Kids & Shakeology

I absolutely ADORE Shakeology and I have a shake everyday — if not twice a day.  It gets my day started off on the right foot and I love how it tastes. Titus adores it too and whenever he hears the blender he immediately runs into the kitchen and looks up at me as if to say, “Is that for me mommy?”

I love that he LOVES it, because kids can benefit from all of the advantages that Shakeology has to offer, too. Digestion, focus, energy, strength, etc! This is all good for children!

Also — think about your child’s diet. Even though you may push healthy lean meats and lots of fruits and veggies, they also get by with pizza,chicken nuggets, ice cream,candy and French fries, don’t they? Of course! They are kids!

Shakeology can help them digest all of that junk that seems to naturally find its way into their diets. It helps with digestion, reduces bloat and helps them get reduce their cravings for more junk. It contains easy-to-absorb vitamins and nutrients. And, you don’t have to worry about all of those artificial colors and sweeteners (which is a HUGE bonus, especially if your child shows tendencies to have ADHD).

Will your kids like Shakeology? If you just shake it up with water, probably not. But, if you make it like an event to concoct a treat every time, they will ask for it. Create fun around making it as a delicious milkshake, with fruit or other fun flavors. And, for many parents, it’s a quick version of breakfast that can be taken on the go, for those mornings that just don’t leave you enough time to get everything done. Whether for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack, it’s much healthier than a honey bun, toaster pastry or sugared-up cereals.

* For smaller children they only need 1/3 to a half scoop of Shakeology

Here is Titus’s Favorite Shakeology Recipe:

Chunky Monkey

1/3 scoop of Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
6 oz. of Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 of a Banana
1 tsp of All-Natural Peanut Butter
2 ice cubes

If you are interested in trying a sample pack of Shakeology please Click Here.

Thank you for stopping by! 

Yours In Health,

Lisa

A Few Treats That Won’t Trick You This Halloween

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 females I LOVE, ADORE and DEVOUR all things chocolate and sweet this time of year (Oh, who am I  kidding, year round). 

So I put together 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 butter1 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
Sodium: 44mg

Enjoy!  Happy Halloween!

Coach Lisa Lutz

6 Reasons To Break-Out Your Crockpot & Use It

Raise your hand if you LOVE all things crockpot or some may call it the slow-cooker.  I call it Heaven on Earth!  My love affair with my slow cooker started when I was pregnant with Titus.  I wanted to eat healthy but I hated, loathed, extremely disliked standing over the stove.  It just seemed like a slow waste of time.  Sort of like watching paint dry —> that is how I felt about browning ground turkey for turkey chili. 

Insert the happy dance when I realized that I could make a whole meal in my crockpot — YES – Set it and Forget it!  Does anyone remember that infomercial?

Here are my top 6 reasons you should get comfortable with using your crockpot:

1. Cost – Slow cookers can also cut your grocery bill significantly by allowing you to buy cheaper cuts of meat and tenderizing them over low heat for a longer time. I’ve saved over 50% (hundreds of dollars a year) on beef and chicken by purchasing lesser cuts and slow cooking them into tasty soups and stews.

2.  Healthy – There’s something just so wholesome and healthy about homemade soups, stews, oatmeal, and other slow cooked family meals. Slow cooked recipes rarely call for added oils or fats since they use water and time to cook the food. So as long as you trim the fat from your lesser cuts of meat, you’re serving a lower fat meal then those prepared through frying or offered at restaurants. Sure beats ordering greasy (and expensive) takeout!

3.  Cooking Is Easy – Remember I said “set it and forget it” –> just layer in your favorite foods and set the timer and let it go.  I set up my slow cooker in the morning after making breakfast and when my husband comes home from work  dinner is done and ready to serve. Besides, most slow cooker recipes are not intricate to prepare and require zero culinary skills to master.

4. Clean Up Is Easy – This is my favorite part.  I am VERY messy in the kitchen.  Just ask my husband, and I seem to dirty up every dish, pan, and utensil know to man.  I don’t know why I can’t keep a clean kitchen but it’s not in my DNA (thanks mom).  Not only do you just have to clean the easy to remove pot, but they also make crockpot liners – YES!!!  This bad-boys are super easy to use and you literally just through them away!  WOOHOO!  No more scrubbing.

5. Meals Are Yummy – Slow cookers are all about dishing out delicious comfort foods for families – meals like crock pot stuffed peppers, slow cooker beef stew, or even award winning crock pot chili. Crocks improve the flavor of a meal by taking less desirable cuts of meat or simple beans, and turning them into tasty meals by simmering in low heat and cooking over several hours.

6.  Saves Time – My second favorite part of using a crockpot –> you don’t have to babysit your food.  I HATE standing over a stove and browning ground turkey for stuffed peppers or for chili.  Along with saving big bucks, slow cookers save you lots of time because they allow you to cook hands (and eyes) free. Once you’ve got your food prepared and placed in the crock, you don’t have to stand around stirring and monitoring it.

I have had the opportunity to perfect my crockpot creations with the help of the 21-Day Fix.  I was able to not only lose my baby weight with the 21-Day Fix and meal plan, but get lose an extra 10 lbs and get to my ideal weight – where I feel fun and flirty – insert wink face – thank you 21-Day Fix for helping me get my sexy back.

I am hosting an online 7-Day Free Crockpot Comfort Creations Recipe Group – where I will share my favorite recipes.  What better way to embrace this beautiful fall weather with some healthy and delicious homemade meals.  We start today and it’s free to join –> I am even going to add a few of my favorite go to healthy desserts. 

If you would like to join.  Just click the link below. 

7-Day Free Crockpot Comfort Creations Group

Thanks for stopping by.
Yours In Health,

Lisa 

NO-EXCUSE NOVEMBER

Ok, so each month I run a 30-Day Challenge Group filled with amazing men and women who are taking back their health and fitness. They are putting themselves first. I get the amazing opportunity of being their coach, and cheerleader. Sometimes I get to give them virtual high-fives and at other times it is a tough-love conversation. These groups are truly the BEST part of being a coach.

I have been in the fitness industry for over 17 years and I have held titles such as General Manager, Fitness Director, Group Exercise Director, and Personal Trainer. I have never helped as many people per month as I am able to help being an online health and fitness coach. I get the opportunity to help people all over the United States put themselves first for a change and lose the weight that they have struggled to lose or reach a health or fitness goal that has been unattainable until now.

When I invite potential “challenger’s” to my online accountability groups, I get asked a lot, well what does it include? So here is what is included in my upcoming 30-Day NO-EXCUSE NOVEMBER Test Group:

We will be doing the AH-MAZING workout program and meal plan (The 21-Day Fix, or 21-Day Fix Extreme) this program gave me incredible results and helped me “Get My Sexy Back” after I had my son.

NO-EXCUSE NOVEMBER Test Group will include the following:

• Fitness Program (DVDs and Fitness guide with Workout calendar)
• Eating plan (includes a restaurant guide)
• 30 day supply of Shakeology
• 7 color-coded portion
• control containers and a Shakeology shaker cup
• Free coaching (from yours truly!)
• Accountability
• Group support via private FB group

NO-EXCUSE NOVEMBER is your chance to have a PLAN ready for the holiday season. This will be the year that you don’t gain 7-10 lbs and say, “I’ll just start my weight loss plan in January.” Don’t wait. Where will you be in 10 weeks? What if you could have those mashed potatoes and homemade hot rolls on Thanksgiving and those Christmas cookies and maintain your goal weight? Does that sound like a better idea than putting on more weight to try to take off come January. Just give me 3-weeks to set you up with a plan for success.

And P.S the program comes with a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee. Does your gym membership come with a Money Back Guarantee if you don’t reach your goal? Probably not.I am looking for 10-15 people who are SERIOUS about their health and fitness goals, and have a NO-EXCUSES attitude about how they are going to be prepared for the holidays. If you want to be a part of my next group or want more information CLICK HERE. We CAN do this! TOGETHER we are BETTER  

Healthy Habits For Busy Mom's

1. Create a Schedule & Wake Up Early.  Try to wake up early before your little ones do and do what you need to do before all of the hustle and bustle of the household consumes your day. Make a schedule and try your best to stick with it. As moms, often times things get a little crazy and schedules are impossible – but try your best to stick with it, so you can feel accomplished at the end of the day. It is always a good feeling to look back and see everything you have done.

This doesn’t mean a list a mile long with things that can make us overwhelmed – sometimes on a schedule simple things like “read to my baby” or “go to the park” or “help my kids with their homework” are the most important things on our schedules.

2. Weekly Food Prep & Planning.  I use Sunday as my Prep Day and I cut, slice, peel, bake, cook and prepare all of my snacks and meals for the week.  This can take some time but it prevents me from eating junk.  And believe me I can justify eating junk with the best of them, so I have to be prepared.  Pick 2 days a week to plan and prep your meals.

3. Easy Healthy Snacks.  If you are like me, you will find yourself looking through the fridge and the cabinets for a quick fix while chasing your 1 year old around the house.  If you BUY it, you will EAT if! —> FACT.  So, don’t bring it into your home.  Check out this Pinterest board for some quick and healthy snacks.

4. Get Some Cardio In!  It doesn’t have to be a 10K or a full-out sprint or hill-runs.  Just take your baby for a stroll, or walk the dog.  You can also take advantage of some great 30-Min in home cardio workouts, like my favorite’s —> The 21-Day Fix and Cize.  Just get moving —> 30 min everyday.   

5. Go To Sleep On Time.  This is a hard one for us, right?  We finally get our little one’s to bed and have some “ME” time and we want to catch up on our favorite shows, or read a few chapters in our favorite book, and before you know it —> the clock read’s 11:00 PM – go to bed on time and let your body rest and be rejuvenated for the next day.

6.  Eating More Is Better.  Did you know that by eating small amounts of food, more often is better than eating a lot of food, less often? By starting your day off with a good breakfast, your metabolism gets going which will help you digest food and lose weight! Then by eating healthy snacks throughout the day, it keeps your metabolism going! We have breakfast, a healthy snack, lunch, a healthy snack and then dinner! That is 5 times a day! I like to eat – so I like it.

7. Track Your Food & Progress.  What we track get’s measured!  Right?  So make sure that you are tracking that handful of M&M’s, or the miniature snickers bar in the Halloween bowl at work.  here are a TON of fun and helpful programs you can use to track your food intake and progress. I LOVE to SEE results. I am a very visual person – so seeing a graph of how much I have eaten, how much I have lost and how I can do better is extremely helpful. A few of my favorites are Lose It and My Fitness Pal.

8.  Remember Who Is Watching.  One of the main reason’s that I started doing a workout program from home was because I wanted to spend as much time with my son as I possibly could and I wanted to feel better about myself and

be a good role-model for my family.  Remember if Mom feels good about herself and is happy, the whole household is usually a happier place too.

9.  Don’t Go At It Alone.  As a personal trainer and online health and fitness coach.  I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from a potential client…that’s ok, I am going to try to lose the weight or get healthy on my own first and then if I don’t see results I will reach out to you.  Guess, what?  Have you been successful getting the results that you want thus far on your own?  Probably NOT!  So grab and accountability partner or join an accountability group.  If you would like to learn more about my upcoming accountability group CLICK HERE.  I will be providing you with a healthy meal plan, recipes, fitness tips and motivation from other busy moms. 

Medical Coder Or Beachbody Coach?

In January I was 5 months postpartum, feeling very blah -> no energy, lack of motivation, and look for a way to earn an income from home, because I had no desire to go back to work at a commercial fitness center and miss out on all of my newborn son’s milestones.

I did some research and learned that I could become a medical coder by taking classes online for 90-days and applying for medical coding jobs. I felt like this was my answer, an opportunity to stay home and make my own schedule. I was not, however excited about becoming a Medical Coder, but I was becoming desperate.

My husband and I had moved in with parent’s -> making the transition from Northern Virginia to Charlotte, NC a bit easier. We had planned on staying with them for 6 weeks, but were going on 3 months and as a young family I knew that I need to contribute to the family income so we could move out.

I signed up and paid $700 for the classes and began studying and passing the online exams. After 48 hours I new immediately that it was not going to be a fun job or one that I enjoyed, but I was determined.

During this time, I was also committed to taking back my health and fitness, and basically “get my sexy back.” So, I saw a friend on Facebook who was Beachbody Coach and she was sharing her transformation pictures and the program 21-Day Fix. I was completely intrigued because the 21-Day Fix was invented by Autumn Calabrese – a NPC Bikini Competitor and as an IFBB Bikini Pro, I knew that it would include a comprehensive meal plan.

My friend was so encouraging and mentioned that I would make a great coach. She was a Work At Home Mom (WAHM) and providing for her 18 month old daughter as a full-time Beachboy Coach.

When I was talking to her about this opportunity I felt alive again, like I had a purpose and that it would be matched perfectly with my PASSION – helping others on their health and fitness journey. I was super excited, and ready to dive in and take on the challenge of the 21-Day Fix and becoming a Beachbody Coach.

I cancelled my Medical Coding course and was able to get a full-refund (thank you to their 72 hour window) and ordered the 21-Day Fix and signed up as a coach on the #1 team in Beachbody.

My husband was supportive but a skeptical. He told me you have to give this one full year without quitting when it gets tough or becomes uncomfortable. He has always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

I have now been coaching for 9 months and I am healthier and more fit than I was before my son was born and even weigh 13 lbs less than when I became pregnant -> total weight loss of 25 lbs. And I am completely fulfilled and rewarded by helping others daily on their health and fitness journey. I never had any idea that I would be able to help 30 + clients loss weight, decrease body-fat, lower their blood sugar, improve their digestion, and increase their energy by running accountability groups through social media.

And what’s even more amazing is that I am currently able to not only contribute to our family’s income but I am able to pay most of our living expenses with my weekly pay-checks.

Here’s my income progression so far:

If you want to learn more about this opportunity please attend one of my free informational webinars.  This is obligation free, just come and learn what Beachbody Coaching is all about.  I’ll address the common fears, concerns, and misconceptions that I held me back at first and explain how much time it really takes.

But please know this is NOT a get-rick-quick scheme.  This requires time.  It requires a passion for helping others.  It requires learning and growing and getting outside of your comfort zone.  It requires creativity and resiliency.  It requires sacrifice and leading by example.  If you think you are up for the challenge and eventually life a life of freedom, then complete the quick form below to sign up for a webinar and I will be in touch with the details. 

"Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach’s income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill."