Food Week - Mini Menu

It's FRIDAY!!! 

As promised, here is a little menu for you to get an idea of some of the things I eat and when in a typical day. Recipes are on their way for the one you would like to see, so leave me a quick comment below so you can tell me which ones you're interested in..:) 

On the bottom of the chart you can see the typical times I eat each thing, I would prefer to eat dinner earlier, but Nick sometimes doesn't get home until later...the joys of commuting....Poor guy. 

-Prograde Nutrition

-Thinkthin bars

-Cheesey Salsa Eggs

-Protein Spinach Smoothie

-Chipotle Chicken

Hope this helps you all out a little bit! PLEASE let me know if you have questions on anything more specific because I know nutrition is a lot more complicated than this little bit of a menu. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!! 

Food Week - Dinner

Dinner is another hard one to fit in. Especially when using fresh, Organic ingredients, it can get a little overwhelming going to the store a couple times a week so the meat and veggies taste delicious and fresh. Trust me, I feel your pain. going to the store twice a week maybe is just one of those things that you're going to have to plan for and accept. I usually have one day where I get the majority of everything I need, then the second run to the store are usually things I forgot about or just need a little bit more veggies or fruits to get us through the following Monday. I am not a planner by any means, so a lot of times it's my own fault I have to go back, but when I plan properly, everything goes smoothly and the trip to the store is really quick because I know exactly what I'm getting.

Another joy that comes along with cooking fresh is it (usually) requires quite a bit of chopping and slicing. So a good tip is to try and chop up everything you need to, like peppers, onions, celery, lettuce, etc. all at once so for the rest of the week it's just a quick and easy throw into a stir-fry, salad, quesadilla, or sandwich. It's remarkable how much easier it makes the whole preparation!

One of my favorite and most versatile meals is my Chipotle Chicken meal. You prepare all the same ingredients, but you can use it for any kind of concoction--you can make it into a salad, while your other husband makes it into a burrito or fajitas, and your kids have it in a fun, easy-to-eat quesadilla. Lots of chopping, but so worth it for it's versatility and easy, tasty leftovers.

It tastes just as scrumptious as it looks pretty! I also just put a little bit of salsa and squeezed lime on top of my salad, it doesn’t even need dressing! You get a perfectly healthy and balanced meal without sacrificing one bit of flavor and yumminess!

Ingredients (all Organic):

2 chicken breasts

2 bell peppers

1/2 cup onion

1 cup brown rice

1 cup black beans

3-5 cups lettuce

2 TBSP olive oil

Mexican seasoning

Mango Salsa

limes (to taste)

cilantro (to taste)

Prep: Marinate Chicken by first applying olive oil to both sides of chicken breasts. then sprinkling mexican seasoning on both sides, a pretty ample amount so you get the flavor. let marinate as long as you can, at least 2 hours if possible. squeeze lime juice on when you put the chicken on the grill/skillet, this will keep more of the lime flavor on there. Cook brown rice, and when its just about done, squeeze in lime juice and throw in chopped cilantro to taste. chop and sauté peppers and onions in a little bit of olive oil. warm up black beans. 

Vacationing and Dropping

 just got back from a super fun long weekend in St. George/Las Vegas with my husband’s family. They have a house down there so that’s where we all stayed. The rest of his family got there the day before us, and when we walked in and saw all of the junk food, including some of our favorite indulgences, we were worried…

Does anyone let vacations become an excuse to not work out or eat healthy? I think the majority of people do. I know I use it as a reason to not feel too bad about having a treat or 2. And I feel like that is totally fine and healthy! Because if I’ve learned anything from my years of reaching toward fitness goals-it’s that deprivation is not your friend-it’s all about moderation and making a lifestyle change. By allowing exercise to be a part of your daily routine, more often than not, you’ll go for healthier foods and not stuff your face with all the junk food in sight. Hence the reason why it’s even more important to exercise while on vacation. Even if it’s just doing more active things all together so you still get that bonding time. Go for a hike, play tennis, go swimming, cliff jumping into a lake (you can burn some calories swimming to the shore and hiking back up). Exercise is not a sacrifice. It’s simply a way of life, just be more active.

Luckily, there was a Gold’s Gym down there so we got to go there everyday before starting our day’s activities. It’s not everyday you have a built-in babysitter, so we took advantage of it! One of the days, we went into Vegas and had lunch at Chipotle, which offers fabulous healthy options!

It’s important to realize you can eat out. When you walk into a food court, don’t go to a pizza or chinese joint that has nothing healthy to choose from-go to places like Subway, where you know you can get a well-rounded, healthier meal. Chipotle is not only fresh and clean meats and toppings, but it tastes just as yummy as it is good for you! I got a simple Chicken salad with black beans, corn, pico, fajita peppers, and their amazing Chipotle Vinaigrette dressing. TIP: Don't pour the dressing on your salads, just dip your fork into it as needed for bites. You'll be shocked how much less you use!!

Also, got back from this 4 day vaca and to find out, I actually dropped a pound while I was gone! Don't let vacationing put you in a "gimme a break" mode. You won't be happier.