Cinco De Mayo Healthy Recipes

Happy Cinco De Mayo

I'll be honest that Mexican food is one of my favorite types of food! Queso, chips, salsa, tacos, fajitas and of course we can't forget Margaritas!!!  But, let's be totally honest.  Every one of those is far from clean eating and living a healthy lifestyle.  Sodium galore and way more servings and grams of carbs that anyone should eat in an entire day! Then you add on even 1 drink and you are over in your sugar and an additional carb for the day!  So there truly isn't a way to have a festive Mexican meal without setting yourself back.  BUT, when it comes to balance and the 80-20 rule here is what I say!

You should allow yourself at least 1 meal per week that you enjoy!  You exercise proper portion size and you are mindful of what you want to spend your calories on but you ENJOY it without guilt.  Because you know that the other 6 days out of the week you are going to be on track!  

So here is what I typically do!  I skip the chips and queso.  Unless you want chips then a good option is the "food should taste good" tortilla chips. 

Make your own guacamole because it's super easy to make and tastes great.
Just mash up some avocados, red onion, garlic, cilantro, add in some chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and enjoy!!!  

For the main dish.  I pick and choose between the taco shell, the black beans or rice.  But all 3 of those are carb overload.  I usually go with 2 corn tortillas so it's only 1 yellow! Then, if I do 1 drink which is another yellow, I'm still on track for that day!  I also have zero other carbs during the day, I sorta save it up for that meal.  If you want more than 2 tacos or fajitas then just do it without the shell/tortilla.

Those are my tips to surviving cinco de mayo without crushing your goals.  Oh and lastly, don't get on the scale the next morning!  No matter how hard you try, Mexican food has sodium.  You will retain water, feel a little puffy so keep guzzling water and get back on track the next day!  When you decide to have a cheat meal always do your workout that day.  I never schedule a cheat meal and rest day together.  It's just a mindset thing and I like to break even!  

So Kelly and I love Mexican food and we put together a menu and/or options for you! We have found some really really tasty recipes that do the trick for us.

Check them out and you can even stop and pick up a few things today for your own cinco de mayo party at home with your family!

This is right from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Nutrition Guide.  If you want to even skip the taco shell you can do lettuce wraps which actually are pretty darn tasty!
Here are 21 day fix Chicken Fajitas

 

Another great 21 day fix approved recipe is the pork Carnitas!  They are just melt in your mouth awesomeness!

Here is a great appetizer.  The bean salsa is festive and it's perfect for vegans that want to still participate in the festivities.  

Black Bean and Quinoa Bake:  Oh here's a vegan option too!  The best part is that when I make these recipes people don't even know they are healthy!  

Shrimp Tacos are another great one! You could literally have a buffet of different taco and fajita styles that are all clean eating!

Let's not forget drinks!!!  We love margaritas and we have found a great recipe that everyone loves!

Check out our skinny Margarita!!

So now that we have your party menu or your Mexican night menu covered you have to share with us which one is your favorite!!!  Enjoy your Cinco De Mayo and have a great time!!!  CHEERS!!!!  

 

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach

Sizzling Summer Bean Salsa Recipe

Sizzling Summer Bean SALSA RECIPE!!!---AMAZINGLY GOOD!!

This is great to take to parties and it is refreshing but you can still maintain clean eating.  I also am finding that parties offer NO nutritional value at all! So instead of throwing up my hands and eating whatever is served and feeling like crap afterwards because my body doesn't like the food I bring my own!  So instead of starving every time I go to a get together I have learned to bring an appetizer I can eat or eat before I go!!

Here is a great appetizer that you can serve with chips or in my case just a scoop on my plate as a side dish!!  

Ingredients:
1 Red onion finely diced
1 can of Black Beans drained and rinsed
1 can of Kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 avocado sliced into chunks
1 tomato diced
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP salsa
1 1/2 cups of frozen corn thawed and drained
3 TBSP Greek yogurt
Olive Oil


Mix all liquid ingredients together first then add in the rest and stir.  Serve with Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips

 

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach

21 Day Fix Port Carnitas Recipe

I might have found one of the most amazing concoctions ever!!  It also makes killer left overs.  So if you are like me and you need to plan for the week, throw this in the crockpot for dinner and have lunch for the next few days as well.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of Pork Loin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cup of water

To make the rub combine:

• 2 tbsp of chili powder
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp of ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp oregano

Directions:

Mix all spices together except the bay leaf in a bowl.
Rub down the entire pork loin with the spices and place in your slow cooker.
Add the bay leaf and water and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Keep an eye on the pork just to make sure the water doesn't absorb and it dries out.  If you have to add more liquid please do.
Your pork should pull apart easily so you can shred it.

Once you it is able to be shredded take it from the crock pot, shred and then place back into the crock pot.  Stir the meat to coat with the juices.

You can fill a red container with this for the 21 day fix!

For the Carnitas you will need:

• Corn Tortillas
• Black or Pinto Beans in a can
• Romain Lettuce
• Diced Tomatoes
• Diced Avocado
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Cilantro Lime Topping (Do not omit this, it is what makes the whole thing just amazing)

• Greek yogurt
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro Chopped
• 1 lime cut into wedges for garnish

Combine these ingredients in a bowl for the dressing and set aside.

Add the drained beans with 1/2 of a cup of water to a pot on the stove over medium heat. Cook until heated through.  Gently mash with a fork until they reach your desired consistency.

Lightly spray your corn tortillas with cooking spray and place on a foil lined baking sheet.
Crisp in the oven on 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until desired crispiness.

Next step is to assemble the goods!

So take your corn tortilla and add your fixings to make yourself a pretty sweet Carnita.
Add a dollup of the dressing on top and enjoy!

Measure out a red, a yellow, a green and a blue for this recipe!
Your beans and tortilla are your yellow.
Your cheese is your blue
Tomatoes and lettuce are your green
Pork is your red.

Enjoy!!!!!

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach

21 Day Fix Extreme Recipe: Chicken Fajitas

I LOVE the 21 Day Fix Extreme!  I absolutely love the workouts!  Sore definitely means that it's working but hot dog it's hard to push through that muscle soreness!  You need to drink lots of water, biofreeze on sore muscles and an Epsom salt bath is always nice after Dirty 30 Extreme!  But I'm not complaining because anytime your body is sore from a workout it means that it's challenging your body in a whole new way.  I will take it!!!  


We also experiment with the recipes on the Fix Extreme and so far there has not been 1 recipe that we haven't loved!  We made the chicken Fajitas and we actually made extra so we would have lunch for the next day.  Not only was it really delicious, it made great leftovers too!  This is something you could make in bulk and portion out for the entire week and have lunches for a few days.  If you have non clean eaters in your family you can still do the chicken fajitas but just give everyone else shells to use instead of lettuce!  

So please put this in rotation, it's quite awesome!  Make sure to let me know what you think!

This recipe makes 4 servings and 2 fajitas each

Ingredients:
1tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp olive oil, divided, use
4 (5-6oz) raw chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into 1/2 in strips
1 medium red or green red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
8 large romaine (or butter) lettuce leaves
1/2 medium avocado, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh salsa
lime wedge for garnish optional

Directions:
Combine chili powder, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and 1 tsp oil in large resealable plastic bag.

Add chicken, bell pepper, and onion; mix gently to coat.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Heat remaining 1 tsp. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. 

Empty contents of bag into skilled; cook stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove from heat.  Add lime juice.

Evenly top lettuce leaves with chicken mixture, avocado and salsa.
Garnish with lime wedges if desired.

Containers:  2 Green, 1/2 purple, 1 red, 1/2 blue

You gotta try this!  It's amazing!!!

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach

Cinco De Mayo - Stay on track this weekend

Happy Cinco De Mayo week!  I am not a big drinker but I do love me some Margaritas and Fajitas.  So in honor of May 5th I will be drinking my Shakeology and eating some Mexican Clean food!

The weekends are a time when you can get super derailed from your weekly workouts and meal plan.  I want to share some tips with you and just provide you with some insight!  One of the biggest things I tell my customers is to be proactive instead of reactive.  If you know that you have a busy weekend ahead of you then you must take a few minutes to sit down and plan out a strategy.  If you just try to wing it then you will be faced with restaurants with no healthy options, hunger pains which force you into a greasy drive thru and a feeling of guilt for not having more will power! I believe that birthdays, holidays and special occasions are also a time to relax and enjoy food, family and fun but it doesn't mean gorging yourself or throwing all caution to the wind.
 

I really want you to avoid all or nothing thinking.  You don't have to choose between enjoying the holidays or staying lean and healthy- you can choose both!  They can be worked into your 10% compliance rule!

An average meal at a restaurant leaves you with 1,000 calories or more and that is for the main course only.  If you add on appetizers and desserts it's another 1,000.  One weekend of relaxation can cost you an entire weeks worth of hard work in the kitchen and gym!  So if you are serious about losing weight then I suggest staying home and preparing your own food or use some of these tips to keep it safe!
 
So let me just share some tips to keep you on track if you are partaking the festivities this weekend!

1.  If you are going out to a restaurant pull up the menu online and find the best option.  Go with grilled chicken, fish or lean cuts of meat.  Choose steamed veggies and a plain sweet potato.  Get a salad to start with dressing on the side!  Absolutely no creamy dressing such as ranch!  Skip the bread basket and drinks!  Water is your best friend!  If you want a drink then order a glass of wine but add a splash of wine to seltzer water for a spritzer.  Drink 1 glass of water for every drink that you have to keep yourself hydrated!

 2.  Get your workout in!  This is one thing you can control.  Get up early and get in a quick workout so that you have the tone set for the day!  You feel good about yourself and good about the choices you will make.

3.  If you are going to indulge today, then mind your portion sizes!  Have a slice of pie for dessert but not mash potatoes, 10 oz steak, wine and appetizers!  Choose 1 thing to be your cheat meal and savor every bite!

4.  Lastly, ask for a box!  Take half home with you right away.  The servings are always way to large at restaurants and if you box it up right away you won't even miss it!

Have a wonderful weekend and keep it clean!!!

 

 

 

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach