Post Work Out Dinner: Mediterranean Chicken and Rice

I am on a journey to getting healthy.

I have struggled with this a lot lately, for many reasons. There are so many conflicting voices telling me to love myself for who I am but then to also be healthy and happy. To do that, I need to be more comfortable in my own skin, which at the moment I am not. People are very supportive and have given me wonderful ego boosts but the bottom line is, for me personally, I don't like how my body has changed since having kids. So that means being truly honest with myself. How can I get to a better place, mentally, physically, and emotionally? through exercising, eating better, and the power of positive thinking. For a long time now, I have struggled with exercise. I have made a lot of excuses but I have realized that it isn't so much the excuses but the sacrifices I have to make to make it work. My day is full of rushing around; wake up before 6, pack the kids into the car, drop them off, drive through traffic to work. Repeat to get home. Then its the dinner/bath/bed-time rush. Before I know it, it is 8 pm and I just want to crawl into bed and go to sleep. I have started different work-out regiments but I have often failed because I didn't take it seriously or I didn't see the results I wanted to see in a short time. I haven't sacrificed my time or my desires enough to stick with it. This time, I can sense a new drive within me to succeed because it is one of the most positive lessons I can teach my kids. I want to be able to run around with them this summer, to be as active as they need me to be, and I can only do that if I make my health a priority. This does mean missing out a night or two a week of the dinner/bedtime routine. Someone has told me that I should always put myself first, that so many women become mothers and make their children their first priority. For a long time, I struggled with this idea because it sounds so selfish. I think what she meant was that be able to give my children the best I can give them, I need to be the best I can be. It doesn't have anything to do with who comes first so much as it comes with making the best choices for my family. I am one week in and I feel great. I am going to take this one day at a time and focus on the positive.

I am sharing a meal that is delicious, filling, and wholesome. I made a batch of this last night, after a good cardio workout, and it was a light and yummy dish that filled me for the night. Enjoy!!!

Mediterranean Chicken and Rice
Ingredients:

• Chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces.
• 2 tbsp of Olive oil
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 lb of mushrooms, sliced
• 2 small zucchinis, sliced
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp thyme

Directions:

1. Brown chicken in oil, set aside.
2. Saute veggies in oil left - 3 mins. Add rice, cook and stir for one minute. 
3. Add tomatoes. Cook for 1 min.
4. Stir in stock, vinegar, and seasonings; bring to boil.
5. Return chicken, cover and simmer 20 mins.