Congratulations to the following November 11-15, 2013 participants of the 5-Day Fire Starter Challenge for sticking to the provided meal plan, staying accountable and for hanging in there for ALL 5 DAYS! I hope you all continue to adopt healthier eating habits beyond this challenge! Mama is proud of you all! 🙂
Araceli Covarrubias
Jasmin Flaminia
Katherine Torres-Hertz
Nancy Gallegos
Sean Reed
Veronica Pulido
Total 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
Have you compared the ingredients in what you’ve been eating lately? The simpler and more understandable your ingredients are, the better it is as an option.
When it comes to peanut butter, I recommend PB2. It tastes good and is simply better for you! Take a look at the ingredients of some of the popular peanut butters. Notice how PB2 only has 3 simple ingredients and also notice how a low-fat version of Skippy has way more junk than the regular version.
Don’t be fooled by what’s on the front of these packages… always be sure to look at the ingredients. Your body deserves to have real food, don’t you think?
PB2:
roasted peanuts, sugar, and salt
Jif:
roasted peanuts and sugar, contains 2% or less of: molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (rapeseed and soybean), mono and diglycerides, salt.
Peter Pan:
roasted peanuts, sugar, less than 2% of hydrogenated vegetable oils, (cottonseed and rapeseed), salt, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil. contains: peanuts.
Skippy (regular):
roasted peanuts, sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oils (cottonseed, soybean and rapeseed) to prevent separation, salt
Skippy (LOW-FAT):
roasted peanuts, corn syrup solids, sugar, soy protein, salt, hydrogenated vegetable oils (cottonseed, soybean and rapeseed) to prevent separation, mono and diglycerides, minerals (magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, ferric orthophosphate, copper sulfate), vitamins (niacinamide, pyridoxide hydrochloride, folic adic).
If you’re like me, the fall season means the return of the popular Starbucks Pumpkin Spice
Latte. Or if you’re a frequent Pumpkin Spice Latte drinker, then you probably refer to it as PSL. By far, I would say it is my favorite drink of all time from Starbucks and so the return of the PSL every fall has me suckered in. I used to stop in every day to treat myself to the irresistible drink, even though I knew it was just adding inches to my thighs, but now there’s no need to!
Pumpkins are definitely great for you and some of their health benefits include:
For the sake of your waist-line, your health and your sugar-levels, and to get a natural boost of energy, I highly recommend you indulge in this healthy version of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte. Your body will thank you everyday and you won’t have to feel guilty any more!
Yield: serves 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Instructions
Blend all ingredients together in a blender and enjoy!
Nutritional Information
Cal: 196
Fat: 4g
Carbs: 25g
Protein: 18g
Fiber: 8g
Sodium: 299mg
Weight Watchers Points+: 5
In a small bowl, create marinade by whisking together lime rind and juice, oil, garlic, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes and place in separate bowl. Pour half of the marinade over top, toss to coat, and let stand for 20 minutes. Stir honey into remaining marinade and set aside. (Better yet, cover and refrigerate separately for up to 4 hours.) Meanwhile, cut off mango flesh from each side of pit. Cut in a grid pattern of 3/4-inch squares in flesh of each side down to (but not through) the skin. Gently push skin to turn inside out, and cut off the flesh. Chop any flesh left on pit. Core, seed, and cut red pepper into 3/4-inch pieces. Alternately thread mango, pepper, onion, and chicken pieces onto each of 8 skewers. Brush with half of the reserved honey marinade. Discard marinade used for chicken. Place kabobs on a lightly greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning and basting chicken once with remaining honey marinade until fruit is softened and chicken is no longer pink inside (about 8 minutes). Makes 4 servings.
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 minutes
Nutritional Information: (per serving)
Calories: 225
Protein: 14 g
Fiber: 4 g
Carbs: 35 g
Fat Total: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
One of my favorite dishes to make is Chicken Piccata. 
Try this recipe it out. After one bite, you’ll find it hard to believe that this flavorful, tender chicken piccata is good for you!
Total Time: 30 min.
Prep Time: 7 min.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 (4-oz.) each raw chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ cup low-sodium, organic vegetable broth
6 Tbsp. capers
1 (14-oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained
2 cups sliced mushrooms
Preparation:
1. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag. Add flour and seal. Shake to coat chicken.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add chicken, cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until browned.
4. Add garlic; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender.
5. Add lemon juice, broth, capers, artichoke hearts, and mushrooms; cook, turning chicken halfway through, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 240
Fat: 10g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 73mg
Sodium: 560mg
Carbohydrate: 10g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 27g
P90X/P90X2 Portions (per serving)
1 protein
½ fat
1 vegetable
½ condiment
Body Beast Portions (per serving)
3 proteins
1 fat
2 vegetables
I love mojitos, basil, mint, AND Tropical Shakeology! What a perfect combination.
Ingredients
1 C water
1 scoop Tropical Strawberry Shakeology
2 tbsp fresh lime or lemon
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil or mint
1 cup ice
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients listed above with a blender and enjoy! This is best served under the nice, hot sun… at the beach!
If you don’t have Shakeology yet, you can get it here:
Tropical Strawberry Shakeology is the most delicious vegan shake ever created. Crafted with a mouthwatering mix of strawberries, bananas, papayas, pineapples, coconuts, plus whole superfoods from around the world, you’ll love the refreshing fruity flavor of our 100% VEGAN, SOY and DAIRY-FREE Tropical Strawberry shake.
You don’t have to be a vegan to love a vegan shake. Many people digest plant proteins better than animal proteins. And Tropical Strawberry Shakeology contains vitamins and nutrients your body craves in a more readily assimilable form to help keep you strong, healthy, lean, and focused.
Tropical Strawberry Shakeology is a Nutritious and Delicious Meal That Can Help You:
* Lose Weight
* Reduce Cravings
* Feel Energized
* Improve Digestion and Regularity
It tastes delicious, too!
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