Chicken Veggie Chili

Well, I had my heart set on making some delicious spinach quinoa patties for dinner tonight, but not having any quinoa in the kitchen would have meant putting back on a bra and real pants to go to the store so obviously that was out of the question. Oh well, another day perhaps.

In the meantime, I made one of my favorites out of ingredients I already had on hand... Chicken chili. It's super adaptable and can be made in so many different ways, so it's a staple for dinner for me.

This is the basic recipe, including the veggies I had in the fridge today, although it's also delicious with zucchini and yellow squash, diced chilies, and black beans thrown in. You can also substitute ground turkey. Like I said, adaptable.

Chicken Veggie Chili

1 lb ground chicken

1 can organic diced tomatoes

1 cup water

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup baby spinach

2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp chili powder

2 1/2 Tbsp cumin

2 tsp dried cilantro

1/4 c whole wheat flour

- all of the seasonings are more or less to taste

Cook the ground chicken and spices until chicken is cooked through. Pour in can of tomatoes and water, along with all vegetables except the spinach. Bring to a boil, and adjust seasonings to taste, adding more if necessary. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the spinach and let wilt. Spoon out some of the fluid and mix it with flour until a paste is formed, then stir paste into chili. Simmer five more minutes until well incorporated and slightly thickened. 

I love this chili topped with anything from a sprinkling of sharp cheddar to raw diced onions, but today I went with a few avocado slices and they really hit the spot. And it's a great filling dinner on a cold night that comes together quickly, and less than 300 calories a serving!

Random Motivation

Today, I feel like a rock star. I could rule the world.

I feel strong, and guided, and ready for whatever comes my way. I'm recording this here because I do know this high will run out at some point, and I'll feel bored and hungry and cake-y and whatever other negative thing that we feel on our journeys at different points, and posting how amazing I feel today will only serve as a future reminder that any of these negative, and positive, emotions are temporary and will pass. I say this because journeys are never straight and narrow, they curve and bend and follow a course of rough terrain that changes, and since I'm living a lifestyle instead of "dieting," it only seems fair to acknowledge that this journey, this lifestyle, will face the same challenges. 

But no deterrence can phase me as long as I remember that of all the things that are out of my control, the weather, the actions of those around me, the obstacles life will inevitably throw my way... I am in control of me. I choose this. I choose to change myself for the better. Not because I'm unhappy with who I am, but exactly the opposite. I love who I am, and I deserve a body that matches the whimsical soul it houses, a body that can travel and run and jump and ski through life and arrive at the end battered and bruised and well lived. 

It's time for the outside to match the inside. I'll just leave this reminder right here so I can find it when I need it... 

Which may be tomorrow. But that's half the fun.

Happy New Year!

WOW... time flies and I'm a TERRIBLE blog poster. But that's all going to change... I've turned over a new leaf and I'm going to be the blog postingest, go getterest, most over-motivated BeachBody slimmer downer you've ever seen. Also, I made up most of those words. And also, probably you can find someone in the seven billion more motivated and potentially even more go getterest than I... However, you'll be hard pressed.

So today started with a bang. Not literally, this isn't Fifty Shades of Lindsay... But it did start with a highly motivated me climbing out of bed at 4 am to spend three hours pumping iron and kicking some T25 booty.

Just kidding. Actually, Chad took the kids to school while yours truly lay in bed moaning about a backache and grappling for the energy to get up to let the dog out. Just being honest.

Actually though, I did find my motivation, thanks to Julie the Coach (my omnipresent social media BeachBody guru and resident smokin' blonde bombshell) texting me and reminding me unintentionally just what I've laid out for myself for 2015... Which is a LOT. I'm dead set on changing things, finishing my weight loss, succeeding in building a new business while doing so, and a smorgasbord of other, more private sentiments regarding family and finding myself that even Julie can't help me with.

Luckily, I've learned that I'm totally capable of accepting and embracing change, and this time next year you guys are going to laugh alongside me as I toss my sexy mane of hair over my slim tan shoulder and look back at the beginning, before it all transpired.

Hopefully.

In the meantime, I intended to do T25 this morning, and ended up taking Olaf to the vet for a horrible flaky allergic reaction thing that has overwhelmed his wrinkly bulldog face (no worries, he's going to be fine.) I'm about to do it right this minute and wanted to drop a blogline out there first, assuming I'll be consumed by exhaustion when I'm finished and unable to move my thumbs to type.

Wish me luck, and keep me motivated with all of your stories of inspiration and transformation!

Here are some gorgeous Christmas portraits of my kids, including Olaf, seeing as how I have no other pictures to grace your eyes with for this totally random and oddly nonsensical blog post. You're welcome.

Dining Out

So yesterday was one of those days you wish you could just erase altogether and redo a different way. Which is fine, because it's already over and today is a fantastic day.

However, I bring up yesterday because my family decided to go to Olive Garden for lunch after a serious failure at the doctor's office that resulted in my son not receiving the procedure he'd initially gone in for and some heated words from yours truly to the doctor, an embarrassed husband and son, and an all around negative connotation to the morning. My son needed Olive Garden. He needed his grandma and papa that met us there, and he needed to do this on a day when my daughter was still in school so that the attention was focused on him.

I needed it about as much as I need a kick to the face with steel toe boots.

The menu called out to me, the creamy goodness of the never-ending pasta drenched in rich Alfredo sauce, the salty-satisfying pull of a soft and warm breadstick (or 5) that just begged to be dipped into the tart perfection that is Olive Garden house salad dressing, the rich smoothness of a piece of pumpkin cheesecake... I should work for their ad campaign. I'm a walking billboard.

In the past, I've obviously gone straight for the fettucine alfredo, and have indulged in however many breadsticks my body could physically contain in one sitting.

Yesterday, I texted my challenge coach, Julie, for backup on the way there and went prepared to order from the Lighter Fare menu, sans breadsticks, plus a small crouton-less plate of salad. 

I ended up with a steaming plate of ravioli di portobello in front of me, and my only lunchtime fail was that I did indeed succumb to the breadstick. One. Which was still 140 calories! (sorry, Julie...)

So here is a breakdown of how dining at Olive Garden can build up to be your one weekly "happy" meal, even when you order from the Lighter Fare menu:

The ravioli was amazing, although of course I could have happily eaten three plates of it and still licked the plate clean... which totally goes against the purpose of ordering Lighter Fare.

One plate of Ravioli di Portobello:   570 calories
One Olive Garden breadstick:          140 calories
One cup House salad:                       150 calories
Total:                                                 860 calories

Even faring lightly but enjoyably, this was still a huge blow to my daily intake, considering the cup of Southwest Chicken Soup I could have had instead at home was only 134 calories! However, here's a breakdown of how I *usually* eat at Olive Garden...

One plate of Fettucine Alfredo:        1090 calories
Three breadsticks:                             420 calories
Two cups House salad:                     300 calories
One glass Moscato d'asti:                 200 calories
Total:                                               2010 calories

Honestly, that's a massive difference. And I also adjusted the rest of my day around that meal and still I think my daily intake was between 1300-1400 calories.

Also... make sure when you eat out, you check the nutrition info straight from the restaurant website. I added my meal to My Fitness Pal and was pleased to see that my lunch was only 450 calories, only to discover upon researching this blog post that it wasn't the correct number. Now I'll be able to go back and change my numbers, but when you're using an app or website to track and journal your food and water intake, it's important to be as accurate as possible.

So the moral of the story, folks, is do your best to eat at home. It's so hard to control what goes into your body when you have no control over what goes into your food. Once in a while is fine but honestly... I'm glad that today everything I take in will be coming from my own kitchen.

I might also add that self control is easier at home. I nearly cried turning down the Andes mints the waiter carelessly dropped right in front of me at the end of the meal, and I lost complete control over my inhibitions when that bread basket was within arm's reach.  If you do have an occasion to go out to eat, research the establishment first and try to stick with local restaurants that have working relationships with local food sources and natural, fresh vegetables instead of the previously frozen and shipped meals that are so common in chain restaurants.  Happy eating!

A Craving for Mexican

Today I wanted Mexican food.

Typically that isn't a big deal, but I was ravenous for Mexican food. I wanted the works, gooey enchiladas covered in cheese and sour cream sauce, Mexican rice, hot flour tortillas, fresh salsa, tortilla chips... It was all I thought about all day.

So I decided to make a healthy Mexican dish for dinner. No enchiladas unfortunately. Not even any rice. But it was delicious just the same.

Don't worry, Mexican calorie-fest... I haven't forgotten you. One day, we'll have a love affair with a candle-lit dinner. Maybe we'll even spend the night together.

In the meantime, this Southwest Chicken Stew hit the spot in a big way, and warmed me through and through (which was good, considering it was rainy, dreary, and November-y all day.) I added a little dollop of sour cream on top, and a pinch of shredded cheddar. It felt like a cheat without *being* one. See what I did there? Smooth.

Seriously. I want another bowl just typing this. Maybe even two.

Southwest Chicken Stew

(You could add a can of rinsed black beans to this and it would seriously be amazing. I happened to not have any so I didn't do that. Lazy.)

10 cups water
4 cubes beef bouillon 
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can fire roasted diced green chilies
2 diced celery stalks
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 a white onion, chopped
1 c chopped carrots
1 potato, cubed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/8 c chopped cilantro (dried) or 1/2 c fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 c chili powder
1/8 c cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp sea salt
1/4 c cornstarch
1/2 c lime juice (less or more depending on how tart you like it)

Boil the chicken in 10 c of water on high. When done, remove chicken. Add can of diced chilies and all the seasonings to the water and let simmer. Meanwhile, saute the celery, onion, carrots, and bell pepper in a tablespoon or so of oil on medium high until its tender, about 5 minutes. Add to boiling broth, along with bouillon, and let simmer. Add in potato and tomatoes. Shred chicken and add it to the stew. Stir in lime juice and let cook 20 minutes at a simmer, until potato cubes are tender. In a separate bowl, stir cornstarch with 1/8 cup or so of cold water. Stir mixture into the stew and let boil another 5 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a pinch of shredded cheese.

Serves 10 at 134 calories/serving, not including calories from sour cream and cheese.

Just a little random info...

Today I start two new weight loss challenges... One is a challenge I do regularly, for three weeks then take a week off. Sometimes I have success with this challenge, sometimes.... well... let's just say every time my start weight is essentially the same. The other is through work, and is mostly just for fun because I figure if I'm doing the other challenge anyway, maybe two will actually keep me accountable enough to keep my hand out of the literal cookie jar.

Coffee to the left, Greenberry to the right. Great way to start the day!

I started my day today with a cup of coffee, because mornings blow, and a greenberry Shakeology. This has so far proven to be my least favorite shakeo flavor, but today I blended in a banana and a few drops of stevia and honestly, I thought it was awesome! I like trying out new recipes with the shakes, changing it up and finding new ways to make it taste different. But honestly, it's delicious just blended with water and ice.

So I wanted to talk a little bit about my three week challenge (the one that apparently I'm not winning at although I'm about to express to you all the ways it kicks ass.) The first one of these I did, I lost 22 pounds in 21 days. It was amazing, felt amazing, was rewarding in so many ways. I love how not only do I feel accountable for my actions, I can go post and vent and get ideas and motivation from other women just like me that have similar goals to my own and appreciate the struggles and trials that go along with trying to lose a significant amount of weight. There are meal plans every week too, and it's nice to have someone tell you exactly what you need to eat to feel your best in case you feel lost or confused on what's right.

Now if only I can keep my end of the bargain, I'll kick this challenge's ass the way I did the first challenge!