It pays to be prepared...take it from me!

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I don't know where you guys live but I am currently living in a sea of water and by sea of water, I mean the middle of Missouri. 

Yeah, so when it is rainy and cold, I avoid leaving my house which means I avoided getting in my boat and going to the grocery store all weekend. Mostly because 1) I don't have a boat 2) I was scared to melt in the rain and 3) I was just not feeling like getting my act together after the holidays. The struggle is real you guys.  Typically, my meal plan is done by Friday and I grocery shop by Sunday! That totally was not the case this past weekend. Oops. 

You know what happens when you aren't prepared?  You order Papa John's for lunch because you have NOTHING in the house to feed yourself or the kids. Those are the decisions you make when you are hangy and your fridge is empty! True story. I know from experience. 

So I got myself up off the couch, went shopping, got my food for the week and whipped up this amazing homemade caesar salad for dinner from the Team Beachbody blog. And let me tell you after you eat not so healthy, it just feels good to eat right! 

By the way, I am super excited for this weeks meal plan other than our date night for sushi, we are having caesar salad (yes, again, it was that good), "fried" rice, general tso's chicken, habanero chili & a couple of different pastas! I promise you, eating healthy doesn't have to be boring. I love knowing I can eat all of these foods and if I eat the right portion, thanks to my handy portion controlled containers, I will stay on track to reach my goals!  

I am sure I will share recipes so check back! In the meantime, here is the Caesar Salad & Dressing! I modified it just a bit and my recipe serves 2. 
 

Caesar Salad 

What you need: 
1 bag of precut romaine lettuce
6oz grilled chicken
4 tbsp dressing (posted below)
1/8 cup organic croutons
1/8 cup shaved parmesan

1. Cook your chicken until no longer pink or until the temp is 160 degress. I used a grill pan & just sprinkled them with a little salt and pepper. Once cooked, cut into strips. 
2. Evenly split up lettuce into two serving bowls. Place chicken on top.
3. Drizzle dressing over top (2 tbsp on each) & toss to blend. 
4. Top with croutons & cheese. 
 

Creamy Lemon Caesar Dressing

What you need:
8oz nonfat plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup real mayo
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 glove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. anchovy paste
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. dijon mustard
Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor until completely smooth/mixed.  This dressing recipe is about 8 servings but since we are having this salad again this week, I wasn't worried about having leftovers, I just threw it in a container & put in my fridge. 

For my Fix foodies this recipe counts as:
1/2 green, 1/2 red, 1 yellow, 1/2 blue or orange + 1/2 blue or orange & 1/2 tsp for dressing

Loaded Chicken Fajita Potato

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I am sitting here dreaming about my meals for the week and my grocery list magically putting itself together but since it isn't happening, I decided to casually avoid it by sharing a recipe! 

I love this southwest seasoning (listed below) and use it on EVERYTHING. Like seriously, everything.  So I really enjoy finding different uses for the meat that I make with the seasoning. 

This meal was a hit in my house...well, for me and my husband.  Kids = Pickiest eaters ever. 

Loaded Chicken Fajita Baked Potato

What you need:

2 Chicken Breasts
1 Green Bell Pepper Thinly Sliced
1/2 Red, Yellow & Orange Bell Pepper Thinly Sliced
1 Baked Potato (halved) 
Salsa (I prefer Trader Joe's Chunky or just Pace Chunky)
Reduced Fat Shredded Cheese
A little fresh guac (I make my own but those little packets of Wholly Guacamole work too)
Southwest Seasoning

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!

1.     Make southwest seasoning as noted above. Set aside.

2.     Thinly slice peppers (feel free to add whatever fajita veggies you like, onions, tomatoes, etc.).  Place them in a Ziploc with 1-2tsp of seasoning (to your taste) and shake to coat.  Set aside.

3.     Take chicken breast and rub with about 1 TBSP of southwest seasoning.  I like to cover the chicken on both sides.  Again, you can use more or less, up to you!

4.     Place the chicken on the grill and cook until no longer pink or at a temp of 160.  Once the chicken is complete, I like to let it rest on a plate covered with foil for 5 minutes before cutting into thin slices.

5.     While grilling the chicken, grill your veggies too.  If they finish before your meat, just place them on a plate covered with foil.

6.     Bake your potato in the microwave (don’t forget to poke holes in it with a fork) anywhere from 6-10 minutes depending on the size of it. You can test it with a fork after 6 minutes to see if it is done.  I cooked our potato while our chicken rested.  It worked out perfectly.

To Assemble:

Slice potato in 1/2
Place potato on plate & top with fixings! Super easy!