Shakeology Chia Pudding

I think being cold hurts.

Hurts like being punched all over. Each November I kiss the feeling in my feet goodbye until March, and grouse about how unfair and awful the winter is. I seek solace in one of three places: the shower, my car, and underneath my electric blanket. I can only imagine what might happen if I lived north of the Red River...

For my birthday, my sister was moved to sent me a tank top she saw at Old Navy. I modeled it for her in this picture:

When winter rolls around, about the last thing I want to do is drink a giant, frosty Shakeology for breakfast.

There is a time and place for an icy Shakeology. Winter in Texas is not one of them.

However, I am committed to having my healthiest meal of the day every day (six years running!), so when I discovered the meal I'm about to share with you, I was ecstatic.

It's Shakeology Chia Pudding.

But first! A primer on chia seeds.

Perhaps chia rings a bell? Perhaps you remember that they used to be "pets"?

These are the same chia seeds. But now we know that, in addition to an interesting conversation piece on your mantel, they are also a nutritional powerhouse!

Here are the stats:

Chia seeds are rich in fiber, omega-3 fats, protein, vitamins and minerals such as 

Dietary fiber (11g – 42% recommended daily value)
Protein (4.4g – 9% RDV)
Omega-3 fatty acids (4915 mg)
Omega-6 fatty acids (1620 mg)
Calcium (77 mg – 18% RDV)
Copper (0.1 mg – 3% RDV)
Phosphorus (265 mg – 27% RDV)
Potassium (44.8 mg – 1% RDV)
Zinc (1.0 mg – 7% RDV)

Chia also contains essential fatty acids alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid, mucin, strontium, Vitamins A, B, E, and D, and minerals including sulphur, iron, iodine, magnesium, manganese, niacin, thiamine, and they are a rich source of anti-oxidants.

Sounds like a good way to start the day to me!

You can get chia seeds at virtually any grocery store, as they have become really popular. You can sprinkle them on salads and in smoothies, but it's important to know that chia seeds soak up liquid and expand. The best way to use them (particularly in the pudding I'm sharing today) is to soak them for at least 20 minutes, but preferably overnight.

Here's what we do: get a small mason jar and spoon in six tablespoons of dry chia seeds. Fill the mason jar with water to about 3/4 full. Let the seeds soak overnight in the fridge. They will stay fresh for about a week, and each chia pudding uses about one heaping tablespoon of the soaked seeds. I'd estimate that we get about 8-10 tablespoons of soaked seeds from the jar. Remembering to soak the seeds is the hardest thing about chia pudding...and that's not so hard, is it?

Okay, now to the good stuff. Shakeology chia pudding. What I love so much about this recipe is its versatility. If you like fruity, make it fruity. If you want chocolate pudding, make it chocolate. I'm going to give you the base recipe and some of my favorite variations. Here's what you need at the very least:

- 1 heaping TB soaked chia seeds

- 1 scoop Shakeology, any flavor

- Fruit, any kind (optional)

- Liquid (water, milk of any kind), amount varies

That's the bare minimum, but we tend to go nuts with this. Here's how I like to do it:

Apple Pumpkin Shakeology Chia Pudding

- 1 heaping TB soaked chia seeds

- 1 scoop vanilla Shakeology

- 1 diced apple (cooked by itself in microwave for 1:30)

- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

- Cinnamon

- 1TB flax seeds

- 1 TB hemp seeds

- Water (mixed in slowly until I reach a pudding-y consistency)

- 3 TB walnuts on top

Oh...My mouth is watering thinking about it. I seriously think I need an intervention. Here's another one.

Chocolate Berry Shakeology Chia Pudding

- 1 heaping TB soaked chia seeds

- 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology

- 1 cup frozen strawberries and blueberries, thawed in microwave

- Cinnamon

- 1TB flax seeds

- 1 TB hemp seeds

- 1 TB cacao nibs

- Water (mixed in slowly until I reach a pudding-y consistency)

- 3 TB walnuts on top

Not only does it taste amazing, but it does not leave me feeling cold from the inside out. You have to try this! And if you're not already drinking ingesting the healthiest meal of the day, please do yourself (and us!) a favor by ordering a month's supply here. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee, so the only risk is that you'll come through a month a healthier person. 

Cheers!

Workout of the Day

P90X3 Decelerator

Eating On the Go

If I had to choose the most important food philosophy that I follow, it would be to eat whole foods as much as possible. What does that mean exactly? It means eating things that are what they are: eggs, carrots, broccoli. Things that do not have any ingredients on their label. Or better yet, there is no label.

However, I realize that sometimes this is really hard to do. I travel for my job occasionally, and don't always have a refrigerator down the hall to keep my hummus and veggies cool. So how does someone maintain a healthy diet while on the go?

As with most things related to health and fitness, planning is key. You might have to take an extra step or two to stick with the plan, but I think you'll find it's worth it.

When I'm preparing for a trip, I have a handy travel cooler I take with me. I'll pack fresh fresh veggies that will keep for the first day or so, along with fruit that travels well like apples. Not recommended: bananas (they bruise easily and go bad fast with fluctuations in temperature). Nuts such as almonds, cashew, and walnuts are also an easy snack that travel well.

When whole food isn't an option, here are some of my go-to meals and snacks.

Shakeology -

Either in easy travel packets or I'll scoop into containers. If I know I will have access to electricity I pack my Magic Bullet to blend it into a smoothie, but if not I'll just shake it in a shaker cup. Shaking it isn't the best tasting way to fix Shakeology, but it will do in a pinch...and it's still the healthiest meal of the day.

Epic Bars- https://epicbar.com/

These are high-quality jerky bars that are a great protein source. Choose from several interesting flavors. I have had the following:

• Bison Bacon Cranberry
• Lamb Currant Mint
• Beef Habanero Cherry
• Turkey Almond Cranberry

My favorite is probably the beef flavor, and my son likes the lamb. They are all tasty and easy to pack and travel. Available through Amazon.

EXO Bars - https://www.exoprotein.com/

Stick with me, here: these are made with cricket flour. Yes, the black bug kind of crickets. Cricket flour is an emerging trend in America, but other cultures have been using this for decades. I can vouch that these are really delicious,and they have 10 grams of protein per bar.

A friend of ours is studying nutrition at the University of Texas, and she recently posted an article in The Daily Texan about some nutrition students spreading the word about the benefits of cricket protein. Find the article here: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2015/10/26/texas-nutrition-serves-up-crickets-for-annual-food-day

Amazing Grass Greens Powder - http://www.amazinggrass.com/

Amazing Grass has multiple products and flavors. I am a fan the Lemon Lime flavored green superfood powder. Mixed with water, this is a great way to get an infusion of greens into your body when vegetables are scarce. Susan calls it her "swamp water" because of its looks, but the lemon lime flavor is refreshing. Only 30 calories per serving. If you like flavor in your water, this is a good way to get it.

Justin's Nut Butter - http://justins.com/

I buy them in individual packets for the convenience of traveling. They can be eaten alone right out of the packet or as a spread on apples or celery. Very tasty and a great source of healthy fat. I like the honey almond butter.

If you're staying at a hotel, many times breakfast is provided. Here's what to grab and what to leave at the continental breakfast.

Pastries, doughnuts, bagels. LEAVE. You don't need these in your life.

Waffle batter: Nope...skip it.

Scrambled eggs: most likely made with powdered eggs, and taste as such. If you're lucky, they'll have boiled eggs. Take as many of these as you want since they are the real deal.

Yogurt: the reason the yogurt business has ramped up so astronomically in this country is because it's a perceived health food. However, most of the yogurts contain far too much sugar to be healthy. Unless it is plain yogurt with no fruit added, leave the yogurt alone.

Oatmeal: depends! If it's in a pot that has been cooked, it is probably okay. Add some dried fruit and nuts and you're golden. If it's flavored packets to add hot water to, skip it. Too much sugar and artificial flavoring. Although, if your choice is between a pastry and packet oatmeal, choose the oatmeal!

Bacon, biscuits, sausage, hash browns: pass on these. They are probably very poor quality.

Finally, the emergence of prepared meal-to-go restaurants is making it easy to take meals with you. I've had a great experience with SNAP Kitchen in Austin. I'll do a full post with a review of SNAP very soon.

If you plan right, you can come out of a business trip or vacation without losing ground on reaching your goals or gaining any unwanted things (weight, brain fog, sugar cravings). While you might have to carry some extra weight in a bag or cooler for a few days, that's better than carrying it around on your a$# for weeks afterward.

Workout of the Day:

PiYo

High Fat, Low Carb

Posted by Zach

There has been a lot of talk lately about the low carb/high fat (LCHF) diet. The concept can be a little scary and even misleading unless you really dig into the details. I became interested earlier this year and decided to test it out myself.

First, let me clear up some misconceptions. First, fat is not the enemy that we once thought it was. I personally feel that saturated fat from red meat should still be consumed in moderation. However, healthy fats from nuts, oils and other plant-based products can do wonders for your health and weight maintenance. Second, I think the key ingredient to the LCHF diet is not the high fat piece of the pie (so to speak), but the low carb piece. In my opinion, cutting out processed carbohydrates and sugar is the best thing you can do for your health and weight maintenance. The trick is to replace these food items with lots of healthy vegetables and fats while maintaining a moderate protein intake.

There are a ton of resources available on this subject. Just google (low carb high fat diet” and you will get over 5 million results. A good place to start is with one of the following two books written by Jeff Volek.

• The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
• The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance

Dr. Volek has conducted some impressive studies on this subject, especially in the areas of endurance performance. The goal is to convert the body to rely on fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates or glucose. More information can be found on his website.

Another great resource is Dr. Phil Maffetone’s website. Maffetone is well-known for his creation of the 180 formula. The 180 formula is used as a heart rate training tool for endurance athletes. What I like about Maffetone is his overall approach to a healthy lifestyle. His two week test is a great way to get you on the path to being a fat-burner and following a low carb, high fat diet.

As I stated above, curiosity on this subject got the best of me earlier this year. I am the type of person that has to test it out myself to be a believer. So, I set in to change my diet. Now, my diet was pretty darn good to begin with. It did not take a ton of changes to convert to a low carb, high fat diet. The major changes made included cutting out my oatmeal that I ate for breakfast a couple of days each week along with the side of toast that I enjoyed with my eggs regularly. I would also skip the bread products or tortillas at any of the meals that included them. For example, if hamburgers are on the menu, mine becomes a hamburger salad.

My diet consists of tons of vegetables, moderate fruit, a lot of healthy fats, and lean protein. I keep my red meat consumption to a minimum. The majority of my protein comes from eggs (we have our own chickens), chicken breast, and fish. My fats consists mainly of avocados (I average about 1 per day), nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, and brazil nuts), seeds (sunflower, hemp, flax, chia), and oils (olive, avocado, coconut).

My typical day looks like this:

Breakfast - Vegetable and fat dense smoothie consisting of: Shakeology (of course), half an avocado, kale or spinach, tablespoon of coconut oil, berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc.), ginger root, and some nuts and/or seeds. Throw it all in your Vitamix with some ice and water and give it a whirl until smooth and creamy.

Lunch - A huge salad with tons of leafy greens and other vegetables such as: cucumbers, celery, beets, bell peppers, tomatoes, red cabbage. I will usually top with a half an avocado, some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and some protein (hard-boiled eggs, grilled chicken breast, canned tuna or salmon, or edamame),

Snacks - If I need a snack during the day, it will usually be one of the following: an apple and some almonds, carrots, amazing grass supergreens powder and sunwarrior protein, or chia pudding.

Dinner - Basically, dinner is whatever Susan decides to prepare. The great thing is that I know it will be healthy and meet my goals. Our dinners are typically plant-based with the addition of some meat a few days each week. If I do have some carbs, this is the meal that I indulge. If I do, it is usually something along the lines of sweet potatoes or legumes.

So, what did I notice by this slight change in my diet?

• A decrease in cravings and being hungry every 2-3 hours. I had been eating 5-6 meals per day. Now I eat 3-4. I rarely need a snack, and if I do, it is pretty small. Based on what I have read, this is due to my body learning how to tap into my fat stores for fuel. This is also a benefit for endurance athletes. Less need for fueling during long events.
• An increase in my range on my long runs without the need for fuel. I have completed runs in excess of two hours on nothing more than water with no adverse effects. I can make it through the remainder of the day with regular eating and maintain my energy levels.
• I have seen a slight decrease in my weight (about 5 pounds) and have managed to maintain this over several months. This may not sound like much, but I have stalled in the area for many years.
• I have seen a decrease in my body fat percentage (I currently run about 9-10% bodyfat). I have been this low before, but it entailed some calorie restriction and lack of energy to complete workouts. I have not had to restrict my calories and my energy levels have been great. Even for high intensity efforts.
• I have had a reduction in cravings for sweets. I still indulge on occasion, but the cravings are minor.

Is this diet for everyone? Definitely not. However, if you are carbohydrate intolerant and/or insulin resistant, this diet might be worth testing out. I would also recommend giving it a try if you are an endurance athlete and struggle with fueling/stomach issues during long events.

I must point out that I am not a doctor or nutritionist. I am just sharing my personal experience with a diet that has become quite the hype lately. It is always a good idea to check with your doctor or health-care provider before making any drastic lifestyle changes concerning diet or exercise.

Comment below if you have had any experience with LCHF. I would be interested to hear what others have experienced.

To close on an exercise note, Susan and I have been enjoying the new Beachbody on Demand. We can access hundreds of Beachbody workouts online at anytime. This is a great tool for those that travel for work or pleasure. Your workouts can go with you anywhere.

Workout of the day: 21 Day Fix Extreme - Plyo Fix

Summer in rapid fire

Oh my. It's been nearly a month since I blogged last. This summer has been jam-packed with trips, chickens, gardening, bike riding, chigger bites, grandparents, cousins, swimming, Insanity (the workout, not the state of mind), and boot camp training. With each day that passes it becomes more apparent to me that I'm not going to be able to give each subject due time in its own separate blog, so I've decided to do a rapid-fire re-cap.

In no particular order, here's what's been going on this month:

#1: Losing teeth!

In the interest of full disclosure, this actually happened in May, but this picture of Drew's dangling tooth is so hilarious and awful that I felt it must be included.

#2: Team Beachbody Coach Summit in Las Vegas

Zach and I had a good time in Las Vegas for the Coach Summit meeting. We met new/old friends, participated in live workouts and training, and heard John Maxwell speak. The fabulous ladies below I've know through Facebook for the better part of a year, but only met in person last week.

We did a live Les Mills Combat workout with about 2,000 people that was super fun. Here's Zach getting his aschiva on (spelling? this is one of those martial arts terms that I have no idea how to spell).

Vanilla Shakeology! This one was a surprise. Beachbody has been looking for a "clean" source of vanilla for nearly three years, and they finally found it in the Malagasi farmers of Madagascar. The vanilla plants are hand-pollinated by these farmers!

We also got to meet and talk with Darin Olien, the co-creator of Shakeology. We listened to him speak about the process the team went through to find a natural vanilla source, and I was blown away by the integrity of Beachbody as a company.

They absolutely refuse to compromise on quality of the ingredients in this shake, while investing in the livelihood of indigenous farmers around the world. Beachbody is essentially providing microfinancing to these farmers to help them grow crops in a sustainable fashion, while supporting the Madagascar economy so that schools can be built.

Please take a minute to watch this video:

But how does vanilla Shakeology taste, you ask? As always, we go to the kids for an opinion:



We also tried out Shaun T's new Focus T25 workout live, and bought the program to start in July.
Each workout is only 25 minutes long, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a game-changer. More on this topic to come!

And finally, at Summit we participated in a super workout with about 7,000 people. I'd estimate we were a half mile from the stage!

#3: I made this, and it was yummy:

Roasted Vegetable Cous Cous from Southern Living

#4: I have a GREAT IDEA, Mom!
How about you put one braid here, and another braid here, and then put a pony tail in the middle. And then put this barrette in too, okay? Isn't that a GREAT IDEA?

#5: MONSTER ZUCCHINI PLANTS

#6: Chickens laying eggs

The peace in the coop continues, and Polly has begun to lay eggs along with Roxie! We have a suspicion that Polly may also be eating some of her eggs, but it is thus far unconfirmed. We are keeping a close watch.

In case you missed Roxie running on Facebook, here you go. It will change your life.

#7: I read this book, and it made me twitchy and preachy about processed food.

#8: As a result of #7, I sought and found some jelly at the store that does not contain high fructose corn syrup. Hooray! (Yes, this is still a processed food, but it's a lesser evil, and kids gotta have some PB&J in their life! I'm just glad I can do it with straight up sugar rather than HFCS.)

Whew! That's it. Two more trips and many more fun things to go this summer.

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Workout of the Day

Insanity Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs

New Greenberry Shakeology...but is it improved?

Zach and I drink Shakeology every day. Every. Single. Day. We drink it because we think nutrition is really important, and Shakeology is the best formulated shake out there. It gives us everything we need, and it's pretty much the only supplement we use, aside from from some occasional Whey protein powder and Recovery Formula on Shaun T days. I don't even take a multivitamin, because all that (and more) is in Shakeology.

We get all three flavors -- chocolate, tropical strawberry, and greenberry -- delivered to our house on a rotating basis. Chocolate is always available (because it's delicious and tastes like a chocolate shake), and greenberry and strawberry rotate every other month.

Until now I have merely tolerated greenberry. It was the flavor most Beachbody Coaches loved to hate. It's not that it was undrinkable -- I found that it was fine with some vanilla protein powder and a citrus fruit or juice mixed in (orange or pineapple). But I didn't love it like I do chocolate. (When I decide to have chocolate Shakeology for breakfast, by 9am I'm sad because I don't have a shake to look forward to that day).

So when Beachbody announced that they gave greenberry a makeover, I was interested to see how it would taste. Earlier this week we had a family-wide taste test:

We have a winner! Upon second (and third) drinking of greenberry, I'd describe it as berry vanilla-ish. Very light and smooth, and it mixes well with other flavors. I threw some raspberries in the other day and it was really good. I can whole-heartedly recommend greenberry now (something that I couldn't do before. Before I warned people that it tasted very..."Healthy").

Here are the technical details on the other changes to the formula:

• Reduced calories from 140 to 130 per serving
• Reduced Sugars from 11g to 6g per serving! (5 grams less than before!)
• Reduced Total Carbs from 19g to 13g per serving
• Increased Protein from 16g to 17g per serving
• Fiber increased from 3g to 4g due to the addition of pea protein and increase in super greens.
• Reduced fructose necessary in the formula due to the addition of Luo Han Guo
• We added Shakeology's newest superfoods: Luo Han Guo, Moringa and Himalayan Salt.
• We increased the amount of super-greens (it is Greenberry after all!) and included an even more delicious natural flavor which works more harmoniously with the formula to makes Greenberry sweeter and fruitier.
• Green tea used is no longer decaffeinated — therefore it is less "processed".
• (Note: Green tea is naturally very low in caffeine).
• Plus we incorporated the improvements we made recently to Chocolate:
• More concentrated grasses. We're using grass juice powders. The grasses are first pressed into juices—which allows us to concentrate the nutrients—then the juice is further concentrated into a powder. (Before we were just grinding the grasses themselves into powders)
• Better strain of probiotics
• No suma root or blue-green algae
• Still Low Glycemic Index

There is always a 30-day "Bottom of the Bag" money-back guarantee on Shakeology. If you want to try some for yourself, contact me or visit this website. It just makes your body run better!

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Workout of the Day

Asylum 2 - X Trainer

An Unbiased Review of Tropical Strawberry Shakeology

We've had the brand new vegan Tropical Strawberry Shakeology in the house for about a week now, and I have been wanting to do a review.

Trouble is, I'm not exactly a credible taste-tester.

For one, I sell the stuff. Of course I'm going to say it tastes good.

For two, I pretty much think everything is delightful and delicious, with the exception of turnips and wasabi peas.

Lucky for you (and me), we have a completely unbiased taste-tester in residence. This is someone who steadfastly refuses to eat vegetables. Someone who bursts into tears if the Mother's Day Out Director isn't available to give her a Dum Dum sucker after school. Someone who would be perfectly happy to eat microwaved cheese quesadillas every single day for the foreseeable future.

Three-year-olds don't lie. (Well, they do, but not when it comes to food.) Here's Kate's completely unbiased, honest review of Tropical Strawberry Shakeology:

There you have it! It tastes "Pink." And we all know that Pink is delicious!

To expand on Kate's thoughts, Tropical Strawberry Shakeology is a great addition to the product line. It's fruity and refreshing. People who have been drinking chocolate or greenberry Shakeology will notice that the texture is a little different, which is due to the vegan, sprouted brown rice protein used in the ingredients.

It mixes well with citrus fruit and coconut milk. I have also done strawberries and PB2, which was really good.  

All in all...it's good stuff. If you want a sample, drop me a line. But remember that Shakeology has a 30-day "bottom of the bag" money-back guarantee, so I'd recommend just trying it yourself for 30 days to see what it does for you. What do you have to lose?

Visit www.SmellsLikeFitness.com and click "Shop." Remember to choose "Autoship" to save yourself $10 in shipping, even if you only want one month's worth. They don't give you any hassle to cancel via email.

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Workout of the Day
P90X2 Yoga