Food Inspired: Clean Eating Cracker Barrel Chicken Tenderloins

Inspiration: Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel's chicken tenderloins are one of my favorite items on their menu.  There are many copycat recipes online.  The ingredients usually include store bought Italian dressing, lime juice and honey.  I wanted to clean the recipe up a little bit and make it more 21 Day Fix approved so I made my own Italian dressing.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp white vinegar

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp honey
1 lb Chicken Tenderloins

*Italian seasoning could be used as a substitution for the dried herbs.

Directions

1. Combine the first 12 ingredients to make the marinade.
2.  Place chicken in a container or large zip lock bag to marinate.
3.  Pour the marinade over the chicken.  Let the chicken marinate for an hour up to 24 hours.
4.  Cook the tenderloins at medium heat in a grill pan or skillet.  Brown the chicken on both sides.

Complete your Cracker Barrel meal with a clean Mac and Cheese and green beans.

Quote Inspired: Bad Days = Accomplishments

This quote could me so many different things to everyone.  So if you have an overwhelming day or you didn't stick with your diet or didn't get your workout in or whatever, don't beat yourself up.  Tomorrow is a new day.  Leave the troubles of yesterday in the past.

Be Inspired.

With love, Alli

Meal Plan: May 24th - May 30th

I hope you had a good Memorial Day yesterday.  Our weekend was spent at our daughter's last dance competition of the year and a old school day of playing in the hose and going to the playground.  My daughter dances to the song Imagine and ends with Taps. It is a wonderful tribute to those that have returned from war and those that have not.  The audience always gets emotional but it meant more to watch it this weekend.

This is what we are having for dinner this week:

Sunday: Dinner on the road
Side note: Wawa has an awesome Kale Quinoa Salad.

Monday: BBQ Chicken, Corn, Dijon Mustard Potato Salad, and Cucumbers and Tomatoes

Tuesday: Pulled Pork and Cole Slaw
Instead of making the BBQ sauce we are using an organic one from Wegmans.
Recipe from Clean Eating Magazine

Wednesday: Clean Eating Loco Moco
I'm cleaning this family favorite by making my own gravy and using brown rice.
Recipe Inspiration from The Gracious Pantry

Thursday: 21 Day Fix Mac and Cheese with Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken Tenderloins
Mac and Cheese Recipe from Beach Ready Now
Chicken Recipe Inspired by Thus Silly Girl's Life

Friday: Girls Night Out
AKA I have plans + my daughters have a party = Dad's on his own

Saturday: My Birthday
My daughter has company auditions that evening so I'm not sure what we are doing.

Be Inspired.

With love, Alli

Quote Inspired: Do All Things With Love

I find this verse everywhere.  Dove chocolate wrappers.  Pictures at HomeGoods.  It follows me.  For that reason I try to live by these words.  Even when I cook it is "Made with Love", the best ingredient in any dish.

Be Inspired.  

-With Love, Alli

Fit Inspired: Becoming a Beachbody Coach

It's funny sometimes how things choose you versus you choosing them.  If you had asked me a year ago if I would be a Beachbody coach I would have said no.  My happy place is my kitchen.  The best part of my day is hearing my family say that dinner was the high of their day.  Through the years and many diets later I developed a desire to know the why's behind food.  It started with Weight Watchers and their formula.  Why calories, fat and fiber? And then later why carb, fat, fiber and protein? And when they did away with food pyramid and created My Plate I researched the why again. I thought all my research had us eating a pretty healthy.  

After I had my first daughter I started to workout.  It was out of necessity really.  Baby weight, we've all been there.  This is when the lightbulb went off that it really does take diet and exercise.  

Fast forward to September 2014.  I was getting back into a workout program after having taken off for a surgery the year prior.  I wasn't getting the results I wanted and my niece was getting married.  I always say a wedding one of the top motivators for weight loss.  Everyone was talking about 21 Day Fix and how much success they were having, so I thought I would give it a try.  I learned that I was wrong about how healthy we were eating and that the term "clean eating" wasn't so scary after all.  Our dinners are still delicious and they are still the high of my family's day.  I love that the workouts are 30 minutes.  I'm excited to see that Beachbody is moving forward with more 30 min workouts.  

I have always wanted give back what I have learned.  I joined my company's Wellness Program and learned that I love being in a position to assist others with wellness.  It has been a great stepping stone to becoming a Beachbody coach.  

Keep an eye out for some upcoming Challenge Groups!

Be Inspired.

-With Love, Alli

Create Inspired: New Deck

Inspired by a Target mailer

We had our old patio cushions for fours years and you could tell.  The sun is so bright on our deck that they had faded and just were not very comfortable anymore.  As soon as I got that Target ad I new that was exactly what I wanted for our new deck.

Deck Cushions - Target, same

Everything else you see came from the Christmas Tree Store.  My favorite is the starfish table.  

Besides a slightly scary moment with the Tiki Torches, we are enjoying our deck again! (Nothing caught on fire.)

Be Inspired.

-With Love, Alli

Food Inspired: Egg Roll In a Bowl

Inspiration: Dani Stout and Gluten Free with Southern Charm

My family loves egg rolls but I'm not always a fan of the deep fried greasy wonton.  I came across these recipes on Pinterest and new it would be a hit.  I did a little combining and threw in some of my one flavors for my version of Egg Roll in a Bowl.

Ingredients

1lb Ground Pork

1 - 10oz bag of Asian Slaw (Napa Cabbage, Carrots and Celery)

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped

4 tbsp tamari or low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp rice vinegar

sea salt

Directions

1. Cook the pork in a sauté pan.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. Remove the pork from the pan.

3. Add the sesame oil.

4. Add the onions.  Cook for 2 mins then and garlic.  Sauté until the onions are cooked. (I like to give the onions a head start so the garlic does not burn.)

5. Add the slaw mix and ginger.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.  The slaw will cook way down.

6. Add the ground pork back to the pan.

7. Pour in the tamarin or soy sauce and vinegar.  This is a great time to scrap the bottom of the pan for great flavor. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve over brown rice or lo men noodles for a heartier dinner.  

Side Dish Idea

Quick Broccoli Slaw - Combine broccoli slaw with a ginger sesame dressing.

Be Inspired.

-With Love, Alli

Meal Plan: May 17th - May 24th

One way I have learned to trick get my kids to try new meats is by making it look like a hamburger or meatball.  There really isn't a meat that my oldest doesn't like now but the only meat my youngest gets excited about is a cheeseburger or chicken nugget.  She will eat it but it...takes...forever.  This Ode to Ground Meat week.  If it looks like a cheeseburger maybe she will eat it like a cheeseburger.

This is what we are having this week:

Sunday:  Ribeye steaks, Asparagus and Baked Potatoes

These steaks were left-over from a church fund raiser dinner.  We decided to just recreate the whole meal.

Monday: Chicken Parmesan Meatball Casserole and Broccoli (Ground Chicken)

Recipe from Buns In My Oven

Tuesday: Egg Roll in a Bowl (Ground Pork)

Recipe Inspired from Gluten Free with Southern Charm - I add some extra flavors.

Wednesday: Chicken Carne Asada

Recipe from Cooking Light

Thursday: Cheesesteaks Burgers (Ground Beef)

Recipe Inspired from Cooking Light - I liked the thought of this burger but plan to make it closer to the original.

Friday: Pita Pizzas 

Recipe Inspired from Fits Simple - I added sausage, made the sauce less chunky and added arugula on top.

Meal Plan: May 3rd - May 9th

I took a week off last week.  Work has been crazy busy and when I sat down to write my brain just couldn't do it.  Most of ours meals were pretty regular except we did have Kentucky Hot Browns in honor of the Derby.

Here is what we having for dinner this week:

Sunday: Chicken Scaloppine With Pesto and Cheese and Roasted Asparagus

Chicken Recipe from Weight Watchers  
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup marsala wine
2 tablespoons pesto
4 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese

Monday: Turkey Bacon Ranch Wraps

Wrap Recipe 

Cinco de Mayo Tuesday: Baked Chicken Chimichangas with Guacamole

Recipe from Six Sister Stuff (minus the green sauce)

Wednesday: Sesame Ginger Pork Tenderloin with Brown Rice

This was originally a chicken recipe put we were on a poultry roll so I changed it up.

From Weight Watchers

Ingredients

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
sliced green onions (optional)

Notes / Directions

1. Prepare Grill
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. 
3. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or heavy skillet. 
4. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done, basting occasionally with sesame seed mixture. Place on a serving platter; garnish with green onions, if desired. Serve immediately. 

Thursday: Crock Pot Cheesy Ravioli Tortellini (The store was sold out of the ravioli I wanted)

Recipe from Life in the Lofthouse

Friday: Grabbing dinner after dance recital pictures.