Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

KETO BACON CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
1 large clove of garlic, diced
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and diced

1/4 cup diced dill pickles
3 eggs
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2) Brown ground beef with garlic and onion powder.
3) Drain excess grease then spread beef on bottom of 9x13-inch casserole pan.
4) Stir bacon pieces & pickles into cooked beef.
5) In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, tomato paste, heavy cream, salt, and pepper until well combined.
6) Stir 1/2 cup grated cheese into egg mixture.
7) Pour egg mixture over beef and bacon.
8) Top with remaining grated cheese.
9) Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top. ENJOY! 

Cheesy Zoodles

I know most people have this LOVE for Spaghetti.  For a lot of us, it's a comfort food.... One of those meals you think of when someone mentions "home cooked deliciousness"... Well, this is an AMAZING substitute for the high carb spaghetti like your mama used to make! 

Ingredients
- 8 medium zucchini's, shredded into "zoodles".  The Vegetti works amazing for this or a lot of grocery stores sell them already noodle-fied.
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 jar of marinara sauce (ensure there is no sugar added)
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions
1) Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, once almost all browned add in onion and red pepper.  Continue to cook until beef is browned and onion is translucent.
2) Add the marinara sauce
3) Once that is heated through add in the cream cheese and sour cream until melted and creamy.
4) In the meantime, add the zoodles to a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray and cook over high heat, tossing often, for about 3 minutes or until they reach a texture that you prefer.
5) Pour sauce over zoodles and enjoy!

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

UNSTUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

(inspired by "Kalyn's Stuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole" found on http://www.skinnytaste.com)

It was a Saturday night and I was searching for a new recipe to try... I wanted a casserole type dish that would provide leftovers for Sunday night as well, since the weekends is when I tend to fail with planning and making dinners!  I came across this recipe on skinnytaste.com and knew that I had to try it!!  I love cabbage rolls - but to not have to worry about actually "rolling" them up?  bonus! lol!  This was a real hit with my whole family - even my 6 year old daughter LOVED it... Like she was actually excited for leftovers on Sunday!  She's never excited for leftovers lol :) 

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 
• 1 large head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) seasoned diced tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups cooked brown rice 
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used the mozza-cheddar)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray.
2. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef and cook until it’s browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Add water to the pan. Simmer until it’s hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
4. While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.
5. Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
6. When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.
7. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and the layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.
8. Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese (if using.) Bake uncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Serve hot.

Freezer friendly if you have leftovers. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then either microwave until hot or heat in the oven in a glass dish covered with foil.

Ground Beef Stew

Ground Beef Stew (This will serve 4): 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef (organic, grass fed if possible)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• pink himalayan salt or sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil & parsley to taste
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups low sodium beef or vegetable broth
• 2 cups chunked baby potatoes

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown onion and ground beef.  Drain excess fat.  
2. Add sliced celery stalks, chopped carrots, sliced mushrooms and continue to sauté briefly with 1 tsp of the following suggested seasonings (use whatever you like): sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, and parsley. 
3. Add diced stewed tomatoes (run it through the blender first if you or your family don't like chunks) and 2 cups (32 oz) of low sodium beef or vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, 
4. Add potatoes and reduce to high simmer for about 30 minutes or until veggies are fork tender.  *My hubby likes to add red pepper flakes to his-try it if you like spicy!

Quick & Easy Steak Fajitas

So of course as a busy busy work at home mama most of my meals need to be two things.  They need to be QUICK and they need to be EASY!  This one is definitely both those things... Start to finish on this bad boy is about 20 mins... That includes cutting your peppers and onions - seriously! 

What you need:

• 1 lb stewing beef, cut into smaller chunks 
• 3 bell peppers, cut into small chunks
• 1/2 medium onion, cut into small chunks
• Olive oil
• Fajita Seasoning (I get the low sodium kind) 
• Montreal steak spice
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• corn tortillas

How to prepare:

1. Grab two pans and heat 1 tsp of olive oil over medium heat in each
2. Add the peppers and onions to one and the beef to the other 
3. Season beef with montreal steak spice
4. Continue to cook beef and veggies until peppers are tender and beef is no longer pink
5. season veggies and beef with fajita season, cover and let simmer for 2-3 mins
6. Once beef and veggies are cooked serve on tortillas and enjoy! 

For 21 day fix I if you have 1 small corn tortillas and 1 yellow container or brown rice, 1 red of beef and 1 green of peppers & onions it will count as:

2 yellows, 1 green, 1 red, 1 tsp

Or if you only have 1 yellow left for the day - omit the tortillas and just serve in a bowl :)

Hearty Beef Stew

Hearty Beef Stew

For a quick, healthy meal in the middle of winter, try this hearty beef stew, or our vegan-friendly version.

Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 1 hr.
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1½ lb. raw lean beef stew meat, boneless
1½ medium onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)
½ to 1 cup low-sodium organic beef broth (or vegetable broth)
1 bay leaf
½ medium green bell pepper, chopped
½ medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, cubed
3 cups cooked quinoa, hot

Preparation:
1. Place beef, onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, hot sauce, 1/2 cup broth, and bay leaf in large saucepot.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, for 40 minutes, adding additional broth as needed.
3. Add bell peppers, carrots, and potatoes; cook, covered, for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until sauce has thickened and beef is fork tender.
4. Serve with quinoa.

Vegan Variation: Substitute beef with same amount of tempeh. Use only ½ cup vegetable broth instead of beef broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add vegetables and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories: 346

Fat: 7 g

Saturated Fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 75 mg

Sodium: 626 mg

Carbohydrate: 40 g

Fiber: 6 g

Sugar: 5 g

Protein: 33 g