Simple Orange Chicken with Broccoli

It's birthday week in our house and I love to make a fun meal that lights up dinner time. This is what's on the menu for tomorrow.
Growing up dinner time was an important time in our home. My mom would always have a hot home cooked meal sitting on the kitchen table, ready for the family to come home and sit down to eat together. Where I grew up we didn't have access to fast food and it wasn't a bad thing!! Life is so busy, and it's a great time to sit down as a family and enjoy a home cooked meal, even if it's a little chaotic. It's making memories that will last a life time.

Simple Orange Chicken with Broccoli

from My Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

*Serves 4

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
Salt and peper
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1-2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Saute until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, combine the broccoli florets and the water, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cover the skillet and cook until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and stir in the broth, orange juice, soy sauce, sugar and orange zest. Add the dissolved cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce boils and thickens slightly. Serve over hot, cooked brown or white rice.

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One of My Favorite Post Workout meals

3 Egg whites

1 cup spinach

1/4 c. chopped purple onion

1/4 c. chopped mushrooms

*saute veggies and then add egg whites

Top off with 1/2 laughing cow cheese wedge and 2 TBS. salsa

1/3 cup. plain oats

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

*cook as desired and then add cinnamon and vanilla stevia.

What is your favorite post workout meal???

Build Your Back and Chest - Robert Kennedy's Oxygen Women's Fitness

Build Your Back and Chest - Robert Kennedy's Oxygen Women's Fitness

10 Spring Fruits and Veggies to Add to Your Diet | Active.com

10 Spring Fruits and Veggies to Add to Your Diet | Active.com

5 Tips to losing weight

1. Start with Lemon Water.

Every morning, before I do anything else, I head to my kitchen and drink a glass of warm water with the juice of half a lemon. This simple drink is said to stimulate your metabolism, aid digestion, cleanse your liver, act as a natural diuretic, relieve constipation and improve immunity - all of which will help you lose weight. On top of all of that, lemon water can also rid your skin of blemishes!

2. Eat Breakfast Every Day. Breakfast is, by far, the most important meal of the day. Research shows that those who eat breakfast consume less saturated fat and cholesterol throughout the day than those who skip it. By eating breakfast, you'll be giving yourself a better chance at making healthier choices all day!

3. Take the Stairs. This small change can make a huge difference in your success. If you make it a habit to take the stairs instead of riding in the elevator or taking the escalator, you'll be adding essential physical activity to your day! Start today by taking the stairs at work, in the subway station and at the mall - it's such a simple change, but a habit that will have lasting effects on your weight and your health.

4. Pack a Lunch. Having Clean food with you is of the utmost importance if you're going to lose weight. Brown bagging your lunch will help you avoid making unhealthy choices while you're away from home. From my experience, there are not many places where you can get a healthy lunch that fits within the Eat-Clean Diet® principles, so I prefer to pack my cooler with food I've prepared that both nourishes me and supports my weight loss goals.

5. Cut the Sugar. Sugar is the most dangerous thing in your diet. If you're adding it to your coffee, drinking lots of soda or eating candy I want you to cut it out of your diet immediately. You should also be aware of how often it pops up in the ingredients of the food you'd least expect and under names that are almost unrecognizable. Striking this unnecessary ingredient from your diet will do more for your health and your weight than you can imagine. Do it today! With these tips, you can get started on losing those pounds that you thought you'd never lose!

These are some tips from Tosca Reno. One of my favorite books is "The Eat Clean DIet" by Tosca Reno. I'm a subscriber to her newsletter, which is free and fantastic!! Click here to check it out.

Peanut Butter Protein Bars

I'm a huge peanut butter fan, in fact it's one of my biggest weaknesses. I tried an awesome recipe that I got from here. They are yummy and great on the go, and my family loved them (added BONUS). Give them a try.

2 cups raw oats

4 scoops protein powder (vanilla or cookies and cream) The scoop I use is 4 Tablespoons per scoop.

1/2 cup plain fat free greek yogurt

2 TB *powdered peanut butter (I got mine from here).

cinnamon – to taste

liquid vanilla stevia or any natural sweetener – to taste

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl.

2. Mix together.

3. Spray 9 x 9 glass dish with cooking spray and press mixure evenly into dish. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

(picture from Healthy Mama, Happy Mama)

4. Place in freezer for 10 minutes to set up. Cut into 4 – 6 squares and put in individual baggies. I freeze mine, or you can put them in the fridge.

*Now, if you don’t have access to peanut butter powder, replace the peanut butter powder and greek yogurt with 1/2 cup natural peanut butter and 1/2 cup water. Directions stay the same except divide into 6 or 8 squares. If you want to try these out with your kids, add in some mini chocolate chips or carob chips – they won’t even know they are healthy!

Motivating Quotes....

In two of the fitness books I'm currently reading they talk about posting motivational quotes every where you can see them. They will give you the boost you need when you might not feel your best.

The two quotes I've relied on lately are:

"If you only look at what it is, you might never attain what could be." - author unkown

"The only thing you need to worry about is striving to be the best you can be. And how do you do that? You keep your eye on the goals that matter most in life, and you move towards them step by step." -Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Sometimes I get wrapped up on the long term goal and it seems like it's A GIANT GOAL. Then I remind myself I've got two options: give up or suck it up and try to do my best with each step I take.

The other day I took my kids (3.5 yrs old and 23 months old) to the park. My 23 month old is always trying to keep up with her older brother. She wanted to play on the big toys, not the small ones. And of course that made me nervous... Anyway she was trying to climb up one of the tubes and every time she would almost get to the top she would lose her grip and slide back down to the bottom. I tried to get her to come out, but she wouldn't. She was determined to get to the top and climb out of the tube. Well, after about 10 tries she finally did it.

At that moment I realized with determination anything is truly possible. Let's not limit ourselves on our goals. Set up baby steps. If you slip, brush it off and get back in the game. Allow your self to dream. Create a vision board of goals that you want to achieve the next 6 months.

Let's go get em'!!

I'd love to know your favorite quotes...