Margaritas for Cinco De Mayo!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!! (or at least, I hope it is Cinco De Mayo, I wrote this post and scheduled it ahead of time since I am cruising the ocean with my hubs right now) 

If you know me, you know I love tequila...especially margs.

When we went to Disney this past summer, I found a version at our hotel that I drank....everyday (oops). It was so good that when we got home my husband decided to recreate it so we could enjoy it when we wanted without the guilt! 

What better day to share this recipe than today and if you are going to celebrate, why not celebrate the drink that gives me the giggles...

What you need: 
TEQUILA! Preferably Patron.
Cointreau
Agave Nectar
Fresh Limes

Yes, that is all you need to this fabulousness. 

Recipe (1 skinny margarita): 
Juice of a lime
1 tbsp of Agave Nectar
1 shot Cointreau
2 shots of TEQUILA (yes, I am yelling when I type it)
A ton of ice, put it all together in a cup and shake well!! Enjoy. 

Warning!! You may only need one...just saying. I mean, not that I know that from experience or anything.  

Pulled Chipotle Chicken & Slaw Pizza

...insert drool here

Oh my goodness you guys...we made this pulled chicken and slaw from the Team Beachbody Blog a couple of weeks ago and loved it but then it hit me to turn it into a pizza, I mean who doesn't love BBQ Chicken Pizza? And one that is good for you!! Like so good for you, I can eat it while doing my program without any guilt! THAT's A WIN! Plus, I love having pizza on the weekends! It's my jam. 

Pulled Chipotle Chicken with Cilantro Slaw Pizza
 4 servings, about ¾ cup chicken and ¾ cup slaw each

Ingredients:
½ cup apple cider vinegar, divided use
7 tsp. olive oil mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. raw honey
½ tsp. celery seed
4 cups shredded cabbage (or half a small cabbage) --> (I buy this shredded at Trader Joe's)
1 tsp. olive oil
½ medium onion, finely chopped (yeah, I use 1/4 onion, we aren't onion people though)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
2 Tbsp. adobo sauce (the sauce from chipotle pepper in adobo sauce)
½ cup barbeque sauce, no sugar added (I used a local company, Pappy's, it was NOT no sugar added though)
3 cups cooked chicken breast, boneless, skinless, shredded (I used rotisserie) 
For Pizza:
Extra BBQ Sauce (2 tsp per pizza) 
Shredded Cheddar (4 tbsp per pizza) 
Golden Home Ultra Thin Whole Grain Crust, Individual Size (or other crust of your choice) 

Preparation:

1. Combine ¼ cup vinegar, mayonnaise, cilantro, honey, and celery seed in a large bowl; mix well.
2. Add cabbage; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
4. Add onion; cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
5. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute.
6. Add chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, barbecue sauce, and remaining ¼ cup vinegar; cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly.
7. Add chicken, cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until chicken is well coated and heated through.
To make into a pizza:
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, once preheated, place the crust in the oven on a foil lined pan for 3-5 minutes.  Careful not to burn it.
9. Take out the crust, spread 2 tsp of BBQ sauce on the pizza crust. Top it with 3/4 cup chicken and 4 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese. 
10. Place back in oven at 350 for another 5-8 minutes or until edges are golden brown. 
11. Remove from the oven and top it with 3/4 cup slaw.

Slice and enjoy! 

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

I love Mexican food. Any kind.  I could seriously eat Mexican every day of the week in some form or another...it probably isn't a coincidence that Margaritas are my favorite drink too! Which, by the way, don't forget to check back on Cinco De Mayo for my Skinny Margarita recipe! 

These fajitas were really good and I doubled the amount of chicken from what the original recipe called for so that we could have extra for tonight's dinner! 

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 2-5 hours (just depends)

What you need:

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes (or diced tomatoes with green chiles), no salt added
1 medium onion, cut into quarters, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium orange bell pepper, cut into strips
3 tsp. ground chile powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 lb. raw chicken breast, boneless, skinless, sliced

Optional: 
8 6-inch whole wheat flour tortillas, warm OR 4 cups romaine or bib lettuce (for salads) 
½ cup fresh tomato salsa
8 tsp. low-fat (1%) plain Greek yogurt
½ medium avocado, sliced
Finely chopped cilantro

Preparation:
1. Place tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, chile powder, cumin, pepper, and lime juice in a 3-quart slow cooker; mix well.
2. Add chicken; cook, covered, on low temperature for 4 to 5 hours (or on high or 2 to 3 hours), stirring once or twice, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
3. Evenly divide mixture between tortillas or onto lettuce for salads. Top evenly with salsa, yogurt, avocado, and cilantro.

For mine, I didn't use the greek yogurt or the tortillas (obviously), instead we made ours into big mouth watering salads!

For the salad:
2 cups lettuce & fajita veggies
3/4 chicken
toppings....

That left us enough chicken for salads tonight and just enough to make the kids some quesadillas from it.  I topped my salad with tomatoes, salsa, cheese and avocado. 

Almost 33...

Earlier this week I was cleaning pictures off my phone and I came across MANY before/after photos of my journey over the past year.

As I slowly (or not so slowly) creep up on 33, I can't help but feel thankful to be where I am today. A stay at home mom, coaching amazing people on their journey while working on my own health and fitness goals.

If you would have told me in college that I would be healthier at 33 than I have ever been in my life, I would have laughed at you.

I was your typical college kid, I drank, I smoked (yep, not proud of that one AT ALL), I partied a lot, I ate like crap every single day (not exaggerating), I didn't exercise unless walking to and from campus was considered exercise and I was so negative all the time, not to mention I had terrible OCD and anxiety that could have been controlled better with clean foods and exercise.

But I used to think that I couldn’t be the girl who worked out and took care of herself. I used to think that you had to be a certain type of person to do that, that you had to be athletic or born into a family of athletes. Or that some people were just lucky enough to be “fit” and stayed that way all of their life.

It was all about how I perceived myself. It was all about my mindset.

Once Mason was born, I knew I wanted to make a change in my life, but I never quite knew how to make it stick. I tried fad diets, trainers at the gym (who I loved but they weren’t on my ass everyday and clearly, I need that), heck, I even got really lucky one time and an old birth control I was on made me lose a ton of weight but was I healthy? No. (And for the record, that birth control was BAD…I was like the devil woman on it)

Although healthy isn’t about weight. Healthy is about how you fuel your body. It is about being active. It is about how you feel inside and out. It is a lifestyle. I truly didn’t realize that until completing the 21 Day Fix last year with the support of my coach. I became a coach myself because I realized that I am in charge of MY LIFE and coaching keeps me accountable. Coaching helps me stay on the right path and allows me to set the example for my kids I always wanted to set but never knew how….

So yes, it finally dawned on me last year at age 32, that this is a lifestyle I can live, this is a lifestyle I can share with others. I can enjoy the foods I love in the proper portions. I don’t have to feel deprived or hungry, I just have to eat the right things. I can workout from my home when it is convenient for me because life with two kids is busy. And I can get results working out from home and reach my goals, while helping others reach theirs. Even as a mom of two, I am capable. I finally realized that I am the type of person who can take care of herself and be healthy and fit, inside and out. It is never too late. I deserve it. My kids deserve it. You deserve it too!

That is why I post about coaching and these programs, that is why I invite you to my challenge groups or to join my team. Because I know what it has done for me. This whole experience over the past year took a girl who thought she didn’t have what it took to lead a healthier life or didn’t deserve to be happier and changed all of that. I workout regularly, I eat better than I have EVER have before and I sure as shit don’t feel like I am turning 33 next week! I read personal development to learn and grow plus it reminds me each day that I am capable of great things. I am more confident in my skin than I can ever remember being and I know without a doubt that Beachbody is the reason I am where I am today. It provided me the tools I needed to make the change in my life that was long overdue.

Message me if you want more info on becoming a coach or to join my next challenge group, we start April 18th and I am currently offering a gift to new customers in honor of my birthday! 

Change your mindset. Change your life. <3 

Turkey Taco Zucchini Boats

Who loves tacos? Me? Who could eat tacos every night? ME!! Who is trying to eat all of her carbs before dinner....yeah, me. So I decided to take my favorite Southwest Turkey Taco Meat and make Zucchini Boats out of it! 

Both Aaron and I were a little unsure as I was making them but when we took our first bite, we were sold! 

What you need for 2 servings:
2 servings of Southwest Turkey Taco Meat (about 3/4 cup each) 
2 large zucchinis, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
1/2 cup of salsa
Shredded Cheese
Guac (optional) 

How to prepare: 
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Boil water in a large pot (just enough to throw in your zucchini).
3. Spread enough salsa to cover the bottom of a baking dish (you should have about 4 tbsp left) 
4. Meanwhile, use a small spoon or melon baller to hollow out the center of each zucchini halves. Leave about 1/4 inch in each zucchini shell.  You can take the center of the zucchini and chop it up to add to your turkey taco meat, that is optional. 
5.  Place zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 4-5 minutes (we like ours soft, you can do 1-2 minutes if you prefer a crisper veggie). Remove from water.
6. Place each zucchini boat in your baking dish.  
7. Each person will get 2 zucchini halves and 3/4 cup meat mixture, so divide it equally among the boats. Press the meat firmly into zucchini. 
8. Top each one with 1 tbsp salsa (4 tbsp total) and 2 tbsp shredded cheddar (8 tbsp total). 
9. Cover pan with foil and place in oven for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.
10. Enjoy! 

Optional: You can serve with a side of guac, like I did! However, since I did that, I cut back on my cheese to do so, therefore my zucchini boats only had 1 tbsp of cheese on each one. 

For my Fix Family: I counted this as 2 Greens, 1 Red, 1 Blue (some may count the salsa if they use a ton of it, I didn't)