Clean Eating Staples

Each week I fly through the grocery store grabbing all of my essentials and what's on my grocery list without even thinking about it!  But then I sat down and remembered what it was like the first 20 times I went grocery shopping when I was learning how to eat clean. I spent lots of time making my list, collecting new recipes, and searching the store for the ingredients that are now second nature!!  So I thought I would snap a few pictures of those things that a lot of people don't know about or are searching the store for!!

Flaxseed- When buying flaxseed go with the ground flaxseeds.  It can say flax seed meal as well.  But you want them ground because they absorb the nutrients better into your body when ground versus whole.  You can find flax seed in the isle near the baking supplies.  What is flaxseed?  Flax seed is a source of fiber. It is great when you add it to your yogurt, shakeology, or oatmeal. It adds nutrients and fiber which keeps you full longer without adding lots of calories.  So it's a nutrient dense food.

Wheat Germ-  Wheat Germ is found near the cereals.  It is high in protein.  It is great to up the nutritional value in your meals.  You can sprinkle it on your oatmeal, add it to your bread crumbs or any other way you can think of!  It has no taste and you can't even tell it's there!  Once again, it's nutrient dense, helps to keep you fuller longer without the extra calories.

Almond Milk- Almond milk is a great alternative to dairy.  It is lower in calories, lower in sugar, and better for you!!!  As long as you get the unsweetened vanilla or original you are good on the sugar count!  It has a creamy flavor and mixes awesome in your Shakeology.  Also Almond milk actually has more calcium than 1% milk, so you are not missing out on your daily dose of calcium.  If you are concerned about getting in enough calcium then I suggest you add in some leafy greens like spinach, kale and broccoli to boost your calcium!!  Milk is not the only source out there.

Salsa- Salsa is one of my favorite toppings!  You can put it on anything from burritos, to egg whites.  It's a great way to add flavor to your foods without adding in extra calories and unwanted ingredients.  This is a salsa that I have found that doesn't add in extra sugars or sweeteners and still is reserved on the amount of sodium.

WASA whole grain crisp bread- so if you want an alternative to rice cakes or something to give you a little crunch then try out these crackers.  You can spread some all natural peanut butter(only ingredient is peanuts) or you can put some almond butter or hummus on top!  You get your complex carb and your protein when you pair it that way!  Again this is a good selection because it doesn't add extra ingredients that you cannot recognize or sugars!  It gives you a crunch without the calories.

Brown Rice Cakes-These are by far my most favorite rice cakes.  The only ingredient is brown rice!  They are salt free!  I have found many ways to make rice cakes taste amazing, give me crunch and satisfy any sweet tooth that you can put in front of me.  You can do 2 plain rice cakes with 1-2 tbsp all natural peanut butter, then you can add 1/2 sliced banana, a sprinkle of raisins, strawberries, etc....  It gives it flavor, sweetness and crunch.  It tastes sinful but it's really delightful!!!  It's nutrient dense but not calorie laden.  So grab these babies next time you are at the grocery store!  They make a great evening snack when you are at your maintenance phase of your health and fitness plan.

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Pitas-Pita's are hard to find healthy and natural.  It takes time of standing in front of the pita isle reading the selections available and making the best choice possible.  Never trust the packaging on the front.  It may say low fat or fat free but the second ingredient is sugar or it's not 100% whole grain.  If it's enriched then it's not the real deal.  Spend time to make sure that what you are getting is going to keep you full, satisfied and be enjoyable!  It's so important to watch the amount of carbs you have in a day.  You want to keep your starchy carbs to 1-3 servings per day.  So if you have oatmeal for breakfast, rice cakes for a snack and a pita for lunch you are done for the day.  That means no starches at dinner!!  So be mindful of how many servings of carbs per day!  You want the majority of your nutrition to come from fresh veggies and lean protein!

I hope this post helps you to find some new staples to add to your diet! Even being 18 months into clean eating I still learn something new every day!  Have a wonderful day and don't hesitate to reach out for help when you need it!

 

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach

Halloween Candy Alternatives for Your Sweet Tooth

Halloween can be a tricky time for a lot of us trying to maintain healthy diets. It can either end in raiding your kid’s trick-or-treat bag or falling prey to the endless stacks of candy in the grocery store – any way you slice it, it’s tough to be so good all the time in the face of that temptation! Like all red-blooded human beings, Beachbody coaches love sweet treats in the candy-filled month (Oh, who am I kidding, year round). So Beachbody put their nutritionist and Shakeology lover, Brett Hoebel, to the task of creating 4 delicious Shakeology dessert recipes. These recipes taste so good you’d never know they have 70 of the healthiest ingredients on the planet in them. So sinlessly delicious!
Chocolate Brownie Bites 
(Makes about 12 servings, 1 square each)
½ cup natural smooth almond butter
1 scoop Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
¼ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3 Tbsp. chopped almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds (just choose 1)

1. Combine almond butter, Shakeology, banana, oats and nuts in a medium bowl.
2. Shape mixture into the bottom of a square pan ; Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Cut into 1 inch squares (makes about 12 squares); store in refrigerator in an airtight container if not serving immediately.

Nutritional Information (per serving): 
Calories: 101
Carbs: 8g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 6g
Sodium: 45mg

Strawberry Banana Soft-Serve Ice Cream
(Makes 2 servings, 1/3 cup each)
1 large ripe banana, chopped
½ cup frozen strawberries
6 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop Tropical Strawberry or Chocolate Vegan Shakeology

1. Place banana in a plastic bag and freeze for 4 hours or until completely frozen.
2. Place frozen banana, frozen strawberries, almond milk and Shakeology in food processor or blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information (per serving): 
Calories: 156
Carbs: 28g
Protein: 10g
Fat: 1g
Sodium: 85mg

Peanut Butter Cups
(Makes 12 Peanut Butter Cups)
¼ cup dark chocolate chips
2 scoops Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
1 Tbsp. psyllium husk powder
½ cup pumpkin puree (canned)
8 mini cupcake liners
6 tsp. natural smooth peanut butter, divided use

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chocolate chips in small oven-proof bowl and heat in oven for 15 minutes or until melted.
2. While the chocolate is melting, place Shakeology, psyllium husk, and pumpkin puree in food processor. Pulse until it forms a dough.
3. Divide dough into 12 small balls and portion into each cupcake liner. Press dough down into a flat disk with depression in the middle. Place ½ tsp. peanut butter into each depression.
4. Remove chocolate from oven and stir to melt completely. Drizzle evenly over each cup and spread to create a thin chocolate layer on top (about ½ tsp. chocolate per cup).
5. Freeze for 30 minutes or until chocolate hardens.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 75
Carbohydrates: 9g
Protein: 4g
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 43mg

No-Bake Cranberry and Coconut Cookies
(Makes 15 cookies)
4 Tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup natural smooth almond butter
2 to 3 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk beverage or almond milk
½ cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 ½ scoops Chocolate Vegan Shakeology

1. Place shredded coconut in small bowl; set aside.
2. Combine almond butter, coconut milk beverage, oats, cranberries and Shakeology in food processor; mix well until it forms a dough.
3. Roll dough into a 1-inch ball and flatten slightly into the shape of a cookie. Press both sides of cookie in shredded coconut.
4. Repeat with remaining mixture and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 99
Carbohydrate: 9g
Protein: 4g
Fat: 6g

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach

Couple takes on Turbofire & P90X to lose 37 lbs total in 12 weeks

As I finish up my summer slim down challenge I have had an amazing group of challengers who committed to changing their lives with my Beachbody Challenge group and really went at it full force with passion and power!!!  I can't say enough wonderful things about this power couple!  Holly and Jesse are the proud parents of 2 adorable kids.  Last year, Holly was pregnant but was always inquisitive about what I was doing as a Coach.  After she had her adorable baby girl she decided it was time to get back into shape!  So she chose Turbofire and Jesse chose P90X!  They both replaced 1 meal a day with Shakeology for the duration of the challenge.  Holly has an amazing story and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it with you.  I hope that this story can inspire you or someone you know to take the leap of faith and put your health and fitness first!

Holly's Story:  To say I had low self esteem would be an understatement. Ever since high school I was so upset and saddened by what I saw in the mirror and it escalated by the time I was a junior year in college. I ended up abusing laxatives and purging in order to keep my weight down. I had become so hooked on laxatives I was taking 8 a day easily. I ended up meeting a wonderful guy that year named Jesse who I am now blessed to call my husband. When Jesse and I started dating, I was in the beginning stages of getting help for my eating disorder and developing a relationship with Jesus Christ. Through the amazing grace of God and the love and support from Jesse, my family and therapists, I ended up putting an end to the laxative abuse and purging. Fast forward 6 years and 2 kids later and the feelings from back in college slowly started to return. I wasn't turning to the unhealthy weight loss like I once was but the negative feelings that I had when I looked in the mirror were present once again. I couldn't shake them.  Renee approached me about her Beachbody challenge group, I was interested and wanted to know more but not interested enough to do anything about it until mid-July. 

Jesse and I were on our way to Ohio and I told him that I wanted to do a challenge group with Renee. He was extremely supportive and even suggested doing it with me. Jesse played college football and during the 2004 season he hurt his back and had to get a lumbar fusion which left him sedentary for months. He gained over 50 lbs and by the time we got engaged in 2008 he was up to 265. Through his weight gain he too had very low self esteem and got down on himself frequently. He has always been great at working out and eating right but his problem was that life got in the way or something(me, the kids,vacation, etc) would mess up his routine so he would stop working out. So needless to say, he was thrilled when I was on board for Renee's challenge group. He thought it would be a great way for him to stay on track and what better way to be held accountable than being in this group with his wife. I felt the exact same way and was so excited that we could share in this journey together. 

We started the group on July 20th and I am so excited to say we rocked it. I did both Turbo Fire and P90X and lost 15 lbs and 13.5 inches. My stud-muffin husband killed this challenge doing P90X and making healthier food choices along with incorporating Shakeology into his day. He lost 22 lbs through this challenge but since his all time high weight of 265 in 2008 he has lost a total of.....drumroll please......68 lbs!!!!! How awesome are those results!?!? For the first time in a very long time we are happy with ourselves and healthy! We are going to continue with the program's graduation group and Jesse plans to do another round of P90X followed by Body Beast and I am continuing P90X possibly followed by Les Mills Combat.  

Women's Turbofire/P90X Results

Before P90X

P90X transformation

Are you ready to start your own transformation story?  Are you ready to take the leap of faith, gain confidence and finally have the support that you need to make a change?

Sign up for a FREE Account with me as your Beachbody Coach and we can discuss the steps necessary to get started!!!  :)

You COULD BE NEXT....The choice is yours!!!

 

 

 

 

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach

30 Day Shakeology & Healthy Eating Group

So lately the buzz around Shakeology, healthy eating and just learning to live a healthier lifestyle has been building!  I love answering my customers and friends questions but I really really want to make sure that I am providing you with the most supportive environment so that you can be successful.  It's easy to lose track of 10 different conversations through email and facebook.  Instead of having separate conversations with people I decided to develop a 30 day Shakeology and healthy/clean eating group. 

Did you know Shakeology has all of these and more?!

Who should do this challenge group?

Anyone who is interested in trying Shakeology but is afraid they won't like it or doesn't want to invest the money because of the cost.  It is also a great opportunity for someone who has a busy lifestyle but wants to learn to eat healthy and have energy naturally to get through the day.  This group would benefit someone who has a significant amount of weight to lose or someone who only has a few pounds to lose.  This group is about living a healthy lifestyle and changing your outlook on life.
This group is also for those that have no idea were to start in regards to proper nutrition and feeding their bodies to fuel their metabolism.

You are not alone in your weight loss journey

What is the 30 Day Shakeology/Clean Eating Group?

It is a closed facebook group in which I will provide you with everything you need to know to transform your kitchen and your eating habits.  I want to create a supportive, motivating environment where you can share your struggles with food, managing your time and losing weight.  

• Meal Planning
• Meal Preparation
• Healthy Recipes
• Snack Ideas
• Dealing with temptation
• Traveling and eating healthy
• Working full time and eating healthy
• Ect...

 What do I need to do to join this group?

All you need to do to join the 30 day Shakeology/Clean Eating Challenge is invest in Shakeology Home Direct for 30 days.  Yes, that means if you don't already have it, you must get it!  I can tell you how!  You only have to commit for 30 days and if at the end of the month you saw zero results or did not like it, then I will personally help you return your Shakeology for a full refund!  3o Day Money BACK GUARANTEE!  By you investing in your health and replacing 1 meal a day with Shakeology I will transform the other meals of your day to give you the maximum benefits to get you losing weight, increasing your energy, controlling your cravings and feeling alive and energized.  Shakeology is not just another protein shake.  It has over 70+ natural ingredients with the right combination of carbs to protein to keep you full, satisfied and energized.  It also comes in multiple flavors, Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry and Greenberry, plus Vegan Chocolate!!


Does this sound like something you want to do?

Well, then grab a spot today!  Limited availability.  I am keeping this group small so that each participant can have my individual attention.  You can reserve your spot by emailing me at reneesmithdvm@gmail.com or going to my site and creating a free account to receive additional information.  The group begins on October 26th.  All orders must be placed by October 19th to ensure delivery in time for the start!

There is no better time than now to start investing in your health! 

 

Pumpkin No Bake Power Bites

I found this recipe while surfing some new clean eating sites and it just might be one of the most amazing things I have ever tasted!  I love fall and I love oatmeal and these little bites are just the ticket to a clean healthy snack!!!  I'm in heaven!  Now, to not eat them all in one sitting!

 

Ingredients

• 8 oz. (about 1 packed cup) chopped dates
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds or flax seeds
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats (dry, not cooked)
• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Method

Combine the dates, honey, pumpkin puree, chia (or flax) seeds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a food processor, and pulse until smooth and combined.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and stir in the oats, coconut flakes and pepitas until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Once the mixture is cool (and easier to work with), use a spoon or cookie scoop to shape it into your desired size of energy balls. (Mine were about 1-inch in diameter.) Alternately, you can line a small baking pan with parchment paper, and press the mixture evenly into the pan, let it cool, and then cut into bars.

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (Storing them in the refrigerator especially helps the energy bites hold their shape.) 

Renee's Tip: If you feel like adding a little extra sweetness, these would also be great with some cinnamon or white chocolate chips tossed in.

 

 

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach