My Favorite Cheap and Healthy Food Go-To's/

So if " I haven't heard it once, I've heard it a million times."

"Healthy food is too expensive".... "Unless you're rich, you cannot afford healthy food"

   Well I am on a mission to demolish this absolutely awful assumption that it is more costly. All I am saying, in nice terms.. Don't knock it until you try it.

   Now, don't get me wrong; eating 100% Ramen Noodles is in fact, and most likely, the cheapest way to provide food to a family. So I will not discount that :) I have been there, done that, and who knows if life will put me in a position where I will need to go on the "all Ramen Diet" again.. but I hope I wont need to!

I am what would be considered a low-middle class to not even middle class at all when it comes to income. I am a single mother that does not collect on any type of government benefits other than the ones I earned from the Military, which is education benefits. I do not receive child support for my daughter either.

Some other things that I do not do...
-I do not have cable
-I do not have the fastest Internet
-I do not have 4G service on my cell phone
-I do not have a fancy car
-I do not own/use/have a credit card of any kind
-I do not eat out constantly (maybe 2 times a month)
-I dont buy unhealthy and healthy foods at the same time (HUGE reason why people feel healthy        food is expensive)
-I do not spend money where I do not feel it is being used wisely

What I do do..
- I chose to budget in Shakeology for a meal every day
- I prepare the same food for me as I would for my daughter (she eats healthy too!)
- I prepare simple meals that are not hidden with lots of unhealthy ingredients
- I meal prep once a week. This helps use up all of the food I buy (no leftovers and no random foods      that hide in the cabinets for years!
-I spend sparingly with clothes, accessories, haircuts, makeup, anything that is not necessity.
-I do still struggle some months, because, well lets be honest!

Here are some of my MUST HAVE healthy foods that shouldnt break the bank:

1. Eggs- these puppies are super cheap and packed with protein.

2. Egg whites- Buy the store brand and your golden. it ends up being cheaper to get the egg white carton than actual eggs and wasting the yolks

3. Whole pineapples. This is my new fav! It makes enough for an entire week of fruit and they are under $3 <- that's less than Oreos

4. Romaine lettuce- If you buy it in the non-chopped up "salad ready" bags, these are cheap. and SUPER cheap if you get them from a place like Sam's or Costco

5. Broccoli, Cauliflower, snap green beans, celery.. All of these non-bagged items are super d-duper cheap. Pick them up, cut them up yourself and you have a crazy cheap veggie assortment.

6. Frozen veggies. THE BEST if you are just changing to a cleaner diet. No more wasting spoiled veggies but they are frozen at peak of freshness and usually cheaper than fresh versions. I go for the store brand with no added cheeses, sodium, sugars.

7. Chicken in bulk and Ground Turkey in bulk. This will be where the money is mostly put because Chicken is quite expensive these days but Turkey meat is actually less than beef right now. so stock up!

8. Oats.. Good lordy these things are cheap and as healthy of a base for cereal as you can get. Add what you need but it will still come out cheaper and healthier than the processed kid and adult cereals on the shelf these days!

So once you have your healthy foods here is a bit of advice:

1. Eat simple. Simple ingredients, not a lot of mixing of ingredients to get the final product.

2. Eat meats in bulk. An example is, for lunch all week I will eat turkey burgers. It saves so much money eating the same type of meat every lunch or every dinner for the entire week. I iam not saying you should always eat the same ol' turkey burger, but use a recipe that uses turkey all week. It may sound totally different than anything you've tried but its cheaper than changing it up daily with healthy food and sure as heck cheaper than unhealthy food (excluding Ramen of course).

3. Get your kids eating the same thing as you, and if possible, even your spouse (I know that can be tough). The less variety you have around the dinner table catering to healthy and unhealthy, the more you will save. PLUS you are getting the added benefit of your entire family eating healthy and that is priceless.

Best Cookies Ever- Avocado Cocoa Cookies!

I have been at it again. Searching the internet like crazy looking for an awesome new dessert recipe.

Lucky me, and LUCKY YOU, that I found the absolute best cookie recipe ever. I can honestly say I have never tasted a better cookie (coming from the girl with completely different taste buds!)

So here are the deets!

Recipe:

1 Avocado

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 Egg

1/2 cup dark cocoa powder (I used special dark by Hershey's)

50g dark chocolate chunks (who even measures this? JK JK)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

How to:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together (with hand mixer or food processor) the avocado and coconut sugar until smooth. 

Add in the egg. 

Mix in the cocoa powder and baking soda

Then stir in the chocolate chunks

Spray a little olive oil down. Using two spoons, place dollops of cookie on a baking sheet with parchment paper. The cookie doesn't spread all that much so flatten it a bit with a fork. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookie batter doesn't stick to a knife. 

Let them cool (but enjoy the first one when its still warm!)

Tips:

1. I think this is a recipe that even non-fitness/nutrition freaks would love, but if you have picky ones, add in a SMALL amount of Reese's chips or heath to give it an extra zing of sugar. But again, these are THAT good, that they don't need the added sugars.

2. Get creative! To one of mine, I added in a middle layer of the yogurt/sunflower butter/mashed banana cream I used to make banana sandwiches and it was delicious (would be even better with peanut butter instead of sunflower butter.. but still!) Mix it up and try your own

Best part, other than it being the best cookie ever created, it fits into Macros (and I am in the SHRED phase!) 

These beauties were originally found on @Josefinetm via instagram :)

Oh Goodness Me! Good-For-You Flour-less Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

I have been spending countless hours on the internet since changing my lifestyle into a more healthy one. Such great information out there and I am wanting to start sharing a little bit and consolidate the things that I love the most!

So here is the first! I picked up some super delicious looking recipes for desserts for two reasons

1. I really want to start baking with Cora. She loves to mix and pour foods right now and so its fun to do, but I want the outcome to be something healthy for us.
2. I want some sweets, dang it!

I found myself in the health food section of the store getting all the items that I didn't already have and headed home in excitement!

Thinking it would take a lot more time than it actually did, I got right to making these little muffins. They were ready before I knew it.

So here are the Deets!

Recipe:

1/2 cup Almond Butter
1 Ripe Banana
1 Egg
1/4 cup Honey
1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp. ground Flaxseed
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips

How to:

Put everything in a bowl except the chocolate chips. blend it with whatever mixer you have. (I have a cheapy hand mixer) Make it pretty creamy. It will look a tad griddy but mostly like a brownie batter consistency.

Then add in those delicious chocolate chips and mix them in the batter.

Spray some olive oil cooking spay on the muffin pan and dole out the batter into 10 of the muffin forms.

Put it in the oven and cook for about 12 minutes. (I forgot to set the timer or look at the clock so I just did the simple "stick a knife in them and take them out when no batter sticks" test. (Totally worked! Score!)

Voila! They are delicious

My Recommendations:

1. I would use half almond butter and half something else (maybe even peanut butter?) or add in some PB2. Im not a huge fan of almond butter.
2. Make sure that when the recipe calls for a "ripe" banana that you actually follow that rule. The sweetness comes from the banana so the riper it is the sweeter it will be.
3. There is a difference between just Flaxseed and ground Flaxseed (I found out the "hard" way.. but they are still delicious!)
4. If you are wanting to make a healthy dessert like this, but sharing with the office or friends and they aren't super health freaks, then add in a little crushed heath bar or Reese's chips (just a little!) to really sweeten the deal ;)

Because I track my macros:

Try and view the recipe here so you can track your macros too! Recipe breakdown on MyFitnessPal.com



Recipe from: @RunningwithScissors

How I Afford Shakeology as a Single Mom

If you are ready to give it a shot, read more and ask me any questions you may have!

http://www.shakeology.com/kailinturner

How I Started:

In 2011 I started with P90X and Shakeology. I knew nothing about either one. I was just as clueless as most when it comes to Shakeology and a Beachbody workout when its their first purchase. I thought it would be great to try something new even though I had no idea what was in the shakes or how it would help me (stick with me, I learned as I went to research EVERYTHING)

Well with Shakeology P90X (and a little Insanity mixed in) I lost 50lbs in 90 days! That includes a move from Virginia to Georgia in week 8 as well as an email from my deployed husband, at the time, letting me know he wanted a divorce.

I was determined and focused to not let anything stop me this time. I tried working out, I tried eating healthy, but I never tried them together.

Why I love it:

I love Shakeology for many reasons, so for my Type A personalities, here is a list:

1. I was a HUGE candy and fast food-aholic. Shakeology cured me from DAY #1 of that.- I now            have no cravings when I drink Shakeology

2. I am never hungry/starving- It keeps me full. How? Because its a shake packed with whole  foods. Whole foods are wonderful! They keep you fuller longer and more satisfied because they don't  consist of simple sugars and fillers. A little goes a long way when it comes to whole foods.

3. I now have breakfast every day. I get up early, I work full time, and I have a little one to care for; plus, I really dont care for breakfast food items. So, I choose to drink my Shakeology in the morning for breakfast. It takes all of 2-3 minutes to make and keeps me full. With regular breakfast items I am hungry within 2 hours.. (its all those fillers!)

4. It IS cheaper than buying foods that are cheaper in the short run but not in the long run. Again, these chemical filled foods that now sit on the store shelves that Americans are buying by the millions daily will not keep you full and satisfied for as long as Shakeology will.

How I Afford it:

1. I replace bad foods with Shakeology. SO many people tell me "its too expensive to eat healthy". This is not true, at least in my case. If you are buying healthy and unhealthy foods, then yes! it will absolutely be more expensive; hands down and no doubt! But again, whole foods keep you fuller longer, you also don't need as much of these foods at one time because they are not "filler foods". By switching to a healthier lifestyle I am able to save money with Shakeology and my grocery bill.

2. It really is only $5 a day. Think about the things you spend money on. What items are completely ridiculous and not needed? A burger from McDonald's, a salad from Subway, a Coffee from Starbucks, or a Soda at the gas station. All of these items cost more than one Shakeology. Are you willing to forfeit the nutrition by having something else that will not fill you up, will not contribute to your health, and could cause heart disease? Not me! I chose to not have these items because I have something that is far better for me for the same price.

3. I don't have cable, lightening speed internet, of the best phone plan. Trust me, I am super internet friendly. I post super often and am able to go to school full time online and surf the web, but I have the lowest speed internet that is pretty dang cheap! I also dont have cable TV. This is SO expensive and its not in the budget as far as where my priorities lie. There are so many free and LEGAL ways to watch television shows when I have the time. I have the smallest phone plan I could get; yes, my data amount runs out in the first day of the month and for 29 days I have to deal with slower speeds on the phone for the internet, but that is also not priority; my health is. All of these things that most all people have think they are necessities. In many cases they are not; its just how we prioritize differently.

4. My daughter eats what I eat. Simply put, Im not Burger King. This is not "have it your way". We have the same foods, she eats healthy and I eat healthy. This causes lower costs at the store because we are eating the same thing. I have to say the BIGGEST benefit in this point is that I am not getting healthy and sacrificing my daughter's health. So many of us go on a health kick and leave our children behind. Teach them through action what the best foods are for the body. It will save you time and money in the doctors office and with your grocery bill.

5, I have priorities that are in health and wellness. Not only am I a coach but I am also a Health Care Management student about to earn my Bachelors. I put health and wellness first because I have no idea how long I will live on this earth, but the years I do have will not be spent sick or chronically ill. We all know Americans are living longer than ever, but that doesn't mean healthy as ever. I do not want to be 90 and bed ridden because of what I am eating today. I also want to show my daughter what proper health is, so that way when its time for her to make her own choices, its second nature to chose the healthy option. Childhood obesity is at a skyrocketing rate; will you contribute to that number or take action now?

6. I have access to water without paying for bottled water. No no no. this gets expensive! Its just as much as a bottle of Coke. I have a water purifier and am able to drink 96oz of water a day without buying bottled water.

7. Eating out is super limited. I dont use food as a social experience. Food is to keep me alive, to sustain my gains and workouts. I do go out occasionally but for the most part, social events for me are just that, time with friends and loved ones without the added calories and expense.

Why I continue to use it:

1. Simple! It works. Whole foods, full meal replacement.. its a no brainer

2. Shakeology along with health foods makes me feel amazing every single day. I never feel bloated or yucky. I just feel clean from the inside out :)

3. Its reliable. When i'm tired or busy and I don't want to or cannot cook I drink Shakeology instead. No more "I don't have time... lets get McDonald's" Its cheaper and its healthy!

Don't Worry About Me!

     Are you going through your fitness transition? just starting? Just making plans? Sitting on the coach thinking about it? Either way, at some point you may come across a moment when your journey seems negative to others. At times I cannot really grasp on to why but when it comes down to it I think I found the reason. There has been so much pressure on women to be skinny and so that has created a stigma on women actually focusing on working out, eating good, and getting healthy. The problem is that, doing these things isn't a problem! But, because of the stigma of women "needing to be skinny", these days, at least where I live, seems to be something of a negative matter.

   Well, I am here to say, don't worry about me! I can guarantee this:

1. I most likely eat more.. not more calories but more. I eat ALL.THE.TIME

2. I hydrate my body like water is going out of style. I maintain a proper hydration level. This is a good thing!

3. I work on my cardiovascular health

4. I strengthen my muscles and bones with strength training

5. I have become more disciplined mentally and physically

So, if you are going through your fitness journey and you ever get negative comments or stares, maybe just because you didnt order the most unhealthy thing on the menu or you declined to go out for pizza, dont let it deter you from going for your goals! I notice that the more I stick to my guns and stand up for what I want and believe in the more people see its a positive thing and usually they turn to the "dark side" eventually and get on the fitness train with me. 

Just.Stay.Positive and You.Do.You!

On a side note, I finally found a picture of what has been in my head as far as my goals. Here is a side by side of what I think of when I think of my fitness and what I think people think of me when I am going through this huge physical change:

Let me first say that all women are beautiful and there is no shame in being the frame you want to be, already are, or whatever may happen... However, my goal is to be F.I.T. and not necessarily skinny. Skinny is a perk to getting lean and fit, but the girl to the left is what I imagine when I think of what I want to strive for. To the right is what I think most people see and think about when they assume what I want out of my fitness goals. No matter what people think, I strive one. There is something that I want, that is healthier than I am today and I will not let one negative comment or assumption stop me!

So, my questions to you are:

 What are your motivators? 

What do you KNOW you are doing right?

What are weak points that you need help with?