PiYo - it's pretty awesome

PiYo!!!! 

I am about a month into PiYo and I gotta say....I'm surprised! The first couple of weeks seem kind of easy...they're still great...but they seem easy if you are used to working out frequently. 

Well now I'm starting to see why!!! The first few weeks are all about getting down the moves, perfecting your form and getting used to the routine. I'm in week 4 and I am now seeing that not only are those routines effective...but thank God I did them!! I am so sore this week in all of the best ways and it seems like with every workout I'm seeing more and more definition and tone...and Im getting stronger. There is a method to the madness!!!

But enough about me...you probably want to know what PiYo is right???  

 



Here's what I know...
Have you been hearing about this new workout program that Chalene Johnson was just released?! I'm in the midst of doing PiYo and I am really enjoying it. I have always enjoyed extreme workouts - but I see the best results from the yoga and Pilates routines that go along with those workouts...(Hello X3 yoga and isometrics!) so I am really really excited about PiYo!!!!

Who will benefit from PiYo?

 EVERYONE!  It is a high intensity low impact workout that can be modified to meet everyone's needs.  It is meant to improve flexibility, torch calories and get you in the best shape of your life!
 
There is no jumping in this workout so it is great for someone who needs a low impact option.  It will overall give you a toned, sleek, and complete body transformation.  PiYo is inspired by Pilates and Yoga and was developed by Chalene Johnson who is also the creator of two of Beachbody's most popular programs Turbofire and Chalean Extreme.  There are no weights required for this workout. 

 

What PiYo Workouts are included with the program?

 

 

•  Align (46 mins): The Fundamentals (46 mins)
• Upper Body (35 mins): this focused workout will strengthen and stretch your entire body, while building on the movement patterns you have learned in Align.
• Define: Lower Body (25 mins) will shape and tone everything from your glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves gently, yet effectively to help you get sleek and lean legs.
• Sweat (35 mins) is a traditional PiYo Workout that is fast paced with body weight strength training and ab work!
• Core (30 mins) an ab-centric workout that targets every angle of the abdominals and back. I’ve read this will be a calorie-torcher too!
• Drench (45 mins) is a total body workout to get you sweaty, burning calories, and going to have your metabolism on fire!
• Strength Intervals (25 mins) designed to tone the whole body and burn tons of calories with no weights required!
• Sculpt (30 mins) no weights are required for this intense, full-body workout either!
• You’ll receive 9 workouts total including a Bonus DVD when you order through a coach...like me! ;)

 The PiYo kit also includes a really detailed and simple nutrition guide and calendar that tell you WHAT to do and WHEN to do it in terms of your fitness AND nutrition to get the very best results from this program. 

Does PiYo sound like something you might be interested in??? Do you need a little more info before you can decide? Message me on Facebook, comment on this post or email me at: CoachMegReed@gmail.com and I'll be happy to help. 

Healthy Comfort Food Part 2....Zucchini Lasaga and Eggplant Parm!

I love comfort food. Especially pasta!!! Unfortunately most of the pasta you find at the store is full of empty calories, chemicals and processed crap we don't really need. When you're trying to live a healthier lifestyle, a big bowl of pasta just isn't gonna o help you reach your goals. 

I've posted about healthy comfort food before...spaghetti squash with home made basil pesto (paleofied).....and Zoodles - I've been peasantly surprised (ok shocked) about how these go to comfort food staples without pasta are not only super EASY to make....but they taste better and are just as filling!!!

Both of the recipes below use my Easy, Fresh, Homemade Sauce. Next time you are at the store...check the sugar content in a jar of spaghetti sauce...and the ingredients....

This sauce tastes better to not just me, but my husband AND little girls, and it's clean. I know every single thing I put in it and I can feel good about giving it to my family.

I eyeball everything when I cook and I encourage you to do the same - these recipes are approximate because I adjust as a I go based on how it's tasting...this is a good base line to work from though to make your own specialtiy ;)

Meghann's Easy, Fresh, Homemade Sauce:

Ingredients

4-6 Tomatoes chopped

Garlic - I usually use the garlic in the jar that's already minced, I've been into the roasted garlic lately and I throw in 1-2 spoonful

Italian Seasoning - check your labels, you want to recognize the names of everything in that little jar

Fresh Basil

Olive Oil

Tomato Paste (the small can...I need to be better about writing these things down!) check the label here too! The only ingredient should be "tomatoes"

To make...

In a large frying pan or sauce pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat....I just drizzle it around the pan once...it could be way less oil than that, but I drizzle it around the perimeter of the pan then move the pan around a bit so it spreads....

Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, a few basil leaves and seasoning (again...the seasoning just do to taste...I give it a few good shakes)

Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes - during this time Im usually prepping my veggies for the "pasta" part

after 10 minutes take the lid off, you'll notice that a lot of liquid has formed from the tomatoes. stir it up really good....I "press" down and the tomatoes to get them to be more "saucy"

Add the tomato paste, mix it all up and let simmer another 10 minutes.

Annnnnd that's all I do! Im sure there are fancier ways to make sauce...but this is my way and it turns out great every time...it's simple and clean and we all like it!

I do make Meat Sauce too - I posted that recipe awhile back when talking about Healthy Comfort Food so you can find it here!

 I use this sauce with the Zucchini Lasagna and Eggplant Parm recipes below :)

Zucchini Lasagna

This is literally Lasagna...made with Zucchini....that's the only major difference from traditional lasagna. So if you have a lasagna recipe that you LOVE...try it with Zucchini instead! 

To prep the Zucchini I use a kitchen gadget called a mandolin that I found at Big Lots for less than $10. It slices the Zucchini super thin. The Zucchini retains a lot of water so what I do is slice it (as seen below) and sprinkle with salt. Then I let it sit for 10 minutes or so and then I put it in a strainer and press the pile with paper towels. I'm sure there is a better method with these has worked well for me! I've also prepped the Zucchini in the morning, and put the salted bowl into the fridge before work. Then strain it and you'll find the salt has already pulled post of the liquid out.

Next, you want to cook the Zucchini briefly. The best method is on your grill, about 2-3 minutes per side. I've also used an electric griddle though. This helps with the firmness of the Zucchini, the taste and makes the moisture less of an issue too.

After you've done all of that you use your Zucchini strips just like you would pasta.

For a pan of 13x9 pan of lasagne 4-6 Zucchini should be plenty!

I layer mine with sauce (for the pic below I used meat sauce), fat free ricotta cheese and low moisture part skim mozzarella.

The cheese obviously isn't the CLEANEST thing in the world, but by switching from the full fat stuff I used to use to the Fat Free Ricotta and Part Skim Mozz I save a lot of calories and fat & I cant taste a difference.

I cook the assembled "lasagna" in a pre-heated oven at 375 for 20-30 minutes...until the cheese looks slightly browned on the top.

Seriously freaking delicious and I swear you wont miss the pasta one bit!!!!

Eggplant Parmesan

Until I made this, I had never had Eggplant in my life. My husband mentioned that I should try making it though so I gave it a go. All of the recipes I found required breadcrumbs...which I didn't have and didn't want to buy...and frying the eggplant. So I made up my own recipe that I felt a little better about.

I used...
3 large Eggplants
3 Eggs
Half a container of Parmesan Cheese

I cut up the Eggplant into slices...maybe a 1/4 inch thick. Again, moisture becomes an issue, so I put the slices in a bowl and salted them to draw out some of the liquid...it worked well.

I let them sit in salt for about 10 minutes (while I prepped the "dipping station")

I got 2 bowls. In the first I mixed 3 eggs with a little Italian seasoning in the second I dumped about half a container of Parm cheese.

I dipped each Eggplant Slice in the egg, then in the parm and set it on a baking sheet that I had prepped with some olive oil...just enough so they wouldn't stick.

I cooked the Eggplant in a preheated 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, flipped them all and then put them back for another 10 minutes.

The turned out PERFECT.

I lowered the heat on the oven to 375, and assembled the cooked eggplant in a 13x9 dish with my home made sauce, ricotta cheese and skim mozz....just like I do the lasagna. It turned out great

The finished product looked great, it tasted great and we had plenty for left overs.

 

NOW - is the cheese the BEST option....well, no, it isn't the BEST option. 

But sometimes you just want comfort food and making it with veggies, clean ingredients, no added sugar and real food.......not chemicals you're gonna find in so much of your regular comfort food...IS definitely a healthier option.

A serving of each of these dishes is gonna run you  about 350 - 400 calories...which is perfect for your main course for dinner...it has a good amount of protein and lots of veggies. 

I hope you can use these recipes to create your own Healthy Comfort Food for your family! If you have any questions leave them in the comment section below :)

Zoodles!

Zoodles, with ricotta "sauce" and a whole grain Pita with Ricotta and turkey

I've been cheating on spaghetti squash....

I <3 ZOODLES!!!!  I'm obsessed. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy spaghetti squash...I will still HAVE it from time to time...but nothing can beat the value & convenience of Zoodles.

What are Zoodles you say? Basically just a fun little name for "Zucchini Noodles". I didn't think anything could be easier than spaghetti squash....I was wrong! (It doesn't happen often....) Basically all I do is take a Zucchini...and run it over a Mandolin. I found my Mandolin at Big Lots for less than $10 bucks....money well spent...Ill tell you another time how much easier Sweet Potato fries are now ;)

Once you have you "Zoodles" you saute in Olive Oil...I throw a little garlic in too...for a few minutes, until all of the liquid has evaporated. The whole process, start to finish, takes about 10 minutes....

I've found so many fun ways to serve it too....

Zoodles with scallions, red peppers, tablespoon ricotta and mozzarella cheese

Super easy...Shred...sautee (in this I added orange peppers) then top with cheeses or sauce....or eat alone!

This was lunch today...took me 10 minutes before work to throw it together and it counts for                           2 greens, 1 blue, 1 red in 21 day fix world!

Seriously these things are yummy!!! Also...I was never a big ricotta eater before...but when I saw that it counts as a red for the 21 day fix I decided to try it in some different ways...and it is SO good heated up with Zoodles and a Blue container of Mozzarella Cheese...

Sorry Spaghetti Squash...but it's not me...it's you. Zoodles fit my need for fast, easy, healthy and delicious more efficiently! Thanks for the good times...xoxox

Lead by example

Let that sink in a minute. 

No wonder there is an obesity epidemic in this country!

In our house we are trying to raise our kids to be healthy eaters & to make good choices. The most important thing is to lead by example. 

I usually do my workout before my girls get up but whenever it works out that they're up, they love to do it with me. I think it's really important to let the kids see how hard I work, but that it's fun. They love it. 

Healthy comfort food???

I love food. Like I said before I am a comfort food addict! So in trying to eat non processed whole foods, I've found the most success in adjusting things I love to make them work for me. It's amazing how easy cooking is when you are just using real food!

This week has been particularly stressful...lots of work stuff going on. This makes me want to stuff my face ALL THE TIME.

My solution..."Paleofied" Comfort Food!

Monday night I roasted spaghetti squash & garlic. It's really easy. 

• Cut the spaghetti squash in half...that's the hardest part of the entire thing...literally.
• Scoop out the "guts"
• Drizzle with Olive Oil & garlic salt (or whatever you want to use to season it)
• Then I placed 2 heads of garlic with the outer layer removed and the root part (I'm sure there's a more technical name...) chopped off on a cookie sheet. 
• Place one half of squash over each head of garlic
• Roast at 375 for 35-45 minutes...

Then I made some meat sauce to go with it....

• Brown 1 pound of ground beef, while the meat is browning chop up the following and add as you go....
• 6 chopped tomatoes...I used a tomatoes on the vine Family Pack from Wegmans
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped up head of garlic or a spoonful of minced garlic...whatever you have
• 2 basil leaves 
• 1 chopped pepper...I used a yellow pepper

*Cover & Simmer this mixture for about 20 minutes....I didn't time it exactly, I just simmered it while I cleaned up my kitchen and prepped my squash and garlic

• Next I added 1 small can of tomato paste...check your ingredients! Make sure the only ingredient listed is "Tomatoes" and that they haven't snuck in anything extra.
• Stir it all together, cover, reduce head to low

*I simmered it like this for about 40 minutes....again I didn't time it exactly, I did it while I squeezed in my p90x3 workout...which is 30 minutes long! I paused it a few times to run up and stir. I added a little water here and there when the bottom of the pan started to brown. 

At one point when I paused my workout to check the sauce, I took out the squash. When I was done with my workout, it had cooled enough to scoop out the "Spaghetti" strings. I set the garlic aside for the Paleo Pesto I made (more on that in a sec!) and voila... "Spaghetti & meat sauce" made almost entirely of vegetables! Delicious and everyone loved it...even my picky kids!

(please excuse the picture...it might not LOOK amazing...but it was!)

After dinner, I cleaned up the kitchen and threw stuff in the blender for "Paleo Pesto" this is a recipe I made up, and I use it for lots of things. It taste WAY to good to be healthy...it's rich, creamy, savory...basically everything I want in a comfort food! 

It is also super easy to make....

• Squeeze the roasted garlic into a blender then added the following...
• fresh basil (I used a Wegman's Basil Clam Shell) 
• nuts...most recipes call for pine nuts, I used shelled pistachios...approximately 3/4 cup.
• kale...only because I like to add kale to just about everything I can sneak it into. I threw in a handful.
• Olive Oil...probably about a 1/4 cup...I adjust as needed until it gets to be the consistency I want. 
• Blend it on various settings until it gets creamy...about 5 minutes.

I store it in a cute little mason jar and use it for all kinds of things I love it as a veggie dip, salad topper or on leftover spaghetti squash like I had for lunch today! 1 jar has plenty to last a few days or longer depending on what you use it for.

You may have noticed, my recipes are REAL loosey goosey. I almost always just make it up as I go along, taste it as I go and add things as I need to. Like I said before, when you are using real food and herbs it makes cooking easier in my opinion...and fun! 

I like knowing exactly what is in my food, it tastes delicious and it hits the spot when I feel like I need to indulge...even though neither of these recipes would technically be indulging!