4 Tips on Drinking Water

We all know that drinking water is important helps in making us "healthier" but why?  

Drinking more water helps in balancing body fluids.  Our bodies are made up of about 60% water; the functions on these fluids include creation of saliva, maintaining body temperature and transportation of nutrients.  Drinking water also improves your skin giving you a "glow." 

Guilt Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes you truly just need a treat!  Or you're tired of always being the person that brings the healthy dish!

Here I've solved the problem!  I've been making these bad boys for years; even before Beach Body!  Little did I know that my friends and family would fall in love with them!  Super simple and quick recipe with ingredients you probably have laying around!

INGREDIENTS: 

1 1/2 cups of quick oats
2 table spoons of peanut butter
1 medium ripe banana
1/4 cup of carob or dark chocolate chips
1 tsp of honey or agave nectar

What is clean eating?

Many of you might be asking yourself, "what is clean eating?"  And when I mentioned portion sizes; you might be asking yourself, "how much should I eat?" or "am I eating too much or not enough?"  Here I am hoping to clear up any questions or concerns on what "clean eating" is.

Clean eating is a general term for a diet that consists of little to no processed foods.  Processed foods often come in boxes or jar and have added sugars, are low in fiber and whole grains.  These processed foods are high in sodium, high in fat or include trans fats and lots and lots of saturated fat.

How do I eat clean?

Eating "clean" is a relatively easy and simple principle once you get the hang of avoiding processed foods as much as possible and learn to read nutrition labels.  Follow the easy principles below:

7 Clean eating principles:

• Eat more and more often approximately 6 meals a day.  This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.  Breakfast should be the largest meal of the day with a snack about 3 hours later followed by a moderately sized lunch another snack and dinner which should be your smaller meal of the day.
• You should be eating this way because if you're not eating enough your body will actually make the most of what you're eating by hanging onto the fat to store for future energy.  Your body actually goes into "starvation mode."
• Eat breakfast every day!
• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  You've probably heard this statement since you were a child and this couldn't be truer.  Eating a healthy breakfast can give you energy to fuel you through your day, satisfy your appetite and sets the stage for making smart decisions all day!
• Skipping breakfast can also cause you to over eat later in the day.  
• For an easy breakfast I like eating egg muffins!  These have vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbs necessary for me to start my day on the right food!  Check out the recipe HERE.
• Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbs at each meal.
• An excellent lean protein for breakfast is eggs!  Pair up eggs with green veggies or whole grains such as whole grain bread or oatmeal (no seasoning or sugars added).
• Eat sufficient (two to three servings) healthy fats every day.
• Healthy fats consist of coconut oil, olive oil or avocado.
• Carry a cooler packed with clean foods each day.
• Rather than eating out or going through a drive through; BE PREPARED!
• If you fail to plan you plan to fail!
• Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.
• You should be consuming LOTS of fruits and veggies!  Fruits and veggies are LOADED with fiber, vitamins and nutrients needed to fuel you for the day! 
• Be mindful of high sugar fruits such as grapes and bananas.  Eat these in moderation.
• Adhere to proper portion sizes.
• Many of us are under eating but a lot of us are OVER eating!!  Or eating too much sugar from fruits! 

What foods should I avoid eating?

• Avoid all over-processed foods, particularly white flour and white sugar.
• Avoid all chemically charge foods.
• Avoid foods containing preservatives.
• Benzoate Preservatives (BHT, BHA, TBHQ)
• Avoid artificial sugars.
• Acesulfame potassium, aspartame, Sucralose 
• Avoid artificial foods such as processed cheese slices.
• Avoid saturated and trans fats.
• Avoid sugar loaded beverages, including colas and juices (even if they are from 100% juice).
• Avoid or do your best to limit alcohol intake.
• Avoid all calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value. I call these anti-foods.
• Avoid super sizing your meals.

Proud Moment

Sometimes I think that we forget to pat ourselves on the back.  I've been working vigorously to provide excellent content to my audience, training material for my team and continuing to help others.

Today I have stopped to take a look at my accomplishments this week.  While my laundry is clean and still needs to be put away I have done a lot!

The house is a hot mess but hey, something's gotta give!

I am SOOOOO proud of myself for getting my website going and truly cannot wait to provide nothing but THE BEST stuff for you folks!

Are you excited?!  I am!  

I'm taking some suggestion now for content.  What are YOU in need of?  Motivation?  Support?  Recipes?  Need more tutorial videos?  

Whatever it is I want to know!

XoXo,

Jam <3

21 Day Fix Ranch Dressing Dip

Everyone loves a good ranch dressing dip to go with your favorite veggies or side of chicken wings!  Try this 21 Day Fix "APPROVED" recipe to bring to your next gathering!  

2 servings as a dip; 4 servings as a dressing

6 tbs for a dip; 3 tbs for a dressing

Counts as a red container

Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Prep Time: 20 minutes 

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS 

3 large chicken breasts, butterflied 

1 (10 ounce) fresh broccoli florets 

1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt 

1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese 

3 tsp garlic hummus 

1 tsp of olive oil, coconut oil or cooking spray 

INSTRUCTIONS 

-Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Grease using the oil or cooking spray. 

-Chop fresh broccoli into tiny pieces. 

-Mix the cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, and broccoli. *Tip: save some cheddar cheese to sprinkle over the top of the chicken before baking. 

-Lay the 3 chicken breasts out on a flat surface. Stuff each chicken breast with equal portion of broccoli mixture. The filling may appear to be too much but that's okay. "Tuck" the stuffing in as much as possible. 

-Place the chicken breasts onto the lined baking pan. 

-Spread hummus mixture over the top of the chicken breast and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. 

-Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.