Fit Teacher

Beachbody Coach, Music Teacher, Theatre Director, Soon-To-Be Wife, Fur Parent, Auntie, 21 day "fixer"!

[kvo2007-blog]

Vanilla Chocolate Chip Shakeology 1 scoop Vanilla 1tsp vanilla extract 1 red vanilla Greek yogurt 1 tbs dark chocolate chips Ice to taste Blend and enjoy!! You can turn this into mint chocolate chip by adding 1/2 tsp mint extract too!! 2 reds, 1/2 yellow. Yum!

[kvo2007-blog]

"Wendy's Frosty" Shakeology I've been playing with this one for awhile and I'll admit... It's not quite right. At first it doesn't taste anything like a frosty but then... It does. The after taste is very frosty-esque. I've done this with both vanilla and chocolate shakeology and I get closer with the vanilla.. So here's what I have got down: 1 scoop vanilla shakeology 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder (unsweetened) 1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips or 1 square bakers chocolate. 6oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk 1/2 a banana Ice to taste Containers: 1 red. 1/2 yellow. 1 purple

[kvo2007-blog]

I've been told my meal prep and grocery lists are very helpful to my challengers and other people exploring the 21 day Fix so today I attempted to time and document my meal prep. It really doesn't take forever... And the best part is that it saves you loads of time all week. Bottom right- groceries!! Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, strawberries, bananas, chicken breast, ground beef, ground turkey, romaine lettuce, almond milk, skim milk, whole wheat pasta, pasta sauce, coconut oil, peanut butter, extracts, turkey bacon. What you don't see is green beans. I eat a ton of greenbeans but I grow them in my garden :-) so I also cooked those up today. Another thing you don't see is eggs. I get a ton of eggs and I have enough for this week. Bottom left- cut up all your chicken into cubes, put a giant pot of water on to boil and cook all your turkey bacon. I also boiled up some rice at this time and when that was done, started sautéing stuff for turkey meatballs. While it was all going, I was chopping up my veggies. I boiled all my veggies in the same pot of water, separated them after they cooled and chopped them up to size before measuring them out. Next I browned my beef and baked my turkey meatballs. I cut up my cold veggies while the beef and turkey was cooking and measured them out in 5 individual bags so I can just grab them and put them in my lunch box. I also proportioned peanutbutter for my apple for the week so I can just grab that as well. As things finished, I measured them and put them in 5 containers for my lunches. This week it's either turkey meatballs and broccoli or chicken rice and mixed veggies. The extra goes in big containers to make for dinner. Middle right is the 'in the process of portioning and cooling' picture and middle left is after everything was finished. Everything I prepped is there. I made all my turkey bacon so all I have to do in the AM is scramble 2 eggs and throw some veggies in. Top is what a meal prepped fridge looks like! Tonight for dinner I'm going to season some of the beef I cooked up today and make lettuce wrap tacos using some of the baby tomatoes we grew in the garden. Then in going to make some homemade French fries from a recipe I found on YouTube from autumn. Turkey meatballs for dinner tomorrow. (Recipe from Autumn's cook book.. SO GOOD!!). Chicken tacos Tuesday (taco Tuesday is a must) Wednesday- autumn's Mac and cheese with broccoli Thursday- pasta with veggies and I might throw in some ground beef. Friday- cauliflower pizza Saturday- lemon pepper chicken, mixed veggies and mashed cauliflower (or potato depending on what I have :-) ) The best part is that most of this food is already cooked! I just have to put it together each night. HALF the time, sometimes just a few minutes. It's so worth it after working 12 hours!! My grocery list changes very slightly each week but I have a lot of variety in my diet! I drink shakeology every day and try very hard to make a protein packed breakfast. Tomorrow is the first day back to school and after an hour and a half of cooking, I feel totally prepared for the week!! If you ever have any questions, feel free to message me!! My challenge group starts TOMORROW and my next challenge group will start at the end of September! I hope you'll join me!

[kvo2007-blog]

Unapologetically ME

I spent the better part of 5 years in college and 3 years in my career figuring out who I was besides 'music teacher' and 'theatre director.' Even just last year I honestly couldn't tell you what else I had to offer except what I was doing for just about 14 hours a day-- sometimes 7 days a week!! This summer, I spent a lot of time figuring out who KIM IS. I'm a lot of things and all those things mixed together is super complicated.. But I know for sure that what I am is nothing to be sorry for. I've had a lot of people tell me what I should and should not do, say, how I should act, etc. as a teacher. But that isn't who I am. This summer I spent a half an hour every day on MYSELF. I had no one else in mind but me. And in return, today I walked in a store and tried on a skirt I wouldn't have fit in for at least the last 3 years and it FIT. I don't look at that as 'wow, I lost weight.' I look at that as 'wow! I did something for myself! I was selfish and I'm NOT sorry.' I'm changing every day. My body is changing, the way I look at family and work is changing, the things I value and the people I hold dear to me are changing, my mind is changing and my taste in just about everything and everyone is changing... and it's okay. I'm not sure I'll ever really know who KIM is... But right now... I know that there isn't anything about me that I need to be sorry for. This whole Beachbody thing started because I wanted a change. I gave myself 30 minutes a day and I threw out the over 8 dollars a day in expensive, unhealthy flavored coffee drinks for a 4 dollar a day shake that has changed the way I feel every day. Then one day I decided it might be nice not only to show others what it did for me but also make some money to pay off the wedding that I'm also unapologetically excited for! Do I get paid? Yes! I do. Might it be annoying to you on Facebook? It might be.. But it's me in this moment and I'm not sorry for that. I'm so excited about what I've accomplished so far and really leaning on the support of friends and family to help me reach my goals. By putting myself out there, I know I have to be accountable for doing what I need to do each day-- giving myself 30 minutes, not spending 8 dollars a day on crap that makes me feel terrible and not shoving processed food in my face to survive the day. I am a teacher I am a fur mom I am an auntie I am a fiancée I am a friend I am a Beachbody coach I am a sister I am happy This is who I am in this moment and I'm not sorry for any of it :-)

[kvo2007-blog]

Peanut butter and chocolate banana shakeology!! You need: 3 teaspoons peanut butter (or PB powder) 1 scoop chocolate shakeology 1/2 banana (unless you have 2 purples left. Then add a whole one!) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder Ice cubes to taste 1 red, 1 purple, 3 teaspoons Mix it all up in a blender and enjoy!! Hint: add a bit more ice, pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes and enjoy it as ice cream :-)

[kvo2007-blog]

So I did these lettuce wrap tacos which were seriously delicious. I am a plain Jane when it comes to tacos. I usually only like onions and cheese... So that's what I did. You need: 2 leaves of romaine lettuce 1 red of lean ground beef (mine is pre cooked so I can measure it out before I cook it. Saves food !!) Onions to taste (I used 1/4 green) 1/3 blue of sharp cheddar cheese Cumen Directions: If you don't precook your proteins, you need to brown the beef first. Measure it out after cooking it and only season what you need. The rest can go in the fridge. (You can throw it in your wheat pasta!) Add onions into the pan and make sure you added enough Cumen to taste. Put your meat and onions in the center of your leaves and sprinkle on the cheese. Wrap it up like a taco and enjoy!!! Add tomatoes, salsa, peppers... Whatever you like! Mine are 1 red, 1 green, 1/3 blue.

[kvo2007-blog]

So, this week's meal prep is a bit different than normal, but I figured I would show you all a different way. Rich and I went grocery shopping yesterday and usually our fridge is so packed we can't find anything! This morning, I prepped for the week without pre-packing lunches because I'm off today and tomorrow. I'll pre-pack lunches tomorrow evening and it'll be WAY easier!! What you see: We buy a LOT of eggs because we eat a lot of eggs. I'm going to hard boil half of these and put them right back in the package. A quick breakfast already made! Roast beef -- low sodium. We use this for our roast beef tortilla dinner. Yum! On the bottom: turkey meatballs. Rich made 2 lbs of it last night. It lasts more than 2 meals and we use them in pasta, meatball parm, mixed in veggies... Lots of options 6 chicken breasts cut up and baked PLAIN! We season as we go but we use it every day and it lasts all week. 1lb lean ground beef. I cook this up and also use it in lots of stuff. This week im making lettuce tacos with it. I'll season it when I use it later but since it's already cooked it's a huge time saver. Top: Grapes, apples and strawberries. Carrots, romaine lettuce broccoli pre-made in a big tub. Green beans pre made Cauliflower mashed. I use this for mashed cauliflower, cauliflower pizza and also this week I'm trying cauliflower 'bread' sticks. I'll let everyone know how they turn out. But I mash it up and keep it in a Tupperware. Cut up cucumbers and green peppers In the door: My favorite yogurt ranch dressing ever. Lasts awhile (esp if you're only using 1 Orange a day!) Lots of unsweetened almond milk. Usually I have different flavors to mix in my shakeology but this week I just got vanilla. Skim milk Water (I didn't take a picture of this.. Lol) MIO water. Rich and I read the ingredients in crystal light... And I will never again drink it. MIO it is!!! The MIO energize has some great ingredients like b5, ginseng and a tiny bit of caffeine. Better than diet soda, I'd say :-) Iced coffee ... Really I just use this for shakeology too. I also didn't take a picture of this. Rich's salsa and mustard. I hate those things... But they are there. And then there's the cat food. Ha. I purposely leave room so when I pack my meals I can stack them up in an easy to grab. I find that if there isn't any room, I just use it as another excuse not to do it. Making your protein and veggies in advance saves you LOADS of time. It took me about an hour and I also simultaneously cleaned my fridge and did the dishes. My meals are planned for the week, I know I'm not going to run out of food, and I know I'm going to be eating healthy. Why WOULDN'T someone want that peace of mind for themselves before a busy work week? Also, if you have a job like me.. Throw out the tiny lunchbox and get yourself a freezer bag. As autumn says, you NEED food to fuel your body during the week. Which means you need to pack a LOT of it. I pack 3 snacks, a lunch, and if I'm not home by 7, a dinner. It won't fit in a lunch bag and you need to make sure you're prepared with some extra just in case. Go buy a cute freezer bag, put some ice packs in it and make sure it has a spot in your fridge. No excuses!!!

[kvo2007-blog]

Reeses Peanut Butter Shakeology

I’m sitting here typing this as I sip my 20 ounce reeses shakeology thinking “OMG! I MADE THIS! IT’S SO AMAZING!”  I’M bragging, but I promise you it tastes EXACTLY like reeses!

What you’ll need:

1 serving chocolate shakeology

2 teaspoons peanut butter (I use chunky... but you can use smooth too)

1 serving dark chocolate chip morsals (this counts as a yellow... but it’s SO WORTH IT!!!!! IF you don’t want to count a yellow, use 1 teaspoon dark cocoa powder and don’t count it as anything. )

ice cubes to taste

vanilla unsweetened almond milk (4 oz)

Water

Mix everything together.  If you like your shake thick then you don’t need to add the water, I just refuse to use more than 4 oz of almond milk without counting it as a container -- unsweetened or not.  

[kvo2007-blog]

21-Day Fix tips.... Do I need to eat all of my containers?

via YouTube Capture

I’ve been stressing to my challengers this month how important it is to get all your containers in each day.  I’ve also been stressing that if you’re hungry, you need to increase your green containers.  I am part of a group where I’ve been seeing some people say they’re too full for their containers, and some people are saying they’re starving.  If you’re starving EAT MORE GREEN CONTAINERS!  Also, spread your meals out so that you are eating 5 or 6 meals a day.  I promise it works!  Here’s Autumn’s explanation on why you need to eat all your containers!

[kvo2007-blog]

Chocolate Vanilla coffee delight!

Today's chocolate shakeology: 1 serving chocolate shakeology 2 tbs cocoa powder 1 tsp vanilla extract 80z black vanilla flavored coffee It kept me going all day!! Yum!

[kvo2007-blog]

So, I thought I’d give a little insight on how easy it is to prep your meals for the week.  Some people may be picky about not wanting to eat the same thing for lunch every day... but I really don’t mind.  To me, it’s always either been a sandwich every day or leftovers so this is just what works for me.  Please understand that what works for me may not work for you and feel free to tweek it.  I LOATHE packing lunch every morning.  It means waking up earlier and messing up your kitchen before you’ve even gotten your day started.  I hate leaving a messy kitchen and I’m usually in too much of a rush to clean it up!

CHICKEN:

You are looking at approximately 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts.  We get them from a farmers market and they’re massive!  We cubed them and cooked them in one big pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.  We add cumen and garlic.  We save any trimmings (anything that even looks like fat) for the dogs!  They love “sunday dinner”

VEGGIES:

I steam all my veggies ahead of time.  It’s just easier.  I also usually mix them up because as long as it’s green, I don’t really care.  So I steamed 4 heads of broccoli and probably a pound of greenbeans.  I sprinkle garlic powder on them and put it in a gigantic container in my fridge.  I portion it out for lunch, but also have enough for every dinner for the week as well... so that’s one less thing I need to make at dinner time.

RICE:

I try very hard not to have EXTRA carbs made... but if I do, I preportion them in individual containers or bags so that I know it’s only 1 yellow’s worth.  I made just enough for dinner tonight and for meal prep.

Each container has 1 red, 1 green and 1 yellow.

What you don’t see:

I preportion 4 teaspoons of peanut butter into little containers and keep it in my cabinet.  I grab one of those in the morning and cut up an apple.  Makes for a great snack or a quick breakfast on the go!

ziplock bags of green peppers.  I eat 1 green of green peppers as a snack in between lunch and dinner along with my shakeology.

Shakeology:  I PURPOSELY buy the packets.  Just throw the packet in your bag with your shakeology container.  You can put the packet in some water and shake it up and have your shake on the go! Super easy.  If you don’t have the packets, just scoop out 1 portion and put it in a ziplock bag

See those dirty containers?  That means ALL my food is measured!  Don’t skip this step. It’s kind of important :)

In the morning, I open my fridge, grab a container, throw it in a bag with an ice pack and walk out the door!

[kvo2007-blog]

There’s No Excuse

Although I started my fitness journey over a year ago, I had a ROUGH school year food-wise.  Getting back on the band wagon again around April was awesome, until I suffered some kind of weird leg/back injury which took me out of the game for a bit.  A million blood tests and doctors appointments later, and all we know is that each day my left leg gets progressively more “tingly.”  It’s a pretty terrible feeling.  I wouldn’t describe it as a pain.  If anything hurts it’s my lower back.  Randomly when I walk a get a millasecond of pain in my calf muscle every once in awhile ... but it’s nothing terrible.  Each day I’m scared that one day that feeling will just take over my whole body.  Most likely, it’s neuropathy.   At 26 years old, SOMETHING (Lord knows what) happened to me to damage the nerves in my lower back and leg.  I still have a few tests to go and I’m starting physical therapy this week, but it’s NOT an excuse.

Here’s the thing... if a year from now I can’t move my left leg..... I’m just gonna need to work the right side twice as hard.  There really is NO excuse.  I don’t care if you work 16 hours a day.  Everyone has the same exact 24 hours in a day.  Whether you work at night, midshift, or early shift... you still choose how you spend your time.  If you can’t make a half hour for yourself to put in the work to achieve your health and fitness goals -- that’s your CHOICE and nothing more than that. 

I am INCREDIBLY lucky to have a loving fiance who knows that if I work until 8, he needs to make dinner so that I can work out while he’s cooking.  He knows my goals, and he knows how important it is that I don’t fall off the wagon again, so he does what he can to help.  It doesn’t need to be your partner.  Your “accountability” partner can be anyone!  A friend, a child, a teacher, a boss, a coworker, a facebook friend or a BEACHBODY COACH.  It could be anyone.  I’m a NO EXCUSES kind of girl... particularly when it comes to this.

So unless you are on doctors orders not to exercise at ALL of any kind and you are being told by your doctor NOT to eat healthy... I see no excuse.

Do doctors even do that?

Stop making excuses for yourself.  Message me about your concerns and we can talk about the best program for you!

[email protected]

[kvo2007-blog]

I am an incredibly picky eater.  I’m actually so picky that I’m embarrassed to eat at other people’s houses for fear I won’t be able to eat the food they make.  I’m a plain burger (I like it burnt like a hockey puck), plain chicken, no salad dressing, extra dessert kinda eater.  A lot of people in my family are. In fact, some people in my family even smell their food before they eat it.

I tried strawberry shakeology before and I actually thought it was gross.  I just mixed the powder with the water, which is exactly what I did with the vanilla the first time I tried it and I totally just brushed it off.  I’ve tried other protein drinks and I think they taste so chaulkey and NEVER like the flavor they say they do.

Shakeology, to me, tastes like the actual flavor it advertises.  You just have to know how you like the texture of your shake.  I tend to like it better when it’s creamier and blended with ice. 

SO YESTERDAY a beautiful box of strawberry/vanilla/chocolate shakeology arrived at my doorstep and I ripped it open.  It’s the most exciting time when I get my shakeology in the mail.  I like to organize them all and make them look pretty on my counter. 

Today, after my workout, I decided to go in the kitchen and play around with a strawberry banana recipe.  Rich and I always make strawberry banana smoothies, but I wanted to eliminate the yogurt aspect because I hate how messy it makes my blender. (Yes, I’m a bit OCD).

Harvey LOVES it. :-)

Now, for all of you 21 day fixers... this recipe is going to depend on your PURPLE containers.  I get 3 purples a day so I decided to use all my purples in my shake because it’s just easier this way.

What you need:

1 serving strawberry shakeology (1 red)

1 purple of diced strawberries (1 purple)

1 large banana (2 purple)

6 ice cubes (this depends on how thick you want your shake. See above about texture)

4oz unsweetened almond milk. (I chose unsweetened vanilla this week).

What to do:

1. Throw in 4 cubes and all your fruit. Break up the banana into small chunks.  blend it up until it’s a liquid.

2. add your almond milk, shakeology, and additional 2 ice cubes and blend until smooth.

Put it in your favorite shaker cup (Mine is pictured above) and enjoy!  

Shakeology advice:  I try to drink this massive beverage in about a half hour, but sometimes it’s tough.  If you’re a texture person like me, throw an extra cube in there so it doesn’t all melt up and give your shaker bottle a good shake every once in awhile.  

Interested in trying out all of beachbody’s flavors of shakeology with my recipes?  Inbox me or email at [email protected]!

[kvo2007-blog]

How to make 21 day fix icecream!

Yummy Vanilla:

What you need:

1-2 containers of greek yogurt 

Fresh fruit - your choice... but go for strawberries and bananas :-p

What to do:

1. Freeze yogurt

2. Take frozen yogurt and let it sit out for about 5-10 minutes (until it softens up enough to scoop out)

3. slice fresh fruit

4. scoop yogurt into bowl

5. top yogurt with fruit

Container equivs -- Yogurt = 1 red Fruit = 1 purple.

I got this off of @AutumnCalabrese’s instagram.  I’m about to post some amazing recipes for some more ice cream since a few of my friends are craving it!

[kvo2007-blog]

I have lost 12 pounds and 2 pants sizes on the 21 Day FIX!

This time last year, I got my 21 Day fix in the mail.  I started working out, eating well, and I completed 2 rounds.  Then the stress of my first year at a new job caught on and I completely got off track. (It happens, right?)  Well, in April I started running and in June I GOT ENGAGED!  I looked at my 21 Day Fix and I thought... “well, I’m just gonna go for it!”  My goal is to walk down the aisle in a gorgeous dress, looking and FEELING the best I’ve felt since I was a teenager and a size 8.  

I finished the 21 day fix 2 weeks ago and I lost 9 pounds and 2 pants sizes.  I’m currently on day 10 of p90 and combining it with the 21 day fix meal plan and I’ve lost another 3 pounds!  I also upped my weights from 5 pounds and 7 pounds to 8 pounds and 10 pounds. (That’s a huge accomplishment for the girl who could barely lift the 3 pound weights..)

And after a year of going back and forth on Shakeology, a few weeks ago I decided to make it a part of my every day routine.  In just a few weeks of drinking it, I feel more energized, my digestion has improved and ... well, like I said -- I lost 3 pounds in just 10 days.  

The point is -- infomercials, before and after pictures, and advertisements aside... the fix WORKS.  Shakeology WORKS. I was eating for like.. 7 human beings.  No wonder I was gaining so much weight.  You measure your food in a cup and start to realize that you are full LONG BEFORE you actually stop eating most of the time.  So not only does it force your body to eat only what it needs, it’s teaching you to LISTEN to your body and actually care about what you put in it.  I still have a LONG way to go, but with the support of some amazing challengers and accountability group members, I’m slowly making progress and seeing the results that I’ve been waiting for.

My next 21 Day Fix Challenge group starts Monday, August 31st.  I’m looking for 5 people who want to make a change.  You need to be willing to put forth the effort to workout every day for 21 days straight (30 minutes a day) and use the eating plan.  You need to make a promise that you’ll drink Shakeology every single day for the full 21 days and you need to promise to help support the other challengers in our group get through it with everyone else.

If you think you can do those things, please message me ASAP to grab your spot in my challenge group.  I’m excited to get my second FIX group going and I can’t wait to see the amazing results everyone has at the end of 21 days!!

[kvo2007-blog]

Hey all!

I LOVE this series that Autumn posted on Youtube.  It gives you some great ideas for your containers.  Check out the first installment here and I’ll be sure to post the rest soon!

[kvo2007-blog]

When Do I Drink Shakeology?

I’ve gotten this question from a few people, so I figured I’d answer it publicly.

I don’t have a set time for it.  I’ve been mostly drinking it right after my workout, which, as I’ve said before, is random times depending on my schedule.  Autumn suggests scheduling your workout in your day -- and if you have a set schedule, DO THAT!  But if you don’t, just be sure you get it accomplished before your head hits the pillow.  We all have the same 24 hours in a day to get stuff done.

That being said, I have a few friends who drink it for breakfast.  There are a few different opinions out there about this, but I stand firm in saying that Shakeology is NOT a full meal replacement when you are on the 21 day fix.  It’s advertised as a meal replacement as are 99.9% of protein shakes. But on the fix, it counts as 1 red.  Depending on how many containers you have, if you counted this as a meal, you’d never be able to eat all your containers in one day.  It’s important, in my opinion, to spread your containers out throughout your day so you never even reach the “I’M STARVING!” STAGE.  If you reach that point ... you’ve waited too long to eat.

So... if you are going to drink Shakeology in the morning, I’m BEGGING you to eat something else with it.  Have some eggs, grab an apple, throw a banana in it for some fun... but don’t just drink your Shakeology on an empty stomach. 

Look at it this way.... when you take your vitamins, they tell you to make sure you have food in your belly.  Why?  Well, you might feel sick to your stomach if you don’t.  Shakeology IS your vitamin.  So don’t just drink an entire bottle of Shakeology in the AM and not eat again until noon.

Now, everyone is different.  Maybe you can handle that, but I know I’d be hungry in about a half hour if I did that and I DEFINITELY know I’d feel sick to my tummy if I didn’t have something with my Shakeology.  Time your shake out so that it helps you get through a time in your day where you can’t eat.  That weird time between lunch and dinner where you just want to curl up in bed and go to sleep is the PERFECT time to grab your shake.

As long as you drink it EVERY DAY (just like you take a multivitamin) and you stay hydrated, you will feel and see the benefits.  (I mean, I lost 3 pounds in 1 week... just saying!)