8 Healthy Snacks ~ That Will Fuel Your Body

Happy Friday!!! Accept it or deny it, but there is no questions the HOLIDAYS are upon us! Right now it becomes more important than ever to stick with healthy eating and working out....because frankly, the HATE feeling awful come January!!

Sure I will indulge with a decent amount of "moderation" throughout the holidays, but I refuse to let "the holidays" and "what 99% of people are doing" dictate my healthy eating plan! No need to go overboard because ~

I have worked hard with my workout program and healthy eating--I am certainly not going to blow it over the course of one month!

One way I stay on track over the holidays is always having healthy snacks on hand. ALWAYS! Snacks that I can pack or just pull out when I really feel the urge to grab a few Sees candies or dig into the entire Hickory Farms basket!

Snacks that are a high in protein are especially helpful to keep you full and energized! Here are a few of my favorites ~

Another great thing to curb cravings is.....WATER!! It's amazing what a water bottle full of water and a healthy snack can do! Try it out!!!!


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The Winter Challenge...It's COMING!!!

You guys!! How EXCITED am I that the Winter Challenge with Get Your Pretty On is right around the corner!!! Last years Winter Challenge was one of my faves and I know this one will be no different! Judging from the preview outfits....YES, PLEASE!! Plaid, fur, boots, oh my!!!

Here is what's new and exciting this year ~

1. There will be "Dress it Up and Dress it Down" options for every outfit on this challenge.

2. One of the bonuses will be three outfits perfect for holiday parties (last year I wore one of the holiday party outfits and got so many compliments)!

3. There will be two surprise outfits!

4. The outfit total is 26 for this challenge. 

5. Several pieces from past challenges will be reused. 

If you have never done a style challenge with Get Your Pretty On, it's life changing!!! You get a shopping list, plus 21+ outfit combos! No more guesswork about what to wear. But the best part is the online Facebook groups where we share, support and laugh...we are like a big style family! Here is an example of this years Summer Challenge.

Registration opens NEXT Friday, November 20th. Who's getting excited? I am!!!!!

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See where I link up HERE

Pinned It & Did It + LINK UP!!

Happy Monday, friends!!! First things first, if you are seeing a big "Look Who's Popular" message on the blog, I apologize. It's technical difficulties with Photo Bucket  and I am trying to get it cleared up ASAP!  Sorry for the inconvenience!

You guys know Pinned It & Did It is one of my favorite days on the blog!! On thing I have learned in all of my years of Pinning and Doing is that you don't have to follow Pins EXACTLY. Work with what you have in your closet, girls! Case in point ~

Pink Boots: Target (exact, in fushia)
Striped Top: similar
Herringbone Vest: Splurge, The Look for Less
Leopard Scarf: similar, CUTE option!!!
Jeans: Wit & Wisdom (exact)

I love the subtle pattern mixing with stripes and leopard! I didn't have the blue vest, but so I subbed my favorite herringbone vest. The pink rain boots stayed the same, though :) Man, I love them!!! Bring on El Nino!!! I also got them in black :)

Here is another one of my pattern mixing favorites ~

Plaid: option, option
Striped Top: similar, similar
Jeans: Old Navy (similar)
Booties: similar, cute option

I have really been trying to work my closet this Fall season because I feel like I am at the point where I have lots of clothes I LIKE--i just need to continue to find ways to put them together! Pinterest is great for that. I will find an item of clothing that I have (i.e. Red Plaid Shirt), plug it into Pinterest and hopefully have at least 3 or 4 great outfits I can pull from my closet! It's a great way to stretch what you have an find new ideas :)

Do you Pinterest for outfit inspiration? If so, do you Pin a zillion things and forget about them like I do??! HA!

Time to link up! Don't forget to use the hashtag #lovelylittlealamode on social media!

Hosted by ~

Carrie/A Lovely Little Wardrobe ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Whitney/Whitney à La Mode ~ Bloglovin/Instagram

Casey/A Little Bit of Cheer ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Each week we choose a favorite...check out Carrie and Whitney's blogs to see if it's you! My favorite look this week was Sarah from Foxy's Domestic Side. The girl ROCKED the GYPO Fall Challenge! her outfits were all spot on!!! Read her original post HERE. Here is one of my favorites of Sarah's from the Challenge ~

Now let's get linking! We like to keep things simple around here. Just link up your favorite posts--fashion, beauty, food, DIY, anything goes! Follow your hosts on social media, have fun and be inspired! Thanks for linking up!

<a href="http://www.alittlebitofcheer.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc454/pianoprincessdesigns/button%20small_zpsujefyz2q.png~original" alt="A Lovely Little À La Mode Link Up" width="125" height="125" /></a>

Don't forget to follow A Little Bit of Cheer on Facebook HERE

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Follow any of my boards on Pinterest HERE 

Follow me on Bloglovin' HERE  

See where I link up HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

Seven on Sunday ~ Week 45

Day 1: Sunday ~ Cozy fall weather called for the best, healthiest crockpot minestrone soup ever!! So Yummy! Get the recipe HERE.

Day 2: Monday ~ So not only did it RAIN (yes, RAIN!!!) it HAILED!!! Complete with thunder and lightning!! Nothing like a good Midwestern thunderstorm in California!!

The sky was amazing!

 Hail!!!

Day 3: Tuesday ~ Rainy fall weather also means hot chocolate by the fire!

Day 4: Wednesday ~ No pic, but I saw this quote on Facebook. I always like these kinds of quotes that remind me to stop and appreciate my kiddos :)

Day 5: Thursday ~ These two have been great friends since preschool...don't they look like they could be brothers??!

Day 6: Friday ~ Brooke's last soccer practice of the season was a kid vs. parent game....let's just say I appreciate what those girls do every weekend. It is HARD! And I got schooled big time by these girls!! ...and I may or may not have been SORE the next day!

Day 7~ Saturday: No pic of the game (I was too busy biting my nails and freaking out!), but Brookey's soccer team put the beat-down on the only undefeated team in the League! It was awesome and I know those girls will remember that game forever!! (these are her selfie skills). They have one more game and then she's going to the All Star game again! So proud of this girl!

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Crockpot Minestrone Soup ~ 21 Day Fix Approved!

So last week (and this week, too!) has been sickness central over here. Add in a little rain and dreary weather and it's just straight up time to bust out the soup!! This soup is just AWESOME. It's easy and it's PACKED with veggies, protein, vitamins and antioxidants galore!

This recipe was one of the recipes in my free online crockpot group I hosted on Facebook last month and it was a HIT!!! You haven't checked out one of my free Facebook groups, comment or email me (alittlebitofcheer01@gmail.com) and I can add you to the next one! Right now I am hosting a Clean Eating group and I will most likely do another crockpot group in January! They are so much fun! :)

Crockpot Minestrone Soup

**Serves 6+

21 Day Fix ~ 1 cup = 1 Green, 1 Yellow, ½ Red

1 lb sweet Italian turkey sausage

1 small onion, diced

2-3 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups frozen green beans

1 small zucchini, diced

1 cup fresh spinach

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 teaspoon fresh)

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup elbow or small sized pasta (whole wheat if you can find it)

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

1. Brown sausage in a skillet, breaking into small pieces; add to crockpot.

2. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, green beans, tomatoes, broth, and beans to crockpot

3. Add the bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

4. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

5. 30-40 minutes before the soup is done cooking, add in the zucchini, pasta, and spinach.

6. Cook until pasta is tender.

7. Remove bay leaves. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

8. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese and mixed greens. 

Enjoy!!!!


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Monday Link Up ~ Leopard and Polka Dots!!!

It's been QUITE the week, my friends. Lots of sickness, lots of chicken soup, lots of soccer games and WAAAAY too many dirt cups and Snickers bars. So pardon my lack of energy and enthusiasm for this Monday!!!! This is how I FEEL ~

But this is how I'm going to face it!!

It's link up day and I get to link up with my blogging besties Carrie and Whitney...so how can it NOT be a good day?? I don't think I talk about these girls enough, but I am truly blessed to have met them through blogging. They are such AWESOME women!!

Ok, so today we are talking leopard and polka dots! Now I don't technically have a blog photo for leopard and polka dots (if you want to know why, read the beginning of this post-HA!), but it is one of my all time favorite combinations! Here is a quick selfie from last fall of how I wore leopard and polka dots ~

Sweater: Target (similar, similar)
Scarf: similar
Jeans: Old Navy (similar)
Booties: similar, cute option
Herringbone Vest: Splurge, The Look for Less

Here are a few other great ways to put leopard and polka dots together! I love and want to copy every one of these outfits!!!

Time to link up! Don't forget to use the hashtag #lovelylittlealamode on social media!

Hosted by ~

Carrie/A Lovely Little Wardrobe ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Whitney/Whitney à La Mode ~ Bloglovin/Instagram

Casey/A Little Bit of Cheer ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Each week we choose a favorite...check out Carrie and Whitney's blogs to see if it's you! My favorite look this week was Katie from Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life! Although she claims #bloggerfail because she didn't FULLY participate in Create28 Fall, I call THIS dress a #totalwin, so who cares??!! Love this look, Katie! See her entire post HERE.

Now let's get linking! We like to keep things simple around here. Just link up your favorite posts--fashion, beauty, food, DIY, anything goes! Follow your hosts on social media, have fun and be inspired! Thanks for linking up!

<a href="http://www.alittlebitofcheer.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc454/pianoprincessdesigns/button%20small_zpsujefyz2q.png~original" alt="A Lovely Little À La Mode Link Up" width="125" height="125" /></a>

Don't forget to follow A Little Bit of Cheer on Facebook HERE

Follow me on Instagram HERE

Follow any of my boards on Pinterest HERE 

Follow me on Bloglovin' HERE  

See where I link up HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

Seven on Sunday ~ Week 44

Day 1: Sunday ~ Perfect day for a little scootering ;) This is her signature move :)

Day 2: Monday ~ Oh, we LOVE Coscto around the holidays!!! Anyone want to buy me this and a new house to put it in??!

Day 3: Tuesday ~ "They" said rain so I was SO EXCITED to put on my pink rainboots. Well, the RAIN turned out to be a VERY VERY light "dusting" of a few drops. But I still wore my boots, darn it!!!

Day 4: Wednesday ~ So what does Beachbody give me for motivating lots of people to work out and get healthy with me?? I get to WORKOUT..MORE!! (thanks!!) I am seriously scared to pop in these DVDs..P90X is NO JOKE! Come looking for me if you don't hear from me in 90 days!!!

Day 5: Thursday ~ Red Ribbon Week!! They were supposed to be doing the Nae, Nae but....

Day 6: Friday ~ 30 dirt cups for Buddy's Halloween Party-done! I have seriously never made so much pudding in my life! I'd forgotten how GOOD they are! Man, it's like a little taste of childhood right there!

Day 7: Saturday ~ Happy Halloween from our family to yours!! :) We have Sophia the First, Evie from Disney's Decendants and The Notre Dame Leprechaun!! I have 3 kids and they are ALL SO DIFFERENT! These costumes definitely show it!

 Scott is the pumpkin carving ninja! Every year he kills it with a new design!!!!

Don't forget to follow A Little Bit of Cheer on Facebook HERE

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See where I link up HERE