December 2016 Stitch Fix Review # 11

Hi Everyone!!

I took a break there for awhile from Stitch Fix but I am back. I just received my 11th fix, wow 11th!! Guys, these are SO MUCH FUN!! If you haven't tried it yet, it's a must. Use some of your Christmas money and try it out. To sign up and create a profile, start here! And then you can schedule your fix for whenever you want. There is an option to receive automatic monthly fixes, or you can opt to schedule yourself as you want, which is the option I chose. Before I get into my five items I received, I just want to share briefly a little about AdvoCare and this "All In" challenge coming up. Chances are, if you know someone who is involved with AdvoCare, you have heard of the nationwide challenge coming up in January 2017. For those of you who may be interested in hearing more, well here is a brief overview:

The 24 day challenge is a food based program. It focuses on eating clean, healthy foods such as fruits, veggies, lean meats/protein, complex carbs and healthy fats. The first 10 days are a very mild cleanse. This is NOT a juice only diet - you eat 5-6 healthy meals and take a probiotic, fish oil, fiber drink & a cleanse tablet each day. You cannot drink coffee on the challenge but have no fear, Spark to the rescue! Spark is a vitamin packed, flavored drink you mix with water - it's awesome!! Then the next 14 days you move into what we call the "max phase" where you continue the same eating of 5-6 healthy meals per day and you take core vitamins. Essentially the cleanse phase cleans your system and gets you ready for the max phase which is the optimal nutrition part. If you want to read about my first 24 day challenge experience, click here. Those are my first ever results from my challenge. And in case you are wondering, the challenge is not meant to be a program where you lose the weight and then fall off the wagon. It's rather a kick start to a healthier lifestyle change that you continue on past the 24 days, which is what it has become for me. If you are at all interested, shoot me an email or click the link below. It's not too late to join us for the All In January 2017 challenge that will begin January 2nd (or the 9th for several of our group members).

Check out the 24 Day Challenge or Purchase Here

Onto my December Stitch Fix =)

First of all, this fix was delivered at the best time EVER. Christmas Eve morning!! I had my outfit all planned out for the evening and that suddenly changed thanks to this little box appearing on my doorstep. Look at the amazing textures and colors of these items......

[one] Pixley - Greenich Striped Knit Top. I am a lover of stripes so I was excited to see this top in my fix. Plus, I had pinned it on Pinterest and my awesome stylist definitely picked up on that. The top is a little more clingy and fitted than I had liked. I loved the burgundy stripes and the leather elbow material was such a cute little added touch to the shirt. This item was the lowest price in my box at $48.00.

Verdict: Unsure

[two] Andrew Marc - Kayseri Faux Leather and Knit Moto Jacket. I will be honest, right away, I knew I would not keep this. Being a mom of three little kiddos, I rarely make it out on the town & when I do, I don't really dress up too much so I am guessing this jacket would just sit in my closet most of the time and not get much use, if any. Sadly, I had to return.

Verdict: Returned 

[three] Unpublished - Athenia Button Back Top. So these polos are sooooo in style right now. So much so that I got two for Christmas!!!! LOL! Unfortunately, I wasn't completely, madly, had to have it, in love with this top so I returned. But the colors and buttons on the back of the shirt were on point.

Verdict: Returned

[four] Fate - Salena Mixed Material Pullover. When I first saw this shirt, I thought, "okay this could be cute." When I tried it on for the first time, I thought, "no way." Then, when I tried it on with my favorite black leggings, I was blown away. I LOVE everything about this shirt. Love the color. Love the "looseness" of it. Love the length of it. Love the pocket on it. Love the mixed material at the bottom of the shirt. It looks amazing with black leggings and I even tried it on again to snap some pics, and it looked great with my new jeans (on sale at Nordstrom right now for $45 BTW). Perfect to dress down w/jeans or dress up to go out. This was a MUST.

Verdict: Kept!!!!

Here is the shirt on me Christmas Eve

[five] Loveappella - Leila Knit Dress. This was super soft and cozy, very cute pattern & loved the material, however, not my style at all so I could not keep this.

Verdict: Returned

What do you all think???? Did I make the right decisions??  Follow my new blog over at WhittneyHills.com

Almond Crusted Lemon Chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2-4 


Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts 
• 1 cup almond meal 
• 1 egg 
• 2 lemons 
• handful of fresh parsley (about 3 tsp chopped)

Directions:

1. Cut chicken breasts in half, width wise, so they are thin.
2. In a bowl, mix almond meal, finely chopped parsley & the zest of one lemon. 
3. In another bowl, beat egg.
4. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg and then in the almond mixture. 
5. Using EVOO, cook chicken in a pan on low to medium heat until cooked thoroughly (about 5-10 minutes on each side). The outside of chicken should be a light golden color.Optional: Squeeze the juice of the first lemon on top of the chicken while it cooks.
6. Serve with second squeezed lemon. I served mine with broccoli and brown rice.

Treat Yourself Tuesday # 3

Hi Friends! Linking up with Becky at Olives 'n' Wine for a Treat Yourself Tuesday post. This past week was a treat in itself because my husband was between jobs so we got to have him home!!!! Of course, he had plenty of tax returns that he had to get out the door so he was stuck on his laptop most of the time, but it was still nice to have lunch with him and just see him, lol! On Thursday of last week, we got to go to lunch with some of his colleagues to one of my favorite places, Agora!!!!! It is a Brazilian Steakhouse.... Have you ever been to one?? This place is so good and soo nice. I got to eat everything from sausage to bacon wrapped filet, to chicken hearts (except I didn't eat these!). And did I mention they have the BEST cheese filled rolls? Oh man, I'm drooling just thinking about it. We had the buffet which includes all the side dishes/salads/extras that you want, and then men dressed as gauchos come around to your table with skewers of meat for you to try! It is quite the experience. I HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone who enjoys eating meat (or anyone who has a husband that enjoys meat). Go try it and thank me later. =)

The hubby and I got to go shopping together WITHOUT the kids on Sunday.... this was a treat in itself! Since my hubby started a new job yesterday, he wanted to buy a new wardrobe, literally! So I helped him buy new dress shirts & new work shoes. Can I just say that I thought I had expensive taste until he tried on two different styled Hugo Boss shirts and told me one of them was "cheap feeling"!!!! We both laughed at how ridiculous of a statement that was. When we were at the mall, I made a lot of returns (one of my new hobbies, sorry Nordstrom & Macy's) & treated myself to a new shirt! Here is a picture of what the back look likes and here is a picture of the front on me. Love this shirt!

Lastly, I treated myself to another 24-Day Challenge!!! I am going to be starting on April 7th with a bunch of mommy friends (and tons of others) in a group challenge. I'm so excited!! I did my first challenge back in January and had some great results that I wanted to do another one to get back in the swing of things 100%. Currently, I try and eat clean about 80% of my time, but I can't wait to be back on a challenge. It is so much fun for some reason.... sticking to a plan and CHALLENGING MYSELF to prove I do have will-power and I can eat healthy (and see results!). If you are interested in learning about the challenge, send me an email or you can click here to purchase your 24 day challenge bundle! I will be notified of your purchase and send you an invite to join our Facebook group which is the only way I'm able to stay on track! We all share clean recipes, meal plans, workouts and just a whole bunch of support and encouragement! Here is a picture of my AdvoCare products.

My AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge Experience

At first I was skeptical. I had been around friends who had done the challenge and taken the products for almost a year before I juggled the thought of ever trying the program. I was watching my friends make huge transformations, like 30+ lbs of transformations.  My husband was supportive but thought I should just eat healthier and exercise…. I kept telling him, “but it hasn’t worked the past year for me. I’m never going to lose my baby fat stomach!!” So then we decided, why not just give it a try? It was a little bit of an investment but I kept telling myself the outcome could be great. So I bought my first 24 day challenge. I got all excited, joined a supportive facebook group, printed some yummy AdvoCare challenge friendly recipes to start making, and headed to the grocery store with my supportive friend Ryann (she LOVES to cook, has done the challenge before, and knows Trader Joe’s inside and out).

Day 1 – I had printed out a checklist that tells you when to take the vitamins/drinks and followed it to a tee. By the end of breakfast, half of my boxes were checked off so of course that made me really happy. During the kids nap, I prepped dinner for the night. Our first dinner was the hummus crusted chicken – it was SOOOO good!!!! By the end of the day I thought to myself, “that wasn’t too hard, how bad can 23 more days of this be?”

Day 11 marked the end of the 10 day “cleanse” ……. I still ate normal the first ten days – in addition to a regular diet, I took a fiber drink in the am, and herbal cleanse vitamins before bed. I was down 4.2lbs and 3.75 inches…. and LOVING it! I was hooked!

Around day 20 I was craving something bad and I will be honest, I wasn’t the strictest towards the end…. Especially with a 3 year old birthday party that fell on day 21 of the challenge - complete with pizza and cupcakes – but I’m only human right? I did over indulge at the party a bit, but it was okay just that once. When I weighed in at the end of the program and lost a total of 5.2lbs (over 4% of my weight) and 9.50 inches, I was so happy!!! All my doubts about the program and the products were gone!

So what now? Well, along with maintaining a healthy diet (like the one I was on the challenge with) & normal exercise, I am still taking two AdvoCare products daily which I love: Catalyst – it is branched chain amino acids which help fuel additional fat burning and lean muscle production (it’s nicknamed “liposuction in a bottle” for a reason :]) and Spark Energy Drink – it’s a multi-nutrient system designed to provide nutritionally advanced, long-lasting energy and enhanced mental focus, with 21 vitamins & minerals (this is your coffee substitute).

I am about 2 weeks post challenge and down another pound and feel great! It’s no longer a weight loss journey but a fitness and lifestyle one that I look forward to sharing with you.

If you are interested in learning more or have any questions, please reach out to me! 
whitt312@gmail.com

Do you want to participate in the 24 day challenge too? Click HERE for everything you will need. Or check out my website at www.SoCalAdvo.com. 

I am also part of a private Facebook group that my friend Lauren over at heylaurenrene created. We all share recipes, meal plans, workout ideas, tips and offer up a ton of support and encouragement. Check out the results from the first group challenge and second group challenge ***The group is over 450 members and new group challenges are beginning monthly. It's never too late to join us!***