Southwest Burgers

Southwest Burgers.  Don't worry, they are not spicy, they are just a perfectly seasoning burger, although adding some fresh jalapeños sounds amazing! 

This is a staple in our house, we probably eat them 3 weeks out of the month! I love them topped with homemade guac or even plain! 

When I made these, I double up! I love to individually wrap these bad boys and keep them in the freezer for my weekday lunches or quick dinners! Have you guys learned by now, I have to simplify meals?! 
 

What you need:
2 lb 93/7 or 94/6 Lean Ground Beef
2 tbsp Southwest Seasoning
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp mustard

1. Put all ingredients into a bowl except for the ground beef, stir them together.
2. Add ground beef, mix well by hand.
3. Make your patties (I make 7 4oz patties for Aaron and I, then 2 2oz, for the kids). I am a fan of measuring and using my burger press. You do not need these items though. 
4. Place burgers on grill or heated grill pan. Press thumb into middle of burger, this helps them cook evenly & not plump up, do not smash the burger with your spatula or you squeeze out the juices.  
5. I cook about 10 minutes, flipping 1/2 way through.  You can cook until your desired doneness. 
6. Throw on your favorite toppings and enjoy OR wrap them and freeze!

And if you have not learned by now, this seasoning is a must have in your kitchen at all time! You will see it on my blog often!

Southwest Seasoning:
2 TBSP chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregno
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt

Mix seasonings together and put in a container, there should be some left after you season the chicken! I use this seasoning for taco meat, chicken, anything really! 

For my Fix Family, this burger is 1 red! 

Turkey Chili

Alright guys, I attempted my first recipe video! I hope you liked it. There is some room for improvement for sure but I have to start somewhere, right?! 

Anyways, if you stumbled across this post, this is by far my most FAVORITE Chili recipe EVER. It is a modified version from a meal plan of a program I have done in the past and has become a staple in our house! 

This recipe makes 6 servings at 1 cup each however in the video, I made double, so 12 servings total at 1 cup each.  I prefer to double any recipe I can so that I can portion it out and put extras in the freezer for those busy weekdays or weeknights! Work smart, not hard! 

Turkey Chili

1 tsp. olive oil
1.5 lbs. raw 93% lean ground turkey
1/4 med onion, chopped (you can use one whole onion, we don't)
1 med green bell pepper, chopped
1 cloves garlic, finely chopped (you can use 3 cloves, again, we don't) 
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 Ttbsp chili powder
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste; optional)
2 (15oz) cans black beans (or pinto beans) drained & rinsed (I prefer to use one of each)
1 (15oz) can all natural diced tomatoes, no sugar added (do not drain)
12 fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, I prefer to use my dutch oven! 
• Add turkey, onion, bell peper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally for 5 to 8 min or until turkey is no longer pink (this time will be longer if you doubled the meat) 
• Add cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper; cook, stirring constantly for 1 min.
• Add beans and tomatoes (with liquid). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 min, or until thickened.
• Serve warm, sprinkled w/ cilantro.

For my Fix family: 1/2 green container, ½ red container & 1 yellow container  

Recipe Modified from 21 Day Fix Extreme Eating Plan

My New Addiction

I ate this snack 4 times this past week...no lie. 4 times.  And I could eat it 4 more times...right now.

It is SOOOO good! I am on a specific meal plan for my workout program that uses color coded portion controlled containers based on different types of food. Earlier this week I had some random containers left for the day which led me to this concoction. 

We shall call it "Hawaiian" Peanut Butter Oatmeal 

Recipe:

1 packet instant oatmeal (I use plain Quaker) cooked
1/2 tsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
1 small sliced banana
2 tsp natural peanut butter (almond butter would be good too) 

Put all the ingredients together, stir and enjoy! 

For my Fix family: 1 yellow, 1 purple, 1 orange, 2 tsp

Chop it likes it's HOT!

Ok, so I might be crazy, but really, I used my new Pampered Chef Salad Choppers today to chop my salad and it TASTED way more amazing than it usually does. Like ridiculously amazing. Of course that means I would have to share my recipe, but fair warning, it just may not taste as amazing without these salad choppers. Ha! Just kidding, it will be still be good, it is one of my favorites. Even before salad choppers came into my life! 

First step is to make turkey taco meat.  I make this in batches and store it in the freezer for quick weeknight meals or lunches. Really, in my eyes, if I can double something when I cook it and freeze it, you can bet your ass I am going to do it.  That saves me time later on and I like to save time! I work smart, not hard...sometimes. 

What you need (makes about 8 servings): 
2 lb 93/7 Ground Turkey
2 tbsp of Southwest Seasoning (see below) 
1/4-1/3 cup of diced tomatoes w/ peppers (rotel) 
3/4 cup water

Instructions: 
1. Cook the meat until no longer pink (be sure to chop it up or crumble). 
2. Drain, although w/ the lean I buy there is never much to drain
3. Add in water, rotel & seasoning, mix well.
4. Let it simmer until water is gone. Usually about 10 minutes. 

Southwest Seasoning
2 tbsp chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt
Mix all the seasonings together and put in a sealed container, it should make enough to have some left for other recipes! It is really great on anything, I use it in my burgers too! 

Oh wait...we are talking salad recipe here, right? Guess you need that too...I almost forgot! 

Here is how I assemble my salad! 
2 cups butter lettuce (the bag kind because I am lazy like that) 
3/4 cup turkey taco meat
1/3 cup avocado & cheese (half & half) 
1/4 cup salsa

Put ingredients together and ENJOY! 

For my Fix Family:
2 Greens, 1 Red, 1 Blue
If you use a fresh salsa (no extra junk in it), Autumn says a small amount isn't enough to count! 

A lifestyle change...not a diet.

So, it is January 5th, that means all the go getters are 5 days into their resolutions! Me? Nah, I am just over here continuing on my journey! No need for a fitness resolution when it is part of your daily lifestyle! And you know what? I WOULD NOT have said that to you that last year because that is when I made the resolution to make health and fitness a CONSTANT in my life, not just a "season" for like the 10th time. 

But this time, the crazy thing is that It worked. I said last year was the year I was going to take control of my health. No more yo-yo diets, no more shakes filled with ingredients I couldn't pronounce and I did it. Now let me backtrack a bit and say, I had already tried Shakeology for a couple of months and at one point decided I was going to go back to my "other" shakes. That lasted a whole week before I realized I couldn't stand the taste of everything artificial in them, not to mention they didn't make me feel good like Shakeology did so I quickly reordered my Shakeology and even signed up for a discount (which led me to coaching)! Anyways, I digress....

So it was last winter that I decided if I was serious, I was going to go all out and try 21 Day Fix, even though the thought of it scared the ever living shit out of me. I mean, I love pizza, chinese, chocolate and wine...and I liked eating as much as I wanted without limits! How would I survive?  

Well, I am still here, so it worked, right? 

That was the amazing thing about the 21 Day Fix, it didn't really limit me on what I could eat or drink for that matter (yes, wine included), it taught me how to eat a balanced diet in the proper portions to see results and even maintain when I was ready. Now I make amazing chinese food and pizza at home that I actually prefer over most restaurants or fast food unless it is a cheat day, then I splurge. 

So what is the 21 Day Fix? 

• It is 21-day program that comes with simple portion control and a meal plan guide. If the food fits in the color coded portion control containers, you can eat it. 
• 30-minute workouts that anyone can do (there is a modifier if you are new to fitness or find some moves challenging). 
•  It provides simple and fast weight loss—no weighing food or counting calories, carbs, or points.
• You could lose up to 15lb in 21 days! Amazing right? Now keep in mind, everyone is different, so results vary. 

Simple enough, right? Yes. I will tell you from experience though, week 1 is always the hardest but after that, it is smooth sailing! 

This has become my lifestyle. Actually not just mine, but my husband too. Even if we are not doing a strict round of 21 Day Fix, we still meal plan with our container brackets in mind.  It has become something I love to live by and it helps me stay on track.  I know that when I eat the right foods in the right portion, I feel better. I am not sluggish from crap food. I am not miserable from overeating.  It just becomes a feeling you crave.  Now don't get me wrong, we have our fair share of cheats, we are foodies! We love to eat! But we have realized that we don't NEED them as much as we treated ourselves in the past.  We have also realized that sometimes those foods we used to love just aren't as good anymore. And I am ok with that! 

Now I am not going to bash other products or programs because, to each their own, right? But I have tried many different things and none of them worked. None of them stayed with me like this has which is why I talk about it ALL the time! I love to pay it forward. 

Shakeology is the final piece of the puzzle. I have a whole page on Shakeology, so feel free to hop on over there to read more but I really believe in what it does for people and that it is truly a necessity, not only to help you reach your goals but it is great for you EVERY DAMN DAY!   

Since I started drinking it, it has reduce my cravings. For example, I used to drink soda DAILY. Now I haven't had one in over a year.  It gives me energy throughout my day and I sleep like a baby at night. Well, like a baby who actually sleeps and doesn't wake up. If I get a cold from the kiddos, the duration is MUCH shorter.  Not only does it provide you with the nutrients your body needs, it helps you lead a healthier life and a healthier life can lead to weight loss! 

I am a mom of two and it is a quick and convenient way to get complete nutrition in the morning when we are running around trying to get everyone ready and it gives me the energy I need to keep up with my toddler when she is home with me! 

Plus it is one less meal a day I have to worry about planning and cooking yet it provides me all of the nutrients I need and more! Also, if you don't like eating fruits and vegetables then this is a great way to get all the benefits without having to actually eat them.  Oh and did I tell you that it is proven to help lower cholesterol too! 

But I think the MAIN thing that is so important is it helps heal the gut. And ALL things start in the gut, so if the gut isn't in optimal shape then that can impact a lot of things, including the amount of nutrients you absorb, it can even impact your serotonin levels. Imagine if you are eating all these healthy foods but your body isn't even absorbing the nutrients because your gut is all out of whack...you would lack energy, maybe even be nutrient deficient and it would be a waste of all those good foods going into your body! 

A lot of benefits, right? It is like your multivitamin, probiotic and more combined into one drink that tastes like a milkshake...I am not kidding either. I look forward to bed at night because I know I get my milkshake the next morning! Who doesn't want to wake up and have a "treat" for breakfast! 

The pictures below are a few from my transformation. I have done both 21 Day Fix and most recently, 21 Day Fix Extreme (last set of pictures).  The extreme is more intense workouts and a stricter meal plan (no chocolate or wine).

Questions on 21 Day Fix and Shakeology? Head over to "Contact Me" under "About Me" and shoot me a message, I would love to chat and help you see if this is the program for you!