Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This is the ONLY way I can eat a sweet potato.  wish I loved them because they are so good for you but I just don't. Unless I make it this way. So weird! Regardless this recipe just works for me and might work for you too incase you struggle with this too. 

Give it a try and let me know how you like it. 

Makes  4 servings

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 2-3 hours (on high) or 4-5 hours (on low)

TOTAL TIME: 2-3 hours (on high) or 4-5 hours (on low)

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
• 3/4 cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 4 sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 bottle of yogurt ranch dressing or yogurt blue cheese or just regular if you prefer.
• Cheddar cheese I used about 8 ounces

Directions 

1. Lightly coat a slow cooker with cooking spray (I used a 6-quart but believe a smaller size would be fine too). Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.

2. Place the hot sauce, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne in a bowl then stir until smooth. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker, then cook for 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.

3. About 30 minutes before the chicken is done, bake the sweet potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon the size of your sweet potato. Turn off the oven and leave the sweet potatoes inside to keep them warm.

4. Once the chicken is shredded and while the sweet potatoes bake, mix the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water together. Add it to the cooking liquid in the slow cooker, then whisk to combine. I added in about 4 ounces of cheese at this time. 

5. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken, stirring once halfway through. Once thick, return the chicken to the slow cooker and toss to coat. 

6. You may need to take some of the sweet potato out. I had to scoop about a spoonful and set it aside so that the chicken would fit inside of it. Then top with your dressing as well as cheese. I used green onions as a garnish but it wouldn’t be necessary.

Pork Carnitas

Last week I hosted a 5 day free crock pot boot camp with some of my clients. We cooked up lots of different recipes. Everything from desserts to drinks to dinners. This pork carnitas recipe was a winner by a landslide. They all loved it and so did my family so I wanted to share it with all of you. This one won't disappoint. 

Enjoy! 

Serves 4

Cook Time - 8 hours

Ingredients

• 3 lbs of Pork Loin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• Corn Tortillas
• Black or Pinto Beans in a can
• Romaine Lettuce
• Diced Tomatoes
• Diced Avocado
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Pork Rub Ingredients

• 2 tbsp of chili powder
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp of ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp oregano

Cilantro Lime Topping

• Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 1 lime cut into wedges for garnish

Directions

Mix all spices together except the bay leaf in a bowl.

Rub down the entire pork loin with the spices and place in your slow cooker.

Add the bay leaf and water and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  

Your pork should pull apart easily so you can shred it.

Once it is able to be shredded, take it from the crock pot, shred and then place back into the crock pot.  Stir the meat to coat with the juices.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Add the drained beans with 1/2 of a cup of water to a pot on the stove over medium heat. Cook until heated through.

Lightly spray your corn tortillas with cooking spray and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Crisp in the oven on 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until desired crispiness.

Next step is to assemble the tortilllas.

Take your corn tortilla and add your toppings. You can top it with the lime yogurt dressing.

Focus On Food - February Nutrition Challenge

As I near more closely into the thrid trimester of my pregnancy I am focusing hard on my nutrition and a little bit less on my fitness like I had before I was expecting. I am doing yoga and trying to keep my body limber and strong, but my nutrition has been what has been most important to me. When I had my first baby I gained 57 lbs because I ate whatever I felt like it. I treated pregnancy as a pass to go hog wild on junk foods. This time around I have been much more concious about what I was fueling my body with. There are going to be five years between my two children. Over the course of those five years I learned a new way when it came to nutrition. 

I spent the first two years of my son's life reaching for fast food. I could have lived off of potato chips and lattes from the drivethru at Starbucks. I finally woke up one day and said enough was enough. I had to learn to be healthier not just for ME but also because I needed my family to be healthy too. I decided to make a change and joined a challenge group because even though I wanted to be healthy I really needed help. I needed someone to hold me accountable and teach me "how" to actually make it happen. 

Well guess what... it worked for me. Clean eating became the norm and my desire to eat junk food began to diminish. I learned that healthy foods can actually be delicious and that 30 minutes of exercise a day actually made me a less stressed crazy mom. 

I drank Shakeology daily because it actually made me feel better. I stopped craving junk foods and saw a huge change in my digestion. I never realized how much I was lacking in vitamins and minerals until I started to add them in. Shakeology helped make my skin glow and hair and nails grow like a weed. While I will admit I was so skeptical at first, I have hardly missed a day since I started drinking it. I really can say it's worth every penny. 

During the month of February the challenge that I am going to host a challenge will have a HUGE focus on food. I want to share with you what I have learned about what a powerful tool nutrition can be to taking back your life and creating new habits so you can live longer and be stronger. 

Not only will I be teaching you how to meal plan, but also how to fall in love with HEALTHY eating. I promise during this time you will NOT feel like you are on any type of diet. In fact, by the end of the challenge you probably won't event want to return back to your old ways. I will teach you how to manage portion control and tips for keeping up with this lifestyle on a budget. 

In addition to our focus on foods I will also help you to pick a Beachbody fitness program that best suits your goals. After we pick a program you will be added into the challeng group for support and accountability. It's easy to buy a fitness program with good intentions but it's hard to stick with it. That's why having a coach and a support group is the piece that so many are missing. I find those who commit go "ALL IN" as a challenger are the ones who get the best results. 

If this seems like something you are in need of and are ready to join me please fill out the application below. There are a limited number of spots so apply quickly to be considered. We will begin on Monday February 20th, 2017. 

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Greek Feta Chicken Bake

Greek Chicken Feta Bake

I love all things greek and this chicken recipe ranks up there as one of my favorites. I absolutely love how easy it is to make and how delicious it is. We served it with brown rice and that was plenty for dinner. No extra sides needed. The toppings are enough. If you're in need of a "fancy" but easy dinner give this a try.

If you cut the chicken breasts you will have six servings. If your family likes one chicken breast per person it will serve three.

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 pint of cherry tomatoes (I cut mine in half)

Feta cheese (to top) amount can vary depending on your preference

1 can of diced artichoke hearts (drained)

15 - 20 kalamata pitted olives (I also diced these)

Salt & pepper to taste

Italian seasoning

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

Trim fat from chicken breasts and put slits across the chicken. (This will allow the flavor to get into the chicken while it cooks.)

Salt and pepper the chicken to taste. I also sprinkled it with italian seasoning.

Then top with diced tomatoes and artichoke hearts

Next add the diced olives

Lastly top with feta cheese

Bake for an hour and a half on 375 degrees.

Overcoming Stress and Anxiety Support Group

While most think of the spring as an exciting time of year. While I would agree that it is, it can also be a time of year that causes stress and extra anxiety for some. We tend to be more busy in the spring as we begin to engage in extra activities and experience the wrap up of the school year. If you have children or if you are a teacher yourself, it tends to be very chaotic. Fun, but chaotic.  The spring actually reminds me of the fall when I think of my schedule. I know working in a school district these two times of year are always the most stressful for me.

When I am under stress or have anxiety about something, I find myself not taking care of my own health needs like I should be. I put off working out. I stall when it comes to meal planning and meal prep. I binge on junk foods late at night, my sleep suffers and just overall I feel like I am in a slump during these times of year. I have been planning and thinking a lot about this spring and how I am going to get thru these next few months WITHOUT this extra anxiety and stress I often feel each year.

I remember in the fall there were mornings where I would wake up feeling like I couldn't face all of the things I had to accomplish in one day knowing that I had so much going on. It was not a good feeling. It paralyzed me some mornings and the stress of knowing about the daily stress caused more stress if that makes any sense. My daily to-do list became overwhelming and I had so much to-do I didn't know where to begin. I spent some time figuring out how to cope with all of it and found out very quickly that taking things one day at a time, one task at a time made all of it more manageable. I focused on taking care of me and getting enough rest and soon I started to feel much less stressed out, much happier and began to take care of myself in a much healthier way.

I began to think about others and realized that surely I am not the only one who struggles to balance it all during this time of year. I thought it would be great to offer a challenge group for those looking for help not just with nutrition and motivation to workout, but also offer coping skills to handle the spring season of chaos with more grace than they typically do.

I am planning to do the PiYo program and will be following that meal plan that comes along with it. In addition, I will continue to drink my daily dose of Shakeology to help me ward off cravings of junk food. It's a time of year for me that I often fall back into bad ways of take out and not so healthy foods. This will help to prevent me from doing that.

I had been doing the Hard Corps program for the last few weeks. While I love it, I think my focus needs to be on mindfulness and peace. I need to slow things down a bit and rebalance. I have noticed that I have been doing a lot of high intensity programs for several months now and my body needs a bit of a break. While I have gained a lot of muscle strength and "leaned out" quite a bit. I have noticed the my balance and flexibility have suffered because of it. It has been months since I have done any form of pilates or yoga. Quite honestly, I am looking forward to this a lot. PiYo is not often my program of choice because I always like to "go go go" but it will be nice slow things down a bit. I think it will help me deal with the stress that I know will be coming my way shortly.

I am really excited to share some of my best tips that I have learned along the way with anyone who would like to be a part.

Some of our weekly topics will include:

*Stress eating
*Mindfullness
*Learning how to stop overcommitting
*Getting enough rest
* Healthy ways to overcome daily stress and anxiety
* Plus much more!

If you would be interested in joining, I would need for you to sign up for a free team Beachbody account so that I can be your coach. You can do this by clicking here and clicking JOIN. Once you sign up for your free account you will need to reach out to me letting me know you would like to be a part of this. I will get you added into the group shortly after that. We will begin on Monday April 18, 2016. While many of the group members will be doing the PiYo program, you would still be welcome to join us in the event that you wanted to use a different Beachbody program instead.

If you would like to learn more about the PiYo program, take some time to watch this quick video explaining what it is all about.

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Naked Tacos

No Boring Clean Eating Meals Here 

Okay the name makes it sound way more fun than it really is. Naked Tacos... how much does that make you want to whip these up?  For some reason it just seems more fun than something like low carb tacos or clean tacos. You feel me on that? Anyways I wanted to share this recipe with you. I was amazed how quickly I put it together and man it really turned out awesome. 

Here is what you are going to need: 

Ingredients

1 lb of organic ground meat 

Black pepper 

Himalayan pink salt 

Fresh garlic (3 cloves) minced 

1 bag of frozen organic sweet corn 

1 container of fresh salsa

1 can of organic black beans 

1 tablespoon of ground cumin (this is what gives it the "taco taste") 

Mexican taco cheese 

1 yellow onion (diced) 

1 ripe avocado 

Directions 

Brown ground meat in a skillet 

Drain grease 

Add in diced onions, garlic and the salsa 

Steam corn in microwave then add into the pan after cooked 

Drain beans then add them into the mixture 

Season the mixture with your salt, pepper and cumin 

Allow to simmer for 10 minutes 

Add in the cheese I only used about 2 cups if that 

Allow it to melt - mix it up 

Serve and garnish with freshly diced avocados and maybe more cheese if you want. 

Hope you love it! 

Roasted Lemon Garlic Organic Chicken Dinner

Simple, Easy and Delicious - Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken 

Well the other day I decided I that wanted to make a chicken for a nice Sunday dinner. I picked up a 4lb one at Wegmans and once I got to home I realized, I had never in all of my days of cooking made a chicken. I had done turkeys but never a chicken. I was hoping it was the same thing and it was so I was all good but at first I was worried I didn't know how to make it. Hence my confused look in the top left picture. I used a glass roasting pan and covered it with foil for the first 60 minutes and uncovered it for the last 20 so it could get brown. 

Ingredients

1 whole chicken - I prefer organic - we did 4 lbs and that was fine for our family of 3

2 lemons 

4 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

Fresh rosemary 

Organic chicken broth - again this could be non organic if you prefer

Pink Himalayan sea salt. 

Black pepper

Directions 

Preheat to over to the temp that the packaging suggests

Rinse chicken to remove the fluid it had from the packaging. 

Pat dry with paper towels

Using a basting brush apply olive oil all over the bird on both sides.

Season with salt & pepper

In the cavity of the bird pour a bit of chicken broth in it as well as pour some into the pan - just enough to cover the bottom

Also inside the cavity of the bird add in two peeled cloves of garlic as well as 3 small slices of lemon 

On the outside of the bird squeeze 3 - 4 more slices of lemon over the bird as well as crush 2 cloves of garlic and spread over the back of the bird 

I put some sprigs of fresh rosemary from my garden on the outside of the bird as well as inside

Mine needed to cook for 90 minutes in the oven. 

It fell off the bone and was very moist. I believe you could also do this in the crock pot if you wanted to start it in the morning it would be tender by dinner time. We enjoyed green beans and cous cous with ours. 

Perfect for the upcoming fall! Enjoy! 

Summer Corn Salad

Fresh & Healthy and Delicious - Summer Side Dish 

If you are looking for a new side dish for your upcoming picnic season you may want to give this fun recipe a try. I actually got it out of the Wegman's summer magazine they send home to all of their customers. I was nervous about trying it because cold salads like this are not really my thing but we were having ribs for dinner and my hubby thought it would go well. It was actually a huge hit and much to my surprise it was very popular with my little one. I thought for sure he would be out on this one but he ate it right up! Worth a try if you are sick of your tradition sides! 

Ingredients 

1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 bag of thawed sweet corn 

1/2 cup of olive oil 

1 red sweet pepper diced 

1 cup diced sweet onion

2 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced. 

1 cup diced celery 

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed) 

Sea salt to taste

Directions 

In a microwaveable bowl combine vinegar and sugar. Heat for one minute, until sugar is dissolved. 

Add remaining ingredients, stir and move to the refrigerator to cool for 1 - 2 hours. 

Transformation Tuesday - Meet Lauren

21 Day Fix Extreme Challenger Results 

About two months ago I crossed paths with someone who was supposed to be in my life. I am sure of it. The irony of how we met and the relationship we now have created is for sure something that was meant to be. She will talk about how we bumped into each other out of fate in her story below. I remember our ride together as she test drove my car, she shared with me her excitement and interest in clean eating and her interest in well being. I remember thinking to myself, Sarah back off don't leap at her about Beachbody, this girl is interested in your car not your business. BUT let me just say if you know me, you know how much I love coaching and I can't not speak up about an opportunity. I will be completely honest and say that for a second I thought she was about to approach me with the same opportunity to be a Beachbody coach. I said to myself there is no way this girl is not a coach. I decided to go for it and mention the opportunity and much to my surprise she was not already a coach and was very interested in getting involved. After a bit of conversation back and forth not only was she one of my newest challengers but also a fantastic new coach on my team! Her story is awesome and really goes to show the power of change and how important it is to really be conscious abut the foods you are putting into your body. 

Here is Lauren's Story 

So first, let me give a little background story about myself. About a year and a half ago I was constantly fighting skin rashes, abdominal pain, severe bloating, nausea every time I ate, and just plain exhaustion. I was constantly sick with bronchitis, common colds, mono, and pneumonia. My head was constantly congested and I was just TIRED OF BEING TIRED all of the time! I finally went to see a naturopathic doctor who ran a blood test that scanned for food sensitivities. I was almost certain that there was no way food was causing me to have all of these problems but sure enough my results came back and revealed that I had large amounts of Candida ( intestinal yeast) and….. A GLUTEN ALLERGY. When I was about 10 years old my mom was diagnosed with celiac disease and has lived a gluten free lifestyle since. I was in denial that that could possibly be my case but again my momma was right! Last year (2014) I started a gluten free diet, which was a struggle at first, but I adjusted. In addition, I began paying attention to food labels and the ingredients. I began cutting sugar from my diet because its fuel for the Candida. A few months later I started eating healthier by incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet and omitting all of the processed CRAP including gluten free products because they aren't as healthy as you may think. I then began working out regularly and just becoming more self aware of my health. Now, 15 months later the bloating, skin rashes and abdominal pain have disappeared. My energy levels have never felt better! Better yet, I am no longer spending my winter months fighting infections and taking antibiotics. I couldn't believe that food was causing all of my problems! Diet and nutrition have become quite a hobby of mine and I am always looking for healthy recipes and ways to improve my overall wellness. I now tell myself If the food doesn't have any nutrients my body needs then I shouldn't be eating it because thats why we eat right? Low and behold I have dropped a few pant sizes and I feel comfortable with my body. These changes have not only changed my physical appearance but it has increased my daily performance, energy levels, motivation, mood, self esteem…the list goes on and on! I no longer feel the need to sit and watch television and find myself being constantly busy. 

About a month ago I began searching for a new vehicle. I knew exactly what I wanted but I just couldn’t find it close to my location. A couple weeks later, I was traveling to a friends and right outside of Indiana there was the car I had been searching for…FOR SALE! I whipped my car into the driveway and began to check it out. Within a couple of minutes, the owner of the car pulled in. She was just getting home from work—What were the chances? I decided to take the car for a test drive but oddly enough I found that the talk between Sarah Griffith and I wasn't about the car; it was about health and nutrition. Sarah and I just clicked! I started telling her about health and nutrition and how it has became quite a hobby of mine. Sarah, a Beachbody coach, began to tell me about the business and proposed the idea of me becoming a coach. I began to think, could this be fate? I went home later that night and continued to think about the idea of being a health and fitness coach and continued to think about it for the next couple of days. I was already slightly knowledgeable about diet and nutrition and I always love sharing what I know with other people. I know how much diet and nutrition has changed my life and I would love to share that information to help people change theirs. I decided to follow through and become a PART OF THE TEAM! I decided to challenge myself and do the 21 day fix EXTREME countdown to competition plan and plan to share my journey with others and help them succeed with their own health and wellness goals. 

Lauren didn't mess around, she went ALL in and was 100% committed - She drank her Shakeology every single day, she didn't cheat, she did her workouts and she showed up everyday in our challenge group. She got results because she refused to settle. 

If you are ready to get results like Lauren did, please fill out the application below to be considered for a spot in my upcoming challenge group. Imagine how great you could feel if you too refused to settle. Maybe it's your time. 

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Fun Snack Alert - Meet PipCorn

New Favorite Find 

Can't stop eating this entire bag of yummy goodness!

Before I get into details about my new snack find,  I should tell you the little story behind it all first. For those of you who know me, you know that I teach Business Education to high school students. On a rare occasion when I know they have worked  really hard, I will reward them with watching an episode of the show Shark Tank together as a class. It's a perfect teaching tool and the students really enjoy hearing about the new business ideas and the percentage of stake the "sharks' want in the company. Well a few weeks back, I had let me Exploring Business class watch Shark Tank for the first time all year. They were hooked and loved it. During that episode the company Pipcorn came on and pitched this mini popcorn idea. Not only are they a special breed of corn kernels that don't get stuck in your teeth but are also easy on the digestive system, they are also made with fantastic clean ingredients. As I watched the episode I was really into their business idea and wanted to try the product. 

Back of the bag - ingredient list approved by my 5 ingredients or less rule! All simple and clean! 

As a class we checked out their website and the kids were really into this product too. They wanted me to buy some and bring it into class so I caved an bought the "Shark Tank" special which came with four bags in the following flavors - sea salt, rosemary, truffle, and kettle corn. While I have not opened the other flavors yet because I wanted to save it for them I have to say I LOVE the sea salt one. One thing that struck me was how much was in the bag. Most bags are full of air but this one was packed full to the top with popcorn. 

A Few Of The Other Flavors

From what I understand you can get this in some Whole Foods stores but since I don't have any near me I ordered it from their website. The shipping was pretty quick, I had it in about 5 days. It was a little expensive after shipping. I think I paid about $32.00 or so. 

What I also love about it is that the kernels are less of a choking hazard. My little guy is three so I still get nervous letting him have popcorn but this seems a little bit safer for him. He could't get enough when we tried it together the other day! The only downside is that this brand is made in a factory that also processes peanuts and tree nuts so if you or your child has an allergy this brand is off the table. 

Feel free to post some of your other favorite snack brands in the comments section below - I love trying new brands! 

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

The 21 day fix extreme has some really easy fun new recipes in that that come along with the meal plan guide book. This recipe was one of them! They tasted great. I added the cheese and a little bit of guacamole for extra flavor! Even though these look really pretty I decided to cut it up like a salad after trying and failing at eating them like a wrap. I don't think I was rolling them the right way. None the less they still hit the spot! The recipe called for tomato sauce but I skipped it. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs raw 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup water
• 6 large lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• 1 medium tomato, chopped

Directions 

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add turkey; cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until no longer pink.
• Add garlic powder, cumin, salt, chili powder, paprika, and oregano; mix well. 
• Add onion and bell pepper, cook stirring frequently for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add in the water and diced tomatoes 
• Once your finished cooking everything serve on a fresh leaf lettuce. I topped mine with some cheddar cheese and a little dollop of guacamole. 

Cashew & Oat Hotcakes

Cashew and Oat Hotcakes 

While doing the 21 day fix extreme one of the things that are not on our approved list of foods that I can have is pancakes. They really are not my thing but son loves them. Especially ones that look like Mickey Mouse. We had a 2 hour delay earlier this week so I dedicded to make these cashew and oat cakes for him. This was so much healtheir for us than a box of pancake mix! I was worried when he took a bite that he not be a fan but I totally tricked him :) Give it a try for your little ones and let me know if they approve!

Ingredients
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 dash of sea salt
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 large eggs
1 tbsp coconut oil melted
1 1/3 cup of water
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

Directions 
Place oats, cashews, salt and cinnamon in a food processor or blender. Pulse until coarsely ground
Add in egg, oil water and vanilla extract pulse until well blended
Batter will be thick but if it is as thick as paste add 2 - 3 tablespoons of water
Heat a medium nonstick skillet, lightly coated with spray or more coconut oil
Spoon aboout 1/4 cup batter into skillet for each pancake
Cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until bubbles form on top
Filp and cook for 30 seconds

Makes 10 servings - 2 hotcakes each

Serve - We topped with cashew butter and my son also added strawberries to his.