Chicken w/ Apples & Honey

I found this recipe over the summer and enjoyed it so much but since I don't grill much at all during the winter, I wanted to find a less messy way to prepare the chicken than grilling it on the stove.  So, I decided to bake the chicken and it turned out just as delicious and juicy, if not more, than when I grilled it.

Chicken w/ Apples & Honey

Ingredients:

1/4 cp. White Cooking Wine OR Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

2 tsp. Raw Honey

1 lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Dash Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper

2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Large OR 4 Medium Granny Smith Apples - Peeled, Cored, Sliced Thin

1/2 med. Onion, sliced thinly

Directions:

- In a small bowl, whisk together the cooking wine OR chicken broth, dijon mustard & honey and set aside.

- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees OR a grill to medium heat.

- Season the chicken breasts with sea salt & black pepper.  Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side until the juices run clear.  OR, place the seasoned chicken in a tin foil lined baking dish and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes until the juices run clear and cooked through.

- Pre-heat a medium sized skillet over medium high heat.  Add the olive oil to the pan.  Heat to a medium heat and then add in the apples & onion.  Cook the apples & onions until the apples begin to soften and become tender.   If cooking the chicken on the grill start the apples & onions before putting the chicken on the grill.  If cooking the chicken in the oven, start the apples & onions when you put the chicken in the oven.

- Once the apples & onions are tender, add in the mustard & honey mixture and cook until the sauce thickens and coats the apples & onions well.

- When the chicken, apples & onions are finished, place the chicken on a serving platter and pour the apples & onions over the top and serve. 

** Best part is, with the right side dishes this is a great 21 Day Fix Meal (1-Red, 1-Purple, 1-Green, 1-Blue, 1-Yellow, 2-Spoons)!  As you can see from the pictures, I served this with some Brown Rice & a Grilled Romaine Salad (click the link for recipe).

Thanks for checking this out and I hope you enjoy the recipe!

~Sarah Strubhar

Independent Team Beachbody Emerald Coach

Piyo - Week 2 Complete

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to winter (at least here in the mid-Atlantic region this week).  What a great day to sit and do some blogging.  It is cold, snowy and windy outside so we are staying warm inside.

If you followed my post from last week of my review of Week 1 of Piyo, I said I would follow up with a review after Week 2.  Well, week 2 is in the books now and I am still loving the program.

Week 2 was a continuation of Week 1's workouts, but with a new workout added in CORE.

I completed the Sweat workout twice and I haven't changed my mind about that one.  It is definitely titled correctly.  However, I will say by the second time last week doing the workout, there were some moves that are getting a little less tricky to complete.  But, still a challenge no matter what.

The Core workout I completed Tuesday and Sunday.  Tuesday was a bit of a challenge just trying to figure out the moves part of the workout.  But Sunday was a tiny bit better.  I will say this much, my oblique muscles are letting me know I am working them, which I love the feeling.

I am excited about this upcoming week - Week 3.  Looks like I am going to be doing 2 new workouts in the program and can't wait to try them out.

I think for me, one of the things I love about the workout so far, is that as much as I love doing T25, 21 Day Fix, and Body Combat, some days my knees are trying to tell me to take a break.  With this program, I haven't received that message from my body so far.

Thanks for taking the time to continue following me through this program.  If you have any questions about the program or any other programs/products Beachbody has to offer, send me a message as I would love to help you out!


~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Emerald Coach

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

I don't know about you, but our family can never pass up a good Mexican style meal.  So, when we were early on in the changing our eating habits, I was given a recipe for crockpot tacos.  This was one of the first recipes I tried and it was such a great thing I did.  This recipe was a HIT (not just a little but a HUGE hit) and is still a favorite.

I encourage you to give it try.  Besides, you can't go wrong when you put things in a crock pot and it is ready by dinner time with little effort.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
1lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1-15oz. Can Black Beans, drained
1/2 tub Fresh Salsa (found in the produce dept. u)sually
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1/3 cp. Water
1/3 block cream cheese

Some Suggested Topping Options:
Romaine Lettuce
Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream
Tomatoes

Avocadoes
Shredded Cheddar Jack/Taco Cheese
Hot Sauce
Fresh Salsa + MORE

Directions:
- Put everything - EXCEPT the cream cheese, in a crockpot and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on High for 3-4 hours.

- Remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred it with 2 forks.  Place the shredded chicken back in the crockpot.

- 20 minutes before serving, add the 1/3 block of cream cheese & stir until melted.  Serve on whole wheat tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.

*Serve with a side salad or steamed veggies to round out your meal.

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Emerald Coach

Roasted Asparagus

Are you looking for a different way to cook your asparagus instead of just steaming it???  I get tired of steaming my vegetables all the time so when I wad talking with a friend one day she mentioned she had roasted asparagus and how delicious it wad.  That got me thinking and I decided  I would try it.

Again, so glad I did because it is SOOOOOO YUMMY and has become a new favorite!

Ingredients:
1lb. Asparagus Spears
1-2tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder to taste

Directions:
-  Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
-  Rinse the asparagus and trim the bottom ends off the asparagus.
-  Spread the asparagus on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil over the asparagus.  Then sprinkle the salt, pepper & garlic powder over the asparagus and roll the asparagus around to make sure all the pieces get coated.
-  Place the asparagus in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes or until the asparagus is soft.
-  Remove and enjoy!!!

*If you have leftovers give them it a try cold.  I found I liked the asparagus cold out of the fridge just as much, if not more, than hot.

Clean Eating Chicken Salad

Have you been looking for a healthier option for lunch and are tired of the boring salad over and over again?  This summer I was looking for a good option for lunch and was looking through my fridge.  I had some leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge and knew I needed to get it used up or it was going in the trash.  So my love for chicken salad (regular or gourmet it doesn't matter, I love either) came into mind and I wanted to try and re-create a clean gourmet chicken salad.  Below is the recipe combination I came up with, and it was quite tasty.

Give it try sometime!

Clean Eating Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:
4-6oz. Rotisserie Chicken Breast, shredded
2-4tbsp. Dijon Mustard (or to your specified taste)
2-4tbsp. Greek Yogurt (or to your specified taste)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
4-6 Purple Grapes, cut in half
1-2tbsp. Chopped Walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS:
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well together.
- Spread this in some romaine lettuce leaves or on a whole wheat tortilla or whole wheat pita pocket for a great protein and carbohydrate combination.

ENJOY!!!

Piyo - Week 1 Done!

Hello All!

So I officially made it through week 1 of PIYO and now know what all the excitement has been about the last 6 months or so.  For those that don't know, PIYO is a fusion of Pilates and Yoga moves combined in one workout to give you a low impact but high intensity workout in one.  I have done both Pilates and Yoga in the past and enjoyed them then so I thought let's try it.

Let me start by saying I was skeptical at first after doing Focus T25 and 21 Day Fix.  But that quickly changed!  Find out more below!

I completed The Basic Alignment video the first day and am so glad I did.  Even though I have done both in the past I am learning how important your alignment is to be successful.

The second and third day I completed the lower body focus and upper body focus.  To be honest, during the lower body workout, I thought come on seriously this is it?!?!  But, I will say as the day went on I began to get the feeling of "yep, I did a lower body workout today."  As for the upper body workout, that was a challenge.  Some of the moves will for sure take some practice, but it was a great workout.  My triceps felt the burn for sure!

The fourth day I completed the Sweat workout.  And, let me tell you, the workout is definitely appropriately named.  I was dripping sweat but the low impact workout felt great.  What a fantastic change from my previous routine and knowing I was using ONLY MY bodyweight is great.

The fifth day was a rest day, but I decided I would use my rest day over the weekend as I would likely want it then since we had company visiting.  I did both the upper and lower workouts on Saturday again.  While they both presented different challenges from the first time earlier in the week, I am still just as excited if not more to see what Week 2 brings.

Thanks for reading and STAY TUNED!!!

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachside Emerald Coach

Refrigerator Oatmeal

This recipe is such a great go-to recipe I use when I know I am going to be short on time in the mornings.  These are fantastic as they can be prepared the night before and ready for you in the morning.  Also, you can eat these cold; however, I tend to place mine in the microwave for about 30 seconds to take the chill off during the colder months.

Try these to get in your complex carb, protein, fruit/veggie all in one sitting.

There are a couple recipes below, so pick one and try it!


Refrigerator Oatmeal

Ingredients:

Apple Cinnamon Refrigerator Oatmeal
1/2 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup low fat greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce or enough to fill the jar.

Directions:In a 1/2 pint jar or 1 cup jar put in the oats, milk, greek yogurt, chia seeds, cinnamon and honey.  Put the lid on and shake that up!  Open up the jar and add in the applesauce to the top, cover and shake.  Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled!

Nutritional Info:  210 calories, 4g fat, 48g carbs, 8g fiber, 11g protein

Maple Blueberry Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup low fat greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/4 cup blueberries or enough to fill the jar.

Directions:In a 1/2 pint jar or 1 cup jar put in the oats, milk, greek yogurt, chia seeds and maple syrup.  Put the lid on and shake that up!  Open up the jar and add in the blueberries to the top, cover and shake.  Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled!

Nutritional Info: 215 calories, 4g fat, 48g carbs, 8g fiber, 12g protein

Banana Cocoa Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon honey, optional (or substitute any preferred sweetener)
1/4 cup diced ripe banana, or enough to fill jar (approx. half of a small banana)

Directions: In a half pint (1 cup) jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, cocoa powder and honey. Put lid on jar and shake until well combined. Remove lid, add bananas and stir until mixed throughout. Return lid to jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled. 

Nutritional Info: 245 calories, 5g fat, 56g carbs, 10g fiber, 13g protein

Pumpkin Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup almond milk

1 1/2 Tbsp Pumpkin

1 tsp chia seeds

1 tsl flax meal

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp cloves

1 date chopped or 2 tsp maple syrup

Directions: In a 1/2 pint jar or 1 cup jar put in the oats, milk, pumpkin,chia seeds, flax meal, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and date/maple syrup.  Put the lid on and shake that up!   Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled!

Raspberry Vanilla Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup low fat greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raspberry jam, preserves or spread
1/4 cup raspberries or enough to fill the jar.

Directions: In a 1/2 pint jar or 1 cup jar put in the oats, milk, greek yogurt, chia seeds, preserves and vanilla extract.  Put the lid on and shake that up!  Open up the jar and add in the blueberries to the top, cover and shake.  Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled!

Nutritional Info: 230 calories, 4g fat, 51g carbs, 8g fiber, 11g protein

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

My family  has never really been huge fans of meatloaf the traditional way.  But, I found this recipe one day and loved the idea of baking them as muffins instead.  The self portion control is FANTASTIC!  Not to mention, they are super tasty and don't take nearly as long (about half the time) to cook as a traditional meatloaf.  Finally, these are a great make-ahead meal.  Make them in advance and keep them in the fridge (or freezer, they freeze well).  Great for a grab & go snack as well.

Give this a try sometime!

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Ingredients:

2lbs. 93% Lean Ground Turkey Breast
3 Large Eggs, beaten
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1 medium Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 cup Old-Fashioned  Oats (can finely grind them down if you don't care for large oats)
1-14.5oz. Can Diced Tomatoes
1/2tsp. Sea Salt
1/2tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 cup Natural Marinara Sauce, no sugar added

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine turkey, eggs, onion, celery, bell pepper, oats, tomatoes, salt & pepper in a large bowl.  Mix well with clean hands or a rubber spatula.

- Scoop out handfuls of meat and place in a regular size muffin tin pan.

- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops look crispy and brown.  Remove the muffins from the oven and spread the marinara sauce over the muffin tops evenly.  Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until coked through.

This recipe will make 12-15 meatloaf muffins.  One serving would be one muffin.

Serve these with a small baked sweet potato or mashed sweet potatoes and a salad or veggies for a complete meal.  Or, you could take one and put it in a whole wheat tortilla or whole grain pita and make a meatloaf sandwich out of it.

Buffalo Chicken Flatbreads

So, my husband loves pretty much anything that is Buffalo Chicken!  I have been making these buffalo chicken flatbreads for a few years now and they are for sure a staple in our house.  When I started making them, I used butter, but with a quick swap and lessening the cheese amount, I have figured out how to make them clean eating friendly (oh yeah and 21 DAY FIX Approved).

These are DELICIOUS!  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.  Thanks for checking this out!

Buffalo Chicken Flatbreads

Ingredients:
1lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
1 tbsp. Olive Oil, divided
1/3 cp. Hot Sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot Original)
4 Whole Wheat Flatbread Rounds
Blue Cheese Crumbles
Cheddar Jack Cheese
Chopped Celery pieces (if desired)

Directions:
- Cut your boneless chicken breasts into cubes.
- Preheat a medium size skillet over medium high heat and spray with olive oil cooking spray.
- Add chicken to pre-heated pan and cook until browned and cooked through.

- Once chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken from the pan.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the 1 tbsp. Olive Oil and 1/3 cp. Hot Sauce to the pan.  Return to the heat and let simmer until the sauce has thickened.
- Return the chicken back to the pan and toss in the hot sauce mixture until thoroughly coated.

- In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and place the 4 Flatbread Rounds on a baking sheet.  Once the chicken is coated evenly divide the chicken over the flatbread rounds.

- Top each flatbread and chicken with 1/2 - 1 tbsp. Blue Cheese Crumbles and 1-2 tsp. Cheddar Jack Cheese.

- Place the flatbreads in the oven and bake for about 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the flatbread rounds have become slightly crispy.
- Remove from the oven and top with celery if desired.

- ENJOY!!

* Serves 4
* I usually have these with a salad and make it a complete meal!

*You will notice,  I don't coat all the chicken in the hot sauce as the kids won't eat it, so they just get plain chicken.
**21 DAY FIX Containers - 1 Yellow, 1 Red, 1 Blue, 2 tsp.

~Sarah Strubhar
Team Beachbody Independent Emerald Coach

Roasted Spaghetti Squash w/ Turkey Tomato Sauce

My family loves, LOVES pasta.  It wasn't uncommon for us to eat pasta 3-4 nights/week and when we did it was white pasta.  When we started changing how we ate, I slowly started switching our family from eating white pasta to whole grain pasta.  While, the change has been well received, they still LOVE pasta.  So, even when they want pasta, I will sometimes eat it and other times, I will roast spaghetti squash and add sauce and call it dinner.

The very first time I ever made spaghetti squash to try and substitute out for pasta, was an EPIC fail!  However, I have since figured out the tastiest way to make it and encourage you to give it a try sometime!  This is a meal that is SUPER easy to make and isn't super expensive either.  Serve alongside a tossed salad or a green veggie and you have dinner, VOILA!

Roasted Spaghetti Squash w/ Turkey Tomato Sauce

SERVES: 2

Ingredients:

2lb. Spaghetti Squash

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, to taste

SAUCE Ingredients:

1/2lb. 93% Ground Turkey

Diced Sweet Pepper, to taste

Onion Powder or Fresh Onions, to taste

1/2 jar Clean Spaghetti Sauce (one with as few ingredients as possible and/or organic)

DIRECTIONS:

- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

- Cut the spaghetti squash in half very carefully and scrape out all the seeds and strings.  Place the the halves of spaghetti squash cut side up in a baking dish.

- Prick the spaghetti squash with a fork all over.  Lightly drizzle the olive oil over each of the halves and then sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.

- Turn the halves of the spaghetti squash cut side, face down in the pan and place in the oven.  Roast for about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, until the squash is soft enough to prick with a fork.

- Meanwhile, combine the turkey, pepper, and onion (or onion powder) in a sauce pan over medium heat and cook until brown.

- Once the meat is cooked through, pour the sauce in the pan and simmer until hot.

- Finally, once the spaghetti squash is soft and cooked, turn the spaghetti squash cut-side up and scrape the squash away from the sides and place on a plate or in a bowl.

- Spoon the tomato sauce over the squash and ENJOY!!!!

**I used half the spaghetti squash for dinner tonight and have the other half saved for another night this week.

Omelette w/ Asparagus & Mushrooms

As you may have seen in my previous breakfast post, we enjoy breakfast in our house.  However, many mornings I usually stick to my oatmeal and fruit with eggs of some sort.  But, at night we enjoy having Brinner (breakfast for dinner) once a week or so.  I mean, who can go wrong with eggs as the protein!

When I was doing my meal planning over the weekend and decided on a breakfast, I wanted to mix my eggs with something that I have never done before - which is where this omelette came from!

Omelette w/ Asparagus & Mushrooms

Ingredients:

3/4 cp. Egg Whites

1 Egg

6 Asparagus Spears

1/2 cp. Mushrooms

1-2 tbsp. Olive Oil

Black Pepper - to taste

Garlic Powder - to taste

Onion Powder - to taste

Directions:

- Pre-heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Pour 1-2 tbsp. Olive Oil in teh pan and pre-heat the oil.

- Cut the bottom ends of the asparagus and then cut them into 1-2" pieces and add to the pan.  Saute for about 2 mins. and then add the mushrooms over medium heat/

- Saute the asparagus and mushrooms for about 3-6 more minutes until the veggies are soft.

- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites & egg.  Then sprinkle the black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder into the whisked eggs.

- Pour the egg mixture over the veggies.  Cook until the eggs are set in the middle - about 5-9 minutes.  Fold the omelette in half and continue cooking for a few more minutes.  

- ENJOY!

21 Day Fix:
1 Red
1 Green (measure your veggies in the green container to be accurate)
1 Spoon

*Please remember all times are subject to how you like your eggs cooked.  I like my eggs cooked well, which is why my cook times may seem longer.