This recipe was only the second time that I've prepared salmon in my life. I wasn't sure the best way to cook it and was overwhelmed when I asked what the best way to prepare it was on Facebook! So currently, baked in foil is the ONLY way I know how to make salmon but I LOVE it. Couldn't be easier...and this roasted salmon with lemon and dill is so flavorful and amazing!
The sauce is quick and delicious and the lemons just pair so well with it all! My 18-month old scarfed it down, my husband loved it and of course my 3 and 5-year olds wouldn't touch it. No surprise there.
Serve with a side of sauteed or roasted veggies and you have yourself one quick but very beautiful and gourmet dinner. So, let me ask here as well...what is your favorite way to prepare salmon? The next time I make it, I definitely want to try it on the grill. But I would love to here how you make it!
Serves 4
Roasted Salmon with Lemon and Dill
1 1/4 pound good quality salmon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 lemon, sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the olive oil, garlic and dill in a small bowl. Set aside. Place the salmon filet in a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the olive oil mixture evenly over the salmon, then top with lemon slices.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until firm. Turn on the broiler, open the foil and allow the salmon to broil for 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on it! Remove, cut into servings and serve immediately.
Week 2 of my PiYo/P90X3 Hybrid begins tomorrow! I gotta say, these two combined together is amazing. The weights of P90X3 combined with the stretching and strength of PiYo - I'm already seeing some really awesome changes through my core and back. If you don't already have a coach, but have either of these programs, or both, fill out the form at the bottom to get in touch if you want to join me. Sounds kind of amazing right?
Here is the meal plan I am following this week. Each color represents a different color coded portion control container (want more info? Keep scrolling...the 21-Day Fix is my most popular program and I have challenge groups starting EVERY Monday).
I have been using the new 21-Day Fix cookbook, Fixate a lot lately because it is AMAZING. I have tried a bunch of recipes from it and there has not been one that I didn't like. If you are interested in purchasing, this will take you to my site --- > CLICK HERE, SHOP, then type Fixate in the search bar. I KNOW you will love it as much as I do!
{Click the picture to download or print this meal plan}
I am following the 1800-2099 calorie bracket. I am on the maintenance plan and am not eating at a deficit. You will need to figure out the bracket that is right for you. And if you are not already actively working with a Beachbody coach and you need help getting started, simply create a FREE Beachbody account with me as your coach HERE!
Here are a couple of the recipes from this week:
Honey Mustard Dressing
1/2 cup reduced fat Greek yogurt
3 TBSP Dijon Mustard
3 TBSP honey
3 TBSP rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt to taste
Combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil, whisk well to combine. Slowly add oil until well blended.
We all know this time of year it's hard to stay on track...weekends usually mean football, a few beers and bad food choices, right? I'm guilty too. And I'm here to tell you, it's not going to get any easier...Halloween, Thanksgiving, Holiday parties??! The next few months are tough. That's why I'm asking you to give me just 21 days before the craziness begins. 21 days of healthy eating and working out and it WILL become a habit.
October 5th, 3 weeks, you and me...ALL IN. You pick your program, or continue doing your own (CrossFit, Pure Barre, the gym, etc). We will drink Shakeology every day and completely dial in your nutrition for those 3 weeks. I will coach you through your entire program, but those first 3 weeks are CRUCIAL to how successful you are for the rest of this year.
Who wouldn't want to be 5-10 pounds lighter going INTO the holiday season? If you are interested in joining, fill out the form at the bottom and I will be in touch!
You love 21-Day Fix's Autumn Calabrese and Body Beast's Sagi Kalev. What if I were to tell you they've teamed up on a workout program together?!
Announcing The Master's Hammer and Chisel, a 60-day program that you will help you craft a defined, visually-dramatic physique. Autumn and Sagi - both award winning fitness competitors - joined forces to create this one-of-a-kind workout that will sculpt you from head-to-toe.
The bad news...it doesn't launch until DECEMBER. The GREAT news?? On October 1st, members of Beachbody On Demand will get exclusive "first look" access to TWO different workouts from The Master's Hammer and Chisel. Don't have a coach and aren't a Club Member (giving you access to Beachbody On Demand)? No problem...sign up here, with me as your coach, and you will get 30 days FREE access...
The 21-Day Fix Original and Extreme are by far the most popular programs among my challengers. I love 21-Day Fix meal plan and have never felt better following it. More energy, less bloat, sleeping great! I have CHALLENGE GROUPS starting EVERY Monday. Fill out the form below to find out more or use these links to make your purchase now!
Usually when I get my monthly magazines in the mail, they immediately get tossed one of my (MANY) magazine baskets I have around the house until I have the chance to read them. For some reason, I was compelled to open this month's Clean Eating magazine right away and there was one salad in there that I immediately had to make. Their's called for Sorghum, which is a cereal grain, and I didn't have that on hand. But I did have quinoa...and that's how how this delicious roasted butternut squash and brussel sprout quinoa salad was created!
I don't know about you, but I'm very ready for fall and the cooler weather. Does this salad no just scream FALL? I mean, the colors alone! It's simply gorgeous!
The squash is roasted in tumeric, and this was my first time using it. It turns everything yellow FYI! But it's so good and I would roast the squash this way as a side dish in the future. Tumeric is actually being studied for it ability to prevent or slow the spread of cancer, which is pretty amazing. Definitely a spice I plan on using a lot more...
Serves 4
Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprout Quinoa Salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/4 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
10-12 Brussel sprouts, trimmed and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small head radicchio, roughly chopped
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
For the vinaigrette
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. While that heats, cook the quinoa according to the package directions, then set aside. Add the butternut squash to a large sheet pan and toss with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Roast until squash is tender, stirring a couple of times during cooking, about 40 to 50 minutes.
In a large skillet on medium, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the Brussel sprouts and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic during the last minute of cooking, stir until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat.
To make the dressing: in a medium bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, orange juice, maple syrup and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper until combined. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, squash, Brussel sprouts, radicchio and vinaigrette. Toss well to combine. Store leftovers in the fridge.
Week 6, Round 2 of P90X3 starts this week! Block 2 started last week and I forgot how much I loved all the workouts in this section. I feel SO much stronger this time around and I'm really glad that I decided to go for it again. I THINK I'm going to start a PiYo/X3 Hybrid next week if anyone wants to join me. If you don't already have a coach, but have either of these programs, or both, fill out the form at the bottom to get in touch. Sounds kind of amazing right?
Here is the meal plan I am following this week. Each color represents a different color coded portion control container (want more info? Keep scrolling...the 21-Day Fix is my most popular program and I have challenge groups starting EVERY Monday).
I have been using the new 21-Day Fix cookbook, Fixate a lot lately because it is AMAZING. I have tried a bunch of recipes from it and there has not been one that I didn't like. If you are interested in purchasing, this will take you to my site --- > CLICK HERE, SHOP, then type Fixate in the search bar. I KNOW you will love it as much as I do!
{Click the picture to download or print this meal plan}
I am following the 1800-2099 calorie bracket. I am on the maintenance plan and am not eating at a deficit. You will need to figure out the bracket that is right for you. And if you are not already actively working with a Beachbody coach and you need help getting started, simply create a FREE Beachbody account with me as your coach HERE!
Here are a couple of the recipes from this week:
Honey Mustard Dressing
1/2 cup reduced fat Greek yogurt
3 TBSP Dijon Mustard
3 TBSP honey
3 TBSP rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt to taste
Combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil, whisk well to combine. Slowly add oil until well blended.
PiYo is one of my absolute favorite programs (Pilates + yoga fusion). You will move and you will sweat, but you will feel BETTER when you are done. My next PiYo Challenge Group starts September 21st. It's on SALE this month for just $10 when you purchase Shakeology. You can sign up to learn more about my PiYo challenge group or if you are ready now, click to purchase!
The 21-Day Fix Original and Extreme are by far the most popular programs among my challengers. I love 21-Day Fix meal plan and have never felt better following it. More energy, less bloat, sleeping great! I have CHALLENGE GROUPS starting EVERY Monday. Use these links to find out more or make your purchase now!
Have you heard about Beachbody On Demand yet?? With BOD, you get unlimited access to stream hundreds of world-class Beachbody workouts ($1500 worth) - anytime, anywhere. Workout from your laptop, smartphone or tablet. As long as you can connect to the Internet, you can work out with Beachbody, no DVDs required!
One of my favorite things to do lately is to go back through old recipes on my blog and try to "clean" them up a bit. These healthier pumpkin chocolate chip bars are exactly what I have done here. And if I do say so myself, I knocked this one out of the park!
I replaced the white sugar with coconut sugar and honey, used white whole wheat flour to replace the all-purpose flour and I seriously cannot tell a difference between these and the old version. They are just as dense and brownie-like and SO good!
I just made these two days ago and the entire pan is almost gone. They are TOO good! Dangerous to keep around (even if they are healthier!). I kept mine in the fridge and I swear every time I opened it up, I would sneak a piece off of one of the bars. It adds up, believe me! But my kids love them and it feels good to give them a yummy snack that is not full of processed sugar.
Makes 24 bars
Healthier Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
1 cup organic unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup honey
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 package (12 oz) dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, coconut sugar and honey until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in pumpkin puree.
Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. On low speed, mix dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Cut into 24 squares.
Making your own homemade taco seasoning is just about one of the easiest things you can do. I bet you have all of the spices in your pantry! I swear it just tastes fresher and better than buying it in a packet. And you can control the salt!
This picture is the main reason I started making my own taco seasoning. The picture on the right was a jar of seasoning I had in my pantry. I mean the first ingredient is chili pepper and the second is 'other spices'? What does that even mean? Paprika extract (and just for color)...why not just use paprika?
Anyway, after discovering that, I never bought from the store again! My family never noticed the switch. This seasoning is amazing!
I don't really even measure when I make it anymore. I just eyeball it and it's great every time. I store it in jelly jars that I've saved or a plastic storage container. It keeps great and I end up using so fast that it's never lost it's freshness!
Looks great, right? The color is perfect and you won't believe how great it smells! Exactly like a packet of taco seasoning, but without all the artificial ingredients and preservatives. Once you make it once, I swear you'll never go back to store-bought!
Makes about a cup
Homemade Taco Seasoning
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cumin
2 tablespoons (optional or use to taste)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Combine all of the ingredients and store in an airtight container. To use - 3 tablespoons equals a packet of seasoning.
I'm a super busy mom of 3 and a Beachbody coach. Follow along as I try to find a balance between eating good food and keeping my family healthy and happy! We eat mostly clean with a few fun treats thrown in every once in awhile. Thanks for stopping by!
