When You Feel Like Giving Up

Alright, you all... this is going to be one of those "kick you in your ass" posts.  Let's be honest with ourselves, we've all given up on something at some point in our life.  Whether that be a failing relationship, a broken down vehicle, a project for school, or a recipe you can't quite get "right."  I will admit, I've done all of those.  We might have even given up on ourselves.  And that is the one entity I will not give up on.  I am what keeps everything else together.  If I give up on myself, I give up on my family and my life.  

So here it goes, when you think about quitting, don't.  When you think you aren't good enough, you are.  When you feel like you're going to puke, you're doing it right.  If you feel like you're going to pass out, you might.  Keep on going.  Think about why you started.  Was it for yourself?  Your spouse?  Your family? Was it just because someone else was doing it?  What ever the reason was, don't give up.  

A lot of the time in my life I have felt like I wasn't good enough for someone.  I felt like since I wasn't a size 0 no one would ever be physically attracted to me.  I quickly found out that was NOT accurate and now I am a mother of 2 gorgeous little girls.  They are the driving force behind my new-found lifestyle because I want to be around to see them get married, have children, and go on to live their lives.  I'm no expert and I'm not a motivational speaker by any means, but I am living proof that ANYONE can do this.  It doesn't matter what you fitness level is, you can do this.  There will be times when you want to throw your hands up and say "I quit, I'm tired, I feel sick, I'm hurting."  Guess what.. that means you're doing something right.  It's OK to want to quit but what's NOT OK is actually quitting.  After you're done with your workout, let it go.  It's OK if you followed Cat on 21 Day Fix.  It's OK that you can't do all of Shaun T's moves.  It's OK that Tony Horton has better abs than you.  They all started somewhere.

Plain and simple, sitting on the couch isn't going to give you the ass you always wanted.  Eating potato chips isn't going to give you the sleek, sexy arms you've always wanted.  But what will give you a toned body is going to be your hard work, determination, organization, and a focused mindset.  

So moral of the story is, don't give up even when you feel like you will.  Don't do it.  You'll thank yourself come swimsuit season! 

To Shake or Not to Shake

Shakeology is one of the best ways to get everything your body needs for the day in one meal.  I personally love it and I wouldn't have anything else in place of it.  But here is something that a lot of people don't consider.  Yes, I agree that Shakeology is expensive however, how much are you spending stopping for a coffee at your local gas station, Starbucks, or Sheetz?  Are you also ordering something to eat like a breakfast sandwich, sub, or slice of pizza?  How much are you really spending when you're making that stop in the morning or on your lunch break?  $7 or more?  For the amount that I make everyday, the same amount would probably cost me about $6 at Starbucks or Sheetz.  What if I told you that each glass of Shakeology is only $4?!  

Pictured above I have a shake that I made that tastes great and could pass for something that you'd buy at one of your local watering holes.  The shake is half gone so what does that tell you?  It's what I call Caramel Iced Mocha and here is the recipe:

1 Scoop of Chocolate Shakeology (I use VEGAN but Regular would work just fine)
1 Cup of Ice (More or less depending on how thick you want it)
1/2 tsp of Caramel Extract
1 Cup of Chilled Black Coffee (I used the Dollar General brand coffee.. nothing special)

For more information about Shakeology, click the link! 

Stay tuned for more recipes and Holli favorites! :) 

Stuffed Peppers

For my stuffed pepper recipe, I want to say that my husband absolutely devoured these!  He said that if he had to have a last meal, he would choose this to be his last meal!  Again, the way I did this is just a guide to help you along.  I added corn as a side but you can add any side you would like. 

Ingredients: 
4 Bell peppers
1 pound of ground turkey
1 cup of brown rice
4 tomatoes
1/2 cup of diced onion
Cheddar cheese
2 cloves of garlic
Any seasoning you'd like (I used the 21 Day Fix All-Purpose Seasoning mix

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Start cooking your rice.  Usually for a cup of cooked rice, you need about a half cup raw. 
2. Put your ground turkey in a large skillet and brown.  Add your fresh garlic, onion, and 2 chopped tomatoes.  You can also add any other types of veggies you want.  You can add more pepper, hot peppers, spinach, etc.  
3. Cut your bell peppers in half long ways and remove the insides.  Place them in a baking pan and prepare to stuff them.  Mix up your filling mixture and once the rice has become tender, mix it in with your meat.  
4. Stuff your peppers and cover with aluminium foil.  Cook for approx. 30 minutes.  After the turkey has cooked, turn your oven to BROIL.  Dice the other 2 tomatoes you have and make them into a salsa type of mixture.  Spoon them on top of your peppers then add cheese.  Broil long enough for the cheese to get a little crisp!  It will usually take about 10 minutes for this to happen.  Serve and enjoy! 

Stuffed Chicken

Alright folks, here is my next recipe for you all to check out.  It's 21 Day Fix approved.  Now, please keep in mind that I'm not a chef and I don't write cook books.  Also, any of these ingredients, you can change.  You can add or subtract anything you wish.  If you want to add some seasoning to your veggies, have at it.  Seasonings are "free" (except salt) so change it up!  Not only that, I am cooking for 3 people when I make these things.  I make 4 servings because I make enough for my hubby to take to work the next day.  So if you're making just one chicken breast, use your head and determine how much filling you need for each chicken.  

Ingredients: 
Chicken breasts (I used a large breast and sliced it long ways to make 2) 
Mushrooms (1/2 cup)
Green peppers (1/2 cup)
Red peppers (1/2 cup)
Brown rice (1 cup)
Spinach (1 cup)
Shredded cheese (the approved cheeses from the 21 day fix menu) (1/3 cup)
Your choice of seasonings
Olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and start your rice.  
2. Prepare the filling for your chicken by chopping up the spinach and adding the shredded cheese.  Here you can add the seasonings that you'd like to have for the inside. 
3. Lay your chicken out flat and add your filling.  Wrap your chicken and use a toothpick to secure it while it cooks in the oven.  Once you're done wrapping them up, put them in the oven for approx. 35 minutes.  I have a confection oven so they don't take quite 35 minutes.  Use a cookie sheet or a baking pan.  Don't use one of those pizza pans that have holes in them because you will have some leakage. 
4. In a skillet heat up some olive oil and add the peppers and mushrooms.  Saute until they are tender.  This doesn't take very long so saute the veggies about 5 to 7 minutes before your chicken is due to be finished.

Feeling Accomplished!

Today I accomplished 1 hour on the treadmill!  GO me!!  That is a personal best.  Even when I was training for the State Police, I never spent an hour on the treadmill.  Maybe 30 or 40 minutes but never an hour!  Granted, most of the time was walking at a 6.0 incline but I'm still moving my body!  

With that said, accomplishment is something that is important and everyone's got to feel some sort of way when they achieve a personal record, goal, or task.  Think about what makes you feel accomplished?  Crossing off all the bills at the end of the month as paid?  Your child getting all A's?  Losing that nagging 10 lbs that's been hanging around since college?  Getting a promotion?  I'll share some things that make me feel accomplished: 

Weight loss
Paying off a bill 
Getting house work done (even though it just cycles back around)
Putting the laundry away
My family enjoying something that I have cooked
Finding a new recipe that is in line with my changed life style

And keeping with my progression theme here... I decided to try losing weight.  I am just like everyone else that has wanted to start something but gave up because I thought I couldn't do it.  The truth is, you CAN do it.  Anyone can.  I am living proof that anyone who has the desire can do it.  Losing weight ultimately starts with the fire inside yourself to want to be healthier.   The next step is in the kitchen.  I found that I was eating and drinking so much CRAP that my body didn't need.  I would buy icecream just to satisfy my sweet tooth but it was only calories that didn't do anything for me.  To satisfy my sweet tooth, I drink Shakeology!  Shakeology feels like you're cheating but you're really not!  I have it with a cup of coffee and ice.  Boom!  Mix that baby up in the Ninja and I have the same tasting thing I'd get from McDonald's or Starbucks!  Who needs that $5 coffee when I have a shake that comes out to be about $4 and loaded with everything my body needs to get off on the right foot.  


So that's what I've got for right now.  Think about what makes you feel accomplished!  Go out there and get it!

Shrimp Tacos - Fix Approved

The other night, my husband wanted to just have a salad for dinner.  When he got home, I surprised him with dinner already on the table.  Here's what we had.  Shrimp tacos!  And guess what!  They are #21dayfix approved!  It was simple and great!  You can change this up as much as you want.  The best part is that you can allow your family to make their own!  Here's what I used and how I did it!



Ingredients:

Soft shell tortillas (whole grain)
Shrimp (40 shrimp)
Red cabbage (1/4 of a small head)
Avocado (1/2 avocado)
Tomato (2 plum sized)
Spinach (1/2 cup)
Red Onion (1/4 cup)
Red Pepper (1/4 cup)
Cilantro
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Your choice of seasonings

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Slice tortillas into 4's and insert them into a muffin tin.  Place them in the oven for approx. 10 minutes.  They will become "taco bowls".
3.  Place shrimp in skillet and cook on the stove top.  Add desired seasonings.  I used the 21 Day Fix southwest seasoning this time.  Shrimp do not take long to cook so keep an eye on them.
4. Dice vegetables.   Use desired amount so that approximately 2 TBS are topped onto each taco "bowl."
5.  Splash desired amount of lemon/lime juice and cilantro onto your mixture.  Mix it up like a salsa.  A lot of people add MANGO here as well.  I did not have any mango so I did not include it in this recipe.
6. Remove the tortillas from the muffin tins and place them on a plate.  Insert the desired amount shrimp and salsa into your bowl and you're ready to go!

I figured out that if each person were to be served 3 bowls, it is 1 RED, 1.5 YELLOW, .5 BLUE, and .5 GREEN.

You can use this as a dinner, lunch, or appetizer depending on how much each person is served and how much you're going to make!

2015 & Why I Became A Beachbody Coach

Well, here we go... a second post of the day.  This should be a good one so get ready, get set, .... GO.

Most of us have something in mind for the New Year.  Sometimes that's a goal, an actual resolution, something you're looking forward to, a change, etc.  If you don't have anything in mind for the New Year, maybe now is the time to think about it.  2015 is LITERALLY right around the corner.  Hopefully you're thinking of something.  Why not think about how you can improve yourself?  Don't you want to see something better in the mirror?  Let's be honest, we all have room for improvement... that's right, even you, Michelle Obama!

Which leads me to the second part of my titled post.. Why I became a Beachbody coach.  Most of my life I have been over weight.  Honestly, when you're growing up and your parents take you out to places like McDonald's and Burger King, you're forced to eat the things that are bad for you even though you're too young to know any better.  Then that leads to making poor choices as an adolescent and into adulthood, you're still making those same choices.  I was active in high school but I was still the "fat kid" that everyone made fun of or wasn't friends with because I was fat.  Period... I was a cheerleader and swimmer all through school and did track only for 1 year.  I had friends but the "cool kids" were the skinny basketball players with no more than their name and parents' money to back them up.

In college, I wasn't active at all.  I worked in the rec center but never actually went there to work-out.  I never really got into that.  College gyms are full of skinny girls talking about how fat they are and how they had to "get in shape."  Get in shape for what?  Why?  You're already a size 0.  Me on the other hand, I was discouraged from going to the gym.

So finally... why I became a Beachbody coach... like so many people in the world today, I struggle with my weight.  I struggle with looking great and feeling great in my own skin.  I struggle with the scale.  I struggle to realize that no matter what, my husband is going to love me even if I am 300 lbs.  I don't want to struggle anymore.  I don't want to think about myself dying at 50 because I'm unhealthy.  I want to be there for my children, husband, and family.  I want to live and not be a burden because someone else has to take care of me.  I want to feel free to do the things I want to do and not be held back because I am over the weight limit.
I have never tried dieting and exercising regularly.  I never tried anything and one day it hit me ... if I didn't do something with myself, I would be that over weight adult that had to refrain from activities because of my weight.  So I did some research and when my friend, coach, and sponsor told me about her business, I was intrigued.  I looked into it and saw that it was something I wanted to try but just didn't know when I could for financial reasons.  I spent many days looking over the program called 21 Day Fix and learning about clean eating.  I saw that it paired well with Shakeology and then I looked into that.  I did 2 rounds of 21 Day Fix and after the first round I had only lost 4 lbs and 10 inches over all.  Now that I am on my 3rd round, I am down 17 lbs.

Now that I know more about what to eat and how much to eat of each food group, it's much easier to go shopping and cook those foods.  My husband and I enjoy cooking together and now he's interested in my journey too.  He asks questions like, "can you eat this/that?"  and is also conscious of the things he puts in his body.  I couldn't be happier.

Which leads me to my next point... feeding yourself healthier foods also means you can feed your family healthier foods.  That is what I enjoy best.  My older daughter is getting so many veggies and fruits and she actually likes them!  The most satisfaction I've gotten from this experience (other than weight loss of course!) is seeing my family eat a better, more colorful plate!

With those things said, I invite you to visit my Beachbody site.  It does seem a little "run of the mill" and standard right now but it does have a lot of valuable information in regards to the programs.  I encourage you to take a look and see what sparks your interests.  There is a lot that I recommend and there is a program for everyone.  If you're just looking to tone up or lose weight, there is something for you.

I look forward to starting a challenge group in the future so shoot me an email if you need that little extra boost to keep you accountable!  We'll get ya added to that! :)

Follow me on Instagram: holli.stilianidis


Holli's Beachbody Website
hstilianidis@gmail.com