Getting back on track

Since the competition in April I have been pretty lenient with my diet and workouts. I was doing this thing called LIVING! :) I may have gone a little overboard at times, but I don't regret the time I spent not weighing food and skipping a workout. It's all about getting back on track. I've set a new, ambitious goal, and I am ready to tackle it head on! Fitness America World Championships in......VEGAS! 20 weeks away, and I am ready to bring myself back to the stage. I thought when I first did the competition at Foxwoods, it would be a one time thing. After experiencing it though, I cant even describe the joy it brought to me that day! The journey leading up to it was hard, draining, but amazing! I am so grateful for the experience I had backstage with all the girls, and lasting friendships I made! I am more than ready to start the journey again!! I'm hoping to be consistent with the blog through my training and progress! 
I am doing one thing a little different this time. When the competition ended and I had my post show treats, I just couldn't get my body to stop craving sugar and chocolate and other processed junk food. I emailed Cathy Savage who told me to give Isagenix a try. She said most people experienced reduced cravings, increased energy, and leaner muscle mass. I was hesitant to try it but after some research I thought I'd give it a shot and ordered the Athletes pack! I am currently halfway through the 9 day deep cleanse. My goal with the cleanse was actually to stop depending on coffee for energy. I was spending close to $10 a day on my three Starbucks coffees! I have not had a coffee since Wednesday and my energy level has drastically increased. My day does not revolve around when my next cup of coffee will be! As far as my cravings, I am able to mix up a chocolate shake and throw in a little ice, truvia, peanut butter, banana, or anything else I am craving at that time and it tastes like I am eating an ice cream!! I love the convenience of the shakes, about 20 seconds to make, 23g of organic protein, and a complete meal for less than one of my coffees would cost. All that for 240 calories! Yes, I am please with my Isagenix purchase. So, the only difference in this competition prep from last is the addition of Isagenix products. I will continue to eat "clean"  lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, and starch! I am excited to see the difference in my body, hair, skin, and overall energy levels from my last competition prep to this. 
I am so happy you are following along on the journey! 

p.s. I Did not forget about the September 29 show in Boston. If my body is ready at that time I still plan on participating in that event! It sounds like a great beginner show that would really help prep me for Vegas! :)

Special Visit!

How is it already Wednesday? The month of June is flying by! I have been meaning to blog but life has been getting in the way, and I've been trying to just live it and not stress about it!
Anyways, lets see! We have some very special visitors staying with us for the week. Adams brother Jake who is active duty in the Marine Corps, his wife Rachel, and their adorable son Austin are here for a week visit while on leave! My nephew Austin is 2 and we love being able to spend time with them! Olivia is over the moon with excitement to have a 24/7 playmate around!
Olivia started dance class at Nancy Chippendale's Dance Studio in North Andover. Unfortunately I had a doctors appointment at the same time as her class to I had to miss her very first dance class! Adam got the pleasure of accompanying his little girl to her first class, and his text to me was "You are going to love watching peanut dance, it was so stinkin cute I could cry!" I am so excited she loved it and can not wait to watch her myself next week!
Tonight Olivia and I are off to Kruegers for a much needed dinner date with my friend Shawna. I am so excited to catch up with her since it has been far too long since I last saw her!

Let's backtrack a little to the weekend! It was beautiful out on Saturday so I woke up bright and early and headed to Newburyport with Olivia, my sister, my nephew Jacob, and our friend Brianne.  First stop was of course for coffee at Plum Island Coffee Roasters. I tried the vanilla and coconut Iced Coffee flavor which was amazing!! We took a walk over to the playground so the kids could play for a bit before strolling back to the car to head home. It was a beautiful morning! We spent Saturday afternoon at my in laws house where they enjoyed the surprise visit from Jake, Rachel, and Austin. We had grilled chicken, fresh fruit, burgers, sausages, and a beautiful mixed greens salad. I left for a bit to meet up with my sister for a jog around the neighborhood, then ran back to my in laws to meet backup with Olivia and Adam. When Liv had had enough I headed home with her to get her to bed and I spent the rest of the night reading 50 Shades Darker. I am almost done with the second book!
Tonight is the last night Adams brother and his family will be here. The boys are out fishing now and hopefully enjoying their time together! 
I found a new addiction last week that is too good not to share. Although I am warning you, its not really a healthy snack, and really hard to keep your hand out of the jar. This Emerald Almond snack mix is life changing. I mean seriously, it doesn't get much better than this. Sweet, salty, peanut butter heaven!! Don't say I didn't  warn you when you cant put then down! 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

After finding Cauliflower Crust Pizza on Pinterest a while back, I knew it was a recipe I had to try! I mean really, who doesn't love pizza? What makes this pizza even better is not having to feel guilty about eating it. Even the kids will enjoy this meal! I finally remembered to buy cauliflower when I was in the grocery store the other day so decided to give it a shot on Sunday night! It sounded promising, and the comments under the reviews were really good so I had high hopes it! 
Let me tell you, I am so glad I gave this a chance! It was so delicious! It definitely had a different texture and taste than a true pizza crust, but it was shockingly good and tasted nothing like cauliflower. As an added bonus it was super easy and quick to make! 
I topped our pizza with Marinara, Chicken Sausage, red peppers, green peppers, onions, and mozzarella cheese. I also think a bbq chicken pizza with bbq sauce and feta would be really great too! 
Enjoy! 


Cauliflower Crust Pizza 
1/2 LARGE head cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (or try another kind!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt

1. Using a cheese grater, shred the cauliflower into small crumbles. You'll need a total of about 2 cups or so of cauliflower crumbles. Place the cauliflower crumbles in a large bowl and microwave them for 8 minutes. Give the cauliflower a chance to cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower crumbles (about 1 1/2 cups since they shrink after cooking) with the egg, mozzarella, oregano, garlic, and onion salt. Pat the "crust" into a circle on your greased pan. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes (or until golden). Remove the crust from the oven.

3. Prepare your toppings! I topped mine with Marinara Sauce, Chicken Sausage, red, peppers, green peppers, onions, and a little bit of light mozzarella cheese. Put pizza back in the oven until the toppings are warm and cheese is melted. 

This is a fork and knife pizza, you can't really pick it up and eat it like you would with a normal pizza crust, but it was really yummy!! 

There's something about running in the rain...

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! I started mine with my cousin Samantha's High School Graduation! I can actually remember when she was born, so watching her graduate from High School really made me feel old! I was so proud of her and the intelligent, beautiful woman I have gotten to watch her grow into! She will be going off to school at The University of Massachusetts, and I know she will continue to do amazing things with her life! 

Saturday morning I headed to Newburyport for the 45 minute express Barre Class at Rasamaya Movement and Wellness. I seriously love that place, the class, and the instructors have all been awesome! The class started at 7am and it was pouring out when I got there. I was warmly welcomed by my friend Tara, the instructor, and windows open so we could hear the rain. I was surprised how crowded the class was for a rainy Saturday morning class! The windows open made it extra relaxing listening to the rain fall outside! After class I had planned on going for a run around my favorite city. I played back in fourth in my head whether I should just go home, or suck it up and run in the rain. Well, luckily the run won. It was one of those runs where once I got started I felt as if I could have run forever. I did about 3 miles, circling into Plum Island and back into Newburyport. Of course I made a pit stop at my favorite coffee shop for an Iced Coffee with soy! After my coffee I headed back to the car and the rain really started to come down! Perfect timing! 
Adam and I had an exciting night planned. We were going into Boston to watch my TRX instructor and friend Marjan, compete in the WBFF Eastern World Championships! I was so excited to attend a competition! Adam got in a workout, me and Liv relaxed and hung out with Grammy, Grandpa, and my nephew Jacob before heading into Boston! We stopped at Fat Cactus on the way down for dinner. I got the steak tacos which were pretty good, and Adam had a burrito that I stole a couple bites of which was really good! I probably wouldn't rush back to eat there, since Agave is my favorite Mexican returant and a lot closer! Oh, and Churros, they didn't have churros for dessert at Fat Catus...so yeah Agave it is! 
The WBFF show was a lot of fun to watch and Marjan was incredible! I was so inspired by her and all the other competitors. I was even lucky enough to see some of my fellow Savage Sisters rock it on stage! I was eager for Sunday morning so I could get started on my workouts for the week! We got home around midnight because we got realllly lost coming home....Don't ask! Since we didn't get to bed until after 1am, Sunday morning started off a little late. It took a lot for me to get my motivation for the gym, but I got it and man oh man my glutes are screaming at me today! 
We ended our weekend with a Sunday night date at the movies. We saw Snow White and The Huntsman. I liked it a lot and thought Kristen Stewart was really great in it! I'm not a huge fan of hers in The Twilight Movies but she did an amazing job as Snow White.

Its a rainy Monday so I started the day off with a quick back workout and am ending it tonight with a Barre class! Olivia and I are watching movies, reading, napping and baking since there's not too much to do in this weather! I am actually enjoying this lazy Monday a lot! 
Do you enjoy running in the rain?