Coach G - Fit Family Fun!

Whoa! It's been over 3 months since I last posted! I'm sorry to those that were following the posts but life seems to have gotten in the way. Really that's the whole reason I meal prep, to reduce the hectic pace of the day as lunch and dinner are two things I don't have to worry about. One things I've been doing these past few weeks is to  buy 4 bags of steam-in-a-bag veggies and, as I'm putting the groceries away, I pop a bag in the microwave and let it cook. Then I empty it in a container and keep steaming and adding to it. Then I have a container full of veggies ready to use as a side for lunch or dinner. For lunch my husband and I have been eating grilled chicken and steamed vegetables. We mix it up from time to time by adding a bit of sauce to the chicken. For dinner I've prepared some spaghetti sauce, crockpot Thai pork, chicken cacciatore, and pesto Caprese chicken. I just noticed, in typing all this out that my menu is very Italian excep...

I'm back after a two week hiatus! Happy New Year everyone! Like a lot of people I've made a resolution to lead a healthier life this year. Life has been a little hectic and I need to get back on track. I have my eye on a couple of family 5Ks I'd like to participate in and I'll be going for my black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I've therefore resolved to start a new round of Beachbody's 21 Day Fix. The program has always worked well for me so I'm giving it another go. I've attached the meal plan I'm following with the container counts in case any of you want to give it a try as well.  We all came back from Montreal with the sniffles so there was no better time to make a delicious Cold-Fighting Couscous Chicken Soup. I found this Brown Rice Lasagna Skillet and thought it was very interesting. Using brown rice instead of pasta, who'd have thought! On Friday I'll be making a Blackened Tilapia with Cucumber Avocado Salsa. I don't like t...

The weather is really cooling down these days. I was at the grocery store and saw some lamb shanks and was reminded of a delicious soup I used to make. Nothing better to warm the body and soul than soups and stews. The lamb and orzo soup has all the essentials, it is chock full of protein, vitamins, and iron. It's very fresh and filling. The polenta and beef stew warms you down to your toes it's so delicious. For nutritional purposes I decided to exclude the polenta and replace it with brown rice instead. The one pan honey garlic chicken and vegetables was very easy to make and smells so good! Finally for a pasta dish I made my lasagna because my daughter requested it and she gave me a literal thumbs up when she saw me making it :) I know I sound like a broken record but for lunch I made the ol' reliable spuds. They are easy to make, nutritious and delicious and my husband requested them. Meal prep was not difficult today but the dishes did take a long time t...

After 4 days off from work and taking the weekend off from meal prepping last weekend, it's back to the routine now. My stomach also needs a break from all the thanksgiving leftovers we've had over the past few days, This meal prep was a very simple one and took about two and a half hours to get done. I was done before the bread and the slow cooker were! It seems my husband was missing his lunches, he requested stuffed spuds for lunch. Dinner Prep   Swedish Meatballs - I made this using fat free half and half and extra lean ground beef. Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry Crock Pot Cashew Chicken Vegetarian Three Bean Chili Lunch Prep Stuffed Spuds I also always bake a bread and it 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 a quick, healthy, and very simple recipe. Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1.5 lbs beef sirloin, sliced 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 beef 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.

These past few weeks I've been on a tidying binge. Clutter has been stressing me out. Actually a lot of things have been stressing me out lately!  I've been going through all the rooms trying to find better ways to organize. Finally I tackled my work room or as it's recently been dubbed "the room of requirements" where basically everything ended up. I cleaned it up and finally got see my work desk tidy and clutter free for the first time in a long time. Working down here also helps to keep my stress levels down so it's a win win situation. I worked on a jewelry piece on Saturday evening and put it in the kiln on Sunday morning. It sat in the kiln for about 4 hours so what to do in the meantime? Cook of course and help alleviate the weekly stresses of worrying about  dinner time and lunch time. Last week I made a spinach lasagna and if my husband were reading this blog... ahem... he would have figured that out instead of being disappointed by the lack ...

Ingredients: 2 C baby spinach and arugula mix 1/4 C chopped cucumbers 1/4 C shredded carrots 1/4 C chopped red bell pepper 1 chopped green onion 5 cherry tomatoes 1/2 C cooked steak Your favorite dressing. I like an oil and vinegar dressing on this. Instructions: Layer the ingredients in the order given above and enjoy!