Keto Crockpot Chili

Ingredients
4 slices of Bacon, cut into small pieces
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 peppers, diced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 small can tomato paste
Chili seasoning to taste
Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder to taste

Directions
1) Place onions and peppers in bottom of crockpot
2) Cook ground beef until browned, season with salt & pepper, drain and add to crockpot
3) Cook bacon in pan, drain and add to crockpot
4) Drain tomatoes and add to crockpot
5) Add tomato paste to crockpot
6) Season generously with chili seasoning and whatever other seasonings you like.
7) Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

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!

Kid-Approved Salad Even the Salad-Hater will Love!

Am I the only one who HATES salads?  I mean seriously.... Take a little bit of spring mix blob some dressing on there and eat it?  Like a rabbit?  no thank you.

Okay, so I made this concoction up a couple weeks ago and I'm telling you guys - I seriously could eat this every single day - even my 6 year old LOVED it! .... Yes, it contains spinach.  Yes she still ate every last bit.

Ingredients

- 3 cups Spinach (or any of your favourite greens - NO iceberg lettuce.. it has no nutritional value.)

- 1/2 medium pepper, diced

- 1/2 medium carrot, shredded

- 1/2 medium cucumber, diced

- 1/2 cup chopped jicima

- 1/2 medium tomato, chopped

- 2/3 cup quinoa, cooked

- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted

- braggs liquid soy seasoning, to taste

Dressing (Makes 10 servings, about 2 tbsp each)

- 1/2 cup olive oil

- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

- 3 tbsp lemon juice

- 3 cloves garlic, crushed

- no-salt added seasoning to taste

- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

- 1 tbsp honey

1)  Toast the raw pumpkin seeds on medium heat until they start "popping", continue to toast for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently until they are well toasted.

2)  Mix all the veggies together in a large salad bowl

3)  Add the pumpkin seeds and cooked quinoa on top of the veggies

4)  Add a bit of the liquid soy seasoning (about 2 tsp) - to taste.

5)  Mix all the of the dressing ingredients in  a container with a lid and add about 2 tbsp to the salad, cover the container and put in the fridge to use tomorrow :)

6)  Mix everything together well and ENJOY! 

Rainbow Veggie Skewers

Rainbow Veggie Skewers

 

Author: Beachbody

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 4 servings, 2 skewers each

Ingredients

• 2 cooked medium beets, cut into 8 ½ to 1-inch slices
• ½ medium red onion, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 8 slices
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut 16 pieces
• 1 medium summer squash, cut into 8 slices
• 1 medium orange bell pepper, cut 16 pieces
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 16 pieces
• 8 cherry (or grape) tomatoes
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. Italian herbs (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat grill or broiler on high.
2. Place a piece of beet, a piece of onion, two pieces of green bell pepper, a piece of zucchini, two pieces of yellow bell pepper, a piece of squash, two pieces of orange bell pepper, two pieces of red bell pepper, and a tomato onto a skewer. Repeat with seven remaining skewers.
3. Brush skewers evenly with oil. Sprinkle with herbs if desired.
4. Grill skewers for 6 to 8 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until vegetables are tender-crisp.

Clean Eating Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

So, I am one of those crazy people that actually LOVE the fall and winter and the cooler temperatures and SNOW!  One of the things that I LOVE about this time of year is all the awesome comfort food that I can enjoy without sweating bullets (seriously, you just can't eat a nice warm bowl of chili in the middle of the summer... even up here in Canada!) 

So, temperatures dropped last week and I was ECSTATIC to whip out the slow cooker and throw together one of my FAVE comfort dishes - Turkey Chili!!  

Now this just ends up with whatever I throw together (I usually use this opportunity to use up veggies in my fridge that may be turning, this is REALLY good with zucchini btw) - but it's generally similar to this :) 

Clean Eating Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

What you need (Makes 4 servings):

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 can black beans (or you can use a bean medley with black beans, chick peas and kidney beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• Any other vegetables that you want to add (peppers and zucchini work surprisingly well in this!)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Any other spices that you like in chili
• shredded cheese

What you do:

1. In a skillet over medium high heat, start to cook the turkey
2. when the turkey is almost browned, add in the diced onion and cook till the turkey is completely brown and onion is translucent
3. Add turkey and onion to slow cooker
4. Then add the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, other veggies and spices and mix it all up
5. Put on the lid and cook on low for 6 hours
6. Serve with cheese on top (1 blue container each if using 21 Day Fix)

You could also top off with plain greek yogurt or guacamole - whichever you like best!  

Each serving counts as 1.5 green (depending how many vegetables you add it might be more or less), 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 blue.  If you are calorie counting it is 258 calories including the cheese on top.

One Pan Turkey Taco Brown Rice Skillet

Wanna know one of my BIGGEST pet peeves??  

Dirty dishes and a kitchen that is a lot of work to clean up after eating a delicious meal.

So, I always appreciate those recipes out there that have you dirtying as FEW dishes as possible!  

One pan?  DONE! 

I came across this delicious One Pot Spicy Taco Rice Skillet recipe and decided it sounded way too good to NOT try!  So I made a few more health conscious adjustments and here's what I came up with! 

One Pan Turkey Taco Brown Rice Skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of salsa
• 1 cup of brown rice
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup of water (if using "Minute Rice" omit the water) 
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 cup light shredded tex mex cheese

Directions:

1. In a large pan, brown turkey.
2. When turkey is lightly browned, add diced onions and peppers.
3. Cook until turkey is fully cooked and the onions and peppers are soft.
4. Add can of tomatoes - no need to drain.
5. Add salsa, rice, water and stock.
6. Stir well to combine.
7. Add in spices and mix, cover.
8. Let simmer on low until rice is soft and liquid has cooked off.
9. Top with cheese, stir in until it melts.
10. Serve!