Meal Prep Week 4

Hello cupcakes!

This weekend I drove to my parents' house to spend the weekend there. It's nice to visit home and hang out it a big house rather than my apartment.

Here is my weekly meal prep! This picture shows 5 days worth of food except for my breakfast (egg whites) and my fruit for high carb days. 

This is the seasoning I like to use on my meats and vegetables. There is no sodium or sugar in this flavor. I also love the garlic and herb & the onion and herb. 

Here is a generic brand of Mrs. Dash. I like this one because it has a little kick to it.

Here are some chicken breasts cooking in the oven @ 425 degrees. I lined a pan with foil and placed the chicken breasts on top. Then I coated the breasts with some Mrs. Dash seasoning. I cooked them for about 30 minutes (or until they are no longer pink on the inside)

Another thing I love about coming home is all of the food in my parents' house! My parents grow potatoes in their garden, so of course I took full advantage of that! Here are some potatoes from the garden. 

I sliced the potatoes and put them on a foil lined baking sheet (makes clean up easier). Next, I placed a few teaspoons of coconut oil on top of the potatoes. I sprinkled them with Mrs. Dash seasoning and baked at 425 for 20 minutes or until tender. I like mine to get a little crispy. One of my tips is to cook a protein and vegetables at the same time. For example, I cooked the chicken breast and potatoes at the same time in the oven. 

I also prepped some asparagus. Place asparagus spears on a foil lined baking sheet. Top with coconut oil and Mrs. Dash seasoning. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until tender. 

I decided to make some tilapia to change up my protein game. Here is my tilapia on a foil lined baking sheet with Mrs. Dash seasoning. Bake @ 425 for 15 minutes or until cooked through. 

Zucchini time. I sliced up some zucchini and placed on a foil lined baking sheet. I sprinkled it again with Mrs. Dash... can you see a pattern here! Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until tender. 

Here is the finished product all measured out and placed into containers. Each day is a column so from left to right columns its high carb, low carb, high carb, low carb, low carb. I will be adding egg whites to each day for breakfast. I like to eat those right after I cook them. I will also be adding almond butter to the low carb days and 1 apple and 1 banana to the high carb days. 

I also ran out of chicken, so that's why there are two days with eggs instead (towards the bottom of the picture). 

This weekend I made a stop at Earthfare (near my parents' house) and found Whole30 approved bacon! I have been looking for this stuff everywhere! Of course I had to fry it up when I got home...

It was kind of expensive, but how could I pass up this opportunity?! I love bacon!

Here was my breakfast Saturday morning. 

Like the Disney Princess plate? My parents still have all of these plates from when my sisters and I were little. I love using them!

So here is a little catch up from last week as well:

Here was a meal I took to work with me: 4 oz slow cooked chicken breast, 4 oz. sweet potato, 4 oz oven roasted peppers and onions. How cute is this? I love how it looks in a mason jar. This was a meal from my high carb day.

This is one of my staple breakfasts. I love it soooo much! This is 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 cup egg whites, oven roasted garlic zucchini, and homemade cold brew coffee with unsweetened almond milk.

I found this lovely water at Meijer. It is Whole30 approved!

I also had to buy Watermelon!

Another one of my favorite things during the Whole30 is tea. I am obsessed with Celestial brand. Here is the most recent one I purchased. It literally tastes like a sugar cookie. There are no sugars or artificial flavors! Score. I also really like the Peppermint, Watermelon Lime Zinger, and the Caramel Apple.

I am a huge gum lover. I know that most brands use lots of chemicals and artificial sweeteners, so I found this brand. There are only healthy and natural ingredients. This box has 6 packages in it. I purchased it off Amazon. There is also a coffee flavor that I am dying to try!

Here is a progress side shot. The left was last week and the right was before this round of Whole30. I am starting to see more ab definition! I am less worried about the number on the scale and more worried about seeing ab definition. I also judge my progress by how my clothes fit.

My goal for this upcoming week is to drink more water. I have been slacking this week.

What's your goal for this week?

Peace out.. Later taters!

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

Paleo Treats ®

Hello my lovely cupcakes!

I am so excited to tell you about one of my favorite companies: Paleo Treats ®. Here is the link to their website: paleo desserts

Where do I even begin? I have nothing but positive things to say about this company and their products.

First off, let me start out by telling you a little about the company. The Paleo Treats Team is so awesome. They are down to earth and fun people to communicate with.

Here is a quote from their website: "We were the first company to focus exclusively on paleo desserts (back in '09), and we are working to disrupt one of the biggest and most powerful industries in the world:  Big Sugar.  Our goal in the world of dessert is to make the finale to your meal as healthy as the appetizer and to make sure that your desserts taste as good or better than anything else you could make with 'cheat' ingredients."

I am a huge believer that fitness and nutrition play a huge role in mental health. I also believe that sugar has taken over our country. Props to this team for getting it right and using a Paleo approach to "desserts"! If I could give every team member a hug or high five, I totally would. 

Paleo Treats is based out of Southern California (how convenient that I will be moving there in July!). The company also ships all over the U.S. I also love that the team approaches health in all aspects of life. Totally cool guys! These delicious Paleo Treats ® are really for anyone and everyone. Each treat is gluten free, dairy free, and made with the healthiest ingredients. If you do not know what Paleo is or you would like to try out a Paleo lifestyle, follow this link to their blog post: What is Paleo?

Now, I know what you all are excited for... FOOD! Let me walk you through the different Paleo Treats this company has to offer. 

Bandito:

Just take a look at this sucker! Two of my favorite things: almond butter and chocolate! What's even better is this lovely Bandito fixes that chocolate craving in a healthy way. Drop those Reeses and pick up one of these instead... Seriously. Your body will thank you! The bottom is almond butter and the top is a chocolate and it is sweetened with some honey. Perfect combo if you ask me! If you would like to check these out, follow this link: Paleo Cookies.

Up next...Mustang Bar:

This is the ultimate Paleo bar! Imagine biting into a creamy, buttery, vanilla cookie. Once it enters your mouth, it instantly melts. It is perfect straight out of the freezer. I could not get enough of this bar! If you would like to check these out, follow this link: Paleo Bar.

Drum roll...Cacao Now:

So if you are a chocolate fan, like myself, you will love this! This Paleo Dessert has super foods too! Ever heard of Goji berries? Well those are right there on the top along with other nuts and dried fruits. Perfect for that Paleo Chocolate fix! If you would like to check Cacao Now out, follow this link: Paleo Chocolate

Mac Attack:

Another one of my favorite things is coconut. If you like coconut or macaroons, this paleo dessert is made perfectly for you! The paleo cookie is a lot of coconut with cacao nibs scattered throughout. If you would like to check these out, follow this link: Paleo Macaroons

Last, but not least...Brownie Bomb:

The name could not explain this paleo brownie any more perfectly. Rich, dark, and decadent with a tasteful sprinkling of pecans on top, these dense & moist paleo brownies have no gluten, no grains, and no dairy. The brownie melts in your mouth. Where are my brownie fans at? If you would like to check out these, follow this link: Paleo Brownies

Don't forget to freeze your treats before eating!

Paleo Treats also offers different Gift Boxes and Sampler Packs. To see more of these options, follow this link: Gift Boxes & Sample Boxes


P.S. Christmas is coming up! Who wouldn't want a package of deliciousness? I know I would personally love getting a gift from someone from this company!

Here is one of the shirts Paleo Treats has to offer on their website. Isn't it so unique? I don't think I have a shirt quite like this. Another plus is the shirt is very soft and comfortable (FYI: This is a large. The shirts tend to run small). Here is a link if you would like to purchase one of their shirts: Make it snow.

That's a wrap on these delicious Paleo desserts. Let me know if you have any questions and leave a comment below.

My dream is to meet every single team member of this wonderful company and thank them personally for running a great business. Not many companies truly care about the health of their customers.

Peace out!

Later Taters!

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

*I am only writing this post to inform my readers about products I truly care about. I am not getting paid to promote products on my blog. My readers are very important to me, so I like to share some of my favorite things!

Friday Favorites: Homemade Espresso Lara Bars

Hello cupcakes and happy Friday!

I wanted to share another version of homemade Larabars! This one is espresso flavored!

Ingredients:

-fresh ground coffee beans

-1 container of pitted dates

-1 pkg. raw pumpkin seeds

-1 cup homemade almond butter

-1 cup of unsweetened coconut

Here is the coffee beans I used. I ground about 1 cup in my food processor. Once ground, I dumped them into a bowl.

Here are the dates I use! I used the whole container. I used my food processor to make date paste. Start blending the dates in a food processor. Next, slowly stream in hot water until it forms a paste.

To the date paste, add 2-4 T ground coffee beans, 1 package of raw pumpkin seeds, 1 cup of almond butter, & 1 c unsweetened coconut.

Blend in the food processor until combined. This is what it looks like afterwards. If it doesn't blend all the way, you can mix it in a bowl.

Next, press into a pan. Stick the pan in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes. Then take out and cut into bars.

Oh and here is my leg workout for this morning:

Warm up: 

1)10 jump squats

2) 10 curtsy lunges

3) 10 lateral lunges

-Repeat 3 times

4) Hamstring curl on machine 10-12 reps

5) Deadlift 10-12 reps with plate under toes

-Repeat superset for 4 rounds

6) Single leg hamstring curl until failure on both legs

-Repeat 4 times

7) Leg extension (5,5,5- each direction)

8) Leg press 10-12 reps

-Repeat 4 times

9) Wide sumo squat with dumbbell 10-12 reps

10) Calf raises (20,20, 20 each direction)

-Repeat 4 times

11) Cable kick backs ( 15 each leg)

- Repeat 4 times

12) Cable leg swings (targets inner thighs) 15 each side

-Repeat 4 times

13) Hip thrusts with weight 20 reps

14) Regular squats with weight 12 reps

-Repeat 4 times

15) Walking lunges with weight 100 reps

Here are the link ups for today's post:  Momfessionals , A Little Bit of Everything , Grace and Love , A. Liz Adventures ,  & September F A R M . If you get a chance, check out their blogs!

Peace out! Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."