Baked Tilapia and Couscous

This is one of my FAVORITE dishes! Why? 

1. It's yummy and healthy.
2. The only thing you have to chop is a little red onion.
3. Just use what you have on hand. I change up the veggies almost every time based on what is in the fridge. The original recipe doesn't even call for veggies, so you can even skip them if you prefer ;)
3. EASY cleanup = You mix the ingredients in one bowl and use one baking dish for cooking.
4. Throw it in the oven and done! 

I originally got this recipe from Rachel Ray, but have made several modifications over the years :) 

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 tilapia fillets (3 is what usually fits well in my pyrex dish, but you can use 4)

• 10 ounces couscous

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds*
• 1/2 cup raisins*
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/4 red onion, sliced

• 1  14.5 oz can diced tomatoes 

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon zumac (you can omit this if you don't have it. We just LOVE sumac!)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus 1-2 tablespoons to separately coat baking dish)

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus 1 lemon, thinly sliced

* I sometimes skip these if I don't have them on hand. This recipe is really flexible!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the tilapia. 
2. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the tilapia fillets in a single layer in the dish, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cover the fish with the couscous mixture. Pour 2.5 cups water around the fish, cover with foil and bake until tender, about 30 minutes. 

ENJOY!

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Breakfast Egg Cups - 21 Day Fix Approved

Yesterday I made Egg Cups for the very first time! Why I waited this long when I have been making two eggs for breakfast every day for eight months...I have no idea! These things are so easy to make AND it means I can just grab and go in the mornings. Of course they are 21 Day Fix, CIZE, and Hammer & Chisel approved :) 

I saw a couple slight variations on how to make Egg Cups, so here is what I personally ended up doing. Keep in mind that you can use ANY vegetable combination that you want. These are just the ones I ended up using this time around, but I may switch it up each week. 
Ingredients:

• 12 Eggs

• 1 cup baby spinach, chopped

• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped

• 1/2 cup red onions, chopped

• Cheddar cheese

• Pinch of salt

• Pepper

• Garlic powder

Directions:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F

• Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil spray

• Whisk 12 eggs in a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and a little garlic powder.

• Evenly poor the mixture into the muffin cups. 

• Top each one with your desired veggies. This time I used spinach, mushrooms, and red onion, but you can use whatever you like and have on hand!

• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• I pulled them out at 10 minutes and topped each one with just a little cheddar cheese and put them back in for another 5 minutes. 

*The picture above was the first time I made the egg cups. I decided to sauté the vegetables first and then add them to the egg mixture before pouring into the muffin tin. They came out great, but I have since tried the method of just putting the veggies on top without sautéing. The came out equally as delicious! So, I'm going the easier route from now on :) 

Servings and Containers:
1 Serving = 2 Egg Cups and count as: 

• 1 Red

• 1/2 Green

• 1/4 Blue  - IF you add cheese..and honestly, I didn't even use 1/4 of a blue worth on it, but including it for you just in case.

FYI - Other Egg Cup recipes state that two Egg cups count as 1 Green container instead of 1/2, but I personally didn't see 1 cup worth in my egg cups :) If you are trying to watch your containers carefully, you can count this as 1 Green if you prefer. 

Let me know how you like them! 

Getting in those EARLY morning workouts!

WOW...it sure has been a while since I wrote a blog post :) A break from some things was much needed, but I have to admit, there was A LOT that I missed! I can't say that I'm back with some earth shattering post, but this is a question that I've been asked quite a bit since starting my Beachbody journey. 

How can I get myself to workout early in the morning?? 
"I'd love to start my day with a workout, and not have to worry about it throughout the day, but I can't seem to get myself going that early!"

When Ethan used to wake up around 6:30-7:00am, I'd wake up at 4:55am to start my 30 minute workout at 5:00am. Honestly, some days were a STRUGGLE! But here are some things that really helped me:

1. Sleep in your workout clothes. If I had to change clothes in the morning, my mind had enough time to think and talk me out of working out :)

2. Set up DVD the night before to the correct workout.

3. Put a bottle of water in the fridge. I actually prefer room temperature water, so I left a cup of water out overnight that I could take downstairs in the morning. Better yet, if you like room temperature water, just put it downstairs before you go to bed.

4. Plan for enough sleep. You probably know how much sleep your body needs to function the next day. For me, about 7 hours of sleep is OK. So, when I was waking up by 5am, I'd try to be asleep by 10pm.

5. When your alarm goes off, don't check your phone or start anything that will distract you. Just roll out of bed and and walk to your workout room before your brain really has a chance to process what you're doing :)

6. Join an accountability and support group and share your goals with them! Seriously, this is why I fell in love with Beachbody. Busy mamas with multiple kids, full-time jobs, commutes, etc. would post about their struggles for the day, but that they still fit in their 30 minute workout. It reminded me that I had NO EXCUSES, but in a supportive way. It also gave me a place to post "I WILL workout at 5am tomorrow" and I didn't want to let them down. 

OK, for those of you that have a REALLLLLYYYY hard time getting out of bed in the morning. Here are some extra ideas:

1. If you know that you are a snoozer, then set your alarm for 4:30, so that you'll actually get up at 4:55. This doesn't work for me, because my brain starts working (and then talking me out of my workout), but this works for some people.

2. Put your alarm on the other side of the room, so that it forces you to get up.

Lastly, just like with everything, what it really comes down to is how much you want it and making a decision. I KNOW, I KNOW. That is not what you want to hear, but it is true :) Personally, I'd rather workout in the morning. Although I don't love a 5am alarm clock, I am much better in the mornings. By the afternoon and evening I allow myself to make SOO many excuses and it takes a lot more effort to get it done. When Ethan started waking up at the butt crack of dawn and I couldn't get in a morning workout, it took me quite some time to mentally adjust to an afternoon workout. It's tougher for me, but ultimately (after months), I made a DECISION that I WOULD workout in the afternoon or evening no matter what! Why? Because I'm a much happier person when I do it :) 

But I will say this - if you are more of an afternoon or evening person, then go with it! Don't try to force yourself to workout in the morning unless it really doesn't fit in your schedule or you find you are too tired by the end of the day. Going with what works naturally for you always seems to be less stressful and you'll enjoy your workout more. That's important to making exercise a normal part of your lifestyle. 

If you got this far, thanks for reading and I hope that this helps!! Are there any other things that help you get up for a morning workout?? If so, please share!