Meal Prep Monday: Zucchini Bake - A Kitchen Adventure

Meal prep Monday. What are you making in the kitchen? Me? Well there is the usual of steel cut oats, meatballs. I have fruits like bananas and apples, and I also have veggies like carrots, green beans, and zucchini bake. What?? Yup I make something new. I love zucchini so I picked a recipe from Fixate. It makes 4 servings and now I have some super awesome veggies for the week. Here it is below:

Zucchini Bake

4 servings

2 green, 1/2 blue 1/2 tsp

Ingredients:

4 zucchinis

2 tbs lemon zest

1/3 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbs olive oil

Directions:

1. Quarter the zucchini

2. Mix lemon zest, thyme, oregano, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper 

3.  Brush zucchini with olive oil put in baking dish

4. Sprinkle with mixture

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 mins

Take out and enjoy!!!

Want more recipes like this? Send me a note and I will get you set with more!

Meal Prep Monday - A Kitchen Adventure! Zucchini Chips:

Well, its that time again! Time to cook with me!

Last kitchen adventure, I posted a recipe from the Autumn Calabrese cookbook, zucchini chips. Well, this week, I made them as part of my meal prep. Some things to note:

1) WATCH THEM! We have some skinny little zucchinis here and I used one. The recipe says 2 hours, mine could have done better at an hour and 15 mins. Some were supa crispy BUT it did not take away from the taste. I strongly recommend them.
2) smaller zucchini means more in my serving. My 1 little sad zucchini turned into 1 serving.

Here is the recipe again in case you missed it

Zucchini Chips from Fixate
Containers: 1 Green and 1/2 tsp

Ingredients:
2 large zucchini, very thinly sliced
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 225 F
2. Place zucchini slices in one layer between paper towels to help draw out liquid
3. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper
4. Place zucchini slices on parchment paper
5. Brush zucchini with olive oil and season with salt
6. Bake for 2 hours, or until golden brown and crispy
7. Cool completely before serving

You can also try different seasonings like Parmesan (that is what I did), red pepper flakes, pepper, BBQ seasoning, Mrs. Dash....really whatever you like. Play with it some.

As usual, I also made oats and am still rocking some leftover meatballs from last time. I also have 3 more servings of the mac n cheese. I need to learn not to be scared of the grill since I want to make some chicken kabobs with pineapple and veggies.

Binge Eating and Personal Development - The Hunger Fix - A Journey Through A Book

Something you may or may not know about me: I am a binge eater and a food addict. There it is in all it's ugly glory. I have always been embarrassed about this. I never talked about it. I never shared it. I would eat a small amount in comparison others because I was so worried about my size and them seeing me eat. When you are the biggest one of all of your friends, you notice, and they did too (I'm sure of it). Again, it was never really talked about. I would eat at home. I would hide food in my room, junk food of all kinds. I hid my food and my guilt. It was not until the last few months that I finally started to address it. For me, it is embarrassing, but if I am going to get better, I have to address it. How? I started to really look into it and read up on it. I needed to get under the problem. Address it head on. By working on my personal development, I grow as a person and learn more. That, my friends, is where I started. This brings me to The Hunger Fix by Dr. Pam Peeke. I first heard about this book when I was listening to a podcast by Chalene Johnson.

Food addicts exist, and worse, it is a scary drug. DRUG? It's food. Yes, that is what makes it scary. Food addicts get a hit of their drug every day. You HAVE to have food to live. While other drug addicts can go to rehab and get away from it, food addicts cannot. They use false fixes to help them feel better. It affects the dopamine in the brain (something I had no idea about). This book talked about taking that false fix and making it a healthy fix and using other ways to get that "fix" and get the happy centers of the brain to work.

This book had me do activities. Video journals, written journals, foods I like verses food I would eat on a binge on my worst days and the calories that go with them. This book really opened my eyes to what I was doing to my body. It also had personal stories from people who suffered and are in continued recovery. The book also explained it is easy to fall back to old habits and the importance of being vigilant. It walked me through different stages and steps to take. It also gave different recipes that were healthy and balanced.

There are some important tips in the book that I have been doing and have learned in the last few months of doing Beachbody. I want to share them with you because I've been there and am working on bettering myself.

• Surround yourself with positive supportive people
• Get rid of the junk in your house
• Get rid of your trigger foods
• Get moving
• Balanced food + intentional exercise = weight loss 
• Be present in what you do. This takes away mindless eating
• Quality, Quantity (portion control), and Frequency (eat every 3 hours) are important

It's not easy. I will NEVER say it is. There are programs out there to help you. I found the one that helps me and I work with others to help them as well. The journey of recovery comes with lots of rewards. I coach because I can relate. This book helped me to work on myself as well as ignite a passion to help others. If you are struggling, reach out to me. I'm happy to help and support you in your recovery. Read the book.

Book Rating: Read it! Contains information on how the brain works and how to apply that to recovery.