Surviving Thanksgiving

5 Thanksgiving Survival Tips

Just because the holidays are here, doesn’t mean you can’t stick to a healthy lifestyle and keep up your sensible eating and still enjoy the holiday season!  You can still enjoy the delicious holiday food, but by doing it sensibly you won’t undo everything you have worked so hard for.  

Here are 5 tips to keep you on track through this holiday season:

1.    Don’t Skip Meals Just to Binge Eat – By skipping meals just to think you are that much more able to indulge when you get to the holiday festivities, is actually the wrong way to think.  If you arrive hungry somewhere you are more likely to snack and take in more calories than if you were to stick to your normal eating plan.  So, go ahead and have your breakfast & mid-morning snack and then just plan the rest of your day around your gathering times.  I know for me, instead of having my Shakeology at lunch like I usually do, I am going to enjoy it for breakfast and then have a mid-morning snack as I normally would do.  In the past this is what I would have done but not this year!

2.  Surviving the Appetizers – Of course you will want to snack on the pre-party food.  But make mindful choices of the veggies & fruits instead of the meats and cheeses.  You can have far more veggies and fruits with the same amount if not fewer calories than the smoked meats, cheeses, pepperoni, mini dogs, etc.   

3.  Plan How You Will Fill Your Plate – Remember that you should be able to enjoy the things you eat but all in moderation.  Also keep in mind, when filling your plate, to split your plate in thirds.  Fill your plate with 1/3 protein, 1/3 veggies or a salad & 1/3 with a carb-heavy side (keep in mind sweet potatoes are usually a better option over mashed potatoes).  Also remember the more protein and veggies you eat the more satisfied you will be. 

4.  Eating Dessert – Of course, who doesn’t want a piece of pumpkin pie after your meal?!?!?  I know I do.  But, this year I am going to take at least 30 minutes between finishing my meal and eating dessert.  This will give your mind a chance to catch up to your body so instead of eating a huge slice of pie,  you will be more likely to eat a smaller slice.   

5.   Don’t Feel Guilty if you Over Indulge – We all do it at some point or another.  But this time, don’t beat yourself up over it or try and skimp on food the days following.  You will be sending your body mixed signals.  Get back up the next day and dust yourself off.  Drink that water and eat the way you have all pre-holiday season and you will feel better.

Now go enjoy your Thanksgiving and remember you will be fine with just a few mindful choices!  And bonus if you get up and get your workout in before the day’s festivities begin.  You will be that much further ahead and feel that much better at the end of the day! 

Thanksgiving Recipes

Let's be honest, who doesn't enjoy Thanksgiving and all that comes with it?

I know I love the holiday for multiple reasons - the family, friends, the food and the laughter.  While I have tried incorporating healthier options into our daily meal menus, this year for Thanksgiving I have tried to find recipes that have similar ingredients, but are healthier for us.  If you are on the hung for some new healthier recipes, try these.  This year I am providing a few sides for our family's meal, as well as the pumpkin pie - here are the recipes I will be using.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we will!

Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 small Sweet Potato cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 small Red Onion, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

Dash of Sea Salt 

Dash Black Pepper

1 tsp. Oregano

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger

Directions:

Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes.  Bake the sweet potatoes for about 30-45 minutes until they are half done.  Let the potatoes cool and then cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.

Add oil to a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, bell pepper, and spices to skillet and saute for 5 until the pepper and onion begins to soften.  Add the cubed sweet potatoes and continue sauteeing until the potato hash begins to brown and the potatoes are softened.  

Green Bean & Mushroom Saute

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. Fresh Green Beans, trimmed and cut in half

Sea Salt

3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Onion, chopped

2 Portabello Mushrooms Caps, halved & sliced (or the equivalent in pre-sliced portabello mushrooms)

Directions:

- Simmer the green beans in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes.

- Drain the green beans and set them aside.

- Place them in a skillet over medium heat and add the oil to the pan and let it get hot.  Add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and let the mushrooms cook down.  Once the juices of the mushrooms start to come out, add salt & pepper to taste.

- Add the green beans back to the pan and heat them through for about 2-3 minutes.   Enjoy!!!

Pumpkin Pie w/ Whole Wheat Crust

Total Time: 1 hr. 25 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 1 hr. 10 min.
Yield: 9 servings

Ingredients for Pie Crust:
1 cup quick-cooking old-fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup ground raw almonds
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (or raw honey)
¼ tsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. water

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie:
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ cup maple syrup (or raw honey)
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. sea salt
⅔ cup evaporated nonfat milk

For Pie Crust:
1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Combine oats, flour, almonds, maple syrup, and salt in a medium mixing bowl; mix well.
3. Add oil to oat mixture; mix well. If needed, add water to hold mixture together.
4. Press into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until light brown.

For Pie:
1. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F.
2. Combine pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup in a medium bowl; mix well.
3. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and milk; mix until just blended.
4. Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared pie crust. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

~Sarah Strubhar

Zucchini Brownies

Zucchini Brownies

I don't know about you, but if you are trying to make better eating choices and eat healthier, sometimes the one thing I need (or maybe all of us) is a sweet treat once in a while that won't undo everything we've worked so hard for.  I found this recipe and thought why not, let's try it and see how it really is.

Let me tell you, they are YUMMY!  They even got a 2-THUMBS up from my 6 year old and he had no idea they had zucchini in.

Now, I can't compare these to any brownies made with black beans as I have never tried those, but I can honestly say, I will be making these again in the future.

Ingredients:
2 cups Shredded or Pureed Zucchini
1 cp. Peanut or Almond Butter (I didn't have almond butter so I used Peanut Butter)
1/3 cp. Honey
1 Large Egg
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1 cp. Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 9x9 or 8x8 pan with Olive Oil Cooking Spray.
- Put all the above ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.

- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and smooth out.
- Put in preheated oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.

- Let cool completely and then cut into 20 squares.  Serves 20 people (1 brownie per person).

* Note:  I found that storing these in the fridge made them seem thicker and made them even tastier.

Enjoy!!

~Sarah Strubhar

Clean Crock Pot Roasted Chicken

Crock Pot Roasted Chicken

So, I don't know if you have ever roasted a whole chicken in the oven before, but if you have you know how the skin usually gets all nice and crispy brown?!?!?!  Well, that used to be one of my favorite results of roasting a chicken in the oven.  In the past I would have a hard time resisting eating that brown, crispy deliciousness...

However, we all know the skin is definitely not the healthiest.  So, now instead of roasting my chicken in the oven I put it in the crock pot so I am not tempted by that crispy, brown stuff.  Here is how I roasted the most recent chicken.

Oh yeah and before I forget, my next favorite part of roasting a whole chicken is all the chicken that is leftover and the options of meals to eat with it.  Talk about planning ahead...what better way?!?!?

Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken for Roasting (I usually buy a 5-7 pound whole chicken so I can have plenty leftover)
2 tbsp. Olive Oil + a little more (in the past I used to use a lot, and when I say a lot I mean at least 1 - 1 1/2 sticks of butter)
Spices and Herbs of your choice:  This time I used dried thyme, rosemary, basil, onion powder, dried oregano powder, black pepper & salt.  You could use any variety or combination of the aforementioned spices.   Other options would be to use Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper Seasoning; Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning; Chili Powder with some Paprika, just salt & pepper, the possibilities are endless.

Directions:
- Get out your crock pot and pour a small amount (about 1 tsp.) on a paper towel and wipe the inside of your crock pot.  Or, if you have olive oil cooking spray, spray the crock pot with some olive oil cooking spray.

- Before starting prepping the chicken, in a small bowl, pour the 1-2 tbsp. Olive Oil and the combination of spices you used - excluding the salt and pepper.  Sorry I don't have exact measurements I just sprinkled the seasonings until I thought it looked and smelled like there were enough.  Mix up the olive oil and spice mixture.

- Unpack the chicken from the packaging and remove the giblets, neck and any other fun and mysterious objects located inside the cavity of the chicken (this can be kind of yucky if you don't like touching these kinds of things once in a while, unless you get lucky and the chicken you bought has them nicely wrapped in paper than it isn't so messy).

- Rinse the chicken and place it in the crock pot.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

- Now, you have to get your hands dirty again - work your fingers underneath the chicken breast skin of the chicken and work to separate the skin from the chicken breast.

- Once the skin is separated from the chicken breast, pour or spoon the olive oil mixture as best as you can under the skin.  Get your hands in there and rub it around and massage the oil into the skin.

- Now you are almost done, wash your hands and then sprinkle salt and pepper over the skin of the chicken.

- Put your lid on the slow cooker and set it to LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours and forget about it.

- Now go do something for yourself and have a great time knowing dinner will be ready for you in a few hours and all you have to do is pair it with a salad or other veggies, some brown rice, quinoa or a sweet potato and you have a delicious healthy meal!  ENJOY!!!

- Now take the leftovers and make some Clean Chicken Quesadillas, Clean Chicken Noodle Soup or some Savory Sweet Potato and Chicken Hash! (check back for the recipes in the very near future!)

Panko Breaded Baked Chicken Breasts

Panko Breaded Baked Chicken Breasts

I haven't been on top of my game the last couple days here so today when I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner I was trying to figure out what I could make with what I had in the house.  I need to go to the grocery store, but haven't gotten there yet.  Planning to go tomorrow though finally.

I knew I had boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer.  I pulled a couple of those out and then was trying to figure out what to make with them.  I decided since I had brown rice in the pantry it would be something that would go well with brown rice.  Then, I remembered this recipe I saw a while back and thought, I have all the ingredients, let's try it.

All I can say is, I am glad I did.  It brought me back to those Shake 'n Bake kind of days of the past, but as a much healthier option.  Not to mention, there is one ingredient that my husband doesn't care for, but he had NO idea it was in it (shh)!  So, by now you are thinking, just give me the recipe...so here it is:

Panko Breaded Chicken Breasts:

Ingredients:
1lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 cp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 cp. Plain Greek Non-fat Yogurt
2tbsp. Safflower Oil
Garlic Powder (as much or as little as you like - my husband isn't a huge fan of garlic, so I always go on the lighter side, I would say I used 1/4 tsp. or so)
Black Pepper to taste
3/4 cp. Panko Bread Crumbs (whole wheat preferrably)
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp. Dried Parsley Flakes

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- If the chicken breasts are thick, pound them down so they are a bit thinner.
- In a small to medium bowl, whisk together the mustard, yogurt, oil & garlic powder.
- In a separate dish (I used a pie plate) mix together the Panko bread crumbs, black pepper to taste and the dried parsley flakes.
- Dip the chicken breast in the mustard mixture and coat both sides with the mustard.
- Then dip the chicken with mustard mixture on in the panko bread crumbs and coat both sides with the bread crumbs.
- Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Once all chicken has been coated with the mustard and the bread crumb mixtures and all are on the baking sheet, place in the pre-heated oven and back for 30-40 minutes (until chicken is cooked thoroughly) and the bread crumb topping is browned.

Serve with brown rice and broccoli, asparagus, green beans or a tossed salad for a complete meal.

NUTRITION FACTS (4 Servings):
Calories:  253;  Carbs: 16gram;  Fat:  5g;  Protein: 34g;  Sodium: 259mg;  Sugar: 4g.

For the 21 Day Fix as pictured above with the rice & broccoli, this equaled 1-Red, 1-Yellow & 2-Green containers.

I hope you and yours enjoy this as much as my family did!

Thanks!
Sarah Strubhar

Chicken Cheesesteaks

CHICKEN CHEESESTEAK SANDWICHES

I don't know about you, but I used to love a GREAT cheesesteak sandwich.  However, I was never a huge fan of Chicken Cheesesteaks, I just preferred a regular cheesesteak sandwich.  Mainly that was because any other time I had tried a chicken cheesesteak sandwich it just wasn't very good.

UNTIL NOW!!!!  I found this recipe on a fellow Team Beachbody Coach's blog and made some minor changes to suit our family's tastes, but it is FANTASTIC.  I can't stop thinking about it.  In fact, when I made them the other night we had leftovers so guess what we are having for dinner tonight...yep, Chicken Cheesesteaks.

I hope you and yours enjoy them just as much as my family does!

CHICKEN CHEESESTEAK SANDWICHES

INGREDIENTS:

·                    4 Whole Grain Hot Dog Buns

·                     1lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

·                     Olive oil cooking spray

·                     1/2 - 3/4 White Onion, cut into slivers

·                     1 Medium Green Pepper, cut into strips

·                     1 Medium Yellow or Red Pepper, cut into thin strips

·                     Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

·                     4 Slices Reduced Fat Provolone Cheese (such as Sargento Reduced Fat Deli Style Sliced Provolone Cheese)

·                     1 tbsp natural low-sodium ketchup (optional)

·                     1 tbsp hot pepper rings or more, to taste (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

-    Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400°F.

-   Cut piece of aluminum foil a few inches larger than bun. Wrap bun completely in foil.

-   To shave chicken, hold sharp knife at a 45-degree angle and cut slivers from breast, tearing it until shaved (it should be cut much thinner than if it was just sliced).

-  Warm bun in oven for 10 minutes.

-   Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  When hot, lightly spray pan with cooking spray and add the onion and pepper slices.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes depending on how crispy you prefer your veggies to be, but make sure the veggies are getting tender and begin to brown. 

- Remove the cooked veggies from the pan and cover them to keep them warm.

- Return the pan to high heat.  When hot, re-spray pan with cooking spray and add in chicken.  Season with salt and black pepper.  Use a pair of cooking tongs, or 2 wooden spoons or spatulas to pull apart the chicken shavings to allow for even cooking.   Cook until browned and no longer pink (about 10-15 minutes).  Add the onion and pepper mix back to pan, stir to combine and then re-heat veggies to make sure they are heated through.

-  Remove the warmed bun from the oven and open it.  Be careful not to burn yourself from the steam and hot aluminum foil.  Take a piece of cheese, place it on the bun.  Follow with placing the chicken and veggies on the bun.  Top with ketchup and hot pepper rings, if desired.  Serve Immediately.

**Note:  Next time I make these I will also be adding mushrooms to my onion & pepper mixture.  I love cheesesteaks with mushrooms, but forgot to pick some up at the store prior to making these.            

SERVINGS:  4

Nutrients per cheese steak: Calories: 355, Total Fat: 8 g, Carbs: 38 g, Sugars:10 g, Protein: 40 g