Roasted Chicken

I LOVE myself some GOOD roasted chicken and for the most part, because of time restraints, we end up buying the pre-made Rotisserie from the grocery store BUT in an attempt to try and make more foods at home, I took the time to get this done. Surprisingly, this was a very EASY and QUICK recipe.  Its GREAT for a Sunday dinner or to prep for the week's meals... either way, it honestly smelled like THANKSGIVING up in our kitchen. ENJOY!

Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 2 3.5-4 lb whole organic chickens; rinsed
• 3 Tbsp butter of ghee (I used ghee)
• 2 Tbsp chopped rosemary
• 2 Tbsp chopped thyme
• 2 lemons, zest both and slice the rest
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 1 cup baby carrots
• Salt & Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. In a bowl, mix the butter or ghee, thyme, rosemary and zest from 2 lemons. Add a little salt and pepper.
3. Place baby carrots on the bottom of the roasting pan.
4. Place chicken (patted dry) inside a roasting pan.
5. Placed sliced lemons inside cavity along with the onion wedges and a few extra rosemary and thyme sprigs; divide between the two chickens.
6. Tie legs together (optional) with water-soaked twine.
7. Brush chicken with the butter/ghee and seasoning mixture you prepared in the bowl. Place some under the breast skin if possible.
8. Squeeze juice from the additional lemon over the chicken, then sprinkle skin with a little salt and pepper.
9. Roast in 400º F oven for about 1 hour.
10. Cover with foil and roast for an additional hour. (using a meat thermometer is highly recommended – when the temperature reaches 165º F, the chicken is cooked through)
11. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving
12. ENJOY!

Eating and VACATIONING!

It's SUMMERTIME and we're BUSY! We're traveling. We're headed out to the beach with the kids. We're staying up later and waking up later. We're attending BBQs and parties EVERY weekend. Tis' the season to just have a GOOD TIME and in reality, you should! The last thing we really want to worry about is having to completely "diet" or stay on some serious eating plan when we really do not have to. Right?! BTW... diet... UH, lets DELETE that word from our vocabulary!

If you are one that is working towards living a healthier, more fulfilling life"style", there is no real reason to skimp on all the fun. {NOW if you are training for something specific or have an event coming up, you will have to stay consistent with that plan.} As long as you stay consistent, eat clean most of your days, incorporate some sort of physical activity, REST and have a plan, you WILL survive the remaining summer weeks.

Here are some SUMMER TIPS:

• Drink WATER often!
• Eat as fresh and whole food as you possibly can.
• Try to avoid direct exposure in the sun.
• Turn your outings into EXERCISE aka park further away, walk the malls, take the stairs, ride one of those bike thingies at the beach/zoo, etc etc.
• Avoid as much greasy food as you possibly can.
• Choose a smoothie over a milkshake/ice cream.
• NEVER skip breakfast!
• DISCONNECT and take some time to enjoy your family and friends.
• Relax and BREATHE! This is the season to slow the pace a bit and absorb the light that stimulates your hormones. 

At the end of the day, have FUN and enjoy these summer days and weeks--- they will FLY by! :-)

Whats the HYPE about PRE-WORKOUT meals???

Big big BIG question I get asked ALL the time is regarding WHAT TO EAT before a workout and will it help me perform better???

WELLLLLLL.... I hate to burst your bubble BUT a pre-workout supplement/meal is NOT needed. If you are eating consistently every 2-3 hours, your workout should fall somewhere in between 2 of your meals, allowing you to fuel up before AND after your great workout. Indulging in "extra" calories prior to a workout because we feel we need "somethig" will not only add in more calories BUT now you have to burn off even more during your workout because you're eating in excess to your plan.

Many supplement companies want us to believe that we need this and that but in reality, you do not. If you're fueling up properly throughout the day, the pre-workout meal {aka one of your normal meals} should consist of healthy carbs, fats and protein--- allowing you to be energized and ready to go. If your goals consists of losing weight, adding in "extra" calories before a workout means more to burn, less to lose {get me here?}. Now this does NOT include a preworkout "energy" drink or anything like that; thats a completely different thing here.

It is recommended that you eat no more than 30-minutes prior to your workout; all depending on HOW quickly your digestion works. If you need more time, space it out and make sure you allow yourself to digest the food OR create some delicious shake as one of your meals so that your body can process it quicker. One of my go-to meals in the afternoon prior to my afternoon workouts includes Shakeology+1/2 banana+1 tbsp almond butter+water+ice+BLEND! This fuels me up BUT doesn't make me too full where I can't move.

Now lets not forget that EVERY plan is different and what works for one may not work for another. I normally workout EARLY in the morning and I do not eat anything; this is called a FASTED workout or FASTED cardio. This is what works for me and has been for over a year now. For you, that may not work; and that's OK. Follow your body and allow yourself time to see what works best.

Most importantly, don't overthink and just get to work. Focus on you and your schedule and plan! Find what works and HAVE fun doing it! Good luck!

Chicken Fried Rice {Paleo AND Regular}

The more you cook, the more you make--- its as simple as that! If you are one that wants to get in the kitchen more, start COOKING! I know it gets frustrating and probably hectic at times but doing it does NOT take much and there are plenty of quick meals out there that will give you something to work with.

Here is my Chicken Fried Rice recipe(S)! Made both of these the other night and it was DELICIOUS! {keep in mind that you make the base all together and then you divide so stay with me on the recipe below...}

INGREDIENTS {use ANY veggies you want but remember the Paleo guidelines if you're going that route--- if you are only making ONE kind, divide recipe in haldf}

• 4 cups cooked chopped chicken (divided in half into 2 cups each)
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons FRESH ground ginger
• 2 cups cauliflower rice (I buy the frozen from Trader Joes)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos (split into 1/4 cup servings)
• 4 egg whites, scrambled (divided into 2 each)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pan, cook the onion in coconut oil on medium heat until soft; about 5-7 minutes.
2. Toss in all veggies (IMPORTANT! If you are following a Paleo diet, you may NOT add in peas or any non-paleo veggies SO save those until the end when you divide the recipe.) and saute until cooked.
3. Add garlic and FRESH ginger; mix well.
4. DIVIDE the mix into TWO pans. {sorry... this is needed!}
5. Add 2 cups of chicken into EACH pan; saute a bit until chicken gets a little brown.
6. Add cauliflower rice into Paleo pan and brown rice into regular pan; this is where you can add any additional veggies into non-paleo pan if you'd like.
7. Add 1/4 cup coconut aminos to each pan and lower heat to LOW; simmer for 2-5 minutes.
8. Push mixture to the side in each pan and add egg whites to the other side; scramble good and then do a quick stir into the rice mixture.
9. SERVE with a side of veggies or salad!
10. ENJOY!

Morning Routines

Simple morning habits that you can implement TOMORROW...

If you have never read "The Miracle Morning", I highly recommend that you take the time to devote to reading and FINISHING the book! Take notes and implement the actions as soon as possible. Locking down a GOOD morning routine will not only help you get more done daily BUT it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE and help you feel more energized and positive.

Here are some great ideas and morning habits that I do to help get me going each day:

1. Wake UP a little earlier aka BEFORE the kids get up AKA before the rest of the world wakes up. I know you're already like "NOPE, its not happening, I am tired..."; I get it! Its HARD to get up earlier when you're already tired and have so much going on. I mean lets face it here, as a mom, I am LUCKY if I can get to bed before 10PM so getting up at 430am (this is MY time that works) is really hard BUT its not impossible. Focus more-so on getting up just ONE hour earlier than you are right now and begin making it a habit. A peaceful start can really set the tone for the day.
2. Drink a BIG glass of water! Believe it or not, you wake up dehydrated in the morning so fall asleep with a glass next to your bedside OR in the bathroom so that when you wake up, its easily available and ready to go. Water with lemon has been known to not only help cleanse the body but also improve digestion but it helps to stabilize blood sugar and BOOSTS energy. 
3. AFFIRMATIONS! As silly as it sounds, starting your day with positive words and readings can really turn any stressful morning/day into a very positive one. Rather than grab the phone, grab a BOOK or create a little notepad with positive words that's you can get into the habit of reading every.single.morning. Spend at least 10 minutes reading! Need help starting? Look in the mirror and repeat after me: I am BEAUTIFUL! I am ENOUGH! I have ENOUGH! I do ENOUGH! I am worthy of all great things and I will create a life I love! Today is my day and I am perfectly IMPERFECT!
4. Get your heart rate UP! I know this is a hard one and may be even harder if you are a parent to young kids where you do not have access to leave your home so early BUT that doesn't mean you should just skip out. It is PROVEN that if you exercise in the morning, you can not only drop weight but you begin to control cravings, feel way MORE energized and simply more positive all around. SO if you can, get OUTSIDE {with the fresh air or to a gym} and add in 30-45 minutes of activity. If you can not leave the house, NO PROBLEM! I have workout programs you can do at home {just ask} OR you can simply create your own. There are TONS of ideas and things that you can do. TEN MINUTES of activity can change your life! Don't skip this step because you have obstacles in the way... lets make it work and find a plan that is for YOU!

It may take a little time to get into the new routine but once you've got it, you've GOT IT! Try implementing some of the ideas above as soon as you can and be consistent. Small, CONSISTENT actions turn into GREAT THINGS! You will SOOOOOO thank yourself later!

written with <3 by Sandy Tocci

Low Carb Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad

I'm not really doing a low-carb thing BUT its fun to play around with recipes and its FUN to see what you can come up with. Here is a DELICIOUS and EASY chicken salad that could pretty much fit into any meal plan. {Its similar to a traditional Waldorf Salad but not exactly the same.}

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups cooked chopped chicken
  
• 1/2 cup crushed almonds and cashews
• 1/2 cup sliced red grapes
• 1/2 red apple, diced
• romaine lettuce leaves (whole leaves)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• dash of salt
• dash of pepper
  
    

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Grab a large bowl.
2. Dump ALL ingredients in; minus lettuce leaves.
   
3. Mix really well.
   
4. Serve in lettuce.
   
5. ENJOY!
   

Finished product!

Told you it was EASY!!!! ;-) Feel free to add more ingredients like chopped celery, onion or really any ingredient you want. Have FUN and let me know if you decide to make it.