Chicken Rhubarb Dinner

The rhubarb season might be over, but do you have a stock pile in your freezer that is large enough to hold you over for a while?  I know that I do!  I had a couple stalks in my fridge that I wanted to use up, and I just wasn't in the mood to bake - so I cooked instead!  I hadn't had rhubarb outside of a sweet treat before, so I gave it a go - and I'm glad I did.

Chicken + Rhubarb = YUM!

I never would have guessed!

So, what do you need for it?

Although this meal takes a bit of time, most of that time is just cooking time.  The prep is pretty straight-forward and it all comes together quickly!  I had this with brown rice and carrots and it was a filling, tasty and healthy meal!  (Yes, there is apple cider beer in there, but with the long cook time most of that is cooked off by the time you eat it.)

When I first made this, I did so with only one chicken breast and it was a tab bit spicier than I would normally like my food.  It was still super tasty, I just like it better when I make two chicken breasts.  However, if you like spice, then go a bit heavier on your rub ingredients!

I'd love to hear what you think about this!

Body Beast Woman's Results Beast Week Two

Aaaaahh!  I officially only have TWO weeks left in the ENTIRE Body Beast program!  I have so many thoughts going through my head it's hard to sort them out.  

I can't believe how quickly the time has flown!

I am proud of myself for sticking to the program and not completely skipping a workout.

Yes, I did have one or two double days because I missed the workout the day before, but I got them all in!

I LOVE my results and I worked hard for them!

Sure, I would have liked to have slimmed down a bit more, 

but I'm not hung up on that at all - that will come with Cize, I have no doubt!

Ultimately, I am proud of myself for doing this workout, sticking to it,

improving my strength and completing it!

This past week was a bit rougher than the others.  On Wednesday I had a late night, which caused me to sleep in on Thursday.  Needless to say, that workout got pushed to Thursday night, which then made me feel a bit off with my Friday morning workout.  Going of schedule is clearly not good for me!

All the workouts gone done, though, and I noticed one large non-scale victory.  In some of the workouts, Sagi has us walk out to a plank, stand back up, and walk back out again.  Throughout the entirety of the program (up until this point) I had struggled with getting these in.  I was generally doing 2 while the trainer and other participants were doing 3.  This week, though? I ROCKED all three of them!  My strength and overall fitness is improving - and I LOVE IT!!!

I still have a ways to go, but I am so glad I chose to jump into this program.  It's been great!  Now, how about some results??

This tracking sheet makes me smile for a couple reasons.  

1) My weight has once again dropped by a bit.  Not a long, but when I started with Body Beast I knew that increasing my muscle mass would mean my weight wouldn't drop like crazy.  It's still nice to see the scale dip a bit, though!

2) I'm evening out!  My arms are now the same - whoo hoo!   My thighs are getting closer to even, as well.  I like it!

3) Inches keep dropping!  My chest has stayed the same (I'm alright with this lol) but I lost inches between my arms, waist, hips and thighs - all places I am happy to lose inches!

Two weeks left - just two weeks!  I am excited to see my before/after pictures with Body Beast, and I am SO excited to get started with Cize after my return from Beachbody's Summit in Nashville!  

When I was growing up (and still to this day) my dad always said that it's good to have something to look forward to.  And I have two things!

Are you interested in learning more about Body Beast, Cize or Coach Summit and what it means to be a Beachbody coach?  Get it touch with me!  I would love to chat with you about all the opportunities Beachbody has and how it can help you!  Comment below with your email address, or email me directly at ashleykrek@gmail.com.

Until next time,

Fortitude Fitness is Now Hiring!

Team Fortitude is me!  Team Fortitude could also be you - did you know that??  I am now opening up applications for my July Coach Apprenticeship group and I would love to have you apply for one of the six spots!

Team Fortitude is a big part of my life, as is Beachbody and fitness in general, but that's not all there is to me!

In a nutshell, this is me:

- I am a new mom, semi-new wife and transplant to a small town from a much larger city.

- I work part time outside of the home and as a Beachbody coach.

- I triple majored in college, and while I wouldn't give up that experience or my degree for anything, I am not doing anything related to the fields I studied.

- I'm still paying those darn student loans, though!

- I love to travel and I am creating more opportunities to travel for myself and my family.

Jake and I on our honeymoon - clearly Pre-Beachbody!

- In a group of strangers I am horribly shy; once you get to know me I'm loud, crack jokes and do not get embarrassed easily.

- I'm not perfect and I never will be. I have flaws, I fail at things but I show up every day and give it my all.

- I do not, and will not, play the blame game. My life is MINE to create - good, bad, everything that has happened to me is a result of a decision that I made (or how I reacted to the decisions of others).

- My husband works AND farms - let's just say he is a BUSY guy!

That is me. Does any of that resonate with you? Do you see any part of your life in mine? If so, I'd love to invite you to join my team - Fortitude Fitness!

Next month I will be personally mentoring and training SIX women on how to create a full-time income out of Beachbody coaching while having FUN, wearing sweatpants (hot pink for me today!) and creating a life that YOU love instead of helping your boss create their dream life!

A couple things of note:

- You should be willing and ready to improve your OWN health and fitness. Along with training you as a coach, I will be holding you accountable to your own journey with Beachbody workout programs and Shakeology.

- I need your commitment and trust in this process - if you do the coach assignments in the training group you WILL create success for yourself! This is NOT a get-rich quick scheme or a 'take this pill and your life will transform' trick. If that is what you are looking for, I hate to break it to you but it doesn't exist!!

- Be open to encouragement, training and coaching - I am here to help YOU succeed! I will share what has worked, what has led me to fall flat on my face and where we can go next - I'd love to have you along for the ride!

To be considered for one of these SIX spots, fill out the application below!

If you know of someone who would be a great fit, send them the link to this page - I would love to work with them!

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Easy, One Pan Chicken and Eggplant Meal

Easy.  Cheap.  Quick.  Tasty.  Healthy.  

Those are my go-to requirements for when I'm cooking.  Sure, if I'm having people over or have a good reason for fancy cooking, I might give up on easy and quick - maybe even cheap.  But tasty and healthy are required (and really, I like cheap, too.)

I love food, I love eating, but I also love not seeing my money fly out the window.  I'm okay with it if that makes me cheap!

This meal fit all of these things!  I had never bought an eggplant before (I'm really expanding my boundaries, here, folks!!) and on a whim I picked one up at the grocery store.  Then the only question that remained was what the heck to do with it??  This is what I tried and I loved it!

This recipe was split by Jake and I for dinner and there was plenty left over for leftovers for me over the weekend.  The only think I might have done differently is to cut the eggplant up a bit smaller than I did - just my two words of wisdom!

And here is the recipe!  If you try it I would love to hear what you think!

I hope you enjoy!

Body Beast Woman's Results Week 9

Oops... time apparently got away from me and I never did an update last week!

How did that happen??

I can't go back in the past and fix that, but I'm here today to make sure I get this week's update published!

Let me just say again that I love this program.  I have never felt stronger that I do now.  I can feel my biceps, my calves are fierce and overall I just truly feel great.  After screwing up my back a month or so after my daughter was born I wasn't comfortable jumping into a high cardio workout, and I am so glad I decided to give Body Beast a try.  The trainer, Sagi, cracks me up everyday and I have no problems getting up in the morning for my workout.  On top of all that, my back has stayed healthy - win win win!

I have now finished nine weeks of Body Beast with only three left to go - crazy!  I am one week into the final block of it, the Beast Block (the first two blocks were Build and Bulk).  The name Beast makes it sound a bit, well, intense, and while it is definitely a great workout, it's by no means so difficult that you already have to be a beast to complete it.  I had zero weight-lifting experience before this program and I'm doing great!

Over the past couple weeks I have finally started to see the scale move and I am happy with that!  I wasn't too concerned about it before, because I was losing inches, but it's always nice to see the scale creep down a pound or two as well!

So, how about I just spit it out already, right?

Here are my measurements as of the beginning of week 10!

That 217.4?  It's a big number, and I know that, but it is the smallest number I have seen during this program so I am ecstatic!  Every other measurement has also shrunk which makes me a happy camper!

I only have three weeks left in Body Beast, so I am going to keep pushing in the workouts, getting all my water in each day and really dialing in on nutrition to make these last three weeks the best they can be!

If you are wanting to start or continue your own health and fitness journey, I would love to chat to see how I can help you get back on track!  Please fill out the form below and I will be in touch!

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Sleeveless Tanks

As I type this it is drizzling outside, Bonnie Ann is taking a nap (let's see how long that lasts!) and I am wearing a sleeveless shirt.  Why do I feel the need to mention that I'm wearing a sleeveless shirt?  Because it's important to me!  My blog, my rules, right?!

My arms have always been an area of my body I struggled with.  I would wear tank tops or sleeveless shirts, but I always had a wear a sweater or hoodie over them.  I had no desire to be walking around in public with nothing covering my arms.  I just didn't feel comfortable!

Now I am into the 3rd and last segment of Body Beast and I have spent the last couple days wearing sleeveless shirts - in public!  Beachbody workouts, Shakeology and challenge groups have been in my life for a couple years now, and I couldn't be more grateful for what they have done for me.  They have shown me that I am stronger than I believe, fiercer than I give myself credit for and more able than I ever knew possible.  I have put a whole lot of sweat (and yes, even some tears) on the line, but I have been paid back a million times over by simple things like wearing sleeveless shirts - and that is exactly why I coach!  To think that I am able to pay it forward and help others feel confident in their own skin is a tremendous feeling!

Perhaps you already wear sleeveless shirts and you don't know what the big deal is.  Is there another type of clothing you've always wanted to wear but never felt comfortable in?  What if I told you that we can get you into those clothes and you will be ROCKING them?

Or maybe you feel a million miles away from feeling confident in a sleeveless shirt - I am here as proof that you CAN do it!  All it will require is some work and a spirit of celebration (we gotta have fun with this, right!?)

On Monday I have my next challenge group starting and I am inviting YOU to be a part of it.  Wherever you are on your health and fitness journey, there is a place for you in this group!  When I first started with Beachbody I hadn't worked out in, honestly, years!  I didn't know the first thing about fitness, healthy eating or how to keep myself accountable.  Without a challenge group I would have had a much rougher road ahead of me than I did!

By finding accountability, support, motivation and new friends in my challenge group I was able to lose 65 pounds and I completely transformed my life.  My health, my mindset, my emotional stability and my sense of self-worth all did a one-eighty.  The same can happen for you!

By committing to the group you are committing to yourself - and I, in turn, commit to you!  This isn't a quick-fix, short-term, pop a pill and wake up in a new body type of program (just want to make sure you know what you're not getting into!)  Challenge groups require you to put your actions where your goals are - but if you do that.. I repeat, if you do that, you can absolutely blow yourself away with what you are capable of doing!

By combining the support of a small-group internet-based environment, an incredible Beachbody workout program, meal planning and one meal of Shakeology a day to ensure you are getting all the nutrients your body needs, you can see incredible changes.  We're talking losing pounds and inches, gaining new clothes and a new outlook on life - all those are up for grabs!

Does this sound like something you'd be interested in?  All you have to do is let me know!

Fill out the application below and I will be in touch with you within 24 hours to chat about how you can join this group and what we can do to make sure you get the best results possible!

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Weekly Meal Plan June 8th!

A I promised on Monday, I'm here to share the meal plan I made for this week.  Meal planning is something that can seem scary, complicated or too time-consuming to deal with, but in the long run it is SO beneficial to any health & wellness journey.  Without planning our meals ahead of time, we are leaving ourselves open to eat as we see fit throughout the week.  Sure, a lot of what we eat might actually be good for us, but we might not realize that we've been completely skipping fresh veggies in favor of fresh fruits, or we might be loading up on cheese instead of consuming it more sparingly.  (And that candy dish at the office or the drink after work - if they're not on our meal plans we might have more success in avoiding them!  If, however, we don't meal plan we might be more apt to give in 'just this once'...each day!)

So, I meal plan!  This helps me know what I'm eating, know what I have to cook/prep/buy for the week and it honestly helps me save money at the grocery store!  I go into the store knowing exactly what I need.  I don't just fill my cart up with "well, this is good so I'll buy it and maybe eat it" purchases.  Nope!  What I eat, I consume, and the extra splurges just don't make it in the house!

Here is my plan for this week!

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Breakfast	----------------------------------------Shakeology------------------------------------------
Snack	12 Almonds Nectarine	12 Almonds Celery	Greek Yogurt + 10 Baby Carrots	12 Almonds + Celery	Nectarine + String Cheese	Apple + 12 Almonds	Apple + String Cheese
Lunch	Pepper + Onion Frittata	Leftover Frittata	Black Bean + Corn Wrap	Leftover BB+C Wrap	Super Salad (Camping)	Super Salad (Camping)	Super Salad
Snack	String Cheese 10 Baby Carrots	String Cheese Nectarine	12 Almonds + Apple	String Cheese + Nectarine	10 Baby Carrots + Almonds	PB Sandwich + Celery	10 Baby Carrots + 12 Almonds
Dinner	Apple Tuna Sandwich + Mixed Veggies	Leftover Apple Tuna + Veggies	Super Salad	Tilapia  + Asparagus	Grilled Chicken + Veggie Kabob Boat (Camping)	Indulgance Meal  (Camping)	Breakfast for Dinner: Omelette + Whole Wheat Toast
Snack	--------------------------------------Shakeology (if hungry)------------------------------------
Water	110 oz	110 oz	110 oz	110 oz	110 oz	110 oz	110 oz
Workout	Bk Chest	Bk Legs	Bk Arms	Bs Cardio/Abs	Bk Back	Bk Shoulders	Rest

What does your meal plan look like?  If you want help learning how to get started meal planning, comment below!  Also, check out my post from yesterday - I have a group starting on Monday that would be perfect for you!

Cut the Crap this Summer

It’s the summer – and that normally means a couple things:

1) People want to look good!!! We pull out our shorts, tank tops and swimsuits ready to rock the summer but how many times have we shoved them right back in the closet because they don’t fit?!  Forget those cute shorts, we end up wearing the shorts from 3 years ago that we swore we would never wear again unless we were 7 months pregnant.

2) We indulge. A lot. Brats, ice cream, beer, dessert, s’mores, the list goes on and on and on. Where does this all lead us? Back to number 1 – not being able to fit in our clothes but wanting to rock summer outfits!

I get it, food tastes good and we want to eat what we want to eat. But I have a proposition for you. What if, for 7 days, you joined me in cutting the crap? Not a long time - just ONE WEEK! Could you do it? Could you commit to 1 week of eating yummy food that fuels your body and makes number 1 possible?!

Starting June 15th I am running a one week Cut the Crap group on Facebook and I am going to make it EASY for you! I will create several meal plans & you can simply choose which one you want to follow! All the meals listed will come with recipes and I promise – they’ll be simple! I am not a fan of making complex, time-consuming meals, so I will be choosing meals that are easy!

If you have a workout program you are currently doing, that’s great! If not, I will do a daily post with a workout to do. It won’t require equipment so you can do it wherever you are!

One meal a day will be replaced with Shakeology – this will make that meal easy!!! I will ship it directly to your house and along with that, I will also provide you with custom recipe cards you can choose from for each day. EASY!

This group is intended for people who want to make a change and can commit to one week of CUTTING THE CRAP! I will be right there with you and be doing the exact.same.thing – together we CAN do this! (Those indulgences that I listed above? The ice cream, brats, alcohol and s’mores? That’s the crap we’re cutting – I KNOW you can do it for a week!)

To sign up for this group, comment below with your email address or email me directly at ashleykrek@gmail.com.  I will be cutting the crap right alongside you and I cannot wait for this group to kick off!  

Who's with me?!

Body Beast Woman's Results Week 7

Seven weeks in and seven weeks of results!  Body Beast: Bulk Phase is nearly over for me; this week coming up will be my last week in Bulk Phase, and then I will move on to Beast phase.  I have been enjoying Body Beast, but I will be honest and say that I am looking forward to the Beast phase!  Bulk phase is five weeks with the same schedule repeating each week, so it will be fun to mix it up a bit in Beast phase.

I'm getting ahead of myself, though.  I haven't even finished Bulk yet!

This week I felt much stronger than I had last week.  With my monthly coming and screwing up my routine a bit, it felt good to be able to push myself further than I had been.  When I first started Body Beast I was using just 3 and 5 pound weights, but quickly purchased 10 pound weights.  I'm not looking to get hugely ripped, so I'm not too concerned about going up much higher.  I can say that the 3 pound weights are pretty much useless at this point for most exercises.  I could see myself getting a set of 7 or 8 pound weights and using those as my middle weight with the 5 pound weights being the small weights.

Once again, my weight has gone up a notch, but I'm not fretting about it.  Getting into a healthy relationship with the scale can be difficult at times, but I truly think it's one that would be so beneficial for everyone.  I am aiming for overall health, and while I would love to see the scale show a smaller number, I am focusing on all the gains I have made instead of the loss that I haven't yet made.  My inches continue to go down, I am starting to see muscles poking out on my arms and shoulders and I just feel better than I did before starting the program.  The weight loss will come, but for now I am totally happy with what I have accomplished!

This week, the last week of bulk phase, I am going to really focus on my nutrition and water intake and see where that leaves me at the end of Bulk.  Tomorrow I will be sharing my meal plan for the week and every day I will be aiming for at least 110 ounces of water (I'll be tracking using the Waterlogged app - have you heard of it??  If not, I suggest you get it now - it's free!)  To hold myself more accountable, each evening I will be sharing how many ounces I drank during the day.  Who wants to do the Week-long Water Challenge with me?!

Anywho, I suppose some results are in order, huh?

Here they are for week 7 of Body Beast!

I love seeing those inches drop!  Feel free to follow along on my last week of Bulk Phase Body Beast through Instagram or Facebook!

Are you interested in your own transformation?  Whether you're looking at building muscle through Body Beast or exploring other options open to you, comment below with your email address or drop me a line at ashleykrek@gmail.com - I would love to help you get started!

Body Beast Woman's Results Week 6

Six weeks in, six weeks to go!  I am super late in posting this update (I'm almost all the way done with week 7 now - oops!) but I wanted to make sure I did an update.  Week six was, quite honestly, a not-so-great week for me.  Not to get too personal, (but I probably will anyway), but this week was the first time since getting pregnant that I had my monthly.  Let's just say that it affected me quite a bit!  I was more fatigued than I have been, hungrier and just all-around a bit off my game. 

I didn't use it as an excuse to slack, though!  I got every workout in on the day it was scheduled and I still saw an improvement in a couple of my measurements.  Not a lot, but there were improvements there and I'm happy with what I accomplished.

If you've been following along with my results, you may have found yourself asking why I'm sticking to the program when my weight hasn't been dropping (in fact, this week it even went up a bit).  I've talked around this before, but today I wanted to address it because I have had a couple people bring it up to me.  So, why the heck AM I still doing Body Beast when the scale's not changing?

The answer is, in fact, quite simple.  The scale may not be changing, but I can tell that my body is changing.  The scale is absolutely not the only indicator of health, but we so often think of losing weight as being the most important goal.  Body Beast is not a cardio program designed to make you drop weight like crazy.  It is a weight lifting program that was created to help you get stronger and create more muscle.  And that is exactly what I have been doing.  When I am doing the various exercises I can feel my arm muscles, back muscles and especially my stomach muscles in a way that I have never felt them before.  I love that feeling!  

My measurements have been shrinking, which shows to me that while the scale isn't dropping, the weight I carry is all fitting in a smaller body - the reason for this is that I am replacing fat lost with muscle gained.  That sounds like a pretty good idea to me!  So that, in a nutshell, is why I am sticking with Body Beast and not changing to a different program.  The results I am after are so much larger than just a drop on the scale!!

Without further ado, here are this week's results!

I will be sure to update these next week as well - and I will try to not wait until so late in the week ;)

Are you interested in this program or learning what other options are available to help live a healthier life?  Body Beast is what I am currently doing, but there are many other things that might be an even better fit for you if you're not sure Body Beast is something you would like to jump into.  As a Beachbody coach, my job is to connect people with programs, nutrition and support so they can kick their actions into high gear and really start seeing results!  It may seem daunting at first, but I can promise you that once you get into a routine of incorporating fitness into your life you will wonder how you went without it!

If you would like to be considered for an open spot in my next challenge group, or if you would even just like to know more, please fill in the application below!  I would love to chat with you about your goals and how I can help you achieve them!

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6 Months with Bonnie Ann

Six months - that's half a year.  Half a year?!  Trying to wrap my head around the fact that Bonnie is already six months old is an impossible feat.  But, in the same breath I could also say quite truthfully that I can't imagine life without her in it.  Just this morning Jake and I were talking about life before Bonnie and it's crazy to think back to those days.  Seriously, what did we do with all our time??  I can't imagine having nights and weekends without a little one to take care of - life changes quickly!

The last month Bonnie has grown and changed so much it's hard to believe.  She is an absolute master of rolling over and no matter how you set her down, she will roll over so she's in the opposite position!  

Along with rolling over, she is just starting to learn how to sit up on her own.  She's still pretty wobbly with it, and I'm not entirely sure that she understands what is going on when she is sitting, but she's starting to get it down!  I'm not sure if the extra padding of the cloth diapers makes it easier or more difficult for her to learn this - but either way, she's doing it!

One of her new favorite pastimes is blowing bubbles.  She will entertain herself for the longest time by blowing bubbles and if you do it back to her she thinks it is the funniest thing ever!

This past month we have finally been able to get her to take a couple naps.  They normally happen every other day or so, and last around 2 hours.  So far I have had more success than Jake has, but she and Jake are pretty great couch nappers so I think that makes a second nap more difficult for her :)

People have started to ask if she's been scooting around yet, and I am totally fine with saying no!  I'm not nearly ready for a mobile baby - my little rolling baby is perfect just how she is!  If anything, Bonnie has actually started to scoot herself backwards.  She will sometimes get her heels dug in and when she pushes off she'll be a couple inches further back than she had been.  Again, I think she has no idea that she's doing it - but it sure it cute to watch!

Cloth diapering is still going great, and we both love being able to hang the diapers out rather than hang them in the basement.  Personally, I think seeing all the diapers out our kitchen window is one of the cutest things ever!

Bonnie has officially grown out of 3 month clothes, and is now in 3-6 and 6 month outfits.  The 6-9 are still big on her, so we haven't jumped into those yet.  It's pretty incredible how many clothes she goes through.  She has a much better and larger wardrobe than either Jake or I do, and she can only wear most of them for a month or two!

Bonnie is still hanging out with her two bottom front teeth, she's an awesome night-time sleeper and has decided that anyone who has an apple must immediately let her lick it.  Typical baby behavior, I suppose!

That is Bonnie Ann at six months in a nutshell!  I have no doubt that before I know it I will be posting a month seven update, but for now I'm going to go cuddle that little lady and tell her to stop growing so quickly!