Shakeology: Part 2 of 3

I mentioned Shakeology in part 1 of this 3 part series.  Here I will tell you a little more about what it is, and more importantly how you can get it!!

Even if you searched all over the world, you probably wouldn’t be able to find all of the 70-plus, ultra-high-quality ingredients we’ve included in Shakeology!  Not only do you get a wide range of essential nutrients, from the fruits and vegetables you should be eating more of every day, you’ll also get the benefits of important foods from all around the world—foods that the latest scientific research has shown to be highly advantageous to your well-being.

Personally, in 30 days of Shakeology once a day has led to my husband's blood sugar dropping over 200 points.  We've both experience weight loss; he, over 16 pounds, I, 11 pounds.  Remember, this is just in 30 days!  I have always suffered from migraines, as long as I can remember, they've always been a part of my life.  A huge part.  Any time I would try to lose weight by "dieting" the migraines would get worse.  Because my head would hurt so part, I'd want something "good" to eat; not "diet food."  Since starting Shakeology, I haven't had a single headache!!!  That, for me, is reason enough!  I went from losing 2-3 days every week/2 weeks from migraines, to going 30 days and counting without one.  Praise the Lord and shakeology!!

Many of Shakeology's fruit and vegetable sources have been chosen for their high concentration of healthy natural substances known as phytonutrients, including flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, and catechins. These substances have antioxidant properties, meaning they help get rid of molecules known as free radicals, which damage cells and may be a key component of the aging process. In laboratory tests, phytonutrients have shown promise in helping prevent a wide variety of degenerative conditions. What’s more, studies suggest that the natural mix of phytochemicals you get from whole-plant sources is more effective than taking them individually as nutritional supplements.   It's seriously my favorite meal of the day!  It gives me my chocolate fix and I seriously crave nothing!  

Shakeology can help you:

• Lose weight
• Reduce cravings
• Increase energy and stamina
• Promote healthy digestion and regularity
• Lower cholesterol

How Shakeology works

• Ingredients derived from whole-food sources deliver the daily vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your body needs to curb cravings, allowing it to shed stored fat.
• More than 20 different antioxidants and phytonutrients help reduce free radical damage that can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and stroke.
• Fiber, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes help your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently and promote better absorption of nutrients.

What’s in Shakeology

• Protein and essential amino acids help build muscles and reduce food cravings.

• Prebiotics and digestive enzymes aid in improving digestion, regularity, and nutrient absorption.

• Antioxidants and phytonutrients help counteract free radical damage that can lead to degenerative diseases.

• A daily dose of vitamins and minerals provides your body what it needs to function for optimal health.

Go here to get some!  www.MyShakeology.com/JLloyd1

Even better, contact me and ask about joining my next challenge and you get shakeology at a discounted price, along with meal plans, a coach, an online support group and more!!

Grilled Chicken and Veggies

One of our favorite things to during the summer, and well, year round really, is GRILL outside.

Couple the grill with chicken and veggies and kids playing and getting dirty and having fun, and well, that's our summer!

This meal is one of our all time favorites!  It's quick, easy, tasty, and good for you!  Starting to notice a trend? ;)

Ingredients:

Chicken strips
Veggies! - Your choice!  I often use squash, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, peppers, etc.

[The veggies and chicken are seasoned with my go to seasoning: Simply Organic all purpose seasoning, which is an organic dried herb mix of: onion, black pepper, garlic, parsley, celery seed, tomato powder, basil, thyme, oregano, sage and coriander.]

Simply adding some fresh basil is great with it too!

Serve with a simple spinach, grape tomato, and feta salad with a little balsamic vinegar.

I throw the chicken on a hot grill for about 3 minutes, flip, cook for about another 2 minutes, then wrap in foil and set higher on the grill away from the direct flame til your veggies are done.  We like our veggies seared, but still a little crisp - on a 400 degree grill or so, it usually takes 10-12 minutes.

Eat outside and enjoy more time with your family, not over the stove!!

Lifestyle changes. Part 1 of 3; Food!

This is going to be a 3 part series on the 3 main lessons and lifestyle changes Wade and I have made that have been most beneficial to us during our journey to regain our health, our figures, and our happiness!

You'll see a lot of recipes and a lot about food on this blog.

That's right, a blog about fitness and losing weight will pretty much be centered around FOOD.

Have you ever heard nutritionists and weight loss experts say “the key to weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise?"  I'm living proof, it's true.  You do have to get your diet right to be able to effectively lose weight and feel great.  Is it an exact 80/20 split??  I'm not sure, they are both important and like the old Marriage with Children theme song, "you can't have one without the other" to be successful!  I've logged many hours in the gym and in front of exercise vhs (yes, I've been doing it since the vhs days!) and dvd's on the TV over the years; and not until I started eating clean and focusing on my diet did I start to see the results I was really looking for in overall health and happiness.

So, what does it mean to eat CLEAN?

The simplest way to explain clean eating is this: If it came from God, it's clean.

As Micheal Pollan, author of Food Rules: An Eaters Manual,  put it, “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.”

Not all plants, veggies, fruits, etc are created equal; some are definitely staples that are free for all foods, while others are better on occasion.  Since my other half has, uh hum, blood sugar issues, I've done a lot of research regarding the glycemic indices of foods, we've cut out most starches, so I primarily needed to learn about fruits.  In doing that I've also learned it's not only people with diabetes that need to be aware of the GI rating of food, we all do.  Large spikes in your blood sugar will lead to mood swings, dizziness, and hunger - even if you just ate, which in itself can lead to weight gain, and the extra glucose that isn't burned is stored as fat. 
 
When I originally started trying to embrace the clean eating lifestyle, I came across this site,which was my gateway into this new lifestyle and I was amazed at how the pounds started falling off.  We weren't "dieting" or purposely trying to lose weight at this time, just simply learning to cut out processed foods with Lisa's whole/real food meal plans.

Her site is very educational and a great way to test the waters of real, whole food without having to think or spend hours researching and planning your meals.  It gives you the tools you need to see that it really doesn't take more time to prepare 'real' meals and eases you into this new life.

Remember, baby steps, and every little bit helps!  We have modified our diets again since completing Lisa's meal plans a couple of times, and again, the pounds just keep falling off!  We now eat more in line with the Primal way of living, which is still very clean, but we are very picky about the carbs we take in, where Lisa incorporates more whole grains and whole wheat than we are currently taking in.  Our meals are centered around 'Protein, Produce, Water' - yes water - no more coke, y'all!  It's the devil! 

Ready to take the next step in getting your diet cleaned up even more?  Here is a great place to start!

When trying to lose weight WHY count calories???  No need to if you're eating clean and healthy.  Who has time for that anyways?  The only thing I ever do a rough calculation of while planning my meals is protein.  I try to pack in as much protein as I can during my day, especially before and after exercise.  The general rule is 1 gram of protein per body pound.  The reason why is simple; protein builds muscle (when coupled with exercise), and muscle burns fat.  Period. 

Wade and both get a big protein and vitamin boost first thing in the morning with Shakeology.   This gives us a jump start on the day and our health.  I cannot tell you all the benefits we have both experienced from Shakeology here, but I will in part 2!  It is definitely deserving of its own post.  I will say Wade's blood sugar is now under control as well as all his symptoms that come from having blood sugar that averaged 300+ on a daily basis and I, who easily averaged a migraine a week or at least every 2 weeks,  haven't had a migraine since starting it.  Want to know more about this secret weapon?  Check back for part 2!

Seared Shrimp and Scallops!

Try saying that 3 times fast!

This meal is everything good packed into one meal, and one pan, too!

It's super FAST.  It's super EASY.  It's super QUICK.  It's super NUTRITIOUS.  and it's super YUMMY!

Here's a fun fact about scallops; scallops are more than 80 percent protein.  One 3-ounce serving provides 20 grams of protein and just 95 calories!  They're also a good source of both magnesium and potassium.

Shrimp too, are packed full of protein!  Eating 6 oz. of shrimp will add more than 34 g of protein to your daily intake.  This article gives 10 benefits to eating shrimp, among them include a boost in energy, cancer fighting nutrients, even blood sugar stabilization.  I think I'm in love!

Prep time for this meal, chopping and all, 15-20 minutes!  Maybe less if you're not explaining each step to your curious 4 year old or stopping to take pictures of it all as you cook!

Start by chopping your fresh ingredients.  You can be really flexible here and throw in whatever you love.

I used some green and orange bell pepper (1/2 each that were left over from last nights dinner), 2 leeks (high fiber), lots of garlic, and asparagus.  I would have thrown some mushrooms in, but we're fresh out.

Add all your yummy veggies in a pan and saute on high heat for 5 minutes or so.  You can use a little evoo, coconut oil, ghee, or butter in the pan if you'd like.

Transfer to a serving dish.

Then, in the same pan, add a little oil of your choice from above.  Toss in some fresh marjoram if you have it, I didn't but have some dried that I used, and some sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Also some red pepper flakes if you like spicy!  I DO!

Add your shrimp and scallops.  Cook on high, quickly, turn after about 2 minutes, cook an additional 2 minutes and remove from heat.  Shrimp and scallops both cook very quickly and will continue to cook while in the hot pan.  Overcooked, they are rubbery and not as good...  You just want the shrimp to turn pink and the scallops to turn solid white.

ENJOY!

Paying it forward

I've debated starting this blog. I'm going to be brutally honest here. I've considered the time commitment. I've considered the criticism I could face. I've considered the naysayers and those waiting for me to slip up and back slide on my own health and fitness journey. I've taken into consideration a whole host of negatives.

While the negatives made me think a little, there is this overwhelming voice inside me saying, I have the opportunity to do some good. I have the opportunity to share with my network of friends and family the gift of health. For that reason, and that reason alone, 'Everyday We Shakin It' blog was born.

Check back often in the coming weeks, as I will be adding a lot of resources, recipes, and reasons to help you kick your processed lifestyle and learn the fast and easy way to live off real food!

Thank God for New Beginnings!

Every day is a new beginning. A new day full of new choices and new consequences. Your past doesn't have to define your future.

Isn't that awesome to know?

It's like getting a 2nd chance every morning when we wake up.

What will you do with your 2nd chance today?

Today, I will choose to make healthy choices. Did you know that one healthy choice leads to another healthy choice, and before you know it, those choices become less of a decision and more of a lifestyle, freeing you to make other choices? Yup, it's true.

Welcome to my new blog. My new place to share my thoughts, my journey, information, recipes, motivation, fitness and health tips, and me.