Prepping for the Work Week

What's the secret to healthy eating?? Well a little determination helps but mostly the secret is being prepared. What does that mean?- You have to have handy meals and snacks ready for when you are late home from work and you have no idea what to make for dinner or when you are stuck in the car  and you are just STARVING. Those are the moments of weakness when you run for something convenient like takeout.
But trust me- just a FEW minutes of preparing your meals ahead of time for the week will make you MUCH more successful in sticking with your healthy eating goals.

This is what happened at my house yesterday-

Part 1- Dinner



Hit the grocery store with my recipes for the week in hand! This way I know just what I need so I'm not aimlessly wandering around, finding my way to the Doritos aisle.

This week's recipes were found on the Food Network- they have a tab just for healthy eating that allows you to print off recipes with a simple click.

This week we are having:
Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos
Roman-Style Chicken with sausage ravioli (store bought)
Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits
Dirty P's Garlic-Ginger Chicken Thighs with harvest salad
Oven Fried Chicken with sweet potatoes

I will post each recipe and how it turns out throughout the week!

(We are eating a lot of chicken this week now that I lay it all out on here!)  :) Note to self to try to incorporate other foods next week!

Anyway- back to prep work- I know putting in the time can seem daunting but believe me it is crucial to your success. It's amazing how a few minutes today can save you hours throughout the week.

Last night I put the pork and seasonings in the crock pot (Turned it on this morning before leaving for work- when I get home dinner is done!)
I also made the marinade for the oven fried chicken and the drumsticks are soaking it up as we speak.

Part 2- Breakfast

I also made breakfast for the week- that are all easy to grab and go so no excuses to stop for coffee and a doughnut!!

I usually grab a protein shake (see previous post for the recipe) on my way out the door and drink it on the way to work. This week I did one vanilla protein shake with pumpkin pie spice, one chocolate with peanut butter, one chocolate with cinnamon, and one plain chocolate. I use two scoops of Muscle Milk Whey Protein in my shakes because it is what works best for me. I think it's more filling and easier on my stomach than some others that I've tried.
Then around 9:30-10:30 I have a snack of 0% plain Greek yogurt mixed with either protein powder, nuts, granola, or peanut butter. I make these on Sundays so they are easily accessible during the week.
DONE!

Chicken Parm with Spaghetti Squash

Nothing makes you crave a hearty meal like the cold, snowy weather we've had here in MD this week. It has been just dreadful and so of course I'm craving warm carbohydrates…great.
BUT you don't have to give up your favorite dishes just because you are on the right track with diet and exercise. You can make any of your favorite meals at home- and with a few minor tweaking they are instantly lighter by hundreds, yes I said hundreds, of calories! It just takes some ingenuity, deep thought, and contemplation- yea right who has time for that! Go online and get yourself some good healthy recipes!! Work smarter not harder!

This week I was craving chicken parmesan..Now I'm not usually a pasta person- HOWEVER- every once in a while I get a good craving for either chicken parm or shrimp scampi (recipe to come for that during the next snowstorm I'm sure). My stomach was carving that oozy mozzarella pasta goodness but my brain said " I can hear you getting flabby" so I cam up with plan B- this recipe.
First, I substituted pasta for spaghetti squash- hundreds of calories and carbs gone!
Second, instead of slathering the entire dish with cheese, I jut added a few slices for the flavor. Again- hundreds of calories slashed away! Now you can get more into this and use sugar free pasta sauce but in reality- I'm not a bodybuilder prepping for a competition. I just want to keep my jiggly bits where they belong- I'm sure you can relate. So lets get real and say- Ragu is just fine…

Here's the lowdown on the recipe..

Ingredients:
1/2 of a large jar of Ragu (whatever flavor you like)
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cayene pepper (optional)
pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil (or 3-4 dried leaves grated up)
1 spagheti squash
part skim mozzarella cheese (8 thin slices needed )

Directions:
Fill a 13x9 pan with 1 inch of water. Cut your spaghetti squash in half longways and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash cut side down in the pan and bake on 350 for about an hour. (You are just looking to steam the squash).

Meanwhile add cut up chicken and garlic to a large skillet greased with a dab of olive oil or chicken broth. Cook on medium until the chicken is just barely cooked about half way through (undercook a bit here because it will keep cooking in the sauce and again in the oven- and none wants to feel like they're chewing on a tire). Add your sauce and seasonings. Reduce heat to lowland cover for 5 minutes.

Once your squash is done let it cool and begin to shred it with a fork. It should come apart easily and resemble spaghetti (hence the name- clever).

Dump out the squash water from the 13x9 pan and put the shredded squash back in it.

Cover the squash with your chicken and sauce mixture and stir to mix together. Place you thin slices of mozzarella on top and place under the broiler for just a few minutes to get the cheese bubbly.

Presto! Carb free chicken parm!
No guilt just yum.

Motivation!!!

I am always looking for a form of motivation to keep myself moving towards my goals of being fit and healthy. Trust me, it's not always easy to drive to the gym, or to go for that run, or to chose the boring salad at lunch while everyone else orders takeout- BUT they are all small choices that add up to big results! 
This video I just saw was AMAZING at motivating me to go all out during that next workout! It is all about the small choices we make every day- they aren't easy but then again, nothing worth doing is!
Enjoy!

Push Harder, Run Faster, Rise & Shine