How to save MONEY while still eating clean!

This video is actually from one of my FREE 7 day challenge groups, but I thought I would throw it up here to see if it helps anyone else! 

xoxo, Cassandra

Vegetarian Chili

Well, it has been pretty cold this week ahem in the negatives and I needed something hearty to warm me up. You all know how I am trying to live healthier- so I made this vegetarian chili!

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
3 onions- chopped
2 cloves garlic-minced
1 green bell pepper- chopped
1/2 of a red bell pepper-chopped
1 spicier pepper ( of your choosing- I used some serrano- but only because I love spicy and I had some in the freezer! I have also used anaheim peppers for mild chili. )
2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes- make sure you get the kind with no salt added!
1 qt. vegetable broth (I like pacific foods)
1/2 cup bulgar
1 can kidney beans
1 can great northern beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
avocados to put on top.

Directions:
1. Warm olive oil in large stock pot on medium high
2. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
3. Add tomatoes, vegetable broth, chili powder, cayenne pepper and bulgar. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, and cook for about 10 minutes or until bulgar is soft. You will need to stir this so the bulgar doesn't burn to the bottom!
5. Add the bell peppers, spicy pepper, beans, frozen corn  and salt. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes.
6. BOOM. Thats it. This makes eight servings. I like to serve mine with avocado and hot sauce.

Are you hungry, or just bored?

Too frequently, we misreads queues from our bodies. We frequently trick ourselves into believing that we are hungry when we truly aren't. So next time you think that you are hungry, have a glass of water and think about eating some raw veggies without the dip peeps! If that sounds really good, and it has been about 4 hours since you last ate, then chances are it is time to feed the bear again. If you think that you are bored, take a walk or try to do something else productive to put off eating for a bit.

Grilled Carrots and Bison Burgers

 One of the new things I have learned how to do in the past few months, is grill. I LOVE grilled food, BUT I have always been too afraid to use the grill. This most likely goes back to my very first apartment I lived in; my upstairs neighbors set off the fire suppression system with their grill. It dumped TONS of the oily chemical on all of our stuff, the fire department came, it was a big deal. We still live in an apartment, with a fire suppression system on our patio. Which has made me reluctant to grill.

When I started out on this Beachbody weight-loss journey, I realized that I wanted to eat a lot of chicken. But I REALLY love lemon pepper chicken grilled. Mike works nights, so I learned to operate the grill. I have moved on form just chicken, and will grill just about anything now. My new favorite? Grilled Carrots and Bison Burgers! Below is my recipe for each!

Grilled Carrots:
Whole carrots (halved, peeled if you want them peeled)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup agave nectar
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning (I prefer the saltless kind)

Mix the bottom three ingredients together and set aside. Place carrots on the grill over medium-low heat. Wait about 5ish minutes I know I'm really accurate. Flip carrots and brush with the glaze. Grill about another 5 minutes or until carrots are tender enough for you. Remove from grill and brush again with the glaze. SO YUMMY. I can literally down an entire PACKAGE of carrots this way. haha

Bison Burgers:
These are super forgiving, but I like to add all kinds of things to them. You can vary your herbs, spices, cheese, etc. to your tastes- but here is how I like them!

1 lb. ground bison meat
1tsp. pink himalayan salt
1tsp. pepper
1tsp. garlic powder (or you can use fresh)
1tsp. minced dehydrated onion (or you can use fresh)
1tsp. cajun seasoning
2 Tbsp Teriyaki or similar sauce

Mix everything together and form patties. I like to make a little "divot" in my patties so they don't puff up quite as much on the grill. I usually do about 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat. If I am not going to eat them that day, I usually do 2-3 minutes, so when I reheat them they don't dry out (and they finish cooking). These are seriously SO yummy and are the perfect summer food.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

• I adapted this recipe from Taste of home. This is also their photo- am I the only one that is the WORST at taking photos of the food I make? Seriously, by the time it is made I need to EAT it! This is a fairly forgiving recipe so I also sometimes add tomatoes or cucumber if I have it. 
  
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• 1 cup chopped peeled mango
• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 2 shallots, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 serrano pepper, peeled, seeded, and chopped. 

Combine everything in one bowl and I serve it over grilled chicken. I actually usually triple the recipe so I can have food for the next few days. 

Snacking!

When trying to lose weight, most people tend to cut out one of the most important steps to weight loss- snacking! Eating snacks can help manage hunger and reduce bingeing. These snacks need to be small, and you still need to be working out :) Moderation and healthy choices are the key to snacking. Try to choose snacks that are around 100-200 calories.

Here are some healthy snack ideas:

• 1.5 cup vegetables and 2 Tbsp Hummus
• 1 cup fruit
• 1 slice Ezikiel bread with almond butter
• 2 Tbsp nuts
• 3 ½ cups or air popped PLAIN popcorn
• 2 cups veggies
• A hard boiled egg.

Snacks to AVOID

• 100-calorie snack packs- chemical SHIT storm right there
• White processed grains
• Yogurt- if it has many ingredients ahem Yoplait
• Store bought muffins and pastries
• Chips
• Doughnuts
• Soda
• Lattes

Raw Tomatillo Salsa

Raw Tomatillo Salsa

• 8 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered.
• ¼ red onion (can also use yellow onion for a more mellow flavor)
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup cilantro, stems removed
• 2 Serrano peppers, stemmed and seeded. (you can also use a large jalapeño for a milder salsa)
• ¼ tsp salt (I use pink Himalayan sea salt)
• 2 oz water

Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender!) and blend until smooth. You can add more water if you would like a thinner salsa. Viola, that’s it! I like to put mine in a container in the fridge and use a small amount throughout the week. I love to put it on EVERYTHING, and will even add some to my guacamole for more a more flavorful guac.   

Crock-pot Shredded Chicken

I always make a protein on Sundays to keep me on track throughout the week. This week was one of my favorites, crock-pot shredded chicken. This recipe is SO EASY and is my go to recipe for chicken!

Crock-pot Shredded Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

¾ cup vegetable broth- I like Pacific Organic because it is really flavorful, just look at sodium content when selecting a broth!

Salt (I use pink Himalayan)

Pepper

Oregano

Garlic (Sometimes I just halve cloves, or I use garlic powder)

Place chicken breasts in crock-pot. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic. Pour vegetable broth on the side so you don’t rinse the seasoning off the chicken. Place lid on crock-pot and cook on High for 4 hours or low for 7 hours. When the chicken is done, remove garlic cloves if you used them, and then shred the chicken with two forks while still in the crock-pot. The chicken will suck up the rest of the juice and leave you with moist, flavorful chicken for the week. This chicken is an excellent base chicken that you can use in tacos, chicken salad, on salads, wraps, BBQ sandwiches, quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas and in pasta sauces.

So on Sunday prep day I always make a protein and have some plans for how to “dress it up” to eat throughout the week. This week I made a tomatillo salsa and put it over shredded chicken and brown rice.