Sunday, January 30, 2011

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Tried this tonight and it was very good! I do need to learn how to butterfly chicken because I did not do a good job on that!

4 boneless chicken breasts
5 oz fresh spinach- chopped
2 red ripe tomatoes- chopped
1/2 yellow onion- chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
reduced fat feta cheese
Lawry's Seasoned Pepper

1. Flatten and butterfly chicken breasts and season both sides with Lawry's Seasoned Pepper- be careful not to add too much
2. Brown chicken and cook until no longer pink
3. While chicken is cooking, in a second pan add olive oil and heat. Add spinach, tomatoes, onion and garlic and sautee until hot
4. Spoon spinach mixture into chicken breasts and then sprinkle with feta cheese if desired
5. Close chicken breast and cook 1 min on each side

Serve with steamed veggies of your choice and a salad

Enjoy!

** recipe was adapted from one I found on sparkpeople.com

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Pita Pizza

Another favorite at our house. Very quick and easy and a good alternative to your local pizza place.

Pita Pizzas

whole wheat flat bread
2 cans of Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce (I get it at Kroger in the Organic section)
grilled chicken strips
spinach
4 Roma tomatoes
part skim mozzarella cheese
crushed red pepper if desired

Heat oven to 350. Put flat breads on a cookie sheet, top with spinach leaves, grilled chicken, thinly sliced roma tomatoes, pizza sauce, crushed red pepper if you want and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, I do not use much cheese.

Cook for 15- 20 min

Enjoy!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Crock Pot Pork Chops

1-2 pounds of pork chops
onion powder
garlic pepper seasoning

Put pork chops in crockpot
season with onion powder and garlic pepper
add a tiny bit of water
cook on low for 8-10 hours

Very good! Tender and a great flavor
Serve with steamed veggies and a salad

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Love these! You can add more red hot sauce if you like it spicier!

2 tbs hot pepper sauce- I use Frank's RedHot
3 tbs white vinegar- divided
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb chicken tenders
2 tbs reduced fat mayo
2 tbs nonfat plain yogurt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled reduced fat bleu cheese
whole wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1 large tomato diced

Whisk hot sauce, 2 tbs vinegar and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken tenders, cooked untl cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Add chicken to the bowl with the hot sauce and toss to coat

Whisk mayo, yogurt, pepper and the remaining 1 tbs of vinegar in a bowl, stir in bleu cheese

Lay tortilla on plate, spread with 1 tbs of bleu cheese sauce ,top with 1/4 of chicken, lettuce and tomato, drizzle with hot sauce mixture, roll into wrap

Enjoy

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Put down those light weights!!!

Not seeing the results that you want to be seeing from your workout?? Better check the size of those weights! Women are so scared of heavy weights, I just do not understand this. We do not have testosterone like men to develop large muscles and unless you are taking steroids you are not going to end up looking like one of those women body builders, it just is not going to happen! If you think that working out every muscle group with 5 lb weights is going to give you the results that you want to see, you are kidding yourself. You cannot work the shoulders (which require a lighter weight) with the same amount of weight that you are going to work your quads- one of the largest muscles in the body, they require a heavier weight. The biceps and triceps can work with a heavier weight than the shoulders too. Girls, when you come to boot camp, you should not be working with one size weight. You should be bringing a moderate (notice I did NOT say light- 3lbs is NOT going to cut it!) and a heavier weight. Your reps should not be easy. If you can breeze through your reps then you weights are too light! If we are doing 3 sets of 10, then at 10 you should not be able to do any more without taking a rest. Now really ask yourself, be honest, are your weights heavy enough?? I can tell you that every boot camper should have a set of 8lb weights and a set of 10 lbs weights and you girls who have been there awhile should have 12s or 15s and 10s. You WANT it to be hard, you WANT to reach muscle failure, if you are not then you are not going to see the results that you want. Building lean muscle is what you want to do, that lean muscle is going to burn more calories and a pound of lean muscle takes up more space in the body so the more muscle that you put on the leaner you are. You will not look like a body builder, so do not use that as an excuse. And you are not going to "bulk" up. If you think you are bulking up then chances are this is your natural build. If you have been working with the same weight for a long time, you HAVE to go up in weight. Your body is going to plateau, it needs t be challenged, don't look for the easy workout, challenge your body and just wait until you see the changes, you will love it!

To quote Mr Jack LaLanne, fitness pioneer:

"So many people will just take five pound weights and do something 10 times. What are they getting out of it? Nothing!"

Here are a few good articles on the subject
http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/a/liftingheavy.htm

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/female_athletes.htm

http://realwomensfitness.com/upper-body-exercises/should-you-use-heavy-weights-for-toned-womens-arms/

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Turkey Black Bean Burritos

Mexican is one of my family's favorites. Tonight I threw together some burritos with ingredients that I had on hand and they turned out great

1 lb lean ground turkey
chopped onion
1 can of black beans rinsed
1 can chopped green chilies
Salsa
cumin, chili powder,garlic powder
whole wheat tortillas
shredded reduced fat cheddar if desired

Brown turkey and onion together
Add green chiles, black beans and cumin, chili powder and garlic powder to taste
add salsa to desired consistency
Simmer for 5-10 min
warm tortillas and place mixture on tortilla and roll, top with tomatoes,dark leafy green- we use spinach, and salsa

I served with a salad

Enjoy!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Kale Chips

I love Chips, but they are so horrible for you so I have cut them out of my diet but sometimes I just crave that salty and crunchy texture. One of my boot campers shared a recipe that her friend gave her. Kale Chips

I admit I was a bit skeptical. I wasn't sure how I would like them or how the kids would like them. Well, we made a trial batch tonight. They were amazing!!! My kids loved them and begged me to make another batch. Kale is such an awesome food for you! Kale is chocked full of vitamin A and C and low in calories. You can read more about Kale here
http://www.peertrainer.com/DFcaloriecounterB.aspx?id=2666

Here is the recipe given to me by Tracey Durbin and given to her by Kate Loder Luke. Enjoy!


KALE CHIPS
take the Kale leaves off of the stalk, spread them out on a baking sheet, spray lightly with olive oil, and sea salt, bake 8-10(ish) minutes at 350 degrees! just keep an eye on it, we like it green but crispy and it can burn easily!

No Bake Protein Bars

I got this recipe from Oxygen Magazine. These are so quick and easy! Love them!

Ingredients
1/2 cup All Natural Peanut Butter
2 cups Quick Oats
4 scoops vanilla or chocolate Protein Powder
1 tbsp Ground Flax Seed
1/2 cup Water

Directions
Knead all ingredients together in large bowl. Place in square baking dish lined with wax paper and freeze for 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

Spinach and Turkey Enchiladas

This is one of my family's favorites! It is so yummy!!


1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 box (9 oz) frozen chopped spinach
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic-pepper blend
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (3 oz)
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
8 whole wheat tortillas tortillas (8 inch)
1/2 cup Thick 'n Chunky salsa

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until turkey is no longer pink.

2. Stir in spinach; cook, stirring frequently, until thawed. Stir in green chiles, cumin, garlic-pepper blend, sour cream and 1/4 cup of the cheese.

3. Spread about 1 teaspoon enchilada sauce on each tortilla. Top each with about 1/2 cup turkey mixture. Roll up tortillas; place seam sides down in baking dish. In small bowl, mix remaining enchilada sauce and the salsa; spoon over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

4. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; cover baking dish with foil, sprayed side down. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

From eatbetteramerica.com

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Fiesta Chicken and Rice in Crockpot

I threw this together today and it turned out pretty good

1-2 lbs of chicken breasts
ground cumin
2 cans of Rotel
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Corn
brown rice

light shredded cheese if desired.

In Crockpot put chicken and season with ground cumin
add 2 cans of rotel, black beans drained, and corn drained
Cook on low for 8 hours
Cook brown rice according to directions

Serve the crockpot mixture over the brown rice, I shredded the chicken after it was cooked. You can add a sprinkle of reduced fat cheddar cheese if desired or leave it off to save calories. It is good either way. I added some more hot sauce to mine because I like things spicy

Serve with a side salad
Enjoy

Monday, January 3, 2011

Healthier spaghetti pie

For those with kids sometimes it is hard to get them to eat foods that are healthy. It is a good idea to start them on healthy foods early. Here is a "healthier" version of one of my kids favorites, spaghetti pie:

1 lb extra lean ground beef or ground turkey breast
Garlic Pepper Seasoning
8 oz of whole wheat spaghetti noodles
2 tbs of olive oil
2 eggs beaten
1 cup grated Parmesean cheese
Non- stick cooking spray
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1 jar of marinara sauce- I use Classico because it has few ingredients and lower sugar
1/2 to 1 cup of park skim shredded mozzarella

1. Season meat with garlic pepper and brown, drain if needed, add marinara sauce and simmer
2. Cook noodles as directed
3. Heat oven to 350
4. Place spaghetti in a large bowl and toss with olive oil
5. In a small boil combine, combine eggs, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
6. Add to pasta and mix
7. Spray a pie pan with cooking spray and pour spaghetti into pie pan
8. Spread ricotta cheese on top of noodles
9. Pour marinara meat sauce on top
10. Bake for 25 min
11. Add Mozzarella and remainder of Parmesean Cheese
12. Cook for 5-10 min or until cheese is melted

**Recipe was adapted from Everything Cooking for Kids Cookbook

Serve with a side spinach salad with grape tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, etc

Setting GOALS, not resolutions

Let's face it. Most people do not succeed in making New Years "Resolutions". It is as if people already expect to break them before they even start. This year I am not making resolutions. I am making goals and I am writing them down and I am going to do everything I can to attain these goals. For me, fitness is not a problem. I do not need to make it a part of my new year goal, but I do have a few personal fitness goals that I do want to attain. My goals for 2011 are

1. Get organized. This is so hard for me. My brain just doesn't work this way, but I am going to make an honest attempt to clean out closets, get rid of junk and try to organize myself.

2. Save more money

3. Be prepared for the 2011 Marine Mud Run Challenge in Sept- baby is due in June so I have a lot of work to do!

4. Finish my nutrition certfication

5. Work on another fitness certification

6. Continue to grow my fitness business and branch out in a few other areas of fitness

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Chicken Florentine

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One of my boot campers gave me the recipe and it is fantastic!

1 1/2 lb chicken breasts or tenders
10 oz bag of fresh spinach
8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
4 roma tomatoes sliced
5 ox reduced fat feta cheese
8 oz bottle light Balsamic Vinagrette dressing, I use Newman's Own
12 oz whole wheat angel hair pasta

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and saute in olive oil- you can salt and pepper them a little
Spray 9x13 dish
layer spinach, cooked chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, feta cheese, and then pour dressing all over
Bake at 350 for 30 min and serve over pasta

ENJOY!! It is a great and healthy dish