Posts in category: Uncategorized

We’ve been trying to do a few nights without “meat”…

Now while it isn’t going over too well with the kids… this recipe was a WIN with everyone!

Enjoy! xo Jen

INGREDIENTS:

2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (3.5-oz.) package shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
1/2 avocado, chopped
1/4 c. loosely packed cilantro or parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. smoke paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Spread beans in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Place mushrooms and onions on another large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat, then spread in an even layer.

Bake beans until they are dry and the skins are beginning to split, 7 to 9 minutes. Bake mushrooms and onions until tender, 18 to 20 minutes.

Add beans, mushrooms, and onions to the bowl of a food processor, along with oats, avocado, cilantro, garlic, paprika, chili powder, and cumin. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed.

Let mixture rest 10 minutes in the refrigerator, then form into 4 patties.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add veggie burgers to the skillet and cook until outside is crisp and golden and inside is heated through, about 4 minutes per side.

Once finished, add your favorite toppings and condiments and enjoy!

Just in time for playoff football people!! 

These buffalo meatballs are amazing! And make the best appetizers! 

Enjoy! xo Jen

Ingredients:

3/4 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup Franks red hot
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 large egg white
1 pound lean ground turkey
Plain greek yogurt + ranch dressing dry packet (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, 1/3 cup hot sauce, celery and egg white. Add turkey; mix lightly but thoroughly.

Shape into twenty-four 1-in. balls. Place on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

Toss meatballs with remaining hot sauce. If desired, drizzle with salad dressing just before serving.

Use “dressing” for dipping!

I love a good shepherds pie, but I also love that there is a way to make it low carb with a good heaping serving of vegetables. Plus, its got a southwest kick to it!

Try this out and let me know how you liked it!

Enjoy xo Coach Jen

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. jalapeno, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground turkey
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 (14.5 oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 c. corn kernels, fresh, frozen, or canned
1 (20 oz.) Mashed Cauliflower (green giant makes one that is prepped)
2 green onions, sliced, greens and whites separated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Cook onion and red pepper until slightly softened, 5 minutes. Add jalapeno and garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes more.

Add ground turkey and sauté until cooked through 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Stir in tomatoes and corn and let simmer until liquid is slightly reduced 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix cooked Green Giant Mashed Cauliflower with the white parts of the green onion. Spread cauliflower mash over turkey mixture and smooth top.

Bake until mashed cauliflower begins to turn golden, 20 minutes.

Garnish with darker ends of the green onion.

In a perfect world we would all prep our meals and have 5-6 small complete meals daily but… that is not always reality.

Here is a list of some healthy grab & go snacks!

10 Healthy Grab And Go Snacks

• Nut butter packets – many companies now make single-serve nut butter packets
• Celery & Carrots – boring, yes. Nutritious, absolutely
• NutsFrozen Grapes – its something about the crunch…
• Turkey or Beef jerky – bring on the protein!
• Pouched Fish – now again, not the most glamorous but it does the trick
• Hard-Boiled Eggs – once this list is done you may not have any friends. I do not suggest you eat them together haha
• Plain greek yogurt
• Single-serve cottage cheese
• Kale Chips – most stores will carry Kale chips now, but make sure you check for added ingredients

Ok, so if you haven’t tried miracle noodles (just google them), you are seriously missing out!!!

Check out this recipe I made, my whole family loved it!

Enjoy! xo Jen

P.S…. Make sure you rinse them well. And don’t skip this step! Since they are a natural root they do have a weird smell but once you rinse and cook they are odorless!

One-Pot Thai Noodles And Chicken

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons water
6 cups of sodium-free organic chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
4 chicken breast (I had mine pre-cooked), chopped up
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 (16 ounces) package miracle noodles
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Pour chicken broth into a large pot and stir cornstarch mixture, soy sauce, rice vinegar, coconut oil, ginger, garlic, and coriander into the broth. Cover and bring to a boil.

Rinse Miracle Noodles before cooking.

Place noodles in the boiling sauce, reduce heat to medium and simmer until noodles are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir zucchini, red bell pepper, and chicken into the sauce. Bring back to a boil, cover, and simmer until vegetables are just tender about 5 more minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes to thicken. Serve garnished with crushed peanuts and cilantro.

This was so good and so easy!!! 

The chicken and sweet potatoes taste so amazing together and the broth nutrients in it from all of the ingredients is a great immune booster as we head into the colder months!

Enjoy!!!
xo Coach Jen

Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew

Ingredients:

6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed of fat (I used Chicken Breast)
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into spears
½ pound white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 large shallots, peeled and halved
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1½ tablespoons white-wine vinegar

Directions:

Place chicken, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, wine, rosemary, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine.

Put the lid on and cook on low until the potatoes are tender about 5 hours.

Before serving, remove bones from the chicken, if desired, and stir in vinegar.

Make-Ahead Tip:

Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

For easy cleanup, try a slow-cooker liner. These heat-resistant, disposable liners fit neatly inside the insert and help prevent food from sticking to the bottom and sides of your slow cooker.

It’s pumpkin season y’all … I modified a favorite recipe to be a pumpkin lover’s dream!

Enjoy

xo Coach Jen

Pumpkin Energy Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine oats, chocolate chips, flaxseed, pumpkin and peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract together in a bowl.
2. Form into balls using your hands.
3. Arrange energy bites on a baking sheet and freeze until set, about 1 hour.
4. Keep refrigerated.

With the cold weather creeping up on us, it seems like this is the perfect time for soup!  

This is an awesome Butternut Squash Soup recipe to warm up to that’s packed full of flavor!

Enjoy! xo Jen

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

8 pounds of whole butternut squash, washed well
6 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
2 tablespoons pure organic maple syrup
3 carrots, peeled and halved
1 large onion, thinly sliced
10 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, preferably homemade or at least organic, divided
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt (double this if your stock is unsalted)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the squashes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard.

Place the squash halves cut side up in a roasting pan. Divide the coconut oil and maple syrup evenly amongst the squash cavities. Arrange the carrot and onions slices around the squash. Pour 2 cups of stock in the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 2 hours.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool slightly or enough that you can handle them. Scoop the squash pulp from the skins and transfer to a large soup pot. Add the carrots, onions and cooking liquid from the pan.

Add the remaining 8 cups of chicken stock to the pot with cayenne and salt to taste (I usually add 1 Tablespoon when I use unsalted stock.) Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.

Puree the soup until smooth in the pot with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender.

It’s so good, even my kiddos will eat this chili!

Added bonus. it isn’t spicy and it is a nice hearty, healthy meal on a fall day! This can be done in the slow cooker too, so it takes minimal effort!

Feel free to experiment with different vegetables in it too!

Enjoy! Xo Jen

White Bean Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 small yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups of water
1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 can white beans

Directions:

Brown the ground turkey in a pan

Add all of the ingredients to a crockpot and cook it all together on low for 4-6 hours.

My favorite part about pumpkin carving is the PUMPKIN SEEDS! 

This sweet and salty recipe is sure to help your hand stay out of the candy bowl this Halloween!

But if you saved the pumpkin seeds from last week’s chili recipe then you are already ahead of the game!

Enjoy! xo Coach Jen

Sweet & Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds – rinsed and dried 
2 tablespoons melted organic coconut oil, 
2 tablespoons light agave nectar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a large bowl mix ingredients, add the pumpkin seeds and coat thoroughly. 

Bake at 350 for 50-60 min!