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? 

Barre Class

Today I woke up at 5 am and headed to my favorite place in the world...Newburyport, Massachusetts, for a Barre Class at Rasamaya Studio. I had never been to a class like this before and I fell in love with everything about it! According to the website a barre class is: 
RASAMAYA® BARRE is an athletic workout specifically designed to strengthen and lengthen your body. Classes are fueled by upbeat music and efficiently flow through all muscle groups. Create endurance and stamina through isometric strength training and increase your flexibility through focused stretching. The barre method is influenced by classical ballet barre technique, Pilates, yoga, and orthopedic exercises.  Barre is one of the fastest and safest ways to create results in your body by targeting those difficult to tone areas. The class is taught in a group setting, but offers personalized attention through verbal and hands-on corrections. As Rasamaya believes strongly in education all classes offer an anatomical theme.


I can't compare this particular studio and barre class to any others since it was my first one, but I loved everything about it! The studio was beautiful, welcoming, and clean! I loved the ceiling with strung lights, the big windows overlooking Newburyport, and the general calm and relaxing feel of it. The instructor was energetic, friendly, and did an amazing job explaining the poses, and welcoming newcomers into the class! The barre class itself worked all new muscles that I don't think I have ever used. I'm pretty sure I wont be able to walk tomorrow since I am already feeling the effects in my legs from the poses. I left with shaky tired muscles and knowing I had a great all over workout. The studio offers a 10 day pass for $10, so I will definitely be getting my use out of that and possibly buying a class package! The schedule is great and offers lots of class times and days, and for all you Mama's out there they even have a babysitting service! 
After my workout a took a quick jog over to my favorite coffee shop, Plum Island Coffee Roasters. I got a Sugar Free Vanilla Iced coffee with soy and walked the boardwalk back to my car. 
When I got home I swooped up my nephew Jake so my sister could head to work, made myself an egg white omelet, and am now enjoying some relaxing time hanging with Adam, Olivia, and Jake. 
The sun is shining and it is already warm outside so some playground time is definitely planned for today! I'm also hoping to get in a long run this evening when it cools off a bit!

xox 

Memorial Day Weekend!

It's Friday before a long weekend, the true kickoff of summer, Memorial Day Weekend!  The weather is looking fabulous, and I'm sure lots of cookouts and fun outdoor plans are being made. I love a good BBQ, and nothing is better than being surrounded by family and friends enjoying good food, laughter, drinks, and sunshine! However, before the festivities kick off, I feel the need to acknowledge what this holiday is really about! The true meaning of Memorial Day is to remember and honor our fallen heroes and the families they left behind. These men and woman paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and for us, so that we can enjoy these BBQ and time with our family and friends. Being married to a United States Marine Corps Veteran, I have been surrounded by the military frame of mind. They are by far the most amazing, interesting people I have had the opportunity of getting to know. My heart swells with pride every time I tell someone my husband served in the Marine Corps, along with his father, and two of his brothers. Both of my grandfathers served and I am one proud American! I get chills every time I hear the song "Proud to be an American" as that was the song playing when my husband graduated from basics boot camp. I know the sacrifices these men and woman make everyday and the choices they are faced with to honor their country. They always put country first, themselves last. So please be sure to Thank a service member over this holiday weekend. It may not seem like much, but a simple Thank you is the least we can do! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5pfBUUZNbFM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>iframe>
Last night before going to bed I planned on waking up early and jogging to the gym, getting in a glutes workout, then jogging back home. I set my alarm, read a few chapters of 50 Shades of Grey, then crashed! When I wokeup to rain this morning I hit snooze and decided driving to the gym would be a better option. After sleeping in for an extra hour I headed to the gym. After my glute workout I did 30 minutes on the stair climber while reading more of my book. I am finally getting into the first book, 300 pages in. I hurried home for breakfast and a shower before my nephew got here to spend the day with us!
I was craving salmon for lunch so after breakfast I toted this kids to Market Basket for some fresh fish. Lunch today is going to be delicious!
I'm about to start cooking up that salmon with some asparagus and sweet potato fries. Jake is sleeping and Olivia is helping me cook her lunch.
Adam took the night off from work, and I am so excited to have him around to hang out tonight! He is going to take Olivia to get some fishing gear so they can have some Daddy, daughter time this weekend! I am going to do some Yoga tonight at The Yoga Tree. Its great having two parents around so I can get in some "Happy Hour Yoga." I really miss yoga and try to go at least once a week. 
We are also going to make some of these this weekend....How cool are they?

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Weekend Recap

OK, I know I am a little late on this post, but better late than never! Last weekend was amazing and deserves a recap post! I actually wrote this, it got deleted somehow, I got frustrated, and I am finally getting around to rewriting it! So anyways, it was full of friends, family, and amazing weather! 
Friday night I met up with a couple of my girlfriends at Kruegers Pizza in Haverhill. If you have been following the blog you know that this is my all time favorite pizza places, and one of my favorite restaurants in general! Thank you to my sister, who watched Olivia for a couple hours, I was able to enjoy my girls night out in peace! The amazing girls I got to catch up with over dinner were Shannon, who is home for a short time from Virginia. Her husband is active duty in the Marine Corps so having her home was a special treat! She is actually going to be moving Florida soon with her three beautiful daughters and husband!  Samantha, who is 39 weeks pregnant and is due any day now with her first baby boy Carter. She is simply glowing and I am so excited to meet her little! I have known Samantha since 6th grade and she is an amazing person, friend, and I am so excited to see her become a mother! Bridget, who is a nurse on third shift was able to meet up before she had to head into work. Luckily I am a morning person so Bridget and I are able to meet often for coffees at least once a week! Bridget is planning her wedding which is going to be in October and I am honored to be a bridesmaid in it! So many exciting things happening for my friends. It was great to catch up over good food and lots of laughter! I started my meal off with an Iced tea and a Greek salad, both were amazing! Then Bridget and I split "The Pentucket" pizza on a whole grain crust, The Pentucket is my all time favorite, it's Oven Roasted Chicken & Tomato BBQ Sauce. Freshly grated cheddar and goat cheese, olive oil and sweet red onions.
Sam and Shannon shared "The Hillie" which is a Three Cheeses & Homemade Red Sauce. Freshly grated mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Baked with our own garlic oil and herbs.
Our meal was incredible....not that I expected anything else! Adam and I pretty much go to Kruegers or order takeout there once a week. I have NEVER had a bad pizza from there! 
After we went our separate ways I headed home to put Olivia to bed, and get myself to bed at a reasonable hour. We had a fun morning planned with my bestie Des! I woke up Saturday morning and did a 6 mile easy run. The weather was too beautiful to not take my workout outside! I quickly showered and got ready for my morning coffee date! Life gets so crazy and busy I don't get to see Des as often as I'd like but we have been really trying to get together on Saturday mornings! Des and her husband Clyde are expecting their first baby boy in October! I am so incredibly excited for the two of them and I know they will be amazing parents! We went to Newburyport and got coffees and scones from Plum Island Coffee Roasters. I got "The Aloha" iced latte which was amazing! The Maple Cinnamon Scone was pretty incredible as well. I'm not normally a scone person, but there's something about the ones from here that I just can't seem to get enough of! After our breakfast we went for a beautiful 3 mile walk. It was so nice to be able to catch up and chat about anything and everything going on in our lives right now! Of course the time went by way too fast as always! The rest of Saturday Olivia and I spent running errands, playing outside, and relaxing! When Adam got home from work I picked out the movie to rent, Hick, it was terrible, and I would not suggest wasting your time watching it! After the movie we headed to bed because we had a 10k Mud Run in the morning!! 
The Hoppin Mad Mud Run in Amesbury, MA was on Sunday. We had participated in this last year and had such a blast! The weather from last year was rainy and cold, so when we woke up on Sunday to sunshine and mid 70's it was a nice treat! It was a great time again and the event organizers did a great job fixing a few hiccups they had from last year! I would highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a fun time! The results are posted here. I was happy with the results! Before we left I got to see my cousin Danielle, my aunt Nancy, my mom, and my sister who were working on making the front of the house beautiful with some new plants! This is my cousins specialty, so it was nice to have a professional help us out with this! 

After the run Adam got called into work, boooo! It's hard to turn down Sunday overtime so he accepted it and headed in. After dinner Olivia and I decided 4 miles to Starbucks wasn't too bad and so I walked/ran for a coffee! It was so beautiful out that I was really glad we went. Olivia ended up falling asleep about ten minutes into the walk, so I enjoyed a relaxing, loosen up the legs type of walk! My mom called when I was on my way back to tell me they were going to stop by to say Hi and fix Adams tail light that had gone out! Thanks Mom and Dad, much appreciated!! 
The weather was incredible all weekend, and it was so nice to spend it outside. Even though my allergies are getting the best of me I couldn't have asked for a nicer couple of days! It's so true about the weather completely changing your mood. I've been able to enjoy dinners outside on the porch and it really makes me a more calm and happier person!  I can't believe its already Thursday and we have a long weekend coming up! The sun is shining again today so the kiddies and I are about to head outside to enjoy it! 
I promise it wont be this long for another blog post! Catch ya later!