Easy Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup the healthier way

My husband and I were both craving chicken tortilla soup this week. But, many of the versions out there aren't exactly the healthiest options. So, I decided to make my own version and make it healthier but still keep that flavor we were looking for to satisfy our cravings. This recipe is easy and totally kid friendly. In fact, my kids were singing "Mommy made something good, we really like it," to the tune of the 70's song by Rufus "Tell me something good." It was hilarious but at the same time, I guess that means they liked it! As you can see from the pictures, you have the option to garnish it or not, and the garnishes I used were healthier options too. See the recipe below for details:

Ingredients: 

2-3 pounds frozen boneless skinless chicken ( I used chicken tenderloins, but feel free to use thighs, or breasts instead)
2-3 cups of water
chicken bullion (I didn't measure, just eyeballed the amount)
2 cans organic diced tomatoes
2 can organic garbanzo beans
2 organic zucchini diced
2 organic carrots diced
1 cup Kirkland organic salsa
pepper (amount to taste)

For the garnish: 

plain Greek yogurt
organic guacamole
organic tortilla chips, crushed

Place all of your ingredients (EXCEPT the garnishments) in the crock pot on high for 6-8 hours. Once it's done, shred your chicken with a fork. Stir and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a dollop of organic guacamole, and crushed organic chips on top. Greek yogurt has that sour taste to it just like sour cream, but with added protein. Also, feel free to skip the garnishments or cater them to your dietary needs. For instance, if you omit the yogurt this is a dairy free recipe because there's no cheese. If you skip the tortilla chips, it's grain free as well. This recipe gives you that indulgent taste without the guilt and with some added veggies and protein as well. It's a win-win!

Enjoy!

Craving baked pasta? Try this FAKE Ziti (spaghetti squash bake)

One of the things I miss most about cutting out grains from my life is pasta. So, I'm always on the lookout for pasta substitutes that still satisfy that craving, without the grains. This recipe is one of the yummiest I've tried out yet, and I think everyone should try it!

Ingredients:

2 medium-large organic spaghetti squash
2-3 organic yellow and/or green zucchini
1 jar of organic tomato sauce of your choice (or homemade if you have time)
1 package of organic ground beef
mozzarella cheese (the amount you use depends on your preference. My family likes cheese so we used about a pound)
organic Italian seasoning, garlic, pepper, sea salt (all amounts to taste)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice your spaghetti squash lengthwise in half and place face up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. It's best to remove the seeds before you bake it, but as you can see in the pic, I forgot that step. You can remove them after baking, it's just more time consuming.

Bake them for about 30-35 minutes. They'll look like the pic above when done. While those are in the oven, shred your cheese and your zucchini 

Next, brown your ground beef in a pot and drain before adding your sauce. 

Heat the sauce and ground beef until bubbly, and add in your spices to taste. By this time, your spaghetti squash should be done. Take it out and let cool for a few minutes so you can handle it without burning yourself. Then, using a fork, shred the "meat" of the spaghetti squash into strands of "spaghetti." Up the temperature of your oven to 400 degrees now. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix up the "spaghetti" and your shredded zucchini. Then, place the mixture in a large 13X9 baking dish and pour your sauce/meat mixture on top. Then, add the cheese on top on some more seasonings on the top.  This is what it looks like before you put it in the oven. 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and brown. It's best to let it sit for about 10 minutes or so once it comes out of the oven, but as you can see, we were hungry and couldn't wait. It would have held together much better if we would have waited, but it was still amazing!

If there are any leftovers, they are even yummier the next day. This was a crowd pleasing recipe with all of my kiddos asking for seconds and thirds. Best of all, everything is organic except the cheese (only because organic cheese is hard to find in my neck of the woods and super expensive when you find it). You can also add in some spinach or kale, but I didn't have any on hand. Enjoy and please let me know in the comments if you try it. 

Find your TRUTH

Let's be honest, to lose weight and be successful, you have to be truthful. You have to be honest with yourself. It doesn't matter if XYZ program worked for your best friend's neighbor. It doesn't matter if the newest fad diet seems to have made your co-worker look like a model overnight. All that stuff doesn't matter if you're not honest with yourself. You have to find your truth.

What does that mean? Well, it means that you have to be honest with yourself and realistic too. Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to be healthy? Are you really committed to making a change? Yes, you need to make a change. You can't honestly believe that you can continue doing whatever it is that you're doing that got you out of shape and overweight. If you think that, you're not being honest with yourself. So, once you realize you need to make a change, you have to figure out how much change you can accept.

Let's say for instance, you want to do some workout program you saw in an infomercial. The truth is that most of those programs require you to workout 6 days a week for around 40-60 minutes a day (sometimes more) and change your eating habits probably drastically from your current habits. Are you willing to do that? Honestly are you willing and able to do that? I'm not saying that you can't, or that you shouldn't, I'm just saying that you need to know what you're signing up for an what you are realistically capable of and able to do. If you can't honestly figure out how you'll make the time for something like that, you need to either re-organize your schedule or do some other fitness program that you can do and be successful. There is nothing worse than starting a fitness program and giving up right away because you weren't honest with yourself about your abilities or willingness to do it.

If you constantly say things like "Nothing works," or "I can't lose weight no matter what I do," or "I eat so healthy sometimes," then you're not being truthful with yourself. Unless you have an underlying health condition, if you are truly eating healthy and exercising, you should see progress, even if it's slow. It's when you lie to yourself and others and don't admit that tub of ice cream you secretly ate, or the 5 days this week where your only exercise was changing the channel on the television that stall your efforts. Be truthful with yourself and others if you're serious about losing weight.

I'll give you an example of my current truth. My truth is that I am a busy mom. My truth is that I have 4 young kids. My truth is that ever since adding our baby, I've had to make it a conscious effort to workout. I have to schedule my workouts. I have to make sure that my husband is available to watch the kids, because my baby is now mobile and almost walking, so I can't turn my back on her for even a second. My truth is that working out at home isn't an option anymore unless my husband is home because the baby doesn't sleep unless I'm next to her. So, I can no longer put her to bed and go workout. My truth is that I enjoy cooking healthy meals for our family. I love that my kids love veggies and eat healthy and that they ask "Is this organic?" My truth is that I have an autoimmune disease so I know that I have to work harder than most people to see results. And, my truth is that I know that and welcome the challenge. My truth is that I know I'm better than the junk food society tries to tell me is OK. And, I know that every day I workout I'm setting a better example for my kids and teaching them healthy habits. My truth is that I don't want to be a sick and overweight person because I love my kids and want to see them grow and be able to do active things with them.

Knowing my truth and being honest with myself helps me set limits with scheduling. It helps me to know that I need to ask my husband for help with the kids so I can workout. It helps me to know that pushing my limits is not only necessary but empowering. And, it helps me to not feel guilty for putting health and fitness first.

So, be honest with yourself first. What is your truth?

Review: Thrive Market

You've probably heard of Thrive Market by now. It seems to be the newest online craze for health conscious folks these days. Celebrities like Jillian Michaels are promoting it left and right. So, is it really that great?

The short answer is YES! Thrive lets you choose from an ever-expanding selection of all kinds of food and household supplies at prices that are lower than you're used to finding. You can search for items specifically by name using their search box. Or, you can shop by category like Paleo, Gluten Free, Vegan, Moms, Raw, or Staples.They even carry beauty products, health products, baby items, household goods, and shower essentials like body wash. Shipping is free on orders over $49 and very quick.

I use Thrive to buy pantry staples and snacks for my family that I can't find locally or that I've found cheaper than on other sites. I live in a small town and there aren't always organic or gluten free options available to me locally. But I can find them easily on Thrive. I've also bought household items like body wash, lotions, and cleaning supplies and found them to be much more affordable.

Thrive gives you a 30 day free trial membership when you sign up. After your free trial, membership is $59.95 per year. Think of it like Amazon Prime for health conscious people. You can cancel at any time if you choose not to continue after your free trial. But, if you're like me, you'll save more than the cost of the membership and continue on enjoying the service.

Try Thrive today by clicking on my link and you will also get 25% off your first order  http://thrv.me/5whva6

Affordable Healthy Family Recipe: Oodles and Oodles of Organic Zucchini Noodles

You've probably heard of zucchini noodles before. Maybe you've tried them, or maybe you've been on the fence and wondering if they could possibly taste good. Maybe you're a busy mom with picky eaters and think your kids will never eat veggies disguised as pasta. Trust me, I know how you feel. As a mom of 4 kids I know how hard it can be to find the balance between fun food and healthy food.  This recipe is a family favorite and even my pickiest eater loves it! It's also a cheap and easy way to feed a large group and ORGANIC meal. This recipe costs only about $12 to feed a family of 2 adults and 3 kids. Good luck trying to find take-out at that price!

Ingredients:

5-6 large organic zucchini

4 links organic sausage

1 jar organic pasta sauce of your choice, or homemade sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon organic coconut oil

Preparation:

Chop the ends off of your zucchini and use a spiralizer or cheese grater to make your "noodles."

While you're making your noodles, you can cook the sausage. I like to cut them in half lengthwise and grill them on a George Foreman grill. 

Once you've noodled all of your zucchini, you can prepare to cook everything. This part is quick! The most time consuming part of the recipe is making the noodles with the spiralizer. 

In large frying pan, melt your coconut oil and add the garlic to the pan. 

Add your zucchini noodles to the pan and toss occasionally with tongs. Cook for about 10 minutes total. 

 In a separate small saucepan, heat your sauce on medium heat, stirring frequently. 

Once your sauce is heated through, you can drain your noodles in a colander and take your sausages off of the grill. Then, just toss your noodles in sauce (or keep them separate if you have picky kids) and top with the sausage. ENJOY!

Treat your FOOD like MEDICINE

Think about the way we typically treat our bodies. If you get sick, you go to the doctor. If the doctor prescribes you medication, you most likely want to know what's in that medication. What are the side effects? Are there warning labels? Are there possible reactions with other medicines I'm already taking? We want to be informed about this chemical medicine that we are putting into our bodies. But, do you treat your food the same way?

Do you go grocery shopping and carefully consider the foods you buy? Do you shop based on the pureness of the food? Do you think about the potential consequences or side effects of the foods you buy and eat? Do you think about the chemicals in your food like you think about the chemicals in your medications? If not, then you need to think about the way you shop. And, you need to think about the way you treat your body.

There is a popular phrase we've all heard that says "You are what you eat." So, do you want to be healthy or do you want to be full of chemicals and junk processed foods? You can exercise like an athlete, but if you eat like a pig, you'll never see results. If you don't fuel your body with healthy foods, the exercise you're doing won't make up for the damage you're doing in the kitchen.

The foods you eat should be deliberate. Your choice of food should be a conscious decision. You should know what's in the food you are eating, just like you want to know what's in that medication you're taking. It's the same idea. Your food can either heal your body or make you sick. It's ultimately your choice.

Take it from me, the less processed junk you eat, the better you feel. If your foods are fresh, natural, and not processed, you're doing your body a favor. You are feeding and fueling your body the way nature intended. If you cut out the processed chemical food-like substances from your life, you will see significant improvements in your health. You'll get sick less, you'll have better digestion, you'll be less bloated, and you'll have better cholesterol and lower blood sugar. Weight loss is a side effect from eating right. It's just an added bonus. Your health and well-being are the main goals here.

Now, I'm not saying you can never eat a french fry or a bag of chips again. What I am saying is that the majority of the foods you eat need to be healthy, natural, real, whole foods. Aim for organic Non-GMO foods whenever you can. If you buy meats like sausage or salami, look for uncured nitrate and nitrite free varieties. Most of your food shouldn't have an ingredients label. But, the foods that have ingredients need to have as few as possible and they need to be real ingredients that you can pronounce.

I can't speak for everyone, but I can speak for our family. I haven't had a cold or flu in well over a year. There was a time during cold/flu season this year where just about everyone I knew and spent time with got sick, sometimes for a month at a time. But, even though I spent a lot of time with these people, I never got sick. My kids have had a cold less than 5 times in the past year, whereas a lot of their peers are sick all the time. I believe that a healthy diet of real foods plays a huge role in our health. After all, most of our immune system lives in our gut, so food is where your main focus on health should be. If we could all eat healthier, imagine how many trips to the doctor we could avoid.

The SECRET to weight loss

You see ads all the time promoting the latest crazy diet fad, medication, or device. All of them claim to have the "secret" to weight loss that you've been looking for. All of them claim to know more than the last company trying to sell you something. All of them want you to trust them. 

So, what is the secret to weight loss? What is the secret to losing weight and keeping it off? And why is it a big secret? The answer is simple. The secret to weight loss isn't a secret at all, it's just that nobody wants to admit the truth. 

The secret to weight loss is to stop eating junk and get moving. The secret is that you have to burn more calories than you consume. The secret is that there are no fad diets that work. The secret is that you can't wake up tomorrow 20 pounds lighter. The secret is that it takes work. It takes dedication. It takes HONESTY. It takes commitment. It takes a strong person. The secret is that these weight loss companies know this, but they also want to turn a profit. The secret is that they know most people are lazy. They know most people want a quick fix. They know most people don't want to put in time and effort to lose weight. So, they prey on your emotions and your desires to change your bad habits with a pill, powder, or shake. They know you're desperate and you'll try ANYTHING to lose weight. That is, anything that doesn't require actual hard work. 

Unless you have some underlying medical condition causing your weight gain, the truth is that your weight didn't show up overnight. So, it's unrealistic to expect it to disappear overnight. You can't keep putting junk food in your mouth while you binge watch Netflix and expect to see results. You can't eat processed junk and think you eat healthy because the box has some buzz words on it like "low fat," or "heart healthy." Real food doesn't have labels. If it doesn't grow in the ground, on a tree, on a vine, on a bush, or have a face, it doesn't belong on your dinner table. If it's been so heavily processed that it's no longer food, but is more like a chemically altered food-like substance, don't eat it. If the only exercise you get each day is walking to the refrigerator, you need to move more. 

Nobody is saying that you have to go from couch potato to bodybuilder running marathons overnight. But, you do need to be realistic and make a commitment that you will treat your body better. You need to eat mindfully and be aware of what you're putting in your body. You need to make exercise a routine part of your day. You need to get up and get moving. That's the secret. And, you didn't have to pay 6 payments of $19.99 to get it from me!