Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't excited to try out my new soup bowls from a holiday gift exchange! Great recipe that my family (yes, even my kiddos loved). Will probably try to spice it up a little more next time!

What you need:

• 8 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups slived celery
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 medium chopped tomatoes
• 6 cups of low-sodium organic chick broth
• 3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
• 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp ground chili powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 tsp. crumbled feta cheese

What you need to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Place tortillas on baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until toasted and crispy. Remove from oven. When cool, break into pieces. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
5. Add onion and celery - cook until onion is transparent
6. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute
7. Add tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes are soft - set aside.
8. Add onion mixture, 2 cups of broth and half of the toasted tortilla pieces to blender. Blend until smooth.
9. Add blended mixture to large saucepan. Add remaining 4 cups broth, chicken, carrots, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes.
10. Top each serving with cilantro, cheese, and remaining tortilla pieces.

ENJOY!

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Pea Protein

The second compent in Shakeology's protein blend is Pea Protein! Not only is it a great hypoallogenic, vegan, and vegetarian source of protein but it is also soy, gluten, and dairy free!

Benefits of Pea Protein:

• Excellent Amino Acid Profile
• Yellow peas supply a unique array of amino acids, the building blocks of body tissue (including skin, hair and nails), muscles, DNA/RNA, hormones, enzymes that help your body function normally, and even your immune system!  Being rich in lysine and arginine, pea protein is especially beneficial for active lifestyles
• Pea protein is high Lysine
  
• Lysine cannot be made in the body and must therefore be consumed through the diet. Lysine is the precursor of carnitine, the molecule responsible for converting fatty acids into energy and helping to lower cholesterol.
• Lysine also appears to help absorb calcium and plays an important role in the formation of collagen—the building block of connective tissue such as bones, cartilage, skin, tendons. It supports the normal growth and development of children and plays a role in the maintenance of a healthy immune system.
• Lysine deficiency is rare in typical American diets but can be a risk for strict vegetarians, vegans or elite athletes.
• Insufficient lysine can lead to fatigue, nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, agitation, bloodshot eyes, slow growth, anemia, and reproductive disorders.
• Branched Chain Amino Acids refers to the amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. 
• Together they make up 40% of the daily requirement for essential amino acids in humans.
• 30% Iron Content 
• Iron is an integral part of human physiology and is required for the transportation of oxygen throughout the body as well as regulation of cell growth and differentiation.
• Pea protein provides 30% of the iron required per day in a single serving.
• Allergen-Friendly
• Some individuals simply cannot tolerate egg, milk and soy-derived protein due to allergies. For example, the milk sugar called lactose can cause severe allergic reactions that result in unwanted gastrointestinal side effects like nausea, bloating, diarrhea or vomiting.
• Yellow pea protein powder is suitable for almost any user. It also contains no gluten. Most yellow proteins are organic and contain little or no artificial colors, sweeteners or fillers.
• Muscle Recovery 
  
• Muscles are structures made mostly from protein. Intense physical training or simply every day activities can cause muscle to breakdown on a daily basis.  
• Thermic Effect of Protein 
• Proteins have a “thermic” effect, meaning that they create heat in the body through the process of digestion. Since proteins take a lot of energy to digest, you burn more calories after eating a meal high in protein.
• In fact, up to 30 percent of protein’s calories get burned through its digestion according to “The Abs Diet” by David Zinczenko. Building a weight loss strategy around lean sources of protein like yellow pea powder makes nutritional sense.
• Blood Sugar
• Dietary protein has another important affect on your weight loss efforts. Blood sugar will spike in response to carbohydrate based foods meals thereby causing the pancreas to secrete the hormone insulin to facilitate the storage of circulating nutrients. Large insulin spikes that result from high or simple carbohydrate-containing meals (e.g. white rice, white bread or sweets) may trigger fat storage and may lead to insulin resistance according to “The Fat Burning Bible” by Mackie Shilstone. This can also lead to subsequent drastic drops in blood sugar which result in fatigue. Consuming or combining protein with a meal helps to regulate this blood sugar and insulin effect to potentially prevent body fat storage.tein has another important effect on your weight loss efforts.

The Skinny on - Eggs!

So when it comes time to buy eggs - do you know what you are doing, or looking for? I surely didn't! I thought oh brown eggs, more expensive must be better for you - But is it? When you are looking at an egg carton, do you even know what it all means? I didn't have a clue, well until now and I found it quite interesting, but I'm kinda a dork like that lol

Okay - ready? I was really surprised -- The difference between brown and white eggs is --> White-
feathered chickens with white ear lobes lay white eggs and red-feathered ones with red ear lobes lay brown eggs... But when you get down to the egg, nutritionally there is no difference -- it's all just in the looks. SAY WHAT!?

Now I was confused because I swear to you, I thought the brown eggs tasted better -- but I found out the flavor difference is related to age or freshness of the egg!

So once I discovered this, I also wanted to know - what does all the junk on the label mean? And again, I was really surprised!


Cage-free, free-range. Hens are uncaged and inside warehouses. They can walk around, nest, and spread their wings but generally don’t have access to the outdoors. As for free range, there are no standards for eggs. To me, this still sounds like a cage!

Grade. Department of Agriculture grading is voluntary, and companies pay for it. Grades are AA, A, and B. Grade depends on the quality of yolk and white and the shell’s condition. Within any grade, size can differ. All USDA-graded eggs must have been washed and sanitized.

Omega-3. Hens were given feed that included flax, marine algae, fish oils, and other ingredients to boost the level of ­omega-3 fatty acid in their eggs.

Organic. Eggs with a USDA organic seal come from a facility checked by accredited certifiers and from hens raised on feed grown without synthetic pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or fertilizers. The hens are supposed to have outdoor access, but there’s some question as to whether that claim is adequately enforced. Most organic eggs cost more than conventional ones partly because of the price of feed, smaller flock size, and certification costs.

Vegetarian. The hens have eaten all-grain feed with no animal byproducts.

Hormone-free, antibiotic-free. Empty claim!!! No hormones or antibiotics are used in producing eggs for human consumption.

Pumpkin Chai Shakeology

I know it is winter time, and I should be thinking all things Christmas - but I can not get over pumpkin season just quite yet!!! Not going to lie, I may or may not have topped it with cool whip! Enjoy!