Grilled Caprese Panini

2 Servings:

For Pesto Sauce:
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup spinach leaves
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons olive oil


Panini:
4 slices of a sprouted grain bread {Ezekiel}
2 ounces mozzarella cheese cut into 4 slices
1 medium tomatoes and cut into 4 slices
olive oil {for Panini grill}

Directions:
1. Preheat Panini grill
2. For pesto, combine the basil, spinach, parm cheese, nuts, garlic, and oil in a food processor or blender. Puree until the mix becomes thick like a paste.
3. Spread pesto onto each slice of bread, then top with 1 cheese slice and 1 tomato sliver on each.  Put sandwich together.
4. Grease top and bottom of grill, add the sandwiches and close lid. Cook them for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on top! These can be served warm or cold but WARM is my favorite!

Who wants a Snack before bed??

You may have heard that eating before bed is a big-time "no no" for those looking to lose weight. In fact, you've probably even heard that eating late at night will undoubtedly cause you to GAIN weight...even worse! For the longest time, I refused to eat after 7PM because that's what Oprah said.

Well, there's good news, and that good news is that not every food that you eat past 7PM will be automatically deposited to your hips, thighs, and love handles.

In fact, there are certain foods that you can eat as a late-night snack that can actually INCREASE your fat loss results! The key is knowing which foods to eat, and which to avoid, as the evening progresses.

Here's a good rule of thumb: Avoid carbs before bed.  Instead pick a slow-digesting high-quality protein. Carbohydrate consumption causes significant rise in the storage hormone insulin, which also puts the breaks on fat-burning. Which is a very bad thing during the later evening hours as your metabolism is winding down. Pick slow digesting proteins they provide your body with a steady flow of amino acids throughout the night to help you recover from exercise and maintain your calorie-burning lean muscle as you lose fat.

Here are some of my top pre-bedtime choices:

1. White Meat Animal Protein (not red meat or fish) - White meat protein sources such as chicken and turkey are great pre-bed meal choices because they digest slowly and have a very low insulin release. These sources also promote the release of another hormone, glucagon, that assists the body with breaking down stored carbs and fat within your body to be burned for energy...a double win! Red meat and fish have a significantly higher insulin response so they're best to avoid in the evening.

2. Cottage Cheese - Cottage cheese is very slow digesting and coats the stomach to be assimilated by the body over many hours. As a protein, it also stimulates glucagon release; a solid pre-bedtime choice. Just make sure you're using plain cottage cheese, not the flavored varieties with added sugars.

3. Green Vegetables - While these aren't considered a protein, they contain virtually no calories, are high in fiber, and they're very filling.

Detoxing Debunked

There are many different types of detoxes, some of the most popular ones being juice cleanses and herbal tea detoxes. With juice cleanses, most of the time you are required to only drink either home made juices or expensive pre-packaged ones, such as cold pressed juices. The trouble with this is that juice cleanses don’t encourage you to eat real food, they work on the idea that drinking enough water alongside the juice will “cleanse” you and help you to lose weight. Yes, you may lose weight, but probably not the way you were wanting to. Been there done that!!

If you are depriving your body of essential amino acids (protein) and fatty acids, and important minerals. Sometime your body can compensate by getting these nutrients from your body’s own stores, such as muscle tissue for protein. Protein is a vital nutrient and your body cannot survive without it. Losing muscle tissue can slow down your metabolism, meaning you burn fewer calories. So once you finish your cleanse, you may be at risk of gaining all the weight back, if not more.

It is important to remember that different food groups provide you with different nutrients that your body needs, so cutting out entire food groups isn’t always healthy. For some, this may cause you to feel tired and unable to think clearly, amongst other symptoms. Cutting out several food groups as part of a detox is certainly not an effective long term solution to weight loss, as you will often be losing water weight and muscle, rather than fat.

At the end of the day, what I want you to realize is that there are no quick fixes. Even if your goal isn't weight loss but you just want to make sure your body is running at 100%, here is the best solution for you.  The 3 Day Refresh! 

The 3 Day Refresh is a 3-day program of specially formulated shakes, easy-to-prepare clean meals, and healthy snacks that have been scientifically designed to help you break the cycle of bad eating habits, lose weight, detoxify your body, and dramatically improve the way you feel—without starving! So yes, you actually EAT on this program.

I have done the 3 Day Refresh about three times now.  Each time I feel debloated and have lost 4 pounds each and every time.  With continued healthy eating and 30 minute exercise after the cleanse, I have been able to maintain that weight loss every single time.

For more information, watch this quick 3 Day Refresh Video!

Chicken Alfredo with Zucchini Noodles

4 Servings ~ 21 Day Fix Approved

4 chicken breasts
2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsps olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh oregano
2 Tbsps fresh basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp butter, for cooking
4 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
4 medium zucchini

FOR THE CHICKEN
Mix together the olive oil, balsamic, herbs and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the chicken and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. When it’s finished marinating, preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a skillet over medium high heat, sear both sides of the chicken breast. This should only take a minute or two per side. Once both sides are seared/browned, transfer the chicken to a baking dish. Cook the chicken about 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

FOR THE ALFREDO
Put the cauliflower florets in a large pot and cover with chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, heat butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Once melted, add the garlic cloves to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes or until softened and fragrant. Set aside. Once the cauliflower is tender, transfer it to a blender or food processor using a slotted spoon. (Do NOT discard the chicken broth – you may need it later!) Add the garlic/butter to the blender. Process the mixture, adding chicken broth as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Process for a few minutes until sauce is completely smooth and creamy.

FOR THE NOODLES
Use a vegetable spiralizer to turn your zucchini into noodles, and place in a steamer basket in a pot on the stove to steam. Heat the pot with the zucchini noodles over medium heat, and steam until they are slightly soft, about 5-8 minutes (not very long at all). Once they are cooked to your liking, drain off any water. Don’t want to steam the noodles? Sauté them instead! Heat a little coconut oil in a pan, and cook the zucchini spirals until they’re cooked to your desired tenderness. To serve, divide the cooked zucchini noodles among each plate. Add the Alfredo sauce, top with chicken, and enjoy!

Almond Butter, Banana Oats

21 Day Fix Approved Breakfast ~

4 oz container of plain non fat greek yogurt
2 tsp of almond butter, melted
steel cut oats, cooked
1/2 banana, sliced

Layer yogurt, oats, banana, then melted almond butter

1 Purple
1 Yellow
1 Red
2 spoons

Taco Seasoning {Homemade}

Why buy the chemically filled store bought taco seasoning when it's easy to make your own!!
21 Day Fix approved!

Ingredients:

1 TBsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder...
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper