My Food: Clean Eating Chicken Tex Mex Alfredo Pasta

  

Yum! We loved this recipe from the Gracious Pantry!  When I looked at the ingredients, I wasn’t too sure about it, but it really was delicious. A clean twist on a Tex-Mex dish… so good!

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:

½ pound cooked whole wheat pasta
3 cooked, large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shred or cubed

Sauce Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) container plain, low-fat cottage cheese
½ cup salsa, no sugar added
1 dash cumin (optional)
1 dash chili powder (optional)

Topping suggestions:
Chopped, fresh tomatoes
Chunks of avocado
Fresh cilantro
Olives
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a double boiler, liquefy the cottage cheese. With some brands, this may not happen completely. You’ll still have chunks of cottage cheese left, but that’s ok – you’ll be blending it anyway.
2. Put the warm cottage cheese and the rest of the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you feel the sauce is too thick, feel free to add a splash or two of milk until you reach your desired consistency
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine your pasta, chicken, and any toppings you’d like to add. Mix well.
4. Put your pasta mix on a plate and pour some sauce over the top to serve. Serve quickly as the sauce cools fast.

Note: If using avocados, you may want to top the sauce with the avocado, as mixing it in can make it rather mushy.  In fact, when I made mine, I added all of the toppings at the end rather than combining them in step 3.

It's In The Bag: Gingko

You’ve probably heard that Gingko is special, but you may not know why.  Not only is Gingko an herb that can restore many body functions, but it is also used as medicine.

 

But why specifically did the creators of Shakeology feel that it was important to add it to the shake? Let's dig in…

• Gingko helps improve cognitive functions such as thinking and memory. It is often used for memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as thinking disorders related to Lyme disease and depression.

• Gingko has been shown to improve eye problems including glaucoma, diabetic eye disorder, and macular degeneration.

• It also helps improve blood flow to the brain and extremities (good for people with Raynaud’s syndrome). People who struggle to walk long distances because of the pain of low blood circulation can greatly benefit from taking gingko because it reduces pain by increasing blood flow.

• It significantly helps reduce dizziness and balance disorders.

• This one's for the ladies: Gingko helps significantly reduce symptoms of PMS! (But guys...indirectly, that helps you too!)

 

The only way to take Gingko is in supplement form, basically in pill form, or in Shakeology.

 

If you have been having any of the above issues, I would LOVE for you to try Shakeology and keep track of any and all improvements. When you include gingko into the list of all of the other untouchable ingredients...you will undoubtedly notice a big difference!

 

Here's how much I believe it will help: Try Shakeology, and if you don't like it you can send it back - EVEN IF YOU FINISHED THE WHOLE BAG! Shakeology comes with a 'Bottom of the Bag' guarantee so that if you are not totally satisfied with the results you can return it for a full refund.

 

So you really don't have anything to lose...except of course, for a few negative symptoms and maybe a few pounds... :)

 

 

 

New Move Monday: Walking Lunges

 

Walking lunges are truly one of the greatest leg exercises you can do.  Here’s why: you not only get a fantastic leg workout, but you are also working on flexibility at the same time. Each lunge forces your body to stretch into a lowered position that allows the hip flexors of the back leg to elongate and open. That means you get strength, conditioning, toning, and flexibility benefits from just this one exercise.

How to do walking lunges:
1. Stand upright, feet together, holding dumbbells (5-8 lbs) by your sides with your palms facing towards your body (Note: if you are new to these, try them without weight the first few times and concentrate on form.  To make this more challenging, increase the weight)
2. Lunge forward with one leg, as deeply as you comfortably can. (Lower hips toward the floor, bending both knees. The back knee should come close to but never touch the ground. Your front knee should be directly over the ankle and the back knee should be pointing down toward the floor.)
3. Push back up and forward through the front leg's heel.
4. Step forward and repeat with the opposite leg for 10-15 total repetitions

Tips to Remember:
1. Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and your chin parallel to the floor the entire time
2. Do not let your front knee go over the front foot
3. Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up
4. Keep your arms by your sides throughout each repetition

If you are doing these in a tight space, don't try to lunge around corners. You don't want to take a chance of getting out of alignment.

One additional tip - for an additional challenge, take these outside and up a hill! Walking lunges uphill is an INSANE great workout!



My Food: Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken Verde

 

 

I just love this EASY crock-pot recipe from The Gracious Pantry!  It takes almost no time to prepare, so it’s great for days when I’m super-busy.

Yields: 2-4 servings

Ingredients:
2 raw chicken breasts (about 7 ounces each)
1 cup crushed pineapple, no sugar added, packed in pineapple juice
½ cup clean chili verde sauce (or verde salsa)

Directions:
1. Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker.
2. Pour ½ cup crushed pineapple over each chicken breast.
3. Pour ¼ cup chili verde sauce over each chicken breast.
4. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until the chicken easily falls apart when poked with a fork

Serving Suggestions: Serve over brown rice or quinoa and with a green side salad.

It's in the Bag: Yacon Root

 

Each Wednesday, I’ll be posting about a different super-food… my first spotlight: The Yacon Root.

 

Most people probably haven’t heard of this root before.  The yacon root is native to the lower Andean region of Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru.  This root is best known for it’s crisp, sweet-tasting flavor and is also one of the KEY prebiotic ingredients in Shakeology - hence the title of this blog series...it's in the bag!

What is a prebiotic?

Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth and/or activity of good bacteria (probiotics) in the digestive system.

Why do you need a prebiotic?

Prebiotics help maintain good intestinal health and digestion. They help to increase your body’s ability to extract nutrients from the food you eat. So first and foremost, your body is getting more of the nutrients it needs.  As an added bonus, if your body can absorb more nutrients from nutritious food, you may feel less hungry and won't be tempted to eat as much, which helps with weight loss!

The yacon root is known for its natural sweetness and is used as a syrupy sweetener.  It contains more than 50% fructooligosacharides (or FOS), a super-long word that means “a type of sugar that the stomach doesn't easily digest” – which means that it settles into the intestine and aids in digestion. This is great for diabetics because it does not spike blood sugar levels.

A few other Yacon Root facts:

- It has antioxidant properties that help fight free radicals in your body (fighting aging and disease)
- It promotes the elimination of toxins (good for kidneys)
- It has the highest concentration of prebiotics of any plant in the world
- It may help to reduce cholesterol levels
- It helps support a strong immune system

You can buy yacon root online, but you can also get it in your bag of Shakeology wrapped up in chocolaty, greenberry or tropical strawberry goodness! Click here for a complete nutrient profile of Shakeology.

Reminder: Shakeology comes with a "Bottom of the Bag" guarantee. That means if you aren't 100% satisfied, you can mail an empty bag back to Beachbody for a complete refund. So you REALLY don't have anything to lose...except maybe a little weight! Buy your bag here!