21 Day Fix Approved Recipes (week 2!!!)

I have been having great results! I was soooo sore ALL WEEK last week, I loved it! I am still a little sore but not as much today (Day 9) I have been playing around with recipes that are fix approved! I made stuffed bell pepper, taco bake, squash casserole, and deviled eggs!! I forgot to take a picture of the peppers but they were so good that I will make them again soon!! Here are the recipes (all for 1 serving, just double for 2 servings, triple for 3, etc.):

Stuffed Bell Pepper:

1 Red of ground turkey (about 4 oz) RED
1 Green of onions, tomatoes, peppers mix GREEN
1 bell pepper (color of your choice) GREEN
1 Yellow of cooked brown rice or quinoa YELLOW
1/2 Blue of shredded cheese BLUE
cumin, garlic,chili powder to taste

Cook the turkey and mix the veggies in with it to soften them. Cut the top off of the pepper and pull the core and seeds out. Mix turkey, veggies and rice together and fill into bell pepper. You may have some left over, I put my extra on the plate around my pepper and ate it all together! Sprinkle cheese on top of the pepper and place in the oven at 350 degrees until the bell pepper is softened and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes or so.

Taco Bake:

1 Red of ground turkey (about 4 oz) Red
1 Green of onion, tomatoes, peppers mix Green
1 Yellow of cooked brown rice or quinoa Yellow
1/2 Blue of shredded cheese Blue
cumin, garlic, chili powder to taste

Cook turkey and mix veggies in to soften them. Combine turkey, veggies, rice and top with cheese (place in warm oven briefly to melt cheese if desired)

Squash Casserole:

1 Green of squash (about 1 small squash) Green
1 Green mixed with onions/broccoli Green
1 Red of ricotta cheese or 2 eggs or half of each Red
1 slice whole grain bread toasted Yellow
1/2 Blue of shredded cheese Blue
 garlic, pepper to taste

Saute the squash, onions, and broccoli until tender (use a teaspoon of olive oil or water)
Once softened, mix veggies and ricotta/egg into oven safe dish. Crumble toast into breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top of mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top of mixture and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes depending on oven.

Deviled Eggs:

2 eggs Red

1 Red of ricotta cheese Red

paprika

Hard boil the eggs. Halve eggs and separate yolk and put into mixing bowl. Mix ricotta with yolk and place back into egg halves. Sprinkle with paprika.

Feel free to put your own touch on these!! I hope you enjoy them and that they help you on your fitness journey!! Click here if you need a coach and here for extra motivation!

21 Day Fix

I have officially started 21 Day Fix!! I must admit, I thought the containers and food lists and such were a bit overwhelming before I started! I have a mostly clean diet already, but I have certainly veered far from the right healthy food path (which is why I chose 21 Day Fix!) But once I sat down and researched some hacks I realized I could totally do this. Now there is a 30 minute daily workout as well, I was all like meh I workout EVERY DAY already so what?? No. My gluteus maximus is so sore today that I can hardly sit on it!! YAY!! I love the feeling of changing my body! That love of all muscles sore did not come easily, truthfully it took many steps on my fitness journey to reach and you will get there too! I have only done the first workout (I am on day 2 of the fix now) and I am excited and dreading the one for today :).
I will share with you the introduction that came with my challenge pack:

"Losing weight doesn't need to be difficult. In fact, it can be easy if you do it right. No need for pointless, fancy bells and whistles. All you need to do is exercise regularly and eat a moderate diet filled with healthy, delicious foods. Follow these two practices and the pounds can melt away.

The trick is figuring out what those healthy foods are and how much of them to eat. That's why we came up with the 21 Day Fix- a simple, convenient way to get the results you want.

This nutrient-rich food plan features roughly 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat, a balance not only great for weight loss, but for giving you the energy you need to get the most out of your workouts.

And the programs's benefits don't end after 21 days. This is a balance you can eat for life, so once you've reached your goal, simply increase your calories and continue to use the 21 Day Fix Eating Plan for as long as you like. In fact, you'll probably be so hooked on this easy way of eating that you'll wonder how you got along without it!"

Now you open the package up and you have these various size and color containers, to separate and measure your food. The first thing you do is determine your caloric needs by using a provided formula:

A. Your current weight in pounds x 11 = your caloric baseline
B. Your caloric baseline + 400 ( Fix calorie burn) = your caloric needs
C. Your caloric needs - 750 (caloric deficit) = your calorie target

Here is mine as an example:                                              

A. 154 x 11 = 1,694
B. 1,694 + 400 = 2,094
C. 2,094 - 750 = 1,344

So I need to aim for approximately 1,344 calories a day!

Next, they have a chart showing how many containers you will need daily based on your caloric needs.

Example

1200-1499 calories a day would use:

3 green (veggies)
2 purple (fruit)

4 red (protein)
2 yellow (grains)
1 blue (fats/cheeses)
1 orange (seeds/dressings)
2 teaspoons (oils/butters)

After the chart, each individual container is broken down into a list of which foods can go in them. It is pretty easy- just remember to buy fresh, whole grain, and lean!!

This can be somewhat overwhelming and look like a lot of work!!! So, I researched and found some tips that I like so far, as I progress through the program I will offer anything else helpful I find!

1. Label your containers! I stuck a label on the lid of mine so I can associate the color with the type of food that is allowed inside!

2. Read over your allowed food lists until you are comfortable with it, and then take it to the grocery store with you! There will be foods you like and foods you dislike. If you are not comfortable with trying some of the foods you may not be familiar with, that's fine!!

3. Learn the measurements of the containers (I'll share what I learned!) When I came across the charts showing the measurements it really opened my eyes!! I don't have to dirty up my containers all day long if I don't want to, yay!

*container measurements*

Green = 1 1/4 cup
Purple = 1 1/4 cup
Red = 3/4 cup
Yellow = 1/2 cup
Blue = 1/4 cup
Orange = 2 tablespoons

4. Prep your food!!! I can't state this one enough! I find that by making several servings of brown rice, chicken, various veggies, etc. it becomes so much more manageable! At first I was very intimidated by the thought of measuring everything I eat, but once I got in the kitchen, it wasn't bad at all! Also, prepping makes it a whole lot easier if you have more than you to feed :) I calculated my husbands caloric needs and prepped him some work lunches while I was in the kitchen, plus now I have the staples for the kids dinner ready too! Now that my food is prepped I can have it ready and I am much less likely to waver from my meal plan (no take out!!)

5. Break it down!! It seems like a lot of food when you're looking at how many of each container to have each day. I decided to look at it like this instead:

BREAKFAST              
Yellow-1 (oatmeal)
Purple-1 (apple)
Red-1 (two eggs or yogurt)

SNACK
Blue-1 (cubed cheddar cheese)
Green-1 (sliced cucumbers)

LUNCH
Green-1 (spinach)
Orange-1 (21 Day Fix Dressing)
Red-1 (baked chicken)

SNACK
Purple-1 (diced cantaloupe)
Red-1 (Shakeology or protein powder)

DINNER
Green-1 (cabbage)
Yellow-1 (brown rice)
Red-1 (lean beef tips)

I am also allowed 2 teaspoons of oils/butters. I will often use extra virgin olive oil to saute and season my foods, or sometimes if I am really exhausted after a workout I will use these for some peanut butter!

The list of foods have lots to choose from and you may need more containers depending on your caloric needs, but this is a snapshot of a pretty good formula. If you are interested in getting the 21 Day Fix Challenge Pack you can get it here! If you are not quiet ready for a challenge pack or are just starting your healthy lifestyle journey-I highly recommend making a free myfitnesspal account and a free Beachbody account!!  I hope this has been helpful!

Playing with my oils ;)

Today I am attempting to make my own pain relieving cream!! I am starting with these ingredients:

Container:
1 4oz mason jar

Base:
Coconut oil (firm) 1/2 cup
Teaspoon hemp oil
Teaspoon jojoba oil

Oils: few drops of each
Valor
Panaway
Peace and calming
Peppermint
Lavender
Lemongrass

Please please please feel free to switch any of the essential oils up to match your needs!!! These are the oils which seem to work best for me after a workout and during particularly cold days! Also, the coconut oil is the only keep the same ingredient. If you have grape seed, almond, vitamin e, etc. replace as desired!!

I mixed the base oils together with my hand mixer (I bet a standing mixer would be fabulous!) Then I added (here's the fun part as much or as little oil as you like, it's your cream!!) my essential oils until I was happy with the smell (tip: you can buy coconut oil without scent) Then spoon it into the mason jar! That's it! 5 minutes minimal mess and a cream that you'll swear by!!

Go make your cream and have fun with it!! If you're new to oils or want to buy more check out all the info available here!

Weekly Meal Planning

Today I will talk about weekly meal planning.......Yes it is tedious and time consuming, but so so so important!! There are several steps you can take to make it a little more manageable and once you get the hang of it your body will be forever grateful :)

Step One:

Know your caloric needs!! Before you can begin monitoring your food you will certainly need to know how much to eat each day :) I have based my caloric intake with the Piyo workout (available here!) but you can use myfitnesspal if you haven't purchased a Beachbody Challenge Pack!

Step Two:

Make a menu/calendar for planning your meals! Once you know how many calories you need you can start breaking your food down by types!! Example: I need approximately 1600 calories per day and I would need to break it down as follows:

Primary Vegetable: 4
Secondary Veg/grain: 2
Fresh Fruit: 2
Lean Protein: 4
Healthy Fats: 3

This is a per day tally of the types and servings of food I need :)

Some examples of food types:

Primary Vegetable: kale, collard greens, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots...

Secondary Veg/grain: sweet potato, quinoa, beans, peas, brown rice, corn on the cob....

Fresh Fruit: blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, apple, grapefruit, orange, cherries....

Lean Protein: eggs, chicken breast, turkey, fish, greek yogurt, shell fish, tofu, protein powder...

Healthy Fats: avocado, raw nuts, raw seeds, olives, nut butters, certain cheeses, certain oils

Step Three:

Precook as much a possible!!! I can't stress this one enough, the more prepared you are the easier it will be to stay on track!!! After precooking, section your food in meal containers. Foods like rice, meats, beans are great to precook, then you only have to worry about your fruits and veggies come meal time!!

Step Four:

Keep track of what you are eating! Once you start counting your calories and eating fresh/whole foods you will most likely be surprised at what you have been eating  up to this point!! It doesn't take long to get the hang of keeping track of your food and learning proper portion control :)

There are lots of helpful resources available to help you keep track, and great fitness programs!
I am starting 21 day fix next week, it comes with color coded meal containers for food prep and portion control along with a daily 30 minute workout! Shakeology is another great resource, it can be used as a full meal replacement and there truly is nothing comparable to it on the market :) I've listed some links below for those interested in checking out these programs!

beachbodycoach.com/kamaren
shakeology.com/kamaren
myfitnesspal.com