A Night Out at the Movies

The smell of buttery popcorn hits you as soon as you walk into any movie theater! For many people, a trip to the movies isn’t complete without a big tub of popcorn and a large soda. But if you’re not careful you could consume an alarming amount of calories! With a little planning, you can still enjoy a yummy snack without undoing all of your hard work and healthy eating habits.

If movie theater popcorn is a must-have, stick with a kid-sized serving and pass on the added butter. Skip the larger sizes completely, even if it seems like a great idea. Moving up to the medium serving from the small size costs only pennies more, but adds about 500 more calories, two days worth of saturated fat, and 3 days of working out to burn it off.

You can still enjoy movie snacks without destroying your waist line by bringing in your own snacks from home. Yes this is “breaking the rules” for some theaters so make sure to check out the rules before you go. Find out the policy at your favorite theater, and be prepared to lose your snacks to an angry employee if you get caught breaking the rules.

Here are some healthy alternatives you can bring from home to munch on:

• Bottled water or 100% fruit juice
• Trail mix, made with nuts and dried fruit
• Granola
• String cheese
• Air-popped popcorn, flavored with Parmesan cheese, chili pepper, or garlic powder
• Whole grain crackers or rice crackers
• Baked potato chips or tortilla chips
• Bananas, grapes, raisins, or other no-mess fruit
• 2-3 miniature chocolate bars

To avoid all temptation plan to eat a balanced meal of veggies, protein, healthy fats and whole grains before going into the theater so you’ll be satisfied through the entire movie.

You don’t have to miss out on a great time with friends just because you are bringing your own healthy snacks. The only thing you’ll be missing are the inches you’ll be losing from your waistline!!

Beachbody Coaching Comes to Canada!!

We love all our Team Beachbody Canadian customers, so we are extending the Beachbody Coaching Opportunity to Canada starting October 1st! Become a member of the Bombshell Dynasty coaching team and get EXCLUSIVE internship style training starting. If you're ready to grab opportunity by the horns and run with me, be one of the first Canadian coaches, message me for the details!

Clean Eating Baked Apples

 

I love this time of year, when there is a chill in the air and you can curl up by the fire with a warm yummy treat! These baked apples hit the spot and will make your house smell delightful while they're baking up in the oven.

Ingredients:
2 large apples, cut in half
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
4 tbsp quick oats
pinch of cinnamon

Directions:
* Preheat oven to 350º.
*Cut apples in half and remove core and seeds.
*In a small bowl combine butter, brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon.
* Spoon on top of the apple halves and sprinkle with cinnamon.
*Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.


Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1/2 apple with topping
Calories: 152.8
Fat: 6.3 g
Protein: 1.1 g

My Transformation

I am a 30 year old working wife and mother to a beautiful boy, Jayden who is 15 months. I began my fitness journey January 1, 2012 at 196 pounds. Yes, like every year before, I was making my New Year's Resolution to lose weight (again). I started a Biggest Loser challenge with some of my family and friends and lost about 20 pounds, which was a great start, but I needed more! I was frustrated that I wasn't getting the results that I wanted and feared I would have this "Mommy Tummy" forever but we just couldn't swing a gym membership at that time.

I scoured the internet for programs that I could do at home that would give me dramatic results. I came across a website for Turbo Fire and just fell in love! The videos looked so fun, they had great music and they were short enough to fit in my schedule while my son was taking his naps. I knew this was what I had to do to get my life back in control. I took my before pictures and was mortified. I thought HOW can I EVER change this? But it was the push that I needed to become the positive role model for my family. My husband has been my biggest cheerleader through this whole process. Helping with Jayden so I could get my workouts in and prepare our healthy meals has been so important for both of our success.

After the first 6 weeks I was slowly losing weight but I definitely wasn't getting the results that I had expected. I kept hearing everyone talk about Shakeology but I thought "oh yah, just another protein shake" and I refused to drink it. Then I thought..."Maybe this is why I'm not losing the weight that I should be?!?" So I signed up for Shakeology Home Direct and it's like I was a whole new person. The weight was coming off so much faster, I had a ton of energy and my bad cravings stopped! I also took the time to learn about Shakeology and what it was. It's NOT just a "protein shake" but a nutritional shake. Providing me with over 70 super foods, vitamins and nutrients that my body needed but wasn't getting from my regular diet. At this time I also cleaned up my diet, A LOT! I stopped eating those "100 calorie packs" and other processed food that wasn't keeping me full and switched to healthy whole foods and eating 5-6 times a day following the Eat Clean Diet.

(Jan '12, 196 pounds vs. June '12 169 pounds after TF & one month of Insanity)

After my first round of Turbo Fire I decided it was time to try out Insanity in June 2012. I absolutely loved it. It toned my body and new muscles were popping up where I never even knew I had them. Unfortunately due to a knee injury (pre existing injury) I was not able to continue after the first month. I was bummed but knew I had more work to do so I went back to my soul mate workout, Turbo Fire!

(Day 1, 30, 60, 90)

I am currently in a 12 week challenge group and we are quickly approaching our 90 day mark. Now I get up at 5am to workout before work every morning. I feel full of energy and stronger than I have ever felt. I am currently down to 156, lower than the day I got married, and in pant sizes that I haven't seen since high school. I also became a Beach Body coach because I am so grateful for what it has done for me and my life that I wanted to share this amazing feeling with everyone I know and help others to achieve their health and fitness goals. I truly have found my passion!  I love exercising and eating clean.  My family eats clean and they feel great too. My husband just started doing Insanity and I can't wait to see where it takes him!  Check back for updates on my fitness journey!

If you are interested in learning more about how you can start your journey to getting fit please contact me at mel_svale@hotmail.com or visit my site for additional information.  www.beachbodycoach.com/mrsbez

I would love to coach you to your weight loss goals and help you transform your life! 

Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken

Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken

Both my husband and I have very hectic work week schedules so I like to prepare as much as I can on the weekends. One of my favorite kitchen appliances is the Slow Cooker. I love how I can just throw everything in and let it cook while I go about my day. Who wouldn't like that?!?

One of our favorite recipes is Santa Fe Chicken. You can do so much with this recipe. You can serve it over brown rice with a salad and steamed veggies, grill up some onions and peppers and make fajitas, roll it up and make enchilladas. The possibilities are endless!!

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• 1 small jar salsa (your favorite variety)
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

* To make a creamier version, add ½ cup plain Greek yogurt the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Preparation

Add to slow cooker: chicken breast, beans, corn, salsa, cumin and chili powder. Mix and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. 

ENJOY!!

Independent Beachbody Coach
http://www.teambeachbody.com/mrsbez
http://www.facebook.com/melinda.besinaiz
http://www.myshakeology.com/mrsbez