Pepper Asparagus Pasta

When I was doing my student teaching, my cooperating teacher was Elizabeth.  I really lucked out with her; she is smart, she has a great sense of humor, and as green as I was back then, she was very patient and understanding with me.  I was so nervous!  I was practically afraid of the teenagers.  I so desperately wanted to do well that I stressed and fretted the entire semester.  

At the time, Elizabeth was pregnant.  I couldn’t figure out why a pregnant woman would choose the additional stress of having a student teacher, but about halfway through the semester when she asked if I would be her long-term sub while she was on maternity leave, I was ecstatic!  She made me feel like I must have done okay.

Anyway, in addition to being so wonderful in many ways, Elizabeth is also a vegetarian.  Every so often she would bring in this pasta dish for lunch; it was so pretty, and it smelled divine!  I would ogle it every time she brought it.  Finally, I asked her for the recipe, and she was kind enough to share it with me.

I’ve made the dish several times since then, and once I began my clean-eating journey, I made one small change to it: I replaced what originally was bow-tie noodles with whole wheat rotini noodles (if I could find whole wheat bow-ties, I would use those, but as of yet, no such luck).  It is still clean, still wonderful, still fresh and vibrant, just like Elizabeth.

This Pepper Asparagus Pasta makes a great lunch or dinner and reheats beautifully.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 red and/or orange bell peppers, chopped

1 lemon, zested, juice reserved

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. salt

2 cups whole grain pasta such as rotini or mostaccioli (if you can find bowties or farfalle, go for it!)

¼ cup olive oil

Parmesan cheese,shredded

Directions:

1. Cook pasta.  Drain.
2. Saute lemon zest, peppers, asparagus, salt, and pepper in olive oil over medium heat until vegetables are crisp-tender.
3. Add beans and juice from lemon.  Cook until warm.  
4. Stir in pasta and additional salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve either warm or room temperature with shredded parmesan cheese.

Let me know what you think if you try it!  In the meantime...

BE FIERCE!

ChaLEAN Extreme Update and Meal Plan

Soooo… the plan was to begin the 21 Day Fix Extreme along with the color-coded container meal plan on Monday.  I was super excited; I could not WAIT to get my program.  But, alas, it looks like I am g,oing to have to:  thanks to the United States Postal Service, who LOST my shipment (they said it was delivered to my house this past Saturday… no, no it was not), Beachbody has had to reship the program.

Sigh.  That pretty much deflated my excitement.

BUT…

I’m always looking for the silver lining.  I started ChaLEAN Extreme again (this is the second time I’ve done the program) at the beginning of the year, and I AM LOVING IT!  My plan was to interrupt ChaLEAN Extreme for three weeks to complete the 21 Day Fix Extreme, and then to go back and finish the rest of the program.  So, I just get to do an extra week of Chalene before starting the Fix.  Yay!  

This week is the PUSH month; it focuses on lifting HEAVY and having your muscles achieve FAILURE in 6-8 reps.  I have gotten so much stronger!  There are many things I love about lifting weights, but one of them is that it is easy to see your progress.  For example, last week I maxed out at 6 reps on the overhead press, but this week I made it to 8.  So next week, I will INCREASE my weight.  It’s pretty cool.  Not only that, but my body LOVES muscle.  I love the way I feel after lifting weights; my muscles twitch and shake a little, and they feel so FIRM.  Lifting weights is always something I miss when I’m not doing it, and I think that is one of the reasons I keep going back to it.

So anyway, I’m sticking to my standard clean eating meal plan.  I tried, for awhile, elimininating dairy, to see if that would help with my migraines.  Unfortunately, it didn’t do much for that, but I think the experience was good for me in that I realized I was probably relying on dairy too heavily as a protein source in my diet.  As much as I love cheese, I DON’T need it on everything.  I have integrated dairy back into my diet, but I am focusing on sticking to one portion per day.  I think this is just me moving further along the clean eating spectrum.

I used this week’s Aldi ad to make my meal plan.  I also looked at my schedule, and since I have appointments after work on Wednesday and Thursday, I tried to make those meals ultra-simple, and something that my husband would feel comfortable cooking.  Also, lately on Sundays I have been making a pot of soup or something that takes more time as is more involved than what I do on the usual weeknights, but this time, I decided to keep it simple with turkey meatloaf muffins.  They are one of my favorites, and it won’t be a production.  I’m just looking forward to my Sunday being relaxing.

Anyway, here is my meal plan for next week.  Chris and I will probably go to the grocery store on Saturday, and on Sunday, I will prep my snacks for the week:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Meal Plan for 2.16
Workout	Push Circuit 1	Push Circuit 2	Burn Intervals and Extreme Abs	Push Circuit 3		Burn it Off and Recharge
Breakfast Protein, CCFV, protein	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit
Snack Protein, CCFV,	Strawberries and Greek yogurt	Strawberries and Greek yogurt	Strawberries and Greek yogurt	Strawberries and Greek yogurt	Strawberries and Greek yogurt	Strawberries and Greek yogurt	Strawberries and Greek yogurt
Lunch CCFV; protein; CC-S; HF	Leftover White Chicken Chili; salad; bread, salad dressing	Turkey Spaghetti, salad, dressing	Chicken Stirfry, Brown rice	Round steak;  salad, dressing, bread	Turkey Tacos, salad,, dressing, salsa,  corn tortilla	Leftovers	Leftovers
Snack Protein, CCFV,	Mandarins and almonds	Mandarins and almonds	Mandarins and almonds	Mandarins and almonds	Mandarins and almonds	Mandarins and almonds	Mandarins and almonds
Dinner CCFV(2); protein; CC-S(2); HF(2)	Turkey Spaghetti, salad, dressing	Chicken Stirfry, Brown rice (2)	Round steak; veggies, salad, dressing, baked potato, bread	Turkey Tacos, salad, guacamole, dressing, salsa, 2 corn tortillas	Salmon, mashed potatoes, bread, salad, dressing, veggies	Leftovers	Meatloaf muffins, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, corn
Snack Protein, CC-S,	Baby carrots and hummus	Baby carrots and hummus	Baby carrots and hummus	Baby carrots and hummus	Baby carrots and hummus	Baby carrots and hummus	Baby carrots and hummus

I hope you have a great week!

STAY FIERCE!

The Five Rules of the Cheat Meal

The Cheat Meal is the thing that makes the word “diet” seem less intimidating; in fact, it makes it seem nearly bearable.  Let’s forget for a moment that this is a “lifestyle” and not a “diet,” and talk about a cheat meal and how it can help you.  Used properly and judiciously, it can be a healthy part of your life.  Used the wrong way, it can completely derail all of your health efforts in one fell swoop.

1     1.  You only get ONE, and you should PLAN it.  I’m a big proponent of meal planning; it saves time, money, and aggravation.  When you are planning your weekly meals, schedule in your cheat meal.  I like to save my cheat meal for holidays, celebrations, date nights, or when I’m going out to eat, otherwise known as times when temptation is at its highest.  You only have so much willpower; save it for the rest of the week when eating your planned meals and snacks is a matter of necessity and convenience.

The downside to planning it is this:  what is you screw up and fall off the wagon before your cheat meal?  Well, then, you have HAD your cheat meal for the week, and you forfeit the one you had planned.  This is just another way of staying accountable to yourself.

2    2.   It’s ONE meal; not a cheat DAY, cheat WEEKEND, or CHEAT WEEK.  This is a mistake that I see people make all the time.  When I start talking to people about what they are already doing, lots of times they tell me that they are eating pretty well, and they have a cheat day once per week.  Then they wonder why they aren’t losing weight.  You can do A LOT of damage in a day; in fact, you can completely undo all the exercise and portion control you have done the other six days of the week.  Keep it to ONE meal; while you could still do a lot to derail the week’s efforts with one meal, consider it damage control.  There is only so much you can eat at one sitting, especially if you are used to eating less.

       3.  Keep portion sizes reasonable.  Just because you can eat anything your little heart desires, doesn’t mean you should eat ALL of it!  Eat a reasonable serving of mac-n-cheese.  Eat one slice of chocolate cake.  Not the whole cake… as much as you might want to.

      4.  Use it as a carrot.  Use your cheat meal to keep you accountable.  That’s one reason I like to keep my cheat meal toward the end of the week.  I know I have to pass up the muffins in the workroom or the pizza my husband made because I want Brazilian churrasco or cheese fondue on Friday.  I keep in mind what I REALLY want (and I usually like to choose something that I’ve been craving) and I dangle that in front of my face when temptation strikes.

      5.   ENJOY it.  I think the cheat meal should really be renamed as your “indulgence meal.”  Done correctly, this can be a healthy part of your lifestyle; you aren’t “cheating” on anything.  You are practicing moderation and the 80/20 rule.  So eat what you want for ONE meal per week, and SAVOR it.  Then move on and go back to your healthy habits; don’t beat yourself up about it or feel badly.  This is part of being healthy!

I think cheat meals are important; deprive yourself too much and you will be likely to give up and fall off the wagon.  Food is a part of the joy of life!  Just make sure you enjoying it in moderation.

BE FIERCE!

PiYo Week 6 and Meal Plan

This week has just been crazy hectic!  I have been scrambling to get my ducks in rows in preparation for the end of my summer break.  Yep, back to school already!  I go in tomorrow for a few days of prep time, and my kids come back Monday.  I'm really excited - I DO love my job.  But this means that I will have to work hard at managing my time so that I can do justice to everything about which I am passionate.
One thing I am sure I DO NOT want to do is to have to do PiYo doubles again!  The week before last got the better of me, and I got behind; in order to get back on track, I did THREE days of double workouts this week!  I don't recommend it!  This will be part of my motivation to stay on track with my workouts once school starts, even if I am exhausted!

This is what last week's workout schedule looked like:
Monday - Drench and Strength Intervals
Tuesday - Sweat and Sculpt
Wednesday - Sweat and Core
Thursday - Drench
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Buns
Sunday - Strength Intervals

I LOVE PiYo, but PiYo doubles are ROUGH!  It's only an 8 week program, but it is seriously challenging!
In reflecting about my experiences with PiYo, I have noticed something interesting.  I used to HATE downward dog.  Plank?  Always a struggle.  Squats?  Oooh.. Ouch.  But since I began PiYo, I have come to know downward dog and plank as positions of REST.  Squats?  After some serious stretches of bowler's lunges, these are a godsend.  I KNOW I am stronger.  Hey, I have mastered the tricep pushups!  I'm so proud of how far I've come.

Now for this week's meal plan:  it HAS to be simple.  Things around the McIntyre house are going to be crazy!  I need recipes that are quick, easy, and clean.  I will be sharing some of these recipes with you soon!  Snacks need to be things that are easy to pack, grab, and eat while I'm rushing around school getting ready for the year (check out my healthy snacks list!)  But here is my meal plan:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
PiYo Meal Plan for: 8.4
Workout	PiYo:  Drench	PiYo:  Hardcore on the Floor	PiYo:  Buns	PiYo:  Sculpt	REST!	PiYo:  Drench	PiYo:  Sweat
Breakfast	Shakeology w/ fruit and 1.5 c. skim milk	Shakeology w/ fruit and 1.5 c. skim milk	Shakeology w/ fruit and 1.5 c. skim milk	Shakeology w/ fruit and 1.5 c. skim milk	Shakeology w/ fruit and 1.5 c. skim milk	Shakeology w/ fruit and 1.5 c. skim milk	Shakeology w/ fruit and 1.5 c. skim milk
Snack	20 Grapes and String Cheese	20 Grapes and String Cheese	20 Grapes and String Cheese	20 Grapes and String Cheese	20 Grapes and String Cheese	20 Grapes and String Cheese	20 Grapes and String Cheese
Lunch	2 scrambled eggs with swiss cheese; I slice cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread, 1 c. strawberries	Italian Beef Sandwiches; salad	Chicken, potato, green bean bake	Pork chops, baked potato, steamed veggies	Chicken fajitas; salad	Leftover Italian beef sandwiches	Leftover Chicken fajitas
Snack	Blueberries,   Greek Yogurt, and 1 tsp. honey	Blueberries,   Greek Yogurt, and 1 tsp. honey	Blueberries,   Greek Yogurt, and 1 tsp. honey	Blueberries,   Greek Yogurt, and 1 tsp. honey	Blueberries,   Greek Yogurt, and 1 tsp. honey	Blueberries,   Greek Yogurt, and 1 tsp. honey	Blueberries,   Greek Yogurt, and 1 tsp. honey
Dinner	Italian Beef Sandwiches; salad	Chicken, potato, green bean bake	Pork chops, baked potato, steamed veggies	Chicken fajitas; salad	Cheat Meal – Bristol!	Leftover chicken bake	Pork Tenderloin in the smoker; corn on the cob; salad
Snack	Blackberries, raspberries, and cashews	Blackberries, raspberries, and cashews	Blackberries, raspberries, and cashews	Blackberries, raspberries, and cashews	Blackberries, raspberries, and cashews	Blackberries, raspberries, and cashews	Blackberries, raspberries, and cashews

I have some challengers who are getting great results with PiYo, and I hope they will step out of their comfort zones and let me share their results with you:)

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Be consistent.  Be strong.  Be FIERCE.