Healthy Sweet Potato & Asparagus Hash

Hey Everyone! 

TO DIE FOR!

I hope you all had an awesome weekend and aren't completely dreading that tomorrow is Monday! I am excited because tomorrow starts our first week of my Healthy Changes Challenge! (Click the link for more info) I have been trying to experiment with foods that I love that are bad for you and re-create them in healthier versions! One of my favorite meals for any meal of the day is some good ole hash! It is yummy but really not that good for you! So I have swapped out regular potatoes for sweet potatoes and the bacon for chicken and I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did!! You can totally use this recipe for meatless Monday by taking out the chicken and swapping chicken stock for veggie stock. It will still be as delicious and also fit in with our new 4 week plan!! I hope you are ready for the challenge, get ready for some great changes in your health and the way you feel. xxxCourt

Serves 4 (1 cup per person) - 196 Calories & 5 WW PointsPlus per serving

Ingredients: 

• 2 large Sweet Potatoes (washed, dried & cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 1/2 Onion (roughly chopped_
• 6 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
• 2 cloves garlic (pressed or finely chopped)
• 1/2 bell pepper (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 10 spears asparagus (washed, dried and cut into 2 inch long pieces)
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• OPTIONAL: Fresh parsley to garnish

Steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet tray (with lips so the juices will stay in the pan) with foil.
3. Cut, dice and prep all of your ingredients. 
4. Place all spices into a small bowl and mix together.
5. Heat 1 tsp of EVOO in a large skillet on med/high heat on the stove top.
6. Place sweet potatoes in hot oil and caramelize for 10 minutes making sure to constantly stir.
7. Once sweet potatoes are done place on foiled sheet tray.
8. Add onions, garlic and bell pepper to hot skillet the sweet potatoes were

   

   Right before I dove in!

   in and caramelize for 4 minutes.
9. Once those are done add to sheet tray with sweet potatoes.
10. Add last tsp of EVOO to hot skillet and brown the cubed chicken breast for 10 minutes.
11. Once chicken breast is done add to the sheet tray while adding the chopped up asparagus as well. 
12. Evenly distribute spice mixture over the entire sheet tray and mix together to evenly coat all the ingredients and add 1/2 cup of stock to the bottom of the tray (add 1/4 more stock to bottom if stock isn't cover they entire bottom of tray).
13. Pop into your preheated oven for 15 minutes and then broil for 2 more after that.
14. Serve over a bed of greens or top it with a poached or fried egg and ENJOY!

Happy Creating (:

Roasted Asparagus!

YUM!!!!!

Happy Saturday Peeps!!

Today I want to talk about one of my favorite veggies of all time, ASPARAGUS! It is absolutely delicious and extremely healthy for you. It is filled with tons of vitamins and minerals most importantly it contains something called "glutathione that helps break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals which can help prevent certain cancers(1)"! Growing up my parents were steamers. That is their preferred way to cook veggies. I however do not like mine as mushy and prefer a more al dente texture! So I pretty much grill or roast ALL of my veggies! It adds so much more flavor and is way healthier because you don't have to dip your broccoli, asparagus  ect. in mayo or butter! I promise this recipe will NOT disappoint and not to mention its so simple and easy to do. I even got Joe eating some veggies and LIKING them that he never would even try before! xxxCourt

P.S. Most people do not store their asparagus correctly, look out below for tips on how to make it last as long as possible in your fridge!

Serves 3 (10 Spears of asparagus per serving) - 68 Calories & 2 WW PointsPlus

Ingredients:

• 30 Spears of asparagus

  

  Step 2 & also how you should store your asparagus!

• 1/2 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/4 tsp Seasoning salt
• 1/8 tsp Black pepper
• OPTIONAL: 1 Clove of pressed garlic (or finely chopped)

Steps:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (or grill if you are cooking outdoors!)
2. Prep all of your asparagus by snapping them in half (see picture demonstration by the lovely Joseph David)                             *They will snap where they are meant to be snapped and if you are in a rush and have a bunch of asparagus then snap one from each bunch and chop the rest where the one snapped. **To store your asparagus chop off about 1/2 inch of bottom when you get home from the store and place in a cup of water (like flowers) they will even grow a little. Make sure you check the water if they are going to be in there long and refill if necessary! 
3. Place all asparagus on a cookie sheet tray lined with tin foil for an easy clean up! 
4. Drizzle EVOO on top and toss using your fingers to evenly coat all of the asparagus.

   

   Step 6: I should of used foil, oops!

5. Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic clove on top of the asparagus and toss again with hands to even coat all of the veggies.
6. Make sure all of asparagus are laying flat on the sheet tray (not too over crowded) and place in the oven or on the grill.
7. Cook 15-20 minutes or until desired char color has been achieved (15 minutes makes for more firm asparagus and 20 is a little more cooked).
8. Plate up right away and serve alone or with a wedge or two of fresh lemon!
9. ENJOY!

You can pretty much swap out asparagus with lots of different veggies for this recipe. I have done corn, broccoli, cauliflower, ect. GET CREATIVE! Make veggies more fun and tasty because they should be in almost every meal that you eat!  

Happy Creating!

***Site Sources: (1) - http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/health_blog/5_powerful_health_benefits_of_asparagus_you_probably_didn_t_know

Grocery List - Get Organized !

Hey There Everyone!!

So since our 31 Day Challenge starts in THREE days I wanted to give you another tool that I use to get organized and prepared for the week. Here is my grocery shopping outline! 

To save this adorable template, right click the picture and save to computer then open it and click print!

It is easy to just print out and post on your fridge and add to it whenever you run out of something or when you sit down and start to plan you meals for the week! Because I go to several stores for my shopping, I usually fill this out then flip it over and write each of the stores names I am going to and organize where I am going to be getting all of those things from! 

Back of my list!

My top tips for saving money and preparing for a shopping trip:

1. ALWAYS make a list. Commit to buying everything plus an extra five things that aren't on the list but NO MORE than FIVE extra.
2. DO NOT GO HUNGRY! I worked at a grocery store and I know from experience that this is the number one way to over spend. 
3. Check out the sales before you make your list and plan your meals. Sometimes this can be time consuming so you can also go and print out a list from online of fruits and veggies and when they are in season and keep it somewhere handy. When you buy whats in season you SAVE.
4. COUPONS COUPONS COUPONS! Get the Sunday paper, they have the best coupons!
5. Buy LOCAL! Farmers markets or stores like Sprouts (my personal favorite) sell local produce at CHEAP prices and you are supporting your local economy which is great too!
6. Learn how to store and prep your food to make it last as long as you can! Pinterest and many other websites have tips like putting onions in pantyhose to last for months!

Don't worry, be happy (:

Top of the morning to ya!

Feeling Gooooood (:

I wanted to talk to you today about the purpose of this blog and my views on being healthy. Being healthy isn't always just about losing weight and becoming physically fit. You could have the most incredible body and eat everything right but without your sanity, your peace of mind and your mental health you have nothing (in my opinion of course). 

I have learned a lot about myself since moving out on my own 6 months ago (WOW, time really flies!!). I guess you could say I went through a tough time mentally and it wasn't until recently that I finally started to feel like Courtney again. I owe a lot of it to my mentor/therapist (she truly is amazing!) and my boyfriend Joe

My love bird, Joseph David

(bless his heart for everything he does) but I also had to work my ass off and start doing new things to change my outlook on life. What I realized that being happy wasn't just a feeling, it's a choice that you have to make every single morning when you wake up. 

God's greatest gift to me, my three beautiful sissys & bestfriends!

So basically what I'm trying to say is that even though this blog is titled "foodCOURTT" (which one of my best friends Ty came up with and I love her forever for her help!) it's much more than just recipes and how to get your physique right, it's about how to feel healthy overall. That's what's important to me. I want to make people more healthy, happy and confident in their own skin! I want you all to love and appreciate who you are from the inside out (: So look out for lots of motivational and positive posts! Hope you all have the most wonderful day! xxxCourt

31 Day Challenge Meal Planner - WEEK 1

Hey Everyone!

Just as I promised here is a print out for you to plan for Week 1 of the 31 Day Challenge! It starts Monday May 20th so make sure to print it out and use it! I also included a print out of the whole challenge again and what it is about! 

To print right click on image and save. Then open the saved document and print! 

Remember "If you fail to plan, then plan to FAIL" xxxCourt