Crockpot Ranch Chicken

I have SOOO much to fill you guys in on, it's unbelievable! Almost 2 full months into my second round of P90X3 (going FULL FORCE this time), new milestones my team has hit in our Beachbody business that we've never hit  before, my husband and I moving into our new home... it has been NUTS! I can't believe how long it has been since I updated on here. But, before I do go into everything in my next post, I wanted to at least share one of my new favorite recipes!

Warning: it contains some fatty fats. Well, a bit of them. Heh. But, hey, our bodies really NEED a pretty good amount each day, right?! Needless to say, it's not one of THE healthiest recipes I've put on here, but it's easy, fast, family friendly (man approved), and just downright delicious. Not too much of a cheat, so I think we are ok!

My friends, I give you...

Crockpot Ranch Parmesan Chicken

What You'll Need:
-1 pound of raw skinless, boneless chicken breasts
-1 jar of organic ranch dressing
-1 tub of fat free parmesan cheese
-1 box of whole wheat angel hair pasta

Preparation:
1. Clean off chicken breasts and cut up into smaller pieces.
2. Spray crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Lay raw chicken pieces in the bottom of the crockpot.
3. Pour about half the jar of ranch dressing over the chicken, making sure they are totally covered with sauce with extra around them. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over that.
4. Cook chicken on high heat for 2-3 hours, or until chicken is well done. Stir occasionally so as not to burn ranch dressing on the sides of the crockpot.
5. While chicken is cooking, cook angel hair pasta according to directions. Put chicken and ranch mix on top of pasta!

Y'all, this is just so dang good. The chicken soaks up every little flavorful bit of the ranch dressing (and all of its juiciness, too!) The chicken will just fall apart at your fingertips.

I enjoyed mine with a side of grilled zucchini!

I hope you enjoy as much as I do! Be back SOON with a full update!

With love,

Amanda James

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

21 Day Fix: Week 1 Review!

Today marks my 8th day of the 21 Day Fix, or my first week out of 3 DONE! The only thing that comes to mind to describe this week, is: "I wish people knew how GOOD their bodies are MEANT to feel."

I used to think constantly being tired, miserable, bloated, cranky, and sick were just part of life. I didn't realize that the cure to all of those symptoms were two simple things: diet and exercise. I can almost 100% promise you, swear on anything, that if you changed those two things in your life (well, adequate sleep and water intake is really important as well), that your life would DRASTICALLY change! That, my friends, is what 21 Day Fix has done for me.

In just this first week of no processed foods and sugars, no sodas or juices, no fast foods and desserts, and just 30 minutes of exercises each day (who doesn't have 30 minutes?!), I feel INCREDIBLE! I already feel like I've lost inches off of my waist just from bloating going down, really. It's crazy how crappy unhealthy foods make you feel and how quickly they begin to deteriorate our bodies. I'm more energized, happy, flexible, and confident. Losing inches and gaining LIFE back- what more could a gal ask for?

I wanted to give a quick review of the exercises for the program and some of the foods I have eaten by the meal plan and containers for 21 Day Fix. For more of a background of what the program entails, read here!

This has been my favorite "21 Day Fix style" shake! Recipe:
-1 red container= 1 scoop vanilla Shakeology
-1 orange container of flaxseed
-1 purple container=1/2 frozen banana
-1 tsp. all natural peanut butter
-blended with 8 oz. water

-1 yellow= sweet potato (seasoned with stevia and cinnamon)
-1 green= brussel sprouts (seasoned with 21 day fix's All Purpose Seasoning)

1 green container= cucumber
1 blue container= hummus

1 red container= chicken breasts seasoned with 21 day fix's All Purpose Seasoning
1 green container= squash seasoned the same 

1 yellow= whole wheat tortilla
1 red= 2 eggs
1 green= bell peppers
1 blue= shredded mozzarella cheese

1 yellow= 1 whole wheat tortilla
1 red= 3 deli turkey slices, 2 turkey bacon slices
1/2 blue= shredded cheese
1/2 blue= hummus
1 green= bell pepper

1 green= celery
1 tsp= PB
1 yellow= 8 whole wheat crackers
1 blue= shredded cheddar cheese

Shakeology Pancakes:
-1 serving whole wheat oatmeal
-1 scoop chocolate Shakeology
-2 eggs
-almond milk and stevia to texture and taste

*1 pancake= 1 yellow & 1 red 

1 yellow= whole wheat oatmeal
1 purple= fresh blueberries

As you can see, there are ENDLESS possibilities for how you want to plan the foods you eat with the containers given! Every day is something different, and you are never deprived of any of the food groups. No more "fat free," "carb free," or "sugar free." Just whole, nutritious foods cooked and eaten the way they were meant to.

My favorite part of the meal plan is that it is more than just guidelines to go by. It is TOTALLY done for you. It has all of the lists of foods to choose from, the containers to fill, and the worksheets to check off. And with a support group like I hold, you will NOT fail.

Now, the workouts... I look forward to EVERY day! They're all usually done in 4 rounds, 2 exercises each round, and each exercise at a minute long. It makes the workouts fly by, even the exercises you don't enjoy doing, because like Autumn explains, "you can do ANYTHING for a minute." :) I also love that each workout is only 30 minutes each. EVERYONE has 30 minutes!

Day 1: Total Body Cardio Fix
-When she says total body, she means total body! This bad boy is cardio with weights, which is hardest for me personally, but my gosh if I don't feel AMAZING afterwords! You're getting your heart rate up, working out multiple muscle groups at a time... burning a TON of calories and fat in a short amount of time!

Day 2: Upper Body Fix
-Just like it says, all weights for upper body! Biceps, triceps, chest, back, abs, I mean goodness, PINKY fingers! Lol it gets everything!

Day 3: Lower Body Fix
-Weight lifting for the booty, quads, calves.... every inch to give you beautifully sculpted legs!

Day 4: Pilates Fix
-If you ever thought Pilates would be a "break" day, you won't think so anymore after this! Although low impact and really enjoyable, this is a killer core workout, all focused on breathing patterns to make ripped abs.

Day 5: Cardio Fix
-From knee raises to burpees, I loved this nontraditional cardio workout! You'll be doing anything but getting bored. I'm not a fan of cardio whatsoever, but I really enjoyed this one.

Day 6: Dirty 30
-When she says dirty, she means dirty! This is an intense workout for the whole body. I was dripping sweat off of my ears and knees from this workout! LOVED it!

Day 7: Yoga Fix
-This isn't a hardcore yoga workout by any means. It is all about stretching, relaxing, and recovering your body from the past week! It stretched out all of my sore muscles and had me feeling ready for the week ahead.

I loved how different each workout was, and I'm excited to repeat them for the two weeks ahead! LET'S DO THIS!


To join me and my crew on our next 21 Day Fix round, get your program, and apply for our challenge group today! I can't wait to get you started!

With love,

UPDATE:

 Round 1 results! 5 lbs and 2 inches off of my hips and waist alone, GONE! Can't wait to see what the next round brings!

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