Roasted Lemon Chicken with Root Vegetables
The smell of a Roasted Chicken brings back memories of a chilly fall afternoon working on projects while it rains outside. This recipe combines a Mediterranean lemon zesty flavor with oregano and garlic. It is best if you have time to marinate the chicken the night before but you can do it all in one day as well. The root vegetables that roast alongside the chicken enable you to have your whole meal roasted and prepared at the same time. Serve with a big green salad and some crusty french bread and you are all set.
Ingredients
1 whole 3-5 pound organic chicken
1 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 lemons
3 Tablespoons fresh ginger
4 cloves fresh garlic
2 Tablespoons honey
1-2 Tablespoon canola oil
2-3 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoons red chili pepper flakes
3 parsnips washed, peeled and cut into chinks
4 carrots washed, peeled and cut into chunks
4 red potatoes cut into chunks
1 red onion cut into chunks
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup fresh parsley
Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Place in a roasting pan (spray with cooking spray) with 4-5 inch high sides. Sprinkle the chicken and the cavity with the black pepper. Cut one of the lemons in half and cut one half into small chunks. Slice the other whole lemon and the remaining half into circles to decorate the chicken before you roast it. Place the small chunks of lemon, the garlic, ginger, honey and canola oil into a blender or Cuisinart and blend until smooth. Stir in the oregano and the red chili pepper flakes. Spread mixture all over chicken. Decorate with lemon circles. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for the afternoon. 
Remove from refrigerator and let stand 30 minutes. Place cut up root vegetables in …
Have a Healthy Holiday Season
Our Fall challenge is wrapping up and we are so excited to offer you another way to stay plugged in with healthy habits this holiday season.
The holidays are and have always been a favorite in the Weisser family. It is a time to connect and a time for traditions and time together. However, in the past, I have so easily succumbed to the negative effects of parties and traveling leaving me feeling bloated and lacking energy and motivation.
Luckily, I don’t worry about that anymore and I embrace the crazy and fun holiday season. Since changing my nutrition 2 years ago, adding the minerals and nutrient dense foods my body was craving I have found a balance between exercise and healthy eating and sitting on the couch sipping hot chocolate. PLUS, with nutritional cleansing, you can always take a day or two of intermittent fasting to get your cells happy and get back on track. PLUS, you can eat chocolate. HAPPY DANCE!
So what IS this solution? It’s a community of men and women sharing recipes, workouts from professional trainers, snacks, and holiday healthy life hacks to keep you healthy during the holidays and in life! You don’t have to be using our nutrition that we are always talking about (because we LOVE it), but we will be talking heavily about it because IT HAS CHANGED OUR LIVES. It is how we’ve found a convenient and healthy balance to fuel ourselves and our families.
How do you join? We have a private group on Facebook so comment here, on Facebook, or email us at weisserwomen@growingweisser.com.
Important dates:
Saturday, October 29 at 9am PST is a LIVE event to talk all about the challenge and the nutrition we use. This will be in the Facebook group so you will need …
Read MoreLive in the Moment
Pic from http://maggieshayne.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/live-in-the-moment-source.jpg
Is there an “AHA moment” in life? The past few days I have been asking myself over and over “what is my dream?” “what are my hopes?”… People have been asking me- “If you could do anything what would you do… If you could be anything what could you be… If you could create your dream job, what would it be? Your dream house? Your dream location?… I struggle with this… The one dream. The EVERYTHING.…
Read MoreCelebrating the BIG “60”
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 has been one of my favorite verses my whole life. This weekend was a beautiful picture of the “desires of my heart” being fulfilled as I experienced the gift of family and 3 generations of God’s lovingkindness and mercy that has been poured out over my family. All 19 of us, (my sweet husband, 4 daughters, 4 sons-in-law, and 9 grandkids), gathered on the beach in San Diego to celebrate my 60th birthday and it will be a weekend that I will never forget. 
The legacy of love that God has gifted to our family runs deep and the grace of God that raised me up as a daughter of the King of Kings at the age of 15 began a life for me that changed the “desires of my heart”. It is not that my desires had been wrong or self serving-they were just more self centered and goal oriented according to the world’s standards. As I began to get to know my Lord and Savior in a personal way, I realized that my hopes and dreams had much more to do with leaving a legacy of love than making a name for myself. As I have “delighted myself in the Lord” over the past 45 years, He has challenged me to look outward, to live boldly, to serve with generosity, to love unconditionally, to stay committed to my faith, to choose wisely and to trust and obey Him always. I will never regret one day that I have stayed true to this calling.
What are the desires of your heart?
…
Less is More
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Do things just keep piling up and you have no idea how to tackle them.
STOP.
Take a step back and refocus. Why are these things piling up? What is REALLY important?
I find that it is so easy to get weighed down by the small stuff. We think we have to be doing and going all the time. But is that really important? We’ve been talking a lot this month about setting goals, focusing on goals, and having a positive mindset.
Goal setting gives us a focus. And I would challenge you to narrow that focus down even further, down to ONE THING. I just listened to a great podcast, LINK HERE, about living a life of focus so we can have more by doing less. According to Geoff Woods, we need to identify ONE thing and do it every day, day after day. Taking a little action every day toward our goals. Over time those small actions will have a compound effect and a massive payoff for you life!
I have been working on positive affirmations, and this week, I found one that really spoke to me because it was right down to the heart of MY one thing — Being a present, loving mom for my kids. Here’s the affirmation: “If I do nothing today but hug my kids, I’ve done enough.”
It doesn’t have to be big to be great. There are opportunities for greatness all around us. We just have to focus on the right things!
…
Harvest Pumpkin Granola
The holidays are approaching fast and it is nice to have a collection of recipes that you can make ahead. Harvest Pumpkin Spice Granola can be made a week or more ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. Put it out for breakfast with yogurt and fruit or fill ziplock bags for snack time when you go on a walk to the park. When we were on our trip to Israel, last month, I ate granola every morning with plain thick yogurt, fruit and honey. DELICIOUS!!! My favorite style of granola on our trip was full of nuts and seeds. So as you like, you can add or substitute any of the seeds and nuts in this recipe. You can also use the dried fruit that is your favorite and customize as you please.
Ingredients
8 cups oats
5 cups Grapenuts
1 cup oatbran
1/2 cup flaxseed or ground flax meal
1/2 cup wheatgerm
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup hemp seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
2 cups almonds whole or slivered (your preference)
1 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds
1 cup coconut
3 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons vanilla
3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup honey
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
Other add ins: chopped dried apricots, chopped dates, walnut pieces, sesame seeds
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients except dried fruit. In a small bowl combine melted coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla until well mixed. Pour liquid over dry and toss carefully until mixed thoroughly. Pour into two large roasting pans and bake in 325 degree oven for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. When golden brown, remove from oven and add dried fruit. Stir and allow to cool before placing …
Read MoreEasy Fall Crock Pot Tacos
“Easy.” The descriptive word I use to look up all of MY meals, so I threw together this nice and easy one for YOU.
But this one is special because it has all the ease and fun of Mexican tacos with the fun flavors of Fall! The secret is Trader Joe’s Fall Harvest Salsa! This salsa is so delicious on its own, but thrown in a simple crock pot recipe and it is PALATE PLEASING!!!
Ingredients
4 Chicken Breast
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 jar Trader Joe’s Fall Harvest Salsa
2 TBS Trader Joe’s taco seasoning (or use our homemade recipe!)
optional ingredients: taco shells, tortillas, grated cheese, avocado, lettuce
Instructions
Drain and rinse beans and corn. Add chicken to crock pot first, then beans and corn. Add taco seasoning. Pour jar of salsa on top. Cook on High 3-4 hours or Low 6-7 hrs. When chicken is done it will shred easily. Shred chicken and serve in taco shells, soft tacos, or as a salad with lettuce. I had mine in a bowl with Trader Joe’s Pumpkin chips! YUMMY!
…
Crockpot White Bean Chili
As the weather begins to cool and the nights get dark earlier, it is fun to have dinner all ready to go in the Crockpot at the end of the day. This recipe takes a bit of thinking and planning to get the ingredients prepared ahead of time but once everything is in the Crockpot, you will have a delicious and nutritious meal that serves at least 8 people or can be served in 3 or 4 different ways throughout the week.
Ingredients
1 pound dried great northern beans
8 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 medium onions chopped fine
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jalapeno pepper
1 bottle hatch green chili salsa (you can use 2 4-ounce cans diced green chilies)
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teraspoons cumin
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 medium zucchini
2 cups frozen corn (I used Trader Joes roasted frozen corn)
1 teaspoon salt
For toppings
1 cup Monterey jack cheese
¼ cup minced cilantro
tortilla chips
Place dried beans in a 5 or 6 quart crock pot and cover with water about 1 inch over beans. Cover and let soak overnight. 
Drain water in the morning and add 6 cups of chicken broth, the garlic and half the onions. Cover and cook on high 2-2 ½ hours until the beans are soft but not mushy. (If necessary add some boiling water to the beans to keep them covered.)
While beans are cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet and cook remaining onions until tender. Add the chicken, jalapeno and cook until chicken is brown on the outside. Add to the crock pot with green chili salsa, 
oregano, cumin, cloves and cayenne. Add remaining 2 cups of broth and stir to combine all. Cover …
Tremendous Tacos
Did you celebrate National Taco Day this past Tuesday?
I love tacos, so this is officially my new favorite food holiday! I was excited to try this new taco recipe from Mealime, but looking at the recipe I just knew it needed something in the tacos besides beans.
Beans are high in protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, potassium and minerals, BUT can also be hard on the stomach SO I added sweet potatoes to this recipe to increase the health benefits! Sweet potatoes have the health benefits of potassium, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and soluble fiber PLUS they are delicious.
These tacos also have the added benefit of being vegetarian, so they are great on your wallet and your waistline. I always try to incorporate more plant-based meals where meat it either not a part of the meal or is just an “accessory” to the meal.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean “Tremendous Tacos”
(adapted from Mealime’s Black Bean Tacos with Tomato & Avocado Salsa)
- 1 avocado
-
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed
- 2 large or 4 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
-
½ small bunch cilantro
-
½ pint grape tomatoes, halved
-
1 lime
-
1 medium red onion
-
8 small corn tortillas
-
black pepper
-
2 tsp chili powder
-
1 tsp cumin
-
1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
-
cooking oil of choice (coconut, olive, or avocado)
- Cheese, shredded
- 1 cup rice
- Chicken or vegetable broth (optional for cooking rice)
- Rinse rice. Cook in chicken broth or vegetable broth according to packaging.
- Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Add to a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring water to boil and boil for 8-12 minutes (depending on size of your cubes). You will know sweet potatoes are done when you can easily stab with a fork. Once done, drain water and
Gratitude is the Best Attitude
As part of our Fit for Fall Challenge, we are going through the Healthy Mind and Body program. I have done this program before and I learned so much great information. It was designed to teach different methods to help you become the person you want to be – physically, mentally, and emotionally! Throughout my first sixty days of consistent 10-15 minute coaching, I was really challenged to work on what I focus on daily, especially mentally. These points have really pushed me to establish new patterns of thinking in my everyday life!
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them.” – Albert Einstein
After reading this quote, it is important to think about and realize the high impact that YOUR FOCUS has on you! Here are the Four Laws of Focus:
- What you Focus on you Find
- What you Focus on Grows
- What you Focus on Seems Real
- What you Focus on Ultimately You Become
What you focus on either supports your goals or challenges your goals – but it is all part of your growth! Really think about what you focus on. Think about how your focus influences your everyday life patterns or habits.
Do you have patterns or habits you need to break?
How do you interrupt a pattern or habit that is not pushing you toward your best self?
In our program, we are reminded that I CAN BREAK ANY PATTERN OR HABIT AT ANY TIME THAT I CHOOSE!
In addition to Focus, here are 3 other disciplines to create patterns in your life that will support your goals:
- Focus
- What You Say to Yourself
- Your Body Language
- Gratitude
–WHAT YOU SAY TO YOURSELF–
Improve your Self-Talk! Give yourself confidence through the thoughts about yourself. Tell yourself things like I …
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