Strawberry Shakeology Protein Muffins

When I have some extra Shakeology/protein powder around the house, and I'm in the mood for some baking, I love whipping up some healthy concoctions that won't bust the waistline.

With the extra Strawberry Shakeology I had, visions of strawberry pancakes and muffins filled my mind and I had to find a yummy recipe I could make my own with Shakeo! So, this is what I came up with... I even got extra naughty and put some semi-sweet chocolate morsels in there ;) (they're 21 Day Fix approved, ok?!)

Try these babies out when you need a sweet fix the HEALTHY way! They would be great with any flavor of Shakeology.

What You'll Need:

-2-3 scoops of Shakeology (about 1 cup)
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 cup applesauce
-1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
-1 1/2 tbsps. maple syrup
-2 egg whites
-1/2 cup mini or regular chocolate chips (*optional)


Preparation:

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
-In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (Shakeology, baking soda, cinnamon),
-In a large bowl, mix applesauce, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and egg whites. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and let mixture sit to thicken for a few minutes.

-Pour mixture evenly into muffin cups and bake 15-20 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.
-Let cool and then enjoy!

 With love,

Amanda James

Cheesy Chicken Fajitas

So, this recipe goes down as one of the most simple, delicious, and loved ones in my household! It's your perfect mixture of lean protein, fresh veggies, and a healthy dose of dairy and carbs! I think we all love the recipes that allow us to indulge in our favorite foods, and are sneakily healthy, right?!

If you are doing 21 Day Fix, and keep it to the ingredients as listed, this will count as 1 RED, 1 GREEN, 1/2 BLUE, 1 YELLOW!

Cheesy Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

-1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
-1 tbsp. olive oil
-1 1/2 clove garlic, minced
-1 large green and/or red pepper, cut into thin strips
-1 onion, sliced
-2 cups reduced fat Four Cheese Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
-6 whole wheat tortilla wraps

Preparation:

-Pour olive oil onto non stick cooking pan. Add chicken and garlic; cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink
-Add green pepper, red pepper, and onion strips; cook 4-5 minutes or until crispy
-Place 1/6 chicken, pepper, and onion mixture onto each whole wheat tortilla and sprinkle with cheese.

*Add favorite garments as desired: guacamole, salsa, lettuce, tomato, you name it!

With love.

Spaghetti Squash Mac 'n Cheese

Ok, not going to lie, I am a BIG sucker for comfort food, ESPECIALLY good ol' macaroni and cheese! A bunch of gooey cheese and delicious carbs, what could be better?! Well, a LOT of things for the waist, actually!

I have continued to look for ways to get the deliciousness of macaroni and cheese without the fatty, carbed-up pasta. Whole grain pasta wasn't quite cutting it for the PiYo meal plan I was trying to abide by, but when I came across this whole spaghetti squash deal... I was sold!

I have actually tried other spaghetti squash recipes and just could not get into it, but this one is DELICIOUS!

Also, if you are doing the PiYo meal plan like me, it is perfect for any meal calling for 2 servings of a secondary veggies, 1 (or 2 depending on broccoli intake) primary veggie(s), and 2 healthy fats!
*If you are interested in PiYo, check out more about it here!

So ENJOY indulging in this seemingly bad, but really so GOOD, southern comfort dish!

Spaghetti Squash Mac 'n Cheese

Recipe slightly adapted from Lizzie Fuhr's Popsugar website!

Ingredients:
-1 medium to large spaghetti squash
-Olive oil spray
-2 cups broccoli
-1 tbsp. margarine or butter (alternatives: vegetable oil, olive oil, Smart Balance butter, ghee)
-1 tbsp. whole wheat flour
-1 cup fat free milk or unsweetened almond milk
-1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
-1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
-salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half, and scoop out and eliminate all seeds. Spray the inside of both halves with the olive oil cooking spray, and place them open side up on a foil covered cooking sheet. Cook for about 50 minutes, or until tender.

Remove squash from oven, and when cool enough to handle, scrape flesh, or the "noodles," into a large bowl. Add in the broccoli and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan melt butter and whole wheat flour on medium heat. Add milk while stirring quickly. Reduce to low heat and add in cheeses. Stir until cheeses are melted.

Pour cheese sauce over squash and broccoli mixture. Serve and devour. :)

Basil Pesto Chicken

If you are looking for a low carb, gluten free meal that you can throw together in a matter of minutes for your family or to section out for the rest of the week, this meal is perfect!

It is four simple ingredients, just a few simple steps, and downright DELICIOUS!

When I took my first bite after making it, I was honestly shocked out how GOOD it was! Juicy, melt in your mouth tender, and seasoned to perfection with just the basil pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese- you can totally fool everyone into thinking you spent HOURS on this dish. It doesn't get much better than that!

If you are lactose intolerant, or try to go dairy free in general, try out the Veggie Mozzarella cheese you can get from your local grocery store in the vegan section!

*This recipe is slightly adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen website!

Basil Pesto Chicken

Ingredients:

-8-10 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets

-1/2 cup Basil Pesto Sauce (I got mine from Publix)

-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation: Preheat oven to 375F, while trimming any extra fat or tendons from your chicken cutlets. Spray the inside of a 9" x 12" baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup of basil pesto along the bottom of your baking dish, and then line your chicken cutlets on top of that. Season them with fresh salt and black pepper as desired, and spread the remaining 1/4 cup of basil pesto on top of the chicken cutlets.

Bake at 375F COVERED WITH FOIL for 25-30 mins, not letting the chicken cook too long. Take the chicken out, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and bake again for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

And VOILA! Your delicious dish is ready to be served.

Enjoy!!!

A Day Full of PiYo!

I am on my second week of Chalene Johnson's brand new program PiYo, and I just really can't say enough great things about it! I decided a few days ago to crack down more than ever, and I feel AMAZING! The meal plan guide, which is one of the things I love most about it (and is probably more crucial than the actual workouts for results), is SO easy to follow. I have posted where I was VERY easily able to fill out my ENTIRE upcoming week's worth of meals, snacks, and my workout schedule! This template is the work of another INCREDIBLE coach Erin Morgan, who I have never actually met, but HAD to give the credit where it's due, because I just love it!

As a 5'7" 135 lb. female looking to lose a couple, I fell into the 1200-1399 calorie bracket. That scared me a teensy bit at first, because I'm just used to consuming more (or what I THINK is more, since I was never really keeping track of my calories anyway). I have to say, though, that it's really been the perfect amount. I also just finished P90X3 which was much more intense and high impact, so my body NEEDED more calories than I do now.

Not to say that PiYo isn't a great workout, because let me tell you... IT IS! (I had to pause for a breather in the Buns video about five times. It was KILLER and my legs were sore for like 3 days afterwards!!) However, some of the videos are shorter and they are all low impact (hallelujah), so our bodies will just not need as much energy as it would for 30 straight minutes of deadlifts and bicep curls.

So here you can see where I have planned out my WHOLE week ahead. To the left, it's difficult to see, but in each calorie bracket you are allotted a certain amount of primary veggies, secondary veggies & grains, fresh fruits, healthy fats, and lean proteins! It also gives extensive lists of what foods are recommended in each food group. This was my favorite part because it's seriously EVERYTHING I already had in my fridge and cabinets! It was SO easy to plan!

Here is what my first FULL day of this week consisted of:


Breakfast: 6:35 am

I ALWAYS start my morning off with some delicious Vanilla Shakeology! My fiance drinks it too, that's why there's two glasses. My breakfast called for 1 Secondary Veggie (the actual Shakeology powder), 1 Lean Protein (my protein filled Greek yogurt) and 1 Primary Veggie (I threw a handful of spinach and kale in there!). It was delicious and EASY!

Mid-Morning Snack: 9:30 am

Ok, so this actually called for 1 Lean Protein and 1 Fresh Fruit, but I was weird and actually craving my fresh acorn squash. So what would have been 1 scoop whey protein powder for my lean protein, ended up being 1 Primary Veggie, and 1 cup of pineapple for my fruit!

Lunch: 12:00 pm

So not to toot my own horn, but I made some pesto basil chicken today and it was BOMB!!! ;) So lunch was 1 Lean Protein and 1 Primary Veggie- my chicken cutlets and some yummy broccoli!

Afternoon Snack: 3:30 pm

1 Fresh Fruit, 1 Primary Veggie, 1 Healthy Fat: 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp. peanut butter, 1 cup of lightly salted cucumber. Delish.

Dinner: 6:30 pm

This may have ended up being slightly more than it was supposed to be, but it was a TOUGH workout this morning (PiYo Strength Intervals for 30 mins), so I'm thinking I can let it slide ;)

1 Lean Protein, 1 Healthy Fat, 1 Secondary Veggie or Grain, 1 Primary Veggie: serving of lean ground turkey, serving of lettuce, my whole wheat wrap, and the cheddar cheese on top for the healthy fat. My extras were the plain greek yogurt (I use as the "sour cream") and guacamole to the side. 

Needless to say, I am going to sleep satisfied and more in love with this program than EVER! The workouts are incredible and can honestly be done at any point in the day. I used to have to only workout right when I got up in the morning, but these workouts are just so easy to fit in anytime. You will sweat, and it will burn, but they are do-able and I manage to do them in about 5 feet of space on my upstairs carpeted floor. You only need your body and possibly a yoga mat if you have no carpet or need extra support for all of the planks and down dogs. ;)

If you are interested in getting those program, contact me TODAY!
E-mail me or Join one of my PiYo Fitness Challenge Groups!

Trust me, you don't want to miss out on this opportunity for the temporary SALE that it is on! (Shakeology lovers... how does this program for $10 sound?!)


I look forward to hearing from you!