21 Day Fix Approved: Balsamic Beef Stew

I've hosted several 21 Day Fix groups in the last year as a Beachbody coach. They're always fun. They're always full of great women that keep me motivated. But this month's group has seriously blown me away. Not only are their results ASTOUNDING--

 "I just had my second baby three months ago--and I can't WAIT for bikini season! ...I'm blown away by how my body has changed from day one. I am so beyond excited and pumped about round two. At this point, I have 0 cravings for junk food and NO desire to have a cheat meal; my only craving now is to see more and more results!"

 "I got into a smaller pair of jeans today! Woohoo!!"

"I'm so glad I did this for myself. You have made this process SO easy to follow!"

 Y'all. My cup runneth over. These are real people. Mamas with kiddos. Mamas with full time jobs. Mamas making their health a priority. When I started this journey almost a year ago, it was to get myself back in shape after having our daughter. My "WHY" was selfish--not a bad reason, but totally just about me. Now, each and every day I make sure I get a workout in; I make sure I plan and prepare quick, healthy meals for my family; and I "treat" myself to a super foods milkshake to get in all the nutrients I need as a busy working mama...but it's not about me any more. It's about making it a priority so other's can see that it is possible. I want to help other people reach goals, get well, and be proud of themselves for the changes they've made. And, I want it to be realistic for the average, crazy-busy mamas like me. Small goal--next year I plan to help TWICE as many people as I had the opportunity to this year. What are you waiting for??

Sappy soapbox aside, this week my gals enjoyed a DELISH balsamic beef stew that simmered away low and slow in the crock pots. It took me just 10 minutes before the little one and I loaded up to head out for our day to get this goodness ready. And...it's a totally new twist on "21 Day Fix Approved"--when you break it down, a serving counts as one RED (the beef), one GREEN (the carrots, celery, and onion), and one YELLOW (the sweet potatoes). I made a point to pull out each item and load up my containers to see if I would still get as generous a helping as I wanted, lol. And dang, y'all. It made for a LARGE serving! Enjoy!

21 Day Fix APPROVED: Balsamic Beef Stew 
Ingredients: 
2 lbs stew beef or venison (organic/grass fed if you can!)
2 cups beef or vegetable stock (low sodium preferred)
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tspn basil
1 tspn rosemary
1 tspn thyme

 Preparation:*This part is so easy I'm almost embarrassed to type it...* 

Place meat in crockpot. Add liquids, then add all other ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Kale

My spaghetti squash obsession has escalated to full scale crazy. Italian style with meatballs? Duh. Tex-mex inspired that packs some heat and hides leftover pulled pork? Absolutely. Comforting gooey lasagna boats? Well, sure! So when a friend shared this recipe from Love and Lemons, I knew I A) had to try it ASAP but that B) hubby would scoff at sun-dried tomatoes and an absence of "meat." So to the "test kitchen" I ran :)

Result was divine. Heat from the sausage, sweetness from the squash, crunch from the pine nuts...it was alllll good by me.

I've cook spaghetti squash before using my crock pot while I'm at work, and it turns out just fine. I didn't mind the oven time with this recipe, though, as it gave me a chance to get the filling ready. I can't be the only one that knows a spaghetti squash is going to be my reason for a dinner time visit to the ER. I pop the squash in the microwave for about five minutes, and then it seems to be a little easier to cut in half.

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Kale

Ingredients:
1 M/L spaghetti squash
1-2 tbsp EVOO
1 lb turkey italian sausage (we used HOT! But regular or sweet would be fine), casings removed
3/4 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 packed cups kale, chopped and stems removed
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup pine nuts
Grated parmsean for topping.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place squash cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Although optional, I liked to add water to the bottom of the pan--just enough to cover the pan. Bake for 30-45 minutes; until flesh is tender enough to pierce and "noodles" form easily with the scrape of a fork.

While squash roasts, first toast pine nuts over medium heat in the skillet you intend to cook the turkey mixture in. Watch nuts carefully, as they tend to burn if left too long (or is that only in my kitchen??)
Remove pine nuts and set aside, and heat the EVOO in the pan. Add sausage to pan, crumbling while cooking. When sausage is cooked through, toss in chickpeas, red pepper flakes, and kale, stirring to combine. Add chicken stock and cook till wilted. Stir shredded squash in with mixture. Serve topped with pine nuts and sprinkled with parmesan!

Crispy Shrimp with Cannellini Beans (aka romantic and healthy aren't mutually exclusive!)

I've had the same valentine for 15 years. A little crazy for a 31 year old, right? We tried to recount how we celebrated each Valentine's Day this past weekend, but we could only dig up a few highlights. This year definitely took the title of best Valentine's Day ever....we took our girl to the zoo, enjoyed lunch out as a fam (complete with balloons for the little lady), took a glorious two hour nap, enjoyed the sunshine at the park, and mama and daddy got to enjoy a little romantic dinner in.

My valentines checking out the elephants!

Originally, I had planned to make a salmon dish that I do every so often; it's sort of "fancy" but nothing too out of the ordinary--but hubs voiced his opinion, and given he's been a trooper with me as I'm working through 21 Day Fix again, I thought I'd honor his request when he picked a recipe out of one of my cookbooks. Naturally though, I had to "Allie" it up a bit. While it wouldn't be an entirely perfect 21 day fix meal, I counted it as a yellow (beans and breading), red (shrimp), green (kale and tomatoes), and gray (EVOO). Some days you just have to give yourself a little flex room!

Crispy Shrimp with Cannellini Beans

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

5 tbsp EVOO

Salt and pepper

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small shallot, sliced thinly

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed

2-3 cups kale, chopped

1/4 cup chicken stock

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatoes with 1 tbsp EVOO and some salt and pepper on a foil lined baking sheet (makes clean up a breeze!). I like to make sure tomatoes are cut side up; I just prefer when they roast that way. Roast in oven for 10-15  minutes while you prepare everything else.

In a medium bowl, combine breads crumbs, rosemary, thyme, and 2 tbsp of EVOO. Toss shrimp in with bread crumb mixture to coat each shrimp. Spread shrimp on a foil-lined baking sheet. Remove tomatoes from oven and add shrimp, baking for 10-12 minutes until shrimp is cooked through and breadcrumbs are crispy.

While shrimp cooks, add remaining EVOO to a skillet and warm over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook for 2-3 minutes till softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in cannellini beans and kale, sauteing for a few minutes before adding chicken stock to help wilt the kale. Just before pulling the shrimp from the oven, I stirred in the roasted tomatoes. 

Serve shrimp over bean mixture....ideally with a delicious glass of wine, some candles, and a sweet valentine :)

21 Day Fix Approved: Ginger Lime Beef Stir Fry

Hello long lost friends of the interweb :) It's been a painfully long time since I posted anything. Forgive me?? I guess the ghost of self-doubt crept in my head and said "No one actually looks at these recipes"...but he was wrong!! It's been SO FUN to have some of you reach out to me via email or FB (fb.com/fitfoodiefam) and share with me how much you've enjoyed these recipes.

So here's a quick one for you that is JAM PACKED with flavor. You could totally sub in other veggies--it's kind of a "clean out the veggie drawer" sort of stir fry!

For you 21-Day-Fixers, I would count this meal as 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green, and one spoon :) You could double-down on some containers and enjoy a large portion too!

Ginger Lime Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients

Juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp white or rice wine vinegar
2 tsp raw honey
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided
1   tbsp sesame oil, divided
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, diced (remove ribs and seeds)
1 package green onions, diced and divided
2 tspn minced fresh ginger, divided (optional, but worth it! Dried ginger would work too!)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
16 oz beef, cut into 2 1/2-inch strips (I found an organic strip steak cheap, and used that. Pick a cut of meat you like!)
2 cups brown rice, prepared (follow box directions for 4 servings—want some for leftovers! Can add 1 tsp of ginger and lime zest to cooking liquid for extra flavor
2 tspn minced fresh ginger, divided (optional, but worth it! Dried ginger would work too!)
1 small zucchini, sliced in half moons
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 head bok choy, chopped

Preparation:

 In a large bowl, whisk 1/2 cup lime juice, vinegar, honey, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tbsp water. Stir in 2 cloves minced garlic, minced ginger,  jalapeno, ½ green onions and cilantro. Add beef, toss to coat and set aside to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on medium-high, heating 1 tbsp of oil (I used coconut). Add beef and  marinade and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, remaining green onion and zucchini and sauté for 5 more minutes. Add bok choy and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes.

Divide rice among serving plates and top with beef mixture. 

Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oatmeal

In mama land, sometimes your own lunch takes the back seat to your kiddo's lunch. And sometimes your coworkers will point and laugh at your lunch and ask if you accidentally brought your kid's lunch. That was me yesterday, lol. But I most certainly had intentionally packed this deliciousness!! I mean if breakfast for dinner is amazing, breakfast for lunch has to be equally as great, right??

In reality, breakfast for lunch usually means that we are super low on groceries--the fall has been so ridiculously busy. Regardless of how empty the pantry looks, I can almost always scrape together the ingredients for a quick overnight oats recipe. My standby contains the same first three ingredients, but doesn't have the same fall flavors.

The Most Perfect Fall Overnight Oats Ever
(aka Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup traditional oats
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tbsp plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp canned pumpkin
1 tspn raw honey (maple syrup would be a yummy sub, too!!)
1/4 tspn pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tspn cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped pecans or walnuts

Method:
Combine all ingredients except nuts in a container with a lid. Store in fridge overnight (but as few as 5 or 6 hours works fine too!). Stir in nuts, and enjoy!!

Healthy Chicken Enchilada Stack

I have been SO proud of the gals in my current 21 day fix group--almost all of us juggle full-time jobs, many have kiddos running around (and some even have sweet little bitty babies!), and ALL have committed to taking 21 days to make significant changes for themselves.

While I'm certainly no nutritionist, I do offer to put together a weekly meal plan and grocery list for my challengers--heck, I'm eating that way too, so really I'm just sharing what's happening at our house :) One of my gals sent me a hilarious text last week when I asked her what kind of meals she'd like to see next week--"Less insalata, more enchilada!"

While the 21 Day Fix is SO super forgiving and flexible, I had never, ever imagined putting together an ENCHILADA recipe for it! I accepted the challenge whole-heartedly though...I want my gals to be successful and to NOT feel like they are sucking the fun out of their food. I did a bunch of "research" this weekend reading recipes galore, and finally settled on combining a few different ideas.

Out of sheer laziness, this turned into a "stacked" enchilada, but could totally be rolled up to make it appear more traditional. I feel obliged to say this is a teensy, weensy bit of a cheat meal--the use of a small tablespoon of butter and flour to make the sauce thick is a tad outside of Autumn Calabrese's nutrition guide, but it feels SO much more decadent than it is.

Here's the "before"!

Healthy Chicken Enchilada Stack

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 small can diced green chiles
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tspn garlic powder
Salt and pepper, pinch each
6 corn tortillas, halved
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken (I made a batch of crock pot salsa chicken!)
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded cheese (I mixed cheddar and mont jack)

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and spray a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add flour to melted butter, and whisk for about 60 seconds (until color ahs changed slightly). Add half of the stock, and whisk till combined. Stir in remainder of stock, green chiles, and spices and cook for about 3 minutes till thickened. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt till combined.

Layer four of the tortilla pieces on the bottom of the pan. Pour 1/3 of the sauce over tortillas. Then create a layer of chicken (1/2 cup) and sprinkle with 1/3 of the black beans and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layers till you've created three layers.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

21 Day Fix-ers: It's a teensy stretch, but I divided the pan into four servings. I counted my serving as one yellow, one red, one green, and a blue. We enjoyed this alongside a side salad for another green container.

Hellooooo Fall! *Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash*

We've had a couple of "chilly" mornings (one even prompted me to put the babe in a cute little hoodie!) recently. Mind you, it's still 90 degrees by the time I get in the car after work, but I'll take what I can get. There's a whole heck of a lot I like about fall--football, the holidays (y'all get ready for C and Scoot's Halloween costumes this year!), daylight savings time (#momprobs)....but definitely the FOOD. Even though we aren't quite to sweater weather yet, it's hard to ignore the growing varieties of squash available at the store.

I stumbled across this recipe on The Kitchn, and made some teensy changes to fit our tastes. Hubby laughed when I handed him a plate with half a spaghetti squash on it...but then he devoured every last bite. I prepped the four squash pieces, but wrapped up two pieces to deliver to a dear friend. She waited a day, and baked them for just ten minutes longer than the instructions and they turned out just as delicious.

What's your favorite way to enjoy spaghetti squash??

Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash


Ingredients:
5 pounds spaghetti squash (2 medium-sized squash)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced 
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground Italian sausage (casings removed, if present)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tspn dried basil
1/2 tspn dried oregano
1/2 tspn dried thyme
2 cups ricotta, whole or 2%
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped 
7-8 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Chopped parsley or basil, to garnish

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the squashes in half and scoop out the seeds. Lay them cut-side down in a roasting pan or other baking dish, and add about an inch of water. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork. Transfer to a cooling rack until cool enough to handle.

While the squash is roasting, heat EVOO in a saute pan.  Stir in the onions and cook until translucent,  about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the ground beef and sausage and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until well-browned, breaking up the beef into small crumbles, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering the sauce until the squashes are ready, 5 to 20 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more salt if desired.

Use a fork to shred the inside of the squash, leaving about a half-inch of squash left in the shell. Mix the shredded squash into the tomato sauce. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 1/2 of the parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs.

Wipe out the roasting pan and arrange the squash shells inside, like bowls. Divide half of the ricotta mixture between the shells, using a spoon to spread the ricotta evenly over the bottom of the shells. Divide half the tomato sauce between the shells, spooning over top of the ricotta. Top with another layer of ricotta and tomato sauce. Sprinkle mozzerella and remaining parmesan over the top layer of sauce.

Bake the shells for 25 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Sprinkle parsley or basil over the tops and serve immediately. Leftovers are delish :)

(21 day fixers--this would count as a red, prob two greens, and a blue)