Crock-Pot Chicken Parmesan

Who doesn't love a good crock-pot recipe!! I mean when you add in comfort food you will have nothing but tons of Awesomeness!! This recipe is just one of the many examples of easy healthy cooking made simple with the help of a crock-pot. 


CROCK-POT CHICKEN PARM

Ingredients:
- 4-5 chicken breasts
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 32 oz of your favorite organic marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp of garlic powder
- 1 bag of organic baby spinach leaves

Instructions:
Place the chicken breasts into the bottom crock-pot and cover with tomatoes, sauce, and garlic. Cook on high for 3.5 hours and then shred the chicken. Then add spinach and let cook for another 30 minutes until the spinach is tender. Then serve and enjoy! 

This mixture can be served over a bead of spinach, on a bun, on top of zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash, or even just your plain old pasta. Make it your own!! Parents this is also a good way to get some extra veggies in your kids if they don't normally like them. The spinach will take on the flavor of the sauce and garlic once tender. 

It is OK to MODIFY Your Exercises!!

It is OK to MODIFY Your Exercises!! There are many reasons why someone would need to modify when exercising and that is ok! You could be just starting out, or have had an injury, or that particular body part is not strong enough yet, or you want to quit but are not ready to give up...WHATEVER it is do not feel ashamed for modifying. If you continue to push through and complete your workout with modifications you are still doing more than if you were to give up or worse never even try! 

You can also use modifications as a way to take a quick break in a workout and then go back to the advanced version so that you can continue to work your way up to doing advanced for the entire workout. 

I personally struggle with doing regular push ups so I will start out at the advanced position and then when I feel like I can't do anymore I will drop to my knees and continue on with the workout. Many of the Beachbody programs that I use for my at home workouts include a modifier which is very helpful to follow so that you have other options in your workout. 

Check out these two moves for examples of modifications:

PUSH UPS

RUSSIAN TWISTS

There are many other modifications that can be done for a variety of moves. The most important thing is to remember to push yourself and continue to work up to your goals. YOU ARE WORTH THE EFFORT!! 

NOTE: Please consult your physician before even starting a new exercise program. 

Chicken Taco Bake

Ingredients:
- Taco seasoning packet (low sodium)
- 16 oz black beans (low sodium)
- 16 oz corn (unsalted)
- 1 can of rotel (I use the HOT kind)
- 2 lbs chicken breast
- 2-3 low carb tortillas
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup Texas Pete (or Frank's Red Hot Sauce)


CHICKEN TACO BAKE:
1. Preheat the oven at 425 degrees.
2. Dice the fresh chicken breast into bite size pieces.
3. Then cook the chicken in a stove top pan with the hot sauce until almost cooked.
4. Once chicken is ready, then add the remaining ingredients until taco seasoning is fully blended.
5. Once fully blended transfer the taco filling into a nonstick baking sheet. Layers should be tortilla, then taco filing, then cheese (lightly spread across the taco filling layer) and repeat and end with a top layer of cheese.
6. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melting.
7. Divide and serve. ENJOY!!

Buffalo Chicken Chili

The weather is cooling down so that means it is time to break out the slow cooker and start making some CHILI!! One of the best things about the slow cooker is that it does most of the work for you. Next time you want an easy meal plug in that baby and try out this recipe:

BUFFALO CHICKEN CHILI

Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 3 cups Frank's Hot Sauce
- 2 cups water
- 16 oz blak beans
- 16 oz corn
- 16 oz kidney beans
- 16 oz chili beans
- 16 oz garbanzo beans
- 1 diced red pepper
- 1 diced yellow pepper
- 1 can of rotel
- 2-3 diced jalapeños (if you like it hot like me)

Start by cooking the chicken, water, rotel and Frank's on low heat for 4 hours and then shred the chicken. If cooking on high it will take about 2 hours and then should be ready to shred. 

To shred you can take 2 forks to pull the chicken apart and then throw back into the slow cooker. Once shredded you will add the remaining ingredients (remember to drain the beans if using canned) and let cook for another 3-4 hours on low and 1-2 hours on high. ENJOY! 

NOTE: For me personally I freeze 2/3 of this recipe in individually portioned sized glass containers so that I can later heat up in the oven or microwave. That way I don't get sick of eating a bunch of leftovers for lunch and dinner all week long. 

Green Raspberry

Green Raspberry? What is the world is that? Is that a new fruit? These maybe some questions you ask yourself but don't worry I did not discover a new fruit. I did however discover a new blend of a smoothie...GREEN RASPBERRY!! 

This morning as I got up to make my morning smoothie I realized that I did not have my normal Strawberry Shakeology and frozen strawberries at home so I had to change it up a bit. In the closet I had Greenberry Shakeology and in the freezer I had frozen raspberries. I love both things so why not try to blend them together. I mean Greenberry Shakeology is already sweet so I think they would work together right? Yep you betcha!! 

So give it a try:

Greenberry Shakeology packet
1 cup of frozen raspberries
1/2 banana (if you want a creamy smoothie texture)
2 cups of coconut water

Blend up and enjoy! 

Be sure when blending any type of protein shake or green smoothie that you consume within 30 minutes of blending as the vitamins start to breakdown and there is not as much of an added value. 

Welcome to the Gun Show...FREE WORKOUT

Here is a FREE and simple workout to build out your arms...help build out those suckers so you can host your own gun show! :) Just kidding but HEY at least you will look and feel good in a tank top!! 

For any questions on the moves or if you want additional workouts message me and I will hook you up! 

Homemade Dog Treats

Often times we make trips to Costco or Sam's to stock up on food and snacks and for me this also includes dog food and treats. So this weekend I thought I would try something new...HOMEMADE DOG TREATS! Yep! I mean why not at least try it. Plus maybe it could save me $$$$ considering I buy the all natural and limited ingredient treats for my puppy. Only the best for my little pup! I mean look at this face wouldn't you do the same ??!! :) 

Lucky after an hour long walk! 

How to make homemade dog treats...where to begin? Well for me I googled "homemade healthy dog treats" and looked for recipes that had healthy ingredients and not a whole slew of them either. I came across this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction and like me with all my cooking I did not follow the recipe exactly but below is the original recipe. I exchanged 1/4 cup of milk for all natural chicken stock and used turkey bacon. Check out this video of Lucky taste testing the homemade treat for the first time! 

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup (255g) natural creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup (180ml) nonfat milk
• 1 large egg (or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce)
• 2 cups (244g) whole wheat flour*
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup (30g) oats (either whole-rolled or quick oats are fine)
• 2-3 strips bacon, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

In a large bowl, gently mix the peanut butter, milk, and egg together with a large spoon or spatula. Switch to a whisk to make sure no lumps remain. Add the flour and baking powder. You may need to turn the dough out onto the counter and use your hands to work in the flour. Mix in the oats and chopped bacon. The dough is extremely thick and heavy.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into 1/4" thickness. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters or a knife. Arrange on the baking sheets. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the bottom. Remove from the oven, and flip the treats to bake the other side for 10-12 more minutes.

Allow to cool completely before serving to your pup. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Treats freeze well, up to 2 months.

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I tried this out and it was a hit for Lucky. I actually doubled the recipe and put half in the freezer and the other half in the fridge. I did not invest in a cookie cutter but instead rolled the dough into about a 1 inch ball and then pressed flat. I will be trying out a few other recipes I found over the weekend as well so it might be fun to cut them into dog bone shapes. 

I hope your fur baby LOVES these treats as much as mine did. If you have any questions please let me know!