Summit Day 3

It has been a week since the last day of Summit, and I am still reliving the memories and thinking of all the ways I can put into action the many ideas that were shared. Someone asked me today if I was ready to go back right now. The answer? Heck yeah!!

Workouts, workshops, friendships born and continued, amazing speakers (including our CEO, Carl Daikleer), product releases and previews. Summit had it all and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. In fact, I am working on getting myself together to get the special rate for next year's Summit, which will be in Vegas again. Who is going with me?

This is me at 8:00 a.m. after 90 minutes of working out with several of the celebrity trainers and just shy of 5000 of my fellow coaches. Not a single person needed the EMT's that were there. How awesome is that?! Bonus? I did my first plank push ups. Ten of them. I may not be chest to ground, but I am making progress. Bam!

Showered and ready to head out for the day's activities. I won't tell you that I dozed off during the first session, and that thankfully I only snored once according to my roommate. The second session went much better, and I think will be a great benefit to me as it was on developing confidence.

After the morning sessions, it was time for a little lunch at the Core. I grabbed some of the new vegan chocolate Shakeology made with the Carl Daikeler special recipe (rice milk, pb, banana), and proceeded to wander over to get in line for the signings.

I made sure I was in line to get a chance to talk with Donna Richardson Joyner, creator of Body Gospel. She is such an inspiration to me. I just can't even begin to put it into words.

I got a chance to chat briefly with Darin Olien, co-creator of Shakeology. I had to thank him for the newest vegan formula as it means my Monkey can safely drink Shakeology without it causing him issues. Yay! It was then onto the closing session and dinner.

After dinner, I got dressed up and headed to Celebration, which is just what it sounds like. Celebration is a time to celebrate our coach network, and those who have done amazing things in the past year. As for me? That outfit is a petite large top and a petite xl skirt. That is my celebration right there.

Summit Day 1

So, I have been silent for awhile here. Been just a wee bit busy preparing for a little trip to Las Vegas for the 2012 Coach Summit. What is Summit? Summit is a time for Team Beachbody coaches, Beachbody trainers and corporate personnel to come together to learn from each other, work out, and celebrate the successes of the past year and get pumped up about what the coming year will bring. It started officially this past Thursday, but some of us got there early so that we could connect before all the activities, seminars and workouts took us every which way.

Taking a page from my friend Catherine of Small Town, Big Wardrobe, you are getting daily outfit photos. In my TurboFire tank, I headed out with eight other ladies to see what this Stripper 101 class is all about. I can see why pole dancing is growing as an area of fitness. My quads were sore for two days. 

This is my pretty blue cami and blouse paired with brown capri's & sandals. Heading out to the first workshops on Thursday.

 

I didn't look nearly this pretty after just over an hour with Mr. Tony Horton and 2000 coaches. The workout we did was the same (similar?) to the one he does when he visits the troops. Can we say he whooped my heiney?

Summit Day 2 coming soon......

Post Summit Push

I don't know if I really shared here that I was getting ready to go to the Beachbody Coach Summit, which was held this past weekend in Los Angeles. I am extremely grateful to my mother, aunt, sisters and father who helped make this trip happen for me. I have come out of it with a greater vision of who I am, who I want to be, and where my life and business are going.my

I met up with my coach, Sarah, at LAX to take a Super Shuttle to the JW Marriott at LA Live Thursday afternoon. We got our badges and headed over to the Yard House for a meal. Whatever they put in those turkey sliders is the bomb! We separated for our evening activities. I headed to a tour of the Beachbody offices, and can I say WOW!

Friday started with a workout at 7 a.m.! I attended the workout with Body Gospel creator Donna Richardson Joyner who was absolutely amazing! The live drummers she brought along were just as amazing! This wasn't the only workout of the weekend. I had the opportunity to workout with Chalene Johnson as well on Friday (creator of Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire). Then there was the Super Workout with all of the trainers on the streets of L.A. Okay, only one street between the Nokia Plaza and the Staples Center! Over 2000 coaches working out in close quarters. It was AWESOME!!! And to top the weekend off I boogied at the after party Saturday night, and got in a nice swim Sunday morning before the first session and returning home.

Donna and I

Post Turbo Fire workout with a poster of Chalene! :)

Tony Horton (P90x) and I post Super Workout (I had cleaned up!)

In addition to these awesome workouts, there were amazing sessions. Besides the general sessions (three of these), I got the most out of the ones on time management and using social media to build a business. Did I mention they fed us as well? Shakeology every morning! Including the new flavor that was announced on Friday, Tropical. Look for it to be available towards the end of 2011/early 2012. The food at the dinner reception may have been a buffet, but it was amazing as well. The veggie pot stickers? I had a few! :)

I think thought that what I discovered in those three jam packed days was that this company and these coaches are all about building each other up and seeing the world a better, healthier place. I met and talked to so many people on the elevator, waiting in line, sitting on the bus, at the restaurant waiting for takeout, and a dozen other places. I made new friends and caught the sense of family that Beachbody is all about. Awesome!

Sarah and I (friends & family)

Wordless Wednesday: He Swings

Find more Wordless Wednesday posts at

Holiday Gift Giving

Every year as I was growing up my mom would whip out her angel food cake pan and her mini loaf pans to make carrot cakes. We took them to parties, we gave them away as gifts, and if we were lucky there might be some for us on Christmas morning. The recipe was my granny's, and if I remember correctly after she passed mom found the recipe written into the back of almost every single one of granny's cookbooks. This tradition was the first one I thought of when I read of the theme for the third week of A Gluten Free Holiday. The theme is Gifts of Good Taste, and is being hosted over at Tasty Eats at Home. I knew just how to dress it up, too. Mom always did red and green curling ribbon wrapped around the saran wrapped loaves, and I didn't stray to far from that tradition.


I even did a modification to the recipe so that my monkey could have it. Why make something he can't have, right? The modifications went swimmingly and it popped out of the oven tasting exactly right. The consistency is a bit different, but we have been finding that to be true of most things that are gluten free. Unfortunately, I can't share the recipe with you. We, my mom and I, decided awhile ago that we would keep granny's recipe in the family.

Carrot cake gift to give after a cuppa and a small snack of cake & pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Since I couldn't share those I decided to share a couple of other recipes/gift ideas that I have done through the years. The first is the hot chocolate recipe my family has made for eons. So long that I don't remember every seeing those little packet things in my mother's home. I haven't been able to find rice milk powder, which is the first of the ingredients (maybe the only?) that I would need to substitute for the monkey. If you use it and decide to modify to dairy free let me know. I would love to hear if it is just as creamy and yummy as the original. I will note now that you will need a pretty large bowl to whip this up.

Instant Hot Chocolate Mix (origins unknown)

12 quart Carnation Instant Milk
1 pound jar Cremora
2 pounds Nestle Quick
1 1/2 Cups sugar
7 Teaspoons cocoa powder (heaping-don't level these off)

Dump all ingredients into a large bowl or the lid for your electric skillet, and mix thoroughly. Store in airtight containers for several months.

To make a cup of cocoa: Fill your mug just under 1/2 full of cocoa mix. Fill with boiling water, stirring constantly. Add more cocoa to taste. Serve with marshmallows or just drink plain.

Note: For gift giving I would tuck it into the stocking with a copy of the recipe or pretty it up in a holiday cello bag then tuck it into a mug again with the recipe.


My mom came to be with me six years ago when I had the monkey. One of the things we did while she was there was go antiquing, and general sight seeing that you can do with a new born in Central Arkansas. We found a little shop selling pretty bags of snack mix they called "White Trash." We bought it simply for the name. I ate the whole bag with barely a pause, and decided to try and figure out what exactly they had done. I found this recipe for White Chocolate Snack Mix that nearly mimicked it. This current version used crisp rice squares, apple-cinnamon o's (365 brand from Whole Foods), dried cranberries and cashews. Oh, and a bit of dark chocolate as I didn't quite have enough white chocolate. I wonder if it ought not to be called "Dirty Blonde."



Note: I would tuck the cocoa (or my own cocoa) into the little gift bag with the mix and recipe. I really enjoy receiving recipes, and think that makes things just a bit sweeter for the gift recipient.

Ice Skating

I grew up in southern-ish California where ice rinks are not exactly littering the ground. Heck not even much in the way of snow. When I was selecting colleges one of my criteria was that it be located in a locale that had four separate and distinct seasons. I ended up in Washington (state that is). In my sophomore year, I took a Jan Term ice skating course to meet one of my physical education requirements. I fell in love. It gave me time to think, and was just so soothing to me.



I haven't skated in about ten years for a variety of reasons. Today the monkey and I attended a skating party for one of his friends. It was great! I figured out how to skate again despite my increased girth, and I got to watch the monkey skate for the very first time. In about 45 minutes, he went from moving slowly with the bar to pushing the bar around to almost zooming around the rink without the bar. It was amazing!

Easy Bake Oven

For his sixth birthday, the monkey is going to receive an Easy Bake Oven. I got it at the goodwill for less than $5 before his diagnosis, and was so excited as he and I have been talking about it for almost 2 years. I have been debating giving it to him due to his allergies since all the mixes contain wheat and sometimes one or more of his other three allergens as well. Then I thought, we can figure this out together, and maybe it would be a great blog series. Heck yeah! We are still going to do the series, but I found a website called Gluten Free Essentials that does some mixes that can be used for the Easy Bake Oven.

So what are your favorite treats that you either made in your Easy Bake Oven or would like to have made if you had one? Please share!

First Day of School Treats!

Today was the first day of first grade for the monkey, and the first day of home schooling. I had been planning for awhile a special morning treat for him, and decided to do a special dinner treat as well. He really enjoyed both, and I personally can vouch for the cobbler and the frosting. Yum!

Baked Oatmeal Cobbler (from Wellspere) - Today's version follows!

1 can dark, pitted cherries (drained, rinsed, quartered)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Cup oatmeal
3 Tablespoons oat bran
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 Cup canola oil (I considered the sunflower oil we have in house as well)
1 Cup so delicious vanilla coconut milk

Before Baking

After Baking

Served Up!

And for an after dinner treat I made Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Namaste Vanilla Toffee Frosting!

Banana Bread

My mom's banana bread is always devoured quickly. The monkey LOVES it so much he can eat an entire small loaf in a sitting. My first batch was very crumbly. So I decided to try xanthan gum in it to thicken it up a bit. This was prior to my discovery of the corn connection with xanthan gum. I am now thinking that maybe just a bit more flour or possibly tapioca starch would help make it a bit more firm. This bread makes a lovely choice for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Original Banana Bread

3 mashed, overripe bananas*
3/4 Cup butter **
1 1/2 Cups sugar
2 eggs
1 Teaspoon vanilla
2 Cups flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
3/4 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup buttermilk
1/2 Cup chopped pecans (Optional)

Modified Banana Bread

3 mashed, overripe bananas
3/4 Cup butter
1 1/2 Cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Teaspoon vanilla
2 Cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 Teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 Cup So Delicious vanilla coconut milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 2 large bread pans (or 4 small) with your cooking spray of choice. (We use Spectrum Coconut Spray.) Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add bananas. Add flour, baking soda, xanthan gum mixing thoroughly. Stir in milk. Bake for approximately 45-60 minutes or until knife inserted into bread comes out clean.


*Note: The monkey and his cousin watch the bananas intently, and know when they are ready to make bread. They should be mostly brown bordering on black. If I can't use them right away, I peel them into a freezer bag and store them in groups of three. Peeling before freezing makes them much easier to handle.

**Note: We haven't found a good substitute for butter that doesn't have one of his allergens. So we are keeping with butter for now.

First Day of School

Yesterday my baby became a student, and I didn't cry. Shocking I know. We got ready in our new clothes with our new backpack that included his change of clothes and a healthful snack (juice box, box of raisins & graham crackers). We had time so we went to the town hall for some momma business, and then to school to wait. We were the first to arrive for the afternoon session. The boy did well sitting with me, talking to the nurse, getting up and down for water, and just generally looked very comfortable there. The other students started to arrive and I noticed a difference. Those children staid next to their parents and were quiet, except for the couple who were crying. Mine was still doing all the moving around and when the teacher arrived was the second child to show her his new backpack and proceeded to open it to show her what he had. When the teacher asked them to get in line for class, I gave the boy a bit of a verbal push. He was first to line up next to her. When the students were all in line, she took the boy's hand and they led the class to the room. He didn't look back. He didn't wave or say good-bye. My little Mr. Independent. Now if only the little booger would tell me what he did during school.

Haircut May 2008

Just for the fun of it. Pre-haircut snack complete with yoda sunglasses inside.


Post-haircut just chilling in the car.

My sweet boy looks so grown up.

My Boy Turns 3!!

Can't really believe that it has been three years since he came out angry at the world, hollering for all he was worth. I love the little booger with all my heart and cherish each milestone he (and we) reaches. Even when they mark the end of something special (nursing) or mark one more safe day (still rear facing) or a new illness (yay we had croup for his birthday!). So a small photo essay of his birthday. Thanks for bearing with me.

Off on our special birthday adventure that included a haircut, lunch out & a trip to the park.














His birthday cake made by yours truly. My artistic skills, which are woeful, were greatly challenged by this endeavor. Did you know that they don't currently make a mickey mouse pan? And the ones on e-bay are way overpriced?














His table of gifts!













Doing what he does best, shoveling it in!













Playing with his new Mickey Mouse piano (from the Mickey Mouse Name that Tune toy!)



















And for memory lane purposes, a trip home from the hospital, at one and then at two. The time does fly.

His blue eyes still slay me, his sweet smile makes me want to grab him up and his sloppy kisses and hugs make me forget for awhile that he has turned into a mouthy three year old.