meal prep

Hacking Holidays

So I’ve been MIA but with legitimate reasons, listed below, but what brought me back to the game (so to speak) is my Luv of food and sharing. In fact I’ve involved my children on this quest to fight the COVID bulge and hack the holiday eating frenzy. It’s back to food, fitness and family on MANA WAHINE FITNESS.

Here goes my, “Where I’ve been” and “What’s happening” list.

1. I didn’t know if I had anything left to share in this space.

2. Started working at a school creating, developing and co-hearting a program for preK-12th. (I’ll share a video below.)

3. Wrote an E-Book and didn’t know what to do with it after publishing. Walk Inn Beauty

4. Played around with a podcast Walk Inn Beauty and haven’t touched it in awhile.

5. Raising 7 children (4 are teens) and co-homeschooling with my husband.

It’s my WELCOME BACK 🥳 to blogging, which I missed.

I’m still teaching Zumba and my online classes are so much fun. I even bought new gear to celebrate the new sessions.

I started LUNCH & LEARN sessions via Facebook group. Keep reading, I have a simple wild rice 🌾 recipe.

Good Vibes

Tried VLOGMAS for a couple of days and it turned out pretty good. (pictures below) I talked my teenagers into joining me and they did a fantastic job. Speaking of youth, they currently join me during my online sessions since we turned our Ohana living room into a dance studio. Lol.

Christmas Vibes (Part 1)

Christmas Vibes (Part 2)

How to make a Kanakaloka

How to make a Ninja Elf

Fit Foodie

The BEST holiday hack is to meal prep because the goal is to jump into 2021… seriously! The sweet temptations are everywhere so you have to arm yourself with good food. So add that extra fiber and plant based proteins because the more you prep the easier it will be to say no.

Wild rice with greens and salmon.

It’s literally the same three ingredients styled differently. I adore these containers from ELLO and bought several at Costco.

Wild Rice: A mix of protein and fiber, low in calories. Contains Manganese an antioxidant, it aids in keeping the mitochondria in your cells healthy.

Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Broccoli & Purple Cabbage: You’ve seen those salad bag mixes at Costco and Cash & Carry. They’re time savers because one bag can do so much!

I added can salmon, not my usual choice but I was trying to create from a menu that could live in your pantry. Everything except the salad could keep for months. Video tutorial on the link below. Enjoy

https://youtu.be/l_ivTRRszQQ

Teaching

This picture is in the gym at Chief Leschi Schools of the Puyallup Tribe, a PreK to 12th grade establishment.

I started fitness sessions back in March 2020 when the pandemic first hit. It was a way for teachers to keep moving and stay positive. My initial goal was to remain active until the students returned… but that didn’t happen. (Yet)

So far several of us have continued but I’m really concerned about the students. Every time I see them on screen 👩🏻‍💻 sitting back, sedentary and aloof I get worried.

If you have any ideas please comment.

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If I workout do I need to eat healthy?

Well that totally depends on what you want. Maybe fitness is a social event and you’re just chillaxing through the process. Otherwise YES EATING HEALTHY MAKES A DIFFERENCE. [Said with love and support.]

The best way to transition is slowly & NOT through a DIET [said as an educator] in my opinion. Again it’s my opinion, I’m not telling you what to do.

I recently started cooking like this. For a long time Quinoa seemed difficult but it wasn’t. The only problem was my negative perspective, so once I got over it I started cooking it regularly.

Now I prep my meals and enjoy experimenting with Quinoa. But believe me when I say that I don’t eat like this everyday. In fact my weekends look totally different.

Anyway, back on the subject, food does matter. I actually wrote another blog about it called FOOD & FITNESS, WHY IT MATTERSWhy am I writing about this?

I actually overheard a fitness coach tell a client, “Don’t worry you can workout those calories, just keep coming.” Hmm… the calories from a jelly donut 🍩 isn’t the same as a sweet potato. One actually carries vitamins & minerals, and the other is empty of any value. [Note: I was visiting this gym for a master class.]

PS: Sugar isn’t the same type of energy as chia seeds, I’m just saying. But don’t get me wrong I like a Sunday sweet treat but I don’t expect those calories to benefit my body.

Why can’t all fitness professionals be honest?

I addressed the coach later and asked, “Why didn’t you tell her the truth.” He said, “Because it doesn’t matter, I can help her burn off the calories.” HOLD-UP Shouldn’t we be empowering our clients to make better choices. I would rather have my clients learn to live sustainably instead of relying on me. My thought, “No bueno brah!” And, “Where did you go to school?” Okay, I have to change the subject…

My weekend, on special occasions.

When I do have a special treat I splurge on quality. In other words the baker or chef totally luvs what they do. Their recipes are a combination of curated products, such as farm fresh eggs.

Recently my Ohana enjoyed some Macaroons & Cupcakes from our fave Seattle spot Trophy 🏆 Cupcakes and Party. This is a weekend treat.

True story: I put supermarket cupcakes in a Trophy box and my Na Keiki (children) totally knew the difference. They were like, “Mom this taste different!” “How so you know, it was in the box?” I asked. “THE FROSTING DOESN’T TASTE RIGHT!!!” Ahh so true, they’re mini-foodies. You can taste the quality.

I hope you enjoyed this post & please share the Aloha. Tell me how you balance food, fitness & family. PEACE Be the Journey

BECOME A MERMAID

RANDOM CONFESSION: I adore packaging. I’m such a geek 🤓 because I will read & study the fonts, labels & design.

On the WholelisticFit Blog

Read more here.

Comment below: What motivates you?

Lazy made me do this.

[🌷Special Edition – for busy Women]

I’ll admit that the title might not sound brilliant but I had an “aha” moment. Which started with my morning oatmeal. The truth is that everyday I wake up into a busy schedule & the one thing that suffers are my meal-times. I do take supplements but I know that it’s food, I still need protein.

[Scheduling & planning my meals & workout.]

[ABOVE: Fit-Foodie ideas on Instagram, it looks time consuming but everything I create is under ten minutes, some are five minute meals.]

Parenting & wellness should go hand in hand, but if you’re a certain type of parent, like I am, you put yourself last. Thus the I’m-too-tired-to-do-anything syndrome sets in. Maybe it’s laziness but the truth is that I’m worn out! So if that sounds lazy then so be it.

Here’s my epiphany, I already know my schedule and like clockwork I don’t have time for a healthy breakfast. I wake up at 5:45am to do a 6:00am Burst then do my daily devotions, check my messages & post on social media. By 7:00am my seven children are up, having breakfast, morning chores, school for the older ones & walk the dog. Then 11:45am rolls around and a puzzled look comes over me, “Did I eat breakfast? What’s for lunch?”

How to empower your lazy self.

As the onset of a afternoon nap closes in on me and I finally stop to eat something. And in my tired state it’s usually a poor choice. Yikes! Time to REWIND!!! This is how I empower my schedule…

  • Friday I do my grocery shopping for the Ohana (family) & me. My list is slightly different from the rest of the household.
  • Friday I grab any fresh or frozen organic fruit & veggies for my smoothies.
  • Sunday I prep my oatmeal, click here to read a previous post.
  • Sunday I also cook up my quinoa in the rice steamer & store it for later.
  • Sunday is when I prep for the week to come.

How it works.

After my 6am burst & devotion I grab my prepared oatmeal. Zero work involved except pouring the hot water and letting it sit while I get my tea ready. I chuck back my supplements & eat breakfast. ✅ Done.

Basically every meal is prepped because I know how lazy/tired I’ll be. If you’ve read my previous post, “Sabotage your way to success” you know where I’m coming from.

I find myself preparing all the mundane task and creating time fun things like a nap, art or read. I love my NEW & improved life.

Your turn.

What can you do in advance to free up some time or make your daily flow feel less stressful?

You need to schedule in some laziness, time in the day to do NOTHING but recharge your body. Start this habit while you’re young it will benefits you as the years pass by.

Speaking of recharging, why not rejuvenate, refresh & revive your entire being. Checkout my other blogpost…

Click here to read, “The three R’s of Spring.”

SISTAHZ SESSION Recap

We set aside one Sunday each month, in Spring, to gather and workout. The crowd changes but their energy is always amazing. Some drive 45min just to workout. Next session will be April 15, 2018.

Are you a Mermaid? 🧜🏽‍♀️ Info & link on the sidebar.

Sabotage your way to success.

We often default into a donut 🍩 after declaring, “I’m going gluten & sugar free!” Why do we give into temptation? Well, it’s because we forgot to sabotage our way into wellness. Why should you do this? Okay the simple version is that food packaging, ingredients and processing has changed so much.

I would default into Cheetos when pressed for time. So I decided to meal prep. My biggest failure comes when I fail to plan, sounds like a success quote.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. ~B.Franklin

I use to think that people who practiced Meal-prep Sunday were extreme but then I realized that they learned a valuable trait. They sabotage their way into wellness.

As a foodie I completely up cycled the meal-prep idea.

  1. First of all I refuse to eat five bland meals in a row. I’ll prep three at the most.
  2. Color and flavor are super important to me. Sometimes I feel like Ego from Ratatouille, “If I don’t like it I won’t swallow!”
  3. Try recipes from other countries. I enjoy soba noodle bowls with a Korean twist. It’s vegetarian without even trying to be.

Remembering my first experience with meal-prep helped me create a program for my fitness members. Many of them are just like me, food is memories. I try to introduce meal planning with foods that they’re familiar with and then branch out.

All of the pictures link to where I first shared them and the ingredients. Information about my my fitness program click here. PEACE Be the Journey.

Meal Plan + Recipe

This will probably be the shortest post because the video says it all. However I did manage to take a few pics along the way. Here’s a simple meat wrap for on-the-go lunches.

I started using this delicious Greek yogurt made in Seattle. Unbelievable texture and flavor. It’s so creamy and dreamy. I’m using the natural Greek yogurt flavor and for more info click here. I like how ingredients can inspire us.










Take the free how-to-plan course + printable BALANCED BEAUTY here. 

Hope you enjoyed the simplicity 🙂 and Mahalo (thanks) in advanced for sharing. 

Beautiful Soul – Day 9

  You wouldn’t expect a Catholic Benedict monk to have a MA in fine arts or Ph.D in experimental psychology while co-finding a center for Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu & Sufi teachers. But when you hear about it you can’t help but wonder, “Who is this person?”  You’ll have a chance to hear his thoughts on happiness and how you can enjoy a life filled with joy.

Please 😃 LIKE ➕1⃣ SHARE 📲 SUBSCRIBE ✏️ COMMENT 

 

Gratitude makes us joyful.

Remember to comment in the box for connection. 💜

PEACE be the journey.

Beautiful Soul – Day 4

   I always appreciate people who have an attitude of gratitude. They’re pleasant to be around and (typically) have great perspective. They don’t live in the clouds but in the real world. So how do they do it? 

Five (5) thoughts to living grateful…

  1. Journal daily about what you’re grateful for in your life. I’ve learned some great techniques from Joy Work Circle creator K. Grace Howes.
  2. Smile for no reason! I’m doing it right now as I type. 😃
  3. Create your own purpose. The Abstract artist Jackie M Wood creates a To-Do list in comparison to her age. It’s the coolest thing and I’m going to make one too!
  4. Proactive mind set. Here’s a post about the Top-10 Benefits of Being Proactive. I used it to make a personal check list.
  5. Let grateful people influence you. Their message, music, poetry, art & social media pages will connect you to gratitude.

  

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Skin Fit: Pimple mud mask! Say no more.

Foodie Fit: A Caribbean inspired breakfast.

Dance Fit: The smooth feeling of this rhythm will get you dancing.

Make the most of every day. Walk In Beauty

#walkinbeauty

Beautiful Soul – Day 3

 Commercials has us wanting the next big thing & stores always have the next holiday’s product line on the shelves. The next this, that & the other. How stressful! But what about now?  What is in our life right now that you can be thankful for?

Write in the comment box for connection & accountability.

Gratitude isn’t tangible like a home, car or shoes but it’s the key to being happy with your home, car or shoes. 

It doesn’t mean that you don’t want nice things but it does mean that you’re worthy of nice things by the way you take care of what you currently posses. 

Gratitude of your physical appearance is very important too.

  • Maybe you need to loose some weight. You can be grateful for the home gym or the fitness DVD you just purchased.
  • Maybe you have a muffin-top. You can be grateful that it’s a temporary condition.
  • Maybe the doctor said that you need to exercise but you don’t have the energy. You can be grateful for the new yoga app you found that is gentle & great for boosting circulation. (More energy)

Gratitude is a catalyst for better. 😃 Better attitude, better life, better health & better self-care.

  

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Beautiful Body – Day 19 & 20

Your body has an amazing first line of defense called skin. It protects your muscles, organs & bones. It holds us together and puts up with our tattoos, piercings & writing notes on the palm of our hand.
And how do we show kindness to the tissues of life that cover our entire being?

Well (deep breath) in BEAUTIFUL BODY Challenge  hopefully we’re…

  • Drinking lots of water.
  • Eating foods that are nutrient rich.
  • Meditating. (That’s in the BEAUTIFUL SOUL Challenge)
  • Using products that don’t have long & hard to pronounce names. Keep it simple.
  • Choose a self-care night to indulge in a clay mask, foot soak and bubble bath. (Make up your own routine.)

 Try to focus on a good skin care regime. It might not always work out but say this first, “I’m worth it” and then MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Skin Fit: Whipped body butter that looks so good you’ll want to eat it! But don’t.

Throw a DIY SPA PARTY by inviting a few friends to bring ingredients and all of you can mix up batches of creams, lotions, bath bombs and much more.

Foodie Fit: I follow the Domestic Geek  and couldn’t choose just one of her meal prep videos so I made a playlist. She’s worth the subscription & I hope you’ll follow her channel.

“Never be ashamed of small beginnings” said the great Oak to the acorn. 🌳

Dance Fit: Now this is one you can definitely dance with, I’m positive.

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Beautiful Body – Day 13 & 14

We’re halfway through the BEAUTIFUL BODY challenge and then we’re going to switch things up but before we do let’s complete a checklist. I want to make sure that you have everything in place to succeed. Do you have…

  1. Containers – separate dishes for main, sides or snacks. I like using Mason jars for my meals and designated fridge & cabinant space for my food.
  2. Lunch Bags – If paper bags make you feel happy then use them for lunches or find a bag/lunchbox that spark joy each time you use it. (A trick to boost your subconscious into enjoying the process.)
  3. Schedule Shopping & Meal Prep Days – Treat your body like an athletic powerhouse (even if you’re not there yet) that requires consistent preparation time & quality fuel.

We all appreciate it when our nation wins gold at the Olympics but the unseen preparation is the gold. What you do when no one is watching is more important then your actions in public.

Treat yourself like a Powerhouse of unimaginable greatness.

Foodie Fit: Today I just want to feature some of my creations. I treat my kitchen like a laboratory where I can mix & match flavors. Fusion.  

Below is a soba noodle fusion bowl. It’s part of my eating plan and to learn more about shopping and preparation click here. I’ve also included a video below about the Japanese tradition of soba.

Dance Fit: The sheer joy & energy would motivate me to get up and dance. Movement & good food go hand in hand. This routine is so fun that I literally got up off of my duff to jam out with them. Lol.

 

Cooking Class: (I have to share this one.) Check out the tutorial that made me feel comfortable enough to cook soba noodles.

 

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Do you have a vision of a healthier lifestyle? Comment for connection 🌴