"Disclaimer: I received an Food Groove Mission Super Food Bites to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

HELLO 2019!!!

Okay so we may be well into 2019 but it's been a while since I've been here. So far this year has just been insane. Between training for London and just life in general, there hasn't been a lot of extra time. Plus, as much as I have wanted to share my journey week by week this training cycle, it just felt a little redundant. I share my journey day by day on Instagram, so recapping it all here was just getting a little overwhelming and repetitive.

I'll be sharing some thoughts of this training cycle coming up soon, not necessarily my day to day training plan but a more comprehensive overview that I don't give out anywhere else :)

ANYWAY, let's get back to what this post is supposed to be about.

FOOD GROOVE MISSION SUPER FOOD BITES.

Everyone. Needs. To. Try. These.

Seriously, these tasty little bites are the perfect addition to anyone's pantry. You don't have to be a runner or an athlete in any regards to truly appreciate these delicious morsels of food. They're the perfect size to grab and go, whether you're picking your kiddos up from practice, late for work in the morning or need some fuel for that long run.

They are Non-GMO, Gluten Free and Dairy/Soy Free

(they are not vegan - all flavors contain Manuka Honey)

They are jam packed with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. All of this can help boost your natural energy and HELLO who doesn't want that?

So, I've eaten all of mine already and need to order more ASAP because they're not only delicious but also nutritious. Where have I tested them out, you ask?

Everywhere. They became a staple in my backpack that I carry around with all of my kiddos baggage. I brought them with me to work to snack on during the evening (since they're so small and easy to grab they were the PERFECT snack). I have used them on long runs and trail runs for fueling, they hold up their end of the bargain as far as boosting your energy. I've also just snacked on them around the house (and have also had to share with my kids, they're lucky they're cute)

To recap, these Super Food bites are SUPER! Super convenient, super delicious and super healthy. They're a snack you won't feel guilty about if you eat an entire bag in one sitting *guilty*... However if you DO have any leftover, they come in a resealable pouch and maybe it's just the Mom in me but that made me quite excited!

Have I convinced you to try these out yet?

IF SO... Head on over to FOOD GROOVE MISSION website and use code "BIBRAVE15" for 15% off an entire order (one use per customer)

IF NOT... Check out some of the other BibRave Pro reviews of the products here to gain further insight into the product and get their take on the bites:

Karen W

Becky C

Ken B

Jennifer T

Katy C

Erica

Jessica

Mary Jo 

Kim

Vanessa

Dane 

Logan H

Matt M

Amy W

Lindsey

Told you that they're awesome ;)

Check back soon for so much more on what's been going on lately!!

*CHEERS*

"Disclaimer: I received a free sample of Luvo Flipped Bowls as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRavePro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

So to say that we're beyond busy right now would be an understatement! Summer is always full of fun activities with the kiddos, however on the flip side that leaves very little time for meal prep and sticking to any sort of healthy eating regimen.  We do our best but often fall short.

When we got the option from BibRave to opt in for Luvo meals I was all about it! After reading about their products I couldn't wait to try them. They use three simple principles when creating their meals:

1. The right balance of protein, whole grains and veggies

2. Not too much sodium or added sugars

3. No artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. Also, their poultry and beef are raised without antibiotics

(source)

We were sent samples of their Flipped bowls, flavors included Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Basil Sauce, Chicken Meatballs in Garlic Wine Sauce, Chicken Meatballs in Creamy Stroganoff Sauce & Chicken Meatballs in Creamy Pesto Sauce. Every single time I ate one of these meals I swore that  particular one was my favorite. They are just so delicious and full of flavor!

While Luvo offers a wide variety of meals, these flipped bowls are at the top of my list personally and the meals I would recommend to those looking for a wholesome, plant based twist on these familiar meals. Packed with so much protein, 16g in which 1/3 of that is plant based, they are an easy and quick way to fill up without the guilt of other, less desirable, prepacked meals!

Head on over to Luvoinc.com and you can use code BIBRAVE at checkout which will score you one free meal when you order 7!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Happy Monday!

*CHEERS*

If you caught my Instagram takeover at Sworkit's IG page last week I shared with you all a day in our life as well as what I eat on a daily basis! My dinner recipe I said I would share in detail here on the blog as it was way too much to put in an IG story snap!

So this is one of my fave dinner recipes, not only is it healthy it's also great for leftovers and my entire family eats it in their own way! I eat it as is or with slices of fresh avocado! My husband likes to eat it adding in some Hot Salsa! My boys like parts of it, the chicken, the rice and of course there are times where they just need ketchup for the chicken.

What You'll Need:

-2 Chicken Breast cut into cubes

-Taco seasoning (1 tbspn)... I like to make my own but you can use a package!

-Olive Oil

-About 1 cup diced tomato

-Handful fresh cilantro chopped up

-3 or 4 green onions chopped

-1/2 of a green pepper diced

-1 can black beans drained and rinsed

-About 1 cup frozen corn

-1 cup cooked rice of choice (I use white rice most frequently, most family friendly)

-Juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime

OPTIONAL:

-Salsa

-1 sliced avocado

-1/2 red onion diced

-1/2 red pepper diced

What You'll Do:

1. Dice up all of the veggies, greens & drain the black beans, add all of these ingredients along with your cooked rice into a large mixing bowl

2. Mix the chicken and taco seasoning together

3. Heat up some oil in a cast iron or non stick skillet

4. Add the chicken mixed with the seasoning to the skillet and heat until cooked thoroughly

5. Remove the chicken from skillet but don't turn the heat off

6. Add the frozen corn to the heated skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes until nice and tender

7. Add all ingredients into a large bowl and toss to combine

8. Serve however you please, with salsa or avocado! The options are really endless!

This recipe is so simple and I absolutely love it!

Please let me know if you give it a try and tag me on IG with pictures of your completed meal!!!

XOXO

Melissa

So a few weeks back my husband sent me this recipe to try out and I immediately got very excited and couldn't wait! It immediately went on the list of that weeks dinner!

I have adapted this recipe directly from Suzy over at The Mediterranean Dish

This recipe is in no way my own and for her original recipe directions go on and click the link above, or just scroll down and follow mine!

ITEMS NEEDED:

1. 8 Chicken Thighs, Bone In & Skin On

2. Olive Oil

3. 6 Cloves of Garlic, Roughly Chopped

4. 1 Cup Dry White Wine

5. Juice of 2 Limes

6. 2 Cups of Chicken Broth

7. 1 Bunch of Cilantro, Stems Removed, Chopped

for THE SPICE MIX:

1. 1 TBSP Seasoned Salt

2. 1 TSP Hot Paprika

3. 1 TSP Black Pepper

4. 1 TBSP Garlic Powder

5. 1/2 TSP Ground Nutmeg

WHAT TO DO:

1. Preheat your oven to 375*F

2. Mix together your spices. Pat your chicken thighs dry & season each on both sides with the spic mixture. Make sure you season underneath the skin too. Go ahead and let the chicken thighs sit in room temperature for about 15 minutes.

3. When the chicken thighs are eady heat 1 to 2 TBSP of olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Brown the chicken thighs deeply on both sides. Remove from skillet and set aside briefly.

4. Lower the head and deglaze the skillet with the white wine. Let the wine cook to reduce and then add the broth.

5. Bright the liquid to a simmer and add the lime juice and garlic.

6. Return the chicken to the skillet and toss in the cilantro.

7. Bring to a high simmer for about 5 minutes.

8. Cover the skillet and transfer to the oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cook thoroughly.

9. Remove the skillet from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with more cilantro if you would like.

Seriously this dinner was by far one of my favorites here recently, paired with a nice glass of red wine and it was perfect!!

Make sure to check out The Mediterranean Dish for SO many more incredible recipes!!

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Last week I shared with you all a recipe from The Mediterranean Dish , you can find that recipe HERE. Today I am going to share with you all another of my absolute favorite Mediterranean recipes from the Minimalist Baker, these incredible Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes are the perfect addition to any dinner or great all by themselves!

You can check out the original recipe HERE for her step by step instructions or just scroll down for my own adaptation!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1. 4 Medium Sweet Potatoes

2. 1 (15oz.) can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3. 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil

4. 1/2 TSP Cumin, Coriander, Cinnamon, Smoked or Regular Paprika

the GARLIC HERB SAUCE: 

1. 1/4 Cup Hummus

2. 1/2 Lemon worth Lemon Juice

3. 3/4 to 1 TSP Dried Dill

4. 3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

5. Water or Unsweetened Almond Milk to Thin

the TOPPINGS: 

1. 1/4 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, Diced

2. 1/4 Cup Chipped Parsley, Minced

3. 2 TBSP Lemon Juice

4. Chili Garlic Sauce

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

1. Preheat oven to 400*F and line a large baking sheet with foil

2. Rinse and scrub the potatoes and cut in half length wise.

3. Toss rinsed and drained chickpeas with olive oil and spices and place on a foil - lined baking sheet.

4. Rub the sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil and place face down on the same baking sheet

5. While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, prepare your sauce by adding all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together to combine. Make sure you only add enough water or almond milk to thin so it's pourable. taste and adjust your seasonings as needed.

6. Also prepare the parsley - tomato topping by tossing tomato and parsley with lemon juice and set aside.

7. Once the sweet potatoes are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown - roughly 25 minutes - remove from oven.

8. For serving, flip the potatoes flesh-side up and smash down the insides a little bit. Then top the  with the chickpeas, sauce and parsley-tomato garnish and serve immediately!

Let me know if you try this recipe out! It's one of my favorites and I hope you'll love it as much as I do!

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March is National Nutrition Month so I figured I would use this month to share with you all some of my favorite recipes and products that I eat/drink in order to keep myself in the best shape possible! 

Of course, nutrition alone is only part of it so I will also be sharing an updated version of my workout essentials along with some pretty intense Sworkit workouts for you all to complete!

Today I am going to share with you all a new breakfast bowl I've been whipping up the past couple days. I just shared a picture of it on Instagram this morning and I highly encourage you all to give it a try!

As a Mom of two little boys it's really hard for me to find the time to eat breakfast so the quicker the better and this fits perfectly into my abilities and time restraints!

What You'll Need:

1. Sweet Potatoes (I pre-make the sweet potatoes so you can make as many as you want just be aware of how fresh they'll stay when making multiples. One sweet potato will make two breakfasts!)

2. 2 Eggs (per breakfast)

3. Feta Cheese

4. Olive Oil

5. Salt and Pepper

6. **OPTIONAL** Ham

What You'll Do:

To Make The Potatoes (I did this the night before and put them in the fridge)

Preheat oven to 425*F

1. Peel and dice up sweet potatoes into small chunks

2. Place them into an oven safe dish or baking sheet

3. Sprinkle some olive oil over the potatoes and stir it all up so the sweet potatoes are evenly coated

4. Sprinkle a dash of salt over the sweet potatoes and stir up once more to evenly distribute the salt

5. Place in oven for roughly 15-20 minutes, checking about halfway through and turning over if you think they're getting too dark on one side.

6. Once they're complete let them cool completely and place half of one sweet potato in a dish if you're eating them immediately or just place the entire batch in a refrigerator safe container for storage!

Putting Your Breakfast Bowl Together

1. Fry up your eggs however you prefer... I do mine over easy using either olive oil or coconut oil in the pan

2. While your eggs are frying up go ahead and heat up your potatoes (1/2 of one sweet potato per breakfast bowl) if you're using them from the fridge... How you choose to re-heat them is up to you. I go for the quick method so I just microwave them for about 30 seconds. They won't be as crispy as heating them in the oven or stove but time is precious so I take what I can get

3. Once your eggs are complete place them on top of your sweet potatoes

4. Grate some Feta Cheese over the top

5. **Optional** In the pan you used to fry the eggs throw some ham in and heat it through, placing on top of the eggs!

VIOLA!

You have a healthy and yummy breakfast that is quite fast to whip up in the mornings!!

Stay tuned the rest of the month for more nutrition tips, recipes and tricks!!

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So I know what everyone thinks when they think pizza, unhealthy.

While, yes, that is true... Everything in moderation is a motto that I live by, because cutting out everything that is generally bad for you is just not attainable in most peoples lives.

Anyway, this pizza crust recipe is extremely easy.

AND to help make the recipe a tad bit better for you, just use wheat flour or coconut flour in place of the white flour and you can rest a tad bit easier.

What you need:

- 1 Cup Warm Water

- 1 Tablespoon Sugar

- 1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast

- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

- 2.5 Cups Flour (of choice!)

- 1 Teaspoon Salt

- Pizza toppings of choice

What you'll do:

- Preheat your oven to 450... We use a pizza stone so I heat mine up over an hour prior to using it just so that the stone has a nice amount of time to heat up as well, if you're not using a stone go ahead and grease a baking sheet and set aside

- Put your warm water into a mixing bowl

- Add sugar and yeast and stir to combine, when mixture becomes bubbly and frothy go ahead and move onto the next step

- Add in your olive oil and stir together gently

- Add flour and salt to the mixture and use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir together until dough begins to form

- Use extra flour on your counter top and spread generously

- Take dough and knead it out on the previously floured surface until it becomes light and fluffy

- Using a floured rolling pin roll your dough out to your desired shape

- Place dough on your cooking sheet or pizza stone

- Place in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to set the pizza dough prior to adding your toppings

- Take out of the oven after 5 minutes and add any toppings you would like

- Place back in the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes

- Take out of the oven and let cool, remove your pizza from the cooking surface (stone or sheet) once it has cooled a little bit, keeping your pizza on this surface will create a really tough crust (I have learned from experience)... I place mine on a wire rack to finish cooling down before serving

I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you try this recipe!

Please Follow Along

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Last year I did the Whole30 diet journey. While doing that I picked up some really yummy recipes that I still incorporate into my diet today! Now I don't stick to this diet daily, it's really intense, great but intense! If you want to check out my journey you can check out my posts HERE & HERE .

Well one of my FAVORITES was a home made salad dressing. Let's be real, using lemon juice alone just doesn't always cut it and the pre-packaged dressings are not good for you at ALL. So what's a girl to do?! Make her own, that's what!

This recipe is SUPER easy and you can make it in bulk. My recipe yields about 8 salads, potentially more depending on the amount of dressing you like to use!

What You'll Need:

- 3/4 Cup Olive Oil

- 4 TBSPN Organic Whole Mustard

- 4 TBSPN Balsamic Vinegar

- Salt & Pepper to taste

What You'll Do:

Put all ingredients in a bowl & whisk together

Pour generous amount onto salad and save the rest in an air tight container in the refrigerator!

I told you it was easy, didn't I?!

Cheers!

Now that January is here and we are all most likely jumping on the healthy living train I figured I would share with you all a recipe a week that I find myself loving and that will help you all stay the course of healthy eating!

Today I am sharing with you all one of my favorite snack choices! It's a go to for me quite often, even my boys love to munch on this too!

It's pretty simple!

What You'll Need:

- whole wheat wraps

- organic peanut butter or sunflower butter

- banana

- strawberries (about 3)

- granola (here's my recipe for the most incredible homemade granola)

- flax seed

- chia seed

What You'll Do:

 1. Lay your wrap flat on your counter or plate

2. Spread about 1TBSPN to 1.5TBSPN of your peanut butter or sunflower butter spread onto your wrap

3. Cut up your banana and strawberries and spread them out on top of your peanut butter

4. Sprinkle granola, chi and flax seed on top

5. Roll it up, cut it in pinwheels and enjoy!

Seriously, it doesn't get any easier or yummier than this!

Check back next week for another recipe that I will be sharing, and let me know if you try this one out! I'd love to see your posts on IG or any other Social Media (all my links can be found at the top of the blog or below!)

Cheers!

Please Follow Along

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On Monday I shared with everyone some words that keep me motivated on a daily basis.

Along with that I shared my journey on Instagram and Facebook, along with some before and after pictures that I have taken throughout the past year.

All I can say is WOW!

I was blown away by the amount of love that post received.

I just couldn't believe it and I just wanted to thank everyone for being so caring and encouraging!

My entire journey started about a year ago after I was given the "okay!" to start working out after Charlie was born. I immediately went into "get my body back" mode, however that didn't last long. The holidays came up and I fell backwards a bit, not too far back, but enough to discourage me. About six months ago I buckled down and got to work and way back on track. I've been through some crazy ups and downs along the way but with the support of my husband, the rest of my family and all of my friends (& now all of you awesome people here in blog land) I can proudly say that I am in the best shape of my entire life. I've lost all my weight and then some, however the scale hasn't been something I've been too concerned with lately, it's more about how I feel on the inside that's making this whole thing so much more meaningful to me!

So with that said I was wanting to share with everyone, today, kind of a break down of what I eat on a daily basis. Along with regular exercise and running, this is how I got myself back into shape!

***This isn't exact because, well, life happens and there are days where eating a completely healthy diet isn't exactly the easiest thing.***

Breakfast : 99% of the time I have a Green Kale Smoothie.

I look forward to this breakfast every single day and I even have to make a little extra for my son to have some, other wise he wants to drink all of mine. It's just a really easy way to get in some extra vegetables, which is what I have the hardest time incorporating into my diet.

Lunch : Usually I have a spinach salad of some sort.

Here I also have been trying to add in some vegetables as well, like corn and tomatoes mostly. Meat wise I usually go with ham or chicken, basically whatever we have in the fridge from the deli that week. For a dressing I go really simple and usually use red wine vinegar or lemon juice with a splash of olive or avocado oil. Instead of croutons I've been substituting my home made granola, which helps give it that crunch but it's coming from a bit healthier place!

... Of course there are days where I eat a wrap of some sort or left overs from dinner the night before. Either way I try to keep it as healthy as possible!

Dinner : Head on over to my Pinterest Page and on my Food board you will find the majority of what we have eaten here recently for dinner!

Now, this is where it gets tricky. For breakfast and lunch it's easy to make something for me and then something different for the boys. We tend to eat at different times and the meals are much more "on the go" in my opinion so I don't ever have to worry.

Dinner on the other hand is different. We like to eat as a family, at least I like it when we do! So cooking for two little boys, myself and my husband sometimes poses issues. I'm not making two to three different meals for dinner each night so I do my best to take recipes and substitute healthy alternatives in a way that won't mess with the taste or flavor of the dish. Now there are times where I just go with it, I eat healthy all day long and workout daily so splurging here and there on dinner doesn't really bother me anymore.

Also we have one to two nights a week we do leftovers so on those days I will be able to be a bit pickier about what I eat without it effecting everyone else. Plus it's Summer so we BBQ once a week which is awesome for me in the healthy eating department. It's easy for me to create a burger without a bun or grill up some chicken!

Snacks : It's inevitable that snacking happens throughout the day, what you choose to snack on matters.

I try to have a melon (usually watermelon) of some sort cut up in the fridge in containers ready to be eaten. This makes it super easy to just grab a container of the melon and go. I am a huge fan of the easiest route possible so taking the time to cut the melon one evening and having snacks for the week just makes good sense. I also like to pick up a banana from time to time and if I want it to be more substantial I'll add some peanut butter with that and it makes a more filling snack, along those lines I do the same with apples as well.

I've been slacking on the veggie department, like I said, here lately. However when I was in full on weight loss mode I would prep bags of carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and grape tomatoes to eat throughout the week as well!

Another one of my favorite go-to snacks right now is a parfait with plain greek yogurt! I start with a couple spoonfuls of PLAIN Greek Yogurt, top it with some all natural honey. Add diced up strawberries and blueberries (or whatever berry you enjoy and have on hand!) then finish it off with some of my home made granola and voila, you have a great, healthy and tasty snack! (Make sure you stick with plain Greek Yogurt and don't get flavored, I've found I much more enjoy adding the natural honey for a sweetener!)

Cheers!