How Far Can 1 Chicken Go?

This isn’t some chicken joke…no punch line here. I literally mean, how far can one chicken go…by eating it.

My boyfriend travels a lot, so I spend much of my time eating on my own and due to a crazy busy schedule, need meals that are easy on the go. Since it’s just me in the house, I don’t want to have a bunch of leftovers of the same meal either…gets boring! So, this week I experimented with how far one chicken will go.

Using a crock-pot has saved my life in my busy schedule. It’s simple to just set the food in the pot, go about your day and not worry about having to monitor it. So, on Tuesday that’s just what I did. Cooking a whole chicken in a crock-pot is so easy…

- Lightly coat with olive oil or coconut oil and then season to taste. I put oregano, fresh basil, and minced garlic on mine. Pull the skin back over the breast and rub the herbs on directly on the meat to get a bit more flavor. Then just put in the crock-pot (breast side up) on low for 4-5 hours (or until cooked thoroughly).

Here is a play by play of the meals I created with this juicy crock-pot cooked chicken to make it through my week.

Dinner Day 1

Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, and ½ Sweet Potato

Right out of the crock pot, I had a few slices of chicken with steamed broccoli and ½ boiled sweet potato. For a little flavor I drizzled some olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice on my broccoli and sprinkled a little cinnamon on my sweet potato slices.

After the chicken cooled I carved it up and stuck it in the fridge for the weeks’ meals. Here’s what I came up with.

Lunch Day 2

Chicken Salad (vary the ingredients to what veggies you want)

Romaine Lettuce

Cherry tomatoes

Mushrooms

Avocado

Added Chicken and topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Dinner Day 2

Leftovers from Day 1 Dinner

Lunch Day 3

Cabbage Wraps

2 leafs of red cabbage

½ avocado

½ small yellow bell pepper

cherry tomatoes

mushrooms

romaine lettuce

chicken

Spread mashed avocado in bottom of cabbage leafs, add in fresh veggies and chicken mixed together to fill wraps and eat like a taco. SO GOOD!

Dinner Day 3

Had a late lunch so didn’t eat dinner this night.

Lunch Day 4

Chicken and Fresh Veggies

On the go and nothing prepped so I just grabbed a chicken leg, fresh okra and baby peppers.

Dinner Day 4

Chicken Fajitas

2 small bell peppers

½ large red onion

chicken

olive oil

½ avocado

lemon juice

black pepper, red pepper, garlic powder, cumin

Saute onions and peppers, add chicken and season to taste. I also whipped up a quick, simple guacamole recipe. Mash up avocado, splash in lemon juice and season with black pepper to taste.

Lunch Day 5

Leftovers fajitas with ½ avocado and 2 chicken wings

So, to answer the question…for a SINGLE person, a whole chicken will go for about 4-5 days, give or take a few.

The Paleo Solution - Robb Wolf

Getting Robb's John Hancock last night at his book signing event.

Success!!! Last night Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution that was released 9/14/10, held a book signing here in Chico at Lyon Books. It was the FIRST book to sell out at the store, the line was long and energetic. It was a cool atmosphere, a great crowd, and a monumental event in the lives of Paleo followers here in Northern, CA. Not to mention there were delicious gluten free cookies. :)

Robb is a local Chico-ite and owner of Norcal Strength and Conditioning. He is the guy that introduced me to the Paleo Diet and has been my leader (whether he knows it or not) through the last 1.5 years of strict paleo eating. His vast knowledge blows my mind every time I listen to his podcasts, talk to him and now read his book. His expertise has helped me help my clients, my family and myself eat cleaner and look/feel/perform better.

Robb, a biochemist, is way "brainier" than I could ever dream of being, but in his book he has a way of bringing a highly in depth topic down to the level of the average Joe. Unlike most nutrition books, he makes it entertaining while still being incredibly educational. It's hard to put down!

If you don't have this book yet, go to your local Barnes and Noble, Borders or order from Amazon TODAY! As of last night, #10 on the Barnes and Noble top sellers list, this book is selling out fast everywhere so don't wait...go get your hands on it NOW! You won't regret it!

Trainer's Day - Day 4

Being a trainer, I often work when other's don't so that clients can get workouts in before or after work. Getting up at 5am everyday isn't ideal for my health due to lack of sleep and waking up when it's still dark. But late last night I had my morning clients call and cancel (both my 5:30am and 6:45am clients)...so I got to sleep in!! I feel like a whole new person today with 8.5 hours of sleep under my belt compared to my average 6.5 hours the last few months. I mentioned in a earlier post, the importance of sleep and am a bit hypocritical due to having to adjust my schedule to fit other's. Today was a bit of an eye opener though, I seriously feel like I could take on the world today with having adequate rest under my belt.

So, after waking up at 7am, I hit headed for an interval workout on my spin bike (my road bike is out of commission right now).

Warmup 10 min

30 sec on/30 sec active recovery of sprint/heavy resistance/standing/standing sprint/jumps x 5 rounds

Cooldown 5 min + Stretch

It felt great to get some sprinting action in without having to pound on the ground running. A bit of a break for the legs.

After my spin, I trained a few clients and then came home to breakfast made by my boyfriend (nice surprise!)

Egg Scramble with chicken sausage, lots of veggies and topped with avocado and salsa. I seriously don't know that I will ever get sick of this breakfast! ;)

After breakfast I did some computer work and then walked downtown to Peet's coffee for a change of scenery. I accompanied my cup of decaf coffee with a lara bar and hammered out more computer work for an hour or so before lake time.

For those of you that don't know...my boyfriend, Marcus, is a professional waterskier so we spend quite a bit of time at his parents' house on the lake so he can train. I am able to do my online work, programming, and enjoy some R&R out there. Not bad to call the dock your "office" a few days a week! :) I skied a set again today and let's just say it wasn't as good as Tuesday, but hey, I got out and had fun! Today I also took advantage of the time at the lake to BBQ a bunch of meat. 6 chicken breasts, 1/2 turkey breast, and 4 big steaks. We are set for meat for the weekend!

We drove home from the lake, ate dinner (steak, chicken, fried okra) and I jumped in my truck and headed out to teach class.

The best part of today came tonight...we headed to a local theater, the El Rey, to a Ryan Bingham concert. These guys are phenomenal! He wrote a bunch of the music for the movie Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges and is performing with country music legend Willy Nelsen in Bend, OR tomorrow night and Eugene, OR Saturday night. It's a late night and going to be an early morning, but was definitely worth it! :)

BF - Egg Scramble with avocado

S- Decaf coffee and cashew cookie lara bar (ingredients are cashews and dates). As far as bars go, these are about the only ones I really allow in my diet because they are simple, whole ingredients and grain/dairy/soy free. They are still a bit high in sugar, but better than most bars.

L- Chicken Breast, handful red grapes, 3 cherry tomatoes, handful Trek Mex

D- 2 oz Chicken Breast, 3 oz steak, 5 fried okra (fry in pan with olive oil and season with garlic powder and just a touch of sea salt).

S- Handful of mixed nuts, clementine

*Food intake wasn't the best today...but still paleo.

Trainer's Day - Day 3

Wednesday morning...5am wasn't as welcoming today as Monday, but I was up and at it ready to do the day's deeds. Clients from 5:30-10a did great with their workouts. Something that I find with the majority of my clients (as well as myself sometimes) and most likely you're guilty of it too, is that we don't engage our core stabilizers. Even if we have the strength, we get lazy and our poor posture takes over our lives. This can lead to low back pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, etc...injuries are often caused by improper posture. Tip today is to think about keep your abs tight, your glutes squeezed, and your chest proud (shoulders back with ribs down). Think about it in your car, at your desk, picking up your kid, or working out.

In between clients today I wolfed down my breakfast on the go 3 hard boiled eggs (only 2 shown because I gobbled one up before I remembered to take the picture), 1/2 avocado and 3 strawberries.

The rest of the morning consisted of email correspondence with my online clients, grocery shopping (pictured below), bookkeeping, website updates and cleaning house.

Combo of Trader Joes and a local farmer's market groceries...

TJ - Broccoli, romaine lettuce, trek mix (almonds, cashews, cranberries), marinara sauce (no sugar), roast beef slices (no nitrates/nitrites), and dried mango (my treat!!)

Market - Okra, butternut squash, green onions, red bell peppers

That's not a full grocery list, just stocked up on some veggies and few 'snacky' things. Not pictured, Marcus headed to costco to stock up on meat (chicken breasts and steak), avocados, melons, and eggs. Tip, Costco is one of the most affordable places to stock up on cage free eggs.

After working hard all morning, I realized I had ignored my poor lil pup all morning. She was literally laying at my feet with her head resting on her paws just whimpering. So...I headed out for a quick 5K run around Lower Bidwell Park with her. It was HOT today! Lunch followed the run and then more nose to the grindstone.

At 5:30p I headed to the gym for a workout. It was a diagnostic workout called Elizabeth through CrossFit. Coming off of a hip and shoulder injury I didn't push too hard, but still got a good workout in. Workout was as follows.

Strength work with Presses and Power Clean movement practice then

"Elizabeth"

21-15-9

Power Clean 95lbs

Ring Dips

My Time - 8:55

Followed the evening workout with a homemade "to-go" dinner before a bit more coaching, then home by 8pm and now ready to hit the hay!

BF - 3 hard boiled eggs, 3 strawberries, 1/2 avocado

S - fresh apple from the tree with handful of Trek Mex and two pieces of dried mango

L - Left over london broil over locally grown greens, tomatoes, green beans, green onions with hard boiled egg, all dressed with olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

S - handful of Trek Mex

D - Wild Atlantic Salmon burger (from Costco...good for fast/easy meal...not good all the time though), 1 small bell pepper, green beens, 1/2 tomato.

Trainer's Day - Day 2

Sorry for the late post for yesterday...our internet was down last night so I had to wait until this morning to get up Monday's blog.

Today has been a great day in sunny Northern California. I am fairly new to Chico, CA (been here for about 4 months now) and I seriously thought I was going to melt this summer. Literally! But it's cooling off and the air is crisp in the morning...I LOVE IT!

The day started with that lovely 5am wake up call, but once my eyes adjusted to being open, I headed out the door. I didn't mention this before, but one avenue of my personal training business is that I travel to people's homes. It's very convenient for my early morning clients who have kids that are still in bed at that time, but want to get their workout in before work. So my 5:30 and 6:45 clients rocked their Tuesday workouts and then it was my turn. I busted butt over to Upper Bidwell Park here in Chico and hit the mtn bike trails for about an hour. The riding here is pretty rough because it's full of rock (lots of loose rock), but it forces you to be alert and be in the moment when you're riding. After my ride, I jetted to the gym for a workout. I work out at a gym here in town called Norcal Strength and Conditioning. It's great to go in there and be told what to do in the classes. I program for people all day long, so it's nice to go just do a workout and not have to think about it or set it up for myself. My workout went as follows...

35 min - (I got in 6 rounds)

5 x Hang Clean 35# dumbbells

10 x Jumping Pullups

20 x Box Jumps (24 in box)

30 sec Hollow Rock

40 sec Single Leg Plank (20 sec ea leg)

1 x 100m sprint or 2 x long shuttles (I alternated each round)

After a good stretch, I came home ravenous so busted out my go-to breakfast. I waited too long to eat today, but didn't want to eat before I worked out.

Breakfast:

Scrambled 2 eggs with chicken sausage and veggies (zucchini, broccoli, red peppers, green onions). I also had 1/2 avocado and some strawberries. After breakfast I was still a bit hungry so I snacked on a hard boiled egg.

The rest of the morning/early afternoon consisted of computer work and studying at Peet's coffee, where I enjoyed a nice hot cup of decaf coffee with a bit of half n half (a little treat). After that I packed up a quick salad and we headed out to the lake for a bit of fun. I took my first ski set for the first time in 2 months (due to injury) and it went great! So nice to be back on the water. I did a bunch of mobilization work (stretching, rolling, range of motion exercises) while I was throwing the ball 9 million times for Ziggy. Boy I wish I had her energy! :)

Lunch:

A grilled chicken salad consisting of grilled chicken (pre cooked this weekend), baby greens, cherry tomatoes, carrots and cucumber all from our local farmers market. Delicious!

Post ski, I headed home for more work this evening...blog posting, client programming, responding to nutrition/workout logs from my online clients all while munching on my dinner.

Dinner:

The last of my prepared chicken breasts from this weekend, 2 slices of tomato from my garden, 1/2 avocado and some steamed broccoli.

Overall, a great day today. Got a little wordy with the explanation of how my day went. Hope I didn't bore you too much. Please leave comments/questions about meals, timing of meals, workout etc.

Gotta finish a few things before I'm off to bed. Running on too little of sleep the last couple nights, my goal is to be in bed by 8:30 for 8.5 hours of sleep tonight. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow! :)

Trainers Day - Day 1

It's Monday! Monday's give a lot of people a bad vibe, but why? It's another beautiful day to be alive! I am making a new vow to start each day with that sort of an attitude...try it with me, see how it works...

This morning's 5am alarm came sooner than I had wanted since I could fall asleep until 11:15pm, but I rolled out of bed, did my early morning primping (consisting of nothing more than brushing my teeth and splashing my face with water) and hit the road to get my early morning clients off to a great start for the week. I don't eat first thing when I wake up because number one it's too stinkin' early, number two I'd have to get up even earlier (having the first number on the clock be a 4 when you wake up sounds like a REALLY bad idea), and number three I'm not hungry at 5am. Typically when I get home I go workout, but today is a rest day for me and I was really hungry when I got home at 8:30, so I made a delicious breakfast.

Chicken Sausage and Egg Scramble

After breakfast I unfortunately had to spend several hours at the computer writing blogs, doing email correspondence, updating my website, working on programming, etc.

A tip for the "desk sitters" though...get up and move AT LEAST every 15 minutes. Our bodies get locked in a position for too long and our muscles start to tighten. Sitting at a desk/computer, our chest and hips get really tight and those tight muscles start to cause posture problems. So, get up do a few stretches, walk around, lengthen that spine, open the hips and chest and then get back to duty.

After I finished my work, I decided it would be a good idea to paint my living room (after mowing the lawn of course). Not sure why I decided today was the day. I really probably should have taken a nap because of my lack of sleep last night. But, it's done and it looks good!

With my spontaneous decision to be Martha Stuart for the afternoon, I'm glad that I had pre cooked some chicken breasts and had fresh produce waiting for me in the fridge. Remember, successful eating is all about being prepared and having healthy options ready to go.

I took a few minutes after painting to lay in the sun while throwing the ball for my dog Ziggy. Then around 5:30 had a nice dinner with Marcus. Thank goodness for crock pots...they make cooking so much easier.

Before starting up the paint job I had prepped the london broil for dinner. First I cut away the visible chunks of fat and then seasoned with garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, and fresh rosemary. I pan fried for 3 minutes on each side in olive oil and then set on low in the crock pot for 5 hours with 1/4 cup red wine. We gobbled it up with a fresh garden salad drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

On a trainers schedule, I have to hit the road for my evening coaching. Then home at 8:15pm, stretch/roll and then to bed.

Breakfast:

Chicken Sausage and Egg Scramble

- Adelle's Chicken Sausage (sliced into rounds)

- 1/2 cup of red bell peppers and zucchini (pre cut for week prep)

- 2 eggs (cage free)

- Olive Oil

Saute chicken and veggies in pan with olive oil, scramble in eggs. Serve topped with 1/2 avocado and salsa. I also had a handful of blueberries and of course my fish oil!

AM Snack:

Hard boiled egg (I keep these stocked in the fridge at all times) and handful of almonds

Lunch:

Chicken (pre cooked this weekend) carrots, celery, 4 strawberries, handful of almonds

Dinner:

London Broil with garden salad...recipe above

Water Intake: 120 oz.

Next week...

WOW...where did I go?? Sorry for falling off the face of the earth...things have been crazy in my life. I don't have much time to post a whole lot right now, but wanted to get people ready for next week. I am going to be posting (in detail) what my days are like....sleep, workouts, food intake (recipes included), stressors, relaxers...pretty much how my life works. I am going to show how my lifestyle choices effect me positively or negatively and why. I am going to give tips on how to make better decisions for your health on a daily basis. I am going to lead you through a week from the viewpoint of a 28 year-old personal trainer, coach, athlete, girlfriend, and mom (to a VERY active yellow lab :).

Please post anything you'd like to hear about, questions you have, or just say hi.

Stay tuned...