Orange Cinnamon Chicken

I just discovered a new seasoning! Seasonings are really a great way to mix up your meals without overcomplicating anything:) I am all about quick meals, so playing around with seasonings is the perfect way for me to add variety, while still being efficient with my time!  So this is what I have been using to season my chicken and oatmeal for the last couple of days, and I really LOVE IT! I like cinnamon on just about anything, and have had it on chicken before, but adding the orange peel gives it something a little extra! It's delicious! I got the orange peel seasoning at Safeway, but I think it can be easily found in most local grocery stores:)

Chipotle Salad

Chipotle is one of my favorite places to grab a quick, healthy meal if I want to eat out. The hubby and I don't go there too frequently, but the past few times I have gone, I have started changing up my order a little bit to keep the calories low enough for it to be a worthwhile meal:) I usually order a bowl, and have been substituting A LOT of veggies for rice and beans...and the veggies really are delicious:) So my bowl is usually something like: lots and lots of veggies, double chicken, pico, hot sauce, lettuce, and if I am feeling extra hungry I will get light avacado (because if you don't request 'light', they will basically put an entire mashed avacado on your salad...yum). Chipotle is kinda expensive for one meal...or I would probably eat there more frequently...but my alternative salad is pretty dang good, too:)

Chipotle Salad

4 oz. Chicken Breast
1/2 sliced red onion
1 sliced green bell pepper
2 Tbs hot salsa (salsa of choice)

1 tsp Sriracha
3 cups baby romaine lettuce

To prepare the chicken:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Trim and cube raw chicken. Season chicken (I use a lot of sea salt with Weber Kick'n Chicken seasoning). Bake covered for one hour. Remove and let chicken cool while remaining covered for 30 minutes.

Salad:
Sautee red pepper and green bell peppers with some sea salt. When that is finished, toss all of the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

Easy:) and yummy! And Macro Friendly;)

Calories: 238
Carb: 19.8 g
Protein: 29.8 g
Fat: 5 g

Dining Out

We are all obviously faced with the opportunity to eat socially on occasion. Eating socially often means your meal options are somewhat limited, especially when it comes to keeping a clean diet and eating to support your goals.

So how do you enjoy meals with your friends and family without sacrificing all of your hard work? Well, there are a few things I like to pay attention to to keep me on track, while I still get to enjoy good food and good company :)

1. Start by eating someplace that seats your party and leaves you with a menu for a few minutes. Most of these places have options that actually require preparation (vs. pre-made, sat under a heating lamp for ten minutes kind of meal). This isn't necessarily a rule, but having a few minutes with your menu will also allow a more deliberate decision :)

2. Order water. Duh. 0 calories...and really, soda is bad for you. BAD FOR YOU. Even that diet stuff.

3. Look for lean proteins on the menu. Turkey breast, chicken breast, sirloin steaks, and white fishes (also, salmon is usually pretty safe).

4. Opt for vegetables rather than pastas and breads. Vegetables are amazing! They have vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function properly. They are a key part of true, natural healthy living. AND along with all that nutrition (that you wouldn't get from your pasta or dinner roll), vegetables also have a much lower caloric density:) You can eat more (volume) without eating more:) I also love baked sweet potatoes, when they are available :)

5. What is your meal dressed with? Creamy sauces are packed with fats and simple sugars. Flour and butter and cream...calories...and usually calories that lack nutrition. Look for vinaigrette (because salads are almost always a safe choice), ask for the sauce or dressing on the side (you always get too much anyway). Is your food even dressed? Or is it seasoned? Seasonings will add SOO much flavor and dimension to your food :) Oh, and watch out for butter...you can ALWAYS ask for something to be left out or put on the side. YOU ARE PAYING FOR IT.

6. Get a box! Ask for it when you order your meal :) portion your food for the night and save the rest for tomorrow! Meal prep! Or you can share with a friend or a date:) I'll bet there is going to be plenty of food for two bellies (maybe more). Save some money $$$ and save your hard work!

I ate at Outback Steakhouse with my brothers, sister-in-law, and nephew last night:) I ordered the Sesame Salad, and it was AMAZING. Grilled chicken breast, salad greens, almonds, sesame seeds, and an amazing dressing on the side:) Guilt factor: 00000!!! and oh, so delicious!

Dine With Me

I was asked what my meal plan is like during a typical week, so I am going to give you all a little peek into my diet. Keep in mind that every person has different caloric needs, so this wont necessarily work for everyone, but it has been working for me:)

I generally eat the same meals every day for a week, because I am currently in competition prep. It might seem a bit 'boring', but all the meals that I eat are quite yummy:)

I take a multivitamin daily...I would recommend this for anyone and everyone. It is rare for a person to hit all of their vitamin and mineral needs every day without this (especially people who have a typical 'American diet').

SO. Here is my dining for the day:)

7:00 AM Breakfast

Protein Waffles (Strawberry Valentine Protein Waffles) Vanilla protein powder and replace strawberry with 1 oz. Banana
.25 cup (35 g) Blueberries (to top the waffle)
~302 calories:  36 carb, 3 fat, 32 pro

10:00 AM Snack 1

1 Scoop Protein Powder (Dymatize Elite Gourmet)
.5 Tbs Chia Seeds
2 Quaker Caramel Rice cakes
~250 calories:  30 g carb, 5 g fat, 25 g pro

12:00 PM Lunch

4 oz. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
.25 cup steamed asparagus (or microwaved)
.5 cup black rice
Red Curry Powder
Turmeric
~270 calories: 30 g carb, 3 g fat, 31 g pro

2:00 PM Snack 2

4 oz.  Extra-Lean Ground Turkey
3 oz. Sweet Potato
40 g  Raw Almonds
Mrs. Dash Sodium Free Seasoning
~434 calories: 26 g carb, 22 g fat, 38 g pro

5:00 PM Dinner

4 oz. Extra-Lean Ground Turkey
.5 cup Black Rice
1.5 oz Avacado
2 Tbs Medium Chunky Pace Salsa
~405 calories: 34 g carb , 20 g fat, 39 g pro
8:00 PM Snack 3

1.5 cup Lentil Vegetable Soup
Mrs. Dash Sodium Free Seasoning
~227 calories: 24 g carb, 2 g fat, 37 g pro

Total: 1888 calories: 170 g carb (~35%), 55 g fat (~25%), 202 g pro (~45%)

That's it! I will occasionally switch out some of my meals to add some variety, but when I switch my meals I am generally moving around food items from each meal (so swapping my sweet potatoes with my rice). As long as I keep it clean and keep my calories and macros the same, I don't worry too much. Drinking a lot of water is a big deal, too. At least 1 gallon daily (~3.5 L). Don't skimp on water. It helps to curb cravings and enhances immunity. Your body needs water.

So, there you are.  A typical day (week) for me right now:) I have other meal plans that I follow during different weeks, but this is what I am currently eating. Take it for what it's worth:)

Time Crunch Cooking

Diet is hard. For me, it is the most difficult part of living a healthy lifestyle. Why? Well, probably for the same reasons that it is hard for most people. I would think convenience sits right at the very top of the list of reasons for diet difficulty. Cooking takes time. A lot of time when you consider that you have to shop, prep, and clean the dishes for every meal that you make. So, what do people do instead? Reach for the cheese and crackers (my husbands favorite meal, as of late).

Luckily, there are ways to manage meal prep and cooking time quite easily. There are a few things that I do to make sure that I am getting healthy meals without sacrificing my time:

1. Prepare your food in bulk!!! I do this to a bit of an extreme right now, because I eat the exact same six meals every day for a week at a time. I don't mind doing it, because I like the meals that I have prepared; however, I know that most people don't love eating the same meals over and over and over. So, instead... plan your meals at the beginning of every week and have a big cooking party. You wont have to cook again all week! In a couple of hours you can make all the food you need for the week and you can simply portion it out every day. Cook the noodles, rice, chicken, and fish that you will be using in your meals. Bag or box them up...and thank goodness for the microwave. Serious life saver.

2. Use a slow cooker. This is a magic pot...a cauldron? But, really. Stick a few ingredients in, push the on button, go to bed. When you wake up in the morning, you will have a nice week's worth of lunches with hardly any effort (...and the scent to wake you).

3. George Foreman Grill. Oh, my Georgie Porgie. I love my grill. Frozen meat will be cooked through in ten-ish minutes. So easy to clean up (I just wipe mine down with a paper towel immediately after I take the meat off). If you aren't cooking your meat in bulk in the crock pot...this is a pretty nice alternative. I like the plain grilled chicken flavor...but you can season or cook your meats with veggies...the possibilities are limitless:)

4. Boil eggs. Boil a lot of eggs. Boiled eggs are incredibly easy to pack! Keep a bowl full in the fridge to grab for a mid-workday/school day snack...portable protein. I usually boil about two dozen at the beginning of each week...sometimes more (hubby likes to take them).

5. Supplement with protein powder (less cooking, more shaking!). Protein is vital in weight loss. You can lose weight...you cannot build muscle mass. Eat enough protein. I recommend between 1-1.2 g/ lb of body weight/ day for anyone who is participating in a weight training program. Solid proteins (meat) can be expensive to purchase when your intake is that high (although, it isn't much higher than the absolute minimum....7 g/lb body weight/day). Protein powder is a less expensive, and more convenient alternative. Look for powders low in sugar (less than 5 g per serving...0 g per serving if possible). Pack it. Like eggs, it is easy. Keep it in a bag...mix it with water (this isn't always very yummy...but do it...chug, chug, chug). Mix it into your pancakes (whole grain...right?). A scoop in your oatmeal in the morning...mix it with some Greek yogurt (chocolate pudding replacement?). There are lots of ways to supplement with protein powder:) I use the brand and flavor shown in the above image:) Seriously yummy.

Spicy Chicken Curry

I have a weakness for Thai food, especially curry. Fortunately enough for me, I can make my own curry pretty easily to get my fix:) I made this with my sister, and it was delicious! (Unfortunately we ate it so quickly and I didn't get a photo...but next time I will).

Spicy Chicken Curry

2 lb Chicken Breast, cubed
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 14.5 oz can diced tomato (no added salt), with juice
1.5 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tsp ground ginger (or 1 Tbs fresh ginger)
2 tsp kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced (I used garlic powder ~2 tsp)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder (red curry powder...spicy!) 

Add oil to large sauce pan. When oil is hot, add onion and green pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cut chicken into bite sized cubes and cook separately. Combine pepper, ginger, salt, coriander, turmeric and curry powder and add to pot. Stirring occasionally, cook until fragrant (10-15 minutes). Stir in diced tomatoes and Greek yogurt. Mix in chicken and serve hot over cooked brown or black rice (I love black rice).

Per Serving (without rice):
Serves 5
Calories: 137
Carbs: 13 g
Fat:  0 g
Sat. Fat: 0 g
Protein: 19 g
Sugar: 8 g

Per Serving (with 1/4 cup rice):
Calories: 297
Carbs: 47 g
Fat: 2 g
Sat. Fat: 0 g
Protein: 24 g
Sugar: 9 g

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am becoming increasingly obsessed with my slow cooker. The main reasons for this are that it is extremely fast (less than 15 minutes of prep. time usually) and convenient (I can cook my meals while I sleep). So, today I have another recipe that I just finished slow cooking:) I am actually enjoying it as I type:) I hope you can too!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves 5

2 lb. Boneless, skinless Chicken Breast
2  (15 oz.) cans Diced tomato (no salt added)
1  (7 oz.) can Green Chilies (drained)
1/2-1 cup Chicken Stock (no salt added)
1 chopped yellow onion
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbs garlic powder (or 2 cloves fresh garlic)


Place chicken breast in the bottom of the crock pot. Combine all other ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours. Shred chicken. Serve warm topped with corn tortilla strips (I just ripped up two corn tortillas with mine). Salt and pepper to taste.

Per Serving (without corn tortillas):
Calories: 247
Carbs: 14 g
Fat: 2 g
Sat. Fat: 1 g
Protein: 39 g
Sugar: 6 g

Per Serving (with corn tortilla):
Calories: 374
Carbs: 38 g
Fat: 4 g
Sat. Fat: 1 g
Protein: 42 g
Sugar: 7 g

Spicy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I have a bit of an addiction. Cafe Rio Barbacoa Pork Salad. Unfortunately, it probably isn't the most healthy meal...not to mention the $10 per salad...

SO. I looked for a copycat recipe for the pork...and, as you might imagine, it is loaded with sugar. Sugar is delicious, but not exactly what I want to be feeding my body. I kept looking and found a recipe on bodybuilding.com. I decided to give it a try, and am happy to say that it turned out really well! I did make a few adjustments of my own...and I will be honest, I have a tendency to 'guesstimate' my measurements, but this time I only did that with a few of the seasonings:) So, here it is with my adjustments. Click on the link above if you want to see the original recipe and directions!

Spicy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

• 1/2 medium Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp Sucanat
• 1/2 tsp Blackstrap Molasses
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
• 3 lbs Pork Tenderloin, trimmed
• 6 tbsp White Vinegar (I didn't have Cider Vinegar)
• 1 cup Low-sodium Chicken Stock
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• Crushed Red Pepper (probably about 1 tsp)
• 1 tsp sucanat
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

And here's a little secret...I topped a protein pancake with some of the pork, and it was not bad at all:) Better than a bun, but if you don't want to try that use some 100% whole wheat toasted English muffins! YUM!