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)

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!

Taco Turkey over Spanish Rice

Hola Bloggers!  It's been a few days since I posted last.  I have indeed been cooking yummy, healthy food but I keep forgetting to take pictures and I don't wanna post yummy recipes if you can't see what it looked like!  So, today marks only 1 more week of my Advocare 24 day challenge!  Can't believe how fast it's gone by.  But the recipe I made tonight was mostly from the Advocare cookbook; it was their recipe for Frijoles Cubanos... and I just tweaked it a little bit to fit what I already had in my kitchen.

Taco Turkey over Spanish Rice
Advocare 24 Day Challenge Friendly (Cleanse or Recovery Stage)

Start rice first (as brown rice takes a while)
2 cups brown rice
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup salsa
1 1/2 tsp. Cumin
Place all ingredients in rice cooker and push start!  Or place ingredients in a non stick pot, cover and cook.
Now for the turkey!
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

Brown meat and onion in a large pot, I sprayed first with No calorie/No fat cooking spray.  Once meat is just about white through, add seasoning.  Once meat is done cooking add black beans, tomato sauce and red wine vinegar.  Cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until rice is done.
Serve over the rice.
If you are in recovery stage I would recommend just the slightest bit of low-fat cheese... but honestly it doesn't really need it.  My parents also put cilantro, sour cream and cheese on theirs so it is another great, versatile meal.

Skinny Turkey Chili

Hello blogging world!  My name is Amanda and I am a 20 something teacher who is trying to get in shape and live a healthier life.  I am currently participating in the Advocare 24 Day Challenge and I have created this new mind set that healthy eating really can be great!  Growing up I was the kid that never wanted to eat my spinach and if my Mom tried to feed me brown rice or whole wheat pasta I was not havin' it.  I had never realized that these healthy foods can taste really great if you make them the right way.  So I am starting this blog to post the recipes that I find or create that are very healthy for you and still delicious!  Many of the recipes that I will post are 24 day challenge safe if any of you are participating.

Skinny Turkey Chili
Advocare 24 Day Challenge Friendly (Cleanse and Recovery Stages)
This is a recipe my cousin sent me last night that we tried in my house and LOVED!!!!  I have never been a huge fan of ground turkey but let me tell you... I liked this recipe better than the beef recipe we usually make (and I'm quite red-meat fan so that was shocking).  Plus it only took about 30 minutes to make which is great for me!

Ingredients:
99% fat free ground turkey
1 medium onion chopped
Homemade Taco Seasoning (recipe to follow) or Low-Sodium Taco Seasoning
1 bell pepper (optional)
1 can rotel (I buy the store brand because it's usually on sale)
1 can (no salt added) sweet corn
1 can fat free refried beans
1 can black beans
1 can low sodium chicken broth

Homemade Taco Seasoning (Taken from Advocare 24 Day Challenge Cookbook)
1 TBSP chili powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container at room temp. 3-4 TBSP of this
seasoning easily replaces the store bought variety that often contains a lot more sodium.

Directions:
On medium-high heat, in a large pot (spray non-fat, no calorie cooking spray), cook turkey, onions and peppers until meat is browned and veggies are tender.  Add taco seasoning and stir until meat is covered.

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.  Lower temperature to simmer, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove cover and continue to simmer for 5-10 more minutes.
Enjoy!

Now, if you're on the challenge just eat this alone... which I thought it was perfectly tasty all by itself.  My family added tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream to it as well.  So, this is a great meal you can have that is still healthy but has variety in case you're the only one on a challenge in the house :P

Enjoy and happy, healthy eating!