Pure Barre: Intimidating or Inspiring?

So, I bought a 1-month unlimited class package to the pure barre studio near my house back in August. I was super intimidated to go, because I'm overweight and out of shape. I'm super weird like that...I didn't like going to gyms either. Which is dumb. Luckily I got over myself and went. It was so hard. No, I don't want to say hard. It was challenging. And I was so sore the next day! But, after attending a few classes, the month was up and school started and I was starting graduate school and it was expensive and *insert any excuse you can think of here.*

Since I've started blogging publicly, I've loved the accountability that comes with it. I may not have a huge following, but knowing that I do have people that read what I say and try my recipes helps me stay motivated. 

Because of this, I stopped making excuses and started making time. On my birthday, I bought myself a 1-month pass of pure barre classes and I'm so happy I did. I was still intimidated going to class, but I realized that was my problem. When I went to the studio, I was going to work on myself, and that's what everyone else is there to do as well. Today, I decided to be inspired by the women in class. Through all the shaking and last 10 and last change in the set, I chose to be inspired by the women next to me. They, too are working on improving. Does it really matter that they are at a different place than I am? 

I chose to not be embarrassed by the fact that I need to take breaks. I took less breaks today than I did last class (and only took 1 during seat) and I'll take less breaks on Saturday than I did today. 

That's the thing about fitness. It's a choice. I'm choosing to change the way I've done things in the past because they didn't make me happy. Sweating during a workout makes me happy. Making a meal with whole, fresh ingredients makes me happy. Seeing tiny changes in my body makes me happy. Having my clothes fit a little better (and ordering jeans a size down!) makes me happy. And wearing these super cute socks make me happy. 

Adorable right? Pick some up here!

Who would have thought these little things would make such a big difference??

Shredded Chicken Tacos

It's my birthday and I'll cook if I want to [eat]...

So my 27th birthday was this past Thursday (yikes...late twenties). We had invited some friends and family over and I knew I didn't want to order pizza, but I also knew I didn't want to cook when I got home from work (yes, it was the only day I worked all week, but still...). So, I decided to pre-make dinner! Yayyyyy I'm so smart.

All I had to do was throw this in the crock pot to heat up!

So to start this party off, you have to throw your favorite taco seasoning on your chicken. I've turned into quite a snob in regards to taco seasoning (YES ONLY TACO SEASONING). I was on the hunt for a clean taco seasoning and stumbled onto this recipe from Pinterest. It's so super easy and you probably have everything in your spice cabinet already. I just make a huge batch and once and store it in a mason jar.

So, once you have your taco seasoning, go ahead and season your chicken. Then bake it in the oven at 425 for 25-30ish minutes.

Once it's done, throw your cooked chicken in the stand mixer to shred it. Once its cooled, put it in a freezer bag and then layer a jar of salsa, a can of black beans, and a can of corn.

This is the dream team I use

At that point, you can either freeze it for a lazy night when you don't feel like cooking, or put it in the fridge for the next few days. When you're ready, throw it in the crockpot on low until its heated through (if you froze it, make sure its thawed overnight). Then throw it on your favorite taco shells with your favorite taco toppings!

Lettuce and pico for me!

This is so easy to make in huge batches, too! I made 3 pounds of chicken in this batch. Just make sure you're using 1 each of salsa, black beans, and corn for every pound of meat you're using!

Banana Pancakes :)

So, I've seen these recipes for 2 ingredient banana pancakes all over clean eating/fitness blogs and instas that I follow. And I was like yea right...no way that is legit. But, I had some bananas that were about to go bad (this is the second week in a row that's happened...maybe I should go on a banana buying hiatus?), so I decided to test them out!

All I did was mash two bananas and then beat in an egg. Aaaaaaaand here's what happened :-/

Not the best...

But I didn't want to add flour, because the whole point was to have these be as clean as possible. So I added in about 1/2 tsp of baking powder (and when I say about 1/2 tsp, I literally have no idea because I was just going to sprinkle a little in...but I hit it too hard and added more than I meant to. Oops). So this is after adding the baking powder:

Getting there, but I thought we could do better...

So, I decided to turn the heat down to low and make them as thin as possible:

Yay! Finally they look like normal pancakes!

In total, I got 6 pancakes out of that "batter." I think if I had made them this thin from the beginning I would have had 8-10. Also, if you don't like banana, don't make these. Because they taste like banana. Just want to be clear about that part :)

I added some delicious Justin's Maple Almond Butter!

Curry Chicken Salad with Avocado

I have a paper due at 7 p.m. so what better time to write a blog post than right this second?! I will do almost anything to avoid writing papers...I mean it...after this I'll probably go clean the snow off my car. After doing laundry, and then the dishes. Yikes!

Okay, so curry chicken salad! So good (well if you like curry it's so good. If you're not a curry fan, don't put curry in, silly)!

I didn't split it into individual servings in the hope that we are out of school all week..a girl can dream!

First you have to bake your chicken. You know I like to spray mine with a little cooking spray and then with onion, garlic, cumin, and pepper. I bake at 425 for 30ish minutes. Then, while they're still warm, throw the chicken breasts in your stand mixer to shred! My super smart friend Amanda showed me that trick and it has saved my life. Thanks :-*

Okay so after you've shredded your chicken, throw your avocado in there and it kind of melts into the chicken which will help hold everything together in a chicken salad-y way (and no mayo, which is a huge plus). Mix in the curry powder.

Not the cutest pic, but since avocados are pricey and not always ripe, I buy a bunch from Costco, wait for them to ripen, then quarter them and keep them in the freezer until I need them!

After that, fold in your favorite chicken salad enhancers (fold is my fancy way of telling you not to use the mixer anymore. Don't want to squish the grapes). I enjoy celery and grapes. Sometimes I'll throw almonds in there, but I was not in an almond mood today. Other suggestions: raisins, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions. Go crazy - today is your day! 

I know I've mentioned it before, but the OXO Good Grips Grape Cutter is my best friend! Get one now!!!

I even got all fancy and wrote up a recipe! Thanks Microsoft Word templates!

Test it out! Let me know if you make any changes: kathryncleansup@gmail.com or @kathryncleansup on Instagram!

Southwestern Pork Taco Salad

Woohooooo! It's that time of the week again...meal prep day!!! This week, I did an amazing taco salad in a jar (well, technically I don't know if its amazing because I haven't tried it yet). But, look how pretty:

Okay, so I started with cooking the pork in the oven. I rinsed them off, sprinkled cumin and onion powder, then added Wegmans Organic Barbecue Sauce. Even if you don't do the organic thing, I highly recommend their BBQ sauce. It is ahhhhmazing.

I always line the pan with foil - super easy cleanup!

While the pork was cooking, I chopped these delicious veggies:

Then all I had to do was layer everything! I used salsa and lime juice instead of dressing which I'm hoping is a great decision. 

Enjoy, friends! Have a fantastic, productive week :)

Make Ahead Lunches Volume 2

I am so excited for so many reasons this week:
1. I was stalking one of my favorite fitness instas (which happens to be run by one of my favorite people) and saw her weekly meal planner. I went straight out to the container store last night and bought one and I'm obsessed with it! Get one here...it will seriously make your life so much easier! Here's a peek at mine for this week:

This is amazing, right?!

2. I'm starting a new fitness program that involves some 2-a-days...hopefully this will be good! I'm feeling determined to become my best self, and the support that you all have given is insane! Like crazy insane! Thank YOU!

3. I am obsessed with Fitbit. I had an issue and their customer service is amazing. Something that could have been a setback just really turned around and I was so impressed with them! Yayyyyy Fitbit!

4. I discovered that Silk makes Dark Chocolate Almond Milk. Yes, it really is as good as it sounds. Go get some right now (well after you finish reading, because maybe you need some other ingredients, too. Don't be so hasty)!

5. The Bachelor is on tomorrow. Those girls...

Okay, but lets be serious. We are all here for the food. And this week does not disappoint! Look how cute it is:

Just stop!

You'll need: 2 avocados, 1 lb of pasta, 4 cans tuna in water, 1 bag of frozen green peas (thawed), celery.

I didn't end up using the tomatoes...sorry for misleading you!

Okay, prepare your pasta. I added about 1/4 cup of chopped onion when I threw my pasta in. It was a great spur of the moment decision. So, I guess add some chopped onion to the above list. I guess I could have just gone up and added it. But it's not in the picture. Whaaaaaaatever

While your pasta (and onions) are cooking, mash your avocados. After you've drained your pasta, mix in the avocado.

Then add in your tuna, chopped celery, and peas. That's it! It's ready! Soooo yummy :) Let me know if you make any changes!! Enjoy!

Ready for another week!

Want more? Check out @kathryncleansup on Instagram for more frequent updates :)