1250 Calorie Meal Plan

Awesome Like Adrienne Meal Plan

Plain & Simple 6

7 am Breakfast: 3/4 cup plain oatmeal w/ cinnamon with 2 hard-boiled eggs, OR  2 to 3 egg white omelet w/ veggies w/ 1 pc. plain whole grain toast OR veggie/fruit Smoothie with protein powder and flaxseeds. (250 calories)

 

10 am Snack: 3/4 c Greek Plain Yogurt w/ ¼  c fresh berries OR handful of raw almonds with small apple. (150 calories)

 

1 pm Lunch: 3 to 4 oz. grilled chicken breast (or other lean protein source) with half sweet or plain baked potato OR ½ c rice and 1 c vegetable (250 calories)

 

4 pm Snack: Handful of almonds OR plain rice cake with all natural almond butter or peanut butter OR 2 tbsp. humus with raw veggies OR 1 c mixed berries with handful of no salt roasted sunflower seeds or ¼ c granola with skim or almond milk. (150 calories)

 

6:30 pm Dinner: 3 to 4 oz. grilled chicken, steak or fish (or other lean protein source-turkey or pork tenderloin), big green salad or 1 c vegetable, if salad use dash of olive oil dressing, with ½ c quinoa, jasmine rice, sweet potato or in a flat out wrap. (350 calories)

 

9 pm Snack: plain rice cake or celery with 1 tsp. peanut butter (100 calories)

Use my blog to help create new ideas for meals/snacks/smoothies…..this is a general guideline and can be altered if you find comparable items with similar nutritional value and calorie count. Make the most of your calories as far as fiber and protein content-you want those to be high! Keep it fun by changing it up!  The more you care about the variety, the better you will be at sticking to it! Use a “fitness pal app” or something similar to track your calories!   (This is based on 1250 calorie daily diet)

Stuffed peppers with rice and spicy tomato sauce

Stuffed peppers with jasmine rice and spicy tomato sauce!

Meat mixture:

3/4 lb ground turkey

2 chopped shallots

1/4 c chopped celery

1/4 c chopped carrot

1/4 c chopped red onion

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 egg-beaten

1/2 c whole grain breadcrumbs

Season with: oregano, red pepper flakes, cumin,  parsley, garlic powder, pepper, pinch of salt

 

Peppers:

Wash and cut off the tops. Empty the middle of the peppers out and fill with the meat mixture. Bake for 45 min on 350 degrees. Add a sprinkle of cheese for the last 5 min.

Rice and sauce:

Cook the rice according to the directions. Take 4 to 5 chopped stem tomatoes and boil them with a tsp of olive oil in a skillet until cooked out and a sauce is formed. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic to the sauce. Last add 4 to 6 tsp of hot sauce or sriracha to the tomato sauce.

Place your pepper on top of your rice and pour the sauce over the whole thing. This recipe makes 4 delicious and clean stuffed peppers!

Enjoy!! xoxoxo-A

12 week beginner's lifting starter program

12 week beginner's lifting starter program.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple & Coconut Almond Chicken Tenders

Baked Sweet Potatoes

2 large yams or sweet potatoes-peeled and sliced or cubed

8 oz chopped pineapple

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tbsp butter

1/3 c orange juice

Toss together in baking dish and bake covered in 385 degree oven for 45 to 55 min (yes, it's that easy!)

Coconut Almond Chicken

Take 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut almond milk and whisk together with 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt in a shallow dish and set aside. In another shallow dish take 1/4 c millet flour, flaxseed meal or almond meal and mix together with 1/2 c panko or whole grain bread crumbs, 1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes and 1/4 c finely chopped almonds.

Take 1.5 lbs chicken or turkey breast and cut into tenders. Dip each tender in the milk/yogurt and then in the flour/coconut/breadcrumb mix.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 385 for 35 to 40 min flipping over halfway through.

***FIT Tip***chose your ingredients wisely- Millet flour vs white flour, unsweetened coconut vs. sweetened, Greek yogurt vs. regular yogurt. Better ingredients=a better you!!!

[caption id="attachment_699" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Choose better ingredients!!!![/caption]

Make your mess your message!

I haven't written about this in a while but I feel it's important to remind myself and others that just because you have been through a "mess", in my case an ugly divorce when my son was born DOES NOT MEAN YOUR WORLD HAS ENDED!! In fact, a mess can be turned into your message!! I am much more awesome post divorce, post 20's and post baby! Going through a messy time in your life needs to be looked at in one and one way only. There is something much better on the other side!! For me my mess has turned into me finding my passion for helping people to be healthy and get fit. I am benefiting much more than I could have ever imagined from changing careers (I was previously in HR before becoming a personal trainer). Money is no longer what I strive for or get sad over when I don't have enough. I reversed everything and do what I am passionate about and what comes of it is a much happier more confident person. If you believe in yourself and do what you love you can make money, you can stay home with your son one day a week, you can love to go to work. You have to put the work into it and spend your time making things happen rather than complaining that they are not the way you want them to be. This theory is exactly what changing your body is about. It will happen if you do the work and if you put your heart and soul into it entirely!

 I can relate to moms, I can relate to people struggling with their weight and self-image. I was once there! Here is a picture of me with my son (April 2010) when I was just turning 30....and as I like to say," dazed and confused". I didn't know what I was going to do, I didn't even really know who I was. I have spent the past 3 years finding myself (thru trial and error) and following my passion. Working out and eating right changed me tremendously. It gave me the power to truly be me and not hide behind this girl in the picture. I was sad, mad, scared, divorced, a new mom and honestly LOST.

[caption id="attachment_688" align="aligncenter" width="225"] My son and I-post divorce-April 2010-right before I started working out and eating right. 138 lbs.[/caption]

Fitness helped me FIND my true self and use that to help and inspire others!  Most importantly, it gave me the confidence to go after what I wanted in ALL aspects of life. I feel amazing now and I have no problem keeping my weight under control. I have changed all of my habits. I live this way now and it is wonderful!!! I do go by the 80/20 rule and indulge in wine, beer order pizza and even eat sweet treats every once in a while but they are not my normal and they are not what I want in my body most of the time. I eat lean and I eat often. I love fruits and veggies and good carbs. I have a daily dose of flax seeds and I drink lots of water. These things help me stay on track and feel great! They give me the energy to go after my dreams and stay fit! In the pic above I weighed 138 lbs. I never really worked out and I ate like crap, I had no muscle tone!!! I remember trying to workout in that previous year and not even being able to get past 1 min on an elliptical! I was pathetic!!! :) Last fall I ran a 10 K and I am now training for the Pittsburgh half-marthon in May! This is amazing considering who I was 3 years ago!

[caption id="attachment_689" align="aligncenter" width="200"] 10K race results-something I never thought I would do![/caption]

My scale has read as low as 109 lbs a year ago and everything in between to where I am now at 125  lbs-strong, toned, full of energy and HAPPY!!! This is where I want to be because this is where I feel my best!!! I don't weigh myself daily and sometimes not even weekly. I base everything on how I FEEL. How do my clothes fit? Am I full of energy or sluggish? The scale is a good gauge but it is not what I "rate" myself on! I would rather have more lean muscle on my body than be a certain number on the scale.

I hope my journey can help Inspire you! If I can do this then YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

[caption id="attachment_690" align="aligncenter" width="283"] Fall 2012-thumbs up![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_691" align="aligncenter" width="291"] On my way to run outside-fall 2012-Never thought this would happen either!!! Just keep going!![/caption]

XOXOXO-A

Healthy Enchilada Lasagna

Enchilada lasagna!

So clean and healthy and the whole family will love this one!

What you will need:

12 small white corn tortillas

1/2 or 3/4 lb diced chicken breast or ground turkey (or omit meat for a vegetarian dish or add black beans)

Yellow, orange, red or green pepper-pick at least 2 of those 4

1/2 c chopped onion-which ever kind you like

1 c chopped tomatoes

1/2 c corn-frozen or fresh off the cob

2 cups salsa- I used a pineapple mango flavored for extra flavor

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c lime juice

1/4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 c hot sauce

Fresh cilantro, pepper, Badia seasoning, red pepper flakes

8 oz Creamy citrus avocado dressing that I got from Whole Foods-which was the inspiration for this entire meal

DIRECTIONS:

1.Layer 5 tortillas on the bottom of the 9 by 13 baking dish then add 1/2 of the meat and veggie mixture that you cooked in a skillet already (add the hot sauce, lime juice, butter and seasonings as  it cooked down in the skillet)

2.Next, add the tomatoes and half of the salsa, half the cheese and then half of the avocado dressing.

3.Layer 4 more tortillas and add the rest of the meat and veggie mix, then repeat step 2.

4.Layer 3 more tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 min.

Enjoy!! A

Wraps

What an awesome way to sneak in veggies to your meals, wraps! When you get tired of salads and want just a little more try these Flat out multi grain wraps, the nutritional facts on these are amazing! Check it out:

1 wrap offers 8 g of FIBER, 9 g of PROTEIN and only 17g of total carbs at 100 calories. Load these up with veggies mostly then protein and cheese! I add hot sauce to mine and in these pictured above I used pesto paste, olive oil and greek yogurt to flavor the chicken as I cooked it.  So this combo was super fabulous and spicy with red onion, red pepper, cucumbers, banana peppers and a slice of mozzarella cheese.

One way, I find,  to keep eating healthy and not get bored is to think of the wrap, quinoa, rice,  whatever the grainy source as your blank canvas and keep creating from there! Have a healthy foundation to your meal always available or on hand! Also, trying different ethnic ways of cooking will add variety your meals so mix it up and get the whole family involved in finding new recipes. I am thinking next week I will keep my family fed while I try a different taste from around the world Monday through Friday, from Greek to Cuban to German-anything can be made healthier (even my YiaYia's Pastitsio)!



I hope these wraps make their way into your life! I know a package of 6 wraps is more expensive than a loaf of bread but to me it is totally worth it!!! I don't want just bread or even anything with the word "loaf' in it-ha! I want more for myself  and I want to make the most out of each bite that goes into fueling my body!

Enjoy! xo! A

Granola w/ Pepitas, walnuts, almonds, dried cranberries and mini choc chip morsels

INGREDIENTS:

4 c old-fashioned oats

1 c raw natural sliced almonds

1/2 c chopped walnuts

1/4 c flaxseed meal

1/4 c honey

McCormick's Cinnamon and Sugar grinder-about 2 tbsp or 20 grinds



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mix together and bake for 15 min at 350 degrees, give it a shake around to be careful not to burn any one area and bake for another 10 min. Make sure it is spread thinly and evenly on the pan.

Let cool for 25 min then add:

1 c roasted & salted pepitas (the inside of a pumpkin seed-very high in protein)

1/2 c dried cranberries

1/2 c mini chocolate chip morsels

Makes 8 total cups or 32 servings-a serving size is 1/4 cup.

I love to put mine on Greek yogurt or have it with almond milk. It is very satisfying and helps with my sweet and salty cravings!

Enjoy!

xoxoxo-A

Mango + Banana + Chocolate + Coffee smoothie!

[caption id="attachment_444" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Mango-banana-coffee-chocolate protein powder-flax, chia, oats and almond milk.[/caption]

1/2 c chopped fresh mango

1 med banana

1 c unsweetened almond milk

1 packet instant coffee-I use Starbucks

1 tsp chia seeds

2 tsp flaxseeds

3 tsp oats

3 ice cubes

1 scoop AMP Wheyabolic Extreme 60 protein powder-from GNC-this is the kind I use (chocolate)

This is a complete and balanced breakfast 20 + grams of Protein, good carbs, lots of fiber, packed with good fats, omega 3 and 6 from the chia seeds, vitamin C and vitamin B from the banana and vitamin A and C from the mangos plus vitamin D and E from the almond milk, also great source of calcium!!!

What if you started every morning this way? I bet your body would thank you all day!!!

Enjoy!!
xoxoxo-A

Baked Black Bean Pita Pockets

I love black beans! These can be made vegetarian if you like.  I added hot sausage to ours.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pita pockets

1 can black beans

1/4 c chopped onion

1 c yellow pepper-or color of your choice

1 avocado

1/4 c shredded cheese

lime juice

olive oil

6 oz chopped meat-if you wish (chicken, pork or sausage)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and Combine all ingredients except for avocado and cheese in skillet. Heat in skillet for 12 min with lime juice and olive oil-tsp of each. Season with pepper, red pepper flakes, cilantro (and whatever spices you want)  Line the pockets thinly with smashed avocado and fill with the bean, veggie and meat mixture. Bake for 10 min then add hot sauce (if you wish) and cheese and bake for 5 more minutes.

Makes 3 servings or 6 half pockets

Total time 30 min-15 prep-15 bake

Enjoy!
xoxoxo-A

 

Tuna Casserole-cheat meal!!!

[caption id="attachment_425" align="alignleft" width="1024"] Delicious!!! Sort of a cheat meal-10 on the scale of 1 to yummy, 6.5 on the scale of 1 to healthy! Enjoy!!![/caption]

Yummmm!!!!

10 oz of white albacore canned tuna

Gia Russa brand Wide Egg enriched  noodles-about 3 cups to feed 3 people

1/2 c finely Chopped celery

1/4 c finely Chopped red onion

Cream of celery soup-small can

Small can of milk-fill the can of cream of celery up with milk

6 oz of Velveeta cheese-cut into 6 1 oz pcs and spread throughout the mixture

Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp italian breadcrumbs and 1 tbs of chopped parsley-used as the topping halfway through the baking process.

****Cook noodles about 3 or 4  min  shy of directions on package and pour into casserole dish with all other ingredients-give them a big stir around before placing in oven.

Bake at 350 for 20 min, give the entire thing a big stir and top with parmesan, parsley and breadcrumb mix-bake for 15 more min. Let cool for 5 min and serve with a beautiful side salad!

Enjoy!!

xoxoxo-A

Healthy Zucchini Apple and Walnut Muffins

Healthy Zucchini Apple and Walnut Muffins.

Granola: Pumpkin Almond Flax

Good afternoon! It's fall and I have been wanting to make my own granola for a while now so I finally did it and here it is: Pumpkin, almond and flax are the main ingredients! I hope you try it! It is so nutritious and can be made to suit your taste! Add different or multiple types of nuts, different dried fruit or chocolate!

I used:

4 c oats

3/4 c flaxseed

3/4 c crushed almonds

3/4 c sunflower seeds

1/4 c of honey

1/2 c dried cranberries

Ginger, nutmeg, pumpkin and cinnamon spices-about 2  tsp each-4 tsp of the pumpkin

2 small cupfuls of vanilla extract

Cinnamon and sugar grinder  to top it all off-just a dusting

Mix all ingredients except for the dried fruit-add that at the end when you pull it out of the oven to cool.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 min-half way through give it a toss around to be sure you don't burn any of it. Use 2 trays so the granola is thinly and evenly spread...not piled up too much! Let it cool on the pan then seal and store.

White bean, wheat berries, tomato & mozzarella salad

Ingredients:

Mozzarella pearls

Chicken cubed lightly seasoned-salt, pepper, red pepperflakes and parsley

Chopped tomato

Wheat berries

Chopped celery

Chopped onion

Mixed together with olive oil and red wine vinegar

Tips: chill the wheat berries and chicken in the fridge after they cook before adding them to the mixture.

It's even better hours later after all of the flavors have had a chance to marry together!

 

Enjoy-A

 

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

[caption id="attachment_390" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Santa Fe Chicken Salad-loaded with goodies-loaded with flavor-loaded with protein and veggies![/caption]

The other night I made a delicious Santa Fe Chicken Salad! I want to share it with you!

I marinated the chicken in lemon juice, lime juice and salsa just for an hour. Once I put everything together in the giant salad bowl  I baked it for 25 min at 350 degrees turning it at the halfway point- just like this in this pan.

[caption id="attachment_391" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Marination-makes it more moist and delicious![/caption]

Next I chopped up peppers, red onions, asparagus, tomatoes, green onion, lettuce, basil and cubed some cheese-cheddar and mozzarella blend. I let the chicken marinade for a while as I chopped everything up.....



Last, I made my own dressing using the ingredients pictured below.....

[caption id="attachment_393" align="alignleft" width="1024"] Make your own dressing-it is so easy!!![/caption]

The amazing avocado!

AVOCADO!

HOW

AMAZING

ARE

YOU?

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing with you 2 of my favorite ways to eat avocados! On the left- Egg white, mozzarella cheese, salsa and avocado breakfast sammie and on the right- Avocado and orange salad with pinch of sea salt and dash of olive oil!

Health benefits of avocados and other "good" fats:

"Avocados have a mild, nutty taste and creamy texture. This makes them suitable as a substitute for unhealthy fats you might normally add to foods. For example, spreading a bagel with 1 oz. of mashed avocado rather than butter can save 18g of fat and nearly 150 calories."Read more:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/28507-avocado-nutrition/#ixzz26AtcSOBz

http://www.livestrong.com/article/271767-the-calories-nutrients-in-an-avocado/

 

 

 

Breakfast or anytime sandwich made with "Flatout" Foldouts 5 Grain Flax flatbread-I really enjoy these!!! This is what I used in the one pictured.

http://www.flatoutbread.com/products/foldit-artisan-flatbread/5-grain-flax/

 

 Healthy fats: Remember 1 part good fat per meal! Food 101 tips:

http://awesomelikeadrienne.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/foodlifestyle-basics-101/

 

Other "GOOD" FATS and more info:

http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_diet_fats.htm

• Olive oil


• Canola oil


• Sunflower oil


• Peanut oil


• Sesame oil


• Avocados


• Olives


• Nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)


• Peanut butter

The avocado and orange salad that I will have for a "snack" is drizzled with olive oil-drizzeled not drenched remember.....good fat is still fat.

Later in the afternoon I will have a handful of almonds-so by the time dinner rolls around I will have had 4 servings of "good" fats that are delicious and so good for me!!! My snack this evening will be celery and peanut butter so all in all 5 good fat servings by the time my head hits the pillow tonight. That makes me happy!

 

Hope you realize that there is a better way to eat after reading this post. A better, cleaner, do good for your body way to eat....once you turn the corner you will never look back. Start today my friends!

 

xoxoxo-A

Blueberry Banana Coffee Smoothie

1 c BLUEBERRIES,1 med BANANA, 1 STARBUCKS COLUMBIA INSTANT COFFEE PACK, 3 TSP OATS, 1 TSP GLUTAMINE, 1 TSP FLAXSEED MEAL, 4 ICE CUBES, 1 c ALMOND MILK

We will Win today!

 

What will you win today? What will you imagine and then actually go and do? So many things are under our control if we will just do them! What does it take to win, to have what you want??? It takes work , action, determination, belief, passion and mind control! Think about it on the smallest scale....then turn it around to the biggest of your dreams, the biggest goals your mind can think up, the picture of your body in your head. Think and visualize in great detail what you want to look like, feel like, do, achieve,habits you want to kick, habits you want to form, all of it. It is ALL possible!

 



Use your mind to take over your body and I promise you will achieve what you want. It is all in your mind-winning and doing are all in your mind. Once you can overcome your own mind you will overcome your body. Try a little thing today and build on that. Today I will win by not having sugar in my coffee and not let my mind say just a little. Today I will run the entire time and not let my mind tell me to stop when it gets hard. Today I will take a walk. Today I will do something nice for someone else without expecting something in return. Today I will find happiness in making others happy. There are endless "daily wins" you can achieve and I assure you when they all add up, you use your mind and all of its power, you will win and it will become contagious and addicting. You will continue to win on a daily basis because you know what its like to lose and losing isn't what you want (unless you are losing fat-that is great!)

Your attitude runs your life-if you say you can't then you won't. If you say you can then you will. Expect more for yourself and the best part is you are the only one that can make a change so YOU will only have yourself to thank! Having a sense of pride is crucial to wanting to continue to win. Will your name be up in lights on the big screen for winning today? No, probably not but inside where it counts most to yourself is where you will feel like a superstar! Once you start winning you will know that you deserve to win and winning will become what you do.....Once you win you will want to repeat what made you win the first time. You will change those habits into winning ones with ease after you experience the feeling of winning. It will come natural.

Daily wins=Big life changing wins! 

Go you!

xoxoxo-A

 

Jambalaya Recipe

JAMBALAYA!

I started with this recipe I found from Emeril when I got the notion that I wanted to make a jambalaya:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cajun-jambalaya-recipe2/index.html

Then I saw that I had on hand already "baby salad size frozen shrimp" and "spicy chicken sausage" so I bought the chicken and went from there....Protein is most important to me so that is what I tend to focus on the most and then let the rest fall into place.

Step 1: cube about 1/2 lb. chicken breast and cook on med  heat with the following seasonings:1 teaspoon each paprika, oregano, blk pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic powder and dash of cinnamon (place together in a small bowl and stir as you will need half of the mixture for the shrimp/sausage in a min)  for about 10 to 12 min using a teaspoon of olive oil to coat the pan prior.

Step 2: cook the shrimp and sausage (use about 1/2 lb combined of both) with the same seasoning mixture you used on the chicken (you should have about half left over) on med heat for about 6 to 8 min.

 Step 3: chop 1/2 c each spanish onion, green onion, green pepper and sautéed those in a deep skillet on low to med for about 8 min with a little bit of olive oil.

Step 4: chop 3/4 c tomatoes and 1/4 c fresh parsley and add to the veg mix, stirring for another 4 min.

Step 5: add all protein to veggies in deep skillet along with 2 cups rice (brown or jasmine) and approx 3 cups hot water. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer on low for about 15 min until the rice is cooked-but has not soaked up the liquid....you need and want some liquid when all said and done! Feel free to add hot sauce to kick it up a notch here...mine was only med spice temp.

I took his recipe and tried to make it budget (I didn't use all of the Emeril suggested ingredients) and a little more health friendly!

Try this with all recipies.....you can see from his picture in the recipe and my picture they don't look the same but it still tasted incredible!!!

Enjoy!

xoxoxo-A

Meals made EASY all week!

In this post I want to try to show you how easy and quick it can be to eat healthy.....

On Tuesday I chopped my veggies-tomatoes, zucchini, red onion and green onion-about 2.5 cups total

I cooked 1 package of chicken and cubed it so I can easily throw it in a pita pocket, salad or mix it with some rice or quinoa.

I boiled 2 eggs so I had them ready for when I wanted to add them too!
I had on hand already brown rice, quinoa, tuna, feta and mozzarella cheeses and lettuce.

If you take a little time 1 or 2 days a week to prepare your meals or part of your meals you will be more inclined to throw together something healthy quickly rather than stopping and grabbing something quick-that rarely ends well!! Try it this week and see if it works for you!! 

This is what I ate all week for lunch and dinner. I spent maybe 5 min at the most putting it together and making a little homemade dressing each time if I wanted to add it. Below are pictures so you can see how I basically ate the same thing over and over again BUT I never got bored with it.....