When I walk into the kitchen I feel a sense of dread. Please tell me I am not the only one? I believe there is some sort of biological piece of me missing that is supposed to love putting together entire dinners and 4 course meals of my family but... it is just not there. 

I do love baking delicious desserts - hello: the reason I am here now! HA!

However, I am lucky enough to have a husband that does 80% of the cooking and he is damn good at it. Unfortunately the other 20% of the time I have yet to reach the status in life that would warrant me cavorting around with a personal chef so I must fend for myself.

• In and out. 
• 10 ingredients or less
• Prep time of 30 minutes - nothing more!
• Can I pronounce everything in the recipe? No - you are out!

These are the rules I follow when I am looking for something new to cook. Sometimes though, I will just go rogue and open up the fridge and to see what my options are. Enter in: 3 Ingredient Gluten Free Stir Fry. 

Now, liberties are taken on this.. but the ease portion totally wins!

Ingredients:

Bag of Gluten Free Meatballs (or you can make your own - you badass you)
Bag of Steamable Vegetables (no shame in your game)
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (because, obviously!)

Mix them all together and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Yum! So simple and ready to eat in under 5 minutes. Enjoy :) 

Monday Musings: 

This past week has been insane. I had a packed week at work (conference style!) and Jim brewed every single day. Basically - each day was a 12-14 hour work day for these kids but we still managed to find some fun in the mix :) 

I am starting to see McKinley's personality come through a little more and y'all - she is a force to be reckoned with! I know everyone says that each child will be different and that could not be more true for our two. McKinley's stubborn streak baffles Jim and I daily - although I have to respect the girl's eating style: Back off biotch, if you want to keep your handz... 

Anyone else getting that message? Just me? Oh, okay... just checking.

Before the week started I got to head out for a little "Amy-time" and get some new black pants. I know, nothing exciting right? Normally I would be annoyed to have to shop for clothes instead of something fun but this time it is because all my pants are just too big. 

That's right - even my pre-pregnancy pants have gotten too big at this point! I am still in shock really but it feels so good to see the results from hard work and consistency. Don't get me wrong.. I take days off and have my cheat meals but I chose real foods and to dedicate 30 minutes a day to working out and it is paying off. (insert self high five!)

Finally - on Saturday we had a pretty packed family day. Jimmy was adamant about us getting out of the house early and enjoying the beautiful weather so we packed up and headed to the local farmers market at the beach. 

Then this happened y'all. I am not going to lie - it was hilarious and I am so glad we did it. Wyatt LOVED it (he is named after Wyatt Earp after all!) and I burst out laughing every time I look at it. 

Easy Healthy BBQ Appetizer - Cilantro Salsa

Ever have a hard time going to parties and events? I know that choosing to eat healthy when it seems like everyone around you is eating whatever they want is tough... and part of life when you make the commitment to put your own health first.

Bringing an appetizer that you can enjoy and is delicious is an easy way to knock out those feelings and be a great guest. We like this salsa for summer BBQ's and usually make a double batch! It is perfect to top on chicken, fish tacos and SO much more for the rest of your week. Remember - I am all about making meal prep as easy as possible: 

Easy Cilantro Salsa! (adapted from allrecpes.com)

1 can yellow corn, drained

1 can sweet corn, drained 

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 bunch chopped cilantro (to taste  - I love it, throw a ton in!!)

5 green onions, chopped

1 medium white onion

2 red peppers, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup lime juice

(optional) - 1 chopped avocado - do not add this if you plan on using any for leftovers

Stir everything together and serve with corn tortillas or sliced raw veggies :) 

Top 5 Meal Prep Tips for Beginners

Meal Prep Fun

If you owned a time machine and could go and visit Amy of 10 years ago you would balk at the amount of fast food and carbs that I regularly shoved into my mouth. I blame it on the fact that we never went out to eat when I was young and fast food was a novelty. Every chance I got - I ran to McDonalds or Burger King because "ooo, its a treat!!"

Yea... about that. I may have been a little off the mark on that one. Now that I have been introduced "not treating my stomach like a garbage dump" I follow the 80/20 rule for intake.

This means 80% of the time I am eating clean, whole foods, following the 21 Day Fix portion guide. The other 20% of the time I am open to where life may take me. :) Sometimes this means that I stay on the path or it might mean that I indulge with a little ice cream or a plate of nachos as a treat... but I have worked hard to get to that point.

To make sure that I keep my ratios where they need to be I 100% of the time have to meal prep each week. Nowadays food is available everywhere you go and chances are it it just will not meet the nutritional value that you need. Prepping your meals ahead of the time so you are not in a bind and heading to the Golden Arches is the key to any foolproof plan!

Here are my top tips for Meal Prepping Gone Right:

1. Sunday Funday
Always prep on a Sunday. I say this because my workweek is Monday-Friday and this means I have fresh food ready to go. Meal prep should only take you 1.5 - 2 hours, if you plan ahead! Do you grocery shopping the day before or earlier in the week. If you try to do everything in one day you will get burnt out!

2. Be Picky
Choose 2-3 meats that you will eat throughout the week and stick to them. Find recipes that use these meats and do not deviate. The goal is that you can prepare the meat in bulk cut down on your cooking time. Think roasted chicken on Sunday and chicken fajitas on Wednesday. One batch of chicken knocks both of these out!

3. Cut it Out
Dice, dice and dice! Cut allllll your veggies and store them in easy grab and go containers when you get them. You are much more likely to pull pre-cut veggies for a snack than a giant cucumber that you have to clean and chop up when the hanger pains creep up on you.

4. Looks Aren't Everything
Tupperware and containers are prime real estate when you are meal prepping so make sure you have a ton on hand. I recommend getting ones that can easily stack into themselves when not in use so that you free up some cabinet space. I am fan of the Rubbermaid ones that you can find just about everywhere and recently have started using Pyrex as well. Anything works really!

5. Who has Time for This? 
Umm.. You? I sure hope so? Trust me... the first time is going to feel awkward. Your palms will sweat. Things will be weird and messy and you will want it to just be over soon. BUT it gets better! Each week - you will figure out the timing a little more... throwing the chicken in the crockpot as soon as you wake up + hard boiling eggs in the oven while chopping veggies = saving an hour!!

Hope these tips help! I like to keep things pretty basic in "prep land" and then season during meal time when I know what I am in the mood for :)

Hey Everyone - I wanted to share an awesome circuit workout that I have used to pump up my Sunday routine. I usually stick to yoga/rest on Sundays but occasionally you just want to get up and sweat, ya know?

This is quick and effective - and you can do it anywhere! Let me know what you think :)

Monday Musings

What's that? Possibly a weekly theme?

Who knows... we will see if it sticks or not. 

Truthfully, I used to keep a family blog to share with close friends and family that are out of town. I love being able to look back at Wyatt (my four year old's) first year and see all of his little moments that are easily forgotten. I am thinking this is a great spot to reflect at the past week and remember the good, the bad and the "oh snap - geriatric Amy may forget but that shit was funny!" moments in life. 

Let there be Light! 

After a crazy two-week bender out of town for a work conference I came home ready to get my family time on! Luckily, the kids did not forget who I was and McKinley was on board with letting me hold her for a long time - aka, would start screaming if I tried to put her down - for the first hour back. 

Family Fun Day consisted of: a trip to the farmers market, marathon expo, our first trip to the beach, playing at the park and a picnic dinner. So yes, perfect on all accounts. Sure - there were tears and grumpy toddler moments, and we were in sweatshirts instead of flip-flops but days like that are just what I needed to recharge!

That "oh snap" - Know Who You Are - Moment..

As you all know, I am full on -girl crush mode - in love with the 21 Day Fix. I have completed almost 5 rounds of the workouts now and STILL am not bored. Autumn is my girl and I have not found another workout that gets the total body moving, losing weight and toning up so fast! However - with Beachbody On Demand - I have the option to try out a TON of different programs as part of my package. I never turn down "free" y'all.

Sooo... I have NO rhythm. At all. Try as I might... I am going through Brazilian Butt Lift, Turbofire and more and man - is it fun! I think it is even more fun for my husband and the kids to watch me attempt to these moves. As a woman who cannot even clap and sing at the same time... #partyfail I will not give up though!! 

Let There Be...Food Prep

Two weeks of eating out every.single.meal means that the minute I got home I was anxious for a home cooked meal! Jimmy did not disappoint. The man can cook and I was welcomed home with steaks, marinated chicken, roasted veggies, and more! Even more - food was prepped! I packed my 21 Day Fix containers as soon as I walked in the door and nom.nom.nom my stomach was full! 

Be still my heart, this man knows me so well :) 

Easy One Dish Family Dinner - Fish & Veggies

Every week we roll into the evenings with the best intentions - THIS is going to be the week of zero slip ups, hitting every work out and eating off our nutrition plan without a hiccup. 

I can count the amount of weeks that my husband and I have been able to do that on one hand. Couple reasons for this: 

1.  Jimmy loves pizza. He must eat it every week or he will spontaneously combust (and he is very good at convincing me to eat it with him) Enter - the reason I perfected a cauliflower pizza crust that we love!

2. We are freakin' busy y'all! Just like each of you, the day just sneaks up on me and by 6pm I am tapped out. Work, kids, commute... it all adds up and if there is ever a time that I will go off track it is dinner. 

All I need is an evening with an unprepared-not prepped meal plan and the sky is the limit. Order Chinese food? Sure, general Tso's... get in mah belly! Want Italian? What is... I'll take a ginormous Stromboli to split, Alex? 

Even worse - this is when I go rogue and eat the foods that attach my body (gluten, soy, heavy amounts of dairy). It hurts and I pay for it but exhaustion and hunger can lead you to stupid and silly decisions. A missing thyroid is no joke people... granted, I joke about it regularly :) 

A couple weeks ago I came across a recipe that I knew I could make work for my husband and picky toddlers, and our busy schedule. I got rave reviews from the clan. This means Jim loved it, Wyatt ate it after a 30 minute argument, and McKinley shoved it in her mouth as fast as she could. 

Allow me to share:


One Dish Fish and Veggies: 

• Fish Fillets (I used tilapia because my son loves them)
• Asparagus or a green veggie of your choice 
• Olive oil
• dash of butter
• Pampered chef lemon seasoning (or whatever tickles your fancy) 
• Salt & pepper
• Lemon – sliced

The Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Place tin foil in pan and spray it down. 
• Fill half pan with asparagus and cover with olive oil 
• Place fillets on other half of dish and put a small dollop of butter on each. 
• Sprinkle Pampered Chef or your choice of seasoning over fish. Season asparagus with salt & pepper to taste. 
• Slice lemon and place on top of each fillet 
• Cook for 30 mins or until fish is 145 degrees and veggies are tender. Be sure to check so your fish does not overcook :) 

Enjoy and relax...Prep time is 5 minutes top!