Merry Christmas – The No-Excuse Kitchen

Christmas is a busy time of year for everyone. It’s not any different in my house. Family, friends, and extra fun work activities like the Jingle Bell Run have put me on the run, literally.

I’m not one to take excuses from my marvelous boot campers regarding their training time, so I don’t want to make excuses about my nutrition with the holidays either.

My faithful friend the crock pot has saved me many times from spending too much time in the kitchen but delivering a mouth watering meal for my family. I love the rich smells of food cooking slowly all day. I’ve listed just a few of my favorites for you to try.

Peppered Beef

2 pounds lean beef round steaks, sliced thin

• 1 large green pepper, sliced thin
• 1 large red pepper, sliced thin
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 Tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon ginger or a teaspoon freshly grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Place onion and peppers inside crock pot. Place meat in criss cross patterns in pot, avoiding stacking meat directly on top of each other. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meat. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 on high.

Three ingredient pork chops

• 4 pork chops, ½ inch thick
• 1 15 – ounce can vegetarian chili
• 1 14 – ounce can stewed tomatoes, do not drain

Combine all ingredients in crock pot in order listed. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours.

Cajun Ranch Chicken

• 4 Tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breast
• 3 Tablespoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Spray inside of slow cooker with peanut oil. Combine the spices and place in a tray. Dip chicken first in the milk and then rub with the spice mixture. Place spiced chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle remaining spices over chicken. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or on high for 4-5.

As a bonus, Super Star Client Hester sent in this recipe. It is incredible!

Hester’s Grillin Spice Rub

I discovered this recipe this weekend. I think you can use it on anything that goes on the grill or under the broiler. We used it on salmon. Delicious. – Hester

• 1/8 cup salt, I used Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup spanish paprika
• 2 T onion powder
• 2 T garlic powder
• 1 T cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 2 T thyme
• 2 T basil
• 2 T oregano
• 2 T coriander
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 1 T. ground black pepper

(I mixed up this recipe for my family for a rub on steak at lunch. It was a hit. I have enough of the rub left over for several more meals to grill. I’m thinking I might make up a batch of this for a brother who loves his grilling time.)

Serving these recipes with a salad will keep you on track nutritionally, take just a few minutes to prepare, and are delicious.

No Excuses!

Coach Nancy