Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

       Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

                           (21 Day Fix friendly, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian)

I don't know about you, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE banana muffins, banana bread, banana pudding cake...well I think you get the picture. Unfortunately, none of the traditional recipes for these goodies are very weight loss friendly. WHAMP, WHAMP :(

Imagine my surprise when I purchased the Fixate cookbook and low and behold there was a recipe for Banana Apple Muffins, which are not only weight loss friendly, but Gluten Free and Vegan!!! HELL YEAH! 

I personally wasn't feelin' the apple part and since I'm always looking for ways to get more vegetables in my diet, and sneak them into the fam's meals too, I changed the recipe up just a little by tossing the apples out and adding zucchini instead (stop with the faces it's de-lish remember I hate veggies, so if you could taste the zucchini it would be a "No deal").

LET'S GET SHOPPING                    

NUTRITION INFO
Serves: 12
Serving size= 1 muffin
Calories 145
Fat 4.4g
Carbs 27.2g
Sugar 12.6g
Fiber 3g
Protein 4.3g
21 Day Fix 1-purple 1-blue 1/2-green

GROCERY LIST OF INGREDIENTS

• 2 Medium zucchini, shredded 
• 3 Small ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda, gluten free
• 1 tsp melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup organic honey or agava
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 dash sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
• 1/4 cup of Dark chocolate 53% or >coca chips

LET'S GET COOKIN'

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners or generously spray the muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

 1. Shred up 1 cup of Zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis).

 **Squeeze shredded zucchini of excess water with a paper towel. This is an important step.**

2. Prepare 12 muffin tins by lining them with muffin tin liners or coating with spray.

3. Combine eggs, banana, vanilla,honey and melted coconut oil in a medium bowl; mix well. Set aside.

4. Combine almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; mix well.

5. Add almond meal mixture to egg mixture; mix until blended.
6. Add zucchini; mix until just blended.

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7. Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin cups.
8. Bake 16-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Transfer muffins to rack; cool.       

ENJOY! 😋,
much💓 Lori 🍴                 

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**Need help on your weightloss and fitness journey? Maybe you just need support and accountability with your new healthy way of eating? Then LET'S TALK**

At any age you can be in the best shape of your life, what are you waiting for?

THE BEST CHICKEN MARINADE RECIPE

                            THE BEST CHICKEN MARINADE RECIPE EVER

Who knew chicken could taste this good? You gotta try this D-lish & easy to make chicken marinade from blogger MomOnTimeout it is not only easy to make but OMG the taste is off the chain in yummy goodness!!! 

When you're trying to eat healthy or healthier there is a lot of boneless, skinless chicken involved or there is for me anyway, so after a while it can get a little bit difficult to come up with something new to give the chicken a little extra somethin', somethin' without jacking up the calories. This marinade recipe gives the chicken an awesome new flavor without adding an awesome amount of unwanted calories and fat. Check it out!

THE BEST CHICKEN MARINADE RECIPE

TO PURCHASE THE 21 DAY FIX/SHAKEOLOGY

*  6 boneless, skinless chicken breast or 3 1/2 pounds of chicken.
*  2 tsp each garlic powder and Rosemary, dried.
*  1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar (or other vinegar)

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*  1/4 cup Soy sauce
*  1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
*  3/4 cup Brown sugar                                                     
*  2 tbsp Dijon or spicy brown mustard.
*  1/8 cup Lemon juice.
*  1 tsp Black Pepper.
*  2 tsp Salt.
*  1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil.

PREPARATION

🌺mix all the ingredients together(except the chicken).

 Then place the washed chicken breast into the marinade and let it sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. You could mix it up and let it sit overnight or make it the same day the longer it sits the better the taste.

🌺preheat an oven to 350°, remove the chicken from the marinade and place on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish, bake for 30 minutes on one side and turn the chicken and bake for 30 minutes more on the other side. You can take some of the marinade and place it over the top of the chicken to give it a crispier taste or you can take the marinade and place it in a sauce pan on low to medium heat reduce it down and make a sauce to pour on the chicken once it has completed cooking. Either way it tastes awesome! Give it a try and let me know what you think and share this post with a friend!!!

**IF YOU NEED HELP FINDING YOUR PATH TO A HEALTHY AND FIT LIFESTYLE OR YOU JUST NEED SUPPORT ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY THEN SEND ME A MESSAGE TO LET'S TALK and I'LL GET BACK WITH YOU ASAP, SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT ALL THE WAYS THAT I CAN HELP YOU.**

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.

LIGHTING THE FIRE

Officially started my Turbofire program,only 79 days until summer! No more playing around gotta get to goal weight. I forgot how much I love these workouts and Beachbody On Demand is the BOOM Baby! My Turbofire dvds don't play anymore, I kinda wore them out when I lost 75 lbs, but with BOD I get to streamline my Turbofire for FREE to my IPhone,computer, tablet anything with internet access! Can we say AWESOME! If you want to lose the pounds this is the way to go Turbofire + Shakeology=RESULTS! I am living proof I've lost over 150 lbs and 75 of those were with Turbofire, so I know what it takes to get you to your goal and I know how you feel when you look at the scale and see that you have 50, 100, 150 lbs to lose. I know because I've been there and I understand your struggles, so if you need help my coaching is free comment below or send me a friend request on Facebook to www.facebook.com/Lori.mudd.92. We'll do this together. Blessings.www.coachdannon.com

TURBOFIRE DAY 1

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. 

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

LOW CALORIE VEGETABLE SOUP

                  FILLING NOT FATTENING SOUP

Nothing says Fall to me like the smell of a good soup cooking in the kitchen. The Autumn leaves are turning beautiful hues of orange, yellow, red, brown, so why not match the colors with some tasty vegetables. This hearty vegetable soup has all the fall colors you could ask for, plus it's filling and nutritious without being high in calories. Another positive it's super easy to make, so that gives you some options. You can make a big batch and freeze some for later or divide it up into individual serving bowls and keep it in the fridge. I personally don't like raw veggies, and it's not always possible for me to stop  and cook my vegetables in order to get my daily allowance in. With the soup divided into serving size bowls I can just grab and go, no fuss. This also helps me to stay on track with my healthy eating plan, because it is fast and convenient. 

Total Time: 43 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 28 min.
Yield: 8 servings, about 1½ cups each

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup white corn kernels
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, no salt added
3 cups low-sodium organic vegetable broth
1 tsp. dried ground thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup broccoli florets (or cauliflower florets)
2 medium red or white potatoes, cut into ¾-inch cubes
1 medium yellow squash, cut into ¾-inch cubes
1 cup medium zucchini, cut into ¾-inch cubes

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in large stockpot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
3. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
4. Add corn, tomatoes, broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
5. Add broccoli and potatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes.
6. Add squash and zucchini; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes.

Calories 237                                             21 DAY FIX

Dietary Fiber 4g                                       1 GREEN 1 RED 1/2 BLUE

Protein 28g

Carbs 19g

Fat total 6g