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| Happy Memorial Day! |
It is Memorial Day weekend and thankfully the sun is shining and the warm weather is coming! This is the first holiday of the year where those picnic foods make their big appearance. Hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, dips, desserts, beer, etc. Ahh!!! So many choices and let's face it, many of those choices aren't exactly good for your waist line. It's just about the start of Summer. You don't want to throw all of your hard work out the door over a weekend of bad choices, right?! One of the worst feelings would be waking up Tuesday morning feeling bloated and a couple of pounds heavier. So, I thought I would recommend a few of my tips to help you stay on track as well as some yummy recipes that you could serve or take to your holiday picnics!
So, let's get to it!
1.
Get your workout in! Believe me, I get it! I know that weekends get busy and after a long hard week you just want to relax. BUT, it's so important to stick to your schedule! Why? For a couple of reasons! First, it's important to get your daily exercise in! Second, once you start skipping workouts, your chances of getting and staying off track increase. It's tough to get yourself back on track after a
weekend of "whatevers." I personally use home fitness programs because they are quick and effective. I don't have to worry about child care and I can do it from the comfort of my home.....whenever I want!
2.
Drink your water! I know the alcohol may be flowing this weekend. So, before every alcoholic drink you have, drink a glass of water! Aside from keeping you hydrated, drinking water helps control your calories, energize your muscles, helps your kidneys, and keeps your skin looking good, just to name a few.... How much should you be drinking? Easy! You should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces!
3.
Drink your Shakeology! I can not say enough about how
Shakeology has helped me these past {almost} 2 years! It gives me natural energy, curbs my cravings, prevents me from skipping meals, and most importantly, provides me with my daily dose of dense nutrients that I otherwise would not be getting. Coming in an approx $3.32 per day with my discount, it's so much healthier (and even cheaper!) than hitting up a drive through, going to Panera, or even buying something at the grocery store that would contain the same type of nutrients.
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| Shakeology for Breakfast! |
4. Don't skip meals! A theory that I had in the past was if I didn't eat much in the morning (or evening), then I could indulge all afternoon at our holiday picnics. Sound familiar? In doing that, I ended up starving by the end of the night not only because I didn't have a balance of meals throughout the day, but my indulgences weren't exactly fulfilling. So, I recommend that you follow that 80/20 rule. 80% of your day you want to stick with healthy balanced meals. Eat about every 3 hours! Then, 20% of your day can be used on the those indulgences that you would like to have. Choose wisely! If you are eating something that isn't exactly healthy, watch your portion size, plan it out, and don't feel guilty about it!
5. Bring a healthy side dish / appetizer to your party, or, if you are hosting plan/serve some healthy choices! I know that not everyone is "health conscious." There are many people that don't really care how healthy or unhealthy something is and there are some who use a holiday to indulge in anything and everything. So, if you are hosting a party it's OK to have a couple of things there that you wouldn't necessarily eat. You can't change people if they aren't willing to change!
So, do you need some ideas to make for this weekend? Check out the recipes below, give some a try, and let me know what you think!
Spinach Dip
Total Time: 10 min.
Yield: 8 servings, ¼ cup each
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| Spinach Dip |
Ingredients:
*10 oz. fresh baby spinach (about 6 cups), steamed until wilted
*1½ cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt, drained
*3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
*¼ cup finely chopped green onions
*1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
*Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
Preparation:
1. Place spinach in colander; drain of all excess water.
2. Finely chop spinach; place in a medium bowl.
3. Add yogurt, garlic, green onions, and lemon juice; mix well.
4. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Sweet Potato Skins with Chicken and Spinach
Total Time: 20 min.
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| Sweet Potato Skins with Chicken and Spinach |
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
*4 baked medium sweet potatoes, cut in half
*1 tsp. olive oil
*½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
*4 oz shredded cooked chicken breast, boneless, skinless
*1 tsp. all-natural taco seasoning, no salt added
*1 cup steamed spinach
*8 Tbsp. low-fat plain Greek yogurt
*¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Scoop flesh out of the sweet potatoes and reserve for another use.
3. Place skins on a baking sheet. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, or until crisp.
4. While skins are baking, combine chicken and taco seasoning in a s mall bowl; mix well. Set aside.
5. Top each sweet potato half evenly with spinach, chicken mixture, yogurt, and cilantro.
Bean Salsa
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| Bean Salsa |
Ingredients:
*1 Red Onion finely diced
*1 can of Black Beans drained and rinsed
*1 can of Kidney beans drained and rinsed
*1 Avocado sliced into chunks
*1 tomato diced
*1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
*2 Tbsp salsa
*1 1/2 cups of frozen corn thawed and drained
*3 Tbsp. Plain Greek Yogurt
*Olive Oil
Directions:
1. Mix all liquid ingredients together.
2. Add in all other ingredients and stir.
Clean Eating Sloppy Joe's (Courtesy of The Gracious Pantry)
Ingredients:
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| Healthy Sloppy Joe's |
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-1/2 pounds lean ground turkey meat
- 1 (15 ounces) can tomato sauce, no sugar added
- 1/2 cup clean ketchup (organic)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- 1 medium red bell pepper
Directions:
- Put your olive oil in a large pan, add the turkey meat and cook over medium heat.
- Once the meat is cooked, add everything else. Stir until well blended and heated through.
- Scoop however much you want onto a whole wheat hamburger bun.
Clean Eating Strawberry Lemonade (Courtesy of The Gracious Pantry)
Make 8 Cups
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| Strawberry Lemonade |
Ingredients:
* 5 cups water
* 1 pound strawberries cleaned and stems removed
* 3/4 cup honey
* 1 cup lemon juice
* Juice of 2 limes
Directions
- Warm 2 1/2 cups of water in a pot with the honey until well combined.
- In a large pitcher, combine the remainder of the water, the honey water, lemon juice and lime juice.
- Put your strawberries in a blender and blend until very smooth.
- Put the strawberries through a fine meshed sieve. You’ll have to
stir and press with a spatula to get it through the sieve completely.
- Stir strawberry juice into the pitcher and stir well.
- Chill and serve.
When the weekend comes to an end, I am kicking off my 30 Day Summer Slim Down Challenge! If you need some accountability, support, and motivation to stay on track and reach those health and fitness goals this summer, consider joining my group! These accountability groups are my secret to staying on track and keeping motivated to push through those tough times! Space is limited and spots are going quick! If you are interested in more information or securing your spot, fill out and submit the form below!!
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| Summer Slim Down Challenge |
Wishing you a safe and happy Memorial Day!!!
Labels: 21 Day Fix, Clean Eating, Healthy Memorial Day Tips, Healthy Picnic Recipes, Lisa Decker, Meal Planning, Picnic Recipes, PiYo, Shakeology, Successfully Fit
1. Get your workout in! Believe me, I get it! I know that weekends get busy and after a long hard week you just want to relax. BUT, it's so important to stick to your schedule! Why? For a couple of reasons! First, it's important to get your daily exercise in! Second, once you start skipping workouts, your chances of getting and staying off track increase. It's tough to get yourself back on track after a 
2. Drink your water! I know the alcohol may be flowing this weekend. So, before every alcoholic drink you have, drink a glass of water! Aside from keeping you hydrated, drinking water helps control your calories, energize your muscles, helps your kidneys, and keeps your skin looking good, just to name a few.... How much should you be drinking? Easy! You should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces! 
