Thursday, June 1, 2017

Local Bakery Debuting "Surprise" Doughnuts to Honor National Doughnut Day 2017




Alfonso's Pastry Shoppe - Cranford, NJ -

Ever since Adolph Levitt's first fried doughnut was sold out of his bakery in New York City in 1920 - America fell in love and the doughnut industry boomed.  Tomorrow, June 2, just happens to be National Doughnut Day and why not head to your local bakery and indulge in one of those scrumptious baked treats?!  You might see headlines from the large doughnut chains offering deals for free doughnuts if you buy their coffee.  However, we suggest visiting a local favorite - Alfonso's Pastry Shoppe located at 200 South Avenue East, Suite 103 in Cranford, NJ.  This bakery, which opened it's doors over 45 years ago in Staten Island, recently opened a second store in Cranford and they are celebrating the "big day" in style.  The shoppe will have an "abundance" of doughnuts tomorrow - the tried and true customer favorites are the jelly-filled with cinnamon or powered sugar topping, Bavarian cream, and milk chocolate with sprinkles.  The most recent debut is the "Rainbow Cookie Doughnut" (featured above) - which is 3 layers of almond cake doughnut, raspberry jam filling and milk chocolate covering.
If that isn't enough to bring you inside this dazzling bakery - you may also want to line up early to grab their "surprise" doughnuts made just for this "National Day".  After seeing the amazing assortment of desserts lining the shelves - you may want to treat your family to one of each! Happy indulging everyone!

Monday, February 2, 2015

My weekly meal plan Week of 2.3.15




Another long winter week.  The Advocare challenge is over - but not the clean eating!!!!! Here's what I absolutely HAD to try this week because I have heard so many great things about these recipes!!!!
 Crock Pot Barbacoa (paired with a salad with lemon/olive oil dressing)
 http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/barbacoa-recipe/

 Barbacoa Beef -- tender, flavorful, and made extra easy in the slow cooker | gimmesomeoven.com #crockpot #slowcooker

Pork Chops and Brussel Sprouts
 http://damndelicious.net/2015/01/31/easy-pork-chops-with-sweet-and-sour-glaze/

 Easy Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Glaze - The easiest, no-fuss, most amazing pork chops ever, made in 20 min from start to finish. You can't beat that!


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/tuscan-bean-soup-recipe.html
Tuscan Bean Soup
Minus the large piece of bread!


 Thai Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
http://ifoodreal.com/30-minute-clean-thai-turkey-zucchini-meatballs


skillet-closeup-30Minute-Clean-Skillet-Thai-Turkey-Meatballs

Friday, January 23, 2015

My Meal Plan Advocare Week #4

Whoo hoo!!!!  Down to the wire and I've picked the newest recipes that I just HAVE to try!  Of course I am going to continue making a weekly plan and sharing with my FB group - but I have to end the challenge with gusto ;)


Monday: Curried Coconut Quinoa Greens and Roasted Cauliflower

Curried Coconut Quinoa and Greens with Roasted Cauliflower - cookieandkate.com
http://cookieandkate.com/2014/curried-coconut-quinoa-greens-roasted-cauliflower/ 

Tuesday: Salsa Verde Soup with Pork
 Had this on the slopes - trying to find the right recipe!!!!
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/slow_cooker_braised_pork_with_salsa.html 

Wednesday: LEFTOVERS!!!

Thursday:  LAST DAY OF CHALLENGE!!!! Taco Lettuce Wraps

Cilantro-Lime Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps | mountainmamacooks.com

http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2014/01/cilantro-lime-turkey-taco-lettuce-wraps/ 

Friday - Sunday:  Going to Philadelphia for my Aunt's retirement party.  Will definitely enjoy some much needed alcohol - but still 80/20 on the clean!  Don't want to go from feeling great to not-so-great in a few days!!!!  All in moderation my friend ;)

So What Do I Do Now that the Challenge is Almost Over?





Now that you are about to finish the Advocare 24-Day Challenge - I hope that you are hooked as much as I got hooked last year.  I'll admit - I was very skeptical that this whole thing would work.  I tried a lot of different things to lose the baby weight and doubted that this would be the ONE thing that worked.  But it did and it was SO EASY doing it!!!!  I literally saw the slow transformation of my body over the course of the challenge and I felt so GOOD eating clean!  And I have the type of personality where I NEED a schedule to follow or I get wayyyyy off course.  So the rigid schedule of when to eat and what to eat was perfect for me.

They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit or break an old one.  Do you think that clean eating is your new habit?  After I did the challenge last year and learned what I needed to put in my body - I couldn't eat the junk food anymore - no matter how good it tasted.  I couldn't carb-load or gorge myself on dinner rolls.  I knew that I would feel yucky later and that it wasn't providing me anything but instant gratification and I would later regret that decision.  Throughout the course of grocery shopping in that once skipped over "Gluten Free/Health Foods" section  - I found that there are truly yummy alternatives to my salty and sweet cravings.  In fact, TONS of options.  I really learned that eating clean is so easy and I rarely crave the "bad" stuff anymore.  Gluten-free/healthy pasta tastes just as good as the old stuff when you add a yummy tomato sauce and other healthy toppings.  Slow Cooker clean eating meals are a cinch when you make ahead.  Quinoa is pretty amazing and the whole family likes the dishes if you use the right ingredients.  BBQ and vinegar-based cole slaw is very OK!!!

I stuck with the program and continued losing the weight and inches - it worked!!

Once I started feeling more energized and the weight was coming off -  I found it EASIER to exercise and be motivated to exercise. For the first time ever I saw some "tone" and not flabbiness.  I wanted to continue feeling like this.  Do you feel the same???

I mentioned in a post that this is more a "Forever Thing" - and that's why I recommend Advocare to everyone.  Instead of other programs that provide you food and shakes for a period of time and then you are on your own - we have made a support and learning situation.  We have learned how to shop at the store and pick healthy and clean options for meals.  We have learned how to choose healthy snacks.  We have learned what the body needs to feel energized - and how we felt before when we weren't making those choices.

So aren't you ready to CONTINUE with the program?  I knew that I was - I knew I didn't want to go back to old habits and I liked the Advocare schedule.  So I recommend to you to keep up with a modified Max Phase.   I continued to purchase Spark, Catalyst, and the Meal Replacement Shakes (only to use when I knew it would be a hurried morning or crazy lunch hour).  I continued with the eating schedule of 3 healthy meals and 2 clean snacks.  Spark two times a day with catalyst. I went back to my old multi-vitamin - but this time around I think I will give the CORE supplements a chance.  I stuck to the 80/20 rule.  Eating clean during the week and allowing myself some cheats on the weekend.  It was sooo easy to do this and know I would be back on track for Monday. I do a 10-day cleanse during the summer and the 24-Day Challenge in January.  But you can do any of these every 90 days.

So I am not trying to sell you anything at all - just to lead you in the direction that I took if you truly fell in love with Advocare and what they have to offer:

1. Why not become a distributor? If you think you will keep using the products - then why not get a discount?  That is what I did.  I was first motivated by the discount and the fact I was constantly telling people about Advocare and the great things it did for me - but wasn't getting any personal benefit by doing this.  So you can stop right here.  Pay a small fee and get your distributor kit and website.  Get an automatic discount on products.  And whenever someone asks you what you did to look so wonderful - send them to your site and then onto our Facebook Group!!!!  Or....you can go further!  I really found that I like coaching about clean eating and wanted to take people through the 24-Day Challenge.  In less than a month - thanks to you - I became an advisor and now I have a 40% discount for life and can earn an income in FIVE DIFFERENT WAYS!!  So now I can justify my Target spending ;)  So really, it's as much or as little as you want.  NO ONE will pressure you to do more.  I am always here as a reference and now you can bring more people into our group for support and guidance through the challenge.  Having gone through it - you are the PERFECT coach!
For more information on being a distributor - go here https://www.advocare.com/141040723/BecomeMember.aspx

Or stay a customer!  You don't have to be a distributor at all - continue with Advocare products as you choose, do a cleanse here and there - and just order through my website!  I am selling some variety packs of Spark and meal replacements soon! 

So that's it!!!!  As you finish this challenge I hope that you:

1.  Continue eating clean
2.  Stay in touch via our Facebook group
3.  Continue with your favorite Advocare products (they even have a skincare line I hear is fantastic!)
4.  Refer friends and family that you think could benefit from this company
5.  Think about becoming a Distributor and a coach!

Thank you so much for letting me be part of your journey - it's been a lot of fun and I have gotten to know each of you in different ways!  Thank you for trusting in me and my coaching of a product that you were not familiar with in the the beginning! I am so proud of all of you and your commitment.  I can't wait to hear the results and the continued success!  I look forward to you being a part of the team in the future.


Friday, January 16, 2015

My Meal Plan Advocare Week #3

Whoo Hoo!!!  Week 3 and feeling great.  Advocare products keeping me energized on the slopes and I am finding it easy to make clean eating choices ;). halfway now to the end!!!!!



 TUESDAY:  African Peanut Soup
African Peanut Soup
http://ohmyveggies.com/african-peanut-soup/

WEDNESDAY:  Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole
vegan-broccoli-quinoa-casserole-square-submit
http://potluck.ohmyveggies.com/broccoli-quinoa-casserole/

THURSDAY:  Leftovers ;)

FRIDAY: Hummus Crusted Chicken - (a personal fav)
 
http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/hummus-crusted-chicken/

SATURDAY:
 http://www.glowkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/IMG_1359.jpg
http://www.glowkitchen.com/2014/04/mung-bean-pasta-garlic-avocado-cream-sauce/

Mung bean pasta and black bean pasta (as well as any gluten free pasta) is a great substitute for regular pasta.  I find these at our local Kings, Whole Foods, and I think maybe Target??? Goes great with a sauce made from Smart Balance butter, pesto, and sauteed shrimp ;)
http://happytummies.com.au/image/cache/data/Born%20Organic/F16020%20Explore%20Asian%20Mung%20Bean%20Pasta%201-500x500.JPGhttp://veghotpot.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/dsc_2206.jpg

SUNDAY:
Buffalo Chicken Qunia Salad-1
http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/buffalo-chicken-quinoa-salad/

Monday, January 12, 2015

Advocare Challenge MAX PHASE Days 11-24

 http://www.charmcityadvocare.com/resources/24%20Days%20-%20max%20phase.gif









 Congratulations!!!  You are finished with the Cleanse Phase of Advocare.  Hopefully you are seeing the changes in your body and in your energy levels.  You are now entering the Max Phase of the Challenge.  Please read your manual as the amount of supplementation goes up and please let me know if you have any questions at all about how this new schedule works with your work day.  This is the SET schedule for the next 2 weeks - nothing changes.  So once you get used to it - it should become quite routine!!!! In fact, other than the pills that you take - you might find that you adopt this schedule from here on out!  The information below is right out of a manual - so read up!!! It can be a little tricky...

Advocare 24 Day Challenge Max Phase

The next step in the 24 day challenge is a 14 day MAX phase. The 14 day MAX phase is designed to help fuel your body with core nutrition, increase your energy level, control appetite, and shed unwanted pounds and inches. These 14 days helps to put your metabolism back on the right track and pushes your body into an intense “fat burning” mode.

Instructions:

Ideally you want to continue eating similarly to how you ate for the first 10 days. This may have been difficult for some people but you only have two weeks left so you need to stay strong with your conviction to make yourself a healthier person. Technically you can ease some restriction if you want. If not having coffee is killing you then you can slowly re-introduce small amounts of coffee to your body. If you really want to have an alcoholic drink on the weekend then you can have a little bit. Just be smart about what you ingest. If you drink beer, make it a light or low carb beer. If you drink liquor, don’t mix it with a sugary substance. And make sure you drink your alcoholic beverages in moderation.

Additionally, you can have a small amount of dairy now also if you prefer. The meal replacement has some dairy and you will be having one of those per day now. We do recommend that you slowly reintroduce dairy into your diet. For example, on the first day just have the meal replacement shake. If you get gas or an upset stomach then you might be part of a large group of people who have small allergies to dairy without even knowing it. If this is the case then research it further and talk to your physician.

Supplementation:

MNS-packet 

During the max phase you will change your supplementation up. Each day you will be taking a strip of supplements which will look similar to the image shown to the right. Each packet is clearly labeled about when to take them but you do have the choice on taking some of them at lunch or at breakfast. What doesn’t change is that everyday when you wake up in the morning you should take the packet that says to take 30 minutes before breakfast. Wait the 30 minutes and then eat your breakfast. There are two packets which you can take with breakfast or with lunch. I always take both at breakfast just so I do not forget later. You should probably just split them up the first day and see how you feel. Then take them together the second and see if you notice a difference. The last thing you need to remember is to take the 4th packet 30 minutes before lunch.

To Recap:

1 packet 30 minutes before breakfast
1 packet 30 minutes before lunch
The other two (2) packets with lunch or breakfast.

Meal Replacement Shakes:

Chocolate-Mocha1In addition to these supplement packs, you will also continue to take your Omega Plex at dinner. The only other difference in the max phase is that you have a meal replacement shake that you can take now also. You can take this as your breakfast - however it is meant to replace ONE meal.  So if you are a breakfast person - then you can have it for lunch.  Just make sure that each day it replaces one meal.  Pretty simple!  And to spice things up - you can now blend it with almond or coconut milk and fresh berries or bananas!!!

For the last 14 days make sure you continue to exercise and eat as clean as possible. By the end of the challenge you should have increased energy levels, a smaller waist line and better athletic performance.

And finally - My FAVORITE FIND FOR THE MAX PHASE!!!  At TARGET in the new year health section/super-sized packaging of items - atthebackofthestore- stuff....$12.99!! It can hold 2 powers and all your pills for the day!

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Advocare Cleanse Days 8-10

I really hope that you are starting to see the effects of doing this cleanse.  Hopefully your pants are a little looser, you feel less bloated, you have more energy, sleeping better, and just having an overall sense of being lighter and healthier.  Congratulations!  You are at the end of the Cleanse Phase and soon to embark to the Max Phase!!!!

The only change for the next 3 days is adding back that Fiber Drink AND taking the ProBiotic pills all in the morning schedule.  So get up and have your Spark, ProBiotic and Catalyst (if taking).

Then 30 minutes later do your Fiber Drink followed by Breakfast or MRS

Make sure you are drinking tons and tons of water!!!  Can't wait to get feedback on your results on day #10.  You may share or not share - it's up to you.  Remember that EVERYONE's results are going to be completely different because we are individuals with different makeups and eating habits.  I just hope that you are getting the results that you want.  Some may not see the big picture till further into week #2/#3. 

It's okay!!!  You have made a choice to live a healthier life and eat "clean" and that's a big step!

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