I get asked a lot about my smoothie bowls and energy bites, so I want to share with you here these tasty treats and how to make them - and impress a crowd in the process!!!
So why is protein important for our body? Whenever we have protein in our morning we feel more energized by the afternoon, so this is awesome post AM workout! It's going to help your body recover which will give you lean muscle, increase your metabolism, and help you with your energy and keep that blood sugar level dipping with those hunger pains in the afternoon.😬 💪Not an early morning worker-outer or feeling that midday crash? Sometimes in the afternoon, we need that pick me up, I can't really handle caffeine in th afternoon so this is an amazing substitute for me if I didn't have it post AM workout!
Each time I serve these energy bites, they are a true crowd pleaser
Energy Bites
●1 Cup natural peanut or almond butter●3/4 cup oats●1/4 cup honey●1 scoop chocolate or cafe latte shakeology--->Simply mix and roll into balls. Put in fridge for 30 minutes before serving ***Optional Mix in's***●Chopped nuts or shredded coconut (unsweetened)●Dark chocolate (cocao)●Dried fruit (shown in second photo is raspberry)
Another go to of mine is this recipe for an energy bar - oh my goodness it's Cake Batter <3 http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/06/26/cake-batter-energy-bars/
My MAIN go to in the afternoon is a smoothie bowl, and this one is kinda my favorite!
☕Coffee Smoothie Bowl ☕
●3/4 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk●1/4 cup chilled coffee (decaf for me post noon!)●2 ice cubes of vanilla almond milk●1/2 frozen banana (for creamyness)●1 scoop cafe latte Shakeology Toppings:●Shredded coconut ●Slivered almonds●Dark chocolate If you're following the 21 Day Fix, your Containers are: 1Y, 1P, 1R and 1O ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~
So why Shakeology? It's non GMO, gluten free, and whole foods nutrition. No artificial colors or flavors. The ingredients are sourced from remote locations more free of pollutants and harmful chemicals. It has personally helped me with my energy (I used to drink 4 cups of coffee a day) and my sweets tooth! It's full of dense nutrition that tells the body, I have what I need now shed the rest. Plus during pregnancy, I was approved to have it in place of my prenatal, so hello, I'll take chocolate or coffee instead of something to remember to swallow!
What's a favorite energy bite or smoothie bowl you have tried?! I'm looking for new recipes!!!
I like to think of myself as a pretty clean eater.
Sure, I love pizza, cookies and the occasional Taco Bell, but for the most part, I make my meals and I eat foods from the outer sections of the grocery store aka fruits, veggies, and meats.
But again...I like pizza, cookies and the occasional Taco Bell. I'm human.
Well after a little too much of those extra cheats in my life, I had started to feel really nauseous. It was just a little here and there, truly not much, but my stomach was truly upset with me. "YAY, I'm pregnant again!" was my initial thought, but 4 tests proved me wrong :( So then I thought, oh nausea, here come my cycle, but nope, that wasn't it!
I realized it really was my little cheats here and there creeping in that left me feeling sick. I had let my 90/10 rule of eat clean 90% of the time, indulge 10% move more towards a 70/30 and that's just not something my body can handle.
So I decided to give the 3 Day Refresh a try.
I actually didn't do this to lose weight, although it's a great tool for helping with that. I just did the 3 Day Refresh to feel better. All in all, I lost 1.5 lbs and 1.5 inches in my bloated belly.
Here's a video breakdown of my thoughts and feelings of this 3 Day Refresh - cleaning up my body - process.
If you are interested in giving this a try, let's chat, see if this is right for you, or find something that may work even better for your goals. Helping people is what I do, I share what I'm doing, my experiences, and my knowledge to help you find something that could work for you. It may be a Beachbody program, it may not. I've tried a lot of programs within Beachbody and lots of them outside of Beachbody. I'll recommend to you what could be best, and have helped may people find the perfect one for them. From those that want to join our accountability groups, to those that just want a little information to get them going solo, it's what I love doing and I'm here to help :)
The easiest way to catch me is on Facebook
Next would be email - tamara.lee.bratton@gmail.com
Next after that would be here via the blog at the Contact Me section
Here's my breakdown day by day
DAY 1
Thoughts
HOLY S**T THIS F***ING SUCKS!!!!
I'M SO HUNGRY
I hate today
Hey, I'm not nauseous
Hmm, it's now 7pm and I actually feel okay
Alright, that wasn't so bad...I'm just a bit of a baby
Meals
***Lots of water - I mean like over 100 oz***
Cafe Latte Shakeology, 10oz Water, 2/3 C frozen blueberries
Chai tea to hold me over
Fiber Sweep with cinnamon added - mixed just enough water for pudding consistency (LOVED IT!)
Vanilla Fresh, 10oz water, 1/2 C frozen grapes
2 carrots cut up (it called for 1/2 a large but screw that), 1.5 t almond butter
1 G containers (1cup) Spaghetti squash with 1 t coconut oil
Chai tea
Coconut steamed veggies - broccoli, carrots, cale and coconut oil + salt free seasonings
Vanilla Fresh with cinnamon made into pudding consistency = dessert YUM
1/2 C Beef Broth, it calls for veggie broth, but we had beef so that's just what I went with
Workout
Walking around the mall with 2 of my mom friends and our kiddos - we did 2 or 3 laps, can't remember
DAY 2
Thoughts
I feel amazing this morning
I have energy
I mean A LOT of energy
I'm a freaking rockstar, this is awesome!
I'm not even crazy hungry
Meals
***Lots of water - I mean like over 100 oz***
Vegan Chocolat Shakeology, 10oz Water, 1 drop mint extract
1/2 banana
Chai tea
Fiber Sweep with cinnamon added - mixed just enough water for pudding consistency
2 carrots cut up, 1.5 t almond butter
Vanilla Fresh, 10oz water, 1/2 C frozen grapes, PB2
1 cup cucumbers and 2 T hummus
Chai tea
Coconut steamed veggies - broccoli, carrots, cale and coconut oil + salt free seasonings
Vanilla Fresh with cinnamon made into pudding consistency
1/2 C Beef Broth
Workout
Body pump with a friend - I had 1/2 my carrots before and 1/2 after class followed by my Vanilla Fresh AM meal
4 Mile Hike with the Hike it Baby group
note, I was not going to workout, but had been asked to do these events and I was feeling good, so I did them....I do not recommend this. I think if I had done one, not the other, I would have been better off :)
DAY 3
Thoughts
I feel pretty great this morning
I have good energy, but not as much as yesterday
I totally over did it yesterday
I'm a little bit hungrier today
Meals
***Lots of water - I mean like over 100 oz***
Exact same as Day 2 only an apple instead of a banana in the morning
I may have cheated and had part of my daughters PB, Banana Tortilla Wrap Up ;)
Workout
Walking around the park and from store to store in an outdoor shopping area with the little one
All in all, would I do it again? Absolutely. If I'm feeling as nauseous as I had been, then I know I need to make a clean and quick break of the extra trigger foods.
Having the fiber sweep to help clear out my digestive system and help get my intestines healthier along with my loved Shakeology full of superfoods to nourish my body, and the Vanilla Fresh protein to help stabilize me throughout the day, these tools were fantastic at getting me back on track.
I have some friends that do it once a month as a 'tune' up, others that do it seasonally to help cleanse when needed, and some that just need it at the beginning of their journey.
If you want to know if this is right for you, then think about what I've said. Check the video I'm posting here that goes in more depth, and let's chat. I want to work with you and help keep you accountable through this and your new healthy lifestyle.
The easiest way to catch me is on Facebook
Next would be email - tamara.lee.bratton@gmail.com
Next after that would be here via the blog at the Contact Me section
Ugh, I hate allergies. I hate allergies because it seems like now sometimes my head will feel like a helium inflated balloon & other times my throat is too sore to swallow comfortably. Thank you eosinphillic esophogitis! Ugh.
Since Tuesday I have felt icky. First my throat just felt raw, sore & scratched. I didn't want to go to the doctor yet since I didn't see any white dot things in the back of my throat or have a fever to indicate that it could be strep. So I went on with my work day & then onto my speed run for the half marathon training.
Tuesday night, sleep seemed to never come. My throat hurt so much! I found a cough drop to suck on around midnight & woke up with it still partially dissolved at 5am. Talk about a dry mouth! I could hardly even talk when I woke up. Every syllable hurt as it got stuck in the back of my throat and wouldn't let me make any form of verbal communication.
I went to the local grocer where I found Traditional Medicinals tea & Burt's Bees Natural Throat Drops. I took as many as I could.
I decided to skip out on Power Yoga and take a workout break. I felt mentally drained & even though I felt the tea helping my throat, I still could barely talk and didn't visit the doctor to 100% rule out a viral infection. You never want to be the one that gets everyone else sick, right?
Wednesday night passed with the help of an Advil & a melatonin. I woke up with a sore throat, but not as sore as I had the night before. At 7:30 am I had a visit to the allergist planned to go over my recent EE scope anyways, so I figured I'd ask them what was going on.
I had some more tea and was on my way!
The allergist confirmed what I had thought all along. My EE had improved, but not enough to stop taking my inhaler daily & a protonix when I felt acid reflux occurring. Ugh again. They checked my throat and concluded that it was likely sore due to a combination of allergies & acid reflux. I was prescribed to take a nasal spray (thankfully they had a sample for me!) and some protonix for a few days.
Now it's Friday, officially 4 days since the start of me feeling like shit began. My throat feels much better, but now my head is getting the big helium inflated balloon feeling. Ugh. I just want to feel 100% and to get back on with my half marathon training!
A special thanks to my friend that suggested the Traditional Medicinals tea. Natasha got me hooked on their Raspberry Leaf for menstrual reasons & now I am obsessed with Gypsy Cold Cure & Throat Coat! Also, my friend Mary told me about cutting up a garlic clove and having it with a glass of water after every meal. Garlic helps relieve toxins & let me tell you, I actually LOVE this stuff, some people find it bitter, but not me. I have been cutting up cloves and popping them like candy! My throat feels better, now lets see if we can get my head there too!
For now, I will keep drinking my tea & eating my garlic!
I heard that Ginger Tea is good for acid reflux, thankfully Traditional Medicinals also makes a ginger tea! Once I am over the head/throat stuff, I'll give it a try!
Questions of the day
Do you try any homeopathic remedies when you are sick? ...tea, garlic, steam bath, gargling of liquids etc.
Do you have any suggestions for me on my crazy throat/head/acid reflux issues. ...gee I sound like I am so sick, but I promise you, I really am feeling better & I am a healthy person typically!
