Welcome to my episode of that was then, this is now. A little over a year and 70+ lbs is the difference between these two pics. Both bodies are beautiful in their own way. Both showing how amazing the human body is. But, for real, I can’t believe I gained over 70 LBS!!! I gained 60+ with the previous pregnancy and told myself I would be more active and not give in to all the junk cravings during my second pregnancy. Well, I failed that miserably. PLUS, I had the most uncomfortable pregnancy ever because I didn’t take care of my body the way I should have. All I felt like doing was reclining and eating.

So, I’m excited to announce the launch of my new Prenatal/Postnatal Barre program. It covers all 4 trimesters of pregnancy (yes, including the first 3 months postpartum). I sooooooo wish this was available when I was pregnant. It would have helped me stick to a workout and nutrition program better. It almost makes me want to be pregnant again just so I can try it...ALMOST.
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I’ve since shed the 70 lbs, but not without a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (and a few bladder leaks). If I’d had a program like this to help keep me on track, it would have been MUCH easier to bounce back. Plus, it would have alleviated some of the symptoms I’m still struggling with over a year postpartum (HELLO pee pants and diastasis recti!)
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Check out the preview for this program!

If you’re interested in checking out this program to help you have a fit, active, and nutritious pregnancy or postpartum journey, WE NEED TO CHAT.
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​Complete this form to receive all the details of the program as well as a sample workout!

As a working mom of 3, I'm a sucker for conveniences.  I used to refuse coughing up the extra money for the convenience factor.  My, my, how times have changed. If the word convenience is listed in the description - take all my money!

Trying to eat healthy and make the kids eat healthy is one of my greatest struggles.  So, ANYTHING that helps me in that area is going to catch my attention.  The part of my day that I REALLY look for cutting corners with convenience is in the mornings when getting mom, dad, and kids out the door.  Making 3 breakfasts and packing 3 lunches  for kids who all have different food preferences and/or requirements takes it out of me.  I'm ready for a nap before my workday even begins.  So, I've found a few ways to help me maintain my sanity during the morning hustle.   

• First, I search for healthy, packaged snacks.  Since anything packaged is mostly going to be processed, I try to find those that are the lesser of two evils.  I resisted packaged snacks for so long, but when it came down to it, I decided saving my sanity with the convenience of a tasty treat that could easily be prepared with the unwrapping of plastic was in the best interest of my kids.
• Second, since my kids could live off snack bars and fruit snacks for every meal, I feel it is my responsibility to make sure they get meal prepping their lunches and snacks as best as I can on the weekends makes my mornings go so much more smoothly.  For fruits and veggies, I slice and portion out so I can just grab the ziploc and toss it in their lunchbox.  For their main meal, I'll make something that I can easily microwave and dish out into a thermos to pack and go.  This has not only been a time saver, but a LIFE saver.
• Third, I'll have my kids sleep in their morning clothes.  You heard that right!  The kids will wear what they are wearing for their following day's clothes to bed the night before!  No pajamas here!  They think it's hilarious, it saves me the morning struggle of fighting over what they should wear and then holding them down while I force it over their head.  Fewer tears shed, and time saved.  It's a win-WIN!
• Fourth, breakfast is a major struggle area for us in the morning.  I need something quick, tasty, and portable.  Well, I found the perfect solution!  I discovered this when my kids started stealing sips of my morning shake.  Then it clicked!  Its dense in nutrition - check.  It's quick and easy to make - check.  It's portable and can be taken on the go - check.  The kids suck them down like I'm giving them something I shouldn't - CHECK CHECK!!!  So, now I blend up a shake for my kids every morning and everyone's happy!

I hope these tricks can help you salvage what's left of your sanity.  Us busy, working moms gotta stick together!  Here's one of our favorite morning shake recipes:

A variety of mixed berries (I used Costco's frozen mixed berries) not only give this shake a fun, purple color, but it also packs it full of extra antioxidants!

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup ice
• 1 scoop Vanilla  Shakeology (you can get it HERE)
• ½ cup fresh (or frozen) mixed berries

1. Add almond milk to blender.
2. Add additional ingredients to blender.
3. Blend until smooth!

I used to be a gym junkie. But, a really crappy, ineffective gym junkie ?
I’d go to the gym for hours. I didn’t really know what I was doing, or how all the machines worked. I was also too proud and embarrassed to ask anyone to explain it.  Or, I'd spend too much time looking like an idiot while holding up the line to a machine while I tried to figure it out how it worked.

I'd usually end up sticking to my trusty elliptical or treadmill, and the handful of machines I’d successfully “mastered”. After busting my butt, I hardly saw results, and felt defeated. Basically, I was working out the same muscle groups over and over while leaving other areas untouched AKA flabby. 

There was also that time I tried to make up my own home exercises and circuits. It was basically the same situation as the gym, minus the judgmental audience.  I'd waste all this time trying to figure it out for myself and not see ANY results.

Now, I have the best of both worlds. I have world class trainers, virtually walking me step by step through moves to target all the flab; all from the comfort of my own living room. Not only do I get to take the time to get the moves right, but I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing me act a fool when I’m learning a new move. 
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Try out this 7 minute resistance band circuit. Do each move for 60 seconds alternating sides. I just started incorporating resistance bands into my workouts and I’m loving it. Low impact, seemingly simple, but oh so effective. Yowza! If you like these moves, shoot me a message and I can share sample workouts with you to try out!

Summertime screams BEACHBODY, BIKINIS, SUN TANS!  Well, if you're anything like me, I always say I'll start working on my summer bod after the holidays...but somehow I never really get my summer body in check.  That's because LIFE happens.  Inevitably, you'll get invited to all those summer kickoff parties; the BBQs, the mixers, the pool parties, all of which seem to have an exhaustive list of UNHEALTHY treats.  But, here's the kicker...

There are soooo many ways to make sure you don't go overboard with your summer celebrations.  That's right, you can still celebrate, have all the fun, and stay relatively on track with your diet!  Here are some tips for sticking with your health and wellness plan during the summer months.

And there you have a few simple tricks to help you stay on track with your health and wellness goals while still enjoying the fun of summer.  Here's a quick and easy BBQ sauce recipe to whip up.  Load it up in a mason jar with a ribbon and it makes a great hostess gift!

✨ Homemade BBQ Sauce ✨
 
Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2½  tsp ground chili powder
• ¼ tsp ground paprika
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1, 8 oz can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup water
• ¼ cup raw honey
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1½ tsp liquid smoke (optional)

 
Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add tomato paste, water honey, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke (if desired); cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

There's not doubt about it.  Most people's health and wellness journey involves a lot of MIND GAMES.  Mind games about what they put in their mouth; mind games about when and how hard they exercise; mind games about the importance of being healthy versus not.  There's no way around the mental over physical battle that happens with a healthy lifestyle.  It's how you fight those battles that matters.  Having the right tools and knowledge at your fingertips is what gives you the upper hand.  And, with anything, the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Removing barriers from your health and wellness path can help you push out those negative thoughts and self-doubt you'll find littered in the road.  Here are FOUR tips to setting you up for success to hurdle over those roadblocks and continue on to achieving your goals!

First line of defense when setting yourself up for success is to make sure you aren't fighting an uphill battle.  If you think you have any underlying issues, illness, deficiencies, sensitivities, etc. get those taken care of ahead of time.  If you don't know where to start with finding this information out, email me and I can help point you in the right direction.

The second thing you need to focus on is making sure you're well hydrated ALL DAY.  We are so busy during the day that it's easy to forget to drink enough water.  We should be drinking A MINIMUM of half our body weight in water each day to ensure proper cell and organ function.  If you aren't supporting your body by hydrating properly, body functions can't perform at their optimal ability.  That means any detoxing, metabolizing, and muscle building are put on the back burner.  This is something I still struggle with!  I make sure to set timers on my phone for reminders.  When I wake up in the morning, I chug about 12 oz. of water first thing.  This is an EXCELLENT habit to form because it primes your body to start your day...and it gets everything moving, if you know what I mean.  Then, about every 1-2 hours I chug another 12-14 oz.  When I say chug, I mean chug.  Imagine your college days and beer chugging competitions.  THAT kind of chugging.  So, at a minimum, I'm drinking around 72 oz. of water every day.  In addition to my chugging competitions, I keep a Yeti tumbler full of water to sip on throughout the day.  I really aim for 100 oz of water to make sure I'm really getting enough in.

The third thing to incorporate in your healthy habits is MEAL PREPPING.  Ugh, I know!  Everyone hates meal prepping.  But the truth is, meal prepping saves you time, money, and calories in the long run.  Getting the majority of my cooking done in one sitting saves me from doing the same cooking each day.  Instead, I can pull out my pre-portioned, prepared healthy food options and go!  I don't have to chop, dice, measure, pour, or any other action required of my recipes.  AND I know I'm fueling my body with feel good foods.  Failing to meal prep can result in grabbing a convenience food (i.e. packaged and processed) or driving through a drive-thru (feel bad food and EXPENSIVE).  So, when Sunday rolls around and you're not in the mood to meal prep, just go for easy to prep items and know it's the last time you'll have to think about those meals for the rest of the week.  Your mind is freed up to focus on other areas of bettering your life.

The last line of defense is to prime your mind.  The mind is where all this negative talk is swirling and it can sense weakness from a mile away.  Incorporating personal development into your day is a sure-fire way to stave off the voices that talk down to you.  Check out My Favorite Things to see some of my favorite books for getting myself in the right mindset.  When I don't have time to sit down and read, because really that's most times, I tune into a podcast or audio book that gets my positive vibes flowing.  Some of my favorite podcasts for self development are This American Life, Radio Lab, EntreLeadership, Ted Radio Hour, or really any Ted Talk that piques my interests.  So, make sure you carve out 15-20 minutes a day to focus on fueling your mind so your mind and body are on the same wavelength.

What are some tricks you use to help you win at the mind games?  I'd love to know.  Comment, below!

Unfortunately, I've been cursed with a sweet tooth.  Like, the worst sweet tooth.  I try to avoid processed sugar completely because even the littlest bit will send me into a complete binge fest; like come-to surrounded by empty ice cream cartons and candy wrappers kinda binge fest.  

I'm always trying to find healthier substitutes for my fav binge items to ease my sugar cravings.  I remember my mom making a no bake cookie for us kids on special occasions.  I recalled it having very few ingredients, being quick and easy.  So, I looked up the recipe and created my own HEALTHIER version of her classic no bake cookie.  Each cookie has around 176 calories and is made with clean ingredients.  Now, if I could just keep myself from devouring the entire batch!

For this recipe, I used sunflower seed butter; but you can use any butter you prefer.  The original recipe calls for peanut butter, but I'm still nursing baby and he suffers from almond and peanut allergies.  Just make sure whichever nut butter you choose only has the nut as the ingredient (and maybe salt).  Most nutbutters on the market have added sugar, palm sugar, or the like.

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup nut butter (I used sunbutter)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups organic rolled oats
1/4 cup hemp hearts
4 tbsp raw cacao
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cinnamon

Steps:
1. Combine the honey, coconut oil, nut butter, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Heat until melted thoroughly, stirring frequently.
2. In a separate bowl, combine oats, hemp hearts, raw cacao, salt, and cinnamon and stir to combine.
3. Pour dry ingredients into the pan with the wet ingredients.  Cook for a couple of minutes to make the oats softer.
4. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Use a cookie scoop to transfer spoonfuls of cookie "batter" onto the parchment paper.  Use the back of the scoop to flatten slightly.
6. Place the cookie sheets with cookies in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until hardened.

Note: Once the cookies are hardened, I remove from the cookie sheet and place in a sealable container and store in the fridge.

The recipe should yield about 2 dozen cookies at about 176 calories per cookie.  The kids love them too!  The proof is in the pictures!

​I figured it’s a good idea to write a new introduction since I’m picking this up two and a half years since my last post.  A lot can happen in a year, or two, or three.  People change, lives change, circumstances change.  And that all holds true with me!  I’m definitely older and wiser, or at least older.  Ha!  I’ll tell you a little about what’s happened in my life and why I’m renewing this blog.
 
Since July of 2017, I’ve had ANOTHER baby.  Jose and I welcomed a handsome and happy little boy named Mathéo on June 15, 2019.  With two older sisters, he sure has a lot of love surrounding him.  AND his work cut out for him!  As with my first birth, Saylor, I delivered Mathéo naturally, unmedicated, and in a birthing tub.  I’ve found water births to be the most comforting and magical type of birth.  Though, I’m sure each mama’s birthing experience is magical in its own way.
 
I’ll share both birth stories in more detail in future posts.  In the meantime, you can check out Saylor’s birth video.  I haven’t gotten around to editing Mathéo’s video but will hopefully get around to it before he turns 1!

In other BIG news since my last post, Jose and I opened our own business.  Regen IV Wellness is a holistic health and wellness center focusing on ozone and nutrient IV therapy.  Though IV therapy is our bread and butter, we offer an array of services and are excited to introduce more services to support our passion for helping people live their best, healthiest life.
 
The past couple of years have provided opportunities for growth and self-awareness.  I’ve never stopped thinking about Alissa Healthy Mama, I just didn’t have a clear picture in my mind about how I wanted to use this place to help others.  I’ve recently come to the realization that I now have the knowledge, skill, and will to create a safe place for others to learn and grow with me. As you can tell, I’m VERY passionate about holistic living; but I want to be completely transparent and point out that there are times when I may deviate from what is considered holistic.  It’s the 80/20 rule, right?  Especially with 3 kids, a husband, full time job, and running a business, there are times when the MOST holistic option is downright inconvenient.  Now, I will go out of my way to choose the holistic path; however, there are times when choosing convenience over holistic saves my sanity.  I really assess each choice and determine if the stress/inconvenience factor is LESS healthy than the holistic option.  I’m a firm believer that in order to live your happiest and healthiest life, you have to factor in all aspects including psychological AND physiological instances.
 
So, there you have it.  I want an outlet for demonstrating my “mostly holistic, until its inconvenient” lifestyle.  I know there are other mamas out there trying to figure out the balance.  I struggle on the daily, ESPECIALLY when ice cream is involved. 
 
You’ll notice I’ve included a tab at the top where you can see my most favorite, for the most part crunchy, mama products.  Hopefully, my suggestions will help you come that much closer to living your best life.

Dinnertime in our house is some kind of special.  There should be an award for moms who cook clean meals that a 3-year-old successfully consumes.  I REALLY try to avoid having to cook 2 different meals; but sometimes, that’s the easiest route.  Easier than having to negotiate, bargain, convince and persuade a 3-year-old about how delicious their food is if they’d only take a bite. Just. One. Bite. There’s nothing worse than a 3-year-old spotting that one fleck of black pepper than got away from the adult version of dinner and pointing at her meal as if it’s frog’s legs topped with snail gravy, and pushing her plate away, while I hang my head in defeat. Once I get that first bite in, I’m golden. 
 
So, when I find a dish that the whole family LOVES and it’s on my meal plan, I consider my whole day to be a success.  This meal is one of those times I hit the dinnertime jackpot.  I’m currently doing a 3 week Beachbody program called Shift Shop.  The nutrition plan is pretty intense and gets more intense each week.  It eliminates grains and gluten from the diet.  Basically, just sticking to meats, fruits, and veggies.  I’ve had to branch out with my dinner ideas since many of my tried and true backups aren’t Shift Shop approved.  So, this here is a healthier, CLEANER spin on an old classic.  I ALWAYS make my own spaghetti sauce from scratch, as opposed to the jarred stuff.  Those contain lots of preservatives, unnecessary sweeteners, dyes, and other ingredients that add absolutely no value to me.  Plus, I think my sauce tastes better :)
 
Kid Tested, Shift Shop Approved Spaghetti Squash Turkey Spaghetti

Spaghetti Squash
1 Spaghetti Squash (more if you want to make bulk, plus it freezes well)
Olive Oil (or any cooking oil, a couple of drizzles per squash)
 
Spaghetti Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil (or any cooking oil)
1 lb ground turkey
1 tbsp minced garlic
8 oz. sliced mushroom
1 can diced tomatoes (you can use fresh)
1 small can tomato paste (canned)
1 can tomato sauce (canned, make sure it’s just pure tomato sauce, no additives or other ingredients)
1 can water
2 tsp. basil (fresh or dried)
2 tsp. Italian seasoning (get it HERE) 
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half, width-wise (be careful cutting the squash, they are extremely hard).
3. Lightly drizzle oil on the exposed cut portion of each half (the pulp) and place cut side down on a cookie sheet, or baking dish.
4. Bake for 45-60 minutes depending on your oven and preference of texture.  You should be able to see the layers of squash pulp separating on the cut insides.  If squash does not appear to be separating, continue to cook in 10 minute increments until it begins to separate.
5. Remove from oven, let cool.  Once cooled, take a fork and scrape the inside of the squash halves.  The layers of pulp should begin to separate into strings like spaghetti noodles. 
6. While squash is cooking, add olive oil to a pan and heat.
7. Add turkey and brown 4-5 minutes until cooked.
8. Add garlic and mushrooms to the pan with the turkey and sauté for 3-4 minutes until garlic is fragrant and mushrooms begin to wilt.
9. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, 1 can of water (use the tomato sauce can) to turkey, garlic, and mushroom pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer.
10. Add basil, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper and continue to simmer for 20-25 minutes until sauce thickens and tomatoes are stewed.
11. Mound spaghetti squash “noodles” onto a plate and top with sauce and freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

 
I usually make a large batch of the spaghetti sauce and freeze in freezer bags.  To thaw, remove from freezer and set in room temp water until thawed.  Once thawed, heat in a sauce pan until heated through.  I froze 5-6 bags when I was pregnant, which made for easy and speedy freezer meals after baby was born.
 
I hope you and your little ones and families enjoy this dish as much as we did!

I've recently discovered a way to make sure I receive all the nutrition, vitamins, and minerals I need.  IV vitamin therapy is effective for hydrating my body while adding in customized vitamins to my body's needs.  There's a place providing IV vitamin therapy in Dallas where I get my vitamin hydration with vetted ingredients.  I absolutely LOVE being on an IV therapy regimen.

​Okay, so I want to post some tips about clean eating.  It can get a bit overwhelming.  The number 1 thing I can’t stress enough is to READ THE LABELS.  I’ve posted an example below from a popular breakfast cereal: 

This example has corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oils, caramel color, artificial flavors, BHT to add freshness to the packaging (wtf?!).  Not to mention the vitamins and minerals the company adds to the product to give it some sort of nutritional value. 
 
If you can’t pronounce it, put it back on the shelf.  A good rule of thumb is if it has more than 5 ingredients, move along.  I know what you’re thinking “but it tastes so good!”  Well, of course it “tastes good”.  These processed food companies make sure of that.  If it didn’t taste good, you wouldn’t buy it, and they wouldn’t make money.  These ingredients aren’t found in mother nature and add to the color, flavor, texture, or preserving of food items.  Those unclean ingredients are responsible for a plethora of ailments, including:

• CANCER
• Obesity
• Heart disease
• Autoimmune diseases
• Impaired thyroid function
• Gut imbalances/Digestive disorders
• Suppressed immune system
• Anxiety/Depression
• Metabolic dysfunction
• AND MORE!

 
These foods are addictive.  When you first cut them out by switching to a clean diet, you can experience some withdrawal and detox symptoms. The good news is, that is your body’s way of showing you it’s getting rid of bad stuff.  Make sure to drink tons of water to help with the elimination of these toxins. Once you get over that hump, it’s smooth sailing.  The cravings go away, you’ll feel better, get sick less often, can think more clearly, and just be an all-around happier, healthier YOU.
 
Eating clean also allows your body to work at it’s highest level of efficiency.  Without all the toxins and chemicals bogging it down, it can focus on using food for fuel and speeding up metabolism.  Per a reader’s request, I’ve included the recipe for my Shrimp and Chicken Curry.  This turned out delicious, and it looks pretty too J All of the fat content (coconut milk and oil) is good, healthy fat that actually boosts metabolic rates.

SHRIMP AND CHICKEN CURRY
I adapted my recipe from JoCooks.

*Note: This dish can be served on its ow, or paired with rice.
 
Shrimp Marinade
12 shrimp (I used frozen)
Juice of one lemon
1/8 tsp cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Curry Sauce
2 tbsp coconut oil (divided, you can find it HERE)
1 lb chicken breast (cubed)
1 cup chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 Green bell pepper (diced)
1 onion (diced)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger (I get mine HERE which is a HUGE time saver) 
1 can Organic coconut milk (full fat, I get mine HERE) 
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Curry powder (I get mine HERE) 
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients for shrimp marinade to a bowl or Ziploc bag.  Stir, and set aside.
2. After prepping all ingredients, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil to large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add cubed chicken.  Cook 3-4 minutes until seared evenly on outsides.
3. Add second tbsp coconut oil and chopped broccoli to pan with seared chicken and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
4. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger. Stir and sauté for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in shrimp coconut milk, turmeric, curry powder, tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Shrimp should be pink.
6. Spoon into bowl or over rice.  Add sriracha or thai chili for more heat.  I’ve actually made my own sriracha.  Recipe to come!

 
I hope you enjoy!  Let me know how it turns out.  Chow!