I’m definitely excited the fall has officially begun and the weather is cooling down so I can turn the oven on and roast some fall veggies. It might be my favorite season for produce.

This post is coming late… because you know sometimes technology does bad things to you and deletes your whole post when you literally were about to hit the publish button. I wanted to scream but instead took a deep breath and reminded myself its not the end of the world and I could re-write it in a jiffy.. Well not that quick but here goes…..

Last week my friend suggested that I try out a company called HELLO FRESH. I was so excited when our package arrived. Hello Fresh delivers delicious & healthy recipes to your door each week and the best part is everything is pre measured so all you have to do is follow the instructions and your meal is ready!

We loved all of our meals and I can’t wait to order some more next week.

Our first meal was: ROASTED PORK CHOPS WITH BALSAMIC-FIG SAUCE, GREENS, AND ROSEMARY-ROASTED POTATOES

I absolutely loved the fig sauce… I could’ve licked the pan!!!

 PAN SEARED CHICKEN SAUSAGE WITH TANGY CABBAGE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH-APPLE PUREE

This meal was delicious and new to both marc and I. The flavor combinations definitely got my taste buds going in a good way!

SEARED STEAK & CREAMY HORSERADISH SAUCE WITH ROSEMARY-ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

This was our favorite meal. Steak is just always a winner to me. I never usually add sauce but this was delicious and the root veggies were a great alternative to french fries and potatoes I kept going back for more!

What’s one of your challenges in the kitchen? is it coming up with food ideas, buying the ingredients or shopping?

Have you ever used a meal delivery service before? 

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=8234 1 http://thefitskool.com/?p=1757 http://thefitskool.com/?p=1757#comments Mon, 06 Jan 2014 14:11:43 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=1757 Continue reading →]]> In case you didn’t know I love healthy muffins! I made this recipe for the first time this morning for a mid-morning snack and man are they good.  I could have eaten the whole batch but believe it or not they are actually quite filling since they are packed with hearty oats.

For a well balanced breakfast these blueberry muffins would be great with a couple of eggs!

BLUEBERRY OATMEAL MUFFINS

Ingredients:

2 1/4 rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup skim milk

1 cup blueberries

3/4 cup water

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, flax, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

2. Add eggs, oil, skim milk and 3/4 cup water. Mix until combined and then fold in the blueberries. Fill each muffins cup to the top and bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

As you can see, I took a big old bite right away!! YUMMMMM

Makes 12 muffins, approximately 210 calories, 8g fat, 2.8g fiber, 4.8g protein

If you are kicking off 2014 with a healthy approach here is a great protein recipe to consume before or after a workout or even as a snack on-the-go! I find when I buy protein bars or shakes at the store they have TONS of ingredients and I can’t even pronounce some of the ingredients. I enjoy making my own recipes because you know what your eating.

This easy recipe has just 5 ingredients, is a good source of protein, and contains healthy fats from the almond butter.

Cinnamon Almond Protein Bites

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup instant oats
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp whey protein powder (for the myoplex protein it is 1 big scoop plus the tablespoon)
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Add in wet ingredients and mix well.  Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or freezer for 10 minutes. Take out roll into 12 balls. Enjoy!

(NOTE: The batter will be sticky, keep bites chilled so they stay firm)

Serving size 2 bites: Approximately 120 calories, 7g protein, 7g fat, 8g carbs

Now onto things WE CAN CONTROL …. eating healthy and exercising  

Last night I made my version of a healthy Chicken Cacciatore . With only 5 ingredients, this recipe is super easy to whip up last minute. You might even have most of the ingredients on hand.

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Ingredients

• 1lb chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• ½ jar of your favorite sauce, I used Tomato & Basil sauce from Trader Joe’s)
• ½ bag of frozen mixed peppers
• 1 container of fresh mushrooms, sliced
• olive oil (1-2tbsp)

Directions:

Place a large pan on the stove, add in olive oil (1-2tbsp) and turn stove on to medium-heat. Add chicken breasts and cook about 5 minutes on each side until browned. Add in peppers, sauce, & mushrooms and cook for 15-20 minutes. Mix about ½ way through.

steaming hot!

Serve with whole wheat pasta, a salad, or just as is! Sprinkle a little crushed pepper for spice and some parmesan cheese.

I looked over a few recipes picked out some ingredients I liked, and then put together my own recipe. They were perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing! I am not a syrup lover, yes I know to some of you that sounds crazy…  I eat my pancakes plain and they were so moist and fluffy I didn’t even need butter on top! Big win for me.

This is a well balanced pancake and with about 11 grams of protein per serving they will keep your stomach nice & full!

OATMEAL PANCAKES

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup egg whites
• 1 cup rolled oats, dry
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

Instructions:

 In a blender, grind oats, sugar, & cinnamon.

Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray or butter. For each pancake pour 1/4 cup of batter onto pan. Flip as soon as the top starts to bubble. Cook until golden brown.

Makes 8 pancakes (2 pancakes per serving) Per serving approximately 183 calories, 6.3g fat, 19.8g carbs, 2.4g fiber, 11.4g protein

SKINNY PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES

Ingredients:

• 1 cups quick oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (if you like the spice add a little more)

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 3 tbsp canned pumpkin (mine were heaping tablespoons!)

Chocolate chips ¼ cup (optional) I made some with chocolate chips and some without.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients except for the sugars. Mix well. In a separate bowl mix the butter and sugars until combined. Add in egg whites, pumpkin, and vanilla extract. Add in the dry ingredients and stir well. (Optional add in chocolate chips)

On a non-stick baking sheet drop about 1 tbsp of dough until you have 16 cookies. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Makes 16 cookies

About 80 calories per cookie, 1.9g fat, 13.8g carb, 0.8g fiber, 1.8g protein

I am working today, but I like my job and when there are holidays I get new members to take my classes which is always fun. Group Power this morning was great, and it is definitely getting more challenging for me each week. Between all the exercises, talking, & extra weight.. I feel it by the end of class!!

Baby Bump Picture post workout this morning

After class I refueled with my homemade protein bars. Man they are tasty and the perfect snack for after a workout.

Last night  for dinner we made acorn squash stuffed with chicken sausage & peppers. It was delicious and super healthy.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Chicken Sausage & Peppers

Ingredients:

1 package of Al fresco sweet italian chicken sausage

2 green peppers, sliced

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 tsp canola oil

1/2 tsp basil & oregano

1 acorn squash

2 tsp olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half, drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until soft.

In a large pan add canola oil and turn stove on to medium heat. Add onions to pan and saute until lightly brown then add peppers and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft. Remove the pepper mixture and place on a plate. Add sausage to pan and cook until brown. (the chicken sausage are precooked so they only need a few minutes on each side) Add the peppers & onion back to the pan and mix together for another 5 minutes.

On a cutting board, finely chop 2 sausages and a few scoops of peppers and onion. Remove squash from oven and stuff evenly with the sausage mixture. Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese (or any cheese you like on top) place it back in the oven until the cheese melts. Serve!

Now its off to teach some senior fitness….. enjoy your day!

I held back from having second’s because I knew that wouldn’t sit well right before my boot camp class!

SWEET POTATO SHEPHERD’S PIE

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & diced
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter

• 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced
• 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp rosemary
• ½ tsp thyme
• Salt & pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 400. Boil potatoes in a large pot until soft, drain and mash with milk chicken broth, salt pepper and sour cream.

In a large pan, sauté beef. Once cooked set aside on dish. Add onion and garlic to pan and sauté for a few minutes. Add in mushrooms and cook for 3 more minutes. Add remaining frozen veggies, broth, paste, Worcestershire and seasonings. Mix well and then simmer for 5-10 minutes.

In a baking dish evenly spread beef mixture on the bottom. Top with the mashed sweet potatoes. Bake for about 20 minutes. Serve once cooled.

I would’ve taken a picture of the serving I had on my plate but it doesn’t look as pretty!!! HAPPY FRIDAY.

And in case you wanted to see… here is a belly shot from before boot camp class last night! 39 days left until Baby G arrives.

I headed to they Y to train some clients. In between I snacked on a banana, a pumpkin bran muffin, and a greek yogurt!

My training went well this morning, my clients were dripping with sweat by the end of their sessions. While I was training I noticed that demonstrating certain exercises are getting a little more challenging.  Even a regressed burpee or an overhead walking lunge seems difficult! I am not used to it but it is probably because the belly is GROWING!!

Check out the difference in belly size in just 2 weeks from Week 34 on the left to Week 32 on the right!!

On Sunday we made an easy oven roasted whole chicken. I wanted to share this recipe because it was so simple and really takes 10 minutes to prepare. If you are hanging around the house on the weekend you can just pop this in the oven for a delicious meal. The leftovers are perfect for easy lunches during the week!

Roasted Whole Chicken

Ingredients:

1 (5lb) whole chicken

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp of basil & oregano

1/2 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp of thyme & rosemary

1/4 tsp salt & pepper

lemon zest (shaved over the top of the chicken)

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove all the unwanted insides from the chicken. Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray or if you have a wire rack place that on the pan. Mix all spices together in a small bowl. Coat the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle spices evenly over the chicken. If you like lemon zest, use a hand grater to shave some zest over the chicken.  Bake for approximately 1 hr and 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Yesterday when I was prepping foods, I knew I needed some on the go snacks this week that were filling since my schedule is busy. These bars are sure to do the trick!

This morning I taught a Group Power class and immediately trained a client right after so this was the perfect post workout snack to eat as I was leaving class. With about 9g of protein, I knew my muscles would be replenished.  I loved that it had some crunch from the almonds and the combination of chocolate and peanut butter felt almost like a treat!

The best part is they are no bake! It literally took me 10 minutes to whip these up and I’m definitely going to make these weekly. I might try out some different flavors

Homemade Protein Bars

Ingredients

2 cups quick oats

2 scoops Egg White Protein Powder (I used Jay robb chocolate)

1/4 cup almonds

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup All Natural Peanut Butter (creamy)

1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup dark chocolate

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Grease a large 11×7 inch pan.

2. In plastic bag, crush almonds (I use a hammer but you can use a rolling pin

3. Combine all of the dry mix ingredients into a large bowl and mix

4. In a microwave safe bowl combine all of the wet mix ingredients & microwave until chocolate is mostly melted. Stir until smooth

5. Combine wet & dry ingredients.

6. Pour mixture into the pan and spread to cover the bottom of the pan.

(This is before they were cut.. I used wax paper to spread them in the pan so my hands didnt’ get all sticky.)

7. Refrigerate for an hour before eating & Store in the fridge.

Makes 12 bars, serving size 1 bar approximately 195 calories, 8.2g fat, 21g carb, 2.8g fiber, 9.2g protein

Note: These bars can be sticky from the honey so I wrapped mine in a piece of tin foil to bring to work or you could use wax paper so that it doesn’t get your hands all sticky.