Recipe: Hummus in less than 5 minutes - Roasted Red Pepper with a little Spice!

I am very lucky that my hubby, Greg, is the chef in our house! I do my fair share of cooking now that I stay home with Ethan, but Greg has a love for cooking that I just don't.  I am all about quick, easy, and healthy. I cook to feed my family, not because I enjoy the art of cooking :) So, while I am not surprised that I never tried to make my own hummus, I am surprised that my hubby never had either!  It is SOOOOO easy to make and takes less than 5 minutes!

This is a Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipe that Greg came up with and it is YUMMY!!!  The Harissa gives it some spice, so just adjust that to your liking. If you just want a plain, original hummus, you can skip the ingredients from "roasted red pepper" and down.

Why did we ever buy hummus from the store??

Recipe: Black Bean Burger with Veggies

OK, I'm not going to lie. My expectations were pretty low for this Black Bean Burger recipe. I mean a burger...and black beans....it just didn't seem to go together. If I'm going to have a burger..I want a burger made of meat, but I decided to give this one a try and OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was SOOOOOO good! What I plan to do next time is at least double this recipe, so that I can keep patties on hand in the freezer for a quick dinner.

Black Bean Burgers

• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 3 tables chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 large egg yolk (the original recipe calls for 1 egg, but we only did the yolk since our son is allergic to whites)
• 2 teaspoons of Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional toppings

• Whole wheat hamburger bun (my hubby had one, but I skipped it)
• Cheddar cheese
• Avocado, thinly sliced
• Tomato
• Sautéed squash, zucchini, and onions  (We had some on hand from a Moroccan lettuce wrap recipe we made over the weekend, which I still need to post! It was the perfect topping! 

Directions:

Dry the beans well after rinsing. Put the beans in a medium bowl and mash hem until thick and pasty.

In a food processor, combine the bell pepper, scallions, cilantro, and garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add the oats, egg, chili powder, hot sauce, cumin, and salt and pulse a few times. Fold it into the black beans. Form the mixture into 4 patties and put them on a baking sheet with wax paper. Freeze for at least 2 hours before cooking. 

To cook, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray the skillet with oil and cook the frozen burgers until browned, about 7 minutes per side. 

You can serve the burger on a bun, bib lettuce, or cooked sliced eggplant! We had a side of asparagus with it and it was all delicious!!

Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste Cookbook

21 Day Fix Serving

1 Burger = 1 Yellow and 1/4 Green. I really don't even count the egg yolk as a red container since it would be so small! Remember, black beans are considered a yellow container - not a red - on 21 Day Fix! 

21 Day Fix and CiZE Hybrid Schedule!

There are things that I love about 21 Day Fix AND CiZE, so I found myself wanting to do a hybrid schedule instead of just one on its own! This gives me the dance cardio workouts mixed in with the 21 Day Fix workouts to tone my body and have some FUN! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Quick Meal Prep Tip - Shredded Chicken!

Want to know one of my FAVORITE quick and easy meal prep tips? Make Crock pot Shredded Chicken! It is SUPER easy and awesome to have on hand throughout the week. For lunches, I usually throw together a spinach salad with veggies (cut up on Sunday). I love having shredded chicken to throw on top for my protein. You can use the chicken with almost any meal...sandwiches/wraps, quesadillas, on top of rice or pasta with veggies, etc. 

Here is what you do....be prepared to have your mind blown once you see how easy this is! You'll wonder why you haven't been doing it all these years. 

1. Put 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a crockpot.

2. Add 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth

3. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours

4. Remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred

DONE!!! Something about having a color salad makes me happy :)  

Meal Plan for the week!

I get a lot of questions about meal planning and what I typically eat every day, so I am sharing my meal plan for this week! Since joining Beachbody and starting 21 Day Fix, I have continued to follow the 21 Day Fix eating guide regardless of the exercise program that I'm using. The goal is to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day, so every 2-3 hours.  

My first two meals of the day and afternoon snack pretty much always stay the same. Why? Because it's quick, easy, and simple. If I don't stick with something like this, then I am more likely to snack on those yummy, but unhealthy carbs (crackers, etc.) and by the end of the day I'm pooped! So, I find that sticking with a plan like this every day sets me up for success!  When my eating is on point, I feel great and have so much more energy ALL day! 

In terms of servings per food group for day, this is what I aim for:

Protein: 4
Veggies: 3
Fruits: 2
Carbs: 2
Healthy fats: 1
Seeds/Dressing: 1

Meal 1 (5:30am): 

• Chocolate Shakeology with ice, water, and almond milk... and sometimes 1/4 banana for a little something extra :)

Meal 2 (8:30am):

• 2 Eggs with fruit and 1/2 Ezekiel English Muffin 

Meal 3 (12:00pm):

• Spinach Salad with veggies (bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion) and  shredded chicken..... OR
• Tuna salad on Bib Lettuce

Meal 4 (2:30pm):

• Apple with almond butter
• Baby Carrots

Meal 5 (6:00pm): 

We will make one of these meals each night for dinner this week. I'll keep you posted on any modifications that we make to the recipes. 

1. Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff with side of veggies
2. Black Bean Burger (from Skinnytaste Cookbook) with side of veggies
3. Salmon and Bok Choy with Rice & Lentil medley
4. Pork Tenderloin and Brussel Sprouts with Rice & Lentil medley
5. Shrimp Sushi Bowls - we make our own, so I'll post this recipe later!

Free 5 Day Clean Eating Challenge!

FREE 5-DAY CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE GROUP starts MONDAY!!!!

Do you want to learn about clean eating and how to very easily incorporate it into your lifestyle? Small changes in your meals can give you GREAT results - not just in terms of weight loss, but with your energy throughout the day, and so much more! Join me for my first free 5-day CLEAN EATING Challenge group starting on Monday, August 24!!!

I'll provide you with:
* Sample Grocery List
* Recipe ideas
* Education
* Daily support and motivation
* Meal Planning tips
* FUN

Send me a Facebook friend request and message (https://www.facebook.com/holly.atkins63) today if you're interested in joining us!! I'll be sharing some preparation tips this weekend to set you up for success during the week! Each day we'll learn something new, share ideas, and have some FUN!!!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Yoga Saturday to Unwind!

Seems like Saturdays have become my Yoga days :) I've been a little stressed and anxious recently, and yoga really helps to wind down and reset. I started thinking about how amazing life is right now and appreciating the small things in life. Even just that for the past 4 months, I have been active at least 5 days a week! I have a hard time slowing down and truly realizing how BIG of a deal that is! 

Becoming a Beachbody Coach, I not only get to help people make positive changes in their lives, but by being a part of their journey, I am motivated to stay accountable to my own health and fitness goals. Without Coaching and my Challengers...I'd probably go back to my old ways. Why? Well it's easier....life is busy and I don't always want to work out. But, I think about the other coaches that I've met, I think about my Challengers, I think about WHY I started this journey to be healthier...for my FAMILY. To feel stronger and to set a positive example for Ethan. I am in this for the LONG haul, because I want to be a strong mother for him - physically, mentally, and emotionally!!

What do you want to start doing today to be a better, stronger you tomorrow?