I know all of you will be kissing it up on that day and I want you to be fresh to death. So read on friends. I had my super cute, super smart cousin-Tammy Hewett, RDH-write up some tips and tricks to keeping your mouth healthy. I thought, who better to write these tips than someone who legit went to school to learn how to take care of mouths. Duh! Tam was the obvious answer. Bringing you the top 5 tips for healthy teeth and gums.... 1. Brush 2 X a day... Yes, I know your Dental Hygienist always is lecturing you about brushing 2 X's a day but.... really, you should listen. You know that fuzzy stuff on your teeth and gumline? Well, that's plaque. At first it starts out as a protector but after its stayed in one place for about 12 hours it turns into some pretty nasty bacteria. It can cause some scary stuff- like gingivitis. 2. Flossing is important! Consistency is key with flossing. Your gums need to get use to how often you are flossing and this helps create a habit. Just think... when you don't floss you are essentially skipping about a third of your mouth (some areas just get missed or are hard to get when brushing). Get the floss between your teeth and down to your gumline to disrupt the bacteria growing down in there. 3. Use an electric tooth brush! Not a Spin brush, but a real life electric tooth brush. The reason electric tooth brushes are so highly recommended is because they break up the plaque/bacteria so much faster than a manual toothbrush does. Also, the newer electric tooth brushes control the amount of pressure you are using when brushing so this helps prevent recession and wear on teeth (Side note: Groupon Goods often has nice electric toothbrushes for sale! I've got my eye on THIS one, but there are a ton of different options). 4. Water is the best drink for your teeth as well as your body (read more about why it is good for your body HERE). Remember the pH scale from chemistry in High school (see image below if you don't!)? The pH scale plays a role in your mouth too! Every time you eat/drink something it changes the acidity level in your saliva, which in turn makes your teeth more susceptible to caries (cavities) and also creates an environment where bacteria (the ones that can causes gum disease) can grow out of control. You can still drink your soda and eat your chips, but try to not sip/snack on them for long periods of time. Try to drink/eat it over a 10-15 min time period then rinse/swish with some water after to get the pH back to normal faster. 5. Stay on regular scheduled cleanings with your Dental Hygienist. Why should you do this if you are an awesome brusher and flosser? Well, you know that hard chalky/rocky stuff that we clean off your teeth when you come in for your cleanings? The tartar that is normally above the gums, will be manageable if you stay on your 6 month schedule. When you miss your appointment or wait too long, the tatar can grow below the gumline. If it does, it can cause infections and lead to serious gum disease (which is irreversible!) So listen to your Dental Hygienist and reschedule your cleanings each 6 months so you stay on schedule. Save that date just like you would any other date! To wrap it all up... brush & floss, use an electric tooth brush, drink water, and visit your Dental Hygienist regularly! Honestly, those tips are not anything crazy and I think that EVERYONE has the time to take proper care of their mouth. I hope that you guys found this post helpful- please let me know if you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to get you in touch with Tammy and I'm sure she would be more than happy to help you out with your dental health! Also, I hope you all have a super fabulous V-day, muah! Isn't my valentine the freaking cutest thing on the planet? Insert so many heart eyes here.Sounds naughty, right? Its totally only a little naughty since there's less than 100 calories per cookie (wad up) and less than a cup of sugar in the entire batch. Now if you think there's not enough sugar to make it good- you're wrong on so many levels. Theses things are the bomb diggity. Plus, they've totally got red and white in them so they're the perfect V-day treat! Show your hunny that you care by feeding them something that you all can feel good about in the long run (true love! Ammiright?) Go hit up Winco and snag some dried strawberries and white chocolate chips for this recipe (sorry, Winco is my jam- love having to only buy as much as I need). Recipe from Cooking Light Everyday Baking
Ingredients:
Directions:
Serves 24- 98 calories each First and foremost, I apologize for the inconsistency of my posts these last couple of weeks! This week has been especially trying (after two accidents, and trying to finish my GYBG challenge (read about it HERE) I've been dead on my feet!) I'll do my best to be more consistent- #goals. BUT that brings me to this post, if January was a trial month with keeping to your goals, start fresh again this month. I don't know about you, but I don't really like to 'diet.' The thought of totally restricting myself for an extended period of time makes me totally depressed- even when I know the things that I need to restrict aren't too good for me. (don't get me wrong though, I do try and officially diet from time to time, just to keep my momentum... but long term it doesn't work well for me!) I'm working on getting better at meal prepping for breakfast & lunch and avoiding snacking throughout the day. I feel like if I work on just one goal at a time, I can stick with it a ton better. It's a total confidence builder. The other day I picked up this book and thought that the advice was pretty dang useful! They split the book up into 3 phases- Lose It, Live It, Extra Stuff. In the Lose It section, they recommend adding 5 habits (adding seems way easier than breaking!), breaking 5 habits and 5 extras. Doing all of that at once is a little ambitious as a life style change, so I'm taking 5 at a time. I'll work on these for a while until I feel like they've become a habit & then try breaking 5. 1. Eat a healthy breakfast.2. Eat 4 servings of veggies & 3 servings of fruit.3. Add whole grains/replace refined products.4. Eat healthy fats.5. Exercise for at least 30 min daily.There is a lot of research on all of the habits above that I could go on and on about but I don't want to bore you! There's just a couple of things that I want to mention about the above list.
Progress is progress. Making lifestyle changes and sticking to them means that you will never have to 'diet'- you'll be healthy and fit. Maybe it won't even feel like work? Just do it. Do it every dang day.
I don't know if you guys have seen, but Old Navy has got some fab workout apparel. And it has basically all been on sale (wad up). AND they keep on releasing new styles.... sooo yeah. Get on it my friends! For me, there is really no better motivation to workout other than I have some fancy sweat clothes. Right now, its still obviously way disgusting outside. So the Old Navy fleece is a-freaking-mazing. Its so warm and fuzzy I could just die. I'm on an Old Navy high right now cause they seriously have like everything your little heart could desire... hats, bags, , fleece and... MESH freaking leggings. You heard me. I honestly think mesh is way sexy so... go team ON. Moral of the story... if you are looking for some affordable and cute activewear, check out ON. Everything is freaking darling and its always a good price! Plus, they do sales like constantly so you can almost always get a discount #holla. P.S. THUMB HOLES. My favorite part of any good sweatshirt. Its basically essential. I know the colors in this photo are kinda funky (like WTF is going on with my hand haha) but I thought it was a cool shot! Trying to teach Sky photography from the other side of the lens has been interesting at times to say the least... but he's still captured some really sweet stuff in my opinion! On a totally different and unrelated notes.... I definitely got into a car accident yesterday! Not to be dramatic or anything, but it totally traumatized me haha (I'm a wuss, I know). Luckily, it wasn't anything super terrible but don't accidents just shake you up?! Have you been in any accidents recently? I hope you have all been driving safely in this INSANE weather!
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HollieI'm a college-grad, certified group fitness instructor and certified personal trainer looking to get my healthy to the next level. I hope you can find a little something here that will help you on your journey too. Archives
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