Fruity Mancakes

Ok, these may not sound amazing but don’t doubt me yet....

Here’s the thing – they’re so versatile! You can add more or less oats…you can do just eggs, just egg whites or a combo of egg and egg whites…all depending on your own preferences and goals! 

I’ll share with you the 21-day fix/Insanity Max: 30 approved recipe I use along with my husband’s.

WHAT YOU NEED

Her recipe (21 day fix approved) – Yields 4-5 pancakes

• 1/4 cup quick oats – 1 Yellow
• 4 Egg whites – 1/2 Red
• 1/2 cup berries or 1/4 of a banana – 1/2 Purple
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

His recipe – Yields 12 pancakes

• 1.5 cups oats
• 6 Egg whites
• 1 Egg
• 1 banana or 1 cup berries
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

• Preheat pan to medium heat.
• Combine the Egg/Egg whites, oats, vanilla and cinnamon. You can do this in a bowl if you want to leave the oats ‘whole’ or in a blender if you like a smoother, more pancake-like consistency. Stir or pulse a few times to combine.

• Add fruit and pulse until you get the desired consistency you like!
• Using a 1/4 cup, pour into pan, cooking each side about 2 minutes or until you see the edges forming. Flip once. Let cool and store in air tight container or eat immediately!

The one thing I LOVE about these is that you can eat them hot or cold, in the car, or running around – which fits my lifestyle perfectly!!! 

Honestly though – you can’t go wrong! They’re so tasty!

If you’re ever looking for more clean eating meal ideas, tips, recipes or just motivation – join my next health and fitness accountability group! I’m a big believer – there’s power in numbers!!

XOXO,

SJB

Beachbody Coach 

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

I am so excited that I found a oatmeal recipe I LOVE! With having no time in the morning to cook a gourmet breakfast anymore, this is great since I can make this the night before and let it sit in the fridge until the next morning.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup almond milk

1/4 cup low fat greek yogurt

1 1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce or enough to fill the jar.

In a 1/2 pint jar or 1 cup jar put in the oats, milk, greek yogurt, chia seeds, cinnamon and honey.  Put the lid on and shake that up!  Open up the jar and add in the applesauce to the top, cover and shake.  Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled!

If you try it, let me know what you think!

XOXO,
SJB
Independent Beachbody Coach 

Spiced Nuts

These cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne spiced nuts are sweetened with a touch of honey. This light snack with only 103 calories per serving.

Total Time: 40 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 30 min.
Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:
¼ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
½ tsp. coarse sea salt
1 large egg white (2 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. raw honey
2 cups mixed raw nuts
Nonstick cooking spray

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Combine cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.
3. Combine egg white and honey in a small bowl; whisk to blend.
4. Add nuts to egg white mixture; mix until nuts are well coated.
5. Sprinkle a small amount of spice mixture over nuts, toss to coat. Repeat until all of spice mixture has been used.
6. Place nuts on baking sheet, lightly coated with spray; spread into a single layer.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Source: http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/nutrition/spiced-nuts

Cucumber & Tomato Salad

Here is a really great refreshing salad that is perfect to accompany your lunch, dinner or a side dish for a get together. This recipe is from the Ultimate Reset and it is one that accompanies our family dinners and lunches quite often!!

Ingredients:

•1 English cucumber, half peeled in alternating strips, sliced in thick half-moons

•1/4 small container ripe plum or cherry tomatoes, each cut in half.

•1 tbsp chopped red onion

•2 tbsp red wine vinegar

•1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

•1 tbsp lemon juice

•2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

•1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

•1 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves

•Himalayan salt (to taste)

•Herbal seasoning (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss well.

Serves 1.

So you would have to quadruple it to feed multiple people! :)

XOXO,
SJB
Independent Beachbody Coach 

Prego update: Week 21-27

Can I seriously shed a tear of how quick this pregnancy is going? I was talking to my husband the other night about it and the little guy will be here in 13 weeks!

So much has gone on the past couple of weeks since I last posted an update.

If you read my previous post, we found out Baby B is a BOY!!! We are over the moon and so blessed to be this little guy's parents. After finding out, it really got us excited to start planning the future with him and get the nursery going.

We have some ideas swirling for the nursery. We're going for a more rustic feel & look. Something that is relaxing and brings a sense of peace when we spend time in their with him. We picked up the furniture last weekend from my sister. Passed down from my nephews. Brings back a lot of memories when they were little. We also did pick up the boards for the wall in the nursery. Going with an entire wall of wood boards for the rustic touch. With a semi-plan in order for the nursery, we're moving in the right direction. My husband wants to get the nursery done by the end of April. (He has a feeling the baby will be coming early).

We FINALLY registered!!! Oh my goodness, was that an overwhelming experience. We started at Buy Buy Baby. We had a rep walk around with us to show us what was needed because let's be honest, we have NO IDEA. She was very informative, but choose some very poor words when giving her opinions on specific products. We really wanted to nail down some of the bigger items. We were not able to do that because she was not trained in that department and the individual that was, was already helping someone. Totally fine, we should've started there. We spent about 2 hours in there and once we left my husband said he would not be registering for awhile. He was such a trooper so I've got to give him that. We were both overwhelmed and exhausted. I even needed a couple weeks break to finish up the registering which I am doing with my mom and sister this weekend!

Cravings:  Sweet tooth is on full overload.
Makes me puke: I am having a hard time finding stuff for dinner that is appealing to me. Nothing that would make me sick, appetite is just not there at night except for sweets.

Movements: baby is moving so much! He has been most active at night once I put my feet up he is a little machine. My husband loves feeling the baby move. As the weeks progress, he has become a little more active during the day, but the night is still a dance party for him. I absolutely love feeling him move and watching my stomach move as well.

 Glucola test. YIKESSSSSS. Something I have been dreading for awhile. I survived and made it through and PASSED with flying colors. So happy we don't have to worry about that.



Health & Fitness: I have been doing the best I can to keep my nutrition clean and steady workouts. I finished Insanity Max 30 last week and started on 21 Day Fix. I love the feeling I get from lifting weights and the soreness, so I couldn't pass Autumn up. The days are getting longer and the temperature is getting warmer, so we've be able to take more walks outside with Stella. I am a little slower then normal and the distance may be cut down, but it feels so good to get outside and do stuff we love to do.

Consignment sales: HOLY SMOKES. So I have known about these bad boys through my sister while my nephew's were growing up, but I never saw the value in them until NOW. We went to our first one last weekend and also another one last night. (one more next weekend), I can not believe how many AWESOME deals you can truly snag as these sales. I guess I never realized it before we registered. Our little guy had a wardrobe that is growing rapidly along with some little shoes as well to match mommy that I couldn't pass up. If you are expecting or already a mommy, I highly recommend these types of sales. All of the inventory has been to checked so nothing is broken, worn down, or stained. They usually have a half price sale the very last day that you can snag some really good deals.

Oh and last but not least, we have booked a BABYMOON and can't wait to share with you guys in the next post. Lips are sealed until then :) We fly out on Thursday evening.

Thanks for following me throughout our pregnancy journey.

Until next time.

XOXO,
SJB

Beef Burgers and Healthy Sweet Potato Fries

This is PERFECT for the warmer days ahead!

I love sweet potato fries!  I am still working on the perfect temperature to try and figure out how to get them crispy without frying the sweet potatoes.  So mine were a little soft, but they were still absolutely delicious!  This is a 21 day Fix meal approved!!

Beef Burger

I use organic beef from Costco…pat out the burgers and grill to perfection!  I like to add goat cheese on my burger and I don't add the bun!

Sweet Potato Fries

3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch long and wide strips

Olive oil for tossing

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

paprika, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Line sheet tray with parchment paper.  Toss sweet potatoes with enough oil to coat.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika (or any seasoning you like).  Lay potatoes in single layer, do not overcrowd.  Bake until tender and golden brown, turning occasionally about 20 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.

AND ENJOY!

XOXO,
SJB
Independent Beachbody Coach 

It's a...............

Here we are, a week after our gender reveal party and I am still on cloud 9. We had been anticipating this for months. Dying to open that envelope for 2 weeks to find out what we were having. This was the beginning of the planning of our little one. Did we have a preference on what we are having? Absolutely not, but let me tell ya. This momma has some feeling that this little nugget was a boy. I kept my mouth shut to my husband until the morning of because I didn't want him deciding based on what I was feeling. 

Would you like a drink?!

Amazing desserts

 We had planned this party months in advance. I went back and forth not knowing if I wanted to share this moment with just our immediate family or include family & friends. I do not do well in front of big crowds with all the attention and I am also a private person when it comes to some things. That's just not me. Thinking of having a lot of people at my house, scared me and my anxiety was shooting through the roof just the thought of having THAT many people in our house to entertain. After going back and forth, four times, we decided to have everyone join in with us. What better way to ring in this baby with the entire crew.







Well, here we are with 40 of our closest people standing around waiting for us to deliver some news.

The only ones in that moment that knew what we were having. 

It's a BOY!!!!!!!

AHhhhhhh!!!! OMG I can still sit here and tear up thinking of that moment. The first cut Nick and I put into that cake and looking over at my husband, we were the ONLY ones in this house that knew for a split second.  PURE JOY!

We are so blessed and so excited to be parents to this little boy that is growing every single day.

My dad & I

My sister & I

The party turned out great. I handled everything well and so happy we decided to share this with everyone. It really meant a lot to us for everyone who came to share this moment with us.

My best friends

Dying to cut the cake!

Until next baby update, CHOW

XOXO,
SJB

Weeks 10-16 PLUS our 2nd & 3rd Dr appointment

We have FINALLY crossed into the 2nd trimester!  WHOOP! I can definitely tell you I am starting to get the hang of this pregnancy thing. I can not believe how fast this is going. It makes me sad honestly. Even though, I have vocally been unsure on every feeling my body given me and a little weirded out by it, I love being pregnant. I have embraced it and still can't believe this is happening.

Guess who's eating for 2?!

Well, we have officially told everyone. We finished up telling out families on Thanksgiving. my husband didn't want to do anything crazy to tell his family. However, I was dying to do something fun  for one of them so it was mine. lol.

10 weeks on Thanksgiving

The feeling of being sick at night has slowly suppressed over the weeks and I have be learning what I can and CAN NOT eat right before bed.

Cravings: I am still having a bowl of cereal every morning before I workout. Besides that, no huge cravings.
Get that away from me: I tried my favoriate  Orange chicken and fried rice from Trader Joe's and wanted nothing to do with it :( . I didn't try no more then 2 bites because I don't want to hate it when i go to try in again.



2nd doctor appointment: December 8, 2014:
Appointment went well. We met with a practitioner in the office that gave us a lot baby information. A bit overwhelming but we've had some time to look over it and digest it.  The practitioner had a little trouble finding the heartbeat so we had another ultrasound and everything was AMAZING. Heartbeat was 173.

Auntie Kelly gave Baby B some new outfits. 

3rd doctor appointment: January 5, 2014:
The doctor had no problem finding the heart beat. Strong at 150. He also said the little ruffles in the sound of the ultrasound meant that baby was kicking. Gosh, I didn't know my heart could grow much bigger. I am so in love with this little one already!

Well we've made it through the Holidays with little exhaustion but it was VERY overwhelming for me this year. We are so busy on Christmas Eve and Day. I couldn't wait for Christmas Night to spend with just Nick and I after all the craziness. With my hormones going crazy, my anxiety through the roof, wrapping paper being thrown every direction. It sad to say this because I am not normally like this at all, but I was ready for this Holiday season to be over with.

This sums up my shopping trips. 

Growing belly....
Nothing is more frustrating then your clothes not fitting and you can not find anything when you go shopping. I am still rocking the hair tie on my button of my pants. Last week, it started to get comfortable, so I have started to look for jeans. I don't have many winter clothes to begin with, so with a growing baby in my belly, is not making this any easier. I can not wait until its warmer out so I can wear my dresses and be way more comfortable.

Names:
We have gotten asked a lot about names. We have a SMALL list of names. Yes, we're keeping them HUSH HUSH right now....sorry. We go back and forth every now and then with names and if we both agree then put it on the list. Once we find out the gender we will go from there. It's so nice to keep something private between my husband and I during the time.

Christmas Eve

Baby was spoiled by Grandma

Do I have a feeling of what were having:
I get asked about this a lot! I have never experienced this before so I have no idea. I can tell you I have dreams about the baby and there are days when I feel stronger about the gender then other days, but we will see NEXT MONTH!

Baby B just had his/her first plane ride to Pittsburgh last weekend! I did surprisingly well. I didn't know what to expect on the plane but all was well. The weekend was jam packed with Beachbody events and long days. Exhaustion caught up to me all last week and was able to sleep in this morning, FINALLY.

Baby popped out! 

We are feeling great and back to normal. My workouts have been great so I have decided I am going to start Insanity Max 30 TOMORROW! I will be doing the modifier so it's not so hard on my body and also altering some of the ab movements as well. It's so important to me to stick with my workouts and nutrition while pregnant. Don't get my wrong, the Baked Lays BBQ were my best friend last week and delicious. I could feel the aftereffects of those though and needed to get back on track. You can follow my Max 30 journey in the upcoming weekly posts I will be doing.

Week 16 

Week 17

Our next doctor appointment is February 9th where we will HOPEFULLY get a good view of the gender. We will be finding out with our families later in the month, so we are looking forward to that!

Time is going by so fast. i can't believe in a couple of weeks we will be half way through with the pregnancy, but we are so excited to meet him or her.



As always, thanks for following my journey!

XOXO,
SJB