Lean, Mean + Clean Eats: Spicy Turkey Chili with Basil-Bombed Cornbread

Mmmm... how could you not?

Ohhhh another cold, snowy day in Edmonton. If it weren't for my 3 day weekend, I might have been a little bummed! ha 

For those of you who I haven't caught up, I've got some exciting things on the go right now! I have one more test left until I am done my CanFitPro Personal Trainer certification (how exciting, right??!) and have already moved on to working towards my Nutrition Coach certification. Needless to say, my day was full of protein synthesis, muscular concepts, a big ol' mug of coffee and a big cozy fireplace and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Dad's in town from Calgary this weekend and stopped by my place for a quick lunch on his way in and this chili made for a perfect little lunch. (Original recipe cred: Lisa Lavery on chow.com) I picked up a package of Bob's Red Mill Cornbread mix (gluten-free) which I made with coconut oil and used my bestie Christal's little trick -- fresh chopped basil stuffed into the cornbread to add an extra punch of flavor. YUM! You've gotta try this, I'm telling you! A nice warm and spicy meal packed with fiber, protein and veggies... what more could you ask for? Here's the magic: 

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c jalapenos, diced

1 lb ground turkey

3 tbsp chili powder

fresh ground sea salt + black pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup organic chicken broth

1 can red kidney beans

2 bay leaves

a few shakes of Franks

Heat oil over medium heat in large, deep pan and once hot, add bell pepper, onion, and garlic - cook until soft (about 5 mins). Up the heat from medium to high, and add ground turkey and jalapenos - cook until no longer pink. Add spices and cook until your house smells like home :-) (about 1 min). 

Add brother and can of tomatoes with juices, crank heat to high until pot simmers. Add rinsed beans to pot and re-simmer. Reduce heat to medium low, add hot sauce and bay leaves, salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30-45 mins and serve with a spoonful of greek yogurt, a few grates of your fav cheese, some fresh chopped cilantro (gives it a great fresh flavor and balances out the spiciness!) and you're ready to rock :-) 

As for my quote of the day, I am almost more excited to share this with you than the recipe!! ha ha This one lights my heart up... no two ways about it. 

“I FOUND EVERY SINGLE SUCCESSFUL PERSON I'VE EVER SPOKEN TO HAD A TURNING POINT. THE TURNING POINT WAS WHEN THEY MADE A CLEAR, SPECIFIC UNEQUIVOCAL DECISION THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE; THEY WERE GOING TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS. SOME PEOPLE MAKE THAT DECISION AT 15 AND SOME PEOPLE MAKE IT AT 50, AND MOST PEOPLE NEVER MAKE IT ALL.”

BRIAN TRACY

Yours in strength and stretchiness, 

xo Brooke

Lean, Mean + Clean Eats: Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with green salad -- When I am not dieting for a show, I will add some extra goodies to my salad (cheese/nuts/seeds/broken crackers) and throw a bottle of dressing into my bag for a quick lunch

Hi All!

A short + sweet recipe for anyone looking to "spice" up their lunchbox this week!! ;-)

Brooke's Clean Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

1 package ground chicken

½ small white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed (garlic press)
½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ - ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
A few shakes of sea salt + fresh ground black pepper

 Line a baking sheet with tin foil and preheat oven to 350 F. Chop the onion and press the garlic and toss into a frying pan over medium-low heat with olive oil. Soften for 3-5 mins until lightly golden, then add to a mixing bowl along with all other ingredients. Mix together until all ingredients are evenly distributed. I like to use a tablespoon to grab the meat out of the bowl and form into meatballs from there. This way’s nice because it also keeps them all the same size so they bake evenly. ;) The more you know... lol!

Bake for 10 mins, turn the meatballs over, and bake for another 5-7 mins. I always just break one apart to make sure they're cooked all the way through - just keep in mind they will have a little bit of a red/pinkish color to them because of all the hot sauce in the recipe! :-) Let cool + enjoy!

Way to mess up my name, Starbucks lady... ! ha ha ha ;-p

Make-a-Meal
For a quick and light meal, I love serving these meatballs with carrot sticks + celery, some Bolthouse fresh ranch dip and a handful of tamari almonds or throwing them into a big salad!

Depending on my fitness goals (if my meal includes carbs) I’ll add these into a bowl with some quinoa and a bunch of fresh chopped veggies. I like grated carrot, chopped green onions, chopped bell peppers, a few crumbles of feta (the goat’s milk type is my fav!) a few slices of avocado and a few shakes of tamari or soy sauce. Seriously delish! 

Lastly, a classic and comforting twist: spaghetti and meatballs! I'm not a huge fan of pasta, so I use spaghetti squash instead of noodles (a GREAT low carb, less processed substitute) and add my favorite tomato sauce -- Newman's Own and some mushrooms + onions!

Fit Tip <3

I do my grocery shopping between Save-On, Superstore, Sobeys and Costco and between all of these stores, Superstore's ground chicken is priced true to it's weight and normally runs around $5.50 for a pack, whereas Save-On sells the exact same package for $7. I know it's only $1.50 but when you go through as much ground chicken as I do, it adds up! ;) What can I say? My dad used to pack us all into the car on a Saturday to drive across town, to the Brick, when he heard a radio commercial saying they were giving away free coffee mugs and hot dogs.... so it goes without saying.... I know a good deal when I see one! lol!

 My mantra for this week is "When we write down our dreams, they become goals; when we act upon our goals, they become reality." So dream big, work hard, and don't you dare stop until you succeed!

Have a lean, mean + clean day fitfam!!!

xo Brooke

Fast Food, Brilliant Edition: 3 Fast-Food Salads That Won't Derail Your Diet!

Good Good Gooood Morning All! 

I'm really excited about this little post today - short and simple but hopefully valuable to you! :)

I work in Car Sales and for any of you that have had friends or family work in the industry, you'll know - there is a LOT of fast food involved! One of the keys to being successful in sales is that you've gotta BE there to sell - so we definitely do spend a lot of time at work and a lot of the days will revolve around someone asking "What's for lunch?!" The guys take a few minutes to negotiate through which kind of burger or fried junk they should get today, then someone runs out to grab a bunch of brown greasy bags filled with sweaty beef and french fries for the team to quickly chow down on. 

While it definitely makes for a challenge, I am able to stick to my guns (almost) all of the time and enjoy the healthy, nutritious meals that I've packed for myself the night before.  I 110% believe that dedicating time on a regular basis for prepping foods for the week is one of the keys to living a healthy, happy life, but -- I also understand that sometimes that just doesn't work! I'm at the gym untill 11, I'm out of groceries, I stayed at work late...  life happens! 

Now.. obviously eating fast food every day isn't going to get you anywhere towards any health goals you may have, but what I'm here to tell you is there IS a way to still grab food from fast food restaurants and not get too derailed! What I think is the key here is, is how often you're grabbing food and what you are grabbing! Personally, I try to keep it to 1-2 meals per week max, and only eat from places that I can get my food to order -- point at a big table of veggies in a row and tell them how much I want of each! As for the what -- here are a few of my favs! :) 

Mucho Burrito

If I could eat one style of food for the rest of my life, it would be Mexican. I LOVE Mexican. There are pretty much a bajillion types of salsas and types of tacos out there... Ooohh just thinking of all of the options gets me excited haha! Fresh salsa, and limes and cilantro and beans and spices.. yum!

Mucho Salad!! I switched it up with this one and
went with steak instead of chicken. 

Mucho’s kinda a hidden gem because when most people think Mexican, a lot of people think more of the burritos and quesadillas which aren’t that awesome. If you take a big tortilla, add a pile of rice, beans and one of the fattier cuts of meat (beef or pork) it’s easy to end up with a really carby, starchy, heavy meal. The key here is to load up on the fresh veggies and salsas and keep the protein nice and lean and you can absolutely build a great, nutritious and balanced meal! This salad's super filling and I've even converted some of the GUYS at work to salad-eaters with this lunch! 

What I Order:

Salad, no bowl. Romaine, black beans, sautéed veggies, corn + black bean salsa, chopped red salsa, medium red salsa, cilantro and guac  <3 When I’m looking for a little treat and I’m not dieting for a show, I’ll add a side of the tortilla chips!

Pita Pit

Ok.. this is hands-down my #1 FAV at the moment!! Lots of fresh veggies that are full of nutrients, a lean protein and low sugar/calorie dressing = awesome. The salads here are really similar to Subway, but they have a few extra exciting veggies that Subway doesn’t, and a few light salad dressings so the selection’s a bit bigger. I really love how you can throw veggies on the grill too – they add volume to the chicken so it makes the salad more filling, which is always a nice little bonus! The guys at work love this option too and order their lunch as a pita instead of salad.

What I Order:
Small “Make Your Own” salad with Extra Chicken. I get romaine, sprouts, green pepper, cucumber, tomato and banana peppers in the salad bowl, chicken, mushrooms, red onion and pineapple on the grill, and hot sauce as a salad dressing. If it fits into my meal plan at the time, I also get them to put some tzaziki on the side... sooo good.. you don’t even know!

Subway

Can you handle the heat??? ha ha!
Spicy Subway salad

Another one of my go-to grab-a-salad spots... Subway! There’s so many of them around, so even on roadtrips through small towns.. you can pretty much rely on spotting one. The chicken portion size here is 2.5 oz, so again, I get extra chicken (a good portion size for a 150 lb female is 4-6 oz).

What I Order:

Chicken salad with Extra Chicken (plain, not teriyaki which is loaded with sugar and other junk). Shredded iceberg, tomato, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, banana peppers and hot sauce as the salad dressing.

Now, while these options are a great alternative to grabbing a burger and fries from the food court or drive thru, I do want to mention that because they are from fast food restaurants, the food is still going to be fairly processed. For this reason, I do want to remind you that buying actual chicken breasts from the store, cooking them yourself and chopping your own veggies is absolutely the best way of fueling your daily activities!

Until next time... remember that "your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow".  

Whatever you have going on in your life today -- Rock it Out!!! ..... life's too short not to! ;)

xo Brooke

Brilliant Breakfast: Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes

Good MORNING fitfam!

Going to keep this post short + sweet today -- here's the long-promised recipe for my protein pancakes and a few tips to save some time in the morning :)

chocolate banana topped with maranatha choc
almond butter + SF syrup + banana 

berry pancakes with raspberry "jam"

Pancake Recipe
1/2 cup oats (use blender to chop into oat flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
cinnamon (2 big shakes)
1/2 tsp splenda brown sugar sweetener (or natural sweetener of your choice!)
1/2 c egg whites
2 tbsp water

for chocolate banana pancakes add in:

1 - 2 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 extra ripe banana 

Other optional add-ins:
berry:
1/4 c frozen berries (raspberry/blueberry)

pumpkin spice:
1/2 c pumpkin puree
a few shakes of pumpkin spice

prepping baggies ahead of time
makes breakfast quick + easy! 

Blend dry ingredients, add in egg whites and water. Heat non-stick pan at medium or just under medium heat, and use coconut oil or EVOO spray to cook. Top with greek yogurt, cinnamon, nut butter, pure maple or SF syrup, nuts, fruit, or raspberry "jam" that can be made by heating up a handful of frozen raspberries in the microwave then mashing with a fork.

PREP TIP:
I like to prep 5 "batches" at a time so I'd do 2.5 c of oats and x5 all the rest of the dry ingredients too then divide into ziploc baggies so that I'm not spending time measuring and chopping oats in the AM! :) I keep these baggies in the cupboard then when I get up, just throw that into a bowl, add my egg whites, berries and water and heat up my pan.

PREP TIP: 
When I've  got a bit of extra time the night before, I'll actually make the pancakes and wrap them in tinfoil and then store the in the fridge. When I get up in the morning, I just throw them in the oven 100* and get ready while they're heating then take to work or eat in the car!

Until next time, remember: "There is no glory to be found in living a life that is less than the one you are capable of" - Nelson Mandela

Have a fantastic, fit and sweaty week all!!

xo Brooke

Q + A: Protein Crash Course -- My 20 Fav Protein-Packed Foods + Top 3 Protein Powders!

Q: Matt asks “I am wondering what kind of protein you use? My mom is looking for some advice and since I don’t know anything about girl health I wanted to know what’s good!”

A: Girl Health.... lol. Don't you worry, Matt... I don't think you're the only guy out there who isn't a "girl health" expert. ;)  

Keep in mind that I am not a certified nutritionist or prep coach and my advice and opinions are simply what has worked for me. It has been recommended to me, by my trainer, for my body type and fitness goals, and this isn’t necessarily what is right for everyone. That being said…… :) 

There are two different basic ways to get your protein – food sources and protein powders.

Food-Based Protein

Food-Based Protein Sources
While my diet changes a bit when I am prepping for a contest, I generally stick to these foods --->>>  which are mostly great lean, clean choices. The “most efficient” (in terms of reducing body fat, building muscle, getting the bodybuilder/bikini babe “look”) and richest food-based protein sources are meat and dairy and for this reason, that’s mostly what our diets look like. But! I will take a second to mention that there are plenty of other vegan and whole food sources that are great too -- (beans, lentils, etc)… I just don’t really see a lot of them lately :) lol

Protein Powders
As for protein powders, I really wouldn’t really say the key to success is in choosing the “right” one as there are SO MANY different flavors and brands out there and many are very similar. Yes, you need to find one you like so that you’ll stick to your diet plan (if you are following one) but other than that, I would say as long as you’re around about 120 cals/scoop, and 30 g of protein, you’re in great shape. Now here comes the epic protein debate.. natural vs. “mass market” protein powders. My best friend, Christal fromwww.nutritionistinthekitch.com, swears by the North Coast Naturals, and for good reason – it ROCKS! However, our styles are a little different - she is also a bit more strict in sticking to a 100% natural diet, whereas I’ve found that this is definitely harder with my show prep dieting, so I also use some of the more “mainstream” proteins. Here are a few of my favs:  

My 3 favs are:

Quattro by MAGNUM – Chocolate Love

This one is seriously a gamechanger.. !! I am pretty sure this is my all-time fav.. it doesn’t have any chemical-y sweetener taste, and it’s a perfect balance between mild and “intense” .. if that makes any sense? Blends fantastically with water,  Seriously, try it.. it is BOMB!

North Coast Naturals – Chocolate

This one’s really good to throw into the mix because it’s aaaaaall natural, which I LOVE! Has a super mild flavor and is not super sweet like so many of the other powders out there.  This one’s also very great for baking because it really just ups the protein value of your recipe and has a light cocoa-y taste, instead of the more intense “protein powder” flavor you get with some of the other ones. I buy this one in the Organic section at Superstore (which seriously is a TOTAL goldmine!) for $32.99 a jug. Smaller jug, but lower price too.

Isoflex by ALLMAX - Mint Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Chocolate

These two are pretty basic and pretty popular but have def been one of my good, dependable go-tos.

[BONUS] Isoflex actually has a new line called “Chiller” that I got a sample of from my supps store (Guaranteed Nutrition on Ellerslie + 91^st) and it’s ICED TEA flavored! Yeah.. seriously. I know!! Ha ha I got the Peach Iced Tea sample and it was seriously amazing.. especially during prep when my diet usually consists of a protein shake for 3/6 of my meals. I find that it’s pretty easy to get sick of just downing milky powdery drinks all day so this one was really great because it’s actually clear and really tastes like Iced Tea! I had a bit of trouble with it mixing nice and smoothly, but I didn’t have my normal shaker and didn’t add any ice, so I’m sure that problem would be easily solved. Absolutely worth checking out, I would say!

My FAV! Quattro 4 Choc Chunky Monkey Shake. <3 

Lastly, there are many different types of proteins out there (hemp, soy, pea, whey, etc) but I stick to a whey isolate for my normal everyday use, and casein as my “before bed” go-to. Whey is quicker digesting and simpler, so it’s great for pre and post-workout as well as throughout the day, paired with a healthy fat or carb source. Casein is a slow digesting protein and definitely a bit thicker, so it is great for the last “meal” of the day as it will keep your body from burning your muscle while you sleep and help prevent you from feeling starving when you wake up.

Overall though, to get that lean, tight bikini bod, just meeting your protein requirements or just taking “cutters” really won’t work. In order to really look and feel fantastic, it takes consistency, discipline in diet and a properly structured training plan, and a whole lot of patience! J

Until next time, remember… “It’s never too late to be, what you could have been.”

Have a sweaty, fit and fantastic day!!

xo Brooke

Bikini Bod Diet: Cinnamon Egg "Cookies"

Hey All! :-)

I know I have been MAJORLY MIA for the past few months but those of you who follow me on facebook know this is because I'd been training for my first fitness competition (bikini) -- the Muscle Beach Fall Classic! :-) I'm going to put together a separate post on that later on in the week, but for now, here's a sneak peek.

As part of my training program, I was following a pretty (ok, very!!) strict diet so had to put my "recipe-ing" on hold for awhile. Or at least that's what I thought.

I actually found that there ARE ways to switch things up and experiment in the kitchen, even when your'e dieting. One of my big challenges was finding a way to incorporate all the egg whites I had to eat, into my diet, without going crazy from eating scrambled egg whites every day! ha ha



I put this vid together the week before my show to share one of my diet "weapons" -- a super simple recipe for Cinnamon Egg "cookies" -- check it out :-)

all-natural chocolate + salted peanut butter cups (packed with protein!)

These. are. delish! No, really! They taste like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups minus all of the odd "natural flavoring" taste (read: artificial flavors created by scientists in a lab).

But wait.

There's an added bonus to this delicious, all-natural package. Yes, thats' right: protein! Anyways.. enough talking, on to our treats!

"Grease" your pan. I use a mini cupcake pan, but you could also use this super cute silicone mini peanut butter cup mold. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (i like Mara Natha)
1/3 cup chocolate protein powder
1/4 cup plain all natural greek yogurt
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
a squeeze of honey to sweeten

Mix with spatula until combined.

Spoon mixture into pan, taking extra care to flatten on the top & trim neatly around the edges. (Ok, maybe this part isn't that important, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist! ha)

Now, this next step is optional. I like the extra bite that sea salt adds, so I add a couple cranks to the top.  

Put tray into freezer for 20-30 mins until PB hardens up.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and put it into your freezer (a soon to be home for your chocolate-ified cups).

About 5 minutes before I'm going to take the tray of PB cups out, I'll start melting my chocolate (Enjoy Life's mini chocolate chips). I use a "double boiler" -- well, no, not really a double boiler, but a pot with an inch of water on medium-high heat, and then sit a metal bowl on top of the pot. Then I stir. Stir, stir, stir. Once the chocolate is melted, you're ready to coat  your beautiful little PB cups.

Take the PB cups out of the freezer, and one at a time, remove them from the mold and cover with chocolate. The way I found to work best was to use one of those little corn "skewers" to hold the PB cup and an icing knife to coat (ha ha ha corn skewers.. how nerdy, right?! oh well, whatever works! ;)
As each cup gets coated, put them onto the tray that's chilling in the freezer until set.

Once they've hardened, store them in an airtight container or freezer bag & empty your mail box because you're about to get a whole lot of fan mail! (from friends & fam who are lucky enough to enjoy these little gems, of course! ;)