Why I'm not running accountability groups anymore

As many of you know, I am a registered dietitian, but I've also been a Beachbody coach for a few years. I love Beachbody's workout programs, and I can honestly say that the programs are what have helped me get in shape and stay in shape post-baby. At-home workouts are my saving grace as a mom! I get to workout at home, pause when Emma needs me or #momlife gets in the way, then press play and continue on. I've built muscle, gained strength, lost weight, and have gained so much confidence though Beachbody and their programs!

I used to run monthly accountability groups, but I decided that for now, I am pressing pause on these groups. There are a few reasons why, so I though I'd explain a bit in this post to clarify what I am doing and how you can work with me moving forward! 

1. My private practice: In addition to being a Beachbody coach, I have my own private practice as a registered dietitian. My heart and my passion are with this business and my clients that meet with me one-on-one, which is why I have not been running accountability groups lately. I have been pouring into and focusing on my private practice clients, and my heart has been filled with so much joy and fulfillment! Working with these women (mostly moms) has been firing me up to help us moms learn how to self-care though healthy eating and nourishing ourselves. So if you are a mom, I want to help YOU figure out how to care for your family by caring for YOURSELF first! This is what my private sessions with these women are all about! Making it easy for us moms to put ourselves first, pour into our cup, and then pour into our families as better, stronger versions of ourselves. If you want a community to join that will help you feel supported, I am launching the brand new Happy Whole Moms groups on Facebook! Click here to join! 

2. Individualized meal plans: As a dietitian, I firmly believe that there is no one size fits all when it comes to getting healthy. With my private practice clients, I evaluate where they are in their current health, and make a plan based on their individual goals and needs. I love the freedom and knowledge that I have as a dietitian because I am able to tailor-make a plan for each client that I meet with. While I love the 21 day fix container system (aka portion fix) which is the meal plan Beachbody uses, and have even helped me balance out my own meals, I know that this may not work for everyone! Each person has different dietary needs, sources of motivation, and methods of eating that work well for them. I help my one-on-one clients figure this out for themselves, and with that, they gain a powerful tool in their health journey to ensure success for themselves!

3. Long term accountability: Lastly, I wanted to provide a way to have long-term accountability with my clients as their personal dietitian. My accountability groups ran for 3-4 weeks, and then many clients fell off the wagon and went back to their own unhealthy habits. My Supercharged Accountability packages that I offer though my private practice services give you 2 or 4 months of accountability with me as your cheerleader, friends, source of nutrition knowledge, and dose of inspiration. I started offering these packages around the new year and already see a difference in the clients that purchased and have been working with me since then. 

All that to say, I am still a Beachbody coach and am more than willing to help guide you and encourage you if you want to pick a workout program and ask questions about what Beachbody has to offer. I am simply no longer running my "virtual bootcamps" aka accountability groups, because my energy and focus has been shifting towards my private practice clients and providing longer term accountability in their health journey. If you want to know more about my private practice services, I am hosting free, 15 minute discovery calls where we can chat and see which of my services would work best for your lifestyle! Contact me here to schedule our call!

I can't wait to get to know more of you out there, work closely with you to help you care for yourself and reach your goals, and watch you THRIVE as a mama! 

Why you should get uncomfortable

Last week, Emma and I drove out to meet my husband for lunch. I have Mondays and Wednesdays off, so we drove to Ontario, took our packed lunches to the food court at Ontario Mills, and ate while everyone else was having yummy smelling food court food. My hubby LOVES Chinese food, and the smell of Panda Express was getting to him. He wanted to get noodles, but also wanted to stay healthy. That morning, he had just sent me the picture above, so I threw it right back at him! I told him to be uncomfortable and do the uncomfortable thing, just like he had told me! I don't know if he appreciated that (I mean, who enjoys getting their own advice thrown back at them?), but it made him pause his thought process and decide not to get the chow mein.

It would have definitely been easier for him to just walk up to Panda Express and get the noodles right? It's comfortable, it's familiar, and it's something he typically would do. But in order for real change to take place and progress to occur, we HAVE to start being comfortable with being uncomfortable.

We hold ourselves back so much in this life, but I am finally calling it quits with playing small. No more wondering what it would be like to be more fearless, more confident, more full of love to give to others, or just MORE. I want to get uncomfortable, because that's the only way I'll grow.

I've been getting up between 4:30 and 5:00 to get my workouts in. I used to think I was a morning person and that's why it was so easy for me. But the more I've worked with clients as a dietitian and health and wellness coach, I've learned that NO one is a morning person. We just DECIDE that it is worth it to get up. It's worth it to get uncomfortable. Because if we are stuck in comfort, we are going to just be stuck forever.

I have a diagnosed gluten allergy and have been telling myself for years that there is no way I can cut out gluten because it's too "uncomfortable." I want to enjoy pita bread and pasta and pizza. That's comfortable to me. But these past two weeks I told myself to finally grow up and honor my body. I've been gluten free since October 29th, and I feel amazing! Sometimes (scratch that, most of the time) it is uncomfortable, but it's always worth it because I know that I am treating my body well and in a way that honors my energy and my health!

And guess what? I'm pretty sure everyone loves junk food. People who want to live a healthy lifestyle don't just magically NOT like junk food. Heck, some of my favorite foods are Oreos, chips and salsa, froyo with ALL the candy toppings, and brownies. I don't eat healthy because it's easy or comfortable, I eat healthy because it makes me feel good and I want to be the best version of myself possible. It is sometimes uncomfortable to choose the healthy foods and to say no to donuts or chow mein. But that uncomfortable feeling is what will make you grow and THRIVE into the amazing person you were created to be. I've found that each good decision just leads to another, and another, and another, and that string of good decisions helps you grow in strength and confidence in order to make MORE good decision. It's an amazing cycle!

So, what can you get uncomfortable about today? Maybe it's waking up 30 minutes earlier to get a workout in. Maybe it's cooking a meal tonight (even if you are tired, even if you "don't" have time, which I'm learning is a myth...but more on that later!), instead of ordering a pizza. Maybe it's reading a book that will make you think and grow instead of slipping into the Netflix vortex (and if you need book suggestions, let me know!) Whatever it is, just know that it WON'T be easy. You aren't going to want to do any of it. It's going to be uncomfortable.

But from that feeling, growth will happen. Your muscles will get flexed and sore, but they will strengthen too. You'll continue seeking out uncomfortable situations that will give you the opportunity to shine and live an amazing life. You were made for more than playing small. You were made by an amazing, creative, loving God, so why not live into that identity?

I'd love to chat with you about ways you can start getting uncomfortable in your life! Contact me here and we can get started setting some uncomfortable goals that will stretch you and bring JOY into your life again. Because the real YOU, the one you were created to be, is possible.

Daily Manna: pancakes, rest day, and a muffin recipe!

Well hello there! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend and are having fun gearing up for Christmas! I know I am! My hubby and I decorated our apartment and we are so excited to celebrate our first Christmas together! I love everything about this season and am looking forward to many cozy nights sipping tea and watching Christmas movies! :) 

I thought I'd bring back my daily manna posts from...um...about 2 years ago? I used to write these daily posts as a journal to myself and I absolutely loved them! But, life got in the way, which is typically the case, and I didn't give this blog the attention it deserves. Blogging is near and dear to my heart so I definitely want to take care of my blog more and give you more content to read! 

And with that said...here is today's daily manna!  

Today was a rest day for me workout-wise. I don't take nearly enough rest days as I should, and since I felt a little under the weather earlier this week, I decided to take it easy on my body. So, I started my day out with quiet time with Jesus and read and journaled. Then I whipped up my shakeology and sipped on yummy superfoods! 

I blended a scoop of vegan chocolate Shakeology with coconut milk and ice...so good!  

I decided to make my hubby and I some pancakes since I had some extra time in the morning (I am a super early riser). I used the gluten free pumpkin pancake mix from Trader Joe's and mixed in oats and flaxseed for some extra fiber and healthy fats! I topped these babies up with sunflower seed butter (I'm obsessed). They hit the spot!  

Around 9am, I definitely needed something warm since our office was freezing! I had an extra tea bag from sbux (I usually order grandes with just one tea bag and sometimes the kind souls at Starbucks let you take the second tea bag home!) so I boiled some water and snuggled in my office chair with my tea. I also had a Larabar but forgot to take a picture of it...sad day! 

After a busy morning meeting with patients, it was time for lunch! 

Lentil veggie stew with brown rice and a side of carrots. And for dessert...kiwi! I love kiwis!  

Work ended pretty quickly in the afternoon and once I got home and did an inventory of our fridge, I grabbed my purse and headed to sprouts. We literally only had kale and quinoa in the fridge, and I knew we needed some more supplies! I love going to the grocery store when I'm NOT in a hurry, and this afternoon provided me with that opportunity! I walked along each and every aisle and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I also snacked on some almond because PSA: do not go grocery shopping hungry!  

Almonds yummmm :)  

I got home and organized our fridge and pantry and settled down to some Netflix time. I love being productive when I'm home (and I DID clean the kitchen floor!) but today, rest was calling to me, and I listened. 

Until...baking called my name. I have been wanting to experiment with spelt flour lately, so I decided to whip up some almond blueberry muffins. I just basically threw what I had into a bowl and hoped for the best! The recipe went something like this: 

Makes 9 muffins:

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup applesauce

1 T coconut oil

1 whole egg

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup baking stevia (or sugar) 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

I mixed the batter thoroughly, poured the batter in 9 muffin tins, and then baked them on 350 for about 20-25 minutes (I've found the baking time REALLY depends on your oven, so check with a toothpick!). While I waited for these to bake, I whipped up a quick dinner. 

I had made the quinoa and black beans yesterday, so dinner was a breeze tonight (yay for meal prep). Basically cooked quinoa and added a can of cuban black beans and about 1/2 cup fresh salsa (laziest dinner ever). So for today, I made a huge salad (massaged kale, romaine, cucumbers, and tomatoes with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic salt), with the quinoa-bean mix, and a small handful of rice chips! This dinner hit the spot and left me feeling satisfied and happy! 

And a little bit after dinner, it was time to taste-test my muffin. I smeared it with a bit of Justin's vanilla almond butter which legit tastes like frosting...SO GOOD! And I'll definitely be baking with spelt from now on! Some benefits of spelt include its high fiber and protein content, and how abundant it is in important minerals such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins! Plus the spelt flour gave these muffins a crunchy top and a soft and fluffy middle...just the way I like it!

After my delicious muffin, I cleaned up the rest of the kitchen and am now enjoying some quiet time waiting for my hubby to get home. On Thursday nights, he leads a small group bible study for high school guys in our home, so I plan on heading to our bedroom and having some quiet time, reading, and journaling, then hopefully dozing off and getting a good night's rest for my Disneyland day tomorrow! I'm oh so excited! 

It truly was such a good day today. It's so important to look for the good in every day and gather the blessings God lays before us, just as the Israelites gathered the manna God provided for them. I am so grateful today for my job, my coworker, my sweet bosses, my husband, and our quaint little apartment. I'm thankful for my clients who bring such joy into my life and are KILLING it with their healthy lifestyle habits this week during our challenge. Lastly, I'm so very thankful for my relationship with Jesus and the grace and restoration He has shown a broken girl like me. His love is SO sweet! 

I hope you all have a restful evening...it's FriYAY tomorrow!! :) 

5 Easy Meal Planning Tips!

People always ask me how to plan out their meals in order to ensure healthy choices throughout the day and week. Let's face it, we ALL have busy lives. I've actually tried to not use the word "busy" lately, because in reality, I do make time for things that are important to me, like working out, reading, spending time with my husband, and cooking! Meal planning is important to me because when I know I have healthy food at home, I eat healthy food! #duh

Meal planning has become a weekly priority for me, but I know that luxury is not possible for everyone! And trust me, not all meal prep is making gourmet meals from scratch! Sometimes, I just scan my kitchen (ahem freezer) and create some random, healthy food that will keep  my hubby and I fed and happy until our next meal. SO! Here are 5 of my easy meal prep tips!

1. Don't overthink it!

Sometimes, we complicate our lives by thinking too much. When you are meal planning and prepping and don't have much time to devote to it, think quick and easy meals that hit all the food groups. My go-to meals are lean protein, veggies, and some kind of healthy carb. So that can either be grilled chicken with rice and salad, or ground beef patties with roasted sweet potatoes and green beans, or tuna salad with some veggies and crackers! Anything goes, as long as it covers those food groups: lean protein, veggies, and a healthy carb.

2. Shakeology!!! 

Shakeology has been a life-saver for me, especially since starting my new job as a renal dietitian. Sometimes, I have to be at work as early as 6am, and it has been SO easy to whip up a shake on my way out the door. I also have been making my shakes mid-morning at work as a snack if I take my magic bullet with me. The best part? I KNOW that I am getting a healthy dose of good nutrition and a ton of superfoods no matter what else may happen the rest of the day. 

3. Freezer food to the rescue! 

Don't knock freezer food, it can actually rescue your meal prep woes! I always keep a huge bag of frozen veggies in my freezer, as well as frozen grass fed beef, ground turkey, and chicken breasts. I also like to have frozen berries on hand to top my oatmeal with. I will also freeze leftovers, like this lentils and brown rice dish I made a month ago! I froze whatever was left, and it helped me when I was in a food emergency last week!

Freezer food can really help you when you are in a bind! Defrost a meal or some meat, cook it up, add some veggies and some seasonings and you are good to go!

4. Think greens/veggies. 

What I always make sure to have on hand is vegetables, whether fresh or frozen. It's so easy to whip up a quick salad, or add some steamed veggies as a side dish (see above!) You can even dip some veggies in hummus as a quick, delicious, and filling snack! Greens are SO nutritious and keep us full, plus they are so pretty to look at when you stare at your plate! The greens/veggies I love are spinach, kale, arugula, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, and sugar snap peas! 

5. Have your essentials always on hand! 

One of the most popular recipes on my blog has been my spicy sausage and taters dish. Here is the link in case you haven't tried it yet!

http://www.tveenverano.com/the-joyful-harvest/2014/10/15/spicy-sausage-and-taters

This is seriously one of the easiest meals to whip up, plus it tastes amazing! It is so versatile too: you can have it with eggs in the morning, or pair it with a salad for lunch!

The key with this meal is that I always make sure I have spicy jalapeño chicken sausages from Trader Joe's on hand, plus some kind of taters (yukon gold or sweet potatoes). I ALWAYS have these on hand. This meal is so tasty and quick, and it's a great way to get some protein and carb into my day without overthinking it. Some other essentials I always have on hand include: eggs, carrots, hummus, gluten free bread, peanut butter (DUH), kale, and spinach. By keeping my home constantly stocked with these foods, I have an emergency stash of healthy options waiting for me when I am in a hurry or don't have time to go to the store to get my groceries!

I hope these tips help some of you with meal planning and prepping! I'd love to get some more ideas from you all on how YOU meal prep! Share one of your favorite meal prepping tactics in the comments below! :) 

Mr. & Mrs. Verano and Mini Muffin recipe!

Wow...I don't even know where to begin this post. Except that life has been a crazy wonderful dream lately. On April 19th, I married the love of my life and went on the most amazing two-week honeymoon to Hawaii. And now, we are setting up our new apartment and enjoying this new married life that God has blessed us with. It's been absolutely wonderful! 

 

Hand engraved vase from the sweetest man in Kauai! 

I love having my own apartment and kitchen to decorate and set up. The housewife has totally come out in me! Our internet isn't set up yet, which is actually great because that means we have time to unpack, get settled, and not be glued to our phones or computers. However, I am looking forward to being able to blog and conducting my nutrition consulting business from a computer and not just my phone! 

And of course, what better way to break in a new kitchen than to BAKE?? I made these yummy mini muffins on Sunday morning before church, and the hubby liked them so much he asked me to make them for his work breakfast this week! They were oh so easy to whip up, so I thought I'd quickly share the recipe and get back into the blogging groove! 

Blueberry Mini-muffins (makes 24-30)

1 cup multigrain pancake mix 

1 cup rolled oats 

1 egg 

1/2 cup egg whites 

2 small bananas, mashed 

1/3 cup applesauce 

1 cup stevia (cup for cup measurement) 

1/2 cup blueberries 

1/2 t cinnamon 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients except for the blueberries in a mixer. I just got this wonderful kitchen aid and am in LOVE with it!! 

 

Lastly, fold the blueberries in my hand so they don't get mushed, unless you're into that sorta thing! 

Place a dollop of batter into each mini muffin tin, then bake for about 15 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Warm blueberries are LIFE!  

Hope you enjoy this recipe! And I hope to get back into the blogging groove very very soon!  

Labeling Life

I have always been a perfectionist. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. If I do something, I have to do it 100%, or not do it at all. I always have set high standards for myself and, when I inevitably don't meet some of those standards, guilt, frustration, and an all together "I let myself down" mentality tends to take over. Growing up, my perfectionism revealed itself in my schoolwork. If I came home with a 96%, I would focus on the 4% I got wrong verses the 96% I got right. No one taught me this, I just wanted to always do well all of the time. As I've grown into an adult, I have realized that my need to be spotless comes out in many other aspects. Studying to be a registered dietitian set me up to have a plethora of knowledge on many confusing things. Caffeine, good or bad? Red meat, cancer bomb or good source of iron? Oatmeal, empty carbohydrate or heart disease fighting fiber? These findings always swished around in my brain and caused many confusing moments when ordering food, cooking food, or just plain deciding what to buy at the store for a particular day.

About 18 months ago, as my stomach problems became more evident and severe (see previous posts for more info!), I experienced much relief from cutting out gluten from my diet. I was so excited about the benefits of my gluten-free diet that I decided to take it one step further and go Paleo for a while. I recently just wrote a post on the Paleo diet, and firmly believe in what it stands for and its food recommendations. I love that it is not carb or fat phobic, lets you have your sweet potatoes, and advocates including those healthy fats that so many people fear! I did a Whole30 about a year ago and, by doing so, feel as if I "healed" myself with whole, nutritious, nutrient dense foods.

When I did the reintroduction part of the Whole30, where you slowly reintroduce grains, dairy, legumes, etc to your diet to see how you react, I found that gluten, and at times grains still gave me problems. However, cheese suddenly had zero adverse effects on me. I have always been allergic to full fat milk, but cheese did not bother me. I also love hummus and have never experienced a bad reaction to legumes either (even though I'm not particularly a fan of beans, I just love hummus and peanuts). I also began taking probiotics per my doctor's recommendation, which also seemed to immensely calm down my symptoms.

However, this put me in a dilemma. Was I still Paleo? Primal? Could I still support the Paleo diet, as well as the Whole30 and what it stands for, while still enjoying cheese and legume products? Did I have to pick a team? What would I call myself?

The more I thought about it, the more confused I got. And then I realized that this was crazy!! As all these thoughts were bouncing around in my already perfection-seeking brain, I started to see why the messages the public is getting can be so confusing. Which unfortunately leads to people just getting sick of thinking, throwing in the towel, and going to the nearest drive-thru for relief.

After much reflection, and some great talks with amazing friends (Michelle at www.littlekarim.com being one of them, check her out!), I am here to tell you that life doesn't have to be labeled. A healthy lifestyle is just that, a LIFEstyle. Day in, day out, the choices you make effect your health, both physically and psychologically. I don't have to pick a team, choose a group, or be 100% of something, 100% of the time. I just have to just be me, Tveen, a healthy eater who enjoys good, wholesome, nutritious food.

What works for me is this: eating good, nutritious, satisfying foods. I try to stay away from gluten because too much of it makes me feel icky. I eat cheese because it tastes amazing and fills me up. I eat hummus because it is one of the best dips out there. I eat vegetables because they are beautiful and colorful and are so good for us that we should probably be shoving the other refined carbohydrate and processed foods out of our plates to make room for these beauties.

I eat fruit because it is nature's candy and I love sweets. I eat carrots with my guacamole because I love guacamole, but could easily consume (in 30 minutes flat) my body weight in corn chips, and still be hungry by the end of my meal. I eat fat because my body needs fat, my brain thrives on fat, and it fills me up and tastes amazing. I eat food. And that's that.

I can love Paleo, but I can also love non-Paleo foods. I can firmly believe in the philosophy behind the Whole 30, but not be "on a Whole 30" for the next 30 years of my life. I can put meals together that sometimes turn out to be paleo, sometimes have some cheese sprinkled on top, or sometimes have some hummus, rice, or one of my Grandma's once a year, famous, gluten-filled, Easter cookies. The point is, it's life, it will go on, food is food, and it is here to fuel us and get us through our REAL LIFE.

There is freedom in the fact that we don't have to label our lives. We don't have to fit perfectly in a group. Or be perfect at all. A healthy life is one that is a process to achieve, but an amazing place to be. It's a place of freedom, of enjoying optimal health, and of finding foods that work for you.

The best feeling for me is to sit down to a meal and know that what I am putting in my body will fuel me, give me good nutrition, and make me feel on to of the world afterwards! I don't have to know, or care, if a food is 100% of this or that lifestyle. So I guess that labels me as "Tveen." And that is the healthiest and happiest place to be.