Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash

Mike's family is German, and this opened my eyes to a lot of new tasty food over the years. Chicken Paprikash is one of my favourite dishes at family get togethers. I didn't realize how easy it was to make, and even easier in the slow cooker. Pair it with some spaetzle and I can give Mike a little piece of heritage in our own home:)

Ingredients
-3-4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts sliced in 1/2 inch strips (you can also leave whole if you want)
-2 cloves minced garlic
-2 tbsp paprika (use Hungarian paprika if you can find it)
-3 tbsp whole wheat flour
-1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
-4 mushrooms sliced
-1 medium onion chopped
-1 1/4 cup light sour cream

1. Combine chicken and flour in a ziploc bag and coat chicken well. Place in slow cooker.
2. Add all other ingredients except sour cream, and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Add sour cream and mix well just before serving.

I paired mine with traditional German spaetzle, but you could have it with regular pasta or rice.

Enjoy!



All ingredients in the slow cooker and ready to go!





After mixing in the sour cream




Spaetzle





The finished product




Added a simple side salad and ate it all up!



Clean Eating Turkey and 6 Bean Chili

Although the weather isn't at -20 this weekend, winter always makes me crave hot hearty meals like soups and chilis. Chili is sort of my "go to" slow cooker meal because prep time is low, and the ingredients are usually always in my house. This week I decided to try a different variation of beans, and I also decided to make it a little spicier than usual.

Ingredients
-1.5-2 lbs ground turkey
-1 medium onion
-5 white mushrooms
-1 can no salt added tomato sauce
-1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
-1 can no salt added 6 bean medley (red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, white kidney beans, romano beans, baby lima beans, chickpeas)
-1 can no salt added tomato paste
-2 tbsp chili powder
-2 tsps cumin
-2 tsps garlic powder
-red chili flakes (I used about a tablespoon, but use more or less depending on how spicy you like your chili)
-pepper to taste

***You can find no salt added options in most grocery stores now. I used Hunt's tomato sauce and paste, and PC Blue Menu brand diced tomatoes and beans***

This was the first time I have added lima beans, chickpeas, and romano beans to a chili. I enjoyed the added textures and tastes, plus it adds more nutrition to the meal which never hurts.

1. Brown ground turkey.
2. Dice onion and mushrooms and add to meat. Cook until onion is translucent.
3. Place cooked meat mixture into slow cooker.
4. Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
5. Cook in slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours.

ENJOY!

New Year: New Swag, New Chapter, New Goals!

Welcome to 2013!

2012 was a HUGE year for me. Lots of things changed in my life, and all for the better I would have to say. In February of 2012 I started my first 40 Days to Personal Revolution and my life changed forever. Since then I had spent a lot of time on my mat, in the kitchen, and on myself. I started the energy exchange program at Moksha Yoga Brampton and  blogged lots of recipes and yoga challenges. I got engaged, planned a wedding, and got married in the span of 5 months. I went on a memorable honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. I spent countless hours on dog training for a now adolescent and stubborn dog. I grew distant with some friends, I grew closer to some others. I also celebrated life changing events with others, like weddings and pregnancies.



A framed collage I made with wedding photos and stationery

 New Swag

My husband gave me a Canon Rebel T4i as a wedding gift (amazing I know!). I had been complaining about our old and poor quality point and shoot camera for about a year. I had also stopped taking photos other than ones on my phone. I'm the type of person that has over 100 albums on Facebook, and would always be the one with tons of photos from get togethers with family or friends. I have always loved taking photos, and more importantly having keepsakes of memories that I've made with those around me. I had been wanting a digital SLR for awhile, and was hoping to save money from my birthday and Christmas to get one. However my sneaky husband bought me one along with an extra lens. When I opened my gift the morning of the wedding I was so shocked, and then I was angry with him for spending so much money! He then explained to me that really it was a "family" gift because we would both be using it.

My new camera!

I also purchased a new yoga mat in 2012. It is a Jade yoga mat, which is the same mat they use at Moksha Brampton. I had been renting a mat from them every practice because my Lululemon mat was finally starting to deteriorate from the hot room. I had been using it for almost 3 years so I really was due for another one. The Jade mat is awesome! No need for a mat towel as it is no slip even with sweat all over it. It stays put on the floor too, which means it doesn't stretch out while I'm in downward dog. Plus $5 of the cost was donated to Ovarian cancer Research, and it's eco-friendly. I received a Lululemon yoga mat tote for Christmas from my new sister-in-law as well which worked out perfectly. I'm very excited to put my new swag to good use.


Me practicing the morning of my wedding on my new mat:)

 New Chapter

I married my best friend on November 17th, 2012. We married at The Queen's Landing in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It was a beautiful fall day with uncharacteristically warm weather at 8 degrees and sunny. It was a whirlwind 4 months of planning up until that day, but it totally paid off because it was the most perfect day of our lives. We had around 115 of our closest friends and family to celebrate with us. You always hear that your wedding day will go so fast and you won't remember half the things that happened, and it's completely true! Even though the hotel staff (including our wedding coordinator) had everything under control and I was able to relax, there were so many people to talk to, photographs to be taken, speeches to listen to, food to eat, and dancing to be done. All of that crammed into one day is A LOT! The important thing is that I remember the most important parts of the day for me, and for all the rest we had our photographer. 
Now Mike and I get to start this new chapter of our lives together, and I can't wait!


LOVE

 















On our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic

New Goals

The passed two years I have been setting goals for myself for the upcoming year. Last years goals were things like eating healthier, practicing yoga more often, and running a 5km race. I achieved a good chunk of my goals from 2012, and it is such a great feeling to have accomplished those things. I think the fact that I didn't go too crazy with them, and made them achievable made it a lot easier to reach them. I also didn't set too many goals for myself. For 2013, I started writing my goals out before Christmas, and I used Lululemon's goal setting worksheet (download towards the bottom of the page) to help me write out exactly what it was that I wanted to accomplish this year, in five years, and in ten years. Here are some of my goals for 2013:

Career
-Power Yoga Canada teacher training  (save for the Winter 2014 session)
-->fill out the application
-Research self-employment business practices/info/tips
Health
-Practice yoga 3 times/week
-Continue healthy and clean eating
-Discover 20 new clean eating recipes and blog them (I'm pretty sure I'm going to surpass this goal, as I have already found and blogged a few in January)
Personal
-Take a photography course and learn how to use my new camera
-Run a 5km race, maybe 2
-Family
-Pay off debt



Early AM practice in one the most beautiful places, so peaceful

I have already signed up for a photography course online, which I started this month. It has modules each ranging from 20 mins-1 hour or so so definitely achievable even during a busy work week. I also received a guide book for my new camera for Christmas and will be reading a few pages here and there. The yoga teacher training has been in my mind for about 2 years now. I think I am ready for a life changing career move. Once I have completed the teacher training, I will have to work very hard at securing steady teaching jobs in various studios in the area. I want to research marketing options, as well as learn how to run my own business. I also need to work at saving enough money to take the training, which is around the equivalent of what a year of college costs.
This passed summer, Mike and I along with a group of friends, ran in the Run for the Cure to support breast cancer research. Our good friend's mother has been affected by breast cancer and survived twice now, so we felt it was really important to support him. It was a 5km walk or run. We both ran the 5k and I was so happy I did at the end. The feeling of accomplishing something I never thought I would was amazing! See I am not a runner. I was always the one who would choose the 400m dash in track and field in school. Endurance was never my thing. In fact, I loathed running. But I had my mind set that I was going to run, and I only stopped once or twice for a minute or two to pace myself. I can't remember my exact time, but I do remember it being pretty decent.

Paying off my debt has always been an issue for me. There was always something else I needed my money for and then next thing you know I would have a few thousand dollars on a credit card or line of credit. I have been paying for my car for about 7 years now! I cannot wait for that payment to stop coming out of my account every month. I have learned that I will never purchase a new car again, I'll always go with a used one, and I will NEVER finance a car for the length of time I did my first.

All in all I am VERY excited for what 2013 has in store for me. After a solid year of yoga and clean eating, I am feeling better than ever and ready to continue my healthy lifestyle. I could not imagine my life without these things now, and this is something I have truly come to love about myself. Being able to live a life that I want to live has been my greatest lesson so far. If 2012 was that life changing for me, I can only imagine what 2013 will bring!

Namaste!

Clean Eating Slow Cooker Lasagna

Slow Cooker Sundays is back! 

Mike loves lasagna. Anytime I ask him what he wants for dinner on the weekend he always answers with "lasagna" (the same way the kid says it in the movie Big Daddy). Usually I find that it is too time consuming to make, and I used to find that it was not healthy at all. I have made clean versions of lasagna before, one even vegetarian. But this one was by far the best, AND it was fairly quick in terms of prep time.

Add some fresh made garlic bread and a simple salad, and it's the perfect comfort meal for a freezing Sunday evening.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

-9 lasagna noodles (you can use whole wheat, rice, or kamut pasta-I used kamut)

-1.5 lbs extra lean ground beef (2 small packages)

-1 large can of no salt added tomato sauce

-1 small can tomato paste

-1 container light ricotta cheese

-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

-1/4 cup grated Parmesan (fresh not the Kraft container kind)

-1 medium onion chopped

-6 white mushrooms chopped

-2 cloves garlic (pressed)

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1 tsp onion powder

-1 tsp oregano

-1 tsp parsley

-1 tsp basil

-pinch of salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown ground beef and drain fat. Add onion, mushroom, and fresh garlic. Cook until onion is translucent. 

2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and spices. Simmer for about 10 mins. 

3. Mix cheeses in a bowl until well blended.

4. For the noodles you have 2 options: a)pre cook by boiling according to package directions (use this option if you are pressed for time and can only cook in slow cooker for 2-3 hours) or b)use uncooked noodles (use this option if you have 4-5 hours to cook in slow cooker).

5. Layer meat sauce, noodles, and cheese until both mixtures are all used.

6. Cook on low in slow cooker for 4-5 hours OR if you pre cooked the noodles you can cook for 2-3 hours.

For my garlic bread:
-fresh slices of multi grain bread
-no salt added butter
-1 clove garlic (minced)
-1 tsp parsley

1. Mix butter, garlic, and parsley
2. Spread on fresh bread
3. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 8 mins 

Getting my ingredients together

Ground beef, onions, mushrooms, and fresh garlic

Added the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and spices

Mixing the cheeses

Boiled kamut lasagna noodles

Layering

Ready to start cooking

Fresh garlic bread

Ready to eat!

Clean Eating Toasted Chicken Fajitas

Mike and I both love fajitas and quesadillas. I usually make them once every week or two. They're incredibly easy, full of flavour, and make great leftovers. Now that I have my Cuisinart Griddler, I am determined to make use of it for any meals possible. So knowing that there is a wrap involved, I knew I had to toast my fajitas this time. It is such a small thing to add into the recipe but it made a huge difference. We normally just heat the tortillas up in the microwave once assembled to melt the cheese. They often come out a little soggy. But now I just wrap everything up, pop it on the grill press and it toasts the wrap while also melting the cheese inside. YUM!

Ingredients

-2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

-1/2 of each red and green peppers cut julienne style

-1 small onion thinly sliced

-olive oil

-pepper to taste

-2 tbsp chili powder

-2 tsp cumin

-1/4 cup water

-4 large whole wheat tortillas

-avocado

-salsa

-cheese of choice

1. Heat olive oil in pan (I use a wok) and add chicken strips. Cook for 3-4 mins each side or until cooked through.

2. Mix water and spices in a bowl, and add to chicken.

3. Steam vegetables (I use a steamer).

4. Stir steamed veggies into chicken until seasoning is evenly mixed.

5. Assemble fajitas to your liking. I had fresh avocado slices, some clean organic salsa, the chicken and vegetable mixture, and topped with grated cheese.

6. Wrap up and place on panini grill for about 4 mins.



Chicken, veggies and spices in the wok




Assembling my tortilla




Fajita getting toasty on the grill



Clean Eating Sweet & Salty Pork Stir Fry

I've only started eating pork in the last few years. It can actually be a fairly lean meat if you buy the correct cut and trim all access fat.
I love Asian inspired food, and so when I found this recipe on Clean Eating Magazine's website I was excited to test it out. 
You can find the original recipe here. I made some changes so here is my recipe:

Ingredients
-1 lb pork tenderloin trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
-2 cups brown basmati rice
-broccoli
-mushrooms
-baby carrots
-1/2 tbsp garlic powder
-pepper to taste
-2 tbsp low sodium tamari
-1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
-1 cup orange juice
-olive oil (I use a sprayer)

1. Cook rice according to package directions-I use a rice cooker
2. Choose your preferred method to cook vegetables-I use a steamer
3. Spray pan with olive oil and add pork. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then add pepper and garlic powder before flipping and cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Add tamari and rice vinegar.
4. Add orange juice and stir in vegetables.
5. Serve over rice and enjoy!



Veggies in the steamer





Pork getting full of flavour





Mixing the veggies in




The finished product...a yummy stir fry!



Portobello Mushroom and Avocado Panini

So this one isn't clean, and it could be a little healthier, but it was VERY tasty! It was also another excuse to use my Cuisinart Griddler (which I have at least twice a week since New Years).

Ingredients
-Any type of bread can be used here. I got some herbed panini buns from the grocery store.
-Portobella mushroom cut into slices
-Avocado cut into slices
-Any other toppings, I used a little mayo
-Olive oil in a sprayer
-Cheese of choice, I used jalapeno havarti for some spice

1. Saute mushrooms.
2. Spray olive oil on outsides of both top and bottom buns.
3. Place bottom bun on grill and add toppings, then top with other bun.
4. Grill for 5-7 minutes.

I added a Greek salad to this quick and easy meal.

Healthy Grilled Salmon and Veggies

I received a Cuisinart Griddler as a gift at my bridal shower. I had secretly wanted this for over a year and would always see it going on sale at Canadian Tire. However, I could never justify spending close to $100 on something I didn't "need". So needless to say it was one of my favourite gifts. I received it in August, and only opened it and used it for the first time on New Years Eve to make paninis. It was awesome! I think this is going to become my new cooking method of choice. Who needs a stove?
This recipe was actually from the book that came with the Griddler, you know the one with the instructions. There are a few recipes in there and I had already taken salmon out for dinner so I thought this would be perfect. The recipe is actually for a "not fried fish and chips" but I just used the seasoned oil mixture part for the fish. I substituted the grilled potatoes for roasted ones in the oven. Here is the recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients for seasoning mixture:
-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp dried thyme
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/8 tsp paprika
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
-2 salmon fillets

To be honest I always eyeball my spices, so I did not follow the measurements by any means.

1. Mix oil, lemon juice, and spices
2. Coat salmon fillets in mixture (I let mine marinate in it while I got everything else ready)
3. Grill salmon (You can cook this in a pan, a counter top grill, or a BBQ)

I used the following veggies:
-red pepper
-zucchini
-portobella mushroom

I seasoned my veggies with a little bit of olive oil, garlic powder,black pepper, and parsley, and then grilled them.

I used about 15 mini potatoes and cut them in half. I seasoned them with olive oil and Cajun seasoning and cooked them in the oven for about 30 mins at 350 degrees.  

Potatoes seasoned and ready for the oven

Salmon marinating in seasoning and oil mixture

Veggies all spiced up and ready to grill

Salmon on the flat top and veggies on the grill top

Salmon grilling

Veggies grilling

The finished product YUM!

Clean Eating Slow Cooked Pork "Roast" and Veggies

It has been quite some time since I've posted anything, but I'm hoping that I will have more time in 2013 now that all of my wedding planning is over.
Here is a very simple clean recipe that I threw together in my crock pot. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-2 pork loin chops (boneless and trimmed of fat)--> I got mine at Costco and they are very thick so I was able to cut the 2 chops into about 5-6 pieces for easier cooking
-seasoning/herbs of your choice--> I used poultry seasoning because I find that it has a good mix of herbs that really taste good on any kind of meat
-3 small/medium sized potatoes cut into 2 inch cubes
-4 medium sized carrots cut into sticks
-1 small onion cut into large pieces
-1.5 cups low sodium vegetable broth

Directions:
1. Rub seasoning on meat inside slow cooker
2. Add in vegetables and broth
3. Cook on low for about 6 hours

That's it! How could it get any simpler? It ended up being a tasty and hearty meal, enjoy!

My Life According to Instagram: July-Dec 2012

Once I got engaged and realized I would have less than 5 months to plan a wedding, my blogging obviously went on the back burner so I would have time to run around like a chicken with it's head cut off. So here are some photos from my Instagram from July-Dec of 2012!







Mike and I at our good friends wedding. We were both in the wedding party:)





Good friend Melissa and I at her wedding



Me with 2 of my bridesmaids at my bachelorette



Visiting my brother in Ottawa





BRIDE-getting ready the morning of the big day in a shirt I made







All dolled up and ready to rock!




Yoga on the beach in the Dominican Republic

 

One of my honeymoon dinner outfits



Honeymooners!



Very neat wedding gift we received from friends with our wedding "theme"



Loving my wedding band:)







One of the teasers our photographer gave us!





First Christmas dinner at our house



My new Canon Rebel T4i from the best husband ever!