Boobie Bites! plus Milk Supply Boosters

So, I’m here…I swear.  I’ve been in that first few month baby haze where days both fly by and take forever.  I’ve been more active on Facebook, so if you are missing me, come on over, but I’m going to do my best to start posting more.

So for a short update related to my post today, my almost-5 month old isn’t gaining weight…whose genes did this guy get?? So we’ve started him on Zantac for reflux because he was spitting up a ton (but super happy!) after ruling out a ton of other things.  We also have increased how much he’s getting in his bottles at daycare, which means I’m trying hard to keep up.

The happy kiddos

I’m eating a lot and not really counting my containers as I had been…but still trying to keep it to clean foods that make me feel GOOD.  I’m not losing weight, which is something I’d expected to be the same this time around.  I can’t lose weight without losing supply, but good choices and habits never hurt!

So, if you found me because you have trouble with your supply or can’t lose weight while breastfeeding…welcome!  I’m here, virtually holding hands with you.  Know that you can still make whatever your breastfeeding goals are even when it isn’t easy, but I’ll never judge you for supplementing or stopping.  We all make the best decision we can for us and our families!

Here is a list of some foods said to boost milk supply.  I’ve been including a lot of these in my diet and I do find them helpful!

• Water…all the water
• Oatmeal
• Flaxseeds
• Brewer’s Yeast
• Salmon
• Beer
• Dark, leafy greens
• Garlic
• Green Papaya (haven’t tried this yet! Have you?)
• Chick Peas
• Raw Nuts
• Greek yogurt
• Water…worth another mention!

I make these Shakeology Boobie Bites to help me from grazing for less healthy options and they’re delicious and milk boosting.  You can still have them if you aren’t breastfeeding, but if no one who will be eating them is, just leave out the flaxseeds and Brewer’s yeast for a treat!  Two of these would be a yellow on the 21 Day Fix or other container based plans.

Shakeology Boobie Bites
(per 12 servings)

1 Cup Chocolate Shakeology
1 Cup All-Natural Nut Butter (I used peanut)
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Pure Honey
2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseeds
2 Tbsp Brewer’s Yeast

Method:
Mix all ingredients.
Roll into 1 inch balls (I use my hands!)
Place on wax paper and refrigerate or freeze. Or eat right after!

Have you dealt with low supply (or just low pumping output!)?  I’d love to hear your story!

My Go-Go Juice

So, if you’ve followed along on Facebook, you’ve heard how I’m not a big fan of vegetables this pregnancy (or last one, though the things I do like are completely different!).  I like to be healthy though, so I’m finding ways to sneak them in on myself, especially now that even fruit doesn’t sound great.  If you know me, you know that that is just plain crazy for me!  I adore fruit!  I know they say no one is obese because they ate too much fruit, but I do have to (usually) reign in how much I’d eat otherwise…it is nature’s candy after all!

Enter my new Shakeology recipe (if you can call it that!).  I’m usually a plain Shakeo, ice and water kind of gal (because I’d rather eat my fruits and vegetables separately…love volume!), maybe with a flavor extract.  But now that I’m just not eating them, it’s been a great way to sneak them in!  And when I finish it…oh boy!  I feel refreshed and rejuvenated with so much more energy than before I drank it.  This is a true testament to fueling your body WELL, with the right foods.  Something I’m having such a hard time stomaching right now.

AGF’s Go-Go Juice

Ingredients:
– 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology (vegan chocolate would work well also, in fact this could go well with almost any flavor!)
– 1 cup spinach
– 1 cup frozen cherries
– water

Then…blend!!

The frozen cherries work as ice too here…which is why if I do put fruit in my shake, it’s frozen!  It can be hard to fit fruit and ice in a single serve blender cup!  I love this shake, and the way I feel after it.  It’s become my daily go to, at least until I feel up to more variety in my foods.

Do you have a favorite shake recipe?  Share it!

Birthday Shake!

I just had a birthday!  My daughter and I share, so there was cake and a bunch of other out of the ordinary treats, but I kept up my shakeo habit because I know it helps!  I definitely made better choices than I might have!

What does Shakeology do for me?  Kills cravings, fills me up, doesn’t weigh me down (I have it before evening workouts!) and makes me feel generally amazing with energy and no crash.

I LOVE birthday cake/funfetti stuff.  So good.  And this shake was just what I needed.  It was more than the nothing I usually put in my shake (Shakeology, water, ice, maybe a boost or 3), but still healthy!  It also was super thick…a real dessert-like treat!

Blend together:

– 1 serving vanilla Shakeology
– 1 cup almond milk
– 1 T fat free/sugar free cheesecake pudding mix
– 1/2 t caramel extract
– ice/water to make it to your liking

Top with sprinkles, especially if it’s your birthday!!

Happy birthday to me!

Is Halloween tough for you?

I get it! One of my tactics for staying on track is to keep candy, etc out of the house.  But no matter what, now that I have a little trick-or-treater here, there will be some for at least a little while!

So I’m taking the initiative to prepare for moderation during and getting back to usual after though…and I want you to join me so we can help keep each other accountable!

We’ll start with a week talking tricks about treats and then get back to basics with portion controlled eating and 30 minute workouts until Thanksgiving!

If you’re looking for a way to stay on track, fill out this form and let’s do it together!!

Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Yes, I put all of those awesome words together, made a snack from them, and then enjoyed the results!

But let’s go back!  I had plans to meet up with a local group of moms last night for a paint night…have you been?  You get together, drink a bit, snack a bit, chat a bit…and oh yeah, paint!  It was a great way to meet up with people for the first time (if you remember, I just moved to a new state!) since there was an activity and snacks!  I had a great time, and painted something that has in fact made it onto my fairly bare walls.

Starry Night Over Neon Charlotte

But I wasn’t too sure what to bring.  I like to bring healthy things to share so I know that I can stick with what I brought and stick to my goals, but I also like to bring delicious things!  I don’t want to be someone who brings stuff that tastes healthy to gatherings!  I want both healthy and tasty.  I had originally planned for zucchini chips and spiced nuts.  The spiced nuts from the Fixate cookbook came out amazing…I think I’ll be making these for my blue containers all the time.  I made them two ways and brought the savory ones, which had smoked paprika and chili powder on them.

But when it came time to make the zucchini chips, I knew they weren’t what I wanted. I was in the mood for chocolate!  So I figured I’d make something chocolaty, that I knew was good for me, and that would help me stay away from other foods!  It’s all about knowing yourself and planning. They came out so good that I don’t know if I can have the rest in my house!  

So, you want to make these yourself?  I know!  Here’s the recipe, which I adapted from the 21 Day Fix nutrition guide.  I made it more of what I liked, and as a bonus, I had all of the ingredients at home!

Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
makes 24 bars/servings, 1 Yellow treat on the 21 Day Fix

Ingredients –
– 4 scoops chocolate Shakeology
– 2 cups old fashioned oats
– 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
– 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
– 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (just peanuts as the ingredients…maybe a little salt)

Method –
– Combine Shakeology, oats, and walnuts in a large bowl and mix well
– Add almond milk and peanut butter and mix well
– Press into an 8×8 pan, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours
– Cut into 24 bars
– Enjoy!

Want some more?

What is better than the old favorite s’mores?  Here is a totally delicious and super healthy alternative.  So get crushing those graham crackers!!

S’mores Shakeology (from here)

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
2 tsp. ground whole wheat graham cracker crumbs, divided use
1 cup ice

To make:
1. Place almond milk, extract, Shakeology, 1 tsp. graham cracker crumbs, and ice in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a serving glass and garnish with remaining 1 tsp. graham cracker crumbs; serve immediately.

Yes, I’ll have some more!

Moving Chronicles Part 2

So fast after part 1! I’ve got tips for staying on track at the end…

So, today is more about the 3-Day Refresh than anything.  This time will be a bit different from last time I did it…but I’m deciding to have this make it better, not a challenge! I don’t have a way beyond some pictures and how I feel to determine results.  No measuring tape (I’d buy one, but since once comes with almost every Beachbody program, I do have a few!), full length mirror or scale.  All are on a truck somewhere!  I did take more of an upper body picture so I can see changes there.  But I o have a pair of pants that were looser and now aren’t, so I can judge by that too!

I’ll mostly be going with how I feel.  I’ve been feeling pudgy if that makes sense.  There have been little things I’ve noticed like the way my knees fit together when I’m standing.  Or how I feel about my arms.  Both signs that I haven’t been paying as much attention as I should to my nutrition.  A few extra carbs here, a fried pickle there, a trip to the frozen yogurt place…none too bad, but put them all together and I’m not eating to my goals as I’d like to!

What I have been doing is working out daily and getting in water.  I’m almost done with Cize, dancing my way to exercise.  It was perfect for this time, with not needing equipment and being so fun, I had no excuses to miss a workout.  I switched one rest day (I skipped last Saturday, the day we arrived in NC, and did that workout on Sunday, my rest day), but other than that I stuck to the schedule.  All I need for this workout is a laptop and some space!  I haven’t even used the DVDs…I’ve done it all on the Beachbody on Demand site!

So now it’s time to get back to normal.  Eating out every day isn’t sustainable nutrition or money-wise!  This weekend may be tough all around with us still in a bit of an unsettled pattern and me sticking to the plan, but with a little prep on my part, we can go out and I can bring my food.  Also part of prep…buying a knife!

We packed a few salad/mixing bowls, our blender and accessories, some water bottles (and a milk cup for the kiddo), a pot, a strainer, a cutting board (we had knives in between packing and moving…an old set we were tossing) and a baking sheet.  I wish we’d kept one knife, but this one was cheap and will do the trick.  In yesterday’s post, I mentioned ice cube trays as something else I found I really wanted.  I think those are the two big things I’d do differently.

So, how have I been staying more on track this week?

* More salads, and at home.  It’s easy to overdo it on add-ons and dressing when you’re eating out!  Though salads can be a great ordering option too, be careful of items like wonton strips, cheese, croutons, dried fruits and nuts.  Not that they’re bad, but they do add up!
* More water!  And tea.  Both help keep you full and water will keep your body running and functioning well.
* Stock what you can!  When we were eating from a cooler, I had carrots and grapes in there.  Not great for variety, but easy to keep…no squish factor from other stuff in the cooler too!
* Get creative!  I microwaved a sweet potato yesterday, piercing holes in it with my blender blade.  Part 1 mentioned how I made ice.  When we were out of paper bowls, I used a plastic cup.  Don’t let the little inconveniences be setbacks…try to find another solution.
* Try to save when you’ll have more carbs.  This was definitely made easier by a recent round of the 21 Day Fix Extreme, where I did a carb depletion plan.  I used to think I needed the carbs at certain times, but that helped me to see it was in my head.  I’ve been doing a serving in the morning and then saving them for dinner in case we go out somewhere carby (is that a thing?? Think sandwiches, etc) or we go for a treat.
* Have a plan.  I had my workout schedule so I knew what to do each day.  I knew all along that I would start the Refresh today.  I knew I had stuck to 21 Day Fix nutrition for so long that I could do okay eyeballing it.

I’m not perfect though!  There have been many poor choices, but the bottom line was that I was feeling like crap.  How frustrating to realize that you’re doing that to yourself!  I’m also realizing that with the extra heat here, I need to eat better to keep my energy up.  Otherwise I don’t want to do anything…more motivation.  So the last tip…

* Find motivation in new places!  I had the heat, and then bought a fitness journal at Target for a little extra push and organization.

Where are you pulling some extra motivation from??

What’s with the scoop size?

People ask me all the time about the Shakeology scoop sizes.  Why are they not the same between flavors??  I’m going to tell you…and it will be no surprise if you know much about Shakeology!

The ingredients in each flavor are what cause the different scoop sizes and weights.  Let’s think about this…different flavors are obviously going to have different things to taste that way.  The chocolate flavor here has cocoa, which isn’t in the vanilla for example.  Now, if someone wanted to have a standard scoop, you would need to balance that out somehow.  Do you know what we’re talking about here?  FILLERS!  Yes, something in there just to make the serving size of the naturally “lighter” flavors more.

Who wants that? I know I don’t!  So yes, there are different scoop sizes between flavors (and it’s a full, level scoop for a serving…I saw a flurry of activity about that this weekend!  When in doubt, measure it out!) but I take comfort in that!  If you have several flavors and scoops, label your scoops so you know which to grab!  If you’re like us and can’t stop with the chocolate (I get packets of others for occasional use and for samples, but I’m chocolate most days), you’re good! Use your scoop, fill it up and enjoy your shake!

Vanilla Mocha Shake

Yum yum yum!

This was super good…chocolate, vanilla, and coffee all rolled into some icy goodness!  It wont go replacing my salted caramel shake, but it’s up there.

Just about May!

So you know what time it is!  May Challenge time!

We are working legs this month…our arms are tired from April (just kidding…work those arms in May too!) so let’s get to lower body!

So if you’d like to join us and want some accountability, let me know!  I’d love to have you…

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And, with the start of May comes the end of April deals!  Don’t miss out!  I’m also giving prizes through May 1st for anyone who becomes a coach, purchases a Challenge Pack (a program plus Shakeology…including those on April deals!) or Shakeology on home direct!

I have a vacation tips post in the works…not all fitness related tips!  I know, I talk a lot about health and fitness! But this is more about staying on track in life in general while away.  Because it’s about living an overall good life!

Happy Monday!!