Cheesy Chicken Bacon Cauliflower Bake!

Cheesy Chicken Bacon Cauliflower Bake! 

INGREDIENTS
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 3 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups of shredded marble cheese
- 1 lb chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
- Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 350 degress
2) Steam the cauliflower until fork tender
3) Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and place everything in there once cauliflower is done.
4) Season with salt and pepper and mix. 
5) Put the last 1/2 cup of cheese on top and place in oven.
6) Bake for 20-25 mins until heated through and bubbly.
ENJOY! 

Keto Buffalo Cheese Sauce!

Y'all!!!!!  You gotta try this!!!  Put it on your veggies, on your chicken on your EVEEERRRRYYYTHHHINNNGG!!!!!!!!  

KETO BUFFALO CHEESE SAUCE!

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 1 cup of cheddar cheese
- Buffalo hot sauce to taste

Directions
- Heat whipping cream and butter over medium-low heat in a small pot on the stove until butter is melted
- Add in cream cheese and mix until creamy 
- Add in cheddar cheese and mix until melted
- Add hot sauce  to your liking

Slow Cooker Crack Chicken

Slow Cooker Crack Chicken is so aptly named it's ridiculous.  It legit is as addictive as crack... not that I've ever tried crack, but I all I know is that a lot of people end up addicted to it so... this is kinda the same... Except for it's NOT bad for you - winner!

Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 8 oz block cream cheese
1/2 packet of dry Ranch Dressing
4 oz cooked and crumbled bacon

Directions
1) Combine chicken, cream cheese and ranch dressing in slow cooker
2) Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours, until chicken shreds easily.
3) Shred the chicken and mix it up until all the ingredients are combined.
4) Add in crumbled bacon and stir to incorporate.

Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders

One thing that my whole family is absolutely CRAZY about is Buffalo Chicken Tenders!  So, like everything we love, I had to find a keto friendly alternative to this!!  These were DELICIOUS!! 

Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken breast tenders
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 6 oz buffalo sauce
- salt & pepper, to taste

Directions 
1) Pre-heat oven to 350. 
2) Season chicken tenders with salt & pepper and season the almond flour with salt & pepper.
3) Beat egg with whipping cream. 
4) Dip each tender into the egg & cream mix and then into the seasoned almond flour.
5) Place tenders on a greased baking sheet and bake for 30 mins.  If you want them crisper you can broil for 2-3 mins at the end. 
6) Coat tenders with the buffalo sauce.
7) Enjoy!

Pizza Stuffed Chicken Breasts!

We were getting super bored with the typical grilled chicken that we usually eat so I was looking for something different to do with chicken breasts and I came across this recipe over at organizeyourselfskinny.com for Pizza Stuffed Chicken and OMG!!!  SOOOO good!!!

This has since become a weekly staple for us!  The kid loves it - it's great for the whole family!!

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups pizza sauce, divided
• 30 slices pepperoni, chopped (can use turkey pepperoni to make it healthier and a bit lower cal)
• ¼ cup parm cheese
• 1 cup Mozzarella, divided
• 4 chicken breasts, pounded out into thin cutlets
• 8 slices whole pepperoni (once again can use turkey if you prefer)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a small bowl mix together onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Set seasoning mixture aside.
3. In a medium bowl mix together 1 cup pizza sauce, chopped pepperoni, parmesan cheese, and ½ cup mozzarella cheese. 
4. Lay out the chicken cutlets, season with half of the seasoning mixture, and spread ¼ of the pizza sauce mixture onto each cutlet almost to the end. Roll up and place in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with the rest of the seasoning then pour the last cup of pizza sauce over chicken breasts. Sprinkle rest of the mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken breasts. Then top each chicken breast with 2 pieces of pepperoni.
5. Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked through. 
6. ENJOY!! 

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients
- 4 - 5oz chicken breasts
- 2 cups of salsa
- salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Instructions
1) Place chicken in crock pot
2) season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and any other seasonings you may like.
3) cover with salsa
4) Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 until chicken shreds easily with a fork
5) Shred chicken in crock pot and split into 4 servings - enjoy! 

Roasted Chicken Breast with Sweet Potato Fries & Steamed Spinach

Ingredients
- 4oz skinless chicken breast

- 1/2 cup balsamic vinega

- 1/2 cup lemon juice

- no-salt seasoning to taste (Kirkland Organic is my fave!  But Mrs Dash is good too!)
- whole sweet potato

- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2-3 cups of spinach

Instructions
1. Marinate chicken breast in the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and no salt seasoning mix for at least 2 hours or overnight.

2. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

3. Place the chicken on a rack or cookie sheet in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until thoroughly cooked to your liking.
4. Wash sweet potato well and cut into strips. 

5. Toss them with the olive oil and no salt seasoning. 

6. Place them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and cook at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
7. When the chicken and sweet potato are almost done cooking, cook your spinach in a pan with a small amount of water, covered, until just wilted.

8.  Enjoy!

Chicken Salad Wraps

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients
4 cans of Kirkland chicken breast or 1/2 a rotisserie chicken pulled a part (you can sub in canned tuna or salmon as well if you prefer)
4 chopped hard boiled egg whites (minus the yolk)
1/2 cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 chopped onion
2 chopped tomatoes

Instructions
1) Add the chicken to a bowl. Mash it up to get rid of the chunks and make it as pulled apart as possible so it resembles the consistency of canned tuna.
2) Add the remainder of the ingredients to a bowl, mix well and divide into 4 servings.
3) Place it inside a romaine lettuce leaf and enjoy like a taco!

Weekly Meal Prep - Chicken Burrito Bowls

Here's another simple, yet delicious idea that you could meal prep for lunches!

I got this idea from buzzfeed.com and modified it slightly - it's so simple though it is one of those recipes you read once and then just make off the top of your head!!

INGREDIENTS

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 bell peppers, sliced
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp taco seasoning
Salt and Pepper, to taste.
1 16-ounce jar medium chunky salsa
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can corn, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit
2. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray (I also use tinfoil to make cleanup easier!)
3. Place the chicken breasts in the middle of the tray, the sliced peppers on one side and the red onion slices on the other.
4. Drizzle with olive oil
5. Season the chicken breasts with taco seasoning on both sides
6. Season the peppers, onions and chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Mixed up the peppers and onions a bit to ensure they are coated evenly.
7. Spread the salsa evenly on top of the 3 chicken breasts.
8. Bake for 25 mins in your preheated oven (or until chicken is fully cooked)
9. Cut chicken into slices or chunks.

TO ASSEMBLE THE BOWLS
1. Place 1/2 cup brown rice in 4 bowls
2. Top each with 1/4 cup black beans, 1/4 cup corn and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3. Add the cooked peppers, onions and chicken (split evenly among 4 bowls)
4. Top with a bit more salsa, cilantro and a slice of lime if desired.


Enjoy!

Weekly Meal Prep - Greek Chicken Bowls

One thing that I've learned along the way in this journey is the importance of planning.  We've all heard the saying "Fail to plan, plan to fail" and I find this to be so true - especially when it comes to not only planning but actually preparing my lunches in advance.  Since I work from home I don't need to actually pack my lunches, but just having everything ready to grab, put together and eat makes a huge difference in my success each week!!  

This was an idea I originally got from eazypeazymealz.com and I just made a few slight adjustments for my own preferences here!! 

INGREDIENTS

Greek Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
sea salt and pepper to taste


Cucumber Salad
2 English cucumbers, sliced
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano


Tzatziki Sauce
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 English cucumber, shredded
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp dill weed
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste


The Rest
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red onion slices


INSTRUCTIONS
1) In a large freezer ziplock bag, combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, greek yogurt and salt and pepper. Massage to mix.
2) Add chicken into the bag.
3) Massage to make sure chicken is fully covered and marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to 12 hours.
4) Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
5) In a skillet, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat.
6) Add chicken when it is hot, and cook, flipping part way through. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Cooking time depends on thickness and size of the chicken. Cook until internal temp is 165 degrees.
5) Remove from pan, and let cool.
6) Once cool, cut into bite sized pieces.
7) Meanwhile, make cucumber salad by chunking the cucumbers, and tossing in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and oregano. Set aside
8) Make tzatziki sauce by combining the Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill weed, lemon juice, lemon zest in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.
9) Refrigerate while assembling your bowls.
10) Cook brown rice according to package directions. When finished cooking, divide between meal prep containers, 1/2 cup in each container, halve cherry tomatoes, and mix with red onion slices. Divide amongst the bowls.
11) Top with chicken, cucumber salad, and some tzatziki sauce.
12) Keep for 3- 5 days in airtight container, serve cold!

Spinach & Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts (recipe adapted from food.com)

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 5 cups baby spinach
• 3/4 cup feta cheese
• 1.5 cups seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Prepare chicken for stuffing either by slicing the chicken breasts almost completely in half, but not quite - you wanna leave the two halves attached still.  Or you can beat the chicken breasts to make them super thin.
3. Cook the spinach, garlic and oil on the stove top until done 
4. add in the feta cheese and mix well
5. distribute spinach mixture onto each chicken breast
6. wrap chicken around mixture and secure with a toothpick
7. Roll each breast in bread crumbs until well coated
8. place on baking sheet
9. Cook for 30 minutes or until cooked thru
10. ENJOY! 

This went over really well in my house even my almost 5 year old daughter gobbled it up!  YUM!

Busy Mom's Turkey Fried Rice

CONFESSION!!!!  I do NOT love to cook! **GASP** shocker, I know! :)  

However, there is ONE dinner dish that I do actually quite enjoy making - maybe it's because it's super simple and fast... maybe it's because it involves bacon.  Not sure why, but I love cooking it and my whole family loves eating it!  This dish is seriously a weekly staple in my household!

Turkey Fried Rice

I call this "Busy Mom's" Turkey Fried Rice cuz it's literally so quick and easy to make!!  

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground turkey
6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch wide pieces (all natural, nitrate free is best) 
1/2 a medium onion, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice
vegetables of choice (I will use whatever I have in the fridge or a frozen stir fry mix)
frozen green peas
soya sauce

Preparation
- Heat wok on medium heat and add bacon pieces
- cook bacon for about 1-2 mins and then add diced onion
- cook bacon and onion until bacon is brown and crisp and onion is translucent; remove from pan and set aside
- remove excess bacon grease from the pan and then add the ground turkey and cook until turkey is no longer pink; add the bacon and onions back in
- add the vegetables, including peas and cook until vegetables are done
- add your cooked rice to the pan and stir until fully incorporated
- season with soya sauce and serve! 

ENJOY!! 

"Clean" Melt-in-your-mouth Chicken

This is another super simple (are you noticing a theme here with my recipes and being simple? haha) super DELICIOUS chicken recipe... It tastes like you are eating something that is just awful for you and high in fat and calories, but it's really not! 

"Clean" Melt-in-your-mouth Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 - 4 oz skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• pink himilayan salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit
2. Lay foil in a baking dish and spray with non-stick spray and place chicken in dish
3. Combine greek yogurt, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl
4. Coat each chicken breast in greek yogurt mixture
5. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until cooked through

Noodle-less Lasagna

Who doesn't love lasagna??  I know I do!!  It is definitely one of my favourite comfort foods, however it is so high in calories that it's definitely been forever removed off my menu (except for maybe the occasional treat night).

Well, I introduce to you - NOODLE-LESS LASAGNA!  That's right... it's all the deliciousness of lasagna with NO pasta!

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 medium Zucchini's, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 lb of lean ground turkey
• 1/2 a medium yellow onion
• 2 tsp diced garlic
• pink himalayan salt, black pepper and garlic powder to taste
• pasta sauce of choice
• 24 oz of cottage cheese
• shredded mozza cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degress Farenheit
2. In a skillet on medium-high heat add ground turkey, onion, garlic and seasonings and cook until turkey is browned and cooked through
   
3. add about 1/2 cup of pasta sauce and mix into the turkey mixture
   
4. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and lay the first layer of zucchini "noodles" just like you would lasagna noodles
   
5. add half of the turkey mixture on top of the "zoodles"
6. add half of the cottage cheese on top of the meat mixture
   
7. repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 ending with a third layer of zucchini noodles on top
8. spread about 1/4 cup of pasta sauce (just a thin layer) on top of the zucchini
   
9. sprinkle your cheese on and cover with tin foil
10. Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is a bit browned
11. Serve and enjoy! 

Couple things I will change for next time... 

It was quite watery from the zucchini... I googled how to help that and I read that if you "salt" the zucchini"noodles" for about an hour before hand it will pull the moisture out of the zucchini!  Basically just put the zoodles into a colander, sprinkle salt on top and toss it around until they are evenly covered... leave the colander over a bowl to collect the water that gets pulled out... after about an hour place the zoodles on paper tower to wipe away any moisture left... I will update this post once I try this :) 

Otherwise though, the taste was PHENOMENAL!  It was so very delicious!!!  The water wasn't that bad of a thing, just made it a bit more difficult to cut and scoop out regular pieces :)  I actually showed me making it in this vlog too :)

Lemon Chicken with Thyme

(from Eat Yourself Skinny)

This is one of my favourite go-to clean eating, simple chicken breast recipes!  It's super simple, not a lot of ingredients are needed and it's clean! 

(Makes 4 servings) 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 or 4 chicken breasts
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp of fresh Thyme
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper
3. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour mixture over top making sure to completely coat them
4. Bake for about 40 minutes (depending on size of chicken), until juices run clean.  Enjoy!  

Grilled Honey Cumin Chicken

Grilled Honey Cumin Chicken

Spice up your chicken with a touch of cumin.

Total Time: 25 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: 15 min.
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. raw honey
2 Tbsp. 100% orange juice
4 4-oz each raw chicken breast, boneless, skiness
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)

Preparation:
1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Combine honey and orange juice in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Set aside.
3. Brush each chicken breast lightly with oil. Sprinkle both sides evenly with cumin, salt (if desired), and pepper (if desired).
4. Place chicken on grill; cook, without turning, for 5 minutes. When chicken releases easily from the grill, turn and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
5. Reduce grill heat to low. Brush chicken evenly with honey mixture. Be careful, honey will burn if exposed to flames. Grill until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of each breast reads 160° F. Remove from grill. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

Note: The FDA suggests cooking chicken to a temperature of 165° F. Chicken will continue to cook after it is removed from heat, so we recommend that it be removed from the grill at 160° F to prevent drying out.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories: 184

Fat: 7 g

Saturated Fat: 1 g

Cholesterol: 67 mg

Sodium: 439 mg

Carbohydrate: 10 g

Fiber: 0 g

Sugar: 9 g

Protein: 23 g

Grilled Chicken Dijon

Grilled Chicken Dijon

Grill it or broil it, this lean chicken recipe is a fantastic, healthy dinner you can make in 15 minutes or less.

Total Time: 15 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 10 min.
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
2 (4-oz.) raw chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
6 fresh parsley sprigs (or thyme, marjoram, or rosemary), finely chopped 
1 dash sea salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:
1. Preheat grill or broiler.
2. Combine garlic, mustard, parsley, salt, pepper, and oil in a small bowl; mix well.
3. Brush chicken breasts evenly with garlic mixture.
4. Grill or broil chicken for 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Nutritional Information: (per serving)

Calories: 199

Fat: 10g

Saturated Fat: 2g

Cholesterol: 73g

Sodium: 397mg

Carbs: 2g

Fiber: 0g

Sugars: 0g

Protein: 24g