Last Night's Dinner-pork burgers

Good morning all! What a beautiful morning to start off the weekend. I just finished another round of my 21 Day Fix Pilates Fix, and whew, those abs are BURNING!! Following up that workout with a Chocolate Almond Shakeology®. Feels great to already have a workout in and the whole day wide open!

It was a nice evening out, so we took advantage of it and grilled some pork burgers and made sweet potato fries to compliment. These are great, and easy! Taste just like a brat burger that you can pickup at the fair or your meat counter.

Here's my recipe (adapted from Rachel Ray's Brat Burgers):

1 1/2 lbs ground pork
1/3 tsp of each: marjoram, coriander, celery salt, nutmeg, allspice, ground ginger, caraway seeds, garlic powder, red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper

Add spices to ground pork. Using hands, combine all spices throughout meat. Let meat rest for 15 minutes. Form into burger patties. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side. Burger is ready to flip when it releases from the grates of grill. Meat thermometer should read 160° for medium well, and 170° for well done.

Because I fell victim to food poisoning once from poorly cooked pork, I am overly cautious and always let mine get to 165° and rest, tented with foil. The burgers will continue to "cook" under the foil with the temperature climbing for a few minutes. Allowing the burgers to sit will help the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, leaving you with a juicy burger!

We also had sweet potato fries on the side. To make, preheat your oven to 425°. Peel one large sweet potato and cut into strips about 1/4" thick (can adjust depending on preference, just remember your cook time will need to be adjusted accordingly as well). I keep these super simple and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, sprinkle on some salt, black pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Bake for 15 minutes and flip fries. Bake for another 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of fry.

These recipes are GREAT for you as pork is a lean, healthy meat and the sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins, minerals and nutrients that your body needs to be performing at it's peak. Combine your healthy eating with a daily Shakeology® and a great workout program and you're not only going to be feeling wonderful, you'll be looking great as well!! Want to find out more about how you can get your body back to performing at it's best? Contact me!! The Beachbody programs are for EVERYONE, and we will be certain to pick the right one for you based on the results you want! Comment or email me today to find out more!

Enjoy!

May Day snacks!

Happy May Day! A wonderful celebration of spring. Traditionally, this day calls for cake, but alas, cookies are what made their way into my oven this morning. After doing the 21 Day Fix Pilates Fix workout, I rewarded myself with a cookie. Counter-intuitive, or well-planned?

 My tiny dude and I made up some May day treats to take to all of our neighbors. Each included a plate of cookies and a "basket" filled with popcorn/nuts and M&M's. Since tiny dude has just mastered walking, there was no ringing of door bells and running for us. Instead he politely held each basket and handed it to each of our neighbors, squealing with delight and clapping when they said "thank you". In the traditional sense, he would have received many kisses for being not-so-sneaky!! We made 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies this morning and thought we would share our very simple recipe:

1 C butter, softened
3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
10-12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
(optional, chopped walnuts, pecans, cashews, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips)

Preheat oven to 375°. Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, soda. Once combined, slowly add mixture to wet mix. Stir until completely combined. Add in chocolate chips. Drop in 1 tsp heaps onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from cookie sheet and set on cooling rack to cool. Devour.

These are so simple and a no-fail winner! I always add in a touch more vanilla and go light on the chocolate chips; just a preference of ours.

 Now I have to go see where these cookies fall into my nutrition plan....

Last Night's Dinner

Dinner? Supper? What do you call it? When I was little, we always referred to it as supper in NE Iowa, but after meeting my husband he always refers to it as dinner, so I've adopted that...

Our life has been a bit hectic the last couple of weeks as we just moved into our newly built home (I'm SO THANKFUL for my Shakeology® as it really boosts my energy level and keeps me full while I've been running around like a crazy person). Moving really excites my husband as he loves to reorganize, rearrange, and have a good reason to purge things. I, on the other hand, could not think of a less enjoyable task. I am a creature of habit. I love routine. Moving, especially to a brand new town where I know very limited amounts of people, is quite scary and daunting. But, the move went smoothly thanks to the help of many great friends and our wonderful families and we are settling in nicely. We have been without a concrete driveway since we moved and were dealing with a full rock drive instead. My poor car was BEGGING for the drive to be put in as it was hard on the tires navigating that lip into the garage. Two days ago they dug up the drive, got it leveled out and yesterday they poured that and our sidewalk, and it looks fantastic! My husband is one happy camper as it is large enough for his basketball court. I'm happy because it's done! Right now, they are out finishing up by cutting the lines in it, which is not a quiet task! My poor son has had to deal with all of the noise right when his naps are to be taking place, right outside of his window. Luckily with his white noise machine that kid could sleep through a freight train going by!

While I'm sure all of that info was super exciting to ya'll, let's get down to what we had last night for dinner! My beautiful sister-in-law came over for a home cooked meal (college freshman finishing up her first year!) and we grilled marinated chicken/pineapple/kielbasa/veggie kabobs. Fantastic! Here's my recipe:

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 round turkey kielbasa, cubed
2 large green bell pepper, diced into 1/2-3/4" pieces
2 large red bell pepper, diced into 1/2-3/4" pieces
2 golden potatoes, diced into 1" cubes
1 small pineapple, diced into 1/2-3/4" cubes
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic powder, salt, pepper
Wooden or metal skewers (if using wood, to ensure they do not burn soak full submerged in water for 6+ hours).
Marinade
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tblsp lemon juice
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tblsp ketchup
4 tblsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
pinch of red pepper flakes

Cube up your chicken and make your marinade. Add all marinade ingredients into a large bowl and whisk. If you prefer a sweeter marinade, add a few more pinches of brown sugar. Reserve a small amount of marinade for basting/dipping. Add chicken to marinade and cover. Let sit in fridge for 6-8 hours. With 2 hours remaining, add the diced kielbasa.

Next it's time to half-bake your potatoes. I prefer the oven, but I know some may want the microwave to save time. Poke a few holes in potato with a fork, sprinkle with salt and wrap in foil; bake at 375° for 35 minutes. If using microwave, poke a few holes in the potato with a fork, sprinkle with salt and bake on a plate for 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Put into refrigerator to continue to cool down for at least 1-2 hours.

Once the potatoes have completely cooled in the fridge, dice them into large chunks. Toss with diced peppers in a light coating of EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Assemble the kabobs using at least one piece of each ingredient listed. My husband prefers all meat/potato combos while I like a bit of everything!

Grill over medium/low heat 5-6 minutes on each side, turning once. With only a few minutes remaining of grill time, turn heat down to low and baste meat on skewers. Cook time will vary based on the size of diced meat/veggies, adjust accordingly. Use a meat thermometer to test chicken to ensure doneness.

Serve with reserved dipping sauce!

Who is Midwest Mama?

Hi all, 

I thought I had better start off by giving you a bit of info on who I am. My name is Kim and I live in a small town in rural Iowa. I am a stay-at-home mama to one rambunctious, absolutely perfect little boy. We just celebrated his one year birthday and the end of our nursing journey. 

I was so blessed to have an easy pregnancy (for the most part). I did, however, gain a bit more weight than I would have liked. Unfortunately, most of this weight stayed on for the first year of my sons life as my body required quite the calorie intake to produce a sufficient enough supply of milk for my little dude. 

The calories I was taking in though, were empty, sugar ridden, terrible calories. I tried hard to get enough vegetables and fruits in, but my sweet tooth always prevailed. Candy, cookies, cake, etc. I was tired. Literally, I was tired. The food I was pumping into my body wasn't supplying me with enough good nutrients to keep my energy up. Anyone who has a small child knows you need as much energy as possible to survive any given day. THEY NEVER STOP!!! I knew it was time for a change, and I knew I needed support. 

It was then that I was introduced to the BeachBody® program. I signed up for the 21 Day Fix® and have not looked back! I was instantly hooked on Shakeology® as I noticed a dramatic boost in my energy level throughout the day. And as strange as it sounds, after less than a week of shakes, I felt healthier. My body was reacting to all of the dense superfoods packed into the shakes. It was thanking me for providing it with the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that it desperately needed. The portion control containers are a lifesaver to anyone who wants to embark on their health journey. They show you the exact amount of food you should be eating any given day. They make the program so easy to follow. Does the given nutritious food fit into the container? Great! Go for it! (Keeping in mind your daily allowance of each container). The best part about this program? THE SUPPORT!!! The journey to losing weight, getting healthy and feeling great about yourself has to start with YOU, but you need someone by your side pushing you, encouraging you, giving you tips to help you succeed and holding you accountable. Someone who is checking in with you multiple times a day asking how your workout went, how your eating is going for the day, asking for your questions/concerns and addressing them right away. And get this, THIS PART IS ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY FREE!! FREE! How amazing is that?!

As a stay-at-home mom we are on a very calculated budget. I knew there was no way both my husband and I could afford a gym membership, nutritionist, personal trainer and protein shakes. Combined, these would equal hundreds of dollars each month that we just didn't have. Instead, this program gave me all of those tools for the cost of 1 Starbucks coffee a day. Incredible. Absolutely incredible. 

My whole perspective on health has changed. Eating clean, whole foods has become our priority. Making time for a quick 30 minute workout each day has become routine. My husband and I push each other during these workouts and hold each other accountable. 

Okay-this blog is not going to be just about this incredible company and the programs they have to offer. I want to share our lifestyle with you, from recipes from my kitchen, to fun activities we are doing, etc. 


Are YOU ready to start a healthier lifestyle? Contact me TODAY if you are!! midwestmamaliving@gmail.com

I can't wait to hear from you and help each of you onto a path of healthier living!