Healthy Chicken Stir Fry

One new thing I'm trying this year is experimenting without a recipe, and last night my dad and I did just that. In my fridge I had some left over chicken breast, bell peppers and red onions, and that came together to make a delicious meal.

What you need:
2 TBSP Vegetable Oil
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
2 Bell Peppers (I used Red and Yellow)
Half a red onion (or any onion)
1/3 of a cup of chicken broth
Lawry's Season Salt
Pepper
Cholula Season Salt
Balsamic Vinegar 

First generously season your chicken on both sides. Then use a tenderizer to really get the seasoning into the chicken. I use mine to take out any left over aggression from the day ;)

Let the chicken rest while you cut up the bell peppers and onions into long strips. Or really however you prefer to cut them. My sister enjoys small pieces so I try to cater to her.

Then cut your chicken length wise into long strips. Then cut them into thirds, you want to make sure the chicken is roughly the same size so it cooks evenly.

Next put your frying pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium. DO NOT ADD THE OIL. You want to make sure your pan is hot before you add the oil.

Once the pan is hot, add the oil and let that get hot. Only had the chicken when oil is HOT. The best way to test is take a small piece of the chicken and let it touch the oil. If it sizzles, it's good, if you hear nothing but crickets remove it and wait till you hear the sexy sizzle.

Allow the chicken to cook on a high heat on both sides before you add the veggies. Once you add the veggies and let them cook with the chicken for a couple minutes, add the chicken broth.

Put a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar in for extra flavor.

Add some Cholula seasoning and more pepper. Or really any seasoning of your liking.

Lower the temperature to medium low and let this all sizzle together until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked (do the touch test or take a piece out and cut it).

Serve over brown rice or quinoa or my personal favorite, Trader Joe's Flour Tortilla'.

Super delicious. Super easy. And Super healthy.

And as my queen (Ina Garten) says "How Easy is That?" 

Healthy Tip #1

Today's Healthy tip is to always eat slowly!

I can't stress this enough. Don't fly through your meal. Chew slowly. It's not a race. Slow down and enjoy the food.***





***Unless it's gross food, then eat that shit up and don't let anyone know you dislike it. 

Progress Report

Okay, so I've been a little preoccupied with school recentently and have been you. I know, a terrible and lame excuse, but school comes first.

So I've maintained my weight for the past two weeks and actually came down one pound! So officially I'm 209.4! I haven't been this "lite" in years! I'm so proud of myself! It's all about moderation and not depriving yourself of the foods you love. I feel that if you deprive yourself, you end up hating yourself if you do end up "cheating", because lets be real, it's hard to stay on a strict diet.

"I’m not really into junk food, but I like to have a cheat day no matter what, usually on the weekend. I might have pizza, frozen yogurt or a brownie.”--Laila Ali

She knows what's up. So listen to her.

But I was so excited this week and here's why:

 The picture above was from today, compared to January of last year. I'm not finished but I'm on my way.

I have more recipes I plan on posting, so hang with me and I will get there! :)

“I’m not really into junk food, but I like to have a cheat day no matter what, usually on the weekend. I might have pizza, frozen yogurt or a brownie.” - See more at: http://bossip.com/780013/mommy-bangers-mother-of-two-laila-ali-flosses-her-bawwwwdy-in-a-bikini-and-reveals-her-workout-plan/#sthash.uI6kMIDf.dpuf

“I’m not really into junk food, but I like to have a cheat day no matter what, usually on the weekend. I might have pizza, frozen yogurt or a brownie.” - See more at: http://bossip.com/780013/mommy-bangers-mother-of-two-laila-ali-flosses-her-bawwwwdy-in-a-bikini-and-reveals-her-workout-plan/#sthash.uI6kMIDf.dpuf

“I’m not really into junk food, but I like to have a cheat day no matter what, usually on the weekend. I might have pizza, frozen yogurt or a brownie.” - See more at: http://bossip.com/780013/mommy-bangers-mother-of-two-laila-ali-flosses-her-bawwwwdy-in-a-bikini-and-reveals-her-workout-plan/#sthash.uI6kMIDf.dpuf

Clean Eating Chicken

This week on top of my no white bread, rice, sugar and no bad carb diet, I'm trying a version of clean eating and the paleo diet.

When I first heard of the Paleo diet, I was skeptical but it's really not the worst thing in the world. Basically this week I'm not eating anything that my body can't naturally process. And why would you want to put that crap into your body anyway? Your body can't break down chemicals, so why should you eat it?

This week I made Rosemary Garlic Paleo Chicken and let me tell you, it was delicious!

In keeping with my healthy diet, cutting the 8oz chicken breast in half was enough for me!

3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
3 Large Sprigs of Rosemary
2 Tablespoons of Garlic Infused Olive Oil (I make my own)
Salt and Pepper

*Can add chopped garlic too for more flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season the chicken breasts on both sides (I light tenderize mine as well).
Remove sprigs from stem and give it a rough chop or cut with kitchen scissors.
Place chicken, rosemary and garlic in a bag and squish it around till evenly coated.
Let sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to develop the flavor.
Remove from bag and place in an oven safe dish (no need to spray it because of the oil :)
Place dish in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.
Once this chicken is done, remove it from the oven and place the chicken breasts in tinfoil for 5 minutes to rest.
Cut in and enjoy.

I also made Cinnamon seasoned butternut squash, and my ultimate favorite Brussels sprouts with garlic and onion.

Eating healthy ain't so bad!

Week Three

So this week I gave up white bread, white rice, white sugar, and any sort of "bad" carb. I think the results speak for themselves. I'm pretty excited too! I think I might be a little less, but I'm bloated cause of that pesky monthly visitor, who likes to rear her ugly little head, but regardless of that, I'm down almost 5 pounds!

I guess it's not as hard as you think it is. It's all about your will power and how much you want something. There are a few things I want, that I won't say here because, well, it's more powerful if I keep it to myself, but I know that, that thing will happen. I'm totally determined.

Last Weeks Stats
Current weight: 215.4
Bust: 43
Waist: 35
Hips: 47
Neck 13.5
Arms: 14

This Weeks Stats
Current Weight: 210.8
Bust: 43
Waist: 34.5
Hips: 45.5
Neck: 13.5
Arms: 13.5

I did have a bit of a "celebration" day, but I didn't go too crazy. I went to my favorite hipster restaurant in Encino and ordered a chicken curry salad, and tonight I enjoyed food from my favorite Indian restaurant. I refuse to deprive myself of the foods I love. I will not be one of those skinny bitches who is miserable cause I deny myself the foods I love.

Bye Bye White Foods!

This weeks goal is to amp up the cardio and cut out all (evil) white food. So far I had my Green Drink for breakfast after an hour of Zumba and now lunch of turkey chilli and organic green salad with homemade Italian dressing.

So no more carbs, processed sugars, fried food, so on and so. So far so good, I actually did this in high school and lost a pound a day. I did it for two weeks and lost fourteen pounds....too bad it didn't stick. Oh well. I'm more motivated now.

Good things are happening and it's my time to shine. I promise to post more recipes soon.

White Food to Avoid

• white potatoes
• white pasta
• white rice
• white bread
• anything made with white flour
• white sugar
• white beans
• Butter
• Cheese

Foods to say YES to

• whole wheat pasta
• brown rice
• full grain breads
• green leafy vegetables
• yams
• colorful vegetables
• Fruit
• lentils
• quinoa
• black beans
• chic peas

Week 2

Okay, well it's been almost week since I last weighed and measured myself and personally for me, the results are less than stellar. I know they it takes awhile for you to start seeing results but I guess it's not happening quick enough. This week, I exercised more, ate less and I'm still at almost the exact same weight.

Christie, my personal cheerleader and sister, told me it's cause I'm close to "that special time of the month, that makes you super chipper and happy..." and that's why I'm higher than I would normally be. So, only time will tell and maybe by next week I'll see more of a difference in my weight. On the plus side, I do see inches coming off, which is also nice. Because like I posted last week, muscle weighs more than fat. I think I need to repeat that a couple more times.

Muscle weighs more than fat.

Muscle weighs more than fat. 

Muscle weighs more than fat. 

Muscle weighs more than fat. 

Muscle weighs more than fat. 

Maybe now I'll believe it a little more. I have to remember that this is a process, and even though it's slow moving, I'd rather it come off a little slower and stay off longer than lose it quickly and gain it all back.

Last Week's Stats
Current weight: 215.8
Bust: 45
Waist: 36.5
Hips: 47 
Neck: 14

This Week's Stats
Current weight: 215.4
Bust: 43
Waist: 35
Hips: 47
Neck 13.5
Arms: 14

Not great, but not the worst I've seen. I guess in retrospect I should be happy. Any progress is good progress.

Now, I want to recommend something interesting for you to try. Mamma Chia Vitality Beverage. It's an organic drink with Chia seeds in them. I've been reading about what foods help with weight loss, and chia seeds are one of the top contributors. They are the same seeds that you put on your Chia pets. When mixed with liquid they congeal and make this gelatinous texture. It's very strange, but it's excellent for pushing all the crap and cleansing your insides.They're also used as an egg substitute, so you can imagine the consistency...

Now, you can but your own chia seeds (Trader Joe's and Whole (Paycheck) Foods carry them) and mix them with fruit juice or water at home (which is cheaper) or you can buy this drink. The drink is much better than the mix I made at home. I would suggest buying the drink first and acclimating yourself to the beverage before you make your own at home.

 

Another suggestion for chia seeds is adding them to smoothies or making almond milk pudding (almond milk, coco powder, chia seeds, and a little vanilla, mix together or shake, and let sit).