Recipes

Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice

I am sure you have heard all about the cauliflower craze going on lately. I have been a little hesitant to jump on board. Unless it tastes like the real thing I am trying to imitate, I just have a hard time with it! A girlfriend told me about this fried rice at Trader Joe’s and I decided to give it a try and I am SO glad I did! Such an easy way to sneak in some veggies without eating a salad! This dinner takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for busy weeknights!

This recipe makes enough for one person. Just multiply the ingredients if you are making for your family!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of riced cauliflower (I use the package from Trader Joe’s that includes peas and corn, but you could get away with just riced cauliflower)
1 tsp of peanut oil or sesame oil (I used peanut oil)
1/2 cup of shredded chicken
1 egg, scrambled and cooked
1 tsp of liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp of coconut aminos (I got mine from Trader Joe’s)
1/3 cup of brown rice, cooked (I use Trader Joe’s 3 minute frozen brown rice)
Sea salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a pan over medium high heat, add tsp of oil and your cauliflower rice. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Add in chicken, scrambled egg, liquid aminos, coconut aminos and brown rice. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat and enjoy!

NOTE: Feel free to play around with the amount of liquid aminos and coconut aminos to find what you like best! Feel free to also throw in extra veggies like carrots, broccoli or onions to sneak in extra veggies!

If you are following portion fix, this entire recipe counts as: 1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 tsp.

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Recipes

Baked Pizza Tomatoes

I started 80 Day Obsession this week and have been in the kitchen coming up with new recipes to go with my meal plan! One of my meals combines healthy fats with veggies, so I whipped up what I am calling Baked Pizza Tomatoes and they were so good!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of chopped roma tomatoes
1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella
1/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a small oven save baking dish, lay out the tomatoes and top with cheese and Italian seasoning.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to turn golden brown.

If you are following 80 Day Obsession, this entire recipe counts as 1 green and 1 blue.

Enjoy!

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Breakfast

Sweet Butternut Squash Waffles

I was looking for a preworkout meal to have early in the morning with 80 Day Obsession and came up with this recipe! Pretty tasty!

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup shredded butternut squash
1/4 cup grated sweet onion
1/2 cup shredded sweet potato
1 egg
Sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your waffle maker.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and pour into waffle maker.
Cook for 5-6 minutes per side on medium high. You may need to adjust cooking times depending on your waffle maker.

*TIP: depending on your waffle maker, you may need to spray it with cooking spray. Do not flip or open too early, it will split your waffle in half.

If you are following 80 Day Obsession, this entire recipe counts as: 1 green, 1 yellow and 1/2 red. This would be perfect to pair with one hard boiled egg or a 1/2 a red of green yogurt.

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Main Dish

GF Crockpot General Tso’s Chicken

Recipe was modified from: Life Made Sweeter

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces
1/4 cup and 3 tbsp cornstarch
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce or liquid aminos (I used gluten free soy sauce)
1/3 cup and 3 tbsp water
4 tbsp honey
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp of fresh ginger
2 tsp of red chili flakes (optional)
2 teaspoons red chili garlic paste

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl ziplock back, combine chicken, 1/4 cup corn starch, salt and black pepper until well-coated. Set aside.
To make the sauce, combine soy sauce, 1/3 cup water, hoisin, honey, sesame oil, vinegar, ketchup, garlic, ginger, red chili flakes, and red chili garlic paste in a bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Transfer chicken into the slow cooker. Pour sauce over top.
Cover and cook on low for 2.5-4 hours or high for 1.5-3 hours.
About 30 minutes before serving, whisk together the 3 tablespoons of corn starch and 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and stir into the crockpot. Cover and cook on HIGH for another 10 minutes for the sauce to thicken up.
Serve with a side of brown rice and top with chopped green onions, sesame seeds and red chili flakes!

This recipe hit the spot for us and I thought it was even better as left overs!

PORTION FIX: 3/4 cup counts as 1 red, 1 orange and .5 yellow.

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Breakfast

Vanilla Apple Protein Muffins

I am following Body Beast right now and I am in the final Lean Phase which means – LOTS OF PROTEIN! A girl can only eat so much chicken, so I decided to come up with a fun way to get in some protein and fruit!

INGREDIENTS

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (I use Beachbody’s Vanilla Recharge)
1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
1 egg
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Put all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
Lightly spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and fill with the muffin mixture. Mine made 10 mini muffins.
Cook mini muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

This recipe is counted as 1.5 red and .5 purple if you are following the portion fix meal plan.

These were a huge hit in our house and my little boy absolutely LOVED them! Guilt free treat!

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Recipes

Air Fryer Chicken Strips

I am obsessed with Chicken Strips and I won’t even lie, a huge guilty pleasure of mine is frozen chicken nuggets. No shame here. I am allergic to gluten and I like to eat healthy, so those two combined make it tough to enjoy chicken strips. A while back, I came up with a Parmesan Ranch Chicken Strip recipe that I loved and was a huge hit in our house. I decided it was time to make over the recipe, but this time, use my air fryer! Was it possible to make a crispy chicken strip without frying them in oil? I was on a mission to find out!

These were a huge hit in our house and when my Dad tried them, he actually thought I had cooked frozen pre-made chicken strips in my air fryer and had no clue they were homemade. These hit the spot and feel like a cheat!

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup flour of choice (I used gf all purpose flour)
2 eggs
1 tbsp ranch seasoning + 1 tsp
1/2 cup of gluten free Italian breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Cooking Spray

D IRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 teaspoon of ranch seasoning, then set aside.
In another small bowl, scramble two eggs and then slowly stir in 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning, then set aside.
In another small bowl, add breadcrumbs and set aside.
Take chicken strips and cover each one in the flour mixture, then into the egg mixture and then cover in the breadcrumbs. Be sure to shake of excess at each step. Season with salt and pepper.
Lightly spray with cooking spray (this step can be skipped if you don’t want to use cooking spray).
Place chicken in your air fryer and cook at 300 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Turn your air fryer up to 400 degrees for another 5-7 minutes. Flipping halfway.
TIP: My biggest recommendation is to babysit your air fryer the first time you cook these and check your chicken every few minutes. Cooking times can vary based on the size of your air fryer. If your chicken is browning too quickly and not cooked inside, turn down the temperature. If your air fryer fully cooks your chicken quicker, then crank up the temperature on your air fryer sooner to brown the outside.

If you are following the 21 Day Fix meal plan, each thin chicken breast counts as one serving. Our two chicken breasts filled up two red containers. Half of the recipe counts as 1 red and 1/2 yellow.

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Recipes

Air Fryer Butternut Squash Fries

I am absolutely obsessed with french fries and have always wanted to find a way to make a crispy fry out of a vegetable so I would feel less guilty about eating them. Plus, anyone who follows the portion fix meal plan like me, it is always a win when you find a food you love that counts as a green! LOL! I have recently discovered a love for butternut squash and I love how easy this recipe is!

INGREDIENTS

1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced into thin fries
Sea salt (garlic salt works too!)
Cooking Spray (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Place your butternut squash fries in your air fryer at 300 for 20 minutes, flipping/shaking every 5-7 minutes. If you want crisper fries, lightly coat with cooking spray!
Turn your air fryer up to 400 degrees for 5-8 minutes, shaking every 2 minutes.
Once your fries are to your desired crispiness, remove from fryer and sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy!

TIP: Air fryers can vary based on brands and sizes. The first time you cook these, keep a close eye on them and shake often. If your fries appear to be fully cooked before the 20 minutes, crank up the temperature sooner to start crisping them up. If you want them crispier, cook them longer at 400 degrees. Play around with your air fryer to determine the best cooking time! My cooking times are based on my Black and Decker air fryer.

I love these fries and prefer them on the crispy side! I like to dip these in fat free plain greek yogurt mixed with a little ranch seasoning! So yummy!

If you are following Portion Fix: 1 cup of fries is counted as 1 green.

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Health and Fitness

Where it all began 5 years ago…

5 years ago today, I went to a conference at work where I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment that started this whole thing.

One decision to start led to losing 75 pounds, learning to love myself, gaining confidence, finding my purpose and the courage to pursue my dreams and start my own business.

ALL OF THIS from one simple decision to just start.

The next day, after the conference, I decided to start blogging again. I used to blog way back in college about running, but I stopped when I hurt my shin and life spiraled after that. I blogged the early days of my journey and I then moved to this lovely site instead. I wanted to republish a few of my blogs in the early days of my journey. Maybe you are on the starting line of your journey, looking at all of these women on social media, feeling like they just don’t get it.

Girl, I get it. I was there too once. And one simple decision to start could change your life, just as it did mine.

Here is the blog I wrote, September 28th, 2012, the day after I attended the work conference:

______________________________________________________________________________

This is weird for me. This blog used to mean so much to me and now I have not blogged in over a year. I have stopped running, I am not happy with myself and honestly I feel like I don’t even know who I am anymore. As I read through old posts on here, I remember how much joy running brought me. Why did I let a stupid injury stop me?

Lots of things in my life have changed over the last year. I got into a bad relationship, forgot who I was completely. I gave up my entire life for someone who I wasn’t all too interested in. I liked the idea of him, but didn’t really like him. Eventually, I realized that he wasn’t what I wanted and I broke things off. Ever since then, I feel like I have been in this weird process of trying to find myself. Who the heck am I? What do I want? What are my goals?

I have been doing a lot of soul searching, lots of reading, trying to pinpoint what I need to do to get back on track. Yesterday, I went to a luncheon for work. It was an all women’s luncheon and to be honest, I was completely dreading it. I have lots of work to do and I really didn’t want to drive 30 minutes to eat lunch and be lectured. Anyways, I went and oh my, it was EXACTLY what I needed. Funny how that happens. The speaker talked about how to find harmony in life. How to be at peace with yourself. She made us write a list of our accomplishments, ten of them. Ten accomplishments? I sat there, my mind was blank. While everyone else scribbled things down quickly, I sat there frozen. An accomplishment? I have nothing. So my accomplishments were:

1. Bought a new car
2. Ended a bad relationship
3. Got a new job
4. Adopted a new puppy

…and that is as far as I got. Four things? That is all I have done in 2012? We are 10 months into the year and I have four lousy accomplishments?! All of my coworkers had long lists of accomplishments that included getting married, having children, running marathons, getting promoted, being happy. I won’t lie, I felt pretty lousy. The speaker then had us write down our Disappointments. Oh phew, something easy. So while everyone at the table sat there looking puzzled, I scribbled down a very long list. Pretty sad. Well, my list included not saving as much money as I wanted, losing friends, being single, not making as much money as I wanted to, not losing weight, not working out, not being happy…and oh boy, I could go on forever.

She then asked us to compare our accomplishments and disappointments. And just as everyone in the room noticed, all of our accomplishments and disappointments were within our OWN control. Those accomplishments were things I did, things I put my mind to and succeeded. The disappointments were things I did not work hard enough at, things I had a bad attitude about. If I want to gain more friends, lose weight, workout more, make more money…I can do all of that. The only thing in my way is myself.

Why? Why do I do this to myself? Why do I allow my fears get in the way of accomplishing the things I want to do with myself. Why do I downplay my accomplishments and focus on my disappointments?

I started to read “Your Best Year Yet” today, one that was recommended by the speaker. 10 steps towards having the best year of your life. Easy enough, right? Step one…make a list of your accomplishments. AGAIN?! Ok, so I sat down and took an inventory of the last year. I made a good attempt to give myself credit where credit was deserved.

My new list of accomplishments:

1. Bought a new car – my dream car
2. Ended a horrible relationship
3. Got a new job, which I really enjoy
4. Adopted the sweetest puppy ever
5. Learned to clean and maintain a clean apartment – constantly
6. Gave up gluten completely – solved my stomach issues
7. Remained single after tough breakup, giving myself time to focus on ME
8. Lost weight on my own from eating better
9. Learned to manage my anxiety without medication
10. Gained responsibility at work

This time, I was able to get all 10. And I feel really good about all 10. Sure, there are things I wish that I could put on that list. But, I guess that is what the list is for. See your accomplishments and all the things you wish you could put on that list go on your ‘disappointment’ list. And the goal is to make those disappointments become accomplishments.

Next step is making a new disappointment list. I will make time to take a deep inventory of what I want. More to come 🙂

Jess

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Main Dish

P.F. Chang Copycat Lettuce Wraps

Anyone else LOVE P.F. Chang’s lettuce wraps?! They are a favorite for me! I have seen so many copycat recipes out there and decided it was time to create my own. These were a hit for me this week for lunch and love that they are meal plan approved as well!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of ground chicken
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of soy sauce (I used gluten free soy sauce)
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup of hoisin sauce (I used gluten free)
1 tablespoon of sriracha (more or less depending on your liking)
1 can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup of green onions, chopped
Bib lettuce
Optional: chopped peanuts and fried rice noodles

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add sesame oil and ground chicken. Break apart chicken with a spatula and cook until thoroughly cooked. Set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium high heat, add chopped onion. Cook until onion is translucent. Add water chestnuts, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, rice wine vinegar and sriracha. Stir together and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Add onion mixture to the chicken and return the skillet to medium high heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes and you mix everything together. Fold in green onions.
To serve, fill the bib lettuce leaves with the chicken mixture and top with ground peanuts and fried rice noodles (recipe below)

For the Fried Rice Noodles, you will need 1 package of thin dried rice noodles (found in the Asian food section) and 1/2 cup of oil for frying, such as canola, sunflower, etc. Separate out the rice noodles by pulling them apart and cut the noodles in 4-5 inch strands. In a medium size skillet, add oil over medium high heat. The key to these noodles is making sure the oil is hot enough. Once it is hot enough, you should be able to drop in a strand and have it instantly bloom within seconds. Drop in your noodles in small batches and quickly remove them once they puff up!

If you are following portion fix, one serving is equal to:

2 bib lettuce leaves
1 cup of chicken mixture
2 tablespoons of ground peanuts
1/4 cup of fried rice noodles

This counts as: 1.5 green, 1 red, 1/2 yellow, 1 orange, 1 tsp.

These are AMAZING as left overs and this chicken mixture could easily go over a bed of lettuce if you want something a little easier to eat if you pack your lunch for work!

Hope you enjoy!

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Recipes

Garlic Parmesan Potatoes

Anyone else love ALL THINGS potato? I do! Ever since I have begun Shift Shop, I have gone grain free. Now that I have completed the program, I have decided that I feel SO good, I really want to continue with being grain free. Limiting grains means I need to get a little creative in the kitchen with my other carb options – like POTATOES! I made these last night and they were a huge hit! They are meal plan approved for anyone following portion fix!

This recipe serves TWO, feel free to double if you are serving more!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chopped baby potatoes (I used a variety pack of baby organic potatoes that I got from Costco!)
2 tsp of grassfed butter (I love Kerrygold!)
1/2 tsp of garlic salt
1 tsp of minced carlic
1 tbsp of chopped fresh chives and 1 tsp for garnish
2 tsp of dry grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place chopped potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Take potatoes out of the oven and place in a frying pan on medium high heat with butter. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Allow the potatoes to get golden brown.
Add garlic and one tablespoon of chives. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Remove potatoes from heat and sprinkle with one teaspoon of chives and parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!

If you are following the portion fix, one serving is 1/2 cup. Each 1/2 cup of potatoes counts as 1 yellow and 1 teaspoon.

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Dressings

Creamy Chipotle Dressing

I am obsessed with tacos. I could probably eat them every single day. I have been searching for a dressing for my taco salads, outside of the usual salsa or guacamole. This chipotle dressing was an instant hit and gives the salad such great flavor.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of greek yogurt
2/3 cup of cilantro
1 tbsp of lime juice
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of onion powder
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1-1.5 Chipotle Chili peppers in adobo sauce
1 tsp of adobo sauce from Chipotle Chili peppers

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth!

If you are following the portion fix meal plan, please count as a red container. I use 2 tablespoons on my salad and count as 1/4 red.

For the taco salad, here are some ideas:

2 cups of romaine lettuce
2/3 cup of ground turkey with taco seasoning
1/4 cup of black beans and/or corn
1/4 cup of guacamole (I use avocado with garlic salt)
2 tablespoons of creamy chipotle dressing
1 cup of miscellaneous veggies like onions, tomatoes or peppers

The salad above would be counted as 3 greens, 1 red, 1/2 yellow and 1 blue if you are following portion fix!

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Recipes

Sweet Mustard Chicken Salad

After starting the official Shift Shop test group last week, I have realized that although I have thought that I was being strict with my portion fix meal plan, I have not been. I am really guilty of adding a little extra olive oil, a little grass fed butter and not counting my marinades as anything. I think it is easy to convince ourselves that a little bit here and there just doesn’t count. Well, hate to tell you, but even if we don’t count these things, our bodies still do. Last week, I was on a hunt to make a delicious salad that had a ton of flavor, but used a marinade with only free items on my meal plan. Mustard is free and I love a good honey mustard salad, so I decided to get a little creative and this is what I came up with! Hope you enjoy!

Serves ONE.

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces of chicken, diced
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon stevia (I wanted to make it a bit sweeter to cut the mustard and vinegar)
1/8 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
1.5 cups romaine, chopped
1/4 cup roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup carrot shreds
1/8 avocado
2 tablespoons Tessemae Honey Poppyseed Dressing (or any other oil based dressing)

DIRECTIONS

Combine diced raw chicken, dijon mustard, vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, sea salt, stevia and chili powder in a ziplock bag. Mix around and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
In a pan over medium high heat, add chicken mixture and cook for a total of 6 minutes, or until no longer pink, stirring often. Set chicken aside and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, combine romaine, tomato and carrot shreds in a bowl.
Top salad with the chicken, avocado and two tablespoons of dressing.

If you are following the portion fix meal plan, this salad counts as: 2 green, 1 red, 1/4 blue and 1 orange.

If you need to bulk up your salad, here are some additional ideas:

To add more greens, add more romaine and red onions
To add more reds, add two hard boiled eggs or turkey bacon
To add in yellows, add in black beans
To add more blues, increase amount of avocado or add almonds

This salad is so easy and you can prepare your chicken mixture in advance as well as dice up your chicken and veggies. If you cannot find the Tessemae dressing, feel free to use any oil based dressing to substitute.

Jess

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