ReNew Challenge

  If you want to see my face at 4:30 AM-  here you go!  Beautiful, right?

I got up at 4:35 AM, had my Vitalbiome and  Slim and Active Combo and did my gratitude and goal setting practice.  Why? Because every day we have a choice to be a new us, today this is me.  

 I exercised by doing a mile run and then a quick exercise routine.  My husband and accountability partner was supposed to get out of bed and work out.  That didn't happen but I wasn't letting that be an excuse. Today is freaking day 1. 

Breakfast on the meal plan today is my smoothie so I made that and had my antidepressant pill, Ease for crazy sinus with our crazy weather, and my x-factor.  I packed my lunch bag up and Lyle's too, and snapped a quick picture before my shower.  

I went to work, had lots of water!  Had my BioCleanse between meals.  For lunch I had a yummy wrap I made with a low carb wrap, tomato, lettuce and lean chicken breast.  

More water, and then some grapes and some more BioCleanse mid-afternoon. 

On the way home in the car- which is dinnertime mind you- I had 2 boiled eggs, a bag of carrots and an apple for dinner.  Apple not pictured. 

And when I got home, I was full because I ate in the car!  I got here and our packages for all of our stuff for our Plexus ReNew Challenge came in the mail!  Yay!

Now I get some relaxation time because I worked out earlier, will take my Probio5 and Mega X before bed, and will be ready to start again tomorrow!  

If you can't tell in my tone- my medication for anxiety and depression is really helping me be excited for good, positive changes.  The super benefit is when I make these changes my habit again instead of the old way, I won't need as much medication because I will be taking care of my body better again!  

Here's to the best me in 2020!

Meal Prep Ideas

Last week I talked about freezer meals that I've done before and helped my family eat pretty healthy while we juggled extremely busy schedules!  This week I'm going to share more meal prep ideas that are SUPER easy to do- like, I even do them and honestly I'm kind of lazy.

This is NOT the kind of meal prep that you have these nice, organized storage containers.  My freezer NEVER looks like that.   I also don't eat the same thing every day unless it's super duper easy.  So- the message for today is what can you do EASY and make your life easier in the process?

First idea- taco meat.  Taco's are God's gift to us and we need to take advantage! 

So- when it's taco Tuesday (or Friday, or Wednesday, or Everyday...) make a BOATLOAD of taco meat. 

Last time I made 9 pounds.  I read on someone else's blog who timed it, it only took an extra 10 minutes to make 10 pounds vs. 1 pound.  I don't have time or inclination to time it- so sure, 10 minutes. 

I used all that taco meat for tacos for dinner, PLUS made 3 taco casseroles (low carb and freeze well.  We kept the cheese out because of my son's dairy allergy because those of us that want cheese can add after it's cooked), PLUS I had 2 approximately 1 pound bags of taco meat for the freezer for another taco Tuesday!

This is a case of cook once, eat 5 times.  Except one of those casseroles is going to a friend who will be having surgery- but you get the point.   

Here's a link to the taco casserole site: https://kalynskitchen.com/cheesy-low-carb-taco-casserole/

It was a hit with our church group too and made good left overs. 

Second idea is chicken!  It has to be fully cooked and can take awhile- so for quick dinners pre-make a bunch and freeze into bags! 

I personally cube a bunch up and have found it's the least messy to toss in a casserole dish with oil, salt and pepper and put in the oven at 350 until done (about 30 minutes?)  

These are perfect to make into casseroles, soups, salads, or stir fry.  Stir fry is my favorite because it's SOOOOO easy.  Bag of frozen chicken, bag of frozen stir fry veggies- cook until hot with some oil and soy sauce (or preferred flavoring- I have been using Coconut Aminos because there's no soy in it and WAY less salt!)

I have a picture of stir fry too- but it's shrimp!  Keeping some frozen cooked shrimp in the freezer does the same thing!  

And here's part of my mess of a freezer- don't judge- with 6 bags of frozen chicken with the taco meat.  Those 6 bags are 6 chicken meals- it's about 8 cut up breasts I bought when the big packages of chicken were on sale!

While I was stocking up on chicken on the sale- I also broke down some of the packages and threw some marinade in the bags with the chicken then tossed in the freezer.  Those will need cooked but are perfect for grill night with veggies!

I hope you all liked these ideas and maybe even will spark more ideas for you!

Subscribe to my email for all sorts of other fun stuff from me!

Blessings in Health and Happiness!

A favorite from a previous blog- freezer meal prep for crockpot!

This post is originally from January 2014!  We lived in Indiana and I was a busy mom of 2 (one with many food allergies) in Grad School and working full time!  This helped me stay sane and feed my family!

"So this morning Ella and I took off with the shopping lists and made a huge trip to Walmart in the snow!
After the prep- here's what we have! 22 meals in freezer bags for the crockpot on the busiest days!

Here's the lists again- one Eli friendly and one not necessarily!  But the cilantro lime chicken is doubled up- we just made 4 because I didn't notice!  :)  Left for the store at 8:45, done with everything by noon.  Not too shabby!

Here's the two lists.

Eli Friendly Freezer Meals (no dairy, beef, wheat, or nuts)

Black Bean Taco Soup – Brown meat and onion, let cool and divide into two bags.  Cook high 1-2 hours or low 2-3.5 hours.  Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream.

·      1 lb lean ground beef (we used turkey beef)

·      1 medium onion, chopped

·      1 package mild taco seasoning mix

·      1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn

·      1 (16 oz) can black beans drained and rinse

·      1 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes

·      1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

·      1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis

Cilantro Lime Chicken- makes 2 bags, cook on low for 8 hours, shred meat and serve on tortillas.

·         6 chicken breasts

·         4 tablespoons of lime juice

·         1 bunch of cilantro chopped

·         2 – 16 oz bags of corn

·         4 cloves of garlic- minced

·         1 red onion chopped

·         2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

·         2 tsp cumin

·         Salt and pepper.

Honey Rosemary Chicken- makes 2 bags.  Cook low for 6-8 hours.

·         6 chicken breasts

·         2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

·         2/3 cup honey

·         2/3 cup olive oil

·         6 tablespoons rosemary, chopped

·         2 teaspoons salt

BBQ chicken- makes 2 bags, cook low for 6-8 hours.

·         6 chicken breasts

·         1 12 oz bottle of BBQ sauce

·         1 cup brown sugar

·         ½ cup vinegar

·         ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

·         2 teaspoon garlic powder

Chicken Fajitas- makes 2 bags, cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with tortillas or rice.

·         6 chicken breasts

·         Variety of bell peppers, sliced (about 5)

·         2 large onions sliced

·         Lime juice

·         Chili powder

·         Salt and pepper

Southwestern 2 Bean Chicken- makes 2 bags, cook on low for 5-7 hours, serve with tortillas or over rice

·         6 chicken breasts

·         2 cans (15 oz) pinto beans rinsed and drained

·         2 cans (15 oz) black beans rinsed and drained

·         2 cans (28 oz) diced tomatoes in juice

·         2 pounds frozen corn

·         2 jars (12 oz) of salsa

Tips:

·         Look over your pantry to see what you have/need.

·         Write instructions (how long to cook) on freezer bag and what is in it to make meal planning easy.

·         If you use potatoes that are NOT frozen boil first for a few minutes or they will turn black in the freezer.

·         Can buy slow cooker liners to save on dishes- they kind of cost a lot but then you don’t have to scrub the crock pot every night to use it the next day!

Shopping List:

Fresh:

·         3 onions

·         5 bell peppers, variety of colors

·         Rosemary

·         1 Red onion

·         Cilantro

·         Garlic- preminced or 4 cloves

Meat-

·         Chicken breasts- 30 breasts total

·         1 pound ground beef or turkey

Canned/Pantry-

·         2-15 oz cans pinto beans

·         5-15 oz cans black beans

·         2-28 oz cans diced tomatoes

·         2-12 oz jars salsa

·         Lime juice

·         Chili powder

·         Salt and pepper

·         1-12 oz bottle of BBQ sauce

·         Brown sugar

·         Vinegar

·         Cayenne pepper

·         Garlic powder

·         Balsamic vinegar

·         Honey

·         Olive Oil

·         Cumin

·         1-4 oz can diced green chilis

·         1-8 oz can tomato sauce

·         1-14 oz can stewed tomatoes

·         Package of taco seasoning

Frozen-

·         5 bags of Frozen Corn

Freezer Meals!

Teriyaki Chicken-

   Divide into two freezer bags.  Thaw overnight and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8.  Serve with rice.

·         1 bag of Baby carrots chopped into bite sized pieces

·         1/2 red onion in large chunks

·         20 oz can pineapple undrained

·         1 garlic clove chopped

·         6 Chicken breasts

·         1/2 bottle Teriyaki Sauce

·         2 cups broccoli

Sweet Barbecue Hawaiian Chicken- Divide into two bags. Cook on low for 8 hours

·         6 chicken breasts

·         2/3  cup of BBQ sauce

·         20 oz can of Pineapple chunks, undrained

·         2/3  cup soy sauce

·         ½ cup brown sugar

·         2 TBS corn starch

Salsa chicken- makes 2 bags.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stir in ½ cup sour cream at end and serve over rice.

·         6 chicken breasts

·         2 cups salsa

·         2 packages taco seasoning

·         2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

Cilantro lime chicken- makes 2 bags- cook on low for 8 hours.  Shred meat and serve on tortillas.

·         6 chicken breasts

·         4 tablespoons of lime juice

·         1 bunch of cilantro chopped

·         2 – 16 oz bags of corn

·         4 cloves of garlic- minced

·         1 red onion chopped

·         2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

·         2 tsp cumin

·         Salt and pepper.

Pot Roast- make 2 bags- cook on low for 8 hours.

·         2 small hunks of beef roast or pork roast

·         Red potatoes- chopped

·         1 bag of baby Carrots- chopped

·         1 Yellow Onion- chopped

·         Celery- chopped

·         2 cans of beef broth

Shopping List:

Fresh veggies:

·         Bag of red potatoes (or can buy frozen potatoes)

·         2 red onions

·         1 yellow onion

·         Hearts of celery

·         2 bags of baby carrots

·         1 bunch of broccoli (or can buy frozen)

·         Cilantro

·         Garlic- 5 cloves or pre-minced

Meat-

·         2 small beef or pork roasts or 1 large to divide

·         About 24 chicken breasts

Canned/Pantry-

·         Lime juice

·         2 cans of black beans

·         Salsa

·         2 packages of taco seasoning

·         2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

·         Soy sauce

·         Teriyaki sauce

·         BBQ sauce

·         2 cans of pineapple chunks

·         Brown Sugar

·         Corn Starch

·         Cumin

·         2 cans of beef broth

·         Large Freezer Ziplock bags- at least package of 10 for these recipes

Frozen-

·         2 bags of corn

·         Broccoli (if not fresh)

·         Potatoes (if not fresh)

Dairy-

·         Sour Cream

Tips:

·         Look over your pantry to see what you have/need.

·         Write instructions (how long to cook) on freezer bag and what is in it to make meal planning easy.

·         If you use potatoes that are NOT frozen boil first for a few minutes or they will turn black in the freezer.

·         Can buy slow cooker liners to save on dishes- they kind of cost a lot but then you don’t have to scrub the crock pot every night to use it the next day!

I hope you all enjoyed this FLASHBACK!  

Blessings in Health and Happiness!