3 Day Refresh Recap

As many of you may have seen last week I posted about preparing for resetting my body and finally (after many months) completing the 3 Day Refresh.

Were there struggles?  YEP.
Were there benefits?  YEP.
Were there moments of HANGRY?  YEP.
Were there moments of joy?  YEP.

But, I will say it was well worth the struggle, hangry moments to feel better.

Leading up to the Refresh

Prior to completing the refresh, I was on vacation for a week but even prior to that, I really wasn't focused on my eating.  Even though I was doing my meal plans, I would find I would have an extra bite here or there of something.  I had too many glasses of wine.  I ate ice cream.  All in all, my nutrition had just started to slide downhill it seems like since the holidays.

So, when a relative texted me asking if I had ever done the 3 Day Refresh, I said nope, but I would be happy to do it with them, considering I would need it after all the above PLUS vacation.

While on vacation, I tried to stay on track, but it was hard when there weren't many healthy options.  I had burgers, white rolls, french fries a few times.  Some SUPER yummy nachos, dessert and you know how it goes.  Once you start, your body craves those types of food even when you don't normally eat them.

I got home and my Refresh was waiting for me.  I opened the box and was greeted by the drink mixes, Shakeology packets, and nutrition guide.  The guide really was easy to follow, I just had to determine what I wanted when.

The Plan:

Each of the 3 days I would start every morning with a glass of water and then have my Shakeology with a side of fruit within an hour of waking up.  I chose to eat my fruit but you could have mixed it in!

About an hour later I would have a cup of hot green tea.  Then an hour later (mid-morning) I would have the fiber sweep.  I actually didn't mind the fiber sweep at all.  Prior to completing the Refresh, many people said they couldn't stomach the fiber sweep.  But, it reminded me of the lemon Nestea iced tea instant tea mix my mom used to make when I was a kid.

Two hours after the fiber sweep, I would have lunch which consisted of a Vanilla Fresh shake, some fruit, veggies & a healthy fat.  The afternoon then consisted of a snack at least an hour after lunch, then a cup of hot green tea, and then by then it would be dinner time which was another Vanilla Fresh shake and a dinner option.  I will say the Vanilla Fresh shake was the toughest one for me to drink.  I struggled with that one each time I drank it, and was about ready to jump through the roof with excitement after I drank my last one on Day 3.

The nutrition guide is fantastic and comes with 9 different meal options for dinner.  I tried the stir fry and spinach salad and really liked both.  I can't wait to do the spinach salad but add some protein on it.

I will say I drank at least a gallon of water every day as the guide recommended and then also added a cup of organic vegetable broth as well.

All in all, I was consuming between 900-1000 calories.  It isn't recommended to restrict your calories to this level daily but for a short period of time it was fine.

During the Refresh

So, at the end of Day 1, I was tired and had a headache for sure.  I would be kidding you if I didn't tell you this.  I was tired, but then again I did a pretty decent workout the morning of Day 1.  It is suggested in the guide to not do an intense workout while doing the refresh.

I learned my lesson on Day 2 and 3.  I still had a headache, but by day 3 it was minimal until I waited to long to eat in the afternoon.  I wasn't tired.  It was also great to get 8+ hours of sleep per night each night. I found by the time I got the kids to bed I wasn't far from being in bed either so I wouldn't be tempted by anything.

Honestly, it was probably a good thing I didn't have too many things going on those 3 days though.  Between my kids coming off the vacation high, and all of us getting back in the swing of things, I wasn't the most pleasant person to be around I am sure.  So, to my kids and anyone I may have encountered those 3 days, I apologize for my hangry mood.

After the Refresh

I will say on Friday morning when I woke up, I felt wonderful.  I was full of energy and was ready to conquer the day.  It felt great to wake up with that feeling as I hadn't felt that way in a while.

Was the hangry worth it?  Yes it was.  That bloated feeling I had finally went away and I can say I felt great.  For me one of the biggest victories from completing the 3 Day Refresh was I was able to know I could say no to certain foods and stay strong.  It helped me re-focus my nutrition and has helped me stay on track without too many slip ups since last week.

In fact, we had an impromptu birthday celebration for one of our neighbors over the weekend, I didn't have a single glass of wine and I didn't keep going back munching on food like I had done the month before.  In fact at one point we were chatting and there was a bowl of chips sitting in front of me on the counter, I put my hand in to get a chip and then pulled it back without taking a chip.  It just wasn't worth it!  I woke up the next morning feeling victorious that I actually made it through the night without wine and too much food.  However, I did have one small piece of cake, but that was it.  In the past I would have gone back for more.

My Results

So, my overall results were I lost 3 inches and 3.6 lbs.  I would definitely do the 3 Day Refresh again to get over the bloat and help me get back on track when I lose focus.  Because let's be honest, as much as we try to stay on track and not have too many treats, we are not perfect and sometimes a little help to reset and re-focus is what is needed.

Thanks for stopping by and all your support.  Have a great day and check back again for future blog posts.

**Also, as a side note, for the relatives that did the refresh with me last week, both lost 4lbs. in 3 days!  Great job!!!!

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody 
Ruby Coach

Enchilladas - Cleaned Up

As you may have seen in the past, we greatly enjoy Tex-Mex/Mexican style dishes.  One I used to make frequently pre-clean eating days was enchilladas.  I used to buy the canned enchillada sauce and follow the directions on the can.  Once we started eating clean, I knew that wasn't going to work anymore.  I mean seriously, the sodium alone used to make me drink like a fish for the entire day after.

So, one day I was searching for "cleaner" versions of enchilladas and came upon this recipe. When I first saw it, I thought wow, there are a ton of ingredients and it is going to take forever to make.  But decided it was worth a shot and let me tell you:

IT WAS ALL WORTH IT!!!!  The ingredients and time it took yes are more than the canned sauce steps, but I will NEVER go back to doing enchilladas any other way.  

Let me put it this way, I have to quickly fill the tortillas before I eat the filling.  The filling IS that GOOD!!!!  Hope you try them out and give them a shot!

Enchilladas

Sauce Ingredients:

1-29oz. can of Tomato Sauce (I use crushed tomatoes or sauce with Low-No Sodium)

5 tbsp. of Olive Oil 

Garlic Powder (or you can use 3 cloves of crushed garlic)

1/4 cp. Fresh Cilantro (no stems)

1/2 Sweet Yellow Onion

1/2 Red Bell Pepper

1/2 can Rotel (with juice)

1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

1/2 tsp. EACH of Chili Powder, Cumin, Paprika* 

Whole Wheat Flour (optional, if needed to add to sauce to thicken)

*You can use all the following Mrs. Dash's seasonings, but I don't have them and didn't want to buy 

them each - Table Blend, Southwest Chipotle, Chili Lime seasonings)

Sauce Directions:

1.  In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients for the sauce (except the flour) and puree until smooth.

2.  Once blended smooth, pour the sauce in the pan and cook on low and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Enchillada Filling Ingredients:

1 lb. package Lean Ground Turkey (could also use super lean ground beef or even ground chicken)

1/2 Sweet Yellow Onion, chopped

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1/2 can Rotel, juice drained

1/2 cp. Frozen Sweet Corn

1/2 cp. Black Beans, drained

1/4 cp. Fresh Cilantro (no stems)

1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

1 cp. Cottage Cheese

1/2 tsp. each of Chili Powder, Cumin & Paprika*

*You can use all the following Mrs. Dash's seasonings, but I don't have them and didn't want to buy them each - Table Blend, Southwest Chipotle, Chili Lime seasonings)

Filling Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Start browing the ground meat in a medium pan on the stove and add the chopped pepper and onion cooking until the turkey is browned and the onion and pepper are soft and tender.  Once cooked set aside to cool.

3.  In a seperate large bowl, combine the Rotel, sweet corn, black beans, cilantro, black pepper, cottage cheese and seasonings.  Once the turkey mixture has cooled, add that to the cottage cheese mixture and stir to combine.

4.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and assemble your tortillas with the filling mixture.  If you are using the 21 Day Fix Containers, I fill each tortilla with 1 red container of meat.  The more filling the better. I would rather fill up on what is inside the tortilla than the tortilla itself.

5.  Place each rolled tortilla in the sprayed casserole dish.  You should be able to fit all 8 in the baking dish.

6.  Once all the tortillas are assembled and in the baking dish, pour all the simmered sauce over them.  DO NOT sprinkle with cheese yet!

7.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Then remove the foil, sprinkle with the cheese and bake for another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.

ENJOY!!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!  Feel free to come back and leave some feedback once you try them out.

~Sarah Strubhar

Independent Team Beachbody

Ruby Coach

3 Day Refresh Prep!

You may or may not have heard of a program Beachbody offers called 3 Day Refresh.  It is a 3 day program to reset your body.  It is not a cleanse where you are starving yourself or drinking only juice.  Thank goodness, because I wouldn't be able to do it if so!!!  I HAVE TO EAT!!!!

I am getting ready to do it for the first time this week and looking forward to it.  I fell off the wagon hard last week with vacation.  My water intake was WAY low, my food was hit or miss, my workouts weren't the norm, and boy I am feeling it.

I have an awful bloated feeling going on; I am tired, sluggish and just can't seem to focus the last couple days!  Needless to say, I am excited to get back on track!  

Here is a look at my meal plan for the week.  Check back later this week for a recap of the 3 Day Refresh!

Why Drink More Water?

We all hear how important it is to drink more water, but have you ever wondered why it is so important?  I know I always struggled with this and it took me a while to get used to the idea of drinking more water.

BUT, why do I need to drink more water.  There are so many things out there to listen to, but here are some benefits I have that I have found by drinking more water:

BENEFITS TO DRINKING MORE WATER

Reduces Bloating
 - Crazy as it sounds, when we drink enough water, it helps reduce that bloating feeling.  I know, I know I used to think the more I drank the more bloated I would feel, but actually I have found it to be the complete opposite.

I have found this to be true because like most things when our bodies need something and they aren't getting enough of it, our bodies tend to hold on to whatever it is we need.  Therefore when our bodies need more water, it will retain water instead of letting it go resulting in the bloat feeling!  WHO WANTS TO FEEL BLOATED???  - NOT ME!!!!

Suppresses the Appetite
-  Yep, another crazy thing...when our bodies trigger we are hungry, are we really hungry or are we thirsty?  I would venture to say you are likely thirsty and not hungry especially if you just ate recently.  So, next time you feel hungry try drinking some water first and see if that helps...

Helps Your Skin
- When drinking enough water, our skin will stay hydrated and therefore be shiny.  Water affects all the cells of our bodies.  Therefore when are bodies are dehydrated, our skin dries out as well.  I know I used to suffer from REALLY bad dry skin, especially in the winter.  However, since increasing my water intake to where I should be, I no longer have REALLY bad dry skin in the winter.

Helps keep you Regular
-  When you don't drink enough regular there is always a chance of becoming constipated  Crazy as it sounds drinking more will help you feel less constipated and have regular bowel movements - TMI, maybe :).

Fights Fatigue
- Our brains are highly dependent on water.  When we lack water, our brains think we are tired and tends to function on a lower level than if we were properly hydrated.  So, the next time you feel a drop in your energy, go drink some water.

SO, HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD YOU DRINK?

There are so many typical ideas of how much water to drink.  Granted how much you drink depends on many things.  But, my rule of thumb goes back to.....

Ready for it???

HALF YOUR BODY WEIGHT IN WATER!!!!

Yep, you read that right!  Half your weight in water.  So find a water bottle or something easy to help you keep track.  My trick is, I have a water bottle (or 2 or 3) that I know how many ounces each one holds and then I just have to remember how many bottles I have consumed per day and how many more I have left.

Hope these tips have helped and next time you are tired, hungry or feeling bloated, drink up!!!


Thanks for stopping by!

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Ruby Coach

One Pan Balsamic Chicken

We eat chicken around here more nights than not most of the time and I am always on the hunt for some new recipes.  My husband traveled earlier this month to see family and one of the dinners he had there was this.  He raved about how tasty it was so I knew I had to give it a whirl.  Simply for the fact, if he is raving about something I know I WILL FOR SURE like it! Oh yeah, and you make everything in one pan - what could be easier for clean up?!?!

I will say, I am sorry there are no pics, there were no leftovers (that's how good it was) and I forgot to take a picture when it was ready.  I will for sure next time though!

One Pan Balsamic Chicken

Ingredients

3/4cp. Italian Salad Dressing
4 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
3 tbsp. Honey
1 1/2 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 1in. cubes (or you could uses the chicken breast tenderloins)
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 1/2 lb. Green Beans (trimmed of tough ends and cut into 2in. pieces)
12oz. Mushrooms, sliced
1 1/4 cp. Grape Tomatoes, cut in half

Directions

-  Mix together the dressing, balsamic vinegar and honey in a measuring cup and set aside.

-  Heat 1 tbsp. of the olive olive and saute the mushrooms for 4 minutes until they have started to brown, then add the green beans and cook for abou 8 minutes until they are tender crisp.*

- Remove the vegetables from the pan; add the remaining oil and the chicken breast pieces.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until brown on each side.

-  Remove cooked chicken from the pan.  Add in the dressing mixture and cook on medium heat for a couple minutes while stirring constantly until it thickens and reaches a glaze consistency.

-  Add the chicken and veggies back into the pan and add the tomatoes.  Stir to coat everything and heat until heated through.  I cooked it long enough so the tomatoes started to pop, which added a great flavor to the dish.

*I did not cover the pan while the green beans were cooking and it seemed to take longer than 8 minutes to cook the green beans.   Next time I make this I will cover the pan to allow the beans to steam a bit.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you enjoy!  Feel free to leave feedback after you try this!

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody 
Emerald Coach

Crock Pot Beef & Broccoli

I have been using our crockpot a ton lately.  Saw this recipe and wanted to try it.  We have never been huge fans of things made with soy sauce but have been up for trying new things lately.  I couldn't believe how tasty this was, not to mention EASY!!!

Score when the family approves and kept asking for more!

ENJOY!!

Beef & Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 lb Flank Steak cut into strips, width-wise (this makes for easier shredding at the end!)
2 cups Fresh Broccoli, chopped
4 Scallions, sliced length-wise (optional)
1/2 C low sodium Beef Broth
2 Tbsp. Liquid Aminos
Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Onion Powder

Directions:

-  Spray crock pot with non-stick Olive oil spray.
-  Place flank steak in crock pot.
-  If using green onions, sprinkle on top of steak. 
-  Mix together beef broth, liquid aminos, garlic, and spices, and pour over meat.

-  Cook on low 6 1/2 hours. 

-  Shred beef using 2 forks and add broccoli**. 

-  Cook an additional 30 minutes, or until broccoli reaches desired tenderness.

** I actually roasted our broccoli in the oven with some red peppers and served that along side the beef with some brown rice.

Slow Cooker Granola

Slow cookers aren't just for dinner and I am learning that more and more everyday!

Do you love granola! I DO!!!!!  BUT, I have always been too nervous to make it on my own!  I always thought you needed all these expensive ingredients to make it; or it would take too long; or I would burn it in the oven and there would be perfectly fine granola wasted.

BUT, not anymore!  I saw this recipe in a group I was in recently and knew I HAD to try it.  Seriously it couldn't have been any easier and tasty, well that's just not the word for it!  Thank goodness I have it in my head to only eat what it is per day to fit in my meal plan!  Because honestly, it wouldn't be lasting very long otherwise!!!

Here you go!  Try it out sometime!!

Slow Cooker Granola

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cps. Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (organic or gluten free if preferred)
1/4 cp. Nuts, chopped (almonds, walnuts, etc. - I used 1/8 cp. walnuts & 1/8 cp. almonds)
1/8 tsp. Sea Salt
1/3 cp. Pure Honey - organic if possible
3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1/4 cp. Peanut Butter (plain or chunky - your preference; organic if possible but not necessary)
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon (could use a bit less if you don't like the taste of cinnamon)
1 3/4 tsp. Vanilla (could use a bit less if you don't like the taste of vanilla)
1/4 cp. dried Fruit (raisins, cranberries, etc. I used 1/8 cp. of both)

Directions:

-  Coat the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray (I use olive oil spray). 

-  Pour in oats, nuts and salt into slow cooker.

-  In a glass bowl, combine the honey, coconut oil, and peanut butter. Microwave for about 30 seconds until melted and you can combine smoothly. You may need to microwave more depending on your microwave. 

-  Stir cinnamon and vanilla into melted mixture.

-  Pour mixture over the oats in the slow cooker. Mix well so everything the oats are thoroughly mixed and coated. 

-  Place lid on slow cooker, but keep it slightly vented. I put my lid on just slightly sideways so it wasn’t on tight. 

-  Cook on high for about 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. It is important to stir it because it can burn a little if you don’t. The oats will be ready when they are moist but not wet.

-  Stir in dried fruit at the end. 

-  Spread granola out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let the granola cool completely. The granola with actually harden a bit at this point and become that familiar granola texture.

-  Once cool, store in airtight container.

*There are so many possibilities you could mix in with this - sunflower seeds, dried apricots, apples, carob chips, etc.  You name it you could do it.  If you try this and try different mix-ins, let me know!  I would love to hear your feedback!

Thanks for stopping by and checking this out!  Have a great day!

~Sarah Strubhar

Independent Team Beachbody Ruby Coach