Day 10: Summer South-of-the-Border Food Prep

Hello, hello! 

Wednesdays are my day off from my J-O-B, so that is when I try to focus my efforts on housework, grocery shopping, food prep, and working my AdvoCare business.  Today was no different, and I'm feeling quite accomplished!

I wanted to share with you some of this week's yummy summer-time food prep ideas...these are cleanse-friendly for those of you participating in a 24 Day Challenge! 

This afternoon's focus was on 2 things: prepping dinner for tonight, and prepping some easy basics to throw together in a mix-and-match sorta way for lunches and dinners the rest of the week.  Dinner tonight was steak and chicken kabobs, which I will detail for you below...and meal prep was some delicious South-of-the-Border style goodness.  

Chicken & Steak Kabobs

Ingredients:

- skinless/boneless chicken breast (or tenderloins!)

- lean sirloin steak

- your favorite marinade (I used a store-bought to save time, but it was low-sodium!)

- veggies you prefer on a kabob :) 

{peppers tend to give me heartburn, so we used onion, cherry tomatoes, and pineapple!}

Directions:

1.  Cut meat into squares, and marinade for approximately 2 hours.

2.  Cut veggies into appropriate sizes for kabobs.

3.  Slide onto skewers...keeping chicken and steak on separate skewers to allow for easier cooking!  You don't want to burn your steak trying to get your chicken cooked all the way through...unless you like well-done sirloin! 

4.  Grill, and enjoy! 

Next, we go into my lunches-meal-prep.  I found the next recipe on my friend Jodi's Facebook page, and decided it looked yummy enough to try.  Since not everyone is as blessed to know Jodi as I am, I thought I would share her delicious recipe with you, too. {Sister has got it GOING ON.  She has lost over 60 pounds using AdvoCare products and fueling her body right...and this recipe is OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious!}

Corn, Black Bean, and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

- one large tomato

- one can of black beans, drained and rinsed

- one can of white corn, drained

- cilantro 

- one large avocado

- one red onion

- 1/3 cup of fresh lime juice

- lemon to taste

- black pepper

Directions: 

1.  Dice tomato and avocado into small-to-medium size cubes. 

2.  Finely chop onion.

3.  Ensure beans and corn are rinsed/drained.

4.  Throw all veggies into a bowl.

5.  Cut or chop (I use kitchen scissors) the cilantro leaves into the mixture.

6.  Pour the lime juice (+lemon if desired) over the salsa and mix thoroughly. 

7.  If time allows, refrigerate to allow flavors to soak in, and enjoy!  I tried a spoonful of this when I finished mixing, and it was amazing!

Chicken/Steak for Lunches

While the grill was still hot, I asked my husband to grill a few other items for meal prep:

- a chicken breast, seasoned with nothing but Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning.

- sliced sirloin steak strips, cut from excess lean sirloin steaks from kabob prep!  I drizzled some marinade and black pepper over the raw meat and wrapped them in a foil packet.

My plan for those is to serve them over lettuce/spinach, with a large helping of the corn/black bean/avocado salsa on top!  {A dollop of plain Greek yogurt would be an awesome topper for post-cleanse!}

I hope you enjoy these as much as I am!  

Drop an email or comment if you have any questions <3 

Until next post,

-ac

Challenge Day 3: Sweet Potato Fries and Grilling Ideas

It's Day 3 of my AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge, and I'm pretty proud of myself so far!  After I hit my goal weight last year, I would still repeat the challenge every 3 months or so to help keep my digestive system and metabolism healthy, as well as using products between challenges to help with energy and metabolism, also.  The problem that I would fall into each "maintenance" cleanse, was that I would tell myself, "Eh, it's okay to have a cheat...this is just maintenance, I'm already at goal weight."  I think I cheated EVERY challenge after my first one, at one point or another!  {Disclaimer: I don't advise doing that! I'm ashamed to admit it, but transparency is key and today is a new day!}  

A meal that I've enjoyed twice so far this challenge {dinner on day 1, lunch today!} is a turkey burger with sweet potato fries.  

Turkey burger is pre-formed burger patties by Jennie-O.  Hubs grilled a few for me Monday night, so I could reheat them for lunches.  I topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and spicy mustard...YUM.  It would also be good with the same toppings, sans mustard, add guacamole...just sayin'.  

The sweet potato fries were homemade, and delicious!  After a failed attempt at making sweet potato chips, I was nervous about making fries...but it was super easy!  The hardest part was cutting the raw sweet potato...those suckers are TOUGH!  Here's the step-by-step:

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients: 

- 1 large sweet potato

- chili powder (to taste)

- sea salt (to taste)

- olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut sweet potato in half, and each half in half.  Cut into 1/4"-1/2" strips. 

3. Lay flat on cookie sheet, sprayed with olive oil spray.

4.  Spray fries with olive oil spray, and sprinkle lightly with chili powder and just a little sea salt.

5. Bake for 20 minutes.  

{I took them out around 12 minutes, and flipped them! Also, sprayed a few "dry-looking" fries with extra olive oil and sprinkled a little extra chili powder!}

Can you say DELICIOUS?! I bet they would be good with cinnamon, for those of you who don't like chili powder! 

We purchased a grill last weekend, and several of our meals this week have been whipped up thanks to that baby.  I'm going to share recipes as we make them, but here's some grilling ideas for you to think about and try! 

- Foil packets.  These are GENIUS and whoever first did this is my hero.  I used to think it was only for veggies on the grill, but why not full meals?  We went camping a few summers ago, and someone had brought along individual foil packets with salmon, lemon, a little butter, and asparagus in them.  Why haven't I thought of doing the same thing on the grill before?  I'll keep you posted on fun recipes for that.

- Kabobs!  There are so many yummy variations, and I'm excited to try one tonight!  A lot of them call for peppers, and I usually get awful reflux with green/red peppers...so my coming recipes will likely not have them, but you can add them to anything I post! 

I'll post as I come up with more!  I'm just beyond ecstatic that it's grilling season...the best season of them all, y'all. 

Til next time! 

-a

Flat Out Pizza Recipe

I told you I would share some yummy recipes with you! 

Today's recipe?  PIZZA.  Because who doesn't ever crave pizza?  And why not share the healthy way to eat it?

Ingredients:

- Multi Grain Flat Out 

(I find them at Food Lion, near the bakery!)

- Low sodium/low sugar pizza sauce 

(I bought a low sugar option at Food Lion, also!)

-  Mozzarella cheese

- Toppings 

(Pictured: turkey pepperoni, tomatoes, onions, fresh baby spinach)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375.

2.  Spray cookie sheet with olive oil cooking spray.  

3.  Bake plain Flat Out for 2 minutes, flipping after the first minute.

4.  Remove from oven and dress up your pizza: sauce, cheese, toppings.  

5.  Return to oven and bake for approximately 7 minutes.  

*Optional: bake 6 minutes, and then switch oven settings to "broil," to allow your pizza to brown a little.  Watch your pizza carefully to ensure it doesn't burn!  

I hope you enjoy your Flat Out Pizza!  Let me know how you like it :)

Until next time,

-a

Well, hello there.

I'm venturing into the world of blogging again, and I'm determined to stick with it this time.  A LOT has happened since I last maintained a blog, and those happenings are actually what prompted this blog! In late 2013, I started a personal health journey, and I used AdvoCare as the vehicle to get me going.  In early 2014, after having great success of my own, I began running a business with AdvoCare and have been helping people in their own journey to health ever since!

I find myself typing - and retyping - recipes, tips, and tricks multiple times weekly...it hit me today that perhaps giving a blog another try was the best way to communicate those recipes and tips!  Besides my health journey and helpful hints, my goal is also to use this blog to document life going forward.  I hope that you enjoy the ride with me!

If we have not had the pleasure of meeting in real life, I will go ahead and share my "story" with you:

I'm Anna, and this is my husband, Joe.  We have been married 2.5 years now, and I love my husband dearly.  We met in youth group when I was in 9th grade and he was in 10th. {I don't remember the first time we met, he says he does...and that I was wearing black shorts and an orange shirt.  told him that's impossible, I would never wear orange and black together, but he insists I did.  Ew.}  We didn't know each other that well, and after 2 good friends of mine died after high school, we lost touch when I stopped going to church altogether for a while.  I'm not sure what prompted that, I think I was angry at God, but I never stopped believing in Him.  {That's a whole other story for another day, possibly.}  A few years later, I rededicated my life to Christ and began attending the church I grew up in again.  Joe and I worked with the youth together, and became good friends.  He had a crush on me and would ask me out, and I would tell him no.  Fast forward through a lot of heartbreak, tears, stupid choices, and soul-searching...and in early 2012 it hit me: I loved Joe.  We began dating in March, got engaged in May, and were married in October.  

Then I fell into the typical happy newlywed lifestyle...and gained 20 pounds the first 6 months of marriage.  I was miserable.  I tried cutting carbs, going to the gym at 5am...and the scale didn't budge.  A friend of mine was posting on Facebook about AdvoCare, and I asked her to tell me about it.  Fast forward, and after dodging some calls for a while {I didn't want to get "sucked in" to a "new fad" to "lose weight fast," ...little did I know how wrong my thoughts were!}, I finally began using AdvoCare products on December 1, 2013.  I completed a 24 Day Challenge, and on Christmas Day of 2013 I weighed in...I had lost 10 pounds and 9 inches!  WHAT!?  I "stuck and stayed" and was able to lose the remainder of the 20 pounds in early 2014, and have maintained the weight ever since.  

These photos were Summer 2013, and November 2014.  The photo on the left was while cutting carbs and working out; the photo on the right was after learning how to properly fuel my body and maintain a healthy weight.  

Joe and I bought our first home together in 2014, also.  We thoroughly enjoy DIY-projects, and working in the yard.  You'll probably see some posts here and there about that, too.  ;)

We have a goofy mixed-breed dog, named Bella.  She is a "Cheagle" -- chihuahua/beagle. Joe adopted her a year before we began dating, and it took her QUITE some time to warm up to the idea of having another woman in the house.  She drives me nuts sometimes but overall is probably one of the best-tempered dogs you'd ever meet.  

One of my best friends is an amazing portrait/wedding photographer, and we are very fortunate to have her in our lives.  She recently asked if I'd be willing to "play" with her and another of her photographer friends, and I agreed.  I'll close with one of the photos from that session, so you know who's on the other end of this computer screen.  I change my hair a lot, hence why each photo looks a little different!  :) 

I recently decided I'm no longer going to focus on just maintaining my weight.  I've succeeded with creating a healthier version of me...now I want to transform my body into a stronger version of itself!  So you will see posts about that too, I'm sure.  I'm excited to have you on this journey with me!  

Until next time,

-a

{all photos except before/after photo, courtesy of Beth Hamilton Photography}