Meatloaf this active Texas girl has got to have

This is a little recipe I whipped up for the family dinner last night . I prepared everything ahead of time for the hubs to put in the oven while I trained a client. It turned out quite excellent.

I recently purchased Flavor God's spices and they have saved me quite a bit of time and added so much flavor to my food. I'm ever so grateful for finding them on Instagram :)

The Ingredients:

2 lbs of Kolby Ground Beef
2 eggs
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 of a thinly sliced zuccini
1/2 white onion, diced
1 heaping TBS minced garlic
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1 heaping TBS of Flavor God's Everything Seasoning
1/4 tsp of cayenne

spray your pan (I used a glass dish) with cooking spray or grease up with a little olive oil

mix meat and veggies in a bowl with 2 eggs then add the seasonings and incorporate well

with your hands, mold the meat into a loaf and place in your pan

sprinkle the top with some more sea salt and Flavor God Everything Seasoning

bake in the oven on 375 for 45min or until meat is done (no longer pink and hot in the middle- use a meat thermometer)

if a lot of fat is in the bottom of your dish you may want to put your loaf on a rack in your pan to get it out of the excess fat.

Remember to buy organic fruits and vegetables when available and your meat and eggs should be grass fed, grain free- no corn

doesn't beef contain a lot of fat, and therefore will make me fat? umm, yes beef contains fat. NO! it will NOT make you fat. If you are eating more calories than required of ANYTHING you will gain weight. The body needs healthy fat every day. Healthy fat does not make you fat.

 if you make this dish, let me know in the comments below :)

I failed to take a picture of this dish- as the family was hovering around the kitchen waiting upon my arrival so that they could eat. I plan on taking a picture of the leftover and updating this post :)

hugs and kisses

Cauliflower to Rice

 1 head cauliflower- washed

1 TBSP Sesame oil or coconut oil (you can use olive oil)

Sea Salt

Pepper

White Onion

Garlic- minced (1-2 cloves)

Using a cheese grater or food processor with grater, grate cauliflower. (If using a good processor cut in chunks first)

In large pan or wok add oil and let heat up

Add garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent

Add grated cauliflower, season with sea salt and pepper. cook covered until softened. 

You can add any seasoning you like. I added an egg, broccoli and green onions with a little low sodium tsarmari. 

It's amazing how the texture is just like rice. My family didn't even know they were eating cauliflower. 😂

Eat Clean: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

I cannot take any credit for this recipe. I've been making for quite awhile now when I'm in a pinch- like today 😳

I got the idea from a young lady who I used to follow on Facebook. For the life of me, I cannot remember her name. When I do, I will mention her in this blog for proper credit 😇
 Ingredients🍎🍆🍒

Frozen chicken breasts

Jar of organic salsa

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low 6-8 hours.

This is great in corn tortilla's, in salad with fresh avocado or in a baked sweet potato. Delish! 😜

 

Eat Clean: Apples and Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

 

Simple. Clean. Yummy!

I like to make this on my food prep day. I will separate into individual  serving sizes so its grab and go! It makes the house smell so yummy!

1 C Steel Cut Oats

3 C unsweetened vanilla coconut or almond milk

1/4 C powdered stevia

3 organic gala or Fuji apples

I like to use the slow cooker bags for easy clean up. Be sure to spray slow cooker or bag with organic cooking spray.

Place all ingredients in coated slow cooker and stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. 

Turn your slow cooker on high to cook 4 hours. Be sure to stir often.

If you like a little sweeter, you can add a smidge of raw organic honey right before consuming. Top with walnuts. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Cubes

These are scrumptious! And can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, morning snack! Nom-nom!

What you will need:

Sweet potatoes with skin, cut into cubes 

TBSP coconut oil

Cinnamon

Per-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet and place cubed potatoes on parchment paper. Sprinkle with coconut oil and lots of cinnamon. 

Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Flip sweet tators and cook an additional 20 minutes. Enjoy!

 

Eating Clean Stir Fry

If you are in the mood for a little stir fry, this dish will for sure satisfy! Most asian cuisines are packed full of excess fats and starchy carbohydrates. This dish is clean, clean, clean, full off veggies, nutrients and quite tasty.

Ingredients:
1 TBSP olive or coconut oil
package of organic chicken, cut into cubes
1/2 white onion
garlic clove
broccoli
shredded cabbage
1 red bell peppers 
mushrooms (optional)
any other veggie you like in stir fry

Sauce:
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp raw honey
3 TBSP low sodium tamari or Bragg's amino
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add cubed chicken and cook until completely done- set aside. Add onions and garlic to the skillet or wok and cook until onions are translucent. Add raw veggies and cook for abut 2 minutes and then add the sauce. Continue cooking veggies in the sauce to the point where they are just turning bright in color- not too long, you don't want mushy veggies. Once veggies are finished cooking, add the chicken and mix all ingredients together.

For the sauce:
Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl

If you are in phase 1, you can add 1/4 cup of steamed brown rice with this dish.

Cauliflower fried rice recipe coming soon!

Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Buffalo chicken tenders are a big hit in my household. You can ad these to your salads, shred and put in corn tortilla's, or just have them with a side of greens. 
 
Ingredients:
organic chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into strips
1 Cup of Frank's Buffalo Sauce
1/4 Cup coconut oil (softened)
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Mix Frank's and coconut oil together. Season organic chicken with sea salt and ground pepper and then dip in your Frank's and coconut oil. Place on a cookie sheet (I line mine with parchment paper for easy clean up) and place in preheated oven until chicken is cooked through. 

Shrimp Taco's

Makes approx. 7 tacos

What you're gonna need:

1 bag of frozen shrimp, deveined - thawed and peeled
shredded red cabbage
1/2 C plain Greek yogurt
1 adobe from a can, chopped
1 lime
Mrs. Dash Spicy Seasoning
Sea Salt
1 TBSP Olive oil
corn tortillas

What you're gonna do:
mix Greek yogurt, adobe with a little adobe sauce from can and juice from 1/2 of the lime in a small bowl.

heat a large pan and then add olive oil.
Once the olive oil is hot, add your shrimp and season with sea salt and Mrs. Dash Spicy Seasoning.

when the shrimp is almost done, squeeze the other half of the lime over the shrimp.

Assemble your tacos by spreading adobe sauce on a corn tortilla then adding shrimp and last, cabbage. Serve with some fresh steamed vegetables and a side of black beans or brown rice.

Chili

Serving Size: 5-6, 1 Cup Servings

1 lb lean turkey or lean hamburger meat
2 cans diced tomatoes (I use fireroasted)
1 white onion, chopped
1, 4 oz can of diced green chilies or you can use 3 peppers of your choice.
1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1, 15 oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drianed
1, TBSP chili powder
1, TBSP white vinegar
2, TBSP yellow mustard
2, tsp cumin
1, tsp sea salt
1, TBSP garlic powder

In a large pot add meat and onions. Cook until meat is fully cooked.
Add remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer- approx. 20-30 min.

Feel free to spice it up! Spices are your friends!!!!

Banana Walnut Pancakes

1 Serving: Makes 3 Pancakes:

4 Egg Whites
1/2 ripe banana- SMASHED
1/4 C Oats
hand full of walnuts
sugar free syrup

mix all ingredients in a bowl- except for walnuts- with a fork. Pour some of the batter into a hot skillet sprayed with a little cooking spray. Place a few walnuts into the pancake while cooking. Flip pancake and cook on the other side. Repeat 2 more times to make a total of 3 pancakes.

Top with sugar free syrup.

You can also make these on a skillet.

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!

LetUsRap- Asian Lettuce Wraps

this is my man's absolute favorite :) It is quite tasty, if I must say so myself :)

Serves 4

What you will need for the wraps:
3-4, cooked chicken breasts (about 4 oz for each person)
1, head of butter leaf lettuce- thoroughly wash leaves  & carefully pat dry, trying not to damage leaves
1, bag each (or mixed) shredded red cabbage and shredded carrots ( you can buy already shredded bags or shred 2 carrots and about 1 cup of red cabbage)
1, small cucumber- diced
1, small red onion- diced
1/8 C Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp honey
pinch of salt
1, handful of peanuts

Wrap Instructions:
place rice wine vinegar, honey, cucumber, onion and pinch of salt in small bowl, mix and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Place your cooked chicken breast and peanuts in your food processor and shred away.

What you will need for the peanut sauce:
4, TBSP smooth peanut butter- If you use organic like I do, you may need to microwave for 10 sec)
4, TBSP low sodium Tamari ( you can use low sodium soy sauce)
1, clove minced garlic
pinch of red pepper flakes

Sauce Instructions:
mix all ingredients together in a small bowl until 'silky smooth'.

Serving Instructions:
place your shredded chicken in a medium bowl in the center of a tray then place cabbage & carrots, peanut sauce and cucumber/onion mixture in smaller bowls around the chicken. Don't forget your lettuce!

How to build the wrap:
take a leaf, fill it with a little of everything and drizzle with peanut sauce... roll (or fold in half)... eat... delicious!

I prepare a side of steamed brown rice or quinoa to add to the wraps too.

This meal is so delicious, simple to prepare and clean up :)

Healthy Lunch in a bad economy

Eating healthy can be expensive- that's a fact! Just compare organic and non-organic fruits and vegetables the next time you're at the grocery store. Or a bag of potato chips to a bag of apples. And how can you possibly make a healthy meal for your family for under the price of a Ten-Dollar pizza? Not to mention, the price of groceries is rising and will continue to do so if something doesn't drastically happen with our economy. I have much more to blog about this topic but will do so at a later date.

Today I want to tell you how you can have a healthy, quick lunch for under $4. It's pretty simple actually. Just follow the steps below:

Step One:  run to the nearest Jason's Deli (JD for short) and order their salad bar to go.

Step Two: pile your salad container as full as possible with lettuce and veggies. The more greens the better- spinach, broccoli. Don't forget your protein source- The Incredible edible EGG- you will want to get about 4-8 eggs. But, LEAVE THE PASTA, BREADS AND PUDDING ON THE SALAD BAR. 

As far as your dressing is concerned, if you don't make your own dressing put some balsalmic vinegar and a little olive oil in the small dressing container and spice it up with some sea salt and pepper. If you MUST have ranch or another dressing only put 2 scoops into your container.

If you would like, you can fill the medium sized container with fresh fruit from the salad bar- Be sure to LEAVE THE FRUIT SALAD ON THE SALAD BAR.

Step 3: when you get home place half of the contents that's in the salad, dressing and fruit containers into two of your own containers- glass, rubber made, tupperware even ziplock.

And there you have it! 2 Lunches or 1 lunch and a dinner for under $4.... you just can't hardly beat a deal like that :) In the morning on your way out the door for work, grab your containers put them in that cute little cooler and go :)