5 Tips to Survive a Bikini Competition Meal Plan

When I first received the 21 Day Fix Extreme Breakdown to Competition Meal Plan, I immediately looked at it and said "there is NO WAY I can do that!?!".  Wow, well that was setting me up for success!?  NOT!  What a bad attitude, but I was being real with myself.  After being Gluten Free for almost 12 years and being Type A, being disciplined is in my repertoire, however because I have had to be so disciplined for health reasons (I have Celiac Disease), I don't really "want" to buckle down and be disciplined in other areas.  I mean, giving up gluten was hard enough!  So, after looking at the meal plan for about a month, I decided I really wanted the results, so I put my mind to it, buckled down and got it done.  I wouldn't have survived it without these 5 things.

1.  Accountability and Support

• If you can, get someone else on board with you.  I couldn't have survived without it!  A fellow coach and I were committed to the plan together, so we were able to support each other and help each other push through the tough days.  If you don't have anyone as crazy as you to try this plan, join a support group where others are doing the same program and you can be held accountable to sticking to the plan.  I have incredible accountability and support groups with meal plans, recipes and support.  I would love to be your accountability and support and connect you with others who are right there with you!  I have done it and I know what the challenges are and can help push you through those tough days!  Click here to Start Today.

2.  Meal Preparation and Planning

• Planning is key with this program!  You eat every 2 hours, so setting aside 3 hours to plan and prepare your meals for the entire week is absolutely the key to success.  You can see my meal preparation blog post here in how I prepped for this meal plan.  It was SUPER easy and saved time the rest of the week.  Here is a short sample of my meal plan. 

3.  Personal Development

• Set yourself up for success.  Losing weight is hard and there is nothing harder than the mental battle while you are on your journey!  Do whatever you need to do to keep yourself motivated daily. Listen to 10 minutes of personal development.  You can log onto www.youtube.com and find many awesome videos about discipline, self confidence etc.  Here is one of my favorites!  This is so important to help you battle the "inner critic" in your head and to help you push past the negative and focus on the positive.  Post a picture in your daily view that motivates you, or an outfit you want to wear.  Write down your goals, and tell someone what your goals are so you are accountable.  You will be more motivated to not quit if you know you have told someone what you are trying to accomplish. 

4.  Before/After Photos & Measurements

• These are an absolute MUST!  I took pictures at Day 1, Day 14 and Day 21.  At Day 14 I was really starting to struggle because mentally I didn't feel like I was achieving anything, but as you will see in these pictures, there was a BIG difference and seeing that motivated me to push through the last 7 days!
• Take Measurements!  There will be a point in your journey where the scale may not move and if it doesn't the measurements will show you that the scale doesn't matter because you are losing inches! I literally lost ZERO LBS in doing this program, however see my results?!?  HUGE difference!  

5.  Flexibility

• Yes, this meal plan calls for a LOT of Cod!!!!  I switched out two red containers for Shakeology on some days and then on others I swapped out ground turkey with mushrooms.  I was only able to tolerate the cod twice a day.  I knew I wouldn't be successful if I tried to do the cod all day long and it would make me miserable.  This is what I needed to be successful, however if you can do the Cod ALL day long, GO FOR IT and you will probably have better results than myself!  As I grow and move forward I know I will hit a point in my journey where I may suck it up and stick to the cod, but swapping out those few things worked for me right now where I'm at.  Do what works for you!  (** NOTE:  This is ONLY on the 21 Day Fix Extreme Breakdown to Competition Meal Plan.  It is NOT on the other 21 Day Fix Meal Plans, so don't let this scare you away!  The other plans you can actually have wine and chocolate!)

If you want to know more about the 21 Day Fix Extreme program, check out my blog post about it here.  If you don't have a coach and are looking for the support and accountability, please reach out and let's chat!  I would love to help you get started and cheer you on along the way!  Click here to contact me and join my next round of 21 Day Fix Challengers!

Drive Through Meals In Your Kitchen

As a full time working, business owning, I need time for my workout single mom, life is literally a whirlwind, so cooking meals and taking care of myself came to a screeching halt when I got a divorce last year.  Suddenly, I had so much more in my life to handle and take care of, so putting myself on the back burner was the easy button.  As things began to settle somewhat after moving, starting a new job etc. I felt AWFUL!  I had let my bad eating habits creep back in and as I looked at what I was eating there was no wonder I was absolutely exhausted and feeling horrible. My fuel had become caffeine and sugar.

While getting back on track, I needed to find a plan that was simple and easy that would allow me to not have a lot of work effort.  Most meals in my house are "all about the kids".  I have a 2 year old and 4 year old and they are constantly pulling me in every which direction at meal time.  "Mom, can I have more strawberries?"…."Mom, I don't like that!"….. "Mom, can I have more to drink?"….. "Mom, can I have more ketchup (organic in my house!)?".  I would call meal time a "Battleground" in my house as I'm sure it is for most households with toddlers.  You better believe my brain cells are dead at dinner time!

So, as my Dad has always taught me in business I decided to apply the KISS principle to my meal planning.  KISS - Keep it Simple Stupid (ok, ok, I know stupid isn't a good word and not one I teach my kids, but you get the point!).

Keeping it simple for me is "grab and go", but fast food is not an option.  I literally need a drive through with my crazy life, so I decided to create the "grab and go drive through" in my kitchen!  A few weeks ago, I started the 21 Day Fix Extreme Breakdown to Bikini Competition Meal Plan and I have fallen in love with it!  (separate post).  It seemed overwhelming at first, but it actually made my life easier! I took the meal plan and made my ENTIRE WEEK of meals in ONE HOUR!  Yep, that's right!  The whole week!

Grab & Go Meals Shopping List

Ground Turkey (2 LBS)
Chicken Breasts (I cooked 4)
Favorite Mrs. Dash Seasoning (no salt)
Sweet Potatoes (I cooked 5)
Green Beans (1 bag)
Broccoli (2 heads)
Hard Boiled Eggs (1 dozen or more if you desire)

Step by Step:

• Heat Oven to 350 degrees
• Put the Eggs, Sweet Potatoes and Chicken in the Oven at the SAME TIME! PREP FIRST!

• EGGS

• Put (1) Egg in each muffin tin section - Once oven is heated, cook for 30 mins. Remove and put in Ice Water for 10 minutes!  Put in a freezer bag.
  

• CHICKEN

• Add 1 tsp coconut oil in the baking dish, melt in the oven if not melted, then add the chicken breasts and cover both sides of all breasts with the coconut oil in the pan then season with your favorite Mrs. Dash seasoning.  I used the Chicken Seasoning.
  

• SWEET POTATOES

• Put on the shelf in the oven and cook for 45 mins
• Put Eggs, Sweet Potatoes and Chicken in the preheated (350 degrees) oven.  Eggs, 30 minutes and everything else will be about 45 minutes depending on the size of the chicken and sweet potatoes.
  
• While those are cooking, steam the green beans and broccoli. I did the green beans first, then the broccoli in the same pan so I didn't have to dirty another pan.
• While the veggies are steaming, sauté the ground turkey and mushrooms.  I add in different Mrs. Dash seasonings, but you can add what works for you.  You can also add salsa as an option.
  
• Once everything is finished, I slice up the chicken and the sweet potatoes and portion out into my meal containers and refrigerate.  

This is missing some of my containers  - they were in the dishwasher! :-)

These are the basis of my meals.  I also eat Egg Whites and I use some of the leftover turkey and/or broccoli to put in with my egg whites for Breakfast.  I also have arugula salads with hard boiled egg, tomato, red onion and the leftover chicken.  There are plenty of meals and options you can make with ground turkey and chicken.  Some other options that I switch up is to use the chicken for lettuce wraps or chicken fajitas.  You can also do the same with the ground turkey!

Hope this gives you some options and maybe even some new ideas to make your own drive through meals in your kitchen!  If you have new ideas, I would love to hear them.  Post in the comments below!

If you are struggling with your health, fitness or nutrition and need support and accountability, I would the opportunity to get to know you.  Please click here to apply.

Popsicles for Breakfast!

I am always trying to find fun and new ways to get healthy foods into my 2 and 4 year old boys.  Unfortunately, it is often challenging (I know I am not alone!).   New and healthy foods are usually met with "mommy I don't like that", sometimes before it has even hit their plate or cup.  As a healthy eater myself, it is so important for me to provide the boys with the fuel they need for their energy and health, so I have to be creative!

I make a lot of smoothies for the boys and at times when I add in some of the extra healthy veggies (kale, spinach, avocado's) and they see it happening they almost immediately reject it.  So, you will find me making smoothies on a stealth mission to avoid them seeing what goes into it.  It's pretty ridiculous!!!  Sometimes I am successful and sometimes not so much and they say the don't like it.  Well, instead of wasting it,  I immediately pop it into a popsicle mold and put it in the freezer.  9 times out of 10 they will eat it after their dinner or for breakfast the next morning!  The best part is I can actually justify them having it for breakfast and how great of a mommy am I giving them a popsicle for breakfast?!  Here is one of my new favorite healthy smoothie/popsicle recipes.  To make it sweeter, I juice the pineapple and apples first then put them in the blender.  Depending on the day, I will sometimes also put in the whole apple and pineapple straight in the blender.

Pineapple, Spinach, Avocado/Apple Smoothie

1 Whole Pineapple Juiced or Whole

4 Whole Apples Juiced or Whole

1 Avocado

1 Can full fat organic coconut milk

2 Cups of Spinach or Kale

If you are looking for more smoothie and shake recipes, check out this link below!

Clean Eating Shake Recipes

These are also my favorite popsicle molds for the kiddos!!!

Awesome Popsicle Molds!

21 Day Fix EXTREME!

Only a few more days until the new 21 Day Fix EXTREME will be entering into a living room near you!  If you are looking to take your fitness and nutrition to the next level, get ready to buckle down! This program is exactly what it states - EXTREME.  If you really want it, it's time to get serious and take it to the next level and this program will give you just that!  The program includes 7 workouts all of which take it to the next level by including weights!  The good news is that they are all 30 MINUTES!  Unlike the original 21 Day Fix program there are NO CHEATS!  NO CHOCOLATE OR WINE! WHAT?!?  Well, unfortunately results require sacrifice.  As a National Bikini Competitor Autumn is very familiar with the serious work that needs to go into competition preparation and we all know that  "Abs are made in the Kitchen".  The new 21 Day Fix Extreme program provides 2 different meal plans.  One which includes the 21 Day Countdown to Competition Preparation and one that is less intense (Still no treats!  Sorry, it is extreme giving up chocolate and wine!).

Extreme Nutrition
Extreme Fitness
= EXTREME RESULTS!

For those who are not familiar with the original 21 Day Fix, there are 7 portion controlled containers and are outlined as follows.  There is NO CALORIE COUNTING!  All you need to do is follow the color coded guide which lists what you can put in each container and eat the appropriate number of containers a day which corresponds to the number of calories you need!

• Green - Vegetables
• Purple - Fruit
• Red - Protein
• Yellow - Carbohydrates
• Blue - Healthy Fats
• Orange - Seeds and healthy oils

EXTREME requires accountability!  Click here to watch the video and to be one of the first to know about the program availability and to join my 21 Day Fix Accountability Group!

Not quite ready for EXTREME?  Check out the original 21 Day Fix Program here!

Spiralize Zucchini Noodles with Homemade Sauce!

For my birthday this year my sister bought me a Spiralizer.  I haven't actually seen one until I took it out of the gift bag and wondered what it was!  I absolutely love zucchini noodles and this made it so easy! This recipe is clean, easy and super yummy.  I make the sauce in advance in large batches and freeze it for individual meals, so then all I need to do is spiralize and sauté my noodles and heat up the sauce.  Now, if I could only get my boys to eat them!  One can only hope that as they watch their mommy making healthy choices and getting fit they will eventually do the same!


Zucchini Noodles & Homemade Meat Sauce
(Serves 4)

6 Large Zucchini's
1lb of Grass Fed Ground Beef
(you can substitute ground turkey/chicken whichever is your preference)
1 Package of Mixed Mushrooms
(pick your mushroom preference, I like the oyster, shiitake mix)
1/2 Yellow Onion sliced
2 Cans of Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil

Meat Sauce

Saute the mushrooms and onions for 2 minutes in a deep pan, then add the ground beef and mix until cooked.  Drain the fat and put the mixture back into the pan.

Add the (2) cans of crushed tomatoes and allow to simmer for approximately 45 minutes to mix the flavors together.

Remove from heat and serve with zucchini noodles and/or freeze.

Zucchini Noodles

Remove the green skin on the zucchini with a vegetable peeler.  You can either put on the spiralizer to create the noodles if you have this tool, but if not, you can continue to peel the zucchini with the vegetable peeler and put them into the pan.  This is what I did prior to having the spiralizer!

Add a teaspoon of either olive oil or coconut oil, whichever is your preference and sauté until cooked.  I drain the excess water and then serve with sauce.

Enjoy!

Starting Over….

Starting over is probably one of the hardest things for most any of us to do.  This last year and a half has been nothing but that for me.  My husband and I separated more than a year ago and at the time I had a 12 month old and 3 year old.  I found myself as a stay at home mom in a place of despair trying to navigate the waters of what you think will never happen to you.  The big "D"…….  I needed to find a job, a place to live, childcare for my babies (which was absolutely heart wrenching), and literally find a way to survive and get through.

Today, I can say I am finally settled.  While the last 18 months have been all about huge changes and starting over on so many levels I can finally say that I can breathe (on most days) and feel as if I can now find balance within my new life.  Starting over is not easy, and quite frankly it's quite discouraging and on some days feels downright unfair.

In the last 12 months I have not had the time or quite frankly the energy to work out consistently and the Type A in me has done nothing but beat myself up.  Unfortunately, for a season other things needed to take priority.  I am not where I want to be physically and I need to get back at it!  It has taken a lot of conversations with myself to tell me that I can do this and start over.  I know it will take work, probably more so mentally for myself to fight through any discouragement or challenges along the way, but if I can start over with myself and the boys and accomplish all I have in the last 18 months then I can do anything I put my mind to if I so choose to do so.

Beachbody has literally changed my life.  Not only has it changed my life physically (I lost over 50 lbs doing the programs, coaching and having the accountability using P90X), but it's changed my life mentally.  The daily principal of focusing on personal development and the positive side of life has changed me as a person forever.  For that, I benefit and so does my family.

What is it that you need to start over with?  If you are looking to start over with your health, fitness and nutrition join one of my accountability groups!

Here are 6 things I have learned in my journey of starting over…….

1.  BELIEVE IN YOU

First and foremost, don't question yourself.  Others will do this for you…don't let them rent space in your head.  Kick them out…which leads to….

2.  ELIMINATE NEGATIVITY

Look at your "self talk".  What are you telling yourself?  Are you telling yourself "it won't work" or "you can't do it"?  You have full control over your thoughts, change them! Do you have negative people in your life?  Ask yourself WHY?  Get rid of them!  Life is TOO short…..

3.  FOCUS ON YOUR GOAL

Let's face it, life isn't easy and when we are trying to achieve a goal in life it's easy for our emotions (and negative self talk) to get in the way.  Push past those.  Write down your goals and stay focused on what you are trying to achieve and refer back to #1.  BELIEVE IN YOU….   

4.  OBTAIN A POSITIVE SUPPORT SYSTEM

Surround yourself with people who are trying to achieve similar goals and/or who believe in YOU and will give you the encouragement you need.  

5.  DON'T EVER, EVER, EVER GIVE UP

Life is way too short to give up on what you want out of it.  Tomorrow is never promised or guaranteed.  Life truly is a gift.  Don't waste it.  There are too many people out there fighting for their lives who wish they could live it.  You never know who you are impacting in a positive way by not giving up.  Others are watching you……inspire them.

6.  MAKE A CHOICE

We all have choices in life!  We can choose to let life beat us up, drag us down and give up, OR we can choose to pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off, let go of the past and look brightly to the future.  Only YOU can change your future and it starts with making a choice!

What are your goals for 2015?  What do you need to start over?  

"Don't give up at half time.  Concentrate on willing the second half." - Paul Bryant

Cauliflower Obsession

While growing up I always asked my mom "What's for dinner?".  Usually I was happy with the answer, but on the days I heard "Cauliflower & Cheese" I can still remember the sunken feeling of "Yuk!" like it was yesterday.  Obviously, that was my dreaded meal as a child.  Although today I don't eat dairy, I have fallen in love with cauliflower!  Now, don't get me wrong, I can't eat it raw or any other way but roasted.  I have become addicted.  I eat it off the cookie sheet before it even hits the plate.  Last night flying solo with the kids it was quick, easy and I ate an entire cauliflower off the cookie sheet while running around my kitchen taking care of them.  I was full!  Sometimes I will even make it and put it in the fridge to heat up as a healthy snack.  Crazy enough, it doesn't always make it to the fridge!  It's super easy to add with chicken or fish and is one of my staples.  My most frequent "go to meal" is salmon with roasted cauliflower because it is quick, easy and healthy.  I usually make the roasted cauliflower one of two ways!  Try it out! 

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

INGREDIENTS:

1 Large Head of Cauliflower
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp of Garlic Powder
1 Tsp of Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Cut up Cauliflower into florets.  If you like it crispy like I do, the smaller the better!  Put in a bowl and toss with all of the above ingredients.  Spray a cookie sheet with non stick spray.  I use my "Misto" sprayer with olive oil or wipe it down with coconut oil to avoid the junk in the canned sprays.  Spread the cauliflower out on the tray and cook for 20-30 minutes until browned.

Curried Cauliflower

INGREDIENTS:

1 Large Head of Cauliflower
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
2 Tbsp of Curry Powder
1 Tsp of Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Same as above!