Numbers are adding up!

June 5, 2012 By 16 Comments

Week 6!!  WOW!    The whole campaing has been FLYING by and I can’t believe we’re nearly done! I’ve been putting in a lot of hard work and it’s showing!

Oh, YEAH, it does!  Total weight loss so far?  17.4 pounds!

It’s just a great week.  I’m feeling GREAT!! Sometimes there isn’t much more to say than that.

 

None of this would be able to happen without all the help we’ve receive.

Thank You to our sponsors for this campaign:
New Balance, Omron Fitness, and Earth Footwear.
Each one is playing a huge role in our goal to get active and healthy.

Also a Huge Thank you to all the Coaches:
Leah @BookieBoo, Alysa @InspiredRD, Pete  @PeteCohen_, and Mark @MrBookieboo.

Special THANK YOU to our mentors, Lolo and Andrea, and Shannon, as well!

Filed Under: confessional, Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms, sponsors, Uncategorized, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mamavation Monday: Healthy Snacks

June 2, 2012 By 15 Comments
Are you excited that summer is finally here? Is it a bigger deal for us, people in colder regions, than it is for those of you residing in warmer climates? The pools here in Chicago are finally open and summer has officially started. My family usually spends a lot of time outdoors. Swimming, playing, cycling, hiking – there are so many ways to keep your family moving. What do you absolutely love doing? My whole family loves long Sunday cycling trail rides or zoo trips. Did you notice that great outdoors make kids hungry much faster than when they are in close proximity to a fridge? My options are usually limited to whatever is sold around or anything I packed in a snack bag. Our public pool only has vending machines, and the last time I check nothing good comes out of the vending machine. What would you consider a good on the go snack?
Here are some ideas from Mamavation Moms:

Hanan (@LilacCityMomma): Fruit, nuts, string cheese, popcorn, yogurt and carrot

Wendy’s (@WeightsOver): sliced apple with a tsp peanut butter, 1/2 banana with a tsp peanut butter, baby carrots with a tsp dressing. Also when I have to go out, I put 1 tbls nuts and 1 tbls dried fruit in a baggie.

WOW – those are some great ideas! For even more great ideas we are inviting a special guest.
Special Guest: Jasmine (@Healthy Jasmine)
If you haven’t met Jasmine yet, you don’t want to miss this opportunity – she is simply awesome!  After months of talking to her in social media outlets, I finally got to meet her in person few months ago. Believe me, she is as cool in person as she is on Twitter!
Jasmine’s passion for health and well-being stems from her own childhood.  While her love of cooking and baking from scratch came from her own mom’s kitchen, Jasmine grew up drinking pop (soda, Cola, Coke, whatever) and hating her veggies.  In 2006, Jasmine was diagnosed with a gluten, soy, and dairy sensitivity that explained a number of symptoms: weekly migraines, digestive problems, acid-reflux and fatigue.  Freeing herself of medication and living healthy, she now makes it her mission to help others heal themselves through diet and lifestyle changes.

Jasmine now works as a Lifestyle and Wellness consultant, freelance writer at the National Pregnancy Health Examiner, and Chicago Family Health Examiner for Examiner.com.  She is the Program Coordinator and instructor for an online course that she authored, Professional Certificate in Women’s Personal Exercise Training and Wellness through Educational Fitness Solutions, Inc. She is also a Master Trainer for Healthy Moms(R) Fitness and their Social Media Director. Don’t forget to visit Healthy Jasmine’s website for all kinds of great information.

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Omron. Two blogging carnival participants will each receive an Omron pedometer. To be eligible inlcude the following disclmber and link back to Mamavation website. “This post is sponsored by Omron and hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway” at the bottom of your post. Link up your post here.

SISTAHOOD: If you are interested in pledging to the Mamavation Sistahood, Monday is the time to do it. Please go here for instructions. Invitations are done on Wednesdays over Twitter. (Or later if I get swamped)

GIVEAWAYS (You must attend Mamavation TV show to win):

  1. Omron pedomter (2 winners)

To Enter (leave a comment for entry):

  1. Hit the Linky
  2. Tweet out this message “Giveaways LIVE on #Mamavation TV. This week sponsored by @omronfitness http://bit.ly/Klyqsh  Join us 4 healthy snacks talk w @HealthyJasmine” (Unlimited Entries for tweets)

Extra Entries (leave a comment for EVERY entry):
Download the Alexa tool bar, http://www.alexa.com/toolbar (this will help your Alexa rating go up and will help Mamavation too!) (1 entry)

  1. Comment on a Mamavation Monday post. (2 entries for each blog you visit)
  2. Tell a Sista this week WHY she is special on twitter using the #mamavation hashtag (1 entry)
  3. Subscribe to the RSS feed of this blog (1 entry)
  4. Follow @InspiredRD on Twitter (1 entry)
  5. Become a fan of Healthy Jasmine on Facebook (1 entry)
  6. Follow @omronfitness on Twitter (1 entry)
  7. Give @Bookieboo Klout points, +Klout in Fitness, nutrition, health, social media, or parenting. (1 entry each)

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Mondays

Vegan Caprese Salad

June 1, 2012 By 4 Comments

Who doesn’t love the summery flavors bursting from a caprese salad? I know I do! If you are serving someone who is following a vegan or dairy-free diet, this version works perfectly. Simply substitute the typical mozzarella with fresh avocado. Try finding different brightly colored tomatoes at local farmers’ markets or grow your own. Happy Summer!

Print
Vegan Caprese Salad

Rating: 51

Vegan Caprese Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh assorted grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 avocado, pitted and diced
  • 1 bunch fresh basil, torn
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Arrange basil leaves on the bottom of a large plate. Top with tomatoes and avocado, then lemon juice and salt & pepper. Serve immediately.
http://www.mamavation.com/2012/06/vegan-caprese-salad.html

Enjoy!

Now it’s you turn! Please link up your healthy recipes below:

Alysa Bajenaru, RD is the official dietitian of Mamavation. You can find her blogging, tweeting, or chasing after one of her kids.

Filed Under: Featured, Food, Longterm

It’s a Life Change, not a Diet.

May 30, 2012 By 14 Comments

As much as I would like to say this past week was awesome. It just wasn’t. It was hard and a few times this past week I broke down crying from exhaustion.

After having a weekend with family, away from the computer, and trying to focus on being happy again...I am finally feeling better.

Please ignore the fact that I made this at 6am, and I am a little tired still.

Did you hear that guys? Overall, I am down 15lbs since applying to be a Mamavation Mom!! More importantly then that, I am feeling like instead of just being on a diet, like I would have before, I am starting to feel like our life is changing for the better.

Down to 223 lbs! Started at 238 lbs.

Our grocery cart is full of produce, instead of boxes and cans of food.

I make it a point to get to the gym daily. After working out, I feel better.

It feels good. All of it. I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity!

Thank You to our sponsors for this campaign:
New Balance, Omron Fitness, and Earth Footwear.
Each one is playing a huge roll in our goal to get active and healthy.

Also a Huge Thank you to all the Coaches:
Leah @BookieBoo, Alysa @InspiredRD, Pete  @PeteCohen_, and Mark @MrBookieboo.

Special THANK YOU to my mentors, who really helped me this past weekend. You ladies mean everything to me!!

Filed Under: confessional, Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Impacting EVERYONE

May 29, 2012 By 9 Comments

It’s week 5!  How did that happen?  We just finished up  Memorial Day weekend  and it was a great weekend.

My daughter, Ally and I  participated in the Color Me Rad 5K and it was AWESOME!

I also got to meet Mamavation Sista Sarah!  loved MEETING A SISTA!

I have 2 scale pics this week- I’m moving over to my Omron Scale which weighs me in at .4 pounds higher than my old scale.  I’m claiming my 13.2 pound weight loss so far!

One of the coolest things about this week is that I  took out my old summer clothes from last week…and most of them do not fit!  I’m super excited about that!

All in all a great week!

I love being part of this campaign,and I love all the help, love and support we are getting! Especially from New Balance, Omron Fitness, InsiredRD, Weight Loss Guru, Earth Shoes and of course, my Mamavation community Plus my awesome Mentors Lolo, Laura, and Andrea, not to mention my partner in crime,and Mamavation Mom cohort, Hanan!

AND

Congrats to the Bookieboo family on their newest addition! WELCOME STEPHEN!

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mamavation Monday: Memorial Day

May 26, 2012 By 4 Comments

I am not sure what I am more excited about – #BabyBookieboo or the Memorial Day weekend. Both seem like really good reasons for celebration, so let’s do just that! We really hope that you spend plenty of time outside with friends and loved ones, and while you are there – don’t forget to stay hydrated.

Photo Credit: opas.com

Watcha cookin?
We asked our Mamavation Moms to share their favorite recipes with the community

Hanan’s (@LilacCityMomma) Chicken Fried “Rice”

Ingredients
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 small bag of shredded coleslaw mix (I used rainbow slaw: broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)
  • minced garlic
  • low sodium soy sauce
  • fat free chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Using a food processor (or cheese grater) grate the head of the cauliflower down to the size of rice.
  2. Cube and stir fry chicken breasts in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Set aside
  3. Scramble the eggs in pan spray. Set aside.
  4. Stir fry the coleslaw mix and garlic in 1 tbsp of olive oil, about 5 minutes on medium.
  5. Add another tbsp of olive oil and the grated cauliflower to the coleslaw mix. Stir fry another 5-7 minutes. Add a few tbsp’s of chicken broth as you go. This will help steam the veggies.
  6. Add back the chicken and eggs. Add soy sauce to taste.

Wendy’s (@WeightsOver) Marinated Chicken (It’s my take of one I found on the web- I and I always keep a bottle around)

Marinade:

  • 1 16 oz. bottle Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (You can probably use any type of Italian dressing made with olive oil as long as it’s not low fat)
  • 1 pkg. Zesty Italian dressing mix (powdered mix)
  • 1 T Spike Seasoning or all purpoe seasoning
  • 1 T italian seasining
  • 1.2 tsp ground pepper

Toss some frozen chicken breast in here in the morning and grill it later for dinner. It has never, ever fail. Not once. I’ve also used it on veggies, fish and steak, but it ROCKS on chicken!

There will be no Mamavation TV on Monday, May 28. Enjoy your time with your families and stay safe!

Do you still have to write your Mamavation Post, link it up in our BLOGGING CARNIVAL, and encourage others to stay healthy and fit? Absolutely YES. Link up your post here.

Here is a great idea for your Mamavation Monday post. Our forums have been doing incredibly well with so many topics and conversations going. In your Mamavation Post talk a topics discussed in the forums and link back to that topic or a thread in the forums. We would love if you can e/ncourage your readers to participate in our forum conversations.

SISTAHOOD: If you are interested in pledging to the Mamavation Sistahood, Monday is the time to do it. Please go here for instructions. Invitations are done on Wednesdays over Twitter. (Or later if I get swamped)

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Mondays

My body is saying No More.

May 23, 2012 By 15 Comments

Can you believe we’re half way done with Mamavation Campaign #12? It’s actually gone by pretty quickly.

Half way done, and I can very happily say that I have now lost 14.4 lbs since I applied!! Very happy to see the scale go down this week.

Omron Body Composition Monitor

We were supposed to share our measurements with you as well. When I did them on Monday, it didn’t seem like I lost any. So either I measured wrong the first time or I haven’t lost any inches. However, the tight jeans I bought a month ago say differently ;-)

Here’s my vlog for this week. I had actually started one last night, but it was SO depressing I deleted it. This one is not much better, and mostly because I have been fighting a cold since Sunday. My body is saying No more, but I’m not going to listen.

Hanan from Lilac City Momma

I mentioned I got my Earthies Shoes. LOVE them! They are the Raphaelle boots. I just love how Earth Foot Wear promotes beautiful and sexy shoes, but most with wedges, which are still super comfortable.

Thank You to our sponsors for this campaign:
New Balance, Omron Fitness, and Earth Footwear.
Each one is playing a huge roll in our goal to get active and healthy.

Also a Huge Thank you to all the Coaches:
Leah @BookieBoo, Alysa @InspiredRD, Pete  @PeteCohen_, and Mark @MrBookieboo.

Filed Under: confessional, Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Steps and BIg Changes

May 22, 2012 By 10 Comments

I can’t believe that we are nearly  halfway done  with Campaign 12!  I’m learning so much and really noticing differences in  my life… and my body!  In fact, I have lost 13.2 pounds, and 8 inches since I applied to be a Mamavation Mom!

Not every steps as a Mamavation Mom is small, in fact, it’s pretty intense, but they are changes that everyone can make:  east healthy,  exercise more, lean on friends for support, and find the tools that help you succeed: and that I’ve done!

One of the things I’m LOVING my new Omron Fitness Pedometer and Scale!    First of all my pedometer is my new best friend (or worst enemy if my steps are not high enough at night!) .  I check it around 7 and end up hoofing it around the block to get it all in.!   They also sent us this awesome scale- the Full Body Sensor that not only measures your weight, but  it also measures your body fat percent, your visceral fat level,  skeletal muscle percent, body weight, and  BMI.  Visceral fat is the hidden fat that hides in your abdomen and surrounds your vital organs- and this type of fat often goes undetected.  The more skeletal muscle you have the more calories you will burn, as muscle burns 22% of calories. I love having this tool at my toes to help me  lose weight!

 

Next week Ally and I are participating in Color Me Rad, a fun 5K that incorporated running and fun!  We’ll be  in Hartford for our first race together, and we are both super excited!   i can’t wait to show those photos!

 

None of these changes that I’ve been making would have been possible without  help-  and I’d love to say a great big THANK YOU  to our sponsors,: New Balance, Omron Fitness, InsiredRD, Weight Loss Guru, Earth Shoes  and of course, my Mamavation community  Plus my awesome Mentors Lolo, Laura, and Andrea, not to mention my partner in crime,and Mamavation Mom cohort, Hanan who puts up with my panicked tweets.

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Mamavation Monday: Any Age Workout

May 19, 2012 By 57 Comments

Welcome to another great Mamavation week. It is week 4 in the Mamavation Mom bootcamp.

Hanan (@LilacCityMomma) has been trying to go to the Zumba classes almost every day and started making new friends.

Wendy’s (@WeightsOver) took her family on a long walk for Mother’s Day, and overall loves exploring the hiking trails around her.

Please don’t forget – these ladies need your support! Find a minute to leave a quick comment or tweet how awesome they are – these moms are on the middle of their bootcamp experience.

What I personally find difficult when it comes to workouts is to keep it interesting – I get bored easy and find myself checking the watch way too often looking forward to the end of the workout. This might be a perfect time to switch and do something different. Let’s talk about aerobics, a type of workout that has been around for a long time and still going strong.

Did you know?
More than 11 million people in the United States are enrolled in a fitness class that utilizes aerobic principles.

Why?
Consistent aerobic exercise is extremely beneficial to the human body. The consistent breathing strengthens the lungs. Aerobics keeps the heart at maximum efficiency, and actually enlarges the heart muscle. This allows it to pump more blood with less effort —so it reduces the resting heart rate. A healthy heart benefits the body’s blood circulation and blood pressure.

Special Guest: Sheila Cluff

Sheila Cluff, internationally-known fitness expert, owner, and founder of The Oaks at Ojai health and fitness destination spa is an inspiration because the 75-year-old mother of four and grandmother of seven lives and looks the lifestyle she teaches. The former star and host of her own fitness shows on NBC in New York and KABC in Southern California, Cluff has touched the lives of millions.  Cluff was named “Woman of the Year” by the City of Hope Foundation.  The former professional figure skater and high school physical education teacher is considered a fitness pioneer in the health and fitness industry among her peers. Cluff introduced “cardiovascular dance” to the world in the 1950s. Today, we know this groundbreaking exercise simply as “aerobics.”

If you have questions for our guest, here is a thread in the forum – I will forward all the questions to the guest prior to the show.

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Mamavation.

One blogging carnivals participant will receive $25 gift certificate via Paypal.

Include the following disclaimer in your weekly Mamavation blog post and link back to Mamavation site to qualify for the prize drawing:

“This post is sponsored by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway” at the bottom of your post. Link up your post here.

WELCOME
Welcome back Kat (@casadirosati) – we are happy to have you.

SISTAHOOD: If you are interested in pledging to the Mamavation Sistahood, Monday is the time to do it. Please go here for instructions. Invitations are done on Wednesdays over Twitter. (Or later if I get swamped)

GIVEAWAYS (You must attend Mamavation TV show to win):

  1. $25 gift certificate via Paypal (1 winner)

To Enter (leave a comment for entry):

  1. Hit the Linky
  2. Tweet out this message “Giveaways LIVE on #Mamavation TV . Join us 4 great talk about aerobics with Sheila Cluff. Learn more –> http://bit.ly/L3UNQh” (Unlimited Entries for tweets)

Extra Entries (leave a comment for EVERY entry):

  1. Download the Alexa tool bar (this will help your Alexa rating go up and will help Mamavation too!) (1 entry)
  2. Comment on a Mamavation Monday post. (2 entries for each blog you visit)
  3. Tell a Sista this week WHY she is special on twitter using the #mamavation hashtag (1 entry)
  4. Subscribe to the RSS feed of this blog (1 entry)
  5. Follow @InspiredRD on Twitter (1 entry)
  6. Like The Oaks at Ojai on Facebook (1 entry)
  7. Give @Bookieboo Klout points, +Klout in Fitness, nutrition, health, social media, or parenting. (1 entry each)

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Mondays

Time To Get Sweet Domino/C&H Light Twitter Party

May 18, 2012 By 431 Comments

It’s time to get sweet!!!

Now you can have sugar without the guilt from all those extra calories or artificial chemicals with some new products on the Mamavation approved list: Domino® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend AND C & H® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend . They have created a hybrid sugar concoction that uses all-natural Stevia along with pure cane sugar to cut the calories in half and still give you that sweet taste with only 5 calories per serving.
What is Stevia?: The tropical stevia plant, originally discovered in the warm highlands of South America, has been used for centuries as a sweetener. C&H® Light AND Domino® Light is made from the extract of this stevia plant and then blended with another one of nature’s pure sweet plants, the sugar cane. The balance of sugar cane and stevia extract creates the ideal sweetener– a perfect sweet taste and half the calories of sugar. And when baking, it tastes fabulous with chocolate or cinnamon.

Baking with Domino® Light & C&H® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blends–Baking is as easy as cutting it in half. So if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, all you need to do is use 1/2 cup of Domino® Light OR C&H® Light.

COUPONS:

Domino® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend on Facebook ($1.00 off)

C&H® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend on Facebook ($1.00 off)

 

Join us on Wednesday, August 8th from 8-10pm EST to celebrate how sweet life really is with sugar that tastes amazing, doesn’t lead to weight gain, and doesn’t have artificial chemicals in it (my own words.) The party will be about all the ways you can use these new products in baking and other recipes to help you with your healthy living lifestyle. And because there are NO artificial sweeteners, you can feel great about sharing them with your family.

Party Details

Who: Domino® Light AND C&H® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blends

When: August 8th, 2012 from 8-10pm EST

Hashtag: #DominoCHLight

Brand Twitter: @Dominosugar (Domino® Light) AND @Candh_sugar (C&H® Light)

What the heck is a Twitter Party? Click here for that information.

 

Party Hosts:

1. @Bookieboo, Hostess with the Mostess
2. @Resourcefulmom, Twitter Oprah in charge of SWAG
3. @jonbonjovious, Panelist
4. @JManMillerBug, Panelist
5. @Themommyfiles, Panelist

 

Giveaways:

$500 in Visa Gift Cards

 

How to Enter (make sure to comment for EACH entry. You MUST be present to win):

1. Tweet this message (limit 1 tweet per hour, max 30 entries, 1 entry per tweet)

Time 2 Get Sweet! Party abt baking light w/ @Dominosugar & @Candh_Sugar  8/8 frm 8-10pm EST, http://bit.ly/Kzd8GA  #DominoCHLight

2. Share images about event on Pinterest (1 entry per image)
3. Join Bookieboo Blogging Network (5 entries, new members only)
4. Join the Mamavation Forums (2 entries, new members only)

Hope to see you all there!!!

RSVP to the linky below to say you will be there. Remember you must be present to win! (Only five minutes if your name is called to respond.)

Filed Under: Featured, Leah's Posts, Longterm, Twitter Parties, Uncategorized