Regular Exercise + Healthy Diet = RESULTS!

Are you ready to make a change in your life?
Are you tired of feeling tired?
Want to get into the best shape of your life?  

Want to transform your body?
Want to win $100,000?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, it's time to get serious and join the Team Beachbody Challenge!

Go here to begin the challenge (click on the "Team Beachbody Challenge box on the right hand side)  and select your Challenge Pack (available during the registration process).  You can customize your pack to get you into the best shape of your entire life!

Have questions?  Feel free to leave a comment or email me: coachkellyabattles@gmail.com.  I'm here for you, because I've been there!  I've lost 43 lbs since April and gone from a size 18 to a 10!  I know this works.  It all boils down to a decision:  Are you really ready to make a change?  It's not a magic pill.  It's hard work:  exercise + healthy diet = RESULTS!  Trust me, it's worth it!

Cranberry Pineapple Bread Pudding

Happy Thanksgiving!  

I am thankful for so many things:  my family, a house, my husband's job, a healthier lifestyle (43 lbs lighter!), and the ability to stay home and homeschool our children.   

Today, I spent the morning working out with my husband to P90X One on One and Turbo Jam!  I was supposed to run the Turkey Trot downtown (that I've been training for!), but an earache wasn't something I thought I should run with in this cooler weather.  So instead, my wonderful husband worked out with me.

Around 10 this morning, I began the final prep for our special meal.  Our menu included:  A brined turkey, whipped sweet potatoes with pecans, brussel sprouts with caramelized onions, homemade yeast rolls, dressing, gravy, apple-cranberry relish, and my absolute favorite dish, Cranberry Pineapple Bread Pudding!  I couldn't find a recipe I really liked, so I experimented and we were all really happy with the results.


CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 4 eggs, room temp
• 1 c brown sugar
• 10 slices Nature's Own Honey Wheat bread, cubed
• 1 3/4 c milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 c dried cranberries
• 3/4 c walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease ceramic or glass baking dish.  (I used Olivio spread.)
2. Add vanilla to milk, set aside.
3. Beat melted butter, eggs and sugar, set aside.
4. Sprinkle spices over bread, cranberries, and pineapple; toss until well combined and add to greased baking dish.
5. Pour vanilla milk over bread mixture; gently mix.
6. Add egg mixture; gently mix until all is combined.
7. Sprinkle walnuts and more cinnamon on top.
8. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

DISCLAIMER:  This is not a healthy & fit recipe!  This is a special holiday treat.  I do not believe in starving myself to get healthy.  I believe it's best to eat whole, homemade foods in moderation, combined with exercise.  I worked out twice today and feel NO guilt at all for eating this yummy treat AND the pumpkin pie with homemade vanilla whipped cream. 

I'm linking up to:

Feed 5 for $500 Recap

I still find people who don't believe it's possible to spend only $500 per month on groceries for a family of 5.  But it really is possible!  It does take discipline, planning, and some extra "elbow grease," but it's definitely worth the effort.

There are really four simple rules to follow in order to keep your grocery budget in tact:

1. Buy in bulk (especially organic, from your local health food store)
2. Menu plan (for premade plans, see Once A Month Mom)
3. Freezer cook (do what works for you -- all meals for the month in one day; double meals for two weeks, etc.)
4. Homemade is best!

I hope you've enjoyed this series.  I will update on the first of the month with my monthly meal plans if I receive enough comments requesting that!  So please, show some "comment love"!

Coconut Almond Pancakes

I've pretty much cut out cold cereal in the mornings, so finding healthy and filling breakfasts for my family has been a priority. These pancakes were an experiment yesterday that my family loved!  The almonds and almond meal add the protein your family needs to start the day.

I made a large batch on purpose so that we can freeze the leftovers (between sheets of aluminum and stored in a freezer ziploc).  This morning, we had pancakes ready to go -- we just heated them up in the toaster on the highest setting!  We enjoy ours with local maple syrup, but feel free to use your favorite toppings.

COCONUT ALMOND PANCAKES (makes 36 medium pancakes)

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs (farm fresh are the best!)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 tsp organic cinnamon (there really is a difference in taste when you use organic)
• 4 cups milk or buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 cup almond meal
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sliced almonds (I crush them for the perfect consistency in the pancakes)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use unsweetened organic, medium shred)
• butter or Olivio spread (for the griddle)
• toppings:  maple syrup, apple butter, Olivio, peanut butter, jelly or jam

Directions:

1. Heat skillet.
2. Mix eggs, salt and sugar together.  
3. Stir baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla into milk and add to egg mixture.
4. Stir in baking powder, almond meal, wheat germ and flour, just until mixed.
5. Fold in almonds and coconut.
6. Melt butter or Olivio onto heated skillet.
7. Use a large scoop (I use the large Pampered Chef cookie scoop for uniformity) & drop onto heated skillet.
8. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear.
9. Serve warm with your choice of toppings!

I will update this post later with calories/fat and a few more pics.

Feed 5 for $500: Lunch Menus & Homemade Snacks (part 4)

Turkey Chili from SkinnyTaste

Because I homeschool my children, I am able to provide them with a warm lunch most days.  But for those of you whose children go to school or for those of you who take lunch to work, I have several options that can work for you.

MONTHLY LUNCH MENUS

• Sandwiches.  Most of the time, we have PB&J. I get natural peanut butter ($3.99/lb) at the health food store and a quart of natural apple butter or homemade marmalade from a local farmer's market for less than $6.  These will both last me for approximately 2-4 weeks, depending on how often we have PB&J. As I stated in an earlier post, I buy Nature's Own bread from the Dollar Tree (so I buy as much as they have and store it in my deep freezer).  You can make a lot of sandwiches in advance and freeze them.  The trick to freezing PB&J is to put peanut butter on both pieces of bread and the jelly (or marmalade/apple butter) in the middle.
• Soup.  Now that the weather has changed, my kids love soup.  Sometimes I serve it with a hot dog bun (Nature's Own) broiled with butter and cheese on top.  If you heat the soup in the morning and put it in a good thermos, it should still be warm at lunch. (Our favorite soup recipes include Butternut Squash and Turkey Chili.)
• Quesadillas. Whole grain tortillas are obviously better, but I don't always buy them.  I've tried making tortillas from scratch, but for me, they were too labor and time intensive.  I simply sprinkle with shredded cheese (it's cheaper to buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself OR buy the largest bag of shredded cheese and keep it in the freezer).  Or, I make personal pizzas with the tortillas by using marinara and mozzarella.
• Hot dogs. Get the Nature's Own buns from your Dollar Tree to save a lot of money!  I stock up on Nathan's or Hebrew National when they are BOGO at my local grocery store.  Other hotdogs have so many preservatives, so I try to avoid them.
• Leftovers.  So often, we have leftovers from our healthy dinner meals that I warm up for the kids and definitely saves money!  With leftover soups or chili, it helps to extend the meal by adding a can of beans, or some fresh veggies before reheating.

HEALTHY SNACKS

• Homemade granola bars.  These are so hearty and filling.  And by making them yourself, you will save a lot.  Make them in big batches and store in freezer -- they actually keep better in the freezer!  (See my recipe here.)
• Muffins.  You can make all sorts of healthy muffins.  SkinnyTaste is my favorite website for recipes.  When you make them, double or triple the recipe and store the extras in the freezer.  I also make several dozen mini muffins for quick snacks.
• Veggies & dip.  I make my own hummus that the kids love!  Use a white bean as your base for a smooth, mild flavor and add in any extra flavors your kids will like.  Then, store them in baggies or freezer jars in the freezer.  Heat them up for a quick snack served with baby carrots or celery.  This is a very healthy and filling snack your kids will love!
• Snack mix.  I keep items like dried fruit (cranberries, dates, cherries) on hand, along with sunflower seeds, nuts, dried coconut to make my own healthy snack mix.  Buying these items in bulk packaging and making your own mix will save you a lot of money!  If you're worried about your kids eating the entire bag of mix, separate out 1/4 c to 1/2 c of mix into snack baggies and store in your pantry.
• Fresh fruit and veggies.  Buy whatever you can find in season at your local farmer's market or the grocery store.  Going to a local farm and picking your own is another way to save money!  If you buy a lot, freeze the extras so they don't go bad!