Stop Riding the Nutrition Struggle Bus

What do you struggle with more? 

FITNESS or NUTRITION?

I recently did this pole on my IG stories (if you aren't following me, you can find me @KristieSeredaWellness) and NO ONE said fitness. Everyone said Nutrition. To be honest, that is what I usually struggle with most as well, BUT not so much anymore and I'll share with you why.

Our society revolves around fad diets and "quick fix" pills, shakes, liquids etc. Most people will jump on board because they want to lose weight fast without all the work... hands up if you have EVER done this? I sure as heck have and I know the outcome because I have experienced it FAR too many times. 

Do not eat right although feel like I am starving myself, lose all the weight, feel awesome and immediately go back to my "norm" and gain the weight back. What the fork man?

The most common reason people fail, is because they try to change ALL their unhealthy habits at once, get overwhelmed and feel like there is just no hope. Take a min to think about that. Would that plan of attack work for you? or has it worked for you in the past? Probably not or you wouldn't get reading this! 

Here is the deal folks. We have an AMAZING opportunity here. Why?! Because don't we all eat every. single. day already?!?! So there really is no conversation about MAKING the time to eat right but rather it’s really about slowly integrating healthier choices into our day to day that will make all the difference!

Changing habits takes a long time. Diets or pills that claim you will drop so much weight in a short period of time without incorporating HEALTHY BALANCED meals and some sort of physical activity is not going to be sustainable, don't get me wrong they will for sure work but are they the healthiest option for you? Will they help you understand how to feed your body the nutrients it needs to ward off or slow down diseases and help your body perform the way it is meant to as it ages? 

Small habits that compound over time, turning into a new lifestyle is what will get you there friends. 

It’s why I am inviting you to join one of my November Bootcamps. We are going to put most of our focus on nutrition for this round. Why?!? Because it’s what you need support on (I HEAR YOU), the holidays are just around the corner and there is no reason why you can't start learning and understanding that you can still enjoy the goodies, the parties and the festivities even when you are trying to live healthier lives. Oh YA... ANNNND because I have a secret weapon for curbing your sweet tooth.

So let me help support you. Let me show you how I have slowly integrated healthier options into my family meal planning without rocking the boat. No mom wants to force their kids to eat food they don’t want to eat, so we have to be creative and we have to do it slowly. And honestly, same goes for us! It’s terrible to force food down just because it’s ‘healthy’. Not everyone loves all the kale and spinach, am I right?! 

Let’s make nutrition and food more fun and enjoyable shall we!?

Nothing worthwhile happens overnight anyways, so stop looking at your weight, your body, and your nutrition any differently.

Are you ready to create sustainable, lifelong habits by learning how to slowly integrate new things into your life?!? We can make some major progress through these holiday months!

If the answer is YES, go here to fill out your application/goal form>>> http://bit.ly/KSWellnessAssessment

I’ll review it and be in touch within 24 hours!

This journey will have its ups and downs. There will be many factors that affect your wellness. Season of life you are walking in, stress, change, health issues, sickness, pregnancy, menopause, activity, and what you need to learn is how to stick with your new found habits when those things hit. All good things take time my friends and I am so excited to walk along side you on this journey. 

Below is just a few of my transformations during my journey and how my body has changed.

Left 2nd: Postpartum 8 months

Right: 1 year difference

July 29th-August 12

Do you want to keep looking at OTHERS transformations and journey's and just wish it was you in the picture or are you ready to MAKE IT HAPPEN, friend?

Only YOU have the power to change your life and I KNOW you can do it. 

Sign up to get sent a sample meal plan guide to see what it is all about. ALL clients get sent WEEKLY meal guides that help them on their journey's <3 

---->> http://bit.ly/FreeMealPlanKS

Mindful Eating

"Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, and non judgementally." 

Optimum Nutrition is essential for overall wellness. It is the process of providing the body with sufficient nutrients through food to maintain proper health and wellness.These nutrients include, water, enzymes, minerals, adaptogens, vitamins, essential fatty acids, carbohydrates and phytonutrients.  A proper diet provides us will all of these in the right portions for our ever changing bodies. There is no fixed diet that will work for this. 
It is so important to LISTEN to our body and what it needs, but listening is much different than turning to comfort food, reaching for the easiest thing as we react to the emotional unfulfilled needs. 

Now a days we are always on the phone, watching TV, listening to music and not really paying attention to what we are actually doing or putting into our bodies. More so WHY we turn to certain things over others. We are living in the multitasking world and as some people pride themselves on being wicked multitaskers, it isn't all that great to do for your overall wellbing.

Creating mindful eating habits will greatly help with providing your body with what it needs most: to be nourished properly. 

Here are some simple guidelines to help you distinguish between mindless and (more) mindful eating and bring our bodies and minds back together.

1. Let your body catch up with your brain - eating rapidly past full and ignoring your body’s signals vs. slowing down and eating and stopping when your body says it is full. Slowing down is one of the best ways we can get our mind and body to communicate what we really need for nutrition. The body sends a satiation signal about 20 minutes after the brain, which is why we often unconsciously overeat! So, sit down to eat, chew each bite 25 times, set your fork down between bites, etc!

2. Know your body’s personal hunger signals - are you responding to an emotional want or responding to your body’s needs? Often we listen first to our minds, but we actually might be MORE mindful if we tune into our bodies first. Rather than just eating when we get emotional signals (whether that’s stress, sadness, frustration, loneliness, or even just boredom), we can listen to our bodies. Is your stomach growling, energy low, or feeling a little light-headed? True mindful eating is actually listening deeply to our body’s signals for hunger!

3. Understand your motivations - eating foods that are emotionally comforting vs. eating foods that are nutritionally healthy. This is another tricky balance and, ideally, we find nourishing foods that are also satisfying and comforting. As we practice eating healthier and a greater variety of foods, we are less inclined to binge on our comfort foods, and more inclined to enjoy healthy foods, ultimately finding many foods mentally and physically satisfying as opposed to just a few.

4. Connect more deeply with your food - Considering where food comes from vs. thinking of food as an end product. Unless you’re foraging for your food on the regular, there’s a good chance you’ve become disconnected from your food. Many of us don’t even consider where a meal comes from beyond the supermarket packaging. However, eating offers an incredible opportunity for us to connect more deeply to the natural world, the elements, and to each other! As you consider everything that went into what you’re eating, it becomes effortless to experience and express gratitude to all the people who gave their time and effort, the elements of the universe that contributed their share, our friends or ancestors who shared recipes, and even the beings who may have given their lives to a part of creating this meal. With just a little more mindfulness like this, we might begin to make wiser choices about sustainability and health in our food, not just for us but for the whole planet.
   
   What has really helped me with all this is using portion control containers + learning about the proper food groups, figuring out my emotional connection with food and facing my bad relationship with it. Once I was able to get that under control I was really able to create the mindful eating habit.
   The Ultimate Portion Fix is program that helps with that EXACTLY.  
   You’ll learn so much to make it more than a strategy to help you lose a few pounds.
   Portion control is just the beginning. Autumn Calabrese makes it so compelling that you will achieve a whole new, more MINDFUL way of eating and thinking about food.
   This includes strategies that have helped her win trophies in competition, heal her own health issues, end sugar addiction for thousands of clients, and serve hundreds of thousands of customers in losing weight and achieving their healthiest selves.
   The Ultimate Portion Fix is about giving your body exactly what it needs to operate at its best! No starving. No random points that disregard food source. No fasting. No trendy fad. This is how you enjoy food, and get the most out of it because it feeds your body what it needs in the right ratio!
   And finally, the biggie: This program is going to help you stop poisoning yourself with so much heavily processed food.
   The tools shared will help you:
   • Break your sugar addiction: You’ll learn WHY you’re addicted to sugar (because knowledge is power) and how you can break the addiction. I’m talking grocery lists, meal plans, and easy-to-make recipes that emphasize whole-food ingredients, so you can finally cut down on processed foods without cutting out the joy of eating.
   • Get the whole family healthy: Those days of prepping one meal for the kids and one for the adults are over. With The Ultimate Portion Fix, you’ll learn everything from what and how much your kids should be eating, to getting them to eat enough fruits and veggies, and even how to end the “I’m only eating chicken nuggets for dinner” battle once and for all.
   • Feed yourself for performance: You’ll find out how you can customize your eating plan to your goal, whether it’s to lose those stubborn last 10 pounds or build muscle. These proven nutrition strategies are designed to maximize your nutrition so you can maximize your results — whether you’re paleo, vegan, or gluten-free.
     
     The entire program is explained in 30 new videos covering everything about the containers with deep dives into the principles of the plan so you can really grasp each concept. No more food guessing, only results.
   • Full set of color-coded containers
   • The Ultimate Portion Fix Program Guide
   • Tracking: On iOS, users can find container, weight, and water tracking in the Beachbody Nutrition+ App. On Android, users can track these items within the Beachbody On Demand App.
   • Fixate Volume 2 Cookbook with 102 new recipes for a total of over 300 recipes including the Fixate Cooking show
   • 75 Healthy Lunch Ideas for Kids PDF, a quick-and-easy resource for parents who want to make sure their kids are getting a variety of healthy foods and not eating the same things over and over again.
   • Access to more than 200 Fixate Cooking Videos
   • Beachbody Insulated Tote Bag with containers, ice packs, and plenty of storage so you can meal prep and take your food with you to stay on track
   Oh, and one more thing…
   When you purchase The Ultimate Portion Fix program in the month of March, you’ll get an invitation to join Autumn Calabrese via livestream as they reshoot  21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix EXTREME workouts — live and in real time! You do not need to be a Beachboy on Demand Member to access the videos.
   
   
   
   If you would like to join our #EatToNourish Group to get all the deeds leading up to Launch Day March.18, just fill out this form and I will be in touch VIA email. 
   *By joining the group for info there is no obligation to purchase. It is just meant to be an informative group to share the ins and outs of this program. 

Meal Prep Monday (on a Wednesday)

I don't know about you but if my breakfast is on point the rest of my day seems to go way smoother? You feel me ? 
If I nothing else made at least my breakfast will be :p 

I am on week 3 of LIIFT4 ( round 2) just launched to ALL Beachbody on Demand subscribers yesterday (check more out about LIIFT4 here) (See why busy parents benefit from Beachbody on Demand here) 

I like to keep it simple but I also don't like to get bored. So usually I will stick with same thing one week at a time and rotate through. 

This week I have Veggie Loaded Egg cups, roasted maple sweet potato and brussel sprouts then either half a banana or a mandarin orange. For container peeps it is equivalent to 1.5G(1G from egg cups .5 from brussel sprouts) 1R (eggs), .5Y(sweet potatoes) 2t ish. 

Here is what I did. 

Veggie Loaded Egg Cups:


Ingredients: 
12 Eggs
6Cups veggies of choice
(I used 2C peppers, 1C mushrooms, .5C onion and 1.5C kale)
2t Olive Oil 
spices of choice (I used 2t oregano, 1t garlic powder, 1/4t pepper)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F and spray a muffin tin with oil (I don't count this but if you want to call it a tsp you can)
Sautee veggies in oil under tender crisp then add 1/4C to each muffin tin. (you use 1/4C because the veggies cook down) 
While veggies are cooking whisk up eggs and spices
Once you have divided the veggies evenly among cups, add eggs. I used a large glass measuring cup so it is easy to pour and I just pour equal amounts into each cup and go around until I am out of eggs. (some people don't like doing this because you aren't guaranteed EXACT portions but it is close enough) 

Bake 350 for 25 mins or until there is no liquid left. 
2 egg cups are equal to 1R(protein)1G(veggies) 

Roasted Sweet Potato and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:
3Cups halved brussel sprouts ( I use frozen baby brussel sprouts)
1tsp Evoo
dash pepper and salt (optional)

3C diced sweet potato
.5tsp Evoo
1/2T maple Syrup 
dash cinnamon

Directions:
Toss brussel sprouts with oil and seasonings then spread in a single layer on a large foil lined cookie sheet 1/2 side.
Toss sweet potato with oil, syrup and cinnamon then spread on the other side of the foil lined cookie sheet 

Bake 400F 20-25 mins. 

 Happy. Healthy. Food. 

Paleo Honey Balsamic Pork Chops

I used to live under a rock. Not really but my husband does tell me that once a day at least HAHA! I used to think Pork Chops could only be made with BBQ sauce and grilled.. OK, I actually never ate Pork Chops much growing up...

Since being married I have been searching for new recipes to try but being me I end up using it as a reference and turning it into my own. I LOVE being creative with food. How about you?? 

Yesterday I made this Paleo recipe. It was a TOTAL HIT with my two year old and my husband. 

WOOOOOOT. 

The recipe came from www.paleoaholic.com

Paleo Honey Balsamic Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 Bone-In Pork Chops
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Onion ( Red or White)
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil 

Directions:

1.Rub pork chops with Red Pepper Flakes 
2.Preheat medium-heat skillet
3.Add Coconut Oil to skillet
4.Add pork chops and salt and pepper to taste 
5. In a bowl mix together balsamic vinegar, honey, onion, garlic set aside until chops are done
6.Cook for 5-7 mins on each side or until no longer pink
7.Once cooked take out of skillet and set aside
8.In the same pan add the vinegar mixture and scrap the bottom to get all the brown bits ( full of flavour!)
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 mins uncovered for 6-8min stirring once in awhile
10. Add chops back in and cook 5 mins per side basting with liquid
11. Remove and serve with whatever you choose! 

For the portion Fixers out there:
1 pork chop would be 1 Red and 1 or 2 tsp(coconut oil)
Sauce, as long as you only have a tablespoon, I wouldn't worry about much. 

I decided to serve mine with Brown Jasmine Rice and steamed veggies. So my whole meal was 1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Yellow and 2 tsp. 

I would love to here what you think of this recipe and if you make any changes please share with me!

Stay Awesome friends! 

Italian Chicken Noodle Soup

Have you ever found a recipe that sounds super delicious but all the sudden your creative mind starts wandering and you end up creating your own "HEALTHY" version of that delicious recipe? 

Seriously y'all that is what happened to me, and let's be honestly it usually is what happens haha! Just ask me hubby... I can't follow a recipe.

I started making homemade chicken broth yesterday morning knowing that I wanted to make Chicken soup but just wasn't really feeling the normal Chicken Noodle. I googled different ideas and came across one from The Pioneer Women ( Ree Drummond)'s Blog! I absolutely LOVE that women! Go check her out if you haven't before! 

Her's was a creamy soup with some other stuff in there that I took out and added my own things. 
Really with soup the possibilities are ENDLESS! However, I know there are some who like recipes and follow from the book so I will share my recipe ( and some different options) with you here! 

Italian Chicken Soup!

Ingredients

8 Cups Chicken Broth ( homemade or box-watch sodium)
1- 28flOz Can Whole Tomatoes
1 Medium Onion
2 Bell Peppers (any colour, mix and match it you wish)
2 Cloves Garlic
3 Stalks Celery
2 Carrots
2 Tbsp Oregano (Dry or add another Tbsp if using Fresh)
1 Tbsp Pizza Seasoning  (Epicure is what I use) 
2 Bay Leaves 
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil (divided) 
3 Cups Cooked Shredded Chicken or diced it is up to you! 
2 1/2 cups Pasta of your choice( optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese for Topping

** If you don't have pizza seasoning you can just add 1-2tsp crushed chili flakes and 3 tsp basil. 

Directions:

1. Heat half the olive oil in a saucepan ( large enough if you want to save on dishes :p) 
2. Add diced celery, carrots, bell peppers and onion- add some salt and pepper to them and cook until onion is translucent and there is a good browning on all veggies. While those are browning take out the whole tomatoes from the can and dice up then return them back to the juice. (you will use it all!)
3. In a small fry pan add the rest of olive oil and spices ( oregano, garlic and pizza seasoning) when heating it up with a little oil really awakens the flavour! 
4. Meanwhile, if you are using noodles cook your noodles accordingly to the package directions minus a couple minutes in the chicken broth and then scoop out when done and save for later. You can just cook in water as well.
5. Add Chicken broth to veggies and add the spices and tomatoes with juice and all. Simmer 20 minutes to incorporate all flavours.
6. Add in noodles and chicken and simmer another 10-15 mins. 
7. Serve topped with a little shredded parm! 

Some variations:

You can leave out the noodles if you wish or add in barley, quinoa, rice, (just cook prior to adding)
Go meatless 
Switch up the meat- Ground turkey or hamburger would be great oo! 
Play with the spices and add or take away whatever you need to make it to your liking. 

1 cup of soup would count as 1 PURPLE, .5 GREEN, 1 Tsp, and depending if you use noodles or not 1 YELLOW for all you
portion fixers out there :) 

This recipe was well liked by my 2 year old son who is currently going through a eating regression so HALLELUJAH! Plus my husband said I could make it again which is his way of saying "THIS IS DELICIOUS!"

Please let me know if you try it and remember sharing is caring so please share to your social media too and leave a little comment! 

Stay awesome friends! 

Kristie XO

Country Heat~What's that all about?

Are you a lover of country music?
Do you like to get your groove on?
Looking to workout but the thought of "hard work" has you running the other direction?
Need fun workouts?



No matter your reasons whether you are looking to maintain, to tone, to lose, to get active- this may be the program for you! I want to share this amazing program with you so bare with me as there is lots to share because it is SO WICKED.

Want in on our test group August 22nd? 

Registration is now *OPEN*

(US and CANADIAN RESIDENTS)

Beachbody launched a BRAND NEW fitness program July 28th and it is TOTALLY KICKASS! I was so beyond excited for this program because I LOVE line dancing and country music. The thing about this program is you DON'T need to know how to dance, you DON'T need rhythm or coordination. Autumn walks you through the steps and makes it really simple and fun! IT IS AMAZINGLY FUN!!!

WHAT IS COUNTY HEAT?

Country Heat is set to the hottest country hits. JoDee Messina even recorded an exclusive song for this program! There is NO CHOREOGRAPHY to remember, just follow along for the 30 minute workout!  This program is high energy, low impact dance workout that is super fun and easy to follow. Autumn Calabrese created this program and has also created the 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, Co Creator of Hammer and Chisel, author of the Fixate cookbook, mom and bikini competitor.  I have yet to do a live workout with her but I will one day! My friends who have says she is just as amazing and motivating in person as she is in her programs. 

There are 5 high energy, cardio based dance workouts, 1 dance conditioning workout, and the portion controlled eating plan! 

Who is Country Heat For?

Are you ready for this?? ANYONE! Whether you are a beginner, 21 day fix grad, pro dancer, football player, advanced in your fitness or ready for something fun and different to mix up your fitness regime. It is great for all ages and fitness levels. People who like Zumba or love to dance, people who want to lose weight and are looking for results in 30 days.  People who generally don't like to exercise or who want a lifestyle change, but aren't sure where to begin! 

 Does this sound like you? 

 This workout is great for people who have tried and failed at complicated "diets" and exercise programs.  It is great because this isn't a "diet"  It's an easy to follow portion control container system and you'll have ME as your coach to guide you every single step of the way! I don't know 'bout you but lots of the times I've attempted to start programs on my own I NEVER stuck with it.  You will learn how to properly fill the containers and what to eat. I will teach you how to meal plan, prep, and stick with the workouts from beginning to end.  Plus the workouts are fun and you don't even know you are working out. Totally kick ass right?

  I encourage everyone to do at least 2-3 rounds of the program. Just another reason why I LOVE this program. You can finish 1 round and start your next round the NEXT day!  The reason is that in the first 30 days you are just learning and getting into the swing of things. You are getting a good handle on your nutrition and understanding how the portion controlled containers work. Into your second month you will be able to focus are really getting the workouts down plus your nutrition will be on point. Your third round you will just be a total pro!

This program is great for those that like to dance but are intimidated by choreography. EEEEEK SO EXCITED TO START!!!!

Why does line dancing 30 mins a day work? What am I missing here?

It's a fun, easy-to-follow dance workout that ANYONE can do so you are MORE likely to actually stick with it! You'll have so much fun dancing to the hottest country hits you'll barely notice you're dropping pounds and getting a great total-body workout. 

You get 5 dance workouts and 1 dance conditioning workout that are all high energy but low impact- to give you all the calorie burning benefits of a great cardio workout while using every muscle in your body to fire up that metabolism. 

NO silly moves no one can do. NO weights. NO equipment! 

It is so hard to stick to an eating program when you feel deprived of the foods you love so including the portion-control containers to help you lose weight while still enjoying your favorite foods is perfect. We all know fitness + staying active = kick ass results right!? 

Gone are the days where you have to avoid going out with friends or family, counting calories, diets and pills! 

Autumn's easy-to-use Eating Plan shows you how to use your portion-control containers to create easy, delicious recipes— with foods that actually taste delicious—in the right portions to reach your goals.

I love this program so much already that I've decided to walk a group of people through the WHOLE program in our team's COUNTRY HEAT THROWDOWN test group we are running August 22nd. We are only accepting a select few for our first group so we can focus on YOU and make it personal and help you reach your goals. There will be meal planning and prep tips, recipes that work with the containers as well as with the whole family, prizes, motivation, accountability & support to really ROCK the SOCKS off this program y'all!

The people in the test group are getting incredible results.This is really amazing!

Apply Here----->>> http://bit.ly/FitCountryHeat 

What Do I Get With the Program?

• 6 workouts on 3 DVD's that are 30 mins or less
• 7 colour-coded portion control containers to really help you dial in your nutrition & efficiently portion out your servings
• The Country Heat nutrtion plan- an easy to follow guide complete with tips, recipes & more to help you get the best results
• Quickstart Guide- This is a simple 3 step guide that preps you for your fitness journey by giving you the info on the nutrition plan and workouts
• 30 Day Calendar so that you know exactly what workouts to do in what order to maximize your results
• 30 Day supply of Shakeology in a flavour of your choosing. ( my favs are chocolate, cafe latte, and tropical strawberry) **NOTE-Cafe Latte is currently only available to US residents
• When you purchase the challenge pack you get access to Country Heat On Demand which means unlimited access to stream Country Heat and all the other workouts to any desktop, laptop, tablet, TV or mobile device allowing you to start your workouts the minute you make your purchase and test out any other programs you would like as well!
• If you opt in to get Country Heat Kickstart you will then get the 3 Day Refresh as well to help maximize your results ( shown in picture below)
• If you become part of our challenge groups there will also be prizes for participation- Why? Because I can!

Sound like something you may be interested in?

You can get it right here from me. Plus gain access to my exclusive test group starting August 22nd with prep week to start August 15th. You can get personal, 24/7 mentoring, guidance and support from me and my awesome team in a closed online accountability and support group!  I am going to walk you through the entire program from beginning to end (30 days).  I will teach you how to make the most of the nutrition plan, how to choose healthier snacks, create healthy new habits, and make this a permanent lifestyle.  

Again, there are no diets here!

I will be there to support, motivate, listen, hold you accountable and give ya a little kick in the arse from time to time if you need it *Wink wink*

Follow this link to join our challenge group:

I am ready to kick the dust up and get it shape!

For the challenge packs you can check out these links or please email me to get started!

Country Heat Pack US

Country Heat Pack CAN

Country Heat Kickstart US

Country Heat Kickstart CAN

Stay awesome friends and remember to always 

LIVE YOUR PASSION

Kristie XO