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Main Dish

Spaghetti Squash Pizza

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This recipe cooks ONE pizza! This is not a pizza that you will be able to pick up and eat like a regular pizza. Going to be something you eat straight from the dish. I love this because it is so many veggies and kicks my pizza cravings!

PIZZA CRUST INGREDIENTS

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  • 1 spaghetti squash

  • 1 egg

  • 1/4 cup almond flour

  • 2-3 tsp oregano

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • Salt

TOPPINGS: Wanted to share my 2 favorite ways to top my pizzas!

  • COMBINATION PIZZA: Chopped chicken, turkey pepperoni, crumbled turkey sausage (jimmy dean!), sauteed onions, sauteed green peppers, roma tomatoes, mushrooms, mozzarella, oregano with pizza sauce!

  • CHICKEN RANCH PIZZA: ranch dressing (I use simply60!), ranch seasoning, chicken, red onions, roma tomatoes, mozzarella and if you want it to be really good – add bacon! Love adding Flavor God’s ranch seasoning on it too!

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

  2. Cut spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds and microwave for 7-8 minutes or until you can easily scrape out the squash.

  3. In a bowl, combine squash, egg, almond flour, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt. Mix ingredients together.

  4. Take baking sheet spray with cooking spray. Pour spaghetti squash mixture into the pan and spread evenly as thin as you can get it, usually 1/2 inch!

  5. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes and then remove from the oven.

  6. Add toppings! This is where you can get creative with your pizza! Add sauce, protein, veggies and cheese, then pop back in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted!

  7. Enjoy! Tag me in your pizza creations on IG Stories (IG: mrsdukesfitspo!)

2B Mindset: Perfect for a veggies most dinner!

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Main Dish

Bruschetta Chicken Zoodles

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 chicken breasts, butterflied

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tbsp italian seasoning

  • 3 roma tomatoes, diced

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

  • 1/2 red onion, chopped

  • 8 basil leaves, sliced

  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

  • 2 zucchinis, spiralized

  • Balsamic glaze

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a bowl, add chicken, olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 15 minutes prior to cooking.

  2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine tomatoes, red onion, lemon juice, basil and parmesan cheese. Mix ingredients and set aside!

  3. Cook the chicken. You could do this on the stove or on the grill. I grilled mine on medium high for 3-4 minutes a side, or until fully cooked.

  4. Once chicken is done, in a skillet over medium heat, add the zucchini noodles and saute for 2-3 minutes. During this time, I chopped my chicken up to prepare to serve.

  5. Remove zoodles from the pan and add to a plate. This recipe serves 2! Top zoodles with çhicken, tomato mixture and drizzle over balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

2B MINDSET: Perfect option for dinner!

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Breakfast

Broccoli Cheddar Egg Muffins

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups of broccoli, steamed

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup egg whites

  • 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

  • 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Chop broccoli and in a mixing bowl, add combine all ingredients.

  3. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and pour the broccoli mixture into the pan. Mine made 5 muffins!

  4. Cook for 20 minutes and remove from oven.

  5. Enjoy!

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Main Dish

Mini Bell Pepper Nachos

INGREDIENTS

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  • 1 pound of ground turkey, 93/7

  • 1 tsp of minced garlic

  • 1/2 onion, minced

  • 2 tbsp of cilantro, chopped

  • 2 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp paprika

  • 2 tsp cumin

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce

  • 1/4 cup beef broth (or chicken)

  • 15 mini bell peppers, halved and seeded

  • 1 cup of mexican shredded cheese blend

  • 2 tbsp sour cream

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray and add onion. Cook for 2 minutes and then add ground turkey, garlic, cilantro, garlic powder, salt, cumin, paprika and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until turkey is cooked thoroughly.

  3. Add tomato sauce and broth. Mix and allow to simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from heat.

  4. Lay out mini pepper halves on baking sheet and fill with turkey mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and put in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes.

  5. Remove from oven. Mix sour cream with a little bit of water until you are able to drizzle it with a spoon. Then drizzle sour cream over mini pepper and enjoy!

2B MINDSET: Perfect for dinner! For lunch, add an FFC like black beans or corn to the turkey mixture!

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Recipes

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

INGREDIENTS

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  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil

  • 1/2 cup of Franks Red Hot Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons of almond flour

  • 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped

  • 2 teaspoons of garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon of Johnny’s Seasoning Salt

  • Optional: Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping!

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a medium sized bowl, combine cauliflower florets, olive oil and Franks Red Hot Sauce. Mix until cauliflower is coated.

  2. Sprinkle in almond flour, parsley, garlic powder and Johnny’s seasoning salt. Gently mix until cauliflower is coated.

  3. Add cauliflower to air fryer and cook on 350 for 8-10 minutes. Please note, cooking times for each air fryer may vary! So, I recommend checking on your cauliflower after 5 minutes and adjusting the cooking time if needed! If you find your food in the air fryer burns quickly, turn down the temp!

  4. Remove from air fryer once cauliflower begins to brown and serve with blue cheese dressing!

2B MINDSET: great veggies most side or snack!

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Main Dish

Swedish Meatball Zoodles

I am all about finding some of my favorite comfort food recipes and turning them into healthy recipes that are loaded with veggies! This recipe was a winner in our home! Hope you enjoy it!

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 pounds of lean ground turkey, I used 93/7

  • 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef, I used 93/7

  • 1 egg

  • 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, I used gluten free

  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon of paprika

  • 1 teaspoon of onion powder

  • 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

  • 1/2 onion, minced

  • 1 clove of garlic, minced

  • 1 celery stalk, minced

  • 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, minced

  • 2 cups of beef broth

  • 3 ounces of low fat cream cheese

  • 1 teaspoons of cornstarch

  • 2 zucchinis, spiralized (Fresh is best! I find frozen gets soggy!)

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder, paprika and onion powder. Mix together.

  2. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, minced onion and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Then add celery and parsley. Cook another 3-4 minutes. Then turn off heat and allow to cool for a couple minutes.

  3. Add onion mixture once cooled to the turkey mixture. Mix together and form into 16 meatballs.

  4. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add beef broth. Allow broth to come to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and carefully add meatballs. Cover and let it cook for 20 minutes.

  5. Remove meatballs with a slotted spoon and transfer to a dish. Add cream cheese to the remaining beef broth and stir 2-3 minutes until cream cheese is melted and mixed in.

  6. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and add to cream cheese mixture. Mix together and then add in meatballs. Allow sauce to thicken, 1-2 minutes.

  7. While sauce is thickening, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add zucchini noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened.

  8. To serve, add meatballs and sauce over a bed of zoodles!

2B MINDSET: Perfect option for dinner! For lunch, add an FFC!

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Recipes

Parmesan Almond Green Beans

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups of green beans

  • 1 tsp olive oil

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

  • 1 tbsp slivered almonds

  • Salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Trim the ends off the green beans.

  3. In a bowl, combine green beans, garlic and olive oil and 1/4 tsp of salt. Mix together.

  4. Lay out the green beans on a baking sheet in a single layer and cook for 12 minutes.

  5. Remove from oven and top with parmesan and almonds, then put back in the oven for another 9 minutes or until tender.

2B MINDSET: Perfect veggies most side!

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Main Dish

Mini Turkey Meatloafs

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While we were renovating our home, we stayed with my in laws. My mother in law cooked us dinner each night and one of the nights, she made these mini meatloafs. I had never had meatloaf before, so I was skeptical – BUT WOW! I loved them!

The original recipe contains oats, but for my meal plan, I try to just have lean protein and veggies for dinner. I have tried this recipe WITH oats and without, it is great both ways!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pounds of ground turkey (93/7)

  • 1 egg

  • 1 cup of oats (optional! Good with OR without! Please see 2B Mindset notes if you are following that meal plan!)

  • 1/2 cup of ketchup

  • 1/4 cup of brown sugar

  • 1 tsp of mustard

  • Garlic salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. In a bowl, combine turkey, egg and optional oats. Mix together.

  3. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and then add turkey mixture. I fill each muffin tin to the top and usually get 6 mini meatloafs! Sprinkle tops with garlic salt and then put in the oven for 23 minutes.

  4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add ketchup, brown sugar and mustard and mix together.

  5. Remove the mini meatloafs from the oven once they are done and spoon 1 tablespoon of sauce to the top and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

  6. Remove from oven and enjoy!

2B MINDSET: If you make the version WITH oats, this is a perfect protein + FFC for lunch. If you make them WITHOUT oats, they are a perfect protein for dinner or lunch!

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Recipes

Jicama Fries

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I have been searching for the perfect veggie fry and I have officially found it! I had never tried jicama before but I love it!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 jicama, sliced like thin fries

  • 2 tsp paprika

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 1 tsp sea salt or to taste

  • 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Toss jicama fries in olive oil and then add in paprika, garlic powder, onion power and sea salt. Mix until jicama fries are fully coated.

  3. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, flip and then cook for another 5 minutes. NOTE: Baking times may vary depending on the thickness of your fries. If your fries are crunchy in the middle, bake longer at a lower temperature!

Enjoy! I love serving these with a spicy mayo aioli!

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Main Dish

Chicken Zucchini Poppers

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Love this recipe! So simple and such a great way to sneak in veggies! They are perfect for a meal, but also a great appetizer to take with you to a party!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound ground chicken

  • 3 zucchinis, grated (ring out excess water!)

  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • 1 tsp cumin

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well! **NOTE: ring out the zucchini first! I put mine in a paper towel and squeezed out all of the excess water! This step is very important!

  3. Form chicken mixture into little meatballs, about a tablespoon or so each and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then flatted a little to make them into a patty.

  4. Bake chicken poppers for 12 minutes and then broil for 1-3 minutes until browned and cooked all the way through!

These are great as leftovers and pair awesome with some guacamole!

AIR FRYER: you can also make these in the air fryer! I cook mine at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, flipping halfway through and then turn it up to 400 for 3 minutes to crisp up! Every air fryer is a little different, so keep an eye on them as you may need to adjust cooking time.

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Health and Fitness

New Year REDO

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Anyone else needing a New Year REDO? I started the New Year off on a weird foot to be honest. I felt disorganized, no goals in place, etc. Watching everyone else crushing it early on made me feel so behind.

But WHY?

How can I be behind on my own journey? A journey that I started 7 years ago?

Then I realized, I can’t.

There is no such thing on being behind or being too late. My journey Is mine and mine alone. It started back in 2012 when I made the decision to go ALL in on my goals. I remember the day like it was yesterday to be honest.

September 28th, 2012.

I was attending a work event and the speaker made us write down a list of our top 10 accomplishments and disappointments for the year so far. It was at that very event that I realized just how much my health was holding me back in life. I was allowing my weight, my lack of self confidence and worth hold me back from living my best life.

That was the day I knew I was faced with the decision.

  1. Be ok with it

  2. Make a change

Whatever we are not changing, we are CHOOSING. Read that again.

Whatever we are not changing in our lives, we are essentially CHOOSING. That day, back in 2012, I made the decision to change. I made a choice to no longer remain the same. I decided I would rather workout and learn how to ditch the cheetos than live the way I had been living. It is ALL hard – being overweight, losing weight, etc. It is up to US to choose the HARD. I didn’t want to choose to continue to go down the path of gaining weight and I was ready to make a change.

I used the scroll the gram and see these super fit girls and think – man, must be nice to be them. But, once I started my journey to losing my 75 pounds, I realized that it isn’t easier for some people. We all get up each day and have the same 24 hours. Those people who it looks easy for? I realized they were just making different choices than I was – and I could make those SAME choices, if I was willing to.

So, here I am now 7 years later.

Everyday, the old me FIGHTS to have me back. I still crave junk. McDonald’s still smells amazing (yep, I said it). Those old habits creep back in from time to time. Heck, I am human. It never gets easier – oh man, this is going to be cheesy – but you get stronger. Told ya 😉 Willpower is like a muscle and the more we exercise it, the stronger it gets. When we stop using it, it can weaken. BUT, we can always make the choice to use it again.

I started the New Year off poorly. Doing my workouts, but not giving my ALL. Eating healthy, but allowing more treats than I should. Drinking water, but not nearly enough. Feeling super tired and convincing myself that I needed more coffee instead of more water.

We don’t need another January to recommit.

We don’t need a Monday to make a change.

Every meal is a new opportunity to start again.

That is the thing about this journey. It is a rollercoaster. So many ups and downs. The ups are crazy exciting where we feel on top of the world, like nothing can stop us. Then we find ourself heading downhill and hitting a low. THIS is what separates those who have success and those who quit. When you hit a LOW, have FAITH that the high is coming again. When you are down, the only way you can go is up!

We get two choices.

We can keep fighting hard or we can get off the ride. If you exit the rollercoaster, you won’t be able to reach that next high, where you feel on top of the world.

The first few weeks of January were my version of the low on the rollercoaster. Where I felt like I was going through the rollercoaster. Rather than getting off the ride, I fought hard to figure out what was in my control to change:

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  1. I started my program over. Yep. I want to go through all 6 weeks of my fitness program giving it 100%. So, starting over is what I did.

  2. I started logging my food again and taking pictures of it ALL, even if it isn’t ‘pretty’. I feel BEST when I am following some sort of meal plan. Food addiction is a real thing and I know myself. I thrive on structure and a plan.

  3. I wrote out my meal plan, grocery shopped and meal prepped. Let’s face it, with three kids, if I don’t prep ahead of time, I end up winging it and snacking all day. Not a good thing for me. So, I made a plan and set aside time to get things prepared to make it easier during the week!

  4. I started drinking more water! Made myself a rule that there was no extra caffeine if I was behind on my water goals for the day. I also make sure I drink 16 ounces of water before I eat anything! Dehydration can make me feel munchy, when really, I am just thirsty!

  5. I told people my plan! I know telling others my struggles, like I am now, helps me stay on track. When people KNOW my plan, I feel more accountable!

  6. Lastly, I made a commitment to get out of my own dang way. Exercise and eating healthy is just like brushing my teeth. Part of taking care of myself. I am not always going to want to, but I know I need to. So, just doing the dang thing and trusting the process.

Three full days into my recommitment and I am down three pounds and feeling like I am heading back up again.

If you are in the same boat. Make the decision to recommit TODAY. Go all in. Figure out what you can do to get started again. You are human, it is ok to struggle, but it is not ok to stay stuck. Make the choice to get unstuck!

You got this girl!

If you need help getting started, my next Bootcamp starts next week. I am in the trenches, right along side of you, and if I have learned anything, it is how important support and accountability are. Let’s do this TOGETHER. CLICK HERE TO REQUEST MORE INFO

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Dressings

Big Mac Salad

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I am a firm believer that you can have your cake and eat it too – with some slight tweaking 😉 I started my journey at 215 pounds and the main reason I gained all the weight? I LOVE FOOD! One of the key ways I have been able to lose weight and keep it off is by finding foods I love! I don’t believe that you have to eat boring and bland foods to lose weight!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb lean ground beef (I used 96/4)

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil

  • 2 cups of sweet potatoes, chopped

  • ½ onion, diced

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard

  • 1 tbsp tomato paste

  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, but adds great flavor!)

  • 1 ½ tsp onion powder

  • 1 ½ tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • Lettuce (I used a mix of romaine, cabbage and iceberg)

  • 1 tomato, chopped

  • Bread and butter pickles, chopped

  • Animal Style Sauce:

    • 1/2 cup mayo (I used vegan mayo to make it egg free!)

    • 1/3 cup ketchup (I used no sugar added ketchup and added 1 packet of stevia!)

    • 2 tbsp bread and butter pickles, finely chopped

    • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

    • ½ tsp salt

    • Optional: add water to make it less thick! Helps make the sauce go further without having to use a ton!

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat.

  2. Add avocado oil and then add in the onions and garlic. Saute 2-3 minutes and then add in the ground beef, mustard, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Break ground beef apart and cook until the ground beef is no longer pink.

  3. Meanwhile, mix together chopped sweet potatoes with 1 tsp of avocado oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook in your airfryer at 400 degrees F for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through. If you don’t have an airfyer, you can cook in your oven as well. Remove from airfryer and set aside.

  4. In a separate bowl, mix together all of the animal style sauce ingredients and set aside.

  5. To assemble: add lettuce to your plate and top with ground beef mixture, sweet potatoes, diced tomatoes, chopped pickles and add animal style sauce.

2B MINDSET: Lunch Option!

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