*Mixed Berry Popsicles*

When you think of summertime what do you think of? Do you think of ice-cream, popsicles, summer beach days, laughing with friends, and running through sprinklers? Bare feet in the grass or sand, and juicy goodness dripping from your arms? Well I certainly do! Warm sunny summer days mean cool treats! When I was young our parents didn't know that those bright red, green, and orange popsicles were filled with colored chemicals. Today as I mom of two little boys I worry about the artificial colors, sweeteners, and preservatives that are put into our foods. The other day I had such a great turnout from sharing the fun recipe about pureeing fruits into ice-cube trays that I wanted to share some scrumptious homemade popsicle recipes with you! Today I'm sharing a yummy Mixed Berry recipe that I found on our wonderful Team Beachbody Blog! Stay tuned because I'll be sharing more yummy popsicle recipes for you and your little ones this week!

These are filled with yummy fresh fruits and lots of vitamins and nutrients. Much better than the store bought stuff!

Total Time: 4 hrs. 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 4 servings, 1 pop each

Ingredients:
¾ cup unsweetened cranberry juice
½ cup fresh or unsweetened frozen raspberries
½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
½ cup fresh or unsweetened frozen blackberries
1 scoop Tropical Strawberry Shakeology

Preparation:
1. Place cranberry juice, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and Shakeology in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour mixture evenly into four ice pop molds; freeze for at least four hours, or until set

Enjoy!! And feel free to share!

*Disclaimer-this is not my original recipe-I enjoy sharing with you the delicious healthy recipes that I find on our Team Beachbody Blog. For more info you can check it out here -> (http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/nutrition/mixed-berry-popsicles )

*Things Aren't Always As They Seem*

#KeepingItReal

Take time each day to reflect on your goals and dreams

So the past few days this is something that has been on my heart and mind and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all. Maybe it's something that's been on your heart too, or maybe it's something you've been struggling with. So I wanted to have a heart to heart with you about it. People often compare themselves to others. You see on social media how "perfect" someone elses life looks and wish that your life could be that easy and you then beat yourself up over it wondering why do YOU have it so damn hard...You look at someone else and you see the nice clothes they have, the nice house they live in, the fancy job or car, or maybe you see that they're kids behave so perfectly and wish your children "just once" would listen to you. BUT do you remember that saying "the grass isn't always greener on the other side"? Yup....that is something that we all need to remember. Things might appear to look one way...but that's an evil trick that is often played on us. You might see how amazing someone looks, and how they've lost all this weight and wonder why you have been struggling and just can't seem to lose that stubborn 10 pounds...but the sneaky thing is...it wasn't "so easy" for that person either. See the thing is, you didn't see the blood, sweat, tears, and inner struggles they faced those last 7 months that they worked hard every day getting up early in the morning before the sun to go for a run or do their workout. You didn't see the inner struggle they faced to turn away that piece of pizza for a salad, or the soda for a class of lemon water. You didn't see the frustrating mornings they got on the scale or took their measurements and didn't lose a single pound or inch. You see, you miss all that. You miss seeing all those struggles because you're not living their life. You can't see inside their heart and mind to know what they are personally dealing with. 

When you grow on the inside, you can see what's beyond your eyes.

Lately my two boys have truly been giving my husband and I a run for our money. They've been stubborn, argumentative, demanding, and sometimes straight up rude. My husband and I have been truly pushed to our limits and feeling defeated. He has said, "why can't they just listen or behave? Why are they always fighting and arguing?" In these moments you compare your children to those of others and wonder, why do my friend's children listen, but mine don't? The thing is, we don't see the struggles the other parents have at home when they too fight with their children. We don't see when the other children are throwing a complete temper tantrum over having a chocolate fudgeicle before dinner when the parent says no. We don't see our friend's children fighting with one another, hitting each other with pillows, or screaming about who's turn it is to play the PS3. See, we have to remember that our lives are just like everyone elses. We need to remember that they too fight the same battles and struggles, we just don't always see it because it's not our life, it's theirs.

The times that we often compare ourselves to others come because we are frustrated with our own battles. We get tired, run down, stressed, over worked, and frustrated and wish that sometimes things would just be easier. However, we often forget in those moments that everyone faces their own battles and struggles. That everyone deals with those ups and downs just like us. We'll see others that are successful and think "Man do they have it easy", however what we don't see is the mornings they wake up at 4:30 am to do work before they send their children off to school, or the late nights that they work until 1 am because they spend time with their children after school and than want to read them stories before bed. They then still have work to do after they put their children to bed so they than sit down and pull the laptop out until all hours. You don't see the sacrifices that they give to work their way to being successful.You think they have it so easy, but what you don't see is all the work that goes into that success behind the scenes when you're not around. We all do it. We all want success, weight loss, and family to "just be easier" but the thing is, nothing worth having isn't worth fighting for. You see, through life God teaches us lessons. He teaches us that what we are given is earned. He teaches us that having success in life is something that we need to appreciate and if it's just given to us it's not worth having. To appreciate the beauties of life you have to go through struggles, ups and downs, and hard work to appreciate it. Isn't that what we tell our children? You see everything in life has a journey and that journey is going to be a struggle until you reach the top, but once you get their, it's full of beauty and wonder. Think of all the work that a tiny seed has to go through to become a beautiful flower. Or how a caterpillar goes through those amazing transformations to become a beautiful butterfly. We all have a journey we have to go through. We have ups and downs and doors slammed in our faces, however one day those doors will open and on the other side you'll have risen to the top and you'll look down and see the most amazing sight. 

As parents we have one of the most difficult and tiring jobs their is, but it's definitely one of the most rewarding isn't it?  We always want to set the best example for our children and show them how to make the right choices in life. We have to show them how to work through the struggles in life and not give up. We have to show them how to persevere through the tough times. You may not always realize it, but they're always watching. So when times get tough and things get frustrating in your journey, you always want to look beside you and see who's watching. You don't want to give up in that moment when they might just be thinking how they want to be "just like you." 

Much Love <3 
xoxo  

Colorful Bell Pepper Eggs

Bell Pepper Eggs

With us growing our own veggies again this year I have a lot of peppers that are close to being ready to pick. I said to my husband we'll have to find some yummy new recipes to try to use them up :). When I saw this recipe it was a definite to put on the menu for a weekend breakfast! This will certainly Add a little color to your morning!. They would also be an easy brunch dish, too! Garnish with fresh herbs, like basil, dill, chives, if desired.

Total Time: 31 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 21 min.
Servings: 6 

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 large bell pepper, cored, sliced into 6 rings
6 large eggs
Sea salt (or Himalayan salt) and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)

Preparation:
1. Heat large nonstick skillet, lightly coated with spray, over medium-low heat.
2. Place bell pepper rings in skillet. Crack an egg into the center of each ring. Season with salt and pepper if desired; cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until egg are cooked to desired doneness.

*Enjoy!* 

*Recipe from the Team Beachbody Blog* 

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream! 
*Fixate Style*

Do you love chocolate covered cherries like me? Well than this ice-cream recipe is just perfect for you! With some frozen pitted cherries, you could make this amazing ice-cream all year long! If you get your hands on some fresh cherries, just pit them and freeze them to make this recipe absolutely delectable! The total time to make this amazing dessert is only 4 hours and 10 minutes. Prep time is just a short 10 minutes. This recipe yields 2 servings. If you want more, just double the recipe. 

Ingredients:
1-medium banana cut into chunks 
1/4 cup-unsweetened almond milk 
1/4-cup frozen pitted cherries chopped 
2 Tbsp dark chocolate chunks coarsely chopped

Preparation:
1. Place sliced banana in a freezer bag, freeze for 4 hours, or until completely frozen. 
*After banana is frozen*
2. Place almond milk, 1/2 cup cherries, and frozen banana in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.
3.  Add remaining ½ cup cherries and chocolate; mix well with a spoon or rubber spatula.
4.  Pour into a freezer-safe container; freeze until set.

Enjoy!  

*More info and nutrition information found on the Team Beachbody Blog*

Homemade Fresh Fruit Sorbet

With this month being national ice-cream month I've been sharing healthier versions of one of summers favorite treats on my Facebook Fitness page. However, I thought I'd start sharing the recipes here for others to see as well. Making your own homemade ice-cream is actually very easy, and so much healthier because you're not getting all the added "stuff" that really isn't good for you at all. Making your own foods allows you to know exactly what you're putting into your body. So here is today's ice-cream recipe for you. 

Fresh Fruit Sorbet!

Total Time: 4 hrs. 10 min. Prep Time: 10 min. Cooking Time: None Yield: 4 servings, about ¾ cup each
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh fruit (like bananas, peaches, pears, or strawberries)
¾ cup unsweetened almond milk (or soy milk or nonfat milk)
4 strawberries, sliced (for garnish; optional)
Preparation:
1. Place fruit and almond milk in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.
2. Place blended mixture in a shallow bowl; cover. Freeze for 2 to 4 hours, mixing with a fork every 30 minutes to break ice crystals.
3. Garnish each serving with a strawberry if desired.

Simple, easy, and Oh So Tasty! Check back tomorrow for more tasty ice cream recipes!