Honey Mustard-Glazed Chicken Bake!

Ok, there’s a recurring theme on my blog here: easy, clean, and kid friendly. That about covers it. (Even bigger bonus if it’s 21 Day Fix approved, too! Luckily, I’d say 99.9% of the recipes I pots on here are, in fact, Fix approved! Yay!)

So it would make perfect sense that this here honey mustard-glazed chicken bake is also easy, clean, and kid friendly. Oh, and is it ever delish, too!

I pulled this recipe out of the February issue of Good Housekeeping since I am always on the lookout for recipes that are either a) clean or b) I can make clean. This is one of them. The original recipe calls for chicken thighs and drumsticks but I don’t like eating meat off a bone (I know, it’s a weird little idiosyncrasy I have) and dark meat, while it’s more moist in recipes like this, has more calories and isn’t as “clean.” Plus, those other two cuts of chicken have skin, which is where the big time calories (and not-so-clean factor) come into play.

So I switched things up a bit and used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and I gotta say, I was shocked at just how awesome this turned out! The bonus is that it’s a) 21 Day Fix approved! And b) it was kid friendly! My four year old couldn’t stop eating the parsnips and my 17 month old was hoovering the carrots! Score for Mom!

Here’s the recipe!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. parsnips, sliced on an angle
• 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 1/2 lb. carrots, quartered lengthwise, then cut into 2″ pieces
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch long tenderloins
• 3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. whole-grain mustard
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In large roasting pan, toss parsnips, potatoes, carrots, onion, oil, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Roast 15 minutes.
2. Place chicken in single layer over vegetables. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast 15 minutes.
3. In medium bowl, whisk Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, honey and brown sugar. Drizzle all over chicken and vegetables. Roast 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked (165 degrees F) and vegetables are tender. Serve chicken with vegetables.

21 Day Fix container breakdown:

3 pieces of chicken = 1 red; 1 yellow; 1/2 green (I actually measure out each one by separating the carrots (green) from the parsnips and potatoes (both yellow)

Sesame Broccoli!

The same veggie sides get really boring day in and day out. There was a long stretch there where all we ate were salads. Like, every single type of salad you can imagine. Because it was easy. And when you’re running around like a mad woman at dinnertime trying get dinner ready while your  17 month old is grabbing at your pant leg and your four year old wants to tell you a story about what happened at preschool, easy is, well, easy.

But then I saw this recipe from the one and only Martha Stewart (she’s behind this insanely delish recipe of Smoky Beef Tacos that is so good you truly must make it sometime), I knew I had to give it a go. I love roasted broccoli and I love soy sauce and sesame seeds. What’s not to like about this super simple recipe?

So I made it.

It was a ginormous hit. And for the last five or six years we’ve been making it at least once a week. It’s so good that we never tire of it. Even better: that little 17 month old tugging at my pant leg while I make dinner? She GOBBLES this up! Can I get an Amen?!

Here’s the recipe, below. Plus, the 21 Day Fix container breakdown if you choose to follow 21 Day Fix. Which, if you aren’t already following the Fix, you really might want to give it a try :). I’m hosting an online fitness boot camp starting April 4th where you can expect to lose up to 10 lbs., tone up, learn how to eat super clean, make meal prep crazy easy and torch insane amounts of calories in just 30 minutes of working out a day. Did I mention there are prizes in this boot camp? Click here to find out more about getting in my exclusive online fitness boot camp!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (if on the Fix, use Braggs Aminos)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss broccoli florets with olive oil. Roast until browned, about 20 minutes. Toss with soy sauce, lemon juice, and sesame seeds.

21 Day Fix container breakdown:

1 green, 1-2 tsp. (depending on whether or not you use all 2 tablespoons of EVOO)

 

Awesome Upper Body Move (Modified!) from Insanity Max30!

My Transformation!

‪#‎TransformationThursday‬ Confession: late last summer into early fall, I sort of lost my mojo. I became complacent in my nutrition and I was just sort of going through the motions with my workouts. I just wasn’t “in it.” I needed something to really capture my attention and push me hard. That’s when I decided to start 8 weeks of ‪‎Insanity Asylum‬.

Since I started and completed Asylum late last fall and am now in the middle of ‪‎Insanity Max30‬ + ‪PiYo‬, I can honestly tell you I have never in my life felt THIS healthy and THIS strong. The combination of these three programs has drastically increased my upper body and core strength. Which completely amazes me because for the last 6 weeks I have not lifted ANY weights. None. Zero. Zilch. It’s ALL body weight training + super-effective cardio + super simple nutrition.The proof, I tell ya, is in the photos. The top is from early fall. The bottom pic is last night. I am proud of my progress. But more than that, I am so psyched to have found workout programs that allow me to sleep in an hour later, be home for my kids, and still kick my a** day in and day out. Oh, and a nutrition plan that still lets me have my pizza and wine smile emoticon. Cheers to that! ‪#‎21DayFix‬ ‪#‎cleaneating‬

Killer Core Move!

DELISH Crock Pot Pulled Pork Tacos!

I like easy. As in, throw it in a big Crock Pot, turn it on high, and let the flavors simmer together to create a meal that’s so delicious you’ll be licking your plate when you’re done. That’s my kinda meal. Especially as my littles get older and we’re racing from practice A to practice B to play date C. (Side note: I have officially become a soccer mom.)

So these pulled pork tacos from the 2006 issue of Real Simple have been in my dinner rotation long before kids ever came into the picture. Why? Because of all the reasons I listed, above. And now with kids and eating super clean on an every day basis, this is exactly what I need in my dinner life. Did I mention it also leaves you with amazing leftovers that taste even better on day 2?

The perks of this meal: my four year old LOVES them and it fits my clean eating lifestyle. Score!

Without further ado, here’s the kick-butt recipe, below, plus 21 Day Fix container breakdown!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin (I’ve also made this with 3 boneless chicken breasts!)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves
• 2 large jars mild banana peppers (I like to use Mt. Olive brand)
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 8 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat Crock Pot to low. Season on all sides of the pork loin with the salt, pepper, and cumin. Spoon the jam over the pork, turning to coat. Scatter the banana peppers and onion around the pork. Cook on low for 8 hours.
2. Shred pork in the Crock Pot and mix up with all of the juices. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Serve with the tortillas. Cilantro and lime wedges are optional, but I don’t serve the tacos with them. There’s so much flavor it truly doesn’t need anything else.

21 Day Fix container breakdown:

1 yellow (two corn tortillas), 1 red, 1/2 green

Non-Scale Victory!

Non-Scale Victory! See this gorgeous ring right here? My awesome parents gave it to me as a high school graduation present *almost* 20 years ago! It’s been YEARS since I last wore it; like, literally more than a decade. It was always SO dang tight.

This morning, I decided to give it a try … and just like my pants that had been tight for SO long, the ring slip easily onto my finger!! What do I credit for this small but super meaningful victory? The insanely effective method of combining way of eating that is so simple and so effective and workouts that have taken my fitness to a whole new, amazing level. ‪#‎21DayFix‬‪#‎InsanityMax30‬

Clowns

Nope. Sorry. Definitely not pulling over. I saw Stephen King’s movie “It” one too many times. I know what those fricken clowns are capable of.

Leg Day Burnout Move!

Transformation Tuesday!

Ok, let’s talk a little bit about what a super simple eating plan and 30 minutes of working out a day can do for you. Or, let’s just LOOK at what it can do for your body. My fellow coach, Dawn, did ‪21 Day Fix Extreme last year and THESE are her results after only 21 days! (Did I mention she’s also a mom of THREE?!)

Think you can’t get results like this? Ok, I challenge you to let me help YOU do it. Give me 21 days and let’s see if I’ll eat my words. Who’s up for the challenge? 💪🏼👍🏻😉