Goat Cheese Burgers

Goat Cheese Burger

This was my own recipe. 

Some days you just need a burger. This was one of those days. I got lean ground beef and herb goat cheese. I measured out my blue container of cheese and weighed my burger before it was cooked (this one was 8 oz because I needed 2 reds)

I made my burger patty and then sliced it in half. I put the cheese in the middle and then pinched the edges together to seal all that good yummy cheese inside. I didn't have any yellows left for the day so I picked some lettuce from the garden and didn't even miss my bun. While my husband grilled burgers I made fries and sauteed kale. 

The kale was just a little olive oil, garlic and Kale and I sauteed it until it wilted down. 

For the fries, I did something new. I cut the potatoes and soaked them for about 30 minutes in cold water. This draws the starch out of them and lets them crisp up. I used a raised baking rack on a cookie sheet and lined my potatoes on the rack. I sprayed them lightly with olive oil spray and lightly salted them. I cooked them for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. The rack allows them to crisp all the way around without having to flip them. 

This counted as 2 Reds, 1 Yellow, 1 Green, 1 Blue  1 Purple

Ritoni with Broccoli and Tomatoes

Ritoni with Broccoli and Tomatoes

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Weeknight Meals Cookbook

You will need: 

2 cups whole grain pasta (I cooked this the day before) 

3 chicken breasts (I grilled mine the night before with a little salt, pepper and garlic powder) 

1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 heads of broccoli with the large stems cut off

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil plus 2 tsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic minced

Heat 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add broccoli and saute until semi tender. (you can add the chicken here if you have not previously cooked it) If it is already cooked add it after the broccoli is ready. Once the broccoli is cooked, add the tomatoes. Cook down about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add  pasta, basil, olive oil, garlic. Mix well. Top with goat cheese. 

Because I made some of this ahead of time, it was so easy to just throw it together. To measure this, I picked out pieces of chicken and filled my red,  I filled my yellow 2 times with just the pasta, and I filled my green with just broccoli and tomatoes. I used my blue for the cheese. The cheese got very soft and I mixed it all together and it made the sauce creamy and it all coated the pasta. This was also a ton of food! 

1 RED, 2 YELLOW, 1 GREEN, 1 BLUE

21 Day Fix... Day 7

Let me say that I realized I was not in the correct calorie bracket, so I moved up. When I figured it out, I was so close to the lower bracket I just jumped down and I am thinking I need the higher calories, so I am giving this a try. Because my computer messed up and didn't get to post from day 7 to day 21, I am just going to continue on with day 7 like I never skipped any days.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, oatmeal with 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp peanut butter and pumpkin pie spice,  Pineapple

Snack 1: vanilla shakeology with 1 serving of spinach, 1 serving of pineapple, rum and coconut flavoring and 1 tsp of honey. 

Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken 

Snack 2: sunflower seeds, 1 serving of grapes

Dinner: Ritoni pasta with Broccoli, Chicken and Tomatoes (recipe to follow) 

I am excited to share the pasta recipe. This one was delicious! 

Breakfast... 21 Day Fix Style

Breakfast = my FAVORITE meal of the day. I usually keep breakfast pretty much the same. I vary different aspects of it, but for the most part I am a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast.

Here are some variations of my meals for breakfast:

First of all, I ALWAYS have eggs. I am on a huge egg kick right now. I never knew I liked the yolk runny, but I can't get enough of them.

Breakfast 1: Omelette with spinach, parsley, red peppers, tomatoes, cheese and parsley. 

My omelette with fruit and black coffee:  1 red, 1 green, 1 blue, 1 purple

 Breakfast #2: 3 eggs, Turkey bacon, Grapes, black coffee

2 Red, 1 Purple, 

 Breakfast #3 

2 eggs, fruit, oatmeal with 2 tsp honey and 1 tsp of peanut butter and pumpkin pie spice and black coffee

1 Red, 1 Purple, 1 yellow, 1 tsp

 Same as above just different fruit

again same as above with different fruit ( sorry the picture is sideways) 

 This next one is from a very busy day where I was starving and had a lot of containers left to use.

3 eggs, 6 slices turkey bacon, whole wheat waffle with 1 tsp peanut butter, sliced raw peppers, fruit. 

3 Red, 1 yellow, 1 tsp, 1 Green, 1 Purple

 Again I am sorry this is sideways.. I can't edit pictures from this computer. 

2 eggs, 1 slice of whole wheat toast, Fruit

This is 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 purple

Now you might not like eggs, so have oatmeal, have yogurt with berries and honey, have a egg sandwhich by slicing 1 piece of toast in half, cook 1 egg and add cheese and 2 slices of turkey bacon. This would be 1 yellow, 1 red (for the egg and bacon) 1 blue

Or another favorite ( not pictured) make a breakfast burrito: 1 whole wheat tortilla, cheese, 1 scrambled egg, 2 slices of turkey bacon. Roll it up and eat it with a bowl of fruit. (1 yellow, 1 red, 1 blue, 1 purple) 

There are so many things you can do.. just think outside the box a little with the list provided. 

Maybe breakfast will become your favorite meal too! 

London Broil with Coconut Curry Peanut Sauce

London Broil with Coconut Curry Peanut Sauce

recipe was found online at food.com

I used to make this recipe a long time ago and then I realized I could make it fit into the 21 day fix! I was so excited to make it work. This is DELICIOUS. I know it sounds weird, but it is so good! 

So I started with my side dish (which is not the prettiest looking dish) but it is sauteed squash.This dish usually uses a lot of butter and sugar. I adapted it to fit into 21 DF.  Start by putting a little olive oil in a pan. (about 2 tsp) Add a sliced onion (about softball size) cooking it down until the onions start to brown a little.  Next add your diced squash (I usually use about 4 medium squash) , 2 tsp. of honey, salt and pepper.  I will saute this until it starts to get brown. You don't want it to burn. I will add water 1/3 of a cup at a time to the pan and let it slowly cook down. The water will absorb/evaporate, so just make sure it doesn't burn. 

 onions cooking down. 

Squash slowly cooking down. 

Now onto the main dish. 

You will need:

1 london broil

brown rice

lite coconut milk

olive oil

honey

natural peanut butter

unsweet coconut flakes 

green onions

not pictured : lime, curry powder

(the recipe calls for brown sugar and I used honey instead) 

 Heat your grill to high heat (between 450 and 500) 

Get your rice cooking on the stove or in a rice cooker (this takes about 20 minutes) 

salt and pepper your london broil. 

Place it on the grill and cook for 4 minutes on each side (DO NOT COOK MORE THAN 5 MINUTES) This is something I learned the hard way. This cooks PERFECTLY in 4 minutes on each side. London broil is a tougher piece of meat and leaving it slightly pink in the middle is the best way to eat it. Trust the time! 

 While the london broil is cooking toast the coconut in a pan until light brown on the edges.

To make the sauce you want to combine: 

1 can of coconut milk

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tsp curry powder

juice from 1 lime 

1/4 cup honey

Bring to a boil on medium heat. Stirring occasionally. Once it boils turn it down to keep it warm. This sauce will get thick as it cooks. 

 Once the steak is beautifully cooked cover it in tin foil and let it sit for about 10 minutes. 

To serve add 1 yellow of rice. Slice meat against the grain diagonally. Use 1-2 Tablespoons of sauce, sprinkle with toasted coconut and scallions. Serve with a side of squash or a salad etc. 

Now how in the world does this count on 21 day fix?

Rice 1 Yellow (not quite filled all the way up)
Meat: 1 Red (2 if you need more protein)
Sauce: 2 Tsp, The rest of the yellow container
Squash: 1 Green, 1 tsp

21 Day Fix... AGAIN!

So I completed the first 21 days and I am so happy with my results. Now I started round 2 today.  I didn't do measurements at the end because I BLEW IT THE LAST WEEKEND! OOPS! I did get a picture before I completely blew it. I am going to share it because I feel like showing the results really helps.

After blowing it all weekend and eating awful, I woke up this morning feeling awful! I feel swollen (probably from increased salt) and I am just super bloated. I have come a LONG way in the last 4 months, but I still have a long way to go. Three babies really did a number on my body. But WOW the changes are amazing! Not only has my body changed a lot, I am so much happier with myself! I feel so much confidence already.

So keep it up! Take Pictures! (I HATED pictures before I started this.) the first time I took pictures, I used it as my motivation because I hated looking at them. Now I can't wait to see the changes I have made.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

I'm Back!

Sorry for the lapse in posting. My computer died and I was thinking I would buy a new computer, but right now is not the time to buy a new one, so I am using my work computer. Downloading pictures was my issue. I am just going to have to download and erase. So anyway, I am sorry I have been absent and not posting.

I have a bunch of new recipes coming. Stay tuned.. I am going to try and get a few up tonight.