Healthy Recipe Review

 I'm not going to lie. I ate horribly from about Thanksgiving all way through New Year's.  We honestly had Christmas get-together's and parties every single weekend all month. Then, my husband's crazy work schedule got in the way of me being able to go to classes at night at the gym, so I didn't work out. At all. I could've walked in our neighborhood. I could've gone to gym while the kids were in school. But I didn't. I just didn't. And I have paid for it. I've gained weight over the holidays and I feel awful. Correction. Did feel awful. 

I'm getting back into the swing of things, eating healthy and getting some workouts in. I'm already five pounds down since last week! Yay!  But it was probably just water weight. (I am doing a detox cleanse and I'm sure that has helped. More about that in a minute.)

//Via Instagram//

My hubby bought me a Samsung Gear Fit for Christmas so I can keep up with calories burned and my daily steps with the pedometer. I really like having it. Before, I was just guessing how many calories I burned during a workout. Now, I have a much more accurate reading.  Also, I got some new kicks for my birthday! I am all set!

Saturday afternoon, I decided that I would go ahead and cook a few meals and pre-package them so that I would be prepared to eat healthy this week and would have no excuses to not choose wisely. 

Here's what I cooked this weekend:

//Via He and She Eat Clean//

This was the first time I had ever cooked the zesty chicken. It is marinaded in Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Bragg's) with a couple other ingredients, and it is a little too vinegar-y for me. It isn't bad, it's just a little tangy.  I used this chicken to fix six grab-n-go meals for myself. By the way, a couple of the recipes I am talking about today comes from He and She Eat Clean. I highly suggest checking our their site. They have wonderful healthy recipes!

//Via 100 Days of Real Food//

Now, this crock-pot whole chicken is one of my favorite clean meals to make!  It is so yummy and easy. It's also something that my hubby and kiddos readily eat. I give it two very enthusiastic thumbs up (Clueless quote there) and highly suggest trying it!

//Via Chelsea's Messy Apron//

These flourless and gluten free apple almond muffins were really good. They weren't very sweet, which I guess is the point, but I still liked them. They are good for breakfast with coffee and even as a mid-afternoon snack. Next time I make these, I am adding a bit more apples and just a little Stevia. The best part about these muffins?  They were guilt-free! I'm talking zero guilt. I ate them and enjoyed them and knew I wasn't cheating even though it kind of felt like I was. 

//Via Jennie O//

These Mexican turkey sausage frittatas are so good and another go-to breakfast for me. It's flavorful, healthy, and only 100 calories per frittata. They are great to make ahead; make a large batch and package them in pairs. Pull out throughout the week for a quick breakfast or high-protein snack. 

My pre-made meals and snacks:

These are all the meals I made up using the Zesty chicken. (The bottom right is just extra chicken I used to make whole wheat wraps.)

I packaged half cups of strawberries and blueberries. (These were on sale this week at Winn-Dixie, which surprised me since they aren't in season. I snatched them up.)  This has been good for my girls, too. They can easily grab something healthy. 

//Via Instagram//

One of the snacks I have eaten over the last few days is half of an apple with one tablespoon of new Reese's spreads.  I have a huge sweet tooth and sometimes, if I feel totally deprived, I completely blow my healthy eating by grabbing a brownie or something equally as fattening. I like the Reese's spreads because it has the same amount of calories as peanut butter and I can eat just enough to get the sweetness I crave without totally going off track. (And it is so good! I mean, seriously yummy!) I've also added a tablespoon into my chocolate protein shake with a half a banana for a sweet afternoon snack. (I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.)

//Recipe via He and She Eat Clean//

Okay, now for the detox drink. This is Jillian Micheal's recipe. I'm not really a huge fan of teas or weird drinks, but this one isn't bad at all. It kind of tastes a bit like lemon water. (It has lemon juice in it.) The recipe calls for dandelion root tea. I couldn't find any around here, so I used Yogi DeTox Tea (found at Winn-Dixie). I had read other reviews of the tea where they used DeTox instead of dandelion root, so I was cool with swapping that out. I am on day four. It hasn't been bad at all, and I believe it is helping flush out toxins. Only three more days to go on it!

You can find all of these recipes and lots more on my Healthful Pinterest Board. Follow me on Pinterest! I am always on the lookout for healthy meals and pin to this board often.  (Also, I'd love to connect with you and cheer you on your own weight-loss, get-healthy journey or your next DIY. It makes my day to hear from you guys!  Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, and Twitter. Also, don't miss a Cultivate Create post!  Join this site on the right sidebar, sign up to get our posts emailed to you, or follow along on Bloglovin!

So, how are you doing now that January is here? Are you eating healthy? Still have the winter blahs?  Killing it in the gym? Finding it hard to find motivation? 

Do you have some favorite clean, healthy recipes that you'd like to share? Leave it in the comments!