Teriyaki turkey with roasted cauliflower rice

Alright folks - I know it's been a while. During this phase of my life, I'm looking for quick, easy, tasty and convenient meals that I can prep for the entire week. This week - this teriyaki ground turnkey with roasted cauliflower rice & edamame was born. 

                                     

    

Do I know the nutritional value? Nope. I don't count calories, macros, etc. If you're ever curious of how I've been able to lose my postpartum weight within 6 months, just message me and I'll share my story. For now, let's dive into this yummy recipe!

Ingredients:

1. 1 package lean ground turkey burger
2. 1c Liquid Aminos
3. 1/2 c Rice vinegar
4. 1 Tbs Sesame oil
5. 5 Tbs minced garlic
6. 1/4 tsp ground ginger
7. 1 & 3/4c sugar
8. 1/4 c brown sugar
9. 1 Tsp black pepper
10. 1 Tsp sesame seeds
11. 4 Tbs corn starch 
12. 1/2 diced yellow onion
13. 1/2 diced red bell pepper
14. 1 package fresh cauliflower rice *
15.  Olive Oil
16. Red chili flakes (optional)
17. Sliced green onions (optional)

* link to the brand I bought.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pour cauliflower rice on a greased cookie sheet. Bake approximately 20 minutes until golden. 
2. While cauliflower is baking, warm pan over medium-high heat to prepare Teriyaki sauce. Add sesame oil, minced garlic, and ground ginger to the pan and fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
3. Pour in liquid aminos, rice vinegar, white sugar, brown sugar, and black pepper. Cook until boiling, stirring frequently. Once boiling, turn down to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. 
4. In small container, mix corn starch and 2Tbs water. Mix corn starch and water mixture into the Teriyaki sauce and allow sauce to simmer another 5 minutes. 
5. Warm large skillet with some oil. Add yellow onion and red pepper and cook until translucent, approximately 2 minutes. Add ground turkey, crumbling and mixing with spatula. Cook until browned.
6. Add approximately 1/4c-1/2c of sauce to ground turkey and mix well. 
7. To assemble bowls: place cauliflower in the bottle of a bowl and top with teriyaki ground turkey. Top with sesame seeds, green onions, and & red chili flakes to taste. Serve with vegetable of choice.
8. Note: This recipe makes much more teriyaki sauce than needed. I poured the remainder into glass mason jar and stored in the fridge. 

Roasted cauliflower pearls/rice.

So there you have it! Enjoy! :) 

Teriyaki turkey with roasted cauliflower rice and edamame. 

7 day meal prep for 2!

Hey friends! Tomorrow starts day 1 of my 24 Day Challenge and so I will be LASER FOCUSED with prepping. I decided to share with you my meal plan & grocery guide over the course of the next 24 days. This blog contains the first week (cleanse approved meals).

Like every week, I search online to find well balanced recipes, and then I plug them into a calendar. I'm a visual person, so this really helps me figure out how many meals I need.

From there I created my grocery list. 

Parmesan crustedcod & Broccoli

INGREDIENTS

1. ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2.  2 teaspoons paprika
3. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
4. ¼ teaspoon sea salt
5. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6. 4 cod filets (about 6 oz. each)
7. lemon, cut into wedges
8. Broccoli 

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Baked spinach turkey meatball,veggies, whole grain pasta

INGREDIENTS

1. 10 Oz Fresh Spinach (or frozen Spinach, defrosted and excess water removed)
2. 1.25 lbs 93/7 Ground Turkey
3. 1 Large Egg, beaten
4. 1/2 Cup Oat Flour or Breadcrumbs
5. 3/4 Cup Onions or Green Onions, finely chopped
6. 1 Tbsp Garlic, finely chopped
7. 1/2 Tbsp Dried Parsley (or 1.5 Tbsp of Fresh Parsely, chopped)
8. 2 Tsp Olive Oil
9. 1/2 Tsp Oregano
10. 1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
11. Salt & Black Pepper to taste
12. Cooking Spray
13. Optional: 1/2 Tbsp Brown Sugar or Honey (recommended if using oat flour)
14. Frozen/Fresh veggie as side (I used broccoli)
15. Whole grain pasta (make sure to measure portion size! :) ) 
16. Low sugar/low sodium pasta sauce 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS 

1. 2 1/2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth (4 1/2 cups)
2. 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
3. 1 1/4 cups finely chopped yellow onion
4. 3 cloves garlic, minced
5. 1 Tbsp chili powder
6. 2 tsp ground cumin
7. 3/4 tsp paprika
8. 1/2 tsp ground coriander
9. Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10. 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
11. 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
12. 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
13. 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
14. 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For serving:

1. Tortilla strips or tortilla chips **OMIT IF ON CLEANSE**
2.  Shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese **OMIT IF ON CLEANSE**
3. Diced avocado, diced roma tomatoes, sour cream/plain greek yogurt (optional)

Mason Jar Salad:

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Layer bottom to top:Bolthouse Farms Greek yogurt dressing or vinaigrette of choice. 
Chopped Veggies of Choice (I did tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots)
Romaine/Green leaf/Spring mix (Whatever is on sale. I got a head of Organic Green leaf lettuce for $1.50)

One pan chicken pesto

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil

2. 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, sliced into strips

3. 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil, chopped

4. 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, cut in half, if large

5. 1/4 cup basil pesto

6. 1 cup cherry tomatoes, yellow and red, halved

Slow Cooker chicken enchilada quinoa

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 pound ground chicken
2.  1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed
3. 1 can (15-ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
4. 1 cup frozen corn
5.   1 can (15-ounce) diced fire roasted tomatoes
6.  2 cloves garlic, minced
7. 1 medium onion, chopped
8. 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (depending o the heat level you want)
9. 1 cup water
10. 1 can (10-ounces) enchilada sauce
11.  2 tablespoons Mexican chili powder
12. 1 tablespoon cumin
13. 2 teaspoons ground coriander
14. 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
15. 3 green onions, chopped
16. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

I compared grocery list to what I had in my pantry/freezer, and went shopping. Here was my grocery haul. All of this food for $77!

To start, I put the ingredients to the Tortilla soup in the slow cooker.

This is a picture when its done 

Next, I started the Parmesan crusted cod with broccoli and put it in the oven.

Finished! I sampled a piece, its sooooo gooooood! 

While that was cooking, I threw some brown rice & frozen veggies (peas and carrrots) in my rice cooker with chicken broth. I am following the 24DC guide, and so I am trying to eat a veggie, protein, and complex carb with every meal. If you dont have a rice cooker, you can do the same in a pot on the stove. 

While the fish, broccoli and rice cooked, I started prepping for my turkey spinach meatballs. 

Finished product! 

The cod only took 15-20 mins to cook, and so I was able to throw the meatballs in the oven right after. Boil your water for pasta, add your sauce to cooked & drained noodles, and then throw your food in containers.

**Meal prep hack** Put frozen veggies in your container as a side. When you microwave your food, it will steam your veggies. 

Next up : One pan chicken pesto. This was extremely easy to make! 

Lastly, I made the enchilada quinoa slow cooker meal. In hindsight, I should have started this at the beginning with my other slow cooker meal and had them both cooking at the same time. 

And there you have it! 7 days of meals for 2!

If you'd like, you can also buy the grocery list and cook each meal before dinner and have the left overs for lunch. With Clint working 24H shifts at the fire station and with me working 10s at the urgent care, that is not feasible. 

Well, we are prepped and ready for this challenge! Tune in next week for another meal plan. 

More on meal prep!

Hello, Hello! :) 


I am impressed with the feedback from the meal prep post! I will be the first to admit that I am not a professional meal prepper [yet] - BUT I do have the goal in mind. I eventually want to be the person that creates the pins on Pinterest instead of searching and saving millions of pins.

This week I'm going to cover 3 recipes that were pretty great Kroger deals! (links to recipes)
1. Baja Shrimp Salad
2. Roasted pork with butternut squash and apples
3. Amish cabbage skillet 

Baja Shrimp Salad

Shopping list:
- SeaPak popcorn shrimp (SALE $5.99 with $0.55 coupon = $5.44. $3.55 in savings!!)
DISCLAIMER: I understand that popcorn shrimp isn't the healthiest alternative, but I am not a fan of plain shrimp. Its like eating erasers.. yuck! 

-Simple Truth Power Pack lettuce ($3.99 with $1.00 coupon = $2.99 
More money saving tips: Get the large head of green leafy lettuce for $0.99, wash, cut, and dry! I was under time constraint so I spent the extra $2.00

- Red Onion $1.21

-Green Pepper $0.59

-Bolthouse Mango Chipotle Dressing 
I had this on hand, but its $3.48. Check out the ingredients! and only 40 calories a serving. DRESSING (and other condiments) are always hidden with crazy ingredients and tons of calories. Check labels!

- Black beans
I had them on hand, but I get the bag and make them myself. You can get a big bag of raw black beans for $1.00.

-Frozen corn
$1.00 with $0.40 coupon!

$17.35 Total - makes 10 salads total, so that's $1.75 a salad! 



In hindsight, due to the sodium content of the popcorn shrimp, I think I need to just get over the texture of shrimp. I'm never perfect.. I'm doing my best though!

Roasted Pork with butternut squash and apples

I didn't take pictures of this beauty, and I wish I would've! It tasted and smelled so delicious. Definitely a fall meal! Click the link at the beginning of the blog to see this picture! You won't regret it.

Shopping list:

- Pork Loin (SALE $1.49/lb! So I got 5 pounds for $7.09. Saving $12.00 on this meat! You better believed I got another one and put it in the freezer!)

- Brown Sugar ($2.49 with $0.75 off coupon = $1.74

-Butternut Squash (SALE $0.99/lb = $3.60 total)

- 3 Granny smith apples $2.61

- Onion $0.66

-I substituted chicken stock for my Wildree Chicken Bouillon. I also had cinnamon, olive oil, pepper, & flour on hand )

$15.70 Total - makes 10-12 meals, but we will just say 10 for mathematical purposes. :) $1.57/meal folks! 

Amish Cabbage Skillet 

This is another one that I didn't a picture of. It must have tasted wonderful, as my hubs accidentally took every single dish to the fire station with him. He said it tasted great! 

(Side note: there is nothing quite like Clint telling me he enjoys my home cooked meals, or thanking me for my hard meal prepping work. I have a very traditional view when it comes to marriage, and when he is happy and fed, that makes me happy! Don't get me wrong, he definitely does his fair share of cooking. He lets me sleep in and he cooks breakfast. I. LOVE. That. Marriage is a beautiful thing. I'm so grateful for this man in my life. OK - sorry for that rant. I guess food is a way to my heart, too!) 

Shopping list: 

- Cabbage $0.82 for a whole head, but only used half!

- Onion $0.66

- Diced Tomatoes $0.65

-Tomato Sauce $0.65

-Beef $3.99

$6.77 total!!! Made 3-4 meals. For math, we will say 3. $2.26 a meal! 


I think that next time I will add some brown rice and the whole head of cabbage so it makes 5-6 meals total.

Well there you have it! :) What holds YOU back from meal prepping? Or at least planning ahead and not necessarily preparing ahead? Look forward to hearing from you!!


In good health,

Jessie

Rekindling the fire.

Well, I'M BACK! The past 2.5 years were pretty wild. Started PA School, got engaged, got married, finished PA School, relocated to Texas, and passed my boards. Now as take a moment to breathe, I can't help but feel my heart being drawn to another calling.

All my life I have wanted to help inspire people. My goal has always been to impact 1 million people (indirectly) before I die. Whether it's encouraging someone to exercise, convincing someone to get that mammogram/colonoscopy, teaching someone to eat clean and meal prep, promoting community service, or showing someone the gracious heart of God, I just want to be apart of their journey. I'm not actually counting the people I impact, but I'm going to continue moving forward and hope that I'm remembered as an inspiration to many.

A friend of mine inspired me. (For privacy, we will just call her B). I remember sitting on the couch after I completed my boards and I was browsing social media. Someone commented on B's page saying she looked amazing, so I did as any FB user would do, I went to B's page. HOLY COW! B lost 80 pounds over the last year! I think the biggest transformation was in her spirit. She was SO happy and radiant! And that's when the fire was rekindled...

photo credit

Many of you know that I have my own health and wellness coaching and solutions business that allowed me to help people virtually all over the country. Many of you may also wonder why I haven't posted anything about it in quite some time. Especially during clinicals in PA School, I unfortunately had to take a break in order to focus my attention on school. I still used the products and continued working out, but I wasn't able to help coach others. Well, B inspired me to jump back in. Yes, there is an immense amount of fear that comes with starting again....Like: What will people think? Will they think I failed the first time? What if they think I'm just trying to be a sales person?  What if people doubt me? What if they think this is a gimmic?

photo credit

As all of these thoughts rushed into my head, I stopped for a moment, and remembered my goal, my team, my vision.

GOAL: To provide solutions for others, whether it be weight loss, energy, performance, wellness, or earning a plan B income.

MY TEAM: The best group of individuals that uplift, inspire, and motivate me daily. They encourage me to add value to my life, and their support and friendship is incredible.

MY VISION: There are 2 big problems in America: Health and Finances. PA School has left me with a mortgage in student loans. I have watched friends do incredible and often unbelievable things - including finding debt freedom, so that's where I'm going. There are others looking for help with their finances and health too, so with the same vision in mind, we can tackle this problem.

I know people probably think I'm absolutely crazy, and that my dreams are larger than life and unreachable. I promise you, that's where I'm headed. Someday I will inspire you with my debt free success story, and you'll think, "Wow. She did it."

photo credit

-Jessie

Plan Meals!!

When I started my first 24 Day Challenge, I realized that on the cleanse phase, certain foods were highly recommended, while other foods should be avoided. For instance: consume dairy in moderation, but eat a lean protein, vegetable/fruit, and complex carbohydrate for lunch. This required planning on my behalf. 

      

All too often, I got in the habit of opening the fridge and grabbing whatever was quick and convenient for me, but that got me into trouble. I'm so glad that I ended up committing to this challenge because I'm now on my fourth cleanse, and I have meal planning down to a science. 

I'm not normally a food Nazi. In fact, I love to indulge on pizza or ice cream every now and then. Thats the problem with nutrition nowadays though. People don't understand that those treats cannot be consumed everyday, and when they are, they are problematic to your health. Once you start eating the right food, you'll notice a change in the way you feel. Its almost like the fog has been lifted from your head, and you have so much more ENERGY! 

So, how do I do this? On Sundays, I decide what I'm eating Monday - Sunday. I usually make a lot for dinner so that I can eat it for lunch the following day. I also drink an AdvoCare Meal Replacement Shake for breakfast every day (its super convenient, extremely healthy, and involes less planning). Once I have my menu created, I make a grocery list. I go and get all of my groceries for the week. All of the things that I need are usually within the perimiter of the store. The majority of my meals involve fruits, vegetables, and meats. 

A few tips: 

-Cook some lean meat (chicken, turkey, etc) once you return from the store, and stick it in a tupperware dish. You'll be able to use it for salads, wraps, etc. Thats like my "Go-To" meal. 

-Chop up some vegetables that you'd use for salad toppings, snacks, or sandwiches. I promise you - this will get you eating more veggies.

- Wash fruit and put it into a container. If fresh berries are as easily accessible as chips, you'll choose the healthier of the two. 

-Lastly, dont buy junk. If it isn't in your house, you can't eat it!

It does take some getting used to, and that is why I'm so glad I did my first 24 Day Challenge. It was kind of the stepping stone to a healthier me. Anyone can do this! Its just a matter of if you want to.