New recipe: No-Noodle Stir Fry

As you know from yesterday, I'm on AdvoCare's 10 Day Cleanse. The last time I was on the cleanse, I got really bored with my food. It felt like I was on repeat...so, this time I'm determined to find new recipes that I can fall in love with BUT they've got some requirements first:

1. They have to be easy to make...duh! I'm a little "unexperienced" in the kitchen and have burnt many new recipes.
2. They have to be PACKED with flavor!
3. They can't have any crazy ingredients that will cost me an arm and a leg.

Well, ladies and gentlemen...I think I found a new favorite! A friend recommended it to me last week and I finally got around to trying it and I'M IN LOVE! <3 Enjoy...

 { No-Noodle Stir Fry }

 Ingredients 

Broccoli Slaw

Chicken breast strips

Stir fry seasoning packet

Extra virgin olive oil

*optional: any other veggies you'd like (I added broccoli flowerettes)

 { I didn't add measurement amounts because it depends on how many people you are cooking it for. But if you're on AdvoCare, I highly suggest that you only eat the recommended portions! }

Directions 

1. Add slaw, chicken and optional veggies to a frying pan on medium-high to high heat.
2. Add just enough olive oil to slightly cover everything. 
3. Occassionally stir until chicken and optional veggies are no longer frozen and cooked.
4. *FYI: some of the slaw will brown...that's OK! 
5. Once everything is cooked, remove from heat and add seasoning packet, mixing well.

Now dish up and add some low-sodium soy sauce and you're golden! How YUMMY does that look below? Yes, it ALL went into my belly and I loved it! :)

Nutritional Info 

 * Kroger Fresh Selections Broccoli Slaw (1 cup serving): 25 calories, 25mg sodium, 5g total carbs, 3g dietary fiber, 2g protein

* Foster Farms Chicken Breast Grilled Strips (3 oz. serving): 100 calories, 2g total fat, 25mg cholesterol, 520mg sodium {eek! I didn't check that first!} 1g total carbs, 19g protein

* Sun-bird Stir-Fry Seasoning Mix (1/2 tbsp. serving): 15 calories, 310mg sodium, 3g total carbs

My 2nd Cleanse & Result Pics

So, I'm on Day #1 of my second AdvoCare cleanse! My 25th bday is in a week and a half and I've kinda plateaued the last month or so in my weight loss so I'm excited that I'm due for another cleanse and get the chance to kick things up a bit.

This time I'm adding Catalyst (which I have used since I finished my first 24DC but didn't use during it). Catalyst helps you tone, define and preserve your lean body mass from all that exercise you've been doing. I've definitely noticed a difference in my arms since I've started taking it...in fact, I've gone up a whole INCH in my arms alone! When you take it during a Cleanse or a 24DC, Catalyst just gives it an added boost!

During my last 24DC, I lost a total of 9 lbs during the Cleanse phase itself...and I hardly exercised because I was sick with an ear infection (completely unrelated, according to the Dr.)! So, I'm really hoping that I can loose even more this time and be that much closer to my goal weight of..... {drum roll}...150 lbs! or as I like to call it, "pre-meeting my husband weight."

{ side note:  I actually did panic thinking that the 24DC cause me to get sick so at my appt. I brought in all of the ingredient labels to her and shoved them in her face! Her response: Oh, this explains why you've been able to deal with an ear infection for the last 2 weeks! So...I blame the kinder's I subbed for! :) }

In the mean time, let's drool over the amazing accomplishments of fellow AdvoCare believers and check out their Before & After pics! Enjoy! 

**Almost unrecognizable, huh?!** 

**Ian Keber from Seattle** 

Doubly Nutritious Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh, come on! Of course my first recipe is a dessert! Why would it not be? ;)

These cookies are AH-MAZINGLY delicious, soft and full of nutritious goodness! Enjoy! 

 { Ingredients } 

1 package chocolate chip cookie mix (I used good ol' Betty)

1 package AdvoCare Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake

1 egg

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

 { Directions }

1. Preheat oven according to cookie mix directions (so, about 350 degrees). 

2. Combine cookie mix and Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake powder in bowl. 

3. Stir to blend (It will be light brown in color!).

4. Add egg, oil and water. Beat well! (I suggest using an actual hand mixer, as it gets heavy!)

5. Drop by rounded TEASPOONS onto ungreased cookie sheet.

(Please excuse the mess of a cookie sheet in the pic above...geesh! I need new stuff!)

6. Bake according to cookie mix directions (typically it's 8-9 minutes).

When it's all done, your cookies should look like this:

**It's been suggested to add AdvoCare's Chocolate Muscle Gain mix instead of a shake mix. It's a protein shake, so you'd only be getting more protein and who wouldn't want a special protein treat after a nice workout! If you try it, let me know!

{ Nutritional Info }

For 2 cookies--you mean I can have more than one?! HECK YES!, it's:

182 calories

3g Protein

25g Carbs

0g Fiber

15g Sugar

7g Fat

94mg Sodium

Visit my AdvoCare site to order the products used in this recipe today and start baking healthier! 

My story: Why I chose AdvoCare

WELCOME!

If you've gotten here then you probably already know about AdvoCare or have been researching healthy eating and tip ideas. I've been on AdvoCare's products since March 2012. I was introduced to it the January before by my BFF (I'm going old school with the acronyms..Best Friend Forever!) and was definitely very interested in them because she looked AH-MAZING! But I was recently married, living on a substitute teacher income and fresh into my "adult career" workforce. I thought that I couldn't afford it. The 24 Day Challenge was super pricey, but I wanted to know more. If you know me even a little, I research the crud on just about everything! I needed to do my research first.


You see, I've always dealt with a weight problem. I've always been overweight for my age and height. And I've tried everything I could think of...in high school, I dieted, took Aerobics class every quarter, etc., etc. but when I was 15 I realized that I was turning to food to comfort myself from an underlaying issue of depression. I could eat a whole can of chocolate frosting in one sitting. I could drink 2 liters of soda in one day. When I was a senior in high school, I unhealthly lost 40 lbs in roughly 4 months. I thought I was set and smoking hot...but the emotional eater in me and the stresses from my 1st year in college packed on 55 lbs. 


Flash to 5 years later, New Years Day 2012. I looked in the mirror and saw stretch marks under my belly button. I sat on the toilet and cried. What had I done to myself? Later that day, I met up with the BFF and she changed my life forever...


Anyway, later that night I hopped online and looked up everything I could find: their website, distributor's websites, recipes, inspirational stories...even the websites that call it a hoax and a total waste of money. The next morning, I was 85% convinced that it was the real deal. But I still needed more and this time I wanted to hear from someone else then my BFF (it's not like I don't trust her, but hearing it from a complete stranger made it seem real to me). The BFF hooked me up with her advisor, G, and I think we had a good 1.5 hour phone call that day.


It wasn't until after I talked to G that I was hooked. I ditched my Starbucks runs for a few weeks and sold some items at my local swap meet to come up with the cash. On March 4, 2012 I started my first 24 Day Challenge. I won't lie...it was difficult. Following new recipes, resisting temptation, drinking a GALLON of water every day and then, to top it off, a preschooler sneezed on me and I got an ear infection! BUT after the first few days, I found myself with a ton more energy, feeling fuller and not over eating, and powering (I mean POWERING!) through my workouts at the gym.


Wanna know my results?!?! After 24 Days, I went from 208.2 lbs (my heaviest EVER) to 196.2 (that's a loss of 12 lbs!) and lost 9.75" off my body...HOLY COW! I decided to create a blog about my journey, recipes that I find and try and a place to offer support and guidance to others like myself. 

Here's the proof pic:

I hope that you find everything you came here for and I wish you the very best in your journey towards a healthy lifestyle. You're welcome to vent (NICELY, without being belittling!), share your success story or ask questions! 

Love,

Cynthia