Chicken & Dumplings to warm the soul!

The first time I had Chicken & Dumplings I was in my 20's. I was like, "Whoa, where has this been all my life"?

I've searched high & low for cleaner healthier recipes that actually TASTE good. I have made several different ones & tweaked them to my preference each time. I finally found a really good recipe from The Gracious Pantry which you can find by clicking here & I made it. It was pretty darn tasty. The next time I made it I just adapted it to more my liking & here is what I came up with.

Ingredients for Stew
6 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
1 1/2 tsp dry oregano
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 1/2 cups (approx 16oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders cut into bit size chunks
2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 large organic yellow onion, chopped
2 cups organic carrots, chopped
2 cups organic celery, chopped

Dumplings
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
3 Tbsp EVOO
1 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond, but you can use any kind you like)

Directions for the Stew
1. Heat EVOO in crock pot on high or brown setting. Add onion, carrots, celery & seasonings. Sauté until onions are translucent.
2. Add broth & chicken.

Directions for the Dumplings
1. Combine flour, baking soda & salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir well.
2. Pour in oil & milk & mix with a wooden spoon.
3. Turn crock pot to low setting (broth should have been at a boil by this time).
4. Use a spoon to scoop up & round off your dumplings & drop them on top of the stew.
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Until chicken & dumplings are cooked.


Since I currently use the 21 Day Fix portion control containers, I measure my servings out in those for my meal. Dumplings=Yellow, Chicken=Red, Veggies & Broth=Green.

21 Day Fix-My results, experience & review of the program.

I am down 6 pounds & 9.5 inches. Considering the fact that we were traveling for 6 out of the 21 days, I think I did pretty well. 

Of course my nutrition COULD have been 100%, but honestly for me that isn't realistic. I am a pretty clean eater most of the time, but I have learned that I cannot restrict myself because I have issues with binge eating & I am totally an emotional eater. So ya, I had a burger, 3 slices of pizza (could have eaten WAY more), some cookies & beer. And a few nights a week I have 1-2 small squares of dark chocolate. 

Most of all, even having the above foods, this round has helped me get back into a portion control groove. I keep a note in my iPhone for my daily portion amounts in each category. I check them off as I eat. Using the "colored container" system is so much faster & funner than reading the packages, getting out measuring spoons or cups. I have all my containers sitting right on my counter & I just grab, fill & dump (on my plate). 

I KNOW that portion control & food prep is one of the biggest problems that people have when trying to lose weight & eat better. It comes sometimes from sheer laziness (I know because I battle it too) & from being uneducated in what is healthy & nutrition in general. The 21 Day Fix is truly the key to helping people be successful at all of the above. The workouts are only 30 minutes & completely modifiable. Heck, there is plenty that I modify & still get a great workout. You can easily use the containers with any other fitness routine that you may have too. Even when I am not following the 21 Day Fix workouts, I still use the containers DAILY! I actually feel weird not using them or checking them off my list. I have taken them to a restaurant & portioned out my food & took the rest home. 

I have helped several people start with this program since it's release in February & I have seen people make changes & accomplish goals that they never though possible. It's like this program has opened a door to an entirely new world for them. The simplicity of this program makes people HAPPY too!!! I'll be honest, there are some programs that are just complicated for people to follow & it is very frustrating (I know because I have been there too!) & that is why some give up so easily. They think that being healthy is just too hard. It really isn't. The hardest part is getting started, and that's why there are people like me out there willing to put in the time & effort to help others. 

Back in 2010 when I first ordered P90X, I never even knew about Team Beachbody Coaches. Man, I WISH I WOULD HAVE!!! When we got our package we picked the schedule, did all our measurements, pics & fit test, but I looked at the nutrition guide & laughed! I thought they (Tony Horton & Beachbody) were crazy for wanting me to eat all that food. I just knew that if I ate the same as I was it would be fine! Well when we took our 60 day progress pics & there was ZERO change I just knew that program was a joke. Only "Fit" people could get results. I truly had no idea that my nutrition was the problem. I wish I had a coach then to help me because at that point we just quit doing the program. It wasn't until 2 years later that I picked it back up with the help of a coach & learned exactly why the nutrition was so important. Alas, I got actual results!!

If you think that the 21 Day Fix could be the answer for you, don't hesitate to ask about it. Give it a try. What do you have to lose? Honestly, EVERYONE NEEDS this program in their life!!

Confessions of a Beachbody Coach

Yesterday Tom & I committed 110% to a second round of the 21 Day Fix. We did a round when it first came out in preparation for our Cruise to Cozmel & Grand Caymen, but I will be honest we were NOT 110% with our nutrition. Why? Because we are HUMAN! My husband started his 5 week vacation & we literally went into "Vacation Mode" until, well... yesterday!

In my 25 months as a Beachbody Coach I have given my all to more than 1 program, hence the fact that I have lost 40+ pounds & built lean muscle & definition. But I will admit that I get side tracked, bored, discouraged, stressed & tempted. It's everywhere! I am a firm believer in taking baby steps in order to be successful over time. Nothing is guaranteed in life but we do hold the power to make the decisions. I help people everyday with these same issues.

I knew that I had gained some weight from the cruise just due to salty foods & lots of beer. I don't really weigh myself much anymore so I didn't have an exact number but I could feel a difference in my body. Anyway, fast forward to yesterday. I got up in the morning & went straight to the bathroom to get on the scale for my "before" stats. I wrote the number into my notepad on my phone & carried on with my morning routine. After waking up hubby we did our pics & measurements, then headed to the garage for Day 1. I had not really worked out in about 2 weeks. We had been training for a Half Marathon & that was part of what threw off our routine & eating too. Anyway, I felt GOOD, I told Tom I was going to push myself 110% & I did! Finished up the 30 minute workout & felt amazing! That evening I sat down at the computer to enter my stats into the goal tracker that is included with a FREE membership to Team Beachbody. I saw that I hadn't even entered stats since the end of January which is when we completed round 2 of the Ultimate Reset. I wanted to cry when I read them compared to what I was entering in. I was 17 pounds heavier. Gained 2 inches in each thigh, 3 inches in my hips & 4 in my waist! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!? F*CK was all I could say!

So there it is. My biggest obstacle in my journey so far. I will over come it! I AM 110% dedicated to the 21 Day Fix. It has changed so many lives & it will change mine! Take a peek at some of these amazing results from my customers, friends & coaches.

Crazzzzzzzzy right?!?!?!?!

I have 1 exception already planned, my daughters Bday I will eat 1 cupcake. That is all.

If you are interested in the 21 Day Fix & need help, support, motivation or accountability please don't hesitate to reach out to me. We can do this, together.  You can find me on Facebook or shoot me an email at macksmamma@gmail.com. I would love to have you join me!

Why YOU should give Beachbody Coaching a try!

Why?? Um, WHY NOT?!?!?!

I mean, REALLY, what is the number one reason you don't give it a try??

Fear? Fear of Failure? Fear of Rejection? Fear of Change? Fear of Success?

Is it your fitness level? Not to your GOAL weight or fitness level?

Is it money?

Is it time?

Seriously, it's time to get rid of the EXCUSES, because that is all those are!! You are the one standing in your own way!

A Beachbody Coach does NOT have to be in the best shape of their life. There is NO requirement that says this, anywhere! It is an assumption! All you need to be is committed to YOURself, YOUR health & YOUR fitness. Being able to share with other people about your daily struggles & accomplishments is very therapeutic & rewarding at the same time.

A Beachbody Coach does not need to "have" money & by "have" I mean the definition of when people assume you just have expendable cash to purchase the products & resell, as with most every other Direct Sales Business. That is an uneducated ridiculous assumption. There are a very large percentage of successful coaches who scraped their money together to purchase their challenge pack so they could sign up as a coach for FREE. People who used credit cards when they had no money in the bank. People who literally lived in their cars. People who didn't even have a computer at home & had to go next door to the neighbors house to sign up. These people did NOT let the excuses control their lives any longer. I didn't have the time or the money or the confidence when I signed up. Heck I flat out told my coach that I didn't want to promote anything like she did. And guess what? I didn't have to, when I posted about my first 30 days with P90X, people wanted the same results. This company sells itself! There is a reason that Beachbody has the number 1 rated infomercials on T.V.... because they work! This is not a quick fix for you to sell your friends. This is the opportunity that could CHANGE THEIR LIFE! This is the opportunity that could change YOUR LIFE!
Besides the fact that Beachbody offers a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, why wouldn't you want to invest in your health. We all know that America is NOT happy with the new Health Insurance situation, so how about some Preventative care to avoid long term care you cannot afford in the future??

How becoming a Beachbody Coach has changed my life!

I became a Beachbody coach on April 20th, 2012. I signed up just for the discount on Shakeology, since my husband & I would both be drinking it. I had purchased one bag to try & within 10 days of drinking it for breakfast everyday, I asked my husband what his take was on it. Of course, like most men, he said he didn't really notice a difference. When I asked him if he was craving a cheeseburger, he said "No". This was very unusual for him, as he could eat a cheeseburger at any given time. They were his favorite food. I instantly noticed my sugar cravings were just about gone. I mean not 100% because I still want & enjoy sweets but prior to trying Shakeology I would just hear someone say chocolate & I would run to the store & get some brownies or chocolate ice cream. I also noticed that my IBS symptoms were reduced. I had been seeing my doctor for about 3 years regarding my IBS issues & she always recommended I go buy expensive OTC Pro-biotics & add in a fiber laxative. Well that didn't help me either & frankly I was really tired of dealing with it. I became "regular" & this helped me tremendously. I also noticed I was starting to have more energy. I don't mean that I spent all day cleaning because I had so much energy, I mean I wasn't dragging ass in the afternoons. I was keeping up with the kiddos all day & sleeping better at night. I am sure that this can also be attributed to my efforts in daily exercise & eating cleaner. It's a combination of efforts that gave me the result.

About 30 days after I started drinking Shakeology & doing P90X, my coach told me to be sure & take my pics & measurement so I could compare & see my progress. Well, I had a very noticeable change so I posted them on Facebook. I got a lot of responses, praise & questions to what I was doing. I had NO intentions of "Working the Business", mind you. I started just telling people what I was doing & answering questions & it dawned on me that there really was something to be had with this coaching stuff. So I started to ask questions & do my research & learn. Slowly but surely I began Coaching. It started with my friends & some family at first. I got the hang of how to help others just by showing them what I was doing. In all my attempts in life to lose weight, I never had the motivational support as this has provided me. As I carried on & spent all my extra time trying to learn everything I could, I came to realize that I had started to grow as a person myself. I had heard the recommendation of reading Personal Development books a few times & honestly I thought, "I don't need that. That is for people who are not like me". Um, boy was I WRONG!! I started reading & it dawned on me that you are never too old or young or smart or educated to keep learning. I was starting to really get that Beachbody wants people to be successful. They stand true to the motto of helping others live happy & fulfilling lives. No matter if you are a coach or a customer.

To now reflect on what I accomplished as a person & coach in 2013 just blows me away. My marriage has truly become stronger. I feel more confident as a mother & wife & woman. Not just because of my physical transformation, but because I have grown on the inside as well. My husband & I worked very hard to eliminate a hindering credit card debt that had been following us for 6 years. When I signed up to be a coach, we could NOT afford it. We had one income, a brand new baby & a lot of debt. When I made that final payment in October of 2013, I was in tears. It was as if a chapter of our lives was over. The struggles we had that lead us to that point were gone. No longer present in our lives. Just a distant memory. I built a solid foundation to my team. I went to my first Summit & walked on stage in front of 3,000+ coaches as a 1 Start Diamond Coach. That was AMAZING!!! I got to meet other Top Coaches & Beachbody Challenge winners. I got to meet coaches from my team that I had gotten to know over the previous year via Facebook. It was the most surreal feeling. Having my husband by my side topped it off. I have continued on the path of helping people lose weight, get in shape, eliminate debt, earn extra income for many reasons & it has to be the most rewarding thing I have every experienced.

There are days that I wake up so excited & anxious to log into my challenge groups to see what is going on. Who ate what, who needs help, who crushed a goal. I want people to experience the same things that I did when I started. Nobody should have to do it alone. It took me time to really get fitness embedded into my day, my head, my life. I was never athletic so the thought of working out EVERYDAY was not an easy pill for me to swallow. I still get lazy, I still try to get out of a workout but a key factor for me is finding the workouts that I enjoy. Then I look forward to it & I feel on top of the world when I am done. And YES, I still splurge on my eating, I am human & female after all.

At this point in my Coaching career, if that is what you want to call it, which is 21 months, I have created an income that has allowed us to not only pay off debt but it has allowed me to stay home. Although I was a SAHM prior to Beachbody, I was to the point where I was looking for work, just before I had my daughter, to line up for after her birth. I was scouring the want ads & applying for jobs I new I would hate. I even ventured into looking at Direct Sales, but to be completely honest, I did not want to work the hours that were convenient for OTHER people, the people hosting the parties. I did not want to be selling the same make up, jewelry, candles or kitchen ware to my friends & family over & over again. I knew that wasn't a good road for me to go down. So to say that I am now in Direct Sales is funny to me, because it sure as hell doesn't feel like it. Stumbling upon this opportunity has been a complete blessing. It has changed the course of my life in so many ways. I cannot be more thankful for this opportunity. If it's knockin', you should probably open the damn door!