lighter on my feet + avocado salad and week 2-approved marinated chicken

I am totally hooked. 11 days in to my gift to myself I feel amazing. (The icing on the cake...or lime on the jicama as the case may be when we're talking treats these day... is that when I went to JCREW for some new white jeans, I had to go down 2 sizes. In 10 days. Really, who wouldn't be smitten with themselves?!) And the impact on my family is pretty darn fabulous too. You all know that we always ate relatively healthfully, but since I am following Tracy's Eating Plan as well, there are tons of fruits and veggies guaranteed at each meal. I know. I know. You all gave me so much flack for my uber-organized fridge in the Chicken Enchilada video, but I'm telling you: it's totally worth it to prep ahead. That pic above included some of my prepped ingredients for week 2's meals. Crunchy, colorful goodness. (Much appreciated after 7 days of purees and soups...)

As for the exercise portion, I love-- and now totally agree with-- what Tracy says: "People feel guilty about taking that time for themselves and don’t stop to realize that devoting some time each day to take care of yourself will help you in all other aspects of your life." Now, don't get me wrong. This hasn't been an easy 11 days. The "30 min" of cardio and "30 min" of toning that Tracy encourages me to do 6 days/week really takes me more like 45 minutes apiece because I have to stop to catch my breath or guzzle water. The first day I was clomping around so ridiculously ungracefully that my children came running up to see what the hell was going on above them. Nothing little ones, that's just mom trying to do some dance cardio. For someone who really hasn't danced since, oh, our wedding 10+ years ago, I am happy to report that 11 days in I am lighter on my feet. Still, no one is going to mistake my moves for Tracy's. Yet.

Then there's the food. And while I knew I would find a way to squeeze the exercise into my busy days (even if it means getting up at 5:30 am to do it before getting the kids ready for school), I wondered if I'd really be able to make her eating plan work? So far, so good. I find myself adding fresh herbs, lemon juice, and spices where I can to keep things interesting. But then there's something like these chunks of fresh kiwi and blueberries that are so perfect as is.

This week, I am having two hard boiled eggs and a cup of fresh fruit for breakfast each day. The kids are having some derivation of that too and digging it (like above with the half eaten egg). Prep is non-existent (unless you count chopping an apple and peel a banana for them) because I am boiling the eggs ahead of time.

Dinners have overlapped nicely too. I'm the only one who likes grilled tofu, so everyone else had a roasted veggie pizza at the meal pictured above. The only real difference is that I've been leaving the kid's salads "deconstructed" (as they do in some of the finest dining establishments).

Here's a "week 2-approved" recipe I came up with that was a hit with my family this weekend. Whether you are doing this 90-day gig along with me or not, I think you'll enjoy this simple meal idea:

Avocado Salad

Combine chunks of avocado, red pepper, English cucumbers, jicama and cherry tomatoes. Add the juice of a few limes (depending upon how much you're making). If you'd like, you can also add salt & pepper, to taste.

Lemon-Mustard Marinated Chicken

In a large zip-loc, combine chicken breasts or cutlets + lemon zest + lemon juice + grainy mustard + fresh rosemary + a few grinds of pepper + a few shakes of smoked paprika. Add enough water so the marinade turns to a "paste" consistency. Let chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Grill over high heat so the chicken is seared. This will prevent it from sticking to the grill. Serve warm or cold.

Super Easy Veggie Side: Grilled Carrots with Fresh Ginger

Another super easy side that pleases both the children and adults in our home.

Grilled Carrots with Ginger

carrots

fresh ginger, grated

olive oil

kosher salt

pepper

Heat the grill to medium. Lay a piece of foil on the grate (unless you own some fancy grill pan contraption that'll keep the carrots from slipping in the cracks...). Drizzle the foil with a bit of olive oil, toss the carrots on and grate some fresh ginger on top. (I use a microplane zester, which I have linked here.) Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and a twist or two of pepper. Cook to your desired doneness, tossing the carrots with tongs so none of them get too brown, and the fresh ginger is mixed in. Serve warm or room temp. Delicious and so easy!

Super Easy Spring Side: Grilled Asparagus

Spring is here! And equally exciting in my world, I have a working computer again. I’ve actually had my computer back for several weeks now. See, I had these grand plans of launching a new site (at the recommendation of the web savvy producers who came up to film a pilot in our kitchen last month). But, instead of figuring all of that tech stuff out, I have been spending my free time taking yoga classes, jumping on the elliptical, playing outside with my kids, and cooking up a storm. That beats sitting at the computer!

So, for now we’ll stick with this same site and I’ll get back to sharing some great family-friendly recipes. First up for spring: asparagus.


One of my super simple spring sides involves tossing asparagus on our grill, drizzled with a little olive oil and some kosher salt. (I put the spears on foil, so they don’t slip through the grates on the grill.) Simply turn the grill onto medium high and grill the asparagus until it’s tender, but not soft. No one likes mushy asparagus!


This makes a perfect side at dinner, but can also add some green to your plate at weekend breakfast/brunch. (Pictured above: my grilled asparagus + a wedge of veggie frittata + Applegate Farms chicken maple sausages + some hearty toast + baked potato wedges that were sprinkled with herbs.)

Dinner we'll all like (in a hurry!): Lemon Rosemary Chicken Cutlets

This summer, I posted a favorite chicken recipe that my friend Christine turned me on to when she made if for our one our Wednesday Supper Swaps. Normally, when I am making one of my mom’s go-to chicken recipes, like the one below, I use the same pounding technique on the chicken breasts. It makes the chicken tender, and even. But this week I was short on time, so I bought chicken cutlets. The dish has plenty of flavor alone, and even more if you leave some of the fresh rosemary and a bit of the lemon zest on the chicken when serving. But if you’ve got a kid who is a greenophobe or likes their chicken plain, simply scrape off the “offending stuff” after roasting and before serving them. They'll get a little of the flavor, but not too much...

Rosemary & Lemon Roasted Chicken Cutlets

Chicken cutlets (or chicken breasts pounded thin)
Lemons, zested and juiced
Fresh Rosemary
Garlic, chopped or pressed
Olive oil
Veggie – bell peppers, zucchini, etc.

Combine fresh lemon juice, rosemary (pull the leaves off the hard stalk), garlic and olive oil in a large zip-loc bag. Seal(!) and then shake to combine. Taste before adding the chicken and make sure you’ve got a balance of flavors that you like (feel free to add more garlic, lemon juice, olive oil…). Then add the chicken to the zip-loc and marinate it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, or up to a couple of hours.

Grill the chicken or preheat oven to 450. Pop the chicken onto a rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle with a little of the marinade. I also like to toss a couple of veggies on the baking sheet. This saves me another pan to clean up! Roast the chicken for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. (Keep in mind that the thinner the chicken, the more quickly it will cook...) Hope you enjoy this simple, fresh recipe as much as we do!

Giada's Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing

Our Wednesday Supper Exchange is on hiatus during August, but just thinking of how great that concept has been, I whipped up one of my favorite meals I received from fellow mom, Christine, a couple weeks back. She'd cooked Giada De Laurentis' Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing and it was so good that I have made it several times since that delicious supper swap. Here's the link to the recipe, and I will also quickly walk you through a couple of tips if you'd like them.

The "dressing" (shown before and after in the blender) is akin to a thin, really tangy pesto. It's loaded with lemon flavor and is this vibrant green. In addition to being wonderful on the grilled chicken, it is equally delicious drizzled over grilled veggies or stirred into a quinoa or couscous salad so save any leftovers (in the fridge for several days).

For the chicken, the recipe calls for 6 breasts but I did it with half as many making dinner for 4+ lunch for my husband to take to work the next day since like to pound my chicken really thin (a technique learned from my mom). Simply put chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper, and then pound it with (the bottom of) a pan (or other heavy object) until 1/2 inch thick. There! Your own chicken cutlets! (For older children, this is a great way to get them involved...)

When marinating meat or fish, I usually toss everything in a gallon zip-loc bag. Easy to store in the fridge, and makes clean-up simple (toss it).

Success. Dinner was quick to make and so pretty for a summer supper...

and my lucky (if I might say so myself) husband had a healthy lunch to enjoy the next day.