Turkey Jalapeño Chili

In our house, Sundays are spent around two things: family and food. With finals right around the corner, Michael and the girls spent the evening studying and finishing up papers. I spent some 'me' time in my favorite place, and made some Turkey Jalapeño Chili. We all took a break from our work, and a seat at the table to enjoy a bowl of this hearty dish.

I love this chili recipe because of how fast and easy it comes together. From start to finish, you can have a large pot of this chili ready in under 2 hours. If time permits,  I throw all the ingredients in a large pot and slow cook the soup for several hours. This allows the flavors to simmer a while longer, and fills the house with a spicy aroma.

Turkey Jalapeño Chili

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground turkey, 93% lean
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, red and yellow, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, chopped
• 2 (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz.) can of each: black, kidney, and pinto beans
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
• 1.5 tbsp. barbecue sauce
• 1 C water

Directions

1. In a large pot, add olive oil, garlic, and onion over medium heat. Cook until tender, then add ground turkey.
2. Brown ground turkey, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
3. Once turkey is cooked, add the remaining ingredients: bell pepper, beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, seasonings, and water.
4. Combine all ingredients, and bring to a boil over hight heat. 
5. Reduce heat to low, simmer until thickened. 
6. Serve warm, top with plain Greek yogurt, chives, and reduced-fat cheese.

Serves 10, per serving: 223 kcal, 5g F, 28g C, 7g Fiber, 17g P.

Turkey Marinara Penna: Fast Weeknight Dinner!

As promised, here is a long overdue recipe! A very simple, but comforting dish, that can be made any day of the week or prepped for evening meals.

Balanced pasta sauces are hard to find. Many are saturated with sugar, fats, or sodium--not to mention preservatives. Now, I'm not firmly Non-GMO, but I do enjoy good tasting food. In most cases, store bought sauce doesn't have the texture or flavor of a homemade one. In this recipe you'll find a quick and simple red sauce recipe; pair it with a lean protein of your choice, in this case I used turkey. Top some fresh-cooked pasta with the protein-packed sauce, and you have a balanced meal in less than an hour!

 

Turkey Marinara Penne

Pasta

• 1 Box Whole-wheat Penne pasta
• 1 garlic clove, whole
• Salt, dash
• 1 tsp olive oil

Turkey Marinara Sauce

• 1 lb. turkey, ground (93% Lean)
• 1 large can diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup white onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp basil, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Optional: Parmesan cheese

1. Fill a large pot with water, and place over high heat. Bring to boil before adding garlic, salt, and oil.
2. In a large skillet, add olive oil, half of the chopped onion, bell pepper, and minced garlic. Cook until tender.
3. Add ground turkey, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned.
4. Mix in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, remaining onion, parsley, basil and Italian seasoning.
5. Simmer on low heat until sauce reduces, or thickens.
6. In the large pot, cook pasta according to box directions.
7. Drain cooked pasta, remove garlic clove, and toss in a splash of olive oil.
8. Combine sauce and pasta, serve warm.

10 Servings, Per Serving: 187 cal, 23 C, 3g Fiber, 18g P, 3g Fat.

Where I have been, and where I am going.

Hello readers! I am finally back! It has been a few months since the last post, so I want to give you all a short life/training/blog update!

First, thank you for your continued support. Although I have not had a chance to publish any new material, I have found many of you still reading and reaching out. I have been very busy these last few weeks, and I am finally finding my rhythm. As some of you may know, I started a new training position. My schedule has taken a few weeks to settle down, but I have developed a regular client base and I am finally able to squeeze in other activities into my day.

Personal Training Updates: I have gained an immense amount of experience in these last few months. I have had the opportunity to speak with, and learn from some of the best trainers in the industry. In addition, I earned my second certification (ACE)--knowledge gains. With all this development, I am finally getting to firmly establishing my private training services.  Currently, I am training a handful of individuals, and they are seeing great success.

By 2016, I will have a structured, training system ready for action. What does this mean for you? A cost-efficient, effective, immediate solution to your fitness goal(s). I have been putting in countless hours studying, working, and strategizing for the sole purpose of helping others. I am working hard to provide you all with a comprehensive, cost-effective, and affordable guide to beginning your own journey. Stay tuned!

The days have been long, and the nights have been short, but it's life. I am happy to be finally doing something I love, working towards my goal, and constantly learning from everything and everyone around me.

P.S. Recipe coming soon!

Make your environment work for you, not against you.

I spend my mornings catching up on daily news and articles.  I take about 30 mins to an hour to read up on developing health and fitness concepts. I think personal development is something we should all strive for, and as a trainer and health advocate, I do my best to stay informed and find new ways for my clients to reach success. I also subscribe to the Tedx Talks channel on YouTube; it is a great source of motivation and knowledge for all phases of life.

Today, I came across a video that caught my attention; the title, "How to make healthy eating unbelievably easy." The speaker, Luke Durward, simply stated an observation that many of us in the health field, including trainers, nutritionists, and weight-loss champions, swear by: if something is not there to tempt you, you won't eat it.

The first thing I did when I started my fitness journey was eliminate temptation. Now, this was a little difficult since at the time I was still living at home. My dad is a single dad and avid Costco shopper; freezer entrees and snack pouches are his go-to items. There is nothing wrong in having these in moderation, but I wasn't in a condition then where I could control myself around a box of Oreos. What did I do? I told my dad to literally hide the snacks. As the saying goes, out of sight out of mind. 

And it worked. Without the option to grab a pack of cookies, or a bag of chips, I was more inclined to reach for the fresh fruit or greek yogurt. Because I couldn't heat up a Lean Cuisine© meal, I had to cook up some chicken and veggies instead. I refilled my water bottle, rather than cracking open a can of soda. I erased all of the 'convenient', calorie-dense, processed foods from my environment, and replaced them with whole, nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, and proteins.

Now that I have my own household, I practice the same principles. As I'm grocery shopping, I first budget in the essentials: produce, protein, dairy, and pantry essentials (oats, seasonings, etc.). If there is room, I buy one treat item, which 9/10 times is a box of Oreos. This doesn't happen every grocery trip, I do this probably once month. Moreover, I only buy one treat item at a time; filling our pantry with multiple cookie boxes and chip bags doesn't set us up to make healthy decisions.

If you are serious about making a change and determined to succeed, you need to take action and rid yourself of any obstacles. Make a pact with your health & body, and set it up for success. The beginning is always the hardest, and you need to position yourself in an environment that is equipped for you to thrive. Toss away the Oreos, the Cheetos, and the sugar-crazed drinks; there is no room for them at the start of your journey.

Build your foundation first; build your body, mind, and diet to their healthiest capacity. Create mindful and healthy habits, before you expand your diet. Once you have established a healthy relationship between your health and the food you eat, go ahead and have the Oreo.  

Do what you love, I mean it.

"Do what you love, and you won't work a day in your life." It took me too many years to realize the value of this message. But, as another cliché goes, better late than never.

I was ten years old when I first told my parents that I wanted to be a doctor. TEN. I knew then that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping people, but what the hell did I know about the medical field at ten years old? Well, apparently enough, because I spent the next 12 years relentlessly pursuing the dream of becoming Dr. Peña.

At 12 years old, I learned about college. At 17, I applied to the highest-ranking, public universities in California. At 18, I enrolled in my first year at UC Irvine. At 19,  I knew I no longer wanted to be a doctor. Science had become my passion, but medicine was no longer my dream. 

I was enrolled in a biology program that was notoriously known for pumping out stellar pre-med candidates. 'Competitive' was every student's middle name. I sacrificed every bit of money, time, and energy to stay in the med school race. I spent four years chasing down a dream I knew I no longer wanted, because I felt that I had given up too much to go back. As unhappy as I was, I couldn't bear the idea of starting over. 

I graduated in 2014, accepted a job offer as a research assistant, and forced myself to take the MCAT. Shortly after, I took a new job as a medical lab technician. I was in a dark place for most of my post-grad year. I spent many nights crying myself to sleep, wishing that morning wouldn't come. I would be instantly filled with dread as soon as I heard my alarm go off. I lost touch with a lot of friends and family because I couldn't face the conversation and questions about 'what was next.' These behaviors weren't healthy, and they were starting to take a toll on my relationship.

At 22, I discovered fitness. I fell in love with iron, exercise physiology, and nutrition--I found my dream. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life empowering other women to chase strength, health, and self-love. 

At 23, I quit my job. I left my position in July 2015, with no real plan other than a promise to myself that I would never again do anything that I didn't love. Experiences taught me that life is too short, and our days are too precious to be wasted doing something we aren't absolutely and irrevocably passionate about.  In August 2014, with the little savings I had, and Michael's incredible support, I took the leap and became a certified personal trainer. One month later, I became part of the Personal Training Team at Gold's Gym.

I know this is only the beginning of a life-long journey. I know the future isn't guaranteed, and the opportunities may be scarce. But, I can't even begin to describe how happy I am to finally be in pursuit of something I truly love. My passion in life is to help others mold their health, lives, and bodies into everything they've ever wanted.  Everybody deserves to feel confident, healthy, and strong. Every day, I work on building the knowledge and tools to help as many people as I can get there. 

Honestly, do what you love. Stop chasing a dream that was never yours. Stop giving into jobs and opportunities for the salary. Stop settling for comfortable. Find what you love, and go do it. I promise, you won't regret it. 

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall: Blueberry & Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Summer has come and gone; unfortunately, SoCal's climate hasn't gotten the memo yet. But the heat didn't keep me from my favorite autumn tradition of baking. I cranked up the A/C, and brought out the old muffin tins.

Blueberry Muffins

In remembrance of summer and its already-missed produce, I decided to throw the last of my blueberries into a batch of whole-wheat, protein-packed muffins. And to ring in this year's autumn, apple cinnamon muffins.

I also had a few ripe bananas on hand, and decided to experiment with consistencies. Protein powders can be tricky to bake with; I've experimented with different types, brands, and liquid:protein ratios. The key to keeping your protein goodies moist: bananas and applesauce.  Unsweetened applesauce is best, as it reduces added sugars & unnecessary calories.

Apart from contributing to a much more enjoyable texture, bananas add a dose of vitamins and minerals to these protein-packed bites. 

The recipe calls for oat flour, which is sold in most grocery stores for about $5-6 per bag. Baking secret: make your own! All you have to do is throw plain oats in your blender or food processor, and you have oat flour!

Pair two of these protein muffins with a protein shake, or side of egg whites, and you have a quick & balanced breakfast. Or pack one to go, and have it as a preworkout snack! 

Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins

• 1 cup oat flour *may substitute whole-wheat flour
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Optional: 1 scoop whey protein powder *I used PEScience Snickerdoodle*                   

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas until you reach a gooey consistency; you can use two forks or a metal potato masher. (In our house, it's more of a bean masher.)
3. Add the vanilla, applesauce, cinnamon, and egg whites to bananas and mix.
4. In a separate bowl, combine oats and baking powder. *If you don't have oat flour on hand, you can blend plain, raw oats in a high-speed blender or food processor to convert to flour.
5. Slowly, add your dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) to your wet mixture; mix.
6. Spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray, and pour about 1/4 cup of batter into each well.
7. Bake approximately 15-20 mins, until tops are firm and outer crusts are golden brown. 

Makes 9, Per Muffin: 83 cal, 13g carb, 2g fiber, 1g fat, 5g protein*with added whey protein.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

• 1.5 cups oat flour
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
• 2 tsp cane sugar
• 2 tbsp greek yogurt
• 1 gala apple, peeled and chopped
• 1.5 tbsp cinnamon, ground
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Optional: 1 scoop whey protein powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In medium mixing bowl, mash banana until it reaches a gooey consistency. 
3. Add the applesauce, egg whites, greek yogurt, sugar, and cinnamon.
4. In a separate bowl, combine oat flour and baking powder.
5. Slowly, add your dry ingredients to your flour mixture; add apple pieces and combine.
6. Spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray, and pour about 1/4 cup of batter into each well. 
7. Bake approximately 12-15 mins, until tops are firm and crusts are golden brown. 

Makes 9, Per Muffin: 134 cal, 23g carb, 4g fiber, 2g fat, 7g protein.  

Top 5 Things I Learned As a Fitness Newbie

1.     Put the scale away.

     Physics states that an object’s weight is the result of the force of gravity acting on an object; weight is not by any means representative of your worth, character, or value. The mass that each of us occupies on this earth is arbitrary. Don’t become fixated on a number that a scale produces. Apart from serving as a baseline figure, your weight should not be how you assess your progress. Unless you’re a competitor or athlete trying to make a weight class, weekly weigh-ins won’t do you any good. Instead, focus on what your body is telling you. Ask yourself, how do you feel in the morning, how are your workouts, what are your energy levels like throughout the day? Any of those variables are better progress indicators than your weight. Eat right, get moving, and rest; trust me, the weight will take care of itself.

2.     Stop saying, “I don’t have the time.”

     Believe me, I was the queen of excuses.  Being a full-time/pre-med student/student researcher/ health clinic coordinator/lab assistant in a long-term relationship, I could have written a book on how to get out of exercise & eating right. However, when life showed me that I needed to make a change, I was forced to toss out every excuse I ever had. And guess what? It worked. Once I abandoned my “I can’t” mentality, I started seeing changes. Now, I won’t lie to you and say it was easy for me to wake up for my 5 a.m. workouts, or stay up past midnight meal prepping after a day of class and work. No, those were some of the biggest challenges I faced, but the struggle was worth it.

3.     Don’t ever think “I can’t do that.”

     My father always told me, “Attitude is everything. If you want something to happen, it will. But if you don’t believe in it, it never will.” I carry that piece of advice with me at all times; it’s what has gotten to the places I have always wanted to be. Learn to trust yourself, be confident in who you are and who you want to be. No person or object can substitute your heart and mind; they are your greatest tools for success.

4.     Be your biggest cheerleader.

     The first time I completed a mile without stopping, I kid you not, I jumped off the treadmill and burst out into a happy dance. It was a couple months into my journey, and I was over the moon. Why so happy? It had been about 7 years since I had attempted any long-distance running; the last mile I ran was for track & cross-country, my sophomore year of high school. Now, I didn’t care that I looked insane, fist-pumping in the middle of my college gym; I was proud of myself. 

     Every time you reach a goal, take a bow, and praise yourself. Speak positively of yourself and your efforts. Cheer yourself on through a grueling workout. Take pride in your journey, and let your voice be the loudest of them all.

5.     It’s okay to ask for help.

     The day before my first ever weight training session, I spent 5 hours watching YouTube videos on basic lifts. Yes, 5 hours. In hindsight, this was probably not the best idea because at the end of those 5 hours, I couldn’t remember the difference between a bicep curl and tricep extension—lifting lingo overload. The next day, all of the tutorials and instructions from the night before became a huge blur. I sat on the leg press machine, pushed out a few reps, and walked right out. I felt so defeated. But, I learned a very important lesson that day; if you don’t know how to do something, just ask.

     The next trip I made to the weight room, I asked Michael to come along. He had already been lifting for several years, so he knew what he was doing. To be honest, I was a little embarrassed; I felt like a total newbie the entire time. My first attempt at a back squat resembled a newborn calf’s first steps. But, having him there gave me the confidence to try it again. And thanks to his pointers and immediate feedback, over time I was able perfect the lift; 6 months later, I set a PR of 175 lbs.  

     Yes, there are millions of articles, tutorials, and tips online, but nothing beats the advice and guidance of an actual perspective. If you have a question, don’t be afraid to ask it. Remember, everyone starts somewhere; all experts were once beginners.