Chili is NOT Just for Freezing Weather :)

Just because it's spring time and the days are getting warmer and longer, it's always a great time for chili. Plus, today started out at a real-feel of 14 degrees...yikes. This is a super easy, tasty AND clean recipe, plus, there is a bonus recipe at the end...perfect for leftovers! 

What you need:

• 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 cans kidney beans
• 1 can Great Northern beans
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (or one big one)
• 1  14 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup water (or no water if you like yours on the thicker side)
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco (or skip it for a milder version)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• Salt to taste

What to do:

1. Brown turkey
2. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and set on low for 6-8 hours (or if you forget in the morning, go for 3-4 hours on high)
3. Enjoy!

Extra!

I love to double this recipe and serve leftovers later in the week over baked potatoes. You can totally throw the potatoes in the microwave after stabbing them and wrapping them in paper towels, but my favorite way to do baked potatoes is like this:

1. Clean potatoes really well and DON'T stab.
2. Rub down the potatoes with a bit of olive oil and sea salt (this is double duty as it also gives you a nice hand scrub for soft skin)
3. Bake directly on the rack at 400 degrees for and hour or so-just until a fork can easily be inserted into the taters. (I like to put a sheet pan or foil underneath on the rack below the potatoes to catch any little drips)

How to not eat your entire stash of food in one day...

So most of us are home all day every day now. If you're like me, I walk into my kitchen no less than 10 times an hour and frequently (okay, like very single time) just need a "little something" to eat. It dawned on me that even though I bought a bit extra for the next few weeks, if I (and my family) continue our eating habits as they are now, we will be out of all food like tomorrow. Anyone else?

I've come up with a couple things that are helping us eat in a healthy and measured way and perhaps they will be helpful for someone else out there as well.

First, I would like to say that stress-eating is a totally normal reaction to the pressure and changes that are on us in this current situation. In fact, stress-eating isn't just something made up, it's proven to be a coping method for the extra cortisol in our body to make us feel better by increasing our feel-good hormones in our brain when we eat something sugary or fatty. But then those hormones drop and we crave sugar or fat or both again...it's a cycle. So have some grace for yourself and come up with your own way (or take mine) to regulate that stress and how you eat.

3 Ways to Stop Eating ALL the Food:

1. Have a schedule. We have found it sooooo helpful (especially with the kids) to have certain eating times. This is not to say that we aren't flexible when we need to be but it's been great to have a routine most days:

•    8 a.m. Breakfast
•    10:30 a.m Snack
•   12:30 p.m. Lunch
•    3 p.m. Snack
•    6 p.m. Dinner
•   7 a.m. Post Dinner Treat (sometimes)

2. Plan our your meals (or at least dinner). We have a chalkboard (check it out) that we write our meals on so I know what we are making for dinner. It sounds simple or maybe a bit like a drag, but it's a lifesaver even in normal times. And, per the picture, doesn’t have to be fancy. 

 When it dawned on me that I will have to make dinner for my family ever. single. night. I was at a loss. Usually, I'm out at least three nights a week with friends or on a date with my husband or at games/practices so this 7 days a week deal felt brutal. BUT with a plan, it's WAY less overwhelming and completely doable. Also, everyone in the house gets to choose one of the meals which makes it less likely that people (kids) aren't complaining as much.

3. Make a "snack" basket. This is a very new concept for me, but I saw one of my friends do it for her kids (they were asking for snacks constantly) and I thought "Gosh...I need that for ME!" Basically, you put the snacks you feel are reasonable for you to eat in a day in a basket and once they are gone, you are done snacking. The trick here is to make sure you have some of your favorites and that you have enough. It not only provides a limit, it also shows you that you have had enough instead of grabbing a handful of a million different things and not remembering most of it.

What are your ways to not eat all day every day while staying at home? We would all love tips and tricks!


 

A Special 21-Day Wellness Challenge to Stay Connected and Feel Your Best!

Missing the gym? Missing community? Missing...well...everything right now? I'm totally there too. That's why I'm swiftly rolling out an all NEW E. H. Fitness 21-Day Wellness Challenge. What does that even mean as things cancel all around us and we are staying home? Well, let me tell you.

This 21 Day Wellness Challenge will include:  

• Membership to a private Facebook group
• Flexible food lists and recipes to help you stay your healthiest and feel your best
• Daily workout schedule
• Three LIVE workouts every week (don't worry, if you miss them, they will still be posted)
• A private online forum (via FB page) where you can post questions, celebrate your successes (and challenges) as well as get encouragement from a community of people doing the same work.
• Daily engagement to help us stay positive and sane
• Access to an ACE certified personal trainer and wellness coach with over 10 years of experience
• NO supplements or gimmicks...just food...the kind you cook at home, pick up or have delivered.
• All for $29 payable via PayPal* or Venmo (erin-heide)

Are you in? Ready to choose to feel better and ditch some unhealthy habits during our time away from work and activities? Ya know...when you feel better you look better...so what's there to lose? (Except for maybe some stress, tension and maybe even body fat.)

Click here to e-mail me that you are IN and ready to take control of your health and attitude while staying at home for the next few weeks. 

*as soon as you pay, you will be added to the private Facebook group! :)

Double Chocolate Protein Muffins

I redid the Double Chocolate Raspberry Muffins to add protein, reduce sugar and eliminate some hard to come-by items in the pantry...they are still just soooooo good!

E. H. Fitness Double Chocolate Protein Muffins

What you need:

• 3/4 cup dry old fashioned oatmeal
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 12 drops liquid stevia
• 1/2 cup plain pea protein powder* 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips                                                                      (Trader Joe's regular chocolate chips are dairy-free!)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce (you can use oil here as well)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 room temp eggs

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Line muffin tins with liners (or grease them)
3. Put oats into a blender or food processor for 30 seconds (to make oat flour)
4. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, add chocolate chips
5. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl (make sure to whisk eggs)
6. Mix wet and dry ingredients together 
7. Put about 1/4 cup mixture into each liner
8. Bake for 20-23 minutes.
9. Cool before diving in!

Enjoy!

*I find my plain pea protein powder for $11 at Trader Joes. But regular vanilla or chocolate protein powder will do great as well...just eliminate the stevia and one tsp vanilla!

Can Exercise Boost Immunity? Yep!

Exercise is good for heat health, bone density, healthy weight/body fat percentage and stress reduction. But did you know it can also keep you from getting sick? What?! Mind. Blown. Is there anything exercise can't do?!

When we move our bodies, our whole system gets stronger...including our immune system. When you exercise circulation improves and increases which means that the cells and such of the immune system move quickly and freely through the body doing their good work. Exercise can also increase the amount of immune cells each time we work out AND send them to places in the body more likely to be infected ...pretty amazing right?

Does that mean that you should become an exercise addict or run yourself into the ground? Nope. Don't do that....that can cause a different body response. It's important to give yourself rest after working out, plus, it doesn't have to be a crazy intense workout either. Walking at a moderate pace for 30 minutes most days of the week and throwing in some strength training 2-3 days a week is a great way to keep your body healthy.

If you are new to exercise, working with a personal trainer is a great way to get started. Your trainer can make sure you have correct form and are lifting the right amount of weight for your body and fitness level. If you already work out, keep it up! If your gym closes for a bit or you need to stay home, use body weight exercises and go for a walk/run/bike outside to get fresh air. Here's a quick little workout to get your heart-rate up and muscles stronger....and you can do it anywhere!

Heading to the gym? Make sure to practice really really good hygiene: wash hands before and after your workout and wipe off equipment before and after use. Might seem like overkill, but it's good for you and the next person to use it.

Stay-at-Home Workout

Avoiding germs? Gym closed? Don't fear! I've got you covered with this 30-minute workout. You don't even need any equipment...just your body!

Stay-at-Home Workout

Warm up: 3 minutes walking lunges (or 100 reps)

Workout: 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest...repeat a total of 8 times per exercise or pair of exercises.

1. Jumping jacks

2. Squats/wall sits (Have fun with them and change up the leg position)

3. Butt kicks (Get funky and have your legs in close and then out wide)

4. Bicycle crunches/Russian twists (not feeling the burn? Straighten the legs!)

5. Jump squats (same deal as the squats, play around with foot positions)

6. Single leg bridges (switch legs after 4 rounds)

Stretch!

Mouth-Watering Meatloaf

This meatloaf is clean, simple, delicious and excellent as left overs. I've simply adapted Ina Garten's amazing meatloaf recipe to be gluten free and cleaner.

What you need: 

• 2 smallish white onions, finely chopped
• 2 lbs ground turkey (I love turkey but you could totally go with beef)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup quick oats 
• 1 tsp thyme (I use dried  if fresh isn’t available and crush in between my fingers to make it more potent!)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos 
• 1/3 cup chicken, beef or vegetable broth
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp avocado oil (or oil of your choice) 

What you do:

1. Pre-heat oben to 325 degrees 
2. Heat the olive oil on medium heat
3. Saute onions for a few minutes until they turn a bit translucent but not brown
4. Add the thyme, salt, ground pepper, coconut aminos, tomato paste and broth-stir together.
5. Remove from the heat to let cool a bit
6. In a separate bowl, mix the meat, oatmeal and eggs. I prefer to use my hands, but a fork will do too. Add the onion mixture.
7. On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, form a 2 inch high “loaf”...mine usually looks pretty interesting...but it doesn’t matter 🤗.
8. Bake for 1 hour or until it’s cooked...I also recommend putting a oven safe pan of water in your oven when you bake it too...so it doesn’t dry out!

These freeze well and are delicious after a minute in the microwave. 

What I buy...and where I buy it...

I feel like I hear all the time that eating healthy is just too expensive, that people can't find good produce and that things just need to be more convenient to eat healthy most of the time. Well, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be costly to eat right, that there is good produce to be found in the right places and that there are more options now than ever for healthy convenience food.

I go to three stores every week and then Costco every other week. I know that it sounds like a lot, but I know exactly what I'm going to get at each store for the most part. I also know which stores have the best produce and what meats to buys where and the best of the best healthy food that is quick! It's taken me a while, but I have it down to a science for my family and I and if I can save someone time and $$, then yay!!

Here are my go to foods at the best prices and the best stores at which to get them:

Aldi: If you haven't tried it...you are truly missing out.

• Greens of any kind...I love their organic selection
• Peppers
• Celery
• Snapeas
• Necterines
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• White potatoes
• Onions
• Zucchini
• Bagged salad kits
• Eggs
• Almond Milk
• Bacon
• Full fat plain Greek yogurt
• All canned goods including tuna
• Oatmeal
• 100% pure maple syrup
• Rice cakes
• Guacamole
• Fresh salsa
• Hummus
• Chicken Sausage
• Fresh Chicken breast
• Pork tenderloin
• Pork shoulder
• Hamburger 
• Ground turkey
• Steam bags of frozen broccoli, California medley, Asian stir-fry
• Frozen berries
• Frozen quinoa meals (add some cauliflower rice to fill them out with more veggies)
• Apple Cider Vineager
• Coconut Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Coconut Sugar
• Gluten-free bread/snacks

Trader Joe's

• Spaghetti squash 
• Butternut squash (found already cubed if in a time crunch)
• Frozen cauliflower rice
• Frozen cauliflower fried rice
• Frozen brown rice (steam in bag)
• Jazz apples (if you haven't tried these...you're welcome for introducing you!)
• Frozen "Hodge Podge" veggie mix...good with anything!
• Natural peanut butter (just salt and peanuts)
• Dried, unsweetened mango
• 1/2 the salt roasted almonds
• Plantain chips
• Hummus
• Spices
• Dairy free chocolate chips 
• Dark chocolate
• Coffee
• Chomps Turkey sticks (no sugar!)
• Popcorn kernels
• RX Bars (always $1.99 each)
• Wine (my favorite Cab right now is Lazy Bones and it's $6.99!)

Sprouts

• Bars: Lara Bars, Quest Bars and Amrita (almost always less expensive here-sometimes RX bars are a dollar-what?!)
• Daiya dairy free cheese
• Mikey's grain free pizza crusts (frozen)
• Avocados...they are the best and they are really really inexpensive here
• Berries of all kinds
• Turkey breast...in the deli section...it's slices like you would do for Thanksgiving...amazing!)
• Rotisserie chicken (no added junk)

Costco

• Veggie tray-soooo convenient for those weeks that you don't want to cut up veggies
• Frozen wild caught Alaskan salmon
• Protein Powder 
• Collagen (it's the least pricey here...by sooooooo much!)
• Chicken sausage (frozen section)
• Kirkland Protein Bars (similar to quest but I think they're better)
• La Croix