21 Day Fix Approved Low Calorie Beef Stew

21 Day Fix Approved Low Calorie Beef Stew

I'm all about easy recipes to feed my crew and when they're this yummy, plus low in calories it's a defiant keeper. Give it a try and tell me what you think and hey, while you're at it why not share the recipe with a friend too! I'm making it to my goal weight 21 days at a time. Goal weight by 12/31/15!

RECIPE FOR THE 21 DAY FIX APPROVED LOW CALORIE BEEF STEW

INGREDIENTS:

To purchase the 21 Day Fix go to my
site at www.coachdannon.com

1. 2 lbs stew beef
2. 2 cups water
3. 2 Tbsp olive oil
4. 1 Tbsp Worcestershire
5. 3 Potatoes or sweet potatoes diced
6. 1 clove garlic minced
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 1 Med onion diced
9. 1 tsp sugar
10. 1 tsp salt
11. 1/2 tsp black pepper
12. 1/2 tsp paprika
13. 3 lg carrots diced
14. 3 celery stalks chopped
15. 2 Tbsp cornstarch
16. dash cayenne pepper

COOK IT UP:

In a large stew pot brown meat in olive oil, add water, Worcestershire, garlic, bay leaf, salt, onion, black pepper, cayenne, and sugar cover and simmer 1 1.2 hours.

Remove bay leaf.

Add carrots and celery, cover and cook 30-40 minutes depending on how tender you like your vegetables.

To thicken gravy remove 2 cups of liquid. Using a separate bowel combine 1/4 cup water and corn starch until smooth. Return to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly.

**You can also make this in the crockpot just throw all the ingredients in and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Make sure you take the bay leaf out before you serve.** NOTE: I add low cal veggies towards the end of cooking to get a serving or two of vegetables in without adding a lot of calories. (green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, etc...).

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

260 calories per serving

1-red 1/2-yellow

21 DAY FIX TACO BAKE-LEAN GROUND BEEF & QUINOA

LEAN GROUND BEEF & QUINOA TACO BAKE

Makes 4 servings
Each serving = 1 yellow, 1/2 green, 1/2 purple, 1 blue, 1 red

Yellow Container Ingredients
1 cup uncooked Quinoa

Red Container Ingredients
16 oz Laura's lean ground beef (you can also use 93% lean ground turkey, but ya know how I feel about ground turkey :( )

Green Container Ingredients
Chopped Red or yellow or green pepper*(I used a 12 oz bag of frozen mixed peppers and onions)
Chopped onion & Jalapeno*( I used a Tbsp of diced Jalapeno)

Purple Container Ingredients
Tomato Sauce (low Sodium) 2 cups (1 15 oz can)

Blue Container Ingredients
Shredded Cheddar (4 Blue containers worth) (1/2 cup)

Freebie ingredients
Juice of 1 lime (optional, I didn't use it and the dish was still great! Not a big fan of lime it's right up there with the ground turkey.)
Garlic 3 cloves minced
Chili Powder 2 Tbsp
Cumin 2 Tsp
Onion Powder 1 Tsp
Chopped Cilantro 1/3 cup (optional)
Hot Sauce to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9

   

   21 Day Fix is Simple nutrition. 30 minute daily workouts. Fast Results!

   X 13 baking dish with cooking spray & set aside.
2. Add Quinoa to 2 cups water in a Medium saucepan & bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn heat to low & simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat & fluff with a fork. Cover quinoa & set aside.
3. Spray frying pan with non-stick cooking spray. Add onion, garlic & jalapeno & sauté over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up as it browns. Cook for about 5 minutes & add the peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes more, or until meat if no longer pink.
4. Add the juice of 1 lime, cumin, chili powder & cilantro. Stir to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5. Remove from heat & add the quinoa to the meat & veggie mixture. Pour in the tomato sauce & hot sauce if using & stir. Add 1 blue container of shredded Cheddar Cheese.
6. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 3 (blue) containers of Cheddar. Cover with foil & bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil & bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted & edges are bubbling. Remove from oven & let cool for 10 minutes.

**All the veggies chopped should equal 2 green containers full.

For more information on the 21 Day Fix please contact me at by sending me a friend request on Facebook www.fb.com/lori.mudd.92 or not ready  to commit yet and just want to check things out then get your Facebook Creeper On by following me at www.fb.com/LorimuddWTF3.

Lose weight without exercising! Example of a meal plan for a 21 Fix day.

           LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT WORKING OUT?

                      21 DAY FIX MEAL PLAN

It doesn't have to be complicated, you don't have to starve yourself, you don't have to kill yourself with monster workouts. Simple nutrition, dedication, and consistency is the path to success. It doesn't matter how many times you've tried before and failed there's always one more time and this time IS your time. You do not have to live, exist trapped in an obese person's body. You have the right to be free, free from the burdens the excess weight puts on you. To live and be healthy and happy! Make that commitment just 1 more time-Today-Right now! I'm here to help if you need me just comment below or message me privately atwww.fb.com/Lori.mudd.92. Good luck.

This is an example of some of the foods and meals I eat in a day. I try to eat every 2 hrs and stop eating at least  2 hours before I go to bed. #Healthychoices #21DayFix www.coachdannon.com

21 Day Fix Approved Sweet Potato & Chicken Bake

                         21 DAY FIX APPROVED

                SWEET POTATO & CHICKEN BAKE

This recipe is inspired by one of my family's favorite dinner dishes-Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole, which is the Boom.com! Probably because it is loaded with lots of yummy stuff like white potatoes, bacon, and cheese. Oh yeah, and calories! So, after pouting when my boys were tearing up the tasty stuff and I couldn't partake, because of the 21 Day Fix meal plan(well I could have but that would pretty much have been all my containers for the day) I decided to come up with a diet friendly version. Most cooks says you know it's good when the kids will eat it, but at my house the hubby is far worse then the kids and Mr. Mudd loved this dish, OMG somebody call the Press Mr. Mudd likes something healthy! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium size sweet potato,diced
• 2 (3 oz) chicken cutlets or 6 oz of rotisserie chicken if short on time.
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 3 Tsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• dash cinnamon 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 475. In a medium bowl, mix garlic powder, salt, pepper, and oil. Add the potatoes and coat with the mixture. Place the potatoes into a baking dish sprayed with canola oil, leave as much of the mix as possible in the bowl. Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. Flip the potatoes every 10-15 minutes. Check with a fork to ensure the potatoes are done. While the potatoes are baking coat the chicken with the left over mixture and cook in a skillet over medium heat, 3 minutes each side, until done (no longer pink inside!) Once the potatoes are done, take them out of the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 400. Add the dash of cinnamon (more if you like I don't really like cinnamon but it's good for you so...)  Dice the chicken and add it to the potatoes, mix together. Now throw the Parmesan cheese on top of it all and return the dish to the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

(Just a side note I made mine without the cheese, since we only get 1 blue a day a dish must be "blue worthy", and it was still awesome).

Servings 2    

per serving     1-Red  1-Yellow  1 1/2- tsp oil  1/2-Blue

For more info on the 21 Day Fix drop me a line on fb www.facebook.com/Lori.mudd.92.
Already know what you want and are ready to get started, then go to my site www.coachdannon.com to get your program.

21 Day Fix Friendly Chicken Marsala

                                                             21 Day Fix Friendly
                                                               Chicken Marsala

 I'm always on the lookout for new recipes that are 21 Day Fix friendly, easy to make, and can be thrown together in a crockpot or one-an-done. This Paleo inspired meal is the Triple Crown with it's basic ingredients of chicken and vegetables, marinating in a baggy, then cooking it all in 1 pot for only 30 minutes- AND IT'S LOW CAL CHICKEN MARSALA FOR THE WIN!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• One 3 to 6 quart dutch oven.
• One large ziplock bag for marinating.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 to 2 pounds of boneless/skinless chicken breast.
• 1/2 cup of Tomato Balsamic dressing.
• 1 small package (2 to 3 cups) of sliced bella mushrooms.
• 1 medium white or vidalia onion, cut in half and sliced into medium strips.
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh chopped tomato or tomato sauce.
• 1 tbsp of Extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced.
• salt & pepper to taste.

THROWING IT TOGETHER:

1. Before cooking, place chicken thighs in your ziplock bag with 1/2 cup of the tomato balsamic dressing. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
2. Place your dutch oven on a stovetop burner, set to medium heat, and also turn your oven on to 350°F.
3. Add your oil and garlic to your dutch oven, stir and raise heat to medium-high.
4. Season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and add to your dutch oven (with any remaining dressing from the bag) to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
5. Once browned, remove your dutch oven from the hot burner. Add your tomatoes.
6. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir the tomatoes and scrape the bottom of your dutch oven. That is where the flavor lies.
7. Add your onions and mushrooms to the top of your chicken and tomatoes, no need to stir in.
8. Cover and put into your 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and serve! It goes great with a spinach salad. Enjoy!

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Weight Loss Surgery-Friend or Foe?

           WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY-FRIEND OR FOE

I'm writing this blog in the hopes that maybe just one person will read it and believe me, because all of my friends, family members, co-workers, the majority of them never did. Unfortunately, they had to find out the hard way for themselves, so here goes. Weight loss surgery is not an "easy, quick" way out of a fat situation.

I had gastric by-pass surgery in 2008 and my sister had the gastric band. At the time I weighed 352 lbs and 50 lbs did come off rather quickly, but that was it and I still had 150 lbs to go. My sister had similar results and she weighed about the same maybe a little less. I was not about to give up after all I had gone through, so I buckled down and started working out everyday and eating a healthy diet. Eventually I reached my goal weight of 178 lbs!! People had noticed my transformation, people who also needed or wanted to lose weight and I was happy to share my secrets with them. I told them it was diet and exercise, but of course, they were aware I had had the surgery and if they weren't as soon as they heard about the surgery they stopped listening to anything else I had to say. They just believed that the surgery was the answer and not the diet and exercise.

After my sister and I had the weight loss procedures and had success at least 12 more people at work went and had the surgery. What type of success did they have? Only 1 woman reached her goal weight and she had the band and never once went and had fluid put in it. She changed her diet and I mean she changed her diet! She became vegan and she is very serious about it too. A 2nd lady had great success, even though she didn't reach her goal weight, she looks fantastic (she did have complication from the band, it eroded through her stomach, she got peritonitis, and she was in the hospital for months). The rest lost little to none, because they didn't believe they needed to change their diet and they didn't need to exercise.

The moral of the story is don't place your hopes, dreams on a magic band, surgery, pill, because it doesn't exist! I'm not telling you not to have weight loss surgery it is absolutely necessary for some people, but you need to see it for what it is-a TOOL to help you reach your goal. You don't assemble a cabinet with just a hammer, you need a screw driver, and a saw to cut the wood. It's the same with losing weight there are many tools that work together to build your success, your healthy life.

 I greatly encourage you if you are over weight, especially if you are >50 lbs over weight, to find a plan to get on to help you lose the weight. I wasted so many years being obese, so much time not getting to do things because I was to big to fit in the rides, or to heavy to ride the horse or to zipline, etc... Or just to feel good and you don't realize how bad you feel, until you feel REALLY good. And with every pound that comes off you'll feel better and better I promise you that. Good luck.

21 Day Fix Friendly Taco Soup

                          21 DAY FIX FRIENDLY Taco Soup
                                                                                 TACO SOUP
This recipe is quick and makes a fair amount, so you can divide it into several servings and freeze it for another day.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 lb Laura's lean ground beef
1 can black beans ( rinsed)
1 can fat free pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 pkt ranch drsg
1 pkt taco seasoning
1 medium onion diced
1 can corn
COOKING:

Brown ground beef season with salt and pepper, break into pieces while cooking, add onion. Cook until onions are translucent and meat is brown.
Mean while add all other ingredients to a large pot & heat on medium. When meat and onions are done add them to the pot. Stir well. If watching calories serve as is, if not serve with Mexican cheese and tortilla chips. 
 1-cup is a serving size
1 yellow
1 red

If your struggling to lose weight or to just get healthy, then send me a IM or friend request on Facebook I'd love to talk to you and share my secrets to success. Not ready to talk yet then check out my like pg @ Lori's losing It www.facebook.com/LorimuddWTF3 for tips on dieting, healthy eating, recipes, support, motivation, and more. 

IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

             IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

I almost missed, once again, a party of a life time because I let my self doubt take over. I use to weigh 352 lbs & I never believed that I could lose the weight. I tried every diet, every pill, every fast, even surgery and nothing worked, until one day I got it. The problem was me! That Fat person was all in my head and I couldn't lose her. Yes, there was physically fat on my body, but the real problem was in my head. I didn't believe I could lose the weight. I couldn't picture myself thinner. I had always been extremely shy as a child and missed out on a lot of fun, because I was afraid to try things or talk to people. What if they didn't like me? What if I failed? I made myself be more outgoing as an adult, because I got tired of missing out. But when I gained weight I started hiding behind it just like I did my shyness as a child. 

I drove 6 hours to meet my upline coach and I was so excited the whole drive up, then when she text that she was in the lobby guess who came to visit? Yep, F*** and I was paralyzed thank God my son was with me, because I probably would have never left the room. I would have missed an outrageous party, seeing the CEO of our company up close, and meet the inspirational women on our team.

My only regret from last night is I did let that person in my head win a battle. You see I lost 173 lbs and then tore a tendon in my hip an gained 75 lbs back. I realized I never really learned to eat right I just exercised like crazy, so when I couldn't do that the weight started to come back on. The 21 Day Fix and Autumn Calabrese have been a life saver for me. By teaching me how to eat right I've now lost 35 of those pounds. And I would have loved to have told her and to have taken a picture with her and I could have because I notice her standing by the door before anyone else. She was alone, but the FAT person in my head won and told me, "I was still fat, look at all the skinny people in the room, really you're going to go up to her?" Damn It! The point is it is all in your head too.

 I want you to know that you can lose the weight and know it won't be easy and there will be ups and downs, but you can do it. Tell the person in your head to SHOUT THE HELL UP! Because you are not wasting 1 more day being trapped in a body you don't want. God bless.

DINNER FOR LESS THEN 300 CALORIES

QUINOA The supergrain of the future. Protein, fiber, and iron-rich. Gluten-free. Plus, it's a complete protein, making it ideal for vegetarians and vegans. Quinoa can be made a head of time and stored, so you can have it ready to add to a meal or recipe at the last minute when you're short on time. Before I give you the recipe for the Quinoa patties and spinach how about the simple instructions on how to prepare quinoa. This recipe makes 8 servings (1/4 cup per serving), so you'll have extra for those emergencies I was talking about.

COOKED QUINOA

1. 1 cup dry quinoa
2. 2 cups cold water
3. sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste)

• Rinse quinoa thoroughly
• combine quinoa, water, salt (if desired), and pepper (if desired), in medium saucepan with lightly fitting lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce heat to maintain a gentle boil; cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed. Try to avoid peeking so quinoa will cook evenly.
• Remove pan from heat. Continuing to keep pan tightly covered, let quinoa sit for 5 minutes.
• Fluff with a fork and serve.
• Tip You can store leftover Cooked Quinoa in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

QUINOA PATTIES OVER SPINACH

(makes 1 serving)

1. 1/4 cup Cooked quinoa
2. 1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
3. 4 tsp flaxseed
4. sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
5. 1 large egg white
6. Nonstick cooking spray
7. 3 cups fresh baby spinach

• Combine Cooked Quinoa, bell pepper, flaxseed, salt, pepper, and egg in a medium bowl; mix well. Form into two balls. Place one ball in a 1-cup measure. Press into a patty using fingers or 1/2-cup measure. Turn 1-cup measure over to release patty. Repeat with other ball.
• Heat medium skillet lightly coated with spray over medium heat.
• Place patties in skillet, cook for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for 2 minutes, or until cooked through and light golden. Remove from skillet. Keep warm.
• Add spinach to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until wilted.
• Place spinach on a serving plate; top with patties.

Nutritional info: (per serving) Calories 298, fat 9 g, sodium 512 mg, carbohydrates 41 g, fiber 11 g, sugar 3 g, protein 15 g