While on the Advocare 24 Day Challenge I find breakfast to be my favorite meal of the day. I love making different kinds of omelets, having all kinds of fruits. drinking a smoothie…there seem to be a lot of choices when it comes to clean eating breakfast options. I also follow the philosophy that it’s best to have your carbohydrates in the morning and decrease them as the day goes on. I like having the extra energy in the morning, and I also like knowing that they serve as fuel that I can burn off throughout the day. This is why I’ve been wanting to find a way to make some guilt-free pancakes.
I have seen recipes floating around on Pinterest for Paleo Pancakes or Clean Eating Pancakes. After pinning a few different ones, I looked around the house for what I had on hand, and what I thought would taste good and made my own version. Here is what I came up with:
CLEAN EATING PANCAKES
1 cup organic rolled oats
1 ripe banana
2 tbsp Chia seeds
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup egg whites
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon – added to your preference
Add all ingredients into a blender, Vitamix or food processor and blend to make “batter”. Pour into a greased pan (I use coconut oil spray) and cook on medium heat just like you would regular pancakes. Serve with fresh fruit, organic maple syrup or organic honey. I must say they turned out really well. They had great flavor, were really filling, are good for you, and the kids liked them! Hope you enjoy!
Well now that you know what we have been eating for breakfast these days, here is a line up of this week’s clean eating dinner meal plan. I have my in-laws in town, so I hope they enjoy eating clean with us this week. Hopefully they won’t even notice that I’m putting “health food” in front of them every night, and they just feel like they are sitting down to a good home-cooked meal (which of course we know it is!)
Monday- Chopped Vegetable Quinoa salad with a fresh basil dressing (my mother-in-law loved it)
Tuesday- Shredded salsa chicken taco salads
Wednesday- Homemade ground turkey chili
Thursday- Olive hummus crusted chicken and baked vegetables
Friday- Mushroom and chicken marinara over brown rice pasta
Saturday- BBQ- kabobs and turkey burgers
Sunday- Chicken boy choy
That’s all for today….have a happy & healthy Tuesday! xo
It’s been awhile since I have written about my progress using Advocare products. Since I first started the 24 Day Challenge back in January, I have had a lot of people give it a try along side me. It’s been awesome seeing everyone’s progress, sharing recipes and workouts, and just motivating each other along the way. I often get asked “so, what do you do after the 24 days is over?” and I thought I would write about that for those that are currently doing the challenge or those of you who may be interested in trying it some day.
{If you are reading this and have no idea what the 24 Day Challenge even is, please see THIS post}
It’s been almost 4 months since I started using Advocare products. Here is my April progress photo. I have lost about 22lbs and 16″ from my waistline, arms, hips & thighs (7.5″ off my waist alone). Most importantly I just have so much more energy and have found a love for working out again.
I lost the majority of my weight during the initial 24 days of the challenge. It was the perfect way to jump start Operation Pre-pregnancy Weight! I saw all the progress I was making those first few weeks that I started to get nervous about what I was going to do once the challenge was over. This seems to be the main concern of everyone else who has been doing the challenge as well. Here’s what I have been giving as advice based on what has worked for me.
You can either be happy with the 10-15 lbs you probably lost during the 24 days and go from there. Continue eating well, working out when you can, and just enjoy the quick results you got. This will definitely get you to at least maintain your new weight loss.
I still knew I had more weight to lose, so I decided to find a way to fit Advocare into my day to day routine without having to be quite as strict as the 24 Day Challenge. This included continuing to exercise, to clean eat, and to use some of my favorite products & supplements. Where I became more flexible is definitely on the diet end. Although our family is probably eating about 80% “clean”, Greg and I definitely indulge in weekend date night meals and alcoholic drinks 
Speaking of Greg….can he get a round of applause for losing over 30lbs these past 4 months too? I’m so proud of him!
While everyone knows diet and exercise are always the most important elements to losing weight, I wanted to share some of my favorite products with you that I’ve been using. I am 100% convinced supplements have made such a huge difference in my progress. They make me feel better, they curb my appetite, the help build lean muscle, they give me energy, and they fill in the gaps nutritionally for any vitamins I may have missed out on throughout the day. Here are a few things I can’t live without these days:
Would you believe I quit coffee and diet soda for good 4 months ago? Thank goodness for Spark! It contains 21 vitamins, tastes awesome, and gives you non-jittery, long-lasting energy and mental focus. It also has amino acids so it helps with fat burning and lean muscle production. I’m in LOVE with this stuff!! Grape and Mandarin orange are our favorite flavors. I start my day with a Spark and you will always find it in my water bottle at the gym.
I’m kind of convinced this product should be illegal. Not because it’s bad for you, but because it almost makes you feel like you’re cheating. I haven’t met a person who didn’t love this stuff. It’s been nicknamed “Liposuction in a bottle”. It’s a blend of essential branched-chain amino acids and L-glutamine that supplies your body with muscle-building components and sustains your muscles during exercise and reduced calorie intake. In other words it sucks away at your fat and preserves and promotes lean muscle production. See why I have 3 bottles of it? :) Actually Greg loves this product too, so although I don’t want to share…I do. It says you can take 3 of them 3x a day. I only take 2 in the morning or before a workout. My sister swears by Catalyst and Spark. Check out her fitness page on Instagram . Insane right?
Greg and I just recently started using this product before we go for longer runs. IT.IS.AWESOME! I don’t know if it’s just the placebo effect or if it truly works, but we both feel like our endurance goes way up after we use them. On Advocare’s website it says “O2 Gold Advanced supplement is an excellent solution for greater energy, endurance and vitality whether you’re a marathon runner, a busy parent or both. Serious athletes will notice the differences that O2 Gold Advanced supplement brings to their regimen, and casual users will notice the refreshing lift to their energy and liveliness. Most importantly, O2 Gold Advanced supplement helps you maximize oxygen usage in your body so that you can feel better and perform better.” SOLD!! And that’s exactly how it makes me feel. My lungs feel like I could run forever now….my hips and ankles? Not so much! We are working on that, but for now I am in love with this product!
The only part of clean eating that I find difficult is quick, on the go, filling and tasty snack/meal options. Clean eating does require some planning, and when I’m in a rush I find myself grabbing an apple or a handful of almonds, but find myself wanting more. That’s why I love these snack bars. Finding a clean nutrition bar isn’t easy to do. Most of them have sugar or processed ingredients in them, but take a look at the ingredients in these: Chia seed, hemp seed, flax seed, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, apples, oats, agave syrup, dates, hemp powder and brown rice protein. Can’t get any more natural than that can you? They are DELICIOUS and so filling. I just tried these out a couple weeks ago for the first time and the box was empty in no time. The kids love them too!
These aren’t “magic pills” or “diet pills”. These are just great, healthy, and effective products that I have really grown to love and have helped me immensely. While I realize that taking supplements isn’t for everyone, I have had so many people ask about Advocare so I thought I would share some information about what we have been using. I’m going to keep trying new product too, so I’ll definitely keep you posted on any new favorites that come along.
Ooooh and something else that is going to really help? NEW RUNNING SHOES! I went to an actual running store today and had my feet measured and electronically scanned. These are the pretties that came home with me today. I’ve never owned Asics before, but I did a nice easy 3 mile loop on these this evening and it felt like I was running on clouds. Can’t wait to put some miles on these!
Hope you all had a great Workout Wednesday and got in some good exercise this week….even if it just included chasing around your kids that totally counts! It’s been a busy week and I’m way behind in blog reading, but I look forward to reading some inspiring Workout Wednesday posts. I got mine in before midnight so that’s gotta be good for something right? Time to shower and pass out! xo
PS- As you know I’m still really new to blogging (again) and recently I have seen bloggers linking up their posts. I have been following Skinny Meg’s weight loss journey and wanted to jump on board linking up with her Workout Wednesday post. If you haven’t seen her success story before definitely give her blog a read! She’s a mama who has lost over 110 lbs!! ::insert shock face here::
I’ve been seeing Workout Wednesdays floating around in the blog world (this is probably ancient news, but I’m admittedly late to the Blogging Party). I am constantly seeking out new inspiration when it comes to working out, especially advice from other busy moms. I love seeing healthy recipes, workout tips, weekly progress, fitness milestones being hit…it’s all so inspiring to me and gets my butt in gear when I’m starting to feel lazy (like right after I hit publish on this post I am GOING to the gym, even though I really don’t want to today).
Without the internet and women sharing their stories, I would have never met Jenny. We actually “met” about 8 years ago on TheKnot.com of all places. We were both planning our weddings and sharing every little detail over the internet with other future brides (I guess once you get hit by the social media bug it never goes away). We have followed one another’s journeys of wedding planning, married life, pregnancy, child rearing, party planning, house decorating, self-employment…come to think of it we enjoy doing a lot of the same things and at the same time even though we live several states away.
I was looking through Instagram one day and saw she was doing the Advocare 24 Day Challenge and was having great success with it. The New Year was approaching and I was looking for something different to jump start a healthier me. I reached out to Jenny and I am so happy I did. She contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would be interested in doing a guest post on her blog sharing the changes I have made over the last 3 months. OF COURSE!! If you’d like to read my post as well as check out Jenny’s awesome blog & photography/printing business click on her logo below:
I also thought I would share a progress photo for the month of March. Over the past few weeks I haven’t stepped on the scale and I don’t take measurements anymore. I am happy to have hit my goal weight and now I would like to start working on fitness goals for myself. Longer and faster runs, toning and weight lifting, trying a new class (The Bar Method? Pilates?). I am excited for more challenges ahead! If anyone has fitness blog suggestions they find inspiring please send them my way. I would love to put together a list to share!
Tired of the same old boring salad for lunch? I was too, and wanted to try something a little different yesterday. I am constantly eating fruit throughout the day, but I’m not sure why I never thought to put some on my salad come lunch time! This was such a nice change to my usual all veggie salad and will become a regular addition to my weekly lunches! It was SO good I think I’ll be having it again today!
INGREDIENTS:
Mixed greens
2 large strawberries sliced
1 small “cutie” tangerine peeled and divded
1/4 green apple cubed (sliced up the rest for the kids)
A tablespoon of raw sunflower seeds
A tablespoon of dried cranberries
2 pieces of Trader Joe’s grilled sliced chicken
Top with a little EVOO and balsamic vinegar
I stumbled out of bed this morning barely alive from night two of very minimal sleep (our boys are sick AGAIN, it’s too sad to even talk about-they are getting better though and that’s what’s important). On my way to brush my teeth, I tripped over the scale with my eyes half open and decided just to stand on it and see if it wanted to be my friend today. It thought about it for a second, and there it was….the number I haven’t seen in over 4 years. My pre-Shane, pre-Nathan, my “If only I could ever get there again” weight was staring me right in the face. My goal weight!! I got off the scale then back on because I didn’t believe it. It was true….I have lost 20 lbs in 2 months!
If I could kiss my friend Jenny I would! She put herself out there and shared her success with the Advocare 24 Day Challenge, and really inspired me!
I still don’t know how it happened so quickly, and I honestly can’t believe how simple it has become since I first started. We eat more, we eat more often, but we just eat better….way better. I do exercise daily, or at least as often as the boys will let me. This ends up being a broken up 35-45 minutes on the elliptical machine each morning, a long run on the weekend, and I try to get to the gym for 1-2 classes a week. I think that’s what I have loved most about Advocare. It’s not only for weight loss, it’s a fitness program. Just 2 months ago I could only run for maybe half a mile before I would have to stop and walk for a few minutes. Today I ran just under 4 miles without stopping once. I have never ran this far in my life, not to mention I actually enjoy it now. I would love for long distance running to be my new goal since I no longer wish to lose anymore weight….I just want to be active, and stay active. My friend Liz is a busy working mom of 2 girls Nathan and Shane’s age and has totally inspired me with her running journey. Despite her busy schedule she finds time to run at least 5 miles a day even if she has to do it at 5:00am. She wasn’t a runner to start either and now she’s on her way to doing a marathon! Thanks to her I signed up for my first 5k in May, then have a 10k in June and maybe it would be “fun” to try a half-marathon someday. For now, baby steps!
It’s so hard to find time as a mom to take care of yourself. My boys are my priority around the clock, and most days I feel like they are the ones calling the shots (for example Shane is on his fourth wakeup since I have sat down to type this…grrr). So many people say that being a mom is a balancing act, but let’s face it…my life scale is WAY tipped completely in their favor. I’m an all or nothing kind of person when I am passionate about something, and nothing tops the passion I have of being a good mom for these boys. This can be seen as a good thing, but it has also consumed me. I needed to get back to ME a little bit more. I find time for exercise now, I make time to prepare good meals for myself throughout the day and make sure I get to eat them when I actually want to (instead of a 3:00 pm lunch consisting of finishing their half eaten sandwiches). I think that’s why this challenge helped me so much…it put me on a schedule, and it forced me to plan ahead better, and to be honest…it was finally something to do that was just for me!
The same is true of this blog. I had a family blog for awhile but then I realized all I was doing was spending every waking minute with my kids and then sitting to down write about every single thing I did with my kids. Obviously they will still be the highlight of what I write about here, but I want a place to journal things I enjoy doing in addition to being their mom. A place to share things that keep me creative, and keep me feeling like I still have some of my own interests.
Thanks for letting me share my progress with you! It held me accountable this far just by writing about it, and I’m so happy to have taken some control of my own health and well-being again. I just turned 33 last week and I’m ready for this to be a great year filled with healthy changes for me and my family!
This was the first year I set a New Year’s resolution for myself to “lose weight”. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, which approach I was going to take, or how I was going to find something that fit my schedule with these busy boys. I had been working out, and I thought I was eating healthy but nothing was happening! I held on to 7 pounds from my pregnancy with Nathan and then another 7 with Shane. I even worked out 5 times a week while I was pregnant with Shane in hopes of bouncing back quickly. No dice!
I did the usual holiday food binge and then it was going to be go time! I thought a 3 day juice cleanse was going to be a great way to start, but I failed terribly. I like to eat, I felt terrible, was grumpy and lost 2 lbs. I obviously gained it right back and it became clear that I needed a lifestyle change.
I was stalking my Instagram feed (you know like I do every 10 minutes) and I saw a friend posted about the Advocare 24 day challenge that she and her husband were doing. They looked fantastic!! I read her blog, sent her an e-mail, and after she told me more about it, it sounded like the perfect solution for me. You can eat….you can eat a lot. You should workout moderately (which will get you the best results, but not mandatory for results). You will have so much energy (which I needed, but was very skeptical since this challenge eliminates coffee :::gasp:::).
I’m not going to lie….it takes work, it takes completely changing the way you look at the food you eat, and it’s not inexpensive (but I can’t put a price tag on the results I have seen!). And what I love the most is, my whole family has benefited. We eat GREAT meals now. They are so healthy, so filling, so bright and colorful and I couldn’t be prouder to look at my groceries as I unload them at the checkout line.
So here are the details in short. This challenge is 24 days. You can stop and feel proud of your weightloss after the 24 days or you can continue with the healthy lifestyle choices this plan will teach you. The first 10 days of the challenge is a cleanse but really it’s just eating clean (meats, veggies, fruits and proteins galore!), and throwing in some meal replacement shakes, fiber drinks and vitamins. Days 11-24 is much of the same only the cleanse phase is over and you add in additional vitamins and probiotic supplements.
Also those of you that are addicted to coffee (ME ME ME!!), this plan includes a drink called Spark that you get to drink throughout the day when you need a boost. And boost it does!!
I’m pretty sure 99% of you reading this are mommies. I do have to let you know that you should not do the cleanse portion of this if you are a nursing mom. While all the products are great for you, any cleanse is not good while trying to keep your calorie intake high for milk production. I did wait until after I finished nursing Shane to start.
As for exercise I have been doing 30-40 minutes on the elliptical 5-6x a week and have been running on the weekends (I am not a runner but while intoxicated on NYE I agreed to do a 10K mud run so I need to start somewhere! lol). I have worked out harder in the past and ate like a bird, but it wasn’t easy to maintain and I have NEVER lost 10lbs in a month.
I have lost 10 lbs in just these 24 days alone, have lost 4″ off my waistline, my skin looks better, and I have an indescribable amount of energy. I was optimistic…I have never tried anything like this before EVER…and I have never seen results as quickly as I have with this.
So here is the link you have all been looking for: 24 Day Challenge Bundle . I have it all set up to the exact program I did. The MNS3 is optimal for weight loss and the Mocha Shakes taste so good (you can change the flavor if you would like but keep the MNS3). Please if you have any questions just shoot me a message in my contact form and I am more than happy to help.
Speaking of….welcome to my blog!! It’s a total work in progress but I’m so excited to have a place to share some of my favorite things with you…my family being at the very top of the list.
I will also post some clean eating recipes I have been making and LOVE…especially the ones that my boys gobble up!
Thank you all so much for your interest in this and your kind words regarding the progress I have made. I’ll keep you posted and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see the results you guys get if you think this could be for you too. Good luck! xo
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Hey! I’m Lauren Rene
I'm a So Cal Mommy of 2 boys, and wifey to one handsome fella! Interior Designer by trade, but SAHM by choice. I spend my days loving my family, getting crafty, cooking clean, exercising, snapping photos and sharing it all with you.
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