Melissa-Brooke-Macrina

PROUD TEACHER MOMENT.... We all know I'm a health, fitness and nutrition NUT...I mean HEY, my undergrad degree IS in Exercise Science, I AM a Beachbody Coach, I grew up as a dancer and gymnast and am now a runner, rockstar Cizer and true believer in all things Beachbody because who doesn't like to slam out their workout from their home in the mornings before work and have time to do whatever your heart desires in the evenings!! And come on...what do you expect... OF COURSE I'm going to plant little seeds throughout the day while I'm at my full time teaching job :) Many people have NO clue what they're feeding their children...the box says "low-fat" or the bottle says "100% juice," so it must be good for us and our kiddos, right??? NOT SO FAST!!! So here we are, it's day 11 of school, 9:15 AM, we're about to read a story together, and one of my kiddos was just a little off....very lethargic with quite the attitude...he forgot to bri...

Looks like breakfast for lunch today for this girl!!!  ;) But man....do you ever get the urge to SLAM a Tablespoon of Peanut Butter because you're just so darn hungry and it's such a quick easy fix?!? I buy the natural kind. You know, the one you have to stir...so it's not that bad, right? But not gonna lie...PB is kinda on the same level as OREOS in my world. One Tbsp turns into half a jar....a LARGE jar! Yikes!  Thankfully I did a little food prep on Sunday and my containers were staring me in the face when I walked in the kitchen, screaming, "HOLD IT TOGETHER, GIRL!" before I could get to that cabinet where my PB hides. Keeping it clean is hard but MUCH easier when prepared :) CLEAN EATS....AND 21 Day Fix Approved!!! Quinoa = 1 yellow Blueberries & Raspberries = 1 purple Slivered Almonds = 1/2 orange 1 tsp EV Organic Coconut Oil Cinnamon

  Once again, my random "throw it all in" cooking event turns into a yummy, HEALTHY, CLEAN meal! And the outcome was pretty too :)  Keep scrolling down for the HOW TO and the ingredients you will need.... What you Need: squash zucchini cherry tomatoes fresh baby spinach mushrooms red onion 1 package raw cashews 2 lemons fresh garlic avocado oil or EVOO Directions for Cashew Cheese: 1. Soak cashews in a bowl of water for at least 4 hours 2. drain and rinse 3. toss them in the Vitamix or other food processor with 1/2-1cup water, juice from 1 lemon and a dash of salt 4. fire up the blender and VOILA! There you have it! "CHEESE SAUCE!!!"  5. add more lemon juice, water and salt depending on desired consistency and flavor Directions for the Goods: 1. Saute garlic, onions and mushrooms in avocado oil- used probably 2 cloves of garlic...look out world ;) 2. Toss in 2 large handfulls of fresh baby spinach and about 1/2 pin...

THE NEXT BIG THING!!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! And the next support group is starting soon! We saw hundreds of amazing results with the 21 Day Fix and I'm beyond excited to announce that I'll be starting the NEW 21 Day Fix EXTREME in just a few short days! I'm even more excited to experience the results of this program myself and watch hundreds, even thousands, change their lives in many ways just by committing to an exercise and nutrition plan for ONLY 21 days!!! Are you ready for a major calorie burn in only 30 minutes? These workouts were made short so you can get in, get out, and get on with your day. But that does NOT mean they will be easy...the will in fact challenge you at every level physically, mentally and yeah, sometimes even emotionally...but this craziness will help you reach your goals and maximize fat loss. Oh, and if you're just starting off on your fitness journey, there's a modifier on screen to show you how to dial down the inten...

HAPPY 2015!!!!! This year, I rang in the New Year with some very beautiful people ~inside and out.  Some old friends.....   Like Amy, whom I've known for years and became very close with over the last year and a half....gosh, such a funny story as to how we met. What was it, first FAU? Then CHE? Then distance where barely spoke, and then something clicked a few years later and she became part of my church crew and the best Sunday beach buddy :) Those can be stories for another day.... And then this guy, Daniel, my other little brother who is not related at all but in fact a best friend of my ex-fiance....another whole slew of stories for yet again, another day. I'm so thankful for our friendship. Just one of the many reasons I truly believe that good things  really do come out of difficult situations. And then those new friends....  Like this girl right here... Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have met her.... W...

SAY WHAT!!??? BUT HOW!!!!!????? Yes, here it is.... I know most of you can have cheese, but this girl CAN NOT! So, here is my cheese substitute for my taco nights :) soak RAW cashews in water for about 4 hours drain and rinse place cashews in food processor or VitaMix with 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup lemon juice and blend away add water until you have your desired consistnency add a bit of salt to taste and there you go....super easy "cheese"    ***It's great on rice, tacos, to dip veggies in or corn chips....but remember don't indulge too much...cashews are good for you, but too many can add too much fat to your diet :) So eat in moderation and shoot for a serving size no larger than 1Tbsp.

This is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE RECIPES!!!! I've been making it for years and you can use it in so many different ways!!! I love using it as a side salad at BBQs, or scoop some up on a corn chip -remember serving size ;) or use it as a salad topper as shown below. I thought I posted the recipe here before, or on my Instagram or on my Facebook, but for some reason, I cannot put my hands on it! I know my dear friends Nicole and Leslie have requested this recipe from me several times and I swear I posted it....Well if it did so happen to slip my mind, it's here now...for ALL TO SEE :) Here you go!!! This recipe will make about 3-4 servings: 1 can rinsed low-sodium black beans 1 can rinsed low-sodium corn 2 vine tomatoes chopped 1/8-1/4 red onion chopped 1/2-1 whole green pepper chopped 1-2 jalapenos chopped...depending on your love      for fire in your mouth ;) A good amount of fresh chopped Cilantro 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EEOV) Juice of 1-2 l...