Italian Style Stuffed Bell Peppers

We went grocery shopping today at Costco and Target. We picked up a lot of yummy stuff to stay on track for the week. Today I am making Italian style bell peppers for dinner and I made enough so I will have something to bring for lunch tomorrow at work.
Here's the ingredients I used:
4 bell peppers- I used one of each color
1 package of extra lean ground turkey
1/2 cup of marinara sauce (mine was left over)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
diced up mushrooms
1/2 white onion diced up
2 eggs
3/4 cup oats

Directions:
Combine the onion and mushrooms into a large bowl
Add the sauce and the spices
Add the package of turkey
Add the oats and eggs to the bowl
Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix every together
Cut the peppers in half and discard all of the seeds
Coat the inside of each pepper with olive oil
Spoon the mixture from the bowl into each pepper until it's full
Set the oven to 350
Cook for 35 minutes

Merry Christmas Eve!!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I am sick...again and it is worst than the last time! ugh! I am hating this! That is one of the down sides of working with people everyday and especially handling money at the bank!  I did do much better with staying on track with my eating and drinking lots of water and green tea compared to the last time I was sick but it still sucks. Your body just feels off. I hope I am over this by next week when I need to train! Tonight Robbie and I are spending Christmas Eve with his family and bringing the puppies with us : ) They are making some Italian favorites: Egg plant parmesan and his grandpa is making an Italian dessert. I have already started out my morning with a healthy, clean breakfast and plan on continuing to eat my meals and tonight I will have some of these sinful foods but small portions. That is the goal! Tomorrow we are going to my sisters house to watch all the kids open presents! I can't wait! I also can't wait to open the 2 presents under the Christmas tree waiting for me! hehe and tonight Robbie is getting a big Christmas surprise! Can't wait for that!

Here is my yummy breakfast for healthier french toast:

I used one egg with the yolk and 3 egg whites and Ezekial bread. 

We eat a lot of eggs!

To make the french toast add to the bowl of egg whites and 1 yolk: 2 tsp. stevia
a splash of vanilla extract, 2 tbs. cinnamon and a splash of almond milk.
Whisk it together and let the bread soak it in on both sides. Then cook both sides
in a large pan. 

The final product! Robbie made me an omelet with 3 egg whites 1 yolk and spinach : ) Mmmm

I also took some progress pics today! You can view them here  I am really excited about the changes I am seeing in my body and the progress I am making to get lean for the wedding!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! : )

things that make life easier

1.) Tupperware and lots of it...in every size! This makes it so easy for me to put my food in for when I have to bring everything with me when I leave the house

2.) A lunch bag

3.) Ice packs

4.) My camelback liter water bottle. I love this thing! It was around $20 but worth every penny. It is bpa free and eliminates me having to buy water bottles all the time. My house and work gets water delivery so I can refill it all day

5.) Shaker. I throw this in my bag filled with water and a zip lock bag of protein powder so I can easily get in my protein shake

Here are just a few of the things I use every week that make life easier when you literally live out of your car and have to bring all your food with you during the day!

Spaghetti Squash

I never had spaghetti squash until recently and I love it! It only has 4 net carbs per 1/2 cup compared to 15 net carbs of whole wheat pasta and did I mention only 21 calories?! Amazing : )
Here is how I make it:

1. poke holes in the spaghetti squash
2. put in on a microwave safe plate
3. cook in the microwave for 6 minutes
4. flip the squash over (careful! this will be very hot)
5. microwave for another 6 minutes
6. let the squash cool for a few minutes
7. cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds 
8. take a fork and scrape the squash it will all fall out in strands, just like spaghetti!

I added chicken seasoned with Mrs.Dash onion and herb and organic sauce. I love making my own sauce but I didn't have time this week.
This was sooo good. I plan on having it again!

Clean Egg Salad Sandwiches

Here is a recipe for egg salad I found. I love finding recipes that replace mayo. I really don't like mayo anyways.

Happy Sunday Everyone! Please "like" my fan page on facebook. : )

Ingredients

• ¼ cup / 60 ml fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml skim milk
• 1 tsp / 5 ml mustard
• 4 hardboiled egg whites, diced
• 1 hardboiled yolk
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped green onion
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped celery
• Dash curry powder (I used cumin because I didn't have curry powder)
• ¼ tsp / 1 ml sea salt

Preparation

1. Whip cottage cheese and milk until smooth in medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Blend remaining ingredients except egg whites with cottage cheese mixture.
3. Add diced egg whites to cottage cheese mixture. Mix well
4. Spread onto bread ( I toasted mine and added spinach leaves on top) 

I use Ezekiel Bread. It is a sprouted grain bread you can find in the freezer section at most grocery stores.

I got this recipe from here

You can find out the nutrition facts there as well! 

Clean Banana Chocolate Pancakes

Yes, I did take a bite before I took the picture! haha Mmmm

4 egg whites

1/2 c. oatmeal

1/4 c. cottage cheese 

4 packets no calorie sweetener

1/2 banana

2 T. cocoa powder

Put everything into the blender and blend until smooth. This takes a few minutes. I doubled the recipe so Robbie could have some too so you're blending a whole banana, 1 cup of oat meal and so on, but if you're making it for just you stick to the above measurements. 

I got this recipe from Lori Harder's website www.busygirlhealthylife.com 

She has great recipes and advice on her website!

The pancakes came out great : ) They are not as fluffy as traditional pancakes  but they definitely cure your pancake craving without making it from a box. 

Clean Chicken Vegetable Soup

With the cold weather I am craving soups. I avoid canned soup so I decided to put my crock pot to good use and make my own! Although, I am wishing I had a bigger one because mine was jammed packed.

Here is how I made my soup.
I thawed 5 chicken breasts
Put them into the crock pot seasoned with rosemary, italian seasoning and basil.
I then added a full box of low-sodium chicken broth and 2 cups of water.

I sliced up:
Zucchini
Celery
Red Bell Pepper
White Onion
Tomatoes
French Green Beans
Baby Carrots
You can add any other veggies you like : )

I tossed the bowl of vegetables into the crock pot with the chicken and broth and cooked it on low for 10 hours.

The chicken will tear apart really easily. This recipe will last for days and will be great for lunch as a smaller portion over brown rice or quinoa or as dinner by itself!

This was super easy and delicious : )

Greek Yogurt

I am currently fighting off a sore throat and head ache, which is not how I wanted to spend my vacation. Especially when I was determined to do extra cardio before the reality of work comes back next week. Yesterday I went with my sister to try on brides maid dresses! It was a lot of fun and we successfully narrowed it down to about 5 dresses...haha.  On the 17th I am taking the rest of my brides maids to officially pick out a dress! The rest of my day will be consumed with resting and writing my final paper for my nutrition class...fun. 

Anyways, here is some useful information about greek yogurt. 

-Greek yogurt is packed with protein. A typical serving has 15-20 grams of protein which is double that in regular yogurt.
-There are less Carbs in greek yogurt
-It has a lower sodium content
-Packed with calcium

To view a full article on greek yogurt click here

Ways that I use greek yogurt:

-If you buy the plain non-fat kind it can have many uses. Without any sweeteners it tastes just like sour cream so I like to add it to chili, tacos, etc. It adds extra protein and less fat to a meal that calls for sour cream. You can also make it into a great veggie dip.

-I like to buy the unsweetened kind and add any of the following:

• stevia
• strawberries
• blueberries
• dark chocolate roasted almonds
• sugar free preserves

-I like to add vanilla creme liquid stevia and stir the yogurt up really good and use it as a dip for apples. It is delicious! 

Occasionally the kind with the fruit already added is ok but it just adds extra sugar. If I buy that kind I like to get the Chobani brand because it is all natural and has whole fruit in it so at least the sugar is from real fruit and not syrups. 

When you open the top of the greek yogurt container you might find liquid at the top. I'm not going to lie, I sometimes pour it out but today I found a helpful article on Christy Allen Fitness  facebook page. It explained that the liquid on top is whey protein and throwing it out wastes all the benefits found in the liquid. So mix it in or save the liquid for other recipes!

"According to the Dairy Council of California, or DCC, whey protein can help to maintain muscle mass while decreasing fat mass. Protein also helps to balance blood sugar, which in turn helps people resist unhealthy, sugary foods, notes DCC. Additionally, a study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that whey proteins may be an effective tool for preventing breast cancer."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/292137-yogurt-whey-nutrition/#ixzz1fxnMRhpl

Greek yogurt usually appears in one of my 6 meals everyday! I hope this helps : ) 

blueberry protein muffins (with some blackberries)

This recipe is delicious! I found it on Little B's blog who found it from Jamie Eason. Jamie Eason is one of my fitness inspirations. She is constantly posting tips & tricks and great recipes.

Ingredients:

 1 1/2 c oat flour
3 scoops protein powder 
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c Stevia/Truvia/etc
2 egg whites
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1/3 c unsweetened apple sauce
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 c non fat greek yogurt
1/2 c blueberries and I threw in some black berries because I had some in the fridge!

I like to bake with Iso-100

Directions: 
Pre-heat the over to 350 degrees
Mix all of the dry ingredients into a big mixing bowl.
Add in all of the wet ingredients whisking as you go
Throw in the blueberries 
Spray the muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray
I like to use a ladle to scoop the mix into each individual tin
Bake for 20-25 minutes

Nutrilite

As promised on my Supplement page I said I would explain why nutrilite is a great choice when choosing vitamins. First, let me be clear you can only get Nutrilite online. They are a company that Amway business representatives sell. Like me : ) Amway works with a lot of great companies and Nutrilite is just one of them. I like to focus on their products specifically because health and nutrition is my passion and they really offer great products.


Nutrilite vitamins and minerals contain plant concentrates and phytonutrients.
They are the only company that plant, grow, harvest and process plants on their own organic farms.
There are farms in California, Mexico, Brazil and Washington.

I believe you get 100% of the vitamin instead of 10% that a lot of synthetic vitamin brands offer.

Nutrilite Mutlivitamin VS Store Brand

Nutrilite Vitamin slowly disolving

Store Vitamin losing it's color

Nutrilite Vitamin almost fully disolved

Store Vitamin looking the same

Nutrilite Vitamin completely dissolved

Store Brand still not dissolved

The pictures above show how water soluble the vitamins are. The Nutrilite vitamin shows that it will completely dissolve in less than an hours time while the other vitamin is still almost completely solid. It just gives me piece of mind that I am investing in a product that will give my body the full product and not just a small part.

Visit my personal retail website here

If you have any questions about Nutrilite or want more information on anything please let me know!

Vacation

Today I start vacation! Whoo hoo...well, sort of. I have 2 finals this week and a really big paper to write. Robbie and I also want to schedule our final tasting with our caterer and I am aiming for a bigger weight loss goal this week so my vacation week is packed!

Here is what I eat for breakfast.

I eat oats every day because it is quick and easy. I usually have under 1/2 cup of oats mixed with hot water, cinnamon, and some sugar free maple syrup. Today I made them with some vanilla creme stevia, tossed some blueberries in and half a sliced banana.
I also have egg whites every day. The ones in the carton are the most convienent for me but a carton of whole eggs is much cheaper. I get mine from costco and they're a pretty good deal and last a lot longer. Egg white are super low in calories and high in protein. I like to add spinach to them or green onion.
I will post more ideas on quick and easy breakfast ideas later.

I went to the gym today and ran 2 miles! My start to my cardio goal is going well so far. I am working out again this afternoon and will do cardio again after my work out. The rest of my day will include studying and more studying for my 2 finals tomorrow.

Rainy Day

Today it is a rainy, cold Arizona day. Robbie and I love rainy days because it means laying on the couch and watching movies (he watches movies & I blog). We were supposed to go up to Flagstaff today with my sisters but it is snowing and when it snows the I-17 closes and we didn't want to run the chance of not getting up there so we're playing it safe and staying in the valley. Instead, Robbie and my sister's husband are going to watch the fights tonight while we chit chat and look up stuff for my wedding on her computer. : )

Today was my weigh in day. Check out my results and goals for next week here.