Dark Chocolate Espresso Granola Bars

Apr 28, 2014

Clean Granola Bar recipe, dark chocolate espresso granola bars
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole-grain flour
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp raw honey
2 oz dark chocolate covered espresso beans (70% or higher cocoa content)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix with a wooden spoon to combine.  Spread mixture evenly in a 9x9 baking dish.  Bake for 25 minutes or until golden around the edges.  Let cool and slice into 8 bars.  Serve or refrigerate for later.

Nutrients per serving:
Calories:  240, Total fats:  13g, Saturated fat:  2g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol:  10mg, Sodium:  110 mg, total carbs:  26g, Dietary fiber:  2g, Sugars:  7g, Protein: 8g, Iron 2mg.

Looking for a Healthy Substitute for Sour Cream?

Are you a SOUR CREAM lover?? I am!!  Or should I say --> WAS! Did you know that if you substitute Greek Yogurt it tastes almost EXACTLY the same but with: 

*NO fat
*NO saturated fat
*NO mono-saturated fat 
*NO modified ingredients

(which BTW are ALL in sour cream)!?!

TRY IT the next time you want sour cream on your tacos or meal & you will be pleasantly surprised! You won't even know the difference!

Feel free to SHARE this with your fellow sour cream loving friends! 





How To Control Emotional Eating

Are you an emotional eater?  We've all been guilty of it at one point or another!  Using food for non-physical reasons becomes a problem when you do it as a way to cope with stress or negative emotions.  Here are 3 primary reasons why you emotionally eat:

1.  You eat mindlessly and impulsively, without thinking first.  For example, someone brought junk food or sweets in the house and they're sitting on the counter, staring at you, so you just start eating it whether you're hungry or not!  Best thing to do? DON'T keep junk food in the house!
2.  You eat for reasons other than your physiological needs.  You eat because you are at a party and it's right there where you are socializing.  You eat because you are watching a movie and everyone eats popcorn while watching a movie.  You eat birthday cake because that's just what you do at a birthday party.

3.  You hold beliefs about food that don't advance you towards your goals. You don't believe that sugar is addictive or that cutting sugar out of your diet is going to help you lose weight.  You don't believe that hunger can be mistaken for thirst or that eating 5-6 small meals a day is going to help you lose weight.

So the first steps to combating this issue is becoming aware of when and why you eat!!!

I want you to read through this list of reasons why people eat other than hunger and put a check mark by the ones that apply to you:


1.  To alleviate boredom
2.  To socialize
3.  To recapture a feeling or memory
4.  To celebrate a special occasion
5.  To fill a void or missing need
6.  To feel good
7.  To feel safe
8.  To feel comforted
9.  As a reward
10. Out of habit or ritual (i.e. bedtime snacking in front of the TV).


So every time you start to feel yourself saying, I deserve this!  Stop yourself and really question if it is worth it!  You are working so hard not to get the results that you DESERVE and TRULY want!  Think about whether or not that cake, popcorn or beer is going to be the long term solution.  Or is it just a band-aid to your bad day!  I want you to list things that you can do instead of eating.  It's all about changing the way you think!  Making a lifestyle change is not about a fad diet or starving yourself.  It's about re thinking the way you live and think about food!  It's when you can make changes deep down to the core of your being that you can live like this forever!  It starts with AWARENESS


How to tell the difference between Physical and Emotional Hunger:
  • Physical hunger builds up gradually, starting with a tiny grumble in the stomach, growing to full blown hunger pangs.  Emotional hunger develops suddenly.
  • With physical hunger you can wait to have it.  Emotional hunger seems to demand immediate satisfaction.
  • Physical hunger usually appears about 3 hours after the last meal or snack.  Emotional hunger can happen at any time.
  • Physical hunger is usually a general desire for food.  Emotional hunger is usually a desire for a specific food.
  • After eating for physical hunger, the hunger goes away.  After emotional eating the hunger persists.
  • After eating for physical hunger, you get a sense of satisfaction.  After eating for emotional reasons, you feel guilty!

Tips:
If you are hungry then drink a big glass of water.  Quite often hunger is disguised as thirst.  Wait 20 minutes and if you are still hungry then ask yourself.  "Has it been 2 1/2 to 3 hrs since I ate last?"  If it has then go ahead and have a small meal.  If it hasn't been that long reach for some fresh veggies! 


Try keeping your mind busy, go outside, play with the kids, take a walk, read a book or call a friend!  Keep you mind out of the kitchen and on other more important tasks!


When you do eat, eat slowly and take your time.  You want to eat until you are 80% full.  How are you going to know when that is if you gobble it down before you stomach even realizes that food is coming its way! 

Make the choice today to end emotional eating!  Join a group for support like mine and together we can work through emotional eating, what to eat and how much food to eat!  You are not alone in this battle and it doesn't matter how little or much weight you have to lose it can be done!!!

What do you choose?  Are you going to live your life in guilt over everything you eat or are you going to feel confident in your decisions about food and ultimately the way you look in the mirror?

How to Eat Clean While Traveling

The key to success even when you're one the road?  PLANNING AHEAD!  Eating Clean doesn't have to be about spending hours in the kitchen making food with ingredients that you have never heard of before.  It's about taking the time to pair the right foods together and read the labels!

1.  Pack your Shakeo!  Oatmeal is super easy to pre pack and put in your suitcase.  You can portion out 1/2 cup oatmeal into individual sandwich bags, each with 1/2 cup raisins, 1 tbsp flaxseed and wheat germ.  Every hotel has hot water or a continental breakfast that you can get hot water from.  Just pour in the hot water over my oatmeal and covered with a napkin for a few minutes & breakfast is served!  The best part is that it is totally clean!  Since oatmeal is only the complex carb portion of your breakfast, you can to the continental breakfast at the hotel and get 3 egg whites to go with your oatmeal!  If you don't have a restaurant at your hotel then pack a baggie of nuts and eat that with your oatmeal or throw in a scoop of protein powder with your oatmeal.



2.  Snacks on the go!  Measure out a small handful of nuts into bags such as unsalted almonds, cashews and peanuts.  You can also pack a few apples and oranges because they travel well!  Then, while driving , you can simply reach in your bag and grab a bag of nuts and an apple and be satisfied!


3.  H20!  Fill & take a refillable water bottle with you!  I take my Shakeology shaker cup with me wherever I go and use it for water.  When you continually drink your water, your body stays full and you only feel hungry when you are actually hungry!  And the refillable water bottle is good for the environment or you can bring a case of water bottles with you in the car and recycle them once you get home.

4.  Exercise: 
When you are committed to a program you must make do with what you have!  No EXCUSES!  With the technology now Beachbody OnDemand with 25 minute workouts you can do in your hotel room with NO equipment needed, there is no excuse why you can't workout!  Take your laptop or tablet with you so you can stream your workouts or pop in your dvd!  If you program requires weights, simply pack a resistance band or use the hotel gym and you're good to go!

5.  Limit alcoholic beverages!  A huge part of eating out especially with clients is drinking!  It's so hard not to enjoy wine, beer and mixed drinks with your co-workers, clients and friends.  I'm not saying that you should never drink, but limit yourself.  Alcohol has a lot of excess sugar and empty calories.  So for starters limit your alcohol and for every drink that you have you are required to drink 1 full glass of water! 


6.  Dining out!  Most restaurants cook with high fat ingredients because it gives the food additional flavor, but that always equals more calories!  So don't be afraid to ask for you veggies steamed without butter or ask for your chicken or fish grilled instead of fried!  Always ask for your salad dressing on the side and stay away from anything that is  cream-based (like ranch or caesar dressing) because they are loaded with fat.  Don't be afraid to ask for your food to be prepared the way you want it!  If I can't find anything healthy on the menu, my go to is always a grilled chicken salad with balsamic vinaigrette or oil & vinegar. 

7.  And last, but not least!  If you are going to an event like a wedding, shower, sporting event or fundraiser, my top tip is to eat before you go!  If you know that there are not going to be healthy options at the event, then make sure you have a well balanced breakfast and eat your healthy snacks every 2 1/2 - 3 hours.  Then when you get to the event, munch on fruit and veggies and keep a glass of sparkling water in hand.  Mingle and make the event a social hour that doesn't revolve around food and alcohol! If you keep yourself busy talking, then no one will even notice that you didn't pig out on the cookie table!  In your mind, you have to decide what is more important...the cookie table or that amazing body you have been working so hard to get!  In my mind, it was totally the amazing body that I wanted and that trumped any cookie or cake that you could put in front of me!

I'm not going to tell you that it's easy, but I'm going to tell you that it is worth it!   

How To Manage Your Hunger



Don't let your hunger manage you!  
When you are hungry, it's easy to let your stomach do the talking.  Make sure you take control over you hunger before it gets out of control.  Here are a few tips:

A simple rule you can keep in mind is to: 
 Eat when you are hungry, stop when you're not!  Rather than stopping when you're "full", stop when you're not longer hungry.  LISTEN to your body!


Don't skip meals!  Avoid slowing down your metabolism.  You should be fueling your body approximately 5 times a day.  Skipping meals does not help you cut calories.  Only smaller portion sizes and the kinds of foods you eat will.  Choose meal items that are lean protein and complex carbs for a even calorie burn without sugar crashes.  

Get your Metabolism GOING!  Eat BREAKFAST!  It's the most important meal of the day. Why?Eating a healthy breakfast gets your whole system going; both your brain and body will function better.  Having a full stomach first thing gets rid of all those sugar and junk food cravings.  When you start your day off satisfied and full of nutrious delicious food, your body doesn't need to crave anything becaues you fed it well.  I prefer to start my day off with my favorite Vegan Chocolate Shakeology as soon as I wake up, then have a larger mid-morning snack, such a s oatmeal, fruit, egg whites with veggies, etc.

Eat oatmeal!  It's the breakfast of Champions because it regulates your blood sugar and keeps you fuller longer.  One cup of oatmeal contains 8 grams of fiber, that's 1/3 of the dietary reference intake. 

Tip:  Remember to match a lean protein and a compex carb.  Oatmeal is a wonderful complext car, so match it with its date!  Try 1/2 cup oatmeal topped with 2 tbsp ground flaxseed and a handful of berries, with 2 egg whites on the side.  Your body will be amazed!

Water Burns!  Drink 2-3 liters of water per day.  Get a re-useable water bottle and add lemon, lime and cucumbers or any other fruit you can think of.  Carry it with you everywhere!  Sometimes we mistake hunger for THIRST.  If you are hungry and it's between meals, drink a glass of water and wait 20 minutes.  Then if you are still hungry, then it's truly hunger!  Without enough water in your system, your metabolism slows down and you end up burning fewer calories.  TIP:  Drink 1/2 your body's weight in ounces each day!

Drink water 30 minutes before every meal.  Water will not only ease the hunger temporarily, it will also help you reduce the amount you eat at each meal.  Drink water instead of sodas, fruit juices, and sugary drinks during meals and you won't be adding empty calories.

Get more ZZZ's:  Getting too little sleep triggers hormonal changes that lead to an increased appetite.  Also sleep deprivation will cause your body to have more cravings for foods high in sugar and fat.  If you're tired, often you won't have the energy to workout.  So be sure to get enough sleep!  I like to shoot for 7 hrs a night!

You don't need to eat everything on your plate.  Avoid overeating just because its there.  I always ask for a doggie bag before I begin my meal.  I box up half of my meal and take it home to my husband or I save it for lunch the next day.  You can always split your meal between 2 people.  Restaurants always offer over sized portions, no one should EVER eat that much food or needs to eat that much!

Hold the dessert?  YES!  Wait until 20 minutes after you've eating the main course.  If your still hungry, treat yourself to fresh fruit or sorbet or get a small dessert & ask the table to share it!  Have 2 or 3 small bites to satisfy your sweet tooth and be done.  Don't sabotage all of your hard work by indulging in a giant, calorie-filled dessert!


Veggies on the side, please.  If your meal doesn't come with veggies get a side or or ask for a garden salad.  You'll eat more nutrients that'll burn of easily.  Also, make sure you ask for you veggies to be prepared with no additional oils or butter.  Vegetables are good but when you smother them in butter and oil you add a ridiculous amount of calories!  Also, ask for the dressing on the side and leave of the croutons and cheese!  And remember, eating a salad doesn't count if you're just going to dump a pile of ranch dressing on top.  Choose a dressing that is light in calories like Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Vinegar or Balsamic Vinaigrette

Eat SLOWLY & CHEW your food!  I know this is easier said than done when we are busy, have kids, have a small amount of time for our lunch break or dinner, but really try to allow your taste buds to savor you food and it will allow your body to digest your food properly.  You are less likely to over eat when you eat slowly!

BAKED SWEET POTATO ROUNDS

Apr 22, 2014

Clean baked sweet potatoes Ingredients:
4 large organic sweet potatoes or yams
1 cup coconut oil
Cinnamon
Nutmeg 
Sea salt

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Peel sweet potatoes.
  3. Place sweet potatoes into a pot.
  4. Cover with water and bring to a boil on top of stove and immediately remove. Let cool.
  5. Slice sweet potatoes into 1 inch thick slices and place on cookie sheet or in an oven-proof dish. For easy clean-up, you can line the cookie sheet or oven-proof dish with parchment paper.
  6. Melt coconut oil and baste slices on both sides lavishly with the oil.
  7. Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg  and sea salt on top.
  8. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes.
  9. Turn, reapply coconut oil.
  10. Sprinkle spices on this side and bake for 15 minutes more.
  11. Serve straight from oven.

Enjoy!  Serves 8

Why I Became a Beachbody Coach

Apr 15, 2014

For those of you that personally know me, you know my DREAM after having my daughter, McKenna (almost 3 years ago), was to become a stay at home mom.  I went from being a die-hard career woman, working 50 hrs/week in the Medical Sales industry, to wanting NOTHING MORE than to quit my job and be home every day with this new little love in my life.

Every time someone told me they were a stay at home mom, my heart would literally break bc I wanted that SO badly.  Financially though, I wasn't able to stay home.  We had a new big mortgage payment, 2 car payments, 2 student loans, and bills out the wazoo!  Even though we both had good jobs, we were still just making ends meet. Quitting my job to stay home with my daughter was 100% NOT an option…but I was DETERMINED.


Just after McKenna's 2nd birthday, I hit my breaking point.  I was completely overwhelmed & stressed with work, the insane amount of hours I was putting in, traveling, flying out of the house at 645am & doing my make up in the car… I just WISHED I could stay home, in my sweats, wake up with my daughter, have breakfast, and just ENJOY these times with her that I would never get back.  I was missing out on her growing up… So then I realized, I had to STOP wishing.  I had to STOP feeling sorry for myself & "stuck"!  If I wanted something, no one was going to hand it to me…I had to go out & GET IT.  And so I did.


One day, I came across a post in my news feed that has forever changed my life… A friend I had met from the gym, posted how she now gets to work from home, part-time, doing something she LOVES, and best of all, gets to be home with her 3 kids.  I remember thinking, 'WOW!  I WANT THAT!!!  I wonder what she does??'  I had NO idea.  Lol.  So I messaged her.  That day after leaving work, I learned about the Coaching opportunity with Beachbody.  Being the super skeptical person that I am (LOL), I hung up the phone and I literally Googled everything I could about it for 3 days.  I watched every YouTube video, researched everything I could…and I was BLOWN AWAY.  It was literally like my PRAYERS had been answered….I had by the grace of God found my DREAM JOB!  I will never forget that overwhelming feeling of bliss when I realized I had found my calling.  It's a feeling that will never leave me!  


I've been a coach now for 10 months, I've achieved goals I've never thought were possible.  I've helped hundreds of people now become healthy, lose weight, become CONFIDENT in their own skin again, get off their high blood pressure medicine, wear their pre-baby jeans for the 1st time again, inspire their family & friends to eat healthy & start exercising, and also helped others earn money from home as well by just duplicating what I do.  


But my favorite accomplishment of all…I am now a Stay at Home Mom.


Dreams do come true if you want them bad enough & are willing to work for them!  I now work part-time, from home, in my sweat pants :)  I make my own schedule, I don't have a boss to answer to, I can travel without having to "request" time off, and I get to choose who I work with.  


So WHY am I telling you this??  Because I want other moms & dads to know that YOU CAN DO THIS, TOO!  If you are considering becoming a Coach, please message me for more info & take a minute to fill out the application below!  I will help you do exactly what I do, mentor you every step of the way.  It is possible if you want it!  It's just taking that first leap of faith!






  • What is the best way to contact you? *
  • Check each statement that pertains to you: *

NEW PiYo workout from Chalene Johnson is launching early TODAY!

Apr 13, 2014


New Chalene Johnson PiYo workout from Beachbody






































What is PiYo? 
Piyo is the new low impact workout by Chalene Johnson. It is a mix between Pilates and Yoga, but at a faster tempo.  I just did my 1st PiYo workout today and LOVED it!!!  For some reason I was thinking I wouldn't sweat and that it would just be a bunch of "stretching", but OH was I wrong!  It felt AH-MAZING! 
PiYo is the latest low-impact breakthrough fitness program that gets you high intensity results! Developed by superstar trainer Chalene Johnson, this 60-day program the combines muscle-sculpting and core-toning benefits of Pilates with the strength and toning benefits of yoga. PiYo speeds everything up with dynamic flowing sequences to deliver some serious cardio and calorie burn at the same time it lengthens, tones and increases flexibility—all in each workout! No weights. No jumps. Just amazing results!

Want a sneak preview of what PiYo is all about?



  • 25-45 MINUTE, LOW-IMPACT WORKOUTS
  • NO EQUIPMENT NEEDED!


Be the FIRST to know when it's officially released! 

Sign up for a FREE Team Beachbody Account & you'll receive a personal email from me letting you know the launch date & how to order!  

Already have a Team Beachbody Account?  
Simple call 800-240-0913 or email CoachRelations@TeamBeachbody.com & ask them to make Jaclyn Stokes your coach & give them Coach ID 254846!







Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Apr 11, 2014

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs Chicken Breasts
Olive oil
Small onion, diced
Minced garlic
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt & pepper
1 ½ cups all-natural BBQ sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°.
Remove chicken & pat dry.
In a heavy pot w/ lid, drizzle olive oil over medium heat.
Cook onion & garlic for 5 min, add paprika, then stir.
Add in chicken, stirring well, salt, pepper then bbq sauce.
Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
Cover the pot w/ lid then baked for 90 min.
Remove from oven.  Remove chicken & place in large bowl.
Shred chicken w/ 2 forks.
Return uncovered pot on the stove over high heat, until liquid is reduced to a thick sauce.
Pour sauce over chicken & serve.