Turkey Meatloaf

In the midst of looking for a Turkey Meatloaf recipe that sounded good to me I decided I would just create my own since most of them had breadcrumbs and I was wanting a gluten free meal. I will not claim this meatloaf was perfect but it was moist and very flavorful! Not to mention had all the veggies inside. I served this with sweet potatoes and more veggies.

tbsp. grape seed oil (or oil of choice)

tsp basil

tsp parsley

½ onion (shredded with food processor or food chopper)

2 gloves garlic

1 carrot (shredded with food processor or food chopper)

1 celery (shredded with food processor or food chopper)

handful of spinach (shredded with food processor or food chopper)

1 tsp salt

dash of pepper

¼ cup ketchup

1 egg

1 lbs ground turkey

1.    Pre-heat stove to 375’F

2.   Put oil into a pan and heat, throw in all veggies and spices. Cook for about 10-15 minutes.

3.   In large bowl whip ketchup and egg together. Add veggie mix when finished, and then at the ground turkey last. Mix all together with hands.

4.   Put into greased bread pan and cook for 60 min. (I took mine out at 50 min to drain excess liquids that cooked out)

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This recipe is from the "Our best bites" website and modified by myself to make it healthier and with some extra veggies included as well. But don't worry I promise you won't notice the veggies and this is a crowed pleaser!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp grape seed oil (can use olive oil)

1/2 medium onion, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

3/4 chopped cauliflower
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
6 cups chicken broth
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, divided (use rotel with green chili's if you want your soup to have a kick!)
1 cup water
5-6 6″ yellow corn tortillas
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Shredded breast meat from 1 medium rotisserie chicken (I just used shredded chicken breast)
2 tbsp coconut milk

1/2 cup greek yogurt

Instructions:

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of grape seed oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, bell pepper, cauliflower, and saute until fragrant and the vegetables are tender.

While the vegetables are cooking, combine the chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, and smoked paprika. When the vegetables are tender, add the spices and stir to combine. add the chicken broth, 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, and water and then blend until smooth using an immersion blender (you can also it in batches in a regular blender). Bring to a boil and tear the tortillas and add them to the soup (6 will be pretty thick, it just depends on personal preference). Cover and turn the heat down to low and simmer 30-45 minutes or until the tortillas are breaking apart. Remove from heat. Whip out your immersion blender again and blend until smooth. Add the remaining tomatoes, the shredded chicken breast meat, yogurt and coconut milk and stir until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 8 servings.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

After sautéing the vegetables, add them to your slow cooker and add the spices. Stir to combine. Blend with the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of tomatoes until smooth, either with an immersion blender or in a traditional blender. Add water  and torn tortillas and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. If necessary, blend again. Add the remaining diced tomatoes, shredded chicken breast, yogurt and coconut milk, stir to combine, and serve immediately.

Ever wondered...

Lots of people always wonder what it would be like to have a personal trainer. Many think they can't afford it. I personally think you can't afford to not have a trainer to help you take care of your health. That might be once a week to help you maintain and keep you accountable, or four times a week to help you get healthy and start living your life the way you imagine!

I personally will be setting aside money each month to get myself a personal trainer after I have my baby. You might ask why? I know how to motivate and design any type of workout program, but trainers are so much more then that. Call it a life coach if you will, but they motivate and keep you accountable. 

Why don't you join me in Draper, UT for a free snap shot of what it could be like?

Contact me for a free assessment and training session

phillipsfitnesstraining.blogspot.com

Mini Turkey Meatloaf

I had such a delicious dinner tonight! I wanted to share the recipe with you all, credit to my sister for passing it along. I had some steamed veggies, with sweet potato poppers and mini turkey meatloaf.

1 lb ground lean turkey breast

1 clove minced garlic

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basic

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp sea salt

1-2 tbls of tomato paste

( I didn't have tomato paste and just added sugar free ketchup to the top instead )

1. Set oven to 350' F

2. Mush it all together with a spoon or your hands and then role muffin sized balls and plop them in the muffin tins which should be sprayed with non stick something or other. I use olive oil spray or grape seed oil.

3. Put in oven for 20 mins and then enjoy!

Whats your favourite easy clean meal?

Jump on Board Now!

It's not to late to start feeling a little better in all your summer clothes. I have room for a couple more clients, we would love to have you join the team! 

I will be raising my prices in a month once I am officially a specialized personal trainer so if your thinking about getting into shape now is a great time to secure your lower cost to a better life.

I offer an online option along with 1-on-1 personal training for those living in Utah County Area.

View Rates Here

Prenatal Fitness

Today I read an article about fitness during Pregnancy and I found that is was simple, yet useful information. You can find the whole article right here.

If you are in your first trimester and laughing at the thought of having enough energy to work out. I feel you pain, and you will eventually find more energy in a month or so. Listed below in the article are some great idea's on how to keep weight training. Please remember to use light weights as you want to tone; this isn't the time to be bulking up since it raises the intensity too high for you and the little one. If you have never worked out before the pregnancy I would suggest 30 minutes of walking 3 times a week to start yourself off slowly.

"Strength training is safe and one of the best ways to minimize aches and pains. Weight machines are ideal, especially for gym newbies, because they control your range of motion. "During pregnancy, your joints get looser, and it's easy to move outside of your normal range," says Jeffreys. However, if you're accustomed to doing free-weight exercises, you can continue.

Steer clear of any machine with a pad that presses against your belly, such as the seated row machine or abdominal machines. In addition, forgo any overhead lift since this kind of motion can increase the curve in your lower spine (aka hyperlordosis).

The strength routine below targets the muscles that are key to reducing discomfort during pregnancy. Do one or two sets of 8 to 12 reps for each except the plank. Choose a weight that allows you to perform the repetitions properly and comfortably. And after the first trimester, avoid any exercise done while lying on your back.

Upper/Middle Back

Best Machines: Seated cable row, lat pulldown
Pregnancy Benefit: As your breasts get bigger, your shoulders round forward. Strengthening the muscles between your shoulder blades helps counteract the slump.

Chest

Best Machine: Seated chest-press
Pregnancy Benefit: It's important to create muscle balance in your upper body by working your pecs.

Arms/Shoulders

Best Machines: Biceps and triceps
Pregnancy Benefit: Strong arms. Soon you'll be schlepping a baby, a diaper bag--and the groceries.

Lower body

Best Machines: Leg extension and seated leg-curl
Pregnancy Benefit: Your quadriceps and hamstrings bear the weight of your pregnancy as your belly grows.

Core

Best Exercise: Plank
Pregnancy Benefit: Keeping your abs strong will help prevent pregnancy-induced back pain.
How to: Lower onto all fours so your wrists are directly under your shoulders. Lift your knees off the floor (don't arch your back) so your body forms a straight line. Hold for one to two breaths, working up to five breaths."

Time

I am sure we have all heard or said, "I just don't have enough time" or "I'm just too busy".

We all say this a lot about working out or being more active. Life is busy and sometimes it is so hard to muster the thought of adding one more thing into our routine especially when we know it is going to be hard. But I want you to all ask yourself a couple of questions:

What time do you wake up and go to bed?

How do you typically spend your lunch break?

What  do you typically do from the time you leave work until you go to bed?

What do you usually do on the weekends?

How much television, or recreational computer time do you have each week?

How many hours week do you see exercise fitting into your schedule?

We all have that time of day when we stop being productive or need a break. Once in the routine you will find working out is a great relief from the world of stresses. 

You can also make family time count even more, next time your scheduling time to spent with your kids make it count for a work out too. Play soccer, jump on the tramp, go swimming, go rock climbing, go out and be active!!