Meal Prepped Meat, Egg, and Cheese Breakfasts

So fun fact-- I've lost close to 20 pounds in the last few months.  It's a combination of medicating my thyroid, watching what I eat, and cutting back on carbs and sweets. It's been a conscious choice but I'm also not starving myself or denying myself things I love.  Prepping ahead of time has been so helpful.  I used to meal prep on Sunday nights but found I got bored with the food.  So now I prep a few things but also throw things together last minute for some variety.

In an average day I eat eggs or have a shake for breakfast; and deli meat, cheese and hard boiled eggs or a protein and steamed or sauteed veggies for lunch or dinner.  Honestly, just cutting out the carbs has been the biggest thing for me.

Mornings are quick for me. Often the kids wake up while I'm getting ready and want snuggles and who am I to say no to snuggle requests? I always end up leaving 10 minutes later than I planned because I just want to stay with the kids as long as I can. AS much as I love my shakes, I can't have them every day or I get bored so I started prepping breakfast egg muffins. Sometimes I use the cupcake tins and sometimes I use a cake pan and just cut servings.

It's super simple and if I cook them Sunday night I can eat them for a few days.  They make great breakfasts, they pack super well for lunches, and even work as a protein packed piece of dinner.

10 breakfast sausages, cooked and cut, or 5-8 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup diced peppers and onions
6 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350* and spray down cupcake pan or cake pan with non stick sp
Saute peppers and onions in a frying pan over medium heat.
Divide into cupcake tin cavities or spread over the cake pan.
Repeat with the cooked and crumbled breakfast meat.
Sprinkle shredded cheese in the same fashion.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Add some milk or cream if you'd like.
If using cupcake tins, divide the mixture among the tins. If using a cake pan, pour over the pan, being sure to cover all the peppers, onions, meat, and cheese.
Place into oven.  Takes from 8-15 minutes depending on whether you are using cupcake tins or a cake pan and your individual oven temps. Be sure to check every few minutes and remove when the eggs are fully cooked through.

I love grabbing a quick slice in the morning, making mornings so much easier!

xo, Heather

Copy Cat Marylou's Oreo Cookie Monster with Herbalife

I have to admit, I have a major addiction. I'm not a coffee person at all, but Marylou's, a local coffee shop, carries what they call an Oreo Cookie Monster and oh man.. it's my weakness. I am lucky enough to have a student whose dad runs a few of the stores so he randomly would surprise me at school with one! Amazing, right?

Except that each one is loaded with sugar and fat, even when it's made with skim milk.

Did I mention each one is close to $5!? Yikes. It's a hit to my wallet and my gut each time I order one, but like I said, I'm addicted.

I've been working hard on making better food choices. I'm not at the gym/working out part of the journey yet but that's okay. Until I get my food intake under control, it won't matter how much I work out. Needless to say, I needed to find a new way to enjoy these delicious and addictive drinks.

My friend Katelyn got into Herbalife a while back and it's changed her life. I love the shakes and I hate most protien shakes so it's a big deal for me! No gritty taste and they actually taste good. I don't have to add anything to them to enjoy them, however I thought 'what if I added a bit to the Herbalife Cookies and Cream to try and make a Marylou's Oreo Cookie Monster'?

Using Herbalife's Cookies N Cream Protein Healthy Meal, skim milk, Hershey's Simply 5 chocolate syrup, and 2 Oreos I was able to almost replicate the delicious flavor!

I added 8 oz milk, 2 scoops of Protein (1 serving size), a teaspoon of chocolate syrup, the Oreos, and ice to milk my mixer. A few second sof blending and I had a perfectly creamy, delicious, and addictive substitute!

After adding up nutrition labels, you can see how my Herbalife Copycat compares:

Amazing, right!? The sodium and the sugars are still higher than I'd like, which still makes this more of a treat but I feel a lot better drinking this copycat shake than an actual Marylou's Oreo Cookie Monster! Less than half the fat and calories and so many more nutrients and vitamins!

If you're interested in trying out Herbalife, check out Katelyn's Herbalife Page or join our Herbalicious Facebook Group! She's amazing, pressure free, and just a sweet girl! I'm so happy I have her by my side while I work towards my best me!

xo, Heather

Gifts for Mother's Day: 2016

Mother's Day is coming up this weekend and I'm excited to share some really great gifts with you!

There are of course, the traditional "every holiday gift" gifts like Godiva chocolates or flowers. Did you know that Amazon does floral deliveries now?! Amazon through Kabloom sends some seriously gorgeous flowers and they seem to be much less expensive than other floral companies I've used before for my own mom!

I will admit, my go to gifts for moms lately have been Lillebaby carriers, since all the latest gifts I've been giving are to new moms waiting for their babies (still should be getting a gift for Mother's Day!) but I also know that not every mom needs an infant or toddler baby carrier! :)

While I would love another carrier, I am also swooning over these gorgeous hand stamped bracelets.  Emma is constantly saying "Love you to the moon and back" or "I love you a million blue M&Ms" so having it as a constant reminder on my wrist would be perfection; it would look gorgeous next to a Fossil Knot Cuff Bracelet. A Kendra Scott Necklace, especially the super on trend druzy stones, would be perfect as well.

Some moms hoard jewelry and some horde bags.  I'm loving this Kate Spade Striped Tote, this Vera Bradley Quilted Handbag, and this Zac Posen Shoulder bag. They just shout spring to me and what mom wouldn't love them?

Maybe your mom is more of a techie and has been asking for a new camera? I just got my new camera a couple months back and these three were my top contenders! Sony a5100, Samsung NX500, and the Nikon Coolpix L340 all offer mom the setting and manual capabilities of DSLR without the bulky lens and hefty price tag.

Another big hit for moms is a fancy coffee maker. Seriously, some days a cup of coffee or tea is the closest we get to relaxation so grab a great one like the Nescafe Gourmet Coffeemaker that makes hot or iced drinks as well as the specialty drinks we shell out for at higher end coffee shops. Other high end trusted home brands like Le Creuset, a KitchenAide Mixer, Primitive Box Signs in Mom loving themes, or a Jonathan Alder picture frame would be the perfect gift.

Mother's Day has always been a spring signal for me as well! I love getting outside to work in our yard and with my daughter on our planter boxes so a gift card to Lowe's , a hammock and stand, or a garden stand would all be appreciated. I've been eyeing this inflatable jacuzzi since I saw it at TJ Maxx last year! I can't wait until our yard is ready to have one!

If your mom likes working outside, she may like working out as well! I've been huge into watching my steps and monitoring my activity levels so a wearable piece of fitness technology like a Fitbit Alta, Samsung Gear2 , or Garmin Vivosmart could help mama meet her goals without coming across as rude.  Die hard work out fans might enjoy yoga and work out shirts or workout headbands from Etsy as well!

Everyone knows after a sweaty workout, or literally just any day of mom's life, we want, and deserve, a pampering and relaxing day off. I love finding restaurant and spa deals through Groupon and Living Social, (especially Groupon's local deals) but if you can't find an amazing deal for a wine tasting weekend or girls trip for her, you could invest in Essential Oil diffuser, some bath bombs, or a Deep Sea Mud Mask to help her relax and at least feel like she's at the spa.

The best part about almost all of these gifts is that they can be bought off of Amazon with free Prime shipping! If you don't have Prime yet, you can sign up for a FREE 30 day trial here and you'll get FREE two-day shipping on Prime eligible orders!

I'm seriously crossing my fingers for a gift off this list! Which one is your favorite for mom?