Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

This weekend Riley and I played with one of our favorite recipes to make our first batch of pumpkin muffins this fall.  We love how they turned out!!

 - 1 cup pumpkin puree
 - 2 large eggs
 - 1 cup plain greek yogurt
 - 2 cups oats
 - 3 T honey
 - 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
 - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
 - 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
 - 1 tsp nutmeg
 - 1/8 tsp ground cloves
 - 1/8 tsp salt
 - 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease muffin tin, or line with lightly greased muffin liners.

Place all ingredients except for chocolate chips in blender.  Blend on high for several minutes, until oats have broken down.  Once batter is blended well, stir in chocolate chips by hand.  Fill muffin cups with batter.  Bake about 15 minutes, until tops are set and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool muffins on wire rack.

Burrito Bowl

New recipe this week for lunch - Chicken Burrito Bowls!!  I have a new accountability group starting today, so we wanted at least one new recipe for the week.  This one was great, so happy to have another to add to our rotation!  One of the great benefits to running the accountability groups is that they push me to not only focus on my workouts, but I end up looking for new recipes for challengers and find great ideas for our meals too!

Here's our recipe:

shredded chicken (see recipe below)
black beans (canned, rinsed and drained, or crock pot recipe here)
brown rice - cooked according to package instructions
shredded romaine lettuce
salsa - store bought or recipe below
cilantro, chopped
green onion, diced
grape tomato, halved
greek yogurt (optional)
avocado (optional)


Shredded Chicken in Crock Pot
4 chicken breasts
2 limes
cumin
garlic powder
salt
pepper
 -  Place 4 chicken breasts in crock pot.  Squeeze juice of two limes over chicken.  Sprinkle with cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Cook on low for 4 - 5 hours.  Shred chicken in crock pot.

Salsa
2 cans rotel with lime and green chiles
2 cans fire roasted tomato, salsa style
1/2 jalapeno
1/3 bunch of cilantro
1 tsp garlic salt
 - Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Makes a large batch of salsa, so either half the recipe or plan to use in another recipe for the week.  We love using the salsa as salad dressing!

Place almost a full green container of shredded romaine in a bowl, top with 1 red container of chicken, 1 yellow of rice/beans, add other toppings as desired (salsa, cilantro, green onion, grape tomato, greek yogurt, avocado).  Be sure to count your avocado as your blue!  Enjoy!!

Asparagus Salad

We tried out an asparagus salad tonight, and it's going into our regular rotation!  This is a great side dish for all of your summer get together's and perfect for the Fourth!

Asparagus Salad

2 bunches of asparagus
bacon (I cooked about 12 slices, and used 1/2 a slice on my serving)
boiled eggs (I made 5 boiled eggs, and topped my serving with 1/2 of one)
one pint of grape tomatoes, halved
one yellow pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below)
sea salt, to taste

First step, cooking the bacon.  It's a personal preference, but I like my bacon crispy, especially in a salad like this one.  We buy the thick sliced bacon, and cook in the oven.  I put on a baking sheet lined with foil, and cook at 400 degrees.  I cook about 15 minutes, then flip, cooking about another 15 minutes.  Remove from sheet, place on plate lined with paper towel.

While the bacon is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add asparagus to boiling water, and boil 4 - 5 minutes.  Drain, and add asparagus to a bowl of ice water, letting it rest for about 20 seconds, then drain again.  While my water was boiling for the asparagus, I also put my eggs on to boil.

Chop asparagus and place in large mixing bowl.  Add all veggies, 1/3 cup of vinaigrette, sprinkle with sea salt, and mix.  Chill 30 minutes.  When serving, top with diced boiled egg and bacon pieces.

For the balsamic vinaigrette:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsmic vinegar
1 T diced red onion
1 T dijon mustard
1 T honey
1/4 tsp garlic
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Mix above ingredients in food processor or blender.

Fried plantains

We found a recipe years ago for pork carnitas, and the site included a recipe for fried plantains.  We had never made plantains at home, but they've become one of our favorites!  They are amazing with guacamole or as a base for a great mexican pizza, but are also good dusted with a little cinnamon and sea salt.  They are a little work, but totally worth the effort!

We look for plantains that are pretty green, and typically buy 4 for our family of 5.  Our girls love the fried plantains as much as we do, and they sneak them off the plate as I'm cooking!  The easy version - Peel the plantains, slice very thinly.  Heat coconut oil on medium high heat on the stove top.   The recipe we initially found called for more coconut oil than we prefer to use.  I start with about 2 T of oil, but I do usually need to add more oil as I'm cooking the plantains.  Cook on each side until lightly browned, a few minutes each side.  Remove from oil, sprinkle with sea salt.

My favorite way to cook them is a little more involved, but I really just love them this way!  Slice the plantains about 1.5 to 2 inches thick.  Place in preheated coconut oil.  Cook on each side until browned.  Remove from pan and place on flat surface.  Use the bottom of a glass to smash the plantain.  Once smashed, place back in pan and cook for a minute or two on each side again.  Remove from oil, sprinkle with sea salt.

Plantains count as a purple for 21 DF, so I usually skip my fruit on days we plan to eat plantains.  I also skip my tsp since you'll be cooking the plantains in coconut oil!

Hope your family loves them as much as we do :)

Paleo Coleslaw

DJ grilled ribs for Father's Day this weekend, and though ribs aren't exactly 21 day fix approved, we enjoy splurging sometimes!  We opted for a homemade coleslaw and baked asparagus as our sides to balance out our splurge.  We made the homemade mayo for the coleslaw, and I had to play around with it this time.  I added an egg yolk, as it just wasn't as thick as the last time.  We've read about adding bacon grease to the mayo as well, to give it a little flavor.  I did not go that route this time, as I thought it would be fine in the coleslaw as it was; however, if I was using the mayo on a sandwich, I might give it a shot!

Here's the recipe:

1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
1/2 head purple cabbage, chopped
2 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/3 cup chopped green onions (add more or less depending on how strong your onions are)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup homemade mayo
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp celery seed
3/4 tsp garlic powder

The hardest part of this recipe is chopping the cabbage!  It makes a pretty big mess - at least it did for me.  After chopping the cabbage, just mix all ingredients together, cover, and chill for about an hour. Enjoy!

Paleo Broccoli Salad

If you are looking for a side dish for your holiday cookout, give this broccoli salad a try!  We loved how this turned out with the paleo mayo!

2 heads broccoli, cut in small pieces
1 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
8 - 10 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1 1/4 cup paleo mayo
Salt and pepper to taste

Paleo mayo:
2 egg yolks
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

Place yolks, mustard, and salt in food processor and mix.  Begin adding a little bit of oil slowly, on low speed.  Continue adding oils slowly, and the mixture should begin to thicken.

The mayo is the only step of the recipe that requires any time.  The rest of the prep is just mixing the broccoli, grapes, bacon, green onion, mayo, salt, and pepper!

Crockpot Zucchini

Another super easy recipe!  We love crock pot recipes, and this one is an easy but great option!


2 lbs lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 yellow onion, diced
5 zucchini, diced
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in crock pot on low heat, cooking for 4 hours.  I love topping with greek yogurt and a little shredded cheddar cheese.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

We finally found a great breakfast sausage recipe this weekend!  As always, a few edits, and we loved the flavor!!  If you are looking for a healthier breakfast sausage, give this one a shot!

12 oz ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 1/2 tsp rosemary
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sage
1 dash sea salt
coconut oil (for greasing pan)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Grease pan with coconut oil, and heat pan on medium high.  Form small patties, and place in heated pan.  Cook until well done, about 4 minutes on each side.

We ate a slice of toasted ezekiel bread and two fried eggs with ours for breakfast both mornings this weekend!

21 Day Fix Approved Mexican Casserole

Excited to be back, and to share a few recipes this week!  As always, towards the end of tax season our schedules are just so hectic.  I've enjoyed the last two weekends of no work, and now I'm ready for summer!!

We made a great mexican spaghetti squash casserole this weekend.  Super easy too!  Here are the details:

1 spaghetti squash, prepared according to recipe here
5 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
2 cups black beans, canned and drained or cooked according to crock pot recipe
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes (do not drain)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
handful of chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except cheddar cheese, and fill a 9 by 13 casserole dish.  Bake 15-20 minutes.  Top with cheddar cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

We topped with greek yogurt and a slice of avocado, and the girls ate with sour cream and avocado.  Our oldest had two helpings, and probably would have eaten more!!

We counted the dish as 6 servings, and for 21 day fix, 1 serving equals approximately 1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue (cheese and avocado).

Hammer and Chisel/21 Day Fix Meal Plan

I've been swamped at work recently, so haven't had much time to share new recipes.  We do have several great recipes (a slider recipe that was incredible, and an awesome spice rub for chicken!!), I'll be sharing as soon as possible, but it may be a few more days.  In the meantime, I wanted to share another weekly meal plan we've used while doing H&C.

We just wrapped 60 days this week, and despite our nutrition not being on target 100%, still seeing results!  I lost another 1/4 inch in each of my thighs and waist, and I gained 1/4 inch in my arms!!  HUGE accomplishment for me!!  Finally seeing a little muscle in my arms, which is super exciting!  I'm starting over with Day one for now.  My work schedule is really picking up, so I think I'll stick with something familiar until after April 15th.  I have increased my weights, so I feel great about continuing.  The fact that there are 12 different workouts in this program keeps it interesting!

Enjoy the meal plan!

21 Day Fix Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Another great recipe added to our rotation!  We loved the enchiladas a couple of weeks ago, but as I mentioned, we don't always want a "yellow" for our dinner.  We were big fans of the green chile enchilada sauce, so wanted another recipe to incorporate that flavor.  This one's easy too, so a great one to add into your weekly meal rotation when you have another more difficult recipe!

6 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 spaghetti squash
1 large can green chile enchilada sauce
1 T onion powder
1/2 cup greek yogurt

Optional toppings:
greek yogurt
shredded cheddar
diced tomato
diced onion
cilantro


We always bake our spaghetti squash whole.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake whole for about an hour, or until squash softens.  Slice in half.  After the squash cools, scrape out insides, discarding seeds.

Mix all ingredients, and place in 9 by 13 baking dish.  Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes. We topped with greek yogurt, diced tomato, and diced onion.  Shredded cheddar and cilantro would be great toppings as well!

21 Day Fix Challengers, the 9 by 13 dish made 8 servings.  We counted 1 serving as 1 red, 1 green.  I added a side salad tonight as well.

Meal Planning

I typically plan our weekly meals on Wednesday and Thursday of each week.  I try to base some of our meals on items that are on sale each week to keep costs down.  We've found our grocery budget drops pretty significantly when we plan and stick to our menu.  Not only do we look for sale items, we try to incorporate one crock pot recipe, and mix recipes based on complexity.  No one wants to spend the entire weekend in the kitchen (believe me, there are recipes we've planned that left us that way - not again!!).  Once you've planned and executed a few weeks, you'll get the swing of it and find what works for you.

I'll be posting Weekly Meal Plans in the coming months, though may only post a few until after April 15th.  All meal plans are based on the 21 Day Fix/Hammer and Chisel Meal Plan.  The plan I'll post is for someone in the lowest calorie/container count.  My husband increases his container counts as needed with a serving of oatmeal and fruit, extra protein at dinner, a whey protein shake, etc.  If you have any questions, email me here!

Here's the first weekly meal plan, and sorry for the size of the picture!  Still new at figuring out some of the tricks to posting!  Believe me, the larger size here is a much better option than what I originally attempted to post - would have required a magnifying glass to read ;)

Family Approved 21 Day Fix Lasagna

Who doesn't love a good lasagna recipe?  We haven't made lasagna in a while because we really like to use ezekiel bread or sweet potatoes for our "yellows" (carbs) versus noodles.  We decided to try thinly sliced zucchini in place of noodles, and we all loved it!  When I put a serving on the girls plates, I made sure to cut the serving into small pieces; made the zucchini a little less noticeable.

Family Approved 21 Day Fix Lasagna

4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
28 oz crushed tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
2 T tomato paste
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1.5 lb ground beef
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
3 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup Ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan

Preheat oven to 425.

In a medium pot, saute garlic in a little olive oil.  Then add diced onion, red pepper, and mushrooms, cooking about 5 minutes.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and basil leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, brown ground beef, seasoning with salt, pepper, and oregano.  Drain beef and add to sauce.

Place Ricotta cheese and egg in food processor and pulse until smooth.

Spread thin layer of meat sauce on bottom of 9 by 13 baking dish.  Place a single layer of thinly sliced zucchini over sauce.  Note, I've seen recipes where you slice the zucchini lengthwise, however, we did not.  Spread Ricotta mixture over zucchini, then layer with meat sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella, then parmesan.   Repeat layers. Cover with foil, bake about 30 minutes.  

21 Day Fix Challengers - We cut the above into 8 servings and counted as 1.25 green, 1 red, 1 blue.

21 Day Fix Meatloaf

I've been through stages where I am not a big meat eater, so finding a meatloaf recipe I like was a little surprising!  We have found many amazing recipes on one of our favorite sites, paleomg.com, and her Bacon Chorizo Chipotle Smothered Meatloaf is one of our favorites (sometimes I prefer without the bacon)!  We wanted a recipe that would fit more closely into our current meal plan, so just modified the recipe.  If you are looking for a treat though, definitely check out her recipe - it's incredible!!

1.5 lb lean ground beef
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1/3 yellow onion, diced
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained well
1 cup diced mushrooms
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients in large bowl and mix.  Place in 9 by 13 baking dish.  Bake about 1 hour, until center is completely cooked.  Top with tomato sauce and bake another 5 - 10 minutes.

21 Day Fix Challengers - We counted the above, which was about 1/8th of the baking dish, as 1 red, 1/4 green, and 1/4 yellow.  I served with zucchini, mushroom, and tomato sauteed with about 1 tsp coconut oil, oregano, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Weekend Wrap - More 21 Day Fix Approved Recipes!

Fun weekend for us!  I did work on Saturday, of course, but we still managed to squeeze lots of fun into the weekend!

Saturday started off with our workouts.  I mentioned last week that I wouldn't put off my workouts until Saturday evenings through tax season, and I stuck to my decision this weekend.  I was really happy to get the workout over and out of the way!  One thing I've realized, most people aren't waking up to their alarms super excited and happy to be woken up each day.  Most of us would love to sleep in and stay snuggled in our beds.  But, knowing that with hard work come results, I've been able to keep pushing myself out of bed each morning!  I really am so happy with how I'm feeling with this program, and I really think I can keep working out according to the program through the end of tax season - I have to come back to this post on about April 5th or so to remind myself!!

Onto the recipes from the weekend!  Saturday night we made enchiladas - 21 day fix approved enchiladas!!  As usual, we found a few recipes we liked and modified to fit our plan.  Here's how the enchiladas went down:

5 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 bunch of fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 - 2 tsp olive oil
1 large can green chile enchilada sauce
1 large can red enchilada sauce
12 wheat tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
greek yogurt, as topping

Boil chicken until cooked thoroughly.  Shred chicken once cool.  Meanwhile, saute onions in olive oil until translucent, then add spinach and mushrooms and cook until spinach wilts.  Mix shredded chicken with spinach mixture.  We made 2 versions, one with green enchilada sauce and one with red enchilada sauce.  We split the chicken/spinach mixture in half, and added about 3/4 cup of green sauce to one, and about 3/4 cup red sauce to the other.

Preheat oven to 350.  Spread green enchilada sauce in the bottom of one glass 9 by 13 baking dish, and spread red enchilada sauce over the bottom of another glass 9 by 13 baking dish.  Measure 1 red container (3/4 cup) of chicken mixture and place in the center of wheat tortilla, roll, and place in baking dish.  Continue until you have placed 6 filled tortillas in each baking dish.  Pour remaining sauce over the top of enchiladas.  We measured about 1/2 a blue container of shredded cheese to top each enchilada.  Feel free to add cheese as you see fit!  Bake approximately 15 minutes.

We counted the below as 1.25 red (chicken and greek yogurt), 1.5 yellow (tortilla and black beans), 1.5 green (salad and spinach/onion/mushroom in enchiladas) .5 blue (cheese).  This meal is completely worth saving your yellows!!!

Sunday was Valentine's Day, so we had to indulge in a little dessert!  We bought dark chocolate chips and made chocolate covered pineapple and bananas.  We also love strawberries and grapes, but I think we all would choose pineapple as our favorite.  Unfortunately this wasn't the only dessert I had all weekend because peanut M&Ms showed up in our house!  I cannot resist peanut M&Ms, so I've had my fair share over the past 24 hours!  Good for me I've been mostly on track lately, so definitely still feel like we've followed our meal plan 80% of the time.

We have a few other great recipes coming this week, so be on the lookout for lasagna and meatloaf!!

Weekend Wrap - Sweet Potato Skins

Busy weekend here!  Between my first weekend working and lots of fun birthday parties for the girls, we had lots going on this weekend!  Saturday morning I was ready to get to the office and get my day started versus workout.  I told DJ I had to workout as soon as I got home, so making the verbal commitment helped; however, going forward I have got to get my workout in before I head into the office on the weekends.  I really did not want to workout when I got home.  I was tired, hungry, had a headache - a million reasons why I should've just skipped!!  I'm glad I pushed through and got the workout knocked out, but this coming weekend I'm working out first thing Saturday morning!

Luckily this weekend we had quite a bit of food frozen from the past several weeks.  We pulled out shredded chicken for chicken salad on Sunday, chili for dinner one night, and frozen meatballs and marinara sauce for another meal.  DJ also grilled a variety of chicken drummies, which we enjoyed for the Super Bowl and we froze enough for lunch several days next week.  It's great during tax season to have a few things already prepared, so we'll continue to cook extra when we cook new meals and throw half in the freezer.

We did try a new recipe this weekend - sweet potato skins!  We did regular potatoes for the girls, and the sweet potatoes for us.  Saved our yellow and blue for the day so they fit exactly into our meal plan!  Here's the recipe we used:

Sweet potato
Salt
Pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese
Green onion
Bacon
Plain greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake sweet potato until soft, about one hour, slice in half and let cool.  Once cooled, score with a knife, leaving about 1/4 inch of the potato along edge.  Scoop out insides and sit to the side, .  Drizzle inside of potato with olive oil.  Place sweet potato back into oven and bake about 10 minutes.  While sweet potato skin is baking, mash insides from potato and add salt and pepper to taste.  Once skin is baked, remove from oven and fill with mashed potato.  Top with shredded cheese, bake about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, top with diced green onion and chopped bacon.  Add greek yogurt.  We were really pleased with how these turned out, and will definitely make these again!

Day 30 Results!!

Day 30 RESULTS!!!

DJ:
Chest - stayed the same
L Arm - same
R Arm - same
Waist - lost 3/4 inch
Hips - lost 3 1/2 inches (HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE??? I measured, remeasured, and remeasured, mostly because I was ticked that he could lose that much in his hips in 30 days - ha!!!)
L thigh - up 1/2 inch - which he wants, unlike me and my thighs wink emoticon
R thigh - up 1 inch

Me:
Chest - down 1/4 inch
L Arm - 1/4 inch smaller - ?? Not what I'm wanting here, but DJ says it's b/c it's going to get leaner first
R Arm - same
Waist - lost 1 inch
Hips - lost 2 inches!!!! Huge victory for me!
L thigh - lost 1/2 inch
R thigh - lost 1/4 inch

We are thrilled with our results, y'all!!!  The 30 days has FLOWN by, and I am so excited to keep going!  I really cannot wait to see how our results are in another 30 days!!  If anyone is interested in joining us, email me here!!  I'm telling you, if we can do this, YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

21 Day Fix Meatballs and "Spaghetti"

We are about to take measurements for Day 30!!!  So excited to see how much progress we've made!  I'll report in with measurements to let you guys know how the program has worked for us.  I definitely feel better than I did a month ago, and increasing weights has been great for me.  I have been sore, but in a good way.  I'm glad to be feeling stronger, and looking forward to the next 30 days of the program!

The below recipe has been a hit this week!  Even the "picky" eater in the family chowed down on the meatballs, which was a pleasant sight!  These meatballs were easy and fast; finding a store bought marinara definitely helps because we didn't have any homemade sauce frozen.  Nice to just throw in a prepared jar!  We just added a few sauteed mushrooms on the side.  Enjoy!

21 Day Fix Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup ground carrots
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
Zucchini noodles or whole wheat pasta noodles
Marinara sauce (homemade or store bought with no added sugar)

Grease baking sheet with olive oil.  Mix together ground beef and next 5 ingredients, and form meatballs into size of golf balls.  Place onto greased baking sheet.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 - 12 minutes.  Serve meatballs over zucchini noodles or whole wheat pasta noodles, top with marinara sauce.

21 Day Fix Challengers - 3 meatballs equals 1 red, zucchini noodles mixed with marinara sauce equals 1 green (Note, if you do not find a marinara sauce that is no sugar added, you will need to count the sauce as a purple, not a green.  See video from Autumn explaining the difference.)

Marinara Sauce - Green or Purple?

Weekend Wrap - New Recipes!

Another busy weekend around here, but enjoyed the last free weekend before tax season gears up!  Much warmer weather, so it was nice to be able to get outside and let the kids play.

We are getting close to Day 30 of Hammer and Chisel now; hard to believe!! Hoping our results are good; we follow the meal plan pretty closely, however, I like to enjoy my wine on the weekends.  Plus, the chocolate chips from a couple of weekends ago have been calling my name - glad they are finally out of the house - ha!!  We will be reporting in measurements later this week!

We have been taking turns working out on Saturday, and we've managed to get our workouts done early in the day.  Otherwise, it's too easy to let the day get away from you and miss a workout!  Sunday is our rest day, so we spend a little time Sunday packing up lunches for the week, and then get to relax!

Here are a few new recipes from the weekend:

Flank Steak Roll Ups

2 1/2 lbs flank steak

Salt

Black Pepper 

Garlic Powder

Veggie filling:

2 zucchini

2 carrots

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1/2 yellow onion

Balsamic Glaze:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 cup beef broth

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp red wine

3 Tbsp Worcestershire

2 sprigs of rosemary

Start by prepping flank steak.  Pound with meat mallet to thin, and cut into about 2 inch wide strips.  Season meat with salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

Slice veggies into matchstick size pieces.  Saute veggies with 2 tsp olive oil, about 3 minutes.  Place a few veggies onto steak, wrap, and secure with toothpick.  Place steak rolls in baking dish.

Heat olive oil, then add beef broth, balsamic vinegar, red wine, worcestershire, and rosemary.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Discard rosemary sprigs.  Pour glaze over steak rolls.  

Bake in oven at 350 for about 20 minutes (depending on your preference for beef).  

21 Day Fix Challengers - This is one of those recipes that is not an exact measurement.  I am counting 3 roll ups as 1 red, 1 green, and 1 tsp!

21 Day Fix Approved Chicken Salad

5 chicken breasts

4 stalks celery, diced

3 green onions, chopped

3/4 cup greek yogurt

1 tsp parsley flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

Boil chicken breasts, let cool, then shred.  After shredded, add additional ingredients, stir!  I am eating the chicken salad for lunch this week with a side salad and sweet potato fries.

Glad we finally found a chicken salad recipe without mayo that we both like!

21 Day Fix Challengers - I measured the chicken salad into a red container for my serving size.  I am not strict on measurements of green, as long as they are close, so I don't really count the celery and green onion.  The above recipe made 7 servings, so between 7 servings a few stalks of celery and green onion doesn't amount to much of a green!!  

21 Day Fix Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats, cooked according to package directions

*Apples

*Cinnamon

Slice apple(s) in half.  Place in baking dish.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake on 400 until soft, approximately 15 minutes.  Dice apples when cool.  Add one apple to one serving of oatmeal.  I'm not a huge fan of cooked fruit, but this is actually really good!  You can also bake the apples and eat as a snack without the oatmeal, if you are using your yellows another way throughout the day.  

*My husband makes 5 servings at a time, and he uses 5 apples and 1 tsp of cinnamon.  

21 Day Fix Challengers - Measure one yellow container of oatmeal and combine with one apple for 1 yellow, 1 purple.  

21 Day Fix While Traveling/Eating Out

A lot of Challengers can get off track while traveling or eating out.  A few tips will help you stay on track and not completely undo all of your progress and hard work!!

1) Review menus ahead of time to plan meals the rest of your day.  If you know you are going to use a red, green, blue, and yellow at dinner, plan the rest of your day accordingly.  Pull up the menu online, and search for options that work for your day.    Most restaurants offer meals that fit within your plan, whether it's salad topped with chicken or salmon, burgers without a bun, grilled fish and veggies, omelette/scrambled eggs, etc.  If you don't see a meal that fits exactly into your meal plan, try to adjust (ie, order a burger and ask to leave off the bun, ask for dressing on the side or sub olive oil and vinegar for your dressing, request no cheese be added to a dish).  When you make a healthy decision ahead of time, it most often helps you stick with your decision once you arrive at the restaurant!

2) Drink lots of water during the day, as so many times thirst is disguised as hunger.  Water will also help give your body the energy you need while traveling!

3) Pack snacks that travel well or plan snacks that are easy to purchase while traveling.  Almonds, single serving packets of nut butters, apples, bananas, oranges, carrots, celery, ezekiel bread, popcorn, oatmeal (easy to add hot water in a hotel room, let it sit, and add raisins).  Most hotels will offer greek yogurt, fruit, hard boiled eggs, and a variety of other snacks that will fit within your meal plan.  Shakeology is another great option that travels well, and can just be mixed with water and ice for a quick meal or snack!

4) Plan your workouts.  If you are not taking your home DVD program, don't forget about Beachbody On Demand.  You can stream your favorite workout to your laptop and workout in your hotel room!  If you don't have BB On Demand, plan a hotel room workout or hit the fitness center!

Here is a great hotel room workout:

60 seconds of Jumping Jacks
15 Burpees
60 seconds of High Knees
20 Reverse Lunges, each leg
15 Push Ups
20 Squats
60 second plank
60 second wall sit
20 tricep dips
60 second break, repeat each exercise

And remember, it's all about progress, not perfection.  Don't be too hard on yourself, especially while traveling.  Just make the best choices from what's available and get back to your regular routine when you return home!

Hammer and Chisel Update and 21 Day Fix Tuscan Pork Chops

Wow!  I cannot believe we are at Day 20 of Hammer and Chisel!  The past several days I have been super sore, I'm guessing because I am finally increasing weight and trying to push myself more.  There have been a few days that I've been tempted to skip, but I've managed to workout every day according to the calendar.  I really do look forward to the workouts and enjoy them, even though they are tough.  But it's easy to let lack of sleep try to change my mind!  It's helpful knowing I'm reporting in to my Challenge Group each day, and that DJ is following the program as well.  Having a partner has always helped me stay accountable!  Here's hoping we can stay on track while my work schedule gets crazy!

We've had great meals the past few days, including the paleo chili I shared the other day, the taco bake, and the tuscan pork chops below.  Snacks have been my standard - peanut butter on toasted ezekiel bread (had the cinnamon raisin this week and it's YUMMY!) or sliced apples with peanut butter; scrambled eggs with spinach, tomato, onion and a little cheddar cheese or omelette; egg salad (2 boiled eggs, dijon mustard, dill) on toasted ezekiel bread.  I probably ought to spice up my snacks, but I really enjoy them!  DJ has enjoyed some of the same snacks, and also makes a great baked apple oatmeal recipe I'll share soon.  We are planning a few new recipes for next week, and will share once we've tested!

Tuscan Pork Chops

4 pork chops
4 tsp Olive Oil
5 cloves of garlic
2 15 oz cans diced tomato, drained
1 onion, diced
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp sage
1 tsp basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 2 tsp olive oil in pan, turning to medium heat.  When heated, sear pork chops for 2 minutes, each side.  Place pork chops in 9 by 13 baking dish.

Saute onion and garlic in remaining 2 tsp olive oil.  When onions are translucent, pour in tomatoes, and stir in seasonings.  Top pork chops with onion/tomato mixture.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

We served with seasoned baked okra, and it was delish!!

21 Day Fix Challengers:  The above was 1 red (we had bone in pork chops, so it looks much bigger than 1 red!), 1.5 green, 1 tsp.

21 Day Fix Approved Taco Bake

21 Day Fix Approved Taco Bake

Another success, and we weren't really sure how this one would turn out!  We really wanted something mexican, but didn't want to use tortillas.  We had half a spaghetti squash frozen, so again, just googled recipes until we were able to put together a recipe we thought would work for us.  We were really happy with the results, and will be adding the recipe to our regular rotation.

1 1/4 cups spaghetti squash (We used a small spaghetti squash, and 1 1/4 cups was about half)
1.5 lbs ground beef (We used 3 cups for the taco bake, and had just enough left over for the girls to make tacos)
homemade taco seasoning:
  1 Tbsp chili powder
  1 tsp salt
  1 tsp black pepper
  1 tsp oregano
  1 tsp thyme
  1 1/2 tsp cumin
  1/2 tsp paprika
  1/4 tsp garlic powder
  1/4 tsp onion powder
  1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup refried beans (canned or homemade as in previous post)
1 can green chiles, drained
chopped cilantro
1/2 yellow onion
Optional toppings:
  chopped lettuce
  shredded cheddar cheese
  greek yogurt
  salsa
  jalapenos

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Poke holes in spaghetti squash, place on baking sheet, and bake whole for 45 minutes, or until soft to touch.  Remove squash from oven, and let squash cool about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees for baking casserole.  Slice squash in half horizontally and scoop out seeds, then pulp.  Sit aside half pulp for taco bake.  The other half would be great with spaghetti sauce, or freeze for future use.  We've found it freezes very well!

While spaghetti squash is baking, brown ground beef.  Drain, add seasonings to beef, stir.  Sit beef aside, and grease 9 by 13 baking dish.  We used just a little olive oil.

Place spaghetti squash in a very thin layer in greased dish. Next, layer refried beans, and then layer with seasoned ground beef.  Sprinkle green chiles, cilantro, and yellow onion.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Below is a picture before baking.

21 Day Fix Challengers - The above made 6 servings, and we counted each serving as 3/4 red (ground beef and greek yogurt topping), 1.5 green (spaghetti squash, onion, chopped lettuce topping), 1/2 yellow (it's technically 1/3 yellow, but to keep things easy, I always err on the side of over counting yellows!), 1 blue (shredded cheddar cheese)

Tonight I was extra hungry, so I served the taco bake over lettuce and shredded cheese (just 1/2 a blue today), and topped with a spoonful of salsa and greek yogurt on the side.  Also added a few slices of cucumber and tomato.

Join a Challenge Group!

Are you looking for accountability and support to help you on your journey to better health and fitness?  Then a Challenge Group is the place for you!!

So, what is a Challenge Group?  A Challenge Group is made up of other people just like you!  People looking for a little help on their journey to better health and fitness that would love to receive encouragement and tips along the way.

What you'll receive:
 - A private community, with members all looking to grow fit together
 - Daily encouragement and support
 - Assistance determining a workout plan
 - Weekly meal plans and recipes
 - Tips on how to handle eating out and temptation
 - A lifestyle change, NOT a diet!

What you'll give:
 - Encouragement and support to others via daily check ins
 - Replace one meal a day with Shakeology
 - Make it a priority to workout according to your workout calendar

We take new members once a month, and all kick off our Day one together.  We'd love for you to join us next month!  Email me to join our team!

Weekend Wrap - Southwest Chicken Soup, Paleo Chili, and COOKIES!! Plus H&C Update!

It was COLD this weekend, so we were looking for a few recipes to warm us up.  We were also craving something sweet, but didn't want to fall completely off track.  Here are a few recipes we enjoyed:

Southwest Chicken Soup
We thawed out the broth from the Crockpot Southwestern Chicken today, and made a soup to warm us up this cold weekend!  Super easy and fast!  This recipe is an easy one to customize by adding whatever veggies you have on hand; the below worked for us, but you could also add diced tomato, broccoli, carrots, spinach, etc!

Leftover broth from Crockpot Southwest Chicken and equal parts water
5 chicken breasts
3 3/4 cups chopped zucchini
1/2 yellow onion
1 cup black beans (canned, drained, or from crock pot recipe)
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Add thawed broth, water, and chicken breast to large boiler.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low and cook about 2 hours.  Shred chicken in boiler.  Add zucchini, onion, black beans and seasoning.  Simmer for one to two hours (until veggies are cooked to your desired tenderness).

21 Day Fix Challengers - I measured almost a red full of chicken and put into a tupperware, then added broth and veggies.  I wanted to be sure I got pretty close to a full red serving, and then counted the zucchini and beans as 1/4 a green and 1/2 a yellow.

Paleo Chili
Another great recipe for the chilly weather is the below paleo chili recipe.  Promise you'll never miss the beans!!  We found this recipe at Laurafuentes.com.

Paleo Chili

21 Day Fix Challengers - I measured the above by filling one and a half red containers.  I'll be counting as one red, 3/4 a green.  It's an estimate, but when you are eating food that's good for you, I'm okay estimating my containers!  If I'm still hungry later, I'll snack on more green.

Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies were great!  Maybe a little too great, because I definitely ate more than I should have this weekend!  I'm glad we made them though, because with the threat of snow the end of last week, I was really wanting to bake cookies with the girls.  This way, we made cookies, but weren't completely off track.  I did let the girls indulge in the Oreos they wanted, and managed to stay away from them myself, so I say SUCCESS!!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies  (Note, we did not add the extra chocolate chips on top and DJ used a few walnuts, no peanuts.)

21 Day Fix Challengers - Again, it's an estimate, but I would count 2 cookies as 1/2 purple, 1 yellow, 1/2 blue, 1 tsp.  I think each of those are a little on the high side, but I like to estimate high to be safe!

Hammer and Chisel Update

We are into week 3 of Hammer and Chisel, and still really enjoying these workouts.  We have only repeated a couple of workouts so far, and I like how they switch trainers from day to day.  I am trying to push myself a little more and increase my weights.  I have virtually no upper body strength, so really trying to work on pushing through the upper body moves.  I like when Autumn reminds me, it's supposed to be hard!!  I can tell a difference in how my pants are fitting, but I can't really "see" the changes yet.  I know it takes a while to really "see" your body changing, but when you are working out hard, sure would be nice to "see" it sooner ;) Anxious to get to Day 30 and take measurements!!  Going to need to stay on track with nutrition this week and stay away from cookies, for sure - ha!

21 Day Fix Approved Stuffed Chicken

21 Day Fix Approved Stuffed Chicken

One of the recipes we've loved this week is a stuffed chicken recipe.  We saw several posted on line, and again, just modified to make it fit our meal plan.  DJ was the mastermind behind putting it all together, of course!

Here are the details:

5 large chicken breasts
Veggies for filling:
Spinach
Mushrooms
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Shredded Cheese (optional)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Butterfly each chicken breast.  Cover chicken with saran wrap and beat with mallet to thin out chicken.   Select 1/3 cup of veggies and fill each breast.  If using cheese, we suggest 1/2 blue container of shredded cheese (non 21 day fixers, a blue is 1/3 cup).  Close each breast using toothpicks to hold together.  Mix all seasoning together, and sprinkle over top of chicken.  Bake chicken on 350 for about 45 minutes.

We served the chicken with additional veggies.  Mix zucchini, squash, broccoli, and carrots; drizzle a little olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper; bake in oven on 400 to desired tenderness.

21 Day Fix Challengers - We used a little less than one breast as a serving, and counted 1 red, 1 green (1/3 for veggies, 2/3 for mixed veggies), and 1/2 blue for the breasts that contained cheese.

Why Shakeology?


Why I drink Shakeology:
I was a skeptic of Shakeology until last spring, when I joined my first Challenge Group.  I had read about Shakeology, and knew others that raved about it, but I wasn't convinced it was for me. The Challenge Pack allowed me to try Shakeology at a significant discount, purchase a new workout program, and gain access to a group of like minded individuals working towards the same goal.  

I started drinking Shakeology as a meal replacement in March, 2015 with my group, and following the 21 Day Fix Extreme.  I knew immediately that I loved the flavor of the chocolate shake, and actually felt full for several hours after drinking a shake for breakfast.  I also loved that I only needed to add water and ice to enjoy my shake, and it was one less meal I had to plan/prep.  As I progressed with the program and drinking shakes, I felt great!  I had completed several workout programs before, but by April 2015 I actually had the results I wanted from the combination of Shakeology and working out.

I knew I wanted to continue drinking Shakeology after my first 30 days, so I signed up to be a discount coach (for FREE - another perk of purchasing a Challenge Pack) in order to obtain the 25% discount.  I have continued drinking Shakeology, and I notice a huge difference in my eating habits when I am not drinking my daily shake.

What exactly is Shakeology?  

Shakeology is a superfood packed protein shake with a low calorie formula.  Shakeology is not utilized as just a weight loss shake, but as a supplement to ensure your body obtains all the daily nutrients for optimal health.

What's in Shakeology?

 - Shakeology contains over 70 high quality ingredients and 23 vitamins and minerals.
 - Shakeology contains a proprietary protein blend, including whey, quinoa, and brown rice.  The protein in Shakeology helps you build lean muscle, lose weight, and reduce cravings.
 - Shakeology includes digestive enzymes to improve overall digestion and increase nutrient absorption.
 - Shakeology contains super fruits and an antioxidant blend to boost the immune system, support the heart, and support optimal blood pressure.
 - Shakeology contains a veggie blend, including spinach, wheat grass, and barley grass, in order to detoxify the liver, kidneys, and blood.  

What flavors of Shakeology are available?

  - Chocolate (my favorite, and a bestseller)
  - Vanilla (another best seller)
  - Tropical Strawberry
  - Greenberry
  - Cafe Latte (released January 2015)
  - Vegan Chocolate
  - Vegan Tropical Strawberry


As a busy, full time working mom, I love including a fast, easy, HEALTHY breakfast in my daily routine!

Click to Order Shakeology Now!

Weekend Wrap - 21 Day Fix Turkey Roll Up

Weekend Wrap

Fun weekend here!  Great birthday party with all 3 girls Saturday morning, and then enjoyed a TOUGH H&C workout.  Spent some time Saturday meal prepping, after having grocery shopped on Thursday.  Enjoyed a really great lunch this weekend, picture below.  I used two slices of deli meat, and rolled chopped spinach, red onion, red bell pepper, and tomato inside with a little yellow mustard.  Threw in a serving of fruit, cheddar cheese, and a pickle, and it was great!

21 day fix challengers - I counted as 3/4 red, 1 green, 1 purple, 1/2 blue.

DJ also made a stuffed chicken over the weekend, and I'll share the recipe and pics later this week!

We went to dinner with friends Saturday night to celebrate several January birthdays.  I reviewed the menu ahead of time to scope it out and try to find a few meals that would at least somewhat fit with my meal plan.  Ended up with grilled salmon and asparagus, and it was delicious!  No counting containers for the wine and beer I enjoyed though!

It's easy to get off track on the weekends, but we are big believers in following the 80/20 rule.  Plan a cheat meal, and enjoy yourself!  And remember, today is a new day!!

21 Day Fix Approved Crock Pot Southwest Chicken

21 Day Fix Approved Crock pot Southwest Chicken

We tried a new recipe last night, and modified several recipes we have seen to come up with something that fits our eating plan.  It was easy, and turned out really good! Two of the girls ate it, but of course we had one that wouldn't try it.  Honestly, I was just too tired last night to push her, so made her a sandwich instead.  One thing I really liked was that the spinach and mushrooms were tiny from being chopped, and the girls didn't really notice either.

Recipe:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans 15 oz diced tomatoes
3 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cans black beans, rinsed
1 cup chopped spinach  (You could definitely add more spinach, and it would taste great, but I was trying to add just enough that the girls wouldn't turn up their noses at it!)
1 cup diced mushrooms
shredded cheddar, greek yogurt, and banana peppers for topping

Place chicken breasts in crock pot.
Pour chicken broth over chicken, add olive oil, tomatoes, and seasonings.
Cook on low for about 4 hours.
Remove chicken from crock pot after 4 hours.
Add black beans, spinach, and mushrooms to broth and cook an additional 30 minutes on low.
Once finished cooking, strain and save broth.
Shred cooled chicken, and add to bean/spinach/mushroom mixture.  I added a few tablespoons of the broth to the mixture as well, and froze the remaining broth for a future soup recipe.

Options:  The chicken is delicious with a little shredded cheddar, greek yogurt, and banana pepper on top.  We are eating with a salad this week, and the girls had with corn as a side.  You could also wrap in a wheat tortilla.

21 Day Fix Challengers  - I filled a red container with the chicken mixture, and count as 1 red (chicken and about 1 T greek yogurt), 1 yellow (black beans), 1/2 green (spinach, mushrooms and diced tomatoes), 1 blue (shredded cheddar cheese).

Hammer and Chisel - Week 1 Review

Wow!!  I am loving H&C!  The workouts are challenging, but doable.  I have had to modify several moves, but I'm always okay with modifications.  Gives me a goal to work towards!  My legs and booty have been ON FIRE during several workouts, and I am definitely sore; but I love the feeling that I'm accomplishing something, so being sore doesn't bother me.  Longest workout so far is about 45 minutes, and the others are about 30 minutes.  Definitely short enough that I can fit into my routine!  You do need weights and a resistance band with a door attachment or pull up bar.  We also have a bench, and I've enjoyed having the bench for many of the moves.  They do show ways to modify the moves without a bench as well, so not a requirement.

Loving the workouts definitely helps keep me motivated, but I won't lie, I've had two mornings that I was VERY tempted to stay in my cozy bed!!  I made myself workout anyway, despite having spent two nights with virtually no sleep from various kiddos waking me up throughout the night.  Unfortunately, I'm not one to fall asleep easy, so when they wake me up, I struggle to get back to sleep.  Once I'm awake for a couple of hours, that voice in my head telling me to skip my workout gets pretty convincing!  But, I tell myself that I know change is not going to come easy, and if you want change, you have to push yourself!  So I roll out of bed, groggy and tired, put on my clothes, grab a few drinks of cold water, and get started.  I have never regretting waking up to workout!!

Our nutrition has been on track for 7 days now, and we are both feeling great!  We got rid of all the junk leftover from the holidays, so we haven't had tempting foods in the house - helps so much when first getting started!  I do find when I drink my shakes regularly and workout, I begin to have fewer cravings.  Last year, when I joined my first Challenge group and began drinking shakes, was the first year I've come out of tax season having lost weight and feeling great.  Huge accomplishment!!  Working long hours, 6 to 7 days a week, and actually having the energy to workout was a big deal for me.  Staying on track with nutrition was even more of an accomplishment!!!  I'm looking to lead my own Challenge Groups throughout the months of February, March, and April, so if you want to join me, let me know!  I'll be sharing lots of easy recipes, because it's the only way we'll be able to prepare our food through tax season!!

A Family Favorite - Slow Cooker Refried Beans (100 Days of Real Food)

A question I receive from almost every Challenger in my group, "What do you feed your children?".  We've had some misses along our journey, and each girl goes through stages where she can be a little picky.  However, the Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans recipe from 100daysofrealfood.com is ALWAYS a hit!!  The girls love the beans in a wheat tortilla with a little cheddar cheese and sour cream, and many times they eat the beans without a tortilla (they are that good!!!).  We eat the beans topped with a little greek yogurt and cheddar cheese and serve with a side salad.  Top your salad with jalapeno and banana peppers and a tsp of salsa, and you are set!  This Saturday the hubby wanted a little protein with dinner as well, so he baked a whole chicken and we added chicken to the meal.

A couple of notes, the recipe makes a LOT of beans.  We typically freeze half of the recipe for future meals.  Also, we do sometimes omit the jalapeno.  We love the beans a little on the spicy side, but the girls usually prefer if we half the jalapeno or omit completely.  They are still delish without!  You can also throw the beans in a blender versus mashing by hand.  Makes for a great consistency!  And finally, we also make the recipe with black beans, which are a hit as well.

21 day fix Challengers - The above equals 3/4 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue, 1 1/2 green.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
• ½ fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• One big pinch of cumin
• 6 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping.
3. Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save the excess liquid to add back to the final product to get the optimal consistency (i.e. not too dry).
4. Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and voila! You have homemade refried beans.