Getting My "Fix" with Quinoa Cauliflower and Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

About a week ago, I started a new meal & fitness plan - the 21 Day Fix. The premise is it takes 21 days to start a new habit and/or break an old one. So in the past week, my eating has changed a lot with more vegetables, more protein, lower carbohydrate (good for me as a diabetic), and fruit, and my exercise plan has gone from sporadic to daily - at least 30 minutes per day.

The first week, I mainly stuck with raw, whole veggies and fruits, without much muss or fuss. It was just easier for me - plus I'm one of those oddballs who actually enjoys raw vegetables. A lot. Lots of carrots, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, broccoli, etc. I find it easy to have a quart-sized Ziplog bag filled with prepped veggies at work, so then I can mindlessly snack without sabotaging my food intake. I mean, it's not like I'm going to gain 50 lbs eating cucumbers and celery sticks.

One thing I've always struggled with is that I like to eat VOLUME. I want my plate and my belly full. I know some foods are nutrition dense, but are also just...small. None of those dinky little portions for me, thanks.

Tonight I knew I still had to eat some more protein and some carbohydrate as well (twist my arm on that one!). I cooked up some quinoa with a splash of soy sauce for last night's dinner, had riced cauliflower in the freezer (thank you, Trader Giotto's!), and tonight picked up some tilapia at the store. That was my starting point...

For the Quinoa Cauliflower:

• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup riced cauliflower
• 1 onion, cut into a large dice
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 oz. grated Parmesan

I sauteed the onion in a bit of butter until they browned, then added in the quinoa and cauliflower to heat (they were both already cooked). Once it was all hot, I tossed in the green onions and Parmesan, stirred it up, and served it onto my plate.

For the Tilapia:

• Olive oil to thinly coat the pan
• 1/2 oz. grated Parmesan
• 1 tilapia filet

I heated the oil on med/high, sprinkled half the Parmesan on the fish, and laid the fish cheese-side down onto the pan, sprinkled the rest of the cheese onto the other side of the fish, and covered the filet with a lid for about 2 minutes. Then, I flipped the fish to cook the other side. Once done, I laid it onto the Quinoa Cauliflower. 

And here is the final result...

Prepping for Success

I've battled the scale for years. We don't have the best relationship. Though, in the past few years, especially since Aiden was born, I've have accepted and realized that my self-worth is not tied to the number on the scale. That said, I would like to be a healthy, happy mom for my son, who is becoming more and more active with each given day.

With that said, I've been following a few online coaches who emphasize meal planning and prep, 30 minutes of exercise daily without going to a gym (a must for a single momma like me, so then I can exercise after the little guy's bedtime), and tracking how many veggies, fruits, proteins, carbs, healthy fats, etc.

So far, I'm only on Day 2 of 21 - and I can repeat the 21 days as much as I'd like. The premise is that it takes 21 days to make a habit..so I'm 2 days in, 19 to go. This might be just the challenge I've been looking for to get myself back into the kitchen, and back into meal planning.

Last night, I knew I HAD to cook the ground turkey in my fridge, so I opted to make some turkey burgers - ground turkey, scallions, diced red onion, teriyaki marinade, salt & pepper, and a little ranch seasoning. I then pulled out the portion cup for protein, and used ONLY that amount to make each burger. So as of last night, I had nine portioned turkey burgers.

The red cup in the bowl is my portion cup for proteins - and there's 4 burgers ready to hit the grill!

Four burgers are on the grill, and four more ready to go. Thank goodness for my Cuisinart grill!

The cabbages were used to make pickled cabbage - something I used to have all the time at my favorite Japanese restaurant growing up. It's just thinly sliced cabbage, sprinkled with salt, and then weighed down. The salt draws out the water from the cabbage, and leaves this "pickled" salad. Two cups of that salad accompanied my dinner last night.

Now, onto tonight. This evening, I stopped by the grocery store on the way home. Even in the past two days, I've noticed a drastic increase in the volume of vegetables, fruit and protein that I've been consuming. So it was time to stock up on a bunch of veggies, more fruits (in addition to half a watermelon in my refrigerator already), and some other goodies to stock my fridge. A girl can only live on carrot sticks and pickled cabbage for so long without something mixing it up!

So tonight, while Aiden played in the backyard at his water table & in the dirt (aka, mud), I started prepping a BUNCH of stuff. That watermelon was soon cut up into a one-gallon bag, now ready to go. I pulled a value pack of chicken from the freezer two days ago, and it's finally defrosted, so it was time to skin those legs and get them sitting in some marinade. That, too, took up another gallon bag. Then the 4 lbs. of strawberries, that I measured out into two serving containers (1 serving = 1 cup). Finally, I prepped veggies for tomorrow's lunch - 1 cup of sliced carrots, and 1 cup of sliced cucumber.

Food prepped and ready to go - with the exception of the chicken, that is still in its marinading phase.

So there is my evening - nicely laid out in containers and bags. And the best thing - it's all real food. I've actually felt like I've had to eat SO much more food lately, but it's just because I'm eating the right foods, finally. I'm curious to see how I do after the first week, the second week, and then...day 21. I did my workout today (and I'm feeling it, too!), and look forward to tomorrow's.

I can do this. I'm taking control of my life, my eating, and my health, and it feels damn good.