Stuffed Peppers with Honey Balsamic Cabbage Steaks!

Well this dinner went down tonight!!! You can imagine that my now vegetarian/almost vegan daughter was in HEAVEN!!! ;) I have been totally wanting to try the cabbage steaks for awhile so I was super stoked to get those going, the peppers however.....I'm not a HUGE pepper girl, so I wasn't as eager to dive into those! Surprisingly the whole meal was SUPER easy to prep and prepare and you know how this girl LOVES easy and make it HEALTHY and I am seriously SOLD! The final word from the family tonight - It's a KEEPER!! It's going into the rotation! Some things I was pleasantly surprised by:

- I didn't gag or want to puke from eating the peppers
- cabbage steaks are pretty much the BOMB
- the whole meal was EXTREMELY filling

If you are feeling adventurous and ready to try something new I highly recommend stepping out of your comfort zone and giving this meal a shot! Isn't that what life is about?!.....stepping out of your COMFORT ZONE!!! Nothing good ever comes from constantly being safe!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! It's VINO time here! Muahhh!!! XO


STUFFED PEPPERS

Ingredients:

4 peppers (I used a variety pack of colors)
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 cup of tomato sauce
2 cups of cooked quinoa
1 can black beans drained
1 can of corn drained
1 cup of colby ja
1 cup of colby jack cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Saute onion in a little olive oil

3. Add turkey and the spices including the salt and pepper

4. Cut the tops off the peppers and and clean out insides (thankfully hubby was home for this part...)

5. Once turkey mixture is cooked add tomato sauce, quinoa, beans and corn

6. Fill each pepper with mixture. (I did have mixture left over and we just put it in a container in fridge to use for wraps this week)

7. Cover and bake for 35 minutes.

8. Uncover, sprinkle tops with cheese and cook an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.



HONEY BALSAMIC ROASTED CABBAGE STEAKS

1/2 head of green cabbage cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

3 tbsps of olive oil

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil

2. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey in a bowl

3. Arrange cabbage slices in a single layer on baking sheet and brush with honey balsamic vinegar mixture. Season with salt & pepper

4. Roast until cabbage slices are tender and edges are golden (25 - 30 mins)

Coffee Talk the 3 Years In... edition

Sooo loves it won't be the normal Coffee Talk! Sorry! I've got toooo many thoughts to get out so we are changing it up today! My head is overflowing with thoughts and emotions. Well yesterday marked 3 full years here. I still can NOT believe it. I can't believe it because there have been DEFINITE moments I did NOT think I was going to make it here. There are STILL moments I don't think I can survive one more FREAKING day!! I've had definite bumps where I almost spiraled right down into a deep depression again, moments where I CRIED uncontrollably, moments where I felt lost, hopeless and flat out miserable.

I can't sugar coat this because I don't want to make my life appear all happy go lucky and then I'm over here dangling by a thread. That's not fair. I know because EVERY SINGLE DAY I see it on facebook and other social media - people portraying this fabulous life when in reality their life may not be so fab. Bottom line, I'm just getting by until we can get out.

Have I had some good times here? Absolutely
Have I LOVED getting to spend time with family? Yes
Have we made memories here? Yep
Have I met some incredible people? oh for sure
Have I found the most Ah-mazing clients? Heck Yeah

I don't mean ANY disrespect to those who love and adore it here. I get it. I feel that SAME passion for Arizona. All I know is I yearn for that sunshine, for that heat, for the landscape, for the lifestyle, for all that beauty in general. It's been a trying time for our WHOLE family these last couple months. Each of us is struggling in our own way.

All I can do is slap a smile on, stay positive and BELIEVE that there are bigger, better things coming our way. For now I will do my best and focus on making the best of it. I will keep working on my personal development, meditation, working out and lots of other relaxation techniques to better my inner self. For those who have been there thru the tears these last few weeks you have made more of an impact on me than you will EVER know. I am forever grateful.

First and foremost and what will NEVER change is my little family....we are the MOST important thing! We will ALWAYS come first before anything else and we will ALWAYS do what is BEST for us. Life is soooo extremely short. If you are unhappy, figure out what is making you unhappy and change it. If you need a career change, take the plunge - update your resume and get out there. If you are in a relationship that doesn't bring you at LEAST 95% happiness....maybe it's time to walk away. You deserve to be happy!!! If you don't like where you live.....MOVE! (hey, I'm working on this, but it takes time!) Whatever it may be don't just let it destroy you....make a change. Even if it takes baby steps...baby steps are better than NO STEPS!

Will this be the last countdown of being here? Who knows. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but for now I will just keep swimming and making memories and capturing even more memories for my wonderful clients!!  Have a FABULOUS weekend!!! XO

Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Ok first off let me start by saying I have been OOBER skeptical of these things since I've seen them floating around the Internet and even my challenge groups! I've wanted to try them for a seriously LONG time and I'm soooo happy I did!! They were totally DELISH! Here's my little "disclaimer" however......if you are making them thinking by some MIRACLE you are going to wake to some super fab oatmeal...FORGET it! These aren't for you! They are NOT the consistency of oatmeal and if actual oatmeal is what you are craving then problem stick to good old fashioned oatmeal. What I LOVED about these is how different they tasted and the little peanut buttery surprise you would get with each bite!!! The beautiful thing about these is you can make sooooo many different combinations! My daughter had blueberry almond and that one was fantastic too. So give these a try and see what your taste buds think. I know for me I am LOVING the quick, ready to go breakfast on the days I go into work early AND with the added BONUS that they seriously make me feel full QUICK! :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup steel cut oats (you could also use regular old fashioned oats, I just prefer the steel cut)
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tbsp sliced almonds
1 tbsp chia seeds

12 oz mason jar or even the next size down (I did NOT have smaller mason jars so I had to improvise and use my big salad ones until I go to the store this weekend! They worked fine, they just looked wimpy! LOL)

Mix all the ingredients together in a mason jar, put the lid on and pop them into the fridge! In the morning pull it out, I suggest trying it cold first and if you don't like it cold pop it into the microwave for about 40-50 seconds. I do prefer it warmed a bit when I have the peanut butter in there...the melt-iness of the peanut butter makes me HAPPY! (yep, I made that word up!)

Coffee Talk!!

Seriously...how does Thursday come sooooo quick!!!??? Here we go....get sipping!

4 Random Thoughts:

1. Is winter OVER yet? Ugh. DONE...just done. No further explanation is really needed. ;)

2. Starting to book some sessions and it feels FABULOUS! I am ready to get behind my lens and start capturing beautiful images for wonderful clients! If you are interested in a spring session go ahead and message me and we will get you on the books!!! :)

3. So extremely GRATEFUL for all the wonderful new friends that I have met thru my Beach Body team!!! Each week we do a team call and this week was especially needed to lift me up but was also a reminder of how life can bring the most unexpected people into your life. LOVE my team!!!

4. Have been struggling with a MAJOR funk! So many emotions as we head towards the end of February which will mark 3 years of us living here. I am doing ALL that I can to stay above slipping into that downward spiral but it's definitely a challenge. I think one of the MAJOR contributors to me staying afloat is I know that I have coaches and challengers who depend on me so I can't just curl up in a ball and cry. (I would LOVE to, but I can't....I have definitely cried these last 2 weeks especially but I've refrained from going into fetal position yet) So I keep trudging ahead making sure to get my workout in, eat as well as I can, keep reading my personal development and surrounding myself with those who love me. I'm definitely going to be hitting the meditation book some more. Again...this is life - the good. the bad. the ugly.

Ok loves! I'm off to work and it's my FRI-YAY plus it's national drink WINE day!!! Hellllloooo that's my FAVORITE holiday!!! XO

Coffee Talk!

Let's not beat around the bush.....It is Thursday after all!!!!

5 Random Thoughts:

1 - Why must white stuff fall from the sky and make me cry?  (you like that...poet and I didn't even know it!!) No seriously, yes, YES, yeeeeesssssss I totally get we didn't have that "bad" of a winter and blah blah blah! I don't care! I HATE winter's guts! Mature? No! Done with it? YES! Gripping the steering wheel while driving home and my tires spinning do NOT equal FUN....it does however equal LOTS of foul language spewing from my mouth!!!!  Rant over.

2 - I've kind of had a rough few weeks. Lots of personal crap going on but the upside to ALL of that is that if I wasn't on this journey and I wasn't coaching I would be handling ALL of this a heck of a lot differently and NOT for the better. I know everything happens for a reason and whatever is meant to be will be so I just need to keep that in mind and hold that close to my heart. For now I'm just feeling truly grateful for Beach Body and all that it has given me internally!!!

3 - So my little guy REALLY struggles with school....Math in particular!!! In his defense Common Core is just a bunch of BS!!! I can't even do the problems so how the heck is he supposed to?! Anywho, long story short we've been working with the school closely and getting him EXTRA help. He is a SENSITIVE guy to say the least and he really holds on to all of his emotions until they are eating him up so we have been focusing on lots of POSITIVE reinforcement etc. It all paid off so far! He brought his D last marking period up to a B this marking period!!!! Serious PROUD MOM over here! We took him out on Saturday to celebrate. A couple hours in Barnes & Noble, Starbucks for a double chocolate chip frap and lunch out with Mom & Dad!!! SCORE!!! BTW, does anyone else DESPISE Common Core??!!!

4 - My surprise off the wall purchase this past weekend was a book on beginning Meditation!!!! I know, CRA-ZZZZYYYY! However I have been intrigued for some time and I don't do the whole religion thing (nothing against it for those who do, no judgement here, it's just not MY thing!) but I definitely feel like my journey is of a spiritual nature. Being at peace with myself & my life in general. To be mindful and aware. So here goes nothing! I started reading and it's super interesting but I have not yet attempted to do it. I will keep you posted on this new endeavor for sure!

5 - T - Minus 1 day until the Bestie crew gets here!!!! Eeeeekkkk!!! Who better to spend Valentine's Day weekend with than that super funky bunch?! Friday night chilling with vino and laughs and Saturday reservations at the FABULOUS Honey restaurant! I don't care how cold it's going to be this weekend, we will be guaranteed fun....so BRING IT! Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

That's all for now! I have a shoot tomorrow, so stay tuned for a peek with some majorly adorable girls!!! Other than that stay warm and have a fabulous weekend!!!! XO

Chocolate AVOCADO Brownies...say WHAT?!!!

Ok so EVEN the name of these are FREAKING me out a bit I'll be completely HONEST!!! LOL! (though I am a HUGE avocado lover!!!) However, I have seen these floating around the internet and they definitely PEAKED my interest and today was THE DAY! I was out doing my meal prep shopping and was having a pretty SERIOUS yearning for CHOCOLATE but not for my lovely hard chocolate cups I make, but for something soft and CHEWY!!!! On my quest to a healthier lifestyle I am choosing to make GOOD choices rather than picking up the Reese's Peanut Butter cup and downing that baby in .3 seconds!!! So I thought what better day to try these little beauties out than TODAY! No time like the present and what's the worst that could happen....I will HATE them?!!! Big DEAL!  (this is part of my new 12 step program...LOL..ok, fine I'm exaggerating but I'm trying hard not to give a CRAP anymore about little things...me liking this chocolate brownie is a LITTLE thing!)

Anywhooooooo, they were quick, easy and completely vegan if that fits who you are right now! They definitely filled my chocolate obsession craving I was having today!!! I really LOVED them! Give them a shot and see what you think!!! They definitely satisfied my sweet tooth today!!! Happy Sunday loves!!!! XO


Excuse the phone pics and the finished pic that already had brownies MISSING!!! These peeps are QUICK!!! ;)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mashed or pureed avocado
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup cane sugar or granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups vegan dark or semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" square pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the avocado & olive oil until smooth.  Add in the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and water. Stir until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.

3. Pour into the prepared pan and spread batter evenly. Sprinkle with an additional 1/2 cup of chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes (this will vary depending on your oven so kind of watch them closely)

4. Remove and let brownies sit out for AT LEAST 20 minutes before serving. Cut, cover and store for up to 3 days.

ENJOY!!!

UPDATE: These were a MILLION times better the second day AFTER being kept in the fridge when I took one to work!!! Highly recommend storing them in the fridge!!! Ahhhh I can NOT stop eating these!!! LOL!

Coffee Talk!

Hellllooooo!!! Back to our normal GRIND!!!!

4 Random Thoughts:

1 -  Bottom line...we are ALL human. We ALL get in funks. We ALL have bad days/weeks/months. Mine was last week. I think I spent ALL day Friday crying. Like a blubbering, sobbing mess. Ya know what? I needed that. I needed that to snap my ass back into reality and make me see what I have in front of me. No, it's NOT this beautiful picture I imagine in my head but it's where I'm at RIGHT now and I have to put on my big girl panties and pour a glass of wine oops, (slip of the fingers there or rather GREAT advice from a dear friend) deal with it. Don't EVER let anyone tell you how you "should" feel. Your feelings are your feelings and until they have walked a DAY in your shoes...SHUT it!! End rant. Positive silver lining - after the mascara was done running and a few good talks with the bestie and some important peeps in my life, I'm on the upside of the down ward spiral. I can't stay down forever....my wine glass will miss being filled!

2 - The Blizzard from 2 weeks ago. No words but probably part contributor in the above melt down. That is all. (except snow if I EVER see you again it will be toooooooooooooo soon!)

3 - Then there are the moments that you receive messages from COMPLETE strangers telling you how you inspired them to do something or that you have changed their life. YES, universe I am listening and I am pushing on because I absolutely LOVE helping people. It's moments like those that I am soooo super duper grateful I took the chance on coaching and didn't let what others thought of me influence my decision. (As for coaching...I am growing my tribe Fierce Mind Brave Spirit...if you think you would like to help others on their journey, message me so we can chat....of course we will have a cup of coffee while we do it, don't be silly! )

4 - My health fitness update. Hammer & Chisel.....LOVE!!! I'm on my 4th week and am definitely seeing results which is super EXCITING to me! I am really proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and doing this program which TERRIFIED me before! Oh in other fitness news, I am doing a 5 day Shakeology challenge for anyone who has been interested but isn't quite ready to make the investment/commitment yet for fear that they may not LIKE shakeology. If you have been contemplating it at ALL, message me! I would love to let you in so you can see what all the HYPE is about and so you too could fall in LOVE with the superfood salad in a cup!!! ;)

That's it lovelies....that is ALL for today! I have a couple shoots coming up so I'm about to be a crazy lady! (how is that different you ask...you're right it's not! But that's why you LOVE me!)
Have a fabulous weekend! XO

Challenge Group Misconceptions & the TRUTH!

Alright loves so out and about in the glass half empty world I have heard some rumblings of WHY people are afraid of Challenge groups!! I think there are some SERIOUS misconceptions so I am here to give you the down & dirty:

- It's a PRIVATE group, what you post in there NO ONE else in FB world can see. Seriously no ONE will know that you had a crap day except the other people in the group who are on this SAME journey as you! It's a judgement FREE zone!!!

- It's NO PRESSURE! If you don't get your workout in or you eat a chip NO ONE is going to come hunt you down and pummel your ass! Well unless you want me to, of course...then I will hop on the nearest plane because some of you lovelies don't live close enough for me to come pummel!! ;)

- You don't have to be outgoing and talkative....there are plenty of people who LOVE the group for the motivation, inspiration, recipe ideas etc, but never say a WORD. (like seriously NO WORDS GIVEN) However they LOVE all that they personally are getting from the groups regardless. Shy, Loud, Outgoing, Quiet....we LOVE you all! Obviously the more interaction in a group the better BUT no one is forcing you to talk.

- If you are in a group it does NOT mean you have to post about it on your PERSONAL FB page and post pictures of you working out etc. No one from outside the group even needs to know you are in a group if you don't want them to. Have NO FEAR, your assignment will NOT be to plaster your FB wall about all that you are doing...unless YOU want to. Then hell, do it up! ;)

- You do NOT have to be a FITNESS freak! If this is your first time really working out....KUDOS to you! That is AWESOME! Everyone has to take the first step to working out and this is yours! Reason 1,566,444, 268 I LOVE these workouts - for the MODIFIER!!! She's in there...use her!

- You do NOT have to work out for HOURS!! This program works for me because most of these workouts are 30 - 35 minutes and honestly for ME that's all the time I can spare. I get it, we are all very busy nowadays. We are moms, we work full time, part time, we are the personal chef of the house, the maid, the taxi driver, the grocery shopper...you name it, we WEAR the hat!  30 - 35 minutes for your mind, body and soul are completely worth it and you will be a BETTER everything for everyone especially yourself!

- You don't have to leave your home!! This is the other HUGE upside for me because I used to make up EVERY excuse in the book of why I couldn't drive my butt to the gym. No more of that...roll out of bed, go downstairs, push play! BOOM! Done! Little secret/tip - I SLEEP in my workout clothes because that's how EASY I want to make it for myself to NOT give one more excuse of why I can't work out! Best decision I ever made!

- You don't have time to be on FB all the time...well you are in LUCK! You only have to "check-in" once a day to get the benefits of the group! Sometimes there are little tidbits of recipes and tips posted thru out the day, but you get tagged so you can see them and then it's over. Take what you want out of the group!

What a challenge group does provide:

- Motivation
- Inspiration
- New Friendships
- Recipes
- Accountability
- Support
- Clean Eating Tips
- Meal Planning help
- A New FRESH ATTITUDE
- So much MORE!!!

I hope that answered some questions and cleared up any fears you may have had. It's never easy to make the decision to change but you are so worth it. Your health, your body, your mind...all of it! Take time and take a chance on YOU! 2016 is your YEAR! #theresstilltime #coachlife
If this helped squash some of the reasons that have been holding you back...AWESOME! Fill out the attached application to get in on my next Challenge Group that starts February 15th! XO

https://melaniebostian.wufoo.com/forms/challenge-group-application/