4am Wake-up - WHY?

What do you do when you get up at 4am on Saturday? 

First, your curse your husband's alarm, because you have already been awake for 30 minutes in anticipation of the alarm going off. Then, you tell him good luck and goodbye and make sure he has all of his safety lights for the bike & run portion of his training. Then you attempt to go back to sleep, but you know it isn't happening! So...you take the opportunity of a quiet house and you brainstorm ideas to help people!

I am not here because I have tons of free time, I am not here because I am perfect or because I have all the answers. Hell, last night I was vacuuming crayon shavings out of my freezer! Yeah....no joke...can't make that up! Ask my kid about his frozen crayon shaving "project!" I am not here because I am a fast typer, or because I am good at harnessing technology! Let's face it, many of you have seen my not 1, but 2, yes 2, sideways videos on here! I do NOT have it all figured out! But, every single time I receive a message from someone, telling me that I helped them, it pushes me along in my crazy life!

We are all here muddling through bad days, and drinking up the good ones, praying that those fill our tank with enough strength, patience and gratitude to get through the sucky ones. But, what I have learned is that a kind word, a helping hand, a SMILE or something, anything that makes the day better or easier, makes the difference.

I like food, I love to cook, I like to create, I like to dig into the pantry and think of new ways to put food together, but that is not WHY I am here! I am here because of YOU...every YOU who is reading this! I am here because I hear your requests for easy dinners that your kids will eat, for crock-pot meals that are cooking themselves so that you can help with homework, for tricks that save you time, for menus that are doable, for healthy options and for tips on how you can gain health and wellness! I LOVE to help others! I am here because I want to help share the gift that I have! We all gifts, every single one of us! Life changes when you find your GIFT, your WHY, and the HAPPINESS it brings to share that with others!

Thank you for being here...thank you for your requests, feedback, support and for letting me share my gift with you! Thank you for driving my WHY!!!

Today's Brainstorm: 18 Different Ideas for Your Crock-pot/Pressure Cooker Shredded Chicken! Every one of them will be super easy, almost completely hands off and Family Friendly! 
Watch out! Shredded Chicken Series Coming Soon! And your week will be at your fingertips!!! Boom!

www.facebook.com/FIITNutrition

Under Pressure?

Testing out a new appliance and new recipes! 😃 I added this little prize for a very specific reason! People have been asking to come prep with me for a LONG time...well.....

In a few short weeks, I will be offing a handful of Small Group Prep Parties using several of my recipes, in order to help people learn how to do it a little easier! I completely understand that it isn't quick and easy when you are just starting out, but after you've done this for a long time, you learn out to trim time and energy! I'm so excited to finally be able to do this! Between the Slow-Cooker and the Pressure Cooker we should be able to produce 2-3 Dinners (for 4) and 6-8 mini-meals/snacks (2-3 recipes) + other tips!
COMING SOON!  

*Sample Menu: 

Zucchini Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce (Ground Turkey)

Shredded Chicken Tacos w/ Pico 

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken over Cauliflower Rice

Veggie Egg Muffins

Anti-Pasta Salad + Grilled Chicken

Which Lunchbox?!

LUNCHBOXES
So, yesterday a friend asked me for lunchbox reviews! It occurred to me that this might be something that everyone is interested in right about now! Here's what I shared with her! Thanks for inquiring Margot! These are just my preferences! ;)

So, I have 3 sets: Planetbox Rovers, Sistema flat boxes and Happy Boxes. We use the Pottery Barn large lunchbox insulated bags, so I used containers that would fit comfortably in those! I like the size because it's not too heavy for them with the other things they end up having to take to school!

Planetbox - ss - last forever, leakproof containers inside but they, themselves are not. Dishwasher safe, but kind of heavy for the girls (5 years old) when they are filled with food! $$$

Sistema - bpa free, phthalate free, dishwasher safe, liquid proof, super light, tons of options, they have divided and non-divided. We use these for EVERYTHING! In the pics, they are the small colored ones. $

Happy Boxes - bpa free, dishwasher safe, liquid proof, great bento box style. Still light but a little bulkier than the Sistema. Tucker LOVES these because all his food is separated and not touching! ;) In the pics they are the larger plastic ones with separations. $$

I LOVE the Planetboxes, but right now they are really heavy for the girls when I have them filled with enough food. I don't use the liquid proof containers in them very much bc they are kind of a pain, and personally I don't love anything with parts and pieces. But, I think that just bc x4. If it were just 1 or 2...it wouldn't be so bad. The little containers each have a top and bottom + a rubber leakproof piece, which always seems to disappear! I think they will be better as they get a little older just because of the weight. Also, they are hinged and not a top/bottom box, so they take up a lot of space in the dishwasher! When I have 4 in there it's like 1/3 of the dishwasher, lol!

I like the Sistema and the Happy Boxes best for right now. I like the top/bottom for fitting them into the dishwasher, the weight. I usually fill the Sistema, then put an extra something plus Capri Sun Water or water bottle in and it all fits nicely! With the size of the Happy Boxes and the Planet Boxes the juice box or water bottle has to go in the outside pocket and doesn't stay as cold.

We also traded in all other cups and bottles for the Nalgene On the Fly water bottles! ZERO parts and pieces, straws, or suction! They lock and don't smell! Each child has their own pattern - no confusion! I LOVE these! $

I know it's a lot but I hope it makes sense and helps! More info in both of these older posts!

http://deannadoesit.blogspot.com/…/starting-healthy-habits-…

and this older one! http://deannadoesit.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-lunchbox.html

How to travel your workout!

Squeaking out these last few weeks of Summer and a lot of little vacations before the kids go back to school!  Taking breaks and renewing your mind and body is SO important!  But, if you leave your habits behind for too many days...it can be TOUGH getting back on track!  So take your workout with you!   

Bodyweight workouts are incredible for strength training and cardio! With these couple of small items to take along, you can create a VERY effective workout, regardless of your level of strength!  

I like to pick 6 exercises, set my timer to 45 seconds work, 15 seconds rest, 24 rounds! - so that's 6 exercises 4 times each!  That's a 24 minute workout, add a quick warm-up and cool down and you're done in 30 minutes!  I like to choose an upper, lower, cardio, upper, lower, cardio to keep high tempo and sending blood flow throughout the body for extra cardio impact!

• An easy example would be:
• Push-ups
• Squats
• Jump Rope
• Flys or Curls w/ Bands
• Switch Lunges
• High Knees

Here's what I take:

• Gymboss Timer - I use my interval timer EVERY SINGLE DAY! Even when I do real-time videos, I like to have my timer clipped to my shirt so I can crank up my music, go as hard as I can and squeak out that last rep before the Beeeeep...never having to look at a timer!  This one is perfect!  You can set intervals and rounds! It's inexpensive and durable!  I haven't had to replace mine and I have had it for 5 years!!!

• Grab a cooler! Not on all trips, but on most vacations we are traveling by car and have some sort of cooler with us!  Coolers work great as a bench - step ups, dips, incline push-ups!

• And of course, I never leave home without my jump rope!  Excellent cardio addition to your workout, full body, coordination and more!

This is literally what I packed - it took up inches!

• Weights - not easy to travel, but Bands - Very Easy to travel

I picked these up from Amazon for $10! They work well for all kinds of exercises, especially in targeting those intrinsic muscles!  And at home you can add them along with your weights for an extra burn! Use them around your ankles, knees, wrists for resistance with body weight exercises too! 

My Menu This Week

So many people seems to be stuck in a rut!  Recipe rut, looking for ideas and a nudge to get back on track rut, only a couple weeks until school starts limbo period...several have reached out and said they are struggling to stick to their goals...it can be tough without a good plan...so...I'm sharing our menu this week! It was on the FIIT Nutrition Page on Sunday, sorry I am late getting it here!  But check it out and see if there's something you can use!  Maybe even implement it next week!  Hope this helps!

As promised....my MENU for this week, complete with links to recipes AND shopping list!! We have a totally nutty week, so to simplify and draw from my freezer stores, it's almost all chicken... but allows for substitution of shrimp or fish! Hoping that keeps it simple for those of you waiting on this! More notes to come! Ready, set, GO!!!!!

*Sunday's prep
boil eggs
egg muffins
marinade and grill 6 chicken breasts
slow-cook 2 breasts for chicken salad (3 hours on high)
spiralize zucchini
bake sweet potatoes
portion egg muffin + sweet potato snacks
Time Estimate - 1 hour other than slow cooker

Please let me know any questions or feedback!

• Chicken Salad 
• *I just left out the apples and grapes since I am using apple slices as the bread! Core and apple and slice it into rounds for bread!

AHHHH...the links didn't carry over! Here they are!

• Smokey Slaw - this works GREAT in fish tacos! Marinade fish in lime and ancho chili power and pan sear or grill!

• Pico

• Chicken Carnival - Grilled or Broiled Shrimp or fish is FABULOUS in this!

• Chicken Carbonara - Shrimp is an excellent Pescatarian Sub here. Cook them ahead and add into sauce! *I am using zucchini noodles in this this time! So, for that, make the sauce with your protein choice then add zucchini at the end and cook in the sauce for about 2-3 minutes or until just barely beginning to soften! Serve!

• Summer Succotash

Starting Healthy Habits Young

I get tons of questions about kids lunches and snacks...how to get them to try new things! I know there's tons of controversy over whether kids are born picky or learn to be picky! Maybe it's a little of both, who knows. There is no easy answer to that for sure! I have 2 who literally beg for salmon and asparagus, 1 who only likes raw veggies, fruit and cheese, and 1 who has sugar sensitivity but sneaks candy at any and every possible chance; thankfully she eats the good stuff too!Kids are tricky! One day they want the banana sliced up, one day they want it whole and then one day they don't like bananas at all! I swear, what they like can change with the hour. All you can do is TRY, offer them healthy choices and healthy alternatives! Honestly, for the most part our children are fantastic eaters! I have zero to complain about, we win some, we lose some...and that's fine with me! 

One major thing that is to our advantage is the "Monkey See, Monkey Do Effect." Usually, if someone is brave enough to try...at least a couple of the others will follow. Thank goodness Tucker is very adventurous with his food! There are few things he doesn't like and I don't push him at all. Never do we "make" them eat anything. Our request is that they try it! Try it, don't like it, don't eat it. Kindly push it to the side. If it's something they haven't been offered in a while, we try to get the to sample it again, one bite is sufficient. There are so many things that they have developed a taste for...and plenty that they have developed a distaste for. ;)

My approach is to offer them a wide variety and let them choose! Often our snacks and lunches consist of a "Wheel" like this one! I like to offer them at least 2 protein choices, 1-2 good fats and the rest is fruits and veggies, usually with a Fig Bar/Kind Bar - something like that as a dessert. Many times they get full and save that "treat" for later! Usually if they pick it, they eat...for the most part! The rule is, you must have at least 1 protein, then fill your plate with color! That's it!   *This came from Dinner Salads and just making them the deconstructed version! ;)

Watermelon, turkey rolls, cheese, avocado + veggies/pita & hummus

Protein: Varying Deli meats (mostly nitrate free), Cheeses, Greek Yogurt, Greek Yogurt Dip (Otria), Meatballs, Grilled Chicken Slices, Hardboiled Eggs, Ham or Turkey & Cheese Roll-ups, Black Beans, Ham Steak Cut into cubes (Niman Ranch), Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad

Utensils: Another thing they love are skewers! They will eat just about anything on a skewer! We do kabobs a lot because of that! You just have to pay attention and make sure that they all come back and none of them turn into weapons! ;) Let them eat with chop-stix or toothpicks on occasion! Sometimes that's all it takes to get them to try new things and even some staying power in cleaning their plate!

Fats: Olives, Avocado, Almonds, Nuts, Nut Butters, Hummus

Treats/Snacks: Kind Bars, Fig Bars, Trail Mix, Apple Nachos, Clif Z Kid Bars, Clif Bars, Larabars, Peanut Butter Graham Crackers, Peanut Butter "Pizza," OR One of Fun Food items (more below)

Veggies to try if you haven't: Beets, artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes, celery, roasted brussels sprouts, zucchini noodles, roasted sweet potato chunks, roasted mushroom caps, bell pepper slices

Funky Friday:
On Fridays we play with our food! Sometimes they help, sometimes I make fun breakfast before they are up, but they all LOVE fun food! I am able to sneak things into these dishes that I might not otherwise get away with! Sometimes it helps them learn that they DO like things they thought they didn't!

Get them involved! Sometimes, admittedly, it's rough...especially when all four of them are in the kitchen, with stools! That's a lot of clutter and a LOT of little hands! However, I do find that if they help, they will usually eat what they make, or in the very least taste it with an open mind! They LOVE to help in the kitchen - Love to spiralize, put things into containers, put toppings on everything! They learn good habits and a sense of pride!  They soak so much up, especially good examples! I try to let them help with lunches throughout Summer and especially on Fridays! We do Funky Friday where Fun Food is one of our traditions! On Fridays, we play with our food! ;)  Tucker is old enough to cook dinner! He loves to plan a meal, help me order what we need online and then fix it for the family! Grooming a good man here! ;)Not all of them like to help with gardening, but 2 of mine LOVE it! They help to pull weed and harvest! I'm pretty sure that some of it has to do with searching for critters and fishing bait, but whatever works, right? ;) 

We even germinate our seeds in moist paper towels placed into ziploc bags and put into a dark place for a few days! It's so great for them! Tucker ALWAYS steals seeds from everything and has bags going! They don't always turn out, but it's fun and he loves it!

Lunch Boxes

I pretty much do the same thing! I just use Planetboxes, Sistema Boxes and Liquid Tight bento box style ones! I have 3 sets, so that I can make ahead on Sunday night and then make each day's lunch while they are at school for the next day! The only real difference is that I use more pre-packed options than I would if they were home. Maximizes homework time and playtime with them after school!I only do about 1 FUN lunch per week, Fridays or special occasions! Otherwise I pick mostly from the above lists of proteins, fats, etc., just using them in varying ways! I will switch up the fruit and snack options every couple of weeks so no one gets tired!

 

For more lunchbox ideas, see this older post! The Lunchbox!

Also, I get SO many questions about go-to food for the kids...I am putting together a post of the recipes they like best!  A great one to start with is the Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders, if you haven't done that one before! 

**More Fun Pics and Recipes Below**

Greek Yogurt, Oatmeal, Banana Dolphins w/ a sea of grapes and berries

Banana Bunny Slippers and Graham Bags!

Apple Nachos

What time is it? It's Lunch Time!!

Grand Old Flag Treat

Grilled Peaches + Toasted Coconut Gelato

Trail Mix

Peanut Butter Pizza

Banana Freeze Bar

Veggie & Grek Yogurt Dip Snack

Make Your Own Pizza

Apple Sandwiches w/ Tuna Salad (also deli meat, cheese, chicken salad)

Smokey Slaw & Fish Tacos

Seafood Slimdown Day 3

🐟

Fish Tacos w/ Smokey Slaw & Fresh Pico

Smokey Slaw

• 🌶2 tbsp. Greek Yogurt

• 🌶1 tbsp. olive oil mayo

• 🌶2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

• 🌶1/2 tbsp. honey

• 🌶1 tbsp. adobo sauce (more or less depending on the heat you want)

• 🌶1 bag tri-colored slaw mix (shredded red cabbage, cabbage, carrots)

Mix dressing in a clean jar or bowl (first 5 ingredients)
Pour over slaw, stir well to combine
Refrigerate until needed, best if made 2+ hours ahead

Fresh Pico

#fiitnutrition #getinmybelly #lovewhereyoulive #seafoodslimdown

Wellness Wednesday

Happy Wellness Wednesday!

When you think of Wellness what comes to mind? 

Today was the first Wellness Wednesday that I really stopped and thought about what that means to me - what it takes to achieve Wellness. While I thought that my journey to wellness started a long time ago, my journey to TRUE WELLNESS only really started a few months ago!

For years, I have been fighting to get back to the body that I had pre-babies; I was fueling myself with pretty good nutrition, staying very physically active, but in many respects, was in survival mode in most other areas of my life.

While trying to maintain since of organization and "normalcy" in a household with 4 children under 2, 3 even 4 years old I poured all that I had into only a couple of my "baskets."  I wanted so desperately to feel better about my body that I forgot about where "feelings" come from.  I was attending to the needs of everyone around me with just about all that I had.  In the limited time that I could give to myself, I was so fixated on that physical part of me, I wasn't paying attention to what came from within.  I neglected the many calls for help from my emotional and intellectual SELF; consequently, my self-confidence was spiraling downward and negatively impacting my social and personal fulfillment. The more I ignored, the worse I felt about my self. 

Neither Wellness nor Fitness comes from simply exercise & diet.  It wasn't until I stopped feeling guilty about giving to ME, that I started my Journey to Wellness. By attending to the repeated calls from the places "nutrition" was missing from my life, taking time for personal development & chances for personal growth, making sure to recognize ALL the places that grace and gratitude exists, a BALANCE and better ME began emerging.  This has been both a battle and an enlightenment for me, and I while I am certainly not perfect, have my bad days, I strive each day to help others figure out how to fill their tanks!  You can always Give more to others, when there is more of YOU to give!  

So, I ask you to think of what Wellness means to you and what "baskets" in your life might have been calling out to you for more. True Happiness and Wellness is gained through learning to Balance and recognizing when you get out of Balance.

"Balance is Not something that you Find, It's Something You Create."

Apple Sandwich Snacks

Quick and easy snack!
🍎 Core and slice an apple
🍎1/2 can tuna, drained + 1 tsp olive oil mayo + 2 tbsp red pepper relish
🍎Mix + make sandwiches

Works great with chicken salad or nitrate free deli meat! 😉