MIA

Sorry I have been MIA for a REALLY long time.  I had a baby!  Yes, it was extremely early and very unexpected.  I won't be posting on here for a while.  If you want to follow the journey of my sweet little boy please check out his blog.

http://babylandrymartin.blogspot.com/

Body Turnaround Challenge...AGAIN!

Do you remember me telling you about the Body Turnaround Challenge at the beginning of the month?  Well, the response we got was so overwhelming...we are opening the challenge up to new people!  You would not believe the results people are getting with the Turnaround Kit and we have people doing maintenance on the Lean and Healthy Kit. 

The best thing about this challenge is all the SUPPORT people are getting.  If you decide to become a challenge participant you will get access to an exclusive online forum.  This is a safe place where you can share your progress, concerns, post questions, and share your victories.  

I have never been so proud to be part of such a wonderful group!  Since I am nearly 26 weeks pregnant, I incorporate the Lean and Healthy kit into my daily life.  This way I am ensuring I get all the vitamins and minerals baby and I need!  Once he is born I will be diving into the Turnaround kit, so I can lose the baby weight and then some!  

The value is amazing!  How much do you spend on coffee a day?  You can get healthy for less than that!  Plus it is really easy to get your products for FREE!  Yup, I said F.R.E.E!  This is one of the features I am most excited about.  For every month you have three people taking the challenge with you, you will get your products for free.  It doesn't get much simpler than that!

If you are ready to get your life AND body back please let me know!  I am so excited to continue working with the first round of challengers and now YOU!  I look forward to taking to you soon.  :) 

wschmitt123@gmail.com

*Don't forget...If you are not 100% satisfied with ANY Shaklee product you will get your money back!*

"I lost a total of 50 pounds, 22 pounds in my first 90 days!" ~Lori


"First 90 days, I lost 38 pounds.  Our new baby gained a fit new daddy!" ~Zack

Weekly Meal Plan 1.27--2.2

 Where did this month go?  Is it seriously going to be February soon?  Insane!  

Here is what we will be dining on this week.  Please feel free to share your meal plans!  I love getting new ideas.

Weekly Meal Plan:

Sunday: Pork tenderloin, twice baked potatoes, and veggie

Monday: Sloppy Joe's, sweet potato fries, and veggie

Tuesday:  Chili.  We love this, so we eat it A LOT.  I'm gone all day with appointments, so it will be nice to come home to the house smelling like heaven chili.  ;)

Wednesday: Omelets and fruit smoothies.  We finally have our farm fresh eggs back!  I love that we can get farm fresh eggs for $1 a dozen.  That is a steal!  Because they are so cheap we always give a little extra.

Thursday: Hopefully there are some leftovers of some sorts.  :) 

Friday:  Chicken and dumplings.

Saturday: ???

 

 

 

 

Investing In Your Health

Isn't this picture beautiful?  Maybe it only is to me, but we LOVE fruit in this house.  We call it natures candy.  Who needs a snickers when you can have this healthy NATURAL sweetness?  Not me!  

I'm sure you have heard the old saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."  I tend to believe this is true because fruit is packed full of vitamin, minerals, and fiber.  All of these things are important to our health.  Fruit also has phytochemicals which can help in fighting against cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.  Sounds like eating fruit is a no brainer, so why don't people eat enough?

I always hear the excuse that fruit is expensive...organic fruit especially.  I USED TO BE ONE OF THESE PEOPLE!  I'm a bit ashamed of it now that I look back.  

Would you rather eat the top picture, or the bottom?  I for one would MUCH rather eat the bottom picture.  For those who think the bottom picture costs more...think again.  For my husband and I to eat fast food, three times a day, it would cost us roughly $40 ($10 breakfast and $15 for lunch and dinner).  Sure it would be cheaper if we ate off the value menu, but I know that wouldn't happen.  This doesn't even include snacks and any other drinks we would want.

In other words, for us to eat all our meals out (fast food) for ONE week would cost us $280.  That is a lot for the little amount of food you get!  

Instead, we spend on average $75 a week on groceries (mostly unprocessed and organic).  Then I spend about $50 every 2-3 months at our local locker for meat.  For the sake of easy math let's say I spend $20 a month on meat.  That is $95 a week on groceries for two people.  We eat all breakfasts at home.  I eat lunch at home and my husband takes his lunch to work.  I make 5-6 dinners at home a week for us as well. 

For $95 we are able to eat most meals from scratch.  We are eating healthy and saving money!  I know that grocery prices depend on region and store, but I think we can all agree that eating at home saves money and saves on our health.

I think it is important to look at healthy unprocessed foods as an investment in our health.  Sure I could get out of the grocery store for less money if I filled my cart with chips, cookies, and sugary cereals.  Is that really wise though? 

The next time you are in the grocery store and shocked by the cost of wholesome non processed foods STOP yourself.  Think of it as fueling your body in a natural way.  Are you tired of always going to the doctor?  Are you tired of feeling bloated and lethargic?  Are you tired of your kids bouncing off the walls with all the sugar they consume?  Changing your diet can help alleviate all of this!  You are investing in your families overall well being.  :) 

24 Week Update!

photo

Sorry, I didn't get a picture taken and I wanted to get this post up because it is late!  I will do better next time.  :)

As of today I am 24 weeks 4 days.  Time if flying!  I can't even believe it.  I start going weekly now.  This is a high risk pregnancy and we knew that going into it.  Our eyes have been wide open the whole time and I have AMAZING doctors that watch us closely.  

Can I just take a minute to tell you how wonderful all my doctors and nurses are?  I have my primary o.b., but I have been rotating through all of them as well.  You never know who will be on call when you go into labor.  :)  Everyone is amazing!  They are all so sweet and caring.  Never once am I made to feel that my questions are stupid.  Never once have I been made to feel bad about myself.  I have heard horror stories from some people and I was so worried going into this.  

We knew I would have a great chance for G.D. going in because my thyroid gets so messed up.  We now know with 100% certainty it is NOT my diet.  The first time I met with the dietician I was certain she was going to "scold" me for something.  That has NEVER happened.  I get complimented all the time on how awesome my diet is.  I keep a food journal along with a b.s. journal and take it with me to my appointments.  My body just insulin resistant and being pregnant is not making it easier.

Landry is doing GREAT!  He is an active little guy with a strong heart beat around 150 every time I go in.  I'm so excited because I get another u/s in 2 weeks.  I love seeing his little face. :)  

I only have 1.5 more weeks of working outside of the home left.  I am so excited to focus on getting things ready for him.  Plus my feet will be thanking me.  They get so swollen at night.  My mom, sister, niece, and I went Outlet Mall shopping last week.  He has more clothes than me!  I got some ADORABLE things for him.  I can't wait to dress him up in all these preppy little outfits.  :) 

Sleeping has been near impossible!  I do not sleep through the night.  I either have to get up and go to the bathroom, or my hips start hurting.  Plus I have never been a great sleeper, so it doesn't really bother me.  

I still get morning sickness.  Every.single.day.  That means I am still on Zofran.  Once the Zofran kicks in I am good to go for the rest of the day.  Unless, the dogs do something gross that makes me gag.  Dog owners know the kinds of things I'm talking about!  

That is all for the 24 week update.  I am eating like a rockstar, I work out (pregnancy yoga) 3-4 days a week, and my blood pressure is awesome.  Right now I am just battling my blood sugars.  I know I will be on insulin before this pregnancy is over.  Right now I am just learning what my body likes to be fueled with and when.  All this hard work and healthy lifestyle has led me to only gain 6lbs so far!  I blame a few of those pounds on being swollen when I stepped on the scale and wearing a heavy hooded sweatshirt.  :)

This weekend I will be going and purchasing a fake wedding ring.  LOL  Mine is starting to get tight and I don't want to forget and have to have it cut off!  And I feel naked without it on!  

I hope everyone is having a great beginning of the week.  Landry and I are going to go snuggle under a blanket for awhile.  ;) 

Weekly Meal Plan 1.20-1.26

Another week, another meal plan.  How was your week?  We did really well in the eating department around here.  I got a new cookbook that I will be diving into this week.  I have several new recipes marked.  I love this cookbook because it has all the nutritional information for each recipe.  The recipes are healthier than their counterparts, but do not sacrifice taste and ingredient quality.  

Make sure you are following me on facebook.  I update on there much more frequently than here.  Plus I am always posting pictures of our meals.  Don't miss out!  

Weekly Meal Plan:

Sunday: Crockpot lasagna and salad.  New recipe from my new cookbook!  

Monday:  BBQ chicken drumsticks, mashed potatoes, steamed veggie.

Tuesday: Stirfry (made with veggies I froze this summer) and rice (or noodles). 

Wednesday:  Loaded salads and fruit. 

Thursday:  Egg sandwiches and fruit smoothies.

Friday:  White bean and kale soup.

Saturday:???

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia...Seeds.

Last week I talked about nutritional yeast.  This week I want to talk about something else you may have never heard of.  Chia Seeds.  I LOVE chia seeds.  Yes, these are the same seeds used when growing a chia pet.  *LOL*  Do you think I'm nuts yet?  I promise I'm not.  :)

These little seeds hold so many health benefits!

1.  They help you lose weight.  They help you feel full faster because they absorb liquid and bulk up.  

2.  They are packed full of Omega-3.  This is great for preventing heart disease.  They actually have more Omega -3 than Salmon! 

3.  They help control blood sugar.  Chia seeds help slow down how fast our bodies convert carbs to sugar.

4. They are a complete protein.   This means you are going to have more energy through out the day. 

For me, adding chia seeds into my diet was a no brainer.  I heard about them a few years ago, but I was intimidated.  I basically forgot about them until about 2 months ago.  This is when I went to see a dietician.  She reintroduced them to me and told me about all the great benefits they pack.  

 

I just had no idea WHAT to do with them.  I was afraid they would taste horrible.  Basically, I was dumb and uneducated about their greatness.  Chai seeds are so easy to incorporate into our daily diets and they have no taste!  

 

 

I like adding mine to greek yogurt and oatmeal.  They are also great to add to your baking.  I don't do much baking, but on occasion we like muffins for breakfast.  Adding chia seeds to the muffins is great!  I also recommend adding them to smoothies and fruit salads.  

There are A LOT of brands out there.  And most grocery stores carry chia seeds in their health food section.  I just chose the Dole brand because it was about $5 cheaper than the others.  I will need more in a few weeks and I think I will try another brand.  These are the milled seeds and they say they don't lose any nutritional value, but next time I will be getting the whole seed variety.  I am still fairly new to the chia bandwagon.  ;) 

If you can't find them in your store, look on Amazon.  Amazon has everything.  :)  

What are you waiting for?  Go get some chia seeds and get healthy!