"Italian Stallion" Crock Pot Chicken

Have you tried our Salsa Chicken?  This recipe is just as easy but a few ingredients are changed/added to give it an Italian flair, which is why I named it after one of my favorite movie characters, Rocky Balboa (aka THE ITALIAN STALLION!).  You can add some extra pasta sauce, sliced veggies, and/or quinoa pasta noodles to have a deliciously healthy spaghetti dinner ready in minutes!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 5 medium tomatoes
• 3/4 cup chopped onion (we use Vidalia/Sweet)
• 3 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp honey

Dry Ingredients/Spices:

• 1 Tbsp basil
• 1 Tbsp thyme
• 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp bay leaves

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients (not including the chicken breasts) together in a blender/food processor (must hold at least 5 cups - we use a Vitamix) and blend for about 30 seconds until ingredients are mixed well.

2.  Place blended pasta sauce in sauce pan and simmer on low/medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until sauce takes on a thicker consistency and a dark shade of red.

3.  Mix chicken breasts and pasta sauce in crock pot and cook on low heat for at least 7 hours.

4.  After 7 hours, you will notice the sauce looks very runny, this is normal.  Remove crock pot from heating base, shred chicken with a wooden spoon or spatula and as it cools, the shredded chicken will absorb the juices from the pasta sauce.

Macros (based on a 6 oz serving):

• Calories: 160
• Fat: 2g
• Carbs: 2g
• Protein: 36g

He & She Tips: We like to make our own pasta sauce at home so that we can avoid the added sugars and other unwanted ingredients.  You can use the store-bought pasta sauce but try to avoid the brands with a lot of added sugar, preservatives, etc.  Muir Glen is usually a pretty good choice if your store carries it. You can simplify this recipe by adding 3-4 Tbsp of Italian seasoning rather most of the individual spices listed above.

Enjoy our recipes?  Get help with your grocery shopping here.

- Scott

Lean Legs Elliptical HIIT Interval Routine

The response to our Glute and Thigh Toning HIIT Cardio Routine was phenomenal! I really hope you had an opportunity to try it out and maybe even download the playlist for the workout!

Many of you asked for a routine that you could do on the elliptical versus the treadmill and this week, I wanted to give you just that! Here it is!

Lean Legs Elliptical HIIT Interval Routine

Here are a few things to consider:

1. I am likely to do this routine on a day I am not lifting since it is 45 minutes long. You are welcome to do it on arm day or chest and back day, but so you don't have to stay in the gym for hours, I would suggest doing it on an off-lift day.
2. This program was designed for a gym-quality, Precor Elliptical. This is NOT to say you cannot adapt it to your home or other gym elliptical machine. Just figure out your max incline, speed and resistance available and adjust accordingly.
3. If you cannot do these speeds and/or resistance, NO problem! Work up to it!
4. DO NOT hold on to the handles or machine itself unless absolutely necessary. You will get optimal results if you focus on using your lower body for the majority of the effort. It is okay to "pump" your arms.

Looking for a printable version of this elliptical routine? We've got you covered! Join our newsletter and you will be taken to a black and white printable version right away! Grab the printable challenge here.

Enjoy and get your sweat on!

Let us be your personal trainers with our detailed 4, 6 and 12-week She Sweats Workout plans! We guide your workout each day, telling you exactly what to do and what intensity to work at. We have everything you need! Find out more!

Southwestern Tilapia

Did you know that Whole Foods has a recipe app?  We have tried a lot of their recipes & hope to share more of them with you soon but this is one of our favorites!  This is the only way that Scott will eat tilapia!

Ingredients:

4 (6 - ounce fillets)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 lime

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a small bowl mix spices together.

3. Drizzle each fillet with olive oil.

4. Sprinkle each fillet with the mixture of spices.

5. Squeeze lime juice over the fillets.

6. Flip the fillets over & repeat steps 3-5.

7. Bake until golden brown & flesh begins to flake (usually around 9-12 minutes in my oven).

Enjoy our recipes?  Get help with your grocery shopping here.

- Whitney