Super Easy Stir Fry!

Easiest stir fry ever!!

If you are like me, you are a busy bee.  I do not like to take too much time in the kitchen unless it's part of my "me" time like on the weekends.  Weekends are for longer cooking extravaganzas.  Weekdays?  Absolutely not.  I have a gazillion other things to do.  And so do you, I'm sure.

So, one day last week I needed a quick and easy dinner before walking out the door to meet with my lovely mother.  I am so lucky that we live close now!  I get to see her at least once a week and I looooooove that.  Okay, anyway.  Ready for my super easy stir fry??

I don't do recipes when I am randomly cooking something for myself so here is the best recipe explanation I can come up with.  

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast, cut up into chunks (what a funny word to say)
• Snow peas (or any other vegetable you want I suppose)
• Soy sauce (if you frown at soy sauce, Bragg's is another good option.  See pic below)
• Creole seasoning (what ISN'T this stuff good on?!?)

Cook your chicken up first (I usually use a little bit of olive oil when cooking chicken).  Season it with the creole seasoning if you like it.  If you don't, find something else or throw in a little soy sauce to start.  Once the chicken is cooked (i.e. no pink in the middle), throw in the snow peas and a few drizzles of soy sauce (no need to overdo it).  Saute for a bit.  Then, cover and lower the heat.  Let the snow peas soak up the sauce to get nice and soft.  After about 10 minutes I'd say, you are done.  Easy, breezy, beautiful.. cover girl.  Or stir fry.

Got an easy recipe for me?  Please share!!

Eat well, 

Bri

Challenge Scoop: The End!

This is my last blog post about the 24 day challenge journey with Advocare... these are only my opinions!

My Challenge Scoop:

Pro's

• I found a new drink that provides lots of energy for morning runs (Spark)
• I found a new Omega 3 supplement that I really like (Omegaplex)
• It was a new experience and this challenge also motivated me get my 10K training program up and running so it came at the perfect time

Con's

• The chocolate protein shake was not my favorite. I tried to like it, but only ended up drinking it 3 times.  I prefer shakeology if I am going to drink a shake.
• The fiber drink I mentioned before was hard to get down
• The supplements made me feel loopy and like I could pass out after 15 minutes of taking them (Max phase)

Recommendations if you do the challenge:

• I think Spark is best to drink on an empty stomach and first thing in the morning (some of my friends mentioned it making them feel weird if they drank it in the afternoon or after a meal).
• Like I mentioned above with the Max phase supplements, they made me feel like I could pass out so my recommendation is to make sure you eat a good breakfast, lunch, and snacks if you need them.
• If you are not already a healthy eater, use this challenge to incorporate more fruits and vegetables too (or to change a specific habit that has been a barrier to your health).

And just in case you were wondering, I did not lose weight on this challenge.  But, it wasn't my goal to lose weight.  I am not sure of my measurements yet, but I was healthy before and I am healthy after so that is all that matters to me.

Hope you enjoyed the challenge posts and if you have specific questions for me, shoot me an email at britexas@gmail.com

Eat well,
Bri

Red Cherry

Red Cherry

Red cherry, dark cherry,

You're too good for me.

So tasty, so merry,

And keeping me healthy.

Frozen one, fresh one,

It doesn't matter really.

Big one, little one, 

I'll eat you up fo-really.

Super fruit, cherry juice,

Reduces muscle soreness.

Take root, no excuse,

Eat five more no less.

Red cherry, dark cherry,

I'm never too good for you.

So tasty, so merry,

A healthy bowl for me soon!

-Bri

It had been awhile since I laid down a rhyme for the blog so couldn't resist.  

 

As you can tell from the rhyme, cherries are excellent for you, especially if you exercise.  Cherries reduce inflammation in the body and reduce muscle soreness.  Cherries also have antioxidants.  Grab a bowl of frozen cherries, drink a shot of tart cherry juice, add dried cherries to a salad or cereal, or wash and eat some fresh cherries.  Go ahead, do it now.  
 

After all, life is like a bowl of cherries...

 

Eat well, 

Bri

P.S. If you have been following me on the 24 day Challenge, it ends today.  I will write a final wrap-up post later this afternoon... consider it "2 for 1" Wednesday!! :)

 

Challenge Scoop: Max Phase Begins

My blog posts about the 24 day challenge journey with Advocare continue...

Bring on the Max Phase!

Max Phase Begins 
Today starts day 1 of the Max phase.  It consists of supplements and Spark 30 minutes before breakfast and then a meal replacement shake for breakfast.  I got the chocolate  flavor for the shake.  I am not the biggest fan of meal protein shakes in general so chocolate is the safest bet for me.

Here are a few tips to making protein shakes a little tastier:

Fits in the shake cup!

• Blend.  Use the blender and put ice in it every time.. it makes it more of a milk shake consistency.
• Add a little flavor.  Add some cinnamon, vanilla, or even a little fat free milk.  If you still need more, add some frozen fruit or a banana.
• Don't add too much extra.  If you add too much water, ice, milk, etc. the shake will be much larger than you want it to be and will take you forever to drink it.  I like mine to fit easily into a shake cup.  Picture to the right.

Vacation Challenge
I went on vacation for days 2-5 of this max phase.  I don't know about you, but when I am on vacation my regular schedule goes out the window.  While some people feel this is bad, I take this as a good thing.  It's good to change things up every so often and it's never a bad thing for the mind to take vacations. 

I had a blast with my best friends and their kids.  I didn't drink the shake every day (no blender and I am not one to drink it without crushed ice) and I didn't follow my typical workout schedule.  I did, however, make sure to take all my supplements.  I didn't eat clean every day.  Who does on vaca?  I did eat intuitively and savor every bite, even when I tried "the best donuts in Hopkinsville."  It's all about balance- even when you are on a challenge or on vacation.  Life is not perfect so nutrition does not have to be either.

Eat well,
Bri

Challenge Scoop: 10 Days In...

My blog posts about the 24 day challenge journey with Advocare continue... since the last one was super long, I am giving you the short and sweet. The good and the not so good.  Enjoy!

10 Days In...

5 Things I Love About This Challenge:

1.   I have more energy.  Not sure whether to credit the Spark alone for this or the cleanse in general, but I really feel like I have more energy and mental clarity.  Two great things for a busy body like me.

2.   I am getting regular Omega 3's.  I really don't eat much fish so need omega 3's through supplement form.  This challenge emphasizes omega 3's with the Omegaplex once per day so I feel good getting plenty through this challenge.

3.   My cravings have decreased.  I have had sugar one time- this past Sunday.  And it was mainly because ice cream sounded REALLY good after a long day outside.  I went from having sugar daily to once per week.  Crazy cool!

4.   I do not have to restrict or deprive myself of a certain food group.  I do not advocate restriction and that is what I love about this version of a cleanse.  I do eat healthy on a regular basis so have not had to change up my eating habits much.  However, I do think it could help someone get a kick-start on eating healthy too. 

5.   Spark.  I know I mentioned this before, but Spark is helping me get through morning runs.  I love it and will keep this habit up even after the challenge is over.  I recently tried Watermelon too- yum!

3 Things I Don't Care For About This Challenge:

1.   All the extra vitamins create bright yellow urine.  Too much information?  Possibly.  But you know it has happened to you too.  It's the water soluble vitamins.  Nothing harmful about this necessarily, but having urine the color of a highlighter is weird.

2.   The fiber drink.  Matt thinks my fiber drink looks like a termite's nest.  I have to say that tomorrow is my official last day with the fiber drink and I am happy about that.  It's not the worst thing I have ever tried, but it isn't my favorite either.

3.    Monster pills.  The cleanse pills are huge.  I am already done taking them, but they were huge. 

Other things to note:

I am done with the "Cleanse" phase today.  Stay tuned about this next phase!  I will be going on a trip this weekend so may have some obstacles, but will keep it up. 

My workouts during this challenge consist of running (following my 10K training plan) 3 days per week and cross training another 2-3 days.  I try to incorporate 2 Pure Barre classes if I can as part of the cross training.  If I can't make it to a class, I "take" a class at home.

My sleep has been whack the past few days (and possibly a week or so).  I am going to experiment and see if the challenge has something to do with this or if it is something else.  Will let you know what I come up with!

Eat well,
Bri

Taking a 24 Day Challenge!

The next few blog posts will be about my journey on the 24 day challenge with Advocare.  I have been getting a lot of "cleanse" questions lately.  It just so happened that my friend and Pure Barre instructor, Molly, was starting a 24 day challenge with a 10 day cleanse period.  So here I am... ready to give you my experience, thoughts, and tips on this cleanse & challenge specifically, while also providing insight into cleanses in general.  If there is a specific cleanse that you have a question about, email me at BriTexas@gmail.com

8/25: The Day Before...

As with anything starting up, I always get a mix of feelings the day before “go” day.  I get excited to try something new.  I get anxious to see what positive or negative results I may get.  I get determined with the preparation and making sure I know exactly what I need to do to kick it off right. 

A few fun facts:

The cleanse part!

• I have a sweet tooth so am going to give up sweets and sugar (for the most part) during these 24 days.  Think 80-90% of the time.  I don't believe in complete restriction!
• Because of the above, I may or may not have had a little extra sugar today in preparation.  I don't recommend that, but I am definitely human... and the last package of Nutter Butters were calling my name.
• The first 10 days of this challenge are part of the "cleanse" phase with the first 3 days including a Spark energy drink, fiber drink, Omega 3 supplement, & a cleanse supplement.
• A cleanse does not mean you have to be on strictly liquids.  I get to eat on this challenge.  Side note: you should eat on any cleanse you do too.  Liquid diets do NOT teach you anything and just cause you to gain weight back once you are off them.
• If you are interested and serious about doing cleanses, you only need to do a cleanse once every 3 months.
• In reality, your body is pretty AWESOME and can cleanse itself.  Fruits and vegetables help cleanse your body too.  But, a "formal" cleanse like this one every now and then do not hurt either if you prefer it (and especially if you feel you have a few too many Big Macs, overly processed baked goods, or the like).
• I do the grocery shopping in our house. I secretly decided to buy treats that only Matt likes to keep me from being tempted by the aforementioned Nutter Butters he normally keeps upstairs.  Good thing he doesn't read my blog (start evil laugh now).

8/26 & 8/27: Days 1 & 2...

My first day went excellent.  I literally woke up, drank my Spark, and felt so great that I went for a run.  I am not a natural morning person.  It takes me awhile to wake up and I was tired.  Okay, realllllllyyyyy tired this morning.  But after I drank a Spark, within 10 minutes, I felt much less tired and had plenty of energy to get my workout on early in the day.  Now, keep in mind that I am not a coffee drinker so I wasn't replacing anything with Spark- just adding it to my daily routine.

My second day didn't go as well, but I am not blaming it on the challenge.  I am blaming my "aha!" moment for not clicking in BEFORE breakfast.  You see, there is such a thing as too much fiber and it does not feel good on the tummy-tum-tum.  My breakfast should NOT have been muesli with greek yogurt when the fiber drink has 10 grams of fiber per serving already!

My thoughts after the first 2 days:

My 10K Training Tools!

• I will eat a high protein, low fiber breakfast (think eggs!) when accompanied with a fiber drink.
• I am drinking a lot of water.  I always drink water, but I feel like I am drinking even more which is always good.
• I am excited about the Omega 3 supplement.  I do not eat fish on a regular basis so definitely need my Omega 3's.  Omega 3's help reduce inflammation in the body and are great for the skin, among a whole host of other benefits.
• The fiber drink is weird.  But, I mix mine with orange juice and let's be real... orange juice can make anything weird taste good.
• Fruit punch is my favorite flavor of Spark so far!
• Taking the cleanse pills right before I go to bed makes me a little nervous.  Not really sure why.  It's definitely a mind over matter thing.  I am sure I will uncover the reason or uncover my nerves after a few days.
• I am "training" for a 10k currently so run 3x week.  I am way more of a dancer than a runner so this running thing is not easy for me.  I think Spark is going to help me train better... and that excites me!

'Til next time...

Eat well,

Bri

Cinnamon Apple Chips

Best snack ever!

The other day I ventured into Central Market.  That place is like Tiffany's... I find a new gem every time I walk in! This time, I grab my favorite peanut butter (Central Market's brand of crunchy) and see some new items to the left.  They are bags of baked apple chips.  I am an apple lover so these intrigued me.  Bought a bag of the Crunchy Cinnamon Apple.  It was love at first bite!

Whether you are an apple lover or not, you have got to try these!  Seriously, I will be buying these more regularly from now on.  And get this? The only two ingredients are apples and cinnamon.  Hell yes!  Tasty?  Absolutely... beats any chip I have ever tried out of the water!

These are small bags and have two servings each.  I got mine for $2 so $1 per serving.  I think this is a good price, especially when it can replace another not-so-healthy snack.  These snacks are organic too.  Apples have one of the highest pesticide count and are part of the "dirty dozen" so going organic with apples is always a good idea.  

Keep in mind that I am talking about the barefruit brand.  I saw a different brand at Kroger that added sugar.  These are sweet enough on their own and do not need sugar!

All you moms out there- even your kids will like these.  Perfect fit for a brown bag lunch!

Eat well,
Bri

Find more info here: http://www.barefruitsnacks.com/products.php