Vegan eggnog!!

For all my vegan friends!

I haven't tried it yet but its on my to do list... Here's the recipe a friend of mine sent me from vitamix!

Yields 4

Prep Time
5 min

Ingredients
1. 2 Cups Almond Milk
2. 1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves
3. 1/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
4. 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
5. 1/3 Cup Brandy (Optional)
6. 2 1/2 Tbs Maple Syrup
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients into your blender.
2. Start on low and slowly increase to high.
3. Blend for 15-30 seconds so that you can create a nice foam.
4. Serve over ice.
5. Enjoy!

Holiday Eggnog

Christmas eggnog anytime of year!

Ingredients:

6 Egg yolks
3 cups Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Sugar
½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoon Salt
Nutmeg to top

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar and ½ teaspoon salt.

2. Put the egg yolks into the mixing bowl and whisk vigorously.

3. Pour 3 cups of milk into a large pot and turn the heat up to medium.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the milk and whisk very quickly.

5. Continuously whisk while it heats up. You want to get the mixture to about 160°F. If you have a food thermometer you can keep track of the heat that way, but if you don't, simply heat the mixture until you start to see a little steam, then give it another 30-60 seconds to cook while whisking. You will notice that it thickens a bit and becomes smooth. It will take about 5 minutes.

6. Take the pot off the heat as soon as the proper temperature is reached. Add 1 cup of cream and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir.

7. Put into a pitcher and refrigerate until cold.

8. When ready to serve, stir or shake the eggnog to mix and pour into serving glasses. Dust with a bit of nutmeg. Enjoy!!

Sweet Tamales

Christmas tamales is a tradition in most Hispanic families. I may not be Hispanic but I grew up seconds from the border and my kids are.
So this year I taught my oldest so she can pass on the tradition.

This is the sweet version!
Enjoy! :)

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) dry corn husks
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 3 cups masa harina flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 can (14 ounces) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1/2 cup raisins

SOAK corn husks in warm water for at least 1 hour or until softened and easy to fold.

BEAT butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Combine flour, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Alternately add flour mixture, water, sweetened condensed milk and oil to butter, mixing well after each addition until consistency of thick cake batter (masa). Stir in pineapple and juice, raisins and nuts.

SPREAD 1/3 cup masa mixture, using back of a spoon, to form a square in the center of the lower wider portion of one soaked corn husk. Fold right then left edge of husk over masa. Fold up bottom edge. Repeat with remaining masa mixture and soaked corn husks.

PLACE vegetable steamer in pot with lid; add water to just below steamer. Arrange tamales upright in steamer rack. Cover top of tamales with remainingdry husks and a damp towel; cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Steam, adding water as needed, for about 1 hour or until masa pulls away from husks. Serve warm.

FREE IG Challenge

If you've been following the #12daysofMAXmas  challenge on Instagram, this one will be very similar. The goal is to jumpstart  your inner sassy self in time for those NYE parties.
Look and feel fabulous when the ball drops!
Just think, you'll already be ahead of those that are waiting until the first, or until they sober up! ;) so MAXout with me! If you can find  60 seconds, that's all we need! Let's spend time on ourselves and get healthy!

So head over to my IG @coachKayCazz for a fun challenge. It starts Dec 15th!
Xoxo

Fitness challenge!

I'm hosting another FREE fitness challenge on Instagram starting Dec. 15th!
I will post a move daily from ShaunT's new Insanity MAX:30. The goal is to do as many sets as you can in 60 seconds! You WANT to max out. You WANT to hit muscle failure! Then see how that number improves from week to week. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? If so head on over to my IG @CoachKayCazz and #MAXoutwithKayCazz

Christmas Advent calendar

So I haven't done the candy advent calendar with my girls. Growing up it was so fun to have that countdown but the candy usually isn't super tasty and I figured with the amount of sweet treats around the holidays, eliminating one wouldn't hurt. Last year I made a tree with TP rolls, each day the girls got to break the foil and find a piece of paper with an activity on it. Dec 1 was a present to open that included matching Christmas Pjs and a Christmas movie! :) This year I am doing the same TP roll tree with the same idea but I wanted to really incorporate Jesus. You know... since he's the reason for Christmas and all. So I decided when they open each slot, they will have an activity and a bible verse. I'm no where near as versed in the bible as I would like to be so I cheated and googled bible verse advent calendar. Wouldn't you know it... there's a blog for that. ;) I loved this blog and she had printable bible verse cards ready to go. So I wanted to share her blog, in case anyone else is looking to steer away from the candy and teach the kiddos WHY we celebrate Christmas.

http://happyhomefairy.com/2010/11/30/bible-verse-advent-cards-free-printables/

Here are some pictures from last years advent calendar.

Good legs, weak arms

Well let's see, I restarted T25. Unfortunately my Dr ordered no more upper body workouts until after an MRI. That was by far the most uncomfortable MRI I've had. I've had a lot of pain in my shoulders off and on for years. I'm talking over 10years. Pain that at times interferes with sleep, driving, picking up my kids... Etc. So I went back to the Dr for the umpteenth time. This time at the peak of my pain. Very uncomfortable xrays that showed severe spasms, followed by a gnarly dye injected into the shoulder joint followed by an MRI that felt like a hot poker was in my shoulder followed by 2 excruciating days of not being able to move my arm. Well now we have some new answers. A torn rotator cuff and an appt with the surgeon. So.... Still no upper body workouts but nutrition and all the lower body workouts I want! :) commence operation buns of steel! :)

And did I mention another cross country move coming up in about a month?

Yes yes.... Life is about to get exciting. But I'm determined to stay focused!

Prayers welcome. <3

Check back for updates and tips! :)

I did it... So can you!!

So you think there's no way you can stick to an "at home" program? Yea, I understand... I started and stopped a few times. No one was there to force me to work out. No one was there to take my hand and drag me to the gym either... Even though I was paying the membership monthly saying "I'll go when things calm down. When I'm not so busy." Money was wasted and I wasn't changing. How many of you have worked out and the next day looked in the mirror saying, "I worked my ass off yesterday, where are my results!?" That was me. Kill it one day maybe 2 and then be over it because now I'm sore and have nothing to show for it! Haha... Sounds silly when you read it hu? Admit it... We've all been there. Maybe not that extreme but you get it. Right?
Welllllll... For me, I hit rock bottom. I hated shopping for clothes. I'd go for baggier clothes to try to "cover" the fat. That really only made me look bigger! I dodged pictures, I'd hide behind people if I couldn't dodge the pictures. I was depressed and I felt so uncomfortable. I didn't recognize the person in the mirror. It wasn't until my husband took the picture on the left. I couldn't believe that was me! Ta da ... Welcome to my rock bottom (everyone's is different. I couldn't hide anymore. I was 177lbs 5'6 and in a size 13/14. So I started juicing, taking a multivitamin and "eating clean." See how that's in quotes. Its kind of a joke. I mean, I believed I was making better choices, but I didn't know the first thing about clean eating. Anyway, jump ahead a few months and a friend invited me to a clean eating/shakeology challenge. Yay! Day 1 of my journey. I was hooked. In 5 days my clothes weren't fitting the same and I was already losing inches. Now jump ahead about another month. I ordered my first challenge pack from Beachbody. It included a 30 day bag of shakeology, T25 and a resistance band. Well... T25 stayed in the box. I started drinking the shakes. That was easy enough. Wouldn't you know... Just replacing one meal a day with this nutrition shake actually got me losing weight! I wasn't really keeping track too much at that point but I lost just under 30lbs in 3 months just from the shakes. THAT was the motivation I needed to pull out that T25. I could hardly get passed the warm up. I kept pushing. My first goal was to complete a full workout.... That took a couple weeks!

You think you can't do this..... You can. You just need to commit to yourself and be disciplined.
You DONT need someone to hold your hand. You DONT need a gym membership.
You DO need the will to better yourself. You DO need to set goals and map out how to get there.

If you've read my blog previously, you probably know, I fell off. Its true. I'm a Beachbody coach and I fell. I stayed down for a few months! But... I haven't failed. I just had to get back up!!

Starting is the hardest part. You need to get moving.
Have you ever pushed a dead car? Freakin heavy right? You push and push and finally it starts moving forward. It gets a little easier doesn't it? It picks up some momentum and gets easier to push. Basic physics.

Still don't believe me? How about a little challenge? I challenge you to try!
Just get started!
You're only able to complete 5 mins of the workout without feeling like you're going to fall over?
Ok!! That's 5 minutes you wouldn't have done. I did the same. So day 1... Just do the 5 minutes. Day 2... Do 7 minutes. Day 3.. Do 10 minutes.... Get it?

Get started now. Next year you will wish you started today. Shoot.... In 30 days you could be 20lbs down and ready for some Christmas pictures! ;)

Xoxo

Fell off my game

Hi all!

I wanted to post about being human.
I worked so hard at the beginning of the year to get to my best self. I'm talking mind, body & soul.
I learned a lot about myself since joining Beachbody and I am so proud of how far I've come. I definitely never thought I could be in a size 6, let alone a size 4!! I thought I was just naturally built bigger than that. I went from a size 13/14 - 4/5. I lost 50lbs and was feeling great. I quit smoking cigarettes and quit drinking. I'll be six months sober on the 18th. My husband came home from 9 months in Afghanistan and a total of 11 months away from me and the kids. Most of my posts on fb about my weight loss were blocked from him and when he came home, he surprised me while I was getting coffee with a friend of mine. He later said he was the one surprised and that he almost didn't recognize me. Yup, I got the jaw dropping reaction I was hoping for. Soon after he came home we packed up the car and the kids and drove cross country to his duty station. We got a beautiful house. Moving in was a distraction and I got lazy. I slowly started eating less healthy and slowly stopped working out. Recently my Dr ordered me to halt all upper body workouts until after an upcoming MRI. I'm in a lot of pain but I definitely have used it as an excuse to not workout at all. So naturally I've lost all definition. Then Halloween rolled around and I've been snacking on my kids candy way more than I should and again not eating what I know I should. I've been feeding my body garbage and have gained weight. And now we're packing up for another move/year long deployment.

So why am I telling you all this??

Because I fell. I'm human.. But I didn't fail.
Its so easy to come up with excuses. It takes discipline to reach your goals. (Discipline is doing what you need to do even though you don't want to.)

It's ok to fall. Its ok to be human. But don't be a perpetual victim of life. You are in control of you. Don't stay down with all your excuses. Rise up! Brush yourself off and recommit. Is it going to be hard? Hell yes it is. You have to pick up momentum again and that is the hardest part. Stick with it because it IS worth it to feel amazing.

I am recommitting. I won't be a victim of life or of my genetics. Some things may slow me down but nothing will stop me from reaching my goals!

My inspiration is my grandparents. My grandfather was a child POW. Because of the extreme malnutrition he faced, he was not expected to make it passed adolescents. He is 81 years old, has had a stroke and still works out daily! His mind and his body! My grandmother broke her hip last week. She got out of the hospital just in time for the veterans day parade that she was apart of. Best believe she didn't miss it. You'll never hear either of them complain. They have seen and endured true suffering, yet they both made a choice to not be victims or be unpleasant people. They are so full of love and generosity, and they've worked their asses off for everything that they have and everything that they are.

So my new goals:

+ Do at least 1 lower body workout every day.
+ Recommit to eating clean!
+ 3 day shakeology refresh
+ consistently drink shakeo daily
+ do a 5 day sugar detox
+ Drop the 8lbs I've gained back before family photos (Dec 1)
+ Finish the personal development book that I'm reading by thanksgiving.
+ Volunteer at least once a week.
+ Make someone smile daily.

Recommit.... What are your new goals?

And one final note....
Please stop looking for the easy quick fix. There is no magic pill or wrap. There is ONLY super nutrition and exercise that will give you true and lasting results. Be true to body, its the only one you get. 

Meatless Monday!

A day late but here is my first meatless Monday recipe. 

So basically, I'm a Pinterest  addict. I pin and forget though. So I decided to go through and actually try some of these recipes and review them. This is one of them and it is D'lish!! My husband said it would taste better with chicken, he's not getting this whole "meatless" Monday thing. Lol, but I agree. It would taste yummy with chicken too, If you can't roll with the meatless side of meatless Monday ;)

* 1 spaghetti squash
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 red onion, chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 jalapeno pepper, minced 
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1 Tbs. ground cumin
* 1 Tbs. Mexican oregano
* 1 Tbs. chili powder
* 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
* 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1/2 cup freshly torn cilantro, plus more for garnish
* 1 lime
* 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375° F

Cut squash in half, scrape seeds out, poor a little evoo (extra virgin olive oil) on it. Roast squash on a baking sheet for 45 minutes. Cut side up. Let cool another 15 minutes, then using a fork, scrape up the flesh, making the noodles ;)

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper and red bell pepper. Saute 2 minutes. Add cumin, Mexican oregano, chili powder and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Saute another minute. Add the beans, corn and cilantro. Stir to combine. Squeeze in the lime juice and give one last stir.

Add in half the “noodles” to the bean mixture and stir to combine. Taste and season accordingly.

Switch oven to broil.

Stuff each squash half with the mixture and top with grated cheese.

Stick it back under the broiler until the cheese melts and gets all brown and bubbly.

Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

Turmeric Tea

Its probably well known by now that turmeric is the spice of life, so to speak. Its said to have healing powers, delay diabetes, fight cancer..... Etc
A couple reasons I like to keep it a part of my diet is that its a natural antiinflammatory and is said to be good for brain health and memory.

I have arthritis, among other things that make turmeric a blessing to my diet.
Also, dementia and diabetes runs in my family, so anything I can do to counter or postpone my genetic downfalls, I'll try. :)

Here is just one recipe I've found on pinterest that I think is a yummy treat. Reminds me of a spiced chai in a way.

If you're not a fan of curry, you may not be a fan of turmeric, but I highly suggest giving this natural remedy a shot before the chemicals that the pharmacists get paid to shove down our throat.

Let me know what you think!
Xoxo
I do it for the smiles.

Cookie swap recipe

Hi everyone!
I love to bake and I love to make people smile, so every year I go nuts in the kitchen and bake my heart out for: Friends, neighbors, my husband's unit, mail man, crossing guard at my daughters school, teachers..... Etc.
A couple years back I got this awesome "cookie swap cook book" from good housekeeping magazine. Its full of big batch recipes. It even has little decorative recipe cards in the back to write the recipe on and send with your cookies.

So far this year I've made 3 different recipes from the book for my husband's unit.
This one so far is my favorite and my sister has re-named them "holy cow" cookies. ;)

So be ready to share because this recipe will yield about 120 cookies.

Chewy chocolates cherry oatmeal "holy cow" cookies.

Ingredients:
+ 3 cups flour
+ 4 tsp baking soda
+ 1 tsp salt
+ 1½ cups granulated sugar
+ 1½ cups packed brown sugar
+ 1½ cups butter, softened (3 sticks)
+ 4 large eggs
+ 4 tsp vanilla extract
+ 6 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
+ 2 cups dried cherries (crasins)
+ 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
+ Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two large cookie sheets. In medium bowl, with wire whisk, stir flour, baking soda, and salt until blended.

+ In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat granulated and brown sugars and butter until creamy, occasionally scraping sides with spatula. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour mixture just until blended. Occasionally scraping the sides. With wooden spoon, stir in oats, dried cherries and chocolate chips.

+ Drop dough by rounded tablespoon, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.

+ bake cookies until tops are golden, about 12-14 mins. Transfer cookies to cooling rack and repeat with remaining dough.

These cookies are too good to be true!! <3 

Xoxo 

I do it for the smiles :)

Tonights family dinner

So as you may know, I host a "family dinner" every Sunday night. My husband invites guys from his unit and other friends of ours.
I typically make cheese burgers and some sort of side, but with the cold fall weather, I decided some comfort food was needed. Most of the guys in my husbands unit are single and live in the barracks eating mostly take out, so they enjoy home cooking. In most cases this is the only "real food" they get.

Aaaaaanyways....
The first things that came to mind were, meatloaf and chicken pot pie. I gave my husband the choice and he picked chicken pot pie.

It was a big hit and everyone left with full tummies and smiles.

I found this recipe a few years back for my dad's birthday dinner. I think it was allrecipes.com that had it. It is by far my favorite chicken pot pie recipe.

Ingredients:

+1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
+1 cup sliced carrots
+1 cup frozen green peas
+1/2 cup sliced celery
+1/3 cup butter
+1/3 cup chopped onion
+1/3 cup all-purpose flour
+1/2 teaspoon salt
+1/4 teaspoon black pepper
+1/4 teaspoon celery seed
+1 3/4 cups chicken broth
+2/3 cup milk
+2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425° degrees F

In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add enough water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Use cooking spray on pie pan. Place bottom crust in pan. Fill with the chicken mixture. Pour gravy on top. Cover with top crust. Seal edges with fork and cut away excess dough (I use the excess dough to make a little something pretty to top it, tonight was a heart). Make several small slits in the top so steam can escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Chicken PotPie: http://youtu.be/volylN1VuQw

I do it for the smiles.

Kiddos with sensitive skin?

Hi all!
Here's another product review for you. Do your kiddos have sensitive skin?
Mine do! 

Both my kiddos were diagnosed with eczema as babies. My oldest, now 6, has seemingly grown out of it. I assumed my youngest, being almost 2, had probably grown out of it by now so I switched her shampoo to a Johnsons shampoo, specific for thick curly hair. 

Well it popped up and got really bad! She was getting an full body rash with rough skin. I was concerned it was an allergic reaction. I took her to the DR and its just really bad eczema. My first born never had it this bad. My sister in law turned me on to this Shea Moisture line when my little one was first diagnosed at 2 months. I fully regret switching to Johnsons.

Shea Moisture has lots of shampoos, lotions, conditioners, curling creams etc... They actually have a lotion specific to eczema (not shown).

The natural ingredients are great for my little ones skin. Her eczema cleared right up after switching back and she smells wonderful too :)

Its a little more expensive than I'd like for a 13oz bottle of shampoo ($8-$10 at Target) but SO worth it! 

If you or your kids have sensitive skin or eczema... I highly recommend this line! 

Pumpkin seeds

One of my favorite things to do every fall is gut the pumpkin and roast some delicious seeds.

Did you know...

Pumpkin seeds are a super food! 

They're loaded with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, C, E & B² 

They have potassium, fiber, iron, niacin & magnesium. 

So basically this little seed holds a word of goodies for your body. And they're super easy to make any way you want them. I like sweet and crunchy.

For today I made: Honey & cinnamon

Ingredients:

+Pumpkin seeds from 2 small pumpkins

+2 tbs natural honey

+1tsp olive oil to keep from sticking to the pan

+And cinnamon to taste.... 

How to: preheat oven to 325°

+Clean and dry pumpkin seeds

+Put them in a bowl and mix in the honey

+Spread the olive oil on a cookie sheet

+Spread pumpkin seeds flat

+sprinkle with cinnamon and put them in the oven for 30 mins 

Take them out and place in a bowl or something while they're still hot. Once the honey dries it will stick to the pan like cement. :)

Now cool and enjoy! <3

If you like salty... Come back tomorrow for a new recipe! 

Product review: For curly hair

My daughters hair tends to be on the wild and poofy side. I too have poofy, curly, wavy, can't make up its mind hair. So there's another thing she can blame me for during her angsty teen years. ;)

Anyway, I didn't learn about hair products until I was older and figured it might help her if we get a handle on her hair sooner than later.
I found this stuff "Kids Solutions: Crazy curly cream" at Great Clips for $9.99 and figured I'd give it a shot.

So I washed her hair with her regular shampoo and towel dried just a bit, leaving it damp. I combed her hair and then used about a pea size pump to rub in her hair from scalp to ends. Then just let it air dry.

I like that I doesn't make her hair feel oily or look dirty. It allows her curls to flow freely but not be all over the place and controls the frizz factor.

A little goes a long way though, I used 2 pumps absentmindedly at one point and it did look a bit greasy.

Oh and did i meantion it smells fantastic?! Like a sweet coconut candy or something. 

The only thing I'm not a fan of, is that I can't pronounce any of the ingredients. So if I find something natural that claims to do the same, I'll be back with another review. ;)

For now, this is her new product. :)

Pumpkin everything!!

It seems to me that the delious flavors of pumpkin are unpopular this year. But whyyyyy??? 

Its just not fall without a little pumpkin everything!

I typically do a big deal family breakfast on Saturdays that includes pancakes and eggs.

Being that it's fall, I was looking for something a little fun this week. Pumpkin pancakes crossed my mind but then I found this yummy recipe on pinterest. It was a big hit with my family. 

Ingredients:

12 pieces of whole wheat toast

3 eggs

½ cup milk

¾ cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin spice

Butter and syrup

Instructions are to:

Mix all ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Dip bread slice in and cook on a hot griddle or pan. Flipping after 1-2 minutes.

What goes great with breakfast?? Coffee!

So with all the hype on Starbucks not having any actual pumpkin in the syrup for their famous pumpkin spice lattes and the fact that I can't afford to spend $10+ a day on yummy coffee, I decided to search the interwebs for a recipes that I could make at home. I found this one at www.freshaprilflours.com.

The recipe calls for:

½ cup of brown sugar

½ cup of water

2 tbl spoons of pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ cup of half n half or milk

Instructions are to:

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir together the brown sugar, wayer, pumpkin & pie spice. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a couple minutes.

Add cream.

Now add to coffee. Yum!!

This can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

The first costume I've handmade.

Hi all,

Who doesn't love the adorable little boo from monsters inc? She's too stinkin cute. Well it has been brought up by a couple people that my Sophie has "the look." I wanted to find boo's monster costume but couldn't find it other than on etsy for $100+, I love my kids but I definitely don't have that kind of money for a costume.

I decided to attempt to make it myself  and went out in the garage and dusted off my old sewing machine.

Now let me just say... My grandma taught me how to sew when I was a kid. She taught me how to hem pants. When I was in high school I got a sewing machine as a Christmas gift. All I could do was make pillows and put trim on blankets, but I held onto it all these years. When I was pregnant with my second child I somehow skipped the nesting phase that my husband was probably hoping for and got the creative bug instead! I was on pinterest daily, just looking up things to make. I couldn't stop! :)
A friend of mine that also had a sewing machine was down for some girl time so we spent hours n hours just making things. I made a sling + a doll sling for my oldest daughter, a carseat cover to block out the cold.... Etc etc etc.

So I became a little more familiar with different techniques and got more comfortable sewing.

Growing up I always had a top secret wish to be a Suzy homemaker. I wanted to be the wife that had dinner waiting. I wanted to be the mother that made Halloween costumes. But most of all, I wanted to be just like my grandma. There's nothing that woman can't do.

This Halloween is the first time I even thought to actually attempt making a costume for my kids. I just figured I'd give it a shot and I'm so glad I did.

So if you're like me and you've always wanted to create something with your sewing machine but didn't know where to start..... go buy a "simplicity" pattern from Walmart or somewhere and see what happens. Just start :)

Check out the costume here...

Monsters inc boo costume 2014: http://youtu.be/HAqlLblSeWw

Fit for fall challenge!

Its time for another challenge!! 

If you're ready to kick off some inches and get toned, this is the challenge for you! Is there a sexy Halloween costume you're wanting to rock this year? Just wanting to learn more about clean eating and fitness? Think there's no way you can complete an at home fitness program? Maybe you're just really out of shape and are scared you wont be able to keep up. Well let's talk. There's a program for you and these challenge groups are to keep you going strong! Let's get started!

My other true love and the most magnificent picture I ever did see

While doing some research online, I came across this picture. Its stunning. It creates emotion. It is exactly why I love photography and photojournalism.

Kieran Doherty is the photojournalist. <3

At one point in my life I wanted to join the peace corps. I wanted to help people all over the world & to travel and take photos that make you feel. Perhaps one day I will be able to fulfill that desire. This photo  inspires me.

How about a little meal prep help?

Coaching

Coaching with Beachbody has been amazing. This past year I have been able to help people reach their health and fitness goals. I can't even begin to tell you how rewarding it is to help others feel amazing about themselves.
On top of that I have paid off two of my credit cards and have put money into a savings account for both of my kids. I've been a stay at home mom for 6 years now and sometimes I felt so bad that I wasn't bringing anything to the table monetarily. Now, this is something my husband and I agreed on and we both think that me being home with the kids has been beneficial for them and me, but it did stink having to buy my husband gifts with "his" money. I was able to buy his birthday gifts for him this year with money I earned while getting to still stay home with my girls. I have had nothing but GOOD come from being a coach. Now I want to offer this feeling to some of you! I have 3 spots left for my upcoming FREE coach training group. If you can relate to my story or if this sounds like something you might be interested in, come join my group and see what its all about and decide if maybe this is for you!

Game Changer

This is exciting news!! Have you ever been curious about p90x but tried it or didn't try it n thought this is WAY too extreme? I know I did. P90x was not doable for me. Wellllll ... Tony Horton just came out with "P90." Notice there's no "x"? Because its NOT extreme! The workouts are shorter (25-45mins) and its made for anyone! Any age at any point on your fitness journey!  This would be a good starting point for a beginner looking to get in (or get back in) the fitness game. It is being released tomorrow! And if that's not enough to get you excited. Beachbody is donating $5 to the wounded warrior project for every p90 challenge pack sold in October! So who's in? Who is ready to start out on a good foot and... With ME as your free coach?? Need motivation? Need accountability? Want someone to be on this journey with you? That's what I do. Let's do this together!  Comment or message if you would like more info. And tell some friends!

First time "vlogging"

Why to have a beachbody coach: http://youtu.be/i5wPf6WxxJY

Operation De-clutter

So as you guys know, I finally utilized the shakeology recipe calendar.

I posted daily recipes and pictures and how I liked them.
I also was doing a yoga move a day challenge that I posted pictures of.
I felt it was cluttering up my blog a bit so I posted them all in designated tabs...

You will find them below:


 "Chocolate shakeology recipe/review" tab

located here--->   http://kaycazz.blogspot.com/p/shakeology-recipes.html 

 

So if you're looking for a delicious chocolate shake idea, head on over there and try some out! :)




"Family Yoga" tab:
Located here ----> http://kaycazz.blogspot.com/p/family-yoga.html

 

Lets see your moves!

 

Book challenge

I don't know about you guys, but I suck at sitting down and reading a book... unless... I have other people holding me accountable. Book groups are awesome for that and for getting different perspectives on what you're reading. "No two people will read the same story." Rick Warren suggests this book be taken a chapter at a time to really let what you've read sink in and mean something. Now... this is a PD* book, I know that will turn some people off. I used to think PD's were so silly and that people reading them must have been gullible to think a book could help them. I read my first PD in a challenge group last year. So cliché, but it changed my perspective completely around and I actually really enjoy them now. Keep an open mind. What do you have to lose? This is a free group, I just ask that you purchase the book if you don't already have one. You can get them used for a GREAT price on amazon!! Its also available on kindle. There is a companion journal that I would imagine is useful but I'm not requiring it. This group is open to anyone so feel free to share. Make sure to order your book soon, so you can start with us on the 19th! :)

*-Personal Development

http://www.amazon.com/What-Earth-Here-Purpose-Driven/dp/0310264839/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409765434&sr=1-4&keywords=the+purpose+driven+life

Organize your time

There are 24 hours in a day. Are you using yours efficiently? I found an old schedule from my "how to survive college class" from 2006.
Instantly a lightbulb came on. I could use this for my business. I don't know how many times I've sat around n thought, I'm sure there's something productive I could be doing right now. Well now I know exactly what I need to be doing to get the most out of my day. So here's my day plan. Also my wall organization so I can keep track of my challenge groups, charity fundraising, clients, etc. 

:)

My friend Heally

So my friend Heally has an amazing blog with health tips and awesome yummy vegan recipes. So if you are interested in the vegan lifestyle or all things healthy I would highly suggest following her. P.s. she also has the cutest darn husky evah!

I really like her new tip Tuesdays she recently started and of course everyone knows how I feel about water so I'm linking you to my latest favorite post! :) enjoy!!

http://www.heallydias.blogspot.com/2014/07/think-about-it-tuesday-agua.html?m=1

A delicious salad indeed

I saw this recipe in food and wine and had to try it. I'm so glad I did!
Every Sunday after church I like to have friends over for some mingle time and food :)
On today's menu:
Cheese burgers (pretty typical)
Corn on the cob
A super yummy zucchini bread made by my friend Samantha
And this "Summer vegetable ceviche"

Total time
2h and 30min

1c baby Lima beans (or other shelling beans, I used chickpeas)
1tsp lime zest
1/3c fresh lime juice
1/4c extra virgin olive oil
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 jalepeño, seeded and thinly sliced
1small shallot, thinly sliced
Sea salt
1 1/2c corn
2 nectarines, cut in thin wedges
1 avocado cut in small cubes
1 large orange bell pepper, finely julienned 
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cut coarsely chopped cilantro.

1. In a small sauce pan of salted boiling water, cook Lima beans until tender. About 10 mins. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. In a large bowl, whisk lime zest and juice with olive oil, scallion, jalepeño, and shallot; season the dressing with salt. Gently fold in the beans, corn, nectarines, avocado, orange pepper and tomatoes. Refrigerate the ceviche for 2 hours.

Add cilantro right before serving.

You can let this marinade for up to 8 hours.

I didn't have the time to let it sit for 2 hours because it was a last minute decision BUT it turned out great!

Its sweet and citrusy not spicy at all. And I love that it has a crunch to it.

Reviews:
Simon: 8/10
Samantha: 9/10
Anthony: 8/10
Ryan: 8.9452796 (funny guy over here)
Myself: 9/10

Enjoy! :)

Good book

Recently I was told about the "outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon. I didn't think I would be able to get into it because part of it is written in a brogue. Once I got passed that I was hooked!
I also found out, now that I'm hooked... That starz is making it into a series on TV!! I cannot explain how excited I am.

So to tell a bit about the book...
It's about a woman named Claire. She's living in the 1940's with her husband and gets somehow sent back in time to the 18th century where she is forced to marry  a man to save her life.
This is all I can give away at this point. I strongly recommend this book and I can't wait to start the 2nd one.

Teatime

Today's tea is simple
Looseleaf black tea
Dried orange peel
And stevia leafs

Tell me some of your fave recipes! I'm still learning about loose leaf and homemade teas so I'd love to try different recipes! :)

Post below! And don't forget to follow me on Instagram @coachkaycazz

PiYo!!

Look what came in the mail today!!! Eek! I can't wait to push play!!

I'm running a PiYo challenge group starting Aug 4th.

If you'd like more info contact me via Fb!

www.facebook.com/crackerjax1904

Tea time!!

I love making my own tea. Growing my own ingredients and picking my flavors. Its rewarding and so tastey.

What is your favorite recipe?

Kale Chips!

So delicious, packed full of nutrients and EASY!
My sister in law showed me how to do this. You can easily change it up and add your favorite spices.

What you'll need:
Kale
Extra virgin olive oil
salt
favorite spices

What to do:
Take a bunch of Kale
Wash it
Take the leaves off the stems. The stems get pretty chewy.
Now add a little bit of EVOO. About a tbs spoon. Just enough to lightly coat the kale.
Now take a leaf and massage the oil into it. This will loosen up the leaf and make it less chewy.
Lay the leaves in a single layer on a cookie sheet
Sprinkle with salt (I used pink Himalayan salt, pepper flakes and garlic powder.)
pop it in a preheated 300 oven for 15-20 mins.
When it has the texture of thin paper, its ready!

Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below :)

My garden is taking off!!

So I was pretty bummed after the move that ... A: I was no longer the nurturer of my California garden (though I know its in excellent hands) and B: that I was starting my Tennessee garden so late in the year.
But much to my surprise, everything is sprouting nicely and I can't wait to reap the rewards!!  I've already picked and dried two bundles of basil. :)
Also... I have aphids and anyone with aphid issues knows how important ladybugs are. I was going to purchase some and was online looking into where to do so or how to attract them and I kid u not I had to kick 5 ladybugs out of my house that night. They read my mind! Not sure how they got in the house but I was sure glad to see them. Now I'm finding  them all over the garden. :)

My story

Here's my story. I've been pretty hesitant to share. No one wants to be judged and telling your story is like allowing however many people on your friends list/blog read your diary. eek. But I figured with the out of the darkness walk coming up, now might be a good time to just go for it. We shouldn't be ashamed of our past. It is, after all, what shaped who we are today and I have to say, I'm pretty happy with who I am now.

Lets see,
           I guess I've always been an average girl. As far back as I can remember I was an average student, an average weight, and I never really did anything that was exciting or cool. I didn't play sports or play in some awesome garage band. I was just average. I wanted to blend and not be noticed. I have always had this fear of failing or just had a negative attitude and only focused on the things I did that disappointed my family. I suffered from depression, self mutilation and a couple meek attempts to end my life. I didn't really want to die (I didn't know this at the time) I just wanted an escape from myself. When I was 16 I reached out to my dad and got the help I needed.

          Unfortunately I moved soon after and didn't continue with the help. I got into Yoga soon after moving which helped a bit. I was good at it! I've always been very flexible so Yoga was easy! I never considered myself a "yogi" or anything but I did enjoy that hour everyday. I did yoga and pilates at the junior college for the next 3 years. It was definitely my "me time."
         When I was 19 I moved back to my dads in SoCal. I stopped working out and got a telecommunications job. I didn't mind the job but I was sitting on my butt n snacking. Soon after I was pregnant with my first baby. I didn't have to work off that baby weight because I was fortunate enough that breast feeding did the work for me. I was the smallest I had ever been after I had her! Talk about a boost. I was so happy with my little girl. No post partum depression, lost all the weight and she was such an easy baby!!
        A few months after she was born I moved across the country with my husband. I liked being on my own (no longer under mom n dads wing) but I missed everyone. All my family was in CA. I got depressed again but now I was legally allowed to drink and my husband had been a heavy drinker as long as Id known him so my fridge was always stocked with alcohol. My husbands army buddies would come over and we'd play card games n drink. Over time the drinking got more frequent and my gut showed it. It was as if I was trying to keep up with the guys. 

       My husband deployed to Iraq for a year and I moved home. Still drinking but slowed WAY down. When he got back I was a little slimmer and a lot happier with myself.
       A couple months after my husband got home a friend of ours in CA took his own life. He left behind a son, only 2 years old and his gf who is a good friend of ours from high school. She was the one that had to find him and it really made me thankful that I never went through with my own attempts, but it also made me think about the darkest times in my life and how I wished so badly that I could have done something for him. The last time I saw him was in the delivery room when their son was born and before that the last I spoke to him was an argument that Ill never get to apologize for. Tina (his gf) invited my husband and I to donate to an out of the darkness walk or find one in our area. So we did just that. We've been walking and raising money ever since and it has helped me deal with my own struggles as well as being left in the wake of his.

       Now after another move, we ended up with a new group of friends that proved to be oh so wrong for us. My husband and I were drinking more and more and I was smoking more and more. We ended up getting in drunken arguments and we were just getting more and more unhealthy. We went home to Cali to visit family and I ended up in the hospital with a cyst that had burst and caused bleeding in my abdomen. I was doped up on pain killers and they were talking about sending me to the OR for surgery. I still remember the ultrasound tech say ... "the baby is ok."
What baby!?!
      So all drinking and smoking ceased but I ate anything and everything I wanted. I weighed over 200lbs when I had my lil 8lb 10oz baby. The day after she was born they told me she had a heart murmur. She had Ekgs, chest xrays, ultrasounds.... You name it. We were sent to a pediatric cardiologist at a hospital about an hour away when she was about 2 months old. Mind you, 2 months after my first born I was teeny tiny.... Not so much this go around. I hadn't lost a lb since leaving the hospital. Luckily the heart murmer was nothing too serious but the stress didn't completely go away. She was a colicky baby and she and I both had thrush and I had mastitis which made breastfeeding very painful, but I didn't give up. I started working out at the community center 5 days a week for an hour a day. I barely lost a lb every other week. I changed my diet... still nothing.
      About 6 months after our 2nd baby was born, my husband deployed to Afghanistan. Our baby no longer would breastfeed no mater how badly I tried. Bring on depression! And now the booze n cigarettes! I was back to reaching for the bottom.
      In August 2013, my best friend got married and I was her matron of honor. I felt so disgusted with my weight. I reached out to an old friend who I saw had lost a bunch of weight since I had seen her last. She looked so healthy and so happy! I wanted that. She told me about shakeology and being a coach. I figured there was nothing to lose and I was DESPERATE! The price was a lil hard to swallow but my husband supported my decision. I became a coach for the discount and started drinking shakeology. Soon after, I was getting involved in more challenge groups to keep myself motivated and my life completely switched gears. I stepped on the scale after going shopping and having to try on smaller clothes. I thought I was going crazy.. I couldn't remember the last time I was a size 9. I was 20lbs lighter.... 20lbs!!! That was in October! I made the decision right there to focus on getting healthy. It WAS possible and not something made up by "lucky" people.
      I stopped drinking, went back to the Dr about my depression & finally got on an antidepressant that didn't make me feel MORE crazy and I quit smoking. I bought T25 and committed to the program. After that program I wanted to do one more before my husband came home to "wow" him with the results of this investment so I did the 21 day fix. LOVE LOVE LOVE that program!!!
When my husband came home from Afghanistan he surprised me at a coffee shop but he was the one surprised! He says he almost didn't recognize me except I was the only one with red hair ;)
I had lost 50lbs and I went from a size 14 to a size 4. As a bonus, I was MAKING MONEY....  not only making enough to pay for my shakeology but I was making enough to put aside in savings for us to have fun with later. :)

     He is now a believer and has committed to doing a program with me. We are both now sober and so much happier. It may seem silly to some but.... Beachbody really helped my change my life.

CHALLENGE!!!

 

Visit me on facebook if you're ready for a change! In a year you will wish you had started today!

 

www.facebook.com/crackerjax1904

 

AFSP

Hello again!

I'm sorry I failed to keep up with the charcoal. I still have some so maybe I can do that this week!

The move cross country went well. The smoke is finally starting to clear a bit and we're settling into our new place nicely.

Ill be running a new challenge group for anyone interested. You get a free coach, support from others and health and fitness tips and motivation.

Now its that time of year again that I am asking for donations for one of my favorite foundations!  The AFSP (American foundation for suicide prevention) is a foundation near and dear to me for many reasons.

Most of my life I struggled with self mutilation and thoughts/attempts to end my own life. I've lost a couple people in my life to suicide which is actually what got me involved with the "Out of the Darkness walks" founded by the AFSP.
They're doing everything they can to spread awareness of help! It can be really hard to speak up when you're so lost in the dark. Some of the loudest cries are silent. For anyone that is interested in walking, please use the website to find a walk in your area. If you cant do the walks, wont you please help me raise funds for this organization. Together we can make a difference.


To walk:
Outofthedarkness.org

To Donate:
http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=561468

Thank you all <3



If you're struggling and have no one to talk to... I wont judge you. Please don't hesitate to reach out.

Day 2

Today I dipped my damp toothbrush in the charcoal and brushed away. :)
I'll work on better lighting :)

Teeth Whitening

I'm all for whiter teeth! Recently I was going through old pictures on Fb and realized coffee (and smoking) has done a number on my pearly.... Yellows? While I've quit smoking, I am not at all interested in giving up my liquid crack but I want blinding white teeth. I know I know, you can't have your cake and eat it too right? Or in this case... Coffee. Or can you??
Recently there's been a lot of hype about activated charcoal. Its had some good reviews and I'm down to look like the creature from the black lagoon! (I'll explain that in a moment).

So I took my experimental booty to sprouts and got some activated charcoal. 100 capsules for $9.98.

Your options are:
1: make a kind of mouth wash solution. 1 capsule + 1tbs water.
Brush teeth with regular toothpaste then  use solution like a mouthwash. Swish around for about 30 seconds and then hold in front of your mouth on teeth.. If that makes sense. Hold it there for 3-5 mins. Then spit and rinse. It looks gnarly I know but it won't stain so no worries there. :)

2. Dip wet toothbrush in powder and brush teeth with it.

3: put toothpaste on toothbrush then dip in powder and brush teeth.

I chose do to the solution for day 1.
I will continue this once a day for a week and post before n afters at the end of the week. Here is day 1. I noticed a difference but I might just be excited. :)

Now you see what I meant about looking like the creature from the black lagoon.  

21 day fix

So I've completed my 2nd program with Beachbody! I'm on a roll!! I guess its true what they say, once you see results you're hooked! Well this program is called "21 day fix." It is a portion control meal planning program with a killer fitness program. The workouts are all 30mins and focus on specific things like, upper body, lower body, cardio, yoga.... etc. The workouts are a little easier than T25 workouts mostly because you do a move for a minute and then get a 15 second break between moves.
So 21 days with Autumn Calabrese and I dropped 5lbs and 9.5inches. :) I've taken a week off and will be doing round 2 starting Monday!!

T25 results

Well... here there are! I'm not so proud of the Beta results because I slacked off on my diet and didn't workout at all the week before this photo. It was spring break and I allowed that to be my excuse but I wanted to be honest so these are my results and I know I could have done better.

New program!!

Hi all...
So I started the 21 day fix. I am on day 4 and I'm doing this with my step mom who has decided she's done feeling crappy and is committing to health. I couldn't be more proud of her. She has successfully completed all workouts so far and is sticking to the diet plan. She's even pushed me when I wanted to say screw it n have some chocolate. We're in this together and I'm super stoked for day 21 to see her hard work pay off! :)
On another note.... I will post my T25 beta after pics soon. (I have no computer so its making picture posting a bit of a challenge). :)
Xoxo

Finally committed to T25. Completed phase 1 .... and starting phase 2 now. Here are the results from the start of my weight loss journey to now. Size 14-4 and 40lbs down :)

It IS possible.... toss out the excuses, theres never going to be a perfect time to start changing your life for the better, and it will be difficult at first, but.... it IS worth it.

14-4

Well... I'm officially in a size 4 and working on abs !!!!
Just wanted to give an update. I never thought it would be a possibility to be anything less than an 8. I feel so healthy and so happy. Beach body/shakeology have changed my life.