guest post thursday! ashlan m.

i almost typed “ashlan b.” because her last name used to start with a B, back in the grade school days when we were homegirls, but now she is married with three ADORABLE kiddos.

my guest poster today is ashlan, she and i have known each other for i don’t know how many years. she grew up in the same neighborhood as my sister in law and we went to school together. she was always very active, as she was on the cheerleading squad and whatnot, and all the dudes loved her ;) over the years we lost tabs of each other, but i am grateful that technology (facebook and blogging) has reacquainted us and we are back in touch!

i asked ashlan to do a post about how she manages to stay healthy, eat well and fit exercise into her day with such a busy life.  in addition to her 3 children, ashlan is a business owner (her stores are super cute.. she opened a couple haircuts for kids places called “cookie cutters”~ how clever is that?) and also a wife, which.. from what i am told.. is a job in and of itself ;)

i haven’t seen ashlan in person in years and years. we just talk over the internet.. and it wasn’t until i read her guest post last night that i found out just how well she is at managing a healthy lifestyle amidst all her busy obligations.  i had NO idea she was going to show us some before and afters (but i LOVE it when people do! so inspiring!) and when i saw hers, my jaw literally dropped.  you will see what i am talking about.

this momma of 3 knows what’s up. here she is :)

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Hello Meals and Moves readers. I am thrilled to have been asked to do a guest post for Janetha.

I am so lucky to be a mom to 3 amazing kids and a hubby who puts up with a wife like me;)

As many of you other mommies out there know its hard to find time for the meals let alone the moves.

I wanted to share a day in the life of my meals and moves that keep us healthy and happy.

Meals:

This is rough when you are on the go like I am. As many of you may have found, kids make it hard to eat healthy. A friend once said she was a “momnivore”(a mom who eats what her kids have yet to finish ;) I would have to say I am, too.  So, I have to be really careful and it’s easy to consume a lot of calories if you aren’t careful.  If you are teaching your kids how to make good meal choices, it makes your job a whole lot easier.

Breakfast:

Smoothies.  My kids pick out what we put in them. Some days are a little funky I will admit, but when they are so excited to help make breakfast, it’s worth it.

• 1/2cup frozen Costco berries
• 1 banana
• handful of spinach (my kids think its great their breakfast is green)
• 1 cup of plain yogurt
• 1 cup of Ice

Top it off with some granola and your kiddies will love it.

Lunch:

When we are on the go, it’s Subway.  For sure we do hit up that golden arch at times, but we try and opt for at least the apple dippers. Kids still have to be kids. When at home we have a lot of fun. Most kids don’t know the difference between the health of a fried corn dog or a turkey sandwich, so have fun.

1 slice of pastrami (not my first choice of meat by any means, but my hubby was sick of turkey, so I had to make the man happy) roll it around your cheese stick put a few tooth picks in it and slice it up.  There is something about bite size that kids love. Make it fun!

Serve with a veggie and some fruit and it’s good for all.

I have a sandwich almost everyday for lunch. To change things up when I start to get bored with it I just toast it. I can’t believe the difference it makes its like a whole new thing.

Dinner:

Always double if not triple what you make. Most foods can be frozen and used later. Since this Utah weather has been so unpredictable, we decided to have chicken noodle soup for dinner.

Toss it all in the slow cooker and put it on low all day why you are out and about. We make homemade wheat noodles but if you don’t have time, there are several healthy packaged noodles out there.

Here’s the trick for storing chicken noodle soup: keep the noodles separate from everything that’s what makes it go soggy if you try and store it. This way you can put any left over soup in a Ziploc bag and freeze for a day you only have time to pull something out of the freezer.  All you have to do is make/boil new noodles and boil your bag in water and in 10 minutes dinner will be served. This will last up to 3 months in a freezer and taste like you just made it today, even if it was really 3 months ago.. nobody needs to know. Right?!

Moves:

Okay, all those who think you can just grab your pajama pants and shoes and go to the gym, cover your eyes. I am one of those “you feel like you look” people. If I look like I just rolled out of bed I don’t feel like I give my workouts what they deserve. I am one who really likes nice workout clothes (impactfitnesswear.com),  not only are they so cute, I really feel like I perform better! (Lame I know but it’s a little thing that works for me.)

I really can’t take credit for much of my moves except that I show up to do the work. That’s more than half the battle right there for me. I have three kids, two stores, a house and that hour a day slowly turned into 30 minutes, if I was lucky. I turned to a personal trainer.  Well, after a few months, I couldn’t justify the cost for the results.

Then I came across my new addiction, Ozone Fit.

This gym is amazing! I fear my workouts and LOVE it! The best part of it is you don’t even have to be a member.  They post their workouts every day on their blog for free!  Go there and get them, give them a try.  You will love it.  Most workouts take about 30 minutes, some are even less. My favorite workout is the STAB workout Janetha tried not too long ago. (janetha here.. yep, i did it on tuesday! and i am sore from it today!)

For any of you readers who live in the Davis County or Salt Lake areas, Ozone Fit has given me permission to give all of you TWO WEEKS free to go try them out at their facility if you would like. If you don’t live close, that’s okay.  Just go to their website for all the free workouts or to find out detail of their awesome radio show. To get your two weeks free, just let them know Ashlan sent you when you go in. They will not pressure you into a contract (they don’t have contracts its just month to month). It’s a whole new world of working out (ever heard of a Turkish get-up?!). It’s like a personal trainer 5 days a week that you can afford.

It has been the best thing for me.

Before: my baby was 5 weeks old (I know I am slouching really bad but I really didn’t want to do before pictures)

5 months later..I just finished one of the hardest workouts I have ever done at Ozone when this photo was taken.

Go check it out on their site (blog.ozonefit.com) the “scream team workout” was awesome!

Thanks again Janetha for letting me ramble about my crazy life! As all you moms know Its hard, but there is nothing better!

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WOW. WOW. WOW. thanks SO much ashlan!  i am so astonished with that washboard stomach of yours.  hey readers.. i had no idea about this ozone fit place or that they were going to offer 2 weeks free.. or that they have a website with free workouts.. this is all news to me! i am so glad ashlan gave me the heads up on this new wealth of knowledge. i can’t wait to give more of their workouts a try.  after the STAB one i did on tuesday, i know i’’ll be back for more.

hope you all enjoyed ashlan’s guest post.. i know i did!

Qs~

1. do you have kiddos? how many/how old are they? if not, do you want to have kids in the future?

2. where do you stop if you have to have your meal on-the-go and don’t have time to pack anything?

xo. janetha b. & ashlan m.