Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Smoothie

This is my GO-TO and all time favourite protein smoothie!! I've even mixed up a half serving of this for dessert in the evening when I was craving something sweet - it's that good...and good for you!

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology (or protein powder of your choice)
1/2 banana
1/4 cup plain yogurt or milk
1 tsp natural peanut butter
1 cup water
Ice (as much as you like)

Blend all ingredients (I use a magic bullet) until smooth. Tastes sinful for something that is so good for you!!

5 Things Every Mom Should Do Alone

Let's face it - becoming a mom takes over your life. All of a sudden your entire existence become all about another person - and while it is perhaps THE greatest feeling of all - so many of us often lose ourselves in the process of transition from parentless to parent.

I can personally say this because it happened to me. It still happens to me if I'm not careful. After my daughter was born in 2015, I went through a time where I completely lost myself and who I was. I barely had time to think, let alone read in peace, be with friends or do any of my hobbies that make me feel like "me". I was there for my daughter, my family and my work...but I wasn't truly there in the moment. I was just doing, not living. I would get up, get myself and my daughter ready, go to work, come home, dinner, bath, bedtime routine...then go to bed, get up the next day and do it all over again. I knew what I was doing was important, and I love my Mom title and will always be there for my family, but I realized I needed a little "Me" time to recharge and connect with who I am as an individual too. These are ways I have found that allow me to reconnect with my identity beyond just being a mom - I hope you find them useful for you too!

1 Dish Dinner - Chicken & Veggie Bake

This recipe is great for when you don't have a ton of time to make dinner. The best part - you can toss it all into one dish and done! That's my kinda cooking!

I am all about set it and forget it - especially on my days off. The last thing I want to do is spend my precious spare time off work standing in the kitchen for an hour+ making supper every afternoon when there are much more fun things to do - like sipping wine on the patio (err...I mean...teaching my child with organically grown cotton flash cards with the TV definitely not on...)

I made this a couple weeks ago and it was a hit so it's going to make another appearance at our dinner table this coming weekend!

What you need:

 

2-3 skinless chicken breasts

1 lb red potatoes chopped into 2 inch cubes
2-3 cups worth of veggies cut into 1 inch pieces (asparagus, red & yellow peppers, bite size tomatoes, green beans, etc)
1 small onion sliced
1 tbsp dried basil
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chopped dried rosemary
Salt & pepper to taste

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and add all ingredients to a 9x13 baking dish. Toss to coat evenly. Loosely cover with foil and bake for approximately 40 minutes, turning half way through, until cooked through! Optional: Remove foil and broil for a few minutes at end for yummy browning!  SERVE!!!

Website Marked as Spam on Pinterest?!

I discovered a little (ok, not so little in my world!) unpleasant surprise the other day: Pinterest has flagged my website, Fitness Family Food Fun, and the links that are connected to Pins as SPAM and BLOCKED my entire website from Pinterest. "Blacklisted" as they call it :(

While blogging and sharing some of my blog posts and recipes on Pinterest is new to me, I have personally been using Pinterest for a few years now. I love it...I love DIY projects, searching out and trying new recipes, and to be totally honest - I'm not the most savvy at putting outfits together...and I just get so much inspiration and ideas from it.

It has also been one of my biggest traffic sources since starting a blog. Luckily because I am still so new I am not using my blog as a form of income, but I've read of this happening to many bloggers who depend on their traffic to determine their income potential - and a few days without their top #1-#3 spot traffic referrer can have a huge impact.

7 Kid-Friendly April Fools Day Pranks

I love to laugh and love a good friendly prank...so now that I have a little one of my own I'll be sure to be pulling some of these when April Fools rolls around at my house! I can't wait to do something unexpected that will surprise and make my daughter laugh with silliness!

Myra is still a little young for most of these ideas...but here are some kid-friendly April Fools day pranks I will be saving these for coming years!

Shrink Wrap
Wrap your toddlers toys in shrink wrap and watch as they are mesmerizes by it! They will love discovering it and unwrapping them!

Freeze their Breakfast
Fill your child's bowl with cereal and milk - then stick it into the freezer overnight! The kids will be in for a surprise when they go to take a scoop with their spoon!

Marshmallow Picking
Stuff marshmallows onto the tips of branches in your yard. Tell the kids the marshmallows are ready for picking and watch the look on their faces as they race outside to pick the "berries".

Pudding or Juice Swap
Instead of a glass of milk or juice, give them a glass of vanilla pudding or set jello. They will be in for a surprise when they go to take a drink!

Balloon Pillow
Fill your child's pillowcase with balloons at nap time. Watch them discover what they pillow is *really* made of!

Funny Colored Milk
Put a drop or 2 of food colouring in their milk...and pretend you have no idea it's a different color!

Grape Chocolate Eggs
Using leftover Easter egg chocolates, use the foil wrapping and wrap grapes - get ready for all sorts of reactions when they discover a grape inside instead of chocolate!

Have a happy and funny April Fools Day! Have you pranked your kiddies before? 

No Equipment 20 Minute Abs Workout

I've got a great no-frills ab workout that you can done in just 20 minutes! This is my go-to...and Myra finds it funny to use me like a jungle gym when I'm on the floor, LOL! Your abs will be on fiyah after this one ;)

If you need to take a break during an exercise, break for 5-10 seconds and then try to get right back at it for the remainder of the minute. Because the workout is just 20 minutes - we want to get "the most bang for our buck"! 

If you decide to give it a try. Modify when and where needed, & let me know what ya thought!

Teenage Babysitters Charge What?!

I recently posted a "grinds my gears" thought on my Facebook and it got quite a bit of response from all perspectives so I thought I would share it on here too. It's about the average cost of casual babysitters these days. I'm talking your young teen sitters...not an experienced nanny, licensed daycares or ECE's, etc. I'm talking "little-to-no-work-experience-and-still-too-young-to-qualify-for-a-regular-job-teen". 

$8+ per hour (I've heard as high as $12 if the teen is "experienced"). Maybe I am way behind the times, but I'm a numbers and stats girl...and to me, these numbers just don't add up. 

Why I am No Longer a Beachbody Coach - My Beachbody Break Up

I’ve been a little MIA lately on the social media front, specifically Beachbody and my fitness groups, and I’ve had a few people reach out to me regarding Beachbody programs and coaching, so I wanted to share my decision with you all...
I am no longer a coach…(hence the changes with my blog!)
It has been on my mind for a while and I was waiting until I truly felt the disconnect. Also, I have a lot of people who see me as their motivator who I was fearful of disappointing.

...But it was time

Blog Re-Vamping in Progress!

Hi all! Thanks for stopping by!

My blog is a little "naked". It is going to be a bit of a mish-mash and pages are going to be under construction for the next little bit while I work on the design and layout - But when all done it is going to be a constantly growing and changing place for me to document all things I love to talk about and share:

Food, Fitness, Simple Fashion, Family, DIY, Baking and Cake/Cupcake/Cookie Decorating & FUN!

Some of the things you currently see will remain and be made even better (like the recipes) - but there will be some new changes coming too!! Keep your eyes peeled for topics like my favorites and recommendations, QUICK workout cheat sheets that can be done anywhere (key word QUICK - because we as moms know time is of the essence!) and sweet treat decorating tutorials & tips. So please check back in for updates and drop me a comment or message with suggestions for new topics you'd like to see ;)

You can also find updates in these spots. I'd love for you to follow along!

www.facebook.com/breeannnelsonfitness/

www.pinterest.com/fitfamfoodfun/

www.instagram.com/fitness.family.food.fun/

10 Simple Ways to Sneak Exercise Into Your Day

(Without having to make extra time for it!!)

The NUMBER 1 excuse I get when someone shows interest in starting a workout routine or joining one of my fitness challenge groups is….any guesses??

"I don’t have time to workout."

Now, the first thought that comes to mind when I hear this: I can understand where they are coming from, because I felt the EXACT same way before I found what worked for me and for making exercise a daily part of my life. We have so many distractions and time consuming demands coming at us every day that is it easy to feel overwhelmed and like it would be impossible to fit one more thing into your day – like working out.

Why you Gain Weight at the Start of a New Exercise Program!! ANSWERED by Chalene Johnson!

One of the most common topics (issue-not-issue) I get asked about. It happens almost like clock work when a new workout program is started - someone messages me concerned and wanting to give up because they have GAINED ___lbs in the first week or 2! Today I want to put this worry to rest. You all know the great Chalene Johnson. If you don't, she a celebrity trainer and creator of Turbo fire, Turbo Jam, Chalene Extreme, PiYo.........She KNOWS her stuff! Here is the answer to one of the most commonly asked fitness questions/puzzles around! 

SHE WRITES:

"Probably the most common question I get when I release a new exercise program is, "Help! I'm gaining weight! Am I doing something wrong?" This is a common phenomenon with any new exercise program, such as Turbo Kick, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Hustle, or others! It's especially common (and temporary) with intense strength training programs like ChaLEAN Extreme or Tony Horton's P90X.