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    Black Bean Lentil Stew

    On Sunday’s we crockpot.  Football, crisp autumn air, crunching in the leaves, wearing scarves, eating soups and stews out of cold weather bowls and getting that warm, fuzzy feeling.   This meal was created by total happenstance.  I wanted a crockpot dinner but didn’t have a plan so I worked with what I had.  And it worked.  My husbands words:  “Oh this is good. It’s not to tomatoey. I like it.” He’s weird about tomatoes.   So it passed the test and now have another crockpot recipe to add to my collection.  This made for a yummy one dish meal and I topped mine with a dollop of low fat…

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    Macho Nachos!!!

    Taco Tuesday alert!   Ok.  So it’s not exactly tacos.  More like deconstructed tacos.  Ok.  Nachos. Nacho Tuesday!  That’s a thing, you know.  Well, after tonight’s dinner, it’s definitely going to be a thing in our house!  Our 6 year old raves about the macho nachos she has at school.  Chips, taco meat, and covered in cheese- that kind from the can.  Yeah, I’m drooling.  But being the Fit Mommy that I am, I wanted to create a healthier version that we can all enjoy, without the guilt!  Ingredients:   1 lb lean ground turkey 1/2 cup fresh salsa 1/4 c chopped onion 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp cumin…

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    Grocery Shopping on a Budget

    One of the questions I am most frequently asked regarding eating clean and meal planning is “How do you do it on a budget?”  It does take some planning but it is absolutely doable.  We are a family of five, our kids are 7, 4 and 2,  and believe me, they eat a lot.  I stick to a $100/week max budget and what I have leftover we put away for splurges or Costco trips. Below are some tips and tricks to help you stay clean, stay healthy, and stay budget-friendly each week! Building your Pantry: The key to making a list and sticking to it is having a menu to…

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    Luke and Ashley’s Body Beast Results

    Find someone who shares your passion and do it together.  My husband, Luke, really started pushing me to do more heavy lifting about a year ago.  I was scared.  Like a lot of women, I didn’t want to lift too much and have “dude” muscles! Ok first of all, if you’ve never really lifted before, it’s going to be pretty hard to get “dude” muscles. But it’s entirely possible to build some great definition, strength, and leanness while boosting your metabolism by increasing your muscle mass.  This means that the more muscle you have the harder your body works.  You burn more calories at rest!   We took the plunge…

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    Pumpkin Puff Cookies (clean and gluten free!)

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Nope, not Christmas. Fall baking! If you haven’t been paying attention, I’ve busted out the pumpkin.  We needed a cookie recipe. Bad. Something that would satisfy even the sweetest tooth without the guilt.  Enter pumpkin puffs.  These bad boys are so light and fluffy they almost floated away!  I added dark chocolate chips (kid pleaser) and am calling them gluten free because I substituted brown rice flour and they turned out great!  I hope you enjoy them!  Ingredients: 1 1/4 c brown rice flour  1 scoop vanilla Shakeology (or protein powder) 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp sea…

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    A Lot Can Happen In One Year (My 1 year Transformation)

    On September 19th, 2014 I took a leap.  I decided to take some steps to better my fitness.  I decided I wanted to improve my nutrition, and overall health.  I was almost 6 months postpartum with our third baby girl and I was doing ok.  I was working out a little bit here and there.  Trying to make it to the gym 3x/wk and eating as healthy as I could.  I was also breastfeeding, in school part-time, was stressed to the max and just feeling like I didn’t have it all together.  So why not add something else to my plate, right?! I joined Beachbody as a coach.  I wanted…

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    Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup (Crockpot)

    Three year old with a high fever and a tummy ache.  Not good.  Naps.  Snuggles.  Blankies.  Movies.  Repeat.   It’s time for my cure-all.  Fool-proof, tummy soothing, chicken soup.  When I can throw it all in the crock pot that’s even better because that means I get more snuggle time with her.  And that’s key.  Whether it’s an upset tummy, the need for a new clean eating recipe, a kid-friendly meal, or an easy crock pot fix, this one has family meal written all over it and is a big favorite in our house, not just on sick days. Chicken and Rice Soup Ingredients:  4 small-medium boneless chicken breasts, thawed…

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    Pumpkin Vanilla Muffins (clean eating)

    Hello September.  Enter : pumpkin spice everything.  Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cereal, pumpkin spice toilet paper, pumpkin spice deodorant.  Seriously.  Everything. Fortunately I don’t let our family fall into the trap of artificial pumpkin flavors.  We like the real deal.  So onto the bandwagon I go.  Capitalizing on the everything pumpkin. But we’re doing it the clean eating, natural way so I’ll be whipping up a new pumpkin recipe each week using what I have in my kitchen!   This week:  Pumpkin Vanilla Mini Muffins for the kiddos (and grown ups!).  Ingredients:  1 c whole wheat flour 1 c quick cook oats 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2…

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    The Struggle to Gain: Body Shaming in All Forms

    Standing in front of the mirror and being unhappy with the body of the woman staring back at you.  At some point, even if it’s only for a brief period of time, we’ve all been there. Who are we kidding.  Whether it’s that postpartum saggy skin, stretch marks, that little bit of cellulite that came out of nowhere, those not-so-perky-anymore boobies, or those scrawny stick legs with no muscle tone.  We’re shown “perfection” our whole lives in magazines and on TV and live in a competitive society which makes us feel like we have to constantly improve.   Plus, as a woman, it’s in our nature to be judgy and…

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    Why I Became a Beachbody Coach

    I remember that day that I walked into the gym, not really sure of what I was doing but decided to give it a shot.  I had worked out before in a gym, granted it was in high school, but I could pull it off, right?  Well… I got some weird looks.  I was a scrawny, skinny girl, barely 20 years old, and couldn’t lift much to save my life.  I looked around at my company and was clearly out of place.  I didn’t know what I was doing and no one bothered to help me.  Instead, I heard a couple snickers when I tried to use the leg press…