Easy Turkey Meatballs over Brown Rice and Quinoa

I am a very simple person. I DON'T have cooking skills. Period. But I try my best to get creative, especially when following a clean eating lifestyle. Because, well, who wants to eat salads every day? Or having a grilled chicken breast with veggies every day? I do love those meals, but not every day! No thank you.

However, I will tell you that this recipe is super simple, and not THAT exciting. But it's delicious and a nice change of pace from the normal salad and grilled chicken. Even better, my kiddos LOVE it!

So what you need is:

*1 pound ground turkey, thawed
*2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
*garlic powder
*pepper
*1-2 packages of Seeds of Change Brown Rice and Quinoa
*shredded cheese (optional)
*vegetable of choice (I usually use broccoli or asparagus.)

Yep that's it!

Then what I do is heat up 1 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat while I am preparing the meatballs.

I tend to take the ground turkey out of the package and sprinkle it with garlic powder and pepper (to preference), and cut it up into even squares on a cutting board. I used to just rip off chunks from the bulk of the package, but I ended up getting different sized meatballs that cooked for different lengths, which annoyed me so I started doing it this way.

Once the pound of ground turkey is cut into even squares, I will roll each square into it's own meatball! Super simple and totally not rocket science. Then I place about half of the meatballs into the skillet and sear on each side for a couple minutes because ground turkey likes to fall apart easily. I finish cooking and rotating to cook evenly until done. I don't time it just because I watch it, but if I were to guess, they take about a total of 8-10 minutes to cook.

Once that batch is done, I will usually put another table spoon of oil into the pan just so that it is moist again in the pan and doesn't have too much remnants of the previous batch. Let that heat for a minute or so and then add the rest of the meatballs and repeat the same process.

Once those are almost done, I prepare the Seeds of Change packages. This is the easiest step, because all you have to do is microwave each package for 90 seconds and BAM-done! Remember how I've said that you want to have as little ingredients as possible in order to ensure that you are actually eating clean? Literally the ONLY ingredients in this easy to make package is brown rice, quinoa, and garlic. Super simple, convenient (really 90 seconds in the microwave!) and CLEAN FOOD! It's a beautiful thing well all of that comes together!

Now I get to serve onto the plates and eat!

Each serving is about 6-7 meatballs served on top of 1/2 cup of the quinoa/brown rice mixture, and 1/8 cup of shredded cheese sprinkled on top. Serve 1 cup of vegetable on the side.

21 Day Fix approved? Oh yes!
1 red, 1 yellow, 1/2 blue, 1 green, 1 tsp (roughly)

Let me know how you like it! It's one of my FAVS!!

Italian Scramble

When I am not drinking Shakeology, this is one of my FAVORITE breakfasts! My daughter also really loves tomatoes, so we eat this very often!

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites (1/2 cup)
2 tbsp grated parmesean cheese
Non stick cooking spray
5 fresh basil leave, chopped
1/2 medium tomato, diced/chopped



Directions:
Combine Egg whites, eggs, and cheese in a bowl.
Heat skillet, lightly coated with spray, over medium-low heat.
Add egg mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally.
Top with basil and tomatoes.
DEVOUR!

You will love it!

Want to jazz it up a bit? Add 1/4 avocado--delish!

Doing Focus T25? This is a "P Breakfast"!
Are you following the 21 Day Fix? This is 2 red, 1/2 green, 1/2 blue!

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Some Beachbody News! Get in the know NOW!

News and info about the Club membership as well as info about the 21 Day Fix Extreme program, which is being launched on February 2nd, 2015.

Club Membership Link and sign up for me as YOUR coach:
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The 21 Day Fix Misconception

The first time I heard about the 21 Day Fix and some color-coded containers showing me how much I was allowed to eat, I was upset. I thought if I ate healthy, that I didn't need to measure out the amounts. In hindsight, I realize that OF COURSE the amount matters, but I had no idea. I came from a life of processed foods and no concept of what eating clean and healthy truly was (other than vegetables, I've always liked vegetables).

While I waited for my package to arrive, I looked up reviews online. They were super mixed and I read the bad ones, because I was nervous that I made the wrong decision! People said that they gained weight even though they followed the meal plan to a "T". Now I'm like.... Great. Now what did I get myself into. I kept it to myself and decided I was still going to give it a shot because I just needed to do something and I was looking forward to the workouts.

THEN I get my package in the mail and I look at these little containers and am SO nervous about starving, like was I REALLY supposed to eat my days worth of food out of these TINY containers? I decided to give it a week and then say I'm totally done. I'll just do the workouts.

Boy was I WRONG!!!!! First of all, you get multiple of each colored container each day (the number depending on where you are currently at with your weight, and should be recalculated after each round) and they each stood for something different (fruits, vegetables, grains, fats, oils, protein). 

Meal prep was actually a lot of fun and I didn't have to think a lot about it with the way I decided to do it (Blog post for another day) but I just portioned out according to the containers and didn't have to actually measure anything. 

On the first day I couldn't believe how much food I was supposed to eat. Not only were my meals a decent size, but I was allotted 2-3 snacks EVERY day! I had to actually tell myself that it was time to eat. With the water intake you are supposed to have (half your body weight in ounces), I was also staying fuller longer. With drinking the Shakeology, I was actually full for about 3-4 hours and it stabilized my energy so I didn't have my usual late morning crash.

As the weeks went on, it got easier for me to do the meal plan and I actually was eating all the food and still getting results. I was ecstatic. The Fix has literally been a lifestyle and I can't imagine not following that meal plan EVER, I've even tried. It just works for me and is so practical.

At the end of 30 days, I had lost 10 pounds and I never measured inches (BIG mistake). 

I am in love with the 21 Day Fix and I have found that it teaches everyone something new and we can all improve somewhere.

Checking off colored containers on a list is much more fun than checking of the vegetable list anyway.

If you found this helpful, I would love to see you comment below or share it on your social media.

Any questions I didn't answer or hesitations that I didn't cover? Comment below and I will respond to you!

Ready to take the plunge and try it out in my next accountability group? Fill out this application: https://kristijeska.wufoo.com/forms/za111ow0a59o0z/

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Christmas for YOU!

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Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

I am IN LOVE with pasta. IT is easily one of my biggest downfalls to eating healthy, but every once in a while, we just gotta do it, right? Here's how I made this yummy dish cleaner! I had two servings of pasta under my chicken because I hadn't had any carbs yet today and thought I had the extra room, but boy did I fill up QUICKLY!

BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN PASTA
1 package chicken breast, thawed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 8oz can tomato sauce
About an oz of basil/italian seasoning
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Whole grain pasta noodles of choice (I like angel hair)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Mix diced tomatoes, seasoning, and cheese together in bowl (not pictured)
2. Flaten chicken breasts into 1/2 inch thick and then top with mixture from step one. Picture #1
3. Place tomato sauce and garlic in bottom of large skillet. Picture #2
4. Add chicken with topping to pan and bring the sauces to a boil. Picture #3
5. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Picture #4
6. Cook whole grain pasta noodles to preference.
7. Place about a half cup of drained noodles on plate or in a bowl.
8. Place chicken and toppings on top of noodles. Drizzle some extra sauce around the pasta for added moisture and flavor. Then INDULGE and ENJOY! Picture #5

21 Day Fix Containers:
About 1/2-1 green depending on sauce/tomato on your serving
1 1/2 red
1/2 blue (1 blue is you like a lot of cheese and added extra)
1 yellow (Mine above is 2 yellow)
Seasonings and garlic are FREE!

Customize-able Banana Pancakes

Just because you live a healthy lifestyle, does not mean you can't enjoy the staples of breakfasts! Here is one that I am superrrr excited about!

Customize-able Banana Pancakes

Pictured with dark chocolate chips

Ingredients

Makes 6 pancakes
21 Day Fix containers (for 3 pancakes):  1/4 yellow, ½ red, 1 purple

·         2 eggs

·         1 banana

·        3/4 cup oats

·         ½  cup unsweetened applesauce

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1.      Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth (about 30 seconds)

2.      Pour onto a lightly greased griddle or griddle pan (I use a very small amount of real, unsalted butter)

3.      Cook until lightly brown on both sides

4.      Drizzle with 1 tsp of 100% pure maple syrup (optional, they taste great plain as well!)

>>Bonus<<
Add your some fruit (blueberries, strawberries, peaches, etc) or dark chocolate chips to the batter when the pancakes are on the griddle for an extra "sweet" start to your morning! Just don't forget to add it to your containers!

Recipe Credit: honeybeehomemaker.blogspot.com