Buffalo Chicken Dip

I am craving HOT SPICY foods like mad during this pregnancy I tell ya! 

I really wanted something to eat with my veggies this past week but also wanted spice. As I was scrolling through pinterest for inspiration I saw a few posts for Buffalo Chicken Dip! Most used cream cheese and was loaded with other stuff and then I remembered that a friend had a recipe. Of course I couldn't remember where I put it so I decided to do what I do best and make up my own! 

It was FREAKING amazing... Maybe all food just seems super amazing to me at this point in my prego life.. but really I would love if you tried it and tell me what you think too! 


Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

3/4 C Plain Greek Yogurt 0 or 2% is ideal (1 Red)
3/4 C Chopped Cooked Chicken (1 Red)
1tsp-1tbsp Hot Sauce ( I use sriracha and totally up to you for the level of heat you want!)
1 1/2 tsp Ranch seasoning ( I use epicure)
1/4 C grated cheddar cheese ( divided) (1 Blue)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients including 1/8 cup of cheese in a bowl and place in a baker. I like to use this mini baker from epicure! ( no I do not sell it. I am just a HUGE fan of their products so why not share it with the world !) 

Bake at 350F for 15mins, remove and top with remainder of the cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly ( you can broil as well if you choose) 

Best served warm with snap peas, celery or carrots OR tortilla chips, warm pita bread, crackers OR just eat it by itself it is that freaking good! 

To measure for the portion fix I count 1 serving using the Red container, the count would be 1 red, .25 blue and be sure to count whatever you have it with! 
Keep in fridge for up to 4 days. 

No Bake Monster Cookie Energy Bites

My two year old has been wanting to help me in the kitchen SO much lately. 
We went LIVE on my facebook page and he helped me whip up these delicious protein balls that he LOVES as a snack mid morning or afternoon.
To view us making these live you can check out his first debut here:>>> Monster Bites- FB Video       
Just click on the link and go to videos or scroll down the page.

If you don't want to watch the video here is the recipe below for you! 

No Bake Monster Cookie Energy Bites

1/2 Cup Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (regular is fine if that is what you prefer)
1/3 Cup Honey
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/3 Cup Ground Flaxseed
1T Chia Seeds
2T Wheat Bran
1/4 C Mini M&m's or Mini Chocolate Chips --- (Optional)

Directions

Combined all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix together. Refrigerate for 15-20mins (or else it is hard to roll them into balls) then when they are chilled roll them into balls.
To keep: place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge or freezer!

Stuffed Peppers

After I made the Enchiladas I had some leftover filling components that needed to be used up so I decided to make Enchilada Stuffed Peppers and they were ALSO a hit in our house with my toddler and my husband! 

Many people think "clean eating" is hard, takes too much time, and that no one else will eat it. I know, I felt the EXACT same way when I started. I was making two different meals every. single. day and let's be real that will make anyone give up. When I learned my portion control and all the DELICIOUS FOODS that were apart of it I soon realized I didn't have to make two separate meals. I could simply cook accordingly and be sure I portioned my stuff out. 
We tend to over complicate things so that is why I am sharing some delicious, fast and FAMILY-FRIENDLY "clean eating, healthy and portion fix approved" meals for you!


Enchilada Stuffed Peppers:

Ingredients:
4-6 Bell Peppers (1 colour or more, up to you!)
1-lb Ground Turkey (chicken or extra lean beef works too)
1 Med Onion diced
2 Cups Cooked Brown Rice
1 Can Diced Tomatoes (1 cup)
3/4C Drained Black Beans
1/2 Cup Enchilada Sauce(jar or homemade from Enchilada recipe)
1/2 Cup Corn (optional)
1/4 Canned Green Chillies (Optional)
4 Thin Slices of Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

Brown Ground Meat in a skillet then add onion.
Cook until translucent about 5 mins and add the rest of the
ingredients other than the cheese. 

Cook about 15 mins until flavours are incorporated ( you can add extra spices if you wish)
Core the Peppers and take out the insides or cut in half 
Fill each pepper and pack in the filling and top with a slice of Mozzarella cheese 
Place in a baking dish and bake at 350degrees for 35 mins


*Option for leftovers use in a salad for lunch the next day it is DELICIOUS!! 

Enchiladas

These are DANG delicious and would you believe when I tell you 21 day fix approved!?

Well you BETTER believe it man!

I am not a huge Mexican food fan but this pregnancy has me craving it all!

I'm crazy for spicy food too right now but the heart burn is killing me haha

Here is my recipe for this delicious dish!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded ( use 4 packed red containers to Measure for portion fix) 
15oz drained and rinsed black beans 
4oz can of green chilies drained 
8oz drained diced tomatoes 
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt ( use 1 red container for portion fix) 
1tsp chilli powder , garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin 
1 jar Enchilada sauce or use homemade recipe below
10 small corn or whole wheat flour tortillas or 8 large
1/2 Cup Shredded cheese (enough for 5 blue containers)

Enchilada sauce Ingredients:

2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp flour 
3 Tbsp Chili powder
1/2tsp garlic powder, onion powder and cumin 
2 Cups chicken broth

Directions for Enchiladas:

Mix chicken, beans, chilies, tomatoes yogurt and spices in a large bowl. Fill tortillas, fold ends in and roll up, place in a large baking dish seam down and repeat.

Pour sauce over top enough so that all tortillas are covered. Spread cheese evenly on top . Cook uncovered for 30 mins!

Directions for Enchilada Sauce: 
In small saucepan add oil

And flour mix together over medium heat, 

Add spices and mix together. 

Slowly add in chicken broth whisking continuously to make sure all lumps are removed.
Simmer for 15+mins

Store unused sauce in fridge for up to 4 days!

If you are interested in the 21 day fix program or portion control comment below or send me a message and we can get you hooked up! (Or simply follow the links provided) 

Love The Skin You're In and BE PROUD!

Welcome to my story! 

I have struggled with weight my entire life it feels like. I always wanted to look a certain way, feel a certain way, act a certain way and never really knew how to be comfortable with myself until much later on in life. 

As women, there is already so much pressure society puts on us. Commercials, magazines, etc. It is hard to love yourself for who you are when all that other stuff is getting thrown in our faces constantly and we tend to just automatically compare ourselves to others. 

In the picture above it I started it in the Left hand top corner. That was my Grade 12 Grad. Quick backstory, Grade 9-12 I was pretty consistent with my weight. I became extremely sick in grade 8 causing me to lose almost 100 pounds. Can you believe it I was a super chunky kid from about grade 5 on? Well it's true! 

Moving down the left hand side and around was my journey to where I am now. I started getting chunky again in the third picture as I just finished a year of college and all it was pretty much was partying, KD and Ichiban. Then the bottom left hand corner was about 8 months after I had a life changing experience that caused me to lose a lot of weight the unhealthy way.. (ask me about that if you are interested)
The bottom and up the right hand side was my married life, 1st pregnancy, and to where I am now. 

It took another life changing experience for me to realize that I am enough just being me! 

November 29, 2014, I had my son Westin Edward via emergancy C-Section. I did not enjoy pregnancy and my labour and delivery was awful. Nothing went the way I was hoping ( as it never really does right?) but throughout the day I kept talking myself into a better mood by becoming OK with the situations. Then time came for the c-section, the one thing I absolutely did not want. I quickly talked myself into it again knowing I would be awake and my husband would be there. 

Well that wasn't the case either. I ended up feeling the first cut and had to be put under immediately resulting in not being about to see my son for hours after and not feeling connected with him as well as not being able to breastfeed. 

I think all these factors didn't help that I ended up with PPD for 5 months after having my son.

I gained way more weight than I did during pregnancy, I was unmotivated, uncomfortable and unhappy. I knew something just had to change as my marriage and ultimately my life was suffering. 

I reached out to my coach friend who suggested 21 Day Fix Challenge Pack. It was 30min workouts, portion control containers and Shakeology to help with nutrition part of things. She knew I needed the full deal. I was extremely skeptical and
a super negative person but my plan was to try it and just say the shakeo didn't work for me so I could get my money back... Little did I know within 2 weeks of drinking the shakeology daily and forcing myself to workout my PPD started subsiding! 

I ended up joining as a coach and continuing on with PiYo, Body Beast, Hammer and Chisel, 22 Min Hard Corps, Country Heat, TurboFire, Insanity Max:30, 3 Day Refresh and Core De Force and lost 71lbs total before I found out I was pregnant again. 

Do not get my wrong I was CRAZY excited that we were finally pregnant again after trying for almost a year but immediately worried about my tummy as I finally just got back to where I wanted to be. I felt myself slipping back into the shitty mindset of worrying about what others thought of me. 

I soon realized what the heck does it matter? I am growing a little human and damn proud of that plus my body has been through so much already! I have war wounds, I have memories and I will ALWAYS be proud of my body. 

People who don't know my situation make comments and don't think I'm taking my own advice but honestly I am WAY healthier and more active than most of those making the comments, so ya...I am proud of the way I look. 

I'm happy to be rocking this baby belly!! ❤️

So to all you Mama's and Mama's to be... 

>>>BE DANG PROUD OF THAT BODY GIRL<<<

For me it all started with a challenge group to teach me how to start loving myself and to be held accountable .

If you would like more info on how to join an accountability group you can click here and I will be in touch with you shortly!

Whole Wheat Waffles

Every Sunday my husband takes over the kitchen and makes us breakfast! It is usually pancakes, waffles or crepes. 
I started to make my own recipes but once in awhile if I give him the recipe he will do it for me :) Talk about full support! I love this man! 

This past sunday I created these GREAT whole wheat waffles! I count a full waffle as 2 yellows as they are fairly large! 

Without further adieu here is the recipe! 

WHOLE WHEAT WAFFLES

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1Tbsp Sugar (Raw or coconut would work good too or maple syrup, honey)
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt (I use himalayan pink salt)
2 Eggs
2 Cup Unsweetened Almond milk(any milk you prefer)
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil (Melted)
1/2 tsp Vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all dry ingredients. Mix well to combine
2. Add wet ingredients and whisk until smooth and all bumps are out
3. Pour into hot waffle iron ( I always spray with a little oil just in case)
4. Follow directions and cooking time for your waffle iron
5.Serve with your fav toppings ( keep in mind Portion fixers to count you toppings as well)

1 Waffle= 2 Yellows plus whatever toppings you have. In the picture below I used 1 tbsp Maple Syrup and 1/2 Banana (1 purple)

Paleo Honey Balsamic Pork Chops

I used to live under a rock. Not really but my husband does tell me that once a day at least HAHA! I used to think Pork Chops could only be made with BBQ sauce and grilled.. OK, I actually never ate Pork Chops much growing up...

Since being married I have been searching for new recipes to try but being me I end up using it as a reference and turning it into my own. I LOVE being creative with food. How about you?? 

Yesterday I made this Paleo recipe. It was a TOTAL HIT with my two year old and my husband. 

WOOOOOOT. 

The recipe came from www.paleoaholic.com

Paleo Honey Balsamic Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 Bone-In Pork Chops
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Onion ( Red or White)
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil 

Directions:

1.Rub pork chops with Red Pepper Flakes 
2.Preheat medium-heat skillet
3.Add Coconut Oil to skillet
4.Add pork chops and salt and pepper to taste 
5. In a bowl mix together balsamic vinegar, honey, onion, garlic set aside until chops are done
6.Cook for 5-7 mins on each side or until no longer pink
7.Once cooked take out of skillet and set aside
8.In the same pan add the vinegar mixture and scrap the bottom to get all the brown bits ( full of flavour!)
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 mins uncovered for 6-8min stirring once in awhile
10. Add chops back in and cook 5 mins per side basting with liquid
11. Remove and serve with whatever you choose! 

For the portion Fixers out there:
1 pork chop would be 1 Red and 1 or 2 tsp(coconut oil)
Sauce, as long as you only have a tablespoon, I wouldn't worry about much. 

I decided to serve mine with Brown Jasmine Rice and steamed veggies. So my whole meal was 1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Yellow and 2 tsp. 

I would love to here what you think of this recipe and if you make any changes please share with me!

Stay Awesome friends!