March Group 24 Day Challenge

Here we go!  Beginning the first 24 Day Challenge of 2015!  Time to get my body cleansed up and back on track for Spring Break and Summer time!  
Eating a healthy diet is so much easier when you get your refrigerator stocked up with the healthy foods you will need... especially when doing something like the Challenge.

So... I've got my meal plans ready- my grocery lists made and my meal prep begun.

This is the link to the "book" of all of the above for my challenge this time!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vw5_1nua7wQMt_2jRTPrwQRUPgCIL99UlLXauFNTsag/edit?usp=sharing


All of the recipes that I choose are just recipes I know I enjoy and that I tweek in order to fit the challenge requirements...  Most of these recipes were from me, my friends, or pinterest.  

Recipes like: Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas, Roasted Chickens, smashed cauliflower... that tastes better than mashed potatoes... and even SKINNY ALFREDO!  Never thought I'd be able to have some of these things on a challenge but sure enough... you can do anything as long as it's in moderation!  

Hope you enjoy these recipes!  I had so many to choose from this time around... it was hard to decide which ones I would cut our.  And I'm always open to even more suggestions- so if you've got more delish, healthy options.. please share!


Another blog that gives great 24 Day Challenge Recipes for each day is:
http://jennycollier.com/category/menu-plans/

Her site has 100 Challenge Friendly Recipes!

Day 15: Burgers with Mixed Vegetables and Sweet Potato French Fries

This challenge is just flying by!  I have had to change my menu a little bit once again, my parents are going through their own little "challenges" not the 24-day kind but therefore, we have had a few different constrictions on the diet.

Menu:
Breakfast: Meal Replacement Shake
Snack 1: Apple
Lunch: 2 poached eggs with sliced tomatoes and turkey sausage
Snack 2: Carrots
Dinner: Burgers with Mixed Vegetables and Sweet Potato Fries

We made 6 burgers out of 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef.  Sprinkled a little sea salt and pepper along with some burger seasoning.  Once the burgers were on the grill and the Fries were in the oven, we sauteed some zucchini and onions.  I cooked some fried eggs to go on top of the burgers and served the burgers with fresh tomato slices, lettuce and whatever fixins anyone wanted!
Delish!

So messy to eat but so yummy!

Day 13 and 14: Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos

This meal was a very versatile one... we even had enough to have leftovers the next night!  So this post is featuring two different dinners from one meal.  And the Mahi-Mahi was one of the items I bought waaaay ahead of time because it went on sale at Harris Teeter and I froze it until we were ready to use it.

Menu:
Breakfast:  Meal Replacement Shake
Snack 1:  Apple
Lunch: Leftover from Day 12
Snack 2:  Carrots
Dinner: Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

1 lb Mahi Mahi (or other white fish)
1 packet low-sodium (or homemade) taco seasoning
1 Onion, sliced
Taco Fixins (lettuce, salsa, rice, greek yogurt, cheese)

Coat fish with taco seasoning.  In a large pan, spray no fat, no calorie cooking spray on medium heat, place fish on seasoned side down.  Sprinkle seasoning on other side to coat.  Cook fish about 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, slice onions and sautee with remaining taco seasoning.
Fix tacos as you like!

Day 14 we just reheated the leftover fish and cooked some quinuoa with salsa and mixed vegetables!

Day 11: Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

Day 11... official marks the day I can have some dairy and reintroduce a little bit of whole wheat!  Therefore, in celebration, I made one of my favorite healthy meals!

Daily Menu:
Breakfast: Meal Replacement Shake
Snack 1:  Fresh Fruit Salad
Lunch: Leftovers from Day 10
Snack 2: Almonds
Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas!

I have used this Buffalo Chicken Recipe in multiple ways... One of which was just a lettuce wrap

Tonight Though!  It was Quesadillas!
YUM YUM

Buffalo Chicken Salad
3-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6oz. Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
1 (5.3 oz) Plain Greek Yogurt Cup

In a large pot, place chicken in water.  Boil chicken for 10 minutes or until cooked through.  Let cool for 5 minutes, shred chicken.  Add remaining ingredients.

Next I for my Quesadilla I added a small handful of cheddar cheese and onion

Place in a frying pan (spray no fat/no calorie cooking spray) over Medium/High Heat for about 2-3 minutes per side 

And Voila!!!  So Delish!

Day 10: Chicken Fajita Salad

The last day of the cleanse phase is over!!!!  I made it... with only one cheat day.

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Meal Replacement Shake
Snack 1: Fruit Salad
Lunch: Leftovers from Day 9
Snack 2: Raw Veggies
Dinner: Chicken Fajitas over Salad

This meal was a pre-made freezer meal that I made.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take it out of the freezer this morning so I had to defrost it in the microwave and then cook it on the stove.  Below I have attached the usual recipe... I prefer it cooked in the oven, which is how the original recipe is!
Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 large purple onion, sliced
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 orange pepper, sliced
• 1 can RO*TEL (I used the Mexican Lime & Cilantro variety)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice chicken and veggies into strips.
3. In a large bowl, combine the, lemon, and spices. Mix well.
4. Add the chicken and veggies to the seasoning mixture and stir until coated.
5. Pour into greased 10X13 baking dish.  (Use No calorie/No fat cooking spray)
6. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Stir halfway through cooking.

Day 9: Turkey Burgers (Delux) with Sweet Potato Fries

Ok!  I know I've missed a couple days... between being busy and feeling guilty I just haven't been able to blog the last few days.  My menu has gotten a little bit off so I had to edit it... but that's ok, I left a few days open for wiggle room.

Day 6:  Leftover Night... Tuna with lightly cooked vegetables and brown rice


Day 7:  I cheated a bit... I went to an engagement party at Xanki... and well you can't go to Xanki and not eat.  The whole experience is about eating!  So I had chicken and veggies... but technically they were cooked in oil and with some soy sauce (not low sodium)  Woops!

However, since I cheated the day before I was suuuuper good on Day 8.
Day 8:
Breakfast: Meal Replacement Shake
Snack 1: Apple
Lunch:  Leftover from Day 5
Snack 2: Spinach Salad
Dinner: Winter Chicken Bake (One of the pre-made meals that was in the freezer... cooked in crockpot)

Today is Day 9
Menu:
Breakfast: 2 Over Medium Eggs with 1/2 of an Avocado
Snack 1: Fresh Fruit Salad
Lunch: Leftovers from Day 8
Snack 2: Carrots with home-made hummus
Dinner:  Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

These burgers were one of my premade meals... I just froze them in individual bags so that they were ready to throw on the grill.

Burgers
Mix a pound of ground turkey with 1 T minced onion, 2 garlic cloves (minced), and 1 T soy sauce.  Separate into 4 patties.  

I started out cooking the fries because they were set to take 26 minutes.

As the fries were cooking I cut salad fixins and lettuce.

After about 10 minutes I put the burgers on the grill.  Cooking 10 minutes on each side (they needed a little extra time since they started out frozen).  They were so juicy and yummy!

I also chopped up an avocado and made a quick guacamole with a spoonful of salsa, some lime juice, a dash of garlic powder and onion powder.  

To assemble my burger I topped with 

Onion

 
Tomato --------------------->


















Guacamole
...and then I also fried an egg and put it on top :P I love fried eggs on my burgers! --------------->

VOILA!

It was pretty delish!

Tomorrow's dinner:  Chicken Fajitas (Pre-made Frozen Meal)

Day 5: Tuna Stew

Day 5 is complete... and that marks halfway through the cleanse phase of the 24 day challenge!  

Today's Menu:

Breakfast:  2 Scrambled Eggs, leftover turkey bacon (from Day 3)

Snack 1:  2 Hard Boiled Eggs

Lunch: Leftovers from Day 4 dinner

Snack 2:  Carrots

Dinner:  Tuna Stew with Peppers and Potatoes...  

So, I realize Tuna can be expensive, but when thinking about my meal plan for my challenge I asked for suggestions from my family... since they'd be eating it too.  And I tried to tweak things accordingly so that I could eat them.  One suggestion my Dad really wanted was a Tuna soup.  I found this recipe on a great blog and tweaked it a bit to fit the challenge.  AND!  The best part was... Tuna just happened to go on sale during the first week of the challenge!  It was awesome to get groceries ahead but I am still looking at about 5 ads for different grocery stores each week to check out who has the best prices.  

I will warn... this recipe had some heat to it.  If you would prefer little/no heat try it without the jalapeno and poblano peppers.  But Oh My Gosh!!!!  It was sooo good.  And with how late I've been staying at work all week... I emailed the recipe to my Dad and he actually cooked the meal tonight! :)

Tuna Stew  (Advocare Cleanse or Max Phase Friendly)

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

No fat/No calorie cooking spray

1 1/4 pounds tuna steak, cut into 1-inch cubes

Sea salt

1 sweet onion, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 poblano pepper, finely diced

1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, minced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes

1 large tomato, diced

1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 cups fish stock or water

Instructions

Heat a large heavy bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, spray with cooking spray.  Season the tuna with salt and sear it in batches over medium-high heat until browned on at least two sides, about 2 minutes total. Remove to a plate.

Add more spray and the onion, peppers, garlic, chile flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Saute over medium heat until the vegetables are very soft but not browning, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and potatoes. Cover with the stock or water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as necessary.

Stir in the tuna. remove from the heat and let stand 3 minutes, until the tuna is heated through and just barely cooked.  Voila!

Happy, Healthy Eating!

Day 4: Asian Chicken Stir Fry

Sooo... I had to switch up my pre-planned menu tonight.  For as organized and prepared as I was, I completely forgot to take my brother's birthday into account.  He requested that I make a stir fry with teriyaki chicken.  So, I obliged.  However, I made my own chicken a little differently.  But other than that we all ate the same thing and it was delicious!

Today's Menu:
Breakfast:  Veggie Omelet with leftover Turkey Bacon
Snack 1: Apple
Lunch: Spinach Salad with 2 hard boiled eggs
Snack 2: Carrots and Broccoli
Dinner: Below...

Asian Chicken Stir Fry (Advocare Cleanse or Max Phase Friendly)

Chicken:
Marinade in a ziplock bag with 2 Tablespoons of Liquid Amino Soy Sauce.  I only had one piece of chicken... I would recommend using 2 T per piece of chicken, or just until it is sufficiently covered for marinading.  Let marinade for at least 20 minutes.

Vegetables:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
4 zucchinis, chopped
2 bunches broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 large onion, sliced
Liquid Aminos Soy Sauce
1/2 t Ground Ginger
I also just happened to have 1/2 a bag of frozen peas and carrots that I threw in for extra color :P

In a large pot/wok spray with No fat/No calorie cooking spray.  On Medium-High heat sautee garlic and peppers for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Add zucchini and onion, cook for another 5 minutes adding just enough soy sauce to lightly coat the veggies so that they don't burn in the pan.  Add remaining veggies, cook for another 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.

Once veggies are started, put chicken on grill or sautee in a pan until white in the middle.

I also grilled some pineapple to add some sweetness.

Serve with brown rice!

Day 3: B for D!

Day 3:  Tomorrow is my first day of school!  And Day 3 came and went just fine... thankfully, I will not have to guzzle down fiber drink tomorrow (mmmmm).

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: 2 Over Medium Eggs with 1/2 an Avocado
Snack 1:  Watermelon
Lunch: Leftovers from Day 2 dinner
Snack 2: Spinach Salad with 1 hard boiled egg
Dinner:  B for D!!!!!



I made an omelet bar...

With Chopped tomatoes, onions, green peppers, fresh spinach, and broccoli.
I used all of the above in mine... but my parents changed it up a little.

Be sure to cook it with No fat/No calorie spray




And because I can't have cheese yet, I put salsa in the middle to add more flavor.




And voila!  It was so yummy, easy clean up and good for you!
And on the side some Turkey Bacon!  I didn't notice turkey bacon on the list of foods you can have on my last 24 day challenge... so that was a pleasant surprise.  I cook bacon in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes; flipping once.

8 Pre-Made, Freezer Bag Meals to Make Your 24 Day Challenge Easier!

Alright!  My Challenge begins on Sunday and I prepped my 8 meals this morning!  So far, I bought all ingredients that I could ahead of time, including meats (to freeze), canned goods, etc.  So now the only things I will have to buy each week are the produce and any additional things I need for breakfast or snacks.  The meals I am providing for you are just dinners... though I am generally able to feed 3 people with each dinner and then I eat leftovers for my lunches.  Generally I eat fresh fruit or vegetables for my daily snacks and either eggs or a meal replacement shake for breakfast.

The full grocery list and menu plan are available at the links below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0eAYnf1W4h8bFVURFNFYnUxOWs/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0eAYnf1W4h8M21Gdi1KaXhiVDg/edit?usp=sharing

Cost Thusfar: $145.00     (Keep in mind this is most ingredients except produce and a few meat purchases)
Prep Time: 2 hours... which considering how much time it'll save when school starts, not bad at all!

Meals prepped:
Taco Turkey over Dirty Rice
Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Basil and Cherry Tomatoes
Winter Chicken Bake
Turkey Burgers
Chicken Fajitas (This one is so good we're having it twice!)
Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables and Mushroom Gravy
Roasted Chicken, Potatoes and Vegetable Medley with a Mushroom Gravy







Now, I believe that eating healthy and restrictively can be absolutely delicious so I have careful chosen all of the dishes for my 24 challenge based on personal experience!  So... Get your bags ready!






I started out with making the mushroom gravy because I needed that to cool before I could put it in the freezer bag.

Savory Mushroom Gravy 
This recipe is my own version of SparkRecipes.com's Savory Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

***since I put gravy in 2 pre-made recipes I doubled the recipe***
2 c. mushrooms (sliced)
2 medium onions (chopped)
4 c. vegetable broth (low sodium)
2 t. soy sauce (liquid aminos)
2 T fresh rosemary
2 t thyme   (if you don't have fresh... you can substitute rosemary and thyme and use an italian seasoning)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
4 T whole wheat flour

Directions:
In a large saute pan, spray no fat, no calorie cooking spray.  Add onions and cook about 5 minutes, until they turn clear.  Add mushrooms, garlic, soy sauce and herbs.  Saute for about 5 minutes, until onions start browning.  Add flour and stir well. When flour turns light brown- add broth slowly, stirring well.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Continue stirring until mixture coats the back of the spoon, about 5-10 minutes.  I then emulsified my gravy... but you certainly don't have to- I've done it both ways and it's delish no matter what!

Next was mostly just cutting up vegetables and chicken and putting them in bags, with measuring a few spices here and there.


1. Taco Turkey Over Dirty Rice (Rice will be made the day of)

1 package 99% fat free ground turkey
1 Onion, diced
2-3 Tbs.  Low Sodium Taco Seasoning (Recipe on blog) 
2 cans Low sodium Black Beans, drained
1 (14.5oz) can low sodium tomato sauce (I used diced tomatoes and just emulsified them for a few seconds)
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
Combine all ingredients and put in freezer bag










2. Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Basil and Cherry Tomatoes 
This recipe I am making on Day 2... the only prep needed thusfar was to cut the chicken and freeze... on the day of you boil the chicken, add the tomatoes and basil and roast with balsamic vinegar... super easy!

3. Winter Chicken Bake
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed of fat
1 sweet potato
1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 medium apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 TBSP Sugar Free BBQ Sauce (ex: Walden’s Farms)

4. Turkey Burgers

Mix a pound of ground turkey with 1 T minced onion, 2 garlic cloves (minced), and 1 T soy sauce.  I went ahead and split the burgers into sandwich bags this way they are grill-ready... they will be served with a salad and frozen sweet potato fries on Day 6!

5 & 6. Chicken Fajitas (The recipe is not doubled... but I made two of these because we love them!)
3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (cut into strips)

1 large red onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 can Rotel
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Lemon Juice

Combine all ingredients in freezer bag... ready for the oven!

 7. Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables and Mushroom Gravy
1 pork tenderloin (these always go BOGO at Harris Teeter so I already had a ton on hand!)
1 sweet potato (cubed)
1 large onion, sliced
3 carrots, diced

Combine potatoes, onion and carrots in freezer bag along with 1/2 of the mushroom gravy you made earlier.  The tenderloin is kept separate because I like to get a little crust on the outside of it before roasting.  I also had some mushrooms leftover from making the gravy... so I sliced and added those as well.

 8. Roasted Chicken with a Vegetable Medley and Mushroom Gravy
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 onion, sliced
3 carrots, diced

Add all ingredients in freezer bag along with the other half of the mushroom gravy.

 And there you have it!  8 meals prepped and ready to go.  As I cook the dishes I will post more photos of the finished products along with the full recipes, should you like to cook these meals without freezing them ahead of time!