You know it is fall when . . .

........There is Turkey Chili simmering in the Kitchen. 

I do not know what it is with this meal but September comes and so does the chili. Maybe because it brings me back to Saturday mornings as a kid. 

Whenever I make chili I make it like a meal prep. I always make a double sometimes a triple batch an freeze for a later time! This is such a easy thing to do and it feels so good to be prepared. 

Turkey Chili

• 1 lb cooked ground turkey 
• Chopped Yellow Onion
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• 2 cans diced tomatoes & 1 can low sodium tomato sauce
• Garlic Powder (to your liking, I like a lot)
• 1 can organic Black Beans & 1 can organic Chili Beans
• Chlil powder 
• 1 small can low sodium tomato paste
• Chopped red and green peppers


Mix all together in pan on stove top and heat. Enjoy with Greek Yogurt on top!

TIP: Remember the fall is a beautiful time to get out and be active! So enjoy~

Not Perfect!

I must confess I try and I try to be a better blogger. I have some much to share yet it is hard to some time sit down and put it all into words. Thank you for being patience with my blogging skills. However if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you will notice I am way more consistent with a quick photo! I will not give up at this because I know I have so much to give. 

So much of our Journey is about personal development. Many of us start with having the desire to loose weight and feel good about ourselves each day then it all becomes so much more. For me yes I started with wanting to end my yo-yo dieting cycle and it turned into wanting to be a better friend, wife, mother and wanting to share this new found passion. 

"Life is a journey. You find yourself to reach the top of one Mountain only to find another mountian there waiting to climb"

As a woman we try to do it all yet it is the complete wrong way of going about our days. We also over use the word busy it is almost like it is our way to brag or has a status.  

This last Thursday night while talking with my husband just before bed, he asked me why I am so stressed out, because I got so much done that day? I replied "It was just so much, yes I got a ton done but the list goes on and on. However the kids played so nice today"  He replied "Well then you need to focus on that and be grateful for that!"  WOW can I say he was so right?  This has had me really thinking! 

We need to stop trying to be SUPER WOMAN and focus on what is important. Creating a list of our 3 top things that need to get done each day could be way more beneficial. Then find Gratitude in it all. As I have been taught by one of my beautiful mentors Lori Harder, it is being in constant Gratitude that brings us in the present moment. 

So I guess my point of this post is . . . 

1. We cannot and will never be perfect at the things we do, even if I love blogging and sharing with you. I may not be consistent and perfect and that is ok.
2. We must remove the word "BUSY" from our vocabulary and just find constant daily Gratitude in our lives. 
3. When planning our day focus on the 3 most important things that need to be completed. Know the rest will fall into place. 

Thank you as my friend and follower to my blog for understanding my passion yet being patience with my not always writing a blog. Fall is near and with that brings a routine to life, I hope you will be hearing from me more soon! 

I would love to hear form you, feel free to comment your feels about being perfect, being too busy and always feeling the stress of a to-do list! 

Summer time Salads . . ..

I love how summer arrives and so does salad season. 

I remember as a teen thought a salad was Iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, croutons, turkey sandwich meat and a ton or ranch dressing. Never feeling very full.  Now Salads are so different! I fill my bowl full of so many colorful and nutritious ingredients.

My Salad for lunch today was

Chopped Kale, Brussels Sprouts, & Cabbage

Then added Beets, Hard Boiled Eggs, Avocado and

topped with Cilantro Avocado Dressing.

Today's salad is a reminder that there is so much more than Iceberg lettuce!

A few greens to try . . .

Kale

Cabbage

Spring Mix

Romaine

Spinach

Broccoli Rabe

Collard Greens

Next time when at the farmers markets or your grocery store take a little time to find a new green to try next in your salads. 

Whats your favorite Salad? 

A few of my favorite things . . . .

I wanted to start sharing a "few of my FAVORITE things"

This past Christmas my girlfriend and I exchanged gifts but we exchanged our "FAVORITE" things.

I remember having so much fun thinking of my favorites, really putting thought into her gift. 

My gifts from her ranged from Franks Red hot, Tea, a Big Basket and so much more. 

This gave me the thought I need to share with the things I love! 

BEETS, they have become a recent LOVE! Beets on a bed of Kale is delish. 

 SPIN CLASS, I tried it a few years ago and then took a break, I recently went back and remembered how much I loved to spin! Now I try to attend once per week. I love getting on the bike and someone else kicking my butt.

For almost 4 years my super foods nutritional supplements! I will not live a day with out this. This is my favorite combo.

Bolthouse Dressing! This a yogurt based dressing, I love it for salads and I use it as a dip. 

I am excited to be sharing 

Summer is near . . .

Here in Minnesota many of us have been limited to our outdoor activity! Well Summer is NEAR, June is almost here. 

I LOVE this time of year! Days are getting longer, the sun is warmer & Minnesotans are out everywhere with smiles on their face. In my home all this fresh air makes for tired kids during these last few weeks of school!

I wanted to share a few activities my family enjoys thru the summer. Maybe you can schedule in a few new ones for you and your family! I feel it s important to find the time to get your workouts in for some alone time yet make time to lead by example for your kids! 

My kids and I always hit up the Paul Bunyan trail for a long bike ride.

We like to pack water and trail mix!  At times we are just being silly, others biking fast, then there are times my boys find a hill to mess around on that is off path!  

Kayaking is a BIG activity for us, it is great for just about any age. 

We also have a paddle boat. I love seeing the kids paddle their little legs around the lake. They are having fun and not even noticing that they are being active!

 

My daughter and my favorite activity is paddle boarding! This is a great upper body and core workout. 

Depending on your Child's Age your activities will vary.

Here are a few more ideas:

Toddler: Running thru sprinkler

Playing at the park

Swimming

School Age:  Biking/Hiking

Tubing/Knee Boarding

Walking to the Library

Playing just about any sport!

Neighborhood kickball

Teens: Wake boarding

Skateboarding

Mountain Biking

Inviting them on your workout

Enjoy your summer with your family. The best part about being active together is the memories you all will create. The activity for our minds and body is just a bonus.  

Grilling Season!

Spring is here and that means it is time to GRILL! It makes meals and meal prep so easy!

For our family I will grill up red and sweet potatoes, tons of veggies and a protein. I love filling the grill with extra because it makes perfect lunches for the rest of the week. Not only are you cooking up your dinner but you can prep your weeks lunches. Added bonus is no extra dishes to do later. 

Last night grilling I layered in a foil pan many veggies. Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and multi-colored peppers. You can have fun and change up your veggies with different seasons. Try Coconut oil, garlic, Cayenne pepper! This will give you veggies a new kick. Get creative and do not be afraid to mix up your veggies. 

Same for your protein I have found there is so much more that burgers and brats to grill. Now I love to grill Salmon, Shrimp, Pork Tenderloin, Kabobs and so much more. 

If you are not firing up your grill a few times a week it is time to start. Almost all our summer time dinners are on the grill. I will keep you posted thru the summer some of our favorite recipes. 

In addition to the spring time allowing us to grill to not forget to get out and be active in this beautiful weather!! 

I am back!

Sorry I have been gone for a little while. You know sometimes in life you need to shift your focus and take a break from a few things. Well my break was from blogging. 

As we learn to live a balanced full life we learn to say NO once and awhile. For the last two months I needed to be more present with my clients, had some personal development coaching, worked on my own meals and workouts and preparing my family for a 2 week dream vacation to Hawaii! 

Thank you for your patience in my break. I am currently feeling inspired to be back sharing with you.  As a woman many of us feel pressured to always be on top of things and to be perfect. However do you know we are perfect just the way we are. Even if we say no to something. I challenge you to look at your daily life, is there something you can take a break from? Something that can give you more you time? Go ahead and take something off your schedule for a little while. My next one is not to plant a garden this summer! As much as I love my garden I get stressed out from keeping up on it. I have a very large garden and then fun of it is gone. Just for this summer I will not plant one, then if I missed it maybe next year I will try one again or maybe I will plant grass! I will visit more of the farmers markets and see how that goes. 

 In the last 2 months I did not create many new recipes, I stuck with simple meals that was helping me get to my goals and feel better. However one evening I whipped up this stir fry. 4-6 Chicken Breast (cooked thru) then added a bag of Broccoli Slaw, Garlic and Liquid Aminos. This is super simple and tasty! I had never cooked with broccoli slaw talk about easy!

 I wanted to share a few vacation pictures! We visited Oahu and Maui for 2 weeks. This was our first time visit and my goal was to unplug and be active! Well we did just that. Surfing, hiking, beach walks, Stand up Paddle Boarding really just always moving.  Also made a lot of great memories with my husband and kids! 

 5 mile hike thru the Bamboo forest & seven scared pools.

I wish you health and happiness! Spring is here and it is so refreshing, get outside and be active!