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

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

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!

The most important and healthiest meal of the day!

Oh breakfast, how I love thee! I seriously go to bed EXCITED for my breakfast.  Breakfast is important because it helps to fuel our bodies for the day.  A healthy breakfast improves our mood, energy level and reduces the risk of being overweight(when we make sure to eat one daily).  

My breakfast of choice, like every single day is Shakeology, duh!  Since it is important to eat breakfast, I make sure to fuel my body in the best way I know can.  On the RARE and I mean super rare occurrence I miss my "Shakeo" for breakfast, I feel groggy (like total brain fog), tired and I eat a ton of crap throughout the day!  

So let’s count the ways it is truly the best meal of the day, other than the fact that it tastes like a milkshake….

Proteins & Amino Acids
Help build and repair muscles
Reduce hunger and food cravings
Help keep blood sugar steady
Promote healthy skin, hair, and nails
Support brain function to help promote alert thinking and well-being
Support your immune system to help you stay healthy and strong

Vitamins & Minerals
There are 13 vitamins that are considered essential for proper body function. Shakeology has all of them.
There are a total of 23 vitamins and minerals in Shakeology.
These vitamins and minerals are important micronutrients yourbody needs to carry out every chemical process needed for life.
Help your cells make energy
Build and repair muscles and strengthen bones
Support energy production

Antioxidents
Protect the body from free radicals
Prevent cellular damage
Promote cardiovascular health

Phytonutrients
Support strong immune function
Promote healthy aging
Help detoxify the body
Promote an ideal alkaline state

Adaptogen Herbs
Help promote strong immune system function
Help the body cope with environmental stress
Naturally help increases energy
Help promote ideal cognitive function
Promote calmness

Prebiotics
Probiotics need special nutrients—prebiotics—to grow and thrive
Yacon root has the highest concentration of prebiotics of any plant in the world Helps strengthen the immune system

Probiotics
These are the good, healthy bacteria that live in your intestines
Promote healthy digestion and normal colon function

Digestive Enzymes
Help you break down food so you can assimilate nutrients better

I am fairly certain it doesn't get much better than that and that your store bought shake doesn't contain all of these ingredients...plus did I mention, none of the ingredients are artificial?  Again, Shakeo for the win! 

Tis the season...

I apologize for the 10 day break in posting but you know how it goes....tis the season for being super BUSY! And when I say super busy, I mean forgetting to do a post on my new blog.  Haha. Oops. Fail! 

I really have been super preoccupied with my business and Christmas shopping though! My last challenge group just ended on Sunday so now it is time to prep for the next one on Jan 4th!

You are probably thinking, that is great but what is a challenge group? Well in case you didn't read the about me section, I am an online health and fitness coach.  April 2016 will mark my 1 year anniversary in the coaching biz.  Time flies when you are having fun and actually enjoy what you do!! Anyways, I digress.  So an online challenge group provides MANY different things but a few of them are:

  • Support
  • Encouragement to stay on track 
  • Peer motivation 
  • Accountability to help you meet your goals and see results 
  • Plus extra 1:1 support from me
  • They are in a private group via Facebook, no one sees our posts except the people within the group itself 

In my groups, I also like to provide my meal plan each week to help my challengers get ideas for their meals and I share recipes along other nutrition or fitness related tips.  And of course, prizes for participation are a must! I have to say, I have been super lucky in my 9 months of hosting challenge groups to have the best challengers! They are driven and keep each other on track, it is just so inspirational to be a part of such a great community or people who all are working towards their goals! 

For the challenge group, typically you would work with me to find a workout program that best fits your needs and then the flavor of Shakeology you will replace one meal a day with in order to maximize results.  Commitment and Shakeology are required to be in my groups! Why commitment?  Because I can only work with the willing.  If you don't want to do the work to get the results you are wishing for, I can't force you or do it for you. I wish I could...but my magic wand isn't that magical.  

And Shakeology is required for many reasons, here are a few:

  • It is high in protein 
  • It contains essential amino acids, phytonutrients, antioxidants, digestive enzymes & prebiotics as well as probiotics to help provide you with valuable nutrition your body needs
  • It is made with 100% whole foods
  • It does not contain soy or artificial flavors 
  • It will rock your socks off - no lie 

Plus, the best thing about my groups is if you buy the challenge pack (which is your fitness program + 1 month of Shakeology) and you aren't satisfied, you can get your money back! Crazy, right? So you basically have nothing to lose when you hop on the wagon!  Except the weight you have saying you wish would go away...I am just saying, don't pretend you haven't been complaining about it but haven't done anything to fix it! I haven't had one person who was committed not see results, including myself!

So what is a typical day like in a challenge group?  In the morning I like to get everyone fired up with a motivational quote! Then I will post a recipe, fitness or nutrition tip in the afternoon. And in the evening, everyone in the group will check in with how their day went as far as nutrition, exercise and water! A lot of the time I like to run my groups with a point based system, so whoever earns the most points will get a prize.  Some of the ways to earn points are to share quotes, sweaty selfies, recipes, etc.  It is so simple and yet it is the best way to stay accountable on your journey! 

The next group I am doing last 21 days and is filling up fast but if you want more info or are interested, contact me (about me --> contact me).  In the meantime, keep doing what you do and whatever that is, make it great. <3 

 

Here are some reviews from my December group:

"You know I love it & I'd be lost without it! I make no bones about it...my challenge groups are 95% of my success...the rest is just brute force and ignorance." - Nichole

"Ashley Molitor, thank you for encouraging me to join this group & stay with it.  I stuck with it for the first two weeks & started to fade out this last week.  This was extremely challenging given the time of year & all of the temptations surrounding us.  You all did an amazing job & have inspired me to be more mindful of my diet/exercise.  Even after fading during the last week, I'm down 8 pounds. This journey is definitely not over...." - Steve

"I love the support that you & the other challengers give.  Accountability is huge for me. I don't want to be the one to let anyone down, especially myself." - Lisa

"The support from the group has meant a lot to me. Some days I wanted to give up but everyone was always there to reassure me!" - Allison