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A Trip to the Trampoline Park

My little boy turned 7 at the end of July (what now?!?! Ha!). Instead of a party, we treated him to a special day at a new trampoline park with one of his good friends from school. I didn’t even realize we had one of these parks in the area, but I’m sure glad we found it! I’ve been seeing trampoline parks on Pinterest and Instagram and thought how we’d love to try one, but we’re always the last place to get these kinds of things.

The boys played for an hour while Hubster and I each enjoyed a half-hour while the other was taking care of Rayna. I’m so glad we did! We had tons of fun ourselves. And holy workout! I didn’t realize how sweaty I would get! We jumped, we raced, we played games and we all played like kids.

Not only did the park have tons of trampolines, they also had trampoline basketball, trampoline dodgeball, a slackline and foam pits. They had a huge pillow thing you could jump into off a diving board. And they had a climbing wall for only $1 extra.

When I asked if he had a good birthday, Kayne replied: “A good birthday? I had an awesome birthday!”

Before
 And After

After jumping, we treated the kiddos to pizza and treated Kayne to some of the best cupcakes in town. All in all, I’d say it was a successful celebration of our boys’ birth. Love that kid!
**If you have a trampoline park near you, do give it a try!!! It’s the most fun we’ve all had in awhile, and it’s a really great workout!

Farmer’s Market Kale Salad

I know that one of the most persistent comments I hear about going to the farmer’s market is “I love getting fresh veggies, but I don’t know what to make with half of these ingredients!” I myself have fallen into that rut myself. But I’ve made it a point to be intentional about my farmer’s market shopping, picking out recipes that I’ll actually make and eat. I’m dedicated to living healthier and just love knowing that all the little pieces of fresh veggies go to work inside my body. So, maybe I’ll make “farmer’s market recipes” part of my new blogging repertoire. We’ll see;) I usually only like to make simple things. I also like things that can be tweaked based on what I have on-hand. If that’s your jam, stay tuned.

So, kale! It looks like something you probably never want to touch. It’s such a weird thick lettuce-y vegetable that no one knows what to do with, let alone WANTS to do anything with. I happen to love it when prepared right. The secret is in the marinade. You have to marinate kale to soften it up and give it good flavor. You have to massage the marinade in so it really absorbs, like sunscreen on the human body. See how that sounds like more like an “interaction” than a recipe? You actually have to interact with the kale to get it how you want it.


Farmer’s Market Kale Salad

Ingredients
1 bunch kale
4 green onions, chopped (also from the farmer’s market)

Toppings
2 Tbsp craisins
2 Tbsp almonds
2 oz cheese, cubed (found THE best mushroom cheese at the market)
Other toppings of choice (other nuts, raisins, cherry tomatoes, feta, etc)

Dressing
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil


Directions
Shred the kale and put it in a bowl. Toss in diced green onions, cheese and toppings of choice. Mix all the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Massage the dressing into the kale. You might even want to put the salad into a plastic container with a lid and shake it up, especially before serving. That’s it!

This is the one type of salad where you actually want the leaves to “marinate” in the dressing. They won’t get soggy! It will only taste better. If you want to add other greens to your salad, add before serving so they don’t get soggy.

What would you buy at the farmer’s market if you knew what to do with it?

Ultimate Tone it Up Bikini Series Printable

TIU Printable
Anyone else super excited for the annual TIU Bikini Series? Last year, I was unable to participate because I was very pregnant and very mobility-challenged. This year, I intend to rock it! Basically, the Bikini Series is an 8-week workout plan that leads right up to summer. You follow the workouts that are posted by Tone It Up each day. If you have the Nutrition Plan, you’ll be choosing recipes and following along with that (or just eating clean). Their are daily prizes and huge incredible grand prizes for the winners. Check out last years’ winners!
What I love most about Tone It Up is their community of women. They’re all about making girlfriends for life and it’s like a close-knit group of friends, bringing each other up. Everyone is encouraged to make connections on Twitter, Instagram, the TIU community pages, in real life, etc.
By the way, I will be doing daily/almost-daily check-ins on Twitter/Instagram. Let’s follow each other! Twitter: @BounSee_Jess, Instagram: @Boun_SeeJess. The hashtags for the series are usually #toneitup, #BikiniSeries #100bysummer, #150bysummer, #tiumeals, etc.
Now, because I’m a super Type-A organizer type, I just had to design a printable for the upcoming Tone It Up Bikini Series. I’ve designed a few others in years past, but wanted to make a fresher, more comprehensive printable. I like things concrete, on paper, in front of me, especially when I’m doing my daily planning and goal-setting. 
So, I designed the ultimate Tone It Up Bikini Series printable. You can print the entire set of printables HERE. It includes eight trackers:
  1. Workout Planner
  2. Daily Checklist (Bombshell Spell, Booty Call, Workout, Check-in)
  3. 100 by Summer Tracker
  4. 150 by Summer Tracker
  5. Meal Planner
  6. Goal Tracker and Reward Sheet
  7. Summer Bucket List
  8. Measurement Tracker

Hope this printable helps you achieve your goals. Please Pin and Share away! If you use them, I’d love to see pictures. Tag me or leave a message so I can see! 
These are just for personal use though, not intended to be sold or distributed. The logos belong to Tone it Up.

The Vegan Roadie at Work

So, my workplace had the honor of hosting the Vegan Roadie for cooking demonstrations today. He was a contestant in the “Brand with 10 Grand” promotional contest that we ran, and so we invited him to make a stop here on his tour. It’s kinda cool how it turned out that way!

The presentation was short and sweet, but Dustin Harder has a great personality that kept us engaged and laughing. With him and his assistants being show people, their personalities were animated and entertaining.

His recipes du jour were Vegan Caesar Salad and Bowties in Garlic Cream Sauce. They were both very delicious! And they looked pretty easy to prepare. I’m no vegan, but I do enjoy many a meat- and dairy-less meal during the week, so I can definitely appreciate having some new recipes in my standard rotation. Dustin had a strong bent for chemical-less ingredients, i.e. clean ingredients. Real food. I’m always down with that!

Bowties in Garlic Cream Sauce

Vegan Caesar Salad

Have you ever tried nutritional yeast before? I actually do have some on-hand at home because it’s actually has a great nutrition profile (excellent source of complete protein) and a really great cheese substitute. That was the main base of the “Parmesan” dressing and it had the same consistency and cheesy taste as parm. It’s a great salad, popcorn and casserole topping. You should try it! It’s not that hard to find in the store. I got mine at a nutrition supplement store, but they sell it right by the Parmesan cheese at the regular grocery store.

Thanks for stopping in on your way through Dustin!
By the way, check out his fun video entry into our contest here!

My Favorite Easy Shakeology Recipe

In the morning, at work, you’ll typically find me triple-fisting it with my three essential beverages: water, coffee and ShakeO smoothie. Obviously, the two first ones are essential for human life, hee hee! The third one is like my protein and vitamin insurance. It covers me in case I don’t get enough essential vitamins in my food and could cover some protein and fiber deficiencies in my diet. Just reading the superfoods in the ingredient list makes me feel healthier. Haha!

Now, I have tried quite a few protein shakes, meal replacement shakes and other smoothie mix-ins. I’m not about to get all gimmicky, but right now I really love the taste of Shakeology and what’s in it most. I was skeptical of it for a loooong time (like, years!!!), but once I tried it, I loved the taste and the ingredient list! There’s nothing but superfoods and all-natural ingredients in there. There are even probiotics in there! You won’t find any weird chemicals like you do with some of the other meal replacements that are big on the market right now (check your labels, I dare you! Ha!)

The fact that it has so much protein is really good for me too. Remember my doctor’s orders about protein? Whenever I track my food intake for a day or two, I always notice that I lean heavily on carbs and not enough on protein. Have you tried this? My guess is you’re leaning the same way too. It’s something I notice with a lot of people I coach. So, getting the extra dose of protein is really important to me.

The only other powder I’ve found so far (because I have looked HARD for an alternative, believe me!) is Raw Meal, which I requested for Christmas, but the taste doesn’t even begin to compare! Raw Meal tastes like it sounds. Kind of like ground up “stuff.” I can just “tolerate” it in my smoothie, but it leaves much to be desired. So, right now, ShakeO it is!

So, my favorite way to prepare Shakeology is this:

Berry Shakeology Smoothie

1 c Frozen berries
1 splash milk
1 scoop vanilla shakeO
Water to fill the rest of the cup
I just blend all the ingredients in my Bullet, and that’s it!

It’s what I always drink on my way to work, after my workout. And let me tell you, it’s an amazing meal replacement when you’re sick because it’s yummy and filling when nothing else sounds good or goes down, it’s giving you tons of vitamins, and the frozen stuff feels really good on the throat.

Another favorite is a Banana ShakeO Milkshake. I like to freeze bananas in our house that are just past the edible stage, but aren’t quite to the rotten stage yet. Thin, I mix a frozen banana with vanilla ShakeO, milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon (and on occasion, some peanut butter). It tastes like a milkshake, no lie!

Interested in Shakeology? Check out the incredible ingredient list and benefits here. Leave a comment or contact me to give it a try.

Summer Bodies Weight Loss Challenge

I’m hosting a fitness challenge group over on Facebook and wanted to extend the invitation here on the ol’ bloggy.

It’s true! The time to start working on your summer body is right now! Picture yourself lighter and leaner in your favorite summer vacation spot this summer. Now let’s make that dream a reality!!!
I’m starting a fitness challenge group on March 23rdfor three weeks. What you’ll get is an entire package for transforming your body:
  • Fitness: doable yet challenging at-home workouts with such variety that you’ll never be bored. I’ll help you find the perfect match for you!
  • Food: you’ll get a meal planning book, additional help with meal planning, and 30 days’ worth of easy nutrient-dense breakfasts.
  • Support: not only do you get me, a certified personal trainer and fitness coach, for support, but you’ll also be cheered on and guided by the other participants. It’s amazing how something as simple as an accountability group can have such a profound impact on goal achievement!

The support group takes place in a secret, confidential Facebook group. My last few groups have been a huge success—people reported everything from losing weight to managing pain to simply feeling better—and I can’t wait to help more people. I’m still on a weight loss journey myself after having a baby and I myself get so much out of these groups, it’s really my passion!
Because small intimate groups really have the most impact, I am opening up the group to only FIVE people, so secure your spot right away if you want in!

Message me if you’re interested in more info.

Clean Eating: Faster than Fast Food

I recently led a 7-day clean eating group, and I was trying to come up with some ideas for clean meals that are “faster than fast food” for my participants. That eliminates a few of the top excuses for not eating healthy, no? I am always tempted to reach for convenience food when I come home starving and it’s way to easy to say that clean eating is way too involved. So, coming up with a few super easy, super fast recipes is my fall back plan so I don’t blow it. I’d like to share these with you too!

Here are a few meal-building lunch/dinner options:

#1. I saw this meal on a website where they asked top nutritionists what they eat on the run. If a nutritionist is eating it, I don’t mind if I do too!

Brown rice (or quinoa/other grain) + sugar snap peas (or any veggie) + black beans

#2. I happened to find this super healthy, organic meal mix at Walmart, right by the frozen Steamer veggies. It’s a kale, quinoa, feta mix that has an incredible amount of flavor and it’s very nutrient dense. I just added a can of black beans and a can of chickpeas for extra bulk with two bags of this, and I had lunch for the week!

3. I like toast-building options too. You can make a complete meal simply by building on top of toast. How about:

  • Bruschetta: tomato, mozzarella, avocado, basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
  • Peanut butter roll-ups: pb, honey and banana on a whole wheat tortilla
  • Mini pizzas: mozzarella, tomato or tomato sauce, mushrooms, and onion on an English muffin, heated in the oven.
  • Avocado/egg on toast
  • Ricotta cheese and berries on toast
  • Grown up grilled cheese: lean cheese and a pile of sauteed veggies (onion, pepper, zucchini, etc) on toast.

Do you have any fall-back recipes for clean eating on-the-run?

FREE 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge

I’ve posted this on my Facebook page and at my workplace and have gotten such a huge response. If you want in on this too, leave me a message and I’ll add you to the group. Did I mention it’s FREE!!!

I’m trying something new and leading a FREE 7-day Clean Eating Challenge, starting Feb 8, leading right up to Valentine’s day. Clean eating is a great way to “refresh” the body and get you into the habit of eating whole, natural foods. This is not a “diet,” this is about creating an overall healthy lifestyle that aligns with your health goals. Clean eating goes hand-in-hand with exercise to deliver powerful results.
My hope and goal is that after these 7 days, you’ll feel so much better and want to continue eating this way. I want to help you kick the packaged, fast-food habits in favor of energizing, nutrient-filled eating with daily tips and motivation. I’m going to share my secrets for meal planning and prep and offer shopping lists and recipes to guide you.
If I give you 7 days of my undivided attention, will you put yourself ALL IN for ONE week? Leave a comment or message me if you’re interested in signing up. If you have a friend that might be interested, feel free to share the invite. You don’t want to miss this freebie because I probably won’t do another one for awhile!

Tone it Up and Workout Tips During Pregnancy

Tone it up Prenatal Workout. How to work out with Tone it Up when you're pregnant

 

I’m a huge fan of Tone it Up, it’s no surprise. I talk about them frequently on here. But once I became pregnant, I sort of started to ignore the workouts and motivation that K&K provide religiously. I just kind of shied away from anything that wasn’t pregnancy-specific. There really aren’t any Tone It Up prenatal workouts. And let’s face it, their workouts are geared toward young, single or newly married women looking for a beach body. Preggos/moms aren’t really their target market:)

Tone it up prenatal workout

However, during pregnancy I started to miss Tone it Up and I realized I could still incorporate a lot of their workouts into my prenatal routine, with some modifications.

Here are a few general pregnancy exercise guidelines (but always, always ALWAYS talk to your doctor first):

 

  1. Avoid lying flat on your back or tummy, especially after the second trimester. You may still be able to do booty bridges and things like that while propped up on a pile of pillows, but if anything feels uncomfortable, stop.
  2. Don’t go too intense. I enjoyed taking my workouts down a notch during pregnancy. If your doctor recommends it, you can continue with the types of workouts you were doing before becoming pregnant. However, huffing and puffing isn’t always safe. It’s usually recommended that you keep your intensity at a level where you can still speak conversationally. And you also don’t want to be working on gains during this tender period.
  3. Twisty positions are kind of hard to manage in later stages of pregnancy and could potentially be dangerous. You may want to avoid them or modify them as necessary.
  4. Don’t get up/down really fast: blood pressure drops and blood flow changes can really mess with a pregnant woman. Moves like surfboard jumps and burpees are not recommended.
  5. Jumping around: not only would this be super uncomfortable, but it can be unsafe. Moves that are jumpy or have the potential to cause you to fall are not advisable.
  6. Don’t stretch too far: the hormone relaxin can really mess with a pregnant woman’s body and stretching too far is definitely a danger. Be careful to stretch only to the point where you just feel it and be careful not to go too deep because it’s much easier to pull something.
  7. Balance is tricky. During pregnancy, a woman’s balance is compromised. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean she shouldn’t do any balance moves at all, but she should be extra cautious, knowing her equilibrium might be off.
  8. Different goals. Most pregnant women are not working on their beach bodies or running endurance races. We’re preparing for labor, trying not to gain over the recommended pregnancy weight, trying to feel better/have more energy, and preparing to bounce back after baby. That being said, the workout needs to be tailored to those goals.
  9. Getting too hot can be dangerous for a pregnant woman. Now, our bodies are super efficient at regulating temperatures and keeping baby safe, but getting too hot is still a concern. Bikram yoga and running on a 104 degree day are probably not in the cards. Drink lots and lots and lots of water and stay cool, mommas.
  10. Preventing diastasis recti: Anything that pushes the stomach out rather than pulls it in is probably not a good idea at this point. Pushing out the abs (as during crunches) can actually increase that gap in the abs, so you need to be careful with ab moves.

With these recommendations in mind, and after a talk with my doctor, I was able to sift through the Tone it Up workouts to find some that were both tolerable and safe for me.

 

A Few of my Tone it Up Prenatal Workout Favorites:

Arms: there’s not much need to modify with arm exercises, and your tummy doesn’t interfere too much with them. Here are my top arm picks:

Legs:

Total Body

Now, I wasn’t able to follow the TIU nutrition plan at all when I was pregnant. Pregnancy threw off all my food habits from the beginning, when morning sickness made only Culver’s mashed potatoes and Pop Tarts tolerable. I wasn’t able to meal prep because thinking about preparing food nauseated me and grossed me out big time. Later in pregnancy though, I was able to maintain a relatively healthy diet, but it definitely wasn’t all clean and Hubster had to prepare most of our dinners (which turned into leftover lunches the next day). I was totally ok with that and enjoyed the break, but I sure did miss some of the recipes from the plan!

Aside from TIU workouts, I also have a few workouts other workouts that I recommend for expecting mommas:

How You Can Diet and Actually Eat More!!!

Did you read that right? Yes, you can eat MORE!!! The idea that “dieting” means restriction is quite a misconception. First of all, I’m not a fan of the word “diet.” Or rather, I think of “diet” as simply meaning what you eat. I don’t like thinking about diets as something you do temporarily, a way you restrict calories for a set amount of time. That being said, dieting doesn’t have to mean restriction. I like to think of it more as a playground: it’s fun, it’s healthy, it’s energizing, and there is an abundance! Reframe your mind to think of diet as a means of exploration and quality rather than a restriction.

The thing is, when you eat “clean,” you can pile your plate FULL and still lose weight. Remember my three breakfasts under 500 calories? On the other hand, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet. You likely won’t have good results if you’re eating Easy-Mac, pizza, or Hamburger Helper every day. And your portions would be tinier calorie for calorie than fresh food. Further, you don’t want to displace the calories for something nutrient-dense with something refined and non-beneficial. Two slices of white bread have little nutritional value and displace about 120 calories that you could’ve gotten from something much more satiating and vitamin-filled. And you won’t have to ride out the insulin spikes and dips!

Take for example my meal plan for this week. I ate a LOT of food during the day, was very satisfied, and was genuinely surprised by how many calories I had left over for dinnertime.

  1. Shakeology smoothie (1c frozen berries, 1 scoop ShakeO, 1/4c milk): 238 calories
  2. Egg whites with 4Tbsp salsa, turkey sausage and grapefruit: 327 calories
  3. Chickpea salad: 145 calories
  4. Quinoa bowl and sweet potatoes with a sprinkle of brown sugar and pecans: 345 calories
  5. Greek yogurt with honey: 161 calories
    1. Total calories: 1216
Shakeology smoothie

Grapefruit, eggs and salsa, sausage

Quinoa bowl and sweet potatoes

Chickpea salad

Greek yogurt and honey
ALL. THE. FOOD!!

Wow, look at all that food! And that’s not even including supper. I literally felt like I was eating all day! AND losing weight? Just, wow!

Want to learn how to eat MORE too? Here are some tips:

  • Keep ingredients simple: stick to whole, the-way-God-made-them foods and simple, recognizable ingredient lists.
  • Pile on the veggies: the main part of every meal should be veggies; meat should be a side dish. Fruit is great too!
  • Eat lean meats instead of fatty ones: you can eat a ton more grilled chicken (with more satiating protein) than ground beef, and save yourself sooo much fat. For example, one pound of boneless skinless chicken breast has 880 calories/20g fat/184g protein while typical 85/15 ground beef has 1,152 calories/65g fat/128g protein. 
  • Get your flavor from simple spices, vinegars, mustards, and the like. These add sooo much taste for negligible calories.
  • Remove liquid calories: drink mostly water. Liquid calories are a huge waste!

With clean eating, it’s pretty safe to say that green vegetables are unlimited. That doesn’t mean gnawing on raw salad greens all day–unless that’s your jam! It could mean balsamic Brussels sprouts, it could mean grilled asparagus, it could mean a yummy cucumber tomato salad, it could mean a huge bowl of veggie soup. Just be careful with your toppings. Vinegar- and mustard-based dressings are great, but limit olive oils, heavy cheeses and the like. Grilling is a great way to add tons of flavor without adding “weight” to greens. See, you can really eat a LOT, if you do it right!