Paleo Two-Meat Chili

Paleo Two Meat Chili
Recipe from my friend Monica; adapted from Everyday Paleo

2 tbsp olive oil
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 pounds of grass fed ground beef
½ pound spicy italian pork sausage
1 pinches sea salt
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
½ tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large can of diced tomatoes w/ juice
16 ounces chicken broth
Optional topping: avocado slices or chunks

Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and garlic and sauté for a minute. Add meat and brown.  Season with spices; stir. Add tomatoes and broth and simmer for 35 minutes (or longer if desired). Taste and add more seasoning if desired.

Recipe: This has become another staple here. I make at least one chili a week and we eat off of it all week. This one is great and I have made it for non-paleo friends and they love it, too. You just don't miss the beans. It tastes GREAT topped with avocado! I often puree the celery and onion - I'm just not a big fan of bites of this but love the flavor it brings.

Bacon Ranch Wrap

It's not the prettiest thing I've ever made, but it was awesome!

Bacon Ranch Wrap
Makes 4 Serving
Recipe adapted from Hungry Girl

4 tbsp light ranch dressing
4 tsp taco sauce
1 bag Boca crumbles
4 tbsp salsa
4 slices butterball turkey bacon
4 large La Banderita tortillas
2 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat shredded fat-free cheddar cheese, divided
1 avocado
1/4 cup shredded lettuce

To make the sauce, combine ranch dressing with taco sauce in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. Heat boca crumbles and salsa over medium heat in a large skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray for about 9 minutes, stirring frequently. In the meantime, cook bacon in the microwave per package instructions. Lay tortillas on a flat, dry surface and spread with sauce. Top with cheese, bacon, avocado, lettuce, and boca crumbles. Roll up and serve.

Nutritional Information: 438 calories, 49 carbs, 15 fat grams and 33 protein grams.

Review: YUM –loved the ranch/taco seasoning sauce, as well as the crunchy lettuce with avocado and bacon. Could have easily done without the cheese – couldn’t taste it! But the boca went well. If anything, you could do less boca to make sure the wrap stays together easier! Super easy, ready in under 15 minutes, and very filling. If you’re looking to take down the calories, reduce/remove the cheese or take down the boca a bit – I wouldn’t mess with the sauce – it was the best part!

Paleo Spicy Eggs and Chicken with Homemade Salsa

Paleo Spicy Eggs and Chicken with Homemade Salsa

Makes 4 Servings

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Recipe

¾ cup tomato, diced

3 tbsp diced red onion, diced

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely diced

1 jalapeno pepper, ribbed and deseeded, finely diced

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp lime juice, divided

1 tsp minced garlic, divided

8 large eggs, beaten lightly with 1/2 tbsp water and a few dashes of hot sauce

16 oz. chicken, cooked with ½ tsp chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and cumin

1 avocado, divided into 4

Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor. Stir in lime juice and garlic. Process until smooth. Break eggs into a medium bowl; stir with a whisk and add a splash of hot sauce. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add eggs; cook 3 minutes until almost cooked, stirring constantly. Add already-cooked chicken and stir until combined. Remove from heat. Top with homemade salsa and serve with avocado.

Nutritional information (per serving): 287 calories, 5 carbs, 12 fat grams and 40 protein grams. 

Review: Nothing beats homemade salsa and the food processor makes it so. dang. easy! From there, it was just cooked chicken, whipping up scrambled eggs and cutting up an avocado. This is great for leftover chicken, which is what we used! So just make a bunch of 'taco chicken' and you can have it for breakfast, salads, or even snacks (cut them in long strips and dip in guacamole). This also reheated well which of course makes it a winner!

Caramelized Onion & Pork Flautas

Caramelized Onion &Pork Flautas
Recipe adapted from For the Love of Cooking
Makes 4 Servings

1 tbsp olive oil (divided)
1 sweet yellow onion, sliced
1 pound pork
Chili powder, Paprika, Coriander, Garlic Powder, Cumin & Oregano to tatse
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
8 small tortillas
4 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated
1 avocado, divided
Optional: side of salsa

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 6-7 minutes until caramelized and tender. Remove from the pan and set aside. Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet over medium HIGH heat. Once the pan is HOT add the sliced pork then season, to taste, with all of the spices. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown but not yet cooked through (it will finish cooking in the oven). Remove from the stove. Wrap flour tortillas in wet paper towels and microwave for 1 minute or until soft. Place a bit of cheese in the center of the tortilla first then add caramelized onion on top of the cheese, then pork; roll. Place, seam side down, on a baking sheet that’s been coated with cooking spray. Finish rolling, then spray each with cooking spray. Place into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Serve with a side of avocado and salsa.

Nutritional Information: 449 calories, 37 carbs, 17 fat grams and 38 protein grams.

Review: Yum! Loved the soft yet crispiness, and the little bit of cheese went a long way! I also liked the avocado side, and the sprinkle of cilantro - it added a little something extra. The pork was definitely the star, and the small flour tortillas were great. You can easily take down the fat grams and calories by removing the avocado slices – we just really like them so we added them! I recommend this - easy and quick!

Mini Paleo Muffins

Mini Paleo Muffins
Makes 6 Servings

12 eggs
2 tbsp minced garlic
3 Jennie-O Sweet Italian Sausage links, cooked and crumbled
¼ cup Red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup Mushrooms, diced
2 tbsp Sundried tomato, diced
2 tbsp Scallion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp water
Optional toppings: 2 avocados, divided into 4; salsa

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 6 ramekins with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add garlic, sausage, vegetables, salt, pepper and water; stir to combine. Carefully pour into ramekins. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean.

Nutritional information (per serving; without toppings): 250 calories, 5 carbs, 16 fat grams and 22 protein grams. (per serving; with toppings): 325 calories, 10 carbs, 23 fat grams and 23 protein grams.

Review: Fabulous! I served each of mine with 1/4 of an avocado and dipped it in salsa - yum! It was very filling and had a good kick from the spicy sausage. I liked how easy these were, too, and that you can easily make more (assuming you have the ramekins) or less. They reheated well, and were a great 'work' breakfast, too. I just brought one (wrapped in foil) to work (along with a bag of toppings!) and it was great. And note: It may be easier to put sausage and vegetables into the ramekins first, then pour egg over it.

Mexican Breakfast Burritos with Avocado

Mexican Breakfast Burritos with Avocado 
Makes 4 Servings

4 large La Banderita tortillas
1 can black beans, drained and very lightly rinsed
1 tsp canola oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp hot sauce
4 eggs
4 tbsp egg substitute
1 tbsp fat-free milk
4 tbsp salsa
1 avocado, removed from skin, sliced long and divided
4 tbsp fresh cilantro, diced and divided

Set pot over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add black beans and hot sauce. Cook for 7-10 minutes over medium to low heat, then mash with potato masher and divide into 4 servings. Meanwhile, combine eggs, egg substitute and fat-free milk – sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook in a large pan over medium heat until cooked.* Wrap tortillas in a towel and heat in microwave for 20 to 30 seconds until warm. Top each with black beans (mine came out to 64 grams each), salsa, one quarter of the egg mixture, one quarter of the avocado and cilantro. Sprinkle lightly with salt again if desired. Repeat with other 3. Roll them up and enjoy.

*If making an individual serving, I’d suggest using the microwave. Combine 1 egg, 1 tbsp egg substitute and a bit of milk in a small bowl and cook in 30 second increments until cooked, then slice into long pieces. This way, you can easily take a tortilla, a serving of cooked beans, a cut avodcado, diced cilantro and salsa to work, and then just make the egg at work so it’s fresh.

Nutritional Information: 414 calories, 56 carbs, 15 fat grams and 20 protein grams.

Review: My favorite kind of recipe - fresh ingredients, good fats, colorful and filling. I really enjoyed this recipe and think it's a pretty awesome start to the day. It made a big, filled burrito, but the calories weren't too high. My favorite meatless breakfast recipe for sure!

All wrapped up! (microwave egg process shown - long egg pieces)

Healthy Cobb Salad (or wrap!)

Healthy Cobb Salad
Recipe adapted from The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook
Makes 4 Servings

1 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
¼ cup nonfat Greek Yogurt (like Fage)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 slices turkey bacon, diced
1 pound chicken, diced or thinly sliced; cooked in salt and pepper
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced

Romaine or spinach leaves

Blend cheese, yogurt, vinegar, water and pepper until smooth; reserve. Cook turkey bacon until crisp; reserve. Arrange lettuce in 4 bowls. Scatter bacon on top of lettuce followed by chicken, tomatoes, eggs and avocado. Drizzle with dressing.

Nutritional Information: 336 calories, 14 carbs, 16 fat grams and 39 protein grams.

Review: I really liked it. Lots of different flavors. I will say I preferred it with romaine lettuce, and when I ate it the second time, I was STARVING so I put it in a taco-size Mission tortilla. I just spread the sauce on first, then topped with the ingredients and a bit of romaine - it was wonderful this way and, for me, more satisfying. The salad was filling as is, but just not satisfying for me - I guess it was just too healthy rather than being healthified! :) I would definitely make this again, but would probably plan on having it in a flat out wrap or tortilla.

Notes: when dividing, each salad gets 78 grams chicken, 38 grams eggs, 38 grams avocado, 7 grams bacon and 26 grams dressing.

Rotel Slowcooker Chicken Burritos

Rotel Slowcooker Chicken Burritos
Recipe adapted from Fabulessly Frugal
Makes 6 Servings

16 oz. chicken
1 can Rotel
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 packet taco seasoning
6 large Mission flour tortillas
1 avocado (116 grams)
1 can Trader Joe’s refried beans with jalapeno seasoning*
60 grams (2 oz) cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar, divided into 6
6 tbsp Sour cream, divided into 6

*If you can’t find these, get a can of black beans, drain them, and mash them with a fork

Place chicken in slowcooker. Mix Rotel, chicken broth and taco seasoning and pour mixture over chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker, shred it, and add back to slowcooker to blend with any remaining sauce. Scoop out contents of avocado and mash, leaving mixture chunky. Mix beans and avocado together and spread evenly on six warm tortillas (about 85 grams each). Sprinkle each with cheese (10 grams). Add a scoop of chicken mixture (114 grams) and a dollop of sour cream (15 grams). Fold into burritos and enjoy.

Nutritional Information: 462 calories, 58 carbs, 10 fat grams and 32 protein grams.

Review: Yum! The guacamole added so much mixed with those beans. It was almost like a bean burrito then no – there’s some spicy chicken! I liked the sour cream and that little bit of cheese went a long way. This was a great burrito/wrap that we’ll definitely be having again. Although, next time I’ll double the chicken and use the other half in salads or in a taco or enchilada bake!

The inside

Cranberry & Blue Cheese Salad

Cranberry & Blue Cheese Salad

Makes 1 Serving

½ cup romaine lettuce
1 cup arugula
14 grams TJ’s Blue Cheese Crumbles
2 tbsp TJ’s Raspberry Vinaigrette
15 grams TJ’s Dried Fruit Cranberries
24 grams avocado, diced

Optional: almond slivers

Nutritional Information (without almond slivers): 184 calories, 26 carbs, 11 fat grams and 4 protein grams.

Review: It was great and filling – I love the mix of these flavors! To make it lower calorie, I would just omit avocado – it was a nice-to-have but not a must-have. I was REALLY happy with the crumbles, dressing and cranberries though – I’m going to eat this salad A LOT.

Guacamole Chicken Wraps

Guacamole Chicken Wraps
Recipe from Cooking Light
Makes 4 Servings

4 green leaf lettuce leaves
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
16 oz. Chicken, defrosted
½ tsp dried Parsley
½ tsp thyme
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice

Cut chicken into 1” pieces. Cook in pan sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat, sprinkled with parsley, thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place 1 lettuce leaf on each tortilla; spread about 1/4 cup avocado mixture (below!) on each lettuce leaf. Top each serving chicken. Wrap and serve.

Guacamole:
7 oz. avocados, peeled and pitted (2 medium)
1 ½ tbsp lime juice
½ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup tomato, diced
1 tsp jarred minced garlic

In medium bowl, mash avocados. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the garlic, the lime juice, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir in onion and tomatoes. Serve with baked tortilla chips or vegetables for dipping.

Nutritional Information: 329 calories, 25 carbs, 11 fat grams and 33 protein grams.

Review: I'm a HUGE fan of this guacamole recipe, and love adding it to chicken and tortillas to make it a filling meal. It really tasted like something you would order at a sandwich shop or something!

Inside

Guacamole

Guacamole

Adapted from Eat Better America recipe
Makes 4 Servings
(7 oz. avocado is AFTER peeled and pitted)

7 oz. avocados, peeled and pitted (2 medium)
1 ½ tbsp lime juice
½ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup tomato, diced
1 tsp jarred minced garlic

In medium bowl, mash avocados. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the garlic, the lime juice, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir in onion and tomatoes. Serve with baked tortilla chips or vegetables for dipping.

Nutritional Information: (entire recipe) 359 calories, 23 carbs, 31 fat grams and 5 protein grams. Per serving: 90 calories, 6 carbs, 8 fat grams and 1 protein gram. Total grams: 356; per serving: 89 grams!

Review: Amazing. I make this ALL the time - it's a great recipe! Sometimes I add fresh cilantro and I've considered adding jalapeno but haven't yet. This is a winner though!

Spicy Cilantro Chicken Salad

Spicy Cilantro Chicken Salad

4 Servings

16 oz. chicken
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can rotel
8 cups arugula (1 bag), divided into 4 servings
1 avocado, deseeded without skin, quartered
40 grams corn chips
40 grams Kraft reduced fat swiss cheese
8 tbsp Trader Joe’s Cilantro Salad Dressing
24 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Cook chicken in taco seasoning and rotel until no longer pink. Shred with two forks, divide into 4 servings and spoon it onto arugula topped plates. Add 10 grams corn chips, 10 grams cheese, 6 cherry tomatoes, ¼ of avocado and 2 tbsp of salad dressing to each. Eat up!

Nutritional Information: 397 calories, carbs, 17 fat grams and 36 protein grams.

Review: I loved it! Austin had it for dinner later and thought it was fabulous as well – this will be a summer staple! (to lower fat, just use less avocado). :) And you guys – that salad dressing is THE BOMB. It’s super flavorful – a little goes a very long way which makes me very happy.