Asian Salmon Salad

I cheated...this is probably the easiest salad in a jar ever! It was so easy that I made tomorrow's dinner because I felt like I was slacking :-/

Alright so I started with this amazing dressing (well it smells amazing, so I hope it tastes amazing):

Then here comes the part where I cheated...I used chopped salad mix! I didn't use the dressing that came with it because it had literally 15 ingredients, so that went in the trash. But I just put about half a bag of salad in each jar, topped it with super yummy salmon I made (that I swore I've posted before, but apparently not, so that will come later), and then topped with the wonton noodles and almonds that came in the kit! So yummy!

Cleaned up Comfort Food

So here is the recipe I use for meatloaf. And I say the recipe I use instead of my recipe because it is in no way, shape, or form my recipe. My now sister-in-law brought over a meatloaf last year (possibly the year before) and we were pretty darn impressed! We asked her what her recipe was and she let us in on her secret - it was the first recipe that popped up when she Googled easy meatloaf recipe. So, I cleaned it up as best as I could and made it tonight. Mmmmmm

Meatloaf:
1.5 pounds organic ground beef (or turkey if you like)
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 cup organic milk
1 organic egg
1 chopped onion

Glaze:
2 T organic brown sugar
2 T organic mustard
1/3 c. organic ketchup

Mix together all the meatloaf ingredients - I use my hands. You can be a baby if you want and use a spoon or something silly. Then put it in a greased meatloaf pan. Mix together the ingredients for the glaze (I do use a fork for this part) and then spread evenly on top of meatloaf. Bake at 350 for an hour. Sooooooo good! 

When I have my act together I usually serve it with mashed cauliflower, but today I was feeling super lazy and bought microwave mashed potatoes - I like Simply Potatoes, I find they are the cleanest of the microwave variety. And my veggie of choice is green beans. Those I just spray with a little oil, minced garlic, and pepper and throw in the oven about 25ish minutes before the meatloaf is done.

Literally...

I cleaned up today...literally! For a few reasons: 

1. My room was pretty atrocious. Not, like dirty, but super messy. I have a really nice pottery barn dresser and for the past few weeks (okay 2 months...3 tops), I've been storing my clean clothes on the floor in front of it...

2. I still had my flannel duvet cover and sheets on my bed. With a high of 80 tomorrow...I definitely do not need to be sleeping in flannel. 

3. I read this Buzzfeed article and thought, man I want to accomplish all the things so I need to make my bed, too. But, due to the aforementioned piles of clean clothes on my floor, there was only a path to get in my bed...not get all the way around it to make it. 

4. When I have clutter around, I'm not as likely to workout. But fear not, I cleaned up and laid out work clothes AND workout clothes for the week! Yayyyy! 

The only problem is that took all day and no lunches were packed for the week...looks like it will be sandwiches for the win!

I also really like nail polish...have I mentioned this?

Pasta Salad with Tuna!

Oh my gosh where have I been?? 

Ireland...that's where! I went to Ireland over spring break with my mom and sister and it was so much fun! I obviously had to kiss the Blarney stone so I could continue the gift of gab to keep up with you good people! You're welcome! I also got to see Michael Flatley in his new show Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games. It was amazing. It made my life! (Just in case you're judging, please know that I was a competitive Irish dancer growing up. If you still feel the need to judge, go ahead. Juuuuuuust as long as you have your all your facts). 

And then after I got back, I was busy planning a surprise 60th birthday party for my cute mom! 

Cake is clean...right?

So, now to this week's recipe! It was inspired by the food I made for my mom's party. I was actually planning to use the leftovers from the party but as it turns out, there weren't any and I had to make more. But that's okay! Here we go:

I used my favorite Weggies organic pasta. Call my crazy, but I think the shapes make it taste better! So I cooked the pasta and then rinsed it with cold water. Then I added tuna, 2 chopped bell peppers, olives, feta cheese, and a few squirts of Caesar dressing (I would say 2-3 TBSP if you made me give a measurement). Just mix it all up and you're ready to go!

I've been eating it at lunch this week at school (obviously...duh Kathryn) and my kiddos keep saying how good it looks!

The Fit Decision

I am SO EXCITED about this post!! Read on to find out more about 2 of my very best friends over at The Fit Decision and their awesome journey :) You may remember that my conversation with Katie is the famous conversation that started it all. No? You don't remember? You weren't one of the 2 people that read that post? Read it here now! Okay, without further ado...

The Fit Decision – Powered by Juice Plus+

Katie and Christine Manley – two sisters working to inspire healthy living with whole food nutrition

Hi All!  

We are super honored that Kathryn asked us to do a guest blog post. We’ve known Kathryn our whole lives, and we’re practically family.  So it’s pretty cool to have this mutual interest and cheer each other on!

My sister, Katie, and I wanted to create a platform to help people implement simple changes to improve their health. Becoming healthy is something that can make a substantial difference for someone, in his or her overall happiness, so we want to support that mission in as many ways as we can!  And while trying our best to help other people, we are learning so much and helping ourselves too, which has been a lot of fun.

Our vision for our company, The Fit Decision, is to be a resource for people who want to live a healthy, abundant life.  Our initial focus is to provide people with simple changes to start implementing today. Kathryn is the perfect example.  She started making some simple, but significant, changes in her diet and it has grown so quickly from there.  Now she is out motivating other people with her lifestyle, recipes and inspiration.  It’s pretty awesome how impactful that inspiration can be!

A little bit about us:
Katie has been studying to become a health coach since last spring. She has been determined to start her own business since the moment she decided to make this career change. I currently have a career in marketing and community relations, so I have always told her I will be her go-to marketing and social media guru when starting her business. Meanwhile, we were both introduced to The Juice Plus+ Company, and began taking their flagship product, Juice Plus – powdered fruits and veggies in a capsule – early on last year.  Over the last several months, we’ve both seen a noticeable improvement in our immune systems and energy levels, and Katie has had a significant decline in her migraines.  So we knew we were onto something great with this company.

In the beginning of this year, we decided to join forces – we combined Katie’s nutrition education, my marketing experience and both of our love for Juice Plus – and The Fit Decision was born.

The Fit Decision and Juice Plus+:
At The Fit Decision, we incorporate whole food nutrition through the Juice Plus products.  Powdered fruits and vegetables in a capsule is really as simple as it sounds. It provides thousands of phytonutrients to our bodies from over 30 fruits, veggies and grains. I tend to eat healthy foods most of the time, but I still often don’t get anywhere near the servings or variety of fruits and veggies I need. The more I shared this with people, the more I realized many others have that same problem.  So Juice Plus+ helps bridge the gap between what I DO eat and what I SHOULD eat.

There are two things that really struck us about Juice Plus: it’s not a supplement – it’s a whole food product with a food label. The benefits are also backed by over 30 clinical research studies. The results of these studies are so impressive: improving heart health, protecting DNA, reducing oxidative stress, easing systemic inflammation, and supporting healthy skin, gums and immune system. 

The best way to decrease your risk of disease is to eat healthy.  We work with people to help them figure out just how to do that, and incorporating Juice Plus to get started is a great insurance policy for getting those micronutrients. 

As for macronutrients, Juice Plus also offers the Complete Protein line of protein powders and bars. This protein is 100% plant-based, organic, non-gmo and gluten-free. It’s a great source of protein and fiber and it keeps you full, so it’s a good meal substitute or snack – and it tastes GREAT! Katie and I use it to make smoothies every morning for breakfast. Check out our Instagram for some smoothie ideas :) 

We’re really excited to be encouraging a healthy movement in today’s world. Check us out at www.thefitdecision.com to learn more! 

We are also always looking to grow our team, so if you’re interested in getting involved, please reach out at info@thefitdecision.com!

Caprese Salad

I clearly got into the warm weather today. When I think Caprese salad, I think of tomatoes fresh off the vine and basil fresh from the herb garden. I don't have either of those right now, so I had to make do with these:

I did have to Goldilocks the mason jars. I thought one was going to be perfect, but I forgot when you add in the mozzarella, it was going to take up more space...oops. The next one would have been perfect, but the mouth wasn't wide enough to fit the tomato slices. The one I ended up using has a little extra room on the sides, but whatever, it'll do!

So I cored and sliced the tomatoes, bought pre-sliced mozzarella (don't judge - it was on sale), and chopped the basil. I use a glaze from Harris Teeter, which is totally delicious. Then I just layered them in the jar and BOOM! 

Cute right??

And there were no blueberries or raspberries at the store - how crazy is that? So I had to vary my berry parfait. But, please don't worry - I used blackberries and strawberries, so it is still a berry parfait.

Yum!

Prepping my meals for the week saves me so much time, energy, money AND calories. I highly recommend doing it. People ask me if I get sick of eating the same thing every day, and I really don't because every other meal I have varies that week. Give it a try!!

Tasty Turkey Chili

So I don't mean to brag, but I make really good chili. And I've decided to share it with Y-O-U! You're welcome ;)

As always, I have to start with my dream team. I want to start making my own sausage, so if you have any good sausage seasoning recipes, send them my way! Until then, its turkey sausage from the package :-/ The beer is up for debate. Usually, I use whatever we have on tap (yes on tap...my brother brews). But today we had 1 bottle of Guinness blonde. Just 1. And it was bothering me that it was in the fridge. So I used it. I'm feeling muuuuuuch better now!

First step - cut the sausage out of the casing (if you're lazy like me and don't make your own) and brown it on medium heat. 

Next up, add in the onion and garlic. Make sure you scrape up the good stuff on the bottom. Let that cook for a few minutes until the onion gets soft and you can start to smell the garlic. Then add in your beer of choice. 

Bring that to a simmer, add your cumin and chili powder and stir. Then you can add in everything else - beans, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. I'd let it simmer for at least 20 minutes on low heat (covered). Then serve it on its own, over rice/quinoa/spaghetti (yea, I thought it was weird too but apparently its a thing). I bet it would be good over spiraled veggies too!

You can easily double and triple batches and it freezes really well.