Ready to get healthy? Lose weight, gain muscle, and feel AMAZING? Ready to have more energy than your kids? If you are ready to begin making small and healthy steps to your forever health, then join us!

Join us on our Private exclusive facebook group where we share recipes, ideas, motivation and just overall tips daily as well as the weekly webinars of amazing guest speakers. 

Not sure if this is for you? Each week we are going to offer amazing simple swaps on food, and health tips that can change your health forever and add years onto your life.

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I am going to personally share my stories and get really HONEST and PERSONAL with struggles that affect us and keep us from feeling our best.

I am also going to show you how I went from couch potato Mom to keeping up with my 3 energetic kids. I went from taking naps everyday because I was exhausted to having unstoppable energy that leaves me getting things done . I am re-designing MY life as a MOM. Want to re-design yours?

See you then!

Don’t miss out!

This Webinar is held every week on Wednesday, from:
May 22, 2013 to Jul 24, 2013 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM CDT

Register Now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/830542358

P.S. Please feel free to invite your friends or anyone that wants to get healthy!!

Hey everyone! Welcome to Part 3 of the Grocery Store Survival guide! If you are just now jumping in you can check out Part 1 and Part 2 below!

Part 1: Before you go to the store

Part 2: Stay organized WHILE shopping

Today we are going to talk about how to stay organized after you shop and get home. Hopefully you are using the Fresh Market Thermals from Thirty-one to keep all of your groceries organized and your food cold while you shop and during your car ride home. I had someone ask me why that matters. Part of it is that I really hate to waste my money. I hope you are shopping with intention and buying the food that nourishes your family and keeps you healthy. And if you spend your hard earned money on the food that you love, then you have to protect your investment! Keep your food at a safe temperature to keep it from spoiling or possibly making your family ill.

When you get home, you may be tired and tempted to throw everything in the fridge and relax. NO way Jose. Your work is just beginning! Turn on some pandora and bust out the cutting boards, knives, and strainers. Throw all of your fruit or veggies in a colander, spray them down with your frugal veggie wash and get them all prepped and put up. Fruit and veggies are FAST food when you have it washed and ready to eat. You will reach for that instead of something unhealthy when it is ready to go. I invested in some of these pyrex glass dishes. I think they help with preserving the quality of our food longer.

I work through my fresh market thermal bag one step at a time, getting everything washed and put away so the fridge is organized, cleaned out and I KNOW what is in there. So much less waste when you are using up what you have and it is ready to go. Plus when you take the time to wash it and put it away ready to go, you are less likely to waste it because you invested your TIME into prepping it. I hate wasting my time!

Another tip: buy in bulk in meat. I shared how we order our chicken through Zaycon Foods and save a ton on chicken that way. We also love ground turkey. So we often buy in bulk and separate it into the portions that we need. I bought this last batch from Sam’s but Aldi also carries ground turkey pretty cheap too.

Do you buy meat in bulk? I have to be careful because we do not own a deep freezer so I only buy what will carry us for a few months and what we will use.

Meal planning and shopping for food is SO much cheaper when my freezer is stocked with chicken and turkey. I can just buy the ingredients to go with each meal. It’s so nice having meat stocked up.

So you have a week or so left to get any of these awesome thermals half off. To find out more on how to do that, be sure to talk to Kristin from Thirty-One!

Ask Kristin how you can get one of these cute cute party thermals with can coolers! They are so cute and I absolutely LOVE that damask print! Perfect for a pool bag to keep drinks and snacks cold.

Congratulations to Stacey Greger for winning the fresh market thermal tote!

Also, want more ideas on how to organize yourself with Thirty-One? Join Kristin’s facebook group so you won’t miss out on any deals and fun tips!

*This is a sponsored post brought to you by Kristin with Thirty-One. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.*

Want to find out how to make healthy swaps in your life? Join in on my weekly FREE webinars every Wednesday night at 9pm central for the summer. A weekly series on how to lose weight with baby steps of daily changes that help you get where you want to be whether its weight loss, more muscle definition or just having more energy than your kids! Don’t wait, slots fill up fast so register now!

Howdy! I can’t wait to share with you my 4 month update on my Turnaround challenge. It has been quite the ride I tell ya. When I first started in January I was so tired of being overweight, having no energy and feeling terrible all of the time. One of the big questions I had was, “how did you know you were REALLY ready to do this?” I think that is just for everyone to decide for if they are ready or not. I just knew I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. This was going to be it for me and I was DONE. So I started small. Walking a mile a day, following the turnaround challenge that was laid out easy for me, and drinking more water. I also had a calendar by my desk. I told myself that it took 30 days to create a habit. So I colored in everyday on my calendar with a highlighter that I exercised and followed my turnaround plan. I made it my goal not to have ANY white days on that calendar. I didn’t exercise on Sundays sometimes but sometimes I just took walks with the kids or rested. But I still followed my turnaround challenge. Shaklee actually has a cool app you can log all of your food and exercise on which keeps me accountable.

This was me in July 2012. I wish I could tell you that this was my heaviest but it is not. I actually gained 20 MORE lbs on top of that before I finally had enough in January 2013. I was so disgusted with myself that I didn’t even take ANY pictures of myself when I started this except for this very small one with my cell phone. I remember having this conversation with my friend Bonnie. She BEGGED me to share pictures and I was horrified. I cried, said no. Said I would NEVER tell ANYONE about this on my blog. But then people started asking me about what I was doing and other people began to do their own turnaround challenges with me and they began to see amazing results too. I am glad I chose not to keep it a secret. It’s a good feeling to get my health back and to help some other people do the same. That Red Sox shirt was in a box of clothes that I considered my “goal clothes” that I wrote about here. I am wearing most of those shirts and some of the pants now! And what is funny is that I look in that closet and most of those clothes are gone and have been donated now because they don’t fit!

This was the only original picture I had. Oh my goodness. EEW. I am NEVER going back to that.

But instead I am going to buy some pretty dresses. And look pretty for my husband. And shopping for clothes that actually fit me and fit me comfortably is really all I wanted in the beginning. ALL of my clothes were stretched to the max. I had ONE pair of jeans that actually fit. And they were a size 22. My health was like watching a train wreck happen and not being able to stop it. Only I did stop it. One day I just had enough. And I don’t have a time line. I used to say I wanted to be a certain weight by a certain time but then I realized that wasn’t really that fun. It is just more fun to change my lifestyle and make this more of a permanent thing. Because permanent things are more fun that temporary happiness.

My husband and I went on a free trip we earned with Shaklee last week. I actually swam with him in the beautiful hotel pool. Don’t worry, no scary pictures of that. You’re welcome. haha He said I had never swam with him before because I am always afraid to be in a swimsuit around him. I actually didn’t care this time. I have so much more energy and don’t worry about that stuff as much anymore. Plus my legs are so freaking lean now from spinning!! Who knew?! We had fun and I am sure he appreciates not having a wife who hates her body. Because hating yourself is really not healthy or fun.

So what am I up to these days?

I go on bike rides with my kids nearly every night, sometimes twice. We run around and play, I ran my first 5k a few weeks ago and didn’t die, and I am eating pretty clean and healthy still following my turnaround challenge. Pretty simple and fun! I also do classes a few times a week at our local ymca. I am trying out a little bit of everything. Step classes, yboxing, spinning of course and any other classes that I can. I have so much energy now it is RIDICULOUS. I love it! What is really interesting is that if you would have asked me in January what I liked to do for exercise I would have cringed. I HATED to exercise. I HAD to work out at our hotel last week because my body literally craved exercise.

So if you want to see my first few posts on my turnaround challenge you can find them below. Don’t forget to follow me on facebook for more updates! Thanks so much for all of your sweet comments and support!

30 day transformation

60 day transformation

90 day transformation

Want to do your own turnaround challenge? Ask me how you can do yours for FREE for a limited time! Email me at erin.branscom@gmail.com for more info or let me know on facebook.

Welcome back to Menu Monday! Last week Dusty and I were out of town. We earned a trip FREE to our Director’s Conference with Shaklee to Pleasanton, California. We had an amazing time. Instead of showing you what we ate at home last week, I am going to show you how we tried to eat healthy while on a trip! Don’t worry, my amazing Mother-in-law Patty had our kids. We didn’t just leave a box of cheerios and a bowl of water out for them. haha They ate. And probably NOT healthy all week because Grandma likes to spoil them!

Okay, okay. So In-n-out burger is NOT the healthiest, I know. But after getting up at 4am and finally getting to our hotel at 4pm, we were so hungry! And we had heard so many things about this place, we had to check it out! It did NOT disappoint! Haha

In the mornings breakfasts were complimentary of the hotel. I tried to eat healthy. I am going to tell you, after drinking 180 smoothees everyday for 5 months and then switching to this food, my body was NOT happy. By the end of the week I CRAVED my smoothees again. The protein in there and the leucine makes me have so much energy and be full. I was ready to get home and have my normal routines again by the end of the week. But if was fun to be spoiled for a week!

The caterer’s had some fancy eats, I tell ya. I loved all of the fruit and salads! These were fish tacos and they were pretty yummy too! I love fish!

Shaklee had an unlimited supply of 180 snack bars and vivix samples for us! I was relieved because I do take the vivix to keep my migraines away and since mine is in a bottle, I knew I couldn’t take it on the plane with me. I was so excited to see the samples there waiting for me!

One night they even had little servings out, just like wine! After all, it is resveratrol which is in wine. If you ever want to know more about this, I could tell you stories after stories about how this has helped people with cancer, migraines, fibromyalgia, diabetes, neuropathy, alzheimers, COPD,  diverticulosis, stroke recovery, colitis, and many more. All from people I personally know. I personally have 30-40 people who order this alone each month and have seen phenomenal results. It is the product I am most passionate about.

Ever had an eggplant burger? Yeah, me either. It was good though! And strawberries in my salad? Nah. I ate all of the strawberries first, then ate the salad. I am still so weird about fruits in my salads! haha

And I know you are now thinking I am ridiculous, I know. I went to Nappa and did NOT drink any wine. And no, I am not pregnant. This uterus is closed for business. I just don’t drink anymore. I have never been a big drinker. I did however LOVE this fruit water! Yum! And fancy cheeses? Yes, please!

This chicken dinner was pretty awesome! I loved whatever glaze they had on it!

And the last night they had a BBQ and it was so fun! Stay tuned because I am going to do an entire post on our trip and I can’t wait to share all of the deets with you guys!

What did you eat last week or what are you making this week peeps!? I love seeing all of your food ideas! You guys rock!!

Welcome back to Part 2 of our Grocery Store Survival Guide! If you missed part 1 then you can read it to catch up! Today I am going to show you how I stay organized while I am shopping in the store. Some tips that I do to stay sane and save money.

I gather up my bags, receipt holder from ThirtyOne, my clipboard with my list on it, a snack, and my water bottle. I bring these snacks here usually because they are protein packed and keep me feeling full. Water is so important. If I am fully hydrated I am not tempted to stop at Starbucks or any other coffee place and spend money on coffee that I really don’t need.

I also try to shop alone if I can. If I can’t I have a great pep talk with my kiddos before we enter the store. I make sure they are hydrated and their bellies are full too. I try to teach them things about prices and food when we are in there if they go with me. I also try to make it a game to get everything on the list and get out as fast as I can so that I can keep our budget under $100.

I keep my receipts organized in here. But you could use it for coupons if you use coupons. I like to keep track of our budget by having a receipt for everything. It’s kind of like using the cash only system but I am accountable to receipts instead of cash.

When I get to the store I try to have a plan. I have my clipboard with list and highlighter, my phone that I use as a calculator, and my thirty one thermal tote and large utility totes. I love them! I group all of my ingredients in sections that I need. That when when I am in the produce aisle I don’t miss an item on my list and have to backtrack to get it and waste time.

Shop one store, then the next. Have a plan. My first stop is always Aldi. And they are not paying me to say that! haha. I just really love shopping there. I go there with my list that I planned around food items we already have as I said in part 1. I like that I have the large utility totes and thermal tote because everything tucks in there neatly. I do have some awesome re-usable produce bags that I got at the container store.  They were a little pricey but I really like them. I have seen tutorials where you can make your own if you are crafty!

When I am in the store and I grab an item I need, I highlight it on my list so I can stay organized. I really try to stick to my list. I often find myself putting things back when I am tempted to grab items we don’t need. My waistline doesn’t need it and neither does my wallet! I can’t remember where I got this grocery store tablet. But my friend Dani Schnakenberg over at Simplify Mommyhood makes awesome printables and tear off pads and I am getting them from her after this one is all used up!

Then after I find everything that I possibly can get off of my list at Aldi I head on over to Dillons which is Kroger in other states. I grab whatever is left on the list. Sometimes nothing! My husband Dusty actually works as an IT guy in some of the Dillons stores. So if I am just needing a few more things I save myself a trip and just go home and have him bring the items home the next time he works. But usually I get some of my favorite things there. I love their Simple truth almond milk. It has 40 calories and I drink them with my smoothees daily. 

I also love these double thermal organizers from Thirtyone. I put my excess produce in there. I also plan on using it to pick up produce at the farmers market this summer. We also get produce from our local CSA. I can’t wait to share that with you this summer. I have a feeling it is going to save us a ton of money by using our CSA and farmers market. Most of what we eat is fresh so it is great to have it at a great value.

I also try to only buy what can fit into my bags. This is why I shop weekly. It is just easier to keep track of a weeks worth of food and make sure nothing gets wasted. Wasted food=wasted money.

What do you think? How do you survive the grocery store?

My friend Kristin from Thirtyone has graciously decided to giveaway one of ThirtyOne’s exclusive fresh market thermal totes featured on the left! But if you don’t want to wait to win it, you can actually get one for 50% off right now with a $31 purchase. What I recommend is purchasing one of the Large Utility totes like the one on the right in your choice of a TON of colors and then you get the fresh market thermal on the left for 50% off! Score! But hurry because I am not sure when this sale ends. You can email Kristin for more info and she will fix you right up!

****This giveaway is now over. Thank you everyone for entering!****Contact Kristin to get more awesome Thirty-one savings!*********

*This is a sponsored post brought to you by Kristin with Thirty-One. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.*

Back in January when I started my journey at a very unhealthy and out of shape 250 lbs I decided to set some goals. I wanted to start running and I wanted to run a 5k. One night I saw a sign up at Starbucks for the color me rad 5k run on May 4th. I decided to register for it. I remember shaking when I hit the submit button. What if I failed? What if I couldn’t do it? What if I was the biggest person there? All of those negative things were running through my head.

But I really wanted to do it. You see, I am re-designing myself. I no longer want to be that out of shape Mom who can’t do things. I want to show my kids that their Mom cares about her health, and get out there and do things. It doesn’t matter if you are the smallest or biggest person. That’s where people mess up. They compare their middle to someone elses end. And it robs them. I stopped doing that. If you do that, I hope you stop doing that too. It turns out I wasn’t the biggest person there. When I was running I heard a bigger lady behind me say to the women next to her, “See, if that lady can run, so can I…” And it made me smile. Yup. She can! Anyone can run a 5k, I promise. Let me show you how I intensely trained for this 5k…(insert laugh here)

It was SOO cold and rainy that day. And my kids and hubby all came out to cheer me on. Audrey was all snuggled up in the jogging stroller watching. She loved it when I ran by. I am not sharing that picture with you. I looked so weird. Just trust me on that one.

Ethan wanted to run through the finish line with me! We decided next year that we would all do it as a family!

A lot of people asked me how I prepared for the 5k. If I ran couch25k or whatever. Nope. I ran once. Once to prepare. Seriously.  I hate running. My t-shirt is a lie. I wish I did like it. I have tried. But we just don’t get along. It’s just so dumb to me. I don’t know. Maybe I am just weird. But I really love biking, the elliptical, doing classes at the gym, and spinning. Spinning is my favorite! I did so much cardio on those things from January to now that I just ran it. I only stopped a few times when I had to go around someone or go through this field where there were some holes in the ground. But I ran it! Yeah, I am surprised too. haha! But I figure if I can spin for 90 minutes in an intense class, then I can endure 39 minutes of running. And if I can do an intense hour long elliptical workout at the highest resistance and incline, then I can run for 39 minutes. And I did it!

And it was a major goal to cross off of my bucket list. I showed my kids that I could do it! They are ready to do the next one with me if we do one. I probably won’t be a marathon runner. I am okay with that. I just want to be fit and healthy and have tons of energy! That’s my goal!

What are your goals? Are you a runner? What is your favorite exercise that you love to do? And if you did the color run and blogged about it, put your link in the comments. I would love to see!

P.S. And if you DID train for a 5k, marathon, whatever…I think you’re pretty amazing.

We are loving our newly fresh and green lawn! Look at those goofballs!

Home Depot was so great to work with on this project. When I went to the Home Depot and asked questions, their associates went above and beyond and were so helpful. On one day they even had the Scotts Turf Builder representative walking around asking questions for people. Great customer service is so important to me. Not only were they great to me, but they were also so nice to my kids every time I went in to grab some supplies. They even gave Audrey this super cute little Home Depot apron. She loves it!

One thing I recommend to do with your yard is to enjoy it! Get outside and run around with your kiddos or pets. You can find everything you need at the Home Depot to make your yard fun and pretty! It doesn’t have to be perfect but it is yours! Make the most of it!

Also…I made my very first vlog!

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to homedepot.com/gardenclub to see some of the many benefits of membership.

• The Home Depot Garden Club website: http://thd.co/ZNbhDj
• Garden Club board on Pinterest: http://bit.ly/16u0wsu
• Garden Club Community Forum (Ask an Expert): http://thd.co/1146A7d
• The Apron Blog: http://thd.co/XoelrO
• Category page on THD website: http://thd.co/YtJ3hU

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Menu Monday! Last week I did a pretty terrible job of cooking and taking pictures. We had a chaotic week. But I did manage to snag a few. I love the vodka sauce from Trader Joe’s. I made some Chicken Parmesan one night and it was yummy!

Then one night I made ground turkey sloppy joes, homemade fries, and fresh cut up veggies. We made the switch to ground turkey last winter and so far we are loving it. Do you use ground turkey at your house?

This week I will be in the San Francisco California area for the Director Conference with Shaklee! We are so excited to get away, just the hubby and I! My awesome Mother In law is going to guard the children. So I am going to take pics of our food all week and share it with you next week. I can’t wait!

Join me on Facebook to stay updated on our adventure next week!

Hey everyone! I can’t wait to share this short series with you! A lot of people ask how we stay organized and on a budget with our grocery shopping. We spend roughly $100 a week for a family of 5 and I don’t use coupons! I am going to show you how we do it and maybe your family can take away a few helpful tips!

Before you go…

Part 1 is about before you go to the store. What to do before you go to maximize your time, savings, and sanity!

I round up my receipts from my Thirtyone Coupon clutch (which I keep my receipts in) and figure out what is left in my budget for the month. Sometimes I only spend $65 a week and then I use the rest to purchase extra’s for the next week if I see something we need. I go through our cabinets, freezer and fridge and make a list of everything we have on hand. I meal plan around that to use it up. We try to waste nothing! Wasting throws away your hard earned money. It makes me so sad to see people waste so much food.

I like to use myfridgefood.com and pinterest to find ideas for meals.

I only use Shaklee products to clean our home.  They are awesome, and CHEAP. I can use my dishwasher detergent for 4 months and my laundry soap for 9 months. My laundry soap costs us approximately $3.33 a month. That saves us a ton. I rarely have to buy any cleaning supplies because they last so long.

I also keep a running list of what we are running low on. I have gotten pretty creative in substituting things instead of making special trips to the store. It saves us money and we are using up items we already have paid for.

I love to buy our chicken from Zaycon Foods. I am not into stockpiling food AT ALL except for meat. I like to keep chicken and ground turkey stocked up when I can so that I can plan meals around them. I can spend $70 on chicken and it lasts us over 6 months. I love zaycon foods. But be warned if you buy it, you have to trim it and put it in individual baggies for your meals. But I really believe the savings is so worth it and it is great chicken.

Are you ready to shop? Stay tuned for the next part of the series on what to do at the store! Don’t forget to head on over to Kristin’s Thirty-One page and check out this month’s specials! Stay tuned for a very special giveaway as well!

*This is a sponsored post brought to you by Kristin with Thirty-One. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.*

Hey everyone! Just an update on our tips and tricks for a green lawn series. It is still growing! We are getting rain and SNOW. Is it seriously May and snowing? THAT is my challenge right now. Frost, snow and cold one day and then sunny 80 degrees the next. Is this happening where you live too? Frustrating!

I am loving our grass seed so far. We used the Scott’s turf builder and I really liked it. Last year I used something cheap and it didn’t work too well. I think it pays to choose the better brand with the better value.

I had a little extra money left on my gift card and I have always  wanted to build a compost bin. Who gets excited about building compost bins? This girl! haha They sell them but they are pricey. I just made my own. I am drilling holes in my trash bin and setting it up on some bricks. We put some leftover grass clippings, dirt, and all of our compostables in there.  I had no idea what to compost and what not to compost so I had to do a little research.

My kids like learning what to compost and not to as well. I love teaching them to be green. We eat a lot from scratch so we can compost a lot. We also have an overflowing recycle bin every other week. Sometimes we can get away with only a few bags for trash once a week. It is great!

Do you compost? Follow me on facebook for more daily tips and ideas!

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to homedepot.com/gardenclub to see some of the many benefits of membership.

• The Home Depot Garden Club website: http://thd.co/ZNbhDj
• Garden Club board on Pinterest: http://bit.ly/16u0wsu
• Garden Club Community Forum (Ask an Expert): http://thd.co/1146A7d
• The Apron Blog: http://thd.co/XoelrO
• Category page on THD website: http://thd.co/YtJ3hU