INGREDIENTS:

4-6 oz Tilapia
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Chopped Parsley
Tsp Light Mayo (or sub greek yogurt)
Sea Salt (Lightly sprinkled)
Pepper (Lightly Sprinkled)
Garlic Powder (Lightly Sprinkled)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix Parmesan cheese with mayo, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and chopped parsley. Put the tilapia on sprayed foil and brush with the mix. Bake in oven for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.

Fat: 5g
Protein: 22 g
Sodium: 90 mg

• 2 medium granny smith apples
• 1 pint strawberries (1 1/2 c.)
• 2 kiwi
• 1 small orange
• 2 tbsp apple jelly (sugar free)
• 1 tbsp agave nectar (or maple syrup)

Peel and finely chop all fruit and place in a bowl. Squeeze juice of small orange, along with 1 tbsp of zest from the orange into the bowl. Add jelly and agave nectar and stir.

Serve with:

4″ tortillas, cut into 4 triangles, sprayed with Pam and sprinkled with cinnamon and truvia/stevia.

Bake tortillas on a flat baking sheet at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.

As with anything, getting into shape or becoming more fit can be just as much, if not more, of a mental game than a physical one.

You have to FIRST get over that mental block of just getting a program started. Choose a program that is at your fitness level, which may be beginner, moderate, or advanced. You will be setting yourself up for failure if you choose a program that is too hard, or too easy.

Consult a personal trainer if you do not feel comfortable in choosing a program for yourself, or need some guidance as far as where to get started.

Once you’ve started your program, set goals for yourself. MAKE SURE THEY ARE REALISTIC! Again, you will be setting yourself up for failure if you do not make these goals attainable. You can also do this with your trainer before you begin you program.

So, now you are on your program and things are going well for the first few weeks. Then you have a wedding, or something comes up, that throws everything off. Maybe you binge and go crazy on the food that  you “aren’t supposed to eat” leaving you with a feeling of guilt. This can throw you into a downward spiral and knock you off track.

TIPS TO GET THROUGH THE MENTAL BLOCKS: (How to self-motivate)

• Re-visit your goals and remind yourself WHY you are doing this. Find people who inspire you and follow them, or look at their photos for motivation

• Drag yourself to the gym – there will be days when you won’t want to go to the gym, but MAKE YOURSELF GO! You will feel so much better after your workout and glad you went

• Guilty conscious – You will develop a guilty conscious if you don’t already have one. This is a good defense system against those donuts in the break room! It is OK to reward yourself or have a “FREE” meal every once and a while, but it is more important to be able to get back on track with clean eating that very next meal! Don’t let it be a free for all.

• Workout with a buddy or join a group for support. We, at amptfit have a group on facebook for our clients so they can share their struggles and help motivate each other. It is important to tell someone else your goals and have them help you to stay accountable.

Getting started is the hardest decision you will have to make. Once you cross that barrier, hopefully your results will be enough to keep you motivated. If not, look back at these tips to help you move forward and stick to the program!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK:

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

4-6 oz Tilapia

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Chopped Parsley

Tsp Light Mayo

Sea Salt (Lightly sprinkled)

Pepper (Lightly Sprinkled)

Garlic Powder (Lightly Sprinkled)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix Parmesan cheese with mayo, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and chopped parsley. Put the tilapia on sprayed foil and brush with the mix. Bake in oven for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.

Fat: 5g

Protein: 22 g

Sodium: 90 mg

Honey Lime Chicken

Yields about 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1.5 – 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves or chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder or
• 1 clove finely minced garlic
• 1/8 – 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions: If chicken isn’t an even thickness then place chicken in a large ziploc bag and seal bag. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound chicken to an even thickness. Place chicken in a non-reactive dish in a single layer. In a mixing bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Reserve 2 Tbsp of the mixture in a non-reactive, airtight container in the refrigerator. Pour remaining mixture over the chicken, cover dish and allow to marinate 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Once preheated, brush grill lightly with olive oil. Place chicken on grill and cook (with lid closed) 5-8 minutes per side until juices run clear (cook time depends on the thickness of the chicken, internal temp should register to 160 when done), baste each side of chicken with reserved marinade during the last minute of cooking. For juicier chicken, plate chicken, cover with foil and allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve immediately. Notes for better grilled chicken: don’t flip chicken over and over again, it only needs to be flipped once, and if you like the cross marks as pictured you can flip it a second time during the last minute of cooking. For the mouth watering grill marks brush the grill with olive oil before cooking and then when flipping to opposite side, this also prevents sticking as well. Don’t press down on chicken when grilling or poke continuously, this will release the juices and that delicious marinade. Don’t overcook or chicken will be tough, for tender chicken cook until internal temperature registers at 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Don’t lift grill lid more than necessary.

Oddball’s Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• One 15oz Can Libbys Pumpkin
• 2 Whole Eggs+6 more Whites(***or 5 whole eggs***changes macros)
• 3 Teaspoons Stevia(Or 1/2 Cup Splenda***changes macros)
• 8 OZ Fat Free Cream Cheese
• 1/2 Table Spoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Beat the cream cheese in kitchen aid or a bowl untill smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients and beat/mix well. Pour mixture into a pie dish or bakeing dish. Bake at 350 Degrees for about 40 minutes or until the center feels firm and a knife insterted comes out clean. Let cool and chill before serving, it sets cold

Calories-586
Carbs-41.5g
Fiber-12g
Protein-70g
Fat-15g

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 jalapenos, finely diced
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 2 limes, juiced, plus wedges for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 (8-inch) flour tortilla, grilled, cut into thin strips (optional)
• 1 avocado, pitted, sliced
• 1 cup shredded Monterrey cheese (optional)

Directions

Try Brining your chicken before you cook it to make

your bird meat moist and full of flavor!

• ½ cup kosher salt
• 1 TBS  black peppercorns
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 TBS ground ginger (optional)

Place a gallon ziplock bag in a bowl, then fill with 2 quarts of cold water. Add the salt and stir until dissolved (this will take a bit of time). Then add all of the remaining ingredients and add chicken. Place in fridge according to times below. Try not to exceed these times as the chicken may become too salty.

• Boneless chicken breasts: 30 minutes
• Bone in chicken parts: 40 minutes
• Whole chicken: 60 minutes

Before you cook the chicken, season it with a variation of different rubs and spices that you enjoy!

**A little tip on cooking chicken in bulk: When cooking multiple chicken breasts in a row and eating them a few days at at time, if you have any left over, shred it and freeze the COOKED left-over chicken. You can easily thaw it out on top of a pizza, saute in a stir fry, or create any other dish! This way you don’t waste what you didn’t get to eating***

P.S. AMPTFIT offers meal planning to take the guess work out of what to eat! We plan your EVERY meal for you to ensure optimal success!!  www.amptfit.com/services/programs

Since I have had this recipe requested, here it is!! This is so simple, its stupid, and you can make any variation you like!

Mini Egg Loafs

• 6 whole eggs (you can do egg whites if you want to or a mixture of both)
• 1/2 lb turkey sausage (you can do turkey bacon, real bacon, pork sausage, ground beef, chicken, etc..)
• 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (add any veggies you like!)
• 1/4 cup white onion, diced
• I just mixed this all up in my 3cup measuring cup and poured it into a mini loaf pan. You can also use a mini muffin pan!

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minues or until the top center of the loaf is no longer runny. 

After they have cooled, place in a ziplock baggie and place in the fridge! Pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and have an easy, yummy breakfast to go!

I got this muffin recipe from the book “Well Fed”. They are simple, yet tasty! 

• 2 ripe bananas,
• 1 1/2 c almond meal (flour),
• 1 tbsp vanilla,
• 2 tbsp olive oil,
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon,
• 1 tbsp honey,
• 3 eggs, separated,
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts – to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Place mashed bananas, almond meal, vanilla, oil, cinnamon, honey, and egg YOLKS in a large bowl and combine well.

Take the egg WHITES in a separate bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. Pour into batter and fold lightly until all combined. Place paper muffin holders in the muffin tray and pour in the muffin batter to 3/4 the way full. Sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

ENJOY!