Be Unstoppable!

There's just something about finding a recipe like this that is just delicious, and so chock full of veggies that you don't feel guilty at all when you eat it!

Paleo Phad Thai is like that.
Butternut Squash, Spring Greens Salad was like that.

I've found a lot of recipes like that lately!

This is one is a winner too! I got home one night from work and was SO hungry so I literally piled a plate SO high with this delicious mix and there really is NO feeling bad about that!

So many nutrients!

So many delicious whole foods!

What's not to LOVE?

 Firstly,  I have to give credit where credit is due! This delicious recipe was originally found on the Roasted Root! I personally tweaked the recipe a little bit to simplify it, AND because I'm obsessed with sriracha I added that too to give it a little extra punch!

A lot of what I modified in this was just simplifying! You may disagree with this, but hear me out! I'm a grad student. You know this. I don't have the budget to have obscure ingredients like grapeseed oil, Portobello mushrooms (okay - not obscure, but more expensive $$), kosher salt, or cayenne pepper (see Portobello mushrooms haha)! Heck, even having fresh garlic is a bit of a stretch for me on occasion because it seems like an extravagance!

I lean heavily on spices in recipes because they LAST! They never go bad! I can get garlic or chili powder at the store and they'll last me for 6 months to a year! So that primarily how I modified this recipe.

What you'll need:

  • Medium spaghetti-squash
  • Olive oil, 2T
  • Garlic or garlic powder
  • Mushrooms (Portobello if possible) - 3 cups, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons of italian spices
  • Chicken - I used 3-5 chicken tenders
  • Kale - original recipe calls for 4 cups
    • I just cut up a bundle of kale without measuring
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Salt, 1/4 teaspoon or to taste
  • Sriracha
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use a knife to put holes in spaghetti squash and bake for 40-60 minutes. Then set aside until you're ready to use it!
  • In a medium skillet, add the oil and heat to medium. 
  • Add the garlic or a few shakes of garlic powder, and the mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes until the mushrooms just start to soften and brown.
  • Add the chicken tenders. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then add chopped kale leaves. Add the Italian seasoning to taste!
  • Continue cooking for about 5 minutes more. Kale leaves will start to wilt and chicken should cook through.
  • Add the lemon zest (and juice if you'd like!!), and salt! Stir and cook for a minute or so longer. Remove from heat.
  • Use a fork to remove spaghetti squash from shell and place them in a serving bowl.
  • Add the chicken, mushroom, kale mixture to the serving bowl and toss everything together.
  • Before eating, top with sriracha, and ENJOY!
Though I don't know the specific measurements - I do know that this is 21 day fix approved! I would guess 2-3 greens per serving, 1 red, and maybe 1 teaspoon for the oils and the sriracha! 

I hope you all like my version! Let me know what you think!

This one is my NEW favorite salad!

I wanted to make something super easy this week that helped me use up the butternut squash that I had bought and not used the week before. And I didn't want to have to cook much of anything!

So, this is one of those super easy go-to's that you should definitely keep on the back-burner in your recipe stash!

What I like about this recipe?

  • Primarily veggies, and let's face it - you can't go wrong with that! So many recipes I share or that I commonly eat have a huge starch component! What I love about this one is that you don't really HAVE to use the starch if you don't want to!
  • Super versatile - You can add what you do and do not want to this! If you don't like squash, substitute another veggie!
  • Minimal time and minimal cooking - I store bought or already had a lot of these staples. Yes, that adds to the cost, but it also adds to the ease of prep which us graduate students LOVE!
  • No dressing required - This is one of those salads that is so tastey in and of itself that you don't need dressing! And if you're on 21 day fix, that's a MUST because we only get one of those little orange containers!
  • GOAT CHEESE - I might be a little obsessed with goat cheese! But seriously the goat cheese in this recipe, MAKES IT! I promise you! It's incredible! Definitely don't leave it out!
Before, I get started, I have to give credit where credit is due! I originally modified this recipe from this Chili-Roasted Butternut Squash post on Kelly's Kitchen!

What you'll need:
  • 1 bag of frozen butternut squash OR one fresh butternut squash
    • I prefer the fresh variety because then your squash gets a nice texture to it!
  • Chili Powder
  • Cumin
  • Spring greens
  • Quinoa 
    • I pretty much always have pre-pared quinoa in my refrigerator! That way I can cook a big batch and then just add yellow 21 day fix containers of it to whatever I'm eating that day!
    • Optional: If you're not a fan of quinoa, you can use black beans!
  • Goat Cheese
  • Roast chicken - One of those prepared ones from the grocery store!
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for roasting the squash
Directions:
  • Finish roasting the chicken per package instructions.
  • Prepare quinoa, if not already prepared!
    • Use a 2:1 ratio of quinoa to water! Boil and then reduce heat to low, cooking until quinoa has absorbed all the water.
  • Prepare Butternut Squash
    • Preheat oven to 450 degrees!
    • If using frozen squash-no preparation needed!
    • If using fresh squash...Cut up the squash into cubes, discarding the seeds in the interior.
    • Toss prepared squash in 1 tbps EVOO, chili powder and cumin (to taste), and some kosher salt and pepper - I used about 3 tsp of both cumin and chili powder
    • Evenly distribute on a greased baking sheet
    • Bake for 20 minutes
  • Assembly
    • 1 green container of spring greens
    • Top with:
      • 1 green container of chili-roasted butternut squash
      • 1 yellow container of quinoa (or black beans if you went that route)
      • 1 red container of roasted chicken
      • 1 blue container of goat cheese
Voila!

That's it!

Super easy, delicious and 21 day fix approved! It's great for a quick-and-easy lunch as well as dinner!

21 Day Fix breakdown: 2 greens (for spring greens and butternut squash), 1 yellow (for quinoa/black beans), 1 blue (goat cheese), 1 tsp (for EVOO - or at least that's how I count the oils in this recipe because there's so little!)

ENJOY!

Self-compassion is a new concept for me! It was introduced to me by one of my challengers, now one of my coaches...and it's such an amazing concept!

It has become socially acceptable, especially in the realm of graduate school, to be self-critical. To bash ourselves! We're taught, socially that that is okay. And that that is how we improve. But that's not the case. Being unkind to yourself is the same as being unkind to someone else.

I paraphrased this quote from the podcast, "Art of Charm."

If you talked to your friends the way you talk to yourself, then you would not have any friends.

Mull that over for just a second.

We say things to ourselves like, "I suck" or "I'm so stupid." Those comments come so easily and so naturally. And it's sad.

If you say those things to yourself, even in a self-deprecating fashion, it's unkind. And those things we say to ourselves grow into things that we feel and believe about ourselves.

We need to realize that. We need to stop treating ourselves like that.

 In the attached article, Margarita Tartakovsky, MS discusses 5 Strategies for Self-Compassion! In it, she says "Self-compassion has been linked to greater well-being, including diminished anxiety and depression, better emotional coping skills and compassion for others."

Okay, so self-compassion is good for you. But, what does it mean to exercise self-compassion? What IS self-compassion even?

 In this article, they discuss the 3 types of self-compassion according to Kristin Neff, a PhD in human development.

  • Self-kindness, meaning exercises kindness and understanding toward yourself when you're struggling or suffering.
  • Common humanity, meaning that you realize that you're not alone and that other people are experiencing similar struggles to you. Common humanity points to the fact that we should not feel isolated or alone in our struggles, because more likely than not others are experiencing the same things we are.
  • Mindfulness, meaning that we are able to observe life without being judgmental and that we are able to suppress our thoughts and feelings and merely experience life as it happens to us!
Contrary to popular belief, it is not narcissistic or self-indulgent for you to exercise compassion with yourself! On the conrary, it will only benefit you.

I highly suggest you check out this website, http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/27/5-strategies-for-self-compassion/, to learn more about self-compassion and some strategies that you can use to improve the way you relate to yourself.

But here is the jist!
  1. Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend! - The other day my friend said to me, "I'm a hot mess...minus the hot part." Would you ever say that to a friend of yours? NO! So don't say it to yourself! 
  2. Watch your language - We so often say things like "you suck" or "you're stupid" or something along those lines! Watch your language! Be kind to yourself!
  3. Comfort yourself with a physical gesture! - read more about this with the associated link! But the idea is to find a gesture, either placing your hands on your arms or putting a hand over your heart, or something like that t demonstrate compassion in a physical way!
  4. Memorize something that makes you feel compassionate or powerful...or better yet develop your own power phrase! One quote I have started to tell myself often is "Compassion is the thief of joy!" I often compared myself to others, and repeating this phrase to myself helps me to overcome that.
  5. Meditate! So often our reason for not being compassionate stems from just being our own heads! It's amazing what 10 minutes of meditation or merely sitting in silence will do to shutting off the rampant thoughts that run through your head!
I challenge you to start exercising self-compassion!

I challenge you to find an area of your life that you're particularly bad in and work on getting better!

If we're not compassionate toward ourselves, how do we expect others to be compassionate to us? We need to change the way we think about ourselves or we'll never find true happiness and passion in our lives.

Until next time,




 RESOURCES:
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/27/5-strategies-for-self-compassion/
How have I not published this??? I'm freaking out right now!!

 I legitimately thought that I had posted this recipe a LONG time ago, but without as many awesome pictures...only to realize that I have not! This is a food emergency right now, because you all need to try this recipe!!

 Okay, hold on...let me compose myself...

So, I pretty much gave you the run down of my vacation home in my last post, Home for the Holidays, where I emphasized the things that I did while I was home to ensure that I was at least maintaining my healthy habits! At the end of that post, I started talking about the fact that something you can do for your family while your home to help yourself stay healthy, help your family get introduced to your lifestyle, and also to take some of the workload off of your family in terms of making dinner! I kind of teased you about a recipe that I made for them...and now I'm going to lay it all out for you...

Introducing...one of my absolute favorite recipes that I've ever made...

I originally got this recipe from Pinch of Yum, and have since modified it by a) adding protein, and b) increased the amount of food with more squash and lots of tortillas!!

But here's the jist....

What you'll need...
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño, chopped, seeds and ribs removed
  • 2 bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 small butternut squash, cubed
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder, or more if you prefer spicier
  • ½ teaspoon cumin, or more if you prefer spicier
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 chicken breasts, cubed
  • 16 ounces of fresh mushrooms, chopped
  • Corn tortillas, I used 2 10 tortilla packages of the small corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican mix cheese
  • Cilantro
  • 16 ounces Tomatillo sauce (The original recipe called for homemade tomatillo sauce, but I'm all about simplifying so I bought it at the store)
Directions...

 Squash Filling
The squash and pepper part of the filling is so beautiful! And - your house will probably smell good by this point! AT this time, aunts and uncle arrived and my Aunt Lesa was gushing about how good this all smelled
  • Over high heat, roast the peppers and jalapeño until just brown
  • Add the onions and saute until translucent
  • Add the squash, 1 T of butter, cumin, chili powder, and salt...and saute until the squash is tender by pricking with a knife. This may take a bit of time depending on the size of cubes you cut your squash into so plan accordingly with time.
  • Once the squash is cooked set this mixture aside
At this time you may want to start pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees.

Mushroom Filling
Chicken and Mushroom part of the filling 
  • Add a tablespoon of butter to the plan.
  • At this time, add the cubed chicken breast and cook chicken through until almost fully cooked.
  • Add the mushrooms and saute until softened and slightly brown
  • Season with salt and additional chili powder if desired
Assembly and Cooking
The prep takes longer than all the actual cooking - only approximately 15 minutes until DELICIOUSNESS!
  • Wrap the tortillas (about 5 or 6 at a time) in moist paper towels and zap in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. This is to make the tortillas soft and pliable so that they don't break during the assembly process. Seriously don't skip this step! Also be careful with the tortillas because they'll likely be hot when you handle them!
  • Combine the squash, mushroom & chicken mixes.
  • Fill the tortillas with the mixture and close, placing them seam side down in the pan.
  • Repeat until you've used all the tortillas. You may have some filling leftover. If you do, just sprinkle it over the top of the tortillas. For me, I was able to make two 9x13 dishes full of tortillas and I split the leftover filling between the two platters.
  • Top the dishes with tomatillo sauce and cheese, spreading evenly between the two dishes!
  • Bake for 15-18 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly!
  • Top with cilantro and serve!
I had planned on making this recipe my very last night home for my holiday vacation. It was supposed to just be myself and my parents, but I knew it would be a LOT of food, so I invited my aunts and uncle, and my grandparents over! We even had a surprise visit from my family friend!  So, altogether, I was able to serve 9 people with very hearty appetites with this and had a little bit leftover! And let me tell you, it was a HIT! Can't you tell?
They busted into the first pan before I could even take a picture, and before I knew it BOTH pans were gone!
My grandma brought over a Chinese cabbage salad, which went surprisingly well with the enchiladas! Let me know if you want that recipe too! It's a family favorite!

Anyways, my family really really really enjoyed this recipe and I hope yours does too! :-)

Happy cooking!
Do you have foods that are just like your go-to? When you're busy or stressed or want something that's healthy, easy, and won't break the bank? This is mine!

Quinoa Mac N' Cheese!!

I'm sure I found the inspiration for this somewhere on pinterest, but I have literally been making this for so long now that I don't remember!  
I'm a huge fan of recipes that include all of my main food groups all wrapped up in one, and this one does that in spades! 

You've got your veggies - a mixture of yellow squash, zucchini, and red pepper.
You've got your protein - roasted chicken, chunked and shredded.  
You've got your fats/oils - shredded cheddar cheese.
And you've got your grain - Quinoa! The freaking superman of grains!

Quinoa is probably one of the best grains you can incorporate into your diets! It's so nutrient rich!! Just to provide you with a snap shot...
Here is the nutrient breakdown for 1 C of cooked quinoa...
  • 8 grams of protein
  • 5 grams of fiber
  • 58% of the RDA for Manganese (on of your essential nutrients)
  • 30% of the RDA for Magnesium (essential nutrient)
  • 28% of the RDA for Phosphorus (essential nutrient)
  • 19% of the RDA for Folate (you get the idea...E.N.)
  • 18% of the RDA for Copper
  • 15 for Iron
  • 13% for Zinc
  • 9% for Potassium
  • Over 10% for Vitamins B1, B2, and B6
  • Small amounts of Calcium, B3 (Niacin), and Vitamin E
Also, Quinoa contains molecules that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-cancer, and anti-depressant effects.
Quinoa is super high in fiber, way more than other grains.
It's gluten-free.

It's high in protein, and BONUS, contains all of the essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) that we need to survive!

And that's just some of the awesome benefits! Check out more on Authority Nutrition!
So, now that I've blabbed about all the awesome reasons you should love quinoa, let's get to the recipe, shall we?
Grocery List:
  • Quinoa - $5 (approximately - I bought a bit in bulk bag a while ago)
  • 2 medium zucchini - $3.20
  • 1 yellow squash - $1.59
  • 1 red pepper - $1.29
  • 3 cups of roasted chicken - I just bought one of those pre-roasted chickens and shredded the chicken off of the bone $8.99
Things I already had:
  • PAM!
Total = $20.07 total for recipe...And you'll have leftover chicken and quinoa for other dishes!

Directions...
Basically, this is probably the easiest thing I've yet to post about! So, let's get started.
  • Grease a pan with PAM, and cut up your zucchini, yellow squash, and red peppers.
  • Sautee the vegetables in the pan over medium to medium-high heat until soft...about 5-8 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, cook your quinoa per package instructions. I made enough for 2 cups of cooked quinoa.
  • Combine veggies and quinoa together in a bowl, and then add your cooked, shredded, chicken.  
  • When you're ready to eat, portion about 1/4 or so of the mixture into a bowl.
  • Top with shredded cheese and mix in. If fresh, let the cheese get all melty and blended into the veggies and quinoa. If not, zap it in the microwave for a minute or so!
  • Then, ENJOY!
This recipe is seriously a fave of mine! I hope you enjoy it! 

I generated this list of tips and tricks for my December Challenge group, and it just seemed like too useful of a list to not share! So, here you go my friends! Try some of these out! And feel free to comment below if you've got any other good tips that have worked for you.

 Don’t skip meals. In an attempt to make room (and save calories) for that Holiday party later, you might skip lunch. But you’ll probably only end up eating more because you’re starving! Some tips? Have a small snack of vegetables before you head out to the party. Or, even better, try eating 4-6 SMALLER but more frequent meals during the day.

Survey party buffets before filling your plate. That way you can be more selective of what foods you have! Have some of your favorites and maybe skip over those snacks that you are less enthusiastic about!

Bring your own healthy dish to a Holiday get together. That way you can be SURE that there is at least something healthy for you to indulge in!
Avoid hovering by the appetizer table. My friend posted this on Facebook the other day and it has stuck with me. A person was observed lingering near an appetizer table two hours before the meal began, and in that two hours over 1200 calories worth of appetizers! Before the meal! So, choose to mingle away from the appetizer table and you’ll save on calories
Chew some gum. Chewing gum actually tricks your body into thinking you’re eating. So, chew some 15 minutes before hitting up the appetizers to cut down on appetizer intake!
Plan to exercise. This might seem obvious but if you don’t PLAN WHEN you’re going to exercise, you’re probably NOT going to exercise! FAIL TO PLAN AND YOU PLAN TO FAIL!
Bring snacks everywhere. Long hours of Christmas shopping means that you WILL inevitably get hungry! So, bring some snacks with you! Apples, carrots, celery, and nuts are all great, portable options!
Treat that meal as your reward. Organize an active activity, like a Holiday Run, OR a group Beachbody workout. Then you can all reward yourself with a delicious meal, WITHOUT the guilt!
Eat slower. One of the biggest reasons why we all overeat is because we’re eating too quickly for our brain to relay the “I’m full” signal, which usually takes about 15-20 minutes. So, eat slower and stop when you’re satisfied, not stuffed!
Hydrate. Have a water bottle with you all the time, and DRINK UP BUTTERCUP! Most of the time we mistake “thirsty” signals for “hungry” signals. So quench that thirst with water, and you’ll avoid overeating too!
Stock your  freezer. Either pre-made or recipes you’ve whipped up and frozen—stocking your freezer full of healthy meals is a GREAT way to ensure healthy eating during the busy holiday season!
Organize fun activities, instead of ones that revolve around eating! Try sledding, snowboarding, skiing, hiking, OR just walking and looking at Christmas lights! Get our and get active!
 BE REALISTIC! You’re probably not going to lose tons of weight over the holidays, but it definitely is realistic to maintain, and maybe even lose a couple if you’re dedicated! Focus on maintaining your healthy lifestyle!


If you're looking for an image of all of these to share, you're in luck! I generated one to share with my family and friends on facebook!

Happy Holidays everyone! I know it's a struggle, but let's try to stay HEALTHY this Holiday Season! 

I'm sorry! I know I've been MIA, particularly with my recipes lately! I'm going to focus a lot on remedying that! In fact, I have a new idea to give MOTW a face-lift!

Money is something that I know is a point of distress for a lot of graduate students, am I right? So, when I find a really great recipe or combination of recipes for the week that fall on or below my $50 a week shopping budget, you'll be the first to know!

So, this week I'm kicking off my budget MOTW with two great recipes!!

Now before I get to the recipes, I want to tell you about my shopping process. I have some go-to meals and snacks. In fact, the only thing that I really switch up during the week is my dinners!

Breakfast: Shakeology
AM Snack: Fruit (usually banana or an apple), sometimes I have greek yogurt too
Lunch: Kale salad with protein (hard boiled egg or chicken)
PM Snack: Veggies (Celery or Cucumbers) + Hummus
Dinner: Varies
**Optional after dinner snack: Greek yogurt**

So before I go to the store, I take stock of what I have.

For breakfast, do I have almond milk and coffee and tea to mix with my Shakeology?
For my snacks, do I have fruit? Do I have veggies and hummus?
For lunch, do I have my kale? Do I some sort of protein to mix in? Do I have oil and balsamic vinegar for my dress?
And for dinner, I pick out my recipes and build my grocery list around what I don't have for that recipe.

Then, it's off to the store!  Today, what I got at the grocery store was this!
  • Kale (2 bunches)
  • Celery (1 bunch)
  • Hummus (1 container Kroger private selections)
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey (93% lean)
  • Frozen mixed veggies (for both recipes) - 3 different kinds (peppers and onions; vegetable soup mix; mirepoix mix)
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes, canned
  • 2 more zucchini (i already had one)
  • 15 oz fat free cottage cheese (slightly cheaper than ricotta)
  • 24 oz of skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1 lb of salmon chunks with skin (cheaper than salmon filets)
  • Curry powder (recipe called for green curry paste, but I couldn't find it in the grocery store)
  • 1 gallon of Silk coconut milk
  • 1 box of minute brown rice
After all was said and done (and rung up) - my groceries totaled $38.06 after Kroger Club savings! That's less than $40 for a weeks worth of groceries!  

Now to the recipes!

Firstly, a recipe from my good friend Rachel's new cookbook, 30 Quick, Easy Meals which can be found on Amazon in both a hard copy and a kindle edition pdf! It's a GREAT cookbook, especially for people who are on a budget AND are short on time!  So, today, from that cookbook I will be cooking Curried Salmon over Rice!

What you need:

  • Salmon
  • Frozen veggies
  • Curry powder (or curry paste if you can find it)
  • At least 14 oz of coconut milk
  • Brown rice

Basically, these recipe was so delicious and so easy to make! I was surprised! I've never made curry anything before. In fact, I've never even eaten curry before. But everything in this just sounded so great.  Basically, here's the gist...

  1.  The recipe called for a salmon fillet, but as I mentioned above, buying the salmon chunks was cheaper! I sauteed these skin-side down for about a minute. They should still be pretty raw.  
  2. Take the skin off of the salmon pieces and break them into bite-sized chunks
  3. Mix your salmon and frozen veggies (I used mainly the the peppers & onions and the mirepoix mix) with curry powder.  
  4. Add coconut milk and let simmer until the sauce thickens. 
  5. Cook the rice while curry is simmering.  
  6. When it's the thickness you want, you're done! Ladle some curry mix over your rice and you're good to go!
This recipe was delicious! And it's just a teaser of all the delicious, quick recipes that are found in Rachel's cookbook! I HIGHLY suggest you check it out here!

Secondly, we've got a recipe that has become a favorite in my challenge groups--ZUCCHINI LASAGNA! For my fellow Italian peeps, this is a GREAT way for you to get your pasta fix without all the carbs associated with pasta dishes!  This is a recipe that I adapted from Skinny Taste's Zucchini Lasagna Recipe.

Now, fair-warning, this recipe is a bit labor intensive. But, I'm telling you, the taste is SO worth it!

What you need:

  • Ground turkey
  • Frozen veggies (or fresh) *optional for meat sauce*
  • Herbs and seasonings for sauce *optional*
  • Crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
  • 3-4 Zucchini
  • Salt (for zucchini preparation)
  • 15 oz cottage cheese or ricotta 
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese (for sprinkling between layers and on top)
Firstly, I tackled the sauce! This is a great thing to start with because it's going to simmer while you prep the other components.  

Basically, the great thing about meat sauces is that you can put whatever you want in it!  Meat sauces are super flexible like that! You want beef? Great. Peppers? Great. Hate peppers and want tons of garlic and onions? Awesome. Corn? That's great too!

Start by sauteing the ground turkey until there's no more pink. I ladled out the majority of the fat, but left a little bit in there for sauteing the rest of the veggies.

Then mix in your frozen veggies. Whichever ones you'd like! I stuck with the pepper & onion mix, as well as the mirepoix mix that I used in the last recipe.  I then added the crushed tomatoes, basil and italian seasoning to taste, as well as a bit of sugar to bring out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes so all the flavors meld together. 

Now onto the zucchini...

Prepping the zucchini is by far the most labor intensive part of this process. You're probably think, why the heck would that be? Don't you just need to slice into strips and go?

Well, actually, no. Zucchini are very watery veggies. And, what we need to do is dry them out as much as possible or else you're lasagna is going to be more like soup than lasagna.   

So, after you've sliced everything into strips (and they don't have to be perfect...as you can tell mine aren't)...salt them! Salt will help bring out the juices, which you can then dab off.  Salt them and let them sit for at least 10 minutes.  Blot off any excess water.

Then, grill them, again blotting off the excess water after they've been grilled.

While you're zucchini are grilling - make your cottage cheese mixture by combining the 15oz of  cottage cheese with your parmesan cheese.  Set aside for assembly...

Now, you can assemble your lasagna!  During this time, I also preheated my oven to 375F.

Basically, this part is super easy! Kind of messy, but definitely easy! 

Start with your meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Layer zucchini on top of that.
Then your cottage cheese mixture.
Sprinkle with some of your mozzarella cheese.
Then layer some more zucchini.

Repeat this process until you run out of ingredients, and then top with mozzarella cheese!

I don't really think that pan size matters for the lasagna. Basically, if you want really thick lasagna, use a smaller pan. And a larger pan if you want your lasagna to have less layers.

After you've assembled your lasagna...bake covered for 45 minutes. Do not forget to cover! I totally did at first and it will save you some mess if you remember to cover your lasagna now!

After the 45 minutes have elapsed, uncover your lasagna and continue baking for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top.  

After baking, if you have the patience to wait and not dig in immediately, let your lasagna rest for 10 minutes. It will hold its shape better when you cut into it.  


While I was waiting for my lasagna too cook, I tackled some other miscellaneous meal prepping tasks.  This is a great time for that!

So, what did I do?

Ripped up kale for my kale salads
Chopped celery for my afternoon veggies and hummus
Hard boiled eggs for my lunch salad protein
Cooked and diced up a chicken breast for salad protein.

All my meals are essentially ready to be eaten! All I have to do is some assembly!  Super easy!

And now, I'm done for the day!  I'm sitting on my couch watching Harry Potter...haha.

Happy Meal Prep Sunday!









Okay so in the maybe 4 hours since I posted this picture on instagram, I had about four different people ask me for the recipe! So I figured this merited a a blog post! 

I LOVE protein pancakes! I've toyed around with a number of recipes and this is my favorite so far! I modified this recipe from one I found on pinterest from Lexi's Clean Kitchen!  I didn't have a lot of her ingredients and I wanted to make it accesible for someone who didn't have a lot of organic ingredients or typical "health" food staples.

So here's my version:

Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
-1/3 cup pumpkin puree (original recipe called for homemade but I just used canned pumpkin from the store)
2 tbsp whole-wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1.4 tsp pumpkin spice (if you have it--otherwise I used a few extra shakes of cinnamon, 1 dash of ginger, a big shake of nutmeg because I love nutmeg, and a shake of all spice)
1 heaping scoop of chocolate Shakeology (the original recipe called for vanilla protein powder, but I only had chocolate so I added that instead)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tbsp honey

My batter turned out REALLY thick actually, so I would suggest thinning it maybe with a little bit of almond milk.  It should spread easily into a circle, when you pour it into the pan (you know--you've made pancakes before).  

I usually put about 1/4-1/3 cup of batter into the pan and then top it with chocolate chips! For these I used Nestles dark chocolate chips and put about 8 chocolate chips on top of each pancake!  

I'll refine this recipe as I make it more, but I wanted to share now because it's JUST THAT GOOD!!! 

Enjoy! :-)
I went to a wedding this last weekend with the "it's complicated" guy I'm dating. He's pretty much my boyfriend, but that's kind of a story for another time!  Anyway, I figured that I wanted to try to drop a couple extra pounds beforehand. So, why not give 3 day refresh a try?

I'd heard of such great results from 3 day refresh and wanted to see for myself! So, I purchased and was SO excited when my kit arrived in the mail.

Now, disclaimer--It said on the direction to not workout too hard during this program. I was running a 21 day fix challenge group during this 3 day refresh and felt obligated to my girls in the group to get the workouts in. That decision might end up biting me in the ass, but hopefully it won't. The directions did say that you could PROBABLY do a heavier workout during the fix. My plan was to modify the 21 day fix workouts by using lighter weights and cutting out some of the more demanding workouts.  We'll see if that helps me in not overdoing it.

Start Weight: 150lb
Starting Measurements:
Waist: 33"
Hips: 36.5"
Arms: 11.5"
Legs (with inner thigh pooch): 23.5"


Day 1
Workout: Total Body Cardio Fix with lighter weights
Water Consumption: 132oz
Review:
I had some hunger pangs at the end of the day. By no means was I starving but I was craving. I will admit that I cheated a little bit in the evening and had about a tablespoon of peanut butter, which I now regret. I realized that having my evening tea with some Stevia satisfied my sweet tooth just fine. Lesson learned. I won't slip up tomorrow. I did however get a really bad headache in the evening. I did some reading and found that that is normal! Phew...and I also found that I was really tired and ultimately went to bed a bit earlier than I normally do because of it.

Day 2
Workout: Upper Fix, lightened up my weights and cut out a couple of the more difficult exercises
Water Consumption: 135oz
Review:
Morning of Day 3 and had the most ab definition I've ever seen!
I won't lie that I started off this morning a little grumpy at my results. I saw on everyone else's results that they lost 3 or so pounds in the first day. I gained a pound. How is that possible???? I threw this out to my awesomely supportive and informative team of coach on Team Fit Foundation/Team Total Balance and they had a lot of great ideas! One especially point out that they didn't have a bowel movement (overshare but necessary to consider) the first day or 2, which affected their weight loss! Point taken! I realized the fiber in this diet would likely absorb a lot of water and therefore increase my water weight for a day or two!  Other than this little hiccup in the morning, I felt great! I was surprisingly energized considering how few calories I'd taken in and found that I really wasn't feeling hungry at all until right before I went to bed. No raging headaches today either!  

Day 3
Workout: Lower fix, with slightly lighter weights than usual
Water Consumption: 128oz
Review: 
Okay, I'm feeling a lot better about this this morning!  Especially because I have another reason why I might be putting on some water weight! Apparently I chose the wrong "time of the month (TOM)" to be doing this! Lol! Overshare, maybe? Oh freaking well my friends! Middle school boys learn about this stuff in health class so I've given up caring! Anyways, I weighed myself this morning and am down 2.5 lbs since yesterday! That's 1.5 pounds from the start of the 3 day refresh! Not a huge difference in weight, but I actually could see my abs popping out a little bit this morning! Woohoo! I think that the 3 day refresh is cutting down on bloat and really resulting in some ab definition which is awesome! I actually posted this pic to the right on instagram because it's the first time that I'm really starting to see Ab definition! Yay!!
Side note -- I am loving this tea thing! I like tea but I'd never though about bringing tea bags to work to have in the morning! I'm obsessed now! It warms me up on the inside as we make this transition to cooler Fall weather! Plus, it feels like it alleviates my TOM symptoms! Yay!

End Weight: 148lb
End Measurements:
Waist: 31.5"
Hips: 36.5"
Arms: 10.5"
Legs (with inner thigh pooch): 23"

FINAL RESULTS...
Weight Loss: 2 pounds!
Inches lost: 3"

Overall...

 Ease of use/Enjoyment: The 3 day refresh truly was very easy to follow! There really is nothing confusing or complicated about it! The only thing that made it less easy to use for me was the fact that I can't really have a blender at work! I work in a lab and for me to keep a blender at my desk or to have one anywhere in a shared space is quite unrealistic! So I had to settle for shaking my shakes! Now this wasn't an issue for the Vanilla Refresh shake which really was good! But for the fiber sweep, this was tough to do! The Fiber sweep is gross, frankly! It's gritty and with the exception of the subtle citrusy taste, it's not particularly appetizing. You just kind of need to shake it up and CHUG! But every other part of the program was really very easy to follow. This may have been easier to for because I was coming off of doing the 21 day fix! So if you've never done anything like this before and you don't usually eat so many veggies day to day, this may be a lot harder for you!

Cravings: Probably the part that I struggled with the most was the cravings particularly at the end of my day! There isn't much structured into your day in the evenings, and this was really hard for me because I spread out my 21  day fix meals so that I can have a snack in the evening!  Usually, this is something along the lines of some greek yogurt as "dessert". So it was really hard for me to just go to tea in the evening! On the first day, I had a massive head ache at the end of the day. The more I read the more I learned that this was normal because you're completely changing what and how much you're taking in! I had a snack and a cup of hot tea and this subsided for the most part!

Things to consider:  Your body will react different to this cleanse then most, especially depending upon the kind of lifestyle you maintain! If you're not used to eating restricted amounts, and are particularly not used to this amount of veggies in your diet, you might lose TONS of weight on the 3 day refresh. I didn't! I didn't lose a lot of weight, probably because for me I'm really getting to the point where those last 10 lbs will be REALLY hard to take off. But also because other than more restriction on my diet, the things I was eating on the 3 day refresh weren't DRASTICALLY different than my day to day! Also, another thing to consider--bowel movement! I talked about this above...and I know it still seems like TMI, but I didn't lose a lot of weight, and actually put on weight the first day. But then I realized that I actual hadn't had a bowel movement until 1.5 days into the program! Even though I was drinking a ton of water, my body was still storing it up because of all the fiber (and probably the fact that I started my TOM while on the 3 day refresh). So, you need to consider your body, your normal lifestyle, etc. before you compare your results to other!

Results: I enjoyed the 3 day refresh! It taught me that I really am a lot more bloated than I ever realized! The weight loss wasn't significant, but the loss in inches was! I realized after day 2 that I can't compare my results to other peoples because I'm a different person! My body has different needs and different composition! If I don't lose a ton of weight on this, that's fine! It still made me feel good! I felt cleansed, I felt lean, less bloated, etc. You need to celebrate those small victories even if you don't see big results! And that's the biggest thing that I learned from the 3 day refresh!

I highly suggest you try it if you're wanting to cleanse your body! But, I personally wouldn't bank on something like this as a quick fix leading up to a big event! The 21 day fix is probably a better bet if you're trying to lose pounds before a wedding or something! But this system didn't make me feel less bloated, cleansed, and ultimately REFRESHED and I feel like that's what matters!

Until next time!

I really want to talk to you all today about using "self talk." 

Firstly, what is self talk? 

I think of self-talk as your inner voice. I feel like all of us have an inner monologue. Sometimes, it's good! Sometimes your inner voice is full of positive things that make you feel good about yourself and what's going on in your life. Sometimes it's optimistic!  But, self talk can also be really bad and really negative.  Basically, it's the exact opposite. It gets you down, makes you feel crappy about your situation or yourself.  This is never a good thing! We want to try to keep our inner monologue positive or at the very least motivating, not self-deprecating or degrading!

You might be curious as to why I chose the images I did for my banner at the top of the page. Well, because my self-image was so insanely positive in both those images that I just felt personally like they fit this post so well. The first time I wore the maxi dress in the picture of me on the left, I firstly had never been able to wear a maxi dress before. They were all to long or too clingy and I just didn't feel comfortable. I put this dress on and my first thought was "Damn I look good!" That's positive self-talk! Now, let's talk about how you can change your positive self-talk and then, how your can apply it!

How can you change your inner monologue or "self talk"?

1) Listen to what you say before you say it! 
In the same way that we've taught ourselves to think before we speak, think before you, well, THINK! Haha okay that might not make perfect sense, but what I'm trying to say is monitor your internal dialogue! Look for patterns and triggers and learn what things tip you off toward your negative inner monologue starts. That way you can either steer clear of those triggers OR you can anticipate the negative self talk before it happens and alter it!

Stop negative self talk, @Bryce Esch Esch & @Connie Hamon Brzowski Kaelin con & obviously @Diane Haan Lohmeyer Baker!!2) Journalling.

I'm a huge proponent of journaling! I get 90% of my negative emotions out in my journal, that way I can truly evaluate the problem at hand, address it, and hopefully move on! Now, you may think that having a chronicle of all your negative emotions may be a bad thing, but I actually kind that having recorded my mistakes or feelings about certain things keeps me from dwelling on them and actually a) improves my focus, and also b) keeps those negative thoughts and feelings OUT of my internal monologue!

3) SOS Response
I JUST found this image on pinterest! The image I found wasn't linked to a website, so I apologize if this was someone else's content or image that I'm using. I would have linked to your site if that had been available from where I found this image.  This is a fantastic strategy for dealing with negative self-talk! STOP and allow yourself the opportunity to address your thought. OBSERVE what you're saying and how it makes you feel! SHIFT your perspective and response!

 4) Do something positive for yourself!
It's easy to adapt to a more positive way of thinking when you KNOW that you've done something good for yourself! Workout! Get a haircut! Spend two minutes longer on your beauty routine! Where something you feel sexy in! Commit to a week of healthy living! All those things will make you FEEL better and thus you will have a better perspective on yourself!

Next, how "self-talk" be used?


When you're working out:
I don't know about you all, but I've found that one of the dangers of working out by yourself is that you really get in your head during your workout. Now, if you're having a really focused day, that can be a great thing! But, if your motivation is lacking...it can be hard to stay motivated and to keep pushing yourself! That's when I use SELF TALK! When I catch myself going, "I can't, I can't," I will literally say out loud to myself, "YES YOU CAN! Keep pushing!" Sometimes, I will even list off the people that are counting on me OR the reasons why I wanted to do this workout!  OUT LOUD! Always out loud!


To reduce your stress:

Have you ever caught yourself needlessly freaking out over nothing? About school? About your upcoming meeting/wedding/date? How do you usually cope? I know for me it used to be this constant stream of thoughts about the worst case scenario and it would just cause me to freak out more, and sometimes even manifested itself in illness! Instead of perpetuating the cycle, change your thinking and allow your self-talk to enable you and to build up how well you can manage the situation, how capable you are, OR how little it will truly matter in the scheme of your life if things don't work out perfectly. You think you just screwed up that date you just went on? Instead of telling yourself, "Oh my god I'm going to be single forever!!", tell yourself "Oh well if he doesn't get my awkward humor someone else will find it HILARIOUS!" You made a mistake during your presentation at work? That's unfortunate! But instead of running around going "Oh I'm such an idiot! I'm going to get fired!", say to yourself "Well now I know better for next time, and I'll absolutely kill it then!"


Improve your focus.
Sometimes when I get side tracked at work, I'll find myself say "No, no. You don't need to do that now. It's only getting you off track. Stay focused for ____, ____, and ____"


If you don't use self-talk already--start implementing it now! Positive self-talk can legitimately change your life. Not only can it help to improve your self-esteem, but it can draw others to you! Once you adopt a positive, uplifting spirit about yourself, people will be drawn to you because they will want that energy and spirit in their own lives. They will want that positivity to rub off on their own life. Not only will adopting a positive inner monologue and self-talk change your life internally, but it will attract the kind of people that we all want, and you will change other peoples lives as well!

Until next time,



RESOURCES:



What are you saying when you talk to yourself? If your self-talk is not what it should be, you need to read this. | Read more at http://artofabeautifullife.com/man-in-the-arena/
 Today I want to emphasize the The Importance of Meal Prep! If you want to maintain and promote your own healthy lifestyle, you MUST prepare yourself in every way possible!

My Beachbody coach loves to say all the time....

FAIL TO PREPARE AND YOU PREPARE TO FAIL!

 Of course, this is super applicable to life, but my favorite way to apply that statement is to your nutrition! So today, I want to focus on meal prep! Last Sunday and again this weekend, I will be doing some serious meal prep, because it's just the ONLY way to really guarantee myself success in my nutrition by making all my snacks, meals, etc. accessible, easy, and a of course healthy! This is especially true when I'm doing 21 day fix! If you're going to be successful on this program - you NEED TO PLAN AHEAD!!!

 So here's an idea of what my meal prep looks like!

Saturday - Recipe selection and grocery shopping. I will usually go on pinterest or online and hunt for recipes, OR I will go to my already absurd amount of collected recipes and choose from some of my favorites, like Paleo Phad Thai and these other 21 Day Fix Approved options.
Sunday - MEAL PREP DAY! Last weekend was a great example! Instead of vegging out all day watching football, which is how I wanted to spend my Sunday, I multi-tasked! I put football on in the background and got all my meal prepping and house work done in the meantime!

 But now you might be asking - okay I understand planning ahead but what exactly do you do to prepare yourself?

 Basically - I prepare absolutely everything I can ahead of time! So, first things first, I CHOP EVERYTHING UP!!!!

 One of the ways I get my greens in during 21 day fix is by eating cucumbers (which I LOVE) and celery with hummus as snacks!  So, to make it as easy as possible for me to do this (which after all is the point of meal-prepping), I chop and bag EVERYTHING ahead of time!  I cut cucumbers up and celery up into small pieces and measure them out using the 21 day fix green container. Once I fill the green container, I dumb those pre-cut, pre-portioned cucumbers or celery into a ziploc bag and continue until I have cut up all the celery and cucumbers! What I'm left with is a tupperware full of pre-portioned, ready snacks that I can just GRAB in the morning to take with me to work.

This same strategy is used in my preparation of my fruit and greens! For example here, I had a cantaloupe that I wanted to use for my 21 day fix purples! So I chopped it up and kept it ready in a tupperware for the week! I could have pre-portioned these out just like I did for the cucumbers/celery but I ran out of ziploc bags! So, I just left these in the larger tupperware and filled a purple 21 day fix container before I left to go to work in the morning.

For my greens, I love to have a salad for lunch! I get creative with my salads! Kale with sweet potato and hard boiled egg/chicken with a lemon olive oil dressing, kale with grapes and almonds and lemon olive oil vinaigrette or balsamic vinegar or lemon! Yum! But the biggest reason I can do that is there's no need for me to rip up greens in the morning because I've already done that on Sunday! I rip up and throw all of my kale into a very larger tupperware container! I then throw a larger handful into a tupperware for lunch that day and top it with whatever ingredients I'm feeling for that days salads!

 I also prepare all my protein ahead of time! I hard boil all my eggs (as shown below) and cook all my protein! This week it was chicken! I cooked about a pound and a half of chicken breast tenders (which I love because about 2 of them are equivalent to one 21 day fix red container), which I seasoned with whatever seasoning I was feeling that day! Coffee BBQ seasoning, cajun, italian seasonings, etc. It kind of depends on what I'm going to put the chicken in that week! This week was taco salads and taco bowls, so I seasoning them with a chili powder, Mexican blend!  That way your protein is ready to just throw into your meal or eat as a snack, with NO PREP NEEDED!!!

 Also not pictured - I prepped and baked sweet potatoes as one of my starches for the week and also soaked and cooked a bunch of beans as my other starch, both of which I threw onto salads or into taco bowls during the week!

And that's it! It was a tedious task, but you know what? If you take a couple hours on a Sunday morning/afternoon while you're watching football or doing house chores, etc. you will save yourself SO MUCH TIME during the week and make eating health SO MUCH EASIER!!

 I highly recommend meal prepping and I hope that some of these tips helped you with your own meal prepping adventures!!!

Until next time, stay healthy my busy friends! ;-)



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