Chicken Stir-fry

I had a friend message me via my mobile device asking for a chicken stir-fry recipe. I actually sent her this one to try. When it came time for me to make dinner tonight I couldn’t the stir fry off my brain. I switched things up.. a lot.. Okay, I don’t even think I looked at the recipe when I went to make it and came up with my own fry. More like an impromptu stir-fry. I opened my fridge and went to work with what I had on hand.

Chicken Stir-fry

                 

Ingredients

• 8 oz. chicken(I already had grilled chicken already in my fridge)
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 3 tbs Bragg Liquid aminos
• 2 tbs Olive oil
• 2 C. Green Beans
• 1/2 Yellow onion chopped
• Mrs. Dash (Original)

Directions

1. Chop all your veggies and sauté in oil and Liquid aminos till soft
2. Sprinkle on Mrs. Dash
3. Add chicken
4. Stir well
5. Serve on top of rice.

Check out this little find at Costco..

BAM.

My rice cooker will now collect dust.. Because I kind of, sort of like this rice better.. Its like sticky rice that is ready to eat in 90 seconds.

I’m a huge fan of Braggs amino acids

It is a Vegetable protein made from soy beans, it contains 16 amino acids and is gluten free. It contains less sodium then other leading soy sauce’s. It worked well with tonight’s meal. I found it just at my local grocery store in the organic section.

I’m still feeling sick today, last night I had a fever and today it is just my throat, ears and head.

I’m the person who refuses to be sick and not listen to my body till it screams at me.

I know, I know.. I should practice what I preach.. but my job doesn’t allow much time for sickness. Part of being a fitness instructor is when you walk into the room you leave all your problems at the door. Even if I had a crummy day, and even if I was not feeling 100% I put on my best face and by the end of class I always feel better.

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However.. last night that was not the case.. I made it through both classes and I came home and crashed on the couch and did not move until jimmy Kimball started screaming from the television. I took some IBU and slept till about 8:30 this morning. My husband was so helpful to take care of the twinners while I have been down for the count.

Today, I did do this workout. NO jumping or running involved so I figured I could make it through it.  Marathon training has taken a backseat this week.. I may still do a lifting workout while I am sick but I don’t run. I can’t breath, so if I  throw cardio in there then my head might explode. Although.. when Saturday gets here, I might have to push back my “long run” until I feel better.

While I was upstairs changing this is what I came down to.. (note: I was probably upstairs for 3 minutes..)

Guilty as charged! I couldn’t help but laugh.. I decided just to have a fun playtime and I snagged the cookie cutters (plastic), shovels and we just played in the “sand.” Can’t beat them join them right?

Do you workout when your sick??

FLU- NO

FEVER w/ body aches= NO

Symptoms just Neck up = light weights, light cardio—dust off the elliptical..

 

Wedding Sickness Curse

I have a story for you guys today,

On my wedding day 4 years ago, I actually got super sick the night before my wedding. I ‘m not sure whether if it was just nerves or if I had really caught a nasty bug. I was up most of the night before my wedding and when I finally got up to get ready, I had a fever, my throat was swollen, body aches and my ears hurt when I swallowed. I took some meds and called it good and I made it though the entire day. Although, I didn’t feel the greatest I must say that it was the best day of my life.

Fast-forward 4 years later.. Its our anniversary and I feel like crap again.. the curse of the wedding sickness hit again. Pretty sure, its just a nasty bug this time. When Brent got home to go out to celebrate, I just felt like I should climb into bed and sleep this sickness away. My sister was there to watch the babies and I reeeeaaaallly wanted to go out. I took some fever reducer and off we went!

We decided to eat at trio!

Brent ordered the trio flatbread as a starter it came with 3 different dips- olive tapenade, basil pesto, white bean puree.

For our entrees Brent went with the three cheese ravioli.

I must say the butternut sauce on this was soooo good!! It had a mild sweet taste to it that I could probably drink a gallon of. I stole a few swipes of it with a slice of my grilled chicken.

I went with the lemon chicken salad and added a seared salmon- note: the waiter asked me twice if I was sure I wanted to add the salmon.. Girl needs to get her protein! No but really, Brent’s entrée didn’t come with meat so I was going to share…( a little.)

My salad came with romaine lettuce, caper berries, celery and lemon vinaigrette dressing. (I always get my dressing on the side.)

The caper berries were a delicious addition to this salad! They add a little spice to it. Brent referred to them as a meaty olive.

We enjoyed each others time talking about our future and things we want to do, things we could do better etc. etc.

After browsing through their dessert menu we decided that what we both were craving was really just 5 minutes way.

Red Mango!! It was perfect for my throat, and its proven that fro-yo always makes me feel better. I got the new white peach flavor and it is now my new favorite flavor!

After we finished dessert we headed back home, after a quick stop to pick up a movie. We rented “Water with Elephants” (You know, that book that I never got around to reading) I really liked the movie and stayed awake for the whole thing which doesn’t happen very often!

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Reese Witherspoon is my all time favorite actress! And Robert Pattersin is not to shabby, but did it throw anyone else off that his name was Jacob in this movie?? I really just was thinking Edward the whole time.

Now, that I have watched the movie I kind of want to read the book.

Those of you that have read it, would you recommend I read the book also?

Have a great day!

..4 years..

4 years ago, I married my best friend.

And tonight we are celebrating! I’ll be back tomorrow to review dinner! We are going to one of my all time favorite restaurants!

Have a great night!

A Happy, Healthier YOU- Take 1!

Good Morning friends! Hope your all off to a great start today! However, how many of you were still full from all the food consumed yesterday?! I woke up close to 8am and was not the least bit hungry for breakfast. I’ll take that as a sign I overdid it a little yesterday..

But knew I better eat something so I wouldn’t become ravenous later.

Breakfast was served.

GF Oats, and a protein shake

Oatmeal

• 1/3 C. GF oats
• little bit of vanilla protein powder from 1 scoop
• 2 tsp. Almond Butter

Vanilla Protein shake

• 1.5 C. Almond milk Vanilla Unsweetened
• Remaining Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 C. Spinach
• 8-10 ice cubes
• Pinch of cinnamon

10 things you can do today for a healthier, happier you!

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1. Drink A LOT of water today! After all those treats yesterday you want to flush out the system.

2. Get rid of all your leftover super bowl treats! I sent most of our leftovers to work with Brent! Out of sight-out of mind!

3. Get your workout in today! After food overload yesterday, we are probably feeling a bit sluggish today. Get moving and you will feel better!

4.Kill Germs! Go through your house with a sanitization wipe and give every door handle, railing, and light switch a good scrub to get rid of pesky germs that could cause a sickness.. Who has time for that?

5. Get Pretty! Take 10 minutes and curl your hair, do your makeup, or paint your nails. This is something I rarely take the time to do. But I always feel better about myself when I do.

6.Plan a healthy dinner! With a Lean meat, veggies, and a healthy fat.

7. Don’t eat anything processed today.

8. STRETCH! Try to touch your toes.

9.Park far away. Take that last parking lot stall and burn a few extra calories walking in.

10. Turn on some music and dance around with your kids- I do this almost everyday with B and T and they absolutely LOVE it!

 

Q. What are YOU going to do today to make a happier, healthier YOU?!

Super Bowl and Chobani Winners!

Wow! What a crazy weekend! If there is one thing I love about the weekends is not really having any plans at all but is it just me or are those w-ends even busier? But any weekend is a good weekend as long as it contains running, family, friends and food!
Brent and I had a little date night with just the two of us! We got tickets to the Jazz game from my MIL. They played the Lakers and it was a great game!! JAZZ WON!!

And I got a Red Mango fix!


So if you were on earth today, there was kind of a big game going on..
Super BOWL time!!
This was our first year hosting a super bowl party at our home. I got to work on Friday getting all the shopping done and started the prep work this morning.
On the menu:

• Macho nachos
• Citrus Salad
• Chocolate covered strawberries
• 7 layer dip (Stadium Style)
• Mary’s Crackers with Hummus
• Berries

It all came together easily, and the stadium was a huge hit! via pinterest

The second round of macho nachos on the other hand…

Yes, I completely forgot about them.. yes, there was flames, and my fire alarm may have gone off..
#FAIL.
The spread was complete! Friends brought drinks, yummy pumpkin bars, chocolate banana bread, cookies and chicken wings!


The salad was a spring mix with pears, grapefruit with goat cheese and light balsamic dressing.

Hummus crackers and chips- Mary's Crackers are seriously addicting! SO GOOD!

I totally got this off pinterest. LOVED how they turned out!

You can never go wrong with football chocolate covered strawberries!
Winners of the CHOBANI CHAMPIONS is..
True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result:35Powered by RANDOM.ORG
Jess n JakeFeb 3, 2012 07:34 PM

Chocolate Chunk of course!!! I want I want!!! I'm a follower!

AND--
True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:11Powered by RANDOM.ORG
Life's a BowlFeb 3, 2012 06:25 AM

I just tried the Cho kids honey-nana flavor and loveee it! Would love to try the chocolate chunk...

Jess and Allison please shoot me an email asap with your contact info ASAP! candice@bodyofamother.com

CONGRATS!

Chobani GIVEAWAY

Yesterday, I received a lovely chobani champions care package on my doorstep. The kind people of chobani sent me two new flavors, Vanilla Chocolate Chunk and Orange Vanilla to try out!!

Chobani was the first greek yogurt made for kids!

Vanilla Chocolate Chunk

Orange Vanilla
I am a huge fan of Chobani! I use their greek yogurt not only to snack on but I love to bake with it as well! I have used it in cookies, waffles, parfaits, muffins,shakes and my personal favorite.. Pancakes!

T and B LOVE yogurt as well! I couldn’t wait to give them a go on these two flavors.
Bee started out with the vanilla chocolate and T with the Orange Vanilla!

Both were a huge hit! Bee ate hers SO fast and then went after T’s.

Greek Yogurt is a great snack for kids! It's a great treat that has nutritional value that can benefit their growing little bodies.
Chobani Champions greek yogurt for kids is made with only natural ingredients so your not getting any added sugars, additives and preservatives that are commonly find in other generic yogurts.
It contains protein, calcium and vitamin D – Which are all important to be included in our little champions diet. Anytime, I can sneak a little extra protein (and chocolate chunks ) in their diets with a smile on their face, I’m a happy momma!
It taste great and there are 4 different flavors to please even the pickiest little eater!

Chobani has offered readers of bodyofamother the chance to win 2 cases!
There will be not just one BUT 2 winners!! Each winner will receive a case of their newest flavors!
3 packs of orange vanilla

Along with 3 packs of vanilla chocolate!

TO ENTER, you have 3 chances!!
1. Leave a comment here saying which flavor of Chobani yogurt is your favorite!
2. Visit Chobani Champions Facebook page *here* and “like” it!
3. Must be a follower of “BODYOFAMOTHER”
Leave a comment letting me know for each chance you take! I will choose a winner this FEBRUARY 4, 2012. Through Random.org.

Its “Nothing but GOOD”!!!

Celebrate good times!

Hey, Hey!! This week is flying by! We have been a little crazy around here lately! This morning I got a quick 4 mile training run in with the same group I have been running with. It has been nice in the mornings, and by nice I mean, at least 30 degrees, to run outside. Its much easier to run outside then the treadmill for me. Although, today it was a bit hilly and hills just are not my cup of tea. Especially, Steep ones that seem never ending!

Its is supposed to snow tonight so I’m not planning on a run tomorrow, I may hit up the treadmill for some speed intervals. It has been a little to long since my last speed training session.

 

And its obviously time to pick it up a bit. And learn to tie my shoes better.. I think I stopped to tie them like 5 times!?

Home by 6:45am

I made a shake similar to this one for recovery! I just added 1 Tbsp. of Chia seeds! After all, February is National Heart month and Chia seeds have proven to be '”heart healthy” with such a omega 3 kick! I also had the rest of the banana with WAY to much almond butter (I need a intervention..) Along with 4 scrambled eggs.

(Do you like how I hid my hideous manicure? Don’t have an 18 month old help paint your nails..)

Today’s workout at GPP was probably one of the funnest to date. Check it out here. Grab a partner and give it a try! It’s one of those workouts you really have to pay attention the whole time or you might just get a ball to the face or gut or hip…

After such an abtastic workout, it was time for lunch! I made a quick salad and pretty much inhaled it!! I am loving adding more veggies in lately, because the past couple of weeks I have been a fruit fiend!

I also taught an awesome Body Attack class today. This is the 3rd week since we launched it at one of the gyms I work at and it seems to be pretty popular now! We had a full class! Great energy and amazingly, talented members to keep up with a gazillion --->(yes, that is now a word.) Plyo-lunges and fun dance moves that I randomly through in there .

After Attack I shot right out to meet the fam to celebrate someone's birthday!!

It was my step-mom, Aly’s birthday today and we had a “surprise” dinner for her.. (She kind of found out..ooops) We all met at a popular Chinese restaurant called The Mandarin. It gets pretty big reviews from the locals but I just don’t get it..? We had bad service, the food was not anything spectacular and we had a half-hour wait even though we had a reservation! Oh well.. they served rice to the twins so they are probably still picking it off the floor..The food is served as “family style” so everyone picked a few  entrees to share. We had a good time talking and laughing. I love getting together with my family, spending time with my sisters and everyone just makes me happy. Maybe cause I think they are hilarious and we always have a good time together.

Brent and I decided on Velvet chicken with gooseberries for our entrée to share. It included chicken with pine nuts, watercress and red and yellow peppers in a light soy sauce. (Does anyone notice that ALL Chinese food has some sort of sauce?)

Little B wanted nothing to do with the high chair so she sat in my lap and gave it her best go with the chopsticks.. and quickly referred to using her hands. (She must be all American)

T loves drinking out of the glass cups! If you follow me on instagram, I’m sure you followed along for the story..

Having a little help from daddy…

Became independent 2.2 seconds later and spilled, so he is putting the ice back in..

Then about 5 minutes later he discovered the best of both worlds…

I just love this kid. He is always doing the funniest things!

Dinner was fun with the family and spending time with Aly. She is such a great example to me and I’m so grateful for all that she does for me and our family. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALY!

Tomorrow, I’m sleeping in. Its way past my  bedtime and I don’t think I could handle another 5 am wake-up call. Sleep is as important to your health as exercise! Off to get some ZzzZZ’s

Q. What is your favorite Chinese dish?

I’m so not a fan of Chinese.. or maybe I’m just going to the wrong places.. but if I have to chose it would probably be lettuce wraps? I don’t know. To many bad experiences to decide.