Coach G - Fit Family Fun!

Back to the grind after spring break! There is no better way to get back into the groove than starting the week off with a good meal prep session. I also did some prep for my Ezekiel bread which I'll cover in my Tuesday's Tip in two days. The prep took around two hours which left me a lot of time to work in my garden! Gardening makes meal prep even more fun as my menus are based on what I pick. It also encourages the kids to eat more fruits and veggies because they get so involved in the growing process. The first dish I made was a One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice dish. I decided to take the skin off the chicken before cooking it so as to reduce the amount of fat. The rice came out nice and tangy. I'm really looking forward to eating this. After this all my inspiration went out the window so I went with some quick favorites. The Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Muffins are great and we usually have them with some steam veggies. Then I made some ki...

Another week over and I beat the bread once more! 4 dinners and lunches done in 2.5 hrs. I had quite a busy weekend so I'm glad that meal prep didn't fall through the cracks. Next week there will be no meal prep because it's my son's spring break. I try to use my time as efficiently as possible. I've written in past about ordering my groceries online and how it has saved me time, sanity, and even money. I try to get my menu done on Friday or Saturday so that I pick up my groceries Sunday morning after taking the kids to their swimming class. Saturday my daughter has a 45 minute ballet class and parents are not allowed to sit in on the class. Since she's very young I sit in the hall during her class and wait until it's over. Just in case there is a potty emergency! I decided this week, instead of just sitting there like a bump on a log, I would use that time to make my menu. I went through my Pintrest boards and found new recipes and gradually ad...

I always start my meal prep by getting the bread maker going and my goal is always to try to "beat the bread". By that I mean that I try to finish cooking before the bread is done baking. Ezekiel bread takes 3 hours 25 minutes from start to finish in the bread machine. Today I was done with about 50 minutes left on the clock! The secret was that I made two recipes that requires cooked chicken and for that I use rotisserie chicken. It's easy and delicious. I made some zucchini enchiladas where I used thinly sliced zucchini in lieu of tortillas. The recipe required me to roll the zucchini around the filling. Well, let me tell you, it didn't quite work out that way. The zucchini kept breaking so, to make my life easier, I laid it out like I would a lasagna. My taste will never know the difference. Using more rotisserie chicken, I made a cold fighting chicken soup. None of have a cold but I love the soup and I decide what we eat so there you have it! It's...

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