21 Day Fix - Day 2

Today's Workout: Upper Fix

I'll be honest, I could barely get out of bed today because I was that sore from yesterday's workout.  It was so bad I actually used the elevator at work to go downstairs this morning. I would have taken it back up had there not be a person in the lobby.  

But that's to be expected when starting any new workout program. I've personally found it takes about a week for the soreness to go away, so as much as it sucks you have to push yourself past that uncomfortable feeling.

I woke up 20 minutes late this morning and was worried I wouldn't have enough time to do my workout until I remembered it's only 30 minutes long.  

As I approached the 21 Day Fix DVD set I was happy to see the workout was called "Upper Fix" and not "Lower Fix" because my legs were killing me.  You're supposed to have a set of light weights and heavy weights, but I didn't know that until I started so I just used my 5 pounders.  I had the option to use a resistance band or no weights at all, but felt I wouldn't get as good of a workout.  That's one of things I love most about the workouts, there are plenty of ways to modify the exercises and there's a "modifier" in the workout that shows you HOW to properly modify each one.  Overall, I felt like I got a great workout today and am excited to try the others.

Today's Food

Mango/Pineapple Shakeology

 






1 red and 1 purple container

A Small Fuji Apple

1 purple container

Salad w/ Chicken & Asian Vinaigrette

2 green + 1 red + 1 orange















Also for lunch...

Baked Sweet Potato

1 yellow container

Hard Boiled Eggs

1 red container

Beef w/ Veggies, Black Beans, Cheese, & Hot Sauce

1 red + 1 yellow + 1 green + 1 blue












Day 2 done!  Only 19 more to go!

Asian Chicken Salad

I can be a pretty indecisive person.  Ask me what my favorite movie is or what my favorite song is and you won't get a solid answer from me.  There are tons of songs and movies I like, so it's too hard to pick my favorite.  The same goes for food.  There are so many tasty recipes it's hard to pick a favorite.  This salad is so dang good it deserves to be a favorite, but my favorite dish of all time???  I can't make that kind of commitment, so I'm putting it under the "Salad" category instead of the "Best Dish Ever" category.

Without further ado...this is my favorite salad recipe!  Yep, you heard me right.  FAV-OR-ITE.  It's light, healthy, colorful, and simple to make. Not to mention it's perfect on a hot summer day. It can be a main dish or a side dish, a red fish or a blue fish.  Um wait...I got carried away.  Moving on...I haven't met a single person who didn't like it, and if I did, I'm not sure we could friends anymore.  That's how good it is - hand over heart.  

 Serves 6

Ingredients

Salad: 

• 1 large carrot
• 3 cups shredded Napa cabbage, from 1 small cabbage
• 3 cups shredded romaine lettuce, from 1 small head of lettuce
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and deveined, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh Thai basil leaves or fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1-2 scallions, chopped
• 2 cups thinly sliced or shredded rotisserie chicken (about 2 small chicken breasts)
• 1/2 cup silvered or sliced almonds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon toasted white or black sesame seeds

Dressing: 

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, optional

Directions

For the salad: Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrot and add to a large salad bowl.  Stir in the cabbage, lettuce, pepper, Thai basil, chicken, scallions, almonds, and sesame seeds.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.  

Adapted from the Food Network website.

Seriously, what are you waiting for?  Make this tonight!  I promise you won't be disappointed.

I'd love to know what your favorite salad recipe is! 

{Taste Test Tuesday} Curried Chicken Salad

I've tried several Curried Chicken Salad recipes that pack a lot of calories.  I was skeptical to try this recipe because of how healthy it was.  I also worried about how the chicken would taste after poaching it.  I'm not a fan of poaching chicken and prefer to roast it when possible. 

There are some odd food parings in this dish, but they seemed to work very well together.  You get the sweetness from the grapes, the crunch from the almonds, the spice from the curry powder, and the creaminess from the Greek yogurt. 

It was surprisingly good, but make sure you don't over cook the chicken or it will be tough.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1-1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, no more than 3/4" thick
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons  mayo with olive oil
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 cup halved red grapes
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 ounces mixed greens (about 6 cups lightly packed)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

Bring the broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add chicken to broth and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes.  Turn the heat off and let the chicken stand in the cooking liquid, covered, until cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the broth and cool completely in the refrigerator.  Cut into 1/4" dice.  Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayo, and curry powder.  Fold in the chicken, grapes, and cilantro.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss the greens with the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.  Arrange the greens on 4 individual plates, top with a scoop of the chicken salad and sprinkle with almonds. 

Adapted from the Food Network website

This dish gets ☆☆☆ 

Chicken & Spinach Salad w/ Raspberry-Balsamic Dressing

I tend to have a hard time getting in my fruit servings each day.  I've realized the only two ways to get them in are when I drink Shakeology or eat salads.  There's something about sweet and savory together that makes my mouth water.  It's no surprise this recipe caught my attention when I saw it on Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For dressing:

• 1/2 cup lite balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar

For salad:

• 8 cups spinach
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 4 chicken breasts, cooked & diced
• 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Combine vinaigrette, raspberries, and sugar in a blender.  Blend until smooth and pour through a strainer to get rid of excess seeds.  Set aside.

In a large bowl toss together the spinach, onions, raspberries, and tomatoes.  Divide mixture among 4 plates.  Add the diced chicken and garnish with goat cheese, pecans, and black pepper.

Adapted from the Food Network website. 

Chicken, Mandarin, & Spinach Salad



I made this for my husband recently and he gave it 2 thumbs up.  Hopefully you'll enjoy this light, citrusy salad too.

 

Serves 2

 

Ingredients

• 6 cups fresh spinach, slightly chopped
• ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 6 ounces cooked chicken, chopped
• ½ cup mandarin oranges, canned in light syrup (or fresh Clementine oranges)
• ½ teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons toasted almonds, sliced or slivered
• 4 tablespoons Newman’s Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

Adapted from the TeamBeachbody website.