Easy Turkey Meatballs

EASY TURKEY MEATBALLS

We use ground turkey in my house like it's going out of style! I make a batch of turkey meatballs and turkey chili every week!  Seriously, I am all about EASY. So when these are in the fridge, anyone can go in there and grab one and they make amazing school lunches -- just pair them with a vegetable! 

I did make two separate batches -- one for me and one for the girls. They usually eat what I eat, BUT I added flax seed and oatmeal in mine and I didn't want to risk the chance of them giving me that face that says...."ugh, mom, flax seed....really?"  Progress, not perfection, people. 

Ingredients:

• Two pounds of ground turkey 
• Oats/Oatmeal
• Flax Seed
• 2 Eggs
• Italian Seasoning 
• Breadcrumbs
• BBQ Sauce
• Soy Sauce 

Here's the video tutorial:

My batch with flax seed and oats

Batch for the kids with breadcrumbs and bbq sauce

Spray pan with olive oil or coconut spray 

Roll into small balls and place on pan

I put both batches in the oven at the same time at 350 degrees and I set a timer for 20 minutes to make sure I didn't forget them. Here's a confession:  I LOVE EATING CLEAN & HEALTHY, but I always, always forget I am cooking and things tend to get destroyed if I don't set timers!  TIP:  Ground turkey can dry out pretty quickly, so make sure you don't overcook!

Week 1 Results

I am a day late in posting this, but my house was hit with a round of the stomach bug Sunday into Monday. 3 out of 5 of us were sick, which is really just a whole helluva lot of work! Glad we're on the mend and can get back to business. 

So my first week on the 21 Day fix I lost a total of 5 pounds! 6 if you count the one I lost to the stomach bug.  How did I do it? I planned my meals.  I had all the ingredients on hand to make what I had planned and had plenty of portable snacks to take with me on the go! Also, I drank tons and tons of water, drank my Shakeology RELIGIOUSLY and got my workouts in (even when I didn't want to).  And in full disclosure --->> these workouts don't seem hard at first, but WOAH, one day later and you are feeling it in places you didn't know existed!   

Here's a few of my go to meals during the week!  

Oatmeal made with water, sliced strawberries and cinnamon

21 Day Fix Extreme Turkey Chili 

1 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1 medium onion

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste; optional)

2 (15 oz) cans black beans (or pinto beans) drained, rinsed

1 (15 oz) can all-natural diced tomatoes, no sugar added

12 fresh cilantro sprigs, finely chopped (for garnish; optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat
2. Add turkey, onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink
3. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute
4. Add beans and tomatoes (with liquid). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; gently bio, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thickened.
5. Serve warm, sprinkle with cilantro.

Container Equivalents

1/2 Green

1 Red

1/2 Yellow

This is a great recipe for CROCKPOTS...or you can make ahead of time and place in a freezer ziplock bag (gallon size after it's cooled) and freeze for later...great for meal prep!!

**Note I switched out the black beans for chick peas. 

Greek Yogurt 

Here's a few tips that I want people to really really try to understand. Do not over complicate your life. You're BUSY remember??? So for the first couple of weeks while you're getting used to a new program, or trying to eat healthier, just use the same few recipes and rotate them around the week. 

I personally used to try to find all of these elaborate recipes and want to create amazing dinners for my family. But I soon found myself getting stressed when trying to execute these elaborate recipes and I found that I was just setting myself up for failure. So find a few things that work for you and stick with them until you can grow an expand.  Stock up on the staples, make big batches of things (like turkey chili) and keep it simple. You will find that it is much easier to stay on track and focused when you set yourself up to succeed! 

Taking it to the extreme!

Yesterday was Day 1 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme and my nutrition was on point! It's so funny -- some people need a few days to get the hang of things, to work out all the kinks, but I am a" go big or go home" kinda gal and I always do well the first couple of days/week -- staying focused and prepared. The hard part for me is to continue to stay focused for the long haul.  I am going to dig deep and do my absolute best to stay on track, ahead of the game (meaning having all my food prepped and ready to go) and scheduling time for all my workouts. It's ONLY 21 DAYS and I know that I can do it!

So here's what was on the menu yesterday:

Breakfast: Egg whites, broccoli & Blueberries

Snack:  Greenberry Shakeology

Lunch:  Tuscan Kale, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Tuna, Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Seasonings

Snack:  Apple 

Dinner:  Grilled Chicken, Portabella Mushroom stuffed with sauteed kale, topped with mozzarella cheese 

Snack:  2 Pieces of Ezekiel Bread with 2 Teaspoons of Peanut Butter   

  

If you think that you're going to starve on this program, you couldn't be more wrong! In fact, there is so much food that you may actual find it hard to finish it all.  You are literally teaching yourself to eat healthy, whole, fresh foods that a nutritionally dense and filling!  Remember, this is all about changing your lifestyle, NOT BEING ON A DIET. 

MONDAY'S WORKOUT:  PLYO FIX EXTREME

What you need:  Light Weights and Heavy Weights (I use 10 and 15 pounds)

Time: 30 minutes 

Autumn continues to be adorable, and staying true to form saying her ya's. Hilarious! It's nice to lift weights again after 60 days of Insanity Max: 30. I feel super strong though and I am ready to kill it!!!!

If you'd like to join my next 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge group, please fill out the form HERE and we'll get you started on your journey!

Rollin' With The Punches

So every Sunday is my meal planning, grocery shopping and meal prep day! Today was supposed to be extremely important because I am starting the 21 Day Fix Extreme tomorrow (which really dials in on nutrition).  So, I sat down this morning in front of my computer -- armed with my coffee, 21 Day Fix Extreme Nutrition Guide, old meal plans etc...all ready to GO. Like, get er' done, let's do this, ready to go! And my computer wouldn't turn on! Now, as you can imagine, I literally run my LIFE on this computer and at that moment, I couldn't access my meal plan templates, old grocery lists & favorite recipes. To say I felt a wee bit lost is an understatement! But I wasn't going to let it get me down. I knew it was the devil messing with me, trying to throw me off track, but I stayed the course and worked out my meal plan on a piece of paper! Since I had to head to the store to fix my computer (which turned out to be a 3.5 hour excursion), I didn't have time to food shop. Luckily, I ALWAYS have my staple items on hand to make it through and for now, I can make it all the way to lunch tomorrow with what I have at home. I'll load up on the rest and prep everything tomorrow. The point of this is two fold: first, don't make excuses, no matter what obstacles get in your way. If you've got a goal, you've got to be ready to roll with the punches, be flexible and come up with solutions; second, make sure you ALWAYS have certain items on hand in your pantry, so that you can make it through a few days if you don't have the time to do a complete shopping and prep! Here are just some of the items that I love, use and ALWAYS HAVE! 

 Trader Joe's Rolled Oats

Trader Joe's Organic Chicken Broth

Trader Joe's Organic Romaine Hearts

Trader Joe's Organic Raw Honey

Trader Joe's Almond Milk 

Trader Joe's ShipJack Tuna

So, even though I didn't have time to do my shopping and prep today, I didn't let it deter me! And tomorrow, it will be my #1 priority. But only after I get through my breakfast:  Egg Whites, Broccoli & blueberries on the side for some sweetness!

The next 21 days are going to be intense and I am going to take you along with me, updating my blog every day! I'm going to include pictures of my meals, recipes, all of my real life struggles in staying focused and finding the time to workout and meal prep, but mostly, I am going to share my TRIUMPHS, because I know there will be many!

Wanna lose weight? I've got the SECRET WEAPON!

How many times have you said, "this is it -- this year I'm going to do it! I am FINALLY going to lose the weight!". You start off strong, you get 5 days in the first week, you're eating really well....and then...then something gets in the way. You worked over time and got home late one night. Your infant was up teething all night. You ran out of healthy food and resorted to eating whatever you had left over in your pantry. It was cold in the room you workout in (yes, I've actually used this as an excuse!).  The problem is that even though you bought the DVDs, or signed up for a shiny new gym membership -- YOUR MIND REMAINS THE SAME.  You see, you could have all the physical items that put you on solid ground to succeed and get your fitness on BUT if you haven't changed your MIND, you still have YOU directing your journey.  In my own humble opinion, you would be better served reading and listening to personal development a/k/a/ self-help, (i.e. podcasts, books, webinars, Church sermons) to figure out WHAT is stopping you from succeeding! What is it that holds you back? What is stopping you from succeeding?  AND THIS IS THE #1 REASON WHY I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE INSANITY MAX: 30.  This is one of the only programs that I never get tired of coming back to! In fact, I am excited to do this workout not because of the physical part, but the MENTAL part. Shaun T delivers some really serious life lessons throughout the 60 days and he forces you to dig deep into your BRAIN. So much so that I had a complete sob fest during Friday Fight Round 1...like snot on the floor, hysterical baby, I want my mommy, ugly cry. But it was a breakthrough! And that my friend is your secret weapon -- YOUR MIND.  If you don't change your mind, your body will go no where. Your MIND, your thoughts, your beliefs, are the ONLY thing holding you back from achieving success -- not just in health and fitness, but in LIFE. THIS PROGRAM WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE, and I do not mean that lightly. If you know what you should be doing (in any aspect of your life), have started more times than you can remember, but never really finished....then this program is for YOU. 

So what's it about? Get the facts here!

How long is the program?  60 Days

How many DVDs does it come with?  The base package has 12 different workouts on 10 DVDs

How long are the workouts?  30 mins each (crazy Fast, crazy hard = crazy fit)

What else is included in the package?

• Nutrition to the Max Guide uses simple portion control to make losing weight and getting shredded faster and easier than ever. 
• 'Max Out Guide gives you the secret to great results with INSANITY MAX:30 and shows you how to track your MAX OUT time so you can achieve MAX results in just 60 days.
• Max Out Wall Calendar shows you which workout to do each day and how to keep pushing your MAX OUT times for maximum results.
• No Time to Cook Guide is probably our favorite tool! They've covered absolutely everything about eating on the go, whether you’re at a hot, new restaurant, standing in the frozen food aisle, or eating fast food on the run.
• 2 FREE bonus workouts: Pulse - Shaun’s version of a recovery workout and Ab Attack:10

What equipment do I need? No equipment is required to do INSANITY MAX:30—all you need is YOU! 

I want to help you get out of your own way and on the path to GREATNESS!  Don't worry -- I will provide you the personal support and accountability you need to get through the 60 days! So let's talk and see if this program is the right fit for you -- find me on FB or email me at coachangiep@gmail.com! And if you're FIRED up and ready to commit now -->> you can simply order by clicking the picture below!

How I got 35 pounds off in less than 4 months

So for the record I have 3 daughters, ages 8, 5 and 4.5 months! And with each pregnancy I gained, 75, 65 and 35 pounds respectively. That's right! First pregnancy was a disaster from a food standpoint. Second one, I did a little bit better! But by my third pregnancy I got this "eating healthy food" and exercising thing down pat!  It took years of research, reading, implementing, failing and then trying again to come to where I am today; which is why I stress to everyone that getting healthy and fit is a journey. It's progress not perfection!  So, the million dollar question! How did I lose all the baby weight so quickly this time around? The answer is rather simple. I focused on nutrition and started working out again as soon as the doctor gave me the green light! Oh and to make things easy (you hear me moms!!!--->>>EASY), I used the 21 Day Fix with Shakeology to kickstart my weight loss and get me back into the groove!  

Let me tell you a little bit about this gem right here! The reason I LOVE it so much is that it focused on NUTRITION! And this is the part that so so so many people need help with! This program takes all of the guess work out of figuring out WHAT and HOW MUCH to eat! It comes with seven color coded containers that all correspond to a category of food and are used to control your portions! Then you throw in seven world class workouts and voila -- YOU'VE GOT YOURSELF SOME SERIOUS RESULTS! It works wonders because it's the first program to place equal emphasis on fitness and healthy portion control.  It teaches you HOW to create a healthy LIFESTYLE, NOT A DIET.  Whether you want to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds, you can do it with this program! Now -- I am going to be perfectly honest with you -- this was HARD to do with a newborn when I DIDN'T PLAN. But the days that I planned out my meals and knew exactly what I was eating -- I DID GREAT!  So it took me a little longer than 21 Days (and that's perfectly ok) -- but with consistency and focus, I did get ALL the baby weight off and was able to put on my pre-pregnancy jeans in record breaking time! However, now I've got to get pregnancy #1 and #2's weight off -- haha! And so I've moved on to a  bit more challenging workout program called Insanity Max: 30! I've got so much love for that program that it deserves its own post! But for now --here's a picture of my progress overall since September. Not bad for a mom of 3! 

Yo-Yo Dieting and How to Stop

This isn't my first blog. In fact, it's my third. The other two flopped for one reason and one reason only, and that was because I was consistently inconsistent.  I set my expectations so high and refused to post anything until it was perfect. It became so overwhelming that I ended up not posting at all. Then I realized that this was a pattern in my life. It permeated to other areas. If I was't going all in, giving it my full force and succeeding to the point of perfection, I didn't bother to do it. I gave up because the results weren't immediate.  The biggest part of my life that suffered as a result: my health and weight.  Saying that I was a yo-yo dieter is an understatement. I've been everywhere from Weight Watchers, to Nutri-System, the Cabbage Soup Diet, Stacker 2s (when they were legal), juice cleanses, colonics, Master Cleanse with the ridiculous grade A Maple Syrup, Cayenne pepper concoctions, Atkins, Dr. Phil...you get the picture. And it wasn't until the magical moment when I found that simply eating healthy, like really healthy (i.e. avoiding processed foods and incorporating whole, fresh and local foods) did I find peace and progress in my life. It's not complicated and something that even me, a busy mom of 3, full time lawyer, business owner and NOW Certified Health Coach can do. And my purpose, my passion is to teach you how. Welcome.