Carne Asada and Avocado Salad

Tonight for dinner we had Carne Asada Tacos and Avocado Salad--yum!
For the meat, I just bought some pre-marinated at the store. I tried keeping it easy since today was a crazy day! With the meat, we used corn tortillas, cheese, greek yogurt, avocado and lettuce.

Avocado Salad Recipe--

One pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/2 inch diced
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup small diced red onion
2 tablespoons minced jalapeño peppers, seeded (2 peppers)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt (Himalayan Salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2 inch diced

Directions:
Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl.
Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.
Just before you are ready to serve the salad fold in the avocados. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.


I didn't really measure as I cut the vegetables. I just threw everything together and cut the vegetables with my Vidalia Chop Wizard (which I LOVE! you can get one at Bed, Bath and Beyond). As you can see in the pictures, my 2 year old LOVES to help with the Chopper! It takes longer to cook, but I love her helping me and she eats the food better when she does. Nothing is better than that:)

I have a problem with not measuring as I go, so I am trying to measure so it will be easier to post recipes....

Tonight I didn't use lime zest or ground cayenne pepper and I used red pepper instead of yellow.

Love Tony Horton--always funny!

Watch this-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwgaeGBvm4c


Questions about Shakeology?? Email me! LindseyCrafton@gmail.com

Healthier Valentine Treats

Raspberries + Dark Chocolate Chips= AMAZING!

Heart Sugar cookies decorated with fruit!

Sugar Cookie Recipe-
3/4 cup spelt flour or ww pastry or all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (just under level)
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup white sugar, or sucanat, coconut sugar, or evaporated cane juice, or xylitol for a sugar-free version
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 tablespoons milk of choice
1/4 cup vegan butter sub, such as Earth Balance (you can use coconut oil, but I haven’t tried it.)
Cook at 325F preheated oven for 9 minutes

Frosting Recipe-
1 c. sugar, 1 lg. pkg. cream cheese, 1 tsp. vanilla blended together

Dark chocolate covered strawberries
I use dark chocolate melting wafers found in a craft store, but you could use dark chocolate chips

1 cantaloupe
1 honeydew melon
1/2 watermelon
6 ounces plain nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon honey or Agave
Directions:


Cut fruit into 1 inch thick slices.

Using a small heart shaped cookie cutter, cut hearts from melon slices.

Thread fruit hearts onto pop sickle sticks.

Stir together yogurt, orange juice concentrate, and honey and chill for about an hour.

Serve dip with fruit hearts.

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffin

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffin Knock-Offs of Whole Food’s 6 Dollar per 4 Chocolate Chunk VitaTop Muffins

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c oats
3 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup hot water
3/4 cup sugar substitute
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use white chocolate, peanut butter chips or dark chocolate chips!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.
Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.
Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

Place the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight, but this method gives the muffins the traditional ‘VitaTop Muffin’ look with the chocolate chips on top!Cool muffins before removing from pan. ENJOY!!!

Servings: 12 Big Muffins or 24 Smaller Muffins
Calories: 116 Calories Per Muffin or 58 Calories Per Muffin

I need a new swimsuit!

I need a new swimsuit for the summer! Which one is your favorite?? I am a girly, girl and love lace and flowers so I am torn between these swimsuits. Maybe I need ALL 3? :):)

And I found them all on www.EverythingButWater.com

If you are wanting a bikini body by the summer, let me help! Summer bodies are made in the winter:)
Email me at LindseyCrafton@gmail.com OR LIKE my Facebook page-- http://www.facebook.com/VegasFitnessAndNutrition?ref=hl

Pina Colada Smoothie

It's almost summertime and how GOOD does this look!! YUM


Ingredients
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 banana
1/4 cup ice cubes
2 teaspoons honey, optional
pineapple wedges, for garnish

Directions
In a blender, combine the pineapple chunks, coconut milk, banana, ice and, if desired, honey. Puree until smooth. Pour into 2 large glasses. Garnish each serving with a pineapple wedge.

Balsamic Chicken and Asparagus

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 oz each)
1 bunch asparagus
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 oz mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup plus 2 Tb balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 t olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
1. Combine 1/2 balsamic, 1/4 olive oil, garlic powder and pepper into a ziploc bag. Add in raw chicken breasts and marinate from 30 minutes to overnight. After marinating, grill chicken.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the end of asparagus (bend asparagus until it breaks, this is where you should be cutting off the ends). Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil. Line asparagus on the cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Place on top rack of oven for 8-10 minutes until tender (until you can easily pierce with a fork).
3. In a frying pan, place sliced grape tomatoes in 1 teaspoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Cook for a few minutes until tomatoes start to get soft (where you can squish them with a fork).
4. Place chicken and asparagus on a serving dish, top with tomatoes and mozzarella. Drizzle with extra balsamic mixture from tomatoes.

Motivation!

This is so cool! Go to this website and put in your information and then your goal.
http://www.modelmydiet.com/

Tips for Eating Out

Tips for Eating Healthy When Eating out

*As a beverage choice, ask for water or order fat-free or low-fat milk, unsweetened tea, or other drinks without added sugars.
*Ask for whole-wheat bread for sandwiches.
*In a restaurant, start your meal with a salad packed with veggies, to help control hunger and feel satisfied sooner.
*Ask for salad dressing to be served on the side. Then use only as much as you want.
*Choose main dishes that include vegetables, such as stir fries, kebobs, or pasta with a tomato sauce.
*Order steamed, grilled, or broiled dishes instead of those that are fried or sautéed.
*Choose a small" or "medium" portion. This includes main dishes, side dishes, and beverages.
*Order an item from the menu instead heading for the "all-you-can-eat" buffet.
*If main portions at a restaurant are larger than you want, try one of these strategies to keep from overeating:
*Order an appetizer-sized portion or a side dish instead of an entrée.
*Share a main dish with a friend.
*If you can chill the extra food right away, take leftovers home in a "doggy bag."
*When your food is delivered, set aside or pack half of it to go immediately.
*Resign from the "clean your plate club" - when you've eaten enough, leave the rest.
*To keep your meal moderate in calories, fat, and sugars:
*Ask for salad dressing to be served "on the side" so you can add only as much as you want.
Order foods that do not have creamy sauces or gravies
*Add little or no butter to your food.
*Choose fruits for dessert most often.
*On long commutes or shopping trips, pack some fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables, low-fat string cheese sticks, or a handful of unsalted nuts to help you avoid stopping for sweet or fatty snacks.

Lettuce Wraps

Tonight for dinner I made lettuce wraps--one of my family's favorites!
I chopped up broccoli, carrots and onion in my Ninja while I was cooking chicken on the stove. I started cooking the vegetables in coconut oil on the stove and added the cooked shredded chicken to it. When it was about done, I added ginger, garlic, soy sauce, himalayan salt and pepper. When it was about done, I added quinoa that was pre-made from yesterday.

For the sauce I combined soy sauce, water, garlic, ginger, brown sugar and onion salt.

On the side we had edamame that was frozen from Costco.

I had iceberg lettuce, which I don't normally buy, but had for some reason--usually I use a more nutrient lettuce!

Simple, but a healthy meal!

Monday Night Dinner

So my presentation is not great, but this dinner was good! It was Salmon (cooked with coconut oil, himalayan salt, ground pepper and spice blend) with spaghetti squash (cooked 45 minutes at 375, then sauteed on the stove with olive oil, spice blend, himalayan salt, ground peppercorn). On the side we had ham and cheese quinoa bites. My kids LOVED them, probably because they helped make them! You can find the recipe here- http://vegasfitnessandnutrition.blogspot.com/2013/01/ham-and-cheese-quinoa-bites.html

I'm used to having so much green on my plate, but this was still still full of vitamins and nutrients!

3 Day Cleanse

During Thanksgiving week I gained 5 pounds! I wasn't working out and my family was in town so we ate out a lot and had late night snacks...not a good combination! It was a GREAT week with my family, but I paid for it.... I was disappointed because I had worked so hard to lose weight and was mad that I had let myself gain 5 lbs. SO I decided to do the Shakeology cleanse! It is drinking 3 shakes per day, water, green tea and a salad with white protein. It was actually not hard to do! I made sure I did it on weekdays because the weekends would be hard since my husband would be home and he wasn't doing the cleanse. The part that was hard for me was I was used to snacking every 2-3 hours. It's not like I needed the food, but just a habit. I had to keep myself busy. The first day I had the salad for dinner and I wasn't even hungry! I only ate half of it. The second and third day, I had the salad for lunch to make sure I ate it all and that was better. I suffer from chronic migraines so I thought I would get a migraine, but I didn't! I think this cleanse sets apart other cleanses because I am getting ALL my vitamins and nutrients in Shakeology. Before I discovered Shakeology, I tried the lemon and cayenne pepper cleanse but I could NOT do it. My body was not getting all the needed nutrients...it wasn't healthy. The best part of the Shakeology is that I lost over 5 pounds--I lost more than I had gained Thanksgiving week! I'm sure I will doing the Shakeology cleanse after every major holiday:)

Beachbody does not sell the cleanse through their website. If the cleanse is something you want to do, I can send you the instructions and 9 packets of Shakeology so you can do the cleanse. Email me at LindseyCrafton@gmail.com