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Top 5 Thanksgiving Tips

BlakelyFITTurkey
FIRST thing this morning- go for a walk outside – five minutes or fifty – the fresh air and movement will make for a great start. Can’t this morning? How about with one of your favorite family members before dinner?
 
EAT plenty of fruit with your breakfast. (Pack in the nutrients and yes, I absolutely recommend you do eat breakfast.)
 
PARK conversations away from the appetizer table or desert table. (mindless eating is too easy over a spread of delicious treats)
 
DO NOT go to the party ravenous – have a snack and plenty of water before you arrive.
 
MINGLE, walk around or help your host between dinner and desert. It may help alleviate “food coma” feelings and reduce additional grazing.
 
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My thanks to you…
 
I AM SO VERY FORTUNATE to have a thriving business and history of wonderful clients. Every compliment, inquiry and opened email has a tremendous impact.
 
A very heartfelt thanks for your continued patronage and wishes for a very healthy and happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
 
All my best, Michelle
 
#Thanksgiving2015 #Grateful #HealthyThanksgiving #smallbusiness #BlakelyFit
BlakelyFITFavoritePeople

SCRUMTRULESCENT 2!

I am so excited to share this with you! In my glacial pace of moving my diet toward “more vegan, less carnivor,” I have stumbled upon something frighteningly delicious.

GLO BARS!

Here is the link to the recipe and my photos of making it in my own kitchen. So easy and fast, even self proclaimed, “non-cooks” could pull them off perfectly!

Drop a comment and let me know what you think!

Here is the link to the recipe: www.chatelaine.com

Here is the link to Angela’s site: Oh She Glows.com

#healthyhalloween #strong #women #weightloss #flexitarian #globars #delicious #scrumtrulescent #veganrecipes
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Eerily Delicious

Quick, super easy, nutritious and Halloween-colored!

Black and Orange Quesadillas – eerily delicious!

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 can of refried black beans

12 corn tortillas

1 small round of queso quesadilla

small container of pepitas

Microwave two sweet potatoes in 1/2″ of water in a small casserole dish for four minutes. Flip potatoes. Microwave again and repeat until very soft. (2 or 3 times)

Cut potatoes in half length-wise and scoop out the “meat” as you create each quesadilla.

Scoop black beans directly out of the can and smear onto one side of tortilla. Sweet potato onto the other.

Sprinkle pepitas onto one side.

Place a small serving of sliced cheese onto other side.

Fold cheese side to pepitas side (so you don’t lose all of your seeds.)

Drizzle small amount of olive oil onto skillet and place folded corn tortillas onto pan (give them a jiggle so they don’t stick)

I like to place something a little heavy onto the quesadillas as they cook. (I use a cast iron bacon press because I don’t use it for bacon.)

Flip after a few minutes.

Plate with brown rice and enjoy!

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Dinner Troubles? My new hero…

Last day of school, crazy week professionally and personally, gorgeous weather demanding time outside, oh, and everyone expects dinner on the table at 6. Eeek! What to do?

Meet my new hero – filling and delicious, fortified with fiber and superfoods, dinner is saved…
Spinach Enchilada Vegetarian Bake

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You’ll need:

Large container of baby spinach
2 cans garbanzo beans
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cups cooked brown rice (instant is fine)
1 corn tortilla (there’s one in the bottom of your fridge somewhere)
3/4 of a large can of mild enchilada sauce
1 small bag of shredded organic Mexican blend cheese

First, tear tortilla into one inch pieces and spread over bottom of glass pan.

Next, layer rice over tortilla pieces.

Then, use your food processor to chop all of the spinach in batches (or chop by hand if you have the time.) Layer that.

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Rinse and drain all beans. Layer pinto…

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Then garbanzo…

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Then black beans…

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Then second can of garbanzo…

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Then enchilada sauce…

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Then cheese…

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Cover and microwave for four minutes….

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Enjoy with homemade guacamole (mashed avocado, garlic, cliantro) and a few chips!

Whew. That was easy!

An Unexpected Gift

Reading the Little Blue Engine Blakely FIT 2014After dinner and a warm bath, we snuggle and read before bed like many young families. Sometimes I’m a model parent: animated, engaged. Other times, not so much — going through the motions and struggling to stay awake as the day’s chores still loom.

Recently we read, once again, The Little Engine That Could, Watty Piper’s tale of perseverance and grit that has lasted for more than 80 years in print. On this particular evening, I’m attentive — and suddenly struck by an enlightening passage.

Mr. Piper writes: “Some of the cars were filled with all sorts of good things for boys and girls to eat — big golden oranges, red-cheeked apples, bottles of creamy milk for their breakfasts, fresh spinach for their dinners, peppermint drops and lollypops for after-meal treats.”

Apples, oranges, spinach and milk depicted as precious treats for children? How often do we see good food as a treat?

Thanksgiving is at our doorstep. Yet before all the harried preparations subsume our lives, we might take a moment to recall Mr. Piper’s words. Remembering life before we had such abundant produce departments could provide perspective for the feast ahead. Recalling a time when health was not so easily remedied with pills or surgery could inspire us to take more care with our bodies. Maybe this is the other lesson in Mr. Piper’s timeless tale.

Today, we have so much food in our grocery stores and restaurants that one third of it goes uneaten, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In fact, food is the biggest single source of waste in this country, more than plastic or paper, the EPA finds.

Thanksgiving provides time with older generations. Let’s ask about their experiences. Do our older relatives and friends recall a time before our era of plenty? When vegetables were not available year-round? When a “golden orange” was a coveted gift? And when candy was a special treat? What about a time when resolving pain did not include MRI, physical therapy or ultrasound? When walking to and from work or school was not a chore but part of daily life?

No question, we’re truly fortunate to have access to so much food and state-of-the-art healthcare. As we celebrate through this holiday of gratitude, a broader perspective might let us appreciate and enjoy our food and health all the more. It could be an unexpected gift hiding in a familiar place.

De-lish: Chicken and Potatoes with a Twist

Flavorful, colorful and stuffed with the goodness of spinach.

I think your going to love this one.

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Wash and quarter four servings of fingerling potatoes.

Toss with two sprigs of rosemary (remove stems, chop leaves), two tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread onto parchment paper on cookie sheet.

Flatten four chicken breasts individually with kitchen mallet.

Spread 2 tablespoons of cream cheese, a sprinkle of garlic powder and one cup of baby spinach onto each breast.

Roll chicken breasts into a tight roll (keeping spinach tucked.)

Press crushed corn flakes onto exterior. (I’m sure there are classier options – post yours on FB)

Spray non-stick cooking spray onto baking dish and transfer chicken.

Bake potatoes until brown and crispy.

Bake chicken to internal temp of 165 degrees.
(I started the potatoes for ten minutes at 450. Then, lowered the temp to 350 and added the chicken for about another 20 minutes.)

Enjoy!

Shopping list:

Four chicken breasts
Four cups baby spinach
Small cream cheese
Garlic powder
Small box of cornflakes
Fingerling potatoes
Fresh rosemary

90 second taco seasoning

IMG_5687Ditch the prepackaged taco seasoning. Here a fresh, fast solution already sitting in your cabinet:

Brown ground round in large skillet.

Drain fat. (photo below)

Return meat to pan and add (per pound of meat):

2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup water
(omit red pepper and some cayenne for less kick)

Stir, simmer and serve.

Here’s how I drain the fat…

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Then, return to pan and add water…

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