Low in sugar? Think again!

Quick little post about a great site I found to help you visualize exactly how much sugar you are taking in every day. The amount of sugar in some of these foods may surprise you! This is especially important information to know if you're looking to slim down and expedite your results. 

Curious to know what I'm referring to? 

Take a look at Sugar Stacks.

Fall into Health – with Pumpkin!

With the cool fall weather coming in, that addicting pumpkin flavor is everywhere! There are a number of high-calorie, rather unhealthy options out there for you, but when it comes down to it, there’s nothing like the warm, comforting food options fall has to offer. So why not combine the best of both worlds? These healthy recipes combine the health benefits of Shakeology and that irresistible pumpkin flavor in ways your whole family will enjoy!

(Click recipes for full size)

When is it time for a change?

It wasn't that long ago when I was just your average mom, wanting to workout but not really having a plan, and phoning it in at the gym. After dropping the kids off at school in the mornings, I would go and do my daily “workout” for an hour. Then, after about 3 months of no change in my appearance, I started to dig deep. Had I hit a weight loss plateau the size of TEXAS?! I was killing it on the treadmill – walking, jogging, inclines – I was always trying new ways to get my heart rate up, I was taking group exercise classes, drenched with sweat at the end. Why was I not losing weight? Why didn't my body reflect my hard work?

Then along came Shaun T with Focus T25 and my magical life saver – Shakeology. I followed the T25 Nutrition Plan, drank my Shakeology every day (still do!), and worked out for 25 short minutes a day Monday through Friday. I didn't have to drive to the gym, I didn't have to fight for a spot in class, and my two-year-old didn't have to go to the less than desirable gym daycare that he cried about every time I dropped him off.  By the time I got him into the daycare, I could have been done with my Focus T25 workout! It’d be obvious to say that buying this program and Shakeology has changed my life, but it has done so much more than that. It not only became the first step to losing weight, but to better overall health, fitness and strength. To date I have lost 25 pounds and have committed myself to coaching others to improve their lives too. I am not selling quick fixes, I am selling life changes that 9 out of 10 of us NEED to live our best lives possible. Let me help you! Get involved in my next fitness Challenge Group, put me on your speed dial, text me when you need the motivation to get out of bed and press play. I will give you the motivation, guidance, support, and accountability. You don't have to do it alone, it's so much more fun with others!

Click here to sign up for your FREE TeamBeachbody account with me as your coach, and from there we can figure out which exercise program and nutrition guide is right for you. Everyone is different, Focus T25 may or may not be right for you, there are plenty of other exercise programs that Beachbody offers. I’m on my way to reaching my goals, and I want to help you reach yours too!

12 Ways to Promote Good Family Health

How do you promote family health? Do you teach your kids about health and wellness? 

Here are 12 Ways to Promote Good Family Health

1. Make Small Change
2. Forget About the Weather! 
3. Encourage Outdoor Play
4. Try Workout Videos When You Can’t Get Outside
5. Talk About Nutrition
6. Garden with Your Kids
7. Involve the Kids in Food Shopping & Cooking
8. Prepare Healthy Meals Ahead of Time
9. Eat Together as a Family
10. Minimize Screen Time
11. Read Children’s Books About Health & Hygiene
12. Be a Positive Example!

Shannon’s Stewed Okra and Tomatoes over Gluten-free Quinoa

When I think about how to prepare okra, only two ways come to mind. Coincidentally, they’re the ways my grandmothers used to make it: Fried and in a big ‘ole bowl of gumbo, yum! Well tonight I was forced to play around and think of a new way to cook okra. It was too late to start some gumbo and my cheat meal for the week isn't until the weekend so fried was out too. This recipe was inspired by Simply Recipes but I’m always tweaking recipes so here’s what I did. Enjoy!

Shannon’s Stewed Okra and Tomatoes over Gluten-free Quinoa

What you'll need: 

• 1 medium onion, diced
• ½ cup diced red bell pepper (leftover from another recipe from the night before – score!)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (we used roasted garlic that we had made previously)
• 3/4 pound fresh okra, cut into ½ in pieces (slice on the bias to create diagonal pieces)
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 2 red tomatoes, chopped
• 2 yellow tomatoes, chopped
• 3-5 cute little cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 5 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2-3 tsp cumin (to taste)

Ready? Let’s cook!

Heat 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan, when the oil is hot, sauté the onion, jalapeño, red pepper for 3-4 minutes over low-medium heat. Add salt to make the onion sweat to get it going. Add the garlic and sauté for another 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. 

Make sure that your okra is sliced diagonally so that as much of the interior of the okra as possible is exposed to ensure thorough cooking. Add the remaining oil to another pan or skillet and bring up to very high heat to get it smoking hot.

Here's my smoking hot pan!

Add the diagonally-sliced okra to the pan (I put a splash guard on top quickly after so that I didn’t have a huge splatter mess to clean up afterwards). Let the okra brown for at least a minute before you move them around, you’re trying to cook them at a very high heat without moving it too much. The high heat cuts down on the gooiness that okra oozes. Sear for about 3-5 minutes, but stirring only 2-3 times, just enough not to burn, then lower heat to medium and cook for 3 additional minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the vegetable sauté pan cook for about 5 more minutes, or until tomatoes are soft. 

Add the vegetables to the okra pan/skillet and stir until uniform. Turn heat to low/simmer.

Cook gluten-free quinoa according to package directions. Quinoa only takes about 10 minutes, so you can stare at pan of your mouth-watering vegetable medley until quinoa is done.

Plate and enjoy! But you already knew that, right? Don’t forget to package up the leftovers! This fed my family of 5 and we still have enough for lunch tomorrow!

After you’ve made it, comment below and tell me how you liked it! Did you tweak the recipe too? What did you do differently?

21 Day Clean Eating Challenge is right around the corner!

Summer is coming to an end! Let's get our eating in check so that we don't end up looking and feeling like a pumpkin by mid fall! 

Who's with me? If you want to make a a lifestyle change and continue to follow it all the way through the holidays and year round then THIS IS FOR YOU! I will provide you with daily 1-on-1 support, meal plans with complete recipes, nutritional tips, and I will hold YOU accountable the entire time. Did I mention it's FREE? 

Send me a friend request and quick message letting me know you're all in at facebook.com/gottasgirl and we will get you set up. The group is filling up fast so don't wait until tomorrow to do what you can do today!