Well the New Year is in full swing and I’m so happy to be “back on the wagon!” Ya know, eating whatever the heck ya want is quite fun for a while, but working hard, eating right and taking care of my body is soooooo much more rewarding and fulfilling!
I didn’t officially start my healthy goals and New Year’s resolutions until yesterday. Kev and the kids were home from work/school until then and I knew I’d have a lot more success if I waited until everyone was back on schedule and out of “holiday mode.”
I’ve actually been enjoying counting macros again. I usually don’t hit them 100%, but it just keeps me in check and helps me to stay motivated.
This was breakfast yesterday…
This is one of my most typical breakfasts….150 grams of scrambled egg whites (about the equivalent of 5 egg whites) topped with “Simply Heinz” ketchup. I also had two chocolate protein pancakes topped with a light smear of Jif Whips peanut butter, a little bit of Walden Farms chocolate dip (I much prefer the chocolate syrup, but this was all I could find at the store) and a little bit of whipped cream. YUM! I’m not a huge fan of maple syrup, so I love to prepare my pancakes in full chocolate dessert fashion!
Oh, I also had some warm lemon/baking soda water on the side. I usually have my lemon/baking soda water first thing in the morning (it’s best to have it on an empty stomach), but I forgot yesterday, so I just had it with breakfast.
I’ve had warm lemon water in the mornings for years, but about a year or so ago I read about the benefits of adding a little bit of baking soda to it. Seriously, Google warm lemon water and baking soda and you’ll see a TON of positive information ’bout it.
FYI, I add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and the juice of 1/2 of a lemon to my glass of water.
I probably drink it 4-5 days a week and it’s great. It actually feels cleansing and refreshing to me and even fills me up a little. I always think it’s cool to see the lemon and baking soda react. It makes it all fizzy and a little carbonated. I know I shouldn’t be surprised (yay science!), but it fascinates me every time.
I had this for breakfast this morning…
This is my other super typical breakfast (I probably have one of these two breakfasts 95% of the time!) It’s just 1/3 cup of oatmeal cooked up and mixed with Chocolate Peanut Butter protein powder, flax seed, cocoa and a dollop of Jif natural crunchy peanut butter. SO yummy! I also had it with a side of scrambled egg whites topped with ketchup.
I’ve been trying to have my kefir protein shakes most days in the afternoon (I usually eat other things throughout the day too) and then I made this for dinner last night…
Burrito bowls!! YUM! This is one of my favorite dinners. I just made pulled pork in the crock pot (my kids just have pulled pork sandwiches) and I made some lemon rice in the rice cooker. I usually make my Cilantro Lime rice, but I didn’t have cilantro or limes….so I improvised. It was good.
I just stacked up rice, black beans, pulled pork, lettuce, a little sour cream and salsa on my plate and it was divine.
You can’t really see much in this pic, but here it is anyway!
We had random leftovers for dinner tonight, so I just had a repeat of last night and made myself another burrito bowl. I don’t think I’d ever get sick of them.
Oh, I also wanted to share a little tip. You may have seen this “life hack” kickin’ around the internet, but if you ever want to shred meat quickly, use a hand mixer!!
It is so simple and takes about a minute. It’s a little bit messy (some of the meat flies around), but as a whole, it’s simple, easy, quick and I love it.
I also want to share a kick butt recipe with y’all today. It’s very simple and basic, but it sure makes healthy eating and macro counting a whole heckuva lot easier!
It’s for baked chicken and it is fabulous!!!
I used to buy rotisserie chicken all the time (I still do sometimes) because I like to have quick and easy protein sources in the fridge. But, I realized that rotisserie chicken has a lot of extra sodium and who knows what else mixed in, so I decided to experiment with making my own chicken.
I have a Crock Pot Chicken recipe in my recipe section too, but it’s just okay…not great….just okay. It tends to get a little dry. That’s the problem with cooking chicken breasts is because they are so lean, it’s easy for them to get dry.
Well this recipe is so moist (I don’t love that word, but it describes this chicken so well!), flavorful, quick and easy to make! It is perfect for meal prep. You can use it in so many different recipes or just use it as a quick and easy protein source.
Easy, Moist and Flavorful Baked Chicken
(you can make as many or a few as you like!)
Ingredients:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- olive oil
- seasonings of choice (seasoned salt, lemon pepper, Cajun, poultry seasoning, etc.)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray pan with a little cooking spray (I used a glass 9×13 pan.)
- Cut excess fat and goobers off of chicken and then cut it into individual portions.
- Arrange chicken in a single layer in the pan (they can touch, but shouldn’t overlap.)
- Lightly spray olive oil on each chicken piece (or you can brush it on.)
- Sprinkle desired seasonings on chicken (I used a little seasoning salt and lemon pepper.)
- Cover pan tightly with foil.
- Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
- Flip the chicken pieces over.
(the pic on the left is before cooking and the pic on the right is when I flipped the chicken over…yummy, right?)
- Bake chicken for another 20 minutes or until cooked through.
I know it doesn’t look particularly tasty, but it’s good! Promise.
Now, the cooking time may vary depending on your oven and the size of your chicken. If you cut your chicken smaller/thinner, it will cook faster and if your chicken is large or thick, it will take longer to cook! Basic cooking knowledge, lol.
I was surprised how tasty this chicken was considering how simple it was! In fact, I could easily make this for dinner with some potatoes or something and my family would love it!
I was happy to put it all in a container in the fridge though.
Kev had some tonight when he got home from the gym and he said, “Wow, that is really good!”
Soooo, I hope you guys all enjoy it as well!
Well, I think that’s all I have to say tonight. I hope you guys are all enjoying the New Year! 🙂
- Serving size: 1 3 oz. piece
- Calories: 134
- Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 0
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 139
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 26
- Cholesterol: 88
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- olive oil
- seasonings of choice (seasoned salt, lemon pepper, Cajun, poultry seasoning, etc.)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray pan with a little cooking spray (I used a glass 9×13 pan.)
- Cut excess fat and goobers off of chicken and then cut it into individual portions.
- Arrange chicken in a single layer in the pan (they can touch, but shouldn’t overlap.)
- Lightly spray each chicken piece with olive oil (or you can brush it on.)
- Sprinkle desired seasonings on chicken (I used a little seasoning salt and lemon pepper.)
- Cover pan tightly with foil.
- Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
- Flip the chicken pieces over.
- Bake chicken for another 20 minutes or until cooked through.
I hear you about life getting back to normal when the holiday break ends. I was looking forward to that. Unfortunately, we are on our 2nd snow day here. Ugh!
I mean, I love snow, but I don’t love having to run on a treadmill, or the fact that my kid’s backside is glued to the sofa. I want my routine back!
I’ve been hearing about all of the snow up your way! So crazy! We had a HUGE snow storm here earlier this week too, but we didn’t get any snow days. 🙁 The kids were so sad about that!
I am so ready to get our routine back! My kids had school up until dec 23rd, so they don’t go back until the 9th. Love your recipe for the baked chicken, that’s usually how I prep mine for salads or when we need a quick meal.
That’s awesome your kids don’t go back to school until the 9th! My kids would love that. I love quick, easy and healthy meals! <3
Thanks for sharing all these delicious, healthy meals. I’ve been enjoying a few treats on my winter break but not going crazy. I was so sick so I think I actually lost weight this holiday season.
I’m going try those burrito bowls for lunch next week. To our health, goals and fit life this year!
I’m so sorry you were sick for the holidays, but I’m so glad you’re better now!! I hope you love those burrito bowls. They are so good!!! <3
Packing them up for next week. Can’t wait!
I have protein smoothies with kefir too – I also add a little unsweetened coconut milk.
I’ve been looooooving kefir! It’s my new favorite thing! <3
Easy, Moist and Flavorful Baked Chicken looks delicious, I cant wait to get home and try this. I’m on the business trip right now. 🙂
I hope you enjoy this recipe Lorenzo! I make it all the time and love it!