A Healthier, Happier Thanksgiving... and Chocolate Shakeology® Cream Pie!

I am ALL about enjoying the holiday- Thanksgiving only comes once a year, right? Unfortunately, statements like these are what get us into the trouble over the holidays. It's like we're giving ourselves permission, in advance, to feel like crap. But don't worry- there are a few things you can do to help yourself stay on track (or pretty close!) while still enjoying yourself and having a great time. 

First things first! Plate your greens! If you set up your plate to have your veggies laid out first, you will have a WAY better chance, right off the bat. You see, when you go for the salad, green beans, etc. first, you have less room on your plate for junk. 

Next, add your lean turkey. Sure, it may be basted in fats and butters and oils, but it's still a key component of a healthy plate: lean protein! You can also head straight over to the fruits to add a little sweet to your plate. Try and avoid Grandma's cool whip marshmallow surprise and instead hit up some fresh berries, melon, or pineapple from the fruit tray. 

By now, 3/4 of your plate should be full, predominantly of delicious veggies, fruits, and turkey. This is where my favorite part comes in. Stuffing! Potatoes! Yum! "But wait!" you say.  "I don't have much room left on my plate!?" 

Perfect. That's exactly as it should be. Chances are, after you eat everything on that plate and sit a minute, you're probably going to realize you are actually very full, and don't need another trip. After all, you want room for dessert, don't you? 

Ahhh, dessert. Of course, there are always staples like pecan pie and pumpkin, but this year I'm setting myself up for success with this delicious Shakeology Chocolate Cream Pie. It's so yummy, you won't even realize it's healthier than the alternatives! Here's how I made it. 

You can buy a store bought graham cracker crust, although I made mine by hand. I simply used a half cup of almond flour and a half cup of coconut flour, stirred in a bowl with a half Tablespoon of Stevia and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. After mixing those together, I added 4 Tablespoons of butter and mixed it together with a fork (this would be easy in a food processor- just a few pulses- but I don't have one). Then add two eggs and plus or mix again until you have a ball of dough. Roll it out between waxed paper and whalah! You have a healthy, gluten free crust that tastes delicious. I baked it at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes until firm and golden. 

On to the filling: simply mix the following in a blender:  2 scoops chocolate Shakeology, 2 Tablespoons nonfat milk, one 12 oz. container of tofu (firm or silken), and a half cup of natural peanut butter. Blend it all together and spread in your pie crust. 

This pie is a hit with the entire family, and gives you at least one option for a guilt free Thanksgiving (or any day) dessert. Enjoy your loved ones this holiday and I hope you have a safe and fun holiday! 

Protein Packed Pumpkin (flourless) Muffins

I recently read an recipe for some great pumpkin muffins on the Beachbody blog, which got me wanting to create my own. Of course, I modified the recipe a little here and there to serve my own purposes, and what I cam up with are these delicious pumpkin treats, low in calories and high in flavor! Obviously, since I am in the middle of the Ultimate Reset, I couldn't indulge in them, but I can tell you they were approved by my 4 year old, Olivia, who had them for breakfast and couldn't stop saying how delicious they are! One thing I love about healthy muffins is you can make them and have them ready to be grabbed on the way out the door- a perfect breakfast high in protein for my on-the-go husband (who tends to skip breakfast). What a great compliment to a hot cup of coffee on a cool fall morning.

You're going to want to start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and greasing a muffin tin or lining it with cupcake liners. Here's the ingredients I used:

• 1 Large Banana
• 2/3 c. Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 2 scoops Vanilla Shakeology
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Large Egg White
• 1/4 c. Almond Butter
• 1/4 c. Pure Organic Maple Syrup
• 1/4 c. Walnuts
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

I took a large bowl and added the "wet" ingredients: eggs, pumpkin, almond butter, maple syrup, and banana. I used a large rubber spatula to beat them until smooth. I then added the "dry" ingredients: Shakeology, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and cinnamon, stirring in and mixing until smooth. At the end, you have the option to sprinkle the walnuts on top of fold them in the batter. All thats left is to divvie out your batter into your muffin tin and bake.

 Mine took exactly 16 minutes, but yours might take a little more or less, depending on your oven. The best test is to insert a dry toothpick into several of them and when it comes out clean and dry, you know they are baked to perfection. :) 

I hope you enjoy these as much as my family did- I can't wait to make them again after my days of the Ultimate Reset are up. As always, have a beautiful day! Live healthy, live happy.

Ultimate Reset Day One

So... Day one of the Ultimate Reset. I can tell you now that I am still scared. What in the world was I thinking? But if there is one thing I know about the new Amanda, its that I am not afraid to commit to something and stick to it. So, here's how day one went. 

Breakfast consisted of 2 scrambled eggs, a piece of whole grain toast, and steamed kale. I tried eating these ingredients individually, but actually found it most delicious just piled on the toast together! I felt satisfied and full afterwards, which was one of my big fears.

So a key to this program is going to be prep, and I can tell you, I was totally overwhelmed, even with the book. Prep!? I'm a prepping PRO! But prep what?!? I was getting increasingly agitated and stressed out as I watched the time tick away for the day- after all, I may be up at 6am every day, but my day doesn't end until 1am! So how is this food going to last me 18 hours!? And where do I start?

What I ended up doing was logging into the Beachbody Ultimate Reset Facebook pages. I wasn't sure how much help it would be, but it turned out to be vital! There is a separate group for each week of the reset, and there are people who remain in the groups after they've finished that help by responding to your questions and commenting on posts. This was a big turning point for me in the day. On the advice of the group, I ended up prepping the miso soup (x3 for the week) which only took 5 minutes to make. I then ended up toasting the pumpkin seeds as well, portioning them out into small containers to be used later.

Here was my lunch: miso soup, pumpkin seeds, and a microgreen salad. The amount of vegetables in the salad really forces you to take your time and chew things thoroughly. As you do this, you begin to realize that it is more than enough food. By the time i finished the salad, I almost topped myself completely off with the soup- which i have never ventured to make but totally loved.

Now, dinner was a whole different ballgame. MEAT! Yes, I was allowed to have Salmon for dinner, which was delicious. I seasoned it up according to the recipe in the book, and along with some steamed new potatoes and asparagus, I had this healthy delicious dinner at about 8pm at work. This was something I would eat any time, so I was more than satisfied with this meal.

At the end of the day, I was very tired, but I feel that was no more than I normally am with the long busy days I work. One of my regrets was that I didn't do the optional snack in the afternoon, and about three hours after lunch, I was starving and needed to make it several more hours 'til dinner. So that is something I will be doing differently tomorrow. I hope following my journey is helpful to someone, and I can't wait to see how it goes for the next 20 days!