Carrie Prejean Boller: Mom, Beauty Queen, & Author

Ahhhh! Carrie Prejean Boller is SO inspiring. I know you guys will agree with me once you read her interview.

Her answers are SO on point & just really the perfect read for starting your week off on the right foot.

I met Carrie years ago when her father was struggling with cancer. She told me how holistic healing was really helping with her dad’s cancer journey— immediately I wanted to interview her for TSC. SOOOO to say I’m excited she’s on the blog right now is kind of the understatement of the year!

Some of you guys may remember Carrie from her beauty queen days— she was Miss USA first runner up! Carrie is now a wife, mom, author, & business babe ( & how cute is the floral dress she’s wearing above?! WANT ).

Ok, so get ready to learn because Carrie is FULL of knowledge ( making CABALA juice tomorrow morning, YUM ):

| Introduce yourself and share your background. |

Carrie Prejean Boller: My name is Carrie Prejean Boller; I am happily married with my two babies Grace (3) and Brody (2). I was Miss California USA 2009, and Miss USA first runner up, and the author of my book Still Standing. I am proud to be a native San Diegan. I have always been into health and fitness but it wasn’t until my father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer that I started carefully watching what I was eating, and putting into my body. My dad was healed naturally, and is living today cancer free. I’m a vegetarian, avid juicer, and lover of all things natural!

| Weekly workout schedule? |

My day starts out by going to a barre class, or zumba! I absolutely love Xtend Barre in Encinitas. Barre is high intensity, body-resisting workouts using the ballet bar. I usually workout 4-5 days a week. I am also a fan of a local all-woman gym I go to. I am hooked on zumba!!!! I know it sounds intimidating, but seriously, once you try it you will be hooked! I love zumba because you are constantly moving, sweating, and having fun. It takes working out to a whole other level. It doesn’t feel like you’re working out, it really just feels like a huge party, and everyone is having a great time.

Another great thing about a women’s gym is that they offer childcare so it’s convenient to bring your kids, and it’s great being in an all woman environment. I’ve also been hooked on Orange Theory Fitness! It’s an amazing high cardio group class consisting of 30 minutes on the treadmill doing interval training, followed by another 30 minutes of weights, TRX, rowing, or circuit training exercises. I think I love it so much because it’s about competing against everyone else in the class, so you push yourself harder. I love the feeling of being completely drenched with sweat after a hard workout.

I also play in a women’s basketball league on Monday nights, and I love it! It brings me back to my basketball days in high school, and it’s such a great workout. I love the competition aspect of it, and I think I have a pretty good 3- point shot for a pageant girl!

I believe working out builds confidence. There’s something powerful in taking charge of your body, and pushing yourself to the limit. I love that feeling. Before I competed at Miss USA, I would sometimes workout twice a day. Morning I would do cardio, and evenings I would do weights and resistance training. That was obviously before kids, and now I’m lucky to get an hour of exercise in. However, I loved pushing myself and mentally challenging myself to go harder, faster, and be stronger. I had goal in my head that I would constantly think about when I wanted to quit.

Working out for me is very mentally therapeutic. I love the feeling of those last few minutes on the treadmill whether it’s a hard sprint, or walking at the highest incline; I love the challenge of going harder for those last few minutes, just to prove to myself that I can do it!!!

| Quick skinny trick? | 

Cut out all bread. Anytime I eliminate all breads is when I notice a difference in how I feel inside and out. Bread is such a waste of calories; it really does absolutely nothing for you but make you feel bloated. It’s the honest truth. Also, another trick: When you’re craving something sweet after a meal, eat some fruit. A banana and cashews are some of my favs, or strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. My kids and I love eating pomegranates. So good! Also, drink lots of water to help flush out toxins and waste.

| Favorite go-to healthy food? |

Phive Bars!!!! You haven’t heard of them yet, but you will soon! My world changed after meeting a man named Don Tolman; the man who helped save my dad’s life from stage 4 cancer. Don put my dad on a strict juicing, and whole food, plant-based diet. There were several other things he did as well to completely diminish his tumor without surgery; but mainly, what he was putting into his body is what healed him. Naturally!

After witnessing this amazing transformation of my dad living in a hospital for a month, on a feeding tube, and reliant on prescription drugs, to throwing them all away and following Don’s self care revolution; my life changed forever. I saw food in a whole new way. I felt like I knew a secret that many other didn’t. The secret was the power of juicing, and a whole food, plant-based diet.

When Don came into our lives a few years ago, we thought it was only to help my father. As it turns out, God had a much bigger plan than just that. As Don was educating us on whole foods, he told us about a sacred meal that he had discovered. He sent us a bag to try, and as a family, we fell in love with it! Finally, a healthy, raw, organic snack, that I love and my kids love! It consists of all raw, organic nuts, seeds, and fruits. Don has given us the opportunity to make this product available to everyone and we couldn’t be more excited to share this sacred snack with the world. We feel it is extremely important that everybody gets to experience this product and we have put this meal into bar form and are calling it “Phive Bars”. The bar is made with a very unique ratio found in nature called the “phi ratio”. By using this specific ratio, it optimizes every single cell in your body and helps to dispatch toxins and deliver incredible energy. On top of that, it really helps to elevate your mental clarity and focus levels.

To start, we will have two flavors; Original and Tropical. This bar is raw, organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, and tastes really good. Our kids will literally fight over it, which makes Mom happy : ). We will hopefully have product in stores by July— the website www.phivebar.com will launch this summer.

| Example of a healthy day’s worth of eating? |

The first thing I do when I wake up is drink a large glass of water, which helps me start my day out right. Usually for breakfast I’ll eat some kind of fruit like papaya, oranges, bananas, oatmeal with nuts, and berries. I love making fresh CABALA juice, ( stands for carrots, apple (red), beet, apple (yellow), lemon, apple (green) or fresh squeezed orange juice! Lately I’ve been making spinach, banana, strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry smoothies. They are amazingly delicious, provide several essential nutrients, and offer a number of health benefits. For lunch I love eating a salad. I load it with veggies, and / or fruits, nuts, avocado and sometimes red or green peppers; I use olive oil as dressing, and a little balsamic for flavor. For dinner, my husband and I try to cook healthy, especially for the kids. I love making sautéed veggies and a side of rice or pasta, with a kale and edamame salad for dinner. My kids love kale!

| Is it hard to find healthy choices for kids? |

As a health conscious mother, I find myself constantly searching for healthy meals, checking food labels and ingredients to make sure I see exactly what I am feeding my kids. A lot of packaged processed foods found in grocery stores have no nutritional value, and I believe it is nothing more than plastic in a box… just my honest opinion. It’s so sad how children are targeted for these “fun healthy fruit snacks” that don’t even have real fruit in them! Or the funny cartoon characters on cereal boxes that your kids love, and beg you to buy. Children are the biggest targets for these processed, highly addicting (sugary) foods. Kids become addicted to sugar at an early age, and you can’t blame the kids, when we, the parents, are the ones doing the grocery shopping! They can’t eat it, if we don’t buy it. After learning the facts, I made a promise to myself to always be proactive. Don’t get me wrong, we are not perfect 100% of the time, but we make a daily conscious effort. It is my duty to put the proper foods in my children’s bodies and mine. My kids eat real food. I teach them why we eat fruits, and vegetables, and what they do for us. I try to teach them how food was designed by God to nourish our bodies, and cleanse us. Don Tolman taught me how certain foods, serve certain purposes; Have you ever noticed when you cut a carrot in half, it looks exactly like your eye. Why? Because carrots are good for your eyes. They improve vision and greatly enhance blood flow, and function of the eyes. What about how celery looks just like your bones? Well, they are good for your bones; and now studies have proven how just 3 sticks of celery a day over 9 months can reverse Osteoporosis! Or what about how a walnut is shaped exactly like your brain. That’s not a coincidence. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neurotransmitters that are essential for brain health and function. Ok one more! A tomato is red, has 4 chambers and looks exactly like your heart. Tomatoes are great for your heart, and filled with antioxidants; they are pure heart and blood food. My kids love learning about food, and the signs of nature behind food and how it was created. It’s such a great way to teach our kids about eating healthy, and how certain foods can be of natural healing to our bodies.

| What is your favorite go-to-restaurant? |

There’s a little family owned Greek restaurant near my home, called Greek American Family Restaurant that I go to on a weekly basis. The owners are the hardest workers I know. The father is the main chef, and their daughter Stella is one of the chefs as well. I’m always craving their Greek salads, filled with tomato, cucumber, olives, onion, pepperoncini, and feta cheese and their homemade dressing is delicious! It fills me up and tastes so good.

Another one of my favorite restaurants is a little place in Scripps Ranch called Chez Nous. They have the most delicious salads. My favorite is their “Special Salad” which has watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, nuts, and their special homemade dressing. This place is definitely one of my favorite places to eat in San Diego.

| How do you stay in shape after having two kids? |

It takes a lot of time, discipline, and hard work to lose baby weight. My kids were big babies. My daughter was 8 lbs. 4 oz. and my son was 10 lbs. 2 oz. Big Boy! I gained 60 pounds with my daughter and 65 with my son. After giving birth, I was determined to get back into shape. So after my 6 week checkup, I set a goal to shed all 65 pounds of weight. I also set a goal of making all of my son’s baby food from scratch; cooking, and pureeing it myself. I would make his food, and then make myself meals for the week. I juiced more, ate a ton of fruits and veggies, and drank lots of water. I also exercised as much as I could and even bought a treadmill for motivation and so I had no excuses. I slowly started noticing each week that I was getting stronger. My abs were coming back and my confidence was back. I loved the feeling of running again. I couldn’t wait to go for a long beach run, and sweat! I really was dedicated to losing the baby weight and I was determined to get back to the body I had before the baby.

Breastfeeding, I believe, helped shed the baby weight as well. I breastfed my daughter until she was 1, and my son until he was 2. For me, I think it’s all about trying to find time for you as a mother. We are constantly busy with our kids, so for us to find time for ourselves gets tough. I truly believe diet is just as important as exercise for losing weight.

Eating healthy is what got me back to my pre-baby body. You can’t eat like crap, and then go run it off and expect to be healthy. Yeah you might be skinny, but not a healthy skinny. Your body needs both healthy eating and exercising. My advice to moms out there is to try and find a gym with childcare. It helps so much when you really want to get a workout in, but can’t find time. At a gym with childcare, you can bring your kids and not feel like you have to hire a babysitter just to go workout for an hour.

My other advice would be working out in the morning. There’s something about starting my day with sweating and pushing myself that really sets the day for me. My day just seems to flow better. I have more energy and I feel confident and fulfilled.

| A secret model tip for diet? |

You might want to skip this part if you’re a cocktail lover…but I don’t drink alcohol at all. For me, it’s a personal choice, and I think it’s something that makes me healthier. I don’t need to worry about extra calories that are in so many alcoholic beverages. I see so many women not loving their bodies and they’re constantly trying to change them. I think that we as women need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we are making healthy eating choices. Are we taking care of our bodies with what we eat and drink? Do we nourish our bodies and give it what it needs to be the best it can be?

If the answer is yes, then you should feel beautiful and happy in your own skin. Too many of us try and do a quick fix, or a detox after a weekend filled with unhealthy eating and drinking choices. It has to be a lifestyle you want to live. Every day I try to be the best person that I can be, and for me, I try and eliminate anything that isn’t good for me.

My body is something that I try and nourish daily and only fill with good healthy food. I eliminate all food and drinks that are not helping me achieve my health and fitness goals. After being in beauty pageants and working as a professional model for many years, I saw how women, all too often, try to find a quick way to lose weight in a short amount of time, which is very unhealthy.

The true secret is that it cannot be done overnight. Staying in shape, eating healthy, and maintaining the body I wanted was through daily hard work of eating healthy and taking care of myself mentally and physically.

| Quick, easy recipe? |

I’m Italian, so growing up we ate pasta with everything! My favorite is macaroni pasta with kidney beans, broccoli, and peas. Delicious! And so easy! Mix a little olive oil, sea salt and Italian seasoning, and Voila! Yummy pasta that even kids love! Eat it hot or cold. Another all time favorite is steamed cabbage with potatoes, kidney beans, and fresh garlic. My siblings and I grew up eating it at my grandma’s house and now I love making it for my family!

| What’s in your bag? |

Diapers, wipes, mascara, lipsticks, barre socks, keys, & my wallet.

| Favorite beauty product? |

I love coconut oil! I use it on my skin and on my hair. It makes my hair so soft, and it really moisturizes it without any harsh chemicals.

| Natural beauty remedy that you do? |

I wash my face with an amazing product called Renew Sea Salt Scrub. This product is made out of sea salt, olive oil, almond oil, grape seed oil, & aloe vera gel. It is such a great exfoliator. It’s all natural and feels amazing on my skin.

For a moisturizer, I use Divine Body Butter. I rub it on my face and body as a daily; it truly feeds the skin and nourishes the body. Its ingredients are shea butter, avocado butter, almond butter, aloe butter, mango butter, & citrus essential oils. Love, love, love it!!!

| Top five favorite clothing pieces? |

1.} As moms, we are constantly on the go and need comfy workout clothes to wear during the day so we can hopefully sneak a workout in here and there… I love supporting local businesses whose products are made in San Diego, which is why I love Mia Brazilia. The fabric is a bamboo cotton which is super soft, and comfy, but still stylish. Because I love it so much, I’m offering The Skinny Confidential readers free shipping by going to www.miabrazilia.com and typing in “carrie” at checkout. I love supporting local businesses especially when I LOVE the product, and this is definitely one of my absolute new favs.

2.} When I’m not in my workout clothes, I love getting all dressed up, especially for date nights. One of my favorite places to shop is Van De Vort in Del Mar; I know I can always find a cute outfit there, no matter the occasion.

3.} Another one of my favorite places to shop is a little store in Del Mar, called J’Adore. From clothing, to kids toys/clothing/books, to home décor, they really have it all; a one stop shop. I am definitely a fan. Whether you’re looking for a one of a kind baby gift, or just shopping for something cute for yourself, J’Adore is a place to check out!

4.} Another favorite is UGG Boots. I cannot live without them. My kids love them too!

5.} Nike shoes. I have to say, I can never have enough bright, fun, stylish pairs of Nike kicks.

+ To follow Carrie on Instagram, click here.

++ photo cred