Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Sauce

Holy Moly… the holidays are over!! We survived :)
Honestly, for a while there I thought I was going to just keep digging myself a deeper hole with all the get togethers, sweets, gigantic meals, etc.. BUT its over.. and back to our healthy meals and portion control! I am more ready than ever!!

Last weekend I spent a lot of time at my moms because Neil was up North fishing in Lake of the Woods. Darn, it was HARD to stay focused on clean eating when she had bought me THREE things of Brookside dark chocolate. Those things are GOOD. But enough is enough..

This week is mainly consisted of trying to get back on a schedule and in a regular routine again. We went on vacation to the Riviera Maya and got back 5 days before Christmas!! Busy. Busy. Busy.. And I miss it OH. SO. MUCH.. especially with the blizzard we are in right now. It was absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to go back! Chloe keeps telling me that she wants to go back to Mexico and back on the airplane. Talk about tough love!!! Me too baby girl, me too!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!!! I can't believe it is 2015!! Weird. New Year means its time to step things up a bit.. Neil and I (mostly Neil) ;) are working on building a desk for an office space!!! I am beyond excited for that to be finished and to have more organization and a place for me!

Yesterday I couldn't decide what to make for dinner.. I had some shrimp in the freezer that I wanted to use up and decided to go with Shrimp Tacos!! So I wanted to bring that recipe to you all as well.

Here is what you will need:

For the Marinade:
- 1 Tablespoon Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb. de-shelled shrimp

Avocado Sauce:
- 1 Avocado
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice

For the Tacos:
- Taco Shells (we used wheat and corn tortillas)
- lettuce

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, add all the marinade ingredients except shrimp.
2. Add the shrimp to the marinade mixture and let sit for about 20 minutes while you make your avocado sauce.
3. In a small blender or food processor, add all the ingredients for the avocado sauce. Mix until creamy.
4. Heat a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from heat.
5. Assemble tacos. Shrimp-Avocado Sauce- lettuce or other toppings of choice. ENJOY!



Let me know how you like the recipe!!
Also be sure to follow my blog for WEEKLY recipes and tips for living a healthy and fulfilling life!

xo

Briana

New Year. New YOU.

New Year. >>> New YOU!!
Let's get this year started off with a BANG!

Before I started coaching, this is a summary of what my health life looked like…
-yo-yo dieting to 2 extremes! Binge or not eat much of anything
-on and off relationship with the gym- we all know those on-off relationships are unhealthy and you should just drop them asap 
-When I was at the gym.. 1-2 hours of working out, 5-6 days a week, with little to no results at all.

>> Why?? Because I had access to the equipment but no one to tell me how to use it properly. I could workout 1-2+ hours a day but come home and have no idea how to eat properly to get the results I was looking for. I THOUGHT I knew, but I didn't.. I would go through streaks of working out because I did not have the motivation, support, and accountability to keep me going.

Ready to ring in the new year with new habits?? Comment or message me and lets get this thing started. Let me show you how you can break up with the gym and get REAL results and form REAL healthy habits.

Strawberry and Apple Chicken Sausage Salad

Between our vacation that was mid- December and the holidays, my meal pattern has been off. It's hard to stay on track through the holidays isn't it!? You are going to get off track a little bit, and thats ok :) I am ready to get back on board! Just need to stay away from the Dark chocolate. Those Brookeside Dark Chocolates are my weakness!!! I think we all have those few things that it just takes everything in you to resist right?!- That is mine!

On that side note- I DO have a New Year's group starting up to help you and I both get back on track! I  know right now I need all of the accountability and support I can get. If you would like more details on that send me a message through my blog or find me on Facebook!

I have never been a HUGE salad fan.. It is getting better. But there is just something about making salads at home that they are not the same as when you order them from a restaurant or they just don't sound as good usually. But lately I have come up with quite a few salads that are very delicious and unique. Take a look at my other recipes for more salad options! This one is really good. I figured its a great way to start out this week and get back to clean eating!


What you are going to need! >>> Not much!

- 1 link Johnsonville Apple Chicken Sausage, sliced
- 1 package spring mix salad greens
- 1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
- 1 medium granny smith apply, cut into chunks
- 1/3 cup walnut pieces
- 1/4 cup crumbled low-fat feta cheese

For the Dressing:

- 2 Tbsp. Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. canola oil (I used olive oil)


 For the sausage- follow the instructions on the package to cook. Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl.


Enjoy!! I can't get enough of this salad and I hope you enjoy it also!!

xo
Briana

Reflecting on 2014

I am sitting here reflecting on my 2014 year…
Where I was last year at this time, and where I am now. The difference is astonishing, really!

Sometimes I think back to before and it feels like a dream. Like a bad dream and place that I was never actually in. But I was. I was there. I was at a low place. I know posting this makes me vulnerable to peoples judgement and I am ok with that because the truth is most of us find ourselves in a low at some point in our lives, right??

It is crazy what you can do and what changes you can make in ONE year.
I love the life I am living.. and I never dreamt it was possible to be here.
-Financial freedom
-Freedom to be home with my daughter EVERY day.
-Gained self confidence
-Gained self worth!
I realized that I DO belong somewhere special here on this earth. I have a PURPOSE.

Do you ever feel like you are just running on a hamster wheel? Not sure where you are going or if you are going in the right direction..?
Been there!

Who wants a new opportunity for 2015?
My biggest goal for this upcoming year is to find and help people who are stuck like I was. And to help them make the same changes in their life! Because I promise you, it is doable! And it is SO worth it!

Comment "IN" below and let's get started :)

How to Shop CLEAN!

So it is 2015! You can't use the holiday excuse anymore. Your talking about starting a new meal plan, working out, the whole works! Let me help you get started right. I want to share some tips that I use while shopping to make sure that I am hitting the right areas of the store! ;)

1) Prep for Success

Make sure that you have your meals for the week prepped out and ready. What I do is plan a few different recipes for each meal. For example maybe 2 lunch recipes, 2 dinner, and 1 breakfast. This is because I usually have plenty of left overs. So no need to cook each night/day of the week! 

Have your meals planned out and write the ingredients that you need for each recipe out on a grocery list! Here we goooo to the grocery store! PS- when you are writing out your grocery list, think about where in the store you will get those ingredients ;) … are any of them in the middle aisles??

2) Shop the outside aisles!

 When you are shopping in the grocery store, the key is to stick to the outside aisles. Why? Because the middle aisles are usually filled with canned and boxed foods- a no no for a clean eating diet. 

Below is an example of what shopping in the grocery store should look like. And this is really what it looks like for me! In and out of the middle aisles just a little bit and then back to the outside. When I started taking clean eating seriously and started the 21 day fix, this pattern just kind of fell into place. I heard about "shopping the outside aisles" after I had already been doing it. But it makes sense right?! 

The chips, pop, candy, boxed dinners, canned veggies, etc. Stay out away! :) Spend more time looking for fresh produce that you can snack on and make healthier meals with.

When I walk into our grocery store, the first thing there is produce. I do the majority of my shopping there. Then I work my way around the store… meat, dairy, frozen, checkouts! I do go into the middle aisles a tad just for maybe some salsa, almonds, chicken broth, or oatmeal. But other than that I really don't need anything in them.

3) Produce is your friend :)

Like I said before- when I am in the grocery store, the majority of my time is spent in the produce department. You should have vegetables incorporated into your lunch and dinners. And also eating fruit each day. These things seem to disappear out of my fridge fast, so I pick up a LOT of it! ;) And to be honest- I usually have to make a few extra runs to the store during the week if/when I run out of produce. 

When I got home from the grocery store the other day I decided to take out all my groceries and figure out how much of each category I was buying. This is what my groceries for the week typically look like. Neil works on the road during the week so I am cooking for Chloe and I. Granted I usually have some things at home still that I don't have to buy and I also end up going back to the grocery store sometime at the end of the weekend for more.

As you can see in this picture, 60% of my groceries are produce. 20% is dairy. This is usually egg whites, unsweetened almond milk, greek yogurt, some yogurt for Chloe, and maybe some cheese if a recipe calls for it. 15% is meats. That is typically chicken breast, maybe salmon, ground turkey. I like to get my protein in other forms too- like Tofu and egg whites. Only 5% of the groceries I bought were shelf items. TWO items- chicken broth for my chicken picatta that I will make later this week and walnuts for a new salad that I am going to try out!




Do you need help getting started with meal planning and clean eating? Feel free to contact me through my blog or Facebook and I can give you more tips! You can also check out my recipes which are also located on my blog for some ideas! Let me know how it goes!

Remember: Find clean recipes, write a grocery list, shop for food, and consciously make sure that you are sticking to outside aisles! Happy Grocery Shopping!! :) Did I mention that I LOVE grocery shopping?! LOVE IT!!


xo
Briana

New Years resolution

I have been thinking lately- what will my New Years resolution be??? Hmmmm

I honestly can say that I don't think I have actually ever set one before. But this year I want to. And I want to stick with it! 

I have been thinking today that I might make a resolution to organize my time better. Something that I really struggle with. I am a schedule oriented person but get off task really easily. If I could get that under control and break my day into different time for cooking, cleaning, family, work, etc. I think it would be good for both me and my family. And would also help me be more chill throughout the day ;)

What is your New Years resolution going to be?! Any ideas yet? I would love to hear them!

Healthy 2015!!

2014 is closing soon. Now is the time to get a good start on 2015.. make changes that you have been wanting to make for a long time but keep on giving yourself excuse after excuse. Been there, done that!
No more!!

I am offering you a FREE, yes free! 5 days to Healthy eating group starting on Dec. 26th!

My goal with this group is to give you the key information that will help you make healthier choices when shopping, cooking, and eating! We will end the day before New Years! This way you have what you need to make healthy choices for the New Year 

Let your friends and family know! The more the merrier!!!
My goal is to help as MANY people as I can create healthier habits for themselves in 2015!

Who's in!?