Mustard Chicken

This recipe is a winner in my house!! My son loves it, my husband loves it, I love it, and it's so easy!! I make it in large batches to freeze for super simple weeknight dinners. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

½ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp rosemary 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper 

Materials

2 gallon-sized plastic freezer bags

Prep

1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the meal, cooking instructions, and “use

by" date (three months from the prep day).

2. Add all ingredients to bag.

3. Remove as much air from bag as possible, seal, double bag, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook

1. The night before cooking, move freezer bag to your refrigerator to thaw.

2. Add the contents of the bag to a foil lined glass pan. Cook at 450 until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees (approximately 20-40 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken).

3. Serve over brown rice or quinoa with a green salad or roasted vegetables.

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Meal Prep 101

Eating healthy can seem like a daunting task.  Meal planning and prepping are arguably the most important factors in maintaining a healthy diet, but the process can be overwhelming at first.

I've put together a few of my top tips for basic meal planning. First and foremost, don't try to change everything at once! Small, consistent changes are what will eventually lead to a sustainable, healthier lifestyle. Here are my tips for those of you who are just starting out:

1. The most important tip – plan and schedule your meals before you start!! If you are only prepping for dinners, at least have a dinner schedule. I usually make about 3 dinners each week and eat leftovers the other nights.

2. Choose your recipes, then make a grocery list. If you really love to save time like I do, choose a grocery service that allows you to order online and either pick it up or have it delivered!

3. Prepare as much as possible on Sunday (or whatever day you choose to prep). Examples include:

                - grill chicken breasts for salads

                - wash and chop all fruits and veggies

                - steam or roast vegetables for side dishes

                - prepare a batch of rice, quinoa, lentils, sweet potatoes, or other starch of your choice

                - hard boil some eggs

                - prepare easy quick breakfast foods like an egg bake or overnight oats

                - wash lettuce for salads

                - make salad dressing for the week

 4. At least once per month, I set aside several hours to do a huge prep and freeze session. I make several large batches of meals that will freeze well, and then I have a freezer stocked with ready-to-go meals! If you would rather, you can choose at least one meal that will freeze well and make extra during your weekly meal prep. Examples include chili, turkey meatballs, enchiladas, crockpot meals, etc. If I know we’re going to have a busy week, I include some frozen meals in our schedule so even on nights I cook, there is virtually no prep time. 

5. Mix it up!! Although I tend to eat a lot of the same foods in any given week (I'm all about leftovers!) I make sure to change it up the next week so I don't get bored with the same foods. 

Proper nutrition is vital not only for weight loss, but for long term health. If you get these steps down, you'll be off to a good start! It might seem a little tedious in the beginning, but with practice it will become second nature. Believe me, it's worth the effort to create a system because it will save you tons of time in the long run!

Interested in giving these tips a shot?? Submit this form to receive my free 7-Day Meal Plan, including schedule, recipes, grocery list and prepping guide!

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Are You Eating Enough?

Are you eating enough? If not, you may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts and your health and fitness goals. Many people assume that consuming fewer calories is always a good thing, but that’s just not the case! Your body needs to be properly fueled in order to run smoothly. If you are only focusing on cutting calories, there’s a good chance you are depriving your body of necessary nutrients. This can actually backfire by causing your body to go into starvation mode which will lower your metabolism. So what’s a better option?

Forget the diet and focus on nutrient density! Make sure you’re getting the nutrients your body needs by eating the right portions of the right foods. Diets usually leave people feeling hungry, tired, irritable and deprived. That’s why they fail! And it’s nearly impossible to keep the weight off after a diet, because there hasn’t been a permanent change. In order to be successful and maintain your weight loss, a lifestyle change is necessary. I use these foolproof color-coded containers to make sure I’m eating enough of the right foods. And I eat 5-6 times per day!

If you feel hungry, tired and grouchy while you’re trying to lose weight, you’re not doing it right!! Find healthy foods you enjoy eating. Try new things. Focus on cutting out processed, unhealthy foods a little at a time. Make sure you eat every 3-4 hours. There’s no need to deprive yourself, just fuel your body!!

If you'd like more information on choosing nutrient dense foods, or you'd like to learn more about the nutritional system I use, please email me or submit this form and I will contact you!

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Quinoa with Caramelized Butternut Squash and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry quinoa
9oz brussels sprouts, halved
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
Dash of garlic salt & pepper
2 TBSP coconut oil
2 cups butternut squash (about 1 medium squash), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1­ 1/2 TBSP pure maple syrup
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pepitas

 Directions:
1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees then line a baking sheet with foil. Add brussels sprouts, oil, garlic salt, and pepper to baking sheet then toss to evenly coat. Roast for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-­high heat. Add maple syrup and butternut squash then saute, stirring occasionally,­ about 15 minutes or until squash is tender. 
4. Combine quinoa, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, parmesan cheese, and pepitas in a large bowl then toss and serve with extra parmesan cheese, if desired.
Makes 4 servings

*Recipe adapted from iowagirleats.com

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No Bake Shakeology Bites

Try these out for an easy, healthy and delicious snack!

Ingredients:
● 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
● 1 scoop or package of Chocolate or Vanilla Shakeology
● 1/4 tsp cinnamon
● 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter (or any nut butter)
● 2 Tbsp raw honey
● 1 tsp vanilla extract
● 2­-4 Tbsp almond milk

Add oats, Shakeology, and cinnamon to a large bowl.

Add in peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.

Slowly add in liquid 1 tablespoon at a time and combine until it comes
together in a sticky ball that holds together. If mixture is too dry, add in more liquid but not so much that it won't hold shape.

Place in a container to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Store in fridge until ready to eat.

*Recipe adapted from The Healthy Maven

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Be Happy. Be You. Just Love Yourself.

Today’s #TransformationTuesday isn’t a physical transformation. Maybe you’ve noticed, but most of my transformation posts aren’t physical. Don’t get me wrong, I love how strong, healthy, and confident I feel, but my fitness journey has transformed my life in much more profound ways. One of my favorites – the community of women. Not just any women, but amazing, inspiring women who want to see each other succeed. We aren’t competing. We aren’t hoping to see someone else fail in hopes that we can succeed. Nope, this group of women realizes that there’s enough success to go around. Through coaching, blogging and working with women every day, I get to be part of a community that is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Happy, positive, driven ladies working towards our dreams TOGETHER.

I don’t know if it’s our culture, or if it’s hardwired in our brains, but I think it’s safe to say most women struggle to love themselves at some point. But it’s so, so  important, and it’s so freeing! You have to recognize the beauty within yourself and accept that YOU ARE ENOUGH. You have something inside of you that the world needs, you just need to have the courage to share it. And you MUST surround yourself with other like-minded women. Women who look for the best in themselves and will help you see the best in you. Here’s my Transformation Tuesday shout-out to all the women working on becoming the best version of themselves!

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Faith vs. Fear

I had the weirdest feeling all day last Friday and I couldn’t figure out what it was. It was just there in the back of my mind, making me feel “off.” Finally, when I got home and was able to talk to my husband, and I could barely hold back the tears, I realized it was fear!! This crazy, overwhelming, "what are we going to do?!" kind of fear. 

My husband and I both made HUGE changes in our careers in the last few months, and while it’s exciting and we couldn’t be happier about it, it’s also scary. Kind of terrifying actually. He moved into an entirely new field. I cut my hours from full-time to half-time in order to have a day shift schedule, spend more time with my son and devote myself to building my coaching business. We knew this was absolutely the best decision for our family, but that doesn't mean the process is easy.

Change is hard. Uncertainty is scary. BUT, I have faith in him, faith in myself, and faith that everything will work out . After all, no great accomplishment is achieved by playing it safe and staying inside your comfort zone!! There’s no doubt in my mind that we are exactly where we need to be. We’ve got this.

What about you? Is your faith bigger than your fear??

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