Thursday, January 12, 2017

21 day fix baked chicken tacos

Taco Tuesday!
Baked Chicken Tacos! Super simple and delicious and easy to modify for picky eaters! Plus a great way to use up left over chicken!
Ingredients:
-3 Chicken Breasts (diced or shredded)
-1 tbsp of olive oil
-1 can of diced tomatoes or 1/2 jar of salsa, make sure it's low sodium
-1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1/2 tsp of onion powder and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of cumin
-1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 Box of Taco Shells (10)
– Mexican Shredded Cheese
-lettuce or spinach for topping, plain greek yogurt, sliced avocado, chopped green onions, chopped fresh tomatoes for toppings
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat saute pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon EVOO. Saute diced/sliced boneless skinless chicken breast until cooked thoroughly. (Or here is where the leftover chicken comes in, if you have left over chicken, shred and put in sauce pan over low heat just to warm, then resume directions here) Add salsa or diced tomatoes. Add seasonings and black beans. Stir together and simmer over low heat for 3-5 minutes. Spray a glass cooking dish with non stick spray. Place corn tortillas in dish. Fill with chicken mixture. If you are following the 21 day fix or portion fix meal plan, use your green container to measure out the chicken mixture. Add 1 green of this (if you can fit it... I could only fit about 1/2' in mine before it cracked ) then top with 1 (1/2 blue if you wanna add some avocado too later!) blue! Bake 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Add chopped green onions, lettuce, avocado (optional), fresh tomatoes, and plain greek yogurt (or sour cream). DONE! ENJOY!!!
They are so good you will want seconds! And you can because they are guiltless!

Top 10 ways to eat more veggies! For non veggie lovers!

Did you know, the more you eat veggies, the more you crave them? WEIRD right?
I like veggies, don't love them. I enjoy salads, and raw veggies for snacks, and veggies for my side. But I am not going to become a vegan any time soon. Or ever. I like every other food group just a little bit more.
BUT that said, I crave them more than I ever used to, because I eat them more!
Here are some great ways I have found to incorporate more veggies into your diet if you simply aren't a veggie-aholic! We are supposed to get between 2-3 cups of veggies per day, the exact amount depends on your age and gender. SO you better get started!
*start early! The more veggies you get in early, the better your day will most likely go! Put a cup of spinach in some eggs. Add peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes too! You could easily get 1-1/2 cups in your breakfast alone! If you eat a donut for breakfast and pizza for lunch, chances are you aren't gonna eat 3 cups of veggies for dinner! SO starting off strong is KEY!
*Chop raw veggies once a week and put in sandwich bags to grab on the go! Cucumbers, carrots, cabbage leaves, sweet peppers, celery, are all go to veggies for me!
*drink your veggies! Add a cup of spinach, kale or zucchini to your smoothie! You won't even taste it! I also like fresh juice. I like to juice beets, ginger, carrots. I also love pineapple, cucumber, celery and lime! Just be careful not to do too much fruit!
*roast your veggies with a dash of EVOO. They turn so much sweeter when you roast them as opposed to steaming! Brussel sprouts, asparagus and broccoli are my faves! Grilling also seems to bring out the sweetness too!
*Get a zoodle maker! Spiralize some zucchini to saute and sub that in instead of pasta! Make shrimp scampi but nix the pasta and add in zoodles!
*spaghetti squash! YUM! half it lengthwise and bake, then add in some ricotta and meat sauce and some cheese and bake again as an alternative to lasagna!
*butternut squash! YUM, great by itself or you can sneak into just about anything and it's DELISH! I bake mine in the crock pot, and add to soups, sauces or eat plain!
*cauliflower is so versatile! You can make fake tater tots, and pizza crust and cheesy bread! But honestly, I love it steamed, then put in the blender. Add some Greek yogurt, garlic, salt and pepper and blend and it tastes amazing! Way better than mashed potatoes!
*use dip! stay away from cheesy and ranchy stuff. Use hummus, Greek yogurt based dips, mashed avocado with lime/salt and pepper, or all natural peanut butter or almond butter!
*consider a supplement like shakeology. Not only does it make you crave veggies, it's the equivalent of eating 5 bowls of veggies! Of course it's best to eat your foods, but since this drink IS whole foods, your body recognizes it as food and digests it and takes it in like food! So it's definitely a WIN win.
EAT MORE VEGGIES. It's all the rage.

Clean Eating Cookies

Recipe for my clean eating COOKIES!!! You will THANK ME LATER!
If you like a super crunchy thin cookie, this isn't for you! But if you like a doughy, almost under-done, soft cookie... This is right up your alley! They are vegan and gluten free, but don't let the ingredients fool you... They are DELISH!
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 can (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained (make sure it's no Salt added!)
1/2 cup all natural almond butter or peanut butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar (you can also use honey if you’re not vegan)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips plus 2 tbsp
sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8×8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a food processor, add all the ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, I like to use dark chocolate because it has less sugar but it’s up to you. Note: Batter will be thick and super delicious, so you could actually just eat it on it’s own!
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tbsp of chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are brown. The batter may look under cooked but you don’t want them to dry out.
Cool pan for 20 minutes on wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt and cut into squares!!!
(I actually didn't use the 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips for the inside, I misread my recipe when I made them and ONLY put the 2 tablespoons on top and they were delicious! So if you are really trying to be super healthy, just forgo the chocolate folded in! Trust me, still amazing!)