Tips to avoid the guilt on thanksgiving

First off, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Things look a lot different this year right? I know for my family it sure does but it’s worth the sacrifice for the long term health of our family, peers and country.

Real quick, I know holiday eating can be stressful for a lot of people–self included at times.

So below I’m posting my top 3 tips for enjoying your food while maintaining your sanity in regards to staying on track with your fitness goals.

I hope you find them helpful and if you have any of your own, please let me know in the comments!

You’d be surprised how hungry you AREN’T when you fill the small plate first! Not only that, you’re also practicing portion control since the bigger the plate, the more likely you are to eat more than you actually need.

It’s true! There’s a delay from the time you put food in your mouth to the time your brain realizes that you’re getting or are already full. Eating slowly helps you to not only really savor your food, but also take in less which gives your body more time to recognize and tell you that you’re full.

You already know eating your vegetables is the right thing to do so why not ensure you’re getting them in by filling half of your small plate? IMO, it’s the easiest way to ensure you’re meeting or getting as close to the recommended amount of servings for the day. You’ll also feel better about your food choices once you’ve eaten them.

This one speaks for itself. No one can tell you what’s right for you but YOU! Nothing happens overnight and though you may feel bad after eating 3, 4 or even 5 slices of sweet potato pie, you’re not going to reset your progress in one night. Just like it takes consistenly good habits to progress along your journey, it takes consistently bad habits to regress (though it doesn’t take as long for those bad habits to start showing, still, it doesn’t happen overnight).

At the end of the day, enjoy your food, enjoy your time with your loved ones. Food should not be the determining factor of how you feel about yourself and your day (I know, easier said than done) so do what you feel is BEST for you.

You got this!

CHICKEN QUESADILLA

Mexican food? COUNT ME IN!

It’s one of my favorites cuisines and because it’s so diverse, I feel like it everyone can find something that they love.

Mine?
Quesadillas.
Period.

Chicken, steak, veggie, cheese, it doesn’t matter to me, I love it!

So for one of my meals this week I decided to make a chicken quesadilla and share the recipe with you.

I hope you enjoy!

What You’ll Need:
Shredded Chicken
Mixed Shredded Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Poblano Pepper
Tomato
Cilantro
Scallions
Guacamole & Sour Cream
Taco Seasoning
Black Beans
Hot Sauce (optional)
2 Tortillas

1. Heat a pan with olive oil and add uncooked shredded chicken. Season with half the packet of taco seasoning and your choice of additional seasoning (optional). Stir and let cook on medium heat for about 15-20 mins.
2. In separate pot, heat black beans in pot over medium heat for 10 mins and season with the remaining pack of taco seasoning.
3. Dice poblano pepper, scallions and place and place aside separately. Dice tomato and cilantro and place in a bowl together and mix.
4. Add 2 tbsp of guacamole and equal parts sour cream in a bowl and mix together.
5. Once beans have softened, mash beans together until they are of a pasty consistency.
6. On one half of a tortilla, spread mashed beans, top with diced poblano pepper, tomato and cilantro mix, layer cheese and chicken and then fold over other half of tortilla.
7. In another heated pan with olive oil drizzled in, place the folded tortilla in the pan and let cook until brown on one side and then flip and let brown on the opposite side.
8. Carefully take tortilla out of pan, slice into four parts and top with guacamole and sour cream mix.
9. Drizzle hot sauce on top of slice (optional) and enjoy!

Per usual, the ingredients can be switched out to fit your specific dietary needs.

Do you like Mexican dishes? Which is your favorite?

Dripping sweat? cool. TIME TO WORK!

Disclaimer: UNPOPULAR FACT BELOW!

Just because you are sweating while you’re working out does not mean you’re working hard.

Believe it or not, sweat doesn’t equate to intensity. Sweat is your body’s way of cooling itself down so that you don’t overheat.

You can sweat just from standing outside in a food line on a hot day or because you’re claustrophobia kicked in while on the elevator; does that mean you’re working your butt off burning major calories?

Instead of waiting for that first drop of sweat to form on your forehead to affirm your work ethic, let me teach you how to know when you’re REALLY working your ass off.

When you’re working out within your THR, you’re not only tapping into your fat burn zone but you’re also improving your cardiovascular fitness level.

Challenge yourself to work within your THR for atleast 75% of each workout (unless it’s a rest day) and to decrease your RHR!

Do you know what RHR is? If so, let me know below and if not, no worries, I’ll be covering it in an upcoming post!

LET’S GET IT!!

spicy banger meatballs

I had turkey meat, green beans and was all out of brown rice and quinoa. Once I found the Jasmine rice at the bottom of the cupboard I knew it was on! Granted, I didn’t have the highest quality of MACROS (I wanted the brown rice and quinoa to get a bit more protein in for the day but oh well, tis’ life!) I had what I needed.

This meal took 30 minutes to make (prep time included) and the fragrances while cooking may make you want to sneak a taste before you’re done.

1. Preheat oven to 400º, bring 1 1/4 cup of water, rice and salt to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, place a top on pan and let simmer for 15 mins before removing from heat to sit.
2. Mince ginger, chop scallion and set aside.
3. Season ground turkey to your liking, mix in ginger and create small balls no bigger than 2 inches in width. Place them on a baking sheet and cook in over for 25 minutes.
4. In separate bowl, create the SPICY BANGER SAUCE by mixing sriracha sauce, sour cream, a squeeze of lemon juice together (portions are determined by how liquidy you want your sauce) and set aside until meatballs are done.
5. Rinse green beans and place in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste and cook until tender (about 10-12 mins).
6. Once all foods are done cooking, place on a plate or in a bowl, sprinkly scallions to your liking, drizzle the SPICY BANGER SAUCE on top of the meatballs and enjoy!

This was definitely one of my favorite meals to make and it doesn’t take long at all!

Be sure to save some for later as well, just in case your fast food tooth starts to nag!

If you try this meal, let me know what you think in the comments!