21 Day Fix Chicken Soup

Here we are in the middle of the winter, and the last thing I want to do is eat a cold salad for lunch!  Brrrr!!!!! And in the Midwest, we like our soup on a cold winter's day.  This is my way of getting soup for lunch, yet still making it 21 Day Fix Friendly!  Oh...and by the way, this is SUPER easy!

21 Day Fix Chicken Soup (4 servings = 1 green, 1 red per serving)
Ingredients:
12 cups low sodium chicken broth, organic if possible
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups of veggies of your choice (I like to use frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, onions, and celery)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or dried sage)
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper (or to your liking)

Directions: Bring chicken broth to boil in a large stockpot, reduce heat to a simmer, add diced chicken, cook about 5 minutes in simmering broth.  Add all of your veggies and seasonings and cook an additional 10 minutes or until veggies are tender (but not mushy or falling apart). Remove bay leaf.  Divide soup into 4 containers and refrigerate until ready to eat!

(Using store bought chicken broth helps give this more of a homemade soup flavor that seems like it took you hours to make, but you know that it didn't!)

Mom's Pancakes Made Healthier

I grew up eating these pancakes every single Sunday, and there was no other pancake in the world that could top this recipe in my eyes.  But I thought I should give it a healthier twist by at least making it with whole wheat flour and organic evaporated cane sugar. So, here it is!

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 egg

Preheat griddle to 350 degrees

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Create a well in the center of the mixed dry ingredients and then slowly add the milk in the center of that well while whisking it all together.  Add
the applesauce and egg, whisk ingredients completely together.

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto buttered griddle.  Flip after bubbles form all over on the top of the pancake.  Cook another 1 minute (check to make sure it's done)

This makes approximately 8-9 pancakes.  The recipe can easily be doubled. 

My favorite topping is taking 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries and warming them on low in a small saucepan with approximately 1-2 tablespoons of real maple syrup.  Top pancakes with this and enjoy!

Picnic Food

I always say that if you want to eat healthy when you're going somewhere, bring something healthy, especially to a picnic. Today my family and I were getting together with some old friends so of course I offered to bring a green salad (my good old stand by) and a black bean and corn salsa/salad. I say salsa/salad because it really can be both. I got the idea from my amazing friend Beka, then changed it up a bit to be more Mexican flavored, and got a few more ideas from this recipe from Rachael Ray. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/black-bean-and-corn-salad-recipe.html I have to give credit where credit is due, so thank you ladies!

Here's my variation on both of their recipes.

Black bean and corn salad
1 1/2 cups black beans made from dry beans or 1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 large heirloom tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, drain off any of the excess liquid. I put a plate over my bowl and just barely left enough of an opening over the side of the bowl to drain the extra liquid into the sink. Serve by itself or with tortilla strips or chips. If you're really ambitious you can bake your own healthier tortilla strips. Enjoy!



Now onto the salad! It couldn't be any easier. 

Spinach Salad
1 large container baby spinach
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
2 cups grape tomatoes

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon evaporated cane organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Put all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl. Pour all of the dressing ingredients into a mason jar, seal it, and shake away. Pour the dressing over the salad when you're ready to serve. Give it a little toss to coat all of the spinach and enjoy!

Completely optional for the spinach salad would be a few slices of cooked and crumbled uncured turkey bacon and two hard boiled eggs, sliced. Yummy!

    

3 Day Refresh...Easiest Cleanse EVER!!!

Here I am on day three! I made it! I survived! And the results are amazing! Drumroll please..............

3 POUNDS IN 3 DAYS!!!!!

Yes, I'm talking about the 3 Day Refresh. And let me tell you, it was the easiest "cleanse" I've ever done. I say "cleanse" because it really isn't a cleanse. It's a refresh, just like the program is called. I feel absolutely amazing after these past three days of clean eating and healthy, good for you nutrition.


So let me break it down for you. It's three days of eating whole,  healthy foods, plus three shakes a day and one fiber boost drink. The only issue I had was not drinking my morning coffee. It's amazing how not having just one cup of coffee can affect you! That being said, it was a good wake up call to make sure I am not getting too much caffeine because it does alter your body more than you really realize. Okay so here's the menu:

Breakfast: Shakeology with fruit. I had vegan chocolate Shakeology, which is amazing! I also had watermelon every morning because that's what's currently in season, and I had just bought a huge watermelon that week. And I am not one to waste good food!
Morning tea break: Green tea with stevia
Mid-morning snack: Fiber boost drink. It's lemony goodness in a glass. Yum!
Lunch: Veggies with hummus. Can I just say how much I love hummus?!?!? Vanilla Fresh - a creamy vanilla shake that I could seriously drink for all three meals. Fruit - strawberries and blueberries.
Afternoon snack: Spinach salad - baby spinach, grape tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Mrs. Dash's tomato basil and garlic seasoning.
Afternoon tea: Green tea (decaf) with stevia
Dinner: Vanilla Fresh - sometimes I added pure vanilla extract and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Yum!

I also had three different meals for dinner each night. The first night, I had veggie stir fry. It was flavored with fresh garlic and ginger...seriously delicious!

The second night I had a cucumber salad. We have an abundance of cucumbers coming from our garden right now, so this was as fresh as you can get. I went out and picked my cucumber that day! It also had red onion, grape tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil and fresh cilantro in it. All straight from the garden as well!

The third night I had a coconut steamed vegetable medley consisting of broccoli and carrots and coconut oil. I even added a little bit of pumpkin pie spice to play off the coconut oil. It was a good choice because then it was a slight reminder of the flavor you get with glazed carrots, but nothing unhealthy about these carrots at all!

Evening tea: I didn't have this every night, but last night I did. I drank an organic detox tea blend with dandelion root and licorice root. Surprisingly, it was pretty tasty. I'm not a huge fan of licorice root, but I actually liked this one.

The biggest part of my day really was committed to drinking PLENTY of water. And when I say plenty of water, I mean about 100 ounces of water per day. The recommendation from the program is to at least drink half of your body weight in water, but they suggest you even aim for an entire gallon. While I never reached the gallon mark, I did come pretty close each day. I've always been a good water drinker, but after completing the Refresh, I've come to realize the difference between hunger and thirst. My biggest problem is that I'm a huge snacker or grazer when it comes to food. But while doing this program, I had to make myself drink more water. At times I'd think I was hungry, but then I would drink a glass of water and feel completely satisfied until the next scheduled meal or snack. This was probably my biggest wake up call after completing the program. And I am so thankful for this realization.

So, why am I writing this all? Because I think this is probably the best program to meet a wide array of needs. If you're looking to jump start your weight loss, then this is the program for you! If you're looking to lose those last few pounds and keep them off, then this is the program for you! Or if you just want to get out of a slump or learn how to eat healthy foods and love them, then this is the program for you! Or if you're like me and just needed a wake up call to learn the difference between being hungry or just being thirsty, then this is the program for you! I promise you this.... I would not recommend the 3 Day Refresh if I didn't believe in it! The best part besides my little wake up call, is the weight stays off! There's no gaining it back because these past three days I've fueled my body, not starve it. As long as you keep eating healthfully, you'll continue to feel amazing! I love this!

Bun-less Portobello Mushroom Chicken Burger

Another great recipe created tonight! I was running a bunch of errands today, and got home and was STARVING! I'm so excited that I was able to come up with this gem of a recipe that doesn't take a lot of time. Here's what you need:

For the burgers:
1 lb ground chicken breast
4 portobello mushroom caps
Portobello mushroom stems, finely diced (I only used two of the stems)
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash's Southwest Chipotle seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
(Or add more of the above spices, to your desired taste)
Olive oil cooking spray

For the burger toppings:
1/2 red and 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
4 - 1/2 ounce slices Cabot reduced fat pepperjack cheese

For the avocado mayonnaise:
1/2 avocado
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
Juice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat your grill to medium high heat. Make sure to oil your grill well so the meat doesn't stick to it!

In a large bowl add your meat, finely diced mushroom stems, onion, garlic, and spices. Mix all ingredients together using your hands. Score the meat into four equal sections, then form each one into a patty. Spray both sides of your burgers lightly with olive oil cooking spray. I do this because ground chicken breast is such a lean meat, that it's more likely to stick to the grill.

Spray both sides of your mushroom caps with olive oil cooking spray and put burgers and mushrooms on the grill. Mine took about 6-7 minutes per side for both the mushrooms and burgers to be fully cooked. Top your burgers with cheese after flipping them over with about 2-3 minutes left on their grilling time on the second side.

While your burgers are cooking, grill the peppers or use a medium pan coated with olive oil cooking spray to cook up your bell peppers over medium heat. They should only take about 5 minutes to cook. Also, make your avocado mayonnaise.  In a small bowl, use the back of a fork to mash up your avocado. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, and garlic powder. Mix well.

To plate it all up: place a mushroom cap on each plate, top with a burger, evenly distribute the avocado mayonnaise and grilled bell peppers on each burger. Enjoy!!!

"Zpaghetti" and Meatballs - 21 Day Fix Approved!!!

I tried out a new recipe tonight and it was SO GOOD!!!!  Even my kiddos loved it. I call it "zpaghetti" and meatballs because instead of noodles, I used zucchini curls. Um....yum! So here's how it went down. I used organic ground chicken breast, fresh herbs, and homemade tomato sauce. And it was super easy. I cannot stand when a recipe takes more time to make it than it does for you to eat it, and I promise you this one was VERY easy. Okay so maybe I'm exaggerating a little about the time thing, but it really didn't take much time at all.

First off, I used FRESH herbs: basil and oregano. It made a world's difference! Mince up about 2 tablespoons each of both herbs, one garlic clove and 1/4 of a medium onion. Reserve 2 tablespoons of that mixture for your sauce, and put the rest in a large bowl with the ground chicken.

So for the meatballs...they started out like any other basic meatball recipe: ground meat, herb mixture, 1 egg white, 1/4 cup dry oatmeal (instead of bread crumbs), and some spices (1 teaspoon Mrs. dash's garlic and herb seasoning). Using my hands, I mixed up all of the ingredients, then scored the meat into four equal sections. Then I made four equal size meatballs from each section to make 16 total meatballs. I browned them on all sides in a large pan coated with olive oil cooking spray over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes total.

While the meatballs were browning, I used one small jar of homemade canned tomatoes (approximately 14 ounces). A 14.5 ounce can of  any kind of tomatoes would work well too. I put the entire jar of tomatoes into a medium sauce pan with the 2 tablespoons of reserved herb mixture and let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes  I have to admit though, I added a pinch of sugar to cut the acidity. But you can omit this if you want.

Then while the meatballs were cooking and the sauce was simmering, I sliced one small-medium zucchini length wise. Using a potato peeler, I peeled ribbons or curls of zucchini.

You end up with ribbons like the ones shown above.  I placed mine in a small bowl, covered them with a small plate and microwaved them for 20-30 seconds. You don't really need to cook them because they're so thin, but just heat them up a little bit.

Back to the meatballs we go! Once they're browned slightly on both sides and the sauce is done simmering, I poured the sauce into the pan of meatballs, covered it and simmered the meatballs in the sauce for an additional five minutes. Just enough so the meatballs were cooked all the way through, and the flavors had a chance to combine.

Then I took my zucchini, plated it and topped it with four meatballs, and a little bit of sauce. I also topped mine with about 1-2 tablespoons of reduced fat Italian cheese blend (Weight Watchers brand). I also served mine with a side of broccoli. This is definitely being added to the menu rotation in our house!

(If you like your spaghetti a little bit saucier, you can double your tomatoes and herb mixture. I really didn't want to drown the meatballs out with too much sauce. It's up to you and your personal preference though.)

21 Day Fix Servings:
Zucchini and broccoli along with 1-2 tablespoons of your sauce equal your green container
4-5 meatballs equal your red container
Italian blend cheese is your blue container ( I only used 1/2 of my blue container)

Best Chicken Taco Recipe....So Far

As most of you know, I seriously love Mexican food. I'm always trying new recipes. Tonight's was super yummy. I completely forgot to take pictures of it because it smelled so good, I couldn't even wait to eat it! You know it's good when my kids gobble it up too! Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground chicken breast
1/2 diced green bell pepper
1/2 of a small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder 
1/2 teaspoon coriander
8 low carb tortillas (60 calories each tortilla)
1 Avocado
2 teaspoons lime juice
Shredded lettuce (about 1-2 cups)
1 medium diced tomato
Cilantro (1 tablespoon chopped roughly per person)
2 diced green onions

Instructions:
Spray a large non-stick pan with olive oil cooking spray that has been preheated over medium heat. Add the green peppers, red onion, and 2 cloves of the garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the ground chicken and the black pepper, cumin, chili powder, and coriander. Break up the meat until it's cooked through. If it seems a little dry, add 1/4 cup of water as it's cooking. 

Mash the avocado up in a small bowl, add the last garlic clove, and the lime juice. Stir until combined.

Distribute the meat mixture evenly among the tortillas. Do the same with the avocado mixture. Top with lettuce, tomato, cilantro, and green onions. Enjoy!

Nutritional breakdown for 2 tacos per person:
364 calories
15 grams fat
18 grams dietary fiber

21 Day Fix Portions:
1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue