Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

 

Five minutes before jumping in the shower it's time to create dinner in the crockpot! !
With limited time during the week to cook relying on the crockpot to do the cooking. As well as showing others you can be busy and still create a healthy meal for the family.   Making the most of the 21 day fix!!!

 

 

Ingredients
6 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth [or chicken broth!]
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes...
¼-1/2 cup tomatillo salsa
3 TBSP tomato paste
2 TBSP olive oil
3 cups black beans [cooked or canned]
1-2 cups pinto beans [cooked or canned]
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 small corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
2 small onions [approx 1 cups]
2 jalapenos
1 large bell pepper
juice of ½ a fresh lime
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
salt, to taste [amount added will vary on sodium content of broth + tomatoes/beans]
shredded mexican cheese blend
crunchy tortilla chips

...plus add your favorites from the list below:
tons-o-toppings:
greek yogurt
tortilla strips
chopped red onion
chopped green onion
sliced jalapenos
sliced avocado
Directions:
For a brothier soup, keep a bit of extra vegetable or chicken broth on hand to add towards the end. I like my soup hearty and skipped the "soupy" soup this time around!
Instructions
1.Essentially you're going to toss everything in and walk away,
2.Turn your slow cooker to high and add broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomatillo salsa, beans and chicken breasts, whole.
3.Next dice your bell pepper, jalapeno, and onion and tear your corn tortilla into small pieces before tossing them into the pot as well. The corn tortillas help the soup to thicken a bit and also act as noodles!
4.Add your seasonings,olive oil, and lime juice + cover.
5.Within a few hours the chicken breasts should be juicy and perfectly cooked, if you happen to be around, feel free to scoop them out with tongs or a fork, place them on a cutting board, and chop each breast into six large pieces. Now it'll shred oh-so-easily! Use two forks to create pulled/shredded chicken and add it back to your slow cooker. If you aren't home yet you can complete this step once you return. No worries!
6.The soup will simmer away on high for four-six hours [total time] and make your kitchen smell absolutely amazing

 

Family and living life to the fullest
Sums up what we're all about
A little tipsy from time to time

Finding balance during a time of the year life is full...
Looking for the small things daily to stop and be thankful for
Happiness starts from within
And doing things unconventional
Life is short to just survive
So many opportunities and goals to go after
As a busy mom yes you can have the best of both worlds.
But before you tackle any goal set out to be your own best version.
I enjoy helping other woman to work towards their own personal best

Follow me or connect- https://www.facebook.com/rachel.Fledderman

 

XOXO

Brownie Batter Overnight Oatmeal

 Brownie Batter Overnight Oatmeal

I absolutely LOVE this Overnight Oatmeal In A Jar Recipe. It’s so easy to make and the results are delicious. Even if you’re not a fan of oatmeal, you will love this one. It’s creamy, sweet and packed with flavor and texture. Unlike that instant oatmeal they sell at the grocery store.

This is the perfect thing to dig your spoon in. Forget about breakfast, this also works as an afternoon pick me up. Add your favorite toppings and you’re good to go.

1 cup Unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup lain low fat Greek yogurt (or mashed banana, or pumpkin)

2 tbs Unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 tspSalt

2 tbs Baking stevia

1 cup Old fashioned oats

Prep time to make this recipe is 5-10 minutes.

 

 

Directions:

 

In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Divide between 2 small bowls, mugs, or mason jars. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for at least an hour (or more) so the oats soften and absorb the liquid). Top with chopped nuts or topping of choice if desired! Enjoy cold, or microwave for 30-60 seconds to enjoy warm!

Just your small town girl sharing clean eating recipes and tips along the way.

 

Hammer And Chisel

Hammer and Chisel

Hey there!!  I'm excited to share with you what hammer and Chisel is all about and if it might be the right fit for this coming December 2nd.

Most love 21 Day Fix’s Autumn Calabrese and Body Beast’s Sagi Kalev. What if they teamed up on a workout program together?
Announcing The Master Hammer & Chisel a 60-day program that will help you craft a defined, visually-dramatic physique.  Both award-winning fitness competitors — joined forces to create this one-of-a-kind workout that will sculpt you from head-to-toe.

I just completed my first sneak peak workout in this program.  My ARMS and LEGS are shaking!!  It was sooo refreshing to have a killer workout in 35 minutes.  For the past month I've been dong insanity and most workouts range from 45 to 60 minutes.  I still burned 450 calories in this 35 minute workout.

What makes The Master's Hammer and Chisel so effective?

Sagi and Autumn have spent decades acquiring the tools, skills, and experience needed to transform your body—and they're going to help you do it in just 30-40 minutes per day. So what's their secret?
It's all in their approach. You won't simply bust out some curls or perform mindless repetitions. With The Master's Hammer and Chisel you'll use what the experts call SSP Training, for Stabilization, Strength, and Power. Incorporate one or two of these phases into your workout routine and you might see decent results. But combine all three phases—the way Sagi and Autumn do in The Master's Hammer and Chisel—and this comprehensive resistance-training method will relentlessly chip away fat, carve powerful muscle, and refine every inch of your body for results that are a true work of art.


My first workout with beachbody was with a program called Chalene Extreme and I LOVED it!!  Two years ago I was introduced to my very first online accountability group as well between weight training and focus on nutrition I finally felt like I was able to be the best mom I could be.  With three little ones its super important that I pay it forward and show others what they too can achieve.

My Why

 

So often it's easier to let others in your life be an excuse
I don't have the time
I would love to but I don't have the money
You know my kids just don't sleep well at night
The list starts there and for that reason things remain the same....
Rather what has worked well personally is letting my kids be my why.
If I would like Josie to grow up and respect her body it starts with me.
I'm not working out to look good in a bikini To go on vacation or to run a marathon next month I'm just simply leading by example.

 

Results?

 

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty much your small town country mom that enjoys working out and eating clean and sharing this lifestyle with others.  If you connect with me I would love to help you stay accountable to your goals.  2015 is NOT over yet and I want to help you feel your best going into 2016 and rocking your New Years Eve dress or rocking a cute pair of boots out for dinner with your husband.  I will be hosting an exclusive test group for this program and would love to have you.  TEST groups are my ALL time favorite groups to run EVERYONE is doing the same workout together for the first time.  WE START together and WE FINISH together.  You will have the change to WIN some amazing prizes while getting CHISELED.



 

 

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Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Crumble

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Crumble

 

Fall is here!!  As a busy mom of three trying to create a healthy lifestyle of clean eating along with having little one's the need of wanting to bake this time of the year is just part of fall and watching all the leave change colors.  I will say this is SIMPLE and can be prepared in 10 minutes (including cutting the apples) and ready to slow cook. 

 

 

For the apples:

1/2 cup coconut sugar

7 large apples, peeled and cut into chunks

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 

For the topping:

2/3 cup oats

1/3 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3-4 tablespoons  coconut oil (softened)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

   *Caramel to drizzle over the plate

   *Great served warmed or chilled 

 

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, apples, salt, and cinnamon. Spread onto bottom of slow cooker.
2. Mix your crumble topping ingredients until it comes together. Sprinkle it over top of the apples. Cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours.

If you're following the 21 day fix meal plan this will work for it as well.

 

Results with shakeology

Results with shakeology
Hey there!!  I just was spending some time sitting down and blogging past challengers of mine that have had amazing results with shakeology over the past two years of coaching and wanted to share with you.  My sister was one of the first few challengers that went on to have an amazing transformation and yes you can see the physical but often times shakeology goes beyond just how you look on the outside.

"In September 2013, I began a journey of clean eating, daily 30 minute workouts and also began incorporating Shakeology as my breakfast each morning.  We are now more than 18 months later and I am still going strong!  After a lifelong struggle to lose weight, what has been different with this approach?  Why am I convinced that I would never go back to the way things used to be?  That is the topic of today's blog entry!
I recently heard a description of the "Diet Cycle" and it really resonated with the way that I used to do things!  The Recommended Daily Allowance of Calories for many of us is somewhere around 2,000.  So if we want to lose weight, we are going to have to create some sort of calorie deficit by eating less and also burning off x amount of calories through exercise.  We have ALL had those Mondays where THIS IS THE DAY that we are going to "do better".  It is a novel pursuit.  We begin to eat less and try to make more healthy choices.  We become more active.  After 5-7 days we can see some progress and we are really excited!  By 10-14 days it all begins to catch up with us.  We are just plain TIRED.  We are asking our bodies to do more with less.  We have hit a nutrient deficit and this comes across as cravings.  We may become irritable and grouchy.  The cravings escalate and as we give in to a few of them, we may go overboard and then wind up feeling guilty.

Through our best intentions and quite a bit of solid effort, we are sabotaging ourselves by pushing ourselves into a state of being nutrient deficient.  Signs of this are cravings, mental fog, irritability and feeling sluggish.  Can anyone relate??

Even when eating whole foods and making balanced nutrition choices, the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that an individual would have to eat an average of 27,575 calories per day (NOT a typo!) in order to become 100% sufficient in all 27 essential micronutrients based on recommended daily intake guidelines.  According to the study, when we are deficient in these areas, we find an 80.8% increase in the likelihood of becoming overweight or obese and is scientifically linked to a higher risk of other dangerous and debilitating diseases, including resistance to infection, birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

Forget the 27,000+ calories!  What about when we truly do need to lose weight and so we are cutting our usual calorie intake while doing more?  How do we keep our overall health on track while also not falling into the cravings, mental fog, irritability and sluggishness of being nutrient deficient?  When I first began my own journey of life change towards better health, I was constantly BLOWN AWAY by how it really was not as hard as I had expected.  It was much easier AND incredibly more effective than anything that I had ever tried before in my life!  WHY!!?!?!?!?!  Shakeology.  Really and truly.  This meal replacement is so easy.  It is a whole food and you can think of it as "dry juicing".  I get all of my vitamins and it is the equivalent of 5 plates of a very healthy salad.  But all for just 160 calories!   Shakeology meets my basic nutrition needs for that meal while also SUPER-CHARGING my body.  Shakeology is not like a triple espresso where you feel an instant zing.  It works at the cellular level and takes 4-5 days of being in our system to really prime our digestion.  Then suddenly we have this shift where things just come together.  I found that I could feel better, my energy went way up, my cravings nearly disappeared and my body repaired more quickly from my workouts. 

Weight loss is not the end goal itself.  Weight loss is a by-product of proper nutrition.  Shakeology is NOT a protein shake.  It is NOT a weight loss shake.  We are nutrient deficient much of the time, even when eating whole foods.  Shakeology is a nutrient dense meal replacement that is seriously a game-changer.  I found that I was naturally eating less, I felt significantly better, my energy went way up and I began to shed the weight.  My migraines and for the first time in my life my menstrual cycle quickly became regular and has stayed that way!  

When looking at meal replacement shakes, you want to make sure that you are avoiding soy.  Soy is a cheap filler.  It interrupts digestion and lowers our immune system.  Avoid artificial sweeteners.  There are so many studies which show that they actually stimulate our appetite and increase insulin production in our body.  You also want to steer clear of artificial flavors.  After some time of eating clean, our taste-buds will be retrained to where we are truly able to appreciate natural flavors like never before!  

Shakeology is full of super-foods!  In short, super-foods strengthen our immune system.  They repair our GI system so that digestion improves and we are able to absorb nutrients.  This also promotes regularity in that department!  Super-foods reduce chronic inflammation and that is crazy-important!  Inflammation destroys cells and leaves us at risk for all sorts of disease.  I know of so many people who used to deal with painful inflammation-related conditions and they are significantly reduced and sometimes even wiped out through the use of Shakeology!  Many chronic diseases are preventable or at least slowed with better food choices and exercise.  Would we rather be on the back end of disease while medicating ourselves to manage our symptoms or would we like to be on the front end of wellness, feeling our best??  Easy choice, right?

A conclusion of the study referenced/linked above - "It is the conclusion of this researcher that an individual following a popular diet plan using food alone, has a high likelihood of becoming micronutrient deficient, a condition shown to be scientifically linked to a higher risk of dangerous and debilitating diseases including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, birth defects and overweight/obesity. Based on this study's findings, the belief that a healthy, balanced diet can consistently deliver, to a typical dieter, all of the essential vitamins and minerals they need, through whole food alone, is in dire need of revision. It would appear that supplementation should be considered as a viable, low cost method to achieve micronutrient sufficiency and reduce the risk for some of today's most prevalent and devastating health conditions and diseases."

I hope sharing this with you will help you to see the value in shakeology and why it is KEY part of success in getting started in your healthier lifestyle.  Something that has always stuck out with me is the thought that you can't have a "wrong workout"  exercise is exercise for my redneck friends that could mean taking a walk in the woods hunting for the day!!  It still counts!!  But nutrition....We can get a bit off track you can be 120 lbs and be tired, lack energy, headaches everyday, and feel ready to make changes. 

I love helping others to get started!!  In order for me to learn more about your goals and work together on reaching them apply below-

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Almond Joy Shakeology

Almond Joy Shakeology

Hey there!!  I'm excited to share with you my new favorite shakeology recipe!!  But first I could not help but share a few details on shakeology to help others see the full value in the meal replacement.  This past weekend I was outside our newly purchased farm and two older men pulled up and knew the original owners of the place.  We went on to talk and they asked "If my dad was around" ummm nope I'm the owner.  It kind of made me giggle but coming from a mom of three little one's that hasn't slept in 4 years, never wears make, but some how finds the time to workout and eat clean 80% of the time--Cool!!

So prior to budgeting in $3.33 a day for my shakeology I was tired, my skin DID NOT look like this, my hands hurt all the time, and a headache almost every day.  I truly believe in living life to its fullest and I CLEARY could not do so two years ago.  I was afraid of shakeology like for real, what if I'm hungry?  I breastfeed what is in shakeology is it safe? 

We all know and fall into the "Diet Cycle" and it really makes sense with the way that I used to do things!  The Recommended Daily Allowance of Calories for many of us is somewhere around 2,000.  So if we want to lose weight, we are going to have to create some sort of calorie deficit by eating less and also burning off x amount of calories through exercise.  We have ALL had those Mondays where THIS IS THE DAY that we are going to "do better". Crap by Tuesday at 2:00 pm I'm hungry and want to eat everything in site.  We begin to eat less and try to make more healthy choices.  We become more active.  After 5-7 days we can see some progress and we are really excited!  By 10-14 days it all begins to catch up with us.  We are just plain TIRED.  We are asking our bodies to do more with less.  We have hit a nutrient deficit and this comes across as cravings.  We may become irritable and grouchy.  The cravings escalate and as we give in to a few of them, we may go overboard and then wind up feeling guilty.

So how can shakeology become a game changer for your health?  When looking at meal replacement shakes, you want to make sure that you are avoiding soy.  Soy is a cheap filler.  It interrupts digestion and lowers our immune system.  Avoid artificial sweeteners.  There are so many studies which show that they actually stimulate our appetite and increase insulin production in our body.  You also want to steer clear of artificial flavors.  After some time of eating clean, our taste-buds will be retrained to where we are truly able to appreciate natural flavors like never before!  

Shakeology is like 6 trips to the salad bar with good nutrition but for around 150 calories. 

Shakeology is full of super-foods!  In short, super-foods strengthen our immune system.  They repair our GI system so that digestion improves and we are able to absorb nutrients.  This also promotes regularity in that department!  Super-foods reduce chronic inflammation and that is crazy-important!  Inflammation destroys cells and leaves us at risk for all sorts of disease.  I know of so many people who used to deal with painful inflammation-related conditions (myself being one of them) and they are significantly reduced  through the use of Shakeology!  Many chronic diseases are preventable or at least slowed with better food choices and exercise.  Taking shakeology and giving it a 30 day trial to see what the superfoods will help with is worth trying, how will you know unless you give something a whirl!!

Here is the almond joy recipe

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Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

 

Well hello Fall!!  Yesterday made fall official for the year 2015, this time of the year I start to focus on end of the year goals life, business, family, fitness, and all the things that fall between the cracks of the day.  Three weeks ago my son start preschool and of course like any mom will tell you somewhere I blink and he want from needing help with things to being a little man.  I'm thankful he is doing well, change is hard for him.  The kids go a few mornings a week to childcare so that I can work for our traditional business and they truly enjoy it.  However getting out the door in the morning is a challenge!  Someone (out of three kids) is always crying, someone does not like what is for breakfast, someone needs SOMETHING!!  So when I came across this fall recipe I wanted to give it a try, BOTH kids loved it and asked for more.  I personally like it because it falls into the 21 day fix meal plan.  If you're someone that follows this system this recipe would could for one yellow per serving and half a blue container.   The recipe makes 12 servings also I was able to make this recipe from start finish in TEN MINUTES!!  I used walnuts because that was the nut I had on hand in the house, pecans are a sweeter nut.

 

 

Ingredients

• ½ cup walnut or pecans, chopped
• 1 cup pumpkin puree my favorite place to pick this up is at Trader Joe's
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil room temp.
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly  spray with nonstick cooking (I like coconut oil) spray an 8-inch square baking dish.
2. Spread chopped walnuts or pecans on an ungreased baking sheet and toast for 4 to 6 minutes or until fragrant and light golden brown. Cool on baking sheet.
3. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, milk, eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Blend in oats, toasted nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt; stir until mixture is well-combined.
4. Spread oatmeal into prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set and light golden brown on top. Allow to cool in the baking dish for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with fresh fruit or pure maple syrup. 

 

 

If you would like more recipes that go along with the 21 day fix meal plan fill out the form below

 

 

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