Country Heat Wrap Up & Meal Plan for Sept 19-25

It's hard to believe it's been a month since I started Country Heat. Time flies when you're having fun, and seriously, Country Heat has been so much fun! I practically leapt out of bed every morning knowing I got to start my day dancing around my living room for 30 minutes.

Country Heat was the mental break I needed from some of the more high-intensity programs I've completed in the past year. Exercise is a necessary part of my life so it wasn't a question if I'd make time for it in my day, but to be honest I was starting to loose the desire to push myself. Mentally, I needed a program like Country Heat to remind me how much fun workouts can be. Now, I'm refreshed and ready to tackle a more challenging program again. Bonus- I'm in great cardio shape now!

Next up for me is the Focus T25 program. Twenty-five minute workouts, six days a week, which seems completely doable in our crazy back-to-school life right now. Everyone I've talked to who's completed T25 says it shreds your body like no other. I'm looking forward to seeing how it'll transform my body. [By the way, if you're interested in doing T25 alongside me, or you'd like to give Country Heat a try, shoot me an email at hcdickson@yahoo.com. I'd love to have you in my free challenge group starting October 3.]

Officially, I lost 3.3 pounds with Country Heat which I call success. I've been hovering around my goal weight for several months now, so my main objective in working out with Country Heat was to maintain muscle and tone, move my body for 30 minutes a day, and have fun doing it. Mission accomplished; I loved it!

I always find excitement in starting a new program; new moves, new instructor, new possibilities to transform my body and mind. I'm ready to dial in my nutrition to see maximum results with T25.

Click here to view my meal plan for this week (September 19-25). There's several of my favorite recipes featured including the apple cinnamon overnight oats (tastes like autumn in a bowl!) and turkey chili which, in my opinion, goes hand-in-hand with football season. Andi's traveling this week so I fully intend to make myself a big batch of chili and watching football all weekend long.

One recipe you've got to try is the pork medallions. This recipe quickly became one of Andi and I's go-to summer favorites because it's easy to make and tastes fancy enough to serve to guests. Here's the recipe:

Pork Medallions
Ingredients:
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder

Directions:
1. Combine maple syrup and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan. Turn the heat to high and boil for 3 minutes, until the mixture has reduced to 1/3 of a cup. Turn off the heat and whisk in the Dijon mustard.
2. Meanwhile, slice the pork into 8 pieces. Place pieces of pork between two pieces of parchment paper and pound until they are 1/4 inch thick.
3. Heat one tsp. of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pounded-out pork pieces with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once the oil is hot, add the pork pieces and cook for 90 seconds on each side. Remove and set aside.
4. Add another tsp. of oil to the pan and cook remaining pork pieces until all are cooked through.
5. Return the rest of the cooked pork to the pan. Pour in the maple-balsamic sauce and cook for 1 minute.

Enjoy!