Life Worth Loving~

Lately my life has been a perfect reflection of all of the things I've been working so hard to create. I think it's so important to take the time to recognize, acknowledge and give thanks when things are going your way. If we only focus on the things that DON'T go our way (which can be an easy trap to fall in to), then we could miss out on the things that really matter - the GOOD stuff! So, here are a few things that I'm feeling really thankful for this evening, as well as reasons I feel naturally inclined and inspired to keep living Heavenly Healthy.

• Seeing the healthy influence that we've had on our friends/family to improve their quality of life through healthy eating. This weekend as we spent time with some of our closest friends, it was brought to my attention that it has been through our example that some of them have been making positive changes in their kitchens/diets/lifestyles. Even so much as working toward becoming vegetarians!  If I am changing as little as ONE family's life by what I do, then I am one happy mama! I'm so proud of you, my friends, you know who you are! ;)

• Meeting new friends (thank you FitFluential, Inc.!).. I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow ambassador today; the very lovely, sweet and inspiring Alison from Berry Happy Bodies. We did a beautiful 3 mile walk on the coast of Encinitas and chatted the entire time! It was a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to seeing you again soon! 

• I'm excited to share that last week I took my first step in the direction of bringing my passion to life. I have teamed up with The Conscious Cook and I'm thrilled to be working toward changing lives through healthy eating. Additionally, I am working on a program to assist in transforming peoples health, beginning in their kitchen! 

I aim to wake up each morning with the thought that every day is a new possibility for creation. And if I don't wake with that thought, then I create it as the day goes on. It's not always easy, but it definitely is possible. This leaves me open to the unthinkable and unimaginable. You have to really believe that your dreams are possible if you want them to come alive! 

Thank you all for reading and supporting my journey!! 

Yours in health,

~Mimi~

Friday favorites and another give away!

Geez, I sure have been in the middle of a major writer's block! To be quite honest, I just have had no desire or drive to try to think of something clever to say. So, I've just been riding it out because as with everything in life, it always passes.

This morning I caught myself in a funky mood, so I indulged and picked up a really bad coffee drink on my way to work. It's called a Monkey and it has 4 shots of espresso, banana flavoring, chocolate powder and peanut butter. This thing is loaded with sugar, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am totally ok with that! :)

Ok, who knew that Trader Joe's has a whole line of cookbooks? Not me! I was at Barne's & Noble the other day perusing my favorite section and just happened upon this little jewel. How cool is that?!!

And last, but certainly not least, is my next giveaway! I know many of you have heard of Sweaty Bands... These things are really super duper totally and completely awesome. First of all, I haven't been able to wear headbands in a LONG time because of the cysts I had on my head. After having them removed last month, I was finally able to explore the world of doing different things with my hair and I just had to try Sweaty Bands. I've never really liked headbands because it seems they ALWAYS slip off of my head. Annoying right? NOT Sweaty Bands! They stay put through my entire workout and even the rest of the day when I don't get to my shower right away. Ew, too much info. ;) Even the Hubs is a fan! :)

Want to win yourself one? Comment below and my kiddos will pick a random winner on Wednesday, the 25th. If you don't win, check out their website and give them a try.. you won't be sorry!

Have a wonderful weekend!! :)

XOXO

LiveFit Weeks 2/3 & my first give away!

Happy Friday, healthy people! This past couple of weeks has been absolutely insane, but I'm so excited because I feel like I'm getting back on my game and ready to have some fun. :)

This morning wrapped up week 3 of Jamie Eason's LiveFit trainer and I'm still LOVING it. We've also changed up our schedule and are now getting our workouts done in the mornings. I love having the evenings freed up to be with the family and spend time in the kitchen. I was in a major funk last week (week 2) and only got to work out one day, but since I'm not new to weight training, I decided not to back track and just pick up where I would have been without the break. Leg day (Monday) was a killer and I've been sore in different areas all week. Sometimes being sore like that is just so bitter-sweet. There's nothing like feeling the proof of a good workout!

As for the diet part of the LiveFit trainer, I'm not even looking at it anymore. The hubs has recently gone gluten free and we're both vegetarian, so our areas of focus are a little different than what's in the program. Our main focus is that we eat LOTS of fresh fruits and veggies, and still get enough protein. I also periodically track my intake with myfitnesspal.com, just to be sure I'm on track.

No matter what you're doing on your health and fitness journey, your number one prioroty should always be what you're putting in your body. That will always be the main factor to the outcome you obtain. I'm confident that as long as we continue to eat clean and healthy 80+% of the time, we will still be extremely successful with this program. Watch and see! ;)


And now... (drum roll please!!) for my very first giveaway!! I'm so excited to enter this world of sharing great products with my great fans! It is such a joy for me to share the things that I use on my health and fitness journey, and this is just the beginning of things to come.

Have you seen, tried, or heard of the Blender Bottle? I've been seeing this thing all over the place and when I found their website, I just had to try it. The hubs and I have been using it and it works better than I imagined it would or could. No clumps and it comes out nice and smooth. It doesn't leak when you shake it and the smaller size that we got fits inside of our lunch cooler perfectly! And it's green, too - BPA free! This thing ROCKS!! :)

And here are more features about the Classic, which is the one we got:

BlenderBall® whisk inside

Secure screw-on lid

Wide mouth makes it easy to add ingredients

Large drink/pour spout

StayOpen flip cap™ won't close on your nose

GripperBars™ make it easy to hold

Embossed ounce and milliliter markings

Easy to clean—dishwasher safe

20 or 28—ounce capacity

Available in a variety of colors

Fits in most car drink holders

BPA-free

Photos: Blenderbottle.com

If you want to learn more about the Blender Bottle or purchase your own, you can visit their WEBSITE, follow them on Twitter and/or 'like' them on Facebook.

To enter: Just comment on this blog post (with your name)! 

U.S. residents only. Contest ends July 3rd, winner announced the 4th of July. 

Good luck and have a GREAT weekend!! :)

My crazy life and the LiveFit trainer!

Life has been sweet, crazy, emotional and busy all wrapped up in one messy burrito! Here are just some of the things that are happening in my life right now.


All of my kids just went on summer break. (*crazy*)
My son was just promoted to middle school and leaves the family for the first time to go to church camp in a week, for a whole week. (*bitter sweet*)
My daughter (and her roommate, aka: my "adopted" daughter) graduates high school tomorrow! (*emotional*)
I start my summer class next week and am hoping to start my ACE training within the next month(saving my pennies!). (*exciting*)
I am continually working on and growing Heavenly Healthy so that it can become my dream come true! (*busy, proud, determined, excited*)




I just finished week 1 of Jamie Eason's LiveFit trainer and I'm LOVING it! I have this amazing little accountability group on FB and the women in there inspire and motivate me every day. We've got a great little team to go through things with together and to help answer questions and concerns that come up. I'm really proud of what has developed in there. Even though I'm only through one week, I can tell this program is going to be amazing and give all of us just the tools we need to get the results we desire.


Not only is it free, but the program is so well rounded and it's really teaching techniques and habits that can be carried on well past the 12 weeks.


My goal for the program is to create more all-around muscle definition and to tone down the remaining fat around my midsection. I will post progress pics after phase one. Maybe. :)


I'm already very familiar with eating clean and have been doing it for years, but this program is teaching me more about food combinations and coupling that with these amazing workouts. I'm not following Jamie's diet exactly because I'm vegetarian and my hubs is currently gluten free, but we are following the food groups and the meal frequency as much as possible. Learning more about the way our bodies respond to food is right up my alley and I've already dropped two pounds of fat this week. Obviously, something is working!


And the workouts? Well, I must say that so far they're very deceiving. In the first week, they've been very short, taking about 40 minutes to complete. We've all felt that we weren't doing "enough" and I know that many of my group members were having a hard time letting go of their cardio. But I also know that I've spent the past 4 out of 5 days SORE! I think Jamie knows what she's doing and I have nothing but faith in this program.


This weekend I'm taking time to unplug and enjoy the wonderful things and people in my life, and to refocus my intentions so that I can tackle the week and the happenings that lie ahead!


I hope that you all had a wonderful week and you enjoy your time with your fathers (or father figures) this weekend.


Healthfully yours,
~Mimi~

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Four Fab Fitters ~ Thursday

Breakfast from me~ Heavenly Healthy~

>> VIDEO Workout << of the Day from Better Believe Fit~

Snack of the Day from Go Mommy Go~

Snacktime! Greek Yogurt w/ 1/2 TBSP Peanut Butter & Handful of Blueberries

Dinner from Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads~

Four Fab Fitters ~ Wednesday

Workout of the Day from Yours Truly ~Heavenly Healthy~

Inspiration from Better Believe Fit~

Snack time from Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads~

Dinner made by Go Mommy Go~

Thai Spiced Chicken

***If you can't see the Full Recipe, it is posted in Go Mommy Go Notes

Super healthy, easy and quick chicken recipe - high in protein, low in fat - great muscle building recipe the whole family will love.

•6 chicken breasts cut in half
•12oz natural plain Greek yogurt
•2-3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
•4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
•7.5 cm/3 inch piece cucumber
•Lime wedges
Cooking Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 375°f. Put the chicken in a shallow dish in one layer. Blend a third of the yogurt, the curry paste and three tablespoons of the cilantro. Season with salt (to taste) and pour over the chicken, turning the pieces until they are evenly coated. Leave for at least 10 minutes, or in the fridge overnight.

2. Lift the chicken on to a rack in a roasting tin and roast for 35-40 minutes, until golden. (To cook the chicken on the grill, reduce the cooking time to 25-30 minutes.)

3. Blend together the remaining yogurt and cilantro. Finely chop the cucumber and stir into the yogurt mixture. Serve with the chicken and garnish with wedges of lime.

I serve this dish with simple salad greens.

Protein:43g
Carbs: 8g
Fat: 3g

Four Fab Fitters ~ Tuesday

Quote of the day from Go Mommy Go:

Workout of the day from Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads~

Snack of the day from Better Believe Fit~

1 mini Jospehs Pita

1 tbsp maple almond butter

1/2 banana thin sliced

and a swizzle of honey

Dinner from Yours Truly~ Heavenly Healthy :)

Four Fab Fitters ~ Monday

I have had the pleasure of teaming up with four fellow health and fitness FB pages and awesome ladies to bring our fans a week of some fresh ideas. Each day we are each sharing our own motivation, workouts and recipes. I would like to showcase our posts here since I know that we all worked very hard to bring it all together and they came out great! Be sure to check out their pages, and ENJOY!! :)

Workout of the Day from Go Mommy Go:

Breakfast from Better Believe Fit:

Blackberry Cobbler Oatmeal!
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 coconut almond milk
1/2 cup water
3 oz blackberries
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp ground flax (optional)
swizzle of honey ; )~

Put quick oats, water, blackberries and spices together in bowl. Microwave for 1 min. (or longer depending on your microwave)
Stir in coconut almond milk and flax.
Add on top almonds and honey.

Snack from Yours Truly :) ~Heavenly Healthy~

Dinner from Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads:

Place 5 boneless skinless chicken breast in crockpot that is heated on low.
Season with smokey paprika, cumin, oregano, ancho chili powder and garlic powder.
Add one sliced sweet onion, one sliced green pepper, two sliced jalapeños, 1 cup frozen corn, and 1 tub organic salsa. (no sugar added, I used mild)
1/4 cup water

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hrs.
Shred the chicken while still in crockpot, and add one can of organic low sodium black beans(drained and rinsed). Heat until beans are warm and serve!
This can be served over brown rice, in tortillas, over organic flax seed tortilla chips.
We put it in Ezekiel tortillas with avocado slices and it was FANTASTIC!!
Two of the little lettuce heads ate THREE fir dinner and one asked to have left overs for lunch today!!! 

Accountability time!

Since we're halfway through the year, I think it's a good time to check in with ourselves on our resolutions and goals. Personally, I feel I'm on great track! 

Here's my WILL DO list from the beginning of the year and my updates in red.

Mimi’s 2012 WILL DO list

·         Run at least three 5K’s with my kiddos ~ 1 down, 2 to go!

·         Run my first ½ marathon ~ Hollywood Half Marathon done!! :)

·         Keep growing Heavenly Healthy ~ Done and doing! Thanks to YOU! 

·         Work on my recipe book ~ 

·         Pay off all our debt and keep building financial stability ~ Done and doing!

·         Take another Landmark Seminar 

·         March for Babies fundraiser (7^th year!) - Meet or exceed my goal!! ~ Done!

·         Fit photo shoot ~ One done, planning to do another soon :)

·         Try at least one new workout or class per month ~ So far, so good!

·         Take a family road trip / vacation ~ Camping trip booked for September. Can't wait!

·         Volunteer in some way with my kids (AKA: Teach my kids about paying it forward and about the less fortunate in the world)

·         Live GREENER

How are your plans and goals coming along for the year? I'd LOVE to hear about it!!

Happy June!!

Where did this week go? What about the month?! Sheesh! Next week is my kids last week of school, so we're in the middle of all of their end of year festivities. Open houses, musical performances, parent meetings, one kid getting ready for middle school, another kid graduating high school, family coming to town -- all on top of our regularly scheduled sports and day-to-day business. If only I didn't have to sleep!

So, I haven't had time for my blogging this week, but I've been conjuring up so many things that I thought I could at least give you a teaser of what's to come!

First~ this weekend, Sunday, June 3rd is the day that my guest post for Tosca Reno's blog goes live! I'm so excited to be a part of the launching of her new book, The Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook. I will be talking about my evolution of becoming a vegetarian and how Tosca's books have played a part in my learning how to be and eat healthy.

Second~ I've really been working to get more involved with my ~HH~ community and the pieces are finally starting to come together. I am going to be hosting my first reviews and giveaways! This means I get to try some great new stuff and share it with some lucky winners! Details coming soon, but in the meantime you can check out who I've teamed up with.

The first review and giveaway will be with The Blender Bottle. I've been seeing these things all over the place and they look so awesome. The hubs and I are always taking our shakes on the go and these revolutionary bottles seem like they would make life so much easier. Check them out and keep your eyes open for the deets!

The next giveaway... well, I think I'll keep you guessing for now, but I assure you it's going to be LOVELY!! Stay tuned!!

I was beating myself up because I only got in three workouts this week, and then I remembered that 3 is better than 0! The thing is, I LOVE my new gym and I just want to be in there every day, but right now our schedule just isn't allowing for it. Cool thing though... we're now able to take our almost 11 year old with us. Today was his first time inside of a gym and he loved it. He's such a super awesome sport and so enthusiastic about being healthy and fit. I mean, can you imagine how your life may have been different if you had learned about health and fitness at such a young age? I'm super proud to have him in there with us, and to have my other kids eager to get in there in the next few years. I think we must be doing something right! :)

Hope you've all had a lovely week and have a great weekend ahead!
As always, thank you for reading, following and supporting~

~Mimi~

Friday Favorites!

I have come across some awesome things and people this week that I think are ultra worthy of being shared! I LOVE finding new tools for empowering and maximizing my healthy lifestyle and it is my passion to share the healthy wealth with you all.

Fitness~
TRX - Have you tried it yet? I was already a big fan of using my bodyweight for working out and strength training, but this suspension training takes your training to a whole new level. After one full body circuit workout with two of my friends, I was sore in places I forgot existed. I highly recommend giving it a try if you have the chance!


Food~
I'm so excited to have been introduced to a new realm of healthy cooking this week. My friend, who has been a nutrtitional chef for the past 8 years, came and presented an amazing healthy cooking experience with The Saladmaster. The hubs and I have purchased a whole new cooking set that will completely replace all of our pots and pans. Our new set will maximize the nutritional content of our cooked foods by cooking at a lower temperature and eliminating metal toxicities in our foods. As someone who spends a lot of time cooking and aiming to keep her family as healthy as possible, this is yet another valuable tool in maximizing my efforts. And some day, I'm going to have my dream kitchen to go along with it all! ;)


Friends~
I'm so thankful for the healthy relationships that are forming in my life lately. One of the toughest parts in transforming from an unhealthy to a healthy lifestyle is trying to find your place in a sort of "new" world. You find that you have to change your surroundings to ones that support your new choices and trying to eliminate environments where temptation may occur, or where your choices might be mocked (for lack of a better term). I have found that as long as you stay strong and persistent on your path toward your goals, it will still take time, but soon enough you will find yourself surrounded with a nurturing environment and you will breath a breathe of fresh air. Just don't give up!

I'm also excited because last week the hubs decided to join me on my Heavenly Healthy FB page. I'm thankful for his enthusiasm in helping to share our wealth of healthy knowledge together. This also takes a little bit of pressure off as summer approaches and my schedule tightens. The kids will be out of school which always changes the daily routine, and I will also be taking some classes that are big steps toward my next goals. This is on top of an already crazy, busy routine, but my wish is to keep ~HH~ going and growing strong! :)


Fun~
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and fun Memorial weekend!! Hope you all get to kick back and enjoy some sunshine with your loved ones. Thank you for your support and as always, I love hearing from you!!

I'm a FitFluential Ambassador!

<<---- See that cute pink badge over there? Yep, that's right! I'm now a FitFluential Ambassador and I'm tickled pink about it! ;) This is just one more thing that opens up a myriad of opportunities for me and Heavenly Healthy. 


But what does it mean, you ask? Well, it could be said that I'm sort of an employee, or business-fitness partner with FitFluential, Inc.. Being an Ambassador means that I will have opportunities to work with fitness brands and be invited to take part in exclusive events. It is also an amazing social networking partnership where I will get to meet and connect with others who share the same passion in health and fitness as me.


FitFluential says, "We consider our Ambassadors to be the highest rank in our rapidly growing community of fitness fanatics."


I'm honored and so thrilled to be part of this community and fit-fanatic-family! :)


I'm still learning what this all means to me, but I'm super excited to share yet another fun journey with you all! 


If you want to learn more about FitFluential, just click on that badge and check it out. If you have a great love any realm of fitness whatsoever, I actually recommend that you do! There are many ways for you to get connected and involved.


Thank you for all of your love and support!!


Fitfully yours,
~Mimi~