Taco Bake 21 Day Fix Approved

I don't know about anyone else, but I adore Mexican food! Especially since my gastroenterologist told us that I should no longer include gluten in my diet. I wasn't that big of a bread eater at the time that he recommended it, but I've really tried to cut down even further, which means incorporating more grains like corn, quinoa and oats into my diet. So it's only logical that I've been making more Mexican inspired meals. Also, it doesn't hurt that it's one of the only types of food that my super picky husband and children are guaranteed to enjoy as well. With that said, I figured that in honor of Cinco De Mayo I should post a favorite Mexican influenced dish made in a 21 Day Fix friendly way.

Try it tonight and let me know what you think!!

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey (at least 93% lean) browned

1 small onion diced

1/2 normal sized low sodium taco seasoning packet

1/2 cup of water

4 oz. low sodium taco sauce

diced tomato

chopped kale

1 red container of plain Greek yogurt

2 blue containers of low fat cheddar cheese

4 hard corn taco shells

Directions:

Brown ground turkey and onion in a pan over medium high heat.

Drain off the liquid and add 1/2 taco seasoning packet with 1/2 c water. Stir until combined.

Add taco sauce and stir.

Place 4 taco shells inside of a zip lock bag, pound with a mallet until crunched up into small pieces, then layer an 8x8 baking dish with 1/2 of the crunched up taco shells.

Pour  a layer of 1/2 of the ground meat mixture in an even layer.

Layer 1/2 of the greek yogurt using a spatula to smooth it out and spread it evenly across the mixture.

 Spread 1 blue container of the cheddar cheese mixture in an even layer.

Spread a second layer of the crunched shells using what's left in the bag.

Pour the rest of the ground meat mixture.

Spread the rest of the Greek yogurt again using the spatula.

Lastly, sprinkle the remaining blue container of cheddar cheese on top.

Bake in 350 Degree oven for 15 -20 minutes or until cheese if bubbling.

Once baked, I top mine with a green container full of chopped kale and tomatoes. And since I cannot have cheese, I leave out the cheese layer on half of the dish and add a 1/2 blue of avocado spread on top at the end. But you can add any other toppings you would like!

Containers as prepared prior to toppings: 1 red, 1 yellow, 1/2 blue

For my family, I cook a side of refried pinto beans and dirty rice. Everyone loved it, especially my super picky hubby!! Enjoy and happy Cinco De Mayo!

Water - How Much Should I Drink?

As a health and fitness coach a question that I am frequently asked is: "How much water should a person drink?" Unfortunately, this is not always easily answered. There are several factors that should be considered when you are figuring out how much water you need. Factors like how much you weigh, if you are a woman or a man, the temperature of your environment, how active you are and if you are nursing a child. In order to get to the bottom of these questions, I did a little research and came up with the following information.

1) How do I determine how much water I should drink?
An easy and commonly accepted way to determine how much you should drink is to first figure out what the bare minimum your body needs to function if you just sit around at a desk job, hang around the house or are just doing sedentary activities like reading. The simple equation to determine this is by taking what you weigh and dividing that in half. Therefore, if you weigh 150 pounds, divide that by two and you get 75 ounces. So if you were to do nothing strenuous at all, the bare minimum you would need to drink would be a little less than eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day.

2) How much water should the average person drink?
According to the Institute of Medicine, the average female adult should drink about 9  cups per day whereas the average male should drink about 13 cups per day.

3) Should I drink more when it's hot?
Heat and humidity can make you sweat more and therefore require additional fluids. So, if you're spending time outside in the summer and you are feeling warm, drink a glass of water. However, heated indoor air in a typical office building during the wintertime for example can also cause a person to require more fluid.

 4) What if I workout?
If you are exercising on a daily basis for at least half-an-hour and you're sweating, you should drink an extra 1.5-2.5 cups. So to be on the safe side, that means if you're a woman, you should be drinking around an average of 11 cups or 15 cups if you're a man. If you're participating in intense exercise, such as training for a marathon, or working out hard for an hour or more you will want to increase this number.

5) What if I'm breast feeding?
If you are breastfeeding a child it's especially important to stay hydrated since you're drinking to keep you hydrated as well as being the primary source of hydration for another person. The Institute of Medicine recommends that a nursing mother should consume an average of 13 cups per day, which you will probably need to increase if you are breast-feeding along with working out.

6) Can I get water from the foods that I eat?

It's important to note that what you drink is not  the only way to meet daily fluid needs. In fact, on average, a person's diet accounts for 20% of their water intake. For example, most fruits and vegetables are comprised by as much as 90% water. Also, things like soup or broth are pretty much all water and therefore can be counted towards your daily total.

7) What if I don't enjoy drinking water? What other beverages can I count in my daily total?
Beverages like milk and juice can count towards your daily fluid intake. However, be careful, because certain drinks like coffee, for example, are diuretics and should not be counted as part of your daily intake since they do more to dehydrate you than help keep you hydrated. Also, milk and juice have additional calories and sugars so they should be consumed in moderation, especially if trying to lose weight.

8) How will I know if I'm well hydrated?
If you are drinking enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and your urine is colorless or very light yellow you're probably well hydrated. However, if you're concerned about your fluid intake because you have health issues or are taking any medications that may make your water needs unusual please check with your doctor. They can help determine the amount of water that's right for you.

Some helpful tips to try and follow on a daily basis to make sure that you're getting enough water are:

• Drink a glass of water with each meal
• Carry a water bottle around everywhere you go and try to make sure that you are constantly sipping
• If you're a person that carries a planner, put when you're going to drink water in there, schedule it like you'd schedule a meeting
• Drink a glass of water before you exercise, one during and one after
• Drink a cup of tea when watching television at night

How To Get Your Workout On As A Stay At Home Parent

Prior to becoming a mother, I used to fantasize that being a stay at home parent was the dream job! You got to stay at home all day with your kids and just have fun!!! Between taking them to the zoo, museums, on errands, and playing with them, how could anyone have time to work, anyway? So when we found out we were having twins, I immediately started dreaming about how amazing my life would be if only I GOT the opportunity to stay home with them!!

 Then, when our babies unexpectedly arrived 7 weeks premature and NICU bound, my dream became a reality. Only the reality was that there was no other option, I had to stay at home with them. Due to their prematurity and lengthy NICU stay and the doctor’s visits, physical therapy and various other specialists needed for such vulnerable newborns, it really didn’t make financial or emotional sense for me to go back to work. Not to mention that nursing twins was a full time job itself! The “dream job” gave way to the reality of being a stay at home parent to two premature infants.

 A typical day was comprised of sleeping for 1 hour, changing diapers, nursing each twin, pumping bottles while eating something myself, giving them each a bottle then cleaning up my liquid gold they spit up due to their acid reflux, sleeping for 1 hour again, bringing them to a doctor’s appointment, and some variation of these activities round the clock for the first year.  Although the weight I’d gained from my pregnancy fell off, I felt sluggish and tired all the time. On top of that, I felt like I needed my life to be more than being a caretaker and well, a cow. Prior to being a mother, I’d been active most of my life in one way or another and not being active was taking a toll. So, after living in a daze for close to a year, I knew I needed to start doing something for myself in order to gain more energy and some sanity or I was never going to have a life or identity outside of being a SAHM again! This led me to start figuring out ways to get moving while not feeling like I was neglecting my children and I came up with this list.

1)    Put your baby in a baby carrier and just get moving!!  Not only is carrying your baby amazing for them since they love that feeling of being close to you but it also helps with bonding and trust. It’s great for you because adding 5-25 lb. to your frame helps burn calories and build muscle. I started carrying my babies right away and still do today with my 2.5-year-olds. Not only is it healthy, but it’s convenient. You can carry them while you get stuff done and start getting your house back in order. I carried my kids while vacuuming, unloading the dishwasher, going to the park and just trying to prevent meltdowns. Lots of moms even nurse while carrying their babies (although I personally was never coordinated enough to figure it out, but I always thought it was awesome). Another great thing is that carriers come in all different sizes and shapes for the multiple stages of babies to toddlers. My personal favorites were the Moby wrap when they were super tiny and the Ergo Baby as they grew, which is still what I use today.

2)    Sign up for a parent/baby yoga class. These are amazing! We took one when the kids were super little and it’s a wonderful way to build strength and coordination, bond with your child, and a great way to meet other mamas. It’s also a terrific place to learn moves to do at home since they often only involve a yoga mat, you and your child.

3)    Turn on some music, dance around and just be silly!! This is a personal favorite of my children. Many mornings, my husband and I turn on some Disney Movie music reminiscent of our childhood and start singing, dancing and giggling with our kids. Not only does this get you moving and building strength from tossing around children and wiggling your tush but it boosts your mood and gets you smiling. What’s so hard about that?

4)    Get out your stroller and go for a walk. What’s easier and more convenient than just taking your kids for a walk around the block or to the park? Not only is this great for you physically, but it can work wonders for you and your children’s mood. Most days as long as it’s nice outside, my kids and I have a routine of taking a walk at least once. We’ve done it since they were tiny and it’s something we all look forward to. And even when it’s not nice outside, you can always take them to a local mall. My kids love mall walking because they know at the end they get to go to the kids’ play area. Also, it’s fun to window shop and people watch for all of us. However, if you’re more motivated by working out in a group, there are loads of mommy and me stroller classes and groups you can find locally or even create your own with a group of neighborhood moms.

5)    Join a fitness center that offers babysitting or child care. When my twins were almost 2 years old, I decided we were finally out of the woods in terms of health concerns and I could really just use a daily break so I joined a gym with a daycare. It was great for me to get out of the house and moving physically while enjoying adult interaction as well as getting my kids used to being around other adults and children.

6)    Get on an at home exercise and health program. My personal favorite is 21Day Fix. The cool thing about this program is that it only takes 30 minutes and there is a variety of workouts included to avoid boredom and work all different muscle groups. Most days I fit this in while my kids eat breakfast or watch a morning cartoon. Also included is a 10 minute ab video, which is super convenient when all you have is a few minutes. Plus it involves a meal plan, accountability group and a coach! So you won’t be doing it alone.

7)    Play like a kid, with your kids. Ever wonder why your four-year-old has rock hard abs? Well, have you tried swinging from the monkey bars or running around from place to place at the park? Don’t just watch your kids play, play with them! I climb the jungle gym and swing on the swings with my kids and it’s an amazing workout. Plus my kids love seeing me have fun too! And don’t let winter stop you, sledding with kids and building snow men is a great workout as well. Between dragging them around on a sled and creating giant snow balls it’s like an Olympic sport. Not only will you burn calories and get some fresh air, but your kids will take a fantastic nap afterwards.

8)    Clean. I know cleaning is something we all dread doing, but it’s a necessary part of being a stay at home spouse and part of our responsibilities of keeping the house and the kids taken care of. So when you vacuum, make a game of it and try to see if you can move around as much as possible, or when you bring clothing up the stairs take it in 3 trips instead of 1. Once I realized cleaning isn’t only a must have to keep my spouse happy and me from feeling disorganized, I now count it as part of my daily way to stay fit and I actually enjoy it.

9)    Just do something!! Embrace the chaos that is parenthood. So you had to run from the soccer game to the grocery store to ballet and you just couldn’t make it to yoga. Do lunges on the sideline or tricep dips in the stands or see how fast you can get the grocery shopping done by speed walking thru the aisles. Sure, at first other mamas might give you weird looks but you’d be surprised, pretty soon they’ll join in. And getting something done is a heck of a lot better than nothing!

10) Make Exercise a Priority. Set your alarm ½ hour earlier in the morning and throw in that workout DVD. After you put the kids down for nap time go for a run on the treadmill. Do crunches while watching TV at night with your spouse. You’ll be surprised how quickly working out can become just part of your routine, a habit, and how it will change your life in countless ways including your health, mental state and confidence. But the best part is the amazing example you will set for your kids.