Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

These are AMAZING to make in the summer and FREEZE the batter for the winter :) 

I made some changes to the All Recipes version and they're just a little bit healthier. 

Ingredients

1.5 cups Whole Wheat Flour

3/4 cup sugar

1tsp baking soda

1tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp salt

1 egg

1/2cup vegetable oil

1/4cup milk

1tsp vanilla extract

1 cup shredded zucchini

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon & salt in a large bowl

2. Mix egg, oil, milk & vanilla extract into the dry ingredients

3. Fold in zucchini & chocolate chips

Option: Bake immediately at 350 for 20-25 minutes testing with a toothpick. 

****In the summer while the garden is producing zucchinis left and right my husband and I make many batches of batter and FREEZE them for the winter****

Then when you're ready to use, simply snip off an end of the ziploc bag and pipe into muffin cups until 2/3 full. Want to see how quick and easy it is after the batter has been made, frozen then thawed out? Just watch this video. 

Bake later on at 350 for 20-25 minutes testing with a toothpick. 

I hope you enjoy!

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Sweet Potato Hash

It doesn't get any simpler than this!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Large Sweet Potatoes (or Yams I've used both)

1 Red Pepper

1/2 medium onion

1/2 bag frozen corn

1/2tsp Sea Salt

1/4tsp Pepper

1. Peel Sweet Potatoes (or Yams) and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat.

3. Add Sweet Potatoes, and cover skillet with lid.

4. While Sweet Potatoes cook, chop your peppers and onions.

5. Add chopped onion, peppers and corn while adding 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

6. Cover, stirring every 2-4 minutes for the next 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Enjoy!

THE Best Beef Stew

It's not the healthiest beef stew, I'll give some suggestions throughout to make it healthier, but it IS packed with tons of fresh veggies and protein! And according to myself and my husband, it's absolutely THE best!

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Beef for Stew

1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 tbsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt (cut this down to 1tsp if sodium is a concern for you)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp black pepper 

1 large onion, diced

3-4 carrots, peeled and diced

3-4 potatoes (I use what I have from my garden, can be red, Idaho, whichever you prefer), washed and dices

2-3 stalks celery, diced 

2 bay leaves

2 cups beef stock (get the low sodium kind if sodium is a concern for you)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (skip or cut in half is sodium is a concern for you and substitute water)

***There is a lot of sodium in this recipe so taking out some here and there with my suggestions will definitely change the taste, but it will be pretty tasty!

Directions:

1. In large ziploc bag combine whole wheat flour, Lawry's seasoning salt, and beef for stew. Zip up and shake until beef is evenly coated.

2. In a large non-stick skillet on medium heat add olive oil.

3. Using tongs place the coated beef in pan, browning each side. Once browned, transfer to crockpot.

4. In same large pan, sauté onion until translucent then transfer to crockpot.

5. In same large pan, add beef stock and Worcestershire sauce and stir until well mixed. Turn off heat.

6. Add celery, carrots, potatoes and bay leaves to crockpot.

7. Pour broth mixture into the crockpot and cook for 6-8 hours on a low setting. (I typically set my crockpot for 6 hours and it determines the temp for me)

***Don't forget to remove the bay leaves before you eat it*** 

Enjoy!

3 ways to get more veggies WITHOUT salads

Tips for eating more vegetables!

#1 Use them as snacks: Broccoli, carrots, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, etc prep them, pack them in zip lock baggies and they're ready for you to grab and go!

#2 Hide them in your shakeology! You won't even taste 1 cup of spinach in your shakeology, OR add in a power greens boost and you'll get a dense dose of greens!

#3 Bake them up! I LOVE Kale Chips! You can also do zucchini chips or cauliflower baked up in the oven :) kale and zucchini you can do 10 minutes, at 350 with a tiny bit of olive oil and sea salt or garlic salt, flip them at 5 minutes and you're good :) Cauliflower takes just a bit longer 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes with a dash of salt and pepper <---don't knock it till you try it :) YUM! 

Which ways will you try out to get in more veggies?

Simple, Easy, Healthy & Delicious Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Need a super easy meal that won't take a lot of prep? Here it is :)

What you'll need:

Chicken Breasts (you choose how many you want to make)

Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

1 Head Broccoli

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1. Turn oven to 350

2. Take chicken breasts and cut horizontally for an opening to stuff the cheese and broccoli into. I slice almost all the way leaving just a tiny bit left holding it together

3. Layer in mild cheddar cheese and chopped up broccoli (it doesn't take much to stuff it)

4.  Fold top back over

OPTIONAL (place in ziploc bag and smash to flatten out the chicken)

5. Sprinkle a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to both sides

6. Place in casserole dish

7. Bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on how big your chicken breasts are) until no longer pink inside :) 

OPTIONAL (with 10 minutes left add a thin layer of shredded cheddar to top of chicken)

Enjoy!

20 Minute Balsamic Chicken & Veggies

This meal, adapted from cooking classy, is quickly becoming my go-to summer dinner! So many amazing flavors!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Italian Dressing

3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (regular balsamic will work too, I just prefer white)

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1 lb chicken tenderloins

2 tbsp olive oil

Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper

1 bundle asparagus (trim the tough ends and chop into 1.5-2 inch pieces...cooking classy suggests thinner stalks and I agree it's much better with thinner stalks)

2 sweet peppers (for the recipe above I used yellow and red)

1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved (you can use any kind of cherry or grape tomato)

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl whisk together Italian dressing, white balsamic vinegar, honey & red pepper flakes, then set aside. 

2. Heat olive oil in 12 inch skillet over med-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then place chicken evenly in skillet. Cook about 7-10 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked through (chopping your veggies while it's cooking and turning chicken throughout). Add half the dressing mixture to the skillet and evenly coat. Transfer chicken to large plate while sauce is in the skillet. 

3. Add asparagus and peppers to the skillet, season with salt & pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently, until desired tenderness (I cook them for about 5 minutes). Transfer veggies to plate with chicken. 

4. Add remaining dressing mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly until thickened, approx 1 minute. 

5. Turn off heat

6. Add plate of chicken, asparagus and peppers to the skillet as well as your halved tomatoes. 

7. Mix and enjoy!

Banana Bread Craving

My favorite banana bread recipe is getting whipped out next week! I'm going to be making it to have in moderation during my recovery weeks before another round of the 21 day fix extreme and my oh my is it going to be delicious! Super simple to make and not too bad for you either :) 

Here you have it:

3 very ripe bananas blended (I used my ninja for this step, you could use any blender or food processor) 

🍌🍌🍌

1 & 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1tsp baking soda

1tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1. mix it all together in a bowl

2. pour into oiled loaf pan 🍞

3. bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

4. let cool

5. slice and enjoy 😋😋😋😋😋

DELICIOUS Ground Chicken Taco

So before I started the 21 day fix extreme my meals were pretty bland, I never knew how to use spices to make things taste better, which ones? what combos? I was clueless so I just didn't try. 

Well I'm on day 14 of the 21 day fix extreme and I've never had such delicious food and this recipe was one I loved so much I just had to share! 

What you'll need:

1 pound ground chicken (or lean ground turkey)

1tsp garlic powder

1tsp ground cumin

1/2tsp sea salt

1tsp chili powder

1tsp paprika

1/2tsp dried oregano

1/2 small onion, finely diced

1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup tomato sauce, no sugar added (a bit less than an 8oz can)

1 6 inch whole wheat tortilla

1/2 cup lettuce

1. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add Chicken, cook stirring frequently for approx 5 minutes, until no longer pink

2. Add garlic powder, cumin, salt, chili powder, paprika, oregano and mix well

3. Add onion and bell pepper. Stir frequently for approx 5 minutes, until onion is translucent

4. Add water and tomato sauce, stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and cook covered for approx 12-15 minutes. 

5. Place ground chicken mixture on whole wheat tortilla, top with lettuce, and enjoy!