Monday Movement: Avoid Holiday Burnout

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday!  I certainly enjoyed spending time with my son and having the time off from work.  As I was up late on Wednesday night getting my Thanksgiving meal prepped, I was reminded of how it was typical for me to experience burnout this time year.  'Tis the season to be holly, jolly and so bright you burnout?  I'm certain this isn't the intention, but with the changes in schedules due to extra events and activities to celebrate the season, usually with abundance of heavy, sugary foods, it's hard to avoid feeling overwhelmed.  Between completing additional tasks for seasonal activities and a lack of control of my daily schedule, it was easy for me to feel like I just didn't want to participate in any holiday activities.

"There is more to life than increasing it's speed." -- Mahatma Gandhi

I know I'm not the only one who has felt they wanted to disengage from everything when things got busy.  In our fast-paced society, it is pretty common during this time of year.  Let's face it, we spend most of our days reacting to notifications and during the holidays, there are simply more of them.  Add to it the fact that many companies are pushing hard to accomplish year-end goals which may leave you with more stress than usual. If you are not careful ot manage this exponentially increasing stress, you can easily experience burnout.

This is what would happen to me nearly every year.  Just as I felt like I was managing the business of getting my son back into his school-time routine, football practice and game day Saturdays more would be added on with the holidays; travel, shopping, parties, events.  It also seemed routine for my company to plan a project deadline just before the holidays.  I suppose the hope was that engineers would be pushed to get it done so they could relax over the holidays, but the projects were always behind and never actually completed before January!  By the time the holidays hit, I had already been operating at full capacity.  Adding more fuel can certainly make the fire burn brighter, but it can also cause the flame to burnout.

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." -- Sydney J. Harris

There is a difference between stress and burnout.  Burnout hits when you've been operating at high-capacity for a while and haven't given yourself the appropriate relief.  Burnout hits almost overnight.  All of a sudden, you find it hard to get out of bed.  You may find it hard to get to work on time.  You've lost all desire to get things done like you used to.  Most importantly, you avoid engaging with others.  You might be easily distracted when interacting with family and friends you would normally interact with daily.  During the holidays, you start to feel like a scrooge, easily annoyed at all the hustle and bustle going on around you.

Although my Thanksgiving weekend started off a little busier than I would have liked, I'm happy to have noticed that I was heading for burnout if I didn't take heed.  Since I've started focusing on living a healthy lifestyle - eating nutritiously, daily workouts, regular water intake and improved sleep, I am less likely to experience burnout during this time of year than I did in the past.  It's because it's these same "healthy lifestyle" activities that are important for avoiding and relieving symptoms of burnout.

"Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life." -- Marilu Henner

• Get your normal amount of sleep, at least.  It's easy to neglect a little sleep trying to get more done, but we actually need more sleep than usual during the winter months.  As much as we try to ignore mother nature, the shortened daylight hours during winter signal our bodies to hibernate.  Neglecting to get our regular amounts of sleep only add to our stress and feelings of overwhelm.  
  
• Make exercise a priority.  Even though it may be the last thing you feel like doing, exercise is a powerful antidote to stress and burnout.  Research shows that your body creates endogenous endorphins and enkephalins, which are just fancy words for endogenous morphine and endogenous opiates.  Yep!!  Just like the stuff you're thinking of, this helps you feel good and relaxed after your workout!  Not only do your workouts increase your mood, but they also improve your focus.  You don't have to create some elaborate workout routine or get a new gym membership.  You can simply start with taking short walks throughout the day.  If you need a little more of a boost, try a 30-day trial to stream a variety of challenging workouts online.
• Eat a healthy diet.  I know it's challenging during this time of year with over-abundance of treats and sweets, but no that saying "no" to some of this stuff means saying "yes" to enjoying the season!   Your goal is to minimize the foods that adversely effect your moods and energy, like sugar, refined carbs, trans fat and chemicals to name a few.  Choose foods that give you fuel, that boost your brain-power and keep you satiated throughout your busy days, by including more protein and fiber; i.e. lean meats, nuts, legumes, fresh fruits and fresh veggies.  Include more foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, walnuts and flaxseed to name a few. 

• Stay hydrated.  Focus on H2O!  Water keeps your body moving at it's best.  Aim for at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water every day.
• Stick to a routine.  It's definitely a challenge to stick to your regular routine during the holidays, but do your best.  Plan out your weeks so that you're only taking on what you can realistically handle without skipping workouts and any time needed for meal prep.  The more you feel in control of your schedule, the less likely you are to get overwhelmed.

This list is a great start to what has kept me from experiencing burnout during the holidays so that I can truly make great memories while spending invaluable time with family and friends.  It is also helpful in warding off that undesired holiday weight gain.  I find that the years I experience burnout are also the years I've managed to gain the most weight during the holidays.  If you've experienced burnout in the past, I want to challenge you to take a whole new look at how you spend the holidays.  Take time to take control and avoid it this year by taking a little more care for yourself.  I know you can do it!  You are worth it!!

Movement Monday: How to Make a Commitment to Yourself

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

Many people believe they know what they want.  They have a desire for the short term -- lose weight, have more energy, make more money, get out of debt, have more fun and the list goes on.  Deciding what you want is the easy part.  Having the desire to improve a part of our lives is the easy part.  Making the commitment to get it done is a completely different story.

"Intent reveals desire; action reveals commitment." -- Dr. Steve Maraboli

This is post is a continuation from last week, so if you haven't checked it out yet, I encourage you to get the details right here so you are not lost.

So why are we afraid to make commitments to ourselves?  After all the results directly affects our own lives.  It would seem that making commitments to oneself would be simple.  Yet, people waiver when it comes to committing to the process of self improvement.

"Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality." -- Abraham Lincoln

So let's talk about how to make and keep commitments period.  I will encourage you to use this to help you with an item you've been wavering on.

1 - Name your fear.

As previously mentioned, most failure to commit to related to fear.  Fear of missing out, fear of losing options, fear of losing your freedom, fear of failure.  So I will first encourage you to ask yourself: what exactly are you afraid of?  What will you be missing out on?  Could it be that your chosen coarse of action to get you to your goal is simply not for you?  What exactly do you fear losing?  Does the reward of reaching your goal trump what you may be leaving behind? Do you fear being trapped and restricted?  Do you not realize that reaching your goal gives you more options which is more freedom?Do you fear not reaching your goal and simply feel safer if you don't even try?  Long term, can you really be happy with that?  Lastly, as mentioned last week, many people have a simple fear of the unknown due to the amygdala.  Luckily there is a portion of the brain that counterbalances the amygdala called the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC lights up when you imagine greatness for yourself in the future.  Your brain grows strong in the area that is used the most.  Unfortunately, while the amygdala seems to strengthen without really thinking about it, we have to intentionally choose to strengthen the PFC.  A great way to do this is daily affirmations.

"Most people fail, not because of lack of desire, but because of lack of commitment." -- Vince Lombardi

2 - Decide to be more decisive  

Indecisiveness becomes a habit over time. Whenever we make a decision about anything, we are committing to it - at least for the time being. If commitment to any decision has been a problem for you, then start practicing being more decisive in lots of small ways.  Realize that indecisiveness is also a decision.  Something will happen whether you actively choose it or not.  A great decision is usually made with less-than-perfect information, along with your brain and your gut. Take time to look at an issue from different angles and then trust yourself to act.

3 - Create a strong desire
In order to fully commit to anything, you need a clear and personally compelling reason.  Without a strong desire, you will struggle when the work gets tough.  Make sure you fully understand what it is you want and most importantly why you want it.  Attempting a life change for someone else will never work.  I've seen it time and time again.  People desiring to lose weight to make their significant other happy.  Someone else's suggestions or comments will never create a strong enough desire to get you through the challenging work of change.

"There is a difference between interest and commitment.  When you're interested in doing something, you only do it when it's convenient.  When you're committed to doing something, you accept no excuses; only results." -- Kenneth Blanchard 

4 - Identify the key actions
It is important to understand which core actions will produce the result you are after.  In most endeavors there are often many activities that help you accomplish your goal.  However there are usually a few key activities that account for a majority of the results.  It is important to identify these activities, because after all, our ultimate goal is to get results.

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” -- Margaret Thatcher

5 - Count the costs
It's true.  Commitments require sacrifice, but in all that effort, there are also benefits and rewards.  Too often we fail to identify the true cost of reaching our goal and this make it difficult to keep our commitments.  Costs to consider include time, money, risk, uncertainty, loss of comfort, and so on.  Identifying the costs before you commit allows you to consciously choose whether you are willing to pay the price of your commitment.  When and if you face any of these anticipated costs, it is helpful to recognize that you foresaw them and previously decided that reaching your goal was worth it.

We are digging deep and working through these steps in my current online health and fitness accountability group.  You can definitely go through it alone, but having the support of a group of people and a coach makes it less scary and more fun!  I will always encourage you to join us at anytime because it's better to start now, than not at all.  Make that commitment to yourself!

FIX n' Shred Hatch Green Chile Chicken

Green Chile Pork Taco w/ Coleslaw

Here's Round 2 of my Hatch Chile love!  I don't know what it is I love about 'em.  Maybe it's because they're only around once a year that makes them special, but I find all kinds of tasty dishes to make with them.  This one is no different, except it is so easy to make, and so versatile, I anticipate this becoming a staple in your weekly meal prep.

Pork for team dinner

I first started out making a couple batches of Hatch Chile Pulled Pork in the Ninja.  The first batch was for my son's high school football team dinner.  It was so tasty and involved nearly zero prep, but I was a little sad that all of it was left with the team.  I really didn't expect the 9 pound pork shoulder to make it back home but I hoped it would.

Roasting chiles (plus red peppers)

Truly, it was only 1/8 of the what was necessary to feed the team, so I simply had to make another batch two days later for another football gathering in my home.  It was a hit!  After two rounds of pork, I figured the recipe should work with chicken too.  I bet it will work with a beef shoulder as well, but I have yet to try.  If you try it out, let me know how it turns out, please.  

As I share this delicious simple recipe with you, heed my warning.  Commit the seasonings to memory as this will become a weekly or bi-weekly staple in your house.  It is that SIMPLE and SO TASTY!

If you don't have hatch chiles available or want to save more time, grab 2 7 oz. cans of diced green chiles.  Total prep time with already roasted and peeled chiles is less than 10 minutes.

FIX n' Shred Hatch Green Chile Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 Ninja (recommended) or crock pot
• 3 pounds Chicken breast (can put in frozen)
• 1 Onion, sliced thin
• 3/4 C Pureed Roasted Hatch Green Chiles, peeled and seeded. (~8-9 fresh chiles)
• 1 tsp. Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
• 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Cumin
• 1/2 Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 Dried Sage
• 1 Hand Mixer

Directions:

1. Place the onions in the pot
2. Top with chicken
3. Top the chicken with green chiles and spices
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours
5. Shred with hand mixer on low setting.

To serve: 

Night 1 Dinner

Add to corn tortillas with coleslaw for tacos, mix in soup, serve on top of salad or with veggies.  The first night I enjoyed with faux garlic mashed potatoes and green beans for a super delicious dinner.

FIX proportions: 1 Red.

Enjoy!

Quick FIX Frittata

This veggie frittata is a delicious and super easy anytime meal portion for the Quick 21 Day Fix.

Quick FIX Frittata

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons of olive or avocado oil
• 8 eggs
• 8 Cups veggies (5 C chopped spinach, 1 C green onions, 1 C mushroom, 1 Red Bell pepper)
• 2 Blue containers (1/2 C) grated Parmesan and/or Mozzarella cheese (opt.)
• Pink Himalayan sea salt, black pepper & oregano to taste.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Saute veggies in hot oil until spinach is wilted. (About 4 minutes)
3. Beat 8 eggs.
4. Add seasonings and cheese.
5. Pour into pan with veggies. Stir slowly so it's well mixed, leaving the heat on.
6. Transfer pan to oven and bake 15 minutes.

Let  set for 5 minutes outside the oven before dividing into 4 equal pieces. 1 serving is 1/4 of the frittata.

FIX proportions: 1 Red, 2 Green, 1/2 Blue, 1 teaspoon.

Enjoy!

Fish n' Fries

Who eats fish and fries a.k.a fish n' chips while they're watching what they eat?

Me! Me! Me!  Especially if the fish is broiled and the fries are made from carrots.  Not only is this meal much healthier than the fried version, it is also much quicker to prepare and much quicker to clean up.

So tell me... are you a "Fish n' Fry" person or a "Fish n' Chip" person?  If you're a 'fish n' chipper', you can easily switch out the carrot sticks for carrot coins.

I hope this recipe saves your dinner by letting it be known that you can have fish n' fries (or fish n' chips) when eating healthy, regardless of what you like to call them.

Fish n' Fries

Ingredients:

• 2 baking sheets lined with foil
• 1 1/2 pounds catfish nuggets
• 1 pound carrot sticks (~3 C)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Combine chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and salt in a small bowl
3. Place carrot stick in a bowl and toss with the olive oil and 1/3 (~1 Tablespoon) of the seasoning mix.
4. Place carrot mixture on 1st baking sheet
5. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until carrot stick are tender and start to crisp
6. While the carrot sticks are baking, toss the catfish nuggets with the remaining seasoning.  Mix well.
7. Add fish mixture to the 2nd baking sheet.
8. When carrot sticks are finished, turn on the oven broiler.
9. Place fish in broiler for 10 minutes, turning at minute 6.

Servings: 4 - 1 Red & 1 Green  

Perfectly Tempting Pork Tenderloin

I just have to say before I share this recipe, that if you love food (OK, who doesn't?), but don't enjoy cooking or cleaning up, you MUST get a Ninja!  Not only can slow cook, bake, roast and more with it.  But it comes with an awesome recipe booklet which was the start of this recipe.  OK, now that I've given the appropriate shout out to my favorite kitchen tool,  I will share my recipe based off their "Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloins & Potatoes" recipe.

Perfectly Tempting Pork Tenderloin

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cut in quarters (or eighths)
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 1 1/2 - 2 pounds baby carrots
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons smoked chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan sea salt
• 1 large pork tenderloin (about 3 pounds)
• 1 1/2 C chicken broth

Directions:

1. Combine chili and garlic powders, cumin and salt.
2. Cut potatoes, onion and carrots and combine in a large bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of seasoning mixture.  Toss to coat.  (If you are not using a Ninja, go ahead and toss in a roasting pan.)
3. Rub the pork with the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil and the remaining seasoning.
4. Place the tenderloin in your Ninja pot and cook for about 10 minutes on the STOVETOP setting.  (If you do not a Ninja, you can do this in a skillet.)  Cook until it's browned on all sides, then remove from the pot.
5. Pour the chicken broth into the pot.  Add in the potatoes, carrots and onion mix.
6. Set the roasting rack on top and add the browned tenderloin onto the rack.
7. Cover and cook at 375, checking after the first 20 minutes or so.
8. Make sure pork is cooked through.

Final Meals Prepped for the week!

Servings: Depending on the time of day, grab 1 Yellow of potatoes with 1 Green of carrots (about 8-10 depending on the size) and 1 Red of tenderloin (about 2 slices depending on the thickness).  I had about 8 servings if eating this way, but I like to use the tenderloin for sandwiches and wraps too!


Alternatives: Use any of the 21 Day Fix Seasonings to season this recipe.

Ninja Chili

I tend to crave hot soups and chili when the temperatures get cooler.  Last week's unusually early cold snap got me in the mood to whip up a quick batch of chili.  I wanted this chili to include more vegetables than usual, but I know my son who is currently in a "I don't like peppers or zucchini phase" would not eat my chili if he could see them in there.  So I used a little trick I read years ago from a book I have called Stealth Health by Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D.  She has many tips to "Eat Right in Spite of Yourself."  One of these tips is to dice the veggies so small they are almost undetectable.  You must be careful to choose veggies that will blend in with what you're cooking, otherwise I would advise pureeing them.  For this chili, I added red and green peppers because they would blend in easily.
  
One more tip to keep this recipe cost effective and healthy is to use your own seasonings.  If you are working towards eating at home more always keep the most generally used seasonings in any recipe.  This includes oregano, thyme, basil, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and I'm sure a few more.  I used to always buy the Fowler's 2-Alarm Chili Kit, until I actually read all of the packets and realized I had all the ingredients anyway.  I decided I was wasting my money buying a chili kit so I stopped.  Plus, you can control exactly what goes into your chili and change things up as you get more confident in knowing what you and your family will eat.

Finally, I only call this Ninja Chili because I made it using my Ninja.  This device is a staple in helping me make quick healthy meals.  I enjoy my slow cooker and you can make this recipe using yours.  I prefer my Ninja because I can cook or sear the meat in the same pot where I'm slow cooking.  I also think the cast iron pot gives the food a different taste than the typical ceramic pot of a slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground meat (at least 95% lean ground beef, ground chicken, turkey or even lean pork)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 C stewed tomatoes (I ALWAYS make extra of Brooklyn Farm Girl's and freeze them - BFG Best Stewed Tomatoes)
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 3 8-ounce cans of water
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp rubbed sage
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 1 red pepper, chopped finely
• 1 green pepper, chopped finely
• 1 15 ounce can or 2 Cups cooked, drained and rinsed black or kidney beans (optional)

Directions:

1. Brown the ground meat on high and break apart with a utensil that will not damage your Ninja's coated surface.  (For the recipe in the picture I used 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of ground chicken)
2. Add the garlic and let cook for about 1 minute with the meat.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, except the onions, peppers and optional beans.  Stir and switch to the slow cooker mode.  Choose your temperature based on how much time you have before serving time.  (I  put it on high since dinner needed to be in about 2 hours)
4. Chop your onions and peppers and stir in.  
5. Add your drained and rinsed beans.
6. Cooks Tip: Since the chili has had a few minutes to cook, take a teaspoon of the liquid and see if it will be flavorful enough for your family.
7. Serve hot and enjoy!

For 21 Day Fix portions - 1 1/4 C is 1 Red, 1 Green and 1/2 Yellow

Hatch Chile Mini-Quiches

I absolutely LOVE New Mexico Hatch Green Chiles!  Not sure what made them so special to my palate, but when it's there harvest time in late July/early August, I can't help but come up with new dishes or try out new recipes that include them.

Finely chopped green chiles

So, last week, one of the dishes I created was Hatch Green Chile Mini-Quiches.  Since I track my nutrition using 21 Day Fix containers these can easily be converted and they contain a lot of veggies.  I also happened to be going through my monthly clean eating challenge at that time, so I also had to ensure the ingredients followed the rules of the challenge.  If you'd like to join one of my free clean eating challenges, head on over to www.techifitness.com/nutrition and add your name to my contact form or find me on Facebook - Kara Henson or Facebook - Techifitness.

OK, we really came here for the recipe right?!  I'm so glad you did.

Hatch Green Chile Mini-Quiches 

9 Farm Fresh Eggs
3 C Spinach, chopped
1 C white or yellow onions, diced
3 TBSP chopped cilantro
2-3 roasted New Mexico Hatch Green Chiles (about 1 C), finely chopped
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (to taste)
Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
Oregano, Marjoram, Chives (fresh or dried, to taste)
Red Chile Powder (opt.)
3 Chicken Sausage Patties (or any lean breakfast sausage), crumbled

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees    
2. Chop veggies and add to bowl
3. Beat eggs add to bowl
4. Add seasonings and mix well (I love eggs with tons of flavor so I use a lot!)
5. Add in sausage crumbles

Scoop ~1/4 C into muffin tins, coated with cooking spray or lined with foil tins.  I detest cleaning muffin pans, (probably because I only have cheap pans), so I always use foil tins with the paper liner removed.

Bake at 350 degrees for ~25 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen or 6 servings.  Each serving is 1 Red, and 1 Green.

More green chile recipes coming soon!  I'd love to hear what you make with your green chiles.  Share a link to the recipe or share your pictures here or on Facebook!  Show me some green chile love!

Plan for Success

By far, the way you eat determines your success in any weight loss regimen.  Even if you're goal is not weight loss, who isn't looking for improved health?  Isn't that the goal anyway?  Improved health means improving the way you feel and the way you look.  That's a complete WIN!

I used to be a person who would workout hard so I could eat anything I wanted.  During my initial weight loss journey, this was fine.  I knew eventually I'd have to start focusing on my eating.  At the time, I didn't understand that focusing on my eating did not mean a diet.  I go into my former struggles in "Getting Fixed", so I won't go into it all again.  Bottom line - you can't out exercise a bad diet.  Plus, when you set your goal for wellness, you will eat in a way that gets you to your ideal weight.

So the biggest deterrent from eating well, is time.  As a single parent to a busy athletic teen,  a full time engineer and a fitness coach, I know a little about managing a busy schedule.  It takes more time to prepare fresh foods than it does to dump something from a can or a box.  However our bodies were not designed to eat the convenient and processed foods.

I know I've done this before.  I started out with the greatest intentions by buying fresh fruits and veggies.  I get everything home and in the refrigerator.  Then, my week gets busy and the prep time scares me.  The fear of getting all that food chopped, cooked and onto the table for myself and my family would allow me to block it out.  Before I knew it, the food would go bad.  What a waist of money!  I've actually heard people say that they just eat out because they waste the food the buy for their homes.

There's no skirting around the issue, but following a nutritious eating plan will take a little bit of planning.  As I always tell the people I work with,  "No one ever plans to fall.  But you can fail to plan."  I find that when I don't plan, I don't get as many fruits and cruciferous vegetables into my meals.  These are the foods that provide you with the biggest bang for your buck in your health improvement effort.  They are packed with so many vitamins, minerals, fiber, you name it.  Plus with their generally lower calorie content, you can eat a lot more, helping to keep you satisfied throughout the day.  I will tell you what how I plan to keep my eating on track and avoiding last minute restaurant food runs.  I hope some of these tips will benefit you and give you ideas of how you can "plan for success," for you and your family.

Create a Meal Calendar

Planning your meals ahead of time can help you shop.  A smart planner will plan to use foods that are on sale and to save on prep time, use foods that can be cooked once and then combined in different recipes.  Baking or grilling chicken for one dinner can then be used in a casserole for another dinner and chicken salad for a couple lunches.  The same goes for the veggies you buy for a recipe.  I used to have a hard time using up celery.  I'd make a recipe that would use 2 stalks of celery and then may not ever get to them again.  Planning meals and snacks that help you use up all the ingredients you buy requires a little extra time, but will save you money in the long run.  

I created this meal planner from a template in Microsoft Excel.  I would get suggestions from family requests, websites or recipes I want to try.  I even add my meals where I plan to dine out with friends.  If you need some help planning your meals, TeamBeachbody has access to meal planners for $2.99/week.  You can get access to this site by going to getfit.techifitness.com, clicking 'Join' and choosing the 'Club Membership.'  There are plenty of other sites that also gives you access to meal planners, as well, but this is the only one when my coaching is included at any level of membership.

Finding ways to use up all your fresh ingredients leads me to my next tips, because they provide more options to ensure you have healthy food available when you need it.

Washing, Cutting and Packaging Fruits and Veggies is a Part of the Shopping Process

This one is a relatively new one for me, but it has proven to be help me out the most.  When you think of getting your fresh fruits and veggies ready for use, just like shopping and unloading the groceries, you are more likely to use them up and you are more likely to grab them in a crunch.  In addition, you are less likely to buy too many of them. 

Always wash any fruits and veggies that you bought before putting them in the refrigerator.  For fruits and veggies I plan to take to work with me that week or want my son to grab as a snack, I package it up in a single serving size.  This way, when I'm packing my meals for the day, I can grab and 'toss' into my lunch bag.  Also, I've noticed that my son will grab grapes quicker when they're washed and in a sandwich bag, than if they are just washed and in the original bag.

Chopped Peppers added to single serving bags

Before you start, make sure you have plenty of containers or sandwich bags (or larger) on hand to package up your fresh fruits and veggies.  If they are being used for a recipe you'll make later, go ahead and package them up right then.  It'll make your recipe prep that much faster.  You'll feel like one of those chefs that are displaying their recipes on the News & Talk Shows.

Prepare Extra and Package It Up! (Freeze if necessary)

I try to double any recipe I'm making for dinner, unless it's for the first time.  This helps me cook once and eat twice.  Plus, if there is a dish you and your family really enjoys, you know that you will not have to fuss over it the second time, which actually makes it taste even better.  Dishes that freeze well include enchiladas, soups and chili, casseroles, stewed tomatoes and so many others.  For your best results, minimize the air in the container and do not freeze longer than 3 months.


When it comes to breakfast, don't be afraid to cook a huge pot of oatmeal or other breakfast cereal and place a single serving into containers.  This really helps getting out of the house in the morning go a little smoother.  My son will grab his "oatmeal circle," as he calls it since the oatmeal is stored in a round container.  He also knows that his containers are the larger 1 C serving while mine is the smaller 1/2 C serving.  I also either boil up eggs for the week, peel them and store in a huge Ziploc bag.  These will not last longer than about 5-6 days.   To change things up, I'll make scrambled eggs (4-5 whites/1 full egg) with the veggies I prepped earlier.  I'll make more than one serving so it will last a couple days.  The same goes for bacon (any kind),  and sausage.  It is easy to pop these in the microwave to heat up a fast hot breakfast before dashing out to start the day.

Go Ahead and Roast Up Those Veggies

Just like I cook up a large quantity of oatmeal, I like to roast many of the veggies I will eat during the week.  Roasting veggies is a nice change from steamed, stove top cooked or microwaved.  You get a wonderful flavor.  It's also something you can do it bulk based on what is on sale.

Cinnamon-Coconut Roasted Sweet Potatoes

 You can roast almost anything! I've tried broccoli and cauliflower, to potatoes (both white and sweet), to peppers, onions, green beans and my latest favorite, baby Brussels sprouts.  Plus you can change up the flavors in so many different ways depending on your tastes.  In the sweet potatoes I have pictured that day I chose to rub coconut oil and them and sprinkle with cinnamon.  This was an idea I learned from a friend.  Sweet potatoes are also super tasty with olive oil, garlic and a little bit of sea salt.

Roasted Green Beans

I saw celebrity fitness trainer Chris Powell talk about roasting green beans on one of his episodes last year.  Roasting green beans turn a vegetable you might normally eat with a fork into finger food.  Here, I toss in olive oil and add marjoram, oregano and sea salt.

I started roasting baby Brussels sprouts just recently as they are more tender over the larger variety.  I love to add garlic and onion and toss in olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, oregano and marjoram.  You can really use any of your favorite seasonings with these.  Pictured are some Red Peppers I purchased that were on sale.  It is easy to add these to a breakfast taco or with eggs for breakfast.  I can also add these to any other veggie with my dinner.or on a sandwich for lunch.  Roasted red peppers add a twist to almost any dish!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts plus Red Peppers

When making a shift towards healthier eating remember to think small.  Think of making small changes over time.  Creating healthy habits help your success in the future.  The better you get at planning, the more likely you are to make it stick!