Tag Archives: Healthier Lifestyle

Chicken Breast with Feta & Artichoke Recipe

Healthy Eating, Nutrition, Recipes, , , , , ,

Here’s a Greek-inspired recipe that is just 207 calories per serving, featuring artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and crumbled feta cheese! 

artichokeTotal Time: 1 hr. 28 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 18 min.
Servings: 8

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano, divided use
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, divided use
  • 1-1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 8 (4-oz. each) raw chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 5 oz.)
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, reconstituted in hot water for 10 minutes, drained
  • Nonstick cooking spray

Preparation:

  1. Combine yogurt, garlic, 2 Tbsp. oregano, 1 Tbsp. parsley, lemon juice, and pepper in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.
  2. Place chicken in a glass dish. Top with yogurt mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator, covered, turning once, for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
  3. Preheat grill or broiler on high.
  4. Combine cheese, tomato, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, remaining 1 Tbsp. oregano, and 1 remaining Tbsp.parsley in a large bowl; mix well. Set aside.
  5. Grill or broil chicken for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the middle. Set aside.
  6. Heat oven 350° F.
  7. Place chicken on a baking pan lightly coated with spray. Top each piece with 1 rounded Tbsp. of cheese mixture. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories: 207
Fat: 7 g
Cholesterol: 84 mg
Sodium: 662 mg
Carbs: 8 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 28 g

My Fitness Confession

Fitness Challenges, Motivation, Workout Programs, , , , , , , ,

I’ll admit…

I’ve been SLACKING in the fitness arena. I know I may come off as a super-fitnessMake time for yourself - You are important freak, but in all honesty I am human too! Life does get busy, juggling a full time job (plus overtime), 3 kids, marriage, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and also helping others through my fitness business. I’ve always been the type to put others first, so my kids, my husband and helping others reach their fitness goals has been my priority these days. So, setting aside the excuses, my health has to be a priority in order for everything else to run smoothly in my life. I need to have optimal energy in order to function in a way that I can get everything done without feeling sluggish, right? So I NEED to schedule back that 1 hour workout every day and set it in stone.

So here’s my fitness plan:

1) Rather than just hosting challenges, I will be an active participant in them. This will give me accountability and make me stay on-point.

2) Tell my accountability partner and spouse what my fitness goals are. This includes immediate and long term.

3) Schedule my workouts. Working out in the morning has always been the most effective time for me to take get it done. I wake up super-early as it is, but if it’s going to fit somewhere in my day it has to be done before work and before the kids get up. No excuses. Free time will never come upon my doorstep, I have to FIND the time.

So here it is: I will be doing Les Mills Combat starting tomorrow, December 18, 2013. I will follow the calendar until Saturday, January 5th. On January 6, I will start TurboFire with the challenge group that I am hosting. Care to join me?

4) My workouts will be written in my daily planner and scheduled in WOWY.

5) Set up the alarms on my phone: The first one will be set for an hour before I have to get ready for work. The second one will be set for 45 minutes before I need to get ready for work. If the first alarm doesn’t work (which I KNOW I will come across those kinds of days), then I MUST get up for the second one. If I don’t, then I most likely will not be on time for work since I will not have a “get ready for work” alarm set.

6) I will start a personal log of my workouts and meals. So on top of posting my activity in my challenge groups, I will have a log either on my phone or in my daily planner of what I ate, what I worked out to, whether I had my Shakeology and how much water I drank for the day.

Hmmm… did I miss anything? If you have any tips or ideas for me, please share. I’m up for suggestions. And again, if you’d like to join me when I start a fresh new round of TurboFire on January 6, message me and let’s do this!

Spiced Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Healthy Eating, Recipes, , , ,

Save your waistline and skip the typical cranberry sauce recipes that are just loaded with sugar! Trust me, this spiced cranberry sauce recipe tastes so much better anyway!

Spiced Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Total Time: 30 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 20 min.
Preparation Difficulty: Medium
Yield: 16 servings, ¼ cup each

Ingredients:
½ cup fresh orange juice
½ cup 100% apple juice
1 tsp. finely chopped orange peel
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1 (12oz.) bag fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 cup chopped raw pecans
½ cup raisins
2/3 cup canned crushed pineapples, packed in juice
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Preparation:
1. Bring orange juice, apple juice, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to a boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add cranberries. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, for about 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Add pecans, raisins, and pineapple; cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.
4. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup.
5. Cool before serving.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 91
Carbohydrate: 12 g
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 2 mg
Sugar: 8 g
Fiber: 2 g

P90X/P90X2 Portions (per serving)
½ fruit
1 condiment

Body Beast Portions (per serving)
1 fruit
1 fat

Pomegranate Salad with Walnuts & Cabbage

Healthy Eating, Recipes, Uncategorized, , , , ,

pomegranate-saladTotal Time: 35 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 20 min.
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. raw honey
1 dash sea salt
½ medium head cabbage, finely shredded (about 5 cups)
2 medium carrots, finely shredded
½ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup chopped raw walnuts
2 green onions, sliced thin
12 fresh cilantro sprigs, finely chopped

Preparation:
1. Combine oil, vinegar, honey, and salt in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Set aside.
2. Combine cabbage, carrots, pomegranate, walnuts, green onions, and cilantro in a large bowl; mix well.
3. Drizzle cabbage mixture with dressing; toss gently to blend.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 176
Fat: 12 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 115 mg
Carbohydrate: 16 g
Fiber: 5 g
Sugar: 10 g
Protein: 3 g

Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal

Healthy Eating, Recipes, Shakeology, , ,

Healthy, Chocolate Shakeology OatmealHere’s what I had for lunch today…

Warm, yummy, healthy oatmeal with chocolate vegan Shakeology ……. Yummy!

Ingredients:
– A bowl of oatmeal
– Water
– Chocolate Vegan Shakeology

How to make it:
– Pour the oatmeal into a bowl and pour the water until you get your desired thickness. I like my oatmeal thick, so I only add just enough to make it thick. Just be sure to accommodate the shrinkage… so I add a bit more water than I plan on consuming. Then add the Chocolate Vegan Shakeology to the oatmeal. Add it until your taste buds are satisfied! Since it’s healthy, I don’t measure it. Knowing that it has Shakeology in it guarantees that the nutritional value is great!

Getting Fit Tip: In order to preserve as much nutrients as possible, wait until the oatmeal has cooled down a bit before adding the Shakeology. If you add it too soon, you could be killing off a lot of the vitamins before they even get into you body.

Enjoy!