Day 15...Eat Clean, House Clean, Man Happy

I was so excited to get such phenomenal response from my 2 week pics on Facebook! It is always gratifying to get validation from strangers-- when you live in your own skin, it's hard to always see the changes day to day. I've decided not to do a daily weigh-in and daily weight posting-- it makes me a bit nutty to pay so much attention to numbers, so I'm only going to post about it with the pics and measurements once a week.

Yesterday, I took a much needed rest day and spent the afternoon with a dear friend of mine. I made us lunch-- a very healthy grilled chicken with roasted peppers and a bit of melted mozzarella cheese. Today, I didn't follow TAM Day 15 menu by the book, but I ate very clean. I had coffee early and didn't have much to make for breakfast, so I hit the grocery store and came home with ground turkey and fresh veggies. I made a delish "healthy taco" with seasoned ground turkey, chopped avocado, tomato, jalapeño and salsa. Instead of a taco shell, I made a lettuce wrap with some iceberg. It was so satisfying and kept me full until late afternoon.

Turkey Taco Wrap

For a snack, I had a kiwi and dinner was a Parker Special: Spicy Orange Zested Cashew Chicken. It was super spicy, just the way I like it....I also made some sugar snap peas and coconut jasmine rice. (For the rice, instead of using water, sub one cup of coconut milk.)

Spicy Orange Zested Cashew Chicken

Things on the home front have been a little tense since the power bill incident, and after a rough couple days, I really wanted to create an environment of calm and love today. First, I cleaned up the guest room (little by little, my former mess is becoming mah-velously clean!)

Then, I decided to make a scrumptious and spicy dinner that I knew JP would love. In my experience, the quickest way to make an unhappy man happy again is to feed him delicious food. I always think of one of my favorite books as a kid, Amelia Bedelia Collection (I Can Read Book 2), the ditzy maid who makes up for her poor housecleaning with a fabulous lemon meringue pie! That is totally ME. I am the worst housecleaner in the world and I drive JP crazy with my piles of STUFF everywhere....but the second he tastes my meals, he melts into a dude food coma that is pure beauty and the stuff of Parker legend.

On the workout front-- I did 30 minutes of DC on the rebounder and Dances 1 & 2 from DC II for a total of 40 minutes. For MS, I did 30 reps and got through it pretty fast. I'm going to have to start adding the ankle weights in another day or two.

I'm waiting for The Tracy Anderson Method Dance Cardio Workout DVD in the mail-- I had to order another one since my original got so worn out! I never quite feel like I'm getting the same intensity workout by doing the other TAM cardios that I do when I rock out the 'o8 dances! Really looking forward to amping up the cardio these last two weeks of bootcamp and need to get my dance on, girls!

Best Dance Cardio DVD...EVAH!

So, it's after midnight and I need to take my tookus to bed. Below is the recipe for tonight's chicken...Enjoy!

Spicy Orange Zested Cashew Chicken

1 onion diced

4 garlic cloves diced

1 (9.4 oz) jar of Kikkoman Hoisin Sauce

3 Tb Chili Garlic Sauce

2 Tb Red Curry Paste

1 Tb fresh Ginger (I like the tubes of Gourmet Garden)

1 Tb Soy Sauce

1 fresh jalapeño diced

Juice of 1/2 an orange

1/2 an orange zested

1 cup coconut milk (regular, not low-fat)

sprinkle of salt

chopped cilantro and cashews

Saute onion and garlic until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. If you don't want the dish to be super spicy, go easy on the chili garlic sauce and red curry paste. Omit if necessary.

Separately saute chicken breasts while sauce is simmering:

Dry off chicken breasts with paper towel and sprinkle both sides with paprika and Montreal Steak seasoning. Heat 2 Tb canola oil and 2 Tb butter in a non-stick skillet on medium high heat. When butter is bubbling, add chicken and let sit in uncovered pan for 6 minutes before flipping. Cook on other side (sprinkle some more paprika and Montreal Steak seasoning) for another 5-6 minutes until cooked through. Slice chicken in strips and pour sauce on chicken (with or without rice). Top with chopped cilantro and cashews.