80/20 Clean Eating Rule

What is the 80/20 Rule?! It is a rule that helps me stick with my clean eating lifestyle!! 

The 80/20 rule is sticking with your lifestyle 80% of the time, and letting yourself have 20% flexibility. Even though I always have the 20%, I generally still keep that 20% within the clean eating guidelines. For example, I will make cookies that have all clean ingredients, but may have things that are not apart of my 'program guidelines' (extra amounts of organic sugar, coconut oil, or a glass of wine). 

With that 20% I let myself have Starbucks every now and then. In order to stay sane, and truly keep in check with my clean eating habits I need to be able to be naughty every now and then. 

I have researched and looked into local establishments that I can go to that won't kill my diet. My general requirements are local foods, organic, and locally owned. It truly makes a difference when you spend your money within your community. 

Stick with the 80/20!! 

Motivated Mommy Clayton

You can always find me on my Beachbody website!

10 Tip To Get Your Body Back After Baby!

Right after I had my second baby, I was getting married in a few short months. I knew I wanted to lose my baby weight and simply had no idea where to start. Sure, I can tell you all of my tips, and I truly hope you follow them, but I needed a clear path. I turned to my sister for advice. She recently started her journey as a fitness coach, and I knew I could trust her. She recommended the 21 Day Fix Challenge Pack, and sent me all of the ordering information. I blindly ordered, and didn't tell my soon to be husband how much it cost.. I told him I needed the tools, and that was final. 

The program gave me a clear path. Right down to measuring containers for my food! That is exactly what I needed. An idiot proof system that was simple. I had two kiddos under two. I simply didn't have time to over think it! The first round I lost almost 10 pounds, and several inches. 

Don't be fooled, my results have been over the course of 9 months. This is a clean eating program that teaches you how to start a new and healthy lifestyle. This is something that if you are willing to learn can change your life. Period. 

Here are some tips that I have learned on my weight loss journey! 

1.) >>Exercise. Exercise. Exercise!<< I know it sounds simple but, it has truly given me energy I didn't know I had! 

2.) >>Eat Clean<< I truly believe you are what you eat. I have removed GMO's, chemicals, and processed foods from our house. If I am somewhere where I am left with no choice but to eat something that is processed, I can literally taste the chemicals. It's awful!

3.) >>Correct your portion sizes<< The simplified system of 21 Day Fix taught me how to do this. It simply tells you how many you can have of each container. Boom. Done. Easy!

4.) >>Drink at LEAST 100 ounces of water a day<< This is the fastest way to lose weight. If you need a place to start, this is the easiest way to do it. 

5.) >>Find an accountability partner<< You are more likely to stick with it if you have someone doing it with you! Period. I am more likely to work out when my husband is doing it with me. 

6.) >>Tell someone your goals<< Your odds increase of sticking with it when you voice your thoughts. Tell someone you can trust, and ask them to hold you accountable. Set a punishment if you miss your goal (100 burpees for not working out). Set a reward for when you achieve your goal (get a new workout outfit when you lose 30 pounds)! You NEED something to work towards!

7.) >>Breastfeeding<< This is a VERY personal choice. This truly helped me lose my baby weight on top of exercising. It also gave me a very personal connection with my baby. This worked for me, but doesn't work for everyone. You need to do what is best for you. 

8.) >>6 small meals a day, not 3 large meals<< This will increase your metabolism. You body is able to break down your food faster, and gives your body energy. When you are giving your body food it needs to function instead of overloading in one category, you are helping fuel your body.

9.) >>Positive affirmations<< Tell yourself at LEAST one positive thing a day. The more positive words you hear, the more positive you feel. 

10.) >>Personal development<< This is something I take very seriously. I am always learning, working to be a better person, and finding new ways to help others. I keep a book on my bed stand, and try to read before bed, and when I'm pumping at work. I just finished Compound Effect, and am currently reading Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey! 

Please let me know if you would like more information, or have any questions on the programs that I have done, plan to do, and what options we have to fit your needs. 

Motivated Mommy Clayton

You can always find me on my Beachbody website!

Puff Container Garbage Bag Storage!

We buy puffs for our youngest. I have to be honest, we switched to organic, and this was a container that we had left over. I have tons, and tons, and TONS of garbage bags! I always use them for our bathroom trash bins, and misc things around the house. 

Just last week they were stuffed under the sink, and it looked like a tornado. It was driving me NUTS! I have been on an organization binge, and decided it was time to be a bit more tidy. 

How simple is this?? Throw you garbage bags into the puffs container, and throw it under the sink. It is less crowded, and looks so much better! 

Something so simple can make a huge difference. No need to waste money on fancy organizers in this house!! 

Next organization post?? Diaper boxes as storage containers!! 

Motivated Mommy Clayton

You can always find me on my Beachbody website! 

21 Day Fix Approved Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken

Are you ready? Are you ready for another EASY meal?! Have no fear! Mommy Clayton is here!! 

This is the true definition of keeping it simple. 

You can spin this one however you want, this is what I did...

What you will need:

2 lbs Chicken Breasts

1/2 of a fresh Pineapple

1 Green Pepper

1/2 a container of Salsa 

Instructions:

Put the chicken and 1/2 container of salsa in the Crock Pot and turn on high. Slice up your fresh pineapple, and put half of it into the Crock Pot. Slice up the entire Green Pepper and place in Crock Pot. 

Let everything cook for 2-3 hours. 

Enjoy!! 

For an added twist you can add cilantro, or jalapenos! 

-Motivated Mommy Clayton-

You can always find me on my Beachbody website!!

Coconut Flour Cinnamon Bun Muffins

These muffins were awesome! I have been experimenting with coconut flour a lot, and have been working towards gluten free. I don't know that I will ever be able to say I am fully gluten free, but I have cleaned out a lot of unnecessary foods in our eating habits. This recipe turned out much better than some of the experiments that I have not posted about... 

Give these a go! They are a great option for snacking, and for the kiddos.  

What you will need: 

Muffin Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour

1/4 Cup Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp Salt

4 Organic Eggs

1/3 Cup Almond Milk

1/3 Honey or 100% Maple Syrup

Cinnamon Topping Ingredients:

2 Tbsps Ground Cinnamon

4 Tbsps Honey or 100% Maple Syrup

2 Tbsps Coconut Oil

1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place liners in all of your muffin tins. 

In a large bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Next, add the eggs, milk, and honey to the dry mixture. Mix all ingredients until combined. Set the batter aside for several minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb the moisture. 

While you are waiting for the muffin mixture, mix all of the topping ingredients in a separate bowl. Make sure they are mixed and combined. 

Once the muffin mix has had time to sit, pour the muffin mix into each tin, and only filling it about 1/4 of the way full. This should leave you with 1/2 of your batter left. Drizzle in a small amount of topping in to each tin. 

Fill each of the tins with the remaining muffin mixture. Last, top each of the muffins with the remaining topping mixture. 

Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick can be interested in the center of each muffin and comes out clean. 

Let cool, and enjoy!!

-Motivated Mommy Clayton-

You can always find me on my Beachbody website!!

21 Day Fix Approved Pot Roast

The flavor of the spices mix is awesome. Henry, our youngest son, went to town on the veggies. We had to strip him down ,and throw him in the bath right after dinner. Isaac was a fan of the meat. I was a fan of everything, and Jason was fishing. To bad so sad!

This was a little more prep than I normally like, but it was definitely worth it. The great thing about this recipe is you can add more or less veggies. I am adding more veggies to the recipe than I used. Next go around, I will definitely be using a lot more. They are just so tender, and delicious! 

If you don't have the exact spices I used, just go for what you have in the cabinet. 

What you will need: 

Spices Mix:

1 tbsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt

1 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp Garlic Mix (I used the Crippa Family Spice that we received at our Cousins Wedding)

2 tbsp Steak Seasoning (Or a mix of thyme, peppercorn, something along those lines)

1 tsp Creole Seasoning (Or something to give it a little jazz)

What food you will need:

3 lb Chuck Roast

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

3 lbs Carrots

2 bushel or package of Celery

5 Sweet Potatoes

1/2 cup Beef Broth

Directions:

Mix spices together in a small bowl, and set aside. 

Melt coconut in a large frying pan on low heat. Place meat in pan, and coat the meat in coconut oil. Flip to all four sides so it is covered. Once covered, sprinkle on 2/3 of spice mix. I used the sprinkle > rub > turn > repeat method.
Turn the heat up to medium high. Lightly sear each side. Once up to temp, it should be about 1-2 minutes on each side. 

Once it is lightly seared, place in Crock Pot. 

Add all of your veggies to your frying pan. If there is no coconut oil left, simply put a little more in. Add the veggies to the pan, and add the remaining seasoning mix. 

Let veggies get a sear on them, and cook them for about 5 minutes. Once they have a little sear, add them to the Crock Pot. 

Add the beef broth to the Crock Pot. Cover, and cook on low for 5-7 hours. The original recipe said to cook for 9 hours. I took the everything out after 5 hours. The meat was cooked perfect, and the veggies were mushy. If I would have left them in for the full 9 hours they would have been soup. My Crock Pot seems to cook at a higher temp. If after 5 hours your meat and veggies are not ready, I would let it go for another couple of hours. 

Enjoy!

Motivated Mommy Clayton

You can always find me at my Beachbody website!

Paleo Lemon Chicken Skillet

Fast, easy, healthy, and delicious. These are a few of the many categories that need to be filled before I share a recipe. You know that I love my Crock Pot, but I needed to venture off for a couple of meals. I wanted something with a pop of flavor that wasn't full of sodium. This recipe was low maintenance, and was actually better heated up than it was when we cooked it up. When I reheated it, the lemon flavor had time to soak into the food. It had tons of flavor.

I was a huge fan of this recipe. I was a little nervous when I was making it. I get nervous when I am not using a ton of ingredients. I feel like I need to add things to give it something. So glad that I didn't!

Here is what you will need: 

2.5 lbs Chicken Breasts
1 lb Asparagus
1 Lemon
2.5 lbs Mushrooms
1/4 cup Parsley
2 tbsps Dried Onions
1 tbsp Coconut Oil

Instructions:

Cut the chicken into cubes. Melt coconut oil in a skillet, and cook the chicken, parsley, dried onions, and juice of one lemon until there is a little pink left in the center.
Chop up your asparagus and mushrooms, and add them to the skillet. Cook until the chicken is done, and the mushrooms and asparagus are to your liking.

Let cool, and enjoy!!

-Motivated Mommy Clayton-

You can always find me on my Beachbody website!

Homemade Baby Food

Why do I take the time to make my own baby food???? Because I know exactly what is going into my babies tummy!! I'm not adding chemicals, I am not adding anything to it that I wouldn't eat!
Does it take extra time?? Yes, yes it does. For me that extra time is worth it!

I have learned with baby number 2 how to cut corners, and how to make the most of my ingredients.

Where did I start? I will admit, I did start with the organic pouches from the store. I did this to find out what my youngest liked. This gave me a great starting place. I didn't want to waste my money on ingredients if he wasn't going to eat them. I decided to only invest a couple bucks to see if he was ready.

From there, I got a great idea of what he did, and did not like. The biggest key is to keep it simple!! 

Here is my strategy:

Cook up butternut squash, and sweet potatoes. Once they are cooked, I mash them up, and keep them in baby food jars. 

I keep spinach, fresh fruits, and old fashioned oats on hand. 

When he is ready to eat, I use our Bullet Blender, and throw in a combination of several ingredients.

To keep him full, I always add a bit of oatmeal. Both kids loved fruit. So I would use a large amount of fruit, and add in the veggies in small amounts. I wanted to make sure they were getting a balanced amount of food, instead of just fruit. 

Based on what he gobbled up, I would changed of my blender concoction. 

Again, I chose not to pay the price for the convenience of premade baby food. Just a little bit of prep truly made the difference. Being able to throw everything in our Bullet Blender made it so doable. It really reduced the amount of time it took to make.

It is worth a shot!! 

Here are a couple of my go to combinations:

**Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Strawberries, Oatmeal**

**Butternut Squash, Bananas, Oatmeal, Strawberries**

**Spinach, Applesauce, Strawberries, Oatmeal**

**Cooked Carrots, Bananas, Blueberries, Oatmeal**

Enjoy!

-Motivated Mommy Clayton-

You can always find me on my Beachbody website! 

Paleo and Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Harvest Muffins

These were made in my cooking madness before we left for our honeymoon. While they were cooking the house smelled amazing! These were very popular with the kids, and my husbands friends. They came up for a weekend of fishing as we were leaving. There weren't many left as we headed for the airport! 

I wanted to have something in the house to snack on, that was still within the clean eating lifestyle that we follow. These are easy to grab when you are busy, and they don't break your lifestyle. I ended up grabbing a couple and bringing them on the place with us. We had a short connection in Atlanta, and weren't going to be able to grab anything to eat before we left. 3am is just not a pretty time for me. 

Here is what you will need: 

3 organic eggs

1 peeled, cored, and shredded organic apple

1 cup of raisins

2 cups of almond flour

1/2 cup of 100% pure maple syrup

1/3 cup of almond milk

1/4 coconut oil

1 tbsp coconut flour 

1 tbsp of cinnamon

1.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1 pinch of salt

Baking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
In a larger bowl combine eggs, shredded apple, maple syrup, almond milk, and melted coconut oil. 

Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix well.
Stir in raisins, 

Line your muffin tins with tin foil liners.
Pour mixture into liners. Use entire contents to fill all of your tins.

Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes. Check muffins with a toothpick to ensure that they are fully cooked. 

Allow muffins to cool for 10 minutes before you remove them. 

Enjoy!

-Motivated Mommy Clayton-

You can always find me on my Beachbody website! 

Paleo Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Before Jason and I left for our Honeymoon, I went into a bit of muffin madness. I made two batches of muffins for the kids. They are an easy snack, and I found recipes that didn't venture far from our clean eating lifestyle. 

I had never worked with coconut flour, and read up on how different it was from white or whole wheat flour. Coconut flour is much more dense. You use a lot less of it than you would when cooking with a white or wheat flour. I would also recommend using the tin foil liners. The flour seeks out the moisture in the muffin. A day or two after you cook these up, the paper liner is tough to get off. 

I was surprised how much coconut flavor came through when using the coconut flour. The blueberries were a nice balance to the flavor. If you do not enjoy coconut, I wouldn't recommend using it. 

It has been an adventure to try Paleo and Gluten free recipes. I have tried simple changes, and it makes a world of difference. It isn't always the cheapest option in the store, but I always try it once. I can always go back!
What I have found, is that as more people use the healthier, organic, and natural options, it drives the price down. After talking to a cashier at my local grocery store, she mentioned that most of their organic options are very comparable to non organic. For example, the organic carrots are less than $1 more than non organic. Why wouldn't you get the organic! Even for most budget conscious folks, that is doable! She said that more and more people have switched, and the price continues to decrease. How exciting! 

Lets get to the recipe!! 

What You Need: 

6 organic eggs

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup 100% maple syrup

1 lemon

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 baking soda

1 cup fresh blueberries 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, juice of 1 lemon, zest of lemon, in a bowl. 

In a separate bowl combine sea salt, baking soda, and sift in coconut flour. 

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
Next, fold in the blueberries. 

Line your muffin tins with liners. I would recommend tin foil liners.

Full tins about 3/4 of the way full. Use all of your mix to fill all of the liners. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Test with a toothpick, to verify it is cooked through. 

Let sit for 10 minutes before removing from your muffin tray. 

Enjoy!

-Motivated Mommy Clayton-

You can always find me on my Beachbody website!