Mediterranean Shrimp Foil Dinner Packets with Mango-Avocado Salsa

I went on a little Pinterest dinner bender tonight and tried out a couple of yummy recipes that tickled my fancy! They were both a hit with the fam, so I knew I had to share on the blog.

 I do not know if I have mentioned this yet but the DH is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Generally if it is green, it must be smothered in Ranch, cheese, or both. Yeah, and he stays trim and fit too. Do not get me started. The littles are miniatures of DH and I but reversed. My 8 YO son would practically vegetarian if it were up to him. He loves his veggies and fruit. He has his momma's taste buds! My 6 YO daughter takes right after her dad. She loves meat and pasta, anything green is generally one no-thank-you-bite and that is it! So needless to say with our competing eating philsophies, sometimes finding a menu that pleases the whole fam is somewhat hard to do.

First up- dinner in a packet. Took 30 minutes or less from prep to on the table! Yep- that is always nice in my book! Dessert was a low cal Key Lime Pie that you have got to try too!

Mediterranean Shrimp Foil Dinner Packets with Mango-Avocado Salsa

Serves 4

• Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray
• 8 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup couscous (uncooked)
• 1 lb medium shrimp- shelled and deveined
• 1/2 cup chipped fresh cilantro, divided
• 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• 3/4 tsp salt, divided
• 1 large mango- peeled and diced
• 1 medium avocado- diced
• 1 medium tomato- diced (I bought 2 small)
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 jalapeno- seeded and finely chopped (I used a pablano to keep the heat at little kid level)
• 1 TBSP fresh lime juice

Prep

Pre-heat broiler in oven or grill. Tear 4 strips of foil approx 18 inches in length and spray with Veggie Oil. Place 2 cups of spinach into the center of each foil piece. Mix couscous with 1/4 cup of water in small bowl, then divide evenly into each foil pouch. Toss shrimp with EVOO, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 cup of cilantro. Divide shrimp mixture evenly into the 4 foil packs. Bring short edges of foil together and fold twice on each packet. Then fold the ends toward the center twice to make the packet. Place in oven under broiler for 14 mintues or on grill for 10. They are done when the shrimp are pink.

While the pouches are cooking, prepare your mango-avocado salsa. In a large bowl, mix together your diced tomato, avocado, mango, jalapeno, and onion. Stir in the chopped cilantro, 1/4 tsp salt, and lime juice.

Serve Mediterranean Shrimp foil packets topped with mango-avocado salsa and enjoy!

*Recipe found on Pinterest from Self

Nutritional Stats (per serving)

Cals: 397
Fat: 10 g (1g saturated)
Carbs: 52 g
Protein: 25g

Serving up a low cal Key Lime Pie for dessert!

Contributing Author for Venus Index

You create your sculpture; you define your look

I am honored to announce that I will be writing articles for the Venus Index! My first article, The Creation of a Masterpiece was just published! The Venus Index workout is the strength training program that I exclusively use and have gotten phenomenal results from, so I am thrilled that I can give back and support this excellent company.

Greek Cheesecake

This is my new go to treat! So easy (3!!! ingredients) and satisfying, it cures my sweet tooth. The nutritional stats are not too shabby either.

Greek Cheesecake
*8 oz Greek Yogurt
*1 TSBSP Sugar Free Jello Pudding Mix- I prefer the cheesecake, chocolate, or vanilla flavors
*0.5 pint strawberries, hulled

Mix your greek yogurt and pudding mix until the lumps are gone. If you can stand it, place the yogurt in the refrigerator for about an hour. This is where the magical texture will come from. Top with strawberries and a little whipped topping. Go to town! It tastes a LOT like cheesecake!

Nutrition:

• Total Cals: 184
• Protein: 24g
• Carbs: 22g
• Fat: 1g

Healthy Crockpot Peach Cobbler Oatmeal

Oh my word, this stuff is SO GOOD! Like dessert for breakfast good. Humm, that is an idea! I think I might start having it for my nightly treat sometimes! And guys, it is so easy. Seriously easy, just dumping stuff in your crockpot!

Healthy Peach Cobbler Oatmeal

Serves 3

• 1 bag frozen no sugar added sliced peaches (454g)
• 1 cup steel-cut oats (160g) (I like to use half steel cut and half old fashioned oats also)
• 3 cups water (or milk of choice, for a creamier and richer taste) (720g)
• 1/4 cup zero calorie sweetener (I prefer Splenda or granular stevia)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 12 oz plain Greek yogurt (I prefer Fage 0%) (340g)

Spray crockpot dish with nonstick for easier clean up. Pour the frozen peaches in the bottom of the dish, sprinkle oats then sweetener, salt, cinnamon, and lemon juice evenly over the top of the peaches. Cook on low for 4-8 hours. (You can also bake at 350*F for 45 min). Top with 4 oz greek yogurt for each serving.

*Inspired and adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie's Peach Breakfast Bake

Nutritional Stats per serving:

Calories: 298
Carbs: 53
Fat: 4
Protein:20
Fiber: 7



Protein Packed Blueberry Banana Pancakes

I have a new recipe that I must share with you, I am obssessed lately. Seriously, I have eaten this or Greek Cheesecake for the last 2 weeks straight almost daily! Ha!

The first is my new favorite meal: Protein Packed Banana Pancakes (inspired by www.fitfoodiele.com check her out, she is awesome!)

*0.33 cup oats
*0.5 med banana (either fresh or frozen)
*0.33 cup egg whites
(Sometimes I like to add 3 pecan halves to each pancake once they are started on the griddle!)
Blend in blender. (I like to only add about half the oats, then whirl the last half just to stir. I like the texture. You can also leave out the oats ALL TOGETHER and save 99 cals!) Cook on nonstick service over medium heat approx 2 min per side. Makes 3 medium pancakes

Topping (Trust me, this MAKES this recipe special)
Microwave about 0.33 cups of blueberries (I use frozen for ease) for 90 sec until thickened and syrup-y.
IF you have Walden's Farms 0 cal syrup, mix a little in. It is really good with the berries, but not neccessary. Pour over pancakes. Then top with 4 oz (1/2 c) Fage 0% Greek Yogurt. Enjoy!



Nutrition:
Total Cals: 280
Protein: 22g
Carbs: 55g
Fat: 2g

The Unexpected Psycology of Weightloss

   

     When you start losing weight, you think it is all rainbows and butterflies. It is going fine. For awhile. Then the blowback starts. The chastising from the know-alls. The you-should's from the worriers. The gain-it-back's from the yo-yo'ers. The worst is when it is coming from the people that you love and expect to support you, your family and and friends. I am here and telling you now that it will happen. Let me give you some advice from what I have experienced and from other's perspectives.

Image source: http://www.bradhowardlive.com/the-attention-u-why-going-beyond-average-is-so-hard/

      The when of blowback all depends on where you currently fall within "The Attention U" pictured above. Howard puts it better than me, so please go watch his video- it is great. Basically on the attention U, if your shape is less than average, both postivie and negative attention directed at you is increased. As you move towards average shape, attention (both good and bad) decreases. Society is pushing you to be average, and this can apply to way more than just shape. Then, once you start moving past average shape, attention again starts increasing. Again, that is positive and negative attention. Society is again trying to push you back to average.

So, the good news is that when you get start getting blowback, it means that you are actually doing something right. You have moved past average. People are commenting because 1) people are noticing because your look has changed that much and 2) people are having to re-categorize where you fit within their internal ranking system. People are built in with internal health-o-meters, we really do not even notice ourselves scanning. We look over someone, no change, all clear. We look over someone else, change, (!!!) alarm = comment. Our inner brain associates weight loss with health, possibly that person could be sick! So from some people, the blowback is genuine concern whether they realize it or not. Even if you actually look better than before. 

Generally, the negative blowback is out of a place of resentment or competition. This is especially true in women-to-women commentary. You could have been the "biggest" girl in your posse. Once you get into your transformation, you may now have "the best bod" in your group. Now, your friend has to re-categorize you as such. And that might hurt for her, maybe she has struggled with her own weight issues, and here you are seemingly easing your way through weight loss. The person is who is being negative just wants things to return to status quo. 

I want to leave you with some advice that has served me well. When people ask you what you are doing, first answer with the standard "working out." Most people will take that and be done, that is more than they want to do anyway. You can add that you are watching what you eat, or eating less. Do not get into specifics, do not go into detail further than is required. Generally this will only lead into arguments or debate. Neither of which you need or want. It is the doorway into blowback. People that are sincere and really want to know will ask you a second or third time. You can go into detail as far as you are comfortable. If the conversation gets heated or negative at anytime, just nod and smile and say that you are "glad XYZ is working for them" then get the heck away! This podcast is one of the best as far as handling people when watching what you eat and planning around social events- Eating for the Holidays

XO
-Liss

My Story



My  12 week transformation with Venus Index systems

Growing Up Giant

     I have always struggled with my weight. As young as I can remember- 3^rd to 5^th grade, I did not like my body and felt fat. I remember being in 5th grade and wearing ladies size 8 pants, but being about 5'4". I was my Gramps' "chunky monkey". I would eat and eat when I got home, sad about the way I looked. About 7^th grade, I shot up in height (to my present 5’9” stature) which evened my weight out, but was still bigger in both directions than all my friends. My freshman year, I played for my high school’s tennis team where I was introduced to weight lifting. That year I took biology class, where they taught the principal of calories in-calories out= weight. I tried to eat as little as possible, and it worked. I remember being 140 lbs by the end of my freshman year of high school, slimmer than I had ever been. But the never-ending up and down weight cycling started then. Despite working out and playing sports, I would balloon up to 160-170 then lose down to about 150. By my freshman year in college, I was up to 175. By my sophomore year, I did Atkins and Body for Life lifting and got down to 155.

Second from right, about 160 freshman year of college

 The Pendulum Swing

      I stayed around 155 until I graduated college and got married. Then pregnancy came, and we had our first child in 2004,  I was 195. We moved to Dallas and I got a great job that offered a gym membership, and lost some weight. We soon got pregnant again, and I decided to work out for my entire pregnancy this time! We had our second child in March 2006- I was at 185. My mom hired a trainer for me 6 weeks post-partum and I lost to 175 over the course of a couple of months, despite nursing my daughter for 9 months. It took me over a year to get down to 155. I did Body for Life stregth training, ran for 30 min on off days, and counted calories.

June 2007 about 175

     In 2009, we moved back to the Texas Panhandle- Amarillo, TX. My weight shot up to 185. I finally joined a gym with an old friend and started working out together, going to all kinds of classes- BodyCombat, Zumba, Pump, Water Aerobics, Spin- whatever we felt like. We did Atkins too and I lost to 160. Then in 2010, we moved again about an hour north to Dumas, TX.

December 2009 about 185

 

      By January 2011, I was back up to 182 again. I did HCG and did fitness classes 4 days per week (pump, step, insanity, kickboxing). I got down to 148 by May 2011, the smallest that I had ever been in my adult life.  From this round of weight-loss success, my local gym asked me to start teaching a pilates class that summer.

June 2011, 152 lbs

Trying to Break the Swing

     These huge pendulum swings in weight were exhausting.  I felt like if I took my eye off of the gym and eating for a second, I would balloon.  I have done all the fad diets and fitness crazes the last 10 years. I followed everything from solid, science based training to random fitness/diet advice. It would work for a bit, and get me to average but never beyond. All of the diets were not SUSTAINABLE, nor taught me about maintenance; they did not reshape my body.

 By January 2012, I was exasperated and up again to 165. I was working out 4 days a week. Why did I not look like it? I needed a new goal, I wanted visible abs. So I started "Google-ing" what I should weigh for my height to get those abs. There was no singular answer; most websites said about 15% body fat for a woman. Well I did not own calipers, how was I going to tell how much I needed to lose?

My Golden Ticket- Venus Index

     I stumbled across the Venus Index during my search- a metric measurement to look your best at your height using the golden ratio. Interesting, I was skeptical though. I listened to the whole podcast archive the next few months on my commute. They were saying things that I had not heard before (like calorie counts on nutrition labels and exercise machines are WRONG!) and backing it with actual scientific research. These guys were well-educated and had the look themselves, so obviously they must be doing something right. Then I saw the transformations coming out of the contests and I was sold.

      The next VI contest- VT5 started in May 2012 and I jumped in. I am so glad I did, just look at my before and after pictures. The middle pictures were taken in early August- after just 12 weeks of using the program at least 3 days a week.  The pictures on the left were taken in October- after 20 week with the program. I ended up winning the final VT5 contest! I got to do a podcast interview with John Barban the creator of the VI strength training system.  I hit my VI metrics dead on for it. I also won a 2013 calendar spread and a workout cover, as well as $850!

Age: 28 Height 5’9”	Weight LBS	Shoulders "	Waist "	Hips "
Start VT5	155.0	41.0	29.0	39.0
Week 12	143.0	41.5	27.0	37.5
Week 20	141.2	41.5	26.5	37.25
VI GOAL 5'9"	approx 141	42.65	26.36	37.43

What I am doing now

      I still have a full time job that requires a 40 hour work week as well as a husband and two young children that need my love. I now have another part time job too, with Venus! My health and fitness are a priority too, and I schedule in my gym time around kids' sports and social engagements.  I now train exclusively with the Venus Index strength training programs and started a VI gym class class at the Moore County YMCA! Come workout with the class at the Moore County YMCA in Dumas, TX. The group trains together on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday at 4:40 p.m.

     I love to help coach other women to achieve their best bodies using the tools that worked for me which is why I started this blog. The knowledge that I have found on my journey is no secret, and if it can help one person in their journey, it is worth my time.   I can  be your personal coach too, it is all digital so distance is no issue. You can sign up and specify that you want me as your coach - http://clients.venusindex.com/premium-one-on-one-coaching/

     I am now two years away from the Venus contest that I placed in, and still maintaining just as fabulous of a body. Maybe even better. What do you think?

November 2013

May 2014

November 2015 

I am just a regular girl; if I can do this, I know you can too!

What is coming up next?

 I am currently maintaining and improving my physique. Coaching clients for Venus, writing guest & blog articles, and living life.

X-Liss