Cluck goes the chicken

I have made a couple of great chicken meals this week.  One I can take complete credit for, the other I had some help from my love Trader Joe's.  TJ's and I have shopping dates several days a week.  Trent knows, but he is okay with it.  So when I went to put in my pictures for the homemade chicken chili I made....I DELETED THEM!!!  I don't know what I was thinking but I kept hitting trash can instead of share....so typical me!  So, all I have left is the final product.

Add a little fat free sour cream and low fat cheddar cheese....so delicious on a cold night!

Here is the recipe:

-6 skinless boneless chicken breast

-1 Tall box chicken Broth

-1 48 oz. can tomato sauce (Same water)

-1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes

-1 can drained and rinsed black beans

-1 can drained corn

-1 sweet onion chopped

-3 cloves of garlic minced

-1 can green chiles

-1 packet taco seasoning

Start by cooking your chicken breast in a pot submerged in chicken broth.  While that cooks, in a large pot, mix everything else together and let those flavors start to marinate together.  Once chicken is cooked, shred it, and add to the other ingredients.  Add some of the chicken broth as you see needed.  I added about 3 ladles.  

Once all the ingredients were in the pot, I let them cook for about an hour.  Hint: it was even better the next day.  

Chicken Burgers:

I also made some of Trader Joe's "Lime Chili Chicken Burgers" last night for dinner.  So quick, so easy, and so yummy!

Broil them on each side for 4-5 minutes.  I cooked the first side, then when I flipped them over, I added tomato slices to them to broil on top of each burger.  Once they were done, we didn't feel bread was necessary, so I topped them with avocado and a little Texas Pete.  Trent was skeptical, but raved about them.  Bravo my other love!  Chicken burgers. are. awesome!

Krazy

I am the worlds worst at making excuses as to why I can't walk/run/exercise...I'm too tired, I have a headache, my toe hurts, I don't have time, I might have to go to the bathroom, it's too cold or hot outside, I would rather have a drink, etc.  You know the feeling?  Sometimes your excuses don't reeeally make sense, but in your head at the moment they do.

I have done this for years, and I know a good part of it is because quite simply put: I don't enjoy walking and running.  Those things are not fun to me!  I am not saying a nice family walk with the weiner dog is out of the question, I am saying that is not exercise that I find enjoyable.  I have still yet to find someone smiling while they run; thus leading me to question if anyone actually does.  I have come to the conclusion that they must otherwise they wouldn't continue to do it.

All of that rant to say, I have never been more excited to exercise in my entire life!!!  I have found a new love, and each morning when I wake, I get excited to start my day knowing I get to go to the Kraze!

The Kraze

About a month ago I was sitting around watching the Biggest Loser eating a doughnut...I give you complete permission to judge me at this moment!!  When I realized, I WANTED to be motivated, I just didn't know where that was going to come from.  So I got to thinking, there are 2 fitness things that have always been on my "Bucket List".  The first is to be to try my hand at rowing, and the second is kickboxing.  Both things I would never think of myself doing.  

The Kraze is a local gym with no frills or fanciness to it, but they have some great group classes, one of which is an LA Women's only kickboxing class (Enter my Excitement)!  I inquired online to look at the class schedule, and someone called me the next day to set up a night for me to come on in and try it out....I felt like I had to go even though I was trying once again to make excuses in my head as to why I couldn't.  I took one class, and I was hooked!  I have never had so much fun sweating in all of my life.  It was a butt kicker let me tell you, but in the best way possible.  It is a COMPLETE body workout that is great to work out a little frustration too!  We signed up that night, and the next day I went and bought me my first pair of boxing gloves.

Yes, they are pink....but it was my only color choice.

Of course, this is all still new and exciting, and Trent has said he hopes it doesn't wear off, but I got to thinking.  I have never gone for a walk and come home and said...I can't wait to go do that again!  These classes are Tuesday & Thursday evenings at 6, and Saturday mornings at 9....who would ever think my ass would be out of bed on a Saturday morning if I didn't have somewhere to be or my house was on fire???

So my words of wisdom for today are to find something you love doing, and do it!  Try something new!  I was scared to try it because in my head I was thinking "everyone in there will know what they are doing and I will stand out like a sore thumb"  my oh my was I wrong.  

I think my sister "Bump" said it best "Everybody has a first time.  This just happens to be yours"  How true, how true!

Stella Brew

Insert the Hallelujah Chorus....there is a local beer and wine shop that has come to Ardmore!!  Literally RIGHT down from our house.  Trent is just beside himself!  They have been open about a month now, and seem to be doing a good business.  Since it is so close to our house we drive by there every day, and they always seem to have a little crowd.

The owners are super friendly, and you can tell he is SO passionate about what he is doing.  What is this gem called you ask?  Stella Brew!!

They have quite a selection of craft beers, and not a bad wine selection either!  Here are a couple of my favorites so far:

This ha been my favorite by far!  It comes from the "Old Speckled Hen" company, and it is wonderful.  I prefer old crafty over old speckled because it has more flavor.  It has a richness that I can't explain very well, but of course I shall try!  To me, if you were going to infuse brandy into a beer....this is something like what you would get.  It has a great malty finish and the flavor that sits on your palate is just yummy!!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one!  It of course is a full bodied beer, but the vanilla is not too....in your face!!!  To me it has some coffee undertones to it.  Also, a great choice.  The great thing about some of their beers there, you can mix a 6 pack.  The best part is...they are already cold!  Most mix a 6 you can do are not cold, so this is a bonus!

Even though it is 9:30 in the morning as I type...I am already looking forward to one of these this evening!

Happy sipping!!

Potato & White Bean Soup

As always, I took a stab at making my own recipe.  With the weather turning a bit chilly, I thought I would try my hand at a soup  This I will say, was one of my favorites!  Potato soup is such a great comfort but PACKED with unhealthy calories.  Soooo, why not attempt something that was just as delicious that you don't feel as guilty enjoying?  Here is the low down on the process...

I started by sauteing the chopped onion, celery, and garlic with a big pinch of salt and 1 tbsp. of olive oil until the onion was translucent.

While that excited my nose, I chopped up the potatoes into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes.  Then putting them in my big soup pot, I covered them with 3 cups low sodium chicken broth and 2 cups 1% milk.  Added 2 tbsp. of salt & 1 tbsp. pepper (you can use less, I just like the little bit of heat it gives), then covered and cooked on medium high heat for 30 minutes.

I absolutely love having my nutribullet because it is so versatile.  So I used it to puree my special ingredient.  White beans.  You can use whatever kind you like, cannellini, northern, etc.  I used cannellini just simply because they were on sale.  I did one can at a time to make sure they were creamy enough.  I took 2 ladle's of the broth/milk mixture that the potatoes cooked in and added it to the beans, then blended.  I repeated with the second can, then added to the potatoes.

Once I added the creamy beans to the cooking potatoes, I added the celery, onion, and garlic that I sauteed.  I so wanted to dive in right then and eat some of this yummy goodness...but I was able to refrain knowing that it was only going to get better the longer it cooked.  So, I left it on the stove over medium to medium low heat and let it work its magic for another 45 minutes.

After that the only thing left to do was to serve it up and enjoy what my nose was so excited about!  I topped each bowl with a tbsp. of shredded cheese and some bacon bits.  

How cool is this?  No butter, no heavy creams, no flour or corn starch for thickening.  Yet, this soup was so creamy from beans!  This was by far my favorite soup I have ever made from scratch.  Give it a try...I promise you won't be disappointed. 

Potato & White Bean Soup

3 lbs. Russet Potatoes (about 8-small potatoes)

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cups 1% milk

2 cans white beans (drained)

2 stalks of celery

1/2 large sweet onion

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. pepper

*Shredded Cheese & bacon for garnishing 

Happy cooking!!

Eat it every day kinda meal

Last night I made dinner...no, that isn't the cool part...it was good...no, thats not it either!  It...was...amazing and soooo simple...

So simple, yet one of those meals I could eat everyday!  Let's break it down shall we.
Brussel sprouts with feta and dried cranberries:

You start by cleaning the brussel sprouts and cutting them in half and putting them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast them in the over at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Half way through the cooking time, give them a toss so they can get that beautiful golden brown color on both sides.  

Once cooked and serving, toss them with some feta cheese crumbles and dried cranberries.  If you don't like brussel sprouts...you are welcome!  You do now!!  Many people don't know that these little healthful creatures are in the cabbage family.  They usually have a bad wrap, but I promise, they are worth trying.

The main event:

Wild caught salmon over wild rice and quinoa, with fresh avocado on top.  Cook your salmon simply with olive oil and salt & pepper in a skillet.  I LOVE Trader Joe's price on their wild caught salmon instead of farm raised.  There was plenty of salmon for 2 people and it was $6!  I added a drizzle of lemon juice towards the end of the cooking of the salmon to brighten it up a bit.  The rice/quinoa was an already cooked package from Costco...so simple.  2 minutes in the skillet to heat through with a Tbsp. of water, and you are done!  The Avocado was what set this over the top.  Slice it however you would like.  I like cubing it in the skin for less clean up.  Put in a bowl and toss with a dash of salt and some lemon juice then top your salmon with it on the plate.....oh....dear....

It was one of those, yeah, I could eat this every day type of things!  All of it took 30 minutes to make from start to finish.  I don't include clean up time after the meal because...(this is where I hold up my shield to protect me from flying tomatoes coming my way) Trent does the dishes every night!

When the cat's away...

Since Trent is gone for a week, it would be extremely easy for me to throw this healthy thing out of the window and go hog wild, without telling him.  However, I have no desire to go said "hog wild".  Splurge once or twice; I probably will!  I know either a Gigi's cupcake or Zaxby's birthday cake milkshake are on the menu this week.  I have found that when you deprive yourself of those decadent foods that you have always loved(for me that would be krispy kreme doughnuts, Arby's roast beef, anything chocolate, french fries, dips...dips....dips of any kind, and pizza) that is when you get off track and go crazy then don't want to get back on track.  Annnnnd, I usually end up looking like this...

Source

So to keep from doing that and going overboard, I enjoy the finer things in life.  But, to make sure I don't go crazy all the time when I am hungry, I have those healthy things too that I LOVE that are "go-to's" and keep me on track.  I love hummus.  Especially Trader Joe's hummus.  They have lots of choices and the 8 oz. containers are only $1.99!!!!  Can you beat that anywhere???  

My favorite:

I also love sunflower seeds while I am at work.  I know they aren't the most healthy nut, but they keep my mouth occupied so I am not wanting to find things to snack on...for some reason everyone likes to keep chocolate in a bowl on their desks like its Halloween year round!!!  A 1.75 oz. bag lasts me a week at work.  The bag has a total of 160 calories, but when you break it down over about 4 days, that isn't but about 40 calories a day!  I always have fruit on hand too!  But if someone at work has brought a Dewey's cake to the 3rd floor work room...you better believe I will be happy to enjoy a piece...occasionally!!

What are your go-to snacks that help keep you on track?  Do you splurge when no one is looking?

Lifestyle Change

Trent and I have been thinking about our health, and decided we both have goals that we want to achieve.  Sooooooooo, what good is talking about doing?  I know I know, everybody thinks they have a "Come to Jesus moment" when it comes to time to make a change and "Diet"...however we are not dieting.  We are making a lifestyle change.  We have decided to invest some money into our health, and bought a nutribullet.  Sounds like something that may be about to take off into space I know, however it is helping us take off into a new adventure together.

We originally bought a juicer to help us get more veggies, and bought stockpiles of fruit and veggies because it takes a MOUNTAIN of these things for each drink.  We did this for about a week and just couldn't bare the thought of throwing away as much of the fruits and veggies that we were!!!  Not to mention the fiber and nutrients of each thing we weren't getting.  Dun da dahhhhhhh, enter the nutribullet!  For anyone that knows me, knows I used to not sleep much, so of course I saw my fair share of infomercials.  I didn't buy this on a whim from an infomercial, but when I passed by it one day at Bed Bath & Beyond, it made me do a double take.  I believe in this little machine so much I believe I could do an infomercial for it myself!!!  You use all of the fruit and veggies (taking out the seeds of course) and not just the juice of it.  

I love to cook and be in the kitchen and make new creations that I dream of everyone loving as much as I do!  This is fun for me, because I still get to create and come up with new recipes that we like and keep us on track!  Here is what we do:

Breakfast: 16oz. veggie, fruit, and occasionally cottage cheese and almond smoothie.

Lunch: 24 oz. veggie and fruit smoothie.

Snacks: Generally 2 fruits, nuts, cheese/nuts, or (me) hummus

Dinner: Normal healthy meal

How it works: Fill the tall cup half with a green (we use spinach or kale), then fill the rest with fruit of your choice.  We like to add nuts to our morning smoothie because it makes it stick with you a little longer!  Then add water up to the max fill line, and blend away.  Here is what we have found works well and what doesn't:

YAY's: 

-Oranges: Peeled leaving a bit of the pith for added nutrients (a potato peeler works well)

-Apples: They provide lots of juice, and a nice texture to the smoothie

-Mangoes: One of our favorites!  They add creaminess, and nice lightly sweet flavor.

-Berries: Good for you too!

-Nectarines:Smooth texture and nice sweetness

-Spinach: Excellent green choice because it blends well.  Can have a stronger flavor than other greens, but really can't taste it much once you are used to it.

-Kale: Softer flavor than spinach which I like.  It doesn't get as creamy and smooth as spinach though.

-Carrots: Great in small doses.  Too much leaves for a very funky and gross consistency that is NOT appealing.  if you are going to use pre-cut carrots I would probably say no more than 3 or 4.  We use half of a large carrot per smoothie.

-Celery: Trent loves in his.  Nice juice content.  I prefer to eat it by itself with peanut butter.  It adds a flavor to the smoothie I just don't care for.  They do blend well however.

-Plums: In small doses are great if they are really ripe for sweetness.

-Watermelon: Adds lots of juice/water, however not as much flavor as I would have thought.

NAY's:

-Grapes:  Ummmmm, no!  I was SO excited to try these, however it is purely a texture thing!  It is gross!!

-Kiwi: Sadly don't add much flavor.  Trent prefers to just eat them plain.

-Plums: I know I have them in the YAY list as well.  Too much plum really makes for an unpleasant texture.

-Canteloupe/Honey Dew: LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Melons, just not in the smoothies.  They make it way too think, and there is only so much water you can add before it messes with the flavor. 

These are just the things we have tried.  We are excited to continue to try new things. Here is our favorite breakfast smoothie:

Spinach, blueberries, cottage cheese and almonds.

10 lbs. down, and we are not slowing down!  This, is a lifestyle change I can get used to!!