Chicken "Parmaprese"...or something like that.

My favorite sauce. It is not too garlicky (which is a PLUS for me…damn acid reflux problems) and doesn’t have any extra sugar added to it.

I am still here. Did you miss me? I have been keeping my meals SO simple lately that there hasn’t even really been anything new to share but I will do my best to add new concoctions to the blog as I come up with them.

My goal with food is always:
1. For it to taste good.
2. QUICK & SIMPLE!
3. And obviously, healthy.

My first tip is prep some damn chicken. Look, we all want fancy meals but don’t always have the time, so this is where prep comes into play…if you have protein on hand, you can make SEMI-fancy food throughout the week. What do I mean by semi-fancy? Well this dinner was comprised of prepped grilled chicken but very much filled my craving for two of my fav Italian dishes (one of them not always being the healthiest option), Chicken Parm and Caprese Salad. And I didn’t have to wait around for chicken to bake or really spend much time assembling this AT ALL.

What You Need:
1. 3/4 Cup grilled or cooked chicken of your choice (Rotisserie would work too)
2. 1/4-1/3 Cup (ish) Newman’s Own Marinara (the imp. thing is the sauce has no extra sugar added)
3. 1/4 Cup fresh mozzarella (I LOVE Trader Joe’s Mozzarella Cheese Log)
4. Fresh basil (I don’t really measure this one)
5. Fresh grated Parmesan
6. 1/2 cup sliced Polenta (mine fits perfectly into my measuring cup so I know it is 1/2 cup)
7. Paprika (enough to sprinkle over your Polenta)
8. Olive Oil Spray
9. Side of veggies (Your choice, I to have 1 cup steamed broccoli with this meal)
10. An appetite.


For the chicken:

1. Heat a pan with olive oil spray, throw in your diced chicken. After it is reheated/warm, add the sauce and mix well.
2. Sprinkle with parm, mix one more time!
3. Plate it and top with mozzarella and basil.
4. Serve with a side of veggies and polenta.
5. Impress yourself with your cooking skills and how little time you actually had to spend in the kitchen to get a good meal.

Nom. Nom. Nom.

For my Fix Fam, I personally count this as 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue, 1 green.

For the polenta (I use my toaster oven on the bake setting for this):
1. Line a baking sheet with foil, lightly spray with olive oil.
2. Place polenta slices on the pan, sprinkle with paprika & parm.
3. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. The top should be golden and crispy.

You can find Polenta “logs” at most grocery stores in the pasta isle, I get mine at Trader Joe’s.

And this pre-sliced mozzarella is one of my favorite TJ items too.

Bon appétit friends.

Steak Fajita Bowl - LIIFT4 Approved

Fajita Bowl from my favorite local pub. 

New program = new recipes! I kicked off LIIFT4 today with my girls in my group and I can already tell I am going to love it! (Read my last blog post for details on that...)

So I have totally been addicted to this fajita bowl from our favorite local pub and I realized I needed it on my meal plan to get my fix without having to spend money eating out...so I recreated it to fit into my meal plan (i.e. not 3 cups of brown rice like they give you when you go out) and it is definitely awesome. All that is missing is a margarita but that will have to wait until "cheat" day! 

I am going to keep this recipe vague because it is super simple but if you have questions, comment below. 

What You Need (1 serving):

1 cup bell peppers
3/4 cup steak seasoned w/ southwest seasoning (seasoning recipe below) 
1/2 cup mix of corn, black beans & brown rice
2 tbsp guac or avocado
2 tbsp cheese (your choice, I did cheddar, the restaurant uses cojita) 

My version. So good, I sorta want it again tomorrow but Aaron ate the rest of the steak. Ugh! 

How To Prepare:

1. Rub steak w/ southwest seasoning. Grill or cook steak to your liking. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Then slice it or cube it.
2. Grill peppers & then slice it or dice it.
3. Combine 1/2 cup of corn, black beans & brown rice for your base of your fajita bowl. I used canned corned but grilled corn taken off the cob would be SO good (just a thought).
4. Make your guac w/ a splash of lime juice, pinch of salt & red pepper flakes. 
5. Put your bowl together! Eat & enjoy. Or if you are like me, inhale & enjoy. 

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Southwest Seasoning:

2 TBSP chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregno
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt

Mix seasonings together and put in a container, there should be some left after you season the steak! I use this seasoning for taco meat, chicken, anything really!

Chicken Taco Tostada (80 Day Obsessed/Fix Approved)

Ok, so if you made my last recipe, this one is pretty damn similar but with chicken & a little bit of avocado for good measure. This was my "last supper" before I moved myself back down to plan b where my healthy fat (cheese, avocado, nuts) is no longer paired with a protein or a carb. So you can bet your ass I savored every damn bite.

What you need (1 serving):
1 Corn Tortilla
1/4 C Nonfat Refried Beans
3/4 C of Chicken Taco Meat (recipe below)
1 C Cabbage Slaw (Trader Joe's) 
1/8 C Kraft Hot Habanero Cheese (if you like a kick, it is the shit)
1/8 C Diced Avocado
1 Lime

Preparation: 
1. Make sure your chicken is prepped, recipe below! Set aside 3/4 cup of warmed meat.

2. Bake your tortilla or if you have an air fryer, place it in the air fryer with an oven safe dish on top of it so it doesn't fly around or fold up. I use a little creme brûlée dish to set on top of mine. I like mine crisp but you can bake/air fry it to your liking. I do mine for about 6-8 minutes (flipping 1/2 way) at 350 in the air fryer.
If you use an oven, I would do 350 for the same time, flipping half way through with tongs, keep an eye out because you don't want it to burn, you just want it light brown and crisp.



3. While that bakes, heat up your 1/4 cup of refried beans. Set aside.

4. Squeeze a 1/2 of a fresh lime into your cabbage slaw. I also heat this up because I like it a bit softer.  15-20 seconds will do! Set aside.

5. Cut up your avocado and measure out your cheese. Set all aside.

6. Once tortilla is done, layer it all on! I start with the beans, then add meat, cabbage slaw, cheese, then place the avocado on top, because it is pretty. ;) 

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Chicken Taco Meat Recipe:

2lbs chicken, cubed
2 tbsp southwest seasoning
1 can of Rotel (no salt added)

1. Cut up and cook chicken.
2. Add seasoning, mix well.
3. Add rotel, let simmer 5 minutes.
4. Portion out in 3/4 cup servings, should be 6.
5. Put into fridge or freezer depending on how quickly you will be eating it. 

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ENJOY! Feel free to pin or share! And if you make it, tell me how you like it, snap a pic and tag me!

PS: All that is missing is a fresh margarita....soon enough friends, soon enough! 

For my Fix family: 1 Yellow, 1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Blue

Tostada (80 Day Obsessed/Fix Approved)

If you know me, you know I LOVE ME SOME MEXICAN FOOD! So any chance I have to make tacos, taco salads, fajitas, whatever it is...I am going to make it! 

I am still in my 80 day program and when I bumped up from plan B to plan C for my nutrition because I was hangry, I was finally able to pair my cheese with a carb and protein (because I got an extra carb and protein in C)...and of course veggies so you know whatever I made FIRST for the specific meal was going to be Mexican, of course.  

I know, you are probably thinking, you were finally able to pair your cheese with a carb and a protein?! Trust me, it isn't as scary as it sounds and I promise, I will do a blog post explaining what I am doing but just know this timed nutrition meal plan is EVERYTHING! I LOVE it. If you need a swift kick in the pants with your nutrition and workouts, seriously, message me. We NEED to chat. This program has been a game changer for me and my girls in my group!

Ok, now for the recipe because that is what you want, right?!

What you need (1 serving):
1 Corn Tortilla
1/4 C Nonfat Refried Beans
3/4 C of my Taco Meat (Yes, use mine, it is amazing. Obv. you would omit the red pepper & rice from that recipe but that link will give you instructions on how to make the taco meat)
1/2 C Cabbage Slaw
1/2 C Chopped Tomatoes
1/4 C Kraft Hot Habanero Cheese (if you like a kick, it is the shit)
1 Lime
 

Preparation: 
1. Make sure your taco meat is prepped! I make 2lbs of this in advance and have it pre portioned in the fridge or freezer for quick meals. Set aside 3/4 cup of warm taco meat.

2. Bake your tortilla or if you have an air fryer, place it in the air fryer with an oven safe dish on top of it so it doesn't fly around or fold up. I use a little creme brûlée dish to set on top of mine. I like mine crisp but you can bake/air fry it to your liking. I do mine for about 6-8 minutes (flipping 1/2 way) at 350 in the air fryer.
If you use an oven, I would do 400 for the same time, flipping half way through with tongs, keep an eye out because you don't want it to burn, you just want it light brown and crisp.

3. While that bakes, heat up your 1/4 cup of refried beans. Set aside.

4. Squeeze a 1/2 of a fresh lime into your cabbage slaw. I also heat this up because I like it a bit softer.  15-20 seconds will do! Set aside.

5. Cut up your 1/2 cup of tomatoes and measure out your cheese. Set all aside.

6. Once tortilla is done, layer it all on! I start with the beans, then add meat, cabbage slaw, cheese, then place the tomatoes all over (because I like to play with my food). 

ENJOY! Feel free to pin or share! And if you make it, tell me how you like it, snap a pic and tag me!

PS: All that is missing is a fresh margarita....soon enough friends, soon enough! 

For my Fix family: 1 Yellow, 1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Blue

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Ok, so most of you know I am in week 3 of a new program and with that new program comes a new meal plan layout. I still get to eat MOST of the same foods (minus cake, did someone say cake?) but it is simplified so I know what foods I should eat TOGETHER at each meal! And my afternoon snack happens to be a healthy fat and a veggie plus a fruit. Unfortunately since my son has tree nut allergies, I skip the option of nuts and go for the cheese. 

And I have found a recipe that I love and keep repeating...daily. And I am getting questions about it so I thought I would share what I use to make it.

These are the BEST 🍅 ever! If you have a Whole Foods nearby, see if they have them. They smell amazing & taste even more amazing.

WHAT YOU NEED: 

1 cup tomatoes
1/4 cup BelGioioso Mozzarella Pearls
Lighthouse freeze dried Basil to taste (I prefer fresh but it’s all been brown at the store)
Drizzle of Trader Joe’s Balsamic Vinegar
Pinch of s&p

Mix & enjoy. 😍

For my container loving fam: 1 Green, 1 Blue