How Do You Prep?

Everyone has their own system, but I'm hoping if I share what works for me, maybe that will help some of you! I would like to start off by saying, I hadn't been grocery shopping in 3 weeks so I spent almost 2 hours shopping. Yikes, but I go to three different stores to find the best deals! Eating healthy DOES NOT have to be expensive; it just takes time and pre-planning. I always buy my bananas, avocados, bottles water, organic chicken, brown eggs, frozen salmon, and sweet potatoes at SAMs Club. This trip I also got strawberries, canteloupe, and organic salad mix. 

One of my favorite places to get CHEAP veggies, gluten free mixes, and canned goods is Aldi's. A misconception about Aldi's is that the food is expired, left-overs, etc...NOT true! Aldi's has their own distributor and is affiliated with Trader Joe's! 

Okay so now you've shopped and have all these bags on your counter. I WILL not put away my fruits and veggies until they are washed, cut, and put in their storage container. Preparation is so important so you have no excuse! I also boiled some eggs for my breakfast, got my frozen salmon out to thaw, and set out all my other meats for the week. 

I also recommend putting your fruits and veggies on the counter so you see it every day. If it's out of site, it's out of mind. 

A couple other ideas; I have a small bag I use to keep all my AdvoCare products handy so I don't forget to take anything. I get everything ready each night before bed. 

Lastly, I always pack a workout bag and set it by the door so I have no excuse to skip the gym! 

Transformation Tuesday

It's Transformation Tuesday so my goal is to get TWO people signed up to take the 24-Day Challenge! Here is an amazing success story: My dad finished the 24-Day Challenge, lost 12 pounds, and went down a size in his pants. He has maintained his weight loss and has more energy to ride his bike!! I'm so proud of him!!

I'm looking for TWO individuals who want to lead a healthy lifestyle! Check out my website:
https://www.advocare.com/140416482/

Gluten-Free and Paleo-ish Homemade Pizza

I was craving pizza and wanted something quick and easy! I found gluten-free pita crust at Hy-Vee and used veggies I had in the fridge. Here is my recipe but you can add other veggies or meat!

Ingredients:

1 pack of gluten-free pitas (or pizza crust)

1 tsp olive oil (for crust) 

Pizza sauce 

1 pound of ground turkey

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp basil

1 tomato

Handful of spinach

1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

 Preheat oven to the directions on pita package. Cook ground turkey in a skillet and add basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Add pizza sauce, spinach, sliced tomatoes, ground turkey, and then top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Paleo Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I took a recipe from the book, "Make Ahead Paleo" and made a few changes. This was super easy, delicious, and a great way to get rid of those brown bananas. 

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/3 cup arrowroot starch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

Wet Ingredients:
4 very ripe bananas - the browner the better!
4 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut milk

Add-In:
1 cup chocolate chips 

1.   Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, baking soda, cinnamon, and sea salt. 
3. In a large bowl, blend the bananas, eggs, vanilla extract, and coconut milk with a hand mixer until bananas are fully mashed. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl, and blend. 
5. Stir in the chocolate chips 
6. Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan with coconut spray/oil. Pour the batter into the greased pan. 
7. Bake the loaf for 55-60 minutes or until the center is set. 
8. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. 
9. Turn the loaf out of pan and onto the wire rack to cool. 
10. To store in the freezer, place small squares of wax paper between the slices. Place the slices in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. 

Roasted Beef and Veggies

Have you gotten to the end of the week realized you need to use up some veggies before they go bad?! This is a fool proof recipe that will help you roast those veggies before they expire and have a delicious dinner! I used brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and onions because that's what I had on hand, but sweet potatoes, broccoli or peppers would also be great. 

Ingredients:

1 bag of Brussels Sprouts - cleaned and halved

1 Butternut squash - diced

1 Yellow Onion - diced

1 package of Hillshire Farms All Beef Sausage

Generous covering of Salt & Pepper

2 Tablespoons Grapeseed Oil

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil (faster clean up). Clean and cut all veggies and meat. Add to baking sheet. Liberally add salt and pepper, and lastly oil. Bake for 35-45 minutes until veggies are tender.

Product of the Week: So Delicious Ice Cream

I came across this Dairy Free and Paleo friendly "ice cream" in the organic section of my grocery store. If you have an ice cream craving, this will definitely do the trick. Very yummy!

Easy Paleo Breakfast



Bacon and Egg Cups

Ingredients

6 slices of uncooked bacon

6-7 organic brown eggs

Coconut Oil

Salt and Pepper

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan by lining with coconut oil. Then wrap one slice of bacon per muffin circle, lining the edge. For 6 cups, whisk 6 -7 eggs, add salt and pepper to taste. Fill each muffin circle half way. Bake for 25-35 minutes.



Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

1/4 cup coconut flour

3 organic brown eggs

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted)

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice



 

In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Then whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl: eggs, coconut oil, and pumpkin puree. Slowly add the dry mix to the wet mix until the ingredients are well combined. Heat pan with coconut oil over medium-low heat. Makes 4 pancakes.

Make Ahead Chicken Meals

The past week I have been on a strict grocery budget and needing fresh ideas for fast dinners. This Sunday I made several breakfast and chicken make ahead meals with everything I had in my pantry!

This first recipe came from an Eating Well Magazine, but I modified with ingredients I had at home and it turned out delicious! It's a very unique taste, but it was the "something different" I needed to add to my dinner list.

African Sweet Potato and Chicken Stew

Ingredients

1 pound of organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts (diced)
2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
1 large onion, diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 28-ounce can of no salt added whole tomatoes
1/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons of lime juice, divided
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

 

Directions:

Cut chicken into bite-size piece and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate.

 

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the diced onion to the pan and cook until lightly browned. Add sweet potato, tomatoes and their juice, peanut butter, 1 tablespoon lime juice, cayenne pepper. and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the sweet potato is tender, 16-18 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and cook until heated through.

 

Optional: Make white or brown rice, and enjoy!



Oven Chicken Fajitas (Paleo)

Ingredients

1 pound of organic boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 packet of fajita seasoning mix
1 onion, diced (either fresh or frozen)
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of pepper
1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
 

 

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice peppers and onion and place in the bottom of your pan.Then add diced chicken. Next, add all your seasonings and toss with your hands for a generous coat. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

My mom used to make delicious stuffed peppers growing up. I decided to use the basis of her recipe but take out the traditional rice and Velveeta and add a few healthier options. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

 

3-4 Bell Peppers

1 lb ground turkey

1 avocado, diced

1 can diced tomatoes, cilantro flavor

1 small can tomato sauce

1/2 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (omit for paleo)

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese (omit for paleo)

1 clove of chopped garlic

2 tbsp of chili powder

2 tsp of paprika

1 tsp of cayenne

Dash of Tabasco

Salt and pepper to taste

 



 First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then boil your green peppers for about 5 minutes. While your peppers are boiling, cook your ground turkey.

Add the remainder of the ingredients, including beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic and all spices, Wait until the last minute to add the avocado and cheese.

Let simmer for 5 minutes, and then stuff your peppers. Place in a glass baking dish and cook for 20 minutes.

What Every Military Wife Wants You to Know

My husband’s been deployed for a little over 3 months and there have been a handful of things I have learned about myself, our relationship, and others. I don’t want this to be mistaken for bashing or sympathy, but to help others who know someone going through the same situation.

The day my husband left was the hardest day of my life. I had a very difficult day; I wanted to be selfish. I wanted him to hold my hand every minute before he left, sit next to me during the ceremony, and tell me he loved me over and over again. That may sound terrible to others, but that’s me being vulnerable and honest. I will never forget the first and last hug before he left. I remember like it was yesterday – each of his family members and my family gave him hugs first. Then he hugged his little boy and then he hugged me. The moment we wrapped our arms around each other was a very intimate moment…we wept together. Our little family of 3 walked down the hallway to the room where they all had to meet before his departure. He hugged his little boy, and then me and started to walk away. That was the moment when I realized I had to be strong not only for myself, but for my family.

 

We are not even halfway through my husband’s deployment, but I have already gathered a few things that are worth sharing to others. I know there are many others, but these stick out in my mind the most. If you are currently going through a deployment then you can understand where I’m coming from, or if you know someone who will go through this, maybe you can take a few things I say that will help you.

1)      The most common question: How long is his deployment? – So I say 10 months…this is the most common response I have received. “10 months that’s not long at all” or “really…that’s it?” I understand maybe some people feel awkward, but I would like to ask you a question, how would you like to be apart from your spouse for 10 months. I’m not looking for sympathy, but a simple “okay” would suffice.

2)      Another comment I have received a lot is people stating that my husband is not in the “front lines” so he’s not in any danger. I hate to be blunt, but every position overseas is considered a war zone. When someone says that to me, it makes me think they see no point in what my husband is doing. My husband chose his career because he is a self-less leader. Every day when he walks to work, spends 12 hours working on helicopters, and travels to other cities in the Middle East he is sacrificing his life in a war zone.

3)      Military wives and families don’t want your sympathy. I knew what I was getting myself into. We talked about his career when we had only been dating for a few months and I accepted that as part of my life. That doesn’t make it any easier when he is gone, but I don’t want people feeling sorry for me. I just ask for continued friendships, not special treatment.

To the other wives who will go through or have gone through a deployment, I want to say thank you. Although I know our husbands are protecting us from a far, I think a lot of people don’t appreciate the moms and families back at home. We have to keep things running normal, take care of the kids, tell our husbands we are fine (even if we aren’t), and add his chores to our list. I have chosen to use this as empowerment for myself. Before I met my husband, I lived alone and was very independent. The past 3 years, I have become very reliant on his skill set. He is my Mr. Fix-It…he fixes my car, mows the lawn, and he builds all my Pinterest projects. I have come to appreciate the things I took for granted while proving to myself that I can do the very same things he does.

Over the past 3 months I have cried, found new passions, been fearful of the unknown, and faithful. I have cried out in prayer asking for his safety, talked to my step-son about why daddy is gone, and found myself sleeping in my husband’s favorite shirt to feel safe. But most of all, I have found comfort in doing things that would make him proud. I have always felt that my “job” while he is away, is to be strong. If there is a problem, I will find a way to fix it and if I am sad, he won’t know. That’s not to lead him to think I don’t miss him, but I don’t want him worrying about me when he needs to be focused on his job and safety. So although I have a rollercoaster of emotions, I just ask that if you see me cry, keep walking. I’m not looking for sympathy, but it could be a sweet card he mailed me, or thinking about our favorite sushi restaurant that makes my eyes water. I have found coping by driving my husband’s pride and joy, his truck. I feel like we are together. So when I miss him more than usual, I crank up his favorite country song and just drive because I remember that moment when he left and we cried together. And then I have to smile because I can look forward to the day when he comes home and we are crying because we are both happy he is home.

Cajun Sausage and Black-Eyed Peas Skillet

 

This is one of those, the picture doesn't do it justice. But when I say easy, I mean EASY! This took me 20 minutes from start to finish and was full of delicious Cajun flavors!

 

Ingredients:

 

1 package of Polish Sausage

1 can of black eyed peas - drained and rinsed

1 bag of Bird's Eye frozen chopped peppers, onions, and jalapenos

(You can also buy fresh veggies and chop - this bag just made it much easier!)

Creole Seasoning, Salt and Pepper

 

 

 

In a large skillet, place your bag of frozen veggies on medium heat and cook until tender. If you get excess water in your pan, dump out before you add any other ingredients. While that is cooking, cut your polish sausage into bit size piece and then place in pan along with the rinsed black eye peas. Then add your seasonings to taste. I added about 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning to really give it flavor.

You can serve over brown rice or dirty rice if you wish. Makes enough for 4 generous servings.

 

Easy Crockpot Chicken and Dumpling Soup

I have been sick the past few weeks and there is nothing more "homey" than a nice bowl of chicken and dumpling's. This recipes makes between 4-6 servings so you have lots of left-overs for the week on those cold nights.

Ingredients:
1 box of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 cup of water
2 Chicken Breasts - thawed
1 Yellow Onion - diced
4 Stalks of Organic Celery
2 cups of Organic Carrots - chopped
1/2 can of Biscuits
2 Garlic Cloves
Salt and Pepper

First, season whole chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the bottom of your crockpot. Add chopped carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Then add your chicken stock and water. Place on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8 hours. With an hour remaining in time, take two forks and shred the chicken in the crockpot. Once the chicken is shredded, then open your can of biscuits and tear apart and place in crockpot with the rest of the soup. After the time has completed, your soup should look like this:

Dig in and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

The Perfect Egg - Two Ways

Eggs have gotten a bad name over the years for supposidly causing high cholesterol which in turn can increase your risk for heart disease. Well, I am not a doctor but I have been advised by several doctors and nutritionists that say eggs are GOOD for you! I'm not going to get into the "science" behind the great egg debate, but if you want more information, I would love to talk with you about it.

Since I have incorporate more eggs into my daily diet, I have been experimenting with how to "hard boil" the perfect egg and how to "poach" the perfect egg.

First, I always use Cage Free Brown Eggs - I think brown eggs have a cleaner taste.

The Poor Man's Poached Egg

I'm just like everyone else - I don't have time every morning to get out the skillet and scramble eggs. So I like to call this a "Poor Man's Poached Egg." I give all the credit to my 90-year old grandpa who introduced this technique to me. Keep in mind he grew up in the depression, so he was always reusing paper plates and finding creative ways to cook. All you need is a small glass peatree dish, paper towel, an egg, salt & pepper and microwave.

Crack one egg into your small glass peatree dish; add salt & pepper. Wet your paper towel - ring out excess water and cover over the dish. Place in microwave.  The trick is to microwave in small time increments - you don't want your egg to explode. The longer you microwave the firmer your yolk will be. I like mine over-medium so I start at :20-seconds, then :6-seconds at a time until I like the firmness. Total time of :35 seconds.

The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg

I ate all my eggs before I took a picture, but I will give a detailed description on how to make the perfect hard-boiled egg.

Start by filling your pan with enough water to cover your eggs. Gently place eggs in water filled pan BEFORE you turn on the burner. Once eggs are in the water, boil water. Once the water starts boiling, I turn my temperature down to medium-boil. Set timer for 11 minutes.

Once your eggs have boiled for 11 minutes, drain hot water and then run cold water over eggs for 10-minutes. Your goal is to stop the cooking process and get them cool enough to peel.

I have found that peeling the egg before they are competely cool, is MUCH easier. Even if I'm not going to eat all the eggs at one sitting, I peel every single egg. The yolk should be a beautiful light yellow color. (Hint: If yolk is green, you over-cooked it; if yolk is bright yellow, it's undercooked)

Store in fridge up to 3-4 days.

Veggie and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Healthy Veggie & Sausage Breakfast Casserole

 

Ingredients:

 

10-12 Cage Free Eggs

1 small tomato, diced

Fresh organic broccoli

Handful of Organic Spinach

1/4 Cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese

6 Turkey Sausage links, diced

 

This is such an easy and forgiving recipe. You could also add mushrooms, onions, and peppers or substitute the turkey sausage for bacon or ham. I just used what I had in my fridge.

 

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a 9X9 pan with cooking spray. Lightly whisk eggs in a small bowl; add salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to pan.

 

Then, steam your broccoli. I just put about 1/4 cups of water in a skillet on medium heat, added chopped broccoli and covered for 5-8 minutes. Once broccoli was tender, I added the spinach for about 2 minutes. Just enough to make it tender also. Since my turkey sausage is already cooked, I just threw it in a small skillet warm.

 

Add broccoli, spinach, turkey sausage, diced tomatoes, and sprinkle with cheese. (Omit cheese for strict Paleo diet)

 

 

Bake for 40 minutes and you have a health and yummy breakfast! If you want a little kick, add your favorite hot sauce - I use Frank's!

 

Happy Birthday Box

I've found that creativity is a must when your husband is 7,000 miles away. I decided to make a fun "Birthday Box" for Jason. I forgot to take a picture of all the goodies, but I had a cookie cake made that said "Happy Birthday Jason" along with a few of his favorite snacks.

Reality Check of Being Without Your Spouse

Before I start my "reality check" story, I want to preface the story by stating that I have always prided myself on being very independent. I have always been one to prove that I can make it on my own...a.k.a. stubborn. Ask my husband or my parents :)

As a lay in bed on day 4 of the flu, I feel like I had several "welcome to reality" moments this weekend. I won't get into details on my sickness, but I will say this has been the most difficult sickness I've had since...well, I can remember. The first two days were by far the worst in regards to having a fever and no strength. On Friday I had a breakdown - because I wasn't able to get my step-son and do all the fun activities I had planned, I couldn't go to my boot camp that night, and I was going to miss several important appointments at work. I quickly realized this wasn't going away anytime soon. My parents who live 4 hours away had to work, and would have come down if I would have let them; I didn't want anyone else getting the flu.

I was texting my mom and my Uncle; telling them my symptoms. I was able to get a prescription called into my pharmacy, which was a huge relief...and then I realized I had no strength to even drive the 5 miles to my pharmacy. I remember thinking to myself, I don't want to be a burden to anyone else. This is my fault I didn't get a flu shot so I need to figure out how to get to the pharmacy. I thought maybe if I slept a little longer then I could muster up the strength to get in the car and drive to get my prescription. This was reality check #1 - I don't have any supplies, medication, and I'm alone. My mom graciously talked to my Aunt and Uncle who live here and by surprise they brought flu medicine, lots of soups, crackers, goodies, and sprite. I was so humbled that they went out of their way to help me. I have since then eaten and drank 90% of what they brought me. I literally had nothing but apples, bananas, and almond milk.

So I thought things would have to get better...reality check #2 - my husband does more for me than I could have ever imagined. It's the little things when you are alone that start to make a big difference. Starting from feeding the dogs, letting them outside every few hours, taking a shower and getting dressed (very difficult when you have no strength), taking the trash out for trash day, making soup and standing over the stove for 5 minutes...small tasks seemed so difficult when you have a fever of 102 and can barely move. My next breakdown was when I was trying to open a bottle of water. Who knew such a small task would be so hard? I tried for about 5 minutes to open a bottle of water and then sobbed. I looked around and no one was here to help. I was completely by myself.

Today I went to Urgent Care to get cough relief and come to find that my doctor had just returned from his deployment in December. He asked how I was doing, and I once again started crying. I told him moments like this make you very thankful for your spouse. Reality check #3 - I'm not really alone...although they say only a small % of the population goes through a deployment, I just happened to cross paths with one today.  I truly believe people are placed in your life for a purpose. I feel like God had brought this doctor to me at this moment for a reason - to assure and comfort me after a very tough weekend. Before he left, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I want to thank you for all of your selfless acts and for supporting your husband. Not everyone can do what you have to do, but I appreciate your sacrifice."

The reason I tell this story is not to throw myself a pity party or ask others for sympathy...instead for me this was a time to understand the reality of how I am living for the next 7 1/2 months. But to also, let my guard down and ask for help. I know there are so many people who say, "don't hesitate, call us anytime"; but I don't want to be a burden on someone else's life because I chose to marry a man who has a career in the military. So my struggle over the next months is to try and figure out new things that I wouldn't have done before like change the windshield wiper fluid (I did that last week) or to keep the outside mowed. But in turn, calling my friends, family, or neighbors when I need help. And they won't help me because they "feel bad" for me, but because they want to help.

Turkey Chili with Black-Eyed Peas

This is such a hearty and healthy chili recipe for those cold nights we've been having in the Midwest! This is a forgiving recipe, so you can add more veggies or take out some that you may not like. 

I have found it to be much easier when I buy all of my groceries for the week and prep in one day. So for the Turkey Chili with Black-Eyed Peas recipe I cut up all the veggies on Sunday and thawed out my ground turkey. It just makes it so much easier the day of to throw it in the crockpot.

Ingredients: 

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced (substitute green chili's)
2 cloves of garlic
2 Cans of Black-Eyed Peas (rinsed and drained)
2 28oz cans no-salt added crushed tomatoes
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 yellow pepper - seeded and diced
2 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 small can of tomato sauce
2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
Chipotle Tabasco Sauce(optional)

Serves: 4-6

Directions:
In a large pan, heat half the olive oil over medium heat. Add turkey and cook through. Place turkey in crockpot. Add remaining oil; sautee' carrots, onion, jalapenos, garlic, peppers, chili powder, fennel, Tabasco, and cumin for about 10 minutes or until vegetables soften.

Place vegetables and spices into crockpot. Put the rest of the ingredients into crockpot - black-eyed peas, water, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

 

Preparation is Key

I have found that if I prepare my meals either the morning or the week of, I tend to make much better choices. I always keep bottled water in the trunk of my car and an apple in my car. Today I am babysitting for a friend and won't have access to my usual meals. So I'm packing a quick lunch. 

Organic Carrots with 2 tablespoons of Hummus

Canteloupe, honeydew, and blueberries

Peanut butter with a banana

1 Liter of Water 

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Salad

 

When I say easiest recipe ever, I mean it! I don't get home from Crossfit until 8pm, so in order to make good choices I need to have easy recipes.

 

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Salad

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Organic Chicken Breast

Fresh Pineapple

Green Mixture - I used a Spinach and Spring Mix

Newman's Own - Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing

Optional: Hawaiian Marinade (leave out if you want it more Paleo)

Salt and Pepper

Trader Joe's Everyday Season

 

Directions:

 

I chose to marinade my chicken breasts for about 3 hours. The longer you marinade the more flavorful your chicken will be. If you want this meal to be more paleo friendly, do not use the marinade. It tastes just as good!

 

Slice your fresh pineapple and grill. If you do this first, then keep the juices in your pan for the chicken. It adds lots of yummy flavors!

 

Season your chicken breasts and grill until fully cooked. Since my griller (my husband) is overseas, I have a Calphalon Stove Top Griller that I used and it was perfect.

 

Put your greens on a plate, top with chicken and pineapple and I added 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing.



Working Lady to Workout Phenom

I've had several people ask me where I get my workout gear and I will start out by saying I have NEVER paid full price for any of my Under Armour or Nike gear. We have an Under Armour Outlet in a nearby city, Branson where I get most of my gear 1) because it's at a discount price 2) on top of the already reduced prices, they give a military discount 3) they also have an online outlet store! TJ Maxx and Marshall's are also great stores to get name brands for more than half price. And from my luck, it seems like everything eventually goes on sale at those stores so wait a few weeks before you decide to buy.

Working professional during the day...

And workout phenom at night.

(Minus the boots: it was a cold day so I changed into my tennis shoes at the gym)

Under Armour Yoga Capris (outlet)- $10

Under Armour Tank Top (online) - $8

Under Armour Jacket (Marshall's) - $10 

 

Where do you find your workout steals?!

Paleo-ish Pot Roast

I have never made a pot roast before because my husband isn't really a huge fan, so I decided this would be a great Paleo-ish Friendly Recipe that I can eat for several meals.

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 1/2-3 lb) beef roast, cut to fit pot or crock pot (chuck, shoulder or round)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• salt and pepper , to taste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon basil crushed
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 bag baby carrots
• 1 onion, cut into wedges
• 2 celery stalks, bias-cut in 1-inch pieces (I didn’t have any)
• 1/2 cup red wine or 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup water

 Carrots, potatoes, celery and onions in the bottom of the crock pot.

 

Trim some fat from meat. Salt and pepper both sides liberally. I also used Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning. Brown meat on all sides in hot oil in a skillet. Drain fat. Place meat on top of the veggies in the crock pot.

Make Sauce. Mix 3/4 cup water, Worcestershire sauce, red wine or stock, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over roast.

Cook pot roast, covered on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

 

I had a 3 pound Pot Roast and cooked it on high for 4.5 hours and I used only a fork to cut it. It was perfectly tender and delicious!

Food Journal

Today's Food Journal

Part of my Boot Camp challenge is to keep a daily food journal. Today was Day 1 that I gladly accepted the challenge! Our first challenge is to eliminate sugars! Who knew a banana had so much sugar?! I'm not perfect and indulged in some hot chocolate, but that's part of the learning curve. Finding replacements for the chocolate craving.

Since my husband has been gone for exactly 2 months tomorrow, I have adapted to cooking for one. Which  means, I tend to eat the same things several nights a week! One of my favorite snacks is Edamame! I buy frozen Organic Edamame at Sam's Club and it lasts for weeks. I also love the Morning Star Chipotle Black Bean Burger. They have so much flavor and you just bake for 10 minutes. It may have more preservatives than if I were to make my own, but if you need a quick healthier option this is my "go-to" dinner.

Be Happy Be Bright Be You

I found this workout shirt a few weeks ago and thought it was a good reminder to always "Be Happy Be Bright Be You!" Even though today was one of those days, I wanted to anything BUT go to the gym, I made it and DON'T regret it.

I started a Crossfit Boot Camp on Monday. We meet 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), plus we get nutritional guidance. Today was Day 2 of the Boot Camp - it was killer but I feel so great now. Here was our workout:

:20-seconds with a :10-second break for 8 rounds
Sit ups
Squats
Push ups
Mountain Climbers
Kettle Bell Swings
Lunges

You may think that sounds easy, but my entire body was done by the end of the workout. I am so glad I have an awesome trainer at Crossfit that pushes me just when I want to quit. She is tough, but so motivating and knows when to tell me to give her "3 more".

Tomorrow we start a journal of everything we eat and I am really excited to hold myself accountable. If anyone has any journaling methods they like to use, I would love to hear about it!

Motivation Wall

Everyone gets motivated in their own way - I thrive on positivity! So this weekend, I decided to make a motivation wall and put notes around my house to remind me of things that can easily get forgotten!

  I have a love-hate relationship with my full length mirror. So why not put some words of inspiration? I will continue to add to my "Motivation Wall" as I find quotes or pictures that will give me that extra boost.

Snacking when I'm bored can be my worst enemy. Sometimes when your stomach thinks you are hungry, you are actually thirsty! Always try and drink water first.

 

 Right next to the dog leashes I need to remind myself, that walking is just as good for the dogs as it is for me!