Chicken, Broccoli & Cauliflower Casserole

This casserole is absolutely scrumptious! It's also easy to make.

What you will need:

Chicken Breasts cut into bite sized pieces
Head of Broccoli (thoroughly washed)
Head of Cauliflower (thoroughly washed)
Chicken Broth
Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1 White Onion, cut into strips
Minced Garlic
Mushrooms (optional)
Sea Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil


What to do:

Cut up broccoli and cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Try to keep the pieces about the same size. Place broccoli and cauliflower in a casserole dish and place in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet,  add chicken, salt and pepper to taste and cook until brown-ed.

Add chicken to your casserole dish with the broccoli and cauliflour.

Using the same skillet add a little more olive oil. Saute garlic and onions. Add garlic and onion mixture to your casserole dish. (I had to use red onions here because I was out of white onions- but white onions are better in this dish)

Now add to your skillet unsweetened coconut milk, stirring vigourously, then add your chicken broth. Salt and Pepper to taste. Use as much milk and broth as you would like- depending on how much gravy you prefer. Keep stirring and incorporate any chicken residue into the gravy. I probably use 1/2 cup of each.

Pour the gravy mixture over your casserole ingredients and mix ingredients together.

Top dish with mushrooms and place in your 425 oven for another 15 minutes.

You can steam some brown rice as a side dish or add it to the casserole mixture once removed from the oven. Serve hot and enjoy!

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This is my favorite dish on Thanksgiving. I was introduced to roasted brussels sprouts in my Clean Eating community. I have tweaked it to my liking a bit. It is fabulous. 

What you will need:

Fresh Brussels Sprouts
Olive Oil (about 2 TBSP)
Sea Salt (about 1 tsp)
Pepper (about 1 tsp)
1/4 C Walnuts

How to prepare your Brussels Sprouts:

Wash your brussels sprouts really good with either vinegar and water or I like to use Shaklee's Basic H
Trim the ends and peel any loose leaves from your sprouts
Cut sprouts in half- lengthwise
Spread sprouts on a baking sheet so that they are not overlapping each other (you can also use parchment paper for easy cleanup)
Drizzle just enough olive oil to coat the sprouts and walnuts
Generously add walnuts, salt and pepper 
Place in 400 pre-heated oven for approx. 25-30 minutes (I like them a little crunchy)

Serve in a beautiful holiday bowl. 

Wishing you and your family a Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving!

 

Half-Marathon Training- Week 5

It's Thanksgiving week... training will be scarce this week. If I can just get a couple of runs in and my cross-training, I think I can pick up where I left off next week.

Here is what week 5 will hopefully look like:

Mon: Cross-Training
Tues: Rest Day
Wed: Cross- Training
Turkey Day: Today one of my bff's and I are going to head out early and get our run in. We will do 15 min of "nice chat" jogging, 12 minutes of "hard to talk" running and and 3 minutes of "don't even think about talking to me" running. Followed by a 3-5 min cool-down (brisk walk)
Fri: Cross- Training
Sat: 7 Mile Long run
Sun: Rest and Food Prep Day!

Half Marathon Training: Week 4

Happy Sunday, to all of my running friends out there! I have next weeks training all planned out! And I have to say, I am really looking forward to this week. This week is an EASY week!!!

I, personally, had to make changes to last weeks training- just because of my crazy schedule. Today is Sunday and I haven't ran my long run yet. But, after church & an errand- I will crush 7!

Now on to WEEK 4!

don't be frightened.... it's a RELAXING week (as far as running is concerned, anyway):

Monday: Take it to the streets or a running trail
Casual 45 Minute Run

Tuesday: Cross Train/ Fit
 
Wednesday: Get some fresh air-take your run outside- change it up a bit and take different route
Casual 45 Minute Run

Thursday: Crossfit/ Train

Friday: Crossfit/ Train

Saturday: Long Run... of 5 Miles

Sunday: Day of Rest and Meal Prep!

Note: If you need to take an extra day of rest in the middle of the week- do so. Listen to your body- it has something to say :)

I have set a personal goal to really enjoy the scenery this week as I take my casual runs. Just take in the changes that the new season has to offer and enjoy the beautiful colors of the portrait that the Lord has hand painted. Enjoy!!

Week 3: Half Marathon Training

Okay, here is week 3. This is our last week on 1-minute interval training on Monday's. So, enjoy it while you can because we will be moving up to from here :)

Mon: 1 Minute Interval Training on Treadmill
0-5 warm-up (walk 3.5)
5-15 Light Jog (you should be able to carry on a conversation)
15-16 Sprint (you shouldn't be able to talk or even think about anything else)
16-17 Rest (jump off on the rails)
17-18 Sprint
18-19 Rest
19-20 Sprint
20-21 Rest

21-22 Sprint

22-23 Rest

23-27 Light Jog 

27-32 cool-down (walk 3.5)

Tues: Cross Training/ Crossfit

Wed: 10 min light jog.
15 Min run (where your voice is choppy)
3 minutes of hard to breath running.
Cool down for 3-5 min with walking.

Thurs: Crossfit/ Cross Training

Fri: Crossfit/Cross Training

Sat: Run 7 Miles at an easy Pace- I'm going to change up my playlist this week to help me get through the last few miles.

We got this!

Half Marathon Training: Week 1-2

Week 1 down! 15 more to go!!! Week 2 looks a lot like week 1, with the exception of Wednesday's workout and a mile increase for the long run on Saturday.

Week 2:

Monday: Treadmill Workout
0-5 warm-up (walk 3.5)
5-15 Light Jog (you should be able to carry on a conversation)
15-16 Sprint (you shouldn't be able to talk or even think about anything else)
16-17 Rest (jump off on the rails)
17-18 Sprint
18-19 Rest
19-20 Sprint
20-21 Rest

21-22 Sprint

22-23 Rest

23-27 Light Jog

27-32 cool-down (walk 3.5)

Tuesday: Crossfit (you can do any type of cross training- this is optional)

Wednesday: Jogging Trail
15 min light jog (you should be able to carry on a conversation, no problem)
12 min run (when you try to talk- it's quite choppy)
3 min all out run as hard as you can (you shouldn't be able to do anything but try to breath)
3-5 min cool down by brisk walking

Thursday: Crossfit/Cross training (I'm into crossfit these days so I will be doing crossfit on Cross Training days

Friday: Crossfit/Cross Training

Saturday: Take it to the streets
Long Run- 6 Miles (this is 1 mile longer than last week)

Sunday: Rest & Meal Prep
whoo-hoo! week 2 down! 14 more to go!

Post your progress below in the comments :)

I am 16 weeks out from running a half marathon. Today I have began training! Below is what week 1 looks like for me. I'm not posting my intensity because each individual should work at their own level of intensity- my sprint may be slower than your sprint- I don't want to hold you back :) Feel free to join me!
 
Week 1:
Monday: Treadmill Workout
0-5 warm-up (walk 3.5)
5-15 Light Jog (you should be able to carry on a conversation)
15-16 Sprint (you shouldn't be able to talk or even think about anything else)
16-17 Rest (jump off on the rails)
17-18 Sprint
18-19 Rest
19-20 Sprint
20-21 Rest
21-22 Sprint
22-23 Rest
23-27 Light Jog
27-32 cool-down (walk 3.5)

Tuesday: Crossfit (you can do any type of cross training- this is optional)

Wednesday: Jogging Trail
10 min light jog (you should be able to carry on a conversation)
15 min run (chop talk is the extent of your conversation)
10 min light jog

Thursday: Crossfit/Cross training (I'm into crossfit these days so I will be doing crossfit on Cross Training days

Friday: Crossfit/Cross Training

Saturday: Take it to the streets
Long Run- 5 Miles

Sunday: Rest & Meal Prep
whoo-hoo! week 1 down! 15 more to go!

Spaghetti Sauce with a WARNING!

WARNING! You will NOT want to open another store bought spaghetti sauce after making this easy, healthy and extremely delicious Spaghetti Sauce with a WARNING! 

What you're gonna need:

1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, chopped
Minced Garlic (to your liking)
2 Cans of fire roasted tomatoes (get organic if you can)
1/2 C Tomato Paste
1/4 C Red Wine- of your choice
1 TBSP Dried Oregano
5 Basil Leaves or 2 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper (or more if you like it HOT)

What your gonna do:

1. heat your olive oil in a sauce pan 
2. add your onions and garlic- stir constantly about 2 min
3.stir your tomatoes, paste, red wine, dried oregano, sea salt & crushed red pepper
4. turn heat down and place a lid on your sauce pan and simmer for a minimum of 20 min. The longer you simmer, the tastier!
5. add your basil at the last 5 minutes of simmering

This sauce is great with whole wheat spaghetti noodles or any whole wheat pasta. I also use this sauce for my chicken Parmesan (recipe coming soon). 

For a lower carb option (which is ideal for dinner), I steam 2 cups of broccoli in place of my noodles and add a chicken breast or lean ground turkey and top with "Spaghetti Sauce with a Warning!"

Remember to save a serving  for you lunch tomorrow! 

Eating Clean: Perfect Turkey Cakes (meatloaf)

I've finally done it! I've perfected the turkey ball! Well, they are really Turkey Meatloaf Muffins but you could use the same recipe to make balls and turkey ball just seems to be so much more fun to say :)

What you will need:

1lb lean ground turkey
2 egg whites
1/2 C quick cooking oats
1/2 of a fresh Zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped 
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp yellow dry mustard
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chipotle pepper spice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp garlic powder

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 375 & coat muffin tin lightly with olive oil or cooking spray. You can also use a loaf pan. 

In a large mixing bowl add all of the dry ingredients: oats, cumin, thyme, mustard, pepper, chipotle, salt & garlic and mix together using a spoon.

Next, add the ground turkey, egg whites, chopped onion & zucchini to the dry ingredients and mix together really good with your hands.

Fill your lightly greased muffin tin with the mixture and place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. When the muffins begin to brown they are ready.

These are so moist, delicious and of course, nutritious!