Sausage, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Muffins

This is a great breakfast to make on Sunday and then put in the fridge for the rest of the week!  Just throw them in the microwave to warm them up and you are good to go!!

Ingredients
1 lb ground sausage meat
6 cloves garlic (minced) 
12 eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste. 

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Add the garlic to a pan and cook over medium heat for about a minute, until fragrant.
3) Add the sausage to the garlic and cook until browned.
4) While the sausage is cooking mix the eggs, whipping cream, 1 cup of cheese and salt and pepper in a large bowl.
5) Add the sausage meat to the bottom of a greased muffin tin
6) Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
7) Bake for 30 minutes, until the eggs are cooked and cheese is melted

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

This is one of my fave meal prep recipes!  I got it from Jamie Eason - yum! 

Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dry yellow mustard
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp chipotle pepper spice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 – 2 tbsp garlic powder (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp ground coriander (optional)
- 1 tbsp McCormick Rotisserie Chicken spice (optional)
- 1tsp Herbes De Provence spice (optional)
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 2 celery stalks (finely chopped)

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Spray muffin pan with olive oil.
3) Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
4) Roll the mixture into 12 even sized balls and place in muffin pan.
5) Bake 40 minutes or till done.
6) Serve warm or freeze in a Ziploc freezer bag.

Chicken Salad Wraps

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients
4 cans of Kirkland chicken breast or 1/2 a rotisserie chicken pulled a part (you can sub in canned tuna or salmon as well if you prefer)
4 chopped hard boiled egg whites (minus the yolk)
1/2 cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 chopped onion
2 chopped tomatoes

Instructions
1) Add the chicken to a bowl. Mash it up to get rid of the chunks and make it as pulled apart as possible so it resembles the consistency of canned tuna.
2) Add the remainder of the ingredients to a bowl, mix well and divide into 4 servings.
3) Place it inside a romaine lettuce leaf and enjoy like a taco!

Weekly Meal Prep - Chicken Burrito Bowls

Here's another simple, yet delicious idea that you could meal prep for lunches!

I got this idea from buzzfeed.com and modified it slightly - it's so simple though it is one of those recipes you read once and then just make off the top of your head!!

INGREDIENTS

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 bell peppers, sliced
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp taco seasoning
Salt and Pepper, to taste.
1 16-ounce jar medium chunky salsa
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can corn, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit
2. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray (I also use tinfoil to make cleanup easier!)
3. Place the chicken breasts in the middle of the tray, the sliced peppers on one side and the red onion slices on the other.
4. Drizzle with olive oil
5. Season the chicken breasts with taco seasoning on both sides
6. Season the peppers, onions and chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Mixed up the peppers and onions a bit to ensure they are coated evenly.
7. Spread the salsa evenly on top of the 3 chicken breasts.
8. Bake for 25 mins in your preheated oven (or until chicken is fully cooked)
9. Cut chicken into slices or chunks.

TO ASSEMBLE THE BOWLS
1. Place 1/2 cup brown rice in 4 bowls
2. Top each with 1/4 cup black beans, 1/4 cup corn and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3. Add the cooked peppers, onions and chicken (split evenly among 4 bowls)
4. Top with a bit more salsa, cilantro and a slice of lime if desired.


Enjoy!

Weekly Meal Prep - Greek Chicken Bowls

One thing that I've learned along the way in this journey is the importance of planning.  We've all heard the saying "Fail to plan, plan to fail" and I find this to be so true - especially when it comes to not only planning but actually preparing my lunches in advance.  Since I work from home I don't need to actually pack my lunches, but just having everything ready to grab, put together and eat makes a huge difference in my success each week!!  

This was an idea I originally got from eazypeazymealz.com and I just made a few slight adjustments for my own preferences here!! 

INGREDIENTS

Greek Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
sea salt and pepper to taste


Cucumber Salad
2 English cucumbers, sliced
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano


Tzatziki Sauce
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 English cucumber, shredded
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp dill weed
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste


The Rest
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red onion slices


INSTRUCTIONS
1) In a large freezer ziplock bag, combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, greek yogurt and salt and pepper. Massage to mix.
2) Add chicken into the bag.
3) Massage to make sure chicken is fully covered and marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to 12 hours.
4) Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
5) In a skillet, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat.
6) Add chicken when it is hot, and cook, flipping part way through. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Cooking time depends on thickness and size of the chicken. Cook until internal temp is 165 degrees.
5) Remove from pan, and let cool.
6) Once cool, cut into bite sized pieces.
7) Meanwhile, make cucumber salad by chunking the cucumbers, and tossing in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and oregano. Set aside
8) Make tzatziki sauce by combining the Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill weed, lemon juice, lemon zest in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.
9) Refrigerate while assembling your bowls.
10) Cook brown rice according to package directions. When finished cooking, divide between meal prep containers, 1/2 cup in each container, halve cherry tomatoes, and mix with red onion slices. Divide amongst the bowls.
11) Top with chicken, cucumber salad, and some tzatziki sauce.
12) Keep for 3- 5 days in airtight container, serve cold!

Are you a habitual excuse-maker?

Do you find yourself coming up with a ton of reasons as to why you can't workout or eat right?  Let's face it - life happens!  Sometimes it is just way too difficult, maybe even impossible to squeeze that workout in or to prep that healthy food.  The thing is however, that EVERYONE has life happen while they are on their fitness journey.  It's that CHOICE that we all have of whether you are going to USE that excuse and skip that workout or if you are going to power through and get it done anyways - NO.MATTER.WHAT.

I know some of you may be sitting there reading this thinking - "well no what I'm going through is different - I don't have the choice, I just literally don't have the time to workout or prep healthy food!"  If you're thinking that then you are probably not gonna like what I am about to tell you.  You absolutely DO have the CHOICE.  There are workout programs out there that are only 25 minutes, 5 days a week... 25 minutes!!  I am going to bet that you probably spend more than 25 minutes each day contemplating stuff that you need to get done... or doing your hair and makeup for the day... Or watching your favourite TV shows.  We all have the same 24 hours in a day, it's your CHOICE what you do with that time!  Yes, you may have to sacrifice watching your favourite TV show... you may have to get up 30 mins earlier or go to bed 30 minutes later - but if your health and energy are worth it, you will find a way!  

As for time to meal prep - I have some amazing news for you.  Guess what!  Spending just a couple hours prepping food on a Sunday will actually SAVE you a ton of time preparing all throughout the week!  It's also super simple and I will make a separate blog post on meal prepping soon, but it's literally as simple as seasoning and throwing a bunch of chicken breasts in the oven and leaving them to bake... Roasting some veggies in the oven at the same time as the chicken and cooking up some brown rice... BOOM!  Easy, simple and DONE!  Guess what?  You're also gonna save yourself a ton of money by not needing to eat out and pre-packaged, processed foods are NOT always cheaper.

So... Are you gonna choose to find excuses or are you gonna choose to find a way to get it done?