IF YOU DO NOT PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL!

So i know A LOT of you are settling with new schedules at work, school, etc etc and I know that it IS HARD to keep a clean eating habit when you're super busy and it could be the real culprit of your results! But always remember if you DO NOT PLAN, you PLAN TO FAIL. by planning your meals out you are also saving time for that dilemma of what to eat that occurs during the day, and you are less likely to eat junk if you have everything ready set to go. :).

So here are some ideas of what you could do to make it a little more convenient & save some money in your pocket (because you wont be buying that lunch special chinese or a take out lunch ;))

1. TUPPERWARE, WATER BOTTLES AND ZIP LOC BAGS WILL BECOME YOUR BEST FRIENDS! They REALLY help to keep your food fresh throughout the week
2. PICK A PREP DAY, COOK EVERYTHING AT ONCE.
3. WRITE OUT YOUR MEALS & GROUP THEM. ex: make the same meals for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and make the same meals for Tuesday & Thursday. So you dont end up cooking like 4204873929 things!
4. MAKE ALL YOUR CARBS ON PREP DAY. you could put your quinoa, rice, pasta, etc in zip loc bags/ tupperware and heat them up on the day of.
5. DIVIDE your meals into the RIGHT portions ON PREP DAY! this saves you A LOT of time at night during weekdays!
6. THE GRILL WILL BE YOUR OTHER BEST FRIEND! especially for those of us who work late! the grill will cook things much faster. Fish in particular. If you choose to grill up chicken slice them up so they cook faster!
7. USE "CLEAN" INGREDIENTS! e.x : extra virgin olive oil, sea salt etc CHOOSE MINIMALLY PROCESSED and WILD CAUGHT.
8. PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER IN ONE BAG BEFORE YOU GO TO BED. so in the morning you can literally just GRAB AND GO. no fussing around. =)
9. SLICE UP EVERYTHING ON THE SAME DAY! our fruits, veggies, etc so you can just throw them in, cuts down prep time on the day of.

Some Ideas for breakfasts (you can easily have these on the train or sneak them at work lol):
1. Cereal + almond milk --> prepare your cereal on prep days, divide them onto the right portions, leave them in a tupperware, pour your milk into water bottles so you can have it on the road!
2. Greek Yoghurt + cottage cheese + fruit --> measure up your greek yoghurt + cottage cheese + slice up your fruits and put them together in a zip loc bag.
3. Shakeology is always a win! =) you could put one scoop in zip loc bags so its ready for you in the morning, a shaker cup helps. you can also divide your almond milk / oj or whatever it is you use into empty water bottles.

SNACKS:
1. PB + J Ezekiel sandwhich --> you DO NEED to make these the night before unfortunately! otherwise it gets too soggy! but hey at least you have everything else ready right?
2. STRING CHEESE --> behold to all of you cheese lovers out there! these are super easy to "prep" lol tear it up and thrown it in your bag!
3. FRUITS! --> those of us who are still in school or feel sleepy during the day, BRING APPLES. it will WAKE YOU UP! bring two - three types of fruits. Bananas is another good one and ITS QUITE so you dont need to feel awkward.
4. EDAMAME --> divide them into portions ON PREP day. put them in a ZIP LOC bag. its another quite snack + it really does fill you up!
5. SHAKEOLOGY! =)

LUNCHES & DINNERS:
Lunches - Salads are your best friend! And no I'm not talking about leafy salads! On your PREP DAY, MAKE ALL YOUR CARBS AT ONCE. use some of it to make your lunches, divide it into the rightful portions! THEN you can make some brown pasta/quinoa/brown rice salads! THERE ARE TONS AND TONS AND TONS of easy recipes out there! measure up your proteins to (fish, chicken, tempeh, TVP etc) and throw them into your salads! the BEST PART about these are YOU DONT NEED TO HEAT THEM UP and THEY STILL TASTES GREAT! refreshing AND healthy!
DInners - The GRILL is your BFF. its FAST, EASY AND TASTY =) again if you made all your carbs on prep day, you could solely focus on grilling up your veggies/proteins only and it usually takes no longer than 5 mins! Those of you who have to have dinner on the road, wraps make a GREAT option, you can eat them cold! and make them on your PREP DAY!

New Chocolate Shakeology Formula

Just got the new formula today! Will try it tomorrow with almond milk and ice :-) I'll let u guys know how it is! :-)

My Brand New Bowflex :-)

These sexy beasts are soon to be an addition to our one bedroom apartment! LOL Joe got them for me as our 4 year anniversary gift! He knows me all too well! I will write a review on them soon =) can't wait to christen them with p90x shoulders arms!

Put the Fries DOWN!

My boyfriend found this in a car parts shop... Really? What has our society come to? French fries holders? Why does ANYONE in America need that?

Thin Mint Chocolate Shakeology

Oh yummy! This is a MUST HAVE! I had this first thing in the morning <3 most refreshing thing ever!! Literally tastes like mint chocolate gelato! <3

- 1/2tsp of peppermint extract (might be too minty for some people, start with 1/4tsp first an work your way up)
- 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
- 10 oz of almond milk
- ice cubes to taste

So good even Cali (my kitty) wants some ;)

Tangy Shrimp & Chicken Quinoa Salad

So I was experimenting with quinoa and came up with this recipe. I love using a lot of spices in my dishes as you can see! Haha if you have time, LOVE TANGY flavoured foods and up to try something new, try this! It can be served warm/cold. Serves 3-4people depending on serving sizes =)

ingredients:

- 1/2 cup of quinoa, 1 cup of water
-1 tsb of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 diced garlic cloves
- 1tsb of diced yellow onions
- 1/4 cup of cilantro
- 2.5 sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup of shrimp
- 1tsb of lemon juice
- 1/2 cup of diced strawberries
- 6 oz of chicken, cubed
- 1 oz of crushed almonds (I smashed mine with a pan in a bag lol)
- 2/3 cup of zucchini
- a dash of pepper, salt, chilli powder, oregano, Cajun seasoning, and stevia (I used 1/2 packet of pyure) to taste - i probably used about 1/8tsp of each seasoning, and a dash of salt and pepper, nothing too crazy.

Quinoa : bring 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of water to boil and leave to simmer 10-15 mins.
Shrimp : Boil shrimp, once they are boiled season with a dash of pepper and 1tsp of lemon

1. Heat up extra virgin olive oil in a pan
2. Add in garlic and onion once garlic turns golden brown add chicken & lemon juice.
3. Cook chicken until its pink in the middle add in zucchini and cilantro
4. Add in mushrooms once zucchini begins to tender.
5. Add in quinoa, season it to taste.
6. Stir for another minute.
7. Serve quinoa, garnish with strawberries, almonds, cilantro and shrimp.

Spicy Mango Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

So it isn't the prettiest looking dish in the world but I LOVVVEE the blends of spices in this dish and the way it just hits all of my tastebuds are oh so perfect! <3 everything from sweet, salty, and spicy!

Ingredients (4-5 servings):
1. 1.5 cup of sweet potatoes (cubed)
2. 3 garlic cloves (diced)
3. 14-16 oz of chicken (cubed)
4. 1-1.5 big mangoes or 2 small ones (cubed)
5. 1/4 cup of tamari gluten free light soy sauce
6. Konjac to thicken (APF or arrow root you could use corn starch but I personally don't think it's the best option)
7. 3/4 cup of water
8. 1/4 tsp of chilli powder
9. 2tsb of hot sauce (I used sambal oelek but u can use any hot sauce)
10. 2tsb of extra virgin olive oil (or canola or virg/olive oil)
11. 3 tsb of honey


****In a sauce pan boil the sweet potatoes until it's tender

1. Heat up a pan with the extra virgin olive oil and throw garlic in and cook until fragrant.
2. When the garlic is golden brown & fragrant then add in the chicken and stir it until it is no longer pink.
3. Pour in tamari soy sauce, 3/4 cup of water, honey, chilli powder and hot sauce.
4. Once everything is mixed, Add in mangoes & drained tender sweet potatoes.
5. Add in konjac as needed to thicken the sauce. =) leave to simmer to desired thickness.

And there you have it!