Recipe Wednesday: Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Breasts

It's Recipe Wednesday!! Every Wednesday we share a healthy recipe! Someone from one of our Challenge Groups shared this recipe with us! It looks so good! We are making it tonight!

Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Breasts


What you need:

4 boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 plain low fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup freshly grated low fat parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Directions:

Mix Greek yogurt, cheese and seasonings.
Coat the chicken in the mixture and put it in a pan lightly sprayed with olive oil.
Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes!

We can't wait to try it tonight! Let us know what you think!
 
Join our CLEAN SLATE CHALLENGE!
Clean your slate and get rid of your bad eating habits once and for all!


WHEN:  June 4 (We have groups starting every two weeks!)

FOR:  Anyone who'd like to join! This is an online support group. 95% of the people in our groups are in different states, and do not live near us.

COMMITMENT:  30 Days
COST:  Free!

SHAKEOLOGY:  Use Shakeology every day for 30 days!

WORKOUT:  Workout 4-7 times a week!

R.S.V.P.- Email us at GolladayFit@gmail.com or comment on this blog post to join!

Recipe Wednesday: Raspberry Vinaigrette Salmon and Pasta!

It's Recipe Wednesday! Every Wednesday we post a new healthy recipe! This one is so good! We made it last night! Yum!

Disclaimer:  I tested this recipe with two kids. Our 2 1/2 year old tried it, but wasn't a huge fan. We gave it to our 18 month old niece, and she LOVED it! She even ate the zucchini! The most important thing to do with kids is to continually introduce healthy foods to them. It's hard, especially when they're picky, but keep offering them healthy choices. It will pay off!

Raspberry Vinaigrette Salmon (from Better Homes & Gardens Low Calorie Magazine) and Barilla Whole Grain Penne with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes (from the back of the Barilla pasta box)

Raspberry Vinaigrette Salmon

Ingredients

8-10 oz fresh or frozen skinless, boneless salmon fillet or other fish fillet

2 Teaspoons of Raspberry Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Raspberry vinegar

Olive Oil

Honey mustard

Sugar

Garlic

Black pepper

Directions

1- Thaw fish if frozen. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Measure thickness of fish. Brush with 2 teaspoons of raspberry vinaigrette until ready to use. 

2- Preheat broiler. Place fish on the greased unheated rack of broiler pan; tuck under thin edges. Broil 4 inches from heat 4 to 6 min. per 1/2 inch thickness of fish or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, turning once if 1 inch thick.

Rapberry Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 raspberry vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey mustard, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 minced clove garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Barilla Whole Grain Penne with Zucchini & Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 box Barilla whole grain penne

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

4 small zucchini, cut into half moons

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

4 basil leaves, cut into strips

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes until slightly yellow in color. 

3. Add zucchini and saute for 4-5 minutes until lightly brown in color. Then add tomatoes and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and toss with sauce.

5. Stir in basil and cheese then serve.

Visit www.BarillaUS.com for more Barilla recipes.

Recipe Wednesday: Strawberry-Ricotta Breakfast Wrap

It's Recipe Wednesday! I love sharing these recipes! It's so fun!

This one was taken from Beachbody's Meal Planner (Offered with the Team Beachbody Club Membership).

I love their meal planner. It lays out all your meals for the week, gives you a grocery list, and keeps you in your calorie range. It's awesome!

Strawberry-Ricotta Breakfast Wrap


Ingredients

1/4 cup sliced strawberries, fresh
2 low carb whole wheat tortilla, 6"
2/3 cup ricotta cheese, fat free
2 1/2 Tablespoons walnuts, chopped
8 fluid oz. of milk


Preparation

Arrange the sliced strawberries equally down the center of each tortilla
Spoon ricotta over the strawberries
Roll tortillas up, place seam-side down on a microwave safe plate, and cover loosely with plastic wrap
Microwave on high for about 1 minute, or until ricotta cheese is heated through. Sprinkle with walnuts.
Serve immediately with a glass of milk

These are really good!

Interested in getting the Beachbody Meal Planner? Use this link to sign up! 

Only $2.99 a week!

Click on this link to sign up:  Beachbody Club Membership

OR

Upgrade your customer account to a Club membership if you are already on the website!

Recipe Wednesday: Healthier French Toast!

It's Recipe Wednesday! I love trying these recipes and sharing them! It's fun trying new recipes! This French Toast recipe is from Beachbody's Meal Planner on their Teambeachbody website. I love their meal planner! It plans out your meals for the week, gives you a grocery list and tells you how many calories you need to reach your goals. It's awesome! It makes life easier to have it all planned out for you!

Healthier French Toast

Ingredients:

1/3 cup liquid-egg substitute (we used egg whites)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

3 pieces bread, whole wheat (we used multi grain bread in this picture)

1/4 cup of berries

2 teaspoons of powdered sugar

Preparation:

Mix egg substitute and cinnamon in a bowl; soak bread until liquid is absorbed.

Heat nonstick skillet lightly coated with cooking spray over medium high heat.

Place egg-soaked bread into hot skillet; cook both sides until lightly browned. 

Top with berries and powdered sugar.

Interested in getting the Beachbody Meal Planner? Use this link to sign up! 

Only $2.99 a week!

Click on this link to sign up
OR upgrade your customer account to a Club membership if you are already on the website!

Beachbody Club Membership

Recipe Wednesday: Slow-Cooker Lasagna (New Sauce Recipe!)

I've shared this recipe before, but I love it so much, I thought I'd share it again with another option for the sauce! It was taken from the Sparkpeople Cookbook (only $17.22 on Amazon right now for the hardcover!)

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

For Sauce:
1 pound ground beef, 96% lean
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried thyme
One 24-ounce jar low-sodium marinara sauce
One 3/4 pound eggplant, unpeeled, diced (2 cups)

For lasagna:
15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded Italian five-cheese blend
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg white)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
6 no-boil lasagna noodles

1. (Skip this step if you are using sauce recipe below.)
In a skillet over moderate heat, brown the ground beef and drain any excess fat. Stir in red pepper flakes, thyme, tomato sauce, eggplant, and 1 1/4 cup water.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, shredded cheese blend, egg substitute, and parsley.

3. Coat the inside of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place enough meat sauce in the slow cooker to cover the bottom. Top with 2 or 3 lasagna noodles (break them up as needed) to cover the meat sauce. Repeat layer.

4. Top the second layer with all of the cheese mixture and finish with a top layer of the remaining meat sauce.

5. Cover and set the slow cooker on low. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

**Tip- I make my sauce ahead of time with the recipe below in bulk and put it in the freezer. Then, when I'm ready I just defrost it and put it together. Takes me a max of 10 minutes to make this and put it in the crock pot!

Nutrition info. for Sparkpeople recipe:
per serving: 271 calories, 10.2 g total fat, 56.6 mg cholesterol, 283.8 mg sodium 18 g total carbs, 1.6 g dietary fiber, 24.8 g protein

OR

Another option for the sauce!

**We love this sauce! It makes A LOT! You can freeze it and use it for lots of different meals! It makes life easier to have the sauce all ready, and it's soo good!

Original recipe from the Fabulous Freezer Meals cookbook. (Only $12.21 on Amazon right now!) I modified the recipe a little.  

Yield 13 C. Lasts 4 months in the freezer

In a large stock pot mix:
2 onions, diced 
(I use Shelf Reliance freeze dried onions. They are awesome because you don't have to chop onions!!)
2 t garlic, minced
1 C crumbled bacon (Use turkey or chicken bacon)
2 lbs browned Italian sausage
(you could leave this out and buy double meat below to make it healthier, but if you decide to use it, buy Jimmy Dean brand in a tube. It's less expensive and you don't have to deal w/ a casing)
2 lbs. browned ground turkey or 96% LEAN ground beef (Use 4 lbs. if you leave the sausage out)

Drain the meat mixture and then add:

1 (106 oz.) can tomato sauce from Costco or 4 jars (28 oz) commercial spaghetti sauce
1 (106 oz) can of diced tomatoes or 2 (28) oz cans of Italian diced tomatoes
4 (2.4 oz) cans sliced black olives (optional)
3 T Italian Seasoning (or use oregano, garlic salt)
2 T dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste

** You can use this sauce for lasagnas, manicotti, ravioli, and can be frozen for spaghetti or pizzas. When defrosting it is OK and quite normal to pour off extra liquid.

Enjoy!

Recipe Wednesday: Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce & Toasted Garlic Potatoes

It's Recipe Wednesday!

You're going to love this one! It was taken from Beachbody's Meal Planner. It is so good! We had it for dinner last week, and we loved it! We added a strawberry spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette too.

Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes or less
Total Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients
1 3/4 pounds chicken breast, boneless/skinless, raw
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons spread, buttery, low-fat
1 1/3 cups chicken broth, fat-free, low-sodium
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

Preparation
Cut chicken breast into 1-inch pieces; season with pepper. Set aside.
Melt spread in a medium skillet. Brown chicken on both sides, about 5 minutes, adding up to 2 tablespoons of broth, if necessary, to prevent sticking.
Add mushrooms, remaining broth, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Add chopped onions and sour cream to the chicken mixture. Cook a few minutes more until hot.
Serve each person a 7 oz. piece of chicken with equally divided sauce.
Tossed Vegetable Salad

Toasted Garlic Potatoes

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30-45 min. minutes

Serves : 4

Ingredients
6 potatoes, raw
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup onions, chopped

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Cut potato into uniformly sized chunks. Place in bowl and toss with olive oil, garlic, pepper and onion. Place on baking sheet in single layer.
Bake potatoes for approximately 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are golden and tender.
Serve each person equally divided roast potatoes with their dinner.

PRODUCT REVIEW: BEACHBODY'S MEAL PLANNER

Post by Shannon

Every Thursday we review a Beachbody product or workout. Today's review is Beachbody's Meal Planner!

I LOVE this meal planner!! It is so easy to use! All you do it make your goals (slim down, lose weight, get toned, etc.), it will tell you how many calories you need each day, and then it creates a customized meal plan to help you reach your goals! 

It's awesome! It gives you five meals a day for three weeks at a time. It even gives you a grocery list! It makes it so easy to eat healthy. The meals aren't hard either. This is good because I'm NOT a pro chef! They have ingredients I've actually HEARD of, and they don't take me long to make. They taste amazing too. I feel like I'm at a restaurant when I'm eating them! This is perfect for us! 

Here are a couple of my favorite meals from this week (I took these pictures):

Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce, Garlic Toasted Potatoes and Spinach Strawberry Salad

Sweet Pepper Pork Chops with leftover potatoes and Blueberry Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette 

Two thumbs up for the Beachbody Meal Planner! It's AWESOME!!

If you'd like to get this meal planner, all you need to do is upgrade your free Beachbody Membership to the Club Membership ($2.99 a week, which is $38.95 a quarter). You also SAVE 10% on ALL Beachbody products with this membership! AWESOME! :)

Here is a link to create your Club Membership if you don't have a Beachbody account:

https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/club?referringRepId=127339

QUESTIONS? 
Email us at GolladayFit@gmail.com

Recipe Wednesday: Grilled Teriyaki Apricot Chicken

We went to my parents' house on Sunday, and they made some yummy teriyaki chicken!! I had to share the recipe! We LOVED it!! My mom made some modifications to the recipe she found. So this is pretty much her recipe. :)

Grilled Teriyaki Apricot Chicken

2 whole chicken breasts boned, skinned, split

Marinade:

4 Tablespoons reduced- sodium soy sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

4 Tablespoons pineapple juice

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

Worcestershire sauce

Basting Sauce:

1/2 c. apricot preserves

1/4 c. white vinegar

1 Tablespoon pineapple juice

Worcestershire sauce

1.  Mix marinade ingredients together in glass bowl. Add chicken breasts and marinade overnight.

2. In small saucepan, bring basting sauce ingredients to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

3.  Preheat broiler or grill. Coat broiler pan with non-stick oil spray. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade.

4.  Broil or grill 4 inches from heat, basting at least 3 times on each side. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until cooked through. Serve immediately.

Serve with steamed green beans, fresh strawberries with light cool whip and brown rice (we mixed brown and white rice). 

Enjoy!

Recipe Wednesday: Pineapple Teriyaki Pork Chops

PINEAPPLE TERIYAKI PORK CHOPS
Taken from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook (It's only $8.78 on Amazon right now!!)

These pork chops are SOO good! 

We could have been a little healthier and ate brown rice with them, but this time we had white rice. Remember, we're working on getting in shape and being healthy. We're not nutrition experts... yet! :)

We also ate this dish with a spinach raspberry salad with a lite raspberry vinaigrette on top. It was tasty! Our 2 1/2 year old like the pork chops and pineapple. She is hard to please, so we were happy! She has tried spinach, but won't usually eat it. We keep giving it to her and eating it in front of her. So she might like it someday. :) I wasn't a fan of spinach when I was little either. She loved the raspberries though!

The key with healthy eating and feeding your family is to keep trying. It won't happen over night. Make small changes to help your family gradually eat healthier. It will happen over time if you keep trying. 

What you'll need:

Olive oil in a sprayer (not store-bought spray that contains propellant)

4 (4-ounce) trimmed boneless pork loin chops (3 1/2 to 4 1/2-ounce chops are OK), about 3/4" thick

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

8 teaspoons honey teriyaki marinade and sauce - Ken's Steak House Marinade and Sauce is good!

4 slices canned pineapple slices in juice, drained

What to do:

Preheat the broiler. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray the foil with oil. 

Lightly mist both sides of the chops with olive oil and season with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place the chops, not touching, on the prepared baking sheet and broil about 3" from the heat for about 2 minutes (be sure to leave the oven door open a crack when broiling). Turn the chops and brush or spread 2 teaspoons of the teriyaki marinade evenly over the top of each. Top with pineapple slices. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the pineapple and glaze brown lightly and the pork is barely pink inside. Serve immediately. 

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving:  199 calories / 26 g protein / 13 g carbohydrates / 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 75 mg cholesterol / trace of fiber / 234 mg sodium

Recipe Wednesday: Baked Ziti

It is important not to feel deprived while you are losing weight. If you love pasta, find a healthier recipe! Find an eating plan that you can stick with forever. If you don't find something you can do long-term, you'll gain the weight back. 

This is for all of you pasta lovers! 

BAKED ZITI- Taken from the Biggest Loser Cookbook

What you'll need:

-Olive oil spray

- 1 (14 1/2 oz) box fiber enriched ziti or penne rigate (Ronzoni Smart Taste is a good one)

- 1 (15 oz) container fat-free ricotta cheese

- 2 large egg whites

- 8 oz. (4 cups) finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

- salt to taste

- ground pepper to taste

- crushed red pepper flakes to taste

- Main Event Marinara Sauce or 3 1/2 cups of a low-fat, low-sodium marinara sauce

- 2 Tbsp. grated reduced-fat parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat over to 450 F Lightly mist a 13" x 9" x 2" ceramic or glass baking dish with the olive oil spray.

Cook the ziti according to package directions until al dente. drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish. Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce. Top the pasta evenly with another 1 cup sauce. Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle mozzarella and the parmesan over the top.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces or spoon among 8 bowls and serve.

Per serving: 350 calories, 22 g protein, 57 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 429 mg sodium.

NEED MOTIVATION? "LIKE" US ON FACEBOOK! 

Facebook.com/GolladayFit

Recipe Wednesday: Tex Mex Salad

This salad is so good! We made it last night for dinner, and we loved it! I didn't get my own picture of it this time, but this one shows you how good it looks! It's so easy to make too. Enjoy!

Tex Mex Salad from the Dr. Oz Show

This salad is loaded with healthy fats and proteins that can help you lose weight. And the decadent sour cream topping is a nice source for diary. Substituting dairy for other heavier foods in your diet can help you lose weight in your upper body – but don’t overdo it. Make sure to keep a reasonable daily calorie amount.

Ingredients

Makes 1 serving

3 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup corn (frozen/defrosted or canned)

1/2 cup black beans

1/4 cup red onions, sliced into half moons

1/4 avocado, cut cross wise into thin slices

1/2 cup salsa

1 tbsp low-fat sour cream 

Directions

Combine and mix all ingredients except the sour cream in a bowl, then top it off with the sour cream.

Recipe Wednesday: Szechuan Beef & Broccoli

This is one of my favorite healthy recipes!! It's so good and so easy to make!

It was taken from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. It's only $11.31 on AMAZON right now!

Szechuan Beef & Broccoli - pg. 153

This stir-fry cooks quickly, so be sure to have all of your ingredients prepped before you start. Watch the meat - if you overcook it or the pan isn't hot enough when you put it in, the beef could be tough.

You'll Need:

1 (1-pound) top round steak, sliced against the grain into scant 1/4"- thick strips
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil spray
1 (14-ounce) bag frozen broccoli (about 5 cups)
1 Tablespoon of freshly minced garlic
2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup bottled Szechuan stir-fry sauce

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the steak, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and toss until well combined.

Place a large nonstick skillet or nonstick wok over high heat. When hot, mist with the olive oil spray. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook, stirring, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the garlic softens and the broccoli is heated through and crisp-tender, being careful not to burn the garlic. Transfer to a large bowl and cover to keep warm.

Return the pan to high heat and add 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. When hot, add half of the steak in a single layer, and cook , stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on both sides, 1 to 2 min. Transfer the steak to the bowl with the veggies and re-cover. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil and steak. Return all the steak and veggies to the pan and remove from the heat. Add the sauce and mix well to coat. Divide among 4 bowls and serve with brown rice (I like to use half white and half brown).

Makes 4 servings. It's so good!

Per serving:  191 calories / 25 g protein / 10 carbohydrates / 6 g fat (2 g saturated), 50 mg cholesterol / 2 g fiber / 599 mg sodium

Recipe Wednesday: Turbo Fire Butternut Squash & Green Apple Soup

I have to be honest and say that we didn't love this recipe. If you like Butternut Squash soup, you may like it. It has a good texture and it smells great when you are cooking it. It is also easy to make. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Turbo Fire Butternut Squash & Green Apple Soup

Makes 4 servings

1 bag (about 4 cups) precut butternut squash pieces
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp. nutmeg
4 cubes chicken bouillon
4 cups water (or substitute 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock for water and bouillon)
Salt and pepper to taste

Place butternut squash, sliced apples, chicken stock, and spices into slow cooker. Cook on low heat for about 6 to 8 hours. Cool. Puree in a blender (for chunkier soup, use potato masher instead of blender.) Return soup to slow cooker to keep warm. Sever with garlic parmesan toast and small mixed green salad.

NUTRITION INFO. PER SERVING
Calories:  145 / Protein:  3 g / Carbs:  36 g / Total Fat:  1 g / Fiber:  8 g

A Day in the Life- Eating 5 to 6 Times a Day

Post by Shannon


Eating five to six times a day has helped me lose weight so much faster than just eating three times a day. When I first heard about this, I thought I'd be eating way too many calories. I also thought it would be too hard to do this with a family, but it wasn't as hard as I thought.

And, the more I did it, the better results I got.

 Here is an example of things I like to eat throughout my day.

Breakfast:  Chocolate Shakeology with a banana and frozen strawberries

Snack:  Plain yogurt with apple slices, honey and chopped walnuts

Lunch:  Peanut butter and honey sandwich on whole wheat bread, a spinach salad with tomato slices and balsamic vinaigrette

Snack:  5-10 almonds and a string cheese

Dinner:  (See photo above) Whole wheat pasta with veggies and parmesan cheese toasted on sour dough bread. Visit this page to see the recipe for Whole Wheat Penne Primavera 

I use lots of zip lock bags and tupperware to carry snacks with me when I'm out of my house. It just takes a little extra planning, but the results are worth it!

Questions? Feel free to leave comments here or on our Facebook page:  Facebook.com/GolladayFit

Recipe Wednesday on Tuesday! Berry Banana Frozen Treat

Happy Valentine's Day! 

We decided to post this recipe on Tuesday in time for Valentine's Day! It takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and a few hours to freeze. It is a tasty, healthy treat! Enjoy!

Berry Banana Frozen Treat
from Sparkpeople.com

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup frozen strawberries or mixed berries

1 banana

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor and freeze until ready to eat. We divided it into five little tupperware containers.

Number of servings:  4 or 5

Nutrition Info.

Calories 83.8 / Fat:  0.3g / Carbohydrate:  15.4g / Protein:  4.0g