Alexandra Lerebours - Makeitcount Fit.

Yes please! ♥️

Happy Friday gang!

I had a discussion with a friend and the topic of body image surfaced and she claimed that I was always happy regardless my size and she wanted to know if I am happier with myself since I lost some weight????😄😄

I told her that I always loved myself so I don't think I love myself more than I did when was 250ish pounds. However, I am enjoying so many more activities that I couldn't before due to my poor health (high blood pressure, joints pain, shortness of breath etcc).

Most of the time, weight loss is not the answer at all. If anything, I strongly suggest that anyone seeking to lose weight to start with the root of their weight gain issues simply because eating healthy and exercising is not always the answer. (Yup trust me, you can be thin and still unhealthy if your mindset is messed up)

Here's a little challenge I have for you if you are dealing with body image issues:

I am challenging you to free your mind from negative self image because YOU ARE PERFECT in all your imperfections! 😊 (yes you are)

Celebrate yourself and love the skin you're in!

Give me lots of ❤️hearts if you will love yourself a little more!!! ❤️

Much love! ❤️

A.

**********Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew****************

This vegan Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew is packed with chickpeas, cauliflower, spinach, and other yummy veggies.

Chilly days are coming , there’s nothing quite like tucking into a comforting bowl of this Vegan Slow Cooker Stew. And, even better, it takes about 15 minutes to prep and it’s ready by the time you get home from work! This simple recipe is packed with colorful veggies, like bell peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, and spinach in a savory coconut curry broth. In fact, each serving is so hearty, and has so much flavor, you might not notice that this recipe is completely vegan.

Simmering the vegetable stew in a slow cooker with garlic, ginger, and spices allows the flavors to meld together for hours. The result is a fragrant, flavorful broth that takes very little work to achieve. Simply sautée the onions, pepper and garlic; then toss everything into a crock pot and let it do its thing.

The spices are one of the most important components of this Vegan Slow Cooker Stew recipe. You’ll need curry powder, fresh ginger, salt and pepper, and cayenne. The combination is phenomenal. Coconut milk gives a creamy texture and balances out the mild heat from the cayenne powder. And because this soup is meat-free, chickpeas boost the protein in this healthy plant-based dish. We recommend stirring the spinach in right before serving – it literally takes seconds to wilt.

If you don’t have a slow cooker at home, a big soup pot will work too. Just cook over very low heat, plan to reduce the cooking time, and watch over your stew as it bubbles away. If you’re in a hurry, it can be ready to eat after about 30 minutes, but longer cooking will intensify the flavor.

Ingredients

olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium green bell pepper chopped
1 medium red bell pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
2 cups low-sodium organic vegetable broth
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, no added salt
2 15-oz. cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained, rinsed
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
½ tsp. sea salt or Himalayan salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 dash ground cayenne pepper optional
1 medium head cauliflower cut into florets
1 (10-oz.) bag raw baby spinach
1 cup coconut milk

Instructions:

Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over high heat.
Add onion and bell peppers; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
Place onion mixture in 3-quart slow cooker.
Add broth, tomatoes (with juice), chickpeas, curry powder, maple syrup, ginger, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix well; cover. Cook on high for 3 hours.
Add cauliflower. Mix well; cover. Cook on high for 1 hour.
Add spinach and coconut milk. Mix well; cover. Cook on high for 10 minutes, or until spinach wilts.
Vegan Slow Cooker Stew

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********Tasty Tuesday*******

Fresh Tomato Salsa Shrimp

This Fresh Tomato Salsa Shrimp is the answer to an impressive meal with minimal effort. It’s colorful, fresh, and light! The shrimp salsa topping uses pre-cooked shrimp, which are quickly marinated in the fridge. While the shrimp marinate, you’ll prepare the squash noodles.

A spiralizer will make for quick work, but you can also use a vegetable peeler and cut the pieces into spaghetti-like strips. Either way you make them, they’re a great way to add veggies to your diet and they cook in mere minutes.

For a super time-saving shortcut, you could use a good-quality tomato salsa as the base for marinating the shrimp. Just give it a taste, and adjust seasonings as needed (such as lime juice, salt, and pepper). To best mimic the texture, opt for a chunkier salsa — and ideally one that’s sold refrigerated (rather than in a jar).

Ingredients

12 oz. cooked shrimp
2 medium tomatoes chopped
½ medium red onion chopped
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil divided use
¾ tsp. sea salt or Himalayan salt divided use
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
2 medium summer squash (or raw beets) spiralized
2 medium carrots spiralized
Instructions
Combine shrimp, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, 2 Tbsp. oil, ¼ tsp. salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix well. Refrigerate, covered, for 20 minutes.
Heat remaining 2 tsp. oil in medium skillet over medium heat.
Add squash, carrots, and remaining ½ tsp. salt (if desired); cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked to desired doneness. Remove from heat.
Evenly divide carrot noodles between four serving plates. Top evenly with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.

Tips:

A spiralizer is an inexpensive tool that cuts fresh veggies into noodles. You can use a spiralizer to cut the summer squash and carrot in this recipe.
To make summer squash noodles without a spiralizer, cut each squash into thin lengthwise strips using a vegetable peeler. Turn squash slightly after cutting each strip to work evenly around the outside, stopping when you hit the seeds at the core. Discard cores. Cut slices lengthwise into strips resembling spaghetti.

Don't forget to share this awesome, yummy and easy recipe! ;)

Happy New month!

A new month and a new season in life can be so exciting or unsettling for so many reasons but I have come to realize that we have the power to decide how we spend our time.

So in the days to come, I hope that whatever your plans are, you will experience joy, happiness and peace.

I am on the final days of helping my girl make her way to university and I am experiencing so many emotions from pride, joy, excitement and a little bit of sadness (maybe a lot of sadness) but deep down, I know she will be alright. It's the protective mommy part of me that has not settled yet and also my fear of good byes. (I really dislike them)

If this new month is the beginning of a new phase for you also, This is my prayer for you as you step into the next phase of your life, into your new season.

May the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). And may you also find this beautiful place of rest in the Lord.

Much love and Happy Friday!

❤️

A.

Happy almost Friday Fit Friends!

I have a very easy concept that I keep in mind when it comes to healthy living and allow me to share it with you:

There is no finish line to getting healthier, it's a learning process that you have to tweak continuously to attain and maintain a good health.

Therefore, You can stop the guilt trip after every indulgence and stay focused on what to do consistently to keep your body thriving!

Today's Tips to help your body thrive:

- Drink pure water often
-Take a brisk walk on your lunch hour with friends or alone
-Chew your food slowly
-Take a power snooze
-Smile more and turn down negativity
-Be kinder to your world today

Have a !

Much love! ❤️

A.

repost!

This was posted in one of my Fit group a few days ago and it fits really well with what I believe and say to myself on a regular basis.

Truly friends, we are not strong because we never failed. We are strong because of how we live courageously on a daily basis!

We are warriors, unstoppable, fearless, we live with courage and compassion. We don't dwell in negativity, we are problem solvers and life changers!

If you agree, give me a thumbs up 👍 and SHARE this post to spread the word!

Happy hump day!

Much love ❤️

A.

with Alex ❤️

I will try to update this page as much as I can this week and I am asking y'all to be gracious with me.

I am in the last few days of setting up my girl to go to college and frankly working out and eating healthy is the very last thing my emotional mommy heart wants to worry about!

I am totally out of sorts, my throat is always tight, the tears are easy and my gut is achy.

However, I find that a quiet moment with my devotional is what my heart need to stay focus while we organize, shop to make sure that we are ready for her first day!

This morning my reading was about how unique every human being was and how the Creator designed us so beautifully to fulfill our purpose in life.

Furthermore, we are miracles of beauty and we should not let ourselves down without impacting the world but to do that we need to stop hiding.

So today your job is to let yourself shine by not comparing to someone else. (You are unique and you are valuable)

Don't wear a facade. (It's too hard to not be You)

Try something new. (Don't let the fear of failure paralyze you)

Gift the world a piece of your unique design because God gave you specific talents for a reason, use them and remember that You are a miracle of beauty and You can change Your world!

Much love and Happy Tuesday Fit Friends!

❤️
A.

Happy Sunday Fit Friends!

Sometimes the work that we neglect is the most important of all and you can find answers by asking yourself the following questions:

How healthy is your mindset?

How do you perceive yourself?

What kind of internal conversation are you having with yourself?

Do you feel guilty about anything?

Are you angry with yourself?

The true transformation is when we find a balance between who we are internally and the body that is housing our spirits.

If you constantly feel defeated, discouraged, guilty it will translate into poor body image, low energy, lack of motivation etc. But if you believe that you are a conqueror, strong and at peace with yourself, your energy level will be incredible, you will be highly motivated with a positive body image.

So today instead of looking down on what you did not achieve last week, why don't you celebrate what went well and plan the week ahead!

Deal?

Much love ❤️

A.

My to do list is very simple but it's a great reminder of what is important to keep me focus on the essentials!

Remember that you become what you choose to focus on.

Focus on happiness, freedom and love!

Happy Friday and much love to you!

❤️

Feel free to Share this picture to remind yourself and your following to focus on the main thing! 😉

❤️Wellness Wednesday ❤️

What is Holistic Weight Loss? | The Beachbody Blog Holistic weight loss looks beyond nutrition and exercise — think of it as giving your body a full inspection instead of just an oil change.

*****TACO TUESDAY*****

These versatile tacos are made with tofu, but feel free to swap in your favorite protein! (chicken, shrimp, steak,turkey, veal,fish) sky is the limit!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. nonfat plain yogurt
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, divided use
2 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro, divided use
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped, divided use
1 medium jalapeño, seeds removed, chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup assorted vegetables (like sliced mushrooms, spinach, or marinated cactus)
1 (14-oz.) package firm tofu, crumbled
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. chili powder (or chipotle seasoning, habañero seasoning, or cumin)
4 (6-inch) whole wheat tortillas, warm
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
Fresh cilantro leaves (for garnish; optional)
4 lime wedges (for garnish; optional)

Preparation:

1. Combine yogurt, 2 Tbsp. lime juice, and 1 Tbsp. cilantro in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.
2. Combine tomato, ¼ onion, jalapeño (if desired), and remaining 1 Tbsp. cilantro in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add remaining ¾ onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until translucent.
5. Add vegetables; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp.
6. Add tofu, garlic, and chili powder; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until tofu is lightly browned and vegetables are tender-crisp.
7. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. lime juice; reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from heat.
8. Top tortillas evenly with lettuce and tofu mixture.
9. Drizzle with yogurt sauce; garnish with cilantro leaves and lime wedge. Serve with tomato salsa.

Total Time: 25 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 15 min.
Yield: 4 servings

SHARE AND ENJOY!