10 Day Cleanse

Did you sneak some of the kids' Easter Treats and now you are sluggish and tired? I know I am, which is why I am starting my 10 Day Cleanse! 

Why should you cleanse? Cleansing helps rid the body of toxins and waste and supports improved digestion! The best part of this cleanse is it is very gentle and you don't have to stop life to do it (and you get to eat tons of food!) 

If you are ready to hit your restart button send me a message and I will coach you through your cleanse! 

24 Day Challenge: Body Transformation

Throw out your scale right now! The numbers on the scale do not tell the complete story. The pictures you see are from my recent 24 Day Challenge. If you are unfamiliar with the 24 Day Challenge it is a comprehensive nutrition program that focuses on eating lean and clean and filling in the nutritional gaps with elite nutritional products. The same elite nutritional products taken by Drew Brees, Rich Froning, Jason Witten  and many other athletes at the top of their game! My favorite part of this program is that you get to eat so much food! I wrote up a few sample menus recently that highlighted some of the delicious and nutritious food I get to eat.

Blueberry and Chia Protein Pancakes

I am halfway through the 24 Day Challenge and I have lost 8 inches and 1% of my body fat!!! Eating lean and clean, working out 30 minutes a day and taking the same Elite Nutritional Products as Drew Brees, Jason Witten and Rich Froning is the perfect combination.

This morning I made some delicious and nutritious Blueberry and Chia Protein Pancakes. The pancakes are gluten free, contain no added sugar and pack in 30 grams of protein per serving!

24 Day Challenge: Clean Eating Sample Menu, Part 2

 

Day 8 of the 24 Day Challenge and I am feeling awesome!! Sometimes you don't even realize how tired you are when tired is your norm. It is like sitting outside on a beautiful spring evening reading your favorite book. As the sun begins to set, your eyes adjust and you continue reading in the dim light. It isn't until someone else joins you outside and says "how are you able to still read when it is almost dark out," that you realize how low the sun has set in the sky. For so many of us we have adjusted to the dim light. We go through the day on our hamster wheel not realizing that the light is no longer on. Well, my light is back on, I am seeing clearly, I have energy and focus! Thank goodness for the Challenge!

 

Now that you are ready to turn your light back on...Start your day with some fresh green juice. My favorite combination is Kale, Cucumber, Parsley and Pear. On the side (or as a snack later in the day) have a lean and clean PB and Banana snack.

 

Mid-morning enjoy a twist on the childhood favorite "Ants on a Log" You can make this kids classic into a sophisticated adult treat by making it with almond butter and dried cranberries (sweetened with fruit juice)

 

For lunch try Tuna with a Twist! In a food processor, blend a can of tuna with an avocado and 1 tbs of spicy brown mustard.

In the afternoon enjoy some yummy Summer Rolls. In order to make this 24 Day Challenge friendly switch out the rice wrappers for some yummy romaine lettuce leaves!

For dinner try Quinoa Taco Bowls. You can keep this challenge friendly by skipping the cheese and the greek yogurt. Check out Part 1 of my Clean Eating Sample Menu for more great ideas to keep it lean and clean!

Fish and Chips: A Clean Eating Recipe Twist

I am on day 6 of the 24 Day Challenge and I feel amazing. My energy has been restored, my sugar cravings are gone and my waistline is getting slimmer! I wanted to share a simple, healthy and delicious twist on the classic fish and chips. Pecan crusted tilapia with sweet potato chips and a side of spinach is under 400 calories and packs in 24 grams of protein!  This recipe is super simple, the best of the best when it comes to clean eating.

Ingredients:
3 tilapia filets
2 large sweet potatos
1.5 cups raw pecans
Italian seasoning blend (without salt)
2 cups of steamed spinach

Preheat the oven to 350. The sweet potato will need to cook about 40 min and the fish for 20 min.

Start by slicing your sweet potato. Place it in a gallon size plastic zipper bag, add in Italian seasoning to taste and shake. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray (this makes clean up soooo much easier). Place the sweet potato slices in a single layer on the cookie sheet. (Save the plastic bag to use with the fish.)

While the sweet potato is starting to cook in the oven you can prep the fish. Put the pecans in a food processor and pulse until they are the consistency of bread crumbs. Place the pecans and tilapia in the plastic bag and shake to evenly coat the fish. The fish will then go in a baking pan (I like to use foil and cooking spray here as well). If the fish has any spots not covered in pecan you can take what is left in the bag and press it on to the bald spots.

After the sweet potato has been cooking for 20 minutes you can add the fish to the oven for the remaining 20 minutes. Serve with a side of steamed spinach and you have a delicious and nutritious clean eating meal!

24 Day Challenge: A Clean Eating Sample Menu

I am on day 2 of the 24 Day Challenge. What is the 24 Day Challenge? It is 24 days of eating lean and clean and adding in some nutrition supplements for additional support. I have been coaching friends and family through the challenge for some time now and I love helping people see that living a healthy lifestyle can be easy with a few changes to what they eat.

No matter how many times I tell people that this is not a diet, it is a way to kick off a healthy lifestyle, I still get questions like "can I still eat?" or "do I need to stop eating carbs?" Of course you can eat and carbs are important for a well balanced meal, but choosing the right carbs and the right food are very important for fueling your body the right way.  This is where the 24 Day Challenge and the coaching that comes along with it is so helpful, it helps us re-set our thinking, realize eating is a good thing and learn what we should be eating.

Here are all of the yummy things I ate yesterday on day 1 of my challenge.

 

I started my day with steel cut oats cooked in coconut milk with apples and cinnamon, along with egg muffins made with egg, spinach and onion. I don't know about you but I do not have time in the morning to make this everyday, so I prepared the oatmeal and eggs in advance and then froze them in muffin tins so that I have the perfect balance of protein and carbohydrate ready to pop in the microwave to start my day off the right way. On the days when I don't even have time to pop something in the microwave I grab my blender bottle and my Meal Replacement Shake for optimal nutrition on the go!

 My mid morning snack consisted of some homemade pear/applesauce topped with pecans.

  

Lunchtime consisted of rainbow bell peppers with tuna (which I mixed in the food processor with spicy brown mustard) and cucumber with hummus. I spend a little bit of time on the weekend prepping and portioning out my food, this makes it easy every morning to grab what I need for the day.

  

My mid afternoon snack was pistachios and apple chips (to make these I sliced the apples, sprinkled them with cinnamon and put them in the dehydrator over night).

 

For dinner I enjoyed some delicious chicken chili which spent the day cooking in the crock pot so when I got home from work it was ready to go! Check out Part 2 for more menu ideas!

I would love to help you reach you wellness goals and coach you to a healthier you. Feel free to email me with questions! To avoid spammers I am going to spell out my email address for you. You can reach me at Michelle at Catalyst2Health dot com!

 

Fiesta Chicken in the Crock Pot

With time at a premium I find myself relying on my trusty crock pot. Throw in a few ingredients and when you get home from work, dinner is served. I love this super easy crock pot meal, it has a ton of flavor is high in protein and fiber and low in fat!

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1 cup salsa (choose a low sodium version)
1/4 cup cilantro
1 lime (juice)
1 can chopped tomatos
1 can black beans
1 can of corn (optional, leave out if on 24 Day Challenge)
1 tbs each of cumin, paprika, garlic powder

Layer all of the ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve over brown rice, in a lettuce wrap or a brown rice tortilla. You can also top it with sliced avacado, some shredded cheese and greek yogurt (as a sour cream substitute). (If you are on the 24 Day Challenge, skip the cheese and greek yogurt)

Enjoy!

The Skinny on Salad Dressing

You think you are making a healthy choice at lunch. You go to the store, you grab a salad, you pat yourself on the back and then you pour approximately 2 tbs of  what appears to be a healthy dressing (balsamic vinaigrette) on your salad. Did you know those 2 tbs = 170 calories, 18g fat??? 

Here is an easy way to enjoy the flavor of the dressing and save yourself some from some of the fat and calories. If you put a teaspoon of the dressing on the salad and close the lid and shake you can have the yummy flavor throughout the salad using only a fraction of the dressing.

1 tsp= 28 calories and 3g fat!

Summer Rolls

Looking for a light snack, a refreshing appetizer or a fun side dish? Try this quick and easy DIY Summer Roll recipe.

Ingredients:

Mango

Avacado

Jicama

Cilantro

Mint

Lime

Shrimp

Rice Paper

Dual Dinner Part 2: Chili

Chili:
Mommy's Meat Sauce
2 tbs Cumin
2 tbs paprika
2 tbs chili powder
2 cans kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn (optional)

Dual Dinner Part 1: Mommy's Meat Sauce

My goal is to have a  nutritious dinner on the table every night. With 2 children under 3 years old, a full time desk job, a Dog Treat Company, Personal Training Clients and sharing my favorite nutrition supplements my time is at a premium. In order to make sure I meet my goal I plan our dinners a month in advance. I also try to create recipes that can be used for more than one meal. I like to call them "Dual Dinners". This dual dinner starts off as a meat sauce and then the next night the left overs are transformed into chili (which I will give you the details on in a future post)!

Mommy's Meat Sauce:
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
32 oz tomato sauce
1 can chopped/diced tomato
2 bay leaves
2 tbs italian seasoning
1/2 cup chicken stock
1.25 lbs bison
1 tbs olive oil

Quinoa Taco Bowls with Fresh Guac

 

For Cinco de Mayo this year I wanted to make a clean version of tacos for dinner that are also 24 Day Challenge friendly. I created the Quinoa Taco Bowl! It was a big hit and next year when I am not pregnant I will be pairing it with Margarita Jello Shots!