Grilled Pork Chop with Peach Jalapeño Salsa

This recipe is quick, easy AND flavorful!! Not to mention, this salsa can be used on other dishes such as tacos, fish or chicken, or even alone as a dip.


Total Time: 30 min.
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 10 min.
Yield: 4 servings, 1 pork chop each

Ingredients:
2 medium ripe peaches, peeled, chopped
¼ medium red onion, chopped
1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeds and veins removed, chopped
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
½ tsp. hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 (4-oz.) center-cut pork chops, lean, boneless
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation:
1. Combine peaches, onion, jalapeño, red pepper flakes, lime juice, hot pepper sauce, and cilantro; mix well. Set aside.
2. Preheat grill or broiler on high.
3. Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
4. Grill or broil chops for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness.
5. Top pork chops evenly with salsa; serve immediately.

Drop a comment and let me know what you think!

~M

Slow-Cooker Chicken & Carrot Farro Risotto

You know how you can tell a meal will be good just by the way to smells up a room?

That's this dish.

My mouth was watering from the point the aromas entered my nose until (and possibly after) that first bite!

I used carrots as my vegetable, though I think it would be equally as delish with mushrooms, new potatoes, turnips... 

Here's the recipe:

Slow-Cooker Chicken & Carrot Farro Risotto

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

* 2 1/4 cups low-sodium, organic chicken broth
* 1 cup whole farro
* 4 whole carrots, sliced 
* 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and sliced
* 1 bay leaf
* pinch ground nutmeg
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast (or 2 large)

Directions:

* Combine the broth, farro, carrots, leeks, bay leaf, nutmeg, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with the chicken.

* Cover and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 4 to 4 ½ hours or on high for 3 to 3 ½ hours (this will shorten total recipe time).

* Discard the bay leaf. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into large pieces.

* Sprinkle the risotto with the parsley and serve with grated Parmesan if desired.

Enjoy!

(For the 21 Day Fix plan: 1 red, 2 green, 1 yellow)

~M

One Pan Baked Fish and Veggies

This is a super easy dish to make and doesn't require a ton of prep. It's also healthy and works well with any type of vegetable!

Ingredients (what I used):

- extra virgin olive oil

- two sweet potatos, cubed

- 1/2 lb fingerling potatoes

- one leek, sliced 

- sea salt and pepper to taste

- minced garlic

- onion powder

- mustard powder

- 1-2 lb snapper fillet

Preheat oven to 425°. 

Toss leek (or chopped onions) and potatoes with olive oil and garlic in a large baking dish; season with salt and pepper, then add ¼ cup water. Roast, tossing once, until potatoes are fork-tender, 20–25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, season both sides of snapper fillet with garlic, mustard and onion powder, salt and pepper. 

Remove onions and potatoes from oven and turn on the broiler. Place fish on top of vegetables and broil until fish is cooked through and starting to brown on top, 8–10 minutes.

Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy!

(On the 21 Day Fix meal plan, this equals one red, one yellow and one teaspoon.)

Vegetable & Egg Frittata

This frittata is a healthy option for breakfast, lunch or dinner! It's gluten free and perfect for meal prep since it keeps in the fridge for up to four days and reheats well.

Ingredients:

12 eggs

1/4 cup coconut or almond milk

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil 

2 medium zucchini 

1 red bell pepper

2 leeks or 1 small onion

6 oz spinach, chopped

Directions:

Mix eggs, garlic, salt and milk in bowl; set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in oven safe, non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Add zucchini, pepper and onion; sauté until tender. Add spinach and cook until wilted. 

Pour egg mixture into skillet; stir frequently with rubber spatula until egg mixture has set on bottom and almost set on top.

Place skillet in oven until lightly browned and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Serves 6.

(21 Day Fix containers: 1 red, 1 green)

~M

Six Easy Steps to Start Eating Clean

The idea of eating clean can seem overwhelming, time consuming and complicated. But it doesn't have to be!  I always recommend starting small, so i wanted to share six simple steps to help you transition into clean eating.

1. Use simple ingredients. Stick to the basics with vegetables, protein and whole grains. Cook what you know! Use natural herbs and spices to add flavor and avoid processed or artificial foods, sauces and seasonings. 
2. Start small.  Find one or two healthy recipes you would like to try for the week. This will allow you to experiment with a new way of cooking and get the hang of it without being overwhelmed. 
3. Plan for leftovers. Cook a couple extra servings of your meals to have on hand later in the week. It will make your lunch or dinner choices so much easier and quicker! 
4. Plan out your day. Ideally you should eat 5-6 small meals in the day to keep your metabolism revved up. If you are used to eating 3 meals a day, just divide the food up that you normally eat and spread it across five or six smaller meals. This way you increase your meals, but not your calorie intake.
5. Make small changes. You don't need to throw all the "bad" foods out and go on a shopping spree for clean foods. Instead, switch out at least one ingredient for a healthier option as they run out. For example, when you use up all of your white pasta or rice, buy 100% whole grain to replace it. 
6. Keep healthy options available. You will make better choices if better choices are available to you! Try to keep some healthy snacks around (at home, in the car, at work) such as protein bars, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc. 

I hope you found this helpful! I would love to hear your ideas and tips on clean eating in the comments below!

Please feel free to reach out if you would like more personal support or advice.

~M

Love Yourself (and Ab Workout) Challenge

Practicing self-love is the most powerful thing we can do to improve our lives.

You've heard the quote, "Before you can love anyone, you have to love yourself."  But perhaps we have become desensitized to this idea and the true power in loving ourselves, just as we are.

I want to challenge you to love yourself. 

Every day for 10 days we are going to look ourselves in the mirror without judgement, without criticism, without comparison, without regret.  Every day we are going to complete a simple task of self-love... and mean it.

And for a little extra fun, we will be giving you a daily ab workout to help spark your energy and investment in yourself and your physical health!

Are you ready to focus on yourself, inside and out, for ten days? If so, join our group HERE on Facebook!

"Loving yourself does not make you vain or self-absorbed, it makes you indestructible."

~M

Five Principles to Clean Eating

Clean eating is not a diet. It is simply eating foods in their most natural state.


The principles of clean eating are based on nutritional science and recommendations made by public health organizations.  Clean eating is about making choices for optimum long-term health for your body.  It's a lifestyle with built-in flexibility!


Here are my top five principles to eating clean:

1. Choose whole, natural foods. You want to eliminate or minimize processed food from your diet. This includes anything in a box, bag, can or package. There are exceptions to this rule (such as fresh bagged or frozen veggies or fruit), but most of what you eat should be fresh.
2. Choose unrefined over refined foods. Think beyond "refined white flour". Almond flour, brown rice flour, coconut flour and oat flour are all excellent ways to reduce the simple carbs of any recipes and still create delicious baked goods. Look at using clean sugars such as honey, natural maple syrup and dehydrated sugar cane juice.
3. Steer clear of excess fat, salt and sugar. Processed foods are responsible for most of our excess calories, high levels of fat, sugar and salt intake. Clean foods are usually naturally low in these ingredients and do not contain added sugar or sweeteners.. Avoid anything with "added sugar"!
4. Don't drink your calories. High calorie drinks like sodas and specialty coffees can tack on an added 400-500 calories a day! I won't even go into all the artificial, toxic ingredients in sodas... Choose water first, or even unsweetened teas. Coffee is fine, as long as you don't use all the heavy creams and refined sugars.
5. Balance your diet. Balance and moderation are key components to clean eating. You don't have to avoid carbs or dietary fats entirely; You do want to enjoy your meals! Try to adjust your portion sizes to fit your goals and ideally aim for protein, carbs and fat at every meal. I like to try and eat 5 small meals a day to keep my blood sugar levels steady, avoid skipping meals or overeating.  This also keeps my metabolism up!

In summary, approach clean eating as a lifestyle, not a diet. This could mean just tweaking what you're doing now, or turning over a whole new leaf!  You don't have to write off the bad foods you love forever... You still get to enjoy your food, especially if you want to be successful.  I allow myself at least one cheat meal a week (though sometimes I regret it), and I find this helps me stay on track.  Once you get the hang of clean eating, label reading and into a routine, you will be in control of your health, not your unhealthy habits.


For tips on meal prepping, check out this previous post.


~M