No Pasta Veggie and Ground Turkey Lasagna

Last week I tried making some recipe I saw online for a squash and zucchini bake that looked so good. So I made it and it looked amazing but then tasted... meuh. I still had left over zucchini and squash so I decided to make something similar but in a way that I knew I would like. I've been trying to cut white carbs (pasta, white breads, etc.) out of my diet so this is my take on a no pasta lasagna.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1 zucchini sliced
• 1 summer squash sliced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 red onion sliced/diced
• about 2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• about 2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I would probably add some ricotta to make it more like lasagna but I forgot to get it at the store)
• 1/3 Jar Marinara Sauce of choice (I use mushroom and onion)
• 2 Tablespoons bread crumbs (not necessary but I like a little extra crunch on top)
• Seasoning (garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil)

Directions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• Put a little bit (1 Tbsp) olive oil in a pan and heat to medium
• Add  ground turkey. Cook for about about three minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Break up the meat with a spatula or a wooden spoon while cooking.

• Add sliced veggies a seasonings. Continue to stir and cook for another 5 min until meat is cooked through (165 degrees) and veggies are a little soft. They will cook more in the oven so don't worry if they are not totally cooked yet.

• Spoon a little marinara sauce on bottom of pan
• Spread half of the turkey and veggie mixture in the pan Cover top of mix with marinara cause. Sprinkle half of your cheeses on top and then repeat with the rest of the veggie/turkey mix, sauce and cheeses.
• Sprinkle your bread crumbs on top

• Bake for 35 minutes
• Enjoy!

** My not very professional cooking tip is that when cooking a lot of veggies the casserole/bake can get a little watery. I pulled my dish out with 5 minutes remaining and just poured a little bit of the water into the sink and then put it back in the oven to finish baking. Be careful if you choose to do this because things may slide a bit.... It's not very classy but hey it made it taste better than if it had been really watery

Week 3 BodyRock 30 Day Challenge Update

Alright so I've been doing the 30 Day BodyRock Challenge and I'm still going strong. I have added a new tab/category that will make it easier to find anything specifically BodyRock related and I will post updates and some hints or tips I've found along the way.

I'm on Week 3 and that includes another fit test. Yesterday was Fit and Flow Test #2 So exactly two weeks from when I've started and I will say it went better. Although my numbers were not amazingly better I found feel that my form was better and it just felt good.

Fit Test:

• Squats:  23, 19, 20
• Pushups: 6 real 19 on knees, 5 real 18 on knees, 17 on knees
• Dips:  19, 19, 20 (soooo much better)
• Crunch: 21, 22, 20

Flow test went well and I am feeling more flexible although it's hard to measure.

So I have seen some improvement with the fit test which is exciting especially in my upper body. I have also been losing weight and seeing slight changes in my body in the mirror as well so I am stoked and that much more motivated to continue. I will post before and after photos at Day 30 and although it may not be a huge difference in a couple months it will be awesome! As another one of those famous Pinterest/Motivation quotes go....

Today's work out included a lot of equipment so just a reminder to always watch the tutorial video if they post one to see way to modify it for what equipment you have/your personal fitness level. I am going to post something (tomorrow hopefully) with pictures of all my make shift equipment so if anyone else needs ideas they will be here. I was also so unmotivated to work out today since it was a very long day of class and traffic but I just made myself do it. I love having the 30 Day challenge and need to find a way to hold myself this accountable and stay this motivated once it's over... maybe just do it again? Or just say 5 days a week I have to do the daily video? We shall see. If anyone is reading this... are you doing this too? ideas? hello?

Low Carb Fajita Lettuce Wraps

Last night I made fajitas but instead of using tortillas I used large iceberg lettuce leaves and they were awesome!

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• Red and green bell peppers
• Onion
• Olive oil
• Mexican spices (I use salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, and taco seasoning)
• Iceberg lettuce (or tortillas if you're making regular fajitas)
• Toppings: fat free sour cream, 2% shredded mexican blend cheese, tomatoes, avocado

Directions:

• Chop about 1/3 cup of each (or about half of each) of your red and green peppers and onion into bite size pieces/strips
• Rinse chicken breasts and cut into bite size pieces
• Coat the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil, about 1 tablespoon, and turn burner on to medium/medium-high
• Place chicken cubes in pan sauté the chicken for about 2-3 minutes on each side
• Once chicken is white on all sides add your peppers and onions
• Add seasoning. (Salt, pepper, tiny dash of cayenne, garlic powder, cumin, and a little bit of taco seasoning from one of those packets. Use what you like!)
• Sauté mixture for about an additional 10 minutes (make sure the internal temp reached 165 degrees), turning the fajita mixture often to cook evenly.

• Now build your fajitas...
• Place a scoops of your mixture into 2-3 layered lettuce leaves
• Add shredded cheese, 1/4 sliced small avocado, diced tomato, and a dollop of fat free sour cream
• Eat like a taco and enjoy!

I should have put my cheese on after the fajita mixture so it'd melt/be prettier but i forgot, but you get the idea. So good!!

Baked Salmon and Secret to No More "Fishy" Taste

So my dad has thought me the secret to making fish, mainly salmon because it is the best thing ever, not taste fishy. I have also included the recipe for the salmon I made for dinner two nights ago. Mmmmmm :)

The Secret:

• Fill bowl or deep dish with one part plain distilled vinegar and two parts salt water (about a small handful of salt... say about a Tablespoon for every couple cups of water)
• Rinse salmon in cold water and place in bowl or deep dish with vinegar and water
• Let sit for 45 min to an hour and then rinse, marinate, and cook how you choose

My Baked Asian Sesame Salmon:

• I followed the above directions with about 1 cup of vinegar and about 2 cups of water and a small handful of salt. Let sit for 45 min and then rinse.
• In new bowl I mixed about a half cup of soy sauce half of light asian sesame dressing and about a half cup of garlic balsamic marinade in a bowl (use any sauce/marinade you think taste good)
• Place salmon in bowl and make sure both sides are covered in marinade. If you have a large plastic bag this may work well too as you can turn it and coat it easier.
• Let fish marinade for 30-45 min.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Place salmon on baking sheet (if you have aluminum foil cover sheet with it because it makes clean up 100X easier b/c the marinade will stick) and pour about a 1/3 of your marinade on top.
• Bake for about 15-20 min flipping fish half way through and adding more marinade if you choose. (Don't add any more marinade after half way or at end since it had raw food in it)
• When it's done it should be a nice light pink color (in my picture it looks more white than pink but thats the camera)
• If it needs to go a little longer you can turn the heat down to about 350 and give it a couple more minutes.
• Enjoy!

I served with steamed/sautéed asparagus. If you want to make this coat pan with a little bit of olive oil and turn to medium. cut about 1/2 inch to inch off the bottom of the asparagus spears. Place in pan and toss to coat them with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cover with lid for about 7 min flipping/turning them a couple times. Then uncover and cook for another few minutes turning regularly. This helps them not get too soggy and be somewhere between steamed, sautéed, and grilled.  Sorry I don't time everything perfectly. I will try to start doing that more to give exact times. But cook them until they are to your liking. I'm a picker so I try everything as I cook until it's where I want it.

Motivation, Small Life Changes, and the 30 Day Challenge

So I am Week 2 Day 4 of the 30 Day Body Rock Challenge and I love it! I haven't done my work out yet today as I'm a bum and got up not too long ago and I'm still enjoying my coffee. The BodyRockers are amazing. First of all they have such hot bods I just watch it and think ok I can look like that! Also with the burn segments only being 12 min long in combination of having the timer beep at you it goes by so quickly. So my shout out to them is because I want to share with you (is anyone doing this with me?) what other changes the 30 Day Challenge is helping me make....

Food:

I have been eating really well lately and I feel I've found a balance of eating right and tasting good. My boyfriend has agreed that he wants to eat healthier so I've decided that as long as he wants to help me pay for produce (which I usually buy) and other ingredients I will make something tasty but healthy almost nightly. I will be posting some of the things I've made the last few nights in a little. So with that support and us not having two separate meals all time that makes it a lot easier. I have been doing really well with portion control also and because of that I am finding that I am getting full faster so it's becoming easier not to over eat. I am not cutting out refined carbs but I am limiting them.

Flossing:

So I went to the dentist the day before I began the BodyRock and although the exam went well I definitely need to floss more (who doesn't?!) but I've decided to add this into my daily routine.

Skin Care:

So I've always had problem skin. I've delt with acne as a teen, scars, oily skin, basically I hate my skin but I've decided that I need to do what I can to make it the best it can possibly be. If I have crappy skin and then I'm not consistent about taking care of it it's just going to be worse than it already is. I figured it's time to pay the big bucks... well not really but more than the $4 I was paying for face wash. I bought Loreal's Revitalift face moisturizer and although I don't really have wrinkles yet I have noticed a difference with skin texure, tone, brightness, etc. I am also making myself ALWAYS wash my face before bed. No more of this I'm so sleeeeeppppyyy screw it attitude.

Positive Affirmations:

The last thing I have decided to change in my life is my self talk. I have spent a lot of time wishing and hoping for different features, a flatter tummy, nice skin, a difference appearance. I have also spent a lot of time telling myself that I'm ugly and fat. Well I'm done with that. I have started to really take to heart some of those motivational quotes that you see on Pinterest, you all know I'm such a fan haha. Here is one my my favorites.

And it's true. I am in control of my body and it is one of the few things in my life that I have complete control over. I may not be able to change certain features like the width of my hip bones, of my nose, etc. But I can have a sexy body and I am in control of that. One of the most important things is believing in yourself and knowing you can do it. So I've started doing positive affirmation (I hope someone remembers those from SNL hehe) but seriously it's so much healthier than negative self talk. I tell myself, outloud, every day that I have a beautiful, sexy, and athletic body and I can do the things necessary to keep it that way. Although I am a work in progress currently, if I can tell myself this daily it will help encourage me to follow through with exercising and eating right. It also is true no matter that size I am for at least the beautiful part (sexy and athletic have yet to come but I believe), because if I believe I am beautiful and can exude positivity then that makes me a beautiful person.

So here is what I have done to remind myself of these things... I have written them on my mirror so I see them everyday. I can't just ignore them and they help keep me responsible.