Monday, March 9, 2015

Simple Sante Fe Chicken Packets



I am currently meal prepping dinners and everything on Sunday mornings because my husband is gone Sunday night through Friday evening for 10 weeks and he needs to bring food with him. I prepare his meals and mine and my sons' meals for the week to make things a bit easier for everyone. Yesterday, I made this Sante Fe Chicken Packet, which is normally a grilled dinner, but I did not want to grill so I made it in the oven instead (click link for grilling instructions).
Santa Fe Chicken Packets

I had it for dinner tonight and it was delicious! It is super easy to reheat and it is a one container meal, which makes me happy! :)


INGREDIENTS

  • 1 can (15 oz each) Rosarita® Premium Whole Black Beans, drained, rinsed
  • 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
  • 1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (5 ozeach) 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven at 375°F 

Stir together beans, corn, drained tomatoes and cumin in medium bowl.

Place chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon bean mixture over chicken; cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake in 375°F oven 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in centers.

21 Day Fix containers:
1 Red - chicken
1 Green - corn and tomotoes
1 Yellow - black beans

Enjoy!

Friday, March 6, 2015

The worst part about being a parent...OTHER PARENTS!

I just read an article that made me feel badly for giving my sons nightly baths. Apparently, it's bad for their overall health and they could get really sick because I am washing all of their good germs away. Oh, and I'm using the wrong shampoo that has chemicals in it that are probably sucking their little brain cells away one bath at a time.

Earlier tonight I read an article about car seats and how my 2-year-old should be rear facing still (and everyone else in the car too) because in the event of an accident we would handle the blunt force better.

This week at work we talked about an article that was circulating about top 10 foods you should NEVER feed your children...goldfish, poptarts, lunchables...you know ALL  of the things they LOVE!

And then there is the vaccination debate, napping, full day kindergarten, full day preschool, home school...AAAAHHH!

Honestly, it makes me never want to read again! (I totally get that I have the option to not read these things!)

Here are my thoughts on the whole child rearing thing...

Does your child smell/is he dirty?
Does he look well fed?
Is she tired? (Does she sleep at some point in the day/night?)
Is he healthy?
Is she learning?
Does she smile more than frown?
Does he laugh more than cry?
Does she throw tantrums because you said no?
Does he play?
Does she run around?
Does he do funny things?
Do you laugh at/with your child?
Do you cry because of and with your child?
At one point or many points during the day do you wonder if you are cut out for the whole parenting thing?
Is parenting the most challenging thing you have ever experienced in your life?
Is parenting the most rewarding thing you have ever done in your life?

If you answered these questions in the way that YOU think they should be answered, than congratulations, you ARE doing an INCREDIBLE job at being a parent. If what you are doing at home is right for you, that is fantastic!

It's obvious that along with the certificate of birth you signed a certificate for the right to be judged by most people around you, but TRY to remember that if you have a happy child, that is ALL THAT MATTERS!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Healthy Comfort Foods for Game Day (21 Day Fix Approved)





It's Game Day for the Patriots and Ravens! I hate, hate, HATE bye weeks! After waiting for two weeks for a Patriots' game, I am very excited to watch the game this afternoon. Big games are only made better with good foods. The game is bound to make me stressed, excited, happy, sad, discouraged, angry, etc and with those emotions comes eating (even though I am working through this problem...).

Instead of reaching for a bag of chips or piece of pizza from the local pizza shop, I want to be proactive and create guilt free comfort foods. Some of the possibilities for today include: quinoa pizza bites, almond crusted chicken tenders, cheeseburger salad, and cauliflower crust pizza.

image (5)

Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders

Mini Cauliflower Pizza Crusts


As always MODERATION is key! Enjoy your guilt free eating and please share what you plan on eating during the NFL and College playoffs.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Making 21 Day Fix Easier With Shared Cheat Sheets

Every time I find a cheat sheet for 21 Day Fix I pin it on my 21 Day Fix board on Pinterest. Then I am constantly searching through my pins to find the cheat sheets as a reference for my challenge group participants. I am creating this post to help you easily find these cheat sheets. Some of these materials are mine, but most are borrowed from other 21 Day Fixers and I appreciate their generosity in sharing their creations. Please use these items to help you find success in your 21 Day Fix journey!

This first image is helpful to use if you plan to do more than one round of 21 Day Fix. You will quickly find that there isn't enough space in the booklet to write down multiple rounds of the program.

This image is one way you can count your containers. Just make sure you are using the correct number of containers for the amount of calories you calculate for yourself.

Didn't have time to clean your containers...no worries. This image shows you the serving size of each container.

This image shows you which foods you can put into each container.

Vegan or vegetarian...check out this list.
The workout schedule may seem a little overwhelming at first, but after Week 1 you will know exactly what you are doing!

Not sure what to buy...use this list to help you choose what to purchase at the grocery store!

Below you will find links to a chart created by Lauren during her first round of 21 Day Fix and the link to my Meal Plan (please make a copy of each before making changes!)