Fish Tacos

4 Tilapia Filets (you can use any fish of your choosing, or shrimp) (4 red)
1/4 cup Lime Juice
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
Pink Himalayan Salt/Sea Salt
Black Pepper
1 tsp Minced Garlic
8 Corn Tortillas (6 inches) 2 per serving (4 yellow)
Bag of Coleslaw mix
Diced Tomatoes
Nonfat, Plain Greek Yogurt (optional) (red)

30 minutes before cooking, place fish in a gallon size ziplock with lime juice, cilantro, lightly salt and pepper, and garlic. Let marinate in fridge. Spray pan with olive oil cooking spray. Pour fish and all marinade into hot pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until thoroughly cooked.  Mix greek yogurt with a little lime juice, cilantro, and salt. I use a tsp of the yogurt on each tortilla, place 1/2 cup of coleslaw and diced tomatoes on tortilla, then fish. Enjoy!!!!

**This recipe is clean and 21 Day Fix approved**

21 Day Fix: 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow

Pizza Burger Stuffed Peppers

Did you know green bell peppers are loaded with vitamin C??!!! 

In my family, we have this awesomely simple, but delicious recipe for something called Pizza Burgers.  I also tease that its a Great Depression recipe!  I would give you the recipe, but then it wouldn't be a family secret.  But I took these Pizza Burgers and decided to try and make Stuffed Peppers out of it.  And this is what I came up with.

4 Bell Peppers (any color)
1 pound lean ground meat (4 red)
15 oz can no salt added tomato sauce (2 purple)
6 oz can tomato paste (1 purple)
3 Tbs oregano
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp raw honey
1 tsp onion powder
2 cups cooked brown rice (4 yellow)
Pink Himalayan or sea salt
Black pepper
EVOO
1 cup mozzarella cheese (optional) (4 blue)

Cook brown rice and set aside. Brown ground meat in a pan, drain if necessary. In a bowl, mix tomato sauce and paste, garlic, honey, onion powder, salt to your preference. This is clean ketchup. Mix meat, rice, and a little more than half the ketchup, oregano, and half the cheese. Cut tops off peppers, clean out seeds. Set upright in deep baking dish. Lightly olive oil, salt and pepper the insides of the peppers. Stuff each pepper. Put top of pepper back on and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes till melted.

**This recipe is clean and 21 Day Fix approved**

21 Day Fix:  1 green, 1 purple, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue (if cheese was used)

Flourless Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Yes....you can have your cake and eat it too!  This recipe is amazing!  Not only because of its nutrition, how easy it is to make, but the fact that it is gluten-free!  

2/3 cup almond butter

1/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 eggs

3 tbs honey

1 tbs pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

a pinch of Himalayan or sea salt

In a blender/food processor put EVERYTHING.  Blend. Mix in by hand 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips. Fill 18 mini muffin liners...or spray mini muffin pan first. Fill 3/4 full. Bake at 375 about 8 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

**Clean eating and 21 Day Fix Approved**

21 Day Fix:  1 mini muffin is 1 teaspoon and 1 teaspoon of your day's allotment of honey

Blackbean Chili with Kale

Would you believe there are 4 different types of veggies...including Kale and Cauliflower??!!!

*note* I add more or less depending on how many servings I am making. This is for four.

1 cup bell pepper (1 green)
1 cup onion (1 green)
1 cup kale (1 green)
1 cup cauliflower (1 green)
1 can black beans drained (3 yellow)
1 pound lean ground meat (4 red)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can no salt added diced tomatoes (2 purple)
1 can no salt added tomato sauce (2 purple)
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs chili powder
Himalayan or sea salt as needed
Shredded cheese (optional)

Sautée in EVOO the onions, green peppers and garlic for 3-4 minutes till softened. Add lean ground meat and cook until meat is full cooked. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and half the can of black beans. Chop or cut with scissors the kale and add to chili. Add cumin and chili powder and simmer. Meanwhile, steam cauliflower till soft. Mash with potato masher or blend in blender/food processor with remaining black beans. Add mashed cauliflower and beans to chili. Lightly salt the chili as desired. Top with cheese.

*This recipe is clean eating and 21 Day Fix approved**
21 Day Fix:  1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 purple, 1 blue if using cheese

A Tale of Two Brussels Sprouts

At 4:30 this morning, I received a text from a friend asking me if I had a good recipe for Brussels Sprouts.  And yes...it's Brussels, not Brussel.  I must admit, other than steaming them and quickly eating my way through them so I didn't have to taste them much, I did not have much use for Brussels Sprouts.  Upon research, I discovered there aren't a whole lot of recipes involving this underutilized vegetable.  Then there was the question of roasting or sauteing.  Why not try it both ways and see which I like better?  So I did.  I used the same recipe, and just split it in half and cooked it two different ways.  And if ever you were to branch out and try Brussels Sprouts....this is the recipe to do it with.  You will not regret it.  Seriously, best dish EVER!!!  Did I mention it is loaded with vitamin C and K, as well as many others.

16 ounce bag of Brussels Sprouts (bottoms cut off and quartered) (4 green)
1 tablespoon EVOO
2 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup (not pancake syrup)
1 teaspoon Himalayan or Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 pieces of turkey bacon diced (1 red)

If Roasting:  Preheat oven to 400.  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and place in a baking pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until you can poke Brussels gently with a fork.

If Sauteing:  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and cook in frying pan over medium-high heat.  Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until Brussels Sprouts are tender and caramelized.

Now, as to which method is better.  Honestly, there is not much difference.  If you need free hand and prefer a crisper vegetable then roast them.  If you have 15 minutes to spare in the kitchen and prefer nice tender, caramelized vegetables then you will saute them.  Either way, they are divine...and good for you!!!!

**This recipe is clean and 21 Day Fix approved**
21 Day Fix:  1 green, 1 teaspoon of your syrup/honey allotment

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 large onion diced (1 green)
1 large green bell pepper diced (1 green)
1 tsp minced garlic
3 cups organic no salt added chicken broth
3 cups water
1 celery stalk diced (1/2 green)
1 large carrot shredded (1/2 green)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 red)
1 cup cauliflower (1 green) (keep it whole if you can, easier to pull out later)
24 ounce can Marzano tomatoes pureed in the food processor (3 purple)
1 cup chopped cilantro
4 corn tortillas cut up (2 yellow)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp sea salt or himalayan salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup shredded cheese (4 blue)
EVOO

In LARGE pot, heat up 1 tsp EVOO, saute onion and green pepper with the garlic for 4 minutes, until softened. Add everything else, EXCEPT THE CHEESE. Heat to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Pull out cauliflower and put in the food processor until pureed. Add back to the pot. Pull out chicken and shred or dice, return it to the pot. Add cheese and mix all together. Serve garnished with cilantro or avocado or whatever you please!!!!

**The corn tortillas and cauliflower are great for thickening the soup and adding a little extra something to it. If you want the soup thicker, add less water. This made 4 HUGE servings.

**This recipe is clean and 21 Day Fix approved**
21 Day Fix:  1 green, 1 red, 1/2 yellow, 1 blue

Flourless Brownies

Did you know that chickpeas are not only an excellent source of protein and fiber, but contain over 10 vitamins and minerals??!!! Now, you may be asking yourself....why are you talking about chickpeas?  Well, thats because chickpeas are the star ingredient in these fabulously healthy brownies.  Not that you would know it by looking at them or tasting them!

15 ounce can organic chickpeas (garbanzo) drained and rinsed
3 large eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup or raw honey
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbs melted coconut oil
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin pay with olive oil cooking spray. Muffin liners do NOT work well. The brownies will stick to them even if you spray them. So just go paperless! In a blender or food processor put everything except the chocolate chips. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Fill 12 muffin cups. Put 4-5 chocolate chips in each muffin cup and push it into the batter. Cook for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

To learn more about chickpea nutrition, check out http://www.livestrong.com/article/371012-chick-peas-nutrition-information/#page=1

**Clean Eating and 21 Day Fix Approved**
21 Day Fix:  1 muffin is 1 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon of your honey/syrup

My beginning...

In order for you to understand why I am doing this blog, I must first go back and explain how and why this all began....

About three months after the birth of my son, I began to see drastic changes in my body.  I had just spend the last two years pregnant and giving birth to the two most beautiful creatures in the entire world, my daughter and then my son.  And although I had lost all my pregnancy weight rapidly after my son, it all began to come back and at a rapid pace.  I was unable to hide this extra weight the way I had always been able to....stuffing my stomach under the band of my pants, sucking in my stomach, wearing shirts that accentuated all the good parts while hiding the not so good parts.  So, I began to accept this.  I told myself "this was the body of a mother of two."  "This is what your body is now."  As I began to grow out of my clothes and into more loose, comfortable clothes more excuses came.  "I don't need to wear this, I'm a mother now."  The latter is what I told myself when I had to get rid of my bikinis.  And it wasn't until after I did this that I finally realized that these were all just excuses.  I mean, honestly, I could care less about wearing a bikini or not...

.but shouldn't I feel like I have the option to wear and be comfortable in whatever I want.  Shouldn't I be comfortable in my own skin?  I wanted to be comfortable.  I wanted to love myself.  I needed to be healthy.

I got turned on to a Beachbody program by a fellow sorority sister.  I had been watching her posts on Facebook for the last 2 months about how she and her husband had been getting healthy and losing weight.  What did I have to lose?  I had once been told, you can't give up on something unless you have tried everything.  This program was called 21 Day Fix.  It combines clean eating and portion control with working out for 30 minutes every day.  So I began.  At the time, I just saw myself as working a program....just looking to lose the extra weight.  But I ended up gaining so much more.   I don't want to say the program turned my life upside down, but more like it turned my life right side up.  I started eating healthy, I started exercising, and I started losing the weight.  And before I knew it, I was at 60 days successfully clean eating and exercising.  And I was excited about it.  Every person that commented on my slimmer shape I wanted to exuberantly shout about the program and how amazing it was.  Then I was approached about becoming a coach, and helping others reach their health goals by motivating and inspiring them the way my coach had.  So, why not?  I have time to give.  I have experiences to share.  I have missteps and successes that I can share with others to help them on their journey.  My weight loss program had morphed into a health journey before my eyes.

Now, 3 months later and 19 pounds healthier, I am ready to share my stories.  I am ready to share what has been a pitfall for me, and what has been successful for me.  I am ready to share these wonderful Beachbody programs and opportunities for getting healthy with others.  But my real passion, is the cooking.  I am ready to share recipes for clean eating that have been truly amazing.  You see, I am not super woman and do not have the time or drive to cook different meals for different members of my family.  I needed meals that met my needs, but also those of my two babies and my husband.  I needed to find a way to make clean eating for the every day family.  I take comfort meals and make them clean.  I find ways to use groceries found in most kitchens and typical grocery stores.  I am making clean eating approachable and appetizing.  So welcome to my blog.  Come on in, read, share, stay a while.  I hope you enjoy stumbling your way through this health journey with me.  I am not an expert in any way.  I am just a person trying to figure out the best choices for me and my family.  Every day is a new day for me to be better than I was the day before.