What's Cookin' Wednesday plus an awesome GIVEAWAY!!

Hello my loves! Time for another #WIAW.... Idk if I am just weird or nosey, but I like seeing what people eat. haha. (ijustrealizedthecreepinessofthatstatement) BUT for me, when I was trying to lose weight it was SO helpful to see what kinds of healthy meals and snacks people would come up with. Especially if you are just starting out on your weightloss journey and don't really know how to cook healthy, or just aren't very inventive when it comes to food.
  I think a big part of eating healthy is to keep it interesting and fun. You'd be suprised at how much simply chopping a vegetable or fruit differently for your salads can make a big difference. I have this little kitchen gadget that makes my apples into apple slice rings and I love it! It's like I'm eating apple chips and it makes me crave apples!

My Breakfast was a Shakeology mug cake with pb on top (ask me if you'd like the recipe!) and slice apples sprinkled with sugar free raspberry jello.... random I know but don't knock it till you try it! hah

For Lunch I had some of my leftovers of this dinner I got when we went out to a Mexican restaurant on Monday night, it's hard to choose healthy options when going to a  Mexican restaurant for me, because I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD. And Cheese<3 haha But I went with this chicken filet with grilled onions, avocado, rice, and black beans with some cheese on them. I think it was a pretty good choice. 

I ended up not eating a snack today because I got busy cleaning. I did however drink one of my IdealShape Boost packets, which are awesome for keeping my energy up and my cravings down. I seriously LOOOOVE these things so much. And they taste delicious. 

For dinner I kept it light because I  had some errands to run and was still full from lunch. I had a naked juice smoothie, love those things!

When I got home I was a bit hungry so I made some of my #strangebutgood egg white chips. I also had one of my ideal shape bars, the cinnamon bun flavor, which is my fave! It tastes like a treat. And I also had some baby carrots haha.That sums up what I ate today, not super exciting, let me know if you try out the egg white chips or the apple slices with jello! 

Now onto the exciting part, since I love Idealshape's boost packets SO MUCH I wanted to give y'all a chance to win a pack of each flavor. This is a $70 value you guys! And they really do help give you a boost of energy and curb hunger in my opinion. They are by far my favorite product that ideal shape has to offer. I also want to offer you a Special 20% discount code for my followers. Just simply put the code BPOWELL20 in the space provided at checkout for 20% off your order. 
You can go here to order: www.idealshape.com













                         And you can go here to learn all about the boost packets: http://www.idealshape.com/weight-loss-drink/



I am going to let this giveaway go on until January 1st, so you have plenty of time to enter! Make sure to follow all of the steps, and I will be giving bonus entries for those of you that pin my Youtube videos on Pinterest, like my Youtube videos, like my facebook page, and subscribe to my Youtube channel. 


Here are the links to do so:

Youtube.com/theianuzified

Facebook.com/brittanymariepowell


a Rafflecopter giveaway

What are some things you eat that are a little bit weird? What do you consider a treat when you are trying to eat healthier? What would you do if you won my giveaway?! 
Let me know in the comments below!
Xoxo,
Brittany Marie Powell

www.idealshape.com

Call 1-800-51-0896 and ask how you can save 10% and FREE Shipping on every order. 

Follow us on Social Media:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/IdealShape

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/idealshape

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IdealShape

#MIMM Black Friday Sales and a SPECIAL announcement!!!

So I went Black Friday Shopping at Khol's, I don't go there too often, but I decided to go because they were having pretty awesome deals on their Asics. I swear by Asics, I try out different brands and always go back to my Asics. I think they just work out really well for my feet, and these are my best yet. It was a toss up between this pair, and these bright, fun colorful ones..... #ilovecolor 

 I decided to make the adult, mature, decision haha *shocker*... and I went with the less-colorful, "boring" but-fit-amazing ones. And so far, I am very happy with my decision. They are very supportive and I like how the heel fits, it feels snug against my heel and with other running shoes I own it has felt too loose and has caused me to have heel pain. I have a heel spur so finding the right shoes has become super important to me. That is the only Black Friday purchase I made. I didn't really go crazy this year, because there isn't much that I need. I have been trying to focus more on my need purchases and less on my want purchases. ((confession:iwantallthethingsallthetime))

Who wouldn't want results like this?!

Speaking of sales though! Beachbody is having a magnificent sale right now, and it only goes until midnight tonight, the markdowns are amazing. You can purchase the workout program turbo fire for just $39.99, which I've been dying to try out Turbofire, it looks like such a fun workout and it gives awesome results. It's a great time to stock up and save...plus get some amazing gifts of health for your loved ones! 

But...things will sell out fast so sign up to get the sales live here!

www.beachbodycoach.com/GBPOWELL  I think if you've considered trying one of Beachbody's workouts now would be the most sensible time to buy because if it doesn't work out for you, or you end up not liking it there's always Beachbody's 90 Day Money Back Guarantee. Feel free to email me if you have any questions about your purchase ( bmpowell10@gmail.com ) plus when you purchase through the link above you get me as your coach... yay! haha  I really love being a coach, being able to help and motivate others really means a lot to me.  Well, I am off to go running, I put Grayson down for a nap before writing up this post, and I want to get a run in while I can. I'm going to imagine myself running in this cute outfit instead of what I'm actually running in haha which would be my sweatpants, and pajama tee 8-) that's the beauty of working out at home though, nobody can see you and all your frumpy-ness glory.  Xoxo, Brittany Marie Powell

#MIMM and a GIVEAWAY!!!

    Happy Marvelous Monday Darlings! 

   So for today's Marvelous Monday post I decided it would be fun to do a GIVEAWAY!! A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to attend the Pinners Conference which was so much fun! I attended two classes, both on photography which helped me learn a lot. But one of my favorite parts of the Pinners Conf. is all the fabulous shops and booths you can explore. While I was visiting the booths I came across a booth called IdealShape, right away I was intrigued by their products because of a key ingredient in them called Slendesta. Slendesta is a potato starch which helps curb hunger.

    Just a few tips I have for you my loves:

• I suggest drinking a full glass of water after each bar you consume. This helps to activate the hunger blocker.  
• Any time you cut back your calorie intake it will take a couple of days for your body to adjust.  (complaints of still feeling hungry) so don't give up!
• Be sure to be eating 5 times a day. I suggest 2 healthy snacks. The Idealbar works great for this. 
  
  
  
     I've been trying out these bars for a while now, and I honestly have noticed a change. I have to be careful when I choose to eat a bar because I find it curbs my hunger for 2-3 hours. Once I ate one close to dinner, and wasn't super hungry for dinner. So you do have to plan it out so you can get all your meals in. 
  
  
  So for today's GIVEAWAY I am giving away: 
  
  
  IdealBars Giveaway Retail Value $67
  1 of each flavor which is 4 boxes. 
  
  
  
  

  ****And I want to offer you a Special 20% discount code for my followers.

  Just simply put the code BPOWELL20 in the space provided at checkout for 20% off your order.****

  
  
  If interested about IdealShapes Products and Program you can go to: 

  www.idealshape.com

  Call 1-800-51-0896 and ask how you can save 10% and FREE Shipping on every order. 

  Follow us on Social Media:

  YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/IdealShape

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/idealshape

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/IdealShape

Hope you all have had a Marvelous Monday, and Good Luck to all those that enter, this giveaway will end on November 22nd! :) 

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Friday Favorites

Happy Friday My Loves!
Today I woke up and ate breakfast and got Grayson and I ready for the gym. I ran 3 miles. My new thing has been running with my iPad and reading. 
I am really love my new hair extensions. They are from a company called gud hur and have an etsy shop, etsy.com/gudhur and when you use the code BPOW2014 you can score 15% off. I've enjoyed having my hair short, it's a lot more manageable for me, with my working out and chasing around a toddler, but it is so fun to be able to have long hair when I want to! I love how it looks curled :) I don't think my hair would ever be able to grow this long naturally. 
I am still obsessed with Suja juices, I wish they weren't so dang pricey, I need to just get myself to start juicing again even though it isn't really the season for it, because my body feels so much better when i'm drinking fresh juices, especially greens. 

I also was able to get some much needed cleaning done today. I've held out on the packing for now. Packing stresses me out! lol

I attempted to try doing my hair hungry runner girl's method today. I have an instyler and I loved it the first few months I had it but then I forgot about it and gave up on trying to figure out how to curl my hair with it. Her video made it super simple to understand and even though I need a bit more practice it was an easy method. This is why I love Youtube! You can learn nearly anything on Youtube.

Anyways, that's all for now, I am hoping to get in some strength training during Graysons nap today. And I am also hoping that we will find a baby sitter so that Grant and I can go on a much needed date together tonight!! 

XOXO,

Brittany Marie Powell

#MIMM

Happy Marvelous Monday Everyone!
   Today was a cooking day for me, every year I like to continue my Grandmommy's tradition of Dinner In A Pumpkin :) It's not a very complicated recipe, I'll post the recipe on here soon, but it's pretty time consuming when you are serving a large group of people. I bought 3 pumpkins for cooking, two pie pumpkins and one normal Jack-O-latern pumpkin, the pie pumpkins are slightly sweeter tasting and perfect if you have a small family or if it's just you and your significant other. I also made some Protein Cheesecakes for dessert, which I have a post with that recipe on here.

   I also was able to get some much needed cleaning done today, the clean mama's cleaning charts are so motivating. I am looking for a shoe organizer to take care of the shoe explosion in my closet. I am thinking of purchasing this cute locker style cabinet from Ikea, I would need to figure out a way to set up shelving inside of it though for shoes.

I am also in search for a toddler bed for Grayson, I was going to start him out in a twin bed, but I'm thinking it might be an easier transition for him if we start out with something lower to the ground. Any mommies reading this I am happy to hear your input with this! :) 
  I was able to fit in a run today. 3.5 miles. I am really wanting to start running more regularly again, and have a goal of doing 3 miles every day till christmas. I think that's reasonable, but we shall see, if I start getting knee issues again, I know when to hold back. I just feel like I need to give myself a little challenge again, since hubby and I are looking for a house I have cut back on how many races I've done this year, and in some ways that sort of kills my motivation so I need to find new ways to give me that push. I do think I'll be signing up for some sort of race soon though, even though it's getting chilly!

 I also was able to purchase some of the Suja Juices today, they're $$$ but my body is in need of juicing again I think.... and this just might get me to get in the mood to start juicing again :) 
Anyways, that's all for My #MIMM not much to post today, but just wanted to fill you guys in! :) 

XOXO,
        Brittany Marie Powell

Guest Post I wrote for themumsyblog :)

My name is Brittany Powell 
and I am a married 
mother of a two year old boy. 
When Michelle and Natashia asked me to write a guest post, I was
delighted, but nervous. I think I've always felt overweight
and insecure. Losing weight is HARD. One of my favorite quotes is, 
"We either make ourselves miserable, 
or we make ourselves strong. 
The amount of work is the same."  
HOW TRUE THAT IS!  I don't know about you, but I
can spend a day feeling bad about myself, my food choices, being lazy… 
Or, I can spend a day putting GOOD foods into my body, moving, and feeling GOOD.

My hope has always been that I can inspire
someone so much that they can say, 
"Because of you I didn't give up."

I think for me, losing weight was just the tip of the iceberg.I don't know if anyone can really embark on a weightloss or fitness journey and still stay the same.  It's from the inside out, your own personal health is an overall thing.  It all started from a remark I received from an acquaintance, she had told me I needed to be careful kneeling since i was pregnant, when I WAS NOT PREGNANT!  Then, shortly after that incident, a co-worker at work had said something to the effect of, "Oh that stocky girl?".  They were talking about me.  That made me think. I knew I had a weight problem, I knew I needed to be healthier, eat less junk, and think happier thoughts. I was tired of being tired, tired of not liking what I saw in the mirror, tired of being insecure (which by the way has NOTHING to do with weight)! So one day, I just decided I wasn't going to be this anymore. I was going to change for ME; to become someone I love! To become someone I love, because I loved myself enough to TRY. It is, however, the act of doing it that determines the difference between who you are, and who you want to become.

I really had no clue where to start, so I did some research. I read running magazines, looked at pinterest for healthy recipes, and I turned to Youtube videos for help and inspiration.  I loved watching videos of others on their weight loss journeys and talking about it, or just giving motivational pep talks. I now have a Youtube channel myself, and my own weight loss video with over 100,000 views. I finally made my health and fitness a priority.  I literally had to tell myself, "I don't care how long this takes, I don't care if I'm 80 years old and still working at this I WILL do this because it matters to me!".  There is strength in the struggle, people!  It's crazy to me to think how different I am now from the woman I was. Sometimes I still feel like the "old" me, or let some of my past thinking patterns creep in; but I've ran two half marathons, I've lost 80 pounds, I am doing a body beast strength training program, and I'm a health coach, ME!

Being a health coach has given me a team to be accountable to, and without my team and challenge groups I know I would've slipped back into my old ways. If you're like me and NEED that support, accountability, and motivation DAILY, then please, feel free to contact me! I know how hard losing weight is, I would love, and want to help empower others. If you want to live this lifestyle forever, don't look for the finish line, run this race with a smile and you'll never stop winning!

XOXO,
Brittany Powell

Check out the mumsy blog, it is full of amazing, wonderful things, I promise! 
themumsyblog.com

#mimm

Happy Marvelous Monday my Lovely Readers!

   Today was a "Cinderella Day", as one of my friends would say. Which really means I just did domestic wifely duties. Which consisted of laundry, dishes and making jam. I made some appricot pineapple jam, and I also made some Chia seed jam with it. I can't wait to try it out tomorrow.
   For today's workout I ran 3 miles and did Body Beast Bulk Back. I like the back workout because it is only 28 minutes long 8-). Both my husband and I needed a quick workout this evening because our son was getting pretty fussy. My post workout snack was something new to me. I had egg whites topped with a horseradish mustard and salt&vinegar almonds, it was delish!

  I also had to take Grayson to his 2 year check up today. He is 35 inches tall and 26 pounds. The Nurse and Doctor both thought he was a very well behaved toddler and that he was pretty tall! I am happy to see that he is developing good. 

   It was my Mom's Birthday today. Times like this make me really miss my family. They live in Upstate New York, while I live in Utah. I wish I could have been with her today to celebrate. She had a Marvelous Monday birthday celebration, which included a massage and hot yoga. Whenever I visit we do hot yoga together, it is for sure a good workout, HOT and challenging. She is considering doing Piyo and shakeology. I think that she would really enjoy both, seeing as how she is busy with her job, and on-the-go a lot. Plus Piyo seems like it would be right up her alley. 

   My quote for the day is: "Prepare for the BEST." I think often I naturally prepare for things to go for the worst. I am trying to be more of an optimist. 

   Well I am going to get ready for bed, I am hoping to wake up early and run. I REALLY want to get in the habit of doing that again. I am NOT a morning person unfortunately. But I am striving to change that. What do you early morning exercises do to motivate yourselves not to hit the snooze button in the morning?

  I've been lusting after this Alex&Ani bracelet. I just love the message behind it and feel that it really pertains to my weight loss journey and to my running training.
  I also REALLY want a wonder woman shirt. How cute is this one?!

Xoxo,
   Brittany Marie Powell

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter! 

  We had a lovely Easter together as a family. We went to church and had a big Easter egg hunt for the kids, it was so fun to watch Grayson gather all the eggs. He kept saying boo-ket whenever he put the eggs in his bucket. It was so cute.

   I ate way too much candy tho, and I am going to put Grayson's candy up high so I don't get tempted and have to think twice about eating it. I'm also going to make little treat bags for my scouts with the candy to get rid of some of it lol.

   I've had a productive day today and got a lot of cleaning done. That always makes me happy. One of my goals for this week is to organize my makeup room. Which is quite the daunting task! 

   I've been obsessed with this show on Hulu called 'the only way is Essex' it's basically like a British version of 'The Hills'. All of the girls on the show are gorgeous and I love their makeup. It always gives me inspiration. 

  I made a strange-but-good concoction for breakfast this morning. It was a sweet cauliflower mash with strawberries and walden farms chocolate sauce. The consistency reminded me of cream of rice. I think this is going to be a new love of mine. Here's the recipe:

1 cup cooked cauliflower 

1/2 banana 

12 drops English toffee stevia drops

More stevia haha 

Blend in blender until it reaches a purée/mash consistency, then enjoy! I think this would also be good with some sort of nut butter on top. 

xoxo, Brittany