Asian Cucumber Salad

So I was challenged to try some things, AGAIN, that I just don't like, foodwise.  I give you the CUCUMBER.  I detest them.  Or at least did.  

The texture, the taste...ALL of it...truly vehement!! 

Funny thing is I ate pickles for as long as I remember but raw cucumbers..no bueno!!  So I got creative in my kitchen and this is what I came up with:

Asian Cucumber Salad.  It is DEElish!!!

Here is the recipe:

4 cups thinly sliced cucumbers (I used baby cukes)

1/3 cup thinly sliced onion

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp toasted sesame seed oil

dash red pepper flakes

fresh grind of pepper and salt

2 green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon honey

Add onions & cukes to bowl.  Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over veggies.  Eat right away or let marinate overnight. Seriously ADDICTIVE!!

Let me know if you give this quick recipe a try and how you like it.  I see lots and lots of bowls of this being made this summer!  

Kicked Up Zucchini Boats

I was wanting to whip up a boats recipe for 3 days and was trying to find one that I saw on someone's Facebook wall.  I had no luck and grew impatient, so I whipped my own concoction up. It.  Was.  WICKED!

If you are 21 Day Fixin' it, here is the breakdown for each 1/2 of the boat, based on the size zucchini I chose:
3 GREEN (salsa & zucchini) homemade salsa is all veggies, no sugar, FYI
1 BLUE (cheese)
1 RED (turkey filling)

So here is the down low on ingredients and prep.  First preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

You will need:  

Turkey taco filling (see below)
Shredded cheese of your choice
1 large zucchini
Wendy's Bitchin' Salsa (click link for recipe)

Filling:
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Put these in a fry pan over med high heat to start to sautee then about at the 1/2 way done point I just threw in these spices:
Chili powder
cumin
smoked paprika
coriander
oregano
Sea salt
fresh cracked pepper

I did not measure, but I will say about 1 teaspoon of each for estimation sake.

Finish frying til meat is fully cooked.  Remove from heat. 

Cut zucchini in 1/2 lengthwise and with a melon baller (a spoon will do too), scrape the soft inside seedy part out.  The nastiest part...haha!!  Spray a baking dish with olive oil.  Set the zucchini in pan skin side down, and give the 2 halves a light mist of olive oil.

Take about 1 1/2 cups of your turkey taco filling (yes there will be some left over...make a salad with it tomorrow!) and put in a bowl with 1 cup of Wendy's Bitchin' Salsa.  Mix together and divide mixture between the two zucchini halves.  

Cover with foil and bake in oven for 25 minutes.  Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese and return to oven, uncovered for the last 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and TOTALLY dig in and enjoy! 

Where did I start? Why of course, at the beginning.

You know, I always am amazed when I see pictures posted of others before & after pics. They inspire me beyond belief every single day. I tend to forget where I started...it goes on the back burner most days. But now and then...like today, I go back and take a look to refresh my brain.

The pic on the left was just after I had started ChaLean Extreme. The pic on the right was about 2 weeks ago. In my journey I have done predominately Beachbody programs, getting better with each one and pushing myself as I got stronger. It did not happen over night, but over time as most journeys go. I to this day, could not love what I do more as a coach, but I was not a coach when I started here in the first pic. I knew there was something amazing in being a coach, so I kept on til I could be one!

My story has had a plot twist or 2 along the way. I have had setbacks, injuries and times where I fell off the turnip wagon, but I always managed to haul ass off the ground and run after that wagon.

I now have a new journey to the figure stage ahead of me and before you ask, YES I still do Beachbody programs and I always will. I just completed the PiYo program and my body needed that in so many ways.

I may not have lost 100 pounds in my story but I did lose about 35 lbs from where I started. More importantly I gained a sense of who I am & because of ChaLean and Miss Chalene Johnson, I learned to change my mentality. I learned to do things I never imagined, I gained a whole new extended family, I have created a brand new life for myself and MY family and I now can pay that forward to others every single day. All because I one day decided to JUST. PUSH. PLAY.

What the heck is a Pancake Bowl?

Well, I will tell you.  I found a recipe for pancakes on IG that I thought sounded great, but I knew it would be a fail, and it was.  So to save the day, I threw it in a bowl, microwaved it and I present to you, the Pancake Bowl!  I have since tweaked it so this is my version.

Hello, Lover.

It might be weird to some (not me, but hey I am not professing to be normal here!) texture wise, but I am now officially addicted to these, especially on my low carb days.  (I am carb cycling, btw).  This just darn well makes me happy!

Topped with nut butter or coconut manna and maple syrup, if you choose, and it is dee-vine!

Recipe:

1/3 cup pumpkin puree
3 TBSP coconut flour
2 TBSP oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
extra water (I add about 1/4 cup)
dash salt
sprinkle cinnamon
splash of vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients together, add liquids and stir til lumps disappear.  Microwave for 2.5 - 3 minutes.  Top with nut butter or coconut manna & real maple syrup or Walden's Farms syrup (I use this as I am in competition prep).

Get a spoon....DIVE IN!  

Calories: 185
Fat: 5 g
Protein: 6 g
Carbs: 21 g