Monday, September 8, 2014
September News Letter
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Quinoa & Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
Water
Sea Salt
4 large red bell peppers (you can use any color)- make sure the peppers can sit upright nicely. remove top, ribs and seeds.
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 cup butternut squash, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
2 cups fresh roma tomatoes, diced and set over a fine mesh sieve to drain
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
juice of one fresh lime
fresh ground pepper
cooking spray

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cooked brown rice in a bowl and let cool. set aside.
Make sure there is a rack in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the peppers in the boiling water and cook briefly. the peppers need to be just a little soft. Remove the peppers from the water an dput them on a plate line with paper towels, upside down so the water can drain out.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute onion, carrot and butternut squash. Cook for 10 minutes, covered. Add garlic and cook a few minutes more. Now add tomatoes, beans and corn. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add vegtable mixture to cooled, cooked brown rice. Season with cilantro, lime juice, sea salt and black pepper. Mix with clean, bare hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
Prepare a small baking pan with a light coating of cooking spray. Place each of the peppers right side up in the pan. Stuff each pepper with brown rice filling. Don't pack the rice mixture too tightly. Bake for 20 minutes and serve immediately.
You can add lean ground chicken or turkey to the cooked rice mixture to make it a complete clean eating meal. Simply brown one pound of ground chicken or turkey and add to stuffing mixture and stuff as usual.
I also added a can of tomatoe sauce on top to give it some sauce. I used an all natural organic sauce with no added sugar! Delicious!
Monday, September 1, 2014
Raspberry Peach Iced Tea
- 2 tea bags
- 1 cup raspberries, plus more for garnish
- 2 peaches, sliced, plus more for garnish
- 3 tablespoons agave nectar, or more to taste
- Mint leaves, for garnish
- Steep tea bags in 4 cups boiling water according to package instructions; discard tea bags and let cool.
- Combine peaches, raspberries and agave nectar in blender until smooth; strain through cheesecloth or fine sieve.
- In a large pitcher, whisk together raspberry peach mixture and brewed tea. Place in refrigerator until chilled.
- Serve over ice, raspberries, peach slices and mint leaves, if desired.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Chicken Bake
Chicken Bake
- 2 Skinless chicken breasts chopped into 2 inch cubes
- 1 lb red potatoes chopped into 2 inch cubes
- 1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces.
- Red and yellow peppers sliced into 1 inch pieces.
- 1 onion sliced
- 1/3 cup fresh basil
- 4 garlic cloves sliced thin
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
- Ground pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth if desired
| Before I put it in the oven |
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
My Why!
Do you ever find yourself feeling like you were meant for something greater? You feel misplaced like you don't belong? Are you stressed about supporting yourself financially?
If you are reading this and you hear that little voice....and your gut is telling you to do something?
I am here to tell you it is worth it!
This year I have made some of the scariest and biggest decisions of my life. I have been a college student for 4 years, transferred schools 3 times, with over 70 credits and nothing to show for it. Since I was younger I knew my passion was to help others, so I decided nursing was my major. When I finally received that acceptance letter into the nursing program I was trilled, ecstatic, overjoyed! But then I had that little voice and that gut feeling, which took me by surprise because of the uncertain feeling I had. I thought to myself "its only because i'm nervous, I have to do this I've worked so hard to get here to be accepted". Well it wasn't until I started questioning things that I realized the uncertainty feeling never went away. I didn't know what to do, I was scared of what people would think. What else would I go to school for. People will think I failed. I quit. I gave up. NO! I thought about the decision long, very long and hard... but deep down I knew what I wanted.
I FOUND HAPPINESS being a Beachbody Coach!
I found that passion again, that purpose I wanted all along. It brought amazing opportunity, a sense of belonging, so many new friends & a chance to do something amazing. Before Beachbody, I felt misplaced. Now, I feel like I belong. Before Beachbody, I was self conscious, chunky, and disappointed in myself. Now, I am proud of my progress.
As a coach I feel accomplished, enthusiastic, empowered, responsible, overjoyed, significant, happy, honored, excited and loved because I am able to change my future and live life by design.
I strongly believe that God has placed this opportunity in my life so that I can share it with other women and families.
Making this decision was very difficult, and very scary. But my family and friends love me and support me no matter what as long as I am happy!
If you are reading this and you hear that little voice....and your gut is telling you to go for it? I want to hear from you!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Summer 3 Day Refresh
Summer 3 Day Refresh & Clean Eating Accountability/Support Group
| 3 day Refresh Breakdown |

Friday, July 4, 2014
Happy 4th of July!
4th of July Accountability Check and TIPS
We are headed to Grand Haven for the day and of course there will be snacks, cake, cookies, hot dogs and hamburgers. Your typically barbeque foods. So I always like to plan out my strategy ahead of time. Since I felt the need to indulge in some desserts earlier this week I have chosen to keep today clean. So I have asked politely if I could grill a piece of chicken and I'm taking some veggies to munch on for the rest of the day. 1 glass of water for every alcoholic drink that I consume and I usually choose drinks that are lower in calories. I typically stay away from pre-mixed margarita's or beer. Margarita mix has the dreaded high fructose corn syrup that is the WORST for your body!
Your best drink options are:
Soda water/vodka (boring but add a squeeze of lemon, lime or oranges to the mix and give it some flavor)
Rum & Diet Coke
Serving size: 6 oz..Calories: 65
Ingredients: 1 oz.. rum, 5 oz.. Diet Coke
This may seem too good to be true, and to some degree, it is. Even the stingiest bartender will probably give you more than one fluid oz.. of alcohol, since just one shot is 1.5 oz... But if you feel like taking it easy and enjoying the springtime weather without going in too hard, this mix should work for you. As much as I DO NOT endorse diet soda's this is a better option than most!
Anheuser Busch, Natural Light
Serving size: 12 oz..
Calories: 95
We bet you had no idea that all the time you spent practicing your Beirut technique, you were actually being health-conscious—good for you! One 12 oz.. serving of Natty Light contains just 95 calories, while the same serving of Bud Light contains 112 calories. The difference is pretty negligible so feel free to go for whichever beer you like more.
Gin & Diet Tonic
Serving size: 7.5 oz..
Calories: 115 calories
Ingredients: 1.5 oz.. gin, 6 oz.. Diet Tonic
Like any beverage containing extra sugars, this simple and straightforward drink can be brought down a notch by picking a diet option, rather than the standard one. Gin and tonics have a slightly bitter taste, but it’s nothing a wedge of lime can’t cure.
Cosmopolitan
Serving size: 3 oz..
Calories: 150
Ingredients: 1.5 oz.. vodka, ½ oz.. triple sec, ½ oz.. lime juice, ½ oz.. cranberry juice
Cosmos are excellent low-calorie cocktail options. While they vary in size and alcohol content (a 4 oz.. Cosmo might go up to 200 calories, while another with 5 fluid oz.. could go up to 320), these drinks generally stay in the range of drinks that aren’t too bad for you. (And might even make you look pretty classy.)
Mojito
Serving size: 6 oz..
Content: 160 calories
Ingredients: 2.5 oz.. light rum, club soda, 1 tsp. limejuice, 2 tsp. sugar, fresh mint sprigs
Ingredients
1/4 cup white tequila
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all your ingredients together in a large bowl. Add in your meat and cover. Marinate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
(Makes 14 servings) Salad Ingredients
2 lbs. sweet corn
1 red bell pepper
1 package cherry or other small tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 package edamame beans (shelled)
1 package tofu
Dressing Ingredients
4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. garlic powder
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 small bunch fresh basil (about 1-2 cups depending on your tastes)
Directions
Step 1 – Start your corn on the stove, and gather all your ingredients.
Step 2 – Chop everything except the edamame beans and tomatoes (and corn, obviously) into bite size pieces. The smaller you chop the pieces, the better texture your salad will have.
Step 4 – When the corn is done cooking, add that and all the veggies (do not add the basil) to a large mixing bowl. Toss well.
Step 5 – Make your dressing by adding all dressing ingredients to a bowl and mixing well.
It’s best to add the dressing once you have served the salad. If you add the dressing to the entire salad, the leftovers won’t keep as long in the fridge. That said, eat up. Corn can sour quickly in the fridge.
If you are a meat eater, add some baked chicken to this salad for protein.
Eat and Enjoy!
Nutritional Content
1 serving = 1 cup
Calories: 146
Total Fat: 6 gm
Saturated Fats: 1 gm
Trans Fats: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 0 gm
Sodium: 177 mg
Carbohydrates: 20 gm
Dietary fiber: 3 gm
Sugars: 6 gm
Protein: 6 gm
Estimated Glycemic Load: 8
Nutritional Information estimated at Nutritiondata.com. Data may not be accurate.






