Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich

A couple of weeks ago, one of the ladies in my Fit Pregnancy groups mentioned she had egg salad for lunch. Ever since I have been craving a yummy egg salad. For pregnancy reason I need it to be fresh because it contains mayo. And bad mayo and pregnancy. NO BUENO! Check out this awesome egg salad without mayo. Using an avocado as the "glue" that holds the sandwich together instead of the mayo. Plus you are getting a healthy fat so, WIN WIN!

Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

8 large hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
1 ripe medium avocado, slightly mashed
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
4 slices low-sodium sprouted whole-grain bread, toasted
1 cup watercress (need your greesn!)
Pepper and paprika to taste

Preparation:

1. Combine eggs, avocado, lemon juice, and salt in a medium bowl; mix well.2. Spread ¼ of egg mixture onto each slice of toast.
3. Top evenly with watercress.
4. Sprinkle Fresh cracked pepper and paprika to taste on top.
5. Enjoy!

Serve with a side of fruit, and some carrots and sliced bell peppers.

How to boil the perfect eggs:

Ingredients:
8 eggs
Large saucepan
Water

Directions:
Place 8 eggs in the large saucepan.
Cover eggs with water, about 2 inches above.
Bring to a boil.
Once at a boil, cover and turn off heat. 
Set timer for 10-12 minutes. 
Drain hot water and cover with very cold water right away. (I use water and throw in some ice to stop the cooking process).
Let sit until the eggs chill enough to handle. 
Peel and they will be perfectly done, every time! 

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Bump Update: 15 Weeks

This past week was amazing. I have passed the point of being scared and have started to really embrace this pregnancy. I am so happy! Besides the constant coughing I am doing if I talk too long (not good when you are a teacher) and the fact that it wakes me up in the middle of the night when I have a coughing attack. My morning sickness is gone and yesterday was the first day where I didn't feel like I had to take a nap to be able to survive the day. I had energy through the whole busy day. It was amazing! 

Yesterday I spent 3 hours looking for a black dress to wear in a photoshoot I have in my upcoming trip to Miami, thanks to Beachbody and me helping people everyday. I found an amazing dress, that was not maternity. It was a size 14. I tried it on because I just wanted to see what it was like. And it went on like a GLOVE! A 14! That is a size smaller than what I was wearing before I got pregnant. And to make sure that I wasn't losing my mind I went and got another size 14 dress by another brand (Jessica Simpson) and tried that on too, and it FIT! I was shocked. I did end up getting the first dress in a 16 though, for modesty reason I needed an extra inch on the bottom and the bigger size gave that to me but the fact that I fit in a 14 was amazing. Before that I was trying on dresses at Motherhood and I was fitting all the Large sizes and the XL was too big. CRAZY! I feel like I have a shrinking belly because I know it isn't as bloated as it was a few weeks ago but to be able to fit in a smaller size clothing was just astounding! Check out the pictures in the dressing room. Look at dem curves!!! VA-Va-VOOM! 

Total Weight Gain: 4.5 pounds

Symptoms: Morning sickness is gone! ENERGY is BACK! YAY! 

Baby’s Size: Orange

Maternity Clothes: Yes, bottoms need to wear maternity or stretchy pants. Tops still good to go on regular shirts! I did buy a non maternity dress that was even a size smaller than what I was wearing prior to getting pregnant! Super excited about that!

Stretch Marks: I already have a ton that I got when I gained weight years ago. So nothing new.

Gender: ??? It was too hard to tell. Hoping at my next ultrasound we will be able to see! 

Sleep: I am only waking up once a night to go to the bathroom. I have had a nasty cough for the past 2 weeks and I wake up once or twice a night hacking my lungs out. 

Miss Anything: Sleeping comfortably flat on my belly! Sleeping through the night.

Cravings: Veggies, and last night Hawaiian Haystacks

Aversions: nothing yet

Excited About: Feeling the baby move a ton! My upcoming trip to Miami next week with Beachbody.

Workouts: Graduated to the 2nd trimester workouts with Fit for Two and the Active Maternity! Kicking my butt but loving it! I'm getting out of breath so easily and my cough does not help at all.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

Hawaiian Haystacks

I was craving Hawaiian Haystacks like nobody's business. It hit me like a semi-truck and man, I HAD TO HAVE THEM! So I checked my pantry and used what I had! And I made my own homemade cream of chicken soup using homemade chicken stock. I knew EVERY SINGLE INGREDIENT that went into my meal. Now that is what I call CLEAN EATING!

I love this recipe by Six Sisters Stuff, but I modified my version so it is just a little different than theirs. You can't go wrong with these. Just use whatever you want. I went heavy on the veggies though. I used a whole bell pepper just for me, throw on some mushrooms that I still had. YUM!

Hawaiian Haystacks:

Ingredients:
4-6 cups rice, cooked
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced, well seasoned with pepper and a little salt
1 can cream of chicken soup (see below for homemade recipe instead of canned)
1/4 cup milk

Toppings- Whatever you have in your fridge or pantry! 

Tomatoes
Olives
Chow Mein Noodles (omit for gluten free and use Halved Cashews for the crunch)
Cheese (omit for lactose free)
Green Peppers
Halved Cashews
Pineapple

Directions:

Mix cream of chicken soup and milk in a sauce pan until smooth. Add diced chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot over rice, and top with your favorite toppings!

I didn't have any cream of chicken soup so I made my own by scratch! It was so easy. I went scouring on the internet and decided to do do the most basic and easiest one and it was super easy! 

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Ingredients: 
2½ cups chicken broth (I used homemade chicken stock) 
1½ cups milk
¾ cup flour
1 tablespoon seasoning mix (or on your own, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. parsley, etc)

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken broth and ½ cup of the milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and seasonings into the remaining 1 cup milk until a smooth, thick mixture forms.
3. Pour the flour and milk mixture into the saucepan with the broth mixture over low heat and stir continuously, whisking as the mixture simmers. Continue to simmer and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-10 minutes. The mixture will thicken a bit as it cools. 

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Failure Leads to Success

Failure. Such a scary word right?!? How many times have we "failed" at something. Failure is just another way to get you to try something different to reach the results you want. Like a little stumble in the road. You don't sit down and not get up, eventually you get up and keep going. No matter what.

So many times I have gone from being overweight, to losing weight, to over weight, to losing weight. A lot of people probably think I am a failure. But you know what. I'm not. I have done a lot of process and error. Learned what works and what doesn't. And this past year, I finally found something that WORKS! Easy 30 minute workouts, and eating whole foods and really eating the foods that my body needs not just the things that I want to eat.

Looking at all these pictures makes me a little sad knowing for years I felt stuck and out of control. I had to either starve myself and do excessive exercise (2 hours a day at the gym on the elliptical) or just give into my cravings and gain weight. 

Thanks to listening to one of my close friends who suggested that I try a new workout routine and my daily shake I have finally found the "goldilocks" middle ground to eating as healthy as I can and still having a little indulgence every now and then and it feels AMAZING! Are you feeling stuck? Please msg me. Let's talk.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

Overindulge On Easter Candy?

Did you eat some candy yesterday? More than you thought, wanted or intended on eating? Don't worry. It is ok and it will not derail you and your journey. It is totally ok to have an indulgence every now and then. Like holidays. Those are perfect times. But it will take some time and strong willpower to cut back after the fact! Once that sugar hits your system, you are going to want more and more of it. 

Today and tomorrow, add in some extra water to help you flush out the candy. You can add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon wedges in it to help balance out your PH. 

Make sure to eat as clean as possible. Stick to the foods that you know work. Chicken, rice, oatmeal and lots and lots of veggies! The more you stick with healthy eating the less you will crave sugary treats! 

Also you might start to crave candy over the next week or so just know. But you are better than that. You are stronger than your cravings you can resist those temptations, it is going to be hard, but you can do it! Sugar in moderation is GREAT but everyday, not so much!

The number one thing to do is to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! My #1 tip is not an exercise or nutrition tip. It's simply to believe in yourself and your ability to overcome whatever physical, mental, and emotional challenges you face. If you believe in yourself first, the rest will follow.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey!