Day 20: Introducing Prep Day!!

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THE MANY FACES OF MEG!

It's Prep Day!! Hey y'all. I am adding a new element to the B3 project – Prep DAY!!! It's the day I spend a few hours prepping meals for the rest of the week. As I love to say, convenience is king! So set yourself up for success by following along with the recipes and meal plans put up on PREP DAY!!!

Today, I am continuing on with the trend of getting more vegetables into my diet, using up the fresh produce from my garden, and I'm making “Skinny Soup”, and Cilantro Lime Pesto Marinade!

Skinny soup is chock-full of veggies, and has a zesty broth base. Here's what ya do – it's pretty easy!

Skinny Soup

• 1 or 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
• 3 plus large green onions
• 1 large can of beef broth (no fat)
• 1 pkg. Lipton Soup mix (chicken noodle or onion)
• 1 bunch of celery
• 2 cans green beans
• 2 lbs. Carrots
• 2 Green Peppers
  

Cut veggies in small to medium pieces. Cover with water. Boil fast for 10 minutes. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook until veggies are tender. Season with salt, pepper curry, parsley, if desired, or bouillon, hot or Worcestershire sauce (I like freshly ground black pepper – surprise, surprise, and Worcestershire sauce). This soup is great, because pared with some protein, it's a tasty, sneaky way to get lots of veggies and keep your calories low - hence the name "skinny soup".

Anytime I'm in the kitchen, my "coach" is always right at my feet, asking for hand-outs... little beggar!

The other item on the menu is one of my all-time favorites. I'm making Cilantro-Lime Pesto Marinade, which is great on chicken, but it'd be great on pork loin or beef tenderloin also! It's great, because unlike basil, which is kinda pricey ($1 per bunch at my local Winco), cilantro is really reasonable ($.33 each) and is also delicious in this marinade! I like to freeze it so I can add it to smaller-size portions of meat; 1-2 chicken breasts in a plastic bag, let the frozen herb cube melt, then marinade for 24 hours. Pop it in the oven at 350* for 20 minutes, or on the grill – this is seriously the BEST chicken you will ever have!

Cilantro Lime Pesto

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (do not include stems)

2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons sliced, toasted almonds

3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 cup shredded asiago (Parmesan or Romano can be substituted too)

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup chicken broth

Using a blender, mix everything together on low speed for 2 minutes. It should be a medium-thick paste. Like with the basil cubes, using a 1 TBS size spoon or scoop, fill an ice-cube tray, and put in the freezer. Once frozen, remove from trays and place in a freezer-storage bag, mark and store!

So, how'd I do today??

Food

Breakfast: Apple-cinnamon oatmeal

Snack: a honey-pretzel Luna bar and a green tea

Lunch: Sushi and edemame, with green tea

Post workout snack: a small apple and a ISOPURE chocolate protein shake

Dinner: Skinny soup :)

Tip of the Day

Make sure you check the nutrition label on the back of what looks like "single-serve" items like this sushi! You are looking for calories per serving, yes, but also look for the serving size!! The last time I bought sushi like this there were 6 pieces of sushi, and it was 150 calories per serving but their were 3 servings in the container! That means two pieces of sushi was 150 calories, and I ate the whole thing. That's 450 calories JUST for the sushi!! I like to eat some steamed edemame with it, so that's extra calories, added on. This time, all 8 pieces of sushi were just one serving - 280 calories in all!

Exercise

THE MANY FACES OF MEG!

45 minutes of Insanity!!! Woo! I was sweating like a ruddy pig! It's SO effective and exhausting because the plyometric exercise drives blood from the upper body to the lower body and back again, in rapid-fire quick-succession.

Thanks for reading, sharing the blog with your friends, and leaving comments! Keep 'em coming!

If you see anything that needs work around the blog, have any recipe  recommendations, have any questions or ANYTHING, please leave a comment and let me know!