Meaningful + Mindful
I have thought a lot about being intentional this week. Although my online classes for work have ended, the to-do list for me has not gotten any shorter and my children are drug into this long list of my to-do’s. They had no desire to sit during my consultations this week and it showed on my last day of meetings. There is nothing like two children fighting (screaming) while you are trying to talk to someone about healthy eating habits. I have really struggled during this pandemic-time to be intentional with my time, for myself. Nap-time is never long enough if both even nap and honestly I don’t use that time to focus on myself anyway.
E M B A R R A S S I N G
My intentions for my children to sit and eat their muffins and drink their smoothies were met with utter failure and screaming. My intentions were great, I had a plan, but then what? What comes after your intentions are met with failure and you have no plan? At some point, this happens to everyone. I know for Josh, it is dragging out all the weights to work on his weightlifting program, but being met with two super eager kids that want to lift with him. When you are working on technique on lifts, working out with two under four years old is not ideal and your intentions might as well have been to play in the dirt. If there is no back-up plan or if you are unable to push your intentions to the side, then you more than likely are going to experience some serious frustration.
You can layout a plan, get started on it, but there is no guarantee that someone (my children in these cases) won’t come along and throw a wrench into your master plan. There is no way to seamlessly execute every intention, the smallest of things can mess up what you have planned and ruin your progress/meeting/fun/experience. This is not to say that you should not make plans or set goals. You should do things intentionally, but you will have to take others and unforeseen obstacles into account. Even when you do have what you think is a great plan, with no obstacles, you need a back-up plan for your no-fail-100 percent-solid plan. I mean, what kid doesn’t like yummy smoothies, their favorite muffin, and watching their iPad while mom meets with people? Clearly mine.
Typically our intentions are selfish, not to say that is a bad thing, but we do not consider what others want or need when we are making our goals and putting them into action. In our minds, the goal we have set out to tackle is the most important thing in the world, but only to us. You have a goal, you see it, and go get it. “Just do it” right? When you wake-up in the morning and are laying out your to-do list for the day, you aren’t thinking of what other people might want or need, we don’t think of how these plans could be negative for others or impact their own set of goals/intentions.
If you are single and doing your own thing, this might not even apply to you, but at some point, you will encounter a day where your plans interfere with someone else’s and you will have to make the choice whether your plans are more important than theirs or not. You will have to push what you want aside to take care of what others need or have planned. If you are a parent or specifically a mom/wife, you probably know all too well about putting your needs/wants/desires aside for the happiness of others. This is where planning comes in to play.
If you intentionally plan time just for yourself to be intentional, then you will be more successful. Trying to sneak in a minute or two, here and there to be intentional is not going to fulfill that need. A small amount of time spent is better than none at all, but it can cause you to lose sight of your goal or give up because you are not reaching it fast enough. It seems silly that you have to plan time to be intentional, but without that time set aside to really focus on your goals, you might as well not even bother. The times that you are interrupted during your “intentional” time cause frustration, anxiety, and can push your goal further out of reach. With any goal you have, you must plan out your time to intentionally focus on it. Five minutes here and there won’t get you there very fast and can cause you to quit before you ever get close.
No wife wants their husband away from home during this quarantine time more than necessary, but in order for Josh to truly be intentional with his time, there is no way he can reach his goals with the kids wanting to join in. If you have a goal then there are going to have to be sacrifices made. Those sacrifices might not be made by you, but those around you. You must be mindful of what it takes to reach your goal and have a plan laid out to get there.
New Food Review:
Heirloom Tomato Pomodoro Penne Pasta: I was a little skeptical of how this would turn out. When I drastically reduce the amount of fat put into a dish, I kind of hold my breath on the level of tastiness. This dish was great with the reductions that I made. I do wish that I had this as a main course and not just a side. I had planned to put chicken in it, but Josh really wanted to cook ribs so we ate it on the side. This would be perfect with carba-nada for any vegetarian looking for some protein and a super tasty spring pasta sauce. I will be making this again very soon!
M E N U
Garlic Roast Bird w/ Charred Lemon Chimi + Charred Onions
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos + Cilantro Lime Ranch
30 Minute Chicken Fajitas with Roasted Pineapple Salsa Verde
Hamburgers + Sweet Potato Fries
Garlic Roast Bird w/ Charred Lemon Chimi + Charred Onions
I love this blogger for more than just her food. She is spunky, funny, and engaged to one of the fittest (THE fittest) persons is the world. Her pictures are real and relatable. She doesn’t make you feel like what she cooks is impossible, because she isn’t working from a professional-grade kitchen, but her food still looks like it.
Since I am not cooking for the fittest family on Earth, I will make a few adjustments to her recipes I am sure to meet our macro needs. If you are new to reading my blog or looking at the recipes I use, the * indicates what I use in place of the ingredient above it. Sometimes I change the ingredient altogether and other times I just change the amount used.
For this recipe I am going to need two chickens to accommodate for supper and lunch the following day. Josh and I will eat the breast and let the kids have the dark meat.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 Chicken, Spatchcocked *2 chickens 4-6 Tablespoons smoked garlic compound butter (salted butter, minced garlic, parsley, salt) *2 Tablespoons per chicken 1/2 cup olive oil *spray bird with olive oil or 2 Tablespoons per chicken Lemon zest Dried thyme, parsley + oregano Crushed red pepper Salt 6 cloves garlic, whole 2 lemon, cut into sliced 2 red onions, quartered CHIMI Roasted garlic 1/4 cup charred red onion 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced 1/3 cup fresh oregano, minced 1/3 cup fresh basil, minced 1/4 cup fresh mint, minced 1 tsp red pepper flakes 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil *omit oil, add lemon juice 2 tbsp charred lemon Salt + pepper
Pulled Pork Sandwich
There is no link for this recipe because it is so simple that you don’t need anything to guide you. I love being able to get a pork butt to cook it one way and make two completely different meals. Usually, I will have a sandwich and tacos on the menu to use up the whole pork butt. I am planning on freezing half of the meat for tacos next week.
I cook the meat in the crockpot for 8 hours on low. To season, I evenly coat all sides with yellow mustard, then season with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and paprika. Once the meat is in the crockpot I add in soy sauce and apple cider vinegar so the meat does not dry out and soaks up some extra flavor. Once the meat is cooked thoroughly, let it cool and then separate the meat from the fat. It really does defeat the purpose of healthy tacos and sandwiches if you leave the fat in there. Plus it is just gross.
I do not add the BBQ sauce until I am ready to eat each serving. I make sure to weigh out my sauce for every sandwich before I put on the bun. I make sure to get a low carbohydrate sauce, so I don’t over waste too many of my carbs on the sauce. Simply put the bowl on the scale, weigh out the meat and the sauce in grams or ounces, depending on the nutritional label. Toast your bun, top with the meat, and pickles, and enjoy!
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 Boston Butt Paprika Salt Pepper Yellow Mustard Onion Powder Chili Powder Garlic Powder 1/4 cup Soy Sauce 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar Brioche Bun Pickles Low Carbohydrate BBQ Sauce
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos + Cilantro Lime Ranch
Don’t let the simplicity fool you, this was the BEST beef taco I have ever made. It was so good I got seconds I love that there is a sauce with this one, that I can make completely healthy. I also like the idea of using ground beef. We made those box tacos it seemed like every week when I was growing up, this will be a nice nod to the 7,000 El Paso seasoned tacos I had growing up, just better.
The last time I made this I used pulled pork and it was okay. I preferred the ground venison much more over the pork. I still have not made this with chicken, but I am sure it would be great.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil *omit oil 1 pound ground chicken, beef, or turkey *pulled pork 1 yellow onion, chopped 2-3 teaspoons chipotle chili powder, use to your taste 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, use to your taste 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon kosher salt 12 hard shell tacos (see notes for homemade option) *low carb-high fiber tortilla 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese *10-12 grams per taco CILANTRO LIME RANCH 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt *non fat Greek yogurt 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped + 2 tablespoons brine juice from 2 limes 1 teaspoon kosher salt
30 Minute Chicken Fajitas with Roasted Pineapple Salsa Verde
This recipe is pretty identical to the 20-minute shrimp tacos I have made, which are delicious. If you haven’t made them yet and you have some shrimp on your hands, run and go make them now! Seriously, one of my favorite salsas yet. The shrimp version had more ingredients in the salsa, but I like that this recipe is a bit more simple.
The only thing to really track in the salsa is the pineapple and tomatillos. The tomatillos are awesome roasted with the other ingredients. If you can’t find tomatillos, you can use a jar of premade Verde. Add the Verde, garlic, jalapeno, and spices to a mixer pulse together until blended well.
These fajitas always turn into rice bowls for me instead of tacos. I love salsa so much and the macros are so great that I can have a lot of it. If you are going low carbohydrate, then skip the rice and just eat in the tortilla or alone. Some fresh cilantro, lime, and maybe avocado to top it off and you are set!
I interchange pork and chicken breast in this recipe often. Since I am making pork sandwiches this week, I will have extra pork on hand. Pork is probably my favorite way to eat this bowl, so I am really looking forward to this meal.
*Changes I make to fit my macros
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips *chicken breast or pulled pork 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil *Spray with oil 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder kosher salt and black pepper 2 bell peppers, sliced 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced 6-8 small flour tortillas, warmed *High fiber/Low carb tortilla or rice crumbled cotija or shredded cheddar cheese mashed avocado and limes *Omit cheese OR avocado ROASTED PINEAPPLE SALSA VERDE: 6 small tomatillos, husked *verde if you can’t find tomatillos 1 jalapeño 4 green onions juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 1-2 cup diced pineapple *1/4 -1/3rd cup per serving
Hamburgers + Sweet Potato Fries
I recently had the B E S T burger of my life from Liam’s in Thomasville. I am going to try and recreate them…I know it won’t hold a candle to theirs but I shall try. They are well known for their cheese, so it was not just your basic cheeseburger by any stretch of the imagination.
Hamburgers will never go out of style and can be healthy if you don’t smother them in cheese, bacon, and mayonnaise. When I track my hamburger I weigh out my meat after it has cooked. This is controversial in the world of tracking food, but I think that it makes sense. The fat is going to cook out of the meat, so I don’t actually end up eating all of the fat that was originally in the raw meat.
I am going to add some sweet potato fries with the hamburgers for the kids. Hamburgers have your fats, protein, and carbs (if you eat a bun). The only thing I do is eat a second hamburger patty without a bun to get in more protein. Macro-wise there is no reason to add a side dish. I know everyone loves fries with their hamburger but you are doing some major calorie intake if you do that.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients Hamburgers: 80/20 meat Brioche buns Heirloom tomatoes Lettuce Onion Yellow mustard Ketchup Pickles Cheese (optional- good cheese, not basic Kraft singles) Fries: 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled 2 tablespoons olive oil *spray olive oil 2 tablespoons cornstarch *omit 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper fine sea salt, to taste
