CoachCrystal_Fitness

We had a wonderful time at the Tulip Festival in Holland! 🌷

Happy Mother’s Day to all mamas, mamas-to-be, and those wishing-to-be-mamas! 💕 @ Holland Tulip Time Festival

Never miss a Monday! 💦

My husband and I didn’t wake up on time this morning. BUT we got our workout in right after work. We know from experience that if we miss our workout on Monday, we’re more likely to miss our workouts during the rest of the week.

Now it’s time to catch up on yesterday’s GOT episode and have some cauliflower crust pizza! 🍕

I took this picture on May 1, 2013 at the Detroit Tiger’s game during Wayne State’s annual American Institute of Chemical Engineer’s baseball outing. After my husband and I spent the day talking and getting to know one another, we talked every single day after that day, and were officially dating exactly 2 weeks later. 💕

A lot has changed over the past 6 years {see that I was drinking one of those tall slushies that’s packed with artificial colors and sugar!! 😳} My husband + I got to know one other during little dates before and after classes at his apartments on campus, we both graduated with our chemical engineering degrees, we started our first full time jobs, we did long distance while I was working in Illinois for 2 years, we moved in together in our first home, got married, and now have a baby on the way! 👶

I’m so thankful for the journey we’ve shared together so far! Together we have learned how to get through hard times, maintain healthy lifestyles with balance, be thankful for every moment that we have together, and set goals for our future. And there is still so much to look forward to! ❤️

Just be better than you were yesterday 💪

I love this reminder. It can be so easy to forget that what we see on social media is typically just the good stuff. Even on my account, I try to spread positivity and don’t often post anything negative. But I’m definitely not perfect, and no one is! As long as we strive to be better than we were yesterday and grow every day, we should be happy with ourselves. What we see on social media should never make us feel bad about ourselves. All of us are on our own very unique journey’s. 💕

What did you do today to be better than you were yesterday?
I woke up early and exercised before work this morning and took a couple extra minutes to make my superfood smoothie before leaving the house! 🙌

Lemon Chicken Soup with Fresh Herbs 🍋 🌿
Here’s the recipe for those who asked! 🤗

In an Instant Pot, sauté 1 medium onion (diced), ~3 carrots (chopped), ~5 sticks celery (chopped), and 4 cloves garlic (minced) in 1-2 tbsp olive oil. After 5 mins, add 2-4 cups cauliflower or brown rice (or some of both like I do!). Sauté for a few more mins, then add 2-3 chicken breasts to pot. Sear each side for 2-3 mins. Add 6 cups low sodium organic chicken broth, fresh lemon juice (I use a lot!), himalayan pink salt, coarse ground black pepper, fresh parsley, + fresh dill. Pressure cook on manual for 10 mins. Whisk 3 egg yolks in a separate bowl. When timer done, open valve to force pressure release and slowly add ~1 cup hot broth to eggs while whisking. Take out chicken breasts + shred chicken with a fork. Add chicken back in with egg yolks and more lemon juice, and stir. Serve with fresh parsley and dill on top!

How to make it easier + quicker 🙌
▪️use bottled lemon juice {Costco has organic lemon juice made with 100% lemons}
▪️use frozen, steamable rice {I use organic cauliflower rice from Costco and organic brown rice from Trader Joe’s}
▪️use minced garlic {I found a jar of organic minced garlic at my local grocery store, which I add to meals all the time!}
▪️use prepared, lightly dried fresh herbs from the produce section of your local grocery store

You can make it in a regular pot as well, it’ll just take a while longer (low-med heat for ~45 mins). 😊

Baby + I got our butts kicked in just 20 mins! Felt good to sweat this morning. 💦

Now it’s time to finish my grocery list for the week and shower! I’m making one of my favorites for dinner this week, Instant Pot lemon chicken soup with fresh herbs. 🤤 Let me know if you want the recipe! 🌿

Enjoy your Saturday! 💖

MONDAY MEAL PREP ✅

I’m so thankful that I had a day off work today to catch up on a few things that I didn’t get done this weekend. I had the best weekend with my friends + family, but didn’t get meal prep done on Sunday like I usually do. Here’s what I just prepped for the week!👇

🥗 Salad jars for lunch
{balsamic dressing, cherry tomatoes, red onion, pitted kalamata olives, cucumber, feta, quinoa, baby lettuce}
🥕 Veggies for afternoon snacks at work
{carrot sticks + cherry tomatoes}
🍎 Washed our fruit for the week
{pink lady apples, bananas, mandarins}

Who else got their meal prep done for the week, even if it was a day late?! 😊 @ St. Clair Shores, Michigan

Got meal prep done QUICKLY yesterday evening after getting home from Grand Rapids. 🙌

My lunch box is packed with one of these Italian pasta salad jars, an all-natural cheese stick, and a bag of veggies [broccoli, cauliflower, + cherry tomatoes]. I also have a plain non-fat Greek yogurt cup packed for breakfast and an apple for an afternoon snack! 🍎

Here are the details on the pasta salad jars {from bottom to top}👇
✖️2 tbsp Italian dressing
✖️stuffed green olives
✖️whole wheat rotini pasta
✖️shredded carrots
✖️celery
✖️broccoli
✖️red bell pepper
✖️all-natural Italian salame
✖️all-natural cheese cubes
When it’s time for lunch, pour jar into a bowl and mix! 💚

@ Detroit, Michigan

The HEALTHIEST green drink! 💚

✖️vegan vanilla superfood protein powder
✖️organic baby spinach
✖️half frozen banana
✖️water
✖️unsweetened vanilla almond milk
✖️cinnamon powder
✖️ice

Hope you all have a fun St. Patrick’s Day! We’re having crock pot corned beef, cabbage, carrots, + potatoes for dinner tonight! 😋

BLT Salad Jars 🤤🤤🤤

I am SO excited for lunches this week! I decided to switch it up and try a new salad jar recipe this week. 🥗

If you want to try it, here’s what’s inside [from bottom to top of mason jar]👇
🍯 honey mustard salad dressing {swipe to see what I used to make the dressing}
🍅 cherry tomatoes
🥒 seedless cucumbers
🥚 medium-hard boiled eggs {I used my egg maker, which I love! Swipe to check it out}
🥓 turkey bacon
🍃 organic baby spinach

Let me know if you try it! 💚
@ St. Clair Shores, Michigan

I woke up EARLY, had a productive morning (I did all the cleaning + organizing!), and then hopped on a video call with the coaches on my team to chat and get our workouts in! 💦

It was such a perfect start to my weekend. 💕 Now, I’m excited to enjoy some warmer weather today here in Michigan and see my sisters.

Hope you’re all having an amazing weekend so far! 🤗

Happy International Women’s Day, friends! 💞

I have some AMAZING women in my life! My sisters, mother, mother-in-law, fitness coaching team, friends, and coworkers. I’m so thankful for these women today and EVERYday! 💕💕💕