Healthy Pad Thai

I began a new nutrtion program last week and I was really nervous because the plan I was using was working so well for me historically but after seeing that it not only helped people lose weight happily and was based off a lifestyle and a few principals I decided to give it a try! 

To my surprise I lost 3 lbs in 3 days even while fully participating in Cinco de mayo party I threw at my house! 

One of her suggestions was to not have carbs at dinner, I truly thought this would be a NO GO for me, I mean I LOVE carbs and specifically saved them for dinner. She explained that you should use your carbs for energy though the day. 

Think about it... what do you do after dinner, watch tv, get the kids to bed, wind down? YEP doesn't require much energy right. My favorite part of this program is the accessories! All the yummy things you get to put on your food to make it taste amazing. That is where I was won over. not to mention it is totally working! 

This healthy Pad Thai is not made with noodles, I used spaghetti squash. I HATE when people tell me " It tastes like pasta, you won't know the difference" wanna bet! Pasta is pasta and nothing is like it. 

What I can tell you is that this hit the spot and I did not miss the pasta. I don't wanna be that girl that says it is exactly the same it's not but this was fantastic so give it a try!  If you would like more info on the Food Freedom nutrition plan I have been loving just grab it here -> www.btyafitnessjourney.com/getfit

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 spaghetti squash about 3 pounds

• 1 pound of boneless skinless thin chicken breasts ( Or if you are in a hurry rotisserie chicken)

• 2 carrots sliced thin with a peeler

• 1 red onion sliced thin

• 1 red bell pepper diced into small pieces

• 2 eggs

• Olive oil

• scant 1/4 tsp of garlic powder

• scant 1/4 tsp of onion powder

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1/4 cup of soy sauce ( low sodium or liquid Braggs)

• salt to taste

• 1.5 tablespoons of Peanut butter or nut butter of choice

• 1 -2 tsp of coconut sugar

• 2 limes, Juice of 1 and save the others for squeezing over the top

• Chopped salted nuts

DIRECTIONS

1.  First let's make the peanut sauce! place nut butter, sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce a pinch of garlic powder and onion powder, lime juice, and coconut sugar, whisk till smooth set aside. ( if you like things a but spicy try adding a little squirt of siracha here yum!)

2. Season chicken to your liking and grill ( I like to use onion powder, garlic powder, salt, a bit of soy sauce and olive oil to season it up sometimes a bit of honey in the marinade before grilling. even if you just used salt pepper and olive oil it would be ok because of the peanut sauce! Grill till no longer pink and allow to rest on the counter slicing into thin slices when it is cooled

3. Poke a few holes in the spaghetti squash for venting and place in the microwave for 4-5 min set aside for to cool

4. While the chicken is cooking and the squash is cooling, warm a saute pan on medium heat add 2 tsp of olive oil to the pan cooking the veggies for about 3-4 min then add in garlic powder, onion powder 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce allow to cook another 3 minutes. 

5. Push the veggies to the side, use the extra space in the pan to scramble the 2 eggs. As the eggs cook open the squash and scrape the seed out of the middle scraping the squash noodles into the pan, stir to incorporate it all. Test seasoning and adjust as needed.

6. Add veggie mixture to a bowl, top with chicken, peanut sauce as desired and chopped peanuts. Serve with a lime to squeeze over before eating! 

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did! 

Sweet Potato Pancakes

I LOVE being part of an online community of ladies who are like minded working on their fitness like me. Not to say we are perfect, we share our successes and struggles but we also follow the same meal plan and share recipes! 

One of the ladies posted a sweet potato pancake and I thought WOW what an amazing idea. Sweet potatoes are the most nutrient dense carbs you can eat. I am always looking for new ways to have them hence all of the recipes on here featuring them. 

This one deserves a special spot in your recipe collection! Kids and adults love them and if you would like to make these Sneaky pancakes you can absolutely add baby spinach to these and get in an extra veggie for you and the kids! 

These are sweet enough without maple syrup so for me it is just a teaspoon of melted butter on top... YES... butter is ok! We all need healthy fats. I know some people still can get past it but I promise...coming from the lady who lost 50 lbs and has kept it off real butter is ok to eat. If you are still eating butter from the tub PLEASE do yourself a favor and ditch it! With all the love in the world STOP. If it is man made I want you to think Chemical SH!T storm. K.... OK. 

I love to double this recipe because they go quick! This recipe serves 4 3-4 pancakes per serving depending on the size you make them! 

For those who follow Portion Fix - 1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 tsp ( if you add spinach this would also be a green and perfect as a pre or post workout meal for 80-day obsession)

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 cups of cooked mashed Sweet Potato
• 8 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon of Pure Maple Syrup
• 2 packets Stevia
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon of salt 
• Coconut oil spray or Olive oil spray

DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat skillet or preferable a griddle to medium heat ( not too high or they will burn.)
2. Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth
3. spray skillet with coconut oil spray or olive oil spray, then pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto skillet. 
4. The batter is runny so pour slowly and allow to set up before flipping

These would be wonderful with sliced banana and drizzle of melted Almond or PB over them, and don't forget they can be sneaky by adding in that spinach which I often do because who doesn't need to sneak extra veggies in! 

BLT Salad + Mayo Vinaigrette

When I was growing up we ate BLT's A LOT and I LOVED them! They are easy and HELLO who does not LOVE bacon. If you don't I am not sure we can continue to be friends. It's life! As I got older and have wanted to focus on being healthy. I have learned 1 SUPER important thing about myself 

I LURRRRVVEEE carbs. Like ALL of them. 

My body HATES the carbs

Let me clarify. We ALL need carbs, in fact, you will have brain fog and suffer from low energy without them. In my 2.5 years as a fitness coach, I have seen my own body and clients of mine see a huge shift in success when we lose the crappy carbs and incorporate better ones like Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Beans, Corn and Edamame to name a few. 

One day when I was craving a good old BLT I decided to make it fit my meal plan and goals so that is where this salad was born! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! I think this will become a summer classic I mean fresh sweet corn and some beautiful vine ripe tomatoes what is better!? foodie for life here! 

If you follow Portion Fix the containers for this is 1 Red, 1 yellow, 1.5 green, 1 orange

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of mixed lettuce, I used spinach and arugula but I also love romiane here too'
• 1 hard boiled egg sliced into quarters
• 2 strips of turkey bacon or regular bacon cooked ( I am a regular bacon girl, no nitrates, hormones or steroids added)
• 3-4 slices of fresh tomato ( grape tomatoes can be used as well summer is great for heirloom)
• 1/4 cup fresh corn cut off the cob
• 3 tablespoons mayo ( I use dukes because there is no added sugar)
• salt + pepper to taste
• juice of 1 lemon
• scant 1/4 tsp garlic powder 
• scant 1/4 tsp onion powder

( This salad is GREAT for lunches if you prep a bit on the weekend. Making a batch of hard-boiled eggs and bacon and cutting up some corn storing all of these in the fridge makes this a SNAP)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place lettuce, tomato, egg, and corn and bacon on a plate and set aside
2. For the dressing add 3 tbs of Mayo, salt, and pepper to taste, ass garlic powder and onion powder plus the juice of 1 lemon, I sometimes use half if it is a super juicy one. Taste as you go. Wisk together taste and adjust seasoning as needed per your taste.
3. Top salad with 2 tablespoons of Mayo Vinaigrette and ENJOY

Sneaky Pancakes

OK as you all know I have taken on timed nutrition and it has presented me with some challenges but in the face of them, I have developed some new recipes to help me make the most of it! When I found out that I needed to have a Veggie, protein and a fruit with a teaspoon of fat all as my pre-workout meal at 5:30 am I was instantly worried and then I got to work on what I like to call Sneaky Pancakes.

Yep they are green, nope you don't taste any veggies thanks to baby spinach. I have adored having these each morning. They fill the need in my meal plan and I look forward to them. One of my biggest concerns was feeling too full and not having a great workout because of it. These FIT the bill leaving me energized for my workout not weighed down! 

Please check out my tips at the end of the recipe :) I hope you love them as much as I do and PS if you are wanting to try these for your kids maybe calling them the hulk pancakes might help.. xo 

Makes 4 servings- about 4-5 pancakes per serving depending on the size. If you use portion fix I count 1 serving as 1 Green, 1 red, 1 purple, 1 teaspoon for the butter

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 cups of fresh baby spinach
• 2 ripe bananas
• 8 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 packets stevia or 1 Tablespoon of Pure Maple Syrup
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries 
• Olive oil spray for the griddle or pan
• Butter for serving on top 

DIRECTIONS

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor EXCEPT the blueberries and blend until smooth
2. Heat pan or skillet on medium-low heat. I do about 325 on my griddle ( you may have to play with the heat a bit. Cook them too fast and hot and you will have a mushy burnt mess) Slow and steady ok. No walking away from these. The batter is thin so expect that an pour slowly. Wait until they are set up before flipping.
3. Spray with no stick spray and pour batter into a fairly small pancake about 3-4 inches drop on a few blueberries while the batter is still liquid.
4. Flip pancake once after it is bubbled up a bit and slightly firm. They should be lightly browned when you flip. ( picture below)
5. Store leftovers in a tight container in the fridge for up to a week. These reheat amazingly! 
6. Serve with teaspoon of butter over top and ENJOY! 

I love adding the berries because as they heat up they burst and it is almost like a warm jam! YUMMMM! 

PROTEIN PACKED PUMPKIN MUFFINS

As many of you know I have taken on a new booty and ab program that calls for some timed nutrition which is AMAZING! It is was also really different from what I was doing and I found that prep was the KEY to being successful with the program. 

Naturally, when I learned I would need to eat a combo of  Protein ( red) Carb (yellow) and veggie ( a green) in the am I got to work on thinking what can I do to make this something OTHER than eggs. Because that will get old for me REAL quick.. am I right or what !?!?!?!? I need variety in my life and I NEED to love my food. This one hit the spot for a fast, easy portable meal that eats like a snack! 

This muffin is not sweet like you would expect for a typical muffin. SO if you are not used to eating clean I would add 3 Tablespoons of 100% pure maple syrup to this recipe and work you way down as your taste buds change! 

Makes 12 Muffins - 3 muffins is 1 serving

For my peeps following my meal plan, this is 1 Yellow, 1 Green, 1 Red 1 teaspoon ( to learn more about my meal plan and to join our accountability group apply here www.btyafitnessjourney.com/getfit

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 cup quick oats
• a rounded 1/2 tsp of salt of half tsp with a heavy pinch added ( do not skip this) 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 packets of stevia
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt. ( if you like a sweeter muffin you can use Okioks Triple Zero vanilla yogurt) 
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven 350
2. Line a muffin pan with silicone liners ( these were perfect and no sticking, or spray pan)
3. Place oats in blender or food processor and blend until it resembles a flour
4. Add the rest of the ingredients blend until smooth 
5. distribute the batter evenly in muffin pan
6. Bake for about 20 min
7. enjoy!  I serve these slightly warmed with a teaspoon of butter