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 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!

Balsmic Chicken with Roasted Basil and Tomatoes

Greetings from the beach!  Eating healthy can certainly be a challenge when you're on vacation... especially if you're on a 24 Day Challenge, you never know for sure how things are being cooked or what is on it... and it seems like the only things you can eat are the blandest, most boring things on the menu.  My solution?  We got a lovely hotel with a kitchen and we have literally made every meal thusfar!  And honestly, we've made way more yummy things than I could've gotten out at a restaurant.  Plus... we still get to eat ocean front!

So far we've had a few repeats... we've done the turkey chili (which is a great one pot, quick meal for a vacation), we've also done the buffalo chicken quesadillas.  The meal we had last night was incredible and easy but I cannot take credit for it.  My best friend who came along on the trip played chef last night and the outcome was amazing!

Balsamic Chicken and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Advocare 24 Day Challenge Safe (Cleanse or Max Phase)

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 container Cherry (or Grape) Tomatoes
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup chopped Basil (We used fresh)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add chicken, once boil returns let it go for 10 minutes or until the chicken is white through.  While the chicken is cooking, chop the basil and cut the tomatoes into halves.  Next, cut the chicken into strips and place on baking sheet, scatter the tomatoes around the baking sheet.  Top with balsamic vinegar and basil.  Put in a 425 degree oven for about 5 minutes... or until the tomatoes are tender.  We also had Alexia's Frozen Sweet Potato Tater Tots and it all went great together! 

Enjoy!  And Happy, Healthy Eating