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Spring is officially here!!!

Enjoy!!

Xox Jen

Ingredients

* 1 lb. sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2″ cubes
* 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
* 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
* 7 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided
* 3 tsp. grated garlic, divided
* Kosher salt
* 1/4 cup smooth tahini
* 1 tsp. honey
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 8 oz. dried orzo (about 1 1/4 c.)
* 2 1/2 cups (or more) low-sodium chicken broth
* Neutral oil, for grilling
* 1 red onion, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
* 1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
* 10 oz. grape tomatoes (about 2 c.)
* 4 Persian or 2 English cucumbers, thinly sliced into quarter-moons
* 5 oz. baby spinach
* 1 small bunch fresh chives, finely sliced

Directions

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine steak, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 1/2 teaspoons garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and let marinate at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, or refrigerate up to 4 hours.

Step 2

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon garlic; season with a large pinch of salt. Let sit about 20 minutes.

Step 3

Add tahini, honey, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 3 tablespoons water to dressing. Vigorously whisk, adding more water as needed, until smooth and easily pourable; season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Step 4

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add orzo and cook, stirring, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more broth 1/4 cup at a time if needed, until broth is absorbed and orzo is tender, 8 to 10 minutes; season with salt and black pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Step 5

Prepare a grill for high heat; preheat 5 minutes. Brush grates with neutral oil. Thread 8 skewers with steak, onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes, alternating with 3 to 4 steak cubes per skewer. Drizzle kebabs with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and black pepper.

Step 6

Grill skewers, turning occasionally, until vegetables are tender and meat is cooked to desired degree of doneness, 8 to 15 minutes total (grills can vary). Transfer kebabs to a plate.

Step 7

In a large bowl, toss cucumbers and spinach with half of reserved dressing. Stir chives into orzo mixture.

Step 8

Divide salad and orzo among bowls; top with kebabs. Drizzle remaining dressing over bowls.

We sort of killed Taco Tuesdays so we’ve been switching it up to fajitas!!

Enjoy! Xo Jen

Ingredients

Seasoning mix:

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 2 tablespoons chili powder

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Fajitas:

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

• 3 medium bell peppers – cut into thin strips; or 1 pound of frozen sliced peppers

• 1 medium onion – thinly sliced

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast – cut into strips

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the seasoning ingredients: sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. Divide the mixture into two bowls. One will be used to season the veggies, and the other will be used to season the chicken.

  1 teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, and half the seasoning mix. Cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes. If the bottom of the skillet becomes too dry, add water, a tablespoon at a time. You can also reduce the heat to medium.

  2 tablespoons avocado oil, 3 medium bell peppers, 1 medium onion

• Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to a plate. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, then add the chicken slices and the second half of the seasonings. Stir-fry until the chicken is almost fully cooked, about 4 minutes. Again, if the bottom of the skillet becomes too dry while you cook the chicken, add a splash of water.

• Return the vegetables to the skillet. Stir-fry everything together for 1-2 more minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and the dish is heated through.

• Serve the fajitas in bowls, drizzled with the pan juices, and topped with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and/or shredded cheddar. You can also spoon them into warm tortillas or serve them in lettuce cups.

Listen, guys… back to school means QUICK dinners!

I mean 1 pan to clean? Sign me up!

This one was a fan fave in our house and I will definitely be making this again

(This recipe called for red and yellow potatoes, but I chose to swap them out for sweet potatoes.  So feel free to use whatever you have on hand.)

Lemon Dijon One Sheet Chicken & Veggies

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 medium), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts (about 4 cups), quartered
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• Coarsely ground pepper, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, mix the first 4 ingredients; gradually whisk in oil. Reserve 1 tablespoon mixture. Add vegetables to the remaining mixture; toss to coat.
2. Place chicken and vegetables in a 15x10x1-in. pan coated with cooking spray. Brush chicken breast with reserved mustard mixture. Roast 10 minutes.
3. Turn chicken and stir vegetables; roast until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165° and vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes longer.
4. If desired, sprinkle with pepper.
5. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This 15-Minute Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is loaded with delicious and filling veggies, and is made in just 15 minutes!

I added some grilled chicken for a quick meal on the go!

Ingredients
Chickpea Salad
* 1 1/2 cups chickpeas drained and dried
* 1 cup cubed cherry tomatoes
* 1/2 large red onion chopped
* 1 cup cubed English cucumber
* 1/4 cup feta
* 1/2 cup chopped parsley
*
Balsamic Vinaigrette
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
* 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions
* In a large mixing bowl, add the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onions, cucumber cubes, feta cheese and parsley.
* Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss again to combine.

Enjoy! Xo Jen

We get a lot of questions looking for healthy breakfast options!

This one is easy and super quick for those busy mornings! And they can even be made ahead of time, baked and popped into the fridge for an easy grab-and-go breakfast! 

Single-serve Egg-white Spinach Bowls

Ingredients:

• 8 egg whites large
• 1 whole egg
• 1 cup baby spinach torn or chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup feta cheese fat-free
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• sea salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Lightly mist 4 (1/2 cup) ramekins with nonstick cooking spray and evenly divide the egg mixture into bowls.
3. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until eggs puff and are almost set in the center.
4. Serve hot

These 3-ingredient cottage cheese bagels will be your new obsession!

Enjoy xo Jen

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup full fat cottage cheese

1 large egg

Everything bagel seasoning

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 and position the rack to the top position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Blend cottage cheese: Place the cottage cheese in the food processor or blender and pulse or blend on high until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

• Add flour: Transfer it to a medium bowl and add the flour. Mix until completely combined and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface and knead the dough 8-10 times, until smooth. Add more flour to the work surface as needed until the dough is no longer sticky.

• Shape and season: Roll the dough into a ball and divide it into 4 equal balls. If you want them to be the exact same size you can weigh out each piece of dough to approximately 80g. Roll each ball out into a 6-7-inch rope, about 1-inch thick. Join the ends to make a circle and pinch the seam tightly to seal. Brush the tops with a beaten egg and the everything seasoning

• Bake

• Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Bagels stay fresh in an airtight container at room temp for up to 4 days.

This Immune Boosting Chicken Soup is soooooo good and not to mention very good for you!  This soup isn’t just good for winter but great for all year round.

Use in-season ingredients if you want to add more vegetables each time you make this!

xo Coach Jen

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery ribs
• sliced1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into tiny pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 cup bok choy
• 1-1/2 teaspoon curry
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
• fresh cilantro
• fresh daikon sprouts

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion, carrots, celery and ginger and cook for 6-7 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the curry powder, chicken stock, and chicken and stir to combine.
4. Continue to cook until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and let them simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Garnish with daikon sprouts and cilantro.

Comfort food at its best!

Enjoy! Xo Jen

Ingredients

Mashed Potato Topping

• 1 1/2 lb potatoes peeled and diced

• 2 tbsp grass fed butter

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

Ground turkey & veggie filling

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 lb ground turkey

• 1 small yellow onion diced

• 4 cloves garlic minced

• 12 oz frozen mixed vegetables

• 4 oz mushrooms diced

• 1 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 3/4 cup chicken broth or beef or vegetable broth

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. First, prepare the mashed potatoes. Add peeled/cut potatoes to a large saucepan and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender and easily pierced with fork, about 10-15 minutes.

3. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Add butter, milk, garlic powder and salt. Mash until smooth using a potato masher or hand mixer. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

4. While the potatoes are boiling, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

5. Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook while breaking apart until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.

6. Add mushrooms and tomato paste to ground turkey mixture and cook 1-2 minutes until the tomato paste starts to darken.

7. Sprinkle flour over the turkey mixture and mix to combine, cook for 1-2 minutes.

8. Finally, add frozen vegetables, seasonings and chicken broth to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.

9. Transfer turkey and veggie mixture to a lightly oiled or sprayed 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Spoon the mashed potato mixture over the top of the turkey mixture and smooth. Spray the top with olive or avocado oil spray.

10. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes begin to brown and the filling is bubbling.

These are so tasty , we made double the chicken to have for leftovers!

Enjoy!

Xo Jen

Ingredients

* 1 pound ground chicken
* 2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon cooking oil
* 2 green onions, chopped
* 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
* 2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
* 1 large mango, diced
* 1 head butter lettuce, rinsed, leaves separated

Directions

* Place the ground chicken, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Mix to combine 
Sauté shiitake mushrooms and green onions: 
Heat a wok or a large sauté pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil. Add the green onions and sliced shiitakes. Let cook for about a minute.
Add chicken mixture:
Increase the heat to high, and add the ground chicken, soy sauce, cornstarch mixture. Use a wooden spoon to break up the ground chicken and spread around the pan. Stir fry in this way for 5 to 7 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Add seasonings and mango:
Add the seasoned rice vinegar, sesame oil, and diced mango. Remove from heat. Adjust seasonings (rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce) to taste.

Scoop spoonfuls into the cups formed by the lettuce leaves to serve: