Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

So you remember how I told you I made Turkey Meatloaf and it was awesome and Joe actually looked a little sad when he couldn't finish the leftovers in one sitting? Did I happen to tell you how stinking easy it was to make? OR that both of my toddlers, who regularly turn their noses up at new foods until I sing the song from Daniel Tiger, ate it with gusto and even asked for SECONDS?!
Inconceivable, I know. Props to the 24 Day Challenge Facebook group where I got the recipe that I only altered slightly.

Magic Turkey Meatloaf
You'll need:
1 – 1.5 lb 99% Fat Free Turkey Breast
1 egg OR 2 egg whites
¼ cup shredded carrots
½ cup chopped red/white onion
½ cup Old Fashioned Oats (not the quick cooking kind)
½ cup chopped bell pepper (any color green, yellow, orange or red)
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of basil
Dash of Spike (salt free) {I didn't actually remember to add this to my cart- so instead I just added a tiny bit of onion powder, celery seed, dill, ground mustard, turmeric, pepper, coriander, marjoram, oregano, thyme, tarragon, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and paprika that i mixed all together myself after looking up the ingredients in Spike)

½ cup tomato sauce (No Sugar Added - I found mine at Whole Foods)

Directions:
- Set your oven to preheat to 350 degrees
- Grease a loaf pan with your choice of healthy oil (I used coconut, because I'm OBSESSED with it) or fat free pan spray
- Mix all of the things, except the tomato sauce, just until it all seems mixed evenly. I highly suggest scrambling the egg if you choose to use the yolk and all.
- Place your mixture in your loaf pan, pat it gently in. Feel free to get fancy and pat a small moat-like line in the middle
- Spoon the tomato sauce over the top, it should easily cover the entire loaf
- Stick your pan in the oven, close the door, go do other things for an hour...
BOOM.
DINNER THAT EVERYONE EATS HAPPILY

Day 5, So Much Win (And a Winning Sweet Snack Recipe)

5 AM
Wake up - Take Catalyst and ProBiotic RESTORE Ultra.

5:30 AM
Mix, sit and enjoy a Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake.

5:45 AM
Mix up a Fruit Punch Spark for the ride into work. Grab lunch (more steak and coleslaw), snacks (almonds, banana), and supplements (Catalyst) for later. Don't forget the gigantic water keg that you carry with you everywhere.

6 AM - 5 PM
Joe said that while he was at work a coworker noticed he had lost weight. Also, he wore the same pair of jeans to work the previous Casual Friday and they were noticeably looser this week. Huge win there because he's always talking about how none of his jeans feel like they fit anymore.

He forgot to take a pouch of Spark for the afternoon, but texted me and told me he felt like he didn't need it anyway. He just feels that great and doesn't need the additional boost in the afternoon. Winning.

5:45 PM
When Joe came home he took his Omega Plex and chowed down on Salmon (seasoned lightly with lemon juice and Bragg's Liquid Aminos, steamed in parchment pouch with sliced onions in the oven at 400) and Broccoli (steamed with garlic and lemon juice). We then packed up the kids and headed to Oak Mountain's Big Fall Festival where we ran into our AdvoMentor Hal and his girls. The kids got to pet a tiny kangaroo, we didn't ride anything (Because tickets a buck each and the ferris wheel costs 6 tickets a person? WHAT?) and we got a huge bag or purple cotton candy that Joe held for Lydie and didn't eat any of. Can you say RESOLVE? All he does is WIN

Bedtime
AWESOME snack (recipe at bottom), Catalyst, Herbal Cleanse Caplets.

Day 5: So Much Win

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Frozen PB & Banana Bites

You'll need:
1 Banana
Natural Peanut Butter (no added oils, sugars or salts - -just peanuts -- Would also be good with other nut butters)

Directions:
-Freeze Banana, at about 3 hours it should be frozen solid, freeze for shorter time if you want a softer treat
-Peel banana and slice in 1/3 inch pieces
-Spread about 1/4 tsp on one slice of banana, top with another slice
-Repeat till finished
-Feel free to eat right away, or freeze for no longer than half an hour (long freezing causes the peanut butter to do strange separatey things -trust me)

This stuff is beyond delicious. The kids had some after their lunch and said it was better than icecream. Perfect for those times that your sweet tooth is yelling at you, but you don't want to cheat. Say it with me... #WINNING

Day 4, A Change to the Routine and a Fancy Recipe with a French Name

The first three days of the Challenge are pretty much identical in the Daily Guide but Day 4 brings a few small changes. Along with feeling better than ever (seriously, the man has a spring in his step), rather than drinking a Fiber Drink in the morning you take your first ProBiotic RESTORE Ultra that comes in convenient dose by dose packets in your Herbal Cleanse box. Everything else stays pretty much the same. After The Great Lunch Fiasco Joe made sure to prepare his own lunch and snacks today.


5 AM
Wake up - Take Catalyst and ProBiotic RESTORE Ultra. Go get ready for work feeling FANTASTIC about life.

5:30 AM
DON'T MIX OR DRINK YOUR FIBER DRINK. Set those aside till Day 8.
Mix, sit and enjoy a Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake. Notice you kind of actually feel lighter. Cheat and hop on the scale (Technically you're not supposed to do this till the end of your cleanse...oops.) and notice YOU HAVE LOST ALMOST SIX POUNDS IN LESS THAN FOUR DAYS.

5:45 AM
Mix up a Fruit Punch Spark for the ride into work. Be thankful that you remember to pack your own lunch (Steak and Homemade Coleslaw with a new and improved dressing - I promise at some point once he decides the perfect ratios I'll have a recipe), snacks (banana, almonds), drinks and supplements (Spark, Massive Water Jug, Lunchtime Catalyst).

6 AM - 5 PM
While Joe was probably busy enjoying his proper lunch and snacks throughout the day and the kids were at Mother's Day Out, I did a little Challenge related shopping. Picked up a pair of pill boxes for him to carry his supplements to work in, a bottle of Bragg's Liquid Aminos (to replace soy sauce in.. whatever you want to use soy sauce in), and a bottle of Liquid Agave Nectar. I admit I have no idea what I'm going to use the Agave Nectar in, but people keep raving about it on our group challenge Facebook group, so I had to see what was up.
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Which reminds me -- One of the huge benefits of AdvoCare's 24 Day Challenge is the support system that comes along with it. The products are great and they WORK,  and the Daily Guide is a huge help for planning/tracking purposes, but it is so, so, SO HELPFUL to have a mentor you can ask questions about specific foods or anything else you need clarification about. I've had to double check many times with the group or Hal (sometimes both) on whether or not I should use a specific ingredient or for suggestions for substitutions. While the internet has TONS of information, not all of it is trustworthy and you will very quickly find a lot of contradictory material and ideas out there. It's nice to have one spot to go and KNOW you're getting solid information.
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Joe sent me a text in the afternoon talking about how great he feels. This is beyond unusual. Most afternoons I'm accustomed to the "Man I'm ready to come home to you guys" text, but not the "I feel great" text.

5:45 PM
Grab Joe's dinner (this one turned out AWESOME and I was kinda jealous of it - recipe below)and dinner time OmegaPlex, head to his brother's house for a pizza making night (and a trip to Doodles that Joe courageously did not partake in Italian Ice or Sorbet during...)
On the drive over Joe talked about how he's not having his usual afternoon slump in energy/motivation and that at times when he would usually push something off till the next day he took on a new project and finished it before heading home. He's always productive, now he's like.. super productive.

Bedtime
Snack, Catalyst, Herbal Cleanse Caplets.

Day 4 : COMPLETE

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Chicken en Papillote & Sauteed Kale
(Because we so FANCY)

You'll need:
Parchment Paper
1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, in half inch thick slices
1 Small Onion
Red Pepper Flakes

Coconut Oil
1 Clove Fresh Garlic, sliced thinly
2 cups Kale, chopped, 1-2 in peices
Lemon Juice

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400
-Cover bottom of small baking dish with Parchment Paper
-Place Chicken on paper
-Cut onion in half, setting aside one half, cut in wedges and place around/on chicken evenly
-Sprinkle lightly with red pepper flakes
-Cover with second sheet of parchment paper, fold edges of bottom and top pieces together to create a pouch.
-Bake in oven till pouch is puffed, chicken is cooked through, and onions have softened. (10-14 minutes)

-Heat two tablespoons coconut oil in skillet
-Add sliced garlic and cook till garlic is softened, but not brown. If you notice browning, remove from heat before next step
-Add chopped Kale and about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
-Stir, Cover pan and check every two minutes. Feel free to let it wilt or keep it pretty crisp - either way is fine.

Serve Chicken on top of Sauteed Kale. Revel in your level of fancy deliciousness.

Day 2, Orange Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry Recipe

Joe's working on Day 3 right now, and while he's at it I'll fill you in on yesterday.

Day 2 of the Challenge went like this:

5 AM
Wake up - Take Catalyst.
Joe mentioned that when he woke up this morning he felt really good physically - no usual muscle aches, pains and stiffness.

5:30 AM
Mix, mix, chug the Citrus Fiber Drink. Follow that with another glass of water.

Mix, sit and enjoy a Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake.

5:45 AM
Mix up a Fruit Punch Spark for the ride into work. Grab his premade lunch (recipe coming tonight once I get Joe to write it out) of homemade coleslaw and steak. Pack in a banana and a small bag of almonds for snacks. Don't forget to take your Catalyst and Spark with you for later. (Told you he was a creature of habit.)

6 AM - 5:30 PM
While Joe's at work he took his Catalyst again half an hour before he ate his lunch. LAter on he mentioned that he noticed he feels full after the meals and snack. More importantly, that he feels just full, not overfull and bloated.

5:30 PM
Joe went to help our friends move apartments and valiantly resisted both pizza and puppy chow. I honestly am incredibly proud of him for that.

9 PM
Got home, ate the dinner I saved for him (Orange Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry, recipe below).


Bedtime
Ate one orange for a snack.
Catalyst, Herbal Cleanse Caplets.

We added up all the water he drank for the day... I'm wondering how he did it but he drank a total of 210 oz of water on Day 2. ::slow clap::

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Orange Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

You'll need:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, sliced thin or in 1/2 in cubes (or about 3 cups of cubed, raw chicken)
1 Orange
1/2 tsp Ginger (I used powdered, would be great with fresh, just adjust to your own tastebuds)
Red Pepper Flakes to taste (I just shook the container about three times.. very precise that way)
Coconut Oil

1 Onion, sliced thin
1/2 tsp Ginger
More Red Pepper Flakes
1 16oz Bag of Frozen Stir Fry Vegetables (I used the Broccoli Stir Fry Blend from Walmart's Great Value Brand)
1/4 cup Water

Directions:

- Place chicken in medium bowl
- Zest orange, reserve half and add to bowl
- Juice orange over chicken, small pieces of orange may fall with the juice, it's no big - leave em
- Add ginger and red pepper flakes to bowl
- Stir for even coverage, let sit for 10 minutes

- Lightly coat large skillet (or wok, if you're feelin' fancy) with coconut oil
- Heat skillet (medium high heat)
- Add marinated chicken
- Stir often, cook through (timing depends on thickness of slices or cubes), remove from heat and set aside for later.

- Clean your pan, re-coat with coconut oil, heat - medium heat
- Add sliced onion to the skillet, sprinkle with ginger and red pepper flakes. Sweat til softened, but not transparent
- Add stir fry veggies and water. Raise heat to medium high. Cook according to bag directions.
- Once veggies are all finished add your chicken to the veggie mixture, stir well and serve.

We ate this on it's own as Joe is cutting out the complex carbs during his challenge - but if you're on a standard challenge you can absolutely serve over brown rice, quinoa or whole wheat stir fry noodles (definitely saw some whole wheat udon noodles at Fresh Market last week... that would be awesome..). Just be sure to watch your portions.

While we're on the subject of recipes - please keep in mind that while I am doing my best to stick to Daily Guide regulations and the advice of our mentor I am by no means an expert. I may add something and find out later it's on the "foods to avoid" list. These are just my ideas, not at all sanctioned by AdvoCare Corporate - just one mama trying to the the Challenge into our lives.

Let me know if you try the recipe or if you made any changes. I think next time I'll use Bragg's Liquid Aminos as well, which is a 24 Day Challenge friendly replacement for soy sauce (made from vegetable protein and has much lower sodium than soy sauce, but tastes similar). Even the kids ate this stuff up, and they don't usually like when different foods touch.