Menu Monday - High Protein Chocolate PB Snack Bars

Since I'm currently in week 2 of the 21 Day Fix, I figured that this week's Menu Monday should be something that you can eat on the FIX.

Ingredients:

• 4 scoops Chocolate Shakeology
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1/3 cup chopped raw peanuts
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup all-natural creamy peanut butter

Method:

• Combine ShakeO, oats, peanuts & raisins in a large mixing bowl & mix well.
• Add in almond milk & PB; mix well.
• Press mixture into 8x8 baking pan; cover & regrigerate for at least 3 hours
• Cut into 24 bars

One of these bars is equal to 1 "Yellow" on the program. Enjoy!!!

Week 1 on the 21 Day Fix

YAY!!! Officially done with week 1 of the 21 Day Fix!

I am down 5 pounds in my first week & my body feels AMAZING (despite having a nasty cold that I've been dealing with all week).

A lot of people want to know "what's life like on the FIX?" The answer? It's pretty simple. 

Let's start in the area that is easiest to explain. The workouts. In the Essentials Kit, you'll receive 8 workouts - well, 9 if you order from me ;)  You get

• Total Body Cardio
• Upper Fix
• Lower Fix
• Pilates Fix
• Cardio Fix
• Dirty 30
• Yoga Fix
• 10 Minute Ab Fix
• Plyo Fix (if you order from yours truly) 

Each workout is approximately 30 minutes. The workouts are intense, but every workout had a modifier - so if you're new to fitness, getting back into fitness or are maybe nursing an illness/injury, you can still do the workout - just with some modifications. And let me be the one to tell you, just because you're modifying, doesn't mean you're not getting a hardcore workout in. I have a bad knee - so doing 30 minutes of Plyo just isn't going to happen. In that workout, I modify every move - except one - and I'm still dripping sweat at the end of it. Bottom line - do what you can with what you've got & just try to progress a little more each week. The 10 Minute Ab Fix and Plyo Fix are just little add ons. You don't have to do them. But if you want to, you can!

Next up - nutrition. Your Essentials Kit will come with some pretty colored containers. Each color represents a food group. So, Red is protein, Yellow is carbs, Green is veggies, Purple is fruit, Blue is dairy/nuts & Orange is nuts/salad dressings. Based on your current weight, you'll do a little math & then figure out what calorie bracket you fall into. And based on that bracket, you'll be allotted so many colored containers a day. For me, it breaks down like this:

• 4 Red
• 3 Green
• 2 Yellow
• 2 Purple
• 1 Blue
• 1 Orange

Ok - so there's colored containers...but what am I actually eating??? Every morning at breakfast is my Shakeology. Other meals have included, berries, apples, peanut butter, grapes, tilapia, chicken, ground turkey, eggs, turkey bacon, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, whole grain toast, oatmeal, zucchini, broccoli, eggs, rice, quinoa & perhaps my favorite of the week...chocolate covered raisins. Yes, you read that right. CHOCOLATE. I can even have wine if I want it. This program isn't about a super restrictive diet. It's about teaching you proper nutrition & portion control - and that includes weekly treats. This isn't just a 21 day meal plan - this is something you can do for life. 

Now, I bet I know one of the questions on your mind. Am I ever hungry? Yes, and no. When I first got my kit, I did a few "test days" to try things out. During that time, I was having breakfast, a big morning snack, lunch, a small afternoon snack and dinner. By dinner, I was ravenous. So, last week, I switched things up. I put my smaller snack in the morning and moved my bigger snack to the late afternoon and now I'm fine. I'm eating food every 2-3 hours and completely satisfied. 

Cravings. Have I had them? Goodness, yes. Especially when I'm sick like I am. I want comfort food. But I haven't caved. I have cravings whether I'm following a healthy nutrition plan or not. With this plan, I'm allowed my "treats" 3 times a week. I plan them out (TuesdAys, Fridays and Saturdays). I look forward to them, and I enjoy every bite - or sip.

The program really is simple. 30 minute workouts. Easy to follow meal plan. All the guess work has been taken away. I'm excited to jump into week 2 and see what it brings!!! 

Think you may want to join my March 21 Day Fix group? Just shoot me an email here and we can go over all of the details :)

Menu Monday - Protein Packed Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole-grain oats (or quick oats if you're short on time)
• 1 cup water
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tbsp natural peanut butter (mixed well)

Method:

• Prepare your oatmeal according to the directions on the package
• add the scoop of protein powder, cinnamon and PB
• Mix & enjoy!!!

xoxo,

Menu Monday - Zucchini & Potato Bake

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini, quartered and cut into large pieces
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (if you're not a pepper fan, you can omit this and/or substitute another vegetable)
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• paprika to taste
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• In a medium baking pan, toss together the zucchini, potatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, bread crumbs, and olive oil. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and lightly brown.

ENJOY!!!

Beauty Buzz - Glam Glow

For months, I've been hearing from friends & other beauty guru's on how awesome this Glam Glow mask was. I am a skin care junkie & love trying new things.

But before we get to my review, let's back up to summer of 2013. I've always had skin on the oily/acne prone side. As I'm now in my mid thirties, I'm now having to deal still with acne and now wrinkles??? My skin can't seem to decide what age it wants to be. So, yes, while I've always had acne, my skin has never been so bad that I've been embarrassed to go out in public...until last summer. IT. GOT. BAD. Really bad. And the weirdest part - it wasn't on my face...but mostly my chin & neck. In all my years dealing with acne, I've never once had any of it spread to my neck. I knew something was up. I was being diligent with washing my face, especially right after working out. I never slept in my makeup. But each week it was getting worse and worse. I spent hundreds on different skin care products trying to find something to make it go away. A few things helped a bit, but nothing made it go away completely.

I knew it wasn't my skin care routine - or lack thereof - that was causing it. So, I started looking at my diet. I thought back to when I started seeing the acne on my neck. It was May. From there, I had to figure out what did I start eating that could have caused this? I was prepping for a trip to Las Vegas for Beachbody's Coach Summit, so I knew my diet was on point. I was eating very clean and was just baffled. But then I thought a little more. I have my protein shakes every day. I've been doing that for years and never had a problem. But in the April/May timeframe, I started making them a different way. With pineapple and orange juice. Every single day. I kind of dismissed the thought thinking that there was no way a healthy food could be causing these nasty breakouts. I was wrong. Yes, pineapple is a fruit & fruit is healthy. But, blood sugar can trigger acne. This means that fruits that are loaded with fructose, a form of sugar, can elevate the glucose level in your blood thus causing pimples. Fructose can easily make the glucose in your system shoot up fast. And what's one of the fruits with the highest levels of fructose? Pineapple. And while oranges themselves are low on the GI index - meaning low sugar - orange juice is high in sugar.

So, to test my theory, I gave up making my shakes like that for 2 weeks. Low and behold, my skin started to clear up. I was excited and disappointed all at the same time. My shake, made that way, was my favorite thing I ate/drank all day. I'd have to eliminate, or at least, cut back on it. But I was excited to finally figure out what was contributing to this awful acne.

Even after basically eliminating the pineapple and orange juice, I was still having minor breakouts on my neck. Compared to how bad it was over the summer, these small breakouts were nothing...but still annoying. 

Then a few weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a package in the mail containing a bunch of goodies - she knows how much I love makeup and skincare products. In it, a sample of Glam Glow. So, I figured I'd give it a try.

When you first put it on, it's a brownish color - kind of like mud. There are also small chunks of tea leaves in it. It does have a strong smell, but I like the smell of it. It also tingles when you put it on.

Once it starts to dry, it turns to a light green shade.

After you've left it on for 10 minutes, you're supposed to wet it slightly and massage into your skin. It's also an exfoliant, so this part is like a scrub for your face. Once I rinsed my face, I was kind of shocked at the immediate results. Every single blackhead was GONE. My pores were practically invisible (and I have very large pores). I was sold. I ordered a jar right away. I've been using it for almost 2 weeks (about 2-3 times a week) & am so impressed with the results. My acne on my neck is all but gone & the scars are finally fading. The skin on my face is smoother and my makeup looks even better on.

I give this mask a 5 out of 5 stars. It delivers on it's promises and delivers fast. If you're thinking of trying this product - GO FOR IT. It is worth every penny!

Keep Your Snacks Simple

When trying to maintain a healthy diet, it's important to snack!!! Here are a few simple & healthy snack ideas for at home or on-the-go.

A Granny Smith Apple sprinkled with cinnamon
and a serving of almonds

Fresh strawberries and blackberries. Add a side of non-fat
Greek yogurt for some extra protein

Baby Carrots and a serving of Almond Butter

Valentine's Day Giveaway!!!

One of my favorite holidays is fast approaching - Valentine's Day!!! And I'm going to be giving away a bunch of goodies to 1 lucky winner. So, what will the winner get?

• 3 Lara Bar UBER bars in Coconut Macaroon flavor
• 3 packets of Vegan Tropical Strawberry Shakeology
• a 6 pack of Partylite votives in Tropical Daiquiri scent
• a 2014 planner from Sugar Paper LA for Target
• a red peplum cut-out shirt from Forever 21 (size M)

Are you feeling lucky and want to enter? It's pretty simple! 

• Go over to my Instagram page (@kateschmida) and make sure you're following me.
• Find the picture posted above, like it & then comment on it with your favorite romantic movie.
• Take a screenshot of my Instagram post & repost it on your page (please make sure your profile is public or I won't ever see the pic). Don't forget to tag me & also hashtag it with #katesvalentinegiveaway
• Head over to www.katejsschmida.com and sign up for your FREE account. No purchase necessary.

Once you've completed ALL of those steps, you'll be officially entered (yes, I will be checking to make sure all 4 are done). 

The winner will be announced on Valentine's Day!!! Good luck!!!