Blaine Phillips

Your Success Navigator

Simple Hacks for your Snacks

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How many of you are like me who usually plan to have a little snack but instead of putting just a portion in a bowl, you reach for the whole bag, start eating out of it, and before you know it you’ve eaten half the bag?! I was able to get out of such an unhealthy habit using a few simple hacks that I’ll share with you today!

Hack Number One: Place a measuring cup in the snack bag.

 

If you buy snacks in large bags, a bag of almonds, for example, put a measuring cup in the bag. Make sure that it matches (or close) the serving size as indicated on the packaging. Portion control is one of the keys to a healthy and fit body.  

If you have a little bowl that can serve as a measuring cup that works too, and just make sure that you know its serving size. Practice this and you won’t have to wonder or feel guilty about how much you’ve eaten and helps you to eat just the right amount of snack.

 

Hack Number Two: Put snacks in portion control bags.

I found these plastic baggies with measurements printed right on it from Target. It’s called Portion Control Snack.

You can see each line for a quarter cup, half cup, three-quarters cup, and a full cup serving. You can pour whatever you can such as nuts, chips, carrot sticks and whatever you want just right there in the bag! It comes in a box containing 64 bags and I got this around $2. That’s worth $2 for me as it’s just so easy for the kids to grab a snack, be mindful of the portion size and what they need to eat. It’s been such a lifesaver for me and my family!

Taking the time to really portion how much you’re eating will largely impact your fitness journey and it doesn’t matter if you’re eating healthier things as still too much of anything is not good for you. So toss that measuring cup or put some snacks in portion control bags and you’ll be one step closer to your healthier body!

holiday party tips

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The holidays are officially here….ready or not!  And if you are anything like me, it means LOTS and LOTS of holiday parties and family gatherings. And let’s be real, those parties mean food and drinks like woah! BUT it is uber important to try and keep yourself on track, and not over do it during all of the chaos (I mean fun 😉 ) 

That’s why I came up with these 5 tips for both of us to use throughout the season to stay on track during all the holiday parties!
 
1. When going to a party, try to have a Shakeology, or another type of vegan protein shake before you go. It’ll help to prevent us from over-indulging.
 
2. If we are drinking alcohol, keep it to one or 2 drinks, alternate drinks with water, and make it a “skinny” whenever possible.
 
3. Don’t mingle around the food table. The longer we’re there, the more we’re likely to eat!
 
4. Take a small plate, and fill it with mostly fruits, veggies and proteins instead of loading up on sugar and junk! If there is something that we LOVE, just have a a few bites, not a whole plate full.
 
5. Dress in form-fitting clothes….I know, but hear me out.  We are more likely to NOT overstuff ourselves because we are not going to want to be uncomfortable. Leggings with a big shirt or dress are like a license to stuff our faces, and we don’t want that 😉

finding the balance

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Turkey day is officially upon us, and I’m looking forward to spending time with my family creating memories that make the moments we can’t be together a little easier.
I’m also excited for the yummy foods that we seem to only have a couple of times, lol!  If you are anything like me, there are a couple of things that are absolutely worth the treat….can anyone say magic cookie bars made by my step-mom?!?  Yum!
While I totally believe in enjoying those things, I also believe that Thanksgiving (heck, really like) should be all about balance.  So with keeping that in mind, we choose to “health” up some of the classics around our house while keeping the uber favorites in tack to enjoy just as they are.
Check out this casserole spin as a way to keep your day in balance.

Green Bean Casserole

  • 5 tbsp whole wheat purpose flour
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 medium onion, ½ onion thinly sliced, ½ onion chopped
  • 3 tsp olive oil
  • 8 oz sliced mushrooms
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ cup nonfat milk
  • 2 tbsp dry sherry wine
  • 1 lb french-cut green beans
  • 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Combine 2 tbsp flour, paprika, and garlic powder in a medium bowl; mix well.
Add sliced onion; mix until well coated. Set aside.
Heat 2 tsp oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add sliced onion mixture; cook, turning once or twice, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel. Set aside. Wipe skillet clean.
Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
Add chopped onions; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 4 minutes, or until translucent.
Add mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the liquid released from mushrooms is almost completely evaporated.
Add remaining 3 tbsp flour, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper; mix until vegetables are coated.
Add milk and sherry; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until bubbly and slightly thickened.
Add green beans; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through.
Add yogurt; mix until combined.
Place green bean mixture in casserole dish. Top with onion mixture.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly.

healthy football food….yep, it’s a thing

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So, here’s the deal.  I am a football fan.  Not an uber crazy diehard kind of fan but I do enjoy watching my Dawgs on the weekends when time allows.
I also enjoy the fun foods that tend to accompany any good football day, lol!  BUT those foods aren’t always on the….well….healthy radar if you know what I mean.
Instead of indulging which would likely lead to feeling icky later or skipping them all together, I decided to look at it like a challenge this past weekend.  I was in the mood for some good old fashioned buffalo chicken dip type dish.  And I gotta say that my spin came out pretty dang great!  The whole family agreed that it was a keeper.

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

  • 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce*
  • 2 tablespoons of grass-fed butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic power
*For non spice wimps like me, lol!  You can bump the hot sauce to 3/4 cup and add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Place the chicken in the bottom of a crockpot.
Combine the hot sauce, coconut oil, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne (if using) in a microwave-safe bowl. 
Microwave until the coconut oil is melted (about 45 seconds), then stir until smooth. 
Pour the sauce over the chicken. 
Cover the slow cooker, then cook for 4 to 5 hours on low.
 
About an hour before the chicken is done, bake the sweet potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon the size of your sweet potato. 
 
I then topped a sweet potato with the shredded chicken and added some blue cheese crumbles…..delicious!  I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we did.
 

do you wish there were more hours in the day?

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I cannot tell you the number of times that I have wished for more time, felt like my to-do list wasn’t shrinking at all, and even felt completely defeated by all that I needed to get done.
Wanna know what?  Those feelings stink!
Wanna know something else?  We all have just 24 hours in the day.
Yep, it’s true.  And that just isn’t going to change.  BUT we can change how we use those hours, and we can stop feeling like we are always swimming upstream.
Now, I’m not saying that we won’t go through crazy seasons…..weddings, parties to plan, the holidays, etc.   But I am saying that we can put a few simple things into practice that can really help to reduce the stress and create some pretty freaking rockstar kind of productive days.
Here are my tips for having your best days when it comes to feeling productive:
1 – Take time the night before to schedule out your next day.  That way you go to bed knowing exactly what you plan to get done tomorrow.  I then leave my planner right beside my bed so I see it and know first thing when I wake up.
2 – Determine what 3 things must absolutely must get done that day.  Everything can’t get done at once, so when we prioritize we feel accomplished and the important stuff is not left undone.
3 – Make sure to schedule in time for mental breaks throughout the day.  Just 10 minutes here and there can do wonders for recharging your mind.
4 – Really take a look at your time schedule, and plan to do the tasks that are the most mentally challenging for you at a productive time in your day.  I am toast after 7 pm, so planning anything serious after that is just never a good idea for me.
5 – This is a big one…..don’t multi task!  We like to think we are getting a lot done, but that just isn’t so.  The truth is we are more efficient when we focus on one task at time.  Yes, that is even true for us mamas, lol!
Bonus – Anything that you can do the night before to help setup your tomorrow for success is awesome in my book.  For example: every night I mix my “mamas sunshine” on the counter so it is ready for me to chug when I wake up, put my workout clothes in the bathroom so I can easily get dressed and ready for my morning sweat session, and make sure my devotional is on the couch and ready for me.  Those little things bring me peace knowing I’m going into tomorrow prepared.

a treat for you, with no tricks

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Have those darn bite sized Halloween goodies started to make their way into your house already this year?!?
I am here to tell you, that you can do it!  You CAN say no to them, stay on track with your health goals, and still enjoy a yummy but super easy treat…..for realz!
I’ve got the perfect thing that you can whip together in a matter of minutes, and that includes the icing!  Which if I’ve been totally honestly, I usually skip the icing because the cobbler is just perfect without it!

Mason Jar Blueberry Cobbler

  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 2/3 cup fresh blueberries
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp stevia
  • 2 tsp coconut oil
Icing
  • 2 oz cream cheese
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp stevia
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
Throw batter in a mason jar, and microwave for 90 seconds.
Top with icing mixture.
Makes two servings.
You want it don’t you??  Like right now?!?  Heck yeah you do!  So get home, pop this thing in the microwave and then let me know how you liked it.  I’ll be waiting!

weekly deals = weekly meals

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One thing you may not know about me – I freaking love grocery day!  Some people cringe at the thought, but I seriously love it…..getting out and interacting with people, checking out what’s new in stores….ah, yes!   Now the icing on the cake to any good shopping day is when I find good deals.

I’m talking I come home on a total high – feeling both accomplished from “checking things off the list” and from scoring some awesome savings!
This week was a pretty sweet one too AND even better?!?  It lead to a killer breakfast casserole for Jason to take to work all week….#winning
Six full servings, under 10 bucks.  Such a great reminder that eating good for us food does NOT have to be expensive.

Spaghetti Squash & Sausage Casserole

  • 1 medium spaghetti squash
  • 1.5 pounds ground sausage (of your choosing)
  • 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
  • 10 eggs
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
Poke spaghetti squash about 6 to 8 times with knife.  Place in crockpot filled 1 inch deep water.  Cook on high for 4 hours.  Then cut it in half, spoon out seeds, and scrape squash out with a fork.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a 9×13 pan.
Add the ground sausage and onion to a large skillet over medium heat and cook until meat is browned.
Whisk eggs and coconut milk in a mixing bowl until combined.
Place the scraped spaghetti squash in the bottom of baking dish, spread meat over that, top with egg mixture making sure to pour evenly.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes until slightly brown and the casserole is set.

time to batch cook those stacks!

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September has officially arrived, and it brings with it soccer season.  #goinferno   That means a big chunk of our weekends are spent on the soccer field.  Which I gotta say, I don’t mind one little bit when the crisp fall air starts to show up.  Because?  It is totally my fave season!!
Well, this weekend we landed the later game so we were able to ease into Saturday a little……so nice!!  I took total advantage of the time to get in a little extra reading time and then knocked out a triple batch of our family’s favorite pancakes.  They freeze up so nicely and make a great “grab & go” breakfast option for those busier mornings.
And how freaking cool that you can toss together a completely homemade and CLEAN recipe in a matter of a couple of minutes?!?  We said goodbye to boxed mixes a few years ago because this recipe made the task of making my own not seem daunting at all –> winning!  Whip up some for your family this weekend, and let me know what you think.

Phillips Pancakes

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup oats (we use gluten free)
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla

    Put it all in the blender and blend and until batter consistency. Cook up and enjoy!  (I don’t oil our pan for cooking)

fast, flavorful, and a miracle I tell ya!

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When I find something yummy, you know I have GOT to share it with you! Well….miracle rice is totally something I would suggest you check out. You can actually get it in lots of forms – rice, fettuccini, angel hair, and more I think. There are a few varieties in my pantry, but we have only tried the rice kind so far. I have only seen them locally at Whole Foods, but I know that you can order it from Amazon because that is totally what I did! I mean we are talking zero calorie rice here!!!!

Anyway….back to the fast and flavorful topic at hand. I like to keep things relatively fast on Friday nights because let’s be real who wants to go all chef like at the end of the week. BUT I also want to stay true to my goals and dodge pizza delivery, which use to be our Friday night “go-to.” So…..I have kinda coined “Fast Food Friday” a thing around our house, which equals something that can be made and ready to eat in 10 minutes or less. Winning!

With wanting to try out our new rice shipment and spying a fun new veggie mix at Trader Joe’s…..a delicious creation (if I do say so myself Winking smile ) was born!

Thai Sausage & Veggie Miracle Bowl

  • 1 pound sausage (I used a thai flavored variety from Whole Foods, totally made the flavor)
  • 1 bag kohlrabi salad blend
  • 1 bag of miracle rice

My sausage came in links, so I cut it right out of the casings and began cooking in a medium sized skillet.
Once the sausage is cooked halfway, add in the salad blend and begin cooking together.
Strain and rinse the miracle rice.
Then add the rice to your meat/veggie mixture just warm it up since no cooking is required.
Stir together and finish cooking until the sausage is fully cooked and veggies are tender.

If you give miracle rice and/or this dish a whirl, I would love to hear what you think. Because it is seriously on our menu again for this week since we all enjoyed it so much!!

 

yep, I like the “butts”

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Truth about me – I seriously love sausage! Like for realz…..all kinds of sausage.
I adore the the burnt links from the girl and I especially love the end pieces, soooo much that my family will let me know have their “butts” 

So this fun twist on sausage and peppers played to two of my loves – sausage and spiralized foods!

  • 4 sweet Italian sausage links (or sausage of choice)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 red bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 large white or red onion, sliced
  • 2 large russet potatoes, sprialized
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, if you like spice)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

We grilled up our sausages, but you could totally stovetop sauté them….whatever works for you.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add in the peppers, onions, and potatoes. Season with red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, and garlic. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss well to combine thoroughly.

Cook the mixture until potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. If you want to speed up the process, cover the skillet with a lid to let the mixture steam.

When the veggies and sausages are done, slice the sausage and add to the veggie mixture and toss to combine OR simply serve the sliced sausage on top like we did.