21 Day Fix Results-Round 1!

On September 1st I started my first round of 21 Day Fix. By now, y'all know I love my Beachbody programmes....I'm not a beachbody coach or anything so this is a totally 100% honest opinion.

As a note...please ignore my messy room. I take these photos first thing in the morning before I even leave the bedroom so they aren't typically the neatest background ;) hehe

This is September 1. I felt fine, and didn't mind where I was at...but, I didn't like how tight my jeans were in my thighs and how my stomach looked over my jeans, it was pooching. Also, I didn't like that my sugar intake had increased while I was struggling to make myself eat vegetables. So, I bought the 21 Day fix extreme for the following reasons:

1) I knew the workouts would be tougher than 21 Day Fix original

2) I liked the portion control and emphasis on getting in veggies

3) I just felt like it was a programme I could be super successful using

Before

After-September 21. I wound up losing inches all over and I could really see that my lower abs pulled up. I have also seen a huge increase in balance. I'm not tripping and falling as much as I had been before this program. Also, my triceps are incredibly tighter. I started noticing a bit of a bat wing but it is completely tight in that area again. My jeans are also quite loose in my thighs, I don't need new jeans yet, but they do finally fit comfortably in that area. Also, my husband has said my thighs are noticeably more shapely and my calves have grown a bit.

This round went so well, I did a refeed week last week, and have restarted the 21 Day Fix today for round two. It was really easy to stay on track last week and there were only 3 times I really went off the meal plan and treated myself and I noticed it was easy to control how much of that bad stuff I ate. Today I jumped right back in and my teenager joined me. She's really looking to increase her veggie intake and cut down on the amount of sweets she's been eating...which as her mother I am happy about that as I'm sure her dentist will be too! ha! So, stay tuned for the end of round two on October 18th. I will post an update but won't be taking a break, I am going to see how many back-to-back round I can fit in before my birthday in November!

Have you done the 21 day fix? How did it go for you?

Menu Plan Monday-21 Day Fix Round 2

Happy Monday y'all! These last few weeks have been hectic but, I am back with my menu plan for my second round of the 21 day fix! 

Workout Schedule

Monday: Plyo Fix Extreme

Tuesday: Upper and Lower Fix Extreme (this round combining these so I can have one full day off for recovery)

Wednesday: Pilates Fix Extreme

Thursday: Dirty 30 Extreme

Friday: Yoga Fix Extreme

Goals

Not too much this week:

Focus and stay on track with 21 day fix

Clean out the foyer closet & my laundry room

I am also looking to get two Christmas projects started today

Menu
Breakfasts
M-W: Protein bowl with banana and coconut (1 red, 1 purple)
T-H-F: Eggs with spinach, peppers, and onion with pumpkin and sweet potato (1 red, 2 green, 1 yellow)
Sat: Protein Crepes (1 red, 1 purple)
Sun: Breakfast pizza (1 yellow, 1 purple)

Lunches:
These vary from day to day and mostly consist of leftovers as that is just easiest.

Dinners:
Monday: Lettuce Wraps with sweet potatoes (green, red, and yellow)
Tuesday: Beef and Butternut stew with a side salad (red, 2 green)
Wednesday: Taco lettuce wraps with brown rice (red, green, yellow)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Chicken burgers in lettuce wrap with whipped butternut (red, 2 green)
Saturday: Twice baked sweet potatoes, side salad (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green)
Sunday: Leftovers

Snacks:
Like lunches, snacks will fill in the gaps of containers I am missing. Will usually be apples with peanut butter, grapes and cottage cheese, peppers, pumpkin, etc.

I am really looking forward to this second round of 21 day fix. First one was super easy and I felt amazing after. Look for my results post later today to see my full opinion! :)

P.S. Linking up with I'm an Organizing Junkie, and Mommy Run Fast.

What I Ate Wednesday...21 Day fix edition

I ordered the 21 Day Fix Extreme when I was on holiday in Florida this past summer. I played around with it for about 2 weeks after arriving back home in Amsterdam, ya know, getting a feel for the containers, but finally go serious about it two weeks ago. I am glad I did! I feel great and it really has helped, but I will go into more detail on that in my wrap up post next week. 

Peas and Crayons

For today, here is what one day of eating has looked like for me, while completing the 21 Day Fix. Yesterday was a particularly rainy day and I had errands to run....

Morning Coffee! I don't do my coffee 21 day fix approved. I can't. I love it with honey and coconut oil. It is still healthy because I use just a tablespoon of honey, which is local raw honey, I use it medicinally for my allergies. Regardless of what people say, it works, my husband and I did a little test of it in the early spring and I have to have the honey, I feel it is better than popping allergy meds all the time. I add in a tablespoon of coconut oil as this keeps my digestive track in check, and a little bit of unsweetened almond milk. It is delicious and is all around good for me and makes me happy.

Green eggs...this is one green container full of eggs plus a half green container of tomatoes and onion. I take one egg and 4 egg whites (which makes 2 red) and I blend them together with the spinach, then I add in the tomato and onion. I add a bit of a great clean chili sauce for a little spice. 

I was still a bit hungry after the eggs so I had a peanut butter banana multigrain wrap. Just 1 tsp of peanut butter and enough banana sliced to fit in a purple container. This was just about one small banana.

Post workout I had a protein bowl. This never looks appetizing so I will just post a picture of my protein powder ha!.

I love this because for a protein powder it is fairly clean and gives me that post workout boost. I use one scoop in 3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk. I whisk it with a fork to blend and it is thick and creamy, like a pudding almost. It is amazing. 

A few hours later this guy was staring me in the face...

I got it the other day at Zaanse Schans, which I will tell you more about later this week. It was delicious, cost me a yellow, but so worth it!

After that I had to run some errands, one of which included the grocery store and I've been obsessed with cottage cheese lately so I had one little container...

Mmmmm....

After that I was feeling tired and lazy thanks to the rain so I curled up on the couch with a small tea and Suits. I am so in love with this show...anyone else?!

No sugar, no cream, just tea. Yum, yum.

For dinner, because it was raining we went with a 21 day fix approved stew...

This is the beef and butternut stew, but I substitute with pumpkin since that is what I can find here. I added in a little Parmesan to make 1 green, 1 red, one blue. 

And...because I still needed a purple and a green I made this cute little protein mug cake...

It consists of some homemade pumpkin puree, a little spinach (I combined the puree and the spinach to make one green), the other half of the banana from earlier in the day, and an egg white and a 1/4 scoop of protein powder as a "flour". It was super yummy and creamy on the bottom.

So, what yummies have you been munching on?

Linking up with Jenn over at Peas and Crayons and Clean Eats Fast Feets.

Menu Plan Monday 21 Day Fix Extreme +Weekly Recap

Happy Sunday y'all!

So, this last week I've really worked hard at getting a few posts together, here's a look at last week:

Last week's Menu Plan Monday, I was starting week two of 21 Day Fix Extreme.
My second post of the week was a recap of my summer holiday in St. Augustine.
Sixteen things I've learned in 16 years of marriage...this post has been incredibly popular.

Coming up this week:
A list of things I do when hubby is gone
What I Ate Wednesday, a recap from my holiday (can you tell I'm not ready to let go of summer! ha!)
How we keep busy on long plane rides
A recap of our overnight layover at London Heathrow Airport
Plus a day trip recap to Zaanse Schans, just outside of Amsterdam

This should be a busy week and I am so excited to share these with y'all!

So...first up..workout schedule.
This is my last week of 21 Day Fix Extreme. So far from week 1 to week 2 I lost 2 cm all over. I don't weight myself on a scale so I have no idea how that's going nor do I care but I can see all sorts of all over definition so far, raised booty, and thinner thighs.

Monday: Plyo Fix Extreme +10 min hard core
Tuesday: Upper Fix Extreme
Wednesday: Pilates Fix Extreme+10 min hard core
Thursday: Lower Fix Extreme
Friday: Cardio Fix Extreme+10 min hard core
Saturday: Dirty 30 Extreme
Sunday: Yoga Fix Extreme+10 min hard core

I will add for most of these workouts you need weights, I don't have those so where I can I use my bands, where I can't use bands I just do my best to kick ass and use my own body weight to give me a good workout.

Goals

• Complete Workouts
• Stick to competition prep eating plan all week
• Finish Cologne Itinerary
• Start Milan Itinerary and make reservations for hubby's birthday

Weekly Menu

Breakfast

Monday: Egg whites, spinach, peppers (red, green)
Tuesday: Oatmeal with pumpkin puree and pie spice, egg whites (yellow, green, red)
Wednesday: Egg whites, spinach, peppers (red, green)
Thursday: Oatmeal with pumpkin puree and pie spice, egg whites  (yellow, green, red)
Friday: Egg whites, spinach, peppers (red, green)
Saturday: Oatmeal with pumpkin puree and pie spice, egg whites  (yellow, green, red)
Sunday: Egg whites, spinach, peppers (red, green)

Mid Morning Snack
Will be a protein shake with water everyday. That won't change; boring but necessary post workout.

Lunch:
To make it easy on myself I will just make two things to choose from for the whole week. The kiddo will take dinner leftovers in her thermos or a yumbox full of goodies...stay tuned to my Instagram for photos of that.
Monday: Ground chicken with peppers and broccoli (red, green)
Tuesday: Chicken breast and green beans (red, green)
Wednesday: Ground chicken with peppers and broccoli (red, green)
Thursday: Chicken breast and green beans (red, green)
Friday: Ground chicken with peppers and broccoli (red, green)
Saturday: Chicken breast and green beans (red, green)
Sunday: Ground chicken with peppers and broccoli (red, green)

Snacks
Afternoon snacks will consist of fruit pumpkin seeds since I will be making quite a bit of pumpkin puree I want to use those up. I will also use this time to make up for any containers I may be missing, while avoiding any foods that bloat me like my afternoon coffee. ha!

Dinner

Monday: Salad with cottage cheese and whipped butternut squash on the side
Tuesday: Beef and butternut stew with a side salad
Wednesday: Cauliflower fried rice with chicken and sweet potato
Thursday: Beef and butternut stew with a side salad
Friday:Cauliflower fried rice with chicken and sweet potato
Saturday: Eat out at the food festival
Sunday: Leftovers

This week's meals are a bit boring but the hubby is out of town and I plan on really focusing on diet and eating right so I plan on cooking in bulk and eating from that. Right now shredding is what means the most to me, so keeping it simple!

Tell me, what are you up to this week? What are you eating?

Have a great week!

Linking up with I'm an Organizing Junkie, Mommy Run Fast, Jill Conyers, and Moms Small Victories Sunday.

Menu Plan Monday-21 Day Fix Extreme

Happy Monday y'all!

I am finally back with a renewed spirit for blogging. Later today tune in as I have more details about our summer vacation, which is the reason I took quite a blogging break! I am working on a few posts about our travels around The Netherlands since we got back and the trips we have planned!

But, for now let's talk weekly menu.

For about two weeks after I got back I played around with the 21 Day Fix Extreme workout programme I bought when I was back in the U.S. For about two years now I have really struggled with diet and balancing what I am eating to fuel my body correctly for how hard I work it between extreme workouts like P90X, P90X3, Insanity, and T25. I was feeling the effects of not eating properly and had a feeling 21 Day Fix could help.

I decided to go with the extreme version because the workouts indicated they were a bit more difficult and since I've never wavered in that area I figured I would be fine...and I have been.

Last week was my first full week of 100% following the nutrition along with the workouts. I feel amazing and am really seeing a difference. So, this is week two for me and I am stoked...here is what we will be eating.

Breakfasts
Monday: Egg whites with spinach and sauteed pumpkin with onions and peppers (1 Red, 2 Green)
Tuesday: Pumpkin spice oatmeal with 1/2 scoop protein powder (1/2 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Green)
Wednesday: Egg whites with spinach and sauteed pumpkin with onions and peppers (1 Red, 2 Green)
Thursday: Pumpkin spice oatmeal with 1/2 scoop protein powder (1/2 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Green)
Friday: Egg whites with spinach and sauteed pumpkin with onions and peppers (1 Red, 2 Green)
Saturday: Pumpkin spice oatmeal with 1/2 scoop protein powder (1/2 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Green)
Sunday: Egg whites with spinach and sauteed pumpkin with onions and peppers (1 Red, 2 Green)

Lunch
Watch my Instagram this week to see what I pack in my teenager's yumbox!
Monday: Protein oatmeal with banana (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 purple)
Tuesday: Chicken salad with cottage cheese and pumpkin seeds (1 green, 2 red, 1 orange)
Wednesday: Protein oatmeal with banana (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 purple)
Thursday: Chicken salad with cottage cheese and pumpkin seeds (1 green, 2 red, 1 orange)
Friday: Protein oatmeal with banana (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 purple)
Saturday: You aren't supposed to cheat but we are doing something touristy so I'll have a Pannenkoken and a locally distilled adult beverage (one nice cheat meal keeps me sane)
Sunday:  I will scrounge around and use up leftovers

Snacks
This is where I fill in what containers I need. They usually consist of yogurt or cottage cheese and berries (1 red, 1 purple), a protein shake (1 red), hard boiled eggs and peppers (one red, one green), or a combo there of.

Dinner
Monday: Balsamic Steak Salad (hubby will have this minus the salad and with a bake potato) (1 green, 1 red, 1 tsp)
Tuesday: Tacos! (I just make regular tacos for the family and I portion out using containers so it is 2 green, 1 red, and 1 blue)
Wednesday: Omelettes or leftovers
Thursday: Beef and Pumpkin stew (1 green, 1 red) and hubby will have a grilled cheese and chicken soup
Friday: Cheese burgers in a lettuce wrap with sweet potato/reg potato wedges and broccoli
Saturday: Chicken breasts with mashed potatoes and gravy/sweet potato and green beans (1 red, 1 yellow {sweet potato}, 1 green)
Sunday: Eat at the Pure Market (YUM!) When I eat at this place, it is a paradise for a healthy foodie. I will see what they have but will focus on veggies and lean meat.

Since I'm doing the 21 day fix, it is a 7 day a week workout program with 30 minute workouts here are my workouts for this week:

Monday: Plyo fix extreme and stretching
Tuesday: Upper Fix extreme and 10 min hardcore
Wednesday: Pilates fix extreme and foam rolling
Thursday: Lower Fix Extreme and 10 min hardcore
Friday: Cardio Fix Extreme and stretching
Saturday: Dirty 30 Extreme and 10 min hardcore
Sunday: Yoga Fix Extreme and foam rolling

On my agenda this week:

• Rijksmuseum (done)
• Get the kiddo's phone fixed (done)
• Zaanse Schans
• Get Cologne Itinerary settled
• Start on artwork for the walls (yes, sadly after a year we still have nothing on the walls, need to fix that)
• Complete all 7 21 Day fix extreme workouts, 1 week down, 2 to go.
• Do some home repairs like fix light bulbs that are out but aren't easy to repair, plus get one light switch fixed that is "stuck".

What do you have going on this week? Anything fun?

Linking up with I'm an Organizing Junkie, Mommy Runs Fast, and Jill Conyers.