Apple Pie Oatmeal

Apple pie oatmeal is such a quick, easy, filling, and delicious breakfast that it's hard not to love! It's especially good in the fall when you see all kinds of sweet apple treats everywhere!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of uncooked oats

3/4 cup of green apple chopped (or whatever kind of apple you like)

2/3 cup of water

pure maple syrup

chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Add the water to the oatmeal and microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. 

2. Add apples and sprinkle with handful of nuts

3. Drizzle with pure maple syrup

Zucchini Chips

Today I'm going to share about zucchini chips, yes you read that right..zucchini. I'm going to be honest, a lot of people love kale chips but I HATE kale. I just can't stand it. I found the zucchini chip recipe in my Fixate cookbook, and I decided to try that since I hate the idea of Kale chips so much. I was pleasantly surprised! 

Ingredients:
- 2 large zucchini very thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F
2. Place zucchini slices in one layer between the paper towels to help draw out the liquid
3. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper
4. Put the zucchini slices onto the parchment paper
5. Brush zucchini with oil and sprinkle with sea salt
6. Bake for 2 hours, or until brown and crispy

I would love to hear what you think about these! 

Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

I'm going to be honest right now...I used to hate all things pumpkin. I wouldn't eat anything pumpkin flavored at all! It wasn't because I didn't like the taste because I honestly hadn't tried anything pumpkin. I think it was because when I thought of pumpkin I thought of carving them for Halloween. Ha! One day, I finally tried a pumpkin dessert somebody brought into work one day, and I LOVED it! I tried it before I knew it was pumpkin, so I accidentally found out I liked pumpkin. Anyway, now that I'm not a pumpkin hater anymore I have discovered a couple new recipes I like. This is my favorite breakfast one!

Ingredients:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup oats
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients and mix together until smooth
2. Cook on a skillet just like you would normal pancakes, with medium heat. These pancakes take a little longer to cook than normal pancakes, so don't panic if you get worried that you messed something up! It's suppose to take a little longer :)
3. Top your serving with syrup and enjoy! I like to buy pure, natural maple syrup. It has WAY less ingredients than other brands of syrup. Just make sure you read the labels so you know what you're putting into your body

Shakeology Mug Cake

Pinterest for the win again!! My sweet tooth is very happy with this yummy find! Do you ever find yourself looking in the pantry for anything sweet? Like you'd be happy with anything..cookies, doughnuts, cupcakes, and maybe even a few marshmallows! I'm guilty! This is a quick little treat to satisfy that sweet tooth before you're head first into your pantry!

Ingredients:

- 1/4 tsp. baking powder

- 1 scoop of Chocolate Shakeology

- 1 tsp. of Stevia or Truvia

- 1 egg

- 3 tbs. of water or milk

Mix together and microwave for 90 seconds! Delicious dessert for one is now ready! Yum! You can also add peanut butter or cocoa if you'd like. If you add peanut butter, just add a dollop in the center and push it down a bit. Enjoy! 

Blender Blueberry Muffins

A home cooked breakfast is probably one of my favorite meals. There's just something about a fresh cup of coffee, the calm morning, and the smells of breakfast cooking that I just can't get enough of! One breakfast food I really enjoy is blueberry muffins. Thanks to Beachbody I found a healthy alternative to the typical blueberry muffin mix packs I use to buy! AND they aren't time consuming to make, so it's a win-win if you ask me! This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

- Nonstick cooking spray

- 1 cup of reduced fat plain Greek yogurt (2%)

- 3 tbsp. raw honey (I love using my local honey)

- 2 large ripe bananas, cut into chunks

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

- 1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder

- 1/2 tsp. baking soda

- 1/2 tsp. sea salt

- 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

- 2/3 cup of chopped walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds (I prefer almonds)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Line your muffin pan with muffin liners or coat with your cooking spray. I like to use the liners just to make my clean-up a little simplier

3. Put yogurt, honey, bananas, eggs, vanilla extract, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in blender. Blend until smooth. You may have to scrape the sides one or two times just to make sure everything gets blended together well.

4. Fold in blueberries and nuts

5. Evenly pour your mix into your muffin cups

6. Bake 20-25 minutes. My oven has a mind of its own, so I start testing them around 18 minutes just so I don't burn them. If your tester comes out clean, they're done

Once they cool you're good to go! 

Now this recipe will make about 12 muffins, and I'm going to assume you will have some left over. You can freeze any leftovers which also makes this recipe something great to make ahead of time to have as an easy on the go treat. You can put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to have ready to eat right then, or pack them in your lunch box and they'll be thawed out by the time you eat them. If you follow the 21 day fix portion control containers, one muffin counts as 1/2 purple, 1 yellow, and 1/2 blue.

Clean Slowcooker Chili

I love slow cooker meals! There so simple it's honestly impossible NOT to love them, in my opinion! During the school year when life gets very busy, slow cooker meals become my go-to. They're great for those night when nobody feels like cooking and you're tempted to order pizza.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. ground turkey

- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (if you buy this canned try to get organic)

- 8 oz. whole kernal corn, canned

- 1/2 onion, diced

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 8 oz. can of black beans

- 8 oz. can of pinto, chili, or kidney beans (your preference)

- 1 tbsp. tomato paste

- 1 package of Lawry's chili seasoning

- Low-fat shredded cheddar cheese (optional...I skip on the cheese but only because of my dairy allergy)

Directions:

1. Brown turkey. Drain and discard any fat.

2. Put all the ingredients except for the cheese into your slow cooker.

3. Cook for 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.

4. If adding cheese, top with cheese when serving

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Wrap

During school, this was one of my go-to lunches! It was so easy to make real quick when school activities make you feel like you're being pulled 100 different directions.

Ingredients:

- 1 whole wheat tortilla

- Hummus (my favorite kind is the roasted red pepper, but any you like will work)

- Grilled chicken cut to your preference, I prefer very fine slices 

- Lettuce

-Tomato

-Feta cheese (optional, I can't have cheese so I skip this but I know it would be great on here)

Directions:

1. Spread the hummus on the tortilla.

2. After you cut the chicken how you want it, put it in the wrap

3. Add your lettuce, tomato, and feta cheese on top of the chicken. If you have any other veggies you want to add, feel free!

4.I wrap mine up and pack it in my lunch box the next day! 

I usually try to eat this with some fruit since I cover the other food groups all in one wrap. This wrap is so simple and delicious you're going to end up making it all the time! Don't say I didn't warn you! ;)

Apple Crisp Yogurt Treat

I love a nice warm apple crisp! Especially with a BIG scoop of ice cream! Oh man! Apple crisps are a staple at fall gatherings, but do you even realize how much sugar is in those things?!? No wonder they taste so good! It's shocking honestly! This little creation is a simple way to have your apple crisp without all that added sugar.

Ingredients:

- 1 honey crisp apple (my favorite) cut into bite-size chunks 

- 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips

- 1 cup of plain greek yogurt

- 1 tsp of peanut butter

- sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions:

Mix & Enjoy! I'm telling y'all, if it's complicated I won't make it! Simple and yummy is my go-to method!

Clean Eating Cookie Dough Yogurt

I have a serious sweet tooth. I use to think I was more of a salty kind of girl, but nope! I want all sweet things! I guess that's what this pregnancy is doing to me. I read somewhere that if you're having a girl you crave sweet. At this point I would have to agree with that. 

Since I have been craving so many sweet lately, I have been on the hunt for healthier options. This clean eating cookie dough yogurt recipe is wonderful! It definitely satisfies my sweet tooth!

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt

- 1 tbsp nut butter

- 1/4 tsp vanilla

- a pinch of sea salt

- 1 tbsp of mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Here's the easy part! Just mix it all together and top with the chocolate chips! A sweet and simple treat makes this pregnant girl happy! :) 

Total Slacker

image: A Good Hue

Well as usual I make some grand promise to blog regularly about a certain topic and I fail. Let me tell you, the end of the school year stuff totally kicked my butt. I felt like I kept running in circles trying to get stuff done, but still not getting it all done! It was very exhausting.

So, about working out.

I have continued to workout with the 21 Day Fix. I did slack a little the last two weeks of school, but I am back on track now!

After Round 1 of the 21 Day Fix

So far, as of right now (in my last week of Round 2) I have lost 15 pounds and over 12 total inches! I truly believe in this program and I am loving my results! I have a lot of people give me grief about trying to lose weight though. 

No, I don't think I am fat.

Do I think I am as fit as everyone else thought I was?

No.

I would get so out of breath just walking up the stairs at school, or sometimes just walking to the mailbox.

I am blessed with an awesome metabolism, so that is the only reason my body never gained a whole lot of weight. 

I weighed 148 though before I started this program, and that is the most I have ever weighed. 

I hated it. 

My clothes were to tight.

I looked like I was in the early stages of pregnancy in a few of my favorite tops.

I was miserable, and decided something had to be done. 

My main goal with working out was to become more tone. If I lost weight along the way, great! But the goal is to become tone and fit, not skinny and thin. 

I love food to much for that!

I am about to start my third round of the 21 Day Fix. My goals for this round are to stay motivated and complete the workouts every single day. I don't want to skip like I did this past round.

Another goal I have is to follow the strict nutrition plan better, and not eat out as much. We probably eat out every single night. Now, I do make healthier choices when we do, but I enjoy cooking. I would love to get back in the kitchen and learn how to cook some healthy meals. 

I don't want to promise to much as usual, but I do plan on posting more. I can't keep slacking on everything like I have been doing lately. I have to do better!

Find me on Instagram to see what I'm up to each day!

21 Day Fix Day 2

Yesterday was Day 2 of the 21 day fix. My legs are definitely feeling the workout from yesterday! Sitting down and bending over is a struggle. For breakfast yesterday I had scrambled eggs with hot sauce. It was so good! I could eat that every morning and not get bored with it. I also had my cup of coffe and some pickles with it. Lunch was Cafe Latte Shakeology, yummy! My afternoon snack was string cheese. For supper I baked chicken and topped it with all purpose seasoning. The recipie for the seasoning is in the 21 Day Fix book that comes with the challenge pack, and it taste wonderful. I put my chicken on a bed of brown rice with a side of green beans. I put the same seasoning on my green beans which made them so good! My evening snack was some organic fruit gummies. I don't think they're 21 Day Fix approved, but it was almost bed time and I was hungry so it was something satisfying and quick.  

Yesterday's workout focused on the upper body. Now, it still worked everything else but it was mainly shoulder and arms type workouts along with some ab work. It was great to give my legs a little break since they were so sore from the day before. 

Even though I am only 2 days in, I am absolutely loving this program! I can already tell I am going to see great results! 

Love my Shakeology! 

21 Day Fix Day 1

Ok, so I successfully completed day 1 of my 21 day fix. For breakfast I made a spinach and mushroom omelet, which I hated by the way. I would much rather just eat my egg with a small salad on the side. I'm weird about certain food mixing and the spinach with my eggs was just gross to me, but I ate it anyway. Don't want to waste it right? For a snack I had one thing of string cheese. Lunch was skipped (not recommended) only because I took a pretty long nap. By the time I woke up from my nap it was to late for lunch because it would have interfered with my appetite for supper. Instead I made a Shakeology shake and OH MY GOODNESS it was so yummy! I've never had it before and it did not disappoint. Cafe Latte flavor is my favorite so far! Supper was not a completely wonderful meal. We ate at Cracker Barrel for my Pawpaw's birthday. I ordered vegetables, which sounds good until I ordered the dumplings as one of my vegetables. Oops!! 

The workout today was a full body cardio. Let me be really honest, I was needed water after the warmup. I am so out of shape!! The workout was great though. It only last for 30 minutes, so it went by pretty fast. There is also one person in the group on the workout that is the modifier, so if the workout gets to difficult you can just follow that person. I noticed I was getting way too tired too fast, so I stuck with that modifier. It was still a great workout! I'm definitely sore from it!