Category: Recipes & Nutrition

Healthy twists on timeless classics: 21 Day Fix Approved!

Sweet & Sour Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• Pork Chops- with or without the bone. I used smoked pork chops for this meal
• 1 onion finely chopped or 1 T onion flakes
• 1 T Lemon Juice
• 3 T Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 T Soy Sauce- less sodium
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ginger

Directions:  Mix all ingredients together and pour over pork chops in the crock pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until tender. I served the pork chops with carrots and brown rice.

Tomato Basil Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2lbs Chicken breasts
• 28 oz can of diced tomatos (1/2 of the liquid drained). My favorite canned tomatos are Delmonte- basil, garlic, and oregano.
• 1 sweet onion diced or 1 T onion flakes
• 4 T Balsamic Vinegar salad dressing. My go to brand of dressing is Newman’s Own.  I’m a huge fan of their Parmesan Balsamic flavor.
• 1 T Italian Season
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions: Again, mix all ingredients together and place in crock pot with chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. I paired this dinner with whole wheat egg noodles and used the extra sauce in the crock pot as a top dressing.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken is always my go to when it comes to whipping up a quick dinner. It can be made a variety of different ways and goes with just about anything on the side. Quinoa is an incredibly healthy choice for fiber, plus its ridiculously inexpensive & sounds fancy. Yes, but is it 21 Day Fix Approved?? You betcha.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup quinoa (I prefer rosemary quinoa)
• 2 cups cilantro leaves
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp EVOO
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (if you want an extra kick!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Rub olive oil on chicken and place in broiler pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip chicken and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
3. Quinoa Mixture-bring water, quinoa and carrots to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until water is absorbed by quinoa mixture which takes about 15 minutes.
4. Place cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and red pepper in food processor. Pulse until smooth.
5. Transfer quinoa to plate, place chicken over quinoa and top with cilantro sauce. Enjoy!

 

 

Recipe adapted from Create, Bake, Celebrate

I’m a huge fan of any and all BuzzFeed articles. I think those writers are geniuses. Since I was so inspired by their creativity, I decided to create my own list of “hacks” for meal planning. Meal planning can be very daunting when you first start the journey, so I’ve compiled an easy guide to get your started on your healthy way. Here are my top 5.

1. Start Simple: Every Sunday afternoon I boil at least a dozen eggs to get me through the week. Hard boiled eggs are packed with protein and easy to grab on the go (two eggs count as 1 red container on the 21 day fix meal plan). I also cook a bag of carrots (I’m not a huge fan of raw veggies). I eat the carrots throughout the week as a snack with hummus, added to dinner, or plain with a bit of sea salt. Boom, two things made in under 15 minutes.

2. Freeze blend smoothies in muffin tins: What?! Buy fruits, veggies, yogurt, etc. in bulk. Take a few minutes at the beginning of the week to make smoothies. Freeze the blended ingredients in muffin tins so they are ready to just drop in the blender on busy mornings. Two or three  “muffins” make an 8 oz. smoothie.

             Photo: Muffin Tin Mania

3. Chop, Dice, Slice, Peel, Spiral the veggies ahead of time: This step is the most painful for me and not because I usually end up cutting myself during the process. Onions are my worst enemy, which means I usually dread peeling/dicing them before cooking.  Meal prep doesn’t mean you have to cook entire meals, simply preparing vegetables ahead of time can save you minutes in the kitchen. Most chopped veggies (carrots, zucchini, squash, onion) can stay fresh in the fridge for a whole week.

4. Keep protein rich snacks on hand: I always portion out my snacks for the week on Sunday. Having high protein snacks (good choice) available may cut down your desire to munch on a pop tart in your time of need (bad choice). Protein is essential for muscle growth & recovery making it the perfect snack for after a hard workout. Check out my blog on quick & easy snacks that pack a protein punch.

5. Meat Meal Prep: We’ve covered our smoothies, veggies and snacks now it’s time to move on to the main course. Save time and add variety to your meals by cooking chicken (or a meat with a similar cook time) three different ways . Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil, then roll up a separate foil sheet to create dividers between the chicken. Each section can now be seasoned a different way without mixing. My favorite seasonings are Jerk, Rosemary and Thyme, and Honey BBQ.

Photo: Fitmen Cook

There ya have it! Follow these 5 steps and you are well on your way to a healthier version of YOU. Questions? Need help? Email me at vphillifitness@gmail.com

 

No Bake Chocolate Shakeology Cookies: Cookies and healthy usually never go in the same sentence… until now.

• 1 cup Chocolate Shakeology
• 1 cup all natural peanut butter
• 1 cup quick rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw honey

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Form 1 inch “cookie” balls and place on a cookie tray. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm. This recipe should make about 24 cookies.

Pumpkin Protein Bites: PUMPKIN everything! Not just to be enjoyed during the fall. I made these pumpkin protein bites yesterday and they are y u m m y.

• 3/4 cup almond butter
• 3 scoops Vanilla Shakeology
• 1/4 cup pumpkin purée
•  1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (or both…)
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice

Mix together, enjoy!

 

Chunky Monkey Pudding: A nutritious take on Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream.

• 1 Medium-Large Organic Banana
• 1  Scoop Chocolate Shakeology
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 TBSP Organic Peanut Butter, melted
• 1 TBSP Coconut Oil, melted

In a small bowl place peanut butter and coconut oil in microwave for 30 seconds, stir. In a medium to large bowl mash the banana until smooth. Add in honey, stir. Pour melted peanut butter and coconut oil into the banana mixture, stir. Mix in the Chocolate Shakeology and mix well. Place in freezer for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Berry Sorbet– Not just a summer time treat.

1 scoop Strawberry or Greenberry Shakeology

1 cup frozen berries

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Mix all ingredients together in blender, blend until smooth. Place in freezer for 2 hours, make sure to stir with fork every 30 minutes to break up ice. All set! Makes approximately 2-3 servings.