The Fit Skool | by Kelly

August 26, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
6 Comments

WIAW: Just Wing It

Yesterday Marc and I were productive from the second we woke up until the second we went to bed. We used Tuesday as a day to get stuff done around the house that we have been putting off for a long time. Weather wise yesterday was supposed to be the cloudy & humid day for the week so it was the perfect day to skip the “fun” outdoor activities.

I had no plans or thoughts for my meals yesterday but they came together and they were all clean & simple.

I’m linking up with the What I Ate Wednesday crew to share my food journal from yesterday.

We woke up at 6am which I’m actually thankful about because Ava has been waking us up at 5am for the past week so I felt like I slept in! I had a small cup of coffee and made us a quick breakfast. It wasn’t anything fancy because our fridge was EMPTY.

2 over easy eggs with 2 pieces of toast with spinach! I was definitely feeling the carbs. I also had a bowl of blueberries.

We took Cooper and Ava for a long walk. After our walk Marc and I headed into the basement to start organizing and making piles of stuff that needed to get dumped. Marc made 2 dump runs and I entertained Ava in the basement. She started to get a little tired so we took a break, ate a snack… I had a Chocolate Shakeology, a peach, and some trail mix. Ava had some trail mix, some cereal & milk. That gave us a little more energy to keep cleaning until Ava took a nap.

Once Ava was asleep we were able to get a lot more done! I can honestly say that cleaning and going up and downstairs a zillion times is a great workout. I was DONE around lunch time.

Lunch was leftover chicken marsala with broccoli & some potatoes.

I also had an apple and a string cheese.

Once Ava was up from her nap we decided to spend our afternoon doing other things besides basement cleaning. We took a trip to the library to get some books, Ava really enjoyed it. We also made a quick trip to the grocery store to grab dinner. I did some “boot camp” work on the computer ate a bowl of oatmeal & peanut butter.

Time was flying and dinner was here before we knew it. Marc made Lemon Crusted Tilapia with suateed zucchini and sweet potatoes. Simple & DELICIOUS. It was the perfect pre-workout dinner. I always like to eat a little lighter before my boot camp class.

After a SWEATY and I mean super sweaty class (I was soaked) I quickly showered and then had a Chocolate Quest Bar & Some pan fried Plantains! Sorry no picture of the plantains, totally forgot.

Although we are on vacation, all of my meals were consumed at home because of our choice to organize and clean our basement. I’m happy we were so productive and got one of the things checked off our to-do list!! It felt great.

Do you find it easier to eat healthy at home?

What’s your favorite leftovers?

August 25, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Rhode Island Weekend

The start to our vacation has been great. Thank goodness for Iced coffee because Marc and I were ready to go bright and early Saturday morning. We headed to Rhode Island around 830am to beat any traffic, and made it there a little before 11am, not bad! Both kids were great in the car.

We spent the day hanging out with Marc’s family. The weather ended up turning out to be great and it never rained so we got to hang outside and play in the pool.

There’s something so relaxing about RI to me. I guess 1. it’s vacation 2. it’s my home away from home so I’m comfortable.

Saturday night we did take out from Trattoria Romana.

I ordered Chicken Fiorentina which was chicken with prosciutto, mozzarella & spinach in a marsala wine. It was delicious!

Sunday Ava got to play with her cousin Natalie practically all day long.

It’s so fun to watch them hang out, Ava definitely learns a lot from her big cousin.

In the afternoon both of Marc’s grandma’s came over and we got to see his Aunt & Uncle whom we LOVE spending time with.

It was a great afternoon and we truly do miss seeing them!

These two made me smile a TON.

Sunday evening Marc’s dad cooked us a wonderful dinner as usual. He is such an amazing cook and it’s practically effortless to him. We had BBQ Pulled pork, Grilled Chicken, Bean Salad, and Tomato & Cucumber salad.

YUM I love summer food.

Monday was a rainy day so we did some shopping.

Once the weather cleared up we went to the park.

I spy a dog on the playground!

It was such a great weekend with our family and now we are back home and ready to spend some days around Greenwich at the beach! I can’t wait

How was your weekend?

Have you ever been to Rhode Island?

August 21, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Things I’m loving this week!

HAPPY FRIDAY and happy vacation week to Marc and I.

We aren’t doing anything wild on our vacation week but it’s kind of nice to be able to go with the flow! We are headed to Rhode Island tomorrow morning to visit family & friends for a long weekend. Next week we plan on heading to the beach with Ava and then hopefully Marc and I will do a day trip somewhere just the 2 of us.

This week I have had a lot of “favorite” things that I wanted to share with you. Most of them are food related because I just love food and trying new things.

Things I’m loving this week:

Sugar Snap Peas from Trader Joes are pretty amazing. I can’t believe it was Ava’s first time having them this week but she absolutely loved peeling them a part and finding the peas inside. They are such a delicious healthy snack to keep on hand!

Trader Joe’s Sprouted Multi Grain Bread has no preservatives and is made with super healthy ingredients. For the last 2 weeks I really hadn’t eaten any bread but when I saw this at Trader Joe’s I had to try it and I’m glad I did. It paired nicely with my over easy eggs and Marc enjoyed it too.

Mamma Chia Pouches have made it into my Things I’m loving posts before but I found them in a box of 4 at Target and I was excited. Individual ones cost more so it was nice to be able to have a box of them on hand. They have all 3 omega’s, fruits & veggies, plus fiber. These snacks are great to keep in your purse or car and I’ve enjoyed having them as a quick no brainer healthy treat.

Omega Trek Mix speaking of Omega’s this nut mix is packed with healthy ingredients like walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries & pistachios. Ava has been on a nut kick lately and I like having trail mix to give her. It also keeps her nice & full.

I always like to finish these posts with a picture of Ava. She’s constantly growing & developing and to see her personality come out has been so fun. She absolutely loves being outside and of course playing with Cooper.

Oh and this Quote is a great reminder for when you need a little boost.

I keep reminding myself about positivity.. you can really tell convince your mind to do anything!

What are you up to this weekend?

Do you have any favorite things from the week?

August 20, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

21 Day Fix Beef & Sweet Potato Stew Recipe

If you don’t know me by now, I don’t waste time in the kitchen and I for sure don’t have hours and hours to waste cooking, prepping and whipping together meals. As much as I love to cook, I’m lucky if I get 20 minutes to throw together a nice meal for my family.

In the summer I always forget to use the crockpot, but when I do I’m always pleased with the outcome! I’m glad I took out the crockpot for this delicious Stew recipe because it opened my eyes to future summer cooking in a jiffy. I was extremely HAPPY with how simple it was to cook this tasty meal.

Another bonus: it works right into the 21 day fix meal plan!! So for all of you out there looking for a healthy dinner recipe that is also comforting, this is a win.

I really do enjoy following recipes, but I can’t say I ever follow them entirely. I work with what I have in my fridge & pantry and I wing it. Sometimes its good and sometimes It’s ehhh. Those recipes I don’t share

When Ava & Marc approve, I know I put together a great dinner!

BEEF & SWEET POTATO STEW RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 lb Beef round or Beef stew meat (in chunks)
1 large sweet potato
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium onion
1 red bell pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt (or regular sea salt)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning
1 cup beef broth
1 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
Fresh Parsley

Directions:

Chop & dice up all the veggies.
Place all ingredients into crockpot & mix well
Set heat to low for 6 hours. (mix occasionally)
Serve in a bowl and top with fresh parsley!

I loved the simplicity and taste of this meal. The original 21 day fix recipe calls for Butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes and a green pepper instead of a yellow squash, plus a few smaller changes. I am all about working with what you have and what you like to eat so feel free to substitute in any veggies you like, I’m sure it will taste great!

Do you follow recipes 100%?

What’s your favorite crockpot meal?

August 19, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
4 Comments

WIAW: Bowls of food

This week has been hotter than usual and I’m doing whatever I can to keep Ava, Cooper & myself cool. That means playtime outside in the pool, lots of fruit & drinks to hydrate, and keeping cool in the AC when necessary.

My food choices this week have also been on the colder side. Hot foods are really not appealing and I also burnt the back of my mouth on a hot sweet potato so since then I have been keeping my food cool so I don’t irritate it.

Monday was also the first day of my 21 day challenge group so I tried to follow the 21 day fix nutrition plan which I love.

Anyways, enough rambling already.. lets get to the point of this post, my food journal! I’m linking up with the What I Ate Wednesday Crew to share with you my eats from Monday.

Ava woke us up before our alarms on Monday, which I wasn’t mad about because it got my day going sooner and I wasn’t feeling as rushed. I chugged some water and then sipped on some coffee while I whipped together breakfast.

Breakfast was 2 eggs, sautéed spinach, mushrooms in olive oil, with sliced potatoes and a piece of bacon. This picture doesn’t look that great but this breakfast had so many great flavors and kept my belly quite full.

(1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 tsp)

I taught my regular Group power class and immediately followed it up with a protein shake

When I arrived home I had a bowl of oatmeal and peanut butter & a banana to refuel.

(1 red, 1 purple, 1 yellow, 2 tsp)

I headed back to the YMCA to teach my Fit For Life class which ended up being a hot one. The AC was a little low so I was sweating pretty easily.

By the time I got home I was ready for lunch and opted for a simple cold tuna salad with tomatoes & pickles plus a broccoli slaw salad with kale, peppers, balsamic dressing and avocado.

(1 red, 2 green, 1 orange, 1 blue, 1 tsp)

After a couple hours of computer work, my stomach started rumbling so I made a quick Shakeology to drink while I finished things up.

I also snacked on a bowl of Blueberries & baby carrots

(1 red, 1 purple, 1 green)

I’m so pumped that I used the crockpot for dinner. First off because it was such a simple meal to prepare and second because it tasted so good. We had a Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes & Veggies. Using the crockpot freed up so much time for me, this meal took 5 minutes to throw in together and It was ready in a little over a few hours.

(1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green)

I was hungry for a snack a little around 830pm. Luckily we had a super ripe plantain to use so Marc and I sliced it up and pan roasted them with a little canola oil. It’s such a healthy sweet treat!

(1 purple, 1 tsp)

I love the way I feel when I eat clean & healthy thanks to the 21 day fix meal plan I am able to keep my meals well portioned and well balanced throughout the day! It feels great

What’s something yummy you ate this week?

Do you like plantains?

August 18, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Are you really just thirsty??

There are SOOO many times I think I’m hungry but in fact I’m just thirsty… yup, lots of times! While food ALWAYS seems like the better option I’ve started paying attention to my body a little more and focusing on drinking more water, especially with these warmer temperatures!

The reason I decided to blog about this topic is because this morning I ran into the issue of finding myself hungry after a LARGE breakfast. I thought to myself, there’s no way I’m still hungry because this meal always fills me on other days.

I decided to drink some more water and wait to see if I was still hungry. Shortly after I went pee and noticed my pee was darker (Too much information, I know) but this was a sign. I wasn’t hungry, I was slightly dehydrated.

So I forced myself to drink more water even though I didn’t want it and then I ate a bowl of watermelon.

well I didn’t eat this whole bowl, but a normal serving

30 minutes later…. no hunger.

60 minutes later… no hunger.

In fact it took 2 hours until I was actually really hungry for a snack, so THIRST was the issue.

So while I could’ve overeaten and snacked more this morning I chose to use my body’s signals to figure out what I really needed instead of eating extra food for no reason at all.

This mistake happens all the time for me and I’m sure it’s happened to you as well. If we make sure to fuel are body with an adequate supply of water every single day we will help control our appetite and also regulate the amount of food we eat on a daily basis!!

Do you ever find yourself hungry after you just finished a normal size meal?

August 17, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Pool Fun & Weekend Recap

How is it Monday already???

Seriously this weekend flew by in the blink of an eye and I can’t say I was happy for it to already be Monday. I love my job but I just don’t know how it’s Monday so soon.

I guess our weekend was filled with fun activities that made the days fly!

Here’s a quick photo recap of our fun weekend!

Saturday morning we went for a family walk to Dunkin Donuts because Ava by accidentally cracked our coffee pot… but any excuse to get an iced coffee is fine by me

Shortly after we went to a friends Country Club in Greenwich to swim in the pool for the morning. We also ate lunch. I’m so thankful for our invite, it was so fun and Ava had a blast! (no pictures because phones aren’t allowed at the pool) I am a huge fan of this because I was able to relax and truly enjoy the beautiful weather and our time together.

In the afternoon we headed to my friend Danielle’s 30th Birthday Pool Party!!

We had so much fun enjoying being outside and celebrating together

We each had a special cup to have our cocktails in! They were so cute. Danielle and I have been friends for 25 years so being able to celebrate with her on her 30th was way too fun and super special.

It was truly a beautiful day full of laughs and good times.

On Sunday Ava surprised me with an early wake up call of 5am. It’s usually her punishment for Marc and I leaving her for the night. She’s like “I’ll get you back”.. just kidding.

Anyways I wasn’t happy to be up at 5am, but I managed to be productive. I did food prep, made us a delicious breakfast, we took Cooper for a long walk, I made a grocery list, we went grocery shopping, I went to the gym, buybuybaby, and we cooked a delicious Salmon dinner at home. SOOOO I guess it’s okay that I got up early.

She entertained us all day by being her spunky full of energy self. This picture is blurry because she’s waving at the camera!

I’m pretty sure this is my favorite picture from the weekend. Ava’s laughing holding a bone for Cooper to chew on. They LOVE each other.

How was your weekend? mine was too much fun, I’m sad its over.

Are you a beach or Pool Person? I love the beach for relaxation…. but I love the pool too.. I dunno it’s a tie!

August 14, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Things I’m Loving Lately

HAPPY FRIDAY!! I’m excited for the weekend to begin. We have some fun plans for Saturday that include a morning trip to a friend’s country club to swim and play outside, and in the afternoon one of my best friends is turning 30 so are headed to a pool party!!

If you didn’t know that I LOVE swimming in pools, now you do!! My parents called me a fish when I was younger. If there was water I was in it and you literally had to pry me away from the pool.

To have plans to visit multiple pools makes me so happy inside, I feel like a kid

Because it’s Friday, I want to share some snacks, foods & things I’ve been loving this week:

I’m not usually one to buy sugary snacks but this one won me over and its probably due to the extra added sugar but who cares! Yoplait has a delicious greek yogurt that I had as a “treat” the other night. There are flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds and oats in the mix and all the different textures make it delicious.

I’m always looking for new healthy snacks when I’m shopping and I stumbled upon these individual portion packets of nut butters from Wild Friends. OMG they are delicious. I bought 2 different flavors: chocolate sunflower butter

and honey sunflower butter.

They are both delicious. If you like sunflower seeds you must try them. Each packet was only $1 and they are great to keep in your car, purse or lunch box for a nutty nutritious snack.

Using the Honey Sunflower butter I made some energy bites for me & Ava. They were a tasty & healthy snack!

Speaking of nuts. This nut mix from Back to Nature is hands down my favorite. It has cashews, pistachios & almonds and I can’t get enough. Ava has been loving the cashews herself… she says “more nuts please” its pretty cute.

Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies are a great snack that we have for Ava. They are organic snack crackers that are super cheesy and I’ve been keeping them in Ava’s travel lunch box for road trips. She likes them a lot!

On Wednesday night we made a trip to the St. Roch’s Feast. It was a beautiful night and we got to enjoy being outside plus Ava went on a couple rides.

She did not like the carousel (I don’t blame her though because it made me really dizzy)

She did however love the giant slide!!

And of course fishing in the pool for some fish. She won a duck to take home with her!

I’m hoping to get back to the carnival one more time but we kinda have a busy weekend ahead of us!

What’s something you are loving this week?

Do you enjoy carnivals?

August 13, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

Food Prep & Grocery Shopping

When I meal prep on Sundays, I feel more organized, I choose to eat healthier cleaner meals & snacks during the week, and I don’t get frustrated when I need to decide what we are eating for dinner. This leaves me with a stress free week of food

On Sunday Marc and I brainstormed a few dinner ideas, I made a grocery list and then headed to the store. I bought TONS of fresh produce, lean meats, and healthy snacks.

Our dinner ideas for the week were:

SUNDAY Parmesan crusted tilapia with sweet potatoes, zucchini & squash

MONDAY Turkey Chili with Veggies, Avocado & brown rice

TUESDAY BBQ Chicken Thighs, asparagus, sweet potato fries

WEDNESDAY Pesto Chicken with green beans & potatoes (not sure how I forgot to take a picture but I did!)

It’s now Thursday and I’m happy to say we stuck with our plans. Thursday night is leftover night. I hate wasting food so it’s better to clear out the fridge before the weekend

Lets back up a bit to the grocery shopping. Shopping with a toddler can be quite challenging because Ava usually distracts me from my list and I always find myself in a hurry when we shop together. On Sunday I had the opportunity to grocery shop without her (she was napping) I got everything on my list and I breezed through the aisles without stopping. It was awesome.

As I shopped I realized I’m getting better at buying foods that we need and that’s because I stick to my grocery shopping tips. Here they are:

My tips for grocery shopping

Look at the grocery store flier and make a list before going shopping.
Make a list that is organized as if you shopping in the store.
Plan out a few dinner meals so that you can buy all your ingredients.
Choose fresh vegetables and fruits that are in season they are cheaper.
Avoid the middle aisles unless there’s something in particular you need.
Buy foods in bulk. We buy bags of potatoes, ripe and firm avocados, yellow & green bananas, bags of apples. We waste less food when we choose wisely.
Steer clear off foods in packages, bags, and boxes. Those are the most eye catching foods in the store but they aren’t filling and are full of processed ingredients!

Each time I visit the store I feel that I learn more & more. I know what works for our family and I’m sure you know what works for yours. I used to have to make several trips to the store a week but I’ve tweaked my shopping list a bit and I’ve definitely seen improvements. I usually end up running to the store mid week for more milk, eggs or fruit because we seem to blow through those items but I’m definitely impressed with my trip this time around and I haven’t needed to stop at the store all week! Woohoo.

What grocery tips do you have?

Are you a frequent shopper or do you try to get all your groceries in one big haul?

August 12, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

WIAW: Turkey Chili for the win

Happy Hump Day!! The weather is looking great for today and I’m already looking forward to a late afternoon walk with Cooper and Ava.

I am linking up with the What I Ate Wednesday crew to share with you my food journal from Monday.

It was a healthy & clean day of eating for me!

My day started off with a little coffee and a tall glass of water. For breakfast I whipped together 2 eggs, sauteed spinach with olive oil, and sliced potatoes with sea salt. We baked a few extra potatoes on Sunday so that I could use them with breakfast and I’m so glad we did. It was a filling meal.

After teaching a sweaty group power class, I quickly refueled with a vanilla protein shake, a banana and oatmeal with strawberries & PB2.

For lunch I had a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, grilled chicken and balsamic dressing. The cucumbers & peppers aren’t pictured because I added them after the picture, oops. I also had a peach and some cashews.

After a couple hours of coaching work on the computer I opted for a Chocolate Shakeology. It’s something easy to whip up without having to think and I didn’t have much time to think of anything to eat once Ava got up from her long afternoon nap. I also snacked on a few of Ava’s triscuit crackers that she was eating

Marc and I were looking for something different to eat for dinner. We have been doing so much grilling that I wanted to change things up a bit. I made a big turkey chili with beans & lots of veggies in the crockpot, and man I’m glad I did. I love chili. 1. it’s super easy to make 2. it creates lots of leftovers and 3. it’s so tasty. I served my chili over brown rice and had some avocado as well. There were so many flavors in that one bowl.

Before dinner we took a walk to get Cooper some fresh air. It was lovely and there was a great breeze which felt amazing.

After dinner we hung out, I gave Ava a bath, red her a bedtime story and then she went to bed.

Because I love night snacks, Marc and I each had a couple Chocolate Fudgy Shakeology bites and tons of blueberries. Yum!

What was something you ate this week?

Do you grill a lot during this summertime?