A Health Commitment

I started a  Health Bet challenge group today!  It's a 28 day commitment to work out at least 3x a week, and have a Shakeology shake 5x a week.  At the end, you get a money payout for participating!  So, why did I sign up to do it?

1.  I never really follow through on fitness commitments.

I don't know how many times I've committed to a certain number of workouts a week, and never done it.  Even when I got my Fitbit, I rarely do more than 3 workouts per week.  I've been wanting to up my workouts as I seem to have hit a plateau in my journey to lose weight and get fit.  With this challenge group, you can do workouts at home, or at a gym, or at the Y. So, even if I can't make it to the Y during the week, I can still workout at home and it counts!

2.  I usually have coffee for breakfast.

Ever since I had Winry, I just don't like to eat breakfast.  I have coffee with creamer, and I'm good.  That's really not a healthy breakfast, so I decided to try Shakeology.  It is packed with nutrient-dense super foods, and is super easy to make in the morning...just a scoop, milk, and ice. 

3.  You get paid!

The Beachbody Health Bet is a $2 million prize split among finishers who complete the bet for the 28 days.  Who doesn't want to make money while doing something good?  All you have to do is log in 3 workouts per week, and drink Shakeology 5 days of the week and log that in with a picture.  Shakeology comes in a variety of flavors, so you can pick one or get a few packs of all of the flavors. The cash prize can be anywhere from $5-$500!!  Ladies I know who have done it before have gotten $20-$150! 

*I did talk and explain this challenge with my husband, who said I could do it.  He is very encouraging.  I'm already doing at least 2 if not more workouts a week lately, and I already had some Shakeology from my last pregnancy.  My Zumba/PiYo instructor gave me a half bag so I could get some nutrition despite not being able to keep things down. 

A Quick Guide to Trim Healthy Mama in a Large Family

Trim Healthy Mama is an eating lifestyle created by sisters, Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison.  It has taken the world of women by storm.  I started my THM (as it's called) journey 2 years ago.  Since starting I've lost 38lbs!!  (I also had a baby in that time, which explains the slow weight loss.) I won't go into the specifics of the plan, but if you'd like to know more, please visit Trim Healthy Mama.  (for those of you already on plan, I have listed the page numbers and category of meal.)

The THM Plan calls for special ingredients such as non-sugar sweetener (stevia, erithritol, xylitol, etc.), sprouted flours, and lots of veggies. Sometimes it can really add up, especially because stores today price healthy foods higher than the junk-laden ones, sadly.  I have come up with a menu that is very inexpensive, and all of the meals are loved by my brood.  (Most recipes come from the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, which is available at Barnes&Noble, Amazon, or the THM website.)  Please, feel free to share your favorite meal, menu, or website in the comments!!  (If you are interested in purchasing any THM products, please click on my affiliate link in the sidebar.)

Here is a peek at some of our weekly dinner menus:

**Week 1**

MONDAY:  Spaghetti & Meatballs w/Dreamfields pasta  {S}

TUESDAY:  Cabb & Saus Skillet (pg. 58) {S}

WEDNESDAY:  Whatcha Want Mexican Chicken (pg. 47) {E}

THURSDAY:  Eggroll in a Bowl (pg. 62) {S}

FRIDAY:  Loaded Sweet Potatoes w/Chicken (pg. 166) {E}

SATURDAY:  Homemade Pizza {S, XO}

SUNDAY:  Cheat Day (whatever we want) {off plan}

**Week 2**

MONDAY:  Cabb & Saus Skillet {S}

TUESDAY:  Rich & Tender Stew (pg. 38) {S}

WEDNESDAY:  Loaded Sweet Potatoes w/Chicken {E}

THURSDAY:  Spaghetti & Meatballs w/Dreamfields pasta {S}

FRIDAY:  Cowboy Grub (pg. 59) {E}

SATURDAY:  Chicken Florentine w/Dreamfields pasta (pg. 46) {S}

SUNDAY:  Cheat Day

So, as you can see, we repeat a lot of meals.  That's because we LOVE those meals, and they are cheap!  Most of my cart gets filled up in the produce department!  Spinach, cabbage, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.  Depending on the season, things can get very cheap!  I also usually have a small garden so in harvest time meals will be even cheaper!

Now, here's a sample of my breakfasts.  I don't usually have my kids and hubby doing THM all day;  just supper.  I am a nursing mama, so most of my breakfasts are crossovers so I can maintain my milk supply.

MONDAY:  2 fried eggs, 1 slice turkey bacon, sprinkle of nutritional yeast, Trimmy Rich (basically bulletproof coffee) {S}

TUESDAY:  Oatmeal with coconut oil, on-plan brown "sugar", Collagen Tea {XO}

WEDNESDAY:  2 eggs scrambled, 2 slices sprouted toast, 2 tsp. butter, Collagen tea {XO}

THURSDAY:  *same as Monday

FRIDAY:  Oatmeal with on-plan brown "sugar" {E}

SATURDAY:  2 fried eggs, 2 slices sprouted toast, 2 slices cheese, 2 slices bacon {XO}

SUNDAY:  *same as Wednesday

Here is a sample of my lunches during the week.  I am a Drive Thru Sue, so I'm ecstatic that there are a lot of places to go for a good lunch while out and about.  There are even drinks you can get at Starbucks...although I usually just cheat and get my VBH refresher or a WC Mocha.

MONDAY:   Naked chicken Burrito Bowl (Qdoba) {E}

TUESDAY:  BLT salad {S}

WEDNESDAY:  Quesadilla (1/2c shd. cheese, 4 slices deli turkey chopped, 1 low carb tortilla) {S}

THURSDAY:  Loaded Fotato Soup (pg. 117) {FP}

FRIDAY:  Quesadilla (like Wed.)  {S}

SATURDAY:  leftovers

SUNDAY:  off plan

I do enjoy all of the THM desserts and drinks.  I've compiled a list of my absolute favorites for you all.



DRINKS/SHAKES:

Good Girl Moonshine {FP}

The Shrinker {FP}

Earth Milk {FP}

Singing Canary Shot (pg. 399) {FP}


Fat Stripping Frappa {FP}

Chocolate Thin Thick (pg. 423) {FP}

Strawberry Cheesecake Shake (pg. 412) {S}

Chocolate Beauty Milk (pg. 440) {FP}



SNACKS:

Cottage Berry Whip (pg. 374) {FP}

Popcorn w/nutritional yeast {XO}

Breyer's Carb Smart ice cream {S}

Salted Almonds {S}

Cheese Sticks {S}


DESSERTS:

Cheesecake Berry Crunch [w/out the nuts] (pg. 352) {S}

Secret Agent Cake w/Raspberry Frosting (pg. 308) {S}

Key Lime Pie [substituted with lemon flavoring] (pg. 326) {S}

Secret Silk Pie (pg. 330) {S}

Bust-a-Myth Banana Cake (pg.298) {E}

Lemon Curd Layer Cake (pg. 299) {S}

Cry-no-More Brownies (pg.314) {S}

*For more delicious recipes please checkout these websites:  Live, Laugh, Love, Encourage, Mrs. Criddle's Kitchen, Rohnda Sue, All Day I Dream about Food, Briana Thomas, & The Laundry Moms.