Week in review, Bootcamp, & Ab Challenge!

Hello lovies!

I've been MIA for over a week! I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day Weekend! Remember the reason you're cooking out & off work. Thank you to all those who have & are serving! I will sum up my week for you here. I had a fun weekend! I went out with girlfriends Friday night and then went to Noda with friends & the boy Saturday for a birthday! :) 

This is my friend Tanja and I, she's such a sweet girl! She is on her fitness journey and is joining me for Bootcamp while hitting the gym & drinking her Shakeology! Go girl! So proud of her! 

This is my girl Julieee & I in Noda! Yes, I preach good health, & yes I love beer. I don't feel bad or have to explain myself to anyone. Especially, because this was the first time in weeks I went out, let alone two days in a row! I had so much fun! Healthy living doesn't mean giving everything up, it means everything in moderation! Julie is always in my Bootcamp classes as well as drinking Shakeology. Surround yourself with like minded, healthy individuals, and your goals will be reached so much easier! :) 

I had this beautiful roasted veggie sandwich on Saturday with garlic herb bread and a side of cucumber/tomato salad.. YUM!!! I want to duplicate this at home with a gluten free wrap instead. :) I want it again.. Mmm! 

Here's the Bootcamp I did Memorial Day weekend! Get to it, try this out! 

I'm absolutely in love with this! A girlfriend saw it and thought of me so she sent it to me, yep, this is so me! :)

Bored with your water!? I throw frozen berries & lemon juice in mine. I like to eat the berries at the end! Try it!

I eat this breakfast usually 1-2 times per week! I am in love with it! I think if I was stranded on an island with one meal, this is what I would be happy eating everyday lol. 2 over hard eggs with Sirracha, whole wheat toast, & natural peanut butter & bananas!

This is what happens when you own a German Shepherd in NC. This looks like another animal! Lol, my floors need swept every other day, that doesn't mean it gets done everyday, but yes they need it! Ahhhh, he's lucky he's a sweet boy!

Rosemary red potatoes:

Clean & chop potatoes. Toss in freezer bag with salt, pepper, rosemary, & garlic. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes! Yum! I made grilled chicken & corn to go with it! 

Here's an ab challenge workout for you! Are you up for it? Who's doing this with me?

Goooo!

Have a great day!

Xoxo,

April

High Protein Breakfast/snacks & How to Use Items in Your Fridge!

Hey everyone!

I started my day off with a banging shakeology. NOM! I finally got it in last night, I sold a lot of samples so ran out early & I was so excited for my shipment to come in I snapped a super cheesy pic when I got it and whipped one up for dinner.

Here is mine from breakfast.. NOM! I topped it with chia seeds & crumbled rice cake.

Want to find out more about shakeology? Visit www.myshakeology.com/aprilpinkney

If you're interested in ordering, contact me at april.pinkney@gmail.com and I will tell you the cheapest way to order it! :)

I did a bootcamp, & a run/hill workout. It felt amazing, but it was REALLY humid out. I was sweating bullets! See sweaty pic below.. GO STEELERS! :)

Lunch was a concoction I made up with veggies in my fridge. I had spinach, mushrooms, and bell peppers on the verge of going bad so I threw them all in the food processor, mixed with 2 eggs and a splash of milk and cooked it in a skillet sprayed with EVOO. I had to drain it twice because the spinach and peppers produces a lot of water. I then added avocado and sirracha to it and threw it in a tortilla. DELICIOUS and so GREEN! See below:

Ever have a bunch of random stuff and want to know what kind of cool recipes you can make with them? Check out this website: http://www.recipematcher.com/ You can type in items you have on hand and it suggests recipes based off that! Cool huh?

 

I've been busy today, but I came across a couple great articles on Beach Body's website that can all be found here in this link: http://www.teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/280#253636534?referringRepId=237203 My favorite articles are:

5 Reasons You Could Be Gaining Weight

19 High-Protein Breakfasts (and Snacks!) Under 350 Calories

Check it out, there are a TON of recipes on this site. I'm leading an 8 week Couch 2 5K Training program today and I am so excited to help others get into running! I'll have a 7.5 mile run, this 15 minute run/walk workout, and 2 bootcamps under my belt for today. Niceeeeee. My turkey/spinach meatballs, quinoa, and sweet potato are calling my name. NOM!

Be sure to follow me on instagram @aprilpinkney and facebook: www.facebook.com/april.pinkney.5 for more recipes, inspiration, and exercise tips.

Why do I do I take the time to do what I do!? See below :)

Have a great day,

Xo,

April

Monday Bootcamp - GO!

Monday Bootcamp:

**5 Burpees in between each exercise

20 T Pushups

90 second wall sit with plates

40 Bosu In/Outs

20 Tricep Dips – Step

40 Russian Twists

25 Tuck Jump Squats

8 Diver Pushups

20 Jump Lunges/Leg

2 Sets Stairs (5 floors) in Between Each Round!

If this is not available to you - do 5 Suicide Sprints.

Enjoy! :)

Get 'er doneeeee!

Turkey/Spinach Meatballs, Veggie Quinoa Stirfry, Protein Oats, & more!

HaPpY mOnDaY!!

I hope you all had a great weekend. My boyfriend's family was in town so we tried out some new Charlotte restaurants I had never been to before and also went go-kart driving at an indoor park where they are much faster than the amusement park carts. It was a great time, and I got second in our group, after Matty, because he manages to beat me at everything, always. UNLESS, it has anything to do with aerobic fitness, lol. Here we are below rocking our very stylish racing gear. :)

Honestly, this computer blows, it will never let me rotate pictures, whatever... this picture cracks me up. Haha, I love us.

Here is a pic, below, of the black bean quesadillas from my last post, it was so good. I dipped it in sirracha and salsa verde and added an egg cooked over hard. YUM!

Ok, so Saturday night I was a little bored, so I got my meal prep and grocery shopping out of the way. Here are the quick & easy recipes I used for meal prep.

Turkey/Spinach Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground turkey

2 cups spinach - chop in food processor

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

3 tsp oregeno

1/2 onion chopped in food processor

2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp garlic

Ground sea salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix everything all together

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil

Spray foil with EVOO or Coconut oil spray

Place meatballs on pan, leave room don't smoosh them too close. I used two cookie sheets.

Bake at 400 degrees until done, mine took about 25 minutes. YUM!

Veggie Quinoa Stirfry

Ingredients:

Chopped mushrooms

2 cups quinoa

chopped bell peppers

1 onion - chopped in food processor

3 garlic cloves- minced

1 cup spinach- chopped in food processor

I used left over seasoned black beans from the black bean quesadilla recipe (last post)

Sea salt & black pepper to taste

I used steak seasoning to add a different flavor to the dish, but use seasoning of choice

Directions:

Add all ingredients to pan with 1/4 cup water and cook until quinoa and veggies are finished. Quinoa actually starts to sprout out when it is finished so you will see that. Cook until veggies have desired consistency. Add more water if needed. (picture below)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Wash & dry 4 sweet potatoes

Wrap in aluminum foil
Cook for 60 minutes at 400 degrees or until can poke fork through

Let cool, cut in half and sprinkle cinnamon & (optional: cayenne pepper)
--I personally love the sweet & spicy mix together with sweet potatoes.

Here is another yummy new recipe above ^^

Protein Oats or PROATS:Boil 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Lower boil to medium until milk is almost fully evaporated, stirring

Add 2 egg whites, and continue to cook & stir until cooked

Add 1 scoop protein powder (I used vanilla whey)

Top with 1 TBS natural peanut butter & fresh fruit (optional)

I mixed in the peanut butter and 6 fresh strawberries and topped with hemp seeds and goji berries. THIS WAS AH-MAZE-ING! Definitely making this again! 

I made a tilapia salad for lunch today.

Spinach base, add chopped mushrooms, bell peppers, strawberries, avocados, and grilled tilapia. I wrap it in foil with lemon juice, garlic, & pepper and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. YUM! I will use fresh lime juice for my dressing. NOM!

I love this quote, because you are often your own worst enemy. Be nice to YOU, tell yourself everyday how strong and beautiful and awesome you are. It will start your day off so much better.



That's all for me today, have a great day!

Xo, April

Black Bean Quesadillas

Happy Friday! Let's Eat!

I went to see Star Trek - Into the Darkness in 3D last night with the boy. I am NOT a Star Trek person, I don't think I've ever watched a whole Star Trek movie, but I really liked it. We haven't been to a movie in months, so it was nice. This weekend I am going to try out Shaun T's Focus T25 Workout again. It's 25 minutes of high intensity for those people that don't have the hour to workout. I tried it a few weeks ago and loved it. I also need to clean, go grocery shopping, and meal prep. We are showing our townhouse this weekend as well, we will be getting a roommate to help with rent and to ease some financial stress. I'm pretty excited to save some monayyy and pay off some debt! :)

Ok, here's  a yummy recipe!

Black Bean Quesadillas:
Tortillas
Black Beans (rinsed & drained)
Spinach
Reduced fat cheese (optional)
Hot Sauce (optional)
Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Take two tortillas and layer with the above ingredients and grill on each side until cheese is melted. - Makes two servings! YUM!

Also- Summer is coming up, I was reading my Women's Health magazine and came across this gem of lower calorie cocktails for summer. Alcoholic drinks/cocktails pack a lot of calories, so if weight loss is your goal, fruity sugary drinks can ruin your hard work, so be smart and drink sparingly. Here are a few lighter options:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/low-calorie-cocktails

Also, make sure you are limiting your sugar intake. All sugars are not created equal. So read your labels. If it says HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, RUN! Fructose should also be avoided, the Journal of the American Medical Association states that "Fructose consumption may lead to overeating because the brain may not get the signals it needs to suppress hunger." - Kathleen Page, M.D. Processed foods contain fructose. Cut back on foods with more than 10 to 15 grams of added sugar per serving.

Women- if you're feeling extra cranky during your time of the month- it could be PMS, but it could also be that you are low in iron therefore contributing to your moodiness. Low iron levels negatively affect the production of serotonin production. This can contribute to mood swings and PMS related pain. Get your iron from plant based sources and you are 40% less likely to have PMS. 20 milligrams of iron per day can help reduce these sympoms (i.e. 3 cups of cooked spinach).

That's all I have for today,

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

Xo, April

Tuna Black Bean Tacos

Tuna Black Bean Tacos

Mmmm... these were so good & so simple!

I have been trying to eat as much out of my pantry as possible before I go to the store, so I have been getting creative.

Ingredients:
2 cans Tuna in water drained

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

3 tsp cumin (more if desired)

dash of fresh ground sea salt and pepper
chopped cilantro if you have it

1/2 lime juiced
I added some jalapeno salsa from a can I found in my cupboard, I added more cumin because I lovee it too!

Directions: Combine everything together in medium bowl and portion out ~1/2 cup of mixture onto a whole grain tortilla/wrap.
You can add reduced fat cheese if you'd like, but I no longer eat dair so I did not. I threw in some Siracha in the wrap as well, it was delicious! Store the rest in tupperware container for leftovers! NOM!

I love this quote, because most of the time, you are your own worst enemy! Wake up and tell yourself you are going to do awesome and amazing things today, and YOU WILL. Be nice to YOU.

Matty and I joined friends at Holden Beach, NC for a friend's birthday celebration. It was such a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. We've been in such a funk lately.. mostly because of our finances, so we've been hanging out at home and not doing anything fun lately. This was exactly what we needed. It was so great to just be able to spend all day with him and not worry about things going on outside of the beach. It was too cold to get in the water but we brought a bunch of games for the beach which was nice. I couldn't imagine my life without him. He really is my best friend, and I'm so lucky to have found someone so compatible. Now if only he would eat veggies.... He's a work in progress in that department. ;)
The girls did a beach bootcamp Saturday morning. We ran, did squats, lunges, pushups, planks, sprints, and wall sits. Go us! :)

Enjoy your day today!

xo- April

Meal Prep, Shakeology Special, & Happiness!

Howdy! We have a Women's Health Fair tomorrow at work so we've been busy bees getting everything ready. Work goes so much faster when you have tasks that need done, so I am thankful for that!

Today I taught Bootcamp at 6:30am, ran 11 miles, met a friend to discuss her health & fitness goals, taught a Step & Kick class & will be done at 8pm. I am POOPED. So exhausted and I know I have not drank enough water, I'm sitting here staring at my empty water bottle.. Ok, going to fill it now. GOTTA GET IT IN! Ok, back and ready for this hydration process.

Here's a pic from my run today, I did a good portion of it on trails, and it was beautiful out.

I had to take two showers because my legs were covered in mud and it didnt' all come out the first time, sometimes those are the best kind of runs. So much stress relief from today's run! Running keeps me sane. Running makes me feel strong. Running is my ME time. Running is my high. Running is my life. It was an amazing day to appreciate the beauty of God's gifts to us- nature! 11 miles of stress.. GONE! :)

Here is a bootcamp for y'all to do this week! Get on it!

*Warm Up: 20 Jumping Jacks, 10 air squats, 30 punches to the front, Run in place for 1 minute
10 Pushups
10 Burpees*YouTube it. Jump up, bring body to floor including chest, bring feet back in, jump up that’s 1. **Modification: Jump up bring hands to ground, arms extended, extend legs so that in pushup position, bring legs back in, stand up and jump.
15 Lunges/leg*Do 15 on the Right Leg- PUSH back each time so that you pop back to the center, repeat 15 on left leg
20 Side kicks/leg*Plant left leg with toe pointed out and all the weight in your heels, lean to left and kick right leg out to the side 20 times, repeat to left40 Mountain Climbers (20/leg)*Hands on floor arms extended in plank position, bring knees to chest and keep nice flat back and tight core^^REPEAT THESE EXERCISES 3 TIMES^^

40 Jumping Jacks
30 High Knees/leg
45 second plank
25 Jump Squats*Air Squats if you have bad knees, jump squat: squat with all the weight in your heels, pretend you are sitting butt on a bench behind you, but should come below knee, then JUMP up.^^REPEAT THESE EXERCISES 4 TIMES^^
*Cool down- stretch all major muscle groups! GREAT JOB!

MEAL IDEAS

This weekend as usual, Sunday was my meal prep day. I went to Aldi's and was shocked to see how much healthy fresh food I got there and for half the price of other grocery stores. I am making a pact to use what is in my pantry and only buy fresh produce or milk or eggs until it is ALL GONE. This is part of my WAR on DEBT program. I am so excited to see how soon I can get to my goal of being debt free. So because I am trying to clean out my pantry I made salmon and tuna patties this week. Here is the salmon patty recipe:

Salmon Patty Recipe:

1 - 6 oz. can salmon (I had boneless skinless salmon in a can)
1 whole egg
1/2 TBS mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 TBS red pepper flakes
1 TBS plain bread crumbs (can use ground stale 100% wheat bread)
Form into 2 patties and cook on skillet sprayed with EVOO or coconut oil.
Makes two - 3oz patties! Delicious! I ate one with 1/2 avocado and threw the other in a huge salad I made for work tomorrow!

I did the same thing with a tuna can but had to use a little more breadcrumbs because there was less in the can, I think it was a 5 oz can of tuna.

Here is my tuna patty that I added to a huge salad:

I threw organic spring mix & spinach salad, cucumber, asparagus, red cabbage, yellow pepper, and sweet potato fries NOM! Recipe is below.

Sweet Potato Fries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Clean 3 sweet potatoes and cut in half, then cut into slivers as shown above.
Toss in bowl with EVOO or Coconut oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, cinnamon, and stevia if you like your fries sweeter.

Cook for 30 minutes flipping after 15 minutes! YUM!

 So simple!

I made my venison/quinoa/turkey meal prep again, recipe is in previous post. I'm obsessed with this mixture. I also made roasted asparagus! Spray with EVOO or coconut oil, salt, pepper, and slivered almonds. Bake at 400 for ~ 15 minutes! NOM!

And Finally.. My Shakeology DEAL!!

If you buy shakeology from me before this Thursday, May 9 at 11:59 pm I will provide you with a 4 week meal plan created by me! There is a 30 day bottom of the bag money back guarantee so you have NOTHING TO LOSE! Don't like it? RETURN IT!

Check it out at: http://www.myshakeology.com/aprilpinkney

When purchasing, I recommend buying the regular Chocolate Shakeology in a BAG.
If you order using home direct you save $10 in shipping and if you'd like to cancel this it's so simple to do, I will walk you through the process myself!

E-mail me if you have any questions at:

april.pinkney@gmail.com

Night Night Lovies- I am about to stop at Chipotle and get my Buy one Get one Free Chipotle Salads for the boy & I with my old ID from teaching. Yup, I'm broke and no, I don't feel bad. That was the most miserable year of my life in a career, so yes I'm going to get a free $6 meal for it, lol.

Enjoy your night!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

I am so excited that I have a few days off to catch up on housework and my BeachBody business. I am so blessed to finally have my weekends off. I actually am looking forward to giving the house a good scrubbing as well... which is weird for me, like really weird. But I want to be the kind of woman that I have always dreamed a man deserves. I am strong, I am intelligent, I am faithful, I am loyal, and I want to provide support and lift the man of my dreams up in a positive way. I want to edify him and let him know how PROUD I am to be his.

I always said I want to be the woman that cooks a meal for her husband daily. It shouldn't be a 'Fend for yourself hun, I'm drinking Shakeology for dinner' kind of environment, lol. However that has happened before and for a while there it was happening all too often. Now, I don't believe that women need to slave over the household all day long, but providing a home cooked meal and a clean house makes ME feel good. It lifts ME up to show my man I am proud of the way he takes care of me and I want to take care of him in the best way I can, through his stomach of course. ;)

If you're lucky enough to have a partner that helps you out around the house, it is even more enjoyable to do, because one partner should not be doing everything. Last night, I made pork chops, corn on the cob, and rice and Matty cleaned everything up. He is very good at vaccuming, dusting, and helping with the laundry, and for that I am so thankful. His momma raised him right. :) We need more men like this, when you lend a helping hand, it makes others want to do even more. When you sit around and don't do a darn thing, it makes your partner/roommate/mom think, WHY BOTHER? So, as a team - we work so much better. Now, I don't ask him to put the laundry or dishes from the dishwasher away, because then I have to search for everything because it is never in its place, lol. Bless his heart for trying? I believe the man is the provider no matter how much money he makes, even if the woman makes more money, that man is still the provider and should be treated as such. Lift him up and encourage him, do not put him down. Edify him and he will edify you. I am proud to say that I have the best man in the world, besides my daddy, of course. He takes care of me and always listens when I'm venting. He hugs me and rubs my feet daily. He is my best friend. I'm lucky, I'm blessed, and I'm just trying to keep up with how awesome he is. =) Love you, babe! <3

Yes I'm girly, Get OVAAA IT!

Some more cool quotes, Albert Einstein below is thankful for having to work hard for the things he achieved. Sometimes you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and just keep pushing. In my personal business, I see ups and downs everyday, but I say THANK YOU for the downs so I can TRULY appreciate those ups. Do you see what I'm saying? Dani Johnson would be so proud of my post today. I feel like she is flowing through my body. I posted about the conference a few days back, check her out www.danijohnson.com She's a peach. I got the material I bought from her yesterday and I am excited to get started on my WAR ON DEBT this weekend!

I woke up and had some eggies before BODY COMBAT! I did HIIT Power today and it was a rough one! It combined weights and plyometrics and I was a sweaty MESS! I have to have a little something in my tummy before those kind of workouts - so I made some scrambled eggs with lots of cracked pepper and Sirracha (Spicy Thai Chili Sauce) & a dollop of Ketchup (With No High Fructose Corn Syrup). YUM! I love spicy, I am my father's daughter through and through with spicy and the amount of ketchup I use. I can't eat eggs plain- I have to have ketchup or hot sauce- true story!

The red chili peppers used in sriracha contain capsaicin, which is known to boost metabolism and aid in weight loss. It can also boost your endorphins, enhancing your mood and memory. Sriracha is also thought to improve the body’s ability to dissolve blood clots, fight inflammation and colds, and improve circulation. Not to mention, it’s unique, spicy flavor can be downright addictive. -Detoxinista's blog is full of awesome info, check her out: http://detoxinista.com/

 Ok, this post below cracks me up- I love Dwayne and The Office! Women have been brain washed and I hear this everyday at my job as a trainer- lifting builds lean muscle mass but doesn't make you huge. It also increases the amount of calories you burn at rest when you increase your lean mass. I have more muscle mass now then I ever did, and ALL my clothes are loose and my legs are smaller than they've ever been! Why? Bc I'm eating clean and lifting so I have definition. BOOM! Listen to me, I have a degree, I know what I'm talking about, it's science.

Little FLEX FRIDAY ACTION! I posted this on instagram to try to win a contest to gain more exposure for my business, you never know where you will find new customers. Increase your contacts daily!

 Post Body Combat Sweatiness... Crazy hairrr don't careeee.

 Tuna salad, yum! Organic salad mix, red cabbage, tuna, cucumbers, and spirulina/tahini dressing NOM! Get creative in the kitchen today!

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! I usually don't post on weekends, so I will see you back here next week!



NEVER give up!

Howdy! I woke up energized and happy today after doubting myself and my business last night. Don't let those negative thoughts creep in, keep your head up and BELIEVE in yourself. Tell yourself that you WILL NOT give up whether it be a home business, your job, your relationships (unless they truly are toxic, then RUN). Root yourself and FIGHT for what you believe.

You need to constantly tell yourself, I believe in myself, I will not quit, and I will succeed. And everyday will start off on a better note.

Mac followed me upstairs when I was working from home this morning, he decided to take a nap because downstairs was apparently too far away from Mommy. I don't know why the computer won't let me rotate any pictures today either, just don't break your neck, thanks!

DING DING DING! Don't get sucked into that "CALORIE OR FAT FREE" junk -it just means they chemically altered it to be that way, choose natural organic items or just suck it up and make better choices! END OF STORY. Genetically Engineered Food is NO BUENO! You may have heard them be called GMOs Genetically Modified Organisms... DO your research! They're terrible for you!

Chipotle from last week... amazing! Did I post this last week? I don't think I did. I always get their vegetarian salad with rice, black beans, tomato salsa, and avocado. AMAZING! All of their products are fresh and free from chemicals! Go Chipotle!

 Dinner from today.. DELICIOUS! This was my meal prep I posted last week, I added Siracha, a Tai Chili Sauce.. It was sooo good! I could eat this everyday!

 Here was my lunch from today! Overnight oats with hemp seeds, goji berries, almonds, craisins, and SHAKEOLOGY. OH MY GOSH CHOCOLATE oatmeal, it was so good! You must try it!

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 TBS hemp seeds (can use chia seeds)

pinch of goji berries

pinch of slivered almonds

pinch of dried cranberries

1/4 scoop Shakeology.

I ate mine in an empty peanut butter jar to get all the peanut buttery goodness out!

YUM!

What recipes would you like to see more of? Let me know and I will be more than happy to post them for you!

Enjoy your day! - April