Clean Eating Sriracha Chicken Tacos with Asian Slaw

Don't call it a comeback...but dang is this recipe worth coming back to y'all! And with a new domain! Man, oh man. Feelin' all sorts of fancy now ;)

This recipe was originally shared with me by a good friend. A few little tweaks to make it "my own" and WOW is really the only accurate description. This was such a fun recipe to add to the meal plan for my clean eating challengers this week--the group really stepped it up a notch by committing to eat clean for five days...AND workout utilizing Beachbody OnDemand. It was so fun to mix up the workout schedule a bit and try a different program by a different trainer every day. It's so nuts that seriously THOUSANDS of dollars worth of programming is available on Beachbody OnDemand for the teensy fee of about $12.99 a month. Oh...and the nutrition guides are uploaded too! Good grief!
If you'd like to be a part of my next challenge, be sure to follow my Fit Foodie Fam facebook page to hear when we're gearing up for the next challenge!

This is the face of a girl super stoked about
leftovers for lunch....at 8pm the night before.

Sriracha Chicken Tacos with Asian Slaw
(serves 4-5)

Ingredients:

For the chicken

2 cups chicken breast, cooked, shredded (I love to cook shredded chicken in the crockpot!)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, diced

3 garlic cloves, diced

2 tbsp Sriracha

3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon paprika

For the slaw: 

1/2 cup carrots, shredded

1 bag "fiesta" coleslaw (I found it at HEB; it has cabbage, carrots, and some broccoli, too! You could sub any bagged coleslaw mix.)

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 poblano, thinly sliced

3 tbsn low-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsn honey

1 tbsn sesame oil

1 tbsn rice wine vinegar

1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1/2 tspn black pepper

For serving: 
Whole wheat tortillas

Sriracha

Preparation: 
To make the slaw: In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce through black pepper. Toss in all remaining ingredients till combined. Let marinate for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours in the fridge.

To make the chicken: In a small bowl, whisk together sriracha through paprika. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds (until fragrant). Stir in chicken and cook for 1 minute. Add sriracha mixture, and cook till warmed through. If it seems a little dry, add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen the mixture.

To assemble the tacos: Fill tortilla with chicken and slaw. Top with sriracha, if desired. Enjoy!

21 Day Fix Approved Pizza ... or "Pit-za"

Not sure I can count this as a recipe or if anyone will ever be able to recreate the delisciousness. Some times the best dinners are born out of an unexpected change of plans and a picky toddler ;)

Our girl has ALWAYS been a hearty eater. We’ve only had a few items be met with objections, and her favorites for a long time cracked me up—a kid who squeals at the sight of broccoli? You’re kidding, right? Somewhere in the beginnings of the (premature) “terrible twos” though, she’s developed a few new teeth and some seriously strong opinions. Two weekends ago, for example, homegirl subsided on nothing but Trader Joe’s cereal bars and mandarin oranges. This past weekend, if you wanted to serve her a banana, don’t you dare give it to her sliced, or it will be fed to the dog. But offer it whole? Devoured. Oye.

Kiddo approved cous-cous with
Italian seasoned ground beef, carrots, and spinach

I made our favorite, go-to chicken dinner Friday night, and discovered our girl LOVED it the next day when I cautiously attempted to serve it to her for lunch. Same thing happened the following day, so when I got home Monday evening I was intent on quickly throwing together a couscous dish that would sneak some protein and veggies in unbeknownst to the Boss Lady. So below is the “recipe” (if you can even call it that!) for C’s dinner…which then morphed into the most delicious thing I’ve made since I started 21 Day Fix again last month.

The last two rounds of 21 Day Fix have been WONDERFUL. The support of REAL women with REALLY busy lives. Delicious meals focused on portion control instead of calorie counting (ain’t NOBODY got time for that). An easy, go to super food shake to help meal prep be easy breezy and to really curb cravings throughout the day. And…fantastic FAST workouts—seriously finished in 30 minutes—that eliminate the jiggley bits and make you feel STRONG.

We’ve had so much fun and the results have been SO amazing that I’m gearing up to start a new group with new challengers on 3/16—leave a comment below with your email, reach out to me on facebook, or send me an email at fitfoodiefamATgmailDOTcom. You get accountability, support, and I share my meal plan and grocery list with you for all 21 days!

You could totally commit to a program that lets you eat this, right????

Saved a "yellow" container for some vino!!

OK—y’all forgive me on this recipe. It was the most off-the-cuff thing I’ve done in a while, but it worked so beautifully. I’m attempting to recreate the steps in my head (but you have to remember my brain works at about 97.56 MPH 24/7!). 21 Day Fixers: I counted one “pit-za” as one yellow, one red, one green, and a generous blue container. I wouldn’t have this every night while “fixing”, but it’s a great treat meal!

21 Day Fix Approved “Pit-za”

(Yields: 2 servings)

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp EVOO, divided

1 lb lean, organic ground beef

¼ cup shredded carrots

1 can petite diced tomatoes (divided)

1 ½  tspn garlic powder (divided)

1 tspn Italian seasoning

1 tspn oregano (divided)

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup tomato sauce (add more if needed)

2 whole wheat pitas

Assorted veggies for topping (I used red and green bell peppers and sliced mushrooms)

½ cup mozzarella cheese

¼ cup feta cheese (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat on the stove, and add 2 tbsp of EVOO to pan to heat. Add ground beef and cook till brown and crumbly. Drain excess oil. Add carrots, 1 tspn garlic powder, 1 tspn Italian seasoning, ½ tspn of oregano, and half of the can of diced tomatoes to pan and stir to combine. ***At this point, I removed half of the beef mixture and stirred into a package of prepared whole wheat couscous with some finely chopped frozen spinach. This was the “toddler” version of dinner because for some unknown reason, my kid doesn’t like pizza. Go figure.***

Brush the remaining tbsp of EVOO on the pita bread and pop in the oven on a baking sheet or pizza pan to begin toasting up a bit. Keep an eye on them, so they don’t burn. I recommend 5-7 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, using my magic bullet, I puréed the remaining diced tomatoes with the remaining spices (1/2 tspn of oregano, ½ tspn of garlic powder, and pinch of red pepper flakes)—this was mostly because I didn’t want “chunky” tomatoes on my pizza. You could skip this step—but at your own risk ;)

Pull pitas out of the oven. Top each with a “red” container (for my 21 day fixers!) of the meat mixture. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on both pitas. Top with desired veggies, then sprinkle with feta cheese if using. Pop “pit-zas” back in the oven for a few minutes to allow veggies to cook and cheeses to get melty (probably 5-10 minutes)

Crock-Pot Tex-Mex Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup

You know those work days where the LAST thing you want to do is prepare a meal for your family? This is my go-to when I glance at my calendar and know that by the time the little one and I get home we will both be beat. I adore that A) this tastes delish topped with avocado B) that I usually have most of the ingredients around and C) that it makes enough that I don't have to cook dinner the next day either ;)

The recipe that inspired this can be found here, but I made a few modifications to match our family's taste preferences.

Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Tex-Mex Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:
~1 lb chicken breasts (I throw these in FROZEN!)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
5-6 cups chicken stock
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tbsp chile powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tspn chipotle chile powder
1 tspn garlic powder
1/2 tspn onion powder
1/4 (+ 1 tbsp) cup cilantro, chopped
Avocado, diced (for topping)

Preparation:
Add all ingredients through onion powder to crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-7 hours. After cooking, remove chicken breasts and dice or shred; return to pot. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. Serve generously sprinkled with cilantro and topped with avocado. Yum!!

Thin Mint Shakeology

Y'all, it takes a lot to shake this mama out of a routine--you know I love meal planning, but some meals aren't worth the extra time to think about to me. Breakfast and snacks fall into that category. And since I first gave 21 Day Fix a shot nearly a year ago (I lost 8 lbs--the last of the baby weight--with that first round!!), I have typically stuck with a five "meal" a day pattern. Thank goodness for Shakeology--taking the thinking completely out of one of those meals!!

Avoiding treats in the teacher's lounge...like a boss.

Well, when you are 21 Day Fix-ing when Girl Scout cookies get delivered, you seriously find yourself asking "What container do Thin Mints go in?" and that's when your daily, super-food delisciousness saves the day yet again :)

Thin Mint Shakeology
Ingredients:
1 scoop chocolate Shakeology
1-1 & 1/2 cups almond milk or water
1/4 tspn peppermint extract
1/2 banana
Ice to taste

Preparation:
Blend...and enjoy knowing you're still on track to be bikini ready for Spring Break ;)

Spaghetti *Squash* and Meatballs

Lately, our girl has been in an eating funk. I'm telling myself it's just a stage, but her "favorites" (read: MAC AND CHEESE) are getting shot down the same gusto as, I dunno, green beans? I'm fairly certain Saturday she subsided on nothing but Trader Joe's cereal bars, applesauce packets, manadarin oranges, and bananas (although, her new fave game is "You better give me that whole banana and not banana slices. Slices get fed to the dog."). Oye, If this is a preview of thirteen, we're going to need a major intervention.

Anywho, being a mom with a few tricks up my sleeve, I decided to whip up one of her faves--and mine too! This was the first meal that she actually had the EXACT same thing as the hubs and I for dinner. Huge victory over here for the Fit Foodie Fam! I could see the light at the end of the "I-cook-two-dinners" tunnel!

I adore the flavor the meatballs take on while cooking all day in a bath of yummy spaghetti sauce. But I equally adore that the whole meal comes together in the crock pot...even the spaghetti squash! But I MOST adore that this is definitely 21 Day Fix approved! I count the meal as one red (meatballs), 1-2 green (this may be a little off, but squash, sauce, and then bell pepper/onion in the meatballs. I filled my green container with shredded squash first, then loaded on a red container with the meat sauce combo), and a blue for parmesan cheese ;)

Enjoy!!

Everyone gets nestled in there real tight!

Spaghetti *Squash* and Meatballs

Final result is kiddo AND mama approved!

Ingredients:

1 M/L spaghetti squash, halved with seeds removed  (TIP!! Pop your squash in the microwave for five minutes before you try and cut it in half. Much less likely to make a trip to the ER that way!)
1 lb ground turkey or beef (your choice! Nitrate free/Grass fed/Organic)

½ yellow onion, finely diced

½ bell pepper, finely diced

2/3 cup oat flour (just put rolled or steel cut oats in the blender and grind into flour!)

1 egg

1 tspn garlic powder

1 tspn basil, dried

1 tspn oregano, dried

1 tspn rosemary, dried

½ tspn thyme, dried

1 tsp salt

1 jar tomato spaghetti sauce (sugar free! I found a brand called “Mom’s” that was DELISH!)

Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Preparation:

Spray crock pot with cooking spray, or use a crock pot liner (aka my BFFs). Mix all ingredients from meat thru salt together (you will want to use your hands for this) and form into golf-ball-sized balls.  Drop balls in bottom of crock pot. Cover meatballs with spaghetti sauce. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on top of meatballs (in my crock pot, one piece lay flat, the other was layered a bit; I've also had to cut the squash into quarters to make it fit). Cook on low for 6.5 hours (my crock pot stayed on the “warm” setting for an additional 4 hours and turned out just fine--although the meatballs lost their shape a bit)

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!