Jerk Pork Burger with Apple Slaw

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, grated and patted dry 

Zest of 1 lemon plus 1 1/2 tablespoons juice 

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 

1/3 cup chopped chives 

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, divided 

2 tablespoons Jamaican jerk seasoning, such as McCormick, divided 

1 1/2 pounds ground pork 

8 slices applewood smoked bacon or turkey bacon, optional

4 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, thinly sliced, optional

Toss the apples with lemon zest and juice. Add the yogurt, chives, 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1/2 tablespoon jerk seasoning. Stir to combine and refrigerate.

Mix together the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 1/2 tablespoons jerk seasoning. Add the ground pork and combine. Shape into patties.  Press your thumb in the center of each to prevent burger bulge when they cook.

Cook the bacon. Transfer to paper towels to drain.  Cover the bacon with foil to keep warm.

Gill pork patties and top each patty with a quarter of the cheese. 

Place a pork patty on a toasted roll bottom, top with bacon slices, a quarter of the apple slaw and a roll top.

Happy Anniversary To Me!!!

One year ago I started the 21 Day Fix Extreme, Clean Eating and Shakeology Journey!  I had no idea at the time what I was in for when I decided to join my coaches "Leaning Out and Trimming Down" challenge group.  All I knew was that I need to make some changes and after watching my coach for months it was time for me to give it a try.  Within 1 week of the challenge group I knew that I wanted to be part of the Beachbody business.  I had amazing success with these products last summer and wanted to share these with others.  I have been sharing these amazing products with many men and women over the past year and have seen so many of them reach their own health and fitness goals.  I have also been growing my own team "Taking Control One Day at a Time" over the past year and have been able to lead a group of others to start their own Beachbody business.  

Looking back over the past year, I have also grown so much as an individual and have learned a lot about myself.  I have had my highs and I have also had some lows over the past year but I am happy that I found my way back to what makes me happy, confident and feeling amazing.  The one thing that I have shared in the past is my struggle with nutrition and binging on junk food.  I honestly hate talking about that part of me because I am so embarrassed that I allowed myself to do that.  I thought I had it under control and then this past winter I let stress in my life get the best of me and I allowed myself to go back to my old habits.  I am definitely not proud of this but I am also human.  This past year has been a huge learning experience for me.  The beginning of May I finally came clean and said enough is enough and knew that I needed to make a changes yet again because when I looked in the mirror I didn't like what was staring back at me.  At that point I knew it was time to go back to what worked for me before which was the 21 Day Fix Extreme, Clean Eating 80% of the time and Shakeology.  Today is Day 51 and I feel amazing and the best part is I can see my body getting back to where it was.  Yes, it takes time.  No, it is not a quick fix.  All I know is that I do not want to ever go back to those old habits again.  I don't want to pass them down to my kids.  I don't want to have to start over again.  I want to be stronger than my weaknesses. 

If you find yourself looking in the mirror and not liking what you see staring back at you, then maybe it is time to say enough is enough and join my 21 Day Fix Anniversary challenge group.  We kick off on Monday, July 4th with prep-week.  Fill out the application below for more details on how to reserve your spot!

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Egg White Muffins

Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray (I used a coconut oil spray)

Place chopped fresh spinach to the bottom of the muffin pan

Add diced red peppers on top of spinach

Fill muffin pan with egg whites

Sprinkle with black pepper

Bake for 20 mins at 350 degrees

These little guys are great for a morning or afternoon snack.

Take the Road Less Traveled...You won't Regret It!!

How often do you see my workout post and think, man how does she get up every morning and workout?  How often do you see my Beachbody business posts and think, man is she really successful at what she does?  How often do you see my motivation quotes and think, man I totally get that?  STOP thinking about it and do something outside of your comfort zone.  You will be amazed at what you can do if you just try.

It has been almost 1 year since I started my own Health and Fitness business.  I wonder where I would be today if I would not have taken a chance on myself.  We all have choices in our life and yes, I could have just followed the road that everyone else takes and would have been happy with my life but I knew deep down that I was made for something more.  I saw where this business could take me.  The things that I could provide for my family with the success of this business.  How this business lights my soul on fire every single day since I said "YES" to making a U-turn with my life and following the road less traveled.   

You know that you are no different than me, right?  I am a mom, a wife, a friend, a co-worker, a family member etc.  I am also a women that is strong, has dreams, wants to make a difference in this world, wants to provide for my family, does not stop at the word "No" and do not let others opinions of what I am doing stop me.  These things just drive me more to my end goal and that is 1. to help as many people as I can see how living a health and fit life can literally change their lives and 2. empower other people like me to make that U-turn and throw caution to the wind, then sit back and watch them achieve their goals and dreams with this business.  

My next sneak peek into being a Beachbody coach is Thursday, June 23rd at 8:30pm EST.  I would love to give you a look at what Beachbody coach is all about.  

Fill out the below application to join this live event on Facebook.

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Sugar, You're Surrounded, Come Out With Your Hands Up!

SUGAR...sounds innocent enough, the instant something sweet touches your tongue, your taste buds direct-message your brain: deee-lish. Your noggin's reward system ignites, unleashing dopamine.  And dopamine makes you feel good, so geez,  lets have another candy bar because you know what, I deserve it and it’ll make me feel better.  Or maybe your nervous and that sugary snack will get your mind off your problems.  Sounds like a nice treat, a reward even, a way to show yourself or someone that hey, nice job, a pat on the back, well done sir!  And well, it can be, but not the way we are inundating ourselves and our children with it.  The typical American now swallows the equivalent of 22 sugar cubes (88 grams) every 24 hours!  That means the average woman eats 70 pounds—nearly half her weight—of straight sugar every year.  It’s not just a concern for men and women, it’s a major concern for our children and it’s causing an epidemic...an obesity epidemic.   

So, just why is sugar killing us?  Few of us are consuming sugar in recommended moderate amounts and most of us are eating tons of it. In fact, worldwide we are consuming about 500 extra calories a day from sugar. That’s just about what you would need to consume if you wanted to gain a pound a week! 

I recently watched the documentary “Fed Up” and wow, some of the stats they throw out just blew my mind:

·         In 1990, obese adults made up less than 15 percent of the population in most U.S. states. By 2010, 36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher, and 12 of those had obesity rates of 30 percent or higher.

·         Roughly two out of three U.S. adults are overweight or obese (69 percent) and one out of three is obese (36 percent).

·         The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is on the rise, and youth are becoming overweight and obese at earlier ages. One out of six children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are obese and one out of three are overweight or obese. Early obesity not only increases the likelihood of adult obesity, it also increases the risk of heart disease in adulthood, as well as the prevalence of weight-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.

·         Cases of obesity and Type-II diabetes among children, for whom early-onset diabetes was virtually unknown just a few years ago. Is trending upward.  And if current rates continue, by 2050, one in three Americans will have diabetes.

·         This generation of children is the first generation of children to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

Now how could such a delicious food cause such unearthly problems?   Because we are eating WAY TOO MUCH OF IT.  And really it’s not completely our fault.  It is extremely difficult to limit sugar intake if you’re going to the grocery store to buy groceries.  Yeah, that’s not a typo.  It’s been researched by a UNC Nutrition professor, Barry Popkin, Ph.D., who has spanned the globe with his teachings that 80% of the 600,000 food products sold have added sugar.  Not naturally occurring sugar, but sugar which has been added as an inessential ingredient. 

In 2009 the American Heart Association lowered the sugar intake per daily allowance to 6 teaspoons (6 cubes of sugar/24 grams) a day for women and 9 teaspoons (9 cubes of sugar/36 grams) a day for men.  Now go ahead and look at that coke or Pepsi can sitting in the fridge.   Yeah, about 39 grams of sugar in that 12 oz can of chemicals.  There goes your daily allowance and some of tomorrows too. 

But, why is it worse FOR YOU than ANY OTHER ingredient in food?  OK, so a little technical talk here...for one, Sugar has NO essential nutrients in it.  That’s where the term ‘empty calories’ comes from.   There are no proteins, essential fats, vitamins or minerals in sugar.  Two, the human body is not made to consume excessive amounts of sugar.  It is actually a hepatotoxin and is metabolized directly into fat – factors that can cause a whole host of problems that can have far-reaching effects on your health as shown in the stats above. 

So, with 80% of the foods sold, how can we be expected to limit our sugar intake to what the American Heart Association suggests?  EAT CLEAN!  This is entirely my nutrition plan for BeachBody and what I teach all my challengers to have SUCCESS in their endeavor to lose weight.

If you have been following me and my BeachBody journey, you know that nutrition has always been a struggle for me and the real struggle with nutrition is SUGAR!!  It has been 4 1/2 weeks of following my clean eating program with minimal treats and I feel amazing.  The best part is that I can see my body reacting in a positive way to staying away from the added sugar and processed foods.

Interested in my next challenge group "Project Me" starting on Monday, June 13th?  Fill out the below application for more information about the challenge group!!

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My next blog will focus on lessons learned from “Fed Up”, where our food is sabotaging us and why everything TV ads, magazines and other media outlets are telling us how to lose weight is completely wrong.

Project "Me"

Not sure how it happens but after having kids most of us lose ourselves.  We have less time to focus on ourselves.  Instead we let ourselves fall to the bottom of the important list of things to focus on in our daily lives.  We become "Mom", "Mommy", "Gavin's Mom", "Maxwell's Mom", "Nick's wife" etc.   We are more worried about getting the kids to school, kids sporting events, kids activities, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, food shopping, cooking dinner, doing homework with the kids, taking care of the dog, getting the kids ready for bed and the list goes on.  Over the years we tell ourselves we don't have time to workout, we don't have time to focus on our nutrition, we just don't have time to focus on being "BreAnn".  We all have a little voice in our head tell us well I need to do something but we are not sure what it is and even when we find it we just tell ourselves that it probably won't work, I will probably fail or that program won't "work" for me.  Instead we turn to what is quick, easy and over time the woman we used to be some how gets lost.  Don't get me wrong, I would never trade in the "Mom" card.  I love these two little boys with all my heart and don't know where I would be without them but I also know how important it is to take care of "Me".  I noticed that once I started taking care of me, is when I became a better mom, wife, friend.

Most of my challengers are also fellow moms and a lot of my challengers tell me that they hit a point in their lives when enough is enough and they need to start focusing on taking care of themselves.  They want to look and feel like they did before having kids.  Most of my challengers also tell me how important it is to them to set a good example for the little ones in their life.  For me, I totally get that.  Not only do my kids see me workout daily but they want to join in on the fun.  They also see me making smart choices with nutrition.  We do not deprive our kids of snacks or treats but I can also say that my kids eat very healthy meals.  They try new foods and pretty much eat what we eat.  

This new lifestyle is not always easy and yes I have days that I slip and fall but I do know that I feel so much better inside and out when I am focusing on "Me"!  I am definitely a work in progress, as we all are.  I just keep taking one day at a time to focus on "Me".  

I am looking for other moms, mommas, mommies out there that are ready to start focusing on themselves for a change!  Fill out the application below for more information regarding my next challenge group is "Project Me".  I want to help you find that woman that is itching to come out! 

Are you ready?  

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Keeping it REAL!!

So...This morning I made a post on Facebook about my struggle with nutrition "I did it all for the cookie"!  You see me post on social media daily about my love of fitness, my Beachbody business and I do throw in some posts about my nutrition. The one thing that I have not shared with all of you is that for the past several months I have been struggling AGAIN with my nutrition!  This morning I knew that it was time to come clean with all of my followers!

Tonight I was looking at an old Blog Post I did The Struggle is Real back in Oct 2015.  I remember this time in my life and Beachbody career.  I was in the best shape I have ever been in and my new little career was on fire.  So what the hell happened?!?!  I think about this often and keep trying to figure out how I could let this happen!  Seriously who lets themselves slowly drift back to their old habits?  I loved how I felt and looked but why would I want to sabotage all my hard work?  The answer is simple, I personally just got too confident!  I started to think that I could eat what I wanted and I would be fine as long as I was doing the workouts.  Clearly that is NOT true.  It wasn't true before I became a Beachbody coach and it surely isn't true now that I am a Beachbody coach.  Over the past 5 months I have gained around 10 pounds.  10 pounds!  What the F*&^!  I have been so frustrated with myself about this and I think that the more I gained the more I continued to let my nutrition get out of hand.  It is a vicious cycle for me!  I look at pictures of me now vs last year and I can clearly see a difference and it is not a good difference.  So when I say that the "Struggle is Real" for me, I really do mean that the Struggle is Real!!  I do not want to continue to be in a battle with myself about this.  I want to look back at this point in my life and say that I am so glad that I got through it and pray to God that I continue to have the strength to NOT let this happen ever again.

As of Monday, May 9th I started the exact workout (21 Day Fix Extreme) and nutrition plan that got me these results last summer!

I KNOW that I can do this again and I will do this again!  I DO NOT ever want to have to start over again!  I know that it will NOT be easy and the next few weeks/months are going to be a big test for me.  My health and fitness is way more important to me than any sweet treat (cookies, cake, chocolate or any other junk)!  They are just NOT worth it!

So, I am I telling you all of this?  1. Because I am sure you may have noticed this on my social media posts and I felt like I needed to come clean with all of you to keep myself accountable and motivated to reach my goals!  2.  I am sure that some of you of you can relate and also have an addiction to sweets/junk.  I want you to know that you are not alone and you too can make a change!

Are you ready to stop the madness and break this cycle?  My next challenge group is starting Monday, May 23rd and I would love for you to join myself and some other ladies that are continuing to work towards our health and fitness goals!  Fill out an application below if you are ready!

  

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