Day 21! Yay!

Today is the last day of the 21 day fix. Here are a couple things I have learned in the past 21 days:
-2 grains a day is NOT a lot....and I had been eating many, many, many more!
-Detox water is the way. to. go! I LOVE having fruit in my water! It makes it way more interesting.
-I really like quinoa and flax seed....and I need to add them to more recipes.
-I have lost 10 pounds. The pounds FLY off the first week...and then it's harder to get them off.
-Now I am not nearly as hungry as I used to be....and I do not eat half the amount of food that I normally did.
-I still tend to bloat on days that I am stressed, don't get enough sleep, and don't get enough water.

And....things I want to start doing on the second round:
-More interesting meals..........more recipes
-Working out harder! Not giving up!
-Having sleeping patterns
-Bubble Baths :)

So- anyway... I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite, quick, meals with you. (I am REALLY bad at cooking/trying new recipes...so I tend to stay inside my comfort zone... :/)

 Breakfast really is my favorite part of eating. I love eating breakfast in the morning AND at night :) 

All I did was pop some turkey bacon into the toaster oven (my Favorite thing to do)

Scramble some eggs in Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

And cook some green peppers in some EVOO! :)

Another breakfast delight:

Greek yogurt, dab of raw honey, banana, and turkey bacon!

LOVE DETOX WATER!!!!!!

And....here are the results as of yesterday:

Start weight: 161

Ending weight: 150

Here's to round two starting tomorrow!

Do it with me!

Happy Day 13!

Happy Sunday: Happy Day 13!

It's day 13 of the 21 day fix. I will admit: this week I did not do a workout video over the weekend. However, today is Yoga day....so I might throw in a "Dirty 30" with the yoga! I can definitely tell that I missed a couple of workouts! Gotta get back in the routine! However, I did attempt to make homemade spaghetti sauce and it's **maybe** a success. I looked for a lot of recipes online....and I took from other blogs.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce:

2 - 28 ounce crushed tomatoes: nothing added

1- 6 ounce tomato paste: organic

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp homemade Italian seasoning (not the seasoning in the bags at the store...)

dashes of onion powder (a small sweet onion works better)

garlic and onion in pan first. then add other ingredients. let cook on low for 1 hour.

21 day fix containers:
Whole Grain pasta=1 yellow
Tomato Sauce= 1 green (in my case it was 1/2 green)
Broccoli= 1/2 green

YUM!

I also ordered Amazing Grass' plant based superfoods protein shake! :) I've been reading a lot about superfoods, so I thought I would give it a try. It has protein (quinoa, pumpkin seed, brown rice, & hemp), probiotics (supports digestion), and superfoods! Super healthy! :) I just haven't tried it yet....if anyone has any awesome recipes that make it a better drink, share!

Finally, my roommate and I have decided to start #5KSundays. Our goal is to walk a 5K every Sunday. Today was our first one. I will say.....it was quite the adventure. We live in a hilly community and lets just say I need to keep exercising! Haha.
However, we did burn some calories!

And then we had a snack....

Greek Yogurt with Granola! :)

21 Day Fix containers:

Plain Greek Yogurt- 1 red
Bare Naked Granola- 1 yellow
1 dab of raw honey


Now....I have to go prep all my food for tomorrow AND seriously get a start on my gifted endorsement! SUCH a Procrastinator!!!!


Have a great Monday....Prepare for success!

Week 2 :)

Hi all!
Today is day 11. So---- I've officially completed the Advocare cleanse (10 days) and now I'm taking vitamins! Still working hard on the 21 day fix: eating healthy and correct portions....and the exercise of course! :)

Wanted to share a couple of food/treat ideas....This week has been crazy busy so I haven't had time to create many new dishes or try interesting combinations.... But here are some of my favorites this week.

Just wanted to say how AWESOME the banana & egg pancakes are!! :) If you need the recipe, read the older post!

I did try tuna & greek yogurt! Greek yogurt is a great replacement for mayo! Plus- it's much more healthier! My roommate also said she likes her tuna with mustard!

21 Day fix containers: Tomatoes- 1 green, tuna (Light in water): One can- 1 red, A spoon full of greek yogurt- 1/4 red, whole grain wrap- 1 yellow

If you substitute for mustard......It's a free food! :) Eat as much as you want!

I also cheated last night....shhhh..... I found these awesome BROWN RICE rolls at publix!

21 Day Fix containers: 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green! I sat and ate them in peace and it was fantastic! So yummy! Also....you can put a little bit of soy sauce on them....just make sure it's low sodium! :)

Here's my favorite creation from this week! It's a "Protein Pop".....Will created that name for it!

Here's how I made it! :)

Protein Pop!

1 pack of Advocare meal replacement shake: Vanilla

1 teaspoon of Hershey's 100% unsweetened cocoa powder

3 strawberries

8 ounces of water (You can use soy milk....but remember- that replaces a yellow container)

4 cubes of ice

I put all of those ingredients in my roomies Bullet and mixed them all up into a smoothie. Then I poured the smoothie into the tupperware popsicle molds and pop them in the freezer!

It's an EXCELLENT treat after a workout! Like an incentive! :)




I was told not to take "in between" pictures.....but I thought I would give you a sneak peek! Sorry I'm in a bathing suit.....but it's the only way to truly see the difference! This was taken on day 7!  So......Keep working hard! Keep going!! Finish the week strong!

Here's the last pic. When I bought these pants, they were too tight and I could barely bend over.

Work hard! Fuel yourself with Advocare's vitamins. Work hard with Beachbody's meal plan and workout program.

You can do anything you want to! Just depends on how bad you want it! :)

-Staci

Week one of 2015 New Year's Resolution to Get Healthy!

Last Monday I started BeachBody's 21 Day fix and Advocare's 24 Day Challenge. Normally you should do these either or, but since I already had all the required items, I went ahead and just started both! Since then I've been feeling healthier and stronger! I've also relied on many other blogs along the way for encouragement, support, and meal ideas! It has been so great seeing results on the scale and in my pants that used to be oh-so-tight! So...with that said, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite foods/times from this past week and maybe some of my not-so-favorite moments!

Before I share....I want to give you a heads up on what each challenge does/looks like:

Beachbody's 21 Day Fix is made up of color coded containers for portioning of your food and workout DVDs. Each container is a different food group (for example: the green container is for vegetables, the purple container is for fruits, and so on). You just do a simple equation based on your weight, and it gives you your daily intake of each container. Here's what my daily intake looks like!

Autumn Calabrese also gives you a "guide" that helps you throughout this process....it has a list of items you can eat in each container, cheat items that can be replaced with a given container, seasoning recipes (which are Delicious!), dressing recipes, and many more! :) You also have a workout DVD for each night of the week..... The best part: they're only 30 minutes a piece! Which makes working out SO MUCH NICER! I've calculated....and most of the workouts will burn around 300 calories for me! Least favorite: Cardio. Most favorite: Yoga. duh!

It is so easy!!! All you have to do is fill up the containers and you're done! Easy peasy! If you're interested in learning more, here's a link to my Beachbody coach's website: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/BMILLWOOD44

And here is what the 24 Day Challenge looks like for advocare:

Your eating habit is basically the same as the 21 day fix.....there's no specific amount of intake. All you have to do is stay away from anything white, sugary, saucy, and dairy. :) You are required to do a cleanse for the first ten days. This is where you drink fiber drinks, take fiber cleanse pills, and probiotics. After the first ten days, you are free to eat dairy and you just take yummy vitamins throughout your day to build your healthy body back up. It's all fun and games until you have to chug the fiber drink, which strangely resembles bird seed.

Don't worry......there are only 6! Just mix it with a couple shots of Spark and CHUG! PS: Spark is the BOMB! It helps me stay awake, focused, alert, and on top of my game! Here's a link if you're interested in learning more: https://www.advocare.com/13058872/24DayChallenge/

Now that you know what I'm actually doing.....I thought I would share a couple of really great recipes I made this week. They aren't hard at all (I'm not really that great of a cook). But, they turned out SUPER yummy!

Banana & Egg Waffles with Turkey Bacon! :)

Just mix one mushy medium banana with 2 medium or large eggs. Fry them and add a teaspoon of peanut butter and a teaspoon of raw honey on top! Delicious! Turkey bacon is also SO yummy. Oscar Meyer Selects is what I currently eat. Just pop 4 pieces in the toaster oven and let them bake for 10 minutes! 

21 Day fix containers: Turkey Bacon (4 pieces)= 1 red, 2 large eggs=1 red, 1 medium banana=1 purple, peanut butter=1 teaspoon!

Another delicious, fast breakfast is an egg and turkey bacon wrap. Just make sure your wrap is whole wheat with 100% whole grains. Each wrap=1 yellow!

Chicken Vegetable Noodle Stir-Fry!

 Cut up a half (or a small whole) breast of chicken. Put one teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a frying pan. Once it's hot, cook your chicken! Feel free to season your chicken with any seasoning that excludes salt! 

While the chicken is cooking, place a handful of whole grain noodles into boiling water! :)

Here comes the fun part!- I just purchased a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies from the store (I think it had mushrooms, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and peppers mixed together). Put the veggies in a pan to cook. (You can put a teaspoon of evoo if you'd like). Then, I used a sauce inspired from the 21 day fix....I didn't have all the ingredients so I modified just a tad:

Awesome Asian Sauce:

-a dab of gluten free low sodium soy sauce

-a teaspoon of raw honey

-orange juice squeezed from half an orange

After you add the sauce and have cooked the veggies for a bit, add in the noodles and the chicken. Let the sauce soak in to all the ingredients! Then, ENJOY!

21 Day Fix Containers: Chicken= 1 red, Whole Grain Noodles=1 yellow, Veggies=1 green, EVOO=1 teaspoon, Asian Sauce=1 orange

Chicken Taco!

I used the left over chicken from another meal to make a delicious, and very healthy, taco. I originally baked the chicken in the oven and seasoned it with the 21 Day Fix "Smoky Southwestern Seasoning" mix. Of course, I didn't have ALL the ingredients, so I modified.

Modified Smoky Southwestern Seasoning Mix:

-1 Tbsp. Chili Powder

-2 tsp. Ground Cumin

-1/2 tsp. Onion Powder

-1/2 tsp. garlic powder

-1/2 tsp. Paprika

-1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano

Then, since I had leftovers, I pulled the chicken apart and added it to 1/4 avocado, a pinch of lettuce, salsa, and a whole wheat 100% whole grain wrap. YUM!

21 day fix containers: Chicken= 1 red, salsa & lettuce= 1 green , 1/4 avocado= 1 blue, whole grain wrap=1 yellow

LAST thing!!!!! Don't forget to drink that water!!!! An easy way to make sure you're getting a ball park range of enough water a day......is to just take your weight and divide it by 2. That's approx. how many ounces you should be drinking a day! And don't forget: always add fruit to make your water yummy and detox friendly!

Turned out to be a pretty successful week. As of today, the scale says I have lost 6 pounds in 7 days!

Happy Monday to everyone! Work hard this week. Don't give up! 

-Staci

Back in Business

Hey all! I have been wanting to blog for soooo long. I want to blog about all the awesome things we are doing in 2nd grade. I really want to start sharing ideas, showing off cool projects, and even getting into teacherspayteachers.com like all of the other amazing bloggers that I follow. I've been reading blogs on things I am doing currently: Beachbody 21 Day Fix, Advocare 24 Day Challenge. I also want to start blogging about my journey with God in bible studies and my Celebrate Recovery experience.

Every time I think about all the things I just typed, I get so overwhelmed with what all I want to share. I think about it ALL the time and often show pictures on Instagram of all the above. But......with life so hectic, it is hard to find time to even blog (why? I don't know....you think it would be easy!). As you can tell, I attempted to start a blog a couple years back and today I just remembered that I had it. SOOOOOOOO......with that said I'm going to "attempt" to get back in the habit. I would really like to get a blog going for school, getting healthy, AND a personal blog. Will that happen???? DOUBTFUL. Either way, it's fun to hope right!

So.....As of now, I'll just collect everything into one! (until I forget to blog and leave it empty for two more years :))

So- here's to a new year and to new adventures! Here's to adding yet another thing to my plate of many things. Here's to sharing all the happenings and exciting life events.

Currently:
-Teaching 2nd grade
-Busting my butt with the 21 Day Fix challenge
-Hungry and tired :)

We'll see how it goes! YAY!

Love, Staci

Day 72

As you can tell I got busy with other things and haven't posted recently. I received an email this morning from Passion City Church saying that today is day 72 of the freedom hand and "72 days for freedom". which means, it will come down. Even though the hand cannot remain in the parking lot forever, it doesn't mean the fight for freedom is ending. At Passion 2012, an event for college aged students, we stood 40 thousand strong against slavery, brought it to attention in the community and city of Atlanta and throughout the world. Now we stand, united together, WAY more than 40 thousand strong. Passion students brought back the passion to end slavery to their hometowns literally all over the world. We collectively raised funds for organizations throughout North America, Canada, and other countries world wide for the process of freedom, justice, and love. We have already began to make a difference and we will continue this journey. It doesn't end here. The freedom hand will always be in our hearts and we will always raise our own hands to fight for freedom for women, men, and children all around the world. Everyone deserves to be free and NO ONE deserves to be a slave.

Together we can make a difference. Together we can end slavery. Together we can make sure history Does NOT repeat itself. Together we can choose to educate and inform ourselves so that we are not ignorant about this situation. Together we can decide that indifference simply is NOT an option. Together we can raise awareness. Together we can support, pray, and encourage those that have been and are enslaved. Together we can keep raising our hands. TOGETHER WE ARE A FORCE FOR GOOD.

Raise your hand as I raise mine!

For Freedom

day fifty

I 

I visited the hand for the first time since passion 2012. It's still has as much of an impact. 

www.72daysforfreedom.com

April 16: Pray for A21 team bringing awareness and training to young people in the Ukraine as they aim to stop trafficking before it starts.

A21 is dear and near to my heart. A21 is the people that send out the letters of encouragement to sex-trafficked girls who have recently been rescued. It's one of the 21 ways to help that is listed on their website. That was a great experience for my students, for their friends, for their teachers, and for me. In the process of encouraging people, we ended up learning so much more.

I encourage you to take the time to write a letter of encouragement. You'll be surprised at how much YOU are the one that is being encouraged through the process.

Here's the A21 website for more information:
www.thea21campaign.org