Showing posts with label fit along friday. Show all posts

Monday, December 21, 2015

Fit Along Friday

It's Fit Along Friday on Monday! I just made the most delicious meal! It is Acorn Squash with Apple, Cranberry & Sausage Stuffing. Oh it was so yummy!!!

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and got enough supplies to make about 7 slow cooker meals. My plan was to prep them all and then put 5 of them in the freezer and leave the other two in the fridge to toss into the slow cooker over the next few days. But I had to go somewhere and I didn't get it all prepped. I had big plans of prepping and taking pictures. Hopefully I'll be able to get it done tonight before all my food goes bad!

As for the meal I made today it was so yummy and I had to share my modifications to the original recipe. The original recipe can be found here.

Acorn Squash with Apple, Cranberry & Sausage Stuffing

Meat -
1 lb ground pork sausage with sage

Produce-
1 acorn squash (cut into to pieces, remove the seeds, roast face down at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes)
1 apple (I used a granny smith)
1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp parsley (I omitted. I don't like parsley)
1/2 tsp sage, dried
1/2 tsp thyme

Canned Goods-
1/4 cup chicken stock

Breads & Baked Goods-
1 cup White Bread (omitted)
2 cups Whole Wheat Bread (omitted)
Instead of the bread I used Almond Flour

Dairy-
2 tbsp butter (omitted)
I used coconut oil to saute the vegetables

I cooked the onion, celery and pork until it was cooked through (I drained the fat from the pork). Then I added the spices, apple, and cranberries. I mixed it all up and then I added the almond flour (I didn't measure it but I think it was a little over a half a cup). Then I added a some chicken stock. I mixed it all up. I added the stuffing mixture to the roasted squash and put the left over stuffing in a container for lunch tomorrow.

It was so yummy and I know I can easily modify this meal and use lean ground turkey instead of the pork. Which I know will be a perfect substitute and make this meal work for the Master Hammer & Chisel Challenge I'm doing starting January 3rd.

My super awesome coach made this header for our challenge group. I got such a huge kick out of it. If you ever need some motivation just put your head on a super fit person! Damn Byronna and I are looking good :) One of the things I like most about doing the Challenge Groups is being around people that challenge, push and motivate me. I have participated in quite a few of these groups, but this is my first time co-hosting one. If you want to join us the challenge starts January 3rd. You can order the program "The Master's Hammer and Chisel" through my site. I can't wait to get started. I got my disks ordered and I must say I'm happy about the free shipping!!!

If you want to join us or find out more about the program please send me a message and I'd love to give you more information about it.

The Master's Hammer and Chisel

Building a strong, sculpted body doesn't require hours spent working out—just an expert approach. And with The Master's Hammer and Chisel, seasoned trainers Sagi Kalev and Autumn Calabrese have compiled their best, most efficient techniques into 30- to 40-minute resistance-training workouts to help you craft a powerful, perfectly defined physique in just 60 days.

If you want to join me in my Fit Along here are the steps:

1. Log onto Beachbody and sign up for a free account and choose me Andee Fagan "AndeeKF" as your coach.
2. Order a challenge pack which includes Shakeology.

Have a great weekend! See you next Friday.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Fit Along Friday

I am really missing taking family portraits this time of year. I am hoping by next year I'll be back in swing of my photography business. Until I find the time for it I have to settle for my camera on a tripod and using the 10 second timer! Even my remote shutter is broken. I need to work on all of that!

With Thanksgiving coming up I've been thinking a lot about what kind of healthy food I can bring to Thanksgiving dinner. I have a lot of intolerance to a lot of foods so I want to make something creative and I came across this recipe for

GRAIN-FREE HOMESTYLE STUFFING

I think it looks delicious. The ingredients are onion, celery, apple, dates, almond flour, sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, salt, pepper, coconut oil and eggs. I was so excited when I was reading though the list of ingredients until I got to the eggs. I am intolerant to eggs and they really bother me. I read some of the comments and I found out that I can use ground up flax seed and water (1 T ground flax and 2 T water and let sit for three minutes) as a binder instead of the eggs. I can't wait to try it out.

WHAT WE I AM EATING THIS WEEK-

Monday lunch- Braised Beef Pot Roast and Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Monday dinner- Grass Fed Beef and Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

Tuesday lunch- Baked Sweet Potato Turkey, Chorizo, Bacon and Spinach

Tuesday dinner- Veggy Loaded Meatloaf, Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Wednesday lunch- Chicken Salad with Avacado-Lime Paleo Mayo over Seasonal Greens

Wednesday dinner- Stir Fry Chicken and Vegetables with Lemongrass-Ginger Broth

Do you know how much of that I am cooking? NONE. We have a local Paleo restaurant that does a food service. You can sign up for a three day or five day plan. You get lunch and dinner and it is all packaged in lovely containers and is oh so yummy. Although I do plan on making healthy decisions on Thanksgiving I know I might be tempted by some yummy treats. So I decided to get the food service since I know I am getting great healthy meals for three days and I love the portion control! Plus the meals our mouth watering delicious and not having to cook all those meals frees up some of my time. Since the kids have activities everyday after school I am glad to know I can come home to something good to eat and not feel make bad decisions.

FITNESS TIP OF THE WEEK-

Get up and move. I have found I do much better getting my work done if I get up every 45 minutes and move around. I tend to loose focus after 45 minutes of sitting at the computer and working. I have made playlists on Spotify that are 45 minutes long. I know when the playlist ends it is time to get up and move around. I might even stretch or do a yoga pose. There is nothing like doing a head stand to get the blood to run to your head and refresh you. If you aren't into standing on your head and few trips up and down a flight of stairs will get your blood pumping.

I hope you all enjoy Thanksgiving!!! Make healthy decisions and take a walk! Might I suggest a nice round of TurboFire to get your metabolism going so maybe you can sneak in an extra portion. Remember the key to your metabolism is working out your legs. You have the largest muscles in your legs, do some squats get those muscles warmed up and that metabolism burning!

If you want to join me in my Fit Along here are the steps:

1. Log onto Beachbody and sign up for a free account and choose me Andee Fagan "AndeeKF" as your coach.
2. Order a challenge pack which includes Shakeology.

Have a great weekend! See you next Friday.

If you haven't tried Shakeology yet remember you can buy a sample pack and try the different flavors before you commit to a 30 day supply.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Fit Along Friday

I'm back for Fit Along Friday!!! Sorry for my recent absence, but my life has been very busy lately. But I'm back and it has been so good to hear from so many of you asking me to get these posts going again! I had a great idea that I would photograph all the meals I make and post them here, but somehow they get eaten and the pictures don't get taken, but I'm going to work on that.

So for fun and exciting things I am going to be bringing my photography equipment to Yoga class! So fun right?! I set up my lights and back drop and did a few fun trial pictures. Mr B (aka my 8 year old son) was home sick from school and thankfully helped me out with taking pictures. My remote shutters is broken and running back and forth doing poses with the 10 second self timer was exhausting. So big thanks to Mr. B.

My birthday is coming up and on my birthday I love to spend the day knitting and taking lots of pictures. My birthday is falling on a Sunday and I was planning on playing hookie from church and go to yoga class instead. I asked my instructor if I could bring in my equipment so we could do a photo session. Since I have lost about 65 pounds since last year I thought it would be fun to do some pictures doing cool posses to celebrate. I still don't know what any of the yoga poses are called, but I know I can do a bunch of cool ones with guidance from my instructor. She loved the idea and I of course offered to take pictures of anyone that wants them. All the people in my class were very excited. But then I found out the kids are signing in church on my birthday and we have to do a boy scout community project on my birthday. So instead of doing the photo shoot on my birthday I'll be doing the pictures Sunday Dec 6th. It is going to be a donation class and there is going to be live music and a juice bar! If you are in the Monmouth County area and want to come give me a message and I'll let you know how to get there. Everyone is welcome to attend!

WHAT WORKOUTS AM I DOING THIS WEEK-

Since I am planning on getting pictures I am doing 21 Day Fix Extreme. I like to moan and groan about 21DFX because I don't find it as fun as some of the other Beachbody programs, but the results are amazing. The first week is painful and then half way into the second week it is hard to stop looking in the mirror and by the end of 21 days it is just craziness. Which reminds me I didn't take my before picture! But I did take a week off since I had the flu. I'll have to do a before picture today and start over.

FITNESS TIP-

Drink Shakeology. Seriously it is great stuff. By replacing one meal a day with Shakeology you will have amazing results. I like to have my shake with water and ice and I mix it in my Ninja Blender. It is so tasty and satisfying. It seriously is the simplest change you can make in your life and have amazing results.

WHAT WE ARE EATING-

One of my favorite go to meals in a Kielbasa dish I make. It is super simple and it tastes so good. I even took pictures of it when I made it last night. Since I have modified this so many times I'm going to call it "Andee's Kielbasa".

Andee's Kielbasa

Step 1-

Heat up a skillet to Med-High heat. Dice up your Kielbasa and put it in the skillet (you can make this leaner by using a turkey kielbasa). Cook it thoroughly and then push it to one side of the skillet.

Step 2- (not shown) You can added potatoes to the skillet now. Let them cook right on the yummy oils left from the kielbasa in the pan. I usually dice them up small so they cook faster and get nice and golden brown on all sides. Once the potatoes are cooked push them to the side with the kielbasa.

Step 3- Dice up one yellow pepper and one red pepper and add it to the skillet. Then dice up one red onion and add that to the skillet.

Step 4- Mix it all up together and let cook for a few minutes. I usually don't cook the peppers for too long because I like the crunch of fresh peppers. Now it's time to eat!

I don't add salt, pepper or any seasonings to this meal. If I use a turkey kielbasa I find I need to add a little coconut oil to the skillet after I cook it. So I push the turkey kielbasa to the side after it is cooked, then I place the coconut oil in the skillet where I am going to cook the potatoes. There isn't as much greasy goodness left over from the turkey as the beef or pork kielbasa. The only reason I didn't add the potatoes last night was due to laziness and I didn't feel like pealing them and dicing them up.

Usually when I make this meal I put it into individual containers and I can have it for lunch for 3 days. It can be eaten hot or cold. But heated up is yummier. It is also a great meal to take to a party, camping or vacation.

Andee's Kielbasa-
Ingredients
1- Kielbasa diced
1- Red Pepper diced
1- Yellow Pepper diced
1- Red Onion diced
3- Medium Red Potatoes diced

Directions-
Heat skillet to Med-High heat.
Cook kielbasa then push it to the side of the skillet. Cook the potatoes in the skillet until golden brown then push them to the side of the skillet. Add the diced peppers and onion to the skillet. Mix all the ingredients together and cook until heated thoroughly and enjoy!

If you want to join me in my Fit Along here are the steps:

1. Log onto Beachbody and sign up for a free account and choose me Andee Fagan "AndeeKF" as your coach.
2. Order a challenge pack which includes Shakeology.

Have a great weekend! See you next Friday.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Fit Along Friday

Brrrr it got cold here at the Jersey Shore. We are experiencing a LOT of rain right now and we are keeping our eye out for Hurricane Joaquin. Because the weather is so bad we had to cancel our camping trip planned for this weekend. Boo Hoo. We were really looking forward to flash light corn mazes, Jack Hanna's Wild Animals LIVE, amusement park rides and lots of family fun.

But to make it up to the kids we made a weekend fill with lots of other fun and we are going to pick them up from school today so they don't have to ride on the bus. They are thrilled about that!

I took another Yoga class this week and I really enjoyed it. I feel like Yoga is like school. You are expected to follow the instructor and do the poses correctly. I always feel like I'm not doing them right, but I know over time I'll get better. For now I will just keep looking around the room and trying to copy everyone else. The class sizes have been small. I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing. The good part of a smaller class size is the instructor can give me more personal time and can help me correct my poses. But the down side of that is I am so sore after class!!!! She beats me up :)

I also started this week using the PiYO slides. Oh my goodness I had no clue I could sweat so much. I did the full body blast and when I was done I was in a puddle of sweat! I haven't done Strong Legs yet. I am finishing up another week of Turbo Fire and then I'm going to make PiYO my main workout again. I'll still do some of the Turbo Fire workouts when I can fit them in. I have to add that one of the reasons I love these programs so much is that there aren't any rules. They encourage you in the work outs to make them your own. To compare this to school these work outs are like recess!! Just lots of fun, but with amazing results!

FITNESS TIP #6- Reward Yourself!!!
Since I don't have a disposable income there are lots of things I want and I can't afford. I love using Pinterest. I have a board title "Gifts". If I see something I like I put it in the Gift board. About a year ago when I started my work out plan I gave myself rewards based on weight I lost. I told myself after 10 pounds lost I could get myself a gift, then the next 10 pounds another gift. This gave me so much motivation! I really loved getting some things for myself even if they only cost $15.00 it was still a big deal that I earned it.

I heard a contestant on The Voice the other night say, "My father always told me a life without goals isn't a life worth living." I say make some goals and go out and achieve them! Oh and reward yourself along the way :)

WHAT WE ARE EATING-
In the crock pot I have a 15 bean soup with diced ham. Aren't the beans so pretty! This is the type of meal that I will add a little of this and a little of that each time I serve it up.

CRACKLIN' CHICKEN

In the directions for the Cracklin' Chicken she writes,

Dry the chicken thighs well, and season both sides of the thigh with salt, but ONLY the meat side gets additional seasoning and/or pepper. If you put other seasonings on the skin, it’ll run the risk of burning. Then, everyone will be sad. Tears are not tasty.

That made me laugh :)

KOREAN GRASS FED SHORT RIBS

(this meal is our family's favorite)

Oh those short ribs are the best!

If you want to join me in my Fit Along here are the steps:

1. Log onto Beachbody and sign up for a free account and choose me Andee Fagan "AndeeKF" as your coach.
2. Order a challenge pack which includes Shakeology.

Have a great weekend! See you next Friday.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Fit Along Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have had a great week. I did! I am still following the Turbo Fire Advance class schedule and loving every minute of it. I also took a Yoga class this week. This was my second official yoga class on land... I did take one on a SUP a few weeks ago. The karate studio that my kids go to has started doing a Yoga class at a time that I can go to. I LOVE it. It is fun to get out and work out with friends. Turbo Fire and Piyo have made my core so strong it is amazing the things I am able to do in Yoga class.

I have been hesitant to do Yoga because I was nervous I wouldn't be doing the positions right. Now that I am taking classes with an instructor and given the proper guidance I can do so many cool things!!! In my first class I learned how to do a headstand. I was so proud of myself I took a video when I got home.

Now I can do headstands and I can lower my feet just about until I touch the ground and then back up. I am developing so many after dinner tricks it is amazing :) It is amazing what I can do with my Turbo Fire & Piyo abs! I am amazed at what the human body is capable of.

WHAT WE ARE EATING-
For eating this past week (since I never posted last Friday... sorry) we had Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein. I really loved it. I made a big batch of it and divided it up into containers and had it for lunch for three days. I modified the recipe by cooking chicken thighs in the slow cooker and then cutting them up into bite sizes and adding them to the Chow Mein. I also used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. By my husband did add Bragg's Liquid Aminos.

I'm going to make Paleo Sweet Potato Sloppy Joes for dinner tonight and I plan on having it for lunch for the weekend. Yum!!

FITNESS TIP #5- Walk first don't run.

If you are just starting out working out start slow! If you are just beginning your fitness journey I suggest taking 20 minute walks for six days a week. Do that for two weeks. Then when you feel up to it run for ten minutes and walk for ten minutes. Do that for a week. Then when you feel up to it run for 20 minutes and walk for 10 minutes. Add time until you are up to 45 minutes. This will get you body used to moving. If you over train you will only be hurting yourself. Your body will be starving for calories and you will overeat. By starting slow you can work on adjusting your eating habits. Don't sabotage yourself by starting with a 40 minute jog and then over eat at dinner. Take it slow and I promise you'll see results! Before you know it you'll be in a Turbo Fire Class in the best shape of your life!!!!

ON ANOTHER NOTE-
Beachbody is running a promotion on PiYo this month. I love everything about PiYo.

If you want to join me in my Fit Along here are the steps:

1. Log onto Beachbody and sign up for a free account and choose me Andee Fagan "AndeeKF" as your coach.
2. Order a challenge pack which includes Shakeology.

Have a great weekend! See you next Friday.

Friday, September 11, 2015

Fit Along Friday

Hi everyone how was your week?! Was it filled with lots of fun things??? Freddy and I had a great time this past weekend at our friends wedding. I spent the entire night in a pretty dress with high heels and danced the night away!!! Sadly I didn't get any good pictures of me in my dress :( There was a photo booth at the reception and we did take pictures..... but I left my pictures at our table. Boo hoo for that, but I did snap a picture with my cell phone.

And of course the beautiful bride and groom. I got lots of pictures of them! Especially since I was the unofficial paparazzi of the night.

I am sad that the wedding is over. It was one of my big motivations for getting in shape and staying in shape. Now I have to focus on a new event.... I'm thinking about planning a snow skiing trip. You know you have to write your weight down on the ski rentals..... that should be motivation! But truthfully I have wanted to take snow boarding lessons and I'm thinking with my birthday coming up in November I might just actually do it!

What is your motivation? Do you have a big event coming up?

FITNESS TIP #4- SLEEP
Go to bed! Not just that go to bed early. Sleep is so important and you need a lot of it. Everyone needs their beauty rest. Especially for all of you who have been doing the Fit Along and are doing Beachbody Programs or taking daily 20 minute walks. Your body heals when you are sleeping. All those muscles you worked out repair and get stronger when you sleep. So go to bed!

I personally go to bed early. I like to be in bed by 9 pm. Crazy I know! But I have found by going to bed early my body is able to wake up when it has rested enough (not by an alarm clock). So call me crazy for getting up at 4:30 am (or maybe 5:30.. but always by 6:00). But I love it. By getting up after my body has had enough sleep I feel so rested. I love the time in the morning I have to myself to have my coffee and knit. No one else is up and I have no obligations at that time. I don't do laundry, I don't clean, I don't cook anyone breakfast, I just sit and relax for a few hours. I like to watch the news to see the weather and then I listen to an audio book.

I do however tend to stay up a little later on the weekends. But try it for yourself. Try going to bed early and after about 3 nights you will get in the routine. I promise you will see and feel a difference.

WHAT WE ARE EATING-
I hate to see Summer leave, but I am looking forward to cooler temps so I can get back to making roasted veggies. It is still hot and humid here at the Jersey Shore so most of my cooking has been done in the slow cooker. As soon as the temps go under 80 degrees I'll be putting some spaghetti squash in the oven!

Since it is still so hot out I'm sticking to grilling and the slow cooker. With opening day of football this Sunday I thought I'd throw in a few fun football meals. I always say "Football makes you fat!" There is nothing I enjoy more than sitting around watching football and snacking on yummy food. I love spending time with my family and I love the excuse to sit around with them and enjoy a few games. However to avoid my mid section turning into a football I will be sure to get my workouts in first thing in the morning so I can burn those extra calories all day!!!

Grilled Maple Balsamic Pork Tenderloins

SWEET AND SPICY CHICKEN BITES

(these are great as a meal or an app)

TURKEY CRANBERRY MEATBALLS

And because it is Friday and sometimes you need a little music to get you pumped up for the weekend. Or maybe a little music to get your out of your chair and moving and ready to work out here is Icona Pop's "Emergency".

If you want to join me in my Fit Along here are the steps:

1. Log onto Beachbody and sign up for a free account and choose me Andee Fagan "AndeeKF" as your coach.
2. Order a challenge pack which includes Shakeology.

I am recommending the TurboFire program for this first "Fit Along".

Have a great weekend! See you next Friday.

Friday, August 28, 2015

Fit Along Friday

I am looking forward to a wedding we have coming up. I had a dress in my closet that I thought would do for the event, but after talking to a friend she insisted I needed step it up a notch since the wedding is at the Brownstone. There are some fancy shmancy people on the guest list and I know it will be a dress to impress event.

So I went out and got myself a new dress. I love it. It sparkles :) When I got home from the store I tried it on for the boys and Freddy. They all loved it, but Freddy thinks it might be a little see through. I suppose I could get a slip... or just do a few extra PiYo buns work outs this week :)

Today's work out was scheduled to be Fire 30 Class. I did that and Buns. I think this week I'll sneek in a few 21 Day Fix Extreme workouts. Autumn who is the instructor of the 21DFX workouts is not as nice and cheery as Chalene, but I think I'll let her kick my butt to get in shape for the wedding.

TIP #2- DON'T EAT AFTER 7:00 PM

My second fitness and health tip is to not eat after 7:00 pm. I personally eat in a eight hour window. My first meal (which happens to be Shakeology) I have at 11:00 am then lunch around 1:00 and dinner at approximately 5:30. Apparently that is called intermittent fasting. I really don't like the term fasting, but apparently that is what it is. By eating in an eight hour window my body has time to process everything I've eaten. The time that I am not eating gives my body time to go through a cleaning cycle.

If the term fasting scares you let it be known that you are fasting when you are sleeping. So everyone fasts. From what research I have done it seems that women do well with an eight hour window and men with a ten hour window.

I suggest you try not eating after 7 pm. Give you body time to process all the food you already put into it for the day. Resist the junk food after your last meal. You don't need it.

I used to have large fluctuations in weight, but since I started eating in an eight hour window my weight stays consistent and I feel amazing. Try it it's free :) If you want more information about it check out this podcast episode scroll down through the show notes and click play to hear the episode.