One Down, Nine to Go...

      A while back I did a 10 Day Fitness Challenge and I got great results.  Since then, I have been slacking in the workout department.  But with the hubby being deployed and two busy kiddos, it's been hard to find the time to do it.  So, I found my former coach and signed myself up to do another.  This one is ten days too!  I am not one to go out for a joy run, and really I don't have the time for that, but I can stick to a workout routine if it's laid out for me, which the coaches post every morning on our Facebook group page.  As for meals, we are to eat cleanly and drink lots of water.  So we were given different clean recipes and some different flavors of Shakeology shakes.  I can't wait to try them all!  First I went through the recipes and planned out my menu and grocery list.  

They on to the store for all my healthy groceries...

Here are the flavors I got from my coach, Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate.

I have found so many Shakeology Shake recipes on Pinterest, I've pinned a few I want to try.

So here we go, my first day...

Breakfast consisted of 12 Whole Grain Toast topped with Almond Butter, sliced Bananas and Water.

My AM Snack on the go, Raw Almonds, Cucumber Sticks, and Water.

For Lunch I made a Spinach Salad with Chicken, Apples, Toasted Almonds, & Feta, and Water.

PM Snack consisted of Dried Cranberries, Cheese Turkey Roll-Up, and Water.

And for Dinner, Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry over Brown Rice and Water.

Since I had a pretty busy day, I had to do my 30 minute 

Cardio Workout after the kiddos went to bed.

Today was a pretty successful day.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Monthly Menu: Garlic Chicken, Cheesy Broccoli Rice, & Peas

     Last night's dinner was really good, I was pleasantly surprised with how the chicken turned out since there were only 4 ingredients!
August 27th: Garlic Chicken, Cheesy Broccoli Rice, & Peas      

Recipe found on Totally Recipes.

Ingredients:

4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts

4 TBsp brown sugar

4 garlic cloves (minced)

3 Tbsp olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease or line a baking pan with aluminum foil.

Saute the garlic in olive oil until it becomes soft.

Put the chicken in the baking pan, season with salt and pepper.

Combine the softened garlic and brown sugar.

Then spread the garlic mixture over the chicken.

Bake without a cover for about 40 minutes.

Take out and let cool then ENJOY!

Monthly Menu: Cheesy Doritos Chicken Casserole & Southwest Salad

     So, the other day one of my friends welcomed their new bundle of joy into the world.  As a welcome, I wanted to bring over some dinner to celebrate and to lessen the stress of dinner time.  With that in mind I wanted to make something easy and yummy to take over, plus could make double for us to enjoy as well. 
August 8th: Cheesy Doritos Chicken Casserole & Southwest Salad

Found the recipe on Key Ingredient.

Ingredients: 2 cups shredded cooked chicken  1 cup Mexican cheese (shredded) 1 can cream of chicken soup 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup sour cream 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (mild) 1/2 packet taco seasoning Bag of Cheese Doritos

How to make it: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the chips. Spray a 2qt. baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Put a layer of crushed Doritos (about 2 cups) on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then layer some of the chicken mixture on the chips. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken mixture. Top with more shredded cheese. Cover with foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes until bubbling hot. Let cool before serving and ENJOY!!

Monthly Menu: Cheesy Lasagna, Fresh Green Salad, & Warm Sliced Baguette

     Ciao everyone...if you haven't guessed by the title of this post or my greeting, it was Italian night in our house tonight.  I love making lasagna, it is so simple and delicious!  Plus, you can totally make it ahead of time and freeze it till you're ready to bake it up for dinner, which is EXACTLY what I did with this one! August 7th: Cheesy Lasagna, Fresh Green Salad, Warm Sliced Baguette

Ingredients:

10 sheets lasagna noodles (cooked)

1 container (15oz) ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 (24oz) jar of favorite pasta sauce

1 lb ground beef (cooked and drained)

2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)

1 cup parmesan cheese (grated)

How to make it:

Prepare pasta noodles according to the package directions, drain.

Lay the pasta out on a cookie sheet and cover with a damp paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

Combine ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

In a nonstick pan, brown the ground beef, drain, set aside.

Spread 1/4 cup pasta sauce on bottom of prepared baking dish.

Mix ground beef with remaining pasta sauce.

Layer 4 or 5 noodles on top of the pasta sauce in the baking dish.

Top noodles with some ricotta mixture, then some mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Next top with some of the beef mixture.

Repeat layering: noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, beef mixture until reach the top of the baking dish.

Sprinkle some remaining cheese on top.  

Cover with foil, bake for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Uncover, let top cheese melt and turn golden brown.

Take out of the oven, let stand for 10 minutes to cool then ENJOY!!

Monthly Menu: Beer BBQ Pulled Chicken & Tangy Coleslaw Sandwiches with Sweet Corn

     Today's menu was brought to you by my awesome crockpot!  I love using my crockpot, how about you?  It's so great when you can put in some simple ingredients and the result is an awesome meal!
August 6: Beer BBQ Pulled Chicken & Tangy Coleslaw Sandwiches with Sweet Corn

Beer BBQ Chicken recipe from How Sweet It Is.

Tangy Coleslaw recipe from Food For My Family.

Beer BBQ Chicken

Ingredients: 

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 large)

1 TBsp onion powder

1 TBsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

8 oz of beer

32 oz of BBQ sauce

How to make it:

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

Add seasoned chicken to crockpot.

Add beer and 24 oz of barbecue sauce.

Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired.

After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce.

Toss chicken chicken to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything.

Top with some Tangy Coleslaw and put some on a bun and ENJOY!

Tangy Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1 head green cabbage (finely shredded)

1/2 head red cabbage (finely shredded)

1/2 medium red onion (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup white vinegar

3 TBsp honey

1/4 cup oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp celery seed

How to make it:

In a large bowl toss the green cabbage, red cabbage, and red onion until mixed aside.

In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, honey, and oil.

Bring to boil over medium-high heat.

Remove from heat and stir in the salt, dry mustard, and the celery seed.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage.

Toss to combine.

Allow the slaw to cool, then refrigerate until cold.

Serve as a side or top on the Beer BBQ Pulled Chicken and ENJOY!

Monthly Menu: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, & Buttery Peas

     The other day I pre-made three mini meatloaves and froze them.  Today, was meatloaf day, so I just thawed one out and put it in the oven.  It was very tasty!
August 4: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Buttery Peas

Found the meatloaf recipe on Sweetie Pie's.

Ingredients:

Loaf

1 lb ground beef

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup onion (chopped)

1/2 cup bell pepper (chopped)

1 egg (lightly beaten)

8 oz canned diced tomatoes with juice

1/4 quick-cooking oats

Topping

1/3 cup ketchup

2 TBsp brown sugar

1 TBsp mustard

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a loaf baking pan.

Shape into a loaf.

Mix ingredients for the topping and spread on the loaf.

Bake for 1 hour then Enjoy!

Monthly Menu: Baked Chicken, Sautéed Squash, & Mac and Cheese

     I know it's August third, but it's only day 2 of our Monthly Menu Planning since we went out to eat last night to celebration the hubby's promotion.  
August 3rd:  So, for today's scrumptious meal we dined on Baked Chicken, Sautéed Squash, and Mac N Cheese...oh so good for such a simple meal!

Baked Chicken recipe from Betty Crocker.

Sautéed Squash recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

 (Boxed Betty Crocker Mac and Cheese)

Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

1 TBsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup Original Bisquick mix

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 whole chicken (cut up)

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 435 degrees.

Melt butter in a rectangular baking dish (13x9x2 inches) in the oven.

Stir together Bisquick, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Coat the chicken with the Bisquick mixture.

Place skin sides down in the dish (dish and butter should be hot).

Bake 35 minutes, flip chicken.

Bake about 15 minutes longer or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Let cool a bit and Enjoy!

Sautéed Squash

Ingredients:

1 TSsp olive oil 

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic (finely minced)

3 medium zucchini (sliced about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, in rounds or half moons)

3 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, in rounds of half moons)

2-3 tomatoes (chopped)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

How to make it:

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil until the onions start to turn translucent, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the zucchini and squash, tossing well with the olive oil mixture.

Saute over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes.

Continue cooking and stirring until the zucchini and squash are tender and tomatoes have broken down, about another 2 minutes.

Toss the hot mixture with the parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately and Enjoy!