One Pan Shrimp and Rainbow Veggies

This recipe is SO pretty, huh? And it tastes as amazing as it looks! Plus, it has superb macros ;) I also think it is perfect for company too since it feels fancy. Even my kiddos loved it, my kids love shrimp anything.

Last post, I showed you my "Best Marinaded Grilled Chicken" recipe. (Recipe >>> HERE) Using my extra prepped "Best Marinated Grilled Chicken" from the recipe, I made a spinach and pasta salad. The pasta is cooked and then cooled making it a resistant starch. Resistant starches are pretty cool, ya'll. Starches are just long chains of carbs. Resistant starches are processed by your gut, and ultimately your body, differently than normal carbs though.They function in the gut like a soluble fiber, and can have valuable health benefits.  You can do this with pasta, rice, and potatoes by cooking then cooling them. ✔ 

Banded hip rotations - great for the core AND glutes. I did 3 sets of 12 on each side this morning  you can also do these on the cable machine but I prefer the bands!

My two favorite fish oils  Why fish oil? ✔ Helps to combat inflammation, improves brain health, and joint function. What are you looking for? ✔ You want 500 mg each of DHA and EPA per serving. (The bottle on the right needs to be doubled to hit that, which you can do!) This is one supplement pretty much everyone needs unless you eat 3 servings of fatty fish per week.

Fajitas are my go-to meal at any Mexican restaurant. I usually ask for a side of shredded lettuce and throw that on top with the guac. I usually skip the tortillas, beans, and rice. I have a few chips and salsa before my meal instead ;) the macros obviously depend on where you are eating and what you get but in general the fajitas with lettuce and guac are about 500-700 cals and 30-50g of protein.

So onto the recipe...

One Pan Shrimp and Rainbow Veggies

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup onion, sliced
• 1 cup asparagus, chopped
• 1 pound shrimp
• 1/2 lime or lemon
• Chili powder
• Oregano
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tbsp butter

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Add cut vegetables to a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Lightly spray veggies and sprinkle with seasonings to your preference. Roast for 10 minutes. (Note I made this for four, thus I used two pans!) Move veggies to the side to make space in the center of the baking sheet and add shrimp in a single layer. Sprinkle with seasonings and citrus juice to your preference. Bake for 5-8 minutes, until shrimp is fully cooked. Be careful not to overcook. Cut butter into pieces and allow to melt over shrimp. I served alongside with white rice.

Nutritional Info

(for 8 oz shrimp, 1/2 tbsp butter, 1 cup veggies, and 1 cup cooked white rice as shown)

• 443 cals
• 55 g carbs
• 6 g fat
• 63 g protein

The Best Marinated Grilled Chicken

This recipe was inspired by Chickfila and hibachi restaurants, no lie haha! But it is so dang good and versatile that it has stuck around my house the past few months. What I like about it is that it has flavor but can meld with whatever you want to put it with. Last batch, I made 10 POUNDS of it. Seriously. Made it for company and the week's meal prep! The recipe is easy to scale up or down. And the marinade turns out SUPER juicy chicken, it is basically a brine.

So finally, I decided I needed to share it with you, despite it being stupid easy.

Here is what I have been up to lately...

Just like how I change up my nutrition and experiment, I do the same with my lifting. This month lifting HEAVY stuff is back. I was not feeling sub 5 rep sets for the past few months, so I went with it. I added more 15-21 rep sets than I normally do, and tried to rep out until failure one set per gym session. This month I am focusing on heavy again, I will be attempting a PR on one lift per session in the 1-5 rep range. Today was hip thrusts. I did 225 lbs for 3 reps. Making an ugly face is completely optional  you might catch a glimpse of the elusive hubster too ;)

Just had my 5 year anniversary with #mapmyrun and they sent me this summary. Kind of cool to see how my runs over the years add up! Whoa! I have went through phases of hating running and loving it the whole way. One thing running does for me is keep my asthma down to levels where I do not need medication, or even experience symptoms. I think it has also taught me self-discipline to stay in the "pain box". Runs are usually not comfortable but you know you can do it so you stick to it. That can be applied to lifting, nutrition, relationship stuff, and the list goes on. You are only as strong as your mind believes 

That's what 4 miles of barefoot on sand sprint intervals does to a woman. Hot mess ! To be clear, the last mile was the fastest jog intervals I could muster. I was done. DONE. But, I am pushing hard to chase another May goal. -> Reduce my average pace, and that requires some sprint intervals along with lots of form improvements ✔✔ #goalchaser What do you have cooking for May?

Tried something new last week- paddleboard yoga! I must admit that I have never been much of a yoga fan.  But recently I have just started to understand the benefits of flexibility and mobility, as well as balance. All things that yoga helps with. So, I grabbed an adventurous girlfriend and we bit the bullet today. The extra challenge of the paddleboard and being on the beautiful water made it completely enjoyable! I think I can come to love yoga, as long as I get to be on the water ;) 

 (I am second from right on both pics) First of all, it is always fun and challenging to try new things. It is amazing how we can be proficient in some things and lacking in others. Trying new things brings these areas to light. 

✔ I was strong and capable our core and bodyweight parts of the workout.

✔ My balance rocked, never fell off! ✔I am moderately flexible, I could hang in most parts! But there were a few areas I need to work on, so I have started doing that post-lifting. (You need flexibility for good range of motion in lifting and overall mobility BTW!)

✔ Once we started doing headstands, I was WAY out of my norm. My girlfriend who went with me rocked hers! So I am going to start practicing those too!

Try new things and see how balanced your fitness is. A healthy, strong body is capable of learning lots of things!

So onto the chicken recipe :) we usually eat the grilled chicken the main dish the first night and then I mix it into other recipes the next few days.

The BEST Marinated Grilled Chicken Recipe

Serves 4 but easy to scale up

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dill pickle juice (I just pour mine out of the jar!)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (or Bragg's liquid aminos)
• 1 tbsp meat seasoning (I use Chupacabra, you can also use a blend of salt/pepper/garlic powder/onion powder/parsley/paprika too!)
• 1-2 pounds of chicken (I prefer boneless, skinless breasts but good on thighs too!)

Directions: 

In a bag, place all the ingredients and allow to marinate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator. Drain chicken and cook until done. I like to grill my chicken over coals, but also good in my George Foreman grill or grill pan. 

First night with quinoa and a fresh salad

Leftovers chopped into a pasta spinach salad

This recipe is a jewel, makes some juicy chicken! Let me know if you try it :)
X-Liss