Peppers - QUICK use them!

Last night, I forgot to take out any freezer meals. I need to be better about that!

So, I decided to use some of the sweet peppers that we bought a huge bag of and never used yet. Don't you hate when that happens?? "Oh these are on sale and they sound AWESOME, let's buy wayy too many of them and then they go bad." :-/

So the peppers were on the verge of going bad, and I made a HUGE serving of Simply Salsa for a party last Saturday, that no one really touched. We had chicken tacos with the Southwest Slow Cooker Sauce, but my friend made a 7 layer dip and we used that as a topper for them... It was amazing!

We also have a ton of frozen chicken because I didn't use as much as I thought I would for Kate & Mike's freezer meals (I ran out of room in the freezer, so I couldn't use it all!). I decided to do a Simply Pepper Chicken skillet meal.

I put about 6 chopped peppers, 3 cups of Simply Salsa (with canned tomatoes), 2 tbsp of Onion Onion and 8 chicken tenderloins chopped into bite sized pieces in my big skillet on high. Mixed it up a bit, and put on the timer for 20 minutes. With about 3 minutes left, I turned it down to medium low, and added a cup of mild cheddar. I started to burn it a bit with it on so high!

After it cooked up, I put some serving on a tortilla and added some sharp cheddar to it. It was a little spicy (I think from the Simply Salsa Mix), but overall super delicious!

If you are interested in ordering any of these products, don't hesitate to shop! All the new fall products are out and super yummy! :) Shop here!

Are you interesting in hosting a party to receive some of these products for free? Just e-mail me at mixwithsteph@gmail.com.

Until next time,

Keep Cooking!

Freezer Meal Workshop... I need a bigger freezer!

Freezer Meals are my FAVORITE!

I just came back from a Pampered Chef Freezer Meal Workshop with Alicia. I know, going against my own kind! But it was nice to see how it worked and what I would do for my freezer meal workshop!

It was a long 3 hours, but I got 11 meals out of it for Brad and I! :)

If you are interested in hosting, you are able to get your freezer meal spices FOR FREE!

If you just want to attend a freezer meal workshop, you are in luck! I'm hosting one at the end of September. You will need to bring your groceries (about $75 worth) and your smiling face!  I'll have the Tastefully Simple products ready for your arrival! You will have some leftovers, if you want to make the recipes again at home.

I need a commitment by Sept. 15! E-mail me at mixwithsteph@gmail.com for the order form. :)

Freezer Meals by Tastefully Simple

Freezer meal workshops are the new way to market the Tastefully Simple products. This is one reason why I decided to join recently, opposed to a few years ago. Tastefully Simple now offers more meal solutions rather than just dips and desserts.

Since we are going to visit family in SC who recently had a baby,  I decided it was a great time to experiment with the freezer meal menus offered on an exclusive Tastefully Simple facebook group that offers thousands of menu options and tips. I made twice as many so Brad and I had some as well! 

The menu I picked had mostly crock pot meals. Who doesn't love an easy crockpot meal?! 

The Tastefully Simple products I used were: 

Garlic, Garlic
Onion, Onion
Simply Salsa
Bacon, Bacon
Dried Tomato Garlic Pesto

The total cost of the products are about $45 plus shipping. I did not use all of the containers so there was plenty of leftover spices for other meals! 

The menu had 7 meals. I had more, but I ran out of room in the freezer! These meals feed between 4-6 people. So if there is only one or two of you, this menu could last two to three weeks! 

Crazy Chicken Cacciatore
Sweet Shredded BBQ Chicken
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
Creamy Mozzarella Pesto Chicken
Mozzarella Pesto Meatloaf
Sizzling Fajitas
Simply Salsa Lime Chicken Strips

I went on Thursday for groceries. I needed to buy stuff just for Brad and I, so by the time I left it looked like I was feeding a small army. I spent around $43 in protein, cheese, tomato sauce, and veggies for the meals. 

That's less than $100 for seven meals! I know that's less than I generally spend, and with those proteins, veggies, and cheese I had product left over for even more meals. 

If you decide to join me for a Freezer Meal Workshop, you can customize your grocery list. I will give you want you need, but I don't care what brands! I spent about $150 for all my groceries at Bottom Dollar, which is way less than I would have spent at Giant Eagle. I obviously bought more than just the freezer meal ingredients, so I tried to narrow it down to just what I used for the meals. 

I prepped 5 out of the 7 meals on Thursday, including prepping veggies and more meat for the rest of our weekly lunches. It took me about three hours. Vito tried to help, but he wasn't very helpful. It made it a little more difficult but overall I got a ton completed, just ran out of freezer space! Also note, I made double the meals so I made 10 meals in 3 hours, with other prepping and cleaning out the freezer to make sure things fit. 

During a Freezer Meal Workshop, you buy the product, and go shopping. Then you do a couple things to prepare (such as anything that might need precooked) and then bring all your groceries with you to the party to finish off the prepping with the TS products. It's a great way to enjoy others company while doing a tedious task! Also, enjoy some samples of other Tastefully Simple products. :) 

If you are interested in Freezer Meals but don't live in Pittsburgh, don't worry! Contact me and I will send you a sample menu with the products to buy. Once you purchase the products, I will send you the recipes and grocery list. 

I need to create a menu, but plan on hosting a Freezer Meal Workshop on Sept. 27 or 28! I would need 6 people to commit in order to host it! I plan on creating a 10 meal menu using chicken, beef, pasta, and vegetarian options. 

If you are interested in anything, feel free to contact me. 

Until then Keep Cooking! 

Stephanie

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Now until July 31, I'm hosting a catalog party.  

You can buy all the yummy products featured on this blog and MORE! 

The cool thing about this catalog party is it's a MYSTERY HOST! 

Your order is an entry in winning the potential host rewards from the party! 

The party needs to qualify at $400 in order for anyone to receive rewards.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP!

If you and your friends order over $60 on one order, shipping is cheaper! 

Not sure about buying, but want to try some products? Contact me about an in home party, mixwithsteph@gmail.com. 

Italian Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Hello!

Wednesday, I was in the mood for something different. Brad cooked the night before and it was delicious. I had to live up to his wonderful meal of meatballs, zucchini, eggplant, and pasta!

I decided to create stuffed chicken breasts. I bought some string cheese a little bit ago, so decided to use that to stuff the breast.

Ingredients: (These can be changed to whatever you need!)
3 Chicken Breasts
2 Mozzarella String Cheese
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
2 cups Mushrooms
3 tbsp Garlic Garlic
3 tbsp Onion Onion
3 tbsp Italian Seasoning
3 tbsp Pepper
3 tbsp Parmesan Garlic
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp Cilantro
1 cup Ragu Tomato Sauce

I had to defrost the meat, since I never think of it in the morning. Sometimes, the microwave does a great times.. other times it takes like 30 minutes. This was 30 minutes moment. Luckily, Brad got stuck at work late so we weren't waiting around for food. I just want creating my masterpiece while he was still at work!

I put the tomatoes in the bottom of my Pampered Chef baker with a layer of the mushrooms on top. Then I added about 1 1/2 tbsps of all my spices. I think I might have over done it with spices, but Brad said it was good.

Once the meat was defrosted, and since I don't have a meat tenderizer #thingstoputontheregistry, so I used my grandma's rolling pin to beat the chicken down. After I smacked it until it was pretty flat and stretched out.. I dipped it into the remaining spices as a rub on both sides of the chicken.

I rolled the chicken around half of a stick of the cheese. and put it into the baker with the roll on the bottom so it didn't come undone. You could use toothpicks, I just couldn't find them when I was making it so I just hoped for the best.

On top of the chicken, I added the Ragu sauce for some added taste.

Popped it in the oven at 375 for an hour.

Then dinner was ready!

Have you tried any of my recipes? What about the TS Products? Let me know what you think! Also, the PC stoneware bakers are my new go to for bakeware! My friend, Alicia, is a consultant and introduced me. Good for her, bad for me! There goes all my money!

Until next time! Keep cooking!

Fiesta Fajitas!

Hello All! 

I have been meaning to post for a while, but of course, life is in the way! 

A few weeks ago, I made our favorite meal... Fajitas! 

Well, instead of using my normal seasoning, I used Tastefully Simple Feisty Fajita™ Dip Mix. 

It was so tasty! 

I used one packet of the seasoning (there are two per box!) and rubbed it onto the chicken. 

I put them in the skillet with about 1 tsb. of olive oil. Let them cook up for about 15 minutes. 

 

I also made some veggies with it, green peppers and mushrooms!

I added a little of the dip mix in here as well. And cooked these up for about 10 minutes. 

Our dip mixes and seasonings can be used for so much! I enjoy learning new recipes either from the TS website or just my own creations. 

Let me know if you have any new TS recipes! I love sharing and cooking. 

Until next time, keep cooking!! 

Finally out of my daze...

Hello Again!

Thought I forgot about you, didn't you?

Sorry for the prolonged blog post, but I have some EXCITING NEWS!

Engagement:

I'M GETTING MARRIED!

Brad proposed to me at the Brad Paisley concert on May 17, 2014 in front of friends and family during our song, "She's Everything".

I was completely clueless... and I think after a month of floating on air, I'm finally back on Earth. It's still a bit surreal. Brad and I keep looking at each other saying "We're engaged" or "We are getting married!"

The date set is 6.11.2016 and the colors will be Kelly Green and Peacock Blue. Yes, I'm a crazy planner but we have been talking about this for a few months PRIOR to the actual engagement. :)

Mix & Marinate: Tastefully Simple:

 I just had my first party at Alicia's house! It went so well with 4 people, plus those who are ordering online. Thank you to everyone for a successful first party and hopefully many more to come!

Tastefully Simple Recipes

I made a yummy crock pot meal with our Corn, Black Bean Salsa & Onion, Onion spice. I put some chicken, about half the jar of the salsa, 2 tbsp of Onion, Onion, a half of green pepper and cheese in the crock pot for 8 hours. It was a little messy, but an easy meal that was really delicious.

The nice thing about these products are the versatility. The Onion,Onion can be substitute for a real onion. 2 TBSP of the product equals 6 of a fresh onion. This is so awesome because for how infrequently I cook, I can never keep fresh produce! I really like the Corn, Black Bean Salsa, if you are looking for something easy rather than adding cans of corn and black beans and tomatoes, etc., this is perfect. It's already in there and has a different flavor than a regular tomato based salsa.

Please visit https://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/smueller3 to order or book a show. :) If you are looking for samples, please email me at mixwithsteph@gmail.com. I will work with you to figure out the best way to get all of your taste buds delighted!

In the mean time - Keep cooking!

First potato salad of the season!

Last night I made some yummy potato salad...

Since all my friends are watching their waste lines (including me), I decided to do it as 21 day fix style! 

Instead of mayo, I used Greek yogurt. Yes, it does change the taste slightly, but overall I think it's delicious! 

Ingredients:

Red potatoes (5)

Hard boiled eggs (6)

Yellow mustard (1/2 cup)

Greek yogurt (1 1/2 cup) 

Green peppers (2 small) 

Paprika (1 tbsp)

Black pepper (1 tbsp) 

Onion powder (1 tbsp) 

I hope the tailgaters approve!!! 

Until next time, keep cooking! 

Tastefully Simple

I decide today due to the fact that I'm always buying the products and have been talking about doing this for a while... I'm officially becoming a tastefully simple consultant. 

I have the support from Brad, I just need to gather a good network to build a business. Right now, my schedule is a little hectic but I am always up for parties on week nights. 

Tastefully Simple has changed in the past few years, adding less party foods and more real meal dinner options. Not only can you enjoy their classic appetizers and dips but now also enjoy meal planners and freezer meals. 

I'm really excited about this venture and hope I can get the support I need to make it a great part time business. Once I get set up, I'll post more information. 

I also will use this blog as a place to showcase various recipes and teach you how to make them with the Tastefully Simple Products! 

Let me know if you would be interested in being one of my first hosts! I need somewhere to start. 

In the meantime, keep cooking! 

Skillet meals!

Done with the spring semester, so I have a week until the next semester! I am exactly half way done with my masters program! 

Since I have been pretty busy, I have been making skillet meals. I am still following the 21 day fix clean eating and I never seem to get enough veggies during the day! My skillet meals consist of meat, and about three or four types of veggies and sometimes pasta! 

I put all this stuff into the skillet, including uncooked pasta. My new favorite veggie is canned diced tomatoes. Putting the tomatoes in adds a little liquid which helps cook the pasta.

Tonight, I made a turkey sausage, mushroom, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, onion, and green peppers and pasta. I added cilantro, parsley, pepper, and oregano. Brad was a huge help! I love that he enjoys being in the kitchen with me. He learned how to cut peppers from the food channel, so I asked him to cut them and he also cut the sausage. Sausage is definitely nothing something I'm used to cooking or prepping so it was much welcomed. :) 

I cooked it down for about 25 minutes. It turned out so good! It was a little soupy because I added too much water to cook down of with it, but lately I was burning stuff for not using too much. Better safe than sorry!! 

This picture is of a taco version. It has ground beef, corn, tomatoes, onions, peppers with cumin and chili powder. 

Try some for yourself! Let me know how they turn out! So easy and delicious, about 20-30 minutes, just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn. Ha! 

Keep on cooking. :) 

Crab Cakes!

Hello there!

I just want to post one more Lenten recipe right after Easter. I hope everyone who celebrates the holiday, enjoyed it and got all the candy they desired!

21 Day Fix update: I finished the 3 weeks on Easter! It was such a treat to fit into a blazer that was too tight three weeks before. I lost 7lbs as well. :)

These crab cakes aren't 21 day fix approved, but I had crab and it was Good Friday, so this is what I made:

I used this recipe: Best Ever Crab Cakes

Except.. I didn't use the lemon juice or tarragon. Have you ever tried to buy Tarragon? IT'S LIKE 8 BUCKS! No, thanks, not for one recipe. The lemon juice, although always in supply at my house, is not at Brads and I forgot to buy any.

So, basically I followed the recipe but used basil, and added a little more mayo to make it stick. I used reduced fat clubhouse crackers. I think they were super awesome and Brad agreed. Just be careful when putting them on the burner. I had it up to about 4 - 4 1/2 and they were very crispy. Good, but pretty burnt. The crackers gave it more of  a buttery flavor which I liked and didn't make them seem super dry.

Let me know if you give them a try with any different results!

Simple prepping ideas!

Hello!

It's been a bit since posting. 21 day fix has kept me busy as has school and work. I'm currently enjoying buffalo chicken dip with carrots for lunch.

Yup, you got that right.. I can eat buffalo chicken dip! It's modified... using Greek Yogurt, shredded chicken, hot sauce and mozzarella cheese. I did 4 oz of chicken and 2 oz of Greek yogurt, as few splashes of hot sauce and 1/4 cup of the cheese. It's pretty much the best thing ever. :)

It counts towards 1 red, 1 blue, and 1 green (for the carrots). It's crazy how much you can still enjoy while on this meal plan just with modifications.

But back to the reason I wanted to post. If you are prepping for this plan, I realize I don't want to cook chicken or whatever meat every day.

I have decided to put a big crock pot of chicken with just enough chicken broth to keep the chicken moist. Basically, cover the bottom of the pot and not much more. I put it on low before bed and turn it off in the morning.  It works out perfectly! I have enough chicken for the week, it's shredded so it's easy to put in containers (and use for buffalo chicken dip or wraps). You can always season your individual portions differently so it's a different taste every day.

You don't even have to do this for the 21 day fix or just if you need a quick meal on the go. :)

If you have any other thoughts to make prepping easier, I'm always open to suggestions! Right now I feel like I'm in the kitchen half my days, and it's getting a bit wearing.

Greek Yogurt Cream Sauce

Marisa asked me to add this to my blog even though I don't have any pictures. Last night, I needed to get about 3 reds, 3 greens, a yellow, a blue, orange and a few tsps.  So I had to come up with some very creative dinner.

Here's what I did. I researched some recipes about Greek yogurt cream sauces, then made my own (basically because I didn't have the ingredients, but I might try others later, they look delicious.)  Look up Tomato Creamy Sauce with Greek Yogurt. YUM.

I put 6 oz of Greek yogurt in a bowl and added 3 shakes of basil, parsley, oregano, and garlic with 5 squirts of lime juice. I sauteed mushrooms, sweet peppers, and mushrooms up in EVOO while my orzo pasta was cooking. The diet says to do whole wheat, however I don't have any in my house at the minute, so I just used regular orzo pasta.

I drained the pasta and put it on top of my Greek yogurt mix, then added the veggies and put 1/4 cups of Parmesan cheese and 6 oz of shredded chicken on top of that. I had SO much food. I definitely couldn't finish it all, but I tried. I got to about 5 bites left, and had to stop. I still had to workout and burping Greek yogurt isn't that fun.

I still didn't get in my container goal, which I actually am lowering today. I hopped on the scale this morning and am already down 2 lbs! I am definitely feeling a difference, now if my legs would start working again after Monday's total body cardio fix. I have a lower fix today, it's going to be a struggle but I need to push through!

This nutrition plan is definitely helping with my creative recipes! Being aware of how much and of what you have to eat is a challenge, but definitely worth it! I believe this will become a new lifestyle after the 21 days. :)

Turkey Stir Fry - 21 day fix style

Hi! As I said before I'm on this 21 day fix program from Beach Body. It's portion control and daily exercise for amazing results!

Yesterday was my first day. I'm starting at 222 lbs. I didn't take my measurements, because I don't have a measuring tape, but I'm sure my pants will tell me the results soon! I'm currently at a size 18. I'm hoping to be about 10 lbs down and a size 16 or lower by the end of these 3 weeks!


The way the fix works is you get different colored containers and have a certain number of them a day. See below of the chart of what the measurements are. Orange is seeds and dressings, Blue is healthy fats & cheeses, Yellow is carbs, Red is proteins, Green is veggies, Purple is fruit and Teaspoon is oils & butters.

Containers	Measurements
Orange	2 tbsp	1 oz
Blue	5 tbsp	2.5 oz
Yellow	.50 cups	4 oz
Red	.75 cups	6 oz
Green	1.25 cups	10 oz
Purple	1.25 cups	10 oz
Tsp

You get to eat A LOT of food. There is a chart to figure out how much you get based on your weight and calorie level. I get 1 orange, 1 blue, 4 yellow, 6 red, 6 green, 4 purple, and 6 tsp a day! That's a ton of food. 

For dinner last night, I used 1 red, 3 green, 1 blue, and 1 tsp. I made a Turkey Stir Fry-esque thing. 

As you can see there is a TON of food on my plate! 

I started with 6 oz of ground turkey and fried it up in 1 teaspoon of olive oil. I, then removed the cooked turkey, and put in the almost 4 cups of veggies of broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms into the frying pan and cooked them up for about 10 minutes. 

After everything was cooked, I put them on my plate and put 1/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese over it all.

 

The only thing I'd do different would be to add spices to the turkey, it was a little bland! But other than that, a HUGE plate of food and delicious! 

To learn more about the beach body diet: Go to Beachbody.com 

Oatmeal Breaded Baked Chicken!

Hello! I haven't posted in a while, well basically because I haven't really cooked. Brad's been doing most of the cooking on Fridays for Lent since I'm not really sure how to cook fish! We have very delicious steamed fish and veggies on the grill. Brad continues to impress me with his culinary skills. I definitely lucked out and got a guy who can and will cook, but also enjoys when I cook. I love it!

Saturday, we went to my parents for dinner and to watch Saving Mr. Banks. What an emotional movie! I was not expecting it to be that heavy, but it makes me want to read the books and explore more about P.L. Travers life!

Well as I said at the beginning, my mom is a big reason I cook the way I do. Of course, I'm not just a guest (neither is Brad), in the Mueller house, so she had both of us helping with dinner. I ended up taking over only because Brad didn't know where anything was located then again, neither do I..Mom moves stuff every 3 months or so!

I told her about the 21 day fix which I officially started today, but it was good to have a few days of practice to see if I could actually handle it. (Get ready, I have some SUPER tasty recipes to talk about as I go through this 21 day journey!).

I sent her the list of stuff I can eat, so she made oatmeal breaded chicken and fish.

You start with a dish full of EVOO, and a dish of bread crumbs, oatmeal, cilantro, garlic, basil and parsley. Next you take your raw chicken (I also did the fish, with fresh ingredients), and dip it in the olive oil to coat it, then into the bread crumb seasoning. I used the extra seasoning to coat the chicken after it was on the tray. Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. and Volia! A super healthy but delicious meal! :)

Until next time, I'm going to go enjoy some cucumbers, carrots and hummus! mmm mm.

Fish Tacos and other Lenten Recipes!

One thing you will learn about me, is that I am not a fish person. I just never have been, but guess what! I'm slowly easing myself into liking it.

What the heck is Lent?
If you aren't aware, Lent is a time of fasting prior to Easter. During the forty days, you sacrifice things (Facebook, TV, Coffee, Sweets, etc.) to better yourself and make you closer to God. Maybe you don't have much to give up, or just want to do random acts of kindness throughout the 40 days. That works too! Either way, it's a time of fasting and becoming closer to the Lord. Also, as Catholics, we give up meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during the Lenten Period. Fish Fries are super popular during this time too.

Usually these are the only days in the entire year I'm super craving a burger (of course). Well Brad and I decided, even though we LOVE Fish Fries, we want to save money and eat healthier this Lenten season. We have been making our own Lenten recipes. We made fish tacos two Fridays ago for Lent. And this past Friday, Brad made us crab quesadillas.

The fish tacos: As a person who doesn't eat fish, I don't really know how to make fish. But I did make the dressing and marinaded the fish!

Let's start with the ingredients:
Ranch Dressing
Cilantro
Chili Powder
Cumin
Light Sour Cream
Lime Juice
Alaskan Pollock
Old Bay (not pictured)
Other Toppings:
Cole Slaw Lettuce Mix








So again, I tend to look up recipes then do my own version.. of everything.

First the marinade, is just the same marinade I use for my fajitas.
Cumin, Chili Powder, and Lime Juice and I added Old Bay this time.

I graciously poured half of the lime juice into the bottom of the dish, then added my seasonings and fish. I made sure the fish was covered in everything.

I let that sit for a little bit while I worked on the dressing. Most of the favors were the same and pretty basic. I think I'm going to be using this dressing for many other recipes, it is soo good.
It was Cilantro, Cumin, Chili Power, Light Sour Cream, Light Ranch and Lime juice. It's called Chipolte Cilantro Lime dressing. Pretty much amazing. I did a tablespoon of the cilantro & cumin, 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder, the whole little container of sour cream, and a cup of ranch. I just finished off the lime juice of whatever I had left. I used it the next day on a chicken wrap. mm mm

Okay, now for the Fish. I know I promised a guest entry by a professional writer, but Brad never wrote anything so here's what I'm going to tell you.

He pan fried the fish, using Pan Oil Spray and Old Bay Seasoning. He added the Old Bay to make sure it wouldn't stick and fry to the pan. By the last one it was considered blacken from the use of the pan, so he used his Blacken Old Bay seasoning to add flavor.

Here is the finished product. We used Cole Slaw Lettuce mix to add some more flavor to it on Tortilla Soft Shells.

I paired it with cheesy cauliflower. It was very filling and delicious!

Well that's all for now. I am starting the 21 day fix on Wednesday, so be ready for some serious clean eating and portion controlled recipes!

Checking In!

Sorry for not posting this week. It seems like the week has slipped away! I do have a Fish Taco recipe to post, but I need help with my guest cook (aka Brad) to talk about the fish. Brad has done so much in my culinary skills, no one has ever challenged me more or push me to do more. I love it!

I made turkey and turkey pot pie the first time this year, and I'm exploring fish. I don't really eat fish, so I never make it. It's Brad's specialty so I let him cook it up for our fish tacos after I marinaded and made some dressing for them. As someone who doesn't eat fish, it was so delicious! Needless to say, cooking for and with Brad has expanded my options, which I think is awesome.

As I said before, I am trying to get healthy and lose weight. My co-worker is on the 21 day fix it from Beach Body. It's an interesting new lifestyle. It will teach you portion control through colored containers along with a 30 minute daily workout, different workout for each day! I'm excited to start it and should be getting it in the next week. I know it will change the way I look at food, which is great.

It really has changed my world. So far, just by realizing my calorie intake was WAY too low according to her 21 day fix it book, I have lost 4lbs in 2 weeks. 

21 Day Fix It calorie formula: [Your weight] X 11 + 450 [workout calories.. I only add about 200] - 750 [calorie deficit]. 

Yup, I lost weight by eating more. I was starving myself without even realizing it! Currently I'm eating about 2,000 daily. I work out about 3 times a week. If you are using My Fitness Pal, make sure you customize the calorie intake! I didn't and that's when I realized it was too low. They just assume everyone is skinny and have a desk job. That's not true! 

If you want to follow me on MyFitnessPal (everyone can use a little motivation) my username is smueller11

I decided to start a 30 day Guns, Buns & Abs challenge this week. I'm on day 4 and I think my abs may kill me. It hurts so bad but so good! I actually started last night doing a circuit. So I did 15 squats, 3 pushups, 9 leg lifts. And did that 4 times. Well the 4th time was just the squats, and 8 leg lifts. But I think splitting it up helps me not feel like I'm ready to die. 

Let me know if you try it or need motivation! :) 

Fajitas are my favorite!

As I mentioned, I am a big Mexican fan! Well Fajitas are my top notch favorite. I could probably eat them every day. 

Way back when, I came across a really good low carb fajita recipe. I have used it for years and made it into a simple version etc. 

Well this was one of those days, the marinade I squeeze a ton of lime juice, some cumin (which I didn't have so I used taco seasoning), and pepper into a bag with the cut up raw chicken and shake it up. 

I have lime juice on hand at all times, and I'm pretty sure someone made fun of me for it seeing it in my fridge ... two lime juice containers. It's just such a good go to juice to create a marinade or even use instead of oil in the frying pan! 

Finished Fajita Salad 

The trick to this recipe is making the peppers and onions, AWESOME. You gotta chop all your peppers and onions, and then keep a close eye on the frying pan with the olive oil and veggies in them. When the onions get translucent is when you should take them off and put them too the side. Just perfect! :) 

After you are doing whipping up your veggies, time for the meat! It should be marinaded decently, you can always put it in longer, but like I said this is a quick meal! Here's what's nice, you don't need any oil, just dump the ziplock of meat out onto the pan with the meat. All that marinade makes it good for frying! 

And that's basically it. Make it a Fajita bar with soft or hard taco shells, create a salad as I did, and add whatever toppings you like!

It's so delicious, and everyone is sure to love it. 

Spices: add spice to your life!

I was eating dinner and just did pasta with red sauce. So lame! Ever since I made the zucchini ribbon primavera, I have been making an easy version of it.


Easy Primavera:
I cooked the pasta regularly. Putting in the bowl I want to eat it in garlic powder, cilantro, parsley, oregano, shredded Parmesan cheese and cream cheese. I would then drain the pasta and throw it in the bowl. It was so quick and delicious!!!

Why did I change it this time?? I can't answer that but traditional sauce is not as good as spices!

Spices were never a major thought in my cooking life until recently (after exploring different recipes) and I am totally in love!! They completely change the taste and it's wonderful.

I think another time spices changed everything, I made some veggie stir fry for my parents (they are vegetarians). I had no idea what to make and I didn't have much in the fridge. I did some frozen veggies to make this stir fry with rice. I literally looked into my spice rack and was like what is an Asian spice... To make it taste better. Guess what it worked! I used ginger and it made such a difference! One spice can make a world of difference. It's so crazy, but true.

Tell me what your favorite spices are! Do you have any recommendations for a spicy but savory dish to make? 

Brad SMASH: Guacamole Salad Bowls

Sunday night, Brad and I came back to my house before having to say good bye for the weekend. I spend my weekends generally at Brad's house since he is on the other side of the city it's easier than going back and forth. I think it's helping my dog allergies too, being exposed more. 

Finished meal! 

So back to cooking, I bought a ton of fresh foods last Friday, that I needed to use ASAP. 

I had two avocados, and some Romaine lettuce, onions, etc. I decided to make guacamole on a bed of lettuce with ground turkey. 

*disclaimer* I rarely follow a recipe, and generally just whip something together. I'll try my best to give you the ingredients and recipe tips, but usually just have fun. Do whatever you'd like as long as you think the favors would taste good. :) 

Brad got me some of those taco salad bowls for my birthday. I thought they looked fun, and since we eat so much Mexican, why not? 

Ok, so we started with making the guac... 

I was going to find you the recipe, but of course it wasn't one I actually pinned. 

All it is: 
Avocados
Lime Juice
Salsa
Cilantro
Onions
Garlic Clove

It called to smash the avocados in a large bowl with the lime juice, but that's what started our issues. We couldn't smash the avocados! Brad wasn't really being much help and I thought maybe it was because they were still cold from being in the fridge so I told him to go watch some TV and I'll start the turkey. 

The turkey was pretty simple, I just threw it in the frying pan with some olive oil and I added taco seasoning, but ran out so I mixed in fajita seasoning. It wasn't the best turkey I made, but the guac flavors kinda over powered it so it worked. 

After I started the turkey, Brad came back into the kitchen and asked for my rubber mallet. This was after I used a can to smash the garlic clove because I don't own a garlic press.

I run to my room and get the rubber mallet. I think pictures are worth a thousand words.. I have two:

 This happened, he got smart and put it in a bag. The bag broke and he put plastic wrap over it. Kinda messy, but fun and effective. 

After we got the smashing done. I finished off the guac and put the pieces together! 

It was a bit oniony. I used a small onion, but didn't chop it enough. Overall, it was rather tasty. 

This was my Sunday evening, what did you do? Do you have any recommendations on how to make the recipe better? 

Does your significant other help or stay out of the kitchen? 

I enjoy it when Brad and I cook together. He tends to become the genius of the situation, or help from a meltdown occurring. He really saved me during a messy buckeyes situation during Christmas. My peanut butter mixture was extra greasy and all of my balls I rolled stuck together in the freezer. He fixed all of them and put paper towels between them to soak up the extra grease! :) 

I never said I was a gourmet cook or even that my recipes workout all the time, but when they don't it's nice to have a knight in shining armor to rescue me. Or he would probably prefer I said a super hero in a green lantern outfit.