Coach G - Fit Family Fun!

This week meal prep was inspired by some kale recipes suggested by Pinterest. I also had a lot  going this weekend so I only had a maximum of 3 hours to prep on Sunday. Except for the slow cooker meal these dishes took around 20-30 minutes to create. Trying to keep the fats down and the protein up so the kale and potato soup was made with turkey sausage and light cream, the creole chicken and sausage had smoked turkey sausage, and I used Barilla protein plus pasta for the spaghetti. I have a colleague coming in from the Netherlands to work with me all week so I didn't prep any lunches for myself. My husband is really enjoying those spuds so he asked for them again. They are so yummy and easy to make. Dinner Prep   Slow Cooker Creole Chicken and Sausage   Sausage, potato, and kale soup     Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet   Spaghetti Sauce Lunch Prep   Stuffed Spuds  The bread is a delicious Ezekiel bread. The machine bread recipe can be

This week we go on a trip around the world. I went looking for recipes that were quick to make but I wanted some variety. We have flavors from Korea, Mexico, and Thailand. My daughter's been after me to have a "Taco Tuesday." If you use extra lean ground beef tacos are not so bad for you. You just need to be judicious with your sour cream and cheese consumption. Taco Tuesday doesn't take much prep. I just bought a taco kit and precooked my seasoned ground beef. Then on Tuesday evening I'll chop up some veggies and toast the shells up a bit. For the other meals there are two that have a side of rice so I precook that as well.  Lunches were a repeat from last week. Those spuds are a seriously delicious and when I asked my husband what he wanted to eat this week he asked for a repeat without even hesitating. The spuds and wraps are very easy to make and I buy a whole rotisserie chicken to use in both recipes. I tried something a little different with the wra

To be quite honest I wasn't really feeling the meal prepping this weekend. I had had a long week where I spent many nights working late on a cake for my son's birthday and by the time the party was over yesterday I was completely exhausted,  hadn't done my recipe list, and therefore hadn't done my grocery list. I was seriously considering dipping into my planning ahead stash in the freezer downstairs. Finally I decided to suck it up buttercup and sat down to think of recipes that were healthy and really quick to make. The four recipes I came up with ended up filling the bill quite well. As part of my grocery list I bought a 10 ounce container of fresh baby spinach and therefore I wanted to use it all instead of letting it go to waste so a lot of the recipes have spinach in them.  Popeye would be so proud! the beans and rice recipe was big enough to feed us for dinner on Sunday and I have enough for another dinner during the week, I also pre-cook my rice so I won'

Ingredients 4 large whole wheat tortillas 4 tbsp hummus 2 oz baby spinach 2 C cooked chicken, chopped 1 large avocado Instructions Layer the ingredients on 1 tortilla in the following order: 1 tbsp hummus, 0.5 oz spinach, 1/2 C chicken, 1/4 avocado. Fold two sides and roll the tortilla Serves 4

Ingredients 4 medium sweet potatoes 1 tbsp olive oil 2 C cooked chicken, chopped 2 oz baby spinach 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese Instructions Preheat oven to 450F Slice the sweet potatoes in half and place them face down on a baking sheet. I use a silpat so that I don't need to add any fats for them not to stick. Put them in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping them over midway through. Let the potatoes cool down and scoop out most of the flesh. Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes, chicken, spinach, paprika, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Put the mixture back into the potato skins and top with mozzarella. You can put the spuds back in the oven for a little bit to melt the cheese. serves 4. Nutrition Cals Fats (g) Carbs (g) Prot (g) 381 8 42 37

Ingredients 1 lb thin cut chicken breast, 4 pieces 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 4 thin slices of Swiss cheese 4 slices of cooked ham 4 toothpicks Vegetable oil spray 1/2 C season panko bread crumbs Instructions: Preheat oven to 350F Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper Place one slice of ham and one slice of cheese on top of the chicken breast Roll the chicken breast and secure with a toothpick Spray an 11x7 baking dish with vegetable oil Spread 1/4 C breadcrumbs on the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken breasts on the breadcrumbs and top with the other 1/4 C of breadcrumbs. Place in the oven for 35 minutes. Serves 4 Nutrition Cals Fats (g) Carbs (g) Prot (g) 242 8 12 34

Ingredients 1 tbsps olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 lb lean ground beef 2 (15oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed 2 C tomato sauce 1 tsp smoked paprika 3/4 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Instructions Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned, about 7 minutes. Add beans, tomato sauce, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over rice. Makes 8 servings Nutrition Cals Fats (g) Carbs (g) Prot (g) 201 7 49 37

Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 lb turkey Italian sausage,casings removed 3C chicken broth 4.5 oz protein plus pasta 4oz baby spinach 1/4C grated Parmesan cheese Instructions Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for about 2 minutes. Add sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is browned, about 7 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, stirring to scrap up the bit at the bottom of the pot. Add pasta and stir. Let it coo for about 15 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in spinach and cheese. Server and garnish with cheese.  Serves 4. Nutrition Cals Fats (g) Carbs (g) Prot (g) 294 11 27 23

This week we are still on the lookout for high protein, low fat recipes. I found a very interesting enchilada recipe where instead of using tortillas it requires the use of egg white omelettes. Looking forward to trying that one out. I also made Korean barbecue wraps. It was a large portion so we had some for dinner on Sunday and it was delicious! The wraps are made of lettuce and are filled with an Asian slaw and marinated and grilled pork. You can also add rice to the wrap but we opted against it. I made some cheese and spinach stuffed chicken. It's fairly easy to make. Finally the last dish is a modified General Tso's chicken. For lunch I went half simple and half not so simple! The simple one is quinoa salad with cucumbers and tomatoes plates with a hard boiled egg and some roasted sweet potatoes. The not so simple is a chicken taco salad in a jar. My husband contributed to the meal prep this week with a make-ahead oatmeal breakfast. Dinner prep    Healt

Ingredients 1 scoop vanilla whey protein 1/2 C quick oats 1/4 C dried cranberries 1 tbsp chocolate chips Instructions Layer the ingredients in the following order: Oats, protein, cranberries, and chocolate chips when you are ready to eat add enough boiling water to fill the 16 oz jar. Let it sit for 5 minutes then mix and enjoy! Nutritional Information     Calories  Fat (g) Carbs (g) Protein (g) 418 9 74.9 17.5

Ingredients 1 tsp vegetable oil 2 C cooked chicken (I use rotisserie chicken) 1 packet, taco seasoning 1/2 C wate ½ C non-fat plain Greek yogurt ½ C salsa 4 C chopped romaine lettuce 1 C black beans drained and rinsed 1 C corn 1 C halved grape or cherry tomatoes 1 C shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese Instructions Mix together yogurt and salsa until completely combined, set aside. In a medium frying pan heat the oil. Add the chicken and saute for 2 minutes. Add taco seasoning and water. Mix well for 5 minutes. Place an equal amount of the yogurt and salsa mix at the bottom of each jar. Divide remaining ingredients among the jars, layering in the following order: chicken, black beans, corn, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce.  Makes 4 servings

Ingredients 4 eggs 2 C sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), diced 1 large cucumber, diced 2 green onions, chopped 1 C sliced cherry tomatoes 2 C cooked quinoa (I used red) 2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil (divided) 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1/2 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp (divided) 1/4 pepper + 1/4 tsp (divided) Instructions Preheat oven to 420F degrees. Hard boil the eggs. My preferred method is to cover the eggs with water and bring them to a boil. Then I set a timer for 10 minutes. The eggs always come out perfect. Mix the sweet potatoes with 1 tsp of olive oil and salt and pepper. Place them on an oven pan and place in the oven for 20 minutes. For the salad: mix the quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings

Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry. 3 chicken breasts 4 oz feta, crumbled  4 oz reduced fat cream cheese 2 clove garlic, diced ¼ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon pepper 6 toothpicks Instructions Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Add olive oil to a medium hot pan. Add garlic and mix for 2 minutes. Add spinach and saute for 5 minutes. Set aside in a bowl. Slice the chicken breasts in half length wise to make two thin slices. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and pound it down to make it even thinner. Mix the spinach and garlic, feta, cream cheese, and salt and pepper. Scoop 1/6 of the spinach mix and place on the chicken breast and roll the chicken. Close it with a toothpick. Repeat 5 more times. Place on an oven pan with the seam down.I use silpat in my pans so I don't need to add fat to cook. If you don't have one you can use vegetable oil spray on the pan before placing the chicken on it. Place in the oven

My husband usually goes with whatever I make for lunch and dinner but lately he's been paying more attention to what he eats. He's been wanting more protein and less fat so that was my focus this week... except for the spinach lasagna... I just really wanted spinach lasagna.  The ropa vieja recipe is for 12 servings so it makes it a perfect recipe for planning ahead  as I explained in the last Tuesday's Tip.  I also broke off from the soups in a jar just to shake things up a bit and made quinoa salads instead. Here's the menu: Dinner prep Spinach lasagna  (video to come) Meatloaf meatballs and roasted vegetables (video) Ropa vieja Chicken and stir fried vegetables lunch prep Thai quinoa salad Mustardy Quinoa With Sausage, Potato, and Tarragon The bread (not pictured) is a delicious Ezekiel bread. The machine bread recipe can be found here . As always I encourage your comments and look forward to hearing from you.

This is one of my favorite lasagna recipes. My husband is not the greatest fan because it's meatless but it's one of my favorite pasta recipes. Ingredients: 2 tsp olive oil, divided 4 garlic cloves, divided 1 onion, chopped 29 oz canned tomato sauce 1/4 C chopped fresh basil. 12oz frozen spinach, thawed 8oz reduced fat ricotta cheese 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 egg 6 no cook lasagna noodles 1/2C shredded mozzarella cheese Instructions: Preheat oven to 350F Heat 1 tsp oil in a medium pot and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes and then add garlic. Add the tomato sauce and basil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside Heat 1 tsp oil in a medium pan and add the other half of the garlic.Saute for about a minute and add spinach Saute for 3-4 minutes. Set aside and let cool In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, salt, pepper, egg, and spinach mixture Spread 3 tbsp of tomato sauce at the bottom of a 9x12 casserole dish  Top it with 2 lasagna noodles Add a

This is recipe makes a quick and delicious side dish. Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1" cubes 2 broccoli crowns, chopped 1 large red onion, chopped into large pieces 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper Instructions: Preheat oven to 420F Spread the chopped sweet potatoes, broccoli, and onion on a baking sheet Drizzle the olive oil Sprinkle the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper Put in the over for 20 minutes

This is a quick, healthy, and very simple recipe. Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1.5 lbs chicken breast, cubed 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp grated ginger 12 oz mixed veggies of your choice (I like to use, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots) 1/2 C teriyaki sauce Instructions Heat oil in a medium pan on medium high heat. Add chicken and stir for about 7 minutes Add garlic and ginger and stir. cook until chicken is cooked through. Add vegetables, stir and let it cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables start to get tender. Add Teriyaki sauce and let it cook for 5 minutes. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.