Tag: Meal Planning

Chicken Breast over Spinach/Tomatoes

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Meal planning can seem like a struggle and overwhelming; however, I’m here to help by providing you with simple, healthy recipes. All of the recipes on my blog are ones that I make for my family and friends. These are recipes that I have incorporated in my own health and fitness journey. Let me know what you think and be sure to browse the other delicious recipes – Nutritious Recipes.

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

  • 2 – 3 boneless chicken breast
  • 2 TBSP tomato paste
  • Sea salt, dash
  • Pepper, dash
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 3 oz. fresh mozzarella
  • 3 cups spinach, packed
  • 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with non-stick pan lining paper. This makes for easy clean-up.
  2. Prepare the chicken breast 1 of 2 ways.
    • Place your knife at one end of a chicken breast, parallel to the cutting board. Cut into the middle of the chicken breast and slice from one end to the other, almost all the way through. Open the chicken breast up so that it’s one long, thinner piece. Once “stuffed” with the remaining ingredients, the chicken breast can be closed; the upper half of the chicken breast over the top of the topped lower half.
    • The other option is to use a mallet to thin the chicken breast and then top with the remaining ingredients.
  3. Season the chicken breasts with sea salt and pepper.
  4. Spread the tomato paste on the chicken breast.
  5. Spread the ricotta on top of the tomato paste and then lay the mozzarella on top of the ricotta.Chicken Breast over Spinach - Tomatoes-pic4Chicken Breast over Spinach - Tomatoes-pic3
  6. Spread spinach and cherry tomatoes on the baking sheet.
  7. Place the chicken breasts on top of the spinach and cherry tomatoes on the baking sheet.Chicken Breast over Spinach - Tomatoes-pic2
  8. Pour the marinara over the chicken breasts.
  9. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.Chicken Breast over Spinach and Tomatoes
  10. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
  11. Enjoy!

For more tips, support, recipes, meal planning, and other health and wellness assistance, please apply here by completing my get support form!

This recipe makes approximately 2 servings. 21 day fix portion for this recipe is 1 green container, 1 blue container, 1/2 purple, and 1 red container. The color coded containers are available for purchase in my fitness shop.

Chicken Breast over spinach and tomatoes

 

Ham & Veggie Egg Muffins

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I’m on a mission to make good use of all the produce in my refrigerator. Also, I was looking for a twist on my Veggie Egg Muffins. Typically, after a holiday gathering, there is excess food. These egg muffins are simple to make and are a great alternative to cereal in the morning when breakfast is often grab and go. You will either see me eating these egg muffins or with my multi-vitamin in hand – Shakeology.

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

  • 10 to 12 eggs
  • 1 cup of cooked ham, cubed (*I used the left over smoked ham from Easter)
  • 1 (10 oz) bag of baby spinach, chopped (*Chop half the bag and use the rest for a salad or another dinner (Wedding Soup – FIXATE) depending on how much spinach you want; only need a couple handfuls, chopped, for the 12 muffins)
  • 5 small to medium mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup of mild banana peppers, finely chopped
  • Ground pepper and salt (optional) to taste

Tip: You can add cheese to this recipe. If you use cheese, try to keep cheese to about a 1/4 cup per day for balanced eating.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Lightly coat a twelve-cup muffin tray with spray (*sometimes the ham & veggie egg muffins can stick in the tray)
  3. Place eggs in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Season with pepper and salt, if desired.Ham and Veggie Egg Muffins-2
  4. Add ham, spinach, mushrooms, onions, banana peppers; mix wellham and veggie egg muffins, breakfast, eggs, muffinsHam and Veggie Egg Muffins-3
  5. About a 1/4 cup or more in each muffin cupham and veggie egg muffins, eggs, ham, egg muffins, breakfast
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into center of cups comes out clean. I will place muffin cups on a cooling rack before storing in the refrigerator.Ham and Veggie Egg Muffins-5Ham and Veggie Egg Muffins-7

    Ham and Veggie Egg Muffins-6

    All pictures associated with this blog post are copyrighted by http://www.LLHealthyFit.com

  7. Enjoy!

For the 21 Day Fix, 2 veggie egg muffins would be 1 green container and 1 red container.

The color coded containers are available for purchase in my fitness shop.

For more tips, support, recipes, meal planning, and other health and wellness assistance, please apply here by completing my get support form!

Crockpot-Sweet & Sour Pork

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Plain and simple – this recipe is a must to add to your meal plan! This recipe reminds me of the Spicy Rice Bowl – Pick Your Meat, but with a twist on ingredients. For any pineapple lovers, you can always add a can of pineapple or freshly chopped pineapple to the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

  • 1 can of tomato sauce (or homemade sauce)
  • 1/4 cup of rice vinegar
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 3 TBSP brown sugar
  • 1 TBSP soy sauce
  • 3 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 TBSP ground ginger
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1.5 pounds of pork shoulder, cubed

WHAT TO DO:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot with the pork shoulder added last. My initial plan for dinner tonight were barbeque country spare ribs. I make the ribs by placing them in a crockpot with enough water to cover the bottom; cook for 6-8 hours on low. I add barbecue sauce when served since my children prefer to dip the pork in sauce. Once the ribs were cooked, I decided to debone and cube the country spare ribs to try this sweet & sour recipe. Thus, for this recipe, I used country spare ribs instead of a pork shoulder.
    Ingredients except for pork
    Cooked Country Spare Ribs – chopped
  2. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours OR on low for 6 to 8 hours.
  3. Serve over brown rice.

For more tips, support, recipes, meal planning, and other health and wellness assistance, please apply here by completing my get support form!

Sweet and sour pork over brown rice

Wedding Soup – FIXATE

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I’m always looking for healthy recipes that feed my family. You are probably on the lookout for the same ones; do not take a lot of preparation BUT taste delicious! The extra wedding soup was shared with my parents – which they let me know was excellent. A big thank you to my dad for trying the foods I cook and for being honest with how they taste!

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 6 cups spinach, cut into bite size pieces (*I lightly packed the measuring cup – added close to 8 cups)
  • 20 Italian meatballs (*If smaller size meatballs – add more to the soup)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

  1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
  3. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
  4. Add broth; bring to a boil.
  5. Add spinach; reduce heat to gently boil; covered, for 10 minutes. I used more than 6 cups of spinach. You could use other greens such as Swiss Chard or Escarole.wedding-soup2
  6. Add meatballs; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. For this recipe, I used frozen meatballs that were baked for approximately 15 minutes in the oven before adding to the soup. I baked the meatballs in the AM and made the soup in the afternoon.
  7. Combine eggs and cheese in a small bowl; mix with a fork to blend. I did add additional Parmesan cheese to the soup when served; 2 TBSP was not enough for my family!
  8. Slowly pour egg mixture into the hot soup, stirring constantly. Gently boil until egg bits are just set (as you stir), about 30 to 60 seconds.
  9. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately or reduce heat to low to cook more until ready to serve.

Each serving would equate to 2 green and 1 red if following the color coded container system. The recipe makes enough for 6 servings.

The color coded containers and the FIXATE cookbook are available for purchase in my fitness shop.

For more tips, support, recipes, meal planning, and other health and wellness assistance, please apply here by completing my get support form!

wedding soup, FIXATE, Clean eating, healthy

Beachbody Health Bet Challenge – Get Paid to Get Healthy

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Beachbody Challenge Image

My first virtual accountability group of 2017 kicks off on January 9th; New Year – New YOU! What makes this group even more exciting is that every person who participates in my New Year – New YOU group using the My Challenge Tracker App (the app is free to download on apple and android) has an opportunity to qualify and automatically win an equal share of the $2 million Beachbody Health Bet prize pool. This is the 2nd time that Beachbody has offered the pool prize!

So How Do You Qualify?

Qualifiers must meet all requirements for each of the 4 qualification weeks.

    • Week 1 – January 9 – January 15
    • Week 2 – January 16 – January 22
    • Week 3 – January 23 – January 29
    • Week 4 – January 30 – February 5

Qualification 1

You must be a participant in my New Year – New YOU group on the My Challenge Tracker App by 11:59 PM PT on January 9, 2017. Participants must have a valid First and Last Name, email address, and shipping address associated with their Team Beachbody account by February 6, 2017 in order to be paid out.

Qualification 2

Since you are committed to getting fit…qualification 2 and 3 should be easy! There are 7 Shakeology flavors to choose from and if you have never tried Shakeology before I am here to help you figure out the flavor you like best! I have a lot of recipes to share with you. Here’s the deal…you must log a minimum of 5 Shakeology’s (each accompanied by a Shakeology photo) during each qualification week. The logged photos can be of your Shakeology on its own, your Shakeology preparation on its own, or of you preparing or consuming your Shakeology. Enjoy Shakeology by itself with water, follow a recipe, or create your own beverage or food item of your choice, as long as it’s clear it’s made with Shakeology when you take the photo. All Shakeology’s must be logged by 11:59 PM PT on the last day of each contest week mentioned above.

Qualification 3

Let’s give a SHOUT OUT for those sweaty selfies! Each participant must log a minimum of 3 workouts during each qualification week. All workouts must be logged by 11:59 PM PT on the last day of each contest week mentioned above.

Together we are all stronger!

So who is ready to join in on the FUN!

  • You can win money for checking in daily and logging workouts and Shakeology for the Health Bet Challenge!
  • I can help you stay accountable to the results you want!
  • Challenge Tracker App is helpful for not only tracking your workouts and Shakeology, but your measurements and transformation photos as well as it takes you off of Facebook (we all know can be distracting!)

If you are interested in learning more about this upcoming group, please contact me at Melissa@LLHealthyFit.com or fill at the application on my Get Support page. SPACE IS LIMITED so be sure to reserve your spot today!

Southern Spiced French Toast w/ Bananas & Walnuts

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Yesterday my husband and I noticed that the weather seems to be changing and the trees are beginning to lose their leaves! Summer days sure need to last longer here in Pennsylvania. This morning there was a chill in the air and I decided it felt like the perfect morning to try a new recipe with the pumpkin pie spice I purchased last week.

Southern Spiced French Toast with Bananas and Walnuts Picture

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

  • 4 eggs (I use eggs from my parent’s farm.)
  • 1/4 cup milk or unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp or more of vanilla extract
  • 4 slices of whole wheat bread or 2 whole English muffins, split apart
  • 1 large banana
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped (You can substitute for another nut of choice such as pecans.)
  • Maple syrup or syrup of choice

WHAT TO DO:

  1. In a shallow bowl, combine eggs, milk, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract. You will want to stir with a fork or whisk.
  2. Add oil to a medium pan and heat over medium heat.
  3. Soak each slice of bread or English muffin half in the egg mixture; approximately 30 seconds each side. It may take slightly longer when using an English muffin. I substituted 2 English muffins (4 pieces when pulled apart) for sliced bread as I did not have any bread in the pantry!
  4. Place each slice of bread or English muffin half in the pan and cook each side for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown.
  5. Top each with sliced bananas and walnuts. Use syrup sparingly!
  6. There was approximately 3/4 cup of egg mixture left over which I decided to cook the eggs and serve as part of my breakfast.

Here is an example of the Southern Spiced French Toast with Bananas & Walnuts. I used the color coded portion containers, which helps me to keep my nutrition on track! The picture indicates the 21 Day Fix container count. A serving size is 1 slice of bread (1 yellow) so this recipe can feed 3-4 people depending on if the serving size is being followed.

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The color coded containers are available for purchase in my fitness shop.

For more tips, support, recipes, meal planning, and other health and wellness assistance, please apply here by completing my get support form!

 

Country Heat – Week 4

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Week 3 is complete and week 4 of Country Heat starts tomorrow! Follow me on my Facebook (fb.com/LLHealthyFit.com) and Instagram (MelissaBrown66) for daily pictures and videos. I would like to take time right now to reflect on week 3 as well as share my workout and nutrition plan for week 4 with you.

Workout:

Country Heat Week 3 Picture

I felt much better in week 3 than week 2. Cold is finally leaving my body and my energy levels are back to normal! This mommy doesn’t miss out on her “ME” time even when sick. My kids joined me more than usual this week and that is OK. I improvised some of the moves in the workouts so that I could have my little man on my hip. Squats are always one of my go to moves for substituting one move for another. I always make sure that my baby is safe (head supported) in my arms when I am doing the workout with him. I do have two baby carriers that I use as an option when he wants to be close to me. There is a ton of dancing and giggles even if the workout wasn’t 100% on point. I’m making progress when my feet are moving! Check out the video below from the workout Wild Goose Chase.

My workout schedule for week 4* looks something like this:

Country Heat - Week 4 Schedule*I follow the Country Heat Deluxe workout calendar versus the basic.

Meal Plan:

Calorie range 1,200 to 1,499 – Plan A per the Country Heat calculation in the nutrition guide that comes with the program. I love the meal plan because it uses the color coded portion control container system developed by Autumn Calabrese. Shakeology comes in 7 different flavors. I alternate usually between two different flavors for my meal plan. Be sure to search my site for recipes to include in your meal plan. Many of my dinner options are new this week and I will be updating my website with the recipes as I make the meal.

Friday (dinner) and Saturday (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) have not been included on the meal plan for week 4 as we have plans to be with my husband’s family. I accounted for my AM/PM snack ensuring that I have my Shakeology each day. Tips for getting through Friday/Saturday will be shared next week on my website as well as real time in my accountability group. Check out the recipe for Southern Spiced French Toast w/ Bananas & Walnuts; I substituted walnuts for pecans!

Country Heat - Week 4 Meal Plan

If you would like to join my Back to School – Back to You accountability group there is still time. We kick things off TOMORROW – August 22. If you have been thinking about making a change or if you are like me and let the summer fun in the sun get the best of you…do not just give up. The time is now to jump back on the horse and JOIN ME! You always find time for the things you want the most…why not make your health and wellness a priority?!

If you do not currently work with a Coach, please make sure to make me your FREE coach here.

Week 3 Country Heat Pictures

Country Heat – Week 3

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Week 2 is a wrap and week 3 of Country Heat started this morning! So stay tuned for all the updates and videos on my Facebook (fb.com/LLHealthyFit.com) and Instagram (MelissaBrown66). I would like to take time right now to reflect on week 2 as well as share my workout and nutrition plan for week 3 with you. Remember this is a process of changing old habits and replacing them with new ones. It is not always going to feel seamless!

Workout:

Week 2 was the first time that Dance Conditioning was on my workout schedule. This is a nice mix of dance cardio and traditional moves such as abs, lunges, and bridges. Every routine has me sweating and looking forward to the next! These workouts are my ‘ME’ time and life sure seemed more stressful than usual last week. The added stress did not allow my immune system to stay on point. The result was a cold and very tight neck muscles. I would catch myself often clenching my jaw and it took a few days until I could relax. Here are things I do to combat a cold and to feel like myself again:

Ways to Overcome Cold

I’m looking forward to week 3 and being able to breathe easier during my workouts without this cold! My workout schedule for week 3* looks something like this:

Country Heat - Week 3 Schedule

*I follow the Country Heat Deluxe workout calendar versus the basic.

Meal Plan:

Calorie range 1,200 to 1,499 – Plan A per the Country Heat calculation in the nutrition guide that comes with the program. I love the meal plan because it uses the color coded portion control container system developed by Autumn Calabrese. Shakeology comes in 7 different flavors. I alternate usually between two different flavors for my meal plan. Be sure to search my site for recipes to include in your meal plan.

Here are some tips this week if you are finding it difficult with nutrition/meal preparation:

  1. Carve Time Out To Develop Meal Plan: Pick a day of the week (weekend or week day) to determine the food items that are going to be part of your meal plan broken out into breakfast, AM snack, lunch, PM snack, and dinner. You can find me developing my meal plan on either a Sunday or Monday. The day can fluctuate based on your schedule, but it is important to set time aside each week.
  2. Meal Preparation: There are certain tasks that you can do in advance to make preparing food less time consuming on you. So you developed a meal plan, used the meal plan to make a grocery list, and shopped…now what! There are certain tasks based on your meal plan that can be done in advance for the week ahead.
    • Portion out snacks into containers or zip lock bags. This way they are available for a quick grab and go or can easily be placed in a cooler bag for wherever the day takes you.
    • Broil chicken or brown ground meat; store in an air tight container.
    • Chop vegetables; store in an air tight container together or separate by vegetable type.
  3. Set Goals: Ask yourself what you would like to accomplish this week? These goals should be specific to what you are going through and make the time frame achievable. Be sure that these goals are visible to you! WRITE THEM DOWN! Here are some example goals that I use for my nutrition:
    • I will drink 1/2 by body weight in ounces of water this week.
    • I will measure my food in the portion control color coded containers this week…let’s face it…we can become relaxed and get off course. Back to the basics helps me refocus.
    • I will take 15 minutes every single day to clear my mind this week. I like to break this 15 minutes up into 3 mini mind breaks! I’m not looking at my phone or checking email.

Country Heat - Week 3 Meal Plan

If you would like to join my Back to School – Back to You accountability group there is still time. We kick things off on August 22. If you have been thinking about making a change or if you are like me and let the summer fun in the sun get the best of you…do not just give up. The time is now to jump back on the horse and JOIN ME! You always find time for the things you want the most…why not make your health and wellness a priority?!

If you do not currently work with a Coach, please make sure to make me your FREE coach here.