Resolutions, Meal Planning, & Free Printables

This year I didn't exactly make a New Years Resolution since my Resolution started in October when I started P90X3 and a healthier lifestyle. One thing I am working to get better about this year compared to last year however is meal planning. I tend to be a little lazy about my meal planning, which leads to my husband and I going out for Subway or Chipotle runs for dinner. But one great way to keep me on track with my healthy choices is to meal plan for the week and get my groceries early. This week I'm ahead of schedule and have already started the process of meal planning for the upcoming week. As soon as I finished my meal planning I got all the groceries I needed as well. 

I like to use handy meal planning documents on my computer because they allow me to add links to the recipes I'm making along with the ingredients I'll input on the Shopping List side before I print it. This week I'll be making Chipotle Burrito Bowls (Vegetarian and Chicken versions), Balsamic Tofu & Avocado Tacos, Zucchini Pizzas, Sweet & Sour Spicy Tofu Stir Fry, Spinach Burgers, Avocado Quesadillas, and Crockpot Minestrone Soup. The great thing about the Soup I make on Sunday is that I'll have enough leftovers after that to last 1-2 extra days of the next week. As the week goes on I'll post my recipes for any I don't already have on the blog.

I'm pretty happy with the ingredients I bought. For the recipes I've picked I have the majority of the ingredients around my house normally. For the ingredients that I had to pick up it was mostly fresh ingredients or reduced sodium/organic ingredients. Plus for what I had to buy for recipes this week I spent less than $40 total. That makes my Shakeology breakfast shake I budget of $4.00 per day even more reasonable this week. 

Here's the free printable I've made to use. Feel free to download or print for your use as well. 

What are your favorite go to meals while meal planning? Do you use a printable document or an app on your phone to meal plan?

Beachbody 3-Day Refresh Prep

On Tuesday I will be starting the 3-Day Refresh by Beachbody. The 3-Day Refresh is great when you want a fast, clean break - to drop a few pounds in a hurry or break some bad habits. After this 4 day weekend and Thanksgiving holiday I'm not feeling my best. I tried really hard to be healthier than I normally am, but I'm not sure if I was 100% on track with my usual eating. Due to the change in my usual routine I'm feeling a bit more sluggish and my stomach isn't feeling too great. That is why I will be starting the 3-Day Refresh this week during my "rest" week in P90X3. 

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The 3-Day Refresh consists of 3 daily shakes, a fiber drink, plenty of filtered water, plus a wide array of fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats throughout the day to keep your energy and metabolism going. The meal plan that comes with the 3-Day Refresh is simple, but it offers many alternatives, including some creative ways to prepare your meals so that you can actually enjoy eating healthy food without having to season it in ways that can damage your health and undermine your weight-loss goals. This is also great because it's a cleanse without the starvation feeling you get with most of the other cleanses out there.

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I like to make sure I do things exactly right, so before starting out I decided to lay out my menu plan for the 3 days ahead. I also wanted to make sure that I'd have time to grocery shop and prep for the refresh. I work a full-time job away from home so I don't have the time to prep as I go. I want to be able to leave for work in the morning and have everything I need to stay on track with my refresh. I am also hoping that if I am fully sticking to the plan that I can get the optimum results. Below you can see how my 3 days will go according to my schedule of each day between waking and sleeping.

I finally got my groceries today so I just need to do a little bit of meal prep then I'll be all set for the next 3 days. It'll be easy peasy after the prepping!

Here's a short video that explains more about the 3-Day Refresh. If you're interested let me know and I can help you get started. Who wants to lose a few pounds in the next 3 days?

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

 

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I am here to admit that I am a pizza addict. It is literally my favorite food. Back when I used to order Dominoes, just the doorbell ringing would make my mouth water. Then my husband and I would split a medium cheese pizza with spinach, pepperonis, and banana peppers. Somehow being a foot shorter and almost 70 pounds less I was still able to eat just as much as him. I don't think that was a good thing. Especially since usually I would feel pretty stuffed afterwards. I think that was half my problem most of the time. I enjoyed the taste of the few foods I really liked so much that it was hard for me to stop eating them once I started. That eventually led to me just not being happy with what I saw in the mirror. That was not a good thing. That is why now I am making a change. And one of my changes is to find healthier ways to eat the things I love. Therefore I decided to try out a Cauliflower Crust Pizza. At first thought I was like "Uh, no..." I love vegetables, but using them to make a crust just didn't seem like it would give my favorite dish that same yummy taste. Well, I was so WRONG! Cauliflower Crust Pizza is amazeballs!! [I obviously know that's not a word, but it's the best way to describe how good it tasted]

 

First I had to decide what kind of cauliflower to buy. I did not realize there were so many colors. I'm wondering if anyone knows the difference in the colors. Is one color of cauliflower more nutritious than another? Do the different colors of cauliflower have different flavors? I'm so curious!

Now time to assemble my ingredients. For my crust all I needed was Dried Oregano (you can also use fresh oregano), minced garlic, fat free mozzarella, large eggs, and one large head of cauliflower. I started by chopping off the leaves on the bottom then roughly chopping the cauliflower into florets. I made sure the florets were small enough to fit inside my Food Network Food Processor. I then threw the pieces into the processor and pulsed until the cauliflower resembled rice.

 

I then placed a lid on top of my microwave safe bowl and microwaved the cauliflower for 10 minutes. While this was microwaving in a separate bowl I mixed the 4 eggs, garlic, oregano, and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Once the cauliflower was done "steaming" I carefully took it out of the oven and added the eggs, garlic, oregano, and mozzarella cheese mixture to the cauliflower. I stirred and mixed until the cheese was melted and everything was mixed nicely.

The mixture seems pretty soggy right now, but don't worry it will harden while baking. I then spread the dough onto a greased pan. I used a spoon and my hands to spread the crust to the edges or as close as I could to the edges of my pan. I was hoping for thin crust, so I spread my dough pretty thin.

Doesn't it look nice? To me it basically looks like I used regular dough, but nope I did not. I am cutting out a good portion of the carbs for this recipe option. Lowering your carbs is great for getting rid of the "wheat belly" look. After spreading out my dough I popped the crust into the oven for around ~25 minutes at 425 F. I wanted to get my crust to a light golden brown.

The crust looks so tasty. If I was following the recipe I found I would throw some more cheese on it and cook for 5 minutes. However, I wanted to make this into a pizza. So I added my toppings. I added pizza sauce, turkey pepperonis (for my husband), fat free mozzarella, banana peppers, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, and oregano. Once I got all my toppings placed I popped it back in the oven for 5 more minutes to cook.

Now it's time to enjoy the rewards of my "hard" work. YUM! It was delicious. My husband and I both loved it!!

Ingredients

• 4 cups of riced cauliflower (about 1 large head of cauliflower)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of mozzarella cheese
• 3 tsp oregano
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese (for topping)  
• Optional extra toppings: turkey pepperonis, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, banana peppers, spinach, pineapple, ham, chicken, onions, etc...

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Prepare 2 pizza dishes or a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Make sure your cauliflower is roughly chopped in florets. Add the florets to your food processor and pulse until cauliflower resembles rice.
3. Place the cauliflower in a microwavable container and cover with lid. Microwave for 10 minutes. Place the microwaved cauliflower in a large bowl and add the 4 eggs, 2 cups of mozzarella,oregano, garlic and salt and pepper. Mix everything together.
4. Place the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into either a pizza crust, or a rectangular shape for the breadsticks.
5. Bake the crust (no topping yet) for about 25 minutes or until nice and golden. Don't be afraid the crust is not soggy at all. Once golden, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and other pizza toppings and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.
6. Slice and serve.

Recipe adapted from: Jo Cooks

Do you need any help figuring out how to meal plan or coming up with ideas for healthy eating? Or just need some help figuring out workouts? Ask me!

<3 Kelly Jean