My new Instant Pot!

I am one of the many many people who got an Instant Pot this year.... I got mine over Thanksgiving and actually took it out of the box within a couple days and have been cooking with it. I have even taught my husband how to use it! He has been able to help start dinner, which is wonderful since I got a new job and my work hours and commute have me getting home later. 

So this thing is SO easy to use! Once you figure out the seal and vent nozzle and the millions of buttons, and have a little patience while it vaporizes. Jason also had to figure out the lid. 

Aside from the water test and making some brown rice, the first thing I made was Instant Pot Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili .   

I found the recipe on a place called Once a Month Meals. I had been following them for a few weeks, they are more than just Instant Pot recipes. The idea is you choose 12-15 recipes, build a menu, they give you the grocery list and prep list, and then you assemble 24-30 freezer meals. It's "Once a Month Cooking", a really popular thing for all the working moms. 

The paid for feature of the website ($17/month) gives you access to assembling a menu, getting the grocery list, prep list, labels, ect. Otherwise, you could do what I had done in the past, gather your recipes, make a grocery list of everything needed, try to consolidate the list, tackle the shopping, figure out your prep, make the meals. Once a Month Meals had a Cyber Monday special and I jumped on it! 

I made a mini-menu, 5 recipes (giving me 10 meals) and made: 

• Chicken Enchilada Lasagna
• Chicken Parmesan Skillet (Really good!! Jason wasn't a fan though.) 
• Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches
• Instant Pot Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili (Delicious) 
• Instant Pot Johnny Marzetti with Cheesy Noodles (SUPER DELICIOUS!!) 

One of the things that slowed me down was precooking the chicken for the enchiladas and chili, and the ground beef for the Johnny Marzetti (which is DELICIOUS!). 

So the next time I assembled a menu of 8 meals. And it was all chop, dump, and bag. No precooking, just had to chop the onions and peppers and open some cans. It was much easier. Once a Month Meals has some prepared menus, and you can add or delete recipes before making your final menu and list. 

Here's a photo of my meals. The plastic containers are 64-ounce containers. They are recommended because freezing the recipes in 64-ounce containers makes it easy to dump a frozen meal into the Instant Pot (6-quart). I don't have to defrost a bag, or even run it under warm water. I chose to freeze everything in ziplock bags *in* the container, and then double bag them. That way once it's frozen in the shape, I can reuse the container to freeze more meals, in the shape of my Instant Pot. 

The labels that come with the paid for feature are helpful. They have room for a date so you know when they were frozen. They labels include cooking instructions. I think the labels could use a little work. Like for Beef Stew, it doesn't tell you how much fluid to add when cooking. You have to look back at the recipe. One small flaw. But as long as you know, you can keep the recipes available. 

The containers take up a little more room than I would like, but once things are frozen I can stack the frozen meals and that helps free up some space. And so far I have made over 20 meals, I still have plenty of Time for Dinner dishes, so we have been eating well since I went back to work. 

My Menu of 8: We've only had three of these of so far. 

• Instant Pot Apple Pie Pork Chops (Eh, just ok...I'd skip this one again.) 
• Instant Pot Beef Stew- Dinner (AMAZING!)  
• Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken 
• Instant Pot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken 
• Instant Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken 
• Instant Pot Pesto Ranch Chicken (AMAZING) 
• Instant Pot Pineapple Beef Teriyaki 
• Instant Pot Ranch Pork Chops

Thanksgiving Turkey

I am 37 years old. And have never cooked a turkey. Until THIS Thanksgiving!! 

And I have to say, the turkey turned out amazing. And I only dropped the bird on the floor once! (No, really, I did.) 

My mom gave me a turkey, or really it was from my sister. Her work gave her a free turkey and it became all mine. So first step, the google. I found these helpful websites in order to get me started. 

• Hint - Brine your turkey in your produce drawer!
• Brine Recipe  
• Reynolds Herb Roasted Turkey Recipe

Once I figured out the turkey did fit in the (garage fridge's) produce drawer, I knew I just needed bags. I'm really fortunate the Turkey Oven Bags come two in a box too! I put both bags in the produce drawer, and put a 95% defrosted turkey into the drawer Wednesday around noon. 

My brine mix consisted of: 

• 1 cup of salt (disolved in 4 cups of warm water)
• 3 more quarts of water (Total Water = 1 Gallon)
• 2 Tablespoons Peppercorns
• Dash of Sage
• Bay Leaves (3)
• Peels of 1 orange and 2 lemons

I poured this over the turkey, sealed the inner bag, then the outer bag. I also flipped the bird around 10pm since the fluid didn't cover the entire bird. Sure, I could have done the 5-gallon bucket trick, and I had plenty of room in my fridge for it, but the great thing about brining in a bag is that I can throw away the bag. I didn't have to buy a bucket, make room for the bucket, and then clean a bucket. 

My goal was to get the turkey into the oven at 11am on Thanksgiving so I could give it time to cook and eat between 3-4pm. I had to rinse the bird and pull out the extra crap they shoved inside. Before unwrapping my brined bird, I prepared a few things: 

Chopped 2 onions and 4 celery stalks into large pieces

One stick of butter chopped up

Spice Mixture: 

• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon each dried thyme, basil, rosemary, paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

After the dropping

(Note: the Reynolds Spice Mix called for seasoned salt, however since I brined the turkey in salt, I didn't want to add more salt.)

I rubbed the f butter all over the bird and then the spice mixture. I put onions and celery into the cavity, and then called for help. My husband held open the bag and I dropped the bird into it. This was a pivotal learning point for both of us. The Turkey Oven Bag is not strong enough to hold a bird. That bird fell straight through the bag onto the floor. See the mess?

So lesson learned. Attempt #2 to get the bird into the bag went a lot better the second time. I placed the rest of the onions nad celery peices under the turkey, sealed the bag, and it was ready for the oven!

I put some water in the bottom of the roasting pan (the bird is on the rack) to try and keep moisture in the oven. The turkey cooked for 3.5 hours. I started testing the temperature around 3 hours. I also wound up cutting a slit in the bottom to drain the juices the onion/celery/bird had created.

We had a small and lovely Thanksgiving dinner. I also made Green Bean Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, and steamed sweet potatoes (for the kids). My brother, sister-in-law, and their daughter came and they brought Mac 'n Cheese. And we had rolls! 

Meal Planning Sucks

I'll just put it out there - meal planning sucks. It's hard work, for one person. Try having two people in doing two different programs and in two different calorie brackets.

I'm in the 1,500-1,800 calorie bracket since I'm trying to lose weight. Jason is trying to bulk up and he's in the 2,600 to 2,800 calorie bracket.

That means I get: 

• 4 Greens (Veggies)
• 3 Purples (Fruits)
• 4 Reds (Proteins)
• 3 Yellows (Carbs)
• 1 Blue (Cheese/Avocado)
• 1 Orange (Dressing)
• 4 tsps (Nut Butters/oil)

Jason is supposed to have:

• 5 Greens (Veggies)
• 7 Purples (Fruits)
• 5 Reds (Proteins)
• 10 Yellows (Carbs)
• 1 Blue (Cheese/Avocado)
• 1 Orange (Dressing)
• 5 tsps (Nut Butters/oil)

I struggle to just get in 4 veggies and 3 fruits throughout the day. Look at all the food Jason is supposed to be eating! Looks like he needs to eat rice and beans for breakfast!

Beachbody offers a LOT of example meal plans to choose from. They try to cover all the various calorie levels, meal plans for vegetarians, no-cook, little cook, easy prep... they have a huge variety! And you don't have to be a card carrying member to look them. I chose this meal plan for the week. 

Since it  was a 4-day work week and I can't eat yogurt, I made some modifications.

I also switched the breakfast and snack because I rely on my blender to make my shake, and I wasn't going to hand mix the spinach, or frozen peaches. I wound up doing the same meals for two days -- and it was simple and easy to follow.
Day 1 I had:

• Chocolate Shakeology with blueberries & spinach
• Chia Seed "Pudding" with Peaches
• White Bean & Tuna Fish Salad
• Apple w/ Almond Butter, 2 hard boiled eggs
• Peppers, Tomatoes, Rice & Beans with Rotisserie Chicken - I heated this in the skillet even though it was supposed to be cold. It was good and I'll do it again. 

Day 1 I also had a mini Jilly's cupcake - leftover from the weekend, and some bites of Halo Top ice cream. I didn't work out either. I went to bed by 8pm because I've been exhausted. Benjamin wasn't sleeping well and it was starting to catch up with me. 

I repeated this for Day 3 except I chose not to have the chia seed pudding and instead had a piece of whole grain toast. I missed it and it seemed more filling and more enjoyable. Food might be fuel, but I want to enjoy the fuel. I also didn't like that my Salad Dressing was only supposed to be lemon juice or oil. I made my own homemade salad dressing and was able to use that as my "orange" instead of chia seeds.

Days 2 and 4 I had:

• Vanilla Shakeology with peaches & almond butter
• Piece of toast (didn't have any more fruit)
• Caesar Salad with Rotisserie Chicken
• Apple, 2 hard boiled eggs
• Shrimp and Veggie Rice Bowl 

I really liked the Shrimp and Veggie Rice Bowl and plan to make that again in the future. Since I didn't do the cottage cheese, I made sure to double up on protein at dinner. 

Take Aways:

• When modifying, you still have to double check it all. I wound up over doing my "Orange" because of the chia seeds and homemade dressing I did. 
• It's ok to try new things - I turned my nose up at the Chocolate Shakeology, Blueberry, and Spinach morning shake, but it was actually ok! Day 3 I did Vanilla instead of Chocolate and it was much better. 
• I'm a cheater! As long as I don't expect to actually lose weight, sure, eat whatever I want! 
• You cannot work off a bad diet. 
• Eating real food (and not crap) made me feel great! I've been pretty good at avoiding processed food, and while it was only four days, I felt a lot better about the food I did eat. 

I'm getting ready for Shaun T week June 12 - 18. Jason plans to double his workouts (he's still working on BodyBeast). I expect some major sweat sessions and will be preparing a strict meal plan for it. Originally we were going to do a 3 Day Refresh June 9 through the 11, but we have a personal obligation the 9th and will need to be more focused on something else that day. We will be doing the 3 Day Refresh the 19th, 20th, and 21st instead. 

If you don't have Beachbody on Demand, now is the time to sign up! Shaun Week June 12th and only one month later a brand new program is being released - Shift Shop. New trainer Chris Downing has put together a 3-week program with meal plan that will transform your body. I've been watching my friends in the test group have amazing results and am *super* jealous that they got access to the program 9 weeks before the rest of us! Jason and I will be taking part, and it'll be the perfect July program for us after our Florida vacation. 

How to Stay Motivated

It's been a couple of rough weekends!!! I manage to keep my nutrition on point during the week and I kill my 7 workouts, and then the weekend comes around and I undo all my hard work.

So what changes have I made to stay committed and focused? Mostly by writing it all down. Everywhere. My workout schedule is posted in my bedroom, on the fridge, in the workout area, and at work. I mark off each day with an X, and it's my countdown to my vacation! I'm working my butt off to get to vacation.

How do you stay motivated? Here's some tips to keep on track, keep focused, and keep going! 

*After figuring out WHAT you want to accomplish, you’ve got to find your WHY’s.

• Set weekly goals and visualize the outcome.
• Don’t beat yourself up for a missed goal—it happens.
• Take breaks when you’re feeling burned out.

While I want to be a skinny mini (what girl doesn't?), I don't actually see that as a realistic goal. However, what I do plan is to be a good example to my sons. I want them to see us working out and know that's it's normal. I want to lower my cholesterol and keep it out of medication range. And most importantly, I want to eliminate my risk of Type II Diabetes. I might not ever be able to do that, I had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies, both my parents have it, I am considered "obese". I'm kinda screwed. BUT, if I can eat right and exercise, I will keep my blood sugars at a decent level and not be diagnosed and require medication. 

My short term goals are to keep working out and feel good. My workouts, while having a physical benefit, are mostly a mental benefit. Working out actually helps my anxiety and depression the most. It's the endorphins. They make me happy. :)  

I had some short term goals about being below 200 pounds by May 1st (didn't happen) and fitting in a certain dress by June 3 (not going to happen.) But I am NOT beating myself up. I could have been there had my nutrition been on track, and it wasn't. But I have been happy and content. And the dress, eh, I might not ever fit in that dress, it was pre-babies and my body has changed. 

I'm on a strict 8-week workout, but I listen to my body and have taken a Rest Day once a week. My knees are really hurting and I might have to switch a workout (Hammer Power) if it shows up again in the next few weeks. 

*Post Your Goals - Tell everyone about your Goals 

Posting your short-term daily goals in a place where you automatically see them each day will help you to stay focused, motivated, and committed to staying on task. You can post them on your bathroom mirror, or like me, I keep my workout calendar with vacation countdown in multiple places. I also keep my goals on a huge whiteboard in my bedroom.

Share your goals with your friends and family. Let your spouse know what your goal is -- they can help you stay committed. Talk about them on Facebook so your friends can encourage you and then you are accountable!

Join a Challenge Group! It's daily motivation seeing other women working out and eating right and helps me stay motivated to keep up with them. :)

* Prepare Daily for “What-Ifs”

Before your day begins, ask yourself if there are any challenges that may interfere with your daily goals. For example, what if you get invited to a last-minute lunch meeting? What if your child asks you to read one more book at bedtime but you need to go work out? What if you’re going out to celebrate a friend’s birthday? For each what-if, make a plan to cope with the challenge while still staying committed to your fitness and nutrition. Of course, there are plenty of uncontrollable distractions, but strategizing on how to cope with your most common challenges will set you up to deal with anything that happens during you day.

Right now both Jason and I work out in the evenings, and on Friday nights we discuss when we'll get in our weekend workouts. Whether it's going to be in the morning, afternoon, or evening depending on our plans.

Some things can be planned and saved as your cheat meal. We have a wedding this weekend and I know it'll be my cheat. While I was doing the Ultimate Reset, in order to stay 100% true to my commitment, I turned down a couple free lunch opportunities. And this girl doesn't turn down free lunch. Meal planning and knowing you schedule (and friend's birthdays) is important to staying on track. And if you're invited out to lunch, do your best! 

Journal Your Effort

There is no doubt that tracking your nutrition and fitness improves your chances of achieving your goals. But I also recommend keeping a diary in which you answer the following question each day: Did I exert every ounce of effort to achieving my goals today? If your answer is yes, great! If your answer is no, write down one thing you can do tomorrow to be better than you were today.

I've been journaling for over a year. Sometimes I write down my emotions, sometimes I write about my exercising or nutrition. I found the best accountability I had recently was when I did a photo log of everything I ate. I felt a lot more accountable since I was posting my food.

Writing my blog is therapy for me too - I don't really do it for my readers, I do it so I can see how far I have come! It's also why we do before and after pictures, taking measurements - it's the best way to see how your effort is paying off!

So write it down. For yourself or for others. 

Skillet Pasta Primavera

WOW. I love this dish. So much that I have decided before eating it that I would be making it again. 

And it's only a two pot dish. Super quick and easy. I recommend having everything diced and prepped before turning the heat on the skillet (get your water boiling while chopping veggies.)

I chose to use Red Lentil Spiral pasta. I really liked it. You could make this dish vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. I chose chicken broth because I had it available. 

 Skillet Pasta Primavera
4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into ½” half moons
• ½ pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2” pieces
• 1 (8oz) pasta of choice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan, optional

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the zucchini and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to the colander. Add the pasta and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add flour and stir until onions are coated. Add broth and stir until thickened. Add peas, tomatoes, cooked zucchini and asparagus, pasta, and Parmesan. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

I added chicken sausage to mine. I diced it up and threw it in the pot to cook. I would recommend grilling some sausages to go with this dish. I *love* the Sam's Club chicken sausages. My favorite is the Mozzarella & Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage. 

2 Weeks Post Ultimate Reset - Days 29-35

My plan is track my progress for three full weeks following the reset. I am also working out and will complete the 21 Day Fix Extreme. Week 1 went extremely well, workout wise. As previously mentioned I started slipping food wise at the end of the week.

I'm concentrating this week on staying on track. Which seems impossible after the busy weekend I had! I wasn't able to prep the way I needed too. Luckily I have some backup frozen items that help!

Day 29 - Monday. My lack of sleep (thanks to a 6-month old kiddo) can really affect my eating habits. On the way to work I wanted to hit every drive thru I could. Get caffeine and breakfast sandwiches. But I didn't. I drank my Shakeology. I had avocado toast as a snack, which was delicious but still too many blues. So then I started getting down on myself for eating more than a blue container worth of avocado. And if you don't know the Portion Control Container system, me talking about colors means nothing. I was tired all day. An afternoon apple perked me up!! It probably didn't help that I had pasta with my lunch. Dinner was a salad from Crushed Red. Husband and I met up with an old friend from college.

After we got home, it took forever to get Benjamin to bed. It was 8:30 when he was finally out. I did *not* want to work out. BUT, I looked at my Challenge Group and saw all these amazing women that pressed play today. I knew if they found time in their busy lives, I can take 30 minutes and still be in bed before 9:30. So I knocked out my workout and got to bed. Benjamin woke at 1am. Not cool. Was only up about 20 minutes. He hasn't been sleeping through the night lately. Growth spurt, some teeth are coming in. I am trying very hard to not fall into old habits like eating to stay awake. And I'm trying to avoid coffee as a pick me up (so far I've been without for over a month.)

Day 30 - Tuesday. I'm still trying to find time to meal prep and figure out how I'm going to get Benjamin to bed by 6pm. I had grand plans for this weeks meals -- Stuffed Peppers, Pasta Primavera, and Chicken Parmesan, I don't know what the hell I was thinking!!

I pulled out some 21 Day Fix Chili for lunch and that was perfect. We had veggie tacos for dinner. Benjamin is still struggling with bedtime, but he managed to be asleep by 7pm. While cleaning up dinner I made stuffed peppers for Wednesday's dinner. I got in my Upper Fix Extreme workout, burned over 300 calories. Finished cleaning up the kitchen, washed all the baby bottles, and got to bed.

Day 31 - Wednesday.  Today is the work potluck!! I made veggie tacos using the Southwest Veggie Taco recipe from the Ultimate Reset and some grilled veggies. We had an early Cinco de Mayo celebration, since most everyone went with a mexican theme. We also had fruit and veggies. And not too many sweets, which was perfect. I enjoyed my mexican meal, and stuffed peppers for dinner later. I am starting to enjoy most of the Pilates workout. I call it "fancy stretching" and it's a great recovery. It's not a calorie burner, so I walked on the treadmill to get to 300 calories. 

Day 32 - Thursday. To sum it up, I made good choices. I worked out. I'm tired though. Tired of writing. Tired of doing photo collages. I did make an amazing dinner. Pasta Primavera. I loved it and can't wait to make it again!  

I am NOT tired of working out. Or eating right. Or thinking ahead and meal planning. 

I know every choice I make today will affect my physical health later. And that keeps me motivated to keep going. 

  

Day 33 - Friday. YEA FRIDAY!!! I SURVIVED THE WEEK!!! And my reward? A very rainy weekend. Grrrrrr... However, I have no plans, except to stay on track this weekend. I have two new recipes to try - Asian Meatballs and a Clean Chicken Parmesan. I'll grab 1 or 2 freezer meals to get us through this week, add in some veggies, and the meal plan is done! Lots of fresh fruits and veggies too.

Today was a great day. I got in shakeology, a fruit/toast snack, stuffed pepper for lunch, skipped an afternoon snack but did drink some tea, and had more pasta primavera for dinner. Then I knocked out Cardio Core Remix and burned 500 calories.

Day 34 - Saturday. It won't stop raining. I had a really good day though. Jason and Liam helped with grocery shopping and I got the Asian Meatballs prepped. I was planning on working out while the neighbors were over for a play date, and then prepping a new Chicken Parmesan recipe, but we lost power from 3pm-5pm. Totally killed my plans! Not to self - when it's supposed to rain all day, get the workout done early!

We wound up eating at Pasta House. I did well.... Oh, except I have no control when they put warm little loaves of bread in front of me. Those four loaves had no chance! I ate a small salad and small cannelloni. Delicious! I wasn't stuffed and didn't order dessert to go (like Old Me would).

I planned to work out when I got home but with getting the boys to bed, and overall exhaustion, I didn't. I headed to bed at 9pm.

Day 35 - Sunday. STOP RAINING. We've gotten over 5 inches these past few days. Made more plans with the neighbor kids. Seriously, they saved our weekend, and I'm pretty sure we saved theirs! After we knocked out early morning sweat sessions, we finished grocery shopping and had them over for a movie. We had pizza for lunch (not the best choice...) and I prepped my burrito bowls and a healthy Chicken Parmesan for dinner. 

I had a goal to be at 200 pounds by May 1st. Since completing the Ultimate Refresh, I've gained 1-2 pounds back. (Depends on the day/time I weigh myself.) And it kinda sucks, but I'm ok. I know that it's not supposed to be about the number on the scale. I tell myself that all the time, BUT I want to see that number go down. Especially when I work so hard. I do see a lot of changes in my body, so I will keep doing what I'm doing and the scale will eventually change.

And then I discovered HALO TOP ice cream. So I will probably never ever lose another pound again. Look it up, find it, buy it (the peanut butter is amazing), and you'll thank me. Or hate me. I hate myself just a weeeee bit right now. :)

My goals this week:

• 7 Workouts (Monday through Sunday)
• Burn 400+ calories for at least 5 of those workouts
• Stay within my "Yellows". (I overdid it a few days this past week.) 
• One cheat meal - Saturday night. 
• No cheese this week. None. Zero, Zilch. 

Post Ultimate Reset - Week 1, Days 22- 28

I plan to keep track the next three weeks while I work hard to eat right and exercise. I don't want to lose the momentum I built up after completing the Ultimate Refresh. 

Monday Day 22 - First day post reset! Everyone says to pick the *one* thing you have missed the most and eat that. And then get back on the wagon of eating right. Some people have steak and wine, or one guy in our group was all about Chicken Parmesan. (Which sounded and looked delicious!) Me, I had the cookie that had been in my pantry for two weeks and calling my name. And it tasted amazing. We planned easy meals for the week. 

• Breakfast is eggs with spinach, and toast. 
• Snack is 1 cup of fruit
• Lunch is a homemade burrito bowl consisting of chicken, cooked peppers/onions, quinoa, shredded lettuce, and avocado. (All measured to fit in the portion control plan.) 
• Afternoon snack is Vegan Chocolate Shakeology mixed only with water. 
• Dinner is a salad with deviled eggs and sweet potato. 
• I also have 1-2 cups of tea during the day. 
• Still no caffeine. 

I'm working out in the evenings, doing the 21 Day Fix Extreme these next three weeks. I want to earn the free t-shirt! :) Tonight was Power Strength. Holy moly guys! After not working out for a month I was done in after 5 minutes. But I continued on! And burned almost 400 calories.

Tuesday Day 23 - I'm a little tired. Benjamin has been waking at 3am to feed. He's been asleep by 6pm, so it's kinda ok. But I wish he would make it until 4am. He "sleep eats" and I wind up sleeping while feeding him. And when done I got back to bed until 5:30am. I'm also not going to bed early like I should be. Tonight I will change that. 

Today I was VERY VERY hungry. At lunch a coworker shared with me their leftover potatoes. Delicious. And fits in the plan better then the Wendy's Frosty I was thinking about. (Kidding, but now I'm thinking about it.) Actually my back up plan was avocado toast. I didn't eat enough yesterday and then had that 400-calorie workout. I need to fuel my body well in order to make sure I can sustain my workouts.

Instead of eating the planned salad and sweet potato for dinner I baked parmesan encrusted tilapia, cooked some broccoli, and still added devil eggs. I killed my upper body workout with another 400 calories.

Wednesday Day 24 - In order to try and get ahead of that hunger issue, I switched things up today. I had Shakeology for breakfast with 4 ounces of almond milk, cinnamon, and 2 tsps of peanut butter. I saved my fruit for a snack and was not starving for lunch. Whew! Crisis diverted today. For lunch I added black beans to my burrito bowl and that seemed to help. I wasn't hungry until around 4 and drank another Shakeology (with just water). Dinner was a salad (and I'm totally over salad now), broccoli, and tilapia. I worked out!! I usually skip the Pilates but am glad I completed it. I refer to it as "fancy stretching" and it felt good on my sore muscles.

I tested out the new Beachbody program, YOUv2, the new dance program coming to Beachbody On Demand in May. A sneak peak was available Wednesday for everyone who has the All Access pass. I CANNOT dance. At all. No coordination, can't figure out left from right and double toe taps or what I'm doing with my arms. However, for the 15 minutes I did it, it was fun. It reminded me a calmed down version of Cize.

For those that do love dancing, the moves are basic and easy to follow. The gradual building of moves wasn't overwhelming. It was fun and full of good energy. The women in the video looked like me, not super thin or super fit. I can relate to those women.

Thursday Day 25 - Another day!! I enjoyed my Shakeology in the morning. I have perfected my recipe:

• 4 ounces Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 12 ounces water
• 1 scoop Vegan Chocolate
• Shake of Cinnamon
• 2 tsp Honey Roasted Peanut Butter
• 1/3 Shaker Cup of Ice
• Blend until smooth

I think the added peanut butter helps me stay full. Makes it a little smoother too. I used to add a banana, but halfway through my last pregnancy I couldn't tolerate bananas anymore. Except in banana bread. :)

I had fruit and toast as a morning snack, burrito bowl for lunch, an apple for snack (I really do not eat enough fruit!), and for dinner had a stuffed chicken with plain pasta and broccoli. The pizza in the picture is Liam's. I got some Flat Out Pizza Crust, add a little marinara, and sprinkle of mozzarella. Liam loves them and I know it's healthy. I enjoyed once small piece and felt satisfied. And I didn't eat a handful of cheese while making it. That's a win!

Friday Day 26 - Today was a cheat meal. And a donut. For breakfast I had three eggs, to get ready for a donut. :) I worked from home which is great for my work productivity but horrible for my diet. I always try to find something to eat. And we don't even have JUNK food in this house. My choices include fruit or more fruit. Jason and I had planned to go out to lunch (he took the day off and did a bunch of organizing). I chose MOD Pizza, hoping it would satisfy his pizza craving. I got a mini pizza and side salad. It was good.

Benjamin had his 6-month check up and his weight in back in line (he's in the 10-11%) and he slept after getting his shots.

For dinner we had leftover burrito bowls. I added two tortillas. I overdid it on carbs/yellows for the day. I had NO desire to work out Friday night. None, and it was late when I finally started my workout. But as much as I didn't want to work out, I didn't want to *not* workout more. I have goals, big ones, and I can't meet them by skipping workouts. So I pressed play. And then got to bed.

Saturday Day 27 - Today... eek!! I tried my best today, and could have done better. And the New Me did a LOT better than Old Me would have.

My best friend is having a baby!!! My mom and I traveled to Overland Park, Kansas (there and back) for her baby shower. I drank my ShakeO in the morning, and we took sandwiches to eat on the way there. They did have snacks at the shower and I had two little chicken salad sandwiches and a cupcake. Old Me would have have had 2 cupcakes. And more sandwiches.

On the way back we had Chic Fil A. Which is fast food (but the only fast food place I'll eat at). I even got a soda! I haven't had a soda since March 10. I made it 43 days. And I don't have a desire to drink more soda. It tasted sweet (even though it was diet.) Mom offered me the rest of her fries. I did not partake. I told her Old Me would have supersized my meal and gotten a milkshake. New Me ate a chicken sandwich, regular size fries, and drank half her diet soda.

Today wasn't a loss, but it wasn't a complete win either.

Sunday Day 28 -  I stepped on the scale today. I know it's not possible to gain 3 pounds in 2 days unless I would have eaten an extra 7,000 calories. The soda, some of the carbs, probably just holding onto some extra water weight. Or so I'll tell myself. Today is a new day. I started with Shakeology. I had *another* Shakeology on the way to Red Bud to celebrate my dad's birthday.

And then I ate *everything* I saw. Oh, look, Old Me is back. I found her, hanging out at my parent's house. Awesome. I didn't eat cake though. But I don't like chocolate cake, so that was easy. I did have chips & gauc, bagna cauda, a cheeseburger, potato salad, mac 'n cheese, baked beans, and two deviled eggs. So in summary, a million yellows, a dozen blues, way too many teaspoons, and like 2 reds. I'm not sure I ate any vegetables on Sunday. Like at all. Or fruit. And this is the *exact* reason you should always make sure you have a plan on the weekends!!

So this week's plan? Don't f- it up. :)

• 6 workouts
• No cheats except for the Wednesday Work Potluck (allow myself one dessert too)
• Drink Shakeology twice a day if I have to curb cravings, or make sure to drink Chocolate Recover after working out.
• Track track and track!! 

Ultimate Reset Tips & Tricks

I wanted to summarize what I've learned these past few weeks while doing the Ultimate Reset.

{}Make sure to sign up for the daily emails at the Ultimate Reset Participant Portal. You can't choose a past date, so plan to sign up for those emails 2-3 days in advance of your start date.

{}The portal also has all the information you need included the day by day plan, recipes, and shopping lists. You use your Beachbody account to log in. 

{}There are five facebook groups. Join them all! You have to be approved, so don't wait until the last minute to join them. I asked to join them all at once, and then "unfollowed" the ones I didn't need at the time. People post about their effort, their meals, their days, and ask lots of questions. You can also find a buddy to complete the Reset with if you need extra accountability.

UR Pre-Reset

UR Phase 1 Reclaim

UR Phase 2 Release

UR Phase 3 Restore

UR Post-Reset

{}Whether you wait for your kit to arrive or go online, really really *really* put in the effort to plan your meals. Go through the book, decided if you're going to follow it to a T or choose the Reset in a Crunch or assign certain meals per day. The Reset in a Crunch was great because it made shopping a lot easier. 

{}Make your grocery list. Lists are provided in the book, but they are for following the plan to a T. We didn't. So I had to make my own. And after joining the facebook group I saw that some things were more difficult to find than others. And I didn't want to run all over town to specialty stores looking for Miso paste a few other items, so I ordered it off Amazon.

{}Do not buy your toddler delicious looking cookies. It's all you'll be able to think about some days. Also, stop looking at facebook. All those "Tasty" recipes being shared. When I was in Week 2 I even started to get jealous of Week 1 people who were posting pictures of their Veggie Tacos and Eggs & Toast breakfast.

{}Decaffeinate yourself a week before the Reset. And start cutting back sugar. A lot of people complained about headaches which occur from no caffeine and no sugar. I had a small headache on Day 2, but it wasn't that bad. Jason wasn't as lucky. He drank soda all weekend before we started and he had a headache.

{}Bulk cooking. If you know you'll be eating Miso Soup with every meal, make a gallon of it. By week 3 I was really burnt out of cooking and prepping. So on Sunday I cooked all our food for the week. It was a hard day but made for easier evenings. Just reheating. And had my husband not helped, we would have been running late to work and eating late dinners every day of Week 3.

{}Stick with it!! It's *only* 21 Days. My own coach gave me the best advice when I was talking about a lunch invite to a Mexican restaurant -- "think of how many times you've had Mexican before and how many times you'll have it in the future! Missing it once for the ultimate reset is no biggie in the long run."  And that resonated with me this entire 3 week period. I didn't have one cheat, that wasn't on the meal plan. I posted about my "cheats" in my Final Results post, but my cheats were full scoop of Shakeology or a little more potato or grain. I didn't eat Easter Candy. Or cookies, or cake, or jelly beans. 

GOOD LUCK!!! 

Ultimate Reset - Final Results

Wow!! I did it. No, WE DID IT!!!! 

I was very nervous leading up to starting, and had a couple days during the 21 days were I was unsure if I would make it without cheating. Some days I wanted to eat the cookies in the pantry. No real reason why, I didn't need it, I knew it would upset my tummy, but it was the reward for working hard. We shouldn't reward ourselves with food. We're the only species that eats food for enjoyment and as a reward. Food is Fuel. Successful weight loss is not about starving or over indulgence. It's about giving your body the healthy, low calorie food it needs in order to run it's best.

I wanted to challenge myself and complete the Ultimate Reset in order to jump start my weight loss and eliminate the cravings and bad habits I had. I kept that in mind during the entire Reset, that it truly wasn't about the number on the scale but the way I was treating my body. 

Did I cheat during the 21 days? Officially, yes, I did. 

• I mixed my Power Greens with Shakeology almost every day. Because the power greens are nasty! I also needed the extra calories (170) that Shakeology offers to keep my body fueled for breastfeeding. 
• I drank full scoops of Shakeology (instead of the recommended 1/2 scoop)
• During Week 3 I had avocado with my Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque (not an official option)
• I ate two pieces of bread with my eggs during Week 1. 
• I ate a full cup of quinoa during Week 2 instead of the recommend 2/3 cup.
• I snuck a handful of cashews, during a couple weekend afternoons.  

The "cheats" I had were to fuel my body. I still made sure I eliminated meat after Day 3. I eliminated grains during Week 3. Did I follow the Reset to a T? No. But I am very happy with how I handled it. 

What did I lose? 

• Cravings. For junk food and soda. Which is why I really wanted to do this. I wanted to give up soda. (My last soda was March 10.)
• Cheese indulgence. Which is the other main reason I wanted to do this. I was eating about a cup of cheese a day. Which was adding a lot of extra calories to my diet. 
• "Tastings" of Liam's food. I used to always take a bite of his mac n cheese or maybe even sneak a nugget. Those are really the only two "bad" things Liam eats. He'll eat salad and veggies, but not sneaking bites of mac 'n cheese was a huge win during these 3 weeks! This plan is even harder when you have a toddler -- we're making him different meals, that smell and look delicious. I even made him an entire loaf of French Toast and it smelled amazing, but I stayed strong and didn't eat any of it. 

What did I gain? 

• Mental Clarity. While sometimes I was hungry, I wasn't always thinking about my next meal or what kind of sweet I was going to have. Because I wasn't eating "bad" foods, I also wasn't in a food coma. 
• Mindfulness. I concentrated on how I was feeling. Yes, sometimes I was actually hungry, but for the most part I didn't think about food, And especially at work I wasn't consumed with thinking about food. I was about to be more present at work, more focused, and more efficient. 
• Understanding of my cravings, what drives them (bored eating), and the realization that I don't need the junk. 

So our final results? 

Jason lost 17.6 pounds and 10.75 inches!

Meghan lost 15.6 pounds and 12.5 inches! 

I'm going to put myself out there and post my picture. I'm still embarrassed of my body. But at this moment, it is what it is. And while I can't see all the changes, I can feel the changes. I've gone down a size in jeans, my t-shirts fit better, I can tell my body has changed.

For those wondering (because I always wonder when I see photos or ladies), I am 5'4" and my weight in this photo is 201 pounds. I wear size 16. But don't compare yourself to me. We are all on our own journey. I'm just at the start of mine. You might be in the middle of yours.

I have a long way to go. And while I'm supposed to say that the scale doesn't matter. It does. The magic BMI chart says I need to lose another 55 pounds to have a "healthy BMI". I'd like to start with a small goal - lose 2 pounds and be below 200. Then from there try to get down to 190. It's all about the decades, 10 pounds at a time. I won't make it to 145, I'm a realist, But I'd like to change my body shape and be healthier. Some of that will come from weight loss. Some will come from eating better.

I worked out tonight. I felt out of shape. But I know it'll get easier because I'll get better. I'm doing the 21 Day Fix Extreme these next couple weeks, and then mixing up Core de Force and Master Hammer and Chisel for 8 weeks. 

I didn't even realize that Jason had 18 pounds to lose.  I can see it in his pictures though. He lost his stomach!! I'm very lucky to have a supportive husband who would do this program with me. He also did want to make changes, and he felt he had some weight to lose. He's starting Body Beast (tonight!). I can't wait to see his after pictures from completing Body Beast. 

Ultimate Reset - Phase 3 Summary - Days 15-21

So the end of week 2 Jason had lost 12.6 pounds and 8 inches. I had lost 11.4 pounds and 7 inches. 

Phase 3: Restore

Hopefully, your first two weeks on the Beachbody Ultimate Reset had profoundly positive effects on your body. You've stepped out of your comfort zone in learning to think about food in a new way, eating and shopping for ingredients you may never have heard of before (wakame seaweed, anyone?), and introduced new supplements into your daily regimen.

During this final phase, you'll adjust your diet once again. You’ll cut back on grains and consume mainly fruits and vegetables—for fiber and further alkalinization, and to provide your body with pure, whole foods that are of high nutritional value and are easily absorbed. Right now, that may sound tough . . . but once you've tuned up your body, the food you do eat will satisfy you more (you'll find that fruit tastes like candy!)

In Phase 3 you’ll also be introduced to your final supplement—a pre- and probiotic called Revitalize—which will restore healthy bacteria to your freshly scrubbed digestive tract (this is very important, and often neglected in cleanse programs).

In summary, Phase 3 is all fruits and veggies. No grains. I'd kill someone for a piece of bread at this point. I just sniffed my coworker's toast. I'm getting desperate people. If this program was 4 weeks I wouldn't survive. 

Monday Day 15 - Prepping takes up a lot of time. On Sunday Jason prepped a lot of fruit for our breakfasts, and then while I was juggling kiddos during bedtimes he prepped the salads. I helped prepped a little, but as he said - it's easier to see what I didn't do then what I did do. Monday evening we were still prepping. The good news is that the rest of the week, except for chopping some lettuce, another pineapple, and cantaloupe, all the prepping is complete!! The meals will be easy peasy these next couple days. And I think we're going to switch to paper plates because wow, we do a lot of dishes! 

Monday's meals included more fruit. Salad. Soup, more Soup, and Garlic Veggies. You know what would make the garlic veggies great? Some chicken. 

Tuesday Day 16 - Wow. I'm trying to be positive, but it's hard. Today I cheated. I've been doing the Reset in a Crunch which is a simplified meal plan. Aside from breakfast, you choose one of three lunch or dinner choices. For lunch, the two choices I prefer is a Spinach Salad with Sweet Potato or Greek Salad with Miso Soup. I couldn't do the soup again. So I did the Greek Salad and Sweet Potato. (Oh no! Call the food police!!). Then for dinner our choices are Garlic Veggies or the Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque - which you also get a side of soup with. Soup, with soup? No thanks. So I added some avocado to my soup and called it good. 

All in all? My cheats? Aren't really anything I'm going to concern myself with. We still have cookies and chips and ice cream in the house and I'm not eating those. 

Wednesday Day 17 - Today I chose the Spinach Salad for lunch (with sweet potato) and it was great! Nice change to all the romaine I've been eating. I turned down a lunch invitation for today and Friday also. Jason has had a lot more temptations at work. A lot of lunches, donuts, cookies, all things he would normally be over indulging in and he is choosing not too because he's supporting me and doing this with me. It's nice to have a partner. Especially since he helps with prep and cooking and clean up. He's a great husband. 

Today was more fruit for breakfast, and for dinner we did the Garlic Veggies on the grill. I thought the grilled veggies were just ok, but Jason enjoyed them. Jason had hearty miso soup and I ate more sweet potato and plain miso soup. I will be needing a break from miso soup for a few weeks!

Thursday Day 18 - Today was a good day. I am a little sleepy sometimes, but it could just be the 6.5-7 hours I'm getting each night. Lunch was more enjoyable, I remembered again it's just fuel for my body. I got to bed early (9:30pm) and that helped. Benjamin waking at 2AM did not help and somehow I convinced Jason to handle that. 

Friday Day 19 - Today for lunch I had the greek salad (with homemade miso dressing) and the hearty vegetable miso soup. I was very hungry this morning and even after lunch was still super hungry. Tonight's dinner is garlic veggies. Jason is going to grill his again and I'm going to saute mine on the stove. 

Saturday Day 20 - I started preparing for next week, Post Reset. I have worked very hard these past three weeks. My menu next week includes Eggs, Spinach, Fruit for breakfast (maybe toast), chicken burrito bowls for lunch (but no beans yet), Shakeology for an afternoon snack, and salad and sweet potato for dinner. I'm going to keep photos of my food the next two weeks to keep my accountable. 

Today was VERY hard. The weekend, the last two days of the program. My husband and I ate what we were supposed to because we don't want to quit these last two days. I'm getting sick of fruit though. 

Sunday Day 21 - It's Easter Sunday. Note to self - start program on a Saturday or Sunday so you can pig out on Day 22 and enjoy a nice Easter dinner!. :) Just kidding! I'm kinda glad that today is Day 21. I won't be tempted to pig out on candy or ham or potatoes. I do look forward to making deviled eggs with our dyed Easter eggs. I'm going to make them healthy though - no mayo in mine. 

We had more fruit for breakfast. Soooooo done with fruit. I had a nice salad and miso soup for lunch, and then only had Garlic Veggies for dinner. Portion wise, it was HUGE. But it was leftover and I'm not planning on eating them for a couple weeks. 

I did drink Shakeology mid-day, and I also had a handful of cashews. During my final summary I plan to discuss the "cheats" I had during the 21 Days. But as mentioned above, my cheats are actual things that are allowed that week. I wasn't eating sweets or extras. 

So how did we do? Sorry, you have to wait until Tuesday!!! Including our before and after pictures! I can't wait to see how they turned out.