Favorite Chicken!! Technique and Tips!

Hello!  Welcome to my blog!  Okay... so let's just say that putting "favorite" next to "chicken" is veerrrrryyyyyy significant for me.  I do not care for chicken.  Really and truly.  We do eat it often and anything that makes it "not taste like chicken" while keeping it simple and not adding a bunch of stuff to it works for me.  And you know what is amazing?  Avocado.  I do love avocado and I think that it does have redemptive potential for just about any meal!  There is nothing like a perfect avocado. 

For me, enjoying chicken really comes down to the prep and cooking techniques used.  If you take a look at the image above, you will see the steps on how I get my chicken to "look" and taste amazing with using just ONE ingredient and a bit of butter for that saute!  It is mind-boggling to me how simple this is.  No real recipe needed!  This approach uses a favorite marinade, the chicken, a red pepper, plus some romaine and avocado.  And that's it!  This is my family's favorite method as well.  My daughter calls it "the good chicken".  Nice, as opposed to "the bad chicken".  Hmm... there have been times that I really do dry out the chicken too much in my zeal to not have it at all undercooked!  But seriously, with this marinade and this technique, you can't go wrong!  

Give this one a try and let me know what you think!  Happy cooking!!

As our Erie winter continues into this first week of "spring", this is the current view from my kitchen window!  Summers here are truly outstanding!  We keep working on our patience as we count down to those days.

That time when I had a bad attitude...

Guess what?  I realized something today.  Well, I have kind of known it for a while but really put my finger on it today.  I quietly had a bad attitude about doing the 21 Day Fix Extreme.  Here's the thing... it was released on February 2nd, just two months after Insanity Max 30.  I had pushed myself waaayyyyyy out of my comfort zone and did Max 30 myself and was so surprised to fall in love with it and along the way I had some excellent results.  I have never done a program for "just" 60 days.  I had done each of my three prior programs for 3-5 months at a time.  I was curious to jump right into a second round of Max 30!  Or make a return to a completely opposite favorite - PiYo!  But the Fix Extreme was being released.  Many of the coaches on my team are pregnant or just had babies these past couple of months and not everyone was going to be able to do Fix Extreme themselves and we wanted to be able to do a test group and one of us coaches needed to be doing the program.  So of course I did it.  Begrudgingly, if I am honest with myself. 

I have given the workouts good effort these past five weeks.  This IS no doubt an excellent program.  I was NOT being precise with the nutrition, down to following the clearly defined plan to a T.  It is not within my current approach to life to just turn the opposite direction and begin eating poorly.  No interest in that!  But my ratios were off and some days I would have an extra "blue" (how I love nuts!!) rather than fitting in my last "green" (veggie).  It is when we follow the Fix nutrition that we make the significant progress!  THIS is how many people lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks. 

I have been in a holding pattern until just recently.  Not going backwards at all but not moving forwards either.  This week is Week 6 for me and I had initially "resigned" myself to commit to doing two rounds of the Fix Extreme before moving on to something else.  You may remember my birthday goal of dropping down to the next size of jeans??  My birthday is in 13 days and I am getting closer to those size 10's!  I am going to try them on tomorrow for a progress check!

Something about knowing that I am "almost done" with this program reignited me and I suddenly have a COMPLETELY different mindset this week... and guess what!?!?!!?

1) The scale is already moving since Sunday!  I could feel myself changing and had to take a look.  Down 2 pounds!  After holding steady for 5 weeks.

2) I am newly sore this week after not being noticeably sore since week 3!  I have upped my weights each day.  I am squatting and lunging more deeply.  I am giving utmost attention to my form.  Bottom line, I am enthusiastic about what I am doing. 

3) I am seeing change in how my clothes fit and how I feel in my own skin!  This actually began last week.  Maybe something about sticking with it that first month and hitting Week 5 and I seemed to flip a switch with my own progress!?

4) I have belatedly realized that I really and truly do like the Fix Extreme.  My begrudging attitude has shifted!  I am now SMILING throughout my workouts once again. 

You know what?  I am stubborn.  I admit it.  I am also one to "get a bee in my bonnet".  I didn't feel like doing the Fix Extreme and I let that simmer for a good four weeks.  I was still encouraging towards my challengers.  I still was consistent through my workouts and didn't skip.  My nutrition was clean and nothing that I was unhappy with, although it was not "Fix-precise".  Autumn (Fix Creator/Trainer) oftentimes uses the term "dialed in" nutrition.  Throughout my life, that term will come to mind whenever I contemplate my choices!

So, now that I have reconciled myself to things and am *finally* truly having fun with this workout, Week 6 is NOT going to be it for me.  I am going to give this program at least one more week of me being truly "dialed in" with my everyday mindset, workout efforts and nutrition tracking!  I am quite excited to see where this will lead!

Mini Vegetable Egg Cups - 21 Day Fix Extreme Recipe

Hello!  Tonight's dinner came right from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Eating Plan Guide.  This one is simple to make and is a nice option for a make-ahead and reheat as needed breakfast!  I am going to list the recipe exactly as it appears from Beachbody.  Then below I will include below my own very minor modifications.  

Mini Vegetable Egg Cups 

       from the 21 Day Fix Extreme

Ingredients:
12 large eggs
sea salt
ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
1 bag (10 oz) baby spinach, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
Nonstick cooking spray

 

Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 375° F.
2. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Add spinach, pepper, and onions to egg mixture; mix well.
3. Lightly coat a twelve cup muffin tin with spray.
4. Evenly pour egg mixture into muffin cups.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cups comes out clean.

So, what did I do just a bit differently on this one?

1) We are not big fans of green onions around here.  So I used 1/3 of a chopped Vidalia sweet onion in place of the green onion.   

2) I did not feel like chopping my fresh spinach.  And I did want to saute my pepper and onion.  So I placed all of the veggies in a skillet like you see in the photo at the top of this entry.  I cooked them on medium high for 5 or so minutes and then added the mixture to the eggs.

3) I did not need any sort of nonstick spray with this Pampered Chef nonstick muffin pan.  I did bake my egg cups for 23 minutes.  What can I say?  I would just rather have my eggs really done!  They were not dry at all.  

***  This recipe was a hit!  Whenever I make it again, I will add just a sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese for some extra flavor.

 

Breaking the Diet Cycle

Hello!  Welcome to my blog!  That is me in the photo above.  :)  In September 2013, I began a journey of clean eating, daily 30 minute workouts and also began incorporating Shakeology as my breakfast each morning.  We are now more than 18 months later and I am still going strong!  After a lifelong struggle to lose weight, what has been different with this approach?  Why am I convinced that I would never go back to the way things used to be?  That is the topic of today's blog entry!  

I recently heard a description of the "Diet Cycle" and it really resonated with the way that I used to do things!  The Recommended Daily Allowance of Calories for many of us is somewhere around 2,000.  So if we want to lose weight, we are going to have to create some sort of calorie deficit by eating less and also burning off x amount of calories through exercise.  We have ALL had those Mondays where THIS IS THE DAY that we are going to "do better".  It is a novel pursuit.  We begin to eat less and try to make more healthy choices.  We become more active.  After 5-7 days we can see some progress and we are really excited!  By 10-14 days it all begins to catch up with us.  We are just plain TIRED.  We are asking our bodies to do more with less.  We have hit a nutrient deficit and this comes across as cravings.  We may become irritable and grouchy.  The cravings escalate and as we give in to a few of them, we may go overboard and then wind up feeling guilty.  

Through our best intentions and quite a bit of solid effort, we are sabotaging ourselves by pushing ourselves into a state of being nutrient deficient.  Signs of this are cravings, mental fog, irritability and feeling sluggish.  Can anyone relate??

Even when eating whole foods and making balanced nutrition choices, the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that an individual would have to eat an average of 27,575 calories per day (NOT a typo!) in order to become 100% sufficient in all 27 essential micronutrients based on recommended daily intake guidelines.  You can check out the research article here.  According to the study, when we are deficient in these areas, we find an 80.8% increase in the likelihood of becoming overweight or obese and is scientifically linked to a higher risk of other dangerous and debilitating diseases, including resistance to infection, birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

Forget the 27,000+ calories!  What about when we truly do need to lose weight and so we are cutting our usual calorie intake while doing more?  How do we keep our overall health on track while also not falling into the cravings, mental fog, irritability and sluggishness of being nutrient deficient?  When I first began my own journey of life change towards better health, I was constantly BLOWN AWAY by how it really was not as hard as I had expected.  It was much easier AND incredibly more effective than anything that I had ever tried before in my life!  WHY!!?!?!?!?!  Shakeology.  Really and truly.  This meal replacement is so easy.  It is a whole food and you can think of it as "dry juicing".  I get all of my vitamins and it is the equivalent of 5 plates of a very healthy salad.  But all for just 160 calories!  Here is a link to a chart which shows more of what is in Shakeology and why??  Shakeology meets my basic nutrition needs for that meal while also SUPER-CHARGING my body.  Shakeology is not like a triple espresso where you feel an instant zing.  It works at the cellular level and takes 4-5 days of being in our system to really prime our digestion.  Then suddenly we have this shift where things just come together.  I found that I could feel better, my energy went way up, my cravings nearly disappeared and my body repaired more quickly from my workouts.  Here is a favorite article which explains "why" all of this works so well.  

Weight loss is not the end goal itself.  Weight loss is a by-product of proper nutrition.  Shakeology is NOT a protein shake.  It is NOT a weight loss shake.  We are nutrient deficient much of the time, even when eating whole foods.  Shakeology is a nutrient dense meal replacement that is seriously a game-changer.  I found that I was naturally eating less, I felt significantly better, my energy went way up and I began to shed the weight.  My migraines disappeared and for the first time in my life my menstrual cycle quickly became regular and has stayed that way!  

When looking at meal replacement shakes, you want to make sure that you are avoiding soy.  Soy is a cheap filler.  It interrupts digestion and lowers our immune system.  Avoid artificial sweeteners.  There are so many studies which show that they actually stimulate our appetite and increase insulin production in our body.  You also want to steer clear of artificial flavors.  After some time of eating clean, our taste-buds will be retrained to where we are truly able to appreciate natural flavors like never before!  

Shakeology is full of super-foods!  In short, super-foods strengthen our immune system.  They repair our GI system so that digestion improves and we are able to absorb nutrients.  This also promotes regularity in that department!  Super-foods reduce chronic inflammation and that is crazy-important!  Inflammation destroys cells and leaves us at risk for all sorts of disease.  I know of so many people who used to deal with painful inflammation-related conditions and they are significantly reduced and sometimes even wiped out through the use of Shakeology!  Many chronic diseases are preventable or at least slowed with better food choices and exercise.  Would we rather be on the back end of disease while medicating ourselves to manage our symptoms or would we like to be on the front end of wellness, feeling our best??  Easy choice, right?

A conclusion of the study referenced/linked above - "It is the conclusion of this researcher that an individual following a popular diet plan using food alone, has a high likelihood of becoming micronutrient deficient, a condition shown to be scientifically linked to a higher risk of dangerous and debilitating diseases including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, birth defects and overweight/obesity. Based on this study's findings, the belief that a healthy, balanced diet can consistently deliver, to a typical dieter, all of the essential vitamins and minerals they need, through whole food alone, is in dire need of revision. It would appear that supplementation should be considered as a viable, low cost method to achieve micronutrient sufficiency and reduce the risk for some of today's most prevalent and devastating health conditions and diseases."

Just this past week, Beachboy released the Shakeology Super Sampler!  With this option, you can try all six of our Shakeology flavors when they arrive at your doorstep all one box!  In our regular formula, we have Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry and Greenberry.  Our Vegan formula does not use whey protein and thus is dairy-free.  Vegan is available in Chocolate and Tropical Strawberry.  If you are curious to learn more or would like to give Shakeology a try, this could be an excellent option for you!  Check out my site for more details on Shakeology and how so many people have found better health through this nutrition game-changer!

 

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A Day in the Life...

 

Hello!  My name is Jeanette Paradis and I am happy to welcome you to my blog!  I am currently a homeschooling mom who runs a home business and also leads women's ministry at my church.  Life is BUSY.  Ideally, I would have made it to the grocery store yesterday.  But that just didn't quite fit within our Tuesday.  Now it is Wednesday and my husband actually had a day off today.  He typically works Monday - Friday at a podiatry clinic near our home where he is involved with orthotics and specialty foot care needs.  So, a husband home for lunch = me trying to have something decent to put together for everyone!  I will admit that we ate lunch at 2:30 today!  Between a late breakfast, snacks, me out for two hours at a meeting and then starting our school day much later than usual... this is just how the day wound up taking place.  Oh well!  Life as a mom requires plenty of flexibility!

So, back to putting together something quick, delicious and clean??

Thankfully I did have two leftover chicken breasts from when I had cooked chicken last night.  And some feta cheese.  I do love feta!  The feta totally brought this one all together.  And if it were not for a couple of limes, I would have been sunk!  Other than that, this combo just involved some cucumbers, tomatoes and a sprinkle of tortilla chips from the bottom of that bag!  Remember the whole needing-to-get-groceries thing??  But honestly, this was really quite good.  :)  I will make it again, "on purpose" next time!  I am sharing this here to illustrate that clean eating does not have to be complicated.  It really is all about keeping things simple.  Eat whole foods.  Skip many of the "extras".  The more that you move away from so many of the artificial foods, "real foods" are going to begin to actually taste quite good on their own!

Life has felt a bit up in the air lately.  We are thinking hard and praying about decisions in regards to schooling for the kids for next year.  We are looking into a local Montessori Charter School and have visited there and submitted our pre-enrollment forms.  Next Wednesday evening there will be a lotto drawing to see which kids are offered the openings in each of the classrooms.  I have enjoyed homeschooling.  It is A LOT to juggle each day.  No doubt about that.  We have 53 school days remaining for this school year and so my focus is very much in the here and now as we also keep an eye towards the future.  In the meantime, we are praying for wisdom and clear direction on which path to take when the time comes!  Earlier this morning I posted the following image on my FB page.  Trust is a choice and it is one that I have to make daily!  

 
We were able to go together as a family to tackle three stops this afternoon.  Wegmans, Sam's Club and Petsmart.  The parking lots are all dry and that is soooooo nice after our long winter here in Erie, PA.  Yesterday I had been trimming up a Club Pack of chicken from Wegmans.  I cooked some for dinner last night and then put the rest into a "marinade" unlike anything that I have ever used before!  It was simply some of the Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing sauce.  This type of flavoring is a favorite for my husband.  And I like it as well!  The kids do not mind a bit of extra flavor, so that is helpful!

I pulled the chicken out of the marinade and browned it up in the skillet.  It is my own weird quirk that chicken must be browned first in order for me to handle it!  After browning, the chicken went to the oven to finish.  The other items which went onto our plates were simply some of the Wegmans Organic Baby Spinach which comes in the clam-shell container.  I just stand there in the store and go through a bunch of them to make sure that I am getting a spinach container with the least amount of moisture/condensation. I can not stand it to be anything but dry!  The green beans are just the "cleaned and cut" french green beans which are ready to go.  I happen to really enjoy my veggies raw and my family has become accustomed to this approach.  Easy enough!!  And the final item here is a special treat.  I try to remember to get a little something extra special on grocery day.  The kids look forward to this little tradition. Garlic knots from the bakery!  I did have two bites of one and then added it to my husband's plate.  That was just the right taste for me.  Tips on the chicken --- for the kids, I pull out the thickest chicken breast and slice that one for them.  It is less spicy, as it involves less exterior which is the most flavorful.  For my husband, I included an extra drizzle of wing sauce on his piece as I was placing everything in the oven.  This helps in making the same meal work well for everyone! 

As I was making my way through today's somewhat unusual schedule, I found myself so very thankful for one thing in particular.  My home business!  For one thing, I love the flexibility.  Plus I am thankful to be in a career where I get to truly help others every single day!  It is nice to go to the grocery story and not feel as though we are suffocating under the tightness of the budget.  Next week my sister and I will be hosting an information group which will be open to those who would like to learn more about coaching.  Let me know if this describes you!  

 

Stripped Meal Plan, Grocery List + Recipe Links ~ Week 5 of the Fix Extreme!

 

Hello everyone! Here is the meal plan that I just put together for this upcoming week! I am headed into Week 5 of 6 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme. TIME TO GET SERIOUS!  I have been talking about my goal of those size 10 jeans in time for my April 7th birthday... In light of this, I have taken my usual 21 Day Fix categories and "stripped down" this plan a bit. I am going with 1 less fruit and 1 less carb per day. I am going to take this approach for the next two weeks. Because I split up my almond milk into 4 ounces at a time and use that within 8 Shakeology servings during the week, that accounts for 2 "yellow" servings per week. I take the remainder of my yellows and space them so that on the days that I am doing a higher calorie burning workout routine, I have two other complete carb servings. The days that get left with just 1 complete yellow (plus that 4 oz. of almond milk) are the days where I am doing the less intense workouts of this program.

Here are the links to some of the Dinner Recipes which we will be making here this week!

Monday and Tuesday ~ Asian Chicken Salad (a taste of summer!)

Thursday ~ Lemon Dill Salmon with Roasted Broccoli (my own recipe)

Sunday ~ Pork Carnitas (recipe from my colleague Molly's blog!)

** Wednesday night's dinner is just a simple stir fry of sliced chicken breast, veggies and a bit of the Wegmans Organic Sesame Ginger Sauce.

** Friday's Mini Vegetable Egg Cups and Saturday's Balsamic Steak Salad are both 21 Day Fix Extreme recipes from the guide book.  Check back later in the week as I will be blogging them as I make them those evenings! 

This week's Grocery List may look to be more lengthy than usual!  Quite a few of the seasoning ingredients may be things that you already have on hand in your own pantry?  But I wanted to include them all here just in case!  My list is color-coded to match the container categories of the 21 Day Fix.  I then put my list together according to the store departments in order to keep myself organized!

Produce

Bananas

Apples

Cherry Tomatoes

Cucumber

Celery

Green Beans

Asst. Peppers

Sweet Onions

Red Onions

Carrots

Broccoli

Baby Spinach

Mixed Greens

Romaine Lettuce

Avocado

Lemons

Limes

Garlic

Ginger

Dill

Cilantro 

Deli

Nitrate Free Turkey

Cooler

Chicken Breast Club Pack

Pork Tenderloin

Beef Tenderloin Steaks

Plain Greek Yogurt

Eggs

Feta

Almond Milk

Grocery Frozen:

Berries

Salmon

Spinach

Grocery Shelves:

Balsamic Vinegar

Cider Vinegar

Low Sodium Teriyaki

Chili Powder

Corn Tortillas

EVOO

Peanuts

Nature’s Marketplace Organic

                                         (at Wegmans)

Shelves:

Kidney Beans

Black Beans

Brown Rice

Almond Butter

Coconut Oil

Sesame Ginger Asian Sauce

Ground Cumin

Bay Leaves

Ground Coriander

Ground Cloves

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Oregano

Himalayan Sea Salt

Veggie Stock

Freezer:

Ezekiel Bread

Bulk:

Sprouted Almonds

Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds

 

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What About Cheat Meals?? My 21 Day Fix Extreme Update?

Hello!  Good evening to you and thank you for stopping by my blog!  My name is Jeanette Paradis and I am currently on my own Week 4 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme workouts.  I am planning to do this program for a total of 6 weeks right now (two rounds) then return to PiYo and then back to Insanity Max 30!  But I will be back for the Fix Extreme again sometime this calendar year!

I have written a blog entry that describes each of the Fix Extreme workouts in detail.  I am getting into a rhythm with them here and definitely have my favorites so far!  Today was Lower Fix Extreme and it is a KILLER.  It is not complex but it sure is intense!  I was alternating between 12's and 15's with my weights last week.  Today was ALL 15's!  I can feel myself getting stronger and was able to really power through Round 3 today.  That to me is the TOUGHEST part of this workout.  My hardest move comes in Round 2 - those TRICKY Single Leg Squat jumps which make an appearance in several of the Fix Extreme workouts.  But Round 3 is the crucible.  Today I was able to do a better job of powering through the Sumo Squat jumps and that was exciting!

My favorite workout from the Fix Extreme is Pilates.  Aaaaahhhhhh..... it is such a great stretch and strength sort of workout!  Just what I love!  This takes place on Wednesday in the schedule and is an "active recovery day".  I am getting the hang of the resistance band and you use it throughout this workout.  The band is also used during Upper Fix Extreme on Tuesdays and Lower Fix Extreme on Thursdays.  Those who know me are aware of my klutzy tendencies - I was picturing myself all tangled up in this thing and waiting to be rescued!  Actually, that has not been the case!

So how about the 21 Day Fix Extreme nutrition??  It is very similar to the 21 Day Fix with just a slightly abbreviated food list in several of the categories and also the idea of "no cheats or treats" during the 21 day.  Umm.... that ship has sailed here in my world!  There have been too many things in life these past few weeks where I am going to be the first to say that I have not had the exact, precise 21 Day Fix world nutrition down pat.  The plan is NOT that hard and is by no means impossible for the average person to follow.  Here is a blog entry with my Week 1 meal plan and grocery list.  

I have just been in more of a eat clean and healthy maintenance mindset.  It is so important to me that I be healthy for the sake of my family.  I have a husband and we are coming up on 11 years since we met.  I want to keep him on his toes!  When I am confident and fit, I am much more fun!  Our two young kids are learning so much about life right now and it is important for me to set a good example for them.  I have by no means "gone backwards" with any of my progress!  At the moment I know that I am maintaining the celebrated spot where I arrived at the end of Insanity Max 30.  Switching up the workouts with doing Fix Extreme had me SORE those first two weeks ~ especially that first week!  But back to the nutrition... the idea is "Don't diet!  Eat according to your goals!" and I LOVE this statement.  For the past 19 months, I have NEVER THOUGHT OF MYSELF AS BEING ON A DIET.  I hate that term.  To me, it conveys the idea of a short term, impossible to maintain, deprivation/crash based approach.  What I am doing is so NOT that.  I learned how to eat clean and to watch my portion sizes and to balance my food categories.  This IS ABSOLUTELY MAINTAINABLE and I have kept off the 50+ pounds that I lost.  I continue to become stronger and more toned and also continue to chisel away at the remaining "flub".  Could I be chiseling more quickly if I followed the nutrition plan exactly?  Of course!

I am just coming up on a new "push goal" here... I recently bought some new jeans in a size smaller than what I have been wearing!  My birthday is coming up in early April and I am ready to do the work to make them a good fit!  So what does this mean for my nutrition??  Back to the idea of "eating according to our goals" means that I am now FOLLOWING the 21 Day Fix Extreme meal plan!  I already have the tools.  I have a great foundation.  I am headed in the right direction and I just need to FOCUS. 

But what about "cheat meals?"  Do they have a place?  In all honesty, yes.  Especially when you are thinking long-term, big picture progress.  But there are still some things to keep in mind!  Check out the ideas on the image above.  I was just talking about this in one of my challenge groups and thought that it may be helpful to share here as well! 

How many times should I aim to have a cheat meal? 

ANSWER- once a week! When you do your weekly planning sit down and schedule out your cheat meal! Write it in your planner and that will make you more likely to stick to your clean plan the rest of the week. We need to create that space for ourselves while on this journey. Remember, we have the focus of a sprinter who is starting strong and is making every moment count while developing these healthy new habits. But we also need to endurance of a marathon runner in order to make all of this a true lifestyle shift and successful long-term approach. 

Here is the catch! If you slip up when it's not your cheat meal or snack then you don't get to take that 2nd cheat day! It is one or the other so choose wisely! Too many cheats can lead you to weight loss plateau and frustration. We may be still finding our way and struggling to break those bad habits so you might not be able to make it the entire week and that is okay. Just keep working at it and start to fight those urges to splurge. If you want something sweet, drink a large glass of water and then wait 20 minutes. Go outside and get busy, play with the kids, go for a walk or whatever. The urge will usually pass! A lot of times our hunger is caused by thirst. Maybe we didn't drink enough water today. Lastly, green tea does help to stave off hunger!! I keep it on hand at all times!!!