90 Day Diet Challenge & Supplement Review: The Beginning

My supplements came Friday!  (WOW, that was FAST!!!)

I'm planning to start using the supplements today for the 90 Day Diet Challenge.  I chose the "30 Day Diet" option.  I'm going to "clean" up my diet again, hope the kids have finished off their (far too tempting) Halloween candy, and re-read Timothy Ferris' "Slow Carb" diet book... until my Paleo books show up on the library hold shelf.  It never hurts to refresh your memory... and I know that grains tend to affect me negatively, especially wheat, with bloating, cramps and just overall fatigue... so I'm going to try and keep those out completely, even though they're allowed.  I also absolutely can't handle artificial sweeteners, so I'll stick with Stevia and Xylitol as I have for the past couple of years.  I'm already used to using herbs without MSG or sugar, so that'll be easy enough.

**See my Week One Results Here!

My husband and I are starting to take our energetic 4 year old dog, Diva for walks around our neighborhood in the evenings after dinner.  I'm hoping that this helps get me in at least a little bit better shape... and if nothing else, it will be great for developing a new habit, and getting us both ready to hit the gym again by the end of the month when its probably going to be too cold for outside walks in the evening!

Now... for the before photos.  *gulp*  REEEEEAAAAAALLLY don't want to do this part.  Maybe I'll post before photos when I'm already losing a little bit, so its not quite so depressing.   I'll take the photos and hide them in a vault.  Yeah, that's it.  Then I can post at the end of the month to see how much of a difference I'e made!

At any rate, I can be incredibly sensitive to supplements (which can be a really good thing, or a really bad thing!), so I'm curious to see how this goes.  I'll be seeing my regular doctor on Monday, so I'll hopefully remember to bring up these supplements when I go.

I'll post some of my favorite recipes as I go, including what I find for Thanksgiving!

Here are some of my Top Five favorite past recipes that will fit this protocol 

(*some will need a slight tweak, but its doable!)

Super Easy Chicken w/Onion "Noodles"

Protein Smoothies:  A Quick Tip!*

Super Quick & Easy Mexican Eggs

Cajun Tilapia

Orange Tilapia*

What are your favorite healthy recipes?  Please share!  Include a link to your own blog recipes if you have one, I love finding new blogs!

I believe that planning can take the edge off.  I plan to have figured out serving sizes and plan with a list of available options for my breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  I'll have my grocery list ready to go and some serving size meals ready to heat and eat for those times (you know everyone has them) when I'm going to have a time crunch and need to eat RIGHT NOW.  Mostly, though, I just want to plan to get back to my healthy habits.  The fact that I let the stressful events in life get me down so much that I gave up on my emotional and physical health is very disappointing to me.  I'm going to give up the guilt and let myself move on and have hope that I can make the change a permanent one.

What are your no fail healthy eating tips?

Disclosure: I will be receiving product as a participant in the 90 Day Weight Loss Challenge. All opinions are my own. 

Clean Eating: Super Hot Chicken Jalapeno Dish

Super Hot Chicken Jalapeno Dish

*Best if prepared by marinating at least 24 hours*

Ingredients (serves my two guys who love the spicy stuff):
2 chicken thigh & leg pieces
8 Jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise and seeded
6-8 oz. Neufchâtel
3/4-1 cup of 100% Pain Sauce

8-24 hour BEFORE your meal Directions:
Take your chicken pieces and put into a ziplock bag.  Cover with hot sauce & sit in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (I actually left mine in for 48 hours because things kept coming up.  It was hot enough to make my hubby sweat, and he eats a LOT of spicy stuff!)

On the day of your meal:

• Bake the chicken in a covered casserole/pan at 300 for 45 minutes to an hour (or until almost done, our oven is new to us, I don't know ho accurate it is yet!)  *You can cook it higher for less time, but I was taking my time so that the chicken would be tender... and I actually thought ahead today, Yay me!
• While that is cooking, cut & seed your peppers.  Fill them with the Neufchâtel cheese.
• Remove cover and pour an extra serving of hot sauce over the chicken.
• Place the cheese filled jalapenos around the chicken and return to the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes uncovered.

Serve and watch your hot food loving family as their faces turn red, their eyes water and their forehead starts to sweat.  They may yell things suddenly, without warning, like YAAAHHHOOOOOOOO!!! (Seriously, my husband did).  My son even said, 'Holy COW, this IS hot' (and this is the kid who puts hot sauce on everything.  EVERYTHING.)

And they're ready for another day out in the ridiculous heat!  My husband says that on days after he's eaten a spicy meal, it always makes a noticeable difference in how he tolerates the heat.  So I guess spicy foods at least help him tolerate the heat.  Whatever I can do to help!

Sweet & SPICY Chicken with Broccoli & Rice

Sweet & Spicy Chicken

*You can find the original recipe here on My Recipes

Ingredients: 

(*I tripled the original recipe and made extra sauce for the rice & veggies)

• 6 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger 
• 
  
• BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
• I am SERIOUSLY LOSING IT HERE!!!!  
• OMG.  I just read the recipe on the computer screen and it says, "1/2 teaspoon of honey"
• When we printed this off, the / didn't show up so we thought it said TWELVE teaspoons of honey!!!  We adjusted it a little bit, but still, that is hilarious.
• Lol.  Wow.  Well, the recipe DID turn out yummy and seriously didn't taste all that sweet to me... so, onward...
• 
  
• 1/2 cup of honey or agave nectar
• 1/4 cup stevia or xylitol (although if you want less sweet, leave this out!)
• 6 Scallions/green onions, finely chopped
• 6 Tbsp cilnatro, finely chopped.
• 2 cups brown rice
• 1-2 bags of frozen broccoli

This is where I veer off even more from the recipe.  I was in the process of reading the recipe, and I have a BAD habit of getting distracted.  So I read, "Put the chicken on the stove and sautee..." I thought it was strange that it wasn't to be cooked in the sauce, but I wanted to follow the recipe, so I put the chicken on the stove, then noticed that it was time to pick up my girls from their friend's house.  I turned to my husband, who was right there, washing dishes anyway, and said, "Honey, can you watch this and make sure it doesn't burn?"

And out the door I went.

Thirty minutes later, I come home to find my husband turning off the stove.  "Well,  I imagine the chicken is done now.  How odd that the sauce isn't meant as a marinade or something, though"

So I get the recipe and read the rest of the sentence "Sautee for 2-3 minutes on each side... then add the...

Oops.

So we got busy making the sauce:

Paris helping me chop up the green onions

Using a pizza cutter for herbs works SO much faster than trying to use a knife!

I cut the now super tender chicken into small cubes and poured the sauce over.  YUM.

This was a disaster.  My son would come in the house and eat it all in one sitting.  

So, we made another double batch of the sauce and I made some brown rice to mix it in with.  

This stuff definitely has some kick to it!  It almost reminded me of a Thai food dish that I used to get at Pei Wei, but I can't remember what it was called.  I think its like a blend of sweet and sour and their spicy chicken.  I think it would be fabulous with those little white button mushrooms and some pea pods.   If I could figure out tofu, this would be a fantastic vegetarian dish!  I think I'll add this recipe to my once a month cooking list.  It would freeze & crockpot well, I think!

Viola!  My husband's lunches packed for a few days and my sons container to eat at home.  Now to make something vegetarian for my non meat eaters!

Verdict:  This recipe is GOLDEN.  I will definitely add it to our OAMC, because the sauce was a little tedious to make, so I'd rather make a BUNCH at once and freeze it, rather than have to get all that stuff out each time.  Besides, we never use a full bunch of cilantro, and I hate to see it go to waste!

What are your favorite go to dishes for freezing?  I'm going to try doing at least our dinners in freezer meals so I can just have one big cooking/cleaning day a month and save a LOT of work other wise.  Do any of you do this?  

Clean Eating: Easy Spicy Gluten Free Meatballs

Super Simple Super Spicy Meat Balls

Ingredients:

2-3 cups of Gluten Free cereal.  I used Rice Squares.

1 pound of lean ground beef

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

1 Tbsp "Extra Spicy" seasoning from Mrs. Dash (you can leave this out, but I love these spices!)

1 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1 can of diced tomatoes

2 eggs

I just crush up the cereal using my hands, but you can stick it in a food processor if you want.  I ended up pureeing most of the diced tomato when my picky girl said, "Ewww... you're putting tomatoes in it?" but you can usually just leave them in chunks.

I always bake meatballs on a wire rack in a pan to catch the grease, even with lean ground beef, this helps keep even more fat out.  I can't stand cooking ground beef where it is sitting in the grease... yuck.

Viola!  These were SPICY!!!  Dang!  I'm glad I made some without the crushed red pepper for Abyni and I because I took one bite of a spicy one and my mouth was on FIRE.  Of course Kainan actually ate his with extra hot sauce.  Go figure.  I served them with the goulash type dish that I kind of made up on the go.  It was a little liquid-y because I didn't get the beef broth until late in the game, but it was very flavorful!

Happy 17th Anniversary! Chicken, Wine, Mushroom & Swiss Romantic Dish

Chicken, Mushroom & Swiss Romantic Wine Dish

Okay, I'm giving a recipe today, but I'm also giving you the beginning of an amazing love story:)

Today is my 17th Anniversary.

SEVENTEENTH!!

I don't feel old enough to have a 17th anniversary yet!

First things first.  Here is the recipe (the clean version of the recipe that my husband cooked for me on our first date when we were 19:)
Ingredients:
2-3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
3 cups of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of white wine
6 slices of thinly sliced Swiss cheese
2-3 cups of whole grain bread crumbs

Directions:
Line a lightly oiled baking pan with the chicken

top with slices of cheese
Mix wine & mushroom soup and pour over the cheese

bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes
top with bread crumbs and return to oven for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

This tastes great with a baby spinach salad and a glass of white wine!

And for dessert... for the one who can't choose, a little of everything! (that's a tiny plate, btw:)

A slideshow of pictures from our marriage and life... all of my hair style & color changes (I have changed a lot over the years!!!:)  

Oh, and I'm singing the background vocals to one of our favorite songs to dance around the living room to:)

This was what we looked like way back when (1990)... although my hair often changed color weekly

My husband and I met when we were 19.  It was definitely love at first sight for him.  He still insists that he knew the very moment he saw me that I was his 'one true love' and that he knew at that moment I was the only one for him.

I didn't have quite that intense of a reaction, but then again, we met when he pulled up to a party on his motorcycle and I was a bit inebriated... so that might excuse it.  (No, I'm not proud of my partying days, but I'm not going to pretend they didn't happen either)

He sat and talked with me for a while and asked where I lived.  I had just moved, or rather I was staying with some friends and literally could not remember the name of the street I lived on.  I didn't have a phone and really had no way for him to get a hold of me.  I finally told him that I lived at the green house with the pink door.  Boy, did I beat myself up for that after he left.

All was not lost, because he was a pretty determined guy.  He hunted down the green house with the pink door and found me three nights later.  You might be able to imagine a hint of how shocked I was after spending three days mooning over this guy I'd just met, sure that I would never see him again, when he knocked on my door.

Ahhhhhhh!!!  I was so SO shocked.  I didn't have good luck with guys in the first place, and certainly hadn't expected him to go to all the trouble of hunting me down.  (Wow, that makes him sound like a creeper.  He wasn't:)

Anyway, we spent the next six weeks blissed out of our minds.  He worked at his dad's bar, so he came over at 2:30 every morning when he got off of work and we would go for walks for hours, just talking and feeling all those 'love bubbles' floating around.

On our first "real" date, he took me to his house and cooked me dinner... the same dinner I posted above.  He definitely stole my heart completely.  I had never had anyone treat me the way he did (and still does), look at me the way he did, or give me himself completely the way he did.

We danced to Billy Joel in the living room... and then he played the piano for me and our 'magic' song was born:

Clean Eating #56: Quick and Easy Leftover "Panera" Chicken Raspberry Sandwich

"Panera" Style Chicken Raspberry Sandwich

I took some leftover whole grain sub rolls from Walmart (I would normally use our homemade bread, but these were leftover from when we got stuck in town the other day) and made some yummy sandwiches that Squatch said, "Yum!  These are as good as Panera Bread sandwiches!"

Ingredients:
Whole Grain Sandwich/Sub Roll
Leftover Marinated Raspberry Vinagrette Chicken Breasts (Or you can use the prepped cooked chicken of your choice)
Swiss Cheese, thinly sliced
Tomato, thinly sliced
Greeen leaf lettuce
Onion, thinly sliced
Raspberry Vinagrette Dressing
McCormick's Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning

Directions:
Cut your sub loaf in half, pull out extra bread from top to lower carb count if you want (you can also just use sliced bread in the same way)
Place tomato slices topped with swiss cheese on one half
Place cooked chicken on other half, sprinkle with "Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning"
Stick under broiler set to 450 until the cheese bubbles
Remove, add extra raspberry vinagrette dressing
Add lettuce, sliced onions and other toppings (cucumbers, peppers, etc)

Eat it up!  Yummy, healthy and delicious and a great way to use those leftovers!  That's why I love to make extras!!

Clean Eating #51: Valentine's Day Raspberry Vinaigrette Marinade for Chicken or Fish

Valentine's Day Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

3/4th cup frozen mixed berries or raspberries

1/4th cup white wine vinegar

1/4th cup agave nectar or honey

1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp of spicy brown mustard

pepper to taste

Puree all ingredients in a blender.

Pour into a ziplock bag with thawed chicken breasts, white fish or tofu & refrigerate at least 30 minutes (best if you leave it overnight, but I was too hungry for it now!)

Bake at 375 wrapped in foil/in a pan covered with foil.

Individually wrapped 'packets' cooked A LOT faster, and since I put it off so long... well, I needed it done fast.

Make extra 'sauce' for a topping

I sauteed red and orange bell peppers and some onions and added some of the marinade to them and this made an AWESOME topping for the fish and rice.  It cooked down and was nice and thick. YUMMMMY 

**It would make a great dipping sauce for chicken strips, too!

We had ours with steamed brocooli and carrots and long grain brown rice seasoned with a little thyme & sage... topped with out pepper-ed up marinade sauce.

Delicious!  Next time I might add a little bit of orange juice as well... but that would just be for variety.  Paris wanted to use it as a salad dressing, but we were out of salad:(

I know I promised a Valentine's Day story, but instead its been a crazy busy day, and all I want to do right now is curl up with my hubby.  The love of my life that I met over 20 years ago!  We've been married for almost 18 years!!  I can't believe it:)  This guy changed my life and most definitely saved it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Clean Eating #38: SUPER easy and fast Spinach Chicken with Onion "Noodles"

Super Quick & Easy Spinach Chicken with Onion "Noodles"

It looks a LOT better with a white onion, but as you may have heard, I'm still snowed in and all I had was one red onion.

PREP DAY Notes:  Cut chicken breasts into cubes and sautee with a tiny bit of coconut oil and seasoning listed below.

Red onions do look very pretty all sliced up, though

Ingredients (this is SO simple!)
Chicken breast Cut into cubes or strips
McCormick's Rotisserie Chicken Seasonings *My absolute favorite seasoning of all time!
8 oz of frozen or fresh spinach
1 large onion
1 tsp coconut oil

Directions
Heat coconut oil in a skillet on medium until melted and hot.
Add the thinly sliced onion (& cut chicken if its not precooked)
Dash of seasoning
Add the Spinach when the onion begins to get soft.
Another dash of seasoning
Put a lid over it for a few minutes to help it cook faster and not need any more oil.
Add the chicken if using precooked
Another dash of seasoning (not kidding, this stuff is FANTASTIC!)

Serve it while its hot... oh, and add another dash of seasoning.

Delicious and UBER healthy.

What I'd do Differently Next Time:
Definitely prefer it with sweet white onions.  That's about it, though.  This is seriously heavenly and really healthy.  I ate this dish once a day for two months last summer because I loved it so much.  Plus I lost about 20 pounds at the same time.  I need to get in the habit of doing that more often!  (eating this, not losing 20 pounds)

Fitness Blog

Speaking of which, since I'm snowed in (Yep!  I said it AGAIN.  You're lucky I don't type it every time I THINK it today!) I started a fitness blog to go along with my fitness goals and progress.  You can see it here Fit at 40 if you're interested in a fitness challenge or just for fitness related information.