Clean Eating Vegetable Quinoa Soup

Its mid January. It's cold. It's dreary. It's time for a new recipe to add to my arsenal of weapons!

My mom made me some vegetable beef barley soup the other day. I normally don't eat ground beef because it doesn't agree with my stomach most of the time. I decided to give my moms soup a go. It was pretty yummy but it was greasy. I wanted to find an alternative to the soup that was just as yummy.

So, I came up with my own recipe. I didn't want to use meat but needed a way to get protein into the soup. In a genius move (well, I think it was genius!), I decided to add in cannelloni beans and quinoa. There's my protein!

The end result yielded 16 cups (actually more like 18 cups!) of delicious, perfect for a cold winters night, hearty soup. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ingredients:
 

• 1 /2 medium sweet onion, diced
• 1 bag (16 oz) frozen carrots *
• 1 bag (16 oz) whole kernel sweet corn *
• 1 bag (16 oz) sweet peas *
• 1 bag (16 0z) cut green beans *
• 2, 16 oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2, 14.5 oz cans of no salt added diced tomatoes
• 4 cups organic chicken stock, no salt added or low sodium
• 2 cups cooked sweet potatoes, diced (I bought mine frozen)
• 1 cup dry, uncooked quinoa

Directions:

1. Sautee diced onions in a large stock pot until they are translucent.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the quinoa, to the stock pot.
3. Bring the ingredients to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and add in quinoa.
5. Cook the soup for 20 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked. 
6. Serve and enjoy!

These ingredients produced a nice thick stew-like soup. If you want your soup to be more "soupy" then add in more liquid. You can add more chicken or vegetable stock or add some water. The quinoa will soak up a lot of the liquid during the cooking process. 

You can also add in any type of veggies you want. You don't have to use all the ones that I used. I'm not a huge fan of green beans, but my son loves them so I used them. I think some zucchini would work great in this soup too. Also, you can add in any type of spices that you like. I'm not a fan of lots of spices, so I don't use any. To each their own!

I am going to freeze some of my leftovers for later this month or maybe even for next month! I love cooking enough to have some for later!

Let me know how your version turned out and what you did differently!

*when using frozen vegetables, make sure that the ONLY ingredient is the actual vegetable. If you read labels carefully, salt is added quite often! We don't need extra salt in our diets!

Serving details:
(1 serving = 1 cup)

Calories = 158

Carbs = 32

Fat = 1

Protein = 7

Calcium = 7

Sugar = 8

<3,
Kell

Chalene is in the Bombshell House!

AHHHHH! I am BEYOND excited! I can't believe this is really going to happen!

Our team really did it! The Bombshell Dynasty is bringing Chalene Johnson to the house! I seriously can't wait!

Chalene is the mastermind behind TurboJam, TurboFire, and ChaLEAN Extreme. She is teaching me how to be more organized with her 30 day push challenge. In fact, the next book on my list to read is her book, "Push".

Chalene is the one who motivated me every-single-day to push play and to ENJOY doing it. She told me to "go heavy or go home". She made me smile every time it hurt. She make me tell her that "I love it" during my tricep pushups. She taught me how to make TurboFire chili - hello - have you made that yet???

I CANNOT wait to hear what she is going to say on this call. Usually our team calls only hold 100 people. I will dial in DAYS early if I have to. I am NOT going to miss this call. Not for a million dollars. Woot Woot!

CHALENE IS IN THE HOUSE!


seriously - can you tell I'm excited about this??? I'm sitting here like a giddy school girl!

<3,
Kell

In the wake of tragedy

The past two days have been terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-days.

If you live in the Pittsburgh area, you heard about the horrible accident in Butler County. The one where a mom was driving with her two little boys, ages 3.5 and 11 months. They hit black ice, the car flipped, hit a tree, and the boys died. Mom walked away unharmed. It was a horrific scene. One that no one should have to see, let alone experience.

The mom in the story is my husbands' cousin. The little boys were our family. I can't even begin to imagine what she and the rest of her family are going through. I know I'm numb and they weren't my kids! Yes, we were close to them, but it doesn't even compare to what the immediate family is feeling right now. All I can do is pray for them and hug them.

Wednesday was a whirlwind of emotions. We were scared when we first got the call. Anxious as we got her other kids home from school. Sad as we were told the news. Anger as to why this would happen to these precious little boys. Confusion as to how this could have happened. Disbelief and complete and utter shock as it hasn't even sank in.

Thursday brought a haze upon us. No one could function. We were all numb.

Today, Friday, is devastating because it is the baby's first birthday.

Tomorrow, we were supposed to be at the baby's first birthday party. Instead, we are going to his funeral.

As I laid in bed last night, I was tossing and turning and thinking about everything. Somehow, my thoughts came back to myself and how I am going to handle this whole situation. I could throw in the towel with my clean eating and working out. I could gorge myself on comfort food. I could undo all the hard work I have put in so far. It actually would be easy to do seeing as how I haven't been enjoying my workouts.

But, I decided to do something different. I made the decision to abandon P90X. It just isn't for me right now. I have been dreading my workouts and that's not me. I can promise that I will come back to it at some point. We are not guaranteed any more time than the present. I am not going to continue doing something I hate.

Instead, I am going back to my soulmate workout. I am going to be doing the ChaLEAN Extreme weight lifting program but changing it up a bit this time. I am going to follow the CLX lifting schedule, but I am going to add in TurboFire cardio on the non-lifting days. So it will look something like this:

Monday - Burn/Push/Lean Circuit 1
Tuesday - TurboFire 55 EZ class and Ab Ripper X (ok - I like this one!)
Wednesday - Burn/Push/Lean Circuit 2
Thursday - TurboFire 45 EZ and Extreme Abs
Friday - Burn/Push/Lean Circuit 3
Saturday - HIIT 15 and Ab Igniter
Sunday - Rest

I will be mixing up the TurboFire workouts every 4 weeks along with my CLX circuits. I might mix them up even a little more if I start to get bored. The point is that I keep moving!

If you learn nothing from this tragedy, please learn that LIFE IS SHORT. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. Make TODAY COUNT! Do what is necessary to be your best. Forget the rest. Hug your family. Tell them that you love them. Kiss your kids, your husbands, your wives, your whole family. Tell them what they mean to you.  Be the best you can be TODAY for tomorrow may never come.

If you would like to do something to help out this family, there are a few ways you can do so. There is a fund set up to raise money for the family. Click HERE to donate.

Also, they are asking in instead of flowers for the funeral, donations be made to the Make A Wish Foundation or Animal Friends of Pittsburgh in care of the boys. Their names were Liam and Declan. You can also say a prayer for their parents, siblings, grandparents, and aunts and uncles as they go through something that no one should ever have to experience.

<3,
Kell

P90X, the first week

Now that I'm officially done with ChaLEAN Extreme, it's time to either repeat the program or start a new one.

Originally, I wanted to do TurboFire, but then I got this strange bug up my butt about P90X. I think I wanted to try it because I've seen SOOOOO many amazing transformations with the program. I am still looking to lose at LEAST another 25 pounds, so I need something that's going to get great results. I made the decision - P90X it is!

I decided to give the Lean Program a try since that's what I'm trying to do, lean out. I'll be the first to admit, I don't like cardio. I never have. This one has a little more cardio than I'm used it. In fact, I'm only lifting weights 2 days a week.

I'm now on my second week and I am feeling the need to be VERY honest. I hate don't like it. I don't know if it's the workouts I don't like (they are ok), if it's Tony I'm not too fond of (that's not it - he's funny), if I just miss Chalene a lot (I do), if I don't like this version I'm doing (the lean version), if it moves too fast for me (it does), if it's the length of the workouts (most are over an hour) or if my heart's just not in it. Whatever it is, it's hurting my progress :(

I'm kind of at a loss of what to do. I was on SUCH a great workout kick. I loved my workouts and was eating really well. Now I'm second guessing myself. Do I really have what it takes to do this? What if I still hate the program in a few weeks? Do I keep going and finish out the 90 days while being miserable or do I switch?

In the videos, Tony always says "do your best and forget the rest". So, right now, I'm doing my best. I tried to go into this week with a different attitude. I'm pumping myself up about doing the workouts. I'm getting them done first thing in the morning. And, I'm still not liking it :(

I've made the decision to stick with P90X for a full month. I'm in it until Jan 31st. I'm going to re-evaluate then and maybe switch something up. Maybe I'll end up loving it and I'll stick with. Maybe I will do the P90X/CLX hybrid, maybe I'll just do CLX again, maybe I'll jump right into TurboFire, maybe I'll try out Brazil Butt Lift, or maybe I'll even do a CLX/TurboFire hybrid. So many different choices, so little time!

I hope this post isn't a debbie downer for anyone. I just have to be honest. I'm not superwoman. I'm not good at everything I do. I have bad days. Heck, I have bad weeks!

Should this post deter you from doing P90X? ABSOLUTELY not. It's just my experience with the first week of the program. Like I said, I'm going to give it my all for a month. Then a decision will be made.

<3,

Kell

Pre- and post-workout fuel

It's no secret. The food that you fuel your body with is going to make the biggest difference in your weight loss and muscle building efforts.  Not all calories are equal and you need to choose the ones that are right for what you are trying to accomplish! I'm not a fitness expert by any means, but I do my research and I will tell you what works for me!



Pre-Workout Fuel

I do my best when I workout on an empty or semi-empty stomach. I also can't drink anything prior to my workout. The drinking thing is more because I gave birth than because I can't handle it, if you catch my drift...

Back on track. If I have to workout in the evenings, eating before my workout is unavoidable. I can't go all day without eating. The latest I will have a full meal before a workout is 3 hours. My body needs that amount of time to digest my food so I don't feel like I'm gonna puke mid-workout!

If I'm feeling like I really need something before I get my sweat on, I will have a banana about an hour before my workout. Bananas work for me because they are quick digesting carbs and help to fuel my workout nicely!

Sometimes, I'll even have my Shakeology before I work out. It keeps me energized and provides my body with all the nutrients it needs!

I know a lot of people swear by Beachbody's Energy and Endurance (E&E) for their pre-workout fuel. I haven't had it yet because I am nursing my daughter and don't want to do anything to jeopardize her health.

Now, if I'm working out first thing in the morning, that's a totally different story. I like to wake up, get dressed, and get my sweat on!






Post-Workout Fuel

What you eat after you workout might be even more important than what you ate before. You just worked REALLY hard. Your body used up its stores of glycogen (stored energy) when you work hard and those stores need to be replaced.


One of the best post-workout fuels is Shakeology. It has just the right amount of vitamines, minerals, enzymes, protein, and carbs to give your body just what it's craving!

Check out this video by P90X, P90X2, 10 Minute Trainer, and Power 90 trainer, Tony Horton. He talks about why Shakeology is the perfect post-workout fuel.

Another great post-workout fuel is P90X Results and Recovery. It is specifically designed to help your body repair the muscles that you worked after a hard workout. Best part, it tastes like a dreamsicle! Who wouldn't want to drink that???



If you don't have any Shakeology of R&R on hand, you want to make sure that you have a balanced snack. You want about 60% carbs to restore your glycogen, 25% protein to help your body start rebuilding your muscles, and less than 15% fat. Your body doesn't need fat after a workout so make sure you keep this below 10 grams.

A few examples of post-workout snacks are: protein shake, low-fat cottage cheese and fruit, whole wheat english muffin with 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter, a smoothie made with milk, yogurt or protein powder, fruit and almonds, a protein bar, egg whites and toast, I could go on and on.

The absolute worst thing you could do is skip your post-workout meal. Your body is CRAVING nutrients and needs them to help you recover!

So, go get your workout on and then get your eat on!!!

<3,
Kell

Snow Storm Shakeology

I'm always on the lookout for new Shakeology recipes. I saw this one posted on the Shakeology Facebook page and had to give it a go!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology (Vegan or Regular)
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract
• 1/8 tsp. rum extract
• 1/2 cup cold coffee
• 1/2 cup skim milk

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. For a thicker shake, add ice to the desired thickness!

Enjoy!!!

<3,
Kell

Chocolate Shakeology Frozen Yogurt

Talk about a lick-the-bowl it's so good snack! I CANNOT get enough of this! It's my go-to evening sweet fix lately. It's also perfect for after an evening workout or a morning workout or for an anytime snack. Just try this recipe already! I meant to take a picture of it this evening and this is what was left...

Ingredients:

• 1 6 oz. container of 0% plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 scoop chocolate shakeology
• 1/2 -1 cup frozen strawberries, sliced or chopped
• drizzle of honey

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and DEVOUR! I tend to add a lot of frozen strawberries because they freeze up the yogurt to make it more like an ice cream texture. 

Enjoy!!!

<3,
Kell