Stuffed Peppers

Clean Eating Stuffed Peppers

3 large green bell peppers

1 cup chopped mushrooms 

1 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped

1 lb lean turkey

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

Fresh cilantro

Cheddar cheese for topping if desired

Cut each Pepper in half the long way

and then clean out the stem and seeds so they make pretty little bowls

for your stuffing.

Place these in a baking pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees

While the oven is preheating 

peel the zucchini and chop it and the mushrooms and set aside. 

Warm up a skillet and brown the ground turkey evenly and then

toss in the mushrooms and zucchini and cook until they soften. 

seasoning the mixture while it cooks through

with Cumin, onion powder and garlic powder.

When the turkey is fully cooked feel free to taste this

as you season. 

Everyone has different tastes and you won't find out what you like

unless you experiment and taste things as you go.

Once the turkey is fully browned and the veggies are cooked through and slightly softened

pull off the heat and mix in your fresh chopped cilantro.

(I admit I did not measure here- just grabbed a handful off the bunch and 

coarsely chopped it before stirring it in.)

 

Now spoon the meat and veggie mixture evenly

into your pepper boats,

cover with cheese if desired and

pop them in your preheated oven.

 

 

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and 

the peppers look soft and the edges are starting to brown.

I usually just serve these with rice but get creative.

They also hold well in the fridge if you want to 

save your leftovers for lunches during the week.

And fret not my friend if you have extra meat filling. 

It taste's great as leftovers even without the pepper boat or 

warmed up and  tossed onto a bed of lettuce for an exciting twist for your salad.

Happy cooking!!

~Patty

Voices in my Head

Do you have voices in your head-

or is that just me?

I really hope it's not

but if it is that's ok

I'm weird (and a little crazy)

and I own that.

I do have voices though.

When I was a kid they

told me to make quacking noises in science class

while the teacher was talking 

and I got my name on the board.

When I was in Navy bootcamp

they told me to keep my head down

and mouth closed and managed to get me through

relatively unscathed.

When I was in my 20's they told me to go ahead and have another drink...

As a mom they tell me to calm down-

Screaming isn't going to get you anywhere.

I tell my kids the voices in their head 

are God and the Devil talking to them

and that they should pick the one they believe is God and listen to him,

I wish I had taken that advice myself when I was younger.

But there are other voices also.

Ones that tell you about yourself.

What do those voices say?

Do they tell you you are strong?

You are worthy?

You can do it?

Push you to keep going?

Help you make good choices?

or do they tell you

you're a failure?

You  can't do that

Tell you to give up

Call you names or 

tell you you are weak

or unworthy?

I have heard those negative voices.

In fact I struggle with them to the point that

in my early 20's I found myself in the 

deepest darkest kind of place that any human being can find themselves.

But I was pulled out of it with the support and love from a few people

that saw more in me than I saw in myself.

People who told me over and over that those voices were wrong.

But boy were the voices loud and hard to ignore!

After some time I realized that I controlled the voices.

In order to fight them off I just had to change what they were saying.

I started waking up every day and telling myself something positive.

People love me.

I am smart.

I am funny.

I am worthy.

etc

and eventually it worked.

You may read this story

(which by the way I have never shared publicly before)

and think it has nothing to do with you

or that you have never had a battle like this in your head.

But I ask if you have ever looked in the mirror and thought

I am fat

I am ugly

or stood watching someone run by and thought

I could never do that

or seen a person eating a packed lunch 

at a catered conference and thought

I could never have that discipline

Seen someone lifting weights on TV

and told yourself you were not capable of that

Been trapped in the frozen aisle in front of the ice cream and 

thought you might as well just buy both kinds 

since you can't decide which one looks better.

Those are voices you can combat.

They are voices that tell you 

you will fail so you might as well not try

 Voices that say you won't be able to stick with something

and are not going to succeed

Voices that tell you to give up.

Voices that say if you made a bad choice that

it's ok to just keep making them because today is a wash anyway

and you have already failed.

I beg you

DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!

I know it's hard but 

you need to convince yourself 

they are wrong 

and tell yourself 

something positive when you start to hear them 

You can choose what they say.

Pick something that motivates you

and makes you feel invincible.

If you need to,

write it down.

Hang it on the fridge and

your bathroom mirror.

Put one in your car

or in your purse.

Hang it on the door or near your keys

Put positive energy anywhere you think you

will see it and when you look at it 

say it out loud

You feel silly?

I know.

But believe me, you will feel a change once you start doing this

and eventually you will start believing the 

positive statements are true and those other ones 

will get quieter and quieter.

If you need some ideas of positive Statements here are some I like:

Believe you can, and you will.

I am strong.

I can do anything I decide to do.

If I am passionate I will succeed.

I am beautiful, inside and out.

Failure is not an option.

Don't give up on yourself-you can do it

I am worth it

You like lettuce. 

Vegetables are your friend.

Put those cookies down mother-F'er  

(ok seriously if you know the 80's movie this one comes from than

we are soul mates and meant to be best friends-just saying...)

One step at a time is the only way to get there. Keep going.

You get my drift.

Now I'm telling all of you who made it to the end of this.

You ARE worth it.

You Are amazing

You CAN do anything you decide to do.

So get out there and do it!!!

Be Heathy, Be Strong

Be Amazing!

~Patty

Do you have a Partner?

 

Why are we smiling when we look so rough?

Because we just got up at 5 am and got a great workout done of course!

And no. before you ask. 

I am not a morning person and I do not LOVE getting up at 5 am

buuuuuuuuuttttt...

I do love my husband and he has to workout at 5 am in order to fit it into his very busy day.

I could sleep in and do mine later but we are a team.

We motivate each other, 

push each other,

encourage each other,

and provide accountability for each other.

Of course we are all capable people 

and independence is a great thing

but when working out

staying on track with a great nutrition plan

or challenging ourselves with new

health and fitness goals it helps to have a partner.

Someone to celebrate your victories with

discuss your challenges

come up with ideas to overcome hurdles

and help push you through the tough days.

So who is your partner?

Is it your mom,

a sibling

your spouse or a good friend?

Is it a trainer at the gym or

a community on my fitness pal?

If you don't have a partner in fitness, find one

it can be life changing!

I am lucky to be married to my best friend and

that he is truly my partner in everything I do.

We ran his first race ever together

in 2009 and have been sweating side by side since then-

we are the weird people who even go for long runs together when we are on vacation!

 

But just because I have him does not mean I can't help you.

If you need someone to keep you on track or accountable 

please let me know and I will be happy to be your partner!

Plus if you are looking for more than just accountability.

you want a solid plan, a workout schedule

laid out for you and a nutrition plan that will help it all come together plus the

added support of myself  and a whole group of people trying to reach their own fitness goals together consider joining one of my Beachbody Challenge groups this summer.

Follow this link or contact me at

pthbjones@gmail.com for details!

Clean up your Philly Cheesesteak!

Yummmmmm- Philly cheese steak how I love you.

Every once in awhile I just get a craving

for that delicious melt in your mouth and 

drip in your hand

little slice of food paradise- but let's face it1

a Philly cheese steak is not exactly on the list

of low calorie, high nutrition foods

HOWEVER-------

I found a way to add the flavor to our regular

dinner rotation without

feeling guilty!

I mean it's not exactly the same but 

it is really really good....

(and easy of course!)

Cut about 2 pounds of cube steak into strips and throw in the bottom

of the slow cooker and then cover with

1 green pepper,

1 red pepper, and

1 yellow pepper also cut into thin strips,

1 onion, thinly sliced and about

1/2 pounds of thinly sliced mushroom 

(I usually use baby button, but you can buy whatever kind you like)

On top of this mountain of veggies drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil

and sprinkle about 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and

3/4-1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper.

Close it up and turn it on low for about 6 hours and this is what you will have:

 

Now just give it a stir to mix it all together and scoop into a bowl,

Place a slice of provolone or some grated provolone on top

and poof- you have what I like to call 

Philly cheese casserole.

Now don't get me wrong-

this would taste AMAZING on a great roll-

I just prefer to leave out the bread for most of my dinners.

Now go, cook and be happy!!!

~Patty

(and here is the recipe without my narration-)

Ingredients:

2 lbs cube steaks, cut into strips
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips

1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 lb mushroom, sliced more to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4-1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
6 thin slices of provolone cheese

Directions:

saute mushrooms in olive oil until softened and light brown, about 5 minutes.
add to slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients, except the provolone.
cook on low for 6 hours.
stir well,

scoop it into bowls (should make about 6 servings) and then top each one
with some of the provolone and add some cooking juices to each bowl to melt the cheese.

I know, I know- the bread makes a great cheese steak but if you want to see results you have to make some changes. Try it without the bread this one time-it is super yum!

Eat Breakfast!

You have heard this one before: 

DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST!!!

I am awful at this one. 

I have to take medicine in the morning that requires and empty stomach 

so I have to wait at least an hour to eat in the morning and by then the kids

are up and hungry and I am feeding them.

making lunches for school,

double checking the homework folder,

changing diapers,

fixing crazy bed head hair,

catching the mismatched outfit moments before we need to leave the house

and then having to scramble to find something else for her to wear

while she cries and yells because that is her 

absolute FAVORITE outfit.....

I'm sure you get what I'm throwing here-

mornings are busy for me and before I know it

I have been up for 2.5 hours and not put a thing except a half cup of coffee in my mouth. 

Then I head to the gym to burn anywhere from 350 to 1000 calories

and then end up running errands (yes, I do this sweaty and smelly-if you have ever run into me at the grocery store or BJ's around 11am I apologize...) and before I know it the clock (and my toddler) say its lunch time and I have not eaten a thing.

That does NOT do the body good.

 Whatever your morning time story is, it's hard to make time for breakfast,

but we need to make it a priority if you really want to lose weight and keep it off.

By eating something within the first 2 hours of your day you start your metabolism for the day and allow your body to start burning calories and working more efficiently which is a really good thing.Not only will it give you fuel and energy to start your day with but it will help you efficiently burn more calories through out the morning and help prevent you from overeating or binge eating later in the day.

But when I say you need to eat something I am not talking about a donut or 3 sitting on the table in the break room at work or a cheese danish or a piece of cake left over from the party last night. 

I am talking about filling your bodies fuel tank with the most bang for your buck and that means some combination of complex carbohydrates with protein and a bit of healthy fat. 

What the heck does that mean? 

Here are some good options:

How about 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of whole-grain toast, 

a cup of Greek yogurt with a handful of berries and chopped nuts stirred in, 

a bowl of oatmeal topped with berries and two slices of lean bacon on the side. 

Shakeology

a low sugar protein bar

smoothie with Greek yogurt and fruit and protein powder

or try this easy and yummy 'overnight oatmeal'

 

Overnight Oatmeal:

Before bed grab a  jar or Tupperware container 

In the bottom layer

1/2 cup of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt

(if using plain you could mix in a teaspoon or so of maple syrup or honey for a touch of sweetness without the sugar) and top with

1/3 cup of steel cut oats (or old fashioned-just don't use quick unless you want a jar of mush)

and then  pour just a splash of almond milk, coconut milk or skim milk over the top of the oats.

(you can also top with chopped fruit of your choice but I only had 8oz jars on hand and I had trouble fitting just the yogurt and oats in there without making a huge mess so if you want fruit definitely use a larger container!

Close it up and pop it in the fridge overnight (or at least 6 hours)

In the morning grab the jar, open it up to find this:

 

Now just grab a spoon and eat that thick filling yumminess.

Pat yourself on the back for planning ahead, 

starting your day off right 

and making this delicious breakfast! 

~eat well, be well

Patty