Author Archives: michelle@hillaert.com

6 Tips to AVOID Holiday Weight Gain

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avoid holiday weight gainAre you ready for the Holidays? Christmas and Thanksgiving are just around the corner. Do you have a plan in place to allow you to enjoy some treats, but keep off those extra holiday pounds?

Between Christmas parties, Christmas dinner, leftovers, Christmas cookies, egg nog, etc… the fact is that 75% of annual weight gain takes place during holidays.

I’m not saying that we can’t have FUN during the holidays, but I AM saying that we can make the committment to celebrate with MODERATION and BALANCE. The key is to not allow ourselves to view this committment as self-denial, but as a way to really enjoy the indulgences without packing on the pounds.

Here are some tips I put together to help you stay on track!
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Chelle’s 21 Day Fix GUILT-FREE Southwestern Salad

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Guilt-free-southwestern-saladI think the BEST creative genius often is a result of desperate need… today being case in point. I was STARVING and REALLY wanted some comfort food. And what’s more satisfying than a super yummy taco salad?

To be honest… I go through phases of loving balsamic dressing and then… not so much.  Today was one of those days, and knowing I couldn’t pile on the sour cream, I was a bit on the cranky side, since that was what I was “a hankerin'” for.

Creative genius did NOT abandon me… thank GOODNESS… and the crazy scientist came out in me and I created this fantastically southwestern salad dressing recipe. Continue reading →

Quick and Easy PRE-PACKAGED Healthy Snacks

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prepackagedsnacks(UPDATE!!! The mozzarella cheese sticks belong with the BLUE container, not the red. Thank you Lindsey for pointing that out!)

We’re in an era where we’re constantly on-the-go.  We’re continually running from one thing to the next or working crazy long hours at our job.  It’s TOUGH to stay on top of eating clean and consuming healthy snacks throughout the day, because we just don’t want to, or simply can’t take the extra time to, plan and prepare ahead.

In honor of ALL the crazy busies out there, I’ve put together a list of grab and go items that come in single servings that you can grab from your local grocery store, Trader Joes, or a wholesale store like Costco.

PS.  If you’re a fan of the 21 Day Fix, in order to simplify it for you, I’m also including the container color to head each category.
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How I Accidentally Fell in Love With Myself – My response to a friend’s question.

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10351953_303547443160283_6361524252881961466_nI had a friend ask me this question recently, “How do I make myself realize I’m important enough to make myself want to work hard and be better?”

Dear friend,

Although the answer is simple, that’s still a very a tough question.  And I have to begin by asking you a tough question.

Do you love yourself?  Do you see value in YOU.  Do YOU think you’re important?

I’m going to get a little vulnerable here… because that’s the only way to answer this question.  There are several arrows that can be shot directly to my heart and hit where it hurts the most.  All of them have to deal with these questions and the lies that are continually being whispered into my ear.  The lies I’m constantly fighting…. less and less over time… but in all reality… still fighting.  And I know I’m not alone.

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Three TIPS to EATING RIGHT when you JUST DON’T HAVE THE TIME

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mixoffoodWith life just seeming to move faster and FASTER, one of the HARDEST things for us to stay on top of is our NUTRITION.

Did you know… Nutrition accounts for 80 PERCENT of weight loss and health!

YES!  You can be working out, but if you’re not eating right, you STILL might not be healthy.

The biggest problem we face is figuring out HOW to eat right when we’re constantly on the go.

It’s VERY hard to eat right and stay on track when we’re so busy that we just don’t have time to STOP and prepare our food.  And believe me… I GET IT!!! :)

I’m constantly hauling three older kiddos to school and soccer practice, coaching two kids soccer teams and going to board meetings in addition to working at home, watching the two littles, homeschooling one of them and running a household.

In all honesty… cooking is usually the LAST thing on my mind.

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Sometimes You’ve Just Got to Count Your Blessings OR How to Give Your Negative Attitude a Swift Kick in the Pants!

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Quick Solution:  Stop focusing on yourself and find ONE kind thing you can do for someone else and the rest will be history.

And now… for the REST of the story!  (As Paul Harvey would have put it… :)

IMG_2790This morning I woke up in a stranger’s bed with my two-year-old bouncing on me asking to eat.  

I roll over and discover that the 6-year-old forgot to put her pull-up on and had peed said stranger’s bed.

My Internet and phone weren’t working, because the tin roof of the strange trailer house in which we were sleeping blocked all phone access.

I was wearing the same clothes as the day before and had little sleep due to young cousins chasing each other around, hyped up after watching X-Men 2, slamming the bathroom door and talking half the night.

I think you get the picture. And it wasn’t good.

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Quick & Easy Breakfast: Egg Veggie Scramble

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photoOkay… so something I have to admit… and I actually HATE to admit is that I REALLY don’t prefer to cook.

That is… unless I have some good music playing… a glass of wine in my hand… and everything laid out before me just waiting to be chopped, sizzled and snitched. (And yes… I did just say snitched!)

Because I REALLY don’t like making lunch, I usually enjoy my Shakeology during lunch time, which means I needed to find a quick and easy breakfast food… because I don’t really care to make that either!  (Ahhh!!! is this confession time or WHAT???)

So… while following the 21 Day Fix program, I discovered that a PERFECT breakfast for me is 2 eggs, a handful of spinach and some good ole coconut oil… which is SOOOOO good!  And guess what?  It’s also SOOOOO easy to make!!!

So… without any further adieu, I give you…

Egg Veggie Scramble Reipe

  • Put a frying pan on the stovetop and turn it on medium heat.
  • Add about 1tsp coconut oil.
  • Let it get hot, then add:
    2 eggs
    1 handful of raw spinach
    Salt & Pepper – to taste
  • Use your spatula to push it around the pan until it’s cooked!

VOILA!  There you have it!  Easy peasy breakfast :)

You can also add in some freshly diced tomatoes or any other veggies to add more flavor.  I just keep it simple because it’s EASIER and FASTER! LOL

Enjoy!

Have something you like to add to this type of recipe?  Please share with everyone in the comments!

Does your body need a refresh? OR What I Absolutely LOVE about the NEW 3-Day Refresh!

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3-Day Refresh - BeachbodyWhen the 3-Day Refresh made it’s BIG debut on the Beachbody Summit Conference big screen… I really didn’t know what to think. My initial thoughts were literally… “That’s way too expensive.” And… “Why not just stick with the original Shakeology 3-day cleanse that’s been going around?  It’s CHEAPER!!!“

And I’m laughing as I hear my friend Billy whispering in my hear… “Cheap a$$!”

Yeah… I’m pretty darn CHEAP! And THAT, my friend, is the result of growing up in a double-wide trainer house with NINE sisters and not a lot of extras.

So you can bet your bottom dollar… I WILL get the most BANG for my buck! Hands down! LOL

Hang with me for a sec to learn my experience & basic review of the 3-Day Refresh… OR… scroll down to the bottom to see my suggested use of this product :)

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I fell WAY off the wagon this past week, and when I say way, I mean… I VOLUNTARILY did a DOUBLE BACK FLIP off the clean eating wagon and REALLY went to town! Continue reading →

How Peggy Lost 30 Pounds OR How Peggy DECIDED to Live FEARLESSLY!

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Peggy's FamilyPeggy is a mom of SEVEN amazing kiddos.  She has a beautiful heart and was inspired to share how she lost her 30 pounds when people in our accountability group started asking for advice.

So in the video at the bottom of this post, Peggy opens up and shares how she dropped 30 pounds, but more importantly, how she battled those negative voices in her head and became the BEST that she could be… just like she’s always telling her kiddos that THEY should be.

Peggy’s most important transformation was on the INSIDE.  Learning she could accomplish something, and now having the ability to help other women find the FREEDOM she has found.

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It’s About PROGRESS, not PERFECTION, Mama.

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When we’re talking about making a lifestyle change… especially when it comes to health and fitness, the thought of all the CHANGE we need to go through in order to reach our goals can be very STRESSFUL… especially at the beginning.

If you’ve spent a lifetime creating bad habits, don’t you think it’s a bit crazy to expect that you’re going to suddenly be a clean eating pro and workout six days a week and LOVE it?

I chuckle at the thought.  LOL

Take me for instance… when I first started my health and fitness journey, I…

  • was battling an eating disorder
  • loved my diet soda and diet drinks
  • would over-indulge at every party or opportunity to go on an eating binge
  • would MAJORLY comfort eat EVERY afternoon when the kiddos went down for a nap
  • snack on salty or sugary snacks at night after the kiddos bedtime

In other words… I was a pretty good mess.   Continue reading →