Mother's Day reflections

Today is Mother's Day. I got the title upgrade to mom just about 2.5 years ago when my son Ezekiel was born. He came in to the world 10 weeks earlier than expected - we're pretty sure he was just eager to meet us and see what all the fuss was about.

I started my fitness journey on November 4th, 2015- just under 2 years after Zeke was born. I had kept telling myself it was baby weight that I'd take off eventually. Or, maybe I wouldn't even try and just keep it on because what if we wanted to have another baby? Why put all that work in to getting healthy if I was just going to put it right back on?

I'm not sure what switch flipped- but it did.

The first months were really tough (it still isn't easy) but the weight slowly came off about 1-2lbs a week. Then muscles started showing. Then I noticed an improvement in my mood. Then I think others noticed my weight loss and began commenting. I started meal prepping, feeding myself and my family better and actually feeling GOOD about myself.

You know what? I also started appearing in more pictures. I had faded in the background or only taken pictures of Zeke and Ryan- I didn't want to be photographed when I was feeling so unhappy about myself. What a shame for me to go missing from these moments in our lives.

I posted today in a group how the world needs more moms who care not only for those around them but care for themselves. I can't tell you how much my heart believes this to be true.  Gosh, this can even be true for fur baby moms! Now, I'm not saying that dads or others aren't important in the family structure- don't get it twisted. This is true for moms AND dads. What better parents we become when we take time for ourselves. When we begin putting healthier food into our bodies and the bodies of those we love. We're going to be happier, healthier and hopefully around longer!

Now, healthy means different things to different people. For some it's a size of pants, for some it's lowering the cholesterol, for some it's keeping Type 2 Diabetes at bay. There are SO many ways to define healthy for yourself. So- I ask, what does healthy look like to you?

Then, I ask, how can I help you get there?
I have so many women and men who have allowed me to be their coach. They are on different journeys with varying goals. For some it is being able to run longer, some it's a number on a scale, some it's seeing muscles and feeling proud to wear a swimsuit. SO many varied reasons and I hope to help each one of them reach their why. That is my #1 goal as a coach - to help YOU reach YOUR why. Not MY why, not my definition of healthy- but yours.

Tomorrow both of my accountability groups are kicking off a Challenge Point Round where they can get points for doing simple things like posting a healthy meal pic and recipe, taking a post-workout selfie, talking about their journey on their FB page and more. I believe these groups are KEY to success- and I think many of my tribe members would agree.

This is your invitation to join us. Find your healthy- let's get you there!

Turkey Egg Skillet

Another home run meal here at the Johnson house! I told Ryan I was going to make chicken wrapped asparagus but he said he had another meal to try. Not gonna lie, I wasn't very excited about it after reading it but it is a MUST try folks!

The original recipe is here.




Here are the directions directly from the site:

"Ingredients3/4-1 lb. organic ground turkey (or grass-fed beef)
1 cup salsa of choice
6 organic eggs*

InstructionsGrease skillet and place turkey into it
Cook until turkey browns
Add in salsa and mix to combine, let cook together for 2-3 minutes
Crack in eggs and cover skillet for 7 minutes or until egg whites are opaque**

Notes*Adjust based on how many people you are serving. Example: If you're making it for 2 people, and you want 2 eggs each, reduce the amount as desired.
**Cooking time will vary based on how yolky you want your eggs"
We added about 1tsp of pepper, 1 tsp of garlic salt, too! We also roasted some asparagus that was tossed in 1tsp of oil and salt-free Mrs. Dash (bake at 375 for 10 minutes) and a side of avocado! Zeke, Ryan and I loved it!

21 Day Fix Container Counts per serving (recipe makes 3 servings): 
2 red (eggs and turkey)
1/3 Purple (salsa)
1 blue (avocado)
1 green (asparagus)
1tsp (between turkey and asparagus)

Buffalo Chicken Bowls and Roasted Veggies

WOW! I can't believe how many questions I've gotten about the Buffalo Chicken Bowls I made for lunch this week. Ya'll must love some buffalo sauce!

If you've been following me you know that I batch meal prep (info here) so I eat the same thing for lunch every day- which totally works for me! My last meal prep lunch was General Tso's Chicken- I'm also blown away by hearing how much folks just love it- and their kids, too! 

Anyhow- on to the meat of the post!

Buffalo Chicken

Pre-cook chicken (bake, instapot, sautee)

Shred and toss in Frank's Buffalo Sauce

... that's it!

Container: Red

Blue Cheese Dressing (courtesy of my husband!)

3/4 C plain Greek yogurt

1 1/3 C mayo (could sub greek yogurt)

1 tsp Worcestershire

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4oz blue cheese 

Containers- Blue, red

Whisk all ingredients together- we use a food processor to smooth it out. Eat! I add less than 1 tbsp to my chicken and rice, a little goes a long way!  

Roasted Veggies

Slice up zucchini, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, brussel sprouts

Toss in 2 tsp olive oil, salt, pepper

Roast at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes- depending on desired doneness

Container: Green, 1 tsp

I put the chicken over basmati rice for a yellow (carb) container- and it is super tasty!

Basmati Rice
Cook according to instructions- we use our Instant Pot to make it! You can find it cheaper in most bulk bins at grocery stores.
Container- Yellow

This is SUCH an easy batch meal prep to do- you could alter the recipe a million ways by tossing the chicken in a teriyaki sauce and using a peanut sauce on top or other fun ideas. Share how you do it if you do mix it up!

Why Red Rover? I don't know to be honest... I think I've used Red Rover for a while now because I love trying new things, traveling, taking journeys of all types. Red for the hair, obviously- Rover because of the journey.  If you're interested in roving into your own fitness journey with my support reach out to me here. Or check out my BeachBody site. Oh, and for sure follow me on Instagram. 

Join my Challenge Group- take a step towards a healthier and happier you. 

Fill out my interest form here- 

and I'll see you in the group!