Jalapeno Popper Chicken

HAPPY FOODIE FRIDAY!!

Do you love zesty?? In our house we sure do =) Not going to lie though this dish just has seriously good flavor it isn't too spicy at all! I make this one at least twice a week and with summer upon us and our jalapeno plants producing like crazy...it's perfect timing.  If you can't find or don't have fresh jalapenos handy jarred pickled jalapenos will work just fine.  I use turkey bacon for ours but if you feel like walking on the wild side regular pork bacon is DELISH too! I'm not sure of the conversions for pork bacon but since you're not using a lot for the recipe I can't imagine it would be too different.  Seeing as you use a chicken breast for the recipe there is a little wiggle room for the exact measurements... from what I've found about 5oz equals a red serving.  So the chicken and the bacon account for your red container and the blue is your tasty cream cheese.  This recipe will made 2 servings.

Ingredients

2  5oz Chicken Breasts

4 Tbsp Cream Cheese Softened

1/2 Jalapeno Diced

3 Slices Cooked Bacon (Turkey or Pork)

Sea Salt and Black Pepper for Seasoning

Nonstick Cooking Spray

Directions

Preheat a saute pan to medium heat.  Mix together your cooked bacon, cream cheese and jalapenos in a small bowl.  Cut a 1" slit into each chicken breast and fan your knife in the opening to create a pocket to stuff with your filling.  Split your cream cheese mixture in half and stuff both of your chicken breasts with the filling.  Secure openings using wooden toothpicks.  Spray pan with nonstick spray and season the top of your chicken with sea salt and black pepper.  Place chicken top side down into pan and allow it to sear, season the side that's face up with sea salt and black pepper as well.  Flip chicken after 6 minutes, reduce heat to low and cover pan with a lid.  Cook chicken for an additional 10 minutes (at this point you're basically steaming the chicken).  Check the chicken to make sure that it's cook through. Remove from heat and enjoy! Cheers Friends =)

Kale Chips

I've been seeing these little guys pop up all over the place and I have been so hesitant about them!  Haha it's hard to say why but regardless I decided to bite the bullet and give them a go.  You should too these are so freaking yummy and slightly addictive!  The one thing I dislike is that they shrink up while cooking soooo they're gone faster than I'd like!!  Anywho give them a try and let me know what you think =)  I like to buy my kale pre-washed and trimmed otherwise it takes forever and a day to make them.  So get ready because these are super easy, healthy and DELISH!!  If you're a 21 Day Fix follower this recipe will equal 2 greens and 1 spoon...enjoy my friends!

Ingredients
2 Cups Kale (rinsed and dried)
Sea Salt
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim the kale leaves away from the stiff stems...keep the leaves toss the stems. Toss leaves in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil.  As you take each leaf out to place on parchment paper give it a little rub to make sure it's coated with olive oil.  Once your leaves are laid out sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 15 minutes and then eat up! =)

Jalapeno Poppers

So it's that time of year again...Super Bowl is right around the corner!!  These little guys make a perfect snack for the big day (or any day really!) and they aren't terrible so you don't need to feel guilty about indulging :)

Little tip for the heat factor...I use a melon baller to scrape out the seeds and membrane.  I clean mine out pretty well because we have some friends who might cry if they are too hot (LOL!) if you like the heat factor though leave more of the membrane attached.  It offers up way more heat than the seeds!  Also make sure you either wear gloves or wash your hands like no one's business when you are finished.  I speak from experience that jalapeno oil is no joke!!

I hope you enjoy and of course please let me know what you think in the comments :)

Ingredients

 6oz Smoked Salmon (Shredded)

8oz Cream Cheese (Room Temp)

1/2 Cup Green Onions (Diced)

20 Jalapenos (Halved & Cored)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with tin foil and then place a cooling rack on top.  This will allow the heat to flow around the peppers evenly :) In a medium sized bowl combine your smoked salmon, cream cheese and green onions.  Using the back of a spoon press the mixture into your jalapeno halves.  Space them evenly on your rack and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Super easy right?!? Enjoy!! XOXO

These are great to prep ahead too!  Simply stuff your peppers with the cream cheese mixture toss them in a ziplock bag and store in the fridge.  Then pop them into the oven shortly before it's time to serve :)  

Fit Foodie Free Accountability Group

Do you ever feel like you need a kick in the butt to get yourself up and moving??  I know that sometimes I do and I doubt I'm alone in that!  I want to join forces with other women who feel the same!!  Every month I run a free clean eating group but now I want to kick that up a notch...

I'm going to be hosting a FREE 10 Day Clean Eating & Fitness Accountability Group...EVERY MONTH!  That's right every month...it doesn't matter when you find this post just reach out to me and I'll get you plugged into the next group :)  

These won't be just your average fitness programs either these are programs created by some of the top celebrity fitness trainers!!  And you get to try them for FREE!  Not only does this group include their amazing workouts you will also have exclusive access to all of the meal plans created to give you amazing results when you commit to using them together!

Haha are you curious as to what the programs are?? Well when you sign up for this FREE 10 day group you will have instant access to an entire library of fitness programs we loving refer to it as Beachbody on Demand (BOD).  You can stream it from pretty much any device it works great with my Roku, Iphone and Kindle so there are no excuses where ever you are you can get up and move!!   Check out these videos and see if any of these could get you out of your rut...

Brazil Butt Lift
P90X3
TurboFire
Insanity
ChaLEAN Extreme
Slim In 6
...and so many more!!

Like I said not only will you be able to try out these amazing workout programs...you'll also get to utilize some amazing meal plans and recipes!  Not to mention a private Facebook group so we can work together and hold each other accountable, motivate each other, and share our struggles and successes :)

I'm a big believer in try before you buy.  So is Beachbody!  You can experience BOD for free for 30 days...if you don't love having your fitness programs and meal planning tools right at your finger tips then just cancel within in 30 days of starting your free trial. If you love it like I do and want to keep working towards some amazing results then it is just $38.95 billed quarterly (every 3 months).  That works out to about $2.99 a week...not too shabby!!

These groups will start on a Wednesday and end 10 days later on a Friday.  I really like this layout because that gives us time to explore BOD together and find out how it will benefit you the most before we really jump in.  Over the weekend we will work on meal planning and prep to make sure that when Monday rolls around we are 100% ready to tackle the week!

I have been on an ongoing health and fitness journey and I know that sometimes the toughest part can be just getting started.  This group will be a safe environment free of judging and negativity.  It will also be women only :)  If you have any questions the fastest way to reach me is through Facebook so feel free to send me a message HERE.

Please fill out the form below if you are ready to get started!! I can't wait to crush some goals together!

 

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Chicken Chili

Chili Season is HERE!!  And this recipe did not disappoint :)  You might notice that my next few blog entries will be geared in a slightly different direction...I will be staying true to the clean eating lifestyle as well as trying to make my recipes as 21 Day Fix friendly as possible.  BUT now they will also be gluten free, dairy free, and egg free...LOL I know kill me now right?!  Fear not there is a reason to my madness.

Lately I've just been feeling off.  Seriously feeling it.  In my stomach, head, joints, skin...pretty much everywhere.  So I decided to take a leap of faith and try what is basically an elimination diet!!!  Although for this food experiment I really dislike using the term diet.  The goal of this process is not to lose weight (although if it happens I'll gladly take it!) it is to discover food sensitivities.  I will be cutting out gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, processed meats, added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and corn for the next 3 weeks.  After the 3 weeks has passed I will slowly reintroduce each food one at a time and see how I feel.  While I might not be allergic to these foods I do believe there will be a few that my body performs best without.

So here is my first recipe that follows this new mind set :) I give you my very delicious Chicken Chili!!  If you are unfamiliar with arrowroot powder it is a great thickener in place of corn starch...it can also be replaced with potato starch.  I like tossing some avocado slices on top and a couple dashes of hot sauce never hurt either.  Next time I think I'll chop up some fresh green onions to garnish it with as well.

Ingredients

3 Chicken Breasts

6 Large Mushrooms, sliced

4 Celery Stalks, halved and sliced

1 Small Yellow Onion, diced

1 Zucchini, chopped into dime size bits

2 Cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

2 Cups Vegetable Broth, low sodium

2 Cups Water

1 Cup Coconut Milk, full fat

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder

1 Tsp Dried Oregano

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1Tbsp Chili Powder

1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

*Avocado Slices Optional*

*Chopped Green Onions Optional*

Directions

Set your slow cooker to high and pour in your olive oil, onions and celery stir to coat the veggies with the oil and then cover with lid.  In a large pan heat your coconut oil over medium to med/high heat.  Once it is up to temp add in your chicken breasts and cook each side for about 2-3 minutes.  We're not trying to cook the chicken all the way through just get a nice light sear on each side :)  Check on your onions and celery and stir mixture, once your onions have softened a bit add in your beans, mushrooms, zucchini, oregano, garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper flakes, vegetable broth and water.  Stir everything to combine.  Submerge your whole chicken breasts into the mixture, cover with lid and let it cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7 hours.  When your cooking time is up use tongs to remove chicken to a plate and shred up the meat.  I use 2 forks pulling in opposites directions and after having been in the slow cooker that long it basically falls apart!  Return the shredded chicken to the mixture.  Spoon out about 1/4 cup of the liquid into a small bowl and whisk in your arrowroot powder to dissolve it, then pour mixture back into the slow cooker and stir well to combine.  Stir in your coconut milk cover and let mixture cook on high for about 20 minutes, to allow it to thicken up a bit.  Serve with avocado slices or chopped green onions :) ENJOY!!

Greek Chicken

Chicken is soooo freaking versatile which makes it a popular item in our house. This Greek chicken is great for pastas, sandwiches, salads, chicken gyros or even all on it's own.  It has tons of flavor and is super simple to make.  Give it a shot and see what you think :) Also stay tuned for my Chicken Gyro recipe coming soon!! Serving size for this is 3/4 of a cup and for the 21 Day Fix counts as 1 red and 1 spoon.⭐️Ingredients⭐️
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
2 Garlic Cloves Pressed (if you don't have a press minced will work)
1 Small Shallot finely diced
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Dill
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
4 Chicken Breasts (organic if possible)

⭐️Directions⭐️
In a large ziplock bag combine all of your ingredients. Shake things all around until your chicken is well coated with the spices. If you have time let it marinate for about 4 hours. Also I can't stand thick chicken so I use a meat tenderizer and get it pretty thin if you don't mind thick chicken you can skip that part heat your pan on med/high.  Once it's up to temp spray it with a non stick cooking spray and toss on your chicken. I cook mine 7 minutes per side if your chicken is thicker you'll have to cook it longer until its internal temp is 165...theeeeeeen You're Done!! ENJOY!

Clean Eating Group

Thank you soooo much for your interest in my FREE 10 Day Clean Eating Group! I'm so excited for you!!  I remember when I decided to take the plunge and give this whole Clean Eating thing a try.  I figured "Why not?!" clearly what I was currently doing was not getting me any closer to my goals and it was time for a change.  It can be kind of scary and intimidating though and that's why I decided to start offering these free groups.  Making a change like this is so much easier when you have support and guidance. :)

My little disclosure though is that I am NOT a nutritionist or a doctor and this is not a prescribed meal plan.  I am a mom to my 11 month old daughter with a picky man at home (if he could he would eat pizza and burritos all day long LOL) and I also work a full time job.  I have found a way of preparing healthy crowd pleasing meals.  They are quick and easy and when I have a game plan in place, they are budget friendly as well....who doesn't love that!?

The layout for these groups is pretty simple.  I run everything through a secret Facebook group that I will add you to. I start the group on a Wednesday that gives us all some time to figure out what meals we want to try, where we need to make substitutions, and create our meal plans.  On Wednesday you will also have access to my personal meal plan, shopping list, and recipes as well as blank templates in case you would like to create your own.  I will be posting in the group daily but it's not just my group...it's OUR group so I want you to feel comfortable posting too!!  Whether you have a question our have found a yummy recipe to share please don't hesitate to put it out there.  I also ask that you participate in the group discussions and posts, I need you to show up at least once a day to check in.  If you'd like to do more that's great!!  This group is all about positivity, building each other up  and learning some new tricks along the way.

So I know you're probably wondering why in the world is this crazy chick doing this for free?!  To be totally honest in the beginning I switched my lifestyle up for myself.  I wanted to feel sexy again after having a baby, I wanted to be fit and energized to keep up with my daughter, and I sure as hell did not want to invest a small fortune in larger sized clothes...lol I know I'm not alone there!  But, now it is seriously about my daughter and setting the best example for her, I want to give her an amazing foundation so that when she's faced with unhealthy choices later in life she thinks twice.  I know that she's watching everything I do and I have to hold myself accountable for her sake.  For all of the moms reading this I know we want our children to have the best chance possible for a healthy and fulfilling life....we need to lead by example because they are ALWAYS watching!  If you don't have children that's great, I still encourage you to read the following it's pretty terrifying where the future generations are headed.  This might be a little tough love but this info needs to be shared.  Here are some terrifying stats on childhood obesity from the CDC (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention).

• Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.
  
• The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.
  
• In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.

I cannot even express how passionate I am about this topic.  Looking at those stats literally brings tears to my eyes because those are our babies and if we don't alter our own lifestyle choices they don't stand a chance.  I don't want you to think it's a vanity thing either, the complications that arise from childhood obesity are crazy scary.  Here are some more facts from the CDC that go over the health effects that our children could face.

Immediate health effects:

• Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes.
• Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.

Long-term health effects:

• Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.  One study showed that children who became obese as early as age 2 were more likely to be obese as adults.
• Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

I don't know about you but that scares the crap out of me!!!!  The thought of my daughter having to go through any of that makes me want to scream and cry.

Here's a little extra info that might help you understand my passion.  My mother and both of my grandmothers suffer from diabetes, and when I was in middle school I was a statistic at 5'3'' I was weighing in at 185lbs...but a few years back I decided to break the cycle.  We acquire so many of our habits from our parents.  We all have the power to change though, and that's what this group is for!  It is never too late no matter where you've been YOU get to decide where you will go.  I'm not going to tell you it's super easy but I will tell you it's completely worth it.  Let this group be your first step towards a brighter future for you and your family.  I am here to support, motivate, and educate you as you start this journey.  Together we are stronger than you can imagine so for 10 days lets ban together and create some change!!

If this sounds like something you are ready for and would like to join in I would love to lock arms with you and bring you on board.  Also if now is not the time I completely understand.  Whenever you are ready just let me know and I will get you plugged into a group at that time...I host monthly clean eating groups :)  If you are interested and ready start please fill out the form below!  Also if you have a friend who could benefit from this group feel free to invite them too!  I hope you have an amazing day and I can't wait to meet you and watch you transform your life!

*Quick side note...these groups are not for current Beachbody coaches, if you are already working with a Beachbody coach please reach out to them to see what groups they have going for their team.*

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