Hi friends! Hope you had a great weekend! Dave was out of town towards the end of last week so we had a nice little Sunday making breakfast together, catching up on work, Charlie and Dave went to the pool, I did some laundry and I even got to read in peace and quiet which is always a treat. We ended the weekend by grilling out in our backyard with our friends! I always love to make plans with friends on Sundays—an easy way to avoid the Sunday Scaries. Now here we are, it’s a rainy Monday in Chicago so I’m focused on getting organized and laying out some goals for the week.
Can you believe it is the last week of August? Before we all celebrate Labor Day Weekend and say goodbye to summer, I’m focused on one more healthy summer week. This week is all about GOALS. Crossing them off and getting things done. I swear that visualizing myself accomplishing these goals makes a huge difference in my productivity. Visual yourself doing it and you will succeed! Be your own biggest confidence boost and tell yourself you can do it! I’m adding a little extra cardio into the mix to make up for some indulgence towards the end of the week. Whenever we have a busier calendar I always try to fit in some extra workouts to even out all of the fun. Plus, water water water. The more water I drink, the more my metabolism works on my side and I notice a huge difference in my ability to “bounce back” after overindulging.
My goal every week for cardio is to run 15 miles. I usually run 1-2 miles before working out with my trainer and then fill it in with cardio throughout the week. I’m also trying to switch it up a bit by adding in the stair master here and there. Whenever I need a good detox I get on the stair master because that thing makes you SWEAT. For my meals, I try to think of LEAN, CLEAN and GREEN when I’m focusing on healthy eating (before all of the fun coming this weekend!). Here is the easiest recipe for yummy crockpot chicken gyros that are the perfect weeknight family meal (I need to put this on the blog!):
Crockpot Chicken Gyros Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2-3):
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup water
Mix all of these items together in crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. If it starts to get too dry, you can add more water! Serve with whole wheat pita, diced tomato, cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives, feta and tzatziki sauce. If you’re doing a low carb/no carb option – skip the pita and make a greek salad on some chopped romaine!
Other meals on the list – cauliflower gnocchi (our favorite!) which I always get questions about. I’ve found the best way to cook these is in a good non-stick skillet without anything (no water, no oil). Let them brown up and then we add chicken sausage that we’ve browned in another skillet, pesto, fresh spinach and parmesan cheese. Yum!
Hopefully this inspires you to do some good for your body this week! Remember if you want to make your own workout + meal plan, you can download a blank template here! Good luck friends!
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