21 Day Fix Approved - Baked Ziti (PLUS hubby and kid approved)

Are you looking for that perfect comfort food dish - but without all the calories and fat?  Aren't we ALL?  What about something that you can prep before and stick in the oven on a busy week night?  Also, have left overs for cheap healthy lunches for days to come?  YES! PLEASE!

The best perk of ALL about this dish - my family LOVED it!  My hubby was skeptical - when he asked what was in it - I said meat, cheese, and sauce.  Of course, he's a major beef person so he asked, "What kind of meat?"  UGH, so I mumbled "turrrrrkey" under my breath.  He proceeded to eat it and actually said - he could eat that every NIGHT!  YES!  That's a WIN in my book!

I found this recipe on the internet and modified it to my tastes and the quantity I was looking for.  I wanted an entire 9" x 13" pan so we could have dinner and I could eat on it for a few days for an easy lunch at work - that left me satisfied.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 box Whole Grain Pasta
  
• 2 red containers - Part-Skin Ricotta Cheese
  
• 2 cans Organic Tomato Sauce - Compare for sodium content
  
• 1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
  
• 1 cup Italian Cheese - Shredded
  
• 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
  
• 2 tsp Honey
  
• 2 tbsp each: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Oregano, Basil, Parsley, and black Pepper

Directions:

If intended to eat right away, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the noodles until al-dente, drain when cooked.  While pasta is cooking, brown the ground turkey.  Drain the excess fat from turkey after cooking.  In a large bowl, combine ricotta, tomato sauce, honey, vinegar, seasonings, cooked ground turkey, and the drained noodles.  Stir until well combined.

Pour mixture into a 13" x 9" pan.  Sprinkle Italian cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and bubbly.

If you are saving it for a dinner in the near future - cover in foil and place in the refrigerator.  When ready to cook - preheat over to 350 - cook for 1 hour (or until bubbly) remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes to brown the cheese on top a little.

To apply to your 21 Day Fix meal plan - use your green container to measure the serving size.  Each serving will count as 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue.  This recipe should make 12 servings.

Enjoy!

My Secrets for Getting Up for a Morning Workout

As we head into the winter months - throwing off those warm covers and jumping out of bed to get a workout can be even more torturous than in other seasons.  However, getting your exercise on before the sun is out - is definitely worth every last effort.  Research suggests that early morning hours are the best time to get your sweat on - it's boosts your metabolism for the day, your energy level is lifted, and sets your mood to be fantastic for the day!  

I personally workout in the morning because I know how much better I feel starting my day this way as well as I know I won't do it after work.  I have less motivation as the day drags on.  Therefore, morning workouts are perfect for me.  Here are my PERSONAL tips to getting up early and getting your workout in.

1)  Be PREPARED - If it's setting out your workout clothes the night before - or you literally sleep in your workout garb (like I do), being prepared when your feet hit the floor is essential.  All I have to do to get ready for my workout - throw up my hair and my shoes!  Super easy - and little effort needed.  The night before I also know EXACTLY what I'm going to do for my workout.  I normally follow a program - but getting up and then figuring out your plan wastes a LOT of time.

2)  Turn on the LIGHT - I get up and turn on my kitchen lights and do some work in the kitchen.  I make my hubby's lunch first before my workout - it gives me enough time to let the bright fluorescents start waking up my brain.  If for some reason the sun is out - natural light is best.  However at 5 am - generally there will not be any natural light available.  

3)  FLUID - I believe drinking ice cold water first thing - helps wake me up.  I also drink a pre-workout by Beachbody called - Energize.  It has a great taste and powers me through my workout.  So while I'm doing my kitchen work - making hubby's lunch - I drink my pre-workout.  By the time I'm done making his lunch and putting on my shoes - I am powered and ready to ROCK!  

4)  Go to bed EARLY - This seems like a very great idea.  However I know for those night owls how hard it is to fall asleep anywhere before mid-night.  If you intend to get up early - plan to get between 7-8 hours of sleep!  This is so important.  Your body needs that rest especially if you are going at it hard with your workouts.  I personally go to bed at 9 pm and get up at 4:30.  

5) Set MULTIPLE alarms - Everyone knows that snooze button is going to be hit or you'll just turn off your alarm.  I set multiple alarms knowing I have plenty of time to prepare to get out of my nice cozy bed.  My husband isn't a fan, but it works for me. :)

Those are my top 5 tips for getting up early and getting the workout in before starting your day.  There may be more tips out there that may be perfect for other people.  If you have any personal tips - I'd love for you to comment with them below!

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Shakeo

I've been CRAVING pumpkin everything!  Pumpkin rolls, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes... anything.  Though all of that stuff has consequences that I wasn't willing to deal with.  So - I decided to add pumpkin to my superfood shake!  It was AWESOME!  I thought it was better than without the pumpkin or pumpkin spice added :)

As promised, here is my recipe I used:

Just throw all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and frosty like.  Enjoy!

P.S. If you are like me and didn't have pumpkin pie spice - I made my own with spices I had on hand.  The recipe I used is here.

Join My CIZE Private Test Group!

Get READY to CIZE it UP!!

Do you like to DANCE? Can you not dance to save your life (like me)?  Do you just want to improve on your skills?  What about while getting a bad ass workout going at the same time???

With Cize coming out - this gives you the BEST opportunity to learn some great moves in the privacy of your own home!  Yep, you heard me!  No making a fool out of yourself in a public class and you get Shaun T. to teach you right in your living room!  Isn't that awesome?!?

Cize officially launches July 16th and will be available online July 20th. I will be doing a PRIVATE test group starting August 3rd.  We will dance our butts off and have a good time doing it!  In this private group, you can expect fun, accountability and even some nutrition.  We are going to have a BLAST!

To get on my list for the official LAUNCH e-mail and more information as it comes available - shoot me an e-mail at kcrull86@hotmail.com



CAN'T WAIT to try Cize??? Get a FREE 1 month trial of Beachbody on Demand that has a sneak peek of one of the dances from the program.

Want to try the FREE 1 month trial? Follow the links below!

United States:

http://teambeachbody.com/tbbsignup/-/tbbsignup/club?referringRepId=498045

Canada:

https://www.teambeachbody.com/en_CA/tbbsignup/-/tbbsignup/club/?referringRepId=498045

Get READY to CIZE it UP!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki

With swimming lessons still in full swing, there is little time to cook between work and the pool - so this entire week I have tried different slow cooker meals.  This meal in particular did go over well with the family.  Rylie really liked the juice on the chicken and ate all the rice.  I have realized getting her to try new things is going to be a struggle every time.  At first, with every meal this week she says she doesn't like things based on smell.  I know right?!  Just because it is different, she is definitely not cooperating.  When I made her eat the chicken and rice - she ate all of it!  Though definitely not one of her favorite meals, I believe it is a sign that she is starting to open up on these new recipes.

Now this meal is not completely clean - unless you can find a teriyaki sauce that is just awesome!  In my little home town grocery store, there were a few different marinades but I had found in the Asian food section the store brand teriyaki sauce is the only one that did not have high fructose corn syrup.  Yes - it has sugar in it and soy sauce.

Here is the recipe if you are interested in trying this with your own family.  Thanks to ringaroundtherosies.net

Ingredients -
1 medium sweet onion cut into large chunks
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 bag of baby carrots
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1 large can of pineapple chunks
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve over hot rice.

Note: to make this a freezer meal - double the recipe and bag in 2 gallon sized freezer bags.  When you thaw and dump into the crockpot - add another 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce.

Clean Eating Slowcooker Italian Chicken

With having swimming lessons each evening, I have brought out my slow cooker for easy meals that are ready to eat.  Monday night we had a clean eating slow cooker italian chicken dish.  Though my husband and I both loved it, my daughter didn't like it so much.  She is a very picky eater and finding things that fit her tastes and that are healthy, is very difficult.  I will NOT give up.  This is a battle I will win!

My goal lately is to find quick and easy meals that are healthy as well as family friendly - no matter what.

I paired this dish with some brown rice and quinoa pasta (gluten free) and a side of veggies.

However, if you are interested in trying this dish - here is the recipe (Thanks to newleafwellness.biz): Up side - it's a freezer meal!

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Yields: One bag of Italian chicken with six servings (I doubled this recipe and made two bags.)

INGREDIENTS
1 small onion, diced
28oz can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

MATERIALS • 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag PREP 1. Label your freezer bag. 2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients. Add chicken to the freezer bag last so it’s the first ingredient poured into your crockpot. 3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

COOK 1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw. 2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot. 3. Cook on “low” setting for 4-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

KID APPROVED! Clean Eating Blender Banana Oat Muffins

In my journey to provide my family healthier food options, I have been struggling with a morning meal for my daughter.  She loves her waffles, french toast sticks and pop tarts, but those are all full of JUNK!  I'm trying my best to reduce the gluten and processed foods in her diet.  I do believe she may have a slight gluten intolerance due to her skin being very rough and dry.

I will not post any recipes that I don't personally approve of or haven't ever tried.  These muffins are very tasty and I was very impressed!  Rylie loves them too!  Great thing is we have enough for every morning this week!  I just store them in the fridge to keep them fresh. :)

You can find the recipe here.

Since they are blender muffins - you seriously have little dirty dishes!  You place all the ingredients (except for the add-ins) in the blender - blend it all up then spoon it into the muffin liners.  Super quick and easy - maybe 5 minutes to prep and 15 minutes cooking time!

Enjoy!!