Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole

Thanks to Team Beachbody we have access to some amazing recipes. Definitely incorporating this into our thanksgiving feast! 

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. whole wheat purpose flour, divided use
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 medium onion, (½ onion thinly sliced, ½ onion chopped), divided use
3 tsp. olive oil, divided use
8 oz sliced mushrooms
½ tsp. onion powder
3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed and chopped, stems discarded
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ cup nonfat milk
2 Tbsp. dry sherry wine
1 lb. frozen French-cut green beans
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Combine 2 Tbsp. flour, paprika, and garlic powder in a medium bowl; mix well.
3. Add sliced onion; mix until well coated. Set aside.
4. Heat 2 tsp. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add sliced onion mixture; cook, turning once or twice, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel. Set aside. Wipe skillet clean.
6. Heat remaining 1 tsp. oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
7. Add chopped onions; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 4 minutes, or until translucent.
8. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the liquid released from mushrooms is almost completely evaporated.
9. Add remaining 3 Tbsp. flour, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper; mix until vegetables are coated.
10. Add milk and sherry; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until bubbly and slightly thickened.
11. Add green beans; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through.
12. Add yogurt; mix until combined.
13. Place green bean mixture in casserole dish. Top with onion mixture.
14. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly.

Enjoy! :)

21 Day Fix Challenge Group

So why now? The question really is why not now? What better time to get a kickstart on your health and fitness than right after thanksgiving? There is that gap in between the holiday where people feel like they just completely BLEW it. They feel they are too far gone, which is where the new year new resolution comes into play. But let's be honest with ourselves here, how many resolutions have we started and let fall through? How many times have we promised ourselves that this time would be different, and it wasn't? To me, it's not about the perfect time because at the end of the day there is no perfect time and if we sit around and wait for it, we are going to be waiting forever. 

This was me, last year, at this very time. I was the heaviest I had ever been and thanksgiving was right around the corner. I was absolutely miserable, had nothing that fit, constantly wanted to be covered up in the biggest sweats I could find, shopping for large sweaters to try and cover up that I wasn't taking care of myself. It was total nonsense, and yes I write this here today and make it sound so simple because I did come out of it, I did change my life. But what you are forgetting is that I was there. I've struggled for the last 4 years with my weight. I've tried dieting, i've tried gym memberships, I've tried it all. Why wasn't anything working? Well first of all, I was looking for a quick fix. I was looking to do whatever it is I had to do, which in turn made me completely miserable, but to me I felt like I knew the outcome was worth it. And to be honest, it was. But within a month I was back to struggling again, because I reached my goal, so I quit. I had zero balance, I went back to struggling and fighting with myself as to why this was happening to me. I played the blame game, I played the I don't care game. But at the end of the day I did care, I wanted to be healthy, I wanted to feel confident.

I run these groups because I can relate. I run these groups to let you know that someone is rooting for you. To let you know that we can work through this together, and that you have someone that will count on you every step of the way. I realized I didn't have this, and that's why I wasn't successful. I realized that I was easily peer pressured or influenced in other directions that were not allowing me to achieve the goal that I truly desired. 

So it's not about waiting. Because guess what? i've tried that too! It's about taking the opportunity you have right now and letting me work with you. Coming into my kitchen and learning my tips, realizing i'm far from perfect and I don't pretend to be, but understanding that i've found balance. I'm not here to push you, or slap your hand when you make a mistake. I'm here to encourage you like I was encouraged, to be the person that believes in you, because I do believe in you. I believe in everyone that I work with because I know that we as humans are limitless. It's helping you believe in yourself that takes time, but it does happen, and when it does your life will be changed forever. 

So this is an open invitation to you or anyone that you may know to benefit from this. Give me 21 days. 3 weeks to help you learn tips and tricks that are going to benefit you forever. Go into the New Year strong instead of waiting until it gets here to make a change to last you a lifetime. 

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

Sometimes people get all freaky freaky cray cray if someone is around who prefers healthier options. I know that's been the case for me a few times. People might opt out for their normal choices to avoid what they think will be a judgement call from me. Trust me when I say i'm not a health freak, I've just developed better habits over this last year. I'm still very much a burger and fries kind of girl, and my weakness for dark chocolate is the real deal. 

The important thing for me is just eating what I love, but searching for what might be a healthier recipe for the same food. Add those choices up over the last year and it makes a big difference! 

The gift of giving is my favorite of all, so why not benefit everyone and prepare a healthier dish for the family this year! Between me and you, they don't even have to know! Like I said before, healthy options sometimes turn people away. So let their forks do the talkin and you just sit back and enjoy :)


PIE CRUST:

• 1 Cup Quick Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 cup ground raw almonds
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup ( or raw honey)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp water

PIE:

• 1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin Puree
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup ( or raw honey)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 cup evaporated non fat milk

CRUST:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Combine oats, flour, almonds,syrup, and salt; mix well.

3. Add oil to oats mixture. If needed, add water to hold together

4. Press into 9 inch pan. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until lightly brown.

PIE:

1. Reduce temp to 350.

2. Combine pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, syrup; mix well.

3. add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, milk; mix until just blended.

4. Pour pumpkin mix into pie crust. Bake 45-60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

5. ENJOY :)

Chicken Cheesesteak!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole grain hot dog bun
• boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup white onions, slivered
• 1 green pepper, cut in slices
• Sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 slice reduced fat provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 375

2. season chicken and bake, approx 35 minutes ( or until done )

3. Add cooking spray to a pan and cook onions and peppers on medium heat until tender and light brown. ( salt and pepper to taste)

4. Individually wrap buns in aluminum foil and place in oven for approx 10 minutes. 

5. To shave chicken,  Slice at a 45 degree angle.

6. Unwrap bun and add provolone cheese , shaved chicken, and peppers/onions. Serve Immediately. 

7. ENJOY :)

Chicken Stir Fry

INGREDIENTS :

- Chicken breast
- 1 cup Asparagus
- 1 cup green pepper, sliced
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- whole grain rice
- seasoning of choice


DIRECTIONS:

1. Season chicken and grill.
2. In a pan, add asparagus and peppers ( other veggies if you have them). Sautee with coconut oil until tender
3. Bake Rice ( Directions below )
4. Combine and enjoy!



RICE RECIPE: 5 min prep/ 1 hr bake 
** I usually always bake my rice this way, especially when I am planning rice for more than one meal during the week. I will sometimes double the recipe to have plenty, and really saves me time in preparing future weekly meals.**

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Place the olive oil, salt, and garlic powder in a 8-inch square glass dish
3. bring water to boil and add to dish.
4. add rice, Stir.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes

PERFECT RICE EVERYTIME :)

21 Day Fix Approved Chili

THIS WAS SO YUMMY! :)

- 1 LB 93% lean ground turkey.
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup of black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 cup of kidney beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 TBSP tomato paste
- Lawry's chili seasoning packet
- 1 can tomato sauce

OPTIONAL garnish:
- Low fat shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt! ( sub for sour cream, you cannot taste the difference!)


DIRECTIONS:
brown turkey and drain
combine ingredients in a crock pot
cook on low for 4 hours.
ENJOY!

21 day fix approved Weekly Menu! :)

As time consuming as it may seem to take approx 3 hours on Sundays creating our meal plan, grocery shopping, and prepping, It's saving us TIME and MONEY throughout our week. Mason and I are pretty simple. We LOVE good food, but know it's not necessary for us to cook immaculate meals for just the two of us every single day of the week. 

With Mason being in flight school his schedule is extremely time consuming and the last thing I want to do is spend hours in the kitchen every night when he gets home when I could be spending that time with him sharing our day and catching up on our favorite shows! Again, we are simple. 

Today I wanted to share with you a glimpse of what our meals look like for the week. Granted this is just one week, and every week we try to switch it up, but this will give you an idea of just how SIMPLE it is to eat right, eat enough, and not spend an eternity or an entire paycheck making sure you and your family stay healthy. 

As the recipes are not added, I plan to upload our dinners each evening this week attaching the recipe if anyone is interested. So check back :) These meals are 21 day fix approved, which is the meal plan that I have followed for the last 8 months. What I love about the 21 day fix is that i'm eating REAL FOOD, and a lot of it!! It's really important to spread out your meals throughout the day , which is why you will see that we are eating between 5-6 times. This meal plan i'm showing is based specifically off of MY caloric intake ( calculations provided from 21 fix guide) , which isn't nearly enough for Mason, so his portions will most likely be doubled. Believe it or not, the more you weigh, the more you EAT! Your body NEEDS that fuel to burn or it will constantly feel deprived and store everything you do feed it..aka ( weight gain)

My biggest problem with the 21 day fix is making sure I am eating enough! I won't lie, when I started this program and saw the containers I would be using to portion out my food, I WAS SCARED. I didn't think it would be enough, I thought I would starve and that this would turn into another failed diet I can say that I tried and didn't work. But depending on your caloric target, depends how many times you fill EACH container up, and as you will see in my meal plan, I get to use them a lot EACH DAY :)

THIS is why I love this program. It doesn't feel like I am eating any different. The biggest thing, like I said, is eating enough and the proper portion sizes. You can absolutely over eat on GOOD food, and this program teaches an awesome balance that can become an easy habit in just 3 weeks of applying it. 

I can honestly say MEAL PREP is the way to go. Especially if you are a busy family. Spending a few hours one day a week to prep your family to success is going to actually SAVE so much time and money in the long run. 

Natalie & Mason's weekly meal guide