Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Let me begin by saying that this is a fabulous recipe! The dressing that you pour over the lettuce wraps is so good I could DRINK the stuff! I'm not even kidding. I adapted the sauce from Whitewater Cooks...keeping it a bit cleaner by leaving out a few ingredients but it was still divine. This is a great week night meal, and makes convenient leftovers for lunch the next day.

Chicken Filling Recipe:

1 tsp coconut oil

2 pound ground chicken (could use ground turkey) 

2 crushed garlic cloves

2 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1/2 bag broccoli slaw

1 pepper sliced thinly

1 bag of bean sprouts

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup chicken stock

In a pan, melt 1 tsp coconut oil and brown chicken  with the garlic and ginger. Once it is cooked, add the remaining ingredients, cook 3-4 minutes and remove from heat.

Now for the piece de resistance! The dressing!

Dressing

In a blender or bullet combine the following:

1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter

1 lime juiced

2 tsp sesame oil

3 tbsp sweet chili sauce

4 tbsp rice vinegar

4 tbsp soy sauce

 2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Sriracha (optional)

Now, who really buys iceburg lettuce anymore when there are so many other varietals (grapes only??)? I for one, do not. However, I did make an exception this time, for the sake of the pictures and you know what...it was quite nice.  The leaves are large enough that the filling doesn't spill out. I did try some filling in a romaine leaf the next day, and it was still delicious...just messier. 

Toppings can be whatever you like, but here I had green onions, peanuts and more fresh cilantro.

 And then, just fill that lettuce leaf up with the chicken mixture, sprinkle on cilantro, green onions and peanuts, and drizzle a good amount of the peanut sauce and BAM...you have  a clean and healthy dinner :)

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments below!

"You can do it!!" ~ "Oh yeah I can!"

What a Friday! What am I saying....its more like "What a year!"

Being in the fitness industry definitely has its perks in terms of fitting the daily workout in. A few exercises in bootcamp , a warm up and abs with a client, a weekly Knox climb with another client, a few reps here and there all throughout the day and I've worked out today, right?! Or not.

I have normally been able to schedule my workouts in to my day (just like I've told my clients to do countless times), but lately, whether it be from a packed schedule, lack of motivation, no more workout partner or emotional stress (probably a combination of all four) I have been giving myself permission to just "skip it" today. To be honest, I'm not lovin' the results of that.

Today could have been one of those days. I was busy! I worked from 6am-2pm. Then errands and paper work needed to be done. I thought of stopping at the gym on my way home but I felt guilty that my daughter was home alone all morning. I feel very strongly about my motto, "MOVE DAILY". Not only for us as adults, but also to make your kids move too. Stratton was heading to the gym, Dezi was going skateboarding, but Piper was watching Looney Tunes! I said, get dressed, we're going golfing! Lol, just the golfing range...but better than sitting on the couch. Then, just by sheer virtue of being out of the house, I found some motivation. I told her that I would take her to the driving range, but that we were going to stop at the Viewcrest stairs on the way home. She was game!

I knew that I was planning drinks out with the girls that evening, and if I had missed this workout, I knew I would feel like crap the next day.

I committed to 10 flights of stairs.

I didn't WANT to do it. I wanted to just go home. However, part of the benefit of exercise, is that it increases that feel good hormone, serotonin, and the feeling we have after it is done, is AMAZING! Of course it was so much easier with my little counter and cheerleader there to encourage me. She was so cute yelling at me, "You can do it mom, one more flight to go!" 

She was right. I CAN do it.

Yeah, she also had a Slurpee ;)  Don't judge me...everything in moderation I say ;)

Here's the main point: 

You can do what you tell yourself you are capable of doing!

I LOVE it when my client Daniella whispers before a chin up or a heavy squat, "Ok, I can do this!" I tell her...yeah you can! Of course you can! Who told you that you couldn't?! 

Bottom line? Tell yourself you can, schedule in your workouts, and be kind to yourself if you mess up.

Now go MOVE DAILY.

Mango Chicken Cabbage Salad!

Mango Chicken Cabbage Salad

It was 4:30pm and I was in a panic because I didn't have a plan for dinner tonight! Looking in the fridge, I saw cabbage, mango, and defrosted chicken. I googled those three ingredients and a few good looking dishes popped up. I took the base for one, the dressing for another, added my own tweaks...and we had dinner!

Ingredients:

2 cubed and cooked chicken breasts - salt/pepper

1 small cabbage shredded

1 pepper diced

1 mango diced

1/2 English cucumber diced

2 green onions finely chopped

1 handful cilantro chopped

8 mint leaves chopped

Place all of the vegetables in a large bowl

Dressing:

1 tbsp Sriracha

1 tsp maple syrup or honey

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 tbsp soya sauce

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp sesame oil

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Blend in bullet until blended.

Toss dressing with vegetables and top with cooked chicken.

Enjoy!

Coconut Raspberry Lime Popscicles

I like a nice cold treat just as much as the next gal ;) Here is a frozen delight that you can sink your teeth into, guilt free!

This recipe couldn't be easier!

Recipe: (yields 3 bars)

Blend together for coconut layer:

1/2 banana

1/2 can reduced fat coconut milk (for a creamier bar, use full fat)

1 tbsp unsweetened coconut

*****

Raspberry Layer:

1/2 cup raspberries

1 tsp honey (or sweetener of choice)

1/4 cup apple juice

Juice of 1/2 a lime

fresh berries

Blend together for raspberry layer.

*****

Pour coconut layer in first, let freeze. We have a Zoku popscicle maker and it froze in 3 minutes. Next add a few fresh berries and top with your blended raspberry mix.

**Tip - use any leftover mix in your smoothie the next day!

Enjoy!