This pregnancy is a blessing just like my other 2, I thought trying and trying for 6 months was tough emotionally I can’t imagine going a year or more with the pain you feel each month of not being pregnant.  So I am truly grateful we are able to conceive naturally, and will never take it for granted.  The one problem we did run into with both pregnancies was my husband’s testosterone levels being too low which can cause taking longer to conceive, any testosterone supplements can decrease the sperm count drastically.

I have been so excited to share my pregnancy journey with you.  This is my 3rd pregnancy and very different from the others, for the last 3 years I have been working hard on getting strong and into great shape.  Living a healthy lifestyle has become part of my life, and I don’t plan on it changing now I am pregnant.   I am feeling great so far.  I have had no morning sickness and still keeping up with my workout routine consisting of weight lifting and cardio.  My hardest time of the day is in the afternoon after lunch, I try my hardest to keep moving at work or when I am home and drink lots of water to stay hydrated.  At this point I am forcing myself to eat veggies, which is weird because I love all veggies.  I crave starchy carbs, dairy and protein.  I know for me and the babies sake eating healthy and staying active is important, I will be strong for delivery, and have a quicker recovery.

I am entering week 13 on May 22nd, the last week in my first trimester.  My kids are so excited, and I know they will be great help when the baby gets here.  My 3 year old is a little care taker and will be all the help I need.  I have put a lot of pressure on myself to be making enough to stay home with the baby when the time comes so I don’t have to go back to work, but I am taking a step back and just doing what I love the Universe will guide me the rest of the way.  I am excited to share more on my fit pregnancy journey and hope you enjoy following me.

To see daily posts follow me on Instagram @kyleecanfield and over on Facebook Kylee Canfield

XOXO Kylee

I had so many ladies requesting the recipe for these chicken strips that I thought I’d write it up here.  I repeat myself over and over, but I don’t follow recipes very well.  I am the type that just adds what I think would be good, MOST of the time my stuff turns out great and I love to share my new creations.  Especially when it’s a healthy family recipes.

I have a family of 4 and 2 large chicken breast was plenty for us.  My daughter does not eat a lot of meat.  My 7 year old son loved them and said “can we have these every night” that is a great sign coming from such picky eater.  You can pair them with any side dish, and any type of sauce, I will share the honey mustard I used.

Ingredients 

• 2 large chicken breast (I buy mine from Costco)
• 1 Large Egg
• Onion Powder
• McCormick’s Perfect Pinch Original Chicken
• 1 Cup Kikkoman Panko Bread Crumbs

 

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 375
• Cut chicken breast into strips, I use a pair of scissors to but mine its much easier than a knife.
• Crack egg and scramble up
• Mix together the bread crumbs and seasonings in a bowl
• Dip Chicken into egg then into breadcrumbs make sure it is fully covered in crumbs
• I cooked mine in a glass pan, just make sure you spray it good or coat with olive oil, to keep it from sticking
• Bake for 30 minutes, I then broiled it for 5 – 6 minutes just to get more crisp

 

 

My son helped with dipping the chicken, this is a great healthy family recipe and the best part is the kids can help.  Teaching them young about healthy nutritious food and cooking is important.

I hope you enjoy, they are a big hit at our house.  We paired them with some steamed fresh broccoli and carrots. Yummy!

XOXO Kylee

 

Are you struggling to find easy, but healthy ideas for lunches. Are you sick of the dreaded salad, I totally understand I love salads but love other foods as well for lunch.  I’ve learned that you can eat good food and still get amazing results.   I am all about simple when it comes to my meals and have found some amazing recipes that work well for prepping or making fresh in a timely manner.  Healthy lunch ideas for prepping is important for me as well, I work a busy job so having food I can grab quickly is KEY!  Here are some of my top 3 healthy lunch ideas.  ENJOY!!  They are delicious!

Quinoa Chili

2 tablespoons coconut oil

21⁄2 pounds ground sirloin

2 onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 can (19 ounces) kidney beans

1 can (15 ounces) black bean

2 cans (14 or 28 ounces each) diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt

Roasted jalapeño chile peppers, hot sauce, and/or avocado

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt the coconut oil and then cook the beef until no longer pink. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and bell peppers and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the kidney beans, black beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, quinoa, beef broth, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and sea salt. Simmer, partially covered, for 3 hours to let the magic happen, stirring occasionally. (You can eat it after 1 hour, but the longer you leave it, the tastier it gets.)

3. Serve in bowls, garnished with the roasted peppers, hot sauce, and/or avocado—they’re all delicious!

LUNCH: Southwestern Chicken Salad

(MAKES 2 SERVINGS)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder

1⁄2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

1 chicken breast, sliced widthwise to create 2 thin halves

1 tablespoon butter

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1 mango, peeled and chopped 1⁄2 avocado, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

1. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and cinnamon. Rub the spice mixture onto the chicken breast halves. Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes, or place it in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for several hours before cooking.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook the chicken for 4 to 6 minutes, turning once, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 165°F and the juices run clear. Remove from the heat.
3. When cool enough to handle, chop the chicken into cubes or strips.

4. In a big bowl, combine the romaine, mango, and avocado. Add the chicken, toss it with the olive oil, if using, or a healthy dressing of your choice, and serve.

Garlic Shrimp and Brassica

DINNER

2–3 teaspoons butter

1 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined,

tails removed

1 head garlic (yes, indeed), chopped

1⁄2 head kale, stemmed and chopped

2 handfuls of Brussels sprouts, trimmed

1 cup baby carrots

Sea salt and ground black pepper

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 teaspoon of the butter. Cook the shrimp for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and con- tinue cooking for 3 minutes, or until the shrimp turns opaque. Remove from the heat.
2. Meanwhile, in a steamer, steam the kale, Brussels sprouts, and carrots for 5 minutes, or until slightly tender.
3. Melt the remaining butter in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add the steamed veggies. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add sea salt and pepper to taste and serve alongside the shrimp.

These recipes are simple to make and you can prep ahead a few days, which is key for me and many other working women!  If this has been helpful share with a friend or save so you can quick access to it.

ENJOY!  Have a fantastic day!

XOXO Kylee

 

Have a FANTASTIC DAY!

XOXO Kylee

 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes for stir fry

1½ tablespoons olive oil

1½ cups cooked chicken breast, diced and skin removed

½ cup sliced scallions (green onion)

3½ cups cooked brown rice, or I did 1 Cup Jasmine Rice

1 cup frozen peas, not thawed

1/2 Red Pepper

1/2 Cup Sliced Carrots

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (for gluten-free, use Tamari soy sauce)

4 egg whites

Black pepper, to taste

2 scallions for garnish, if desired

Instructions 

1. In a nonstick large nonstick pan, add olive oil and preheat over medium-high heat.  Stir in cooked chicken and scallions; stir-fry for 1 minute.

2. Add cooked rice, frozen peas (breaking them up), carrots, peppers, and soy sauce.  Cook for about 3 minutes until heated through, tossing gently to coat all ingredients.  Push rice mixture to the sides of pan.  Add egg whites to center of pan.  Cook and stir about 1 minute or until the eggs are completely cooked.  Mix eggs into rice mixture.  Add little black pepper and stir fry ingredients all together.

3.  Serve immediately. Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Makes 6 servings (about 1 cup each)

You’ve stayed true to your meal plan for over a month. Now you may be wondering, how often should I have a cheat day? Or should it just be a cheat meal?

Or, maybe cheat days make you nervous altogether. Maybe it feels like having cheat meals is taking a step backwards? This is not the case.

There are a lot of advantages to having a cheat meal.

Here are a few reasons you want to indulge from time to time. I’ll clear up how often you should be cheating to get the best results too.

What are the Benefits Of Cheat Meals?

1. You can finally give in to what you’re craving. 

Obvious, right? But, did you know that people who feel restricted on their diets rarely see long-term success?

The reason?  Because eventually they cave in and eat the foods they want. Not just one meal either. They often end up eating just about everything in sight for days.

A cheat meal gives you the chance to eat something you love so that you don’t feel deprived. This will make it easier to stick with a healthier lifestyle, long term.

2. Cheat meals helps you keep a healthier relationship with food.

Some people who start eating healthy begin seeing food as black and white – good and bad. Soon, they become scared to eat foods not on their good food list.

They firmly believe that if they eat those foods at all, they’ll pack on pounds of body weight. This can set them up for an eating disorder.

By adding that cheat meal, you’ll see that you can eat unhealthy foods, in moderation, and it won’t send you backsliding.

3. A cheat meal can help you see faster results!

Wait, what?! You read that right.

Any time you go on a meal plan for a period of time, your body will begin to adapt. As it does, your metabolic rate will soon slow down thanks to a hormone called leptin. Before you know it, you’ll be stuck in a dreaded fat loss plateau.

By temporarily eating rich foods with a cheat meal, you send the message to your body that it no longer needs to conserve fat for fuel. This can increase your resting metabolic rate.

Studies show that leptin levels will return to normal levels after eating indulgent meals. This means faster progress.

Often the best way out of a sticking point where you just can’t lose any more weight is to do the opposite of what you think you should do – eat a cheat meal or two.

How Often Should You Cheat? 

Try and follow the 80/20 rule if you aren’t trying to lose weight or the 90/10 rule if you are. I also love tracking my macros and fitting in a treat a couple days a week to keep me feeling satisfied.

This means you should be eating right 80-90% of the time, then the other 10-20%, you can relax and have a little fun.

If you’re eating 6 times a day that boils down to about 2 meals and 2 snacks each week where you can splurge a bit.

You don’t want to get crazy with portions and I’m not saying to go eat an entire pizza. What you should do is indulge a bit on a Friday night or have that gooey dessert you love with your kids on a  Saturday afternoon.

If you stick with this rule and cheat once or twice per week, you shouldn’t find that the cheat meals slow your progress in any way.  In fact, they may actually help you see better long term results.

Before you think about cheat meals, make sure you’ve been eating healthy foods 100% of the time for 30 days. This builds good habits that make it easier to get right back on track after the cheat meal is over.

XOXO Kylee

P.S Go ahead and share this with your friends and family!

Good Morning, and happy Friday!

Ladies, our midsection is usually the hardest and last thing to go away in our weight loss journey am I right?  That is one area that is the hardest to target in my blog today I want to share 3 ab moves that are doing you no good and can actually cause more harm than good to your body.  For me my midsection has tightened and toned with the rest of my body, keep reading and learn what I’ve doing for the last 3 years to achieve a tight and toned midsection without doing ANY CRUNCHES OR SITUPS.

Lets get started with these 3 ab moves, and don’t be embarrassed if you have been doing these and have hope that you’ll have abs by summer.

1- The Crunch: The good old crunch has been around for many years and we get the wrong idea of it doing our midsection and abs some good.  Well, I hate to break it to you but doing crunches only target the top section of your abs, it’s not working the whole area.  Most people put their hands behind their head and pull up on their neck while doing a crunch which can cause a lot of strain behind the neck, also the upper back can be strained as well.  So doing 100 crunches every day is not going to get you the abs you’ve always wanted, there are other ways to work that midsection and you don’t even need to get not the floor.

2- The Sit-Up: This has been around forever and we see in movies where people are doing 100’s of sit-ups each day and have rock hard abs.  Well, the sit-up is actually not the best solution either.  If your core isn’t very strong you are actually using your back muscles and hip flexors to pull yourself up to a full sit up and that is causing strain on them not even working you abs.  Ladies we want to get a nice V shaped midsection so doing other moves to target our abs is KEY.

3- The Weighted Side Pull: This is a move I am guilty of doing and what you do is hold a weight in one hand and rock back and forth dropping that weight towards your knee thinking it will work your obliques and lean out your side muscles but it’s actually pulling your lower back and putting tension on your spine.  We don’t want any more tension on our backs and spines than we have.  This will also build a boxy look in your waist and ladies like I said we want that V shaped look.

These are the 3 abs moves that you might think work really well, but actually do more harem than good to our bodies.  Alright, so here goes nothing here is what I’ve doing over the last 3 years to tighten, tone and slim down not only my midsection but my entire body.  There is no magic pill, shake, wrap, or tea that will give you life long results and a rocking body.

I have been following Beachbody programs since January 1st 2014, Beachbody has created some amazing programs.  My total body and mind transformation has come from 9 programs start to finish and the amazing community support I have.  The workouts focus on multiple muscle movements, and not just one targeted muscles.  I also learned to hold my core in tight when I do each move, that is what has built my abs, getting a strong core.  Adding weights into the mix ladies is key, you will not get bulky like a man. I’ve been lifting weights since day one and I am a firm believer that is why my whole body has transformed and not just one area.

Here are some KEY points to follow if you want to get an amazing life transformation like I have.

• Following a program START TO FINISH (the power of knowing you completed something challenging makes you hungry for more results, like it did me)
• Eating clean whole foods 80/20 (Nutrition is so IMPORTANT, you cannot out work a bad diet, I still enjoy treats that is what the 20 is. Tracking my macros, intermittent fasting and carb cycling has really made a difference in my midsection.  Also cutting gluten and diary of my diet.)
• Reading Personal Development (your mind is the strongest muscle we have and can make or break us)

I truly do hope these tips help you achieve the goals you have set for yourself, I know that if I can do this so can you.  I am passionate about helping women like you succeed with your health and wellness journey don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Facebook or Instagram.

XOXO Kylee

 

Hey everyone!  I had to share this delicious but healthy chicken and vegetable stir-fry we had just a couple nights ago.  I am a sucker for Chinese food, I love the sweet but savory flavor it has.  This stir-fry hit the spot and my kids loved it (well besides the onions).  I love it because you add your favorite vegetables to it and pair it with rice or just plain.

Ingredients 

• 2 boneless chicken breast (fed my family of 4)
• 2 Tablespoons of white cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch
• 2 teaspoons of honey or 1 teaspoon of stevia
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 cups of broccoli florets
• 1 red bell peppers
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots

In a small mixing bowl, combine the white wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, stevia or honey and salt.  Mix well to dissolve the cornstarch.

Coat a skillet in cooking spray and put over medium-high heat.  Add broccoli, pepper, onion and carrots,  Sauté until the veggies are tender and onions are browned,  Add the diced up chicken breasts and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until chicken is browned.

Pour sauce over the chicken and veggies and continue to fry until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through, about 2-4 minutes.

The last few weeks the ladies and I have been working on meal prepping our and out minds to set ourselves up for success and this would make a GREAT meal prepare.  Its super simple, and goes great with some rice on a high carb day or without rice on a low carb day.

To find more recipes and yummy snacks, I have an AMAZING facebook group full of women supporting each other on the same journey! Click HERE to JOIN!! I look forward to hearing from you!

 

Hello There,

I hope you had an amazing Christmas. We enjoyed time as a family and that is the true meaning of the Holidays.

Now that Christmas is over, it’s time to begin thinking about goals in the coming year. This season of resolution making often has people diving all in on January 1st, only to give up on their resolutions by the end of January. Promises to “eat healthier” and “exercise more” rank at the very top of common resolution lists, but people rarely see any long term success in term of living a healthier lifestyle.

Here’s why so many people fail to reach their own goals when it comes to getting healthy…they are looking for a quick fix that magically melts fat away without any work.

I hate to break it to you ladies…

There is NO magic pill to make you healthier…NO wrap to melt away your midsection…NO special shake that burns fat without a clean diet and intentional exercise…there’s truly NO quick fix.

But, there are plenty of people who do make a life-long change towards health.

Here’s how to be successful in the coming year:

Focus on a meaningful long-term goal.
Set a long term goal that has more to do with your overall health than how you look. Focus on how you want to feel and what you want to be able to do, as opposed to what you want to look like. Eventually, if you are fueling your body well and working out hard, you will see the physical changes. But, the non-scale victories are what help you live a healthy lifestyle long-term.

Get accountability.
Find someone who will keep you accountable to your resolution to live healthier lifestyle. That could be a spouse, a friend or a personal trainer. Another option is obviously my Challenge Groups and 6 Weeks To A 6 Pack Bootcamp. The January 9th groups are filling up quick, but I will be opening another one later in January, so be sure to join the waiting list.

Come up with a sustainable action plan that focuses on lifestyle.
Quit looking for the quick fixes, and invest in something that will help you to make changes to your lifestyle. Focus on things that are sustainable. Intense workouts, and food stuffed into tiny containers is not something you want to be doing forever. Look for simple changes that can be made and sustained well past January.

Be Realistic.
Set goals that are challenging but realistic. Don’t under sell yourself, but do be sure that it is an actual possibility to reach your health and fitness goal in a healthy way.

Hard work in the gym, and clean eating in the kitchen are the only things that will get you the results you’re looking for. Supplements and shakes can certainly aid in your pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, but they are not going to be a magic bullet that all of a sudden makes you healthy and fit. They can only enhance an already healthy lifestyle! Quick fixes don’t exist…if they did, I’d be eating a whole lot more cookies and muffins.

But, real life change does exist. My clients and I have experienced success and results through my IIFYM 101 and Carb Cycling Bootcamps, so I know it’s possible!  No one gets healthy, fit and strong without hard work, so look at your long term goals and start taking steps towards them in January!

I am excited to see what the new year brings you!

XOXO Kylee