Potluck Idea

Are you looking for a dish to share at your Memorial Day Party?

 

Try this colorful Salad; Veggie Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cooked Quinoa
Chopped Veggies: (I do not measure these add as many veggies to your liking)
Purple Onion
Cucumber
Multi Color Sweet Peppers
Black Olives
1/3 c. Feta or Blue Cheese
4 T. Balsamic Vinegar
4 T. Olive Oil
Fresh chopped Garlic
Salt and Pepper To taste.

Chop veggies and mix all ingredients together. Keep Refrigerate.
You can also enjoy this as a meal and add cooked chicken breasts or shrimp.

A Few More Potluck Ideas:

Fruit Kabobs - place a variety of cut up fruit on a kabob stick
Peanut butterballs - Recipe in a past blog entry
Bison Burger Sliders
Broccoli Salad:  1 head of chopped Cauliflower and Broccoli, 1/3 c. Sunflower seeds, 1/3 c. Raisins, half chopped Purple Onion,  Bolthouse Salsa Ranch Dressing (amount to your liking)
Marinate your Chicken Breast in a Gallon Size Baggie before leaving for the party: Marinate with Olive Oil and your favorite Mrs. Dash Seasoning!
Sweet Potatoes: Cut in to one inch squares, place on foils with Cinnamon and Coconut Oil. Close the foil packet up and place on hot grill.

 

From my family to yours;
Enjoy Your Memorial Day Weekend, Have Fun, Be Safe, Eat Clean and Be Active!!

Blackberry Scones

I love to have my kids in the kitchen cooking with me. First it started because I thought all the measuring was some of their basic math skills and over the years it has turn into more education for their health. Having conversations with them about the differences in ingredients and how they can help our body or maybe why we do not cook with certain ingredients anymore. Having them involved has definitely helped in our lifestyle change. In our home we eat clean my kids are about 75% clean, I do not make them a separate meal they eat what I prepare. I love that I am helping set that foundation for them to have a long healthy life!

This last weekend it was my 8year old daughter Lauren in the kitchen with me. We made a clean apple crisp, banana bars (which need some changes before I can share that recipe) and a easier scone recipe.


For some reason I think scones are fun but some of the recipes I have found are so complex, and if you have ever notice the recipes I come up with or use are very simple ingredients.

Blackberry Cinnamon Scones

Ingredients:

3 cups Almond Flour

1 t. Baking Soda

dash of salt

2 Eggs

3 tablespoons Honey or Pure Maple Syrup

3 t Cinnamon

3/4 Cup Fresh Blackberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In bowl mix almond flour, baking soda and Cinnamon.  Then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Fold in the fresh fruit!

Scoop onto a baking sheet, you can shape into a triangle or leave in a circle. Just flatten to be about 1 inch thick.  Bake 15-18 minute or until  you see a golden brown.

A few other fun combinations to this scone recipe:

Chopped Strawberries, few chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips.

Fresh Blueberries, lemon zest and 2t. fresh lemon juice.

Dried Cranberries, Orange Zest and 2 t. fresh orange juice.

Raspberries, Cinnamon and crushed almonds.

 

 

I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Keeping Focus will help in your Success

It is that time of the year, New Years is past us; Summer cannot get here fast enough and for most if us we let the weather control how we feel and what we do. Keeping focused on your goals is a big part of your success!

 

Here are a few fun and quick tips to help keep you focused:

 

Keep a daily food journey.

 

Schedule in your workouts at the beginning of the week.

 

Always try!

 

If you have a bad meal or bad day, remember tomorrow is a new day!

 

Find a workout buddy or friends that are supportive.

 

Plan your meals.

 

Drink a gallon of water each day.

 

Always have nuts and an Isagenix protein bar in your purse.

(for those "ohh its been 3 hrs. moments")

 

Get 8 hours of sleep.

 

Do not beat yourself up.

 

Do not focus on the Scale, take measurements.

 

Reach out to someone when struggling.

 

Remember you are never alone on this Journey!

 

Keep up your progress on your Journey!

Best Wishes, Nichole Winter

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The Back Up Plan

You hear this all the time . . . .

Take Sunday to plan and prep your meals!

 

Lets be real, some of us are not able to prep every Sunday with being out of town for the weekend or maybe at one of our kids activities. There is just not always time for planning and prepping.

 

 When we take the time to plan and prep we are able keep on track with eating clean meals. However you have a few busy Sundays and you may find yourself back to quick and not so healthy meals.  I found a simple back up plan.  Create 4 weeks of easy clean dinner ideas, put them on recipe cards and keep them in a convenient spot.  I keep mine on the counter in a crafty recipe holder my daughter made for me. You can also tape them inside your cupboard door. 

 

 Pictured: My recipe holder with my 4 week back up plan and clean eating cook book. Inside the cookbook is a list of meal ideas.

Pictured: 4 week back up plan. Super Easy meals.

 

 

Next Sunday when you are out of town or whatever it may be, you can come home to knowing that you can select a weekly meal plan from one of your back up plans.

 

Tips for having a successful back up plan:

 

1. You want to select meals for your back up plan with ingredients that you typically have in your house.

2. Do not get stuck always using your back up plan, but do use as a tool or reference when creating a new meal plans.

3. If you make a weekly meal plan and it was a hit, KEEP it and use it again in a few weeks. Why throw it away? It took time to plan and worked!

4. If you find yourself eating the same things over and over make a goal. Example: In March I will make a new recipe for dinner once a week!

5. Make a double batch of your favorite meal and freeze. This will always help during your unplanned moments.

6. Make sure there is a variety in your planning; Such at Meatless Mondays, Fish on Tue., Beef on Wed., Turkey on Thur. and Chicken on Fri.  You do not want to eat the same types of food every meal. 

 

Living a Clean and Healthy lifestyle does not mean you have to be prefect! 

Just continue to try, prep and plan! With that you will have greater success.

 

Happy Meal Planning, Nichole



Soup Warms A Soul

Winter time in our home brings out the crock pot and afternoons enjoying a bowl of soup.

 

Try the Fiesta Lime Chicken Soup with your family next time, it was a hit at our home!

Rub 2-3 chicken breasts with Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning. Then grill chicken until cooked through. Once cooked shred into pieces.

Chop veggies to have approx. 3 cups total:
onion
carrots
celery
cabbage
zucchini
red peppers

1 can green chili's
Saute all veggies  5 to 8 minutes then add garlic to taste.

Pour organic low sodium chicken broth (32 oz container) into crock pot, then add chicken, veggies, and 1 t. Mrs Dash Fiesta Lime.  Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy~

A perfect way to start the morning. . . .

 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Begin with starting the day with a glass of water, it opens your pores. Remember you have been sleeping 8 hours without having any water. Then, it is important to eat within an hour of rising. This fires up your metabolism!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and for me it starts with
oatmeal. I am always switching it up between old fashion oats and
steel cut. You can get very creative with oatmeal.

Here are a few fun toppings for you to enjoy;

Top with:

Apples
Pears
Blueberries
Strawberries
Blackberries
Raisins
Mangoes
Bananas
Vanilla Almond Milk

Shake on:

Cinnamon
Pumpkin Spice
Nutmeg
Chia Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Flax Seeds

Add:

Crushed Almonds
Walnuts
Pecans
Spoon of Almond/Seed/Peanut butter

 

There are so many more options than this to top, shake or add to your oatmeal - to change up your flavor each day. Remember, you do want protein in your
breakfast. A way to achieve this is by adding your Chocolate or Vanilla Isagenix Protein Powder or 2 eggs whites right into your oatmeal.

Try this baked oatmeal for a tasty fun Saturday morning breakfast with your family.

 

Baked Cranberry Oatmeal

2 1/5 c. oats
2 c. vanilla almond milk
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 c. dried cranberries
3 TB. maple syrup

Use a pie dish and spread coconut oil all over pan. Mix all above ingredients and pour into pie dish. Bake at 350 for approx 25 minutes or until golden brown.  You can top with a few crushed pecan or walnut!

 

Remember there is almost no wrong way to enjoying the best meal of the day!