Friday Night Fajitas

Earlier this week I had a huge craving for chicken fajitas. Normally, I buy pre-made fajita sauce at the grocery store. However, since I'm using my Bodybugg again, buying pre-made sauce is not an option because of the sodium. Instead, I mixed some spices and made my own mix that was low in sodium AND did had no added sugar.

Ingredients:

• 1tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 pkt. stevia

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients and add to sauteed 2lbs. chicken, 3 sliced peppers and half an onion. Add water if the mixture becomes to thick.

Cook until Chicken is thoroughly cooked and peppers are tender.

Makes 6 servings.

How I Am Going To Reign In My Eating Habits

This week I am concentrating on changing my eating habits for the better. Lately, I find myself falling back into old habits. Primarily, eating after dinner and drinking Diet Coke regularly. In order to reign myself in I am going to do the following (or not do the following):

In regards to my diet...

• Drink more water.
• Eat less sodium.
• Eat less sugars (baked goods, candy, crackers etc.)
• Cook dinner everyday.
• Not eat after dinner.
• Eat more protein.
• Eat more vegetables in the form of Nutribullet Shakes.
• Eat more yogurt (I dropped yogurt out of my diet for some reason.)

In regards to exercise...

• An hour of cardio at least 4 times a week.
• Stretching before cardio.
• Body Pump twice a week.
• Stretching after Body Pump.

The biggest challenge that I am facing this week (and I actually started last week) is ditching the Diet Coke. I know that it is bad for me, but there is nothing like drinking a cold Diet Coke with dinner. 

Talking about dinner, this weeks meal plan looks like this:

Monday - Spinach Stuffed Chicken with Vegetables

Tuesday - Southwest Meatballs

Wednesday - Salmon Patties

Thursday - Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lean Turkey Marinara Sauce

Friday - Stir-Fry with Brown Rice

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Whole Wheat Veggie Lasagna

And the workouts look like this:

Monday - 3 Miles & Les Mills Hardcore Abs

Tuesday - Les Mills Pump & Burn

Wednesday - 3 Mile Run/Walk & Les Mills Flow (Stretching)

Thursday - Les Mills Pump Challenge & Hardcore Abs

Friday - Les Mills Flow (Stretching)

Saturday - Pump & Burn

Sunday - Rest

That is the plan for this week! I am sticking to it no matter what. I'm tired of not holding myself accountable and I'm tired of my bad habits...time to kick them to the curb!

Chocolate Quinoa Molten Lava Cake

Lately, I've had a horrible sweet tooth. It must have something to do with the cooler weather. I think I equate Fall Weather with eating sweets. Instead of eating my weight in chocolate, I'd rather watch my weight and eat healthy homemade chocolate snacks. Thus, I created a quinoa snack that is amazing and pretty friendly on the waistline! I present to you....

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C. Cooked Quinoa
• 1/2 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 C. Water
• 1/4 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 Packet Stevia
• 2 Tbsp. Non-fat Cool-Whip Topping

Directions:

In a microwave safe bowl, combine cocoa powder, cinnamon and Stevia. Add water and place in the microwave for 20 seconds. Once warm, stir vigorously and add Almond milk until well combined. Add quinoa to the bowl and stir until well combined. Pack quinoa into a ramekin and flip onto a plate. Top with cool whip and serve!

Enjoy!!! 

No-Bake Oatmeal Protein Bars

Last night I stayed up until 12:30am researching recipes, nutrtition facts and new ideas to bring to FHAF . 

If you know me, you know that I NEVER stay up that late. I am a morning person and usually knock out around 10pm. Lately though, the only time that I've had to blog is like never! So I sacrificed a little sleep and tried to get inspired by reading a few articles and several recipes.

One recipe in particular caught my eye. It was for a No-Bake Oatmeal Protein Bar. It took me about 20 minutes to prepare and I let it sit for 30 minutes in the freezer. BAM!!! In less than an hour I had a yummy snack for the next few days.

Of course, I want to share it with you! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 c. oats -- The real stuff, not that stuff that comes in a pouch!
• 1/2 c. natural peanut butter
• 4 scoops of protein -- I used a vanilla protein
• 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
• 3/4 c. water
• (optional)1/4c. natural peanut butter to layer on protein bars

Directions:

First, if you don't have ground flaxseeds don't worry you can grind some flaxseeds up in your blender or if you are lucky like me you can grind some up in a Magic Bullet. Line a square baking pan with wax paper and set aside.

In a bowl combine the oats, flaxseed and protein powder. Add the peanut butter to mixture and blend slowly. Instead of using normal peanut butter I used this:

Once the mixture has become crumbly slowly add in the water and mix until you get a doughy consistency.

Spread the "dough" into the wax paper lined pan with a spatula.

As an option you can top the protein bars with peanut butter. Again, I used the Dark Chocolate Skippy Peanut Butter.

With or without peanut butter on top, place the protein bars into the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and cut into squares. This recipe yields 8 bars and the nutrition facts are as follows:

Another Great Day

I am feeling better today. My back is still a little irritated, but not nearly as bad as it was yesterday.  I started tracking my calories again this morning and I hope that I can start the Body For Life program up again by next week. I was crunched for time this afternoon on my lunch break so I decided that since I am not on the BFL diet, a ham sandwich from Subway wouldn’t hurt my diet.

Despite having a sore back, I still exercised. I ran/jogged/walked 3 miles on my treadmill.

Have I mentioned I love my treadmill?

I didn’t straight out run because of my back. I just don’t want to screw it up again. I also did some stretching after. I want to start working on my flexibility again. I think this will also help my back get better faster.
On another note, I made the most delicious salmon tonight. I know it’s just a marinade, but it was so good I want to share it with you guys.

Grilled Citrus Brown Sugar Salmon Marinade



Ingredients:

• 4 salmon steaks
• 1/3 C. Soy Sauce
• 1/3 C. Water
• 1/3 C. Brown Sugar
• 1/4 C. Olive Oil
• Lemon Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Salt

Directions:

Combine soy sauce, water and oil in a Ziploc bag. Add brown sugar into the bag and seal. Mix well until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Place salmon steaks on a plate and season with lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt to taste.

Place seasoned salmon steaks into the Ziploc bag and seal the bag. Gently roll the Ziploc bag so that each steak is “coated” with the marinade.

Place Ziploc with salmon and marinade into the refrigerator laying the Ziploc flat so that all salmon steaks are submerged in the mixture. Marinade for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Brush some olive oil onto the barbeque grate so that the salmon steaks do not stick. Once marinated, place the salmon steaks on the barbeque grill and cook each side 8-10 minutes.

Mango Vinaigrette and Breaded Cod

Remember how I said I was going to make salmon for dinner yesterday?

Ummmm, yeah. I lied.

I had forgotten that I didn't buy the salmon steaks at Costco. It was a last minute decision and I opted for the cod fillets instead. Since I have a crap memory, I was left looking at the cod fillets thinking, "What the hell?" Hahaha! To give you a visual: Imagine me standing in the middle of my kitchen with the freezer door open, cod fillets in hand and the dumbest "uh-duh" look on my face...Ha!

Yeah, that was me yesterday afternoon.

Well, I'm not one to get my panties in a twist so I worked with what I had. Thus, I present to you a recipe for not only breaded cod but also for mango vinaigrette. Get ready to have your taste buds blasted with an amazing mix of YUM!

The cod is real simple to make too!

Ingredients:

6 Cod Fillets (or however many you need)
1 C. Italian Bread Crumbs
Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400o.

Line a casserole dish (I use Pyrex) with aluminum foil. Coat the aluminum foil with olive oil. You don't want to go crazy with the olive oil. All you need is enough so the cod doesn't stick. Put the casserole dish aside.

Lay out a sheet of parchment/wax paper on your counter top. Pour your breadcrumbs onto your paper. Pour a tiny bit of olive oil into a ramekin (or a cup will work) and begin by dipping a brush into the oil and brushing it on both sides of your cod.

Take your oily cod and coat both sides of with the bread crumbs. Place the cod into you aluminum lined casserole dish. Repeat this step for all your fillets.

Put into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until your cod reaches an internal temperature of 145o.

Mango Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 C. Ripe mango, cut into medium pieces

¼ C. Rice wine vinegar

2 Tbls. Olive oil

2 Tbls. Freshly squeezed orange juice

½ Tsp. Cayenne pepper 

½ Tsp. Salt

½ Tsp. Sugar

4 Tbls. Water (if it gets too thick)

Directions:

Place all ingredients into your Magic Bullet [or a blender if you don't have a Magic Bullet (poor you!)] minus the water. Blend until smooth. If the consistency is too thick add water and blend that baby one more time.

____

I took the mango vinaigrette and mixed it into a bowl of mixed greens (lettuce) and served it as a side. I also took the mango vinaigrette and put some on my cod. It was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!

Later Gators!

Getting Real With A Recipe Fail

I'm about to get super real with you.

I failed last night.

It's not often that I fail at things. However, when I do, I feel totally defeated and pissed off. Last night, was no exception. I was so pissed off at the way the rice turned out. The recipe turned out to be mush (rice) with asparagus and chicken thrown in. Urgh! To me it was awful but Oscar and Gavin (my guinea pigs) said that it tasted okay. They both cleaned their plates but for me it tasted like chicken with oatmeal and crunchy asparagus. I guess not everything can be gourmet.

You live and you learn and I think the next time I attempt this dish I will make sure that the rice is a little dry. Maybe half cook it the night before. It really was the rice that made the entire dish nasty. Maybe I just need to find an alternative to the rice. I used brown rice, but maybe white would be better. I hate white rice though...bleh!

I'll figure it out and post it up with accurate measurements so that nobody has to experience The Mush.

Tonight on the menu we are having Salmon. I'm thinking that I'm going to make this grilled salmon with mustard sauce. It seams easy enough! I'll let you know how it turns out!

Hopefully it will turn out to be a keeper like my salmon patties.

Mushroom White Wine Chicken

Have you ever been short on time but in need of a warm meal to feed your family? I find myself in that position a lot. I either forget to get something out of the freezer or I take something out of the freezer but have no idea what I want to make. A few nights ago, this was the case. I had taken out chicken breast and I didn't quite know what I wanted to do with it. I then realized that I had some mushrooms that I didn't want to go bad. I thought, why not something with a mushroom sauce? Even better, why not something with a white mushroom sauce. Sooooooo....

I did a little research on the internet and ended up getting the general jist of how a nice white wine sauce is made.

So here is my recipe...

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken breast tenderloins
• 5 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 C. white wine of your choice
• 4 tbsp. margarine
• 1 tblp. flour
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Directions:

Begin by melting 1 tbsp. of margarine in a small pan. Saute your sliced mushrooms until  they are soft.

In a separate pan, melt another 1 tbsp. of margarine gently lay the chicken tenderloins into the hot margarine. Add salt and pepper to each tenderloin and cook until both sides are white. Be careful to not cook 100% of the way as it will make your chicken taste like rubber when it is fully cooked with the mushrooms.

Next, remove the chicken and melt the remaining 2 tbsp. of margarine. Once the margarine is melted, add in the white wine and follow by slowly whisking in the flour making sure to not create any lumps.

Add in the sauteed mushrooms.

Gently place the chicken back into the pan with the sauce and mushrooms. Simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Serve with brown rice, pilaf, or veggies. I chose veggies...

This recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to finish...

Enjoy!

Spinach, Ham and Veggie Frittata

Yes, it is another Frittata!

For the past few months I've been in a breakfast rut. I've been eating the same thing almost everyday. An egg on wheat sandwich thin bread. It's gotten to the point where I am completely bored of it. So last week I was really struggling with breakfast and I had a few days where I had an Eggo waffle and cereal. Basically, I was eating my son's breakfast foods which I usually do NOT eat.

In light of being in this huge breakfast rut, I decided that I would make myself a Frittata for the week. I kept this in mind as I grocery shopped on Sunday and then decided that I would make it on Monday night. So without further introduction, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. egg whites

• 4 whole eggs
• 8oz. bag of baby spinach leaves
• 8oz. box of mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, sliced

• 1/2 onion, chopped

• 5 slices of deli ham
• 1/4 c. reduced fat mexican cheese, grated
• 1 tbls.olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Begin by warming olive oil in a pan and sauteing the onions and mushrooms until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the spinach and saute until wilted.

Place mixture into a greased cake pan.

Continue by placing sliced tomatoes on top of the sauted mixture.

Layer sliced ham on top of tomatoes as so...

Beat egg whites and eggs together adding more salt and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture into the cake pan and top off with the grated cheese.

Place into the oven uncovered for 20 minutes...

Remove from the oven and let cool. 

Enjoy!!!

UPDATE: To see the nutrition information, click here.

Portobello Mushroom Tops

Earlier this week I promised that I would post up a new recipe. I thought that I wasn't going to be able to keep my promise because of my Memorial Day plans and just how busy I've been lately. However, I got out of work a little early today and decided that I felt like cooking dinner tonight.

The past few weeks I have been craving stuffed portobello mushroom tops. To my surprise, portobellos were on sale this afternoon and I thought, "Why not?"

My inspiration for this recipe comes from the Bodyrock.tv website. While I would have loved to stick to the recipe it turns out that I didn't have leeks and I wanted to have something pseudo Italian  So instead of leeks I used celery and I added pizza sauce to the bottom of the portobello tops.

The ingredients include:

• 7 portobello Mushrooms
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 heads of garlic
• 5 stalks of celery
• 1 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• pizza sauce
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

 First dice the onion, celery, garlic and the tomatoes. (Diced celery and garlic are not pictured.)

Then saute the onion, celery, garlic and tomato in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Place the portobello mushroom tops face up.

Place two tablespoons of pizza sauce (marinara is okay too) in each mushroom top.

Put the sauteed vegetables into each portobello top.

Add a tablespoon of parmigiano reggiano cheese to each top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Let them cool and serve!

Enjoy!!!