Meal Plan #5!

I sort of fell off the wagon on planning my meals which meals I sort of fell of the wagon on eating well.  So I decided to plan again for this week!  Easy! Only took a couple of hours.

Meal 1:

Shakeology with fruit.  My favorite is vegan chocolate with 1/2 banana, ice, Peanut butter, almond or cashew milk. OR vegan tropical strawberry with 1/2 banana, OJ, almond milk/water, Ice.

Meal 2:

2 turkey sausage links, side of fruit.  Variety is best. I washed up all my fruit and divided it all out.  Plenty left for the kids for the week.  I am doing cherries, apples, peaches, mixed berries.

Meal 3:

Grilled Chicken with steamed veggies and brown rice/quinoa mix.  Grilled all my chicken today with 2 pieces left for the kids.  See recipe here

Meal 4:

Red, White and Blue Salad with Poppy Seed dressing.  See recipe here

Meal 5:

I haven't made these yet so I don't have any pictures (stay tuned later this week) but I do have my ingredients that you can see in the picture.  My guess is we will have enough to have left overs, having each meal twice through the week.

Monday: One Pot Taco Casserole (recipe below) - 1 cup is approx 320 calories
Tuesday: Slower Cooker Egg Casserole (recipe below) - 1 cup is approx 340 calories
Wednesday: One Pot Taco Casserole
Thursday: Slower Cooker Egg Casserole

One-Pot Taco Casserole (adapted from my fitness pal)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 1 (15 ounce) can of corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 3/4 cups cooked) (I made my own from a big bag of dry beans)
• 1.5 cups restaurant-style salsa, I use my own homemade salsa
• 1/2 large onion
• 1 tablespoons taco seasoning (I make my own see here)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. In a large bowl, mix together ground meat, diced onion, and salsa. Then, season with taco seasoning, salt, and pepper.
3. Place mixture into a large casserole dish. Then, pour on a can of black beans and corn.
4. Bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes. Use a large spoon to remove and grease that has come to the top. Sprinkle on cheese, place back in the oven for about 30 more minutes. Remove any more grease that has come to the top.
5. Serve with hard shell tacos, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and avocado.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 8 | Serving Size: 1 cup

Per serving: Calories: 316; Total Fat: 12g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 94mg; Sodium: 734mg; Total Carbohydrate: 25g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugars: 5g; Protein: 28g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 333mg; Vitamin A: 9%; Vitamin C: 9%; Calcium: 11%; Iron: 15%

Slow Cooker Egg & Hashbrown Casserole 

Ingredients

• 20 ounce bag frozen, shredded hash browns 
• 8 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped (I used a pound of pork sausage we got locally)
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 green onions, sliced thin
• 12 eggs (I buy local eggs)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Cooking oil (to lightly coat slow cooker)

Directions

Lightly grease your slow cooker with cooking oil. Layer half of the hash browns into the bottom and top with half the bacon, half the cheese, and one-third of the green onions. Set aside some bacon and green onion for garnish and then repeat with a second layer of hash brown, bacon, cheese and onion.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and slowly pour over top. Cook until eggs are set, approximately 2-3 hours on high, or 4-5 hours on low. Sprinkle remaining bacon and onions on top and serve immediately, with or without hot sauce.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 8 |  Serving Size: approx. 6 ounces (approx. 1 cup)

Per serving: Calories: 342; Total Fat: 22g; Saturated Fat: 10g; Monounsaturated Fat: 8g; Cholesterol: 357mg; Sodium: 648mg; Carbohydrate: 14g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 2g; Protein 21g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 472mg; Iron: 12%; Vitamin A: 21%; Vitamin C: 14%; Calcium: 27% 

Red, White and Blue Salad

This is my favorite salad right now!  So easy to put together and doesn't feel like I am eating a salad!

Fit Tip Friday - Road trip snacks

We travel all summer long and its key to have a ton of healthy snacks to keep us from stopping and getting unhealthy ones.  Here are some of my favorite go to on the road snacks:

1) Fruit - blueberries, grapes, or apple are best for the road.  They are easy and not messy!
2) Nut butter and jelly sandwich - doesn't need to be refrigerated to taste good and keeps you full with the protein of any kind of nut butter and Ezekiel bread.
3) Nuts or seeds - cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds.  Give you the saltiness of chips and keeps you full.
4) Shakeology packets - dump in a shaker cup with water!  Not as good as having a blender and some special ingredients to add but gets the job done.
5) Eggs - hard boiled are easy to take on the road - make sure you peel them before you leave!
6) Carrots and hummus
7) Homemade energy bars or energy balls - (click for recipe).  These don't have bunch of fillers and you know exactly what goes into them because you made them!
8) Veggies - Any veggies are easy to take as long as you wash and cut them and bag the before you hit the road.
9) Roasted Chick peas - see recipe here
10) Baked Chips or Popcorn - not the best option on the list but better than regular chips!

Thirsty Thursday - Mixed Berry Popsicles

Summer is approaching!  These are great on a hot day!  My kids love them!

Shakeology Spotlight: Blueberries

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Tiffany. She lost 56 pounds and 60 inches with Piyo

After suffering a trauma in her life, Tiffany G. started gaining weight and couldn’t do anything to lose it and keep it off. She found PiYo and after two rounds has lost 56 pounds and 60 inches! Read on to hear her story in her own words:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/transformation-tuesday-tiffany-lost-56-pounds-with-piyo

Meal Idea Monday - Homemade Snack Protein Bars

Homemade Snack Protein Bars



Ingredients*:
1 cup pitted whole dates or prunes for the base
1 cup dried fruit
1 cup nuts and seeds
2 scoops Shakeology (optional)
Optional flair 
 *see options below

Preparation:

Combine equal parts dates or prunes, dried fruits, nuts, and seeds in the bowl of a food processor.

Process for 1 to 2 minutes. Check to make sure all ingredients are breaking down into smaller pieces; scrape sides of bowl as needed. Process 2 to 3 minutes more until ingredients form tiny crumbs that come together into a loose ball.

Turn out the mixture onto a square of cellophane (or an 8" x 8" baking dish). Press into a flat disc.

Cover tightly and refrigerate one hour.

Cut into 12 bars. Store in the refrigerator.

Choose one or more from each:
 1 CUP BINDING FRUIT (these will give your bars the best texture)
    Dates
    Prunes 

 1 CUP DRIED FRUIT
    Dried apricots
    Dried figs
    Raisins
    Dried cranberries
    Dried blueberries
    Dried cherries

1 CUP RAW NUTS OR RAW SEEDS
    Flaxseeds
    Chia seeds
    Pepitas
    Sunflower seeds
    Almonds
    Walnuts
    Peanuts
    Cashews
    Sesame seeds
    Coconut

OPTIONAL 
    1/2 tsp. rum extract
    1/2 tsp. cinnamon
    1 Tbsp. honey
    1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
    1–2 oz. dark chocolate chips
    2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Fit Tip Friday - How to do lunges safely

This week's fit tip comes from me personally in my very own sweaty video!  I did this video quick right after my HIIT workout! Don't judge.

Thirsty Thursday: Salted Cashew Delight

This is my new favorite Shakeology recipe!

Shakeology Spotlight: Vitamin C

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Magnolia

Meet Magnolia T. She lost 13 lbs with FOCUS T25. She entered her results into The Beachbody Challenge®, and won the $500 Daily Prize for April 30th!

Read the rest of her story here: http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/strong-enough-bear-children-get-back-business

Monday Meal Idea - Poached eggs and fruit

I eat eggs almost every single day.  What I love about them is that you can eat them for any meal.  We have them for dinner a lot!  But I eat one to two eggs almost every day for my mid morning snack/lunch with a side of fruit.  Poached eggs are very good for you.  You should cook your yolks lightly or even raw because high heat kills off the nutrients.  I love putting my poached egg over a piece of toast and top it with feta...Yum!  So my meal Monday today EGGS.  Try a new way to eat them.

Fit Tip Friday - 9 Kitchen Organization Tips

How you set up your kitchen—from décor to utensils to where you keep treats—can make a substantial difference when it comes to losing weight. There’s a reason Google “strategically designed” their campus cafeteria using behavioral economics to “make it easy for people to make healthy choices.”
You don’t need an entire kitchen overhaul to make a difference. Many revamps take just a minute. Here are 9 simple ways to start:

1. Make It Easy to Reach for Healthy Foods - We tend to eat more of what’s staring us in the face—and a container of candy on your counter will just wear down your willpower until you give in and wolf down a handful. Make healthy snacks like nuts, pre-cut veggies, fruit, and Greek yogurt easy to grab when you’re hungry.
2. Hide the Junk Food - If you must keep treats in the house, stash them where you don’t see them all the time. Chocolate candies can go in the freezer, for example, and place other candies or unhealthy foods on hard-to-reach shelves.
3. Stock Your Spice Rack - Spices and herbs are bursting with flavor. That’s why research shows getting creative in the kitchen and adding them to foods (cumin on your carrots, red pepper flakes on Brussels sprouts) can help replace some fat in your cooking—without you even realizing it’s missing.
4. Buy Bigger Flatware and Smaller Plates - Sounds strange, but a study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that using a big fork may help you eat less, possibly because larger bites provide a visual cue that you’re making progress on your plate (and are getting full). Couple that with a smaller plate and you’ll find that your brain might trick you into feeling full faster on less.
5. Get Rid of the TV - This one isn’t so much about cooking, but rather keeping the TV in your kitchen. Watching TV and eating is a recipe for mindlessly inhaling allthechips…especially if you’re watching action shows. Time to remove the idiot box from the dining room.
6. Keep Cookbooks Visible - One of the secrets of slim people is that they cook at home often, says a study from Johns Hopkins University. It’s the best way to control what goes into your food, and it allows you avoid those massive restaurant portions. To encourage the habit, don’t keep your cookbooks hidden in a pantry. Display them on your counter as a reminder to try a new recipe tonight. Not a fan of physical books? Try using Pinterest as a way of visually organizing your recipes.
7. Decorate With Red - The crimson color is associated with danger—and acts like a mental stop sign for eating. One study found that people ate nearly 50% fewer chocolate chips when they were served on a red plate compared to a blue or white one. Stock up on red plates, but also consider adding flashes of red to your kitchen décor, like a set of red dish towels.
8. Downsize Glasses - It may be funny to own wine glasses that can nearly hold an entire bottle of wine, but your waistline doesn’t think so. One Cornell University study found that wider glasses provoke oenophiles to pour 12% more alcohol into their glass. Do as the Italians do and pour wine in a 5-ounce juice glass.
9. Stay Organized - You have a pile of pots and pans that practically falls on you when you open the cupboard. Eliminate those you don’t need (particularly old, scratched non-stick pans) and keep the rest tidy. When healthy habits are made easier, we’re more likely to do them—and that includes keeping the tools we need for a nutritious meal organized.

Article from beachbody blog:  http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/nutrition/9-ways-to-organize-your-kitchen-for-weight-loss

Thirsty Thursday - Banana Honeymoon Shakeology Pie

Shakeology Spotlight: Chlorella

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Joshua! He GAINED 20lbs with Body Beast and won $500

Meet Joshua S. He gained 20 lbs  with Body Beast. He entered his results into The Beachbody Challenge®, and won the $500 Daily Prize for April 27th!

Read the rest of his story here:  http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/huge-gains-like-i-had-been-longing-for

Monday Meal Idea - Sweet Potato Chili

Ingredients:
1 T  of coconut oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 to cup of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup or more of diced/crushed tomatoes
1lb of ground beef or turkey (optional)
4 cups of sweet potatoes
2 cups or more of beef broth
1/2 tsp of sea salt
2 bay leaves
1 T of cumin
2 T of chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp of allspice
1/4 tsp of ginger
Optional: avocado spices, cilantro

Directions:

Combine all of your spices and salt into a small bowl and set aside

In a large soup pot melt your oil over medium heat and add your onions. Saute until they become translucent. Add in your meat and garlic and cook until meat is browned

Pour in your tomatoes and beef broth.  Add in your spices.  Stir to combine and simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

Add in your sweet potatoes and celery.  Stir and simmer for 40 minutes. 

Serve and top with avocado and cilantro.

Adapted from "It starts with food cookbook".

Fit Tip Friday: Office Abs!

Sometimes you’re sitting at work and have 5 minutes until your next meeting, or you’re waiting for a phone call, why not use that opportunity to get in a quick ab workout? Today Autumn is going to show you 5 CORE MOVES you can do at your desk using only your OFFICE CHAIR!

Check out the Beachbody blog for more! http://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/fitness/autumn-calabreses-quick-office-workout-sexy-abs

Thirsty Thursday - Agua Fresca Shakeology

Shakeology Spotlight: Astragalus

Shakeology Spotlight: Astragalus

Astragalus is a perennial herb.  It boosts your immune system and aids in treating diseases such as hepatitis and cancer.  It is anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and protects against stress.

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Jacqueline who lost 62 lbs with Body Beast an Piyo and has OVERCOME diabetes

Meet Jacqueline V. She lost 62 lbs with 2 rounds of Body Beast and 1.5 rounds of PiYo. She entered her results into The Beachbody Challenge®, and won the $500 Daily Prize for April 6th!

Read the rest of her story here:

http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/success-stories/i-no-longer-have-diabetes

Monday Meals! Get ready for Cinco De Mayo with homemade Guacamole

Whether you’re adding it to your baked potato, enjoying it with Mexican food, or eating it as a snack, get ready to love this guacamole.

Total Time: 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 10 servings, ¼ cup each

Ingredients:
4 ripe medium avocados, peeled, seeds removed, mashed
1 medium tomato, seeds removed, finely chopped
½ sweet white onion, finely chopped
2 medium chiles (like jalapeno, Serrano, or Anaheim), seeds and veins removed, finely chopped (optional)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
½ tsp. ground cumin
Sea salt and ground white pepper (to taste; optional)
Hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco) (to taste; optional)

Preparation:
1. Combine avocados, tomato, onion, chiles (if desired), cilantro, lime juice, and cumin in a large bowl; mix well. Mixture may be slightly chunky.
2. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce if desired.
3. Serve with fresh carrots sticks, jicama sticks, or baked tortilla chips

See more healthy Cinco De Mayo recipes on the Beachbody blog: http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/nutrition/five-healthy-cinco-de-mayo-snacks?ICID=CT_BLOG_CINCO_DE_MAYO

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2lbs beef stew meat, cut in cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium tomatoes
1 cup of beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups of squash
1/4 cup of parsley

Heat oil, add beef.  Cook 5 minutes until no longer pink. Add veggies, cook 5 more minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, salt, pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce and cook for 40 minutes, covered. Add squash, cook additional 8 minutes. Remove bay leaf, sprinkle with parsley.

I made a double batch and it made enough for 5 lunches :)