Rebecca's 12 week mark!

Hello all!  So my very first client was my sister Rebecca, I have been training her for 12 weeks now and she is a A+ student.  Seriously she does everything I tell her to and her eating is right on target.  Rebecca is a solid strong girl, at the 6th week she was getting very frustrated because she hadn't had a "reward" (cheat) meal and wasn't losing much weight, but then I showed her the inches and the body fat she had lost.  She couldn't believe it! She is so happy to see her clothes fitting differently and people are even starting to notice and give her compliments, she has put in so much hard work!  She started in the obese category and is now in the average for her body fat range!  She has lost 21 inches and 8 pounds of body fat, it goes to show you can't judge your weight loss goals strictly off of the scale!! She is losing all the inches while building muscle and then before we know it the pounds are just going to come off to let all that toned muscle show through!  She is very brave to let me post her pictures, thank you Becca!  I'm so proud of you and can't wait to see what the next 12 weeks are going to look like!!



9/12/10 and 12/20/10
Her tummy and her chest have gone down!




9/12/10 and 12/20/10
Here you can see the difference in her back and her sides!



9/12/10 and 12/20/10
Here you can see her sides have gone in, her chest and her face is smaller!

I had to take pictures of the pictures because I could not get them to go side by side.  Sorry they are not the best views because of that but if you click on them you can get a better look at the transformation!  Look forward to her updated pictures in 12 weeks!!  Awesome job Becca!

Here are the actual pictures to get a better view...

Great Job!!!!!











Yummy clean eating enchilada's

These enchilada's are so yummy!!  I got this one from the clean eating magazine from the month of Nov/ Dec with some of my own little changes. I use corn tortillas (recipe calls for wheat tortillas), I get mine from Trader Joe's the only ingredients are corn and lime.  Be sure to always check the ingredients on the packaged foods you're buying there can be some hidden preservatives! 

Serves 5

Corn tortillas
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Fresh cilantro

Chicken Mixture
3 cups of shredded chicken ( I use canned to save me time)
4 oz canned green Chile's
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Tabasco, it's natural)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin ( I add a little extra, I love this spice)
1 tsp Chile powder (I'll do Cayenne sometimes to give it an extra kick)
Black pepper
sea salt

Sauce
15 oz all natural tomato sauce (I get the no salt added)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp Chile powder or Cayenne (do less if doing Cayenne)
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350, combine all chicken mixture ingredients in large nonstick pan heat for about 5 minutes remove from heat and set aside.   Combine all sauce ingredients in same pan and warm for about 10 minutes.

In a 8x11 casserole dish spread a thin layer of the sauce over the bottom. I spread a total of 6 corn tortillas on the bottom then add chicken mixture a little bit of cheese and some sauce then top with 6 more corn tortillas add sauce and cheese to top and bake for 20 minutes.  Can sprinkle with cilantro and a dab of plain greek yogurt.

This recipe is one that Vann and I have perfected over time (most times :)) it's hard to say the amount of the ingredients but I'll try my best. 

Spanish Rice

2 tbsp of olive oil
1 cup of white Basmati rice
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin ( I add a little extra)
Dash of sea salt
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes (with juice) Or we also use fresh tomatoes 2 Roma's will do get the juices in there too.
1 small can of tomato sauce (no salt)
1-2 cups of reduced sodium chicken broth (make sure the rice is covered with liquid)
2 tbsp of fresh cilantro

In a saucepan heat the olive oil then add rice and stir constantly letting it get nice and brown (about 4-6 minutes).  Add the onion, garlic, cumin and salt cook, stirring until the onion softens.  Add the diced tomatoes and let the juice evaporate until the mixture is nearly dry.  Then add the tomato sauce let boil for about a minute then add the broth.  Let boil for another minute then reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the juice has evaporated.  Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes, fluff rice and stir in the cilantro.

This night we used Trader Joe's Black Re-fried Beans I add water to it to thin it out a bit.

So there it is, a healthy Mexican dinner!

What to do??

Micah's 2nd birthday party is coming up this Saturday and I'm having such a hard time deciding on what to feed 60 people and keep it cheap and most in important healthy!  I thought about subs but feeding 60 people subs turns out to be $130 to $150 just for subs not including the salad I would make.  My brother in laws parents own a Mexican food restaurant and I'm thinking of getting cooked chicken and corn tortillas with cabbage and whole beans with rice.  It's not all clean but at least it's better than pizza!  Oh the decisions!  Any suggestions?

I opted to have no soda instead I'm making a clean punch with sparkling water, all natural cranberry juice and fresh limes and as for the cake I decided to make all natural cupcakes with cocoa powder, cane sugar, wheat flour and vanilla yogurt as my ingredients.  I had to test make them before the party and I added fresh strawberries to the batter.  They only lasted that day then got kinda soggy so I will opt the fruit out for Saturday but other than that they turned out so yummy!  I couldn't believe it, I mean with there not being any butter or white flour they were delish and very satisfying.  There was no guilt eating these cupcakes!  The frosting on the other hand is with butter and powdered sugar but still all natural just not as low in fat!

Fiesta Salad

Here is a recipe that our little one devoured!!  He loved the corn, sunflower seeds and the dried cranberries.  I didn't LOVE the cranberries but it's still a recipe the whole family liked.  I got this one from Clean Eating Quick and Easy Meals book.  I did make some small changes to their recipe.

2 cups of cooked brown rice
2 cobs of fresh corn (you can do canned or frozen)
1 bell pepper, chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp of dried parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced (I added a extra clove, we're garlic lovers)
2 tbsp of low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
black pepper to taste



I had some cooked chicken in the fridge that I cut into cubes and added to this as well.



1. In a skillet with a little bit of olive oil sautee' the bell pepper, this is when I added my chicken to warm it up.  In the last few minutes I added the sunflower seeds to get them nice and toasted.



2. In a bowl combine the rice, bell pepper mix, onions, cranberries and parsley.



3. In a separate bowl blend the garlic, soy sauce, lemon and olive oil once mixed then add it with the rice mixture.  Add black pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Fat Blasting 30 minute workout!

Why wait until the first of the year to get started on your fitness goals?? Here is a 30 minute workout that anyone can do at home with absolutely no equipment.  All you need is a chair or stair or even the curb outside!  This is a circuit training workout meaning you do all the exercises without rest until you've completed all the exercises in the workout.  With no rest in between exercises you will burn more fat!! 
First set up your workout area so that you don't waste anytime and you can go from one exercise to the other. 

1. Push ups 1:00 minute

A.  Start in this position or you can go to your knees.  Keep body level.

B. Slowly lower yourself down.  Keep body aligned.  Repeat for a full 1:00

2. Squats 1:00 minute-  Sorry no picture, but put your feet hip distance apart keep head up and back with the natural arch and slowly lower yourself down as if sitting in a chair.  Use the glutes and hamstrings to bring you back up to the starting position.  Be sure to squeeze!

3. Mountain Climbers 1:00 minute-  Start in the plank position and bring knee up towards your chest alternate knees and continue this until you have reached a 1:00.

4. Chair Dips- 1:00 minute

A. Put both hands on chair with fingers facing outward. 

B.  Slowly lower the body only using your arms then return to the starting position.

5. Chair Step Ups 30 seconds each leg total of 1:00 minute.

Put one leg onto a chair or step and use that leg that's on the chair to push the other leg up to meet it.  Keep repeating this until 30 seconds has passed and then switch legs.

6. Plank 1:00 minute-on elbows.  The goal is to keep the entire body in a straight alignment.  Keep the entire body contracted.

7. Burpees 30-45 seconds if you can do a full minute...do it!

A. Start in a plank position with arms extended.

B. Jump feet up to the hands.

C. Bring yourself up to a standing position then jump back down into a plank and repeat this for 30-45 seconds.

8. Reach and squeeze 1:00 minute- 

A. Lay on the ground with arms and legs raised.  Have your hands touching.

B. Lift the upper body only and hold for a few seconds.  Be sure to squeeze those abdominal's!

Be sure to properly warm up and stretch to prevent injuries!!
Do this cycle for three sets and three times a week.  Take a minute break in between these sets.  Really push yourself and try not to take a break until you're done with the circuit.  You CAN do it!! Of course you can always ramp up this workout by adding weights to it!  Again circuit training burns more fat in less time!!!
So what are you waiting for?  Start getting healthy now! 

Turkey Chili-crockpot

What's better than a warm bowl of chili in the winter?!  We like ours spicy so keep that in mind when following this recipe.  You may want to opt out on the cayenne pepper or not as much jalapeno peppers.

1 lb of ground turkey
2 cans of black beans- drained (check the ingredients on the can)
1 16 oz can of unsalted tomato sauce
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 small can of diced jalapeno peppers
3/4 to 1 cup of water
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 Roma tomatoes chopped
Cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Sea salt
Ground cumin (all of these dry ingredients are to your liking)
Cilantro- chopped (optional)
Non fat plain Greek yogurt (optional-note it's just like sour cream!)
Avocado (sliced-optional)

Add all ingredients to the crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours.  I added some chopped cilantro a dab of plain Greek yogurt and a few slices of fresh avocado and ate with some whole wheat sesame crackers.  You could also add some all natural corn chips for a taco soup! 

Enjoy!

All natural chicken noodle casserole

2 cups of whole wheat elbow macaroni
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (whole wheat bread or panko)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 small white onion- chopped
1/2 red bell pepper- chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
2 cups of milk (I use non fat)
1 can of chicken chunks in water (can boil and shred chicken, I use canned sometimes to save time)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese cubes

1. Cook noodles according to package and set aside.  Combine bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl and set that aside.

2. For the sauce, in a medium saucepan heat up 1/4 cup of olive oil and cook the bell peppers and onion  until tender.  Stir in the flour, salt, dry mustard and pepper.  Add the milk all at once; whisk until thickened and bubbly.  Combine the sauce, chicken, cheese and cooked noodles in a larger bowl then transfer to a casserole dish.  Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top (sometimes I'll add fresh Parmesan to the top as well)and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and crumb topping is golden.

I also had a side salad with Romaine lettuce, green bell pepper, tomato, cilantro and feta cheese. 

Enjoy!

Satisfying heart healthy breakfast

I don't have much time in the mornings and I don't think most people do.  So for breakfast I need something fast and easy.  Most mornings I will have 6 egg whites with one of them being a whole egg.  Eggs are packed with Tryptophan which is a essential amino acid.  It is necessary for normal growth and development.  I do mainly egg whites per their high protein and low cholesterol. 

This weekend we made some homemade salsa, with just tomatoes, peppers, onion, cilantro, lime juice with some cumin and put it in the food processor.  You can also use a blender.  I put a little olive oil in the pan and added some chopped bell peppers (that I had left over from last nights dinner) and then my eggs and topped with some fresh salsa.

I also have a cup of cooked oatmeal.  I just get the quick oats (for time saving reasons) just make sure the only ingredient is oats.  I add grounded flax seed which is high in omega-3 fats (which is essential for our bodies to function) and it's also a good antioxidant (which is vital for maintaining health and preventing diseases.  It has also been shown to help reduce cellulite!)  I add a little bit of natural honey and a little bit of rice milk you could substitute with non fat milk.  I normally add some berries to the top as well. 

Well there you go a fast and healthy breakfast to get you revved up for your day!! 

Family pictures 2010

We had just gotten our family pictures done and Micah actually did really good!  He was such a cheese ball!  We would tell him "show your teeth" and he did!  So needless to say we have some good shots. 
Here are a few...enjoy!

See what I mean...cheese ball!

Zoo Lights

I love Christmas time!!  I want Micah to grow up loving it too.  So we have a few traditions we have started.  One is the zoo lights.  We took Micah and he loved it!  Of course he didn't want to stay in his stroller and he didn't want to walk next to us either.  He wanted to be on his own, so that was a bit of a challenge but it was still a lot of fun for us.  He got to sit on Santa's lap for the first time ( I will scan a picture a little later).  He wasn't scared of him but didn't want to look at him either.  He was completley expressionless for the picture!  All and all this will be a good tradition for us! 

Micah and mommy!

Micah and daddy!

The Estrada Family!

Thanksgiving

I'm not sure why but I don't have ANY pictures of us from Thanksgiving.  I must have been too busy eating!  Anyone that knows me knows that I'm all about clean eating, which is eating natural things.  Of course I have my moments where I eat something that is packed with perservatives but for the most part I eat natural.  Not just me but my family too.  Micah eats all the good stuff!  He will eat straight spinach, now how many 2 year olds do you know that do that?!  So for Thanksgiving I made some clean side dishes to take to our hostesses homes. 

First was the Cranberry Orange Spinach Salad

It's just what you see up there.  Spinach, Tomato, Dried cranberries, Fresh Oranges with the membranes removed and I squeeze some of the juice in the salad, some feta cheese and a little bit of chopped walnuts for some protein.  I don't use dressing very often especially with having the juice from the orange on this one but if you do I like Brianna's brand.  It's natural and you can find a low fat one!!

As for the second dish I did mashed Sweet Potatoes.  I used the white sweet potatoes instead of the orange.  They're not as sweet.  You just peel and boil the sweet potatoes unitl done and mash them.  I added some skim milk and a dash of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper!

Everyone that said that they don't like sweet potatoes tried this and LOVED it!! 
So these are just a couple of the clean eats we had on Thanksgiving!

Halloween

I have a few things I need to update and feeling a little stressed so thought what else could I do besides blog!!  Here is Halloween with Micah.  He was Nemo because he was obsessed with that movie.  He has now moved onto Toy Story.  Which by the way, he has been climbing out of his crib for a couple months now so we have decided to move him to a big boy bed.  We bought him Toy Story bedding and daddy is making the bed for him!!  SCARY!!

Here is Micah.  I mean Nemo.

We didn't do the actual door to door trick or treating.  We went to my friends church and did the trunk o' treating on the Saturday before and it was a lot of fun.  Here's a pic of the family!

Baby Harleigh is here!

I had the pleasure of witnessing my neice be born. This is the first one I had ever seen and it was so amazing! I was on cloud 9! It was so awesome to help coach and support my sister in law through this emotional time. It's something I'll never forget and I'm so honored to have experienced the birth of her first child with her. Congratulations Ryan and Nathalie on your sweet new baby girl Harleigh. I love you guys!