Nutrition Wednesday!

Last week I showcased a household favorite dish.  Today, I am showcasing something new I tried.  I get in ruts just like the next person.

Chicken
Chicken
Chicken
Chicken
Chicken

While chicken is great and I do love it, I like to find new ways to cook it.

Therefore, I went out on a crazy limb last night and made an ethnic food that I haven't even tasted before, let alone made.

Surprisingly, it was pretty good. 

For 2 cups cooked rice with 1 cup chicken mixture on top - Calories 425 and the serving is robust!


Coconut Curry Chicken

3 oz chicken breast, skinless, cut into strips
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (I didn't have any on hand so I used garlic powder)
6 T. olive oil
4 T. curry powder
28 oz can petite diced tomatoes (don't drain)
1 can of full-fat coconut milk
8 oz can tomato paste
4 T. honey (leave out if you are doing the Whole30 challenge)
Salt and Pepper

Cut chicken into strips, toss with salt and pepper then set aside.  Get the biggest pan you have (you will need a monster pan) and add 4 T. olive oil and heat on medium heat until hot.  Add curry powder and mix until a paste forms.  Add onions and garlic and mix well.  Cook until onions are tender and translucent...stirring often.

Add chicken and stir until everything is coated evenly, add a T. of olive oil and cook chicken until cooked through.  While chicken is cooking - mix coconut milk, diced tomatoes (with liquid), tomato paste and honey.  Mix well.

When chicken is cooked through, add tomato mixture carefully and stir until everything is well mixed.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 40 minutes until sauce has reduced a little....stir occasionally.

Serve over rice (I used Jasmine rice but you can use any you like).  My husband and daughter added crushed red pepper to theirs.

Doesn't taste like coconut, surprisingly, and it isn't a spicy dish.

Overall - tasty!  I would definitely make it again.

Enjoy!

Date Night, Cookies and Doritos

I am by no means perfect.  I am pretty sure the Good Book refers to only one Person being that way.   I struggle.  I have temptations and set backs.  It is all part of the process.

It sucks when my husband and I have a date night, and I feel guilty eating anything other than a salad.  While I know that is the best choice, I want to eat the food smothered in butter and 6 dinner rolls (carbs mmmmmmm).   We don't have to go completely without.

We went to a dinner theater where the food was buffet style.  You may think this is bad - buffet...all-you-can-eat.  However, this can be good!  I loaded up on salad.  I got everything that was fresh and piled it on before topping it with a little bit of low calorie dressing.  Then I got fruit, a small slice of meat, some veggies and passed on the potatoes.  I even got a small serving of baked fish.

I hate fish.

There, I said it.  I try my hardest to like it because I know the health benefits, but I cannot choke it down.  If it didn't taste so much like....well....fish, then I could enjoy it.  Blah!  Anyway.....

The server came around with our choices for our free dessert.  My heart screamed for the turtle cheesecake, but I chose the sugar free chocolate cake.   The meal was delish and I didn't sweat the few extra calories I had eaten in the chocolate cake. 

Studies have shown that sugar can be as addictive as cocaine.  I firmly believe this statistic.  I can go days without sugar but once I eat one cookie, it is like my body goes dumb and tells me to eat the whole package.  If I would just stay away from them and not consume the one, I would be okay.  However, once I get that taste of sugar I go all crazy-eyed.

Sugar, however, is not my kryptonite.

Salt.

I love any salty snack. Doritos are my favorite but I am not bias.  If it has a crunch and salt, I will devour it like a sucker fish - even the healthy, salty snacks.  It doesn't matter if it is healthy or not.  I will consume enough where the health factor no longer is valid.

So what does one do?

Whether it is carbs, salt or sugar, there are ways to defeat the craving beast.

1. Drink plenty of water!   Drink, Drink, Drink!  Not only is it good for your health and skin but it fills your belly so you aren't that hungry and it helps curb cravings.
2. Indulge.  Yup, I said it.  Indulge once in awhile.  I don't mean sit down with an entire bag of Doritos (guilty).  But treat yourself to some on occasion.  If you eliminate what you love completely, you will feel like you are being punished.
3. Don't buy it.  Don't keep it in your house.  If you don't have it, you can't eat it.
4. Find healthy alternatives.  Love sugar?  Try fresh fruit or a low calorie Popsicle.  Love salt?  Try airpopped popcorn with a light dusting of sea salt (sea salt is still SALT - go easy!)

5. Journal your food.  There are a lot of free apps (My Fitness Pal is what I use) and good ole pen and paper.  Once you realize what you eat in a day, you may be surprised.  You are more apt to make better choices if you physically see it on paper.

Those are just a few options you can try.

Most of all, don't beat yourself up over it.  Okay so you had a cookie or 10.  Don't feel like it is the end of the world.  Realize what you did, realize it is a weakness and move on.

It is a process.  Health is not a destination; it is a way of life!  You got this.

Peace,
BeastModeActivated

Nutrition Wednesday!

Each Wednesday I am going to showcase a recipe or share nutrition tips that I have incorporated into my lifestyle.....because that is what this is.  A lifestyle.  It isn't a diet because once you call something a "diet", you are destined to fail.

Today I am sharing my absolute favorite meal.  My husband and daughter both like it as well - bonus!

Mexican Bowl

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp. chopped garlic (I use garlic powder if on hand)
1/8 tsp. each salt and black pepper
2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro (I don't care for cilantro, so I omit this)
3 oz of cooked chicken breast, shredded
1/2 cup cooked brown rice 

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp. finely chopped red onion
2 tbsp. drained and chopped jarred jalapeño slices (optional)
1/2 cup mixed salad greens
3 tbsp. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp. frozen sweet corn kernels, thawed
1/2 oz. sliced avocado (about 1/8th of an avocado)
3 baked tortilla chips, lightly crushed
Optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, lime wedges

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp. cilantro. Add chicken and flip to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (I have also used plain chicken and chicken cooked with low sodium taco seasoning)

Bring a grill pan (or skillet) sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add chicken, and discard any excess marinade. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through. Once cool enough to handle, slice into strips.

If needed, heat up cooked rice. In a medium bowl, combine rice, tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, and remaining 1 tbsp. cilantro. Mix well. Top with sliced chicken and remaining ingredients. Squeeze fresh lime juice over top.  Dig in!   *I added a tablespoon of salsa to mine!

Serving Size : ENTIRE RECIPE!
Calories: 362
Protein : 27g

If you try this recipe, share your thoughts below!  Have a healthy recipe you love?  Let me know!  I am always looking for new things to try!

Peace!
BeastModeActivated

You don't have to sacrifice flavor!!!!

Race Review - Resolution Run

I hate running.  I really do.

A pal of mine suggested we do a 5k (3.1 miles) on Thanksgiving.  There was a local one....so we did.  I surprisingly did okay.  Then we did one in December and I did even better.  I had caught the runner's bug.  I may hate to run but I love the competition of running a race.

I won't bore you with the details of my first two races because they were last year.  This blog is a new start so let's start with the first race of 2015.

So I have only trained to run on a serious level last November.  I had two 5K's under my belt so doing the New Year's Resolution run in Valparaiso, Indiana should be a piece of cake (did someone say cake?).

It was a cold day, my friends.  It was 17 with a wind chill of a good ole zero.  Once we arrived, I knew this wasn't a fun, casual race.  These people were serious.  The race was on Valpo University and ended with a lap around their track.  Once the air horn was blown to signal our go, I took off.  I quickly realized that the cold was going to be the death of me.  I wasn't even half a mile in and my lungs were on fire, my lips were cracked and my nose was running.  For a brief moment, I thought I was going to have to tap out.

Then....hills.  My previous races were pretty flat but this one had the challenge of hills.  As I huffed and puffed like the Lil' Engine That Could, runners were blasting past me.  That put my running skills into perspective real quick.  At the 1.5 mile marker, I just wanted to finish.  And I did.

I didn't place but I finished.  That is the point of it all.  The euphoria you feel when you cross the finish line is indescribable. The fact that you pushed your body and ran over 3 miles (or walked, that is okay too!) is such a good feeling.  Then the camaraderie you have with complete strangers as they cheer you on and then you, in return, cheer those behind you on.  It is a great feeling.

So the review of the New Year's Resolution at Valparaiso University:
Terrain - pavement, very little vehicle traffic, several small hills
Organization -  well done, race was clearly marked, T&H Timing did the chip timing, water/snacks available after the race (bananas were hard and not ripe at ALL)
Cost - $20 before deadline; $25 after; if you got it in before deadline you got an orange beanie/winter hat
Time of Race - 10:00am
Overall - nice race, not too far from home, typical small town 5K, no fancy bells or whistles
Award - Medals for the top 3 winners in each age category
My Time - 30.54

Race on, friends.
BeastModeActivated

My husband, myself and my pal - after the race

Just crossed the finish line

My hubby (in the orange hat) crossing the finish line)

Introductions are a must!

So, here it is.  I have taken a long journey that consisted of a year of hard work, sweat and self evaluating. 

Although, I suppose the best place is to start at the beginning. 

I haven't always been heavy.  When I was younger, I was "thin as a rail" as my mom used to say.  She would have to give me vitamins to ensure that I was getting enough nutrition.  However, once the onset of puberty crept up (along with some life hiccups), weight began to creep up.  I won't bore you with my past, I have another blog for that; however, I did get pregnant at 19 and gained 60 pounds.  Once he was born, the weight came off fairly easily but I soon became pregnant again.  With that, I gained another 60 pounds.  From that point on the yo-yo diets commenced.

I spent my entire adulthood fighting a never ending battle.  I would lose a few pounds, gain a few, lose a few, gain a few.  It was frustrating.  Then I discovered a stimulant on the market that contained ephedra.  It was great.  I could eat all I want and as long as I took that little purple pill, I lost weight.  I lost a considerable amount.  However, once the scare of its danger to the heart and liver caused it to be pulled from the shelves, I gradually gained weight again.

Then Atkins became the craze.  My husband and I both jumped on the wagon.  He lost over 100 pounds and I lost about 30.  We were feeling good.  But again, the weight crept back on - both of us.

We tried it all - Weight Watchers, South Beach...even considered juicing.  But they all had the same mentality.

Eat what you want.

That is how I got into the state I was in in the first place.  These diets boasted on eating as much as you want of certain foods and omitting others.  It didn't teach portion control, good fats, proteins, balanced carbs or that exercise is as important as what you consume.

So my weight escalated.  Once the scale tipped 250 pounds, I knew I had to do something.  Enough was enough.  I was at the point that I was NOT going to live like this.  I wanted to have adventures.  I wanted to experience life.  I wanted to LIVE.

After much hesitation, I decided to join the gym.  I was freaked out by this, thinking that I was going to be "that girl'.  You know the one.  The one that outweighs everyone else by 100 pounds, where everything jiggles and where sweat pours off the body like Niagara Falls.

But you know what?  I wasn't.  Sure, there were some people that were fit and made me a little self conscious but there were some that were heavier than I was and some that were the same.  However, we all shared a common goal - to get healthier.

So I was diligent.  I began to take classes, I ran at home (I loathe - despise - running, believe it or not) and I was determined.  And here I am - 90 pounds lighter with some muscle tone happening and feeling great. 

With that being said, this blog is not to toot my own horn.  Not in the very least.  It is to encourage and motivate.  I have done three 5k's so far and I will be doing one a month for the next 12 months.  As I do, I will review the races so you can get an insider's opinion.  I will also be posting recipes that I try, tips that actually WORK, and will even be transparent and post days that I fall short.

I just ask that you take this journey with me and be encouraged.  We only have one life on this spinning rock.  I don't know about you...but I want to LIVE, not just survive.

So, I will close with my mantra......


BeastModeActivated

I am on the left (your left) in both pictures.  After/Before