Lunch time truth! Pepper Casserole and raspberries (a fave). Again, you always have a choice and I didn’t always make the food choices I’m trying to make now. However, I’m sure seeing a payoff and you know, I actually like the food I’m eating!
~ Ashley ~
P.S. If you missed the info for Pepper Casserole, check it out here!
You know, when you commit to become healthier, it’s not just your body that gets stronger. It’s every aspect of yourself. Your entire being will be challenged and tested. And in the end, you will become someone that you only dreamed about. Only the funny thing is, she was inside you all along.
~ Ashley ~
Almost every day this is my lunch! Turkey Lettuce Bowl. It’s something I would have never thought to make before, let alone even know how. However, I’m so pumped that we were introduced to this meal with the 21 Day Fix Extreme. Even if we weren’t doing this program, I would make this meal.
I love that we’ve prepped it ahead of time and all I have to do is grab it and throw it in the microwave. It’s so much easier to make the healthy choice when it’s already prepared and in your reach.
Did you make a healthy choice for lunch today? I hope so!
~ Ashley ~
So I could describe The Beard using MANY colorful adjectives and so could those that know him, but today I will use the word thoughtful. My husband happens to be a very thoughtful guy. I know, I know, people don’t like to hear women brag about their husbands, but tough tushy. I’m extremely thankful that God blessed me with this guy. A guy, who among many other things, thinks about and shows his appreciation for me from time to time by surprising me with some type of gift.
Now, in many cases, the standard “Hey look what my husband surprised me with” gift is flowers. Don’t get me wrong, flowers are nice and if you’re a woman whose boat that floats then it’s the perfect gesture. I actually do appreciate flowers as much as the next gal, BUT its a rarity with The Beard. He’s more of a “here’s a practical, you didn’t ask for it but I know you’ll love it” gift giving kinda guy. Recently, he got me a display for all of my race bibs. It really hadn’t crossed my mind to get one of those, but guess what? It was an awesome idea!
Another example is when he showed up several months ago with multiple pairs of tennis shoes for me. Now, he does happen to work for a large athletic company and gets nice discounts (hence the multiple pairs), but who brings their wife sneakers for a surprise? The Beard, that’s who!
Last Sunday when I heard him tell the kids, “Daddy’s gotta surprise coming for Mommy.” I could only begin to imagine what it might be. Turns out, it was a small tripod for my iPhone. The rationale? “I thought it would be easier for you to take photos and vides for your blog.”
I love this man.
So what do you do when you get a new toy? Try it out of course! The Beard was taking The Lordling to get their hair cut so The Princess and I decided we would try to make a cooking video.
Please try hard to refrain from pre-laughing at the idea of ME making a cooking video. I mean, did you see my FB post about boiling eggs?
Anyhoo, last week I shared the 21 Day Fix Extreme recipe for Turkey Lettuce Wraps (see here) and since it was Sunday, I was in the middle of actually making them for the upcoming week. I figured this was perfect timing to test out the new tripod. In addition, this would give you an opportunity to get to know my personality a little bit better with a video instead of just words on a screen.
I know you’re chomping at the bit to see my rookie effort at this, so I won’t hold out any longer. I hope you find it helpful and at the VERY least an injection of humor for your day!
~ Ashley (A.K.A. NOT Julia Child)
Every morning for the last 21 days I have been awoken by my alarm at 4:15. My actual roll out of bed time is wavering but regardless, I was downstairs and starting my workout by 4:45. Sometimes I was excited. Occasionally I was in a cloud of fog and barely awake. A few times I was extremely grumpy. And sometimes, I just was. Nevertheless, EVERY morning (sometimes afternoon) my feet hit the floor and I pushed play. Every. Day.
Each Saturday and Sunday for the past 21 days we have spent time making grocery lists, shopping, prepping food and assembling meals. There were definitely moments where I wished I was doing something else but I chose to remind myself of what I was trying to accomplish and the need to stay the course. We have eaten pretty much the exact same meals and snacks for the last three weeks, unwavering. We have not gone out to eat since March 22 and have not had a sip of alcohol in the last 23 days. That in itself is an accomplishment because we tend to use food and drink as some of our “entertainment” for the weekend, so we have had to find alternatives.
We have remained consistent, determined to stay the course and trust the process.
As we finished out our final day of the 21 Day Fix Extreme, I grew very anxious for this morning’s results. Once again the alarm sounded at 4:15, only this time I was not getting up to work out but instead to measure the results of our efforts. And I say “our” because it truly was a team effort. The Beard and I have truly been in each others corner for this and it has made the experience much, much easier.
Starting Weight: 162.0 lbs Final Weight: 157.4 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 4.4 lbs Total Inches Lost: 4.5
So, if I’m being honest, when The Beard called out my measurements and as I looked at the scale, I was somewhat disappointed. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself and always hope for huge changes at the end of each “phase” of whatever plan I’ve been carrying out. So when I saw these numbers they were a littler lower than what I had been dreaming of. But then The Beard reminded me, as he always does…
…it’s progress my dear and it’s not just about the numbers.
As I look over my before and after photos, it is here where I can really tell that the program worked. I have slimmed in several places, especially the troubling areas of my hips and thighs and overall I am much leaner and more toned than I ever was before. I have other photos (that only The Beard is privy too) where I can see great improvement in my glutes. I have hated my backside for as long as I can remember and am so happy that I can FINALLY say it’s getting better!
I could go on and on with my analyzing, because that’s what some of us do, we analyze EVERYTHING in order to work at our goals. But I won’t. In the end what I want for you to know is that the 21 Day Fix Extreme worked and so did I. So the last thing I’d like to share are the top 5 things I learned during round 1.
1. Nutrition is 70-80% of your success. I already knew this was the case, but this program really reinforced the validity of that point.
2. Planning and preparation is key. I have NEVER in my life been so organized when it came to meals and it made a huge impact. Not only did it help us keep our nutrition on point, but it also took meals off of the “one more thing I have to figure out for today” list. It was glorious!
3. Establishing a routine helps with consistency. If you want results you need to schedule for them. Sometimes I can be very willy nilly about WHEN I’m going to exercise. However, for the last 21 days I was a schedule (during the week) and I did not deviate from that if it could be helped. You know what? I never had to. Which makes me think, how many times do we simply convince ourselves that “it just won’t work with my schedule” before we’ve even tried it out? Take it from me when I say…
mentality is often reality. Truth.
4. You need to commit and trust the process. This has always been a struggle for me. If I didn’t think I was getting results with a plan, I would get discouraged and want to jump ship before it was over. Sometimes after only a short period of time. That my friends, is just ludicrous. The most healthy ways of losing weight or improving fitness are going to take time. Time for your body to adjust to what’s going on and figure out what it it needs to do before it actually does it. So the next time you want to try a program, commit to it for a set period of time (21-30 days) and then evaluate whether or not to continue.
5. Support your partner. I can’t say enough how much easier something is when you’re not doing it alone. I’m lucky to have The Beard who supports me unconditionally and it definitely made this last 21 days not seem so difficult. In addition, it gave the two of us something specific that we were both working toward. No matter which role you’re in, the one who is trying to get healthy or the one who already is (or isn’t for that matter) jump on board. It will mean the world to your significant other, help them be more likely to accomplish their goal and let’s be honest, a little exercise and good eating never hurt anyone!
So now what?
This week we will continue eating and working out 21 Day Fix Extreme style, but on Saturday…
…we shall CHEAT! We will eat, drink and be merry!
Then we will ease back in on Sunday and begin round 2 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme on Monday, April 20 and once again we will have two choices. Let’s see just how much more we can push ourselves.
Then lookout Jamaica, here we come!
~ Ashley ~
The Princess helped us out with food prep for the week! To be honest, she didn’t help out for that long because her art supplies were calling her name, but that’s ok. I’ll take what I can get because even if it’s only for a little while, she is being exposed to the process of healthy eating.
I believe it is important to expose kids to a healthy lifestyle early on, as I was not as a child and I believe that contributed to some of my struggles over the years. My hope is for my children to see that living a healthy lifestyle can bring so many positives to their life. I want them to grow up with memories of our family spending time together on the weekends constructing our healthy meals for the week ahead. I want them to learn that it’s important to spend time on the things that matter in life and to invest in the people that matter in their life as well. I want them to see how important their health is, both for themselves and their future families.
In the end, I believe it is our responsibility as parents to help guide our children in a direction of a happy, healthy and successful life. The Beard and I are sure trying to do that with our children and I believe in my heart the will be better for it.
~ Ashley ~
Every now and then I look back at old pictures of myself. I don’t do it because I’ve forgotten what I used to look like, because believe me, those images are carved into my brain and won’t ever be forgotten. Instead, I look at them as reminders of just how far I’ve come.
When I see them, I instantly feel fresh emotions. The same emotions I felt when I finally came out of denial and realized I needed and wanted to make a change. At that moment long ago, I was in such awe of the girl I was looking at…and not in a good way. It was like I had never seen my reflection before and all of a sudden it had become clear and focused.
I couldn’t believe this is what I looked like. Had looked like. For a long time.
I knew at that moment that I wanted and needed to change and it was going to start then.
Fast forward to now. The awe I feel these days is the the same but also different. I still shake my head in disbelief of my former looks but even more so, it’s in amazement that I have carved myself into a better woman…and I don’t just mean physically.
I have gained so much more than just a better appearance (in my opinion). I am stronger, more confident and happier. Of course there are many variables that can contribute to those feelings, but my physical appearance and health had trumped them all for a long time. Now, they don’t.
Now, instead of fighting the old me, I’m focusing my energy on building a better me.
~ Ashley ~
As I have definitely established at this point, I am not a great cook. Anything too complex and as The Beard likes to say “that pretty little brain of yours gets overwhelmed.” In fact, it is so true that when I discovered this book on Amazon today, I got a little excited.
It is seriously a real book and I swear it must have been written for me. She actually rates the difficulty level of the recipes using the following labels: Platinum Blonde, Natural Highlights and Golden Blonde!
Ok, so maybe I’m not THAT challenged in the kitchen (most days), but my point here is that when I look for ways of eating healthier, I HAVE to have simple recipes. In addition, it has to be normal. There’s nothing that annoys me more than weight loss programs that give you recipes for fancy schmancy eating.
I’m like look, I’m just an average citizen here and if I even knew what this high class titled meal WAS, then that would mean that I’m probably wealthy and in that case I wouldn’t need the recipe because I could hire someone to cook it for me!
Seriously. Keep. It. Simple.
Therefore, I have so far been pleased with the simpleness of the 21 Day Fix Extreme eating plan. I have lists of foods to choose from (protein, fruit, vegetables, etc.) and a series of recipes that are normal. In addition, I can easily find other dishes that can be used and/or modified to fit this plan as well!
Tonight I will be sharing one of our lunch dishes with you:
Turkey Lettuce Wraps.
Note: I’m a complete imbecile when it comes to eating lettuce wraps, so I prefer to do it bowl style.
There are four awesome things about this dish:
1. The recipe is so simple. Truth. I haven’t it screwed it up yet!
2. It literally takes me about 20 minutes to make from start to finish.
3. I normally don’t like ground turkey but with this particular combo of spices, it doesn’t taste like ground turkey to me but instead like taco meat.
4. We like it so much, we eat it for multiple meals. Seriously, we have eaten this for lunch 10 out of the last 14 days and will be eating it for 5 more days this week! People this is a breakthrough because this beauty RARELY eats leftovers AND easily TIRES of the same meals.
So without further adieu, here is how you construct the 21 Day Fix Extreme’s Turkey Lettuce Wraps!
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add turkey; cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes, or until no long pink.
2. Add garlic powder, cumin, salt, chili powder, paprika, and oregano; mix well. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
3. Add water and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cook, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Dish it up in your lettuce wrap or place in a bowl with lettuce pieces.
Serving Size: 6 1 serving = approximately 3/4-1 cup.
I really hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as we do!
Happy Healthy Eating!
~ Ashley ~
It’s not always pretty but I try my best and get it done!
~Ashley~
#bettereveryday #21dfx #fitmoms #fat2fit
BEAUTY & THE BEARD 