Tag: healthy

Family, Food, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women, workout

Delicious and Healthy Breakfast for the Family

Hannah Lucio

To start off, we are foodies at heart. I love to cook, bake, eat chips and sweets. But as we age it starts getting harder and harder to control our weight. Our bodies start to hold onto fat and weight easier, that means we need to be more aware of what we eat and how we workout. Both me and my husband are feeling it so I’m changing our food intake and we are working out better. Of course we are not strict but I’ve made a few changes. I firmly believe that diet should be a balance of 80% healthy 20% not so healthy. That way when you change the food you eat you don’t binge because you miss EVERYTHING. At least that is what I have been finding out for ourselves. So we have committed to changing our diets and it isn’t just a New Years resolution, it’s a life change. I am making more of an effort and really enjoying it so far. I absolutely love shopping at Costco, they have a far better selection and it really saves us money. Especially since we all eating the same kind of meals. I also should add that we are doing more low carb and higher protein meals. Here is a look at what our breakfast have been so far and we all haven’t gotten sick of it yet. It’s delicious!!

Husband gets:

2 whole eggs, 4 egg white

1 Tbsp Salsa (picture below)

1 Tbsp Almond Milk (picture below)

2 Sausage patties (picture below)

Cooked in 1 Tbsp Kerrygold butter

Me:

1 Whole Egg, 2 Egg whites

2 tsp Salsa (picture below)

1 tsp Almond Milk (picture below)

1 Sausage Patty

Cooked in 1 Tbsp Kerrygold butter

4 Year old boy:

1 Whole Egg

1 Sausage Patty

Cooked in 1/2 Tbsp Kerrygold butter

1 Year old:

1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese

1/2 Cup Frozen Blueberries

This is what works for us and may not for someone else but it’s something you can look at and try it out. Me and my hubby drink straight black coffee also. If you aren’t a fan of black coffee, I hear ya. But with a little patience and practice you can learn to love it! It is also way healthier than adding creamers and other junk. There are so many different brands, flavors, boldness and other factors to try out. I prefer Pete’s coffee or any other organic dark coffee. I also buy whole bean and grind it myself. Why? Because I have noticed the already ground coffee is oily and doesn’t have as much flavor. Just something to consider.

I also have to add, my 1 year old is extremely picky (shocking right?) and teething. He loves the blueberries because they taste good but also they help numb his teeth. He lives off of Dino nuggets and I’m fine with that….for now. That is why he eats cheese and blueberries for breakfast, don’t judge hahaha

Oh! Also, I started buying block cheddar cheese because it has way less ingredients. It seriously tastes SO much better! If you need quick stuff just pre-shred your cheese and put it in a glass container in the fridge. I won’t be going back to bagged shredded cheese ever again. It’s completely different and super yummy!!

I added pictures of the brands below that we made for breakfast. Of course it doesn’t have to be exact but this is what we use and it’s delicious. Everything is from Costco, it saves us a lot! I am usually not a fan of sausage but this is a no junk sausage patty. And the most delicious sausage patty I’ve ever had, seriously.

And always remember to mix things up. The day after I posted this blog post I made this:

I made our eggs with about 1 cup of cooked broccoli from last nights dinner and added avocado. Super delicious!

If you feel good, you look good.

breastfeeding, Family, post partum, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women, workout

Clothes shopping excitement 

Hannah Lucio

I wanted to do a happy dance at Target yesterday, but I don’t like walking on store floors without shoes on LOL I have literally achieved a lifelong goal of losing weight and being in a size I’m comfortable at.  I am officially in a size 4 in jeans and a s-xs size shirt. Blows my mind!


 Even though I think some brands run bigger, I have never been this size before. When I got pregnant I was told by many women that I’d never lose weight again. I felt defeated. So I made it my ultimate goal to show everyone I could. Two kids and almost 5 years of marriage….goals met! Cheers to hard work and being a fitmom.

If you are pregnant and have been told this, don’t listen to those women. Maybe they are a bit bitter that they never lost the weight. I’m not entirely sure but don’t listen to them. When I got married I was a size 10 in jeans and a med-large shirt size. And I am now a size 4 and sm-xs. It can be done. In my lifetime, when I was single I even went up to a size 16. Yuck! I was incredibly unhealthy and I will never be that size again. I know people say it’s not the number that matters, but I know what I felt like to be that heavy and it was not fun. It uncomfortable. 

I literally am not on any special weight loss program, don’t belong to a gym, just doing what I can and working out at their nap time. I fit in workouts when I can and snack all day. If you stick your mind to it you can achieve your goals. Even if you “don’t have time” there is literally time in everyone day to do something. Just think about everything you do in a day, I bet there time. Just make time 😉 At first it seems “hard” but it gets easier, I promise. Wake up 1 hour earlier…..everything is achievable when you stick your mind to it. 

Time to go fit in my workout for the day 🤸🏼‍♀️

Live healthy

Live fit

Live Simple 

Stay at Home Mom

No bake Oatmeal Raisin Protein Bites

Hannah Lucio

My husband and I absolutely loves Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I was about to make my normal Healthy No-bake Energy Bites and Simple To Make and thought….hmm maybe I can try to make a different version that everyone would love. Ya’ll!! They are SO good! They taste like oatmeal raisin cookie dough. De-licious!! I really hope you get to try them and let me know how you like them.

So I started out with the typical Oatmeal, peanut butter, flaxseed, honey, vanilla but this time I added; raisins and cinnamon. This time around I did not add a lot of cinnamon because I’ve done that before in recipes and it was not good. So to keep it on the “safe side” I added just enough. You can also tweak the recipe if you like more raisins and cinnamon. Oh and next time I’ll add my typical walnuts, I am out of those currently. 

. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup Oatmeal

1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter (smooth this time) 

1/2 cup Flaxseed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup Organic Honey

2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Organic Raisins

1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a food processor (I use a Ninja) and mix together. You’ll probably have to stop the mixer to scrap the sides to get it completely mixed together.

Once all mixed together, put it in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes and then form them into little bites. 

I store them in a glass container and leave them in the fridge until I eat them. 
Enjoy!!

Live Healthy

Live Simple 

debt, Family, money, post partum, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women, workout

One foot in front of the other

Hannah Lucio

Yesterday I opened up Facebook and saw a post about an Estate sale. On that post it had a Proform treadmill for $60. I have been dreaming of getting a treadmill again. I know….weird. Treadmills are my thing! I love cardio, I know….weird! I really do though. It helps me lose weight and it honestly makes me happy. On my way home from riding my bike for cardio fun, I stopped by this estate sale. It had just opened and I asked the lady if it really was $60. Long story short, they wanted $65. I checked it out and it looked, sounded and an great! I put a hold on it and came back with my hubby and a vehicle to take it home. I cleaned it super good and just had a chance today to run on it. 


Wow wow wee! I love it. This treadmill first cost $800 brand new and I get it for $60. It only had 443 miles on it and that’s nothing for a treadmill. In my opinion. Like I said in my last blog post, do what you love when it comes to exercise. Some people hate cardio, some people hate weights, some people just hate working out LOL Do something you love! I love cardio and taebo. Absolutely love. When I do those two workouts I feel my best! 

Get up and go! Start somewhere! And find something you will love to do. One foot in front of the other my friend! 

Happy Sunday everyone! 
Live positive

Live healthy

Live simple! 

debt, Family, Food, money, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women, workout

Let’s talk Mayo

Hannah Lucio

I went through a period of time where I was grossed out my mayo (mayonnaise). I literally wanted to throw a sandwich at a lady who nicely bought me a sandwich with mayo on it. Just because I hated mayo so much. I know….what I jerk I was for thinking it. I do not think that way these days and would kindly accept it now. She didn’t know. Time changes people right? Yes. Well mayo has a bad reputation, the old styles of mayo that is. I was grossed out by my weight gain (in my early 20’s) that I went to the extreme on dieting. No gluten(That was the worst), no meat (terrible), no junk foods and drinking diet tea that is very unhealthy. So you could imagine what it would have been like to add mayo to anything. Yuck.

Fast forward to better eating habits. I started eating vegenaise which tastes good but it is hard to find. I had been eating that brand for many years. When we moved to Virginia I wanted to find it, so I looked everywhere over here. I couldn’t find it so I was on the hunt to find a better for you mayo. Well I found it and wanted to share. The brand I found is Just mayo. Truly delicious and better for you.  It even tastes better than the vegenaise brand I used to get. Yes I could go with the trend of using avocado as my mayo, but sometimes I just don’t want to use avocado for everything. After all, avocado is HELLA EXPENSIVE now. I would have to spend $20 a week to add avocado to everything. Moderation is key when it comes to avocados. Especially the price. We are on a beans and rice, rice and beans budget now. Ok, so anyway. This just mayo brand is truly the best price, taste amazing and healthier. My main thing that I look for with eating healthier is Non-GMO and no high fructose syrup. This is a Non-GMO mayo. So if you are looking for a better mayo to use, look no further. Just mayo Is perfect!


I also found an affordable, delicious and healthier bread made by a big brand. It is called Whole Grains with Omega 3 ALA made with Flax, Sunflower and sesame seed. It has no High Fructose Corn Syrup or Artificial colors or flavors.  I haven’t looked at the local store for it yet but have been able to buy it at Costco. It tastes amazing with Just Mayo and healthy shredded chicken. Chicken sandwiched are super yummy, higher protein and you get your great grains included! My husband and toddlers love it also. Its a win for all. Hope you get to try out these two brands and let me know how you like it or if you have tried these two brand yet.

 

Have a Wonderful day!

Live Happy

Live Healthy

Live Simple

debt, Family, Food, money, post partum, pregnancy, prenatal, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women, workout

Healthy No-bake Energy Bites and Simple To Make

Hannah Lucio

These are a favorite go-to snack for me and my kids. My 3 year old and 1 year old loves them. They do have ingredients in them that you should not give to your child until they are over 1 year old. Just throwing that out there. I have been making a similar recipe for many years now but this one I made a bit healthier so I can kick start my healthy eating. I eat an 80/20 “diet” but I I’m trying to kick it up a notch. I also make these for the women’s event at church and they absolutely LOVE them! I didn’t tell anyone I made them just to see if they liked them, people kept going back to get more. They are also such an easy grab and go snack. I put three into a snack size Ziploc and take it to go. Super easy and healthy.

I hope you make these and enjoy them as much as we do!

 

Ingredients (picture below):

1 Cup Oatmeal

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter (I use natural, super chunky peanut butter to add more crunch to it, YUM!)

1/2 Cup Flaxseed

1/2 Cup Walnuts (I chop them up in the food processor)

1/3 Cup Honey

1 tsp Vanilla

 

Directions:

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and mix. I typically have to scrape the sides 1-2 times in the mixing process. You could just put everything in a mixing bowl and mix until all together if you do not have a food processor.

Put them into the fridge (I just leave them in the food processor) for 30-60 minutes.

Take them out and roll them into small bite size balls.

Put them into a container and put them back into the fridge.

Take out what you need and keep them rest refrigerated.

They are super simple and easy to make.


Enjoy!!
 

 

 

Live Healthy

Live Simple

 

 

Family, Food, post partum, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women, workout

I was actually doing my dream job all along

Hannah Lucio

Since the age of around 16 I had thought about what I really want to do in life. Nothing to serious came to mind. I didn’t like school at all. So I knew going to school was not going to be an option. My favorite period was P.E.. Literally. Almost every single person in my class complained the entire time while we were working out. They also readed the day when we had a sub that worked us out hard. I just loved everything about P.E., they thought I was weird and I thought they were weird. There was one thing that just stuck out in my mind while I was thinking about what I wanted to do. Workout for a living. Might sound weird to the average person, but that is my thing. I never wanted to be a body builder, never wanted a 6 pack, never wanted big muscular legs, just wanted to be slim fit. Not lazy basically.

I am a stay at home mom, as you might know by now. And, I keep thinking about what I want to do outside the house after the kids go to school. I have gone through many options and I definitely will not willingly work in customer service. HA! I also have been thinking about the whole stay at home thing. I wasn’t to sure if I am really doing what I am meant to do in life. Since summer is here and I am not going to the gym anymore I have been making more of an effort to be outside with the kids. Everyday we go for a run/jog/walk in the morning, play out side when we get home, Then go to the pool, ride bikes, play with the kids more, run up and down the stairs in the house, clean and then walk the dogs in the evening. Basically….I am working out all day. But it didn’t dawn on me until my husband said something to me the other day. He said “must be nice to workout all day”….epiphany. I am actually doing what I wanted to do in life and never realized it.

I am a nutritionist and a personal trainer who gets to workout for a living.

It is a very tough job to be a stay at home mom/wife. It seriously is. Yes, we do have fun. But on the other hand I am a referee with the boys and someday’s I don’t get down time at home. I get frustrated, I am worn out a lot of the times at night. Its a thankless job and there are a lot of things to be done. But, since I realized what the heck I really was doing. And I am basically doing my dream job, I just step back a bit and just smile. I am also a fit mom and that is really what I have always wanted to do. So I will just sit back, smile and enjoy the time I have with my boys and teach them to be active in life. I workout for a living and I love it!

Stay at Home Mom

Summer time and the fruit is amazing

Hannah Lucio

I’m not sure about you but summer fruits are my absolute favorite. Ok, fall time and apples…..I love them too. But right now I want to talk about the amazing benefits of watermelon. Watermelon is my favorite fruit, followed by avocados and pineapple. Watermelon is mostely water, amazing! Well I mean what do you expect? The name has water in it. Ha! We all need a bit more water in the summer time, it’s hot and humid over here. So this is one great benefit. It is rich in vitamins and minerals. It has Vitamins C and A in watermelon which can double as healthy fuel for hair and skin. Vitamin C also plays a key role in collagen production. Collagen prevents wrinkles and protects your skin from sun damage. I totally need this. Maybe I should bathe in it….ha ha! It has lycopene which can prevent cancer. Although I do not think it is a guarantee but heck, I doubt it would hurt to try.  Vitamin A can also keep your skin from drying out. Watermelon can boost your immune system, improve your heart health, can be a natural viagra and can even help with sore muscles. I don’t know about you, but this sounds like one heck of a health benefit. The only thing I keep reading is that if you have diabetes or kidney disease you should be causious about eating watermelon. Maybe ask your Dr before eating it to be sure you get a negative effect from eating watermelon. 
That’s all for today! 

I hope you were able to get out and workout today. I ran with the boys again this morning and it was amazing! Even though it was pretty warm and 98% humidity, ha! Hoping to run tomorrow as well. My goal is to run everyday. 
Have a wonderful and amazing Father’s Day tomorrow! 
Live happy

Live healthy

Live simple 

Stay at Home Mom

Wrinkles, Fine Lines and Dark Under Eye Circles……

Hannah Lucio

We are all unpacked and settled into our new home. We are SO incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to live here. It is our dream spot to live. Seriously 🙂 This is the third time I have gone for a little 3 mile jog with my boys since we moved. The first time it wasn’t humid or hot and I had one boy. The last two times it has been hot and humid and I pushed both boys up and down little gradual hills. I was dripping in sweat when I got home. Thank goodness for that. I love working out and sweating.

Now I can get back to what I was originally going to do. Change my beauty routine. I am getting older as we all know 😉 and that calls for a revamping of my vitamins. I have been researching for about a year or so (I know, a very long time) and finally want to try things out. Since we are absolutely done having babies I can start to look like my husbands girlfriend again 😍 I have about a year left with breastfeeding so I’m trying not to add products but more about changing my diet. I have dark under eye circles and it didn’t start until I starting watching what I ate about 10 years ago. I firmly believe that I have them due to vitamin deficiency or my contacts. If I don’t see improvements in a month or so, I’ll try to go with out contacts. I get plenty of sleep and I drink a lot of water. Maybe hereditary? But I’m going to try my best to get rid of them. I have read many places that you can reverse the effects of vitamin deficiencies without pills and that’s my goal. Plus I love food…..so that’s my best option.

Here are a few things I’m going to try.

1. Apply a very small drop of avocado oil to my under eyes before bed. I read that it is a fast absorbing oil so it doesn’t leave you feeling greasy. Unlike coconut oil. I despise coconut oil. Don’t like it, never liked it.

There are studies saying that avocado oil improves and diminishes fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. Also it lightens dark under eyes. We shall see 🙂 maybe I should bath in it……..ha ha! The more I read about avocado oil, the more I fall in love with it. That’s the only oil I use to cook with now. It has the highest smoking point of any plant oil. Amen to that!

2. Adding more vitamin rich foods into my diet.

Vitamin K especially, which include these foods:

  • Brown rice
  • Eggs
  • Oatmeal
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Milk (I prefer almond milk personally)
  • Walnuts
  • Yogurt
  • Wild salmon
  • Spinach
  • Wheat

Also, vitamin A plays a vital role towards keeping your skin healthy. Vitamin A protects your skin from sun damage and helps repair your skin. It plays a crucial role in keeping the collagen in your skin balanced.

The most concentrated sources of vitamin A are:

  • Sweet potato (it made both lists)
  • Pumpkin (hello fall! I absolutely love fall!)
  • Carrots
  • Squash
  • Green, leafy vegetables

I also read to place pumpkin slices over your under eye area for a few minutes daily. Since they are not in season I’ll wait for fall to arrive.

Vitamin E & C also have anti wrinkle benefits.
This is what I have found online and it’s really great information.
I look forward to taking before and after pictures and let y’all know what has worked and hasn’t worked for me.
I’m curious if anything has worked for you? What did you use?

Live healthy

Live happy

Live simple

breastfeeding, Family, Food, post partum, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women, workout

Yummy and Healthier Pancakes

Hannah Lucio

Our family absolutely loved this recipe. It’s easy, fast and we had all the ingredients already. Nothing out of the ordinary is needed for these pancakes. I even was able to try out the new avocado oil from Costco. I love the healthier oil options we have these days. (Picture below) I hope you get to make these and enjoy them as much as we all did. And not to mention….toddler approved 🙂


Ingredients: 

1 cup Unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat  flour (I used 1/2 cup unbleached flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and only King Arthur brand flour)

1 Tbsp Raw sugar

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1 cup Silk Almond Milk

2 Tbsp Avocado oil or Melted butter (I used butter the first time around)

1 Egg

1/4 tsp All Spice

Splash of Real Vanilla
Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, all spice and salt in a small bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together Silk, oil/butter, vanilla and egg.

3. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon just to moisten—a few lumps are fine.

4. Cook pancakes on a cast iron pan with avocado oil over medium heat. I put just enough oil to cook the pancake, maybe 1/4 tsp.

5. Cook until you see little bubbles and flip, continue cooking until done. Maybe 1 minute longer once flipped.
I served these delicious pancakes with uncured turkey bacon from Costco (I highly recommend this turkey bacon brand-picture below) and scrambled eggs with almond milk whisked into the eggs.


Have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!!

Live healthy

Live simple