Take-Out Fake-Out Crispy Beef and Broccoli with Cauliflower Rice

Sundays used to be a day of Chinese buffet engorgement. It was a day to nurse hangovers. It was also the place I met my husband for our "first date". He will tell you it was "just lunch". But that lunch lasted 5 hours...soo...I say it was our 1st date. So Chinese food holds a small, special place in my heart.

However, since changing my eating habits, I have noticed more intensely how my body doesn't react too kindly with the buffet line these day. Luckily, I can make my own Chinese take out at home and make it much healthier! This is a super non-intimidating recipe that your whole family will love. Pst--we are going to sneak in lots of veggies!

Gather Up:

• 1 pound grass-fed steak (flank or skirt work fine!) and cut into thin strips
• 2 heads of fresh broccoli or one bag of frozen
• 1 head cauliflower
• Garlic powder
• Ginger powder
• sea salt
• pepper
• ghee, butter, or oil
• 1 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 tsp fish sauce
• Juice of 2 limes
• tablespoon arrowroot powder

1. Chop cauliflower florets and add to a food processer. Pulse until the cauliflower resembles rice and set aside.
2. Heat pan to medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter, ghee, or oil
3. Place beef in pan a few strips at a time. Do not overcrowd! We want to let them be for 3 minutes on each side to get them nice and crispy to get that nice take-out texture. You may need to do the beef in a couple batches. Once you add the beef to the pan, sprinkle with garlic powder, ginger, salt and pepper. Flip and repeat. Set crispy beef to the side.
4. Add in your broccoli and let it cook in all that browned seasoning and fat. Cook until tender yet crisp and remove to the plate with beef.
5. Reduce the heat to low and add coconut aminos, fish sauce, lime juice, and arrowroot to the pan. Be careful with fish sauce--it is very salty! Scrape up any remaining browned bit in the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture simmer until it thickens to coat the back of a spoon.
6. Meanwhile heat another pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon of butter, ghee, or oil. Add cauliflower rice and saute for approximately 5 minutes so your "rice" remains al dente.
7. Keep and eye on your sauce mixture. Once thick, add the beef and broccoli back to the pan and toss to coat and heat through.
8. Add "rice" to plate and top with beef and broccoli mixture! Sprinkle with red pepper flakes for good measure. 
9. Devour with someone you love!

Hasselback Chicken Casserole

Things I love: garlic, onion, creaminess, tons of flavor, and crazy easy.

This has it all. 

I kept seeing this recipe for hasselback chicken. Which is essentially a chicken breast that you slit and then stuff. But, I am a casserole girl. I just like them. So I took all the flavors and did just that!

Gather up:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3 cups frozen spinach (I used frozen leaf spinach)
• 3 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tsp onion powder
• 3 tsp paprika
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• 1.5 cups shredded white cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place chicken breasts in a stock pot or dutch oven and fill with water until water just cover the chicken. Boil the chicken until done. About 35-45 minutes.
3. Once chicken is done, let slightly cool enough to touch and then shred your chicken using 2 forks.
4. Meanwhile heat 3 tsp of olive oil in a large skillet and add spinach. Cook until heated through and thawed.
5. Add entire tub of ricotta cheese, garlic powder, onion powder paprika and salt and stir. Continue to stir often until the ricotta is melted and creamy and everything is thoroughly mixed.
6. Add shredded chicken to skillet and mix well with the ricotta and spinach mixture.
7. Transfer your chicken mixture to a 9X13 baking dish.
8. Cover chicken mixture with shredded cheese and then bake at 350 for 45 minutes

Great as leftovers, too!

Do you follow my portion control system? This counts roughly as 1 red, 1/2 green, 1/2 blue

Crockpot Spicy Pulled Pork

Yall--this. is. a. WINNER! My husband asks for it frequently, it accompanies me on many potlucks, and is just downright delicious right out of the crockpot or as leftovers.

Now, this is not a saucy pulled pork. It is all about the rub, baby. Mix up some spices, rub it on and let it sit. I like to add mine to a waffle for a little twist on a southern favorite. You can try this easy and healthy waffle or one that suits your dietary needs! Or tacos...oooo tacos! I can picture it with tortillas, pico, guacamole and lime wedges. Save me from myself.

Gather up:

• 1 large pork roast (also called pork butt). I typically grab about 2.5-3 lbs
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder (ancho chili powder is fun too!)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp paprika (I also like smoked paprika!)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (ooooh yea, we did that!)
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime

1. Dump your diced onion in the bottom of your crock pot.
2. Slice your lemon and lime in half. Squeeze half of the lemon and half of the lime onto your onion. Save the other halves for a few minutes.
3. Mix all your spices together in a bowl and mix to combine.
4. Rub that spicy, delicious, mixture all over your pork shoulder. I add it all, even if it looks excessive.
5. Add the pork to your crockpot and rest it on top of the onion.
6. Squeeze the remaining lemon and lime halves on top of your pork.
7. Set your crockpot on low for 8-10 hours and wait for your house to smell UN-FREAKIN BELIEVABLE! 
8. After it is done cooking it should easily shred with 2 forks.
9. Impress your friends and devour.

If you follow my portion control system the pork by itself can be measured as 1 red! 

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

It has been COLD here lately! I know there are some lovely people out there who live in colder conditions--seriously, how do you people in North Dakota, Minnesota, etc. do it?! This Texas blood doesn't do well when it dips below 32*.

As a Texas transplant to Nebraska I still crave and love anything Tex-Mex or Mexican inspired. So here is a yummy chicken tortilla soup that could not get any easier!

If you are following the 21 Day Fix , Hammer and Chisel, or any other Beachbody program that uses the portion control containers,  I have listed container counts at the end of the recipe!

Gather Up:

Serving size: 1.5 cups, Approximately 6 servings

•  2 chicken breasts (thawed or frozen) 
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of corn, no added salt, drained
• 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes, do not drain the liquid
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 32 ounce container of chicken broth, low sodium
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic salt 
• Organic tortilla chips *I use blue corn chips

Optional toppings

• Non-Fat greek yogurt
• Cheese
• Avocado
• Jalapenos

Directions

1. Place the chicken breast in the bottom of the crockpot.
2. Place all ingredients in a crockpot on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours. I put my chicken breasts in frozen and cooked for 6 hours.
3. Once done cooking, remove the chicken and shred with forks and place back in the crockpot and stir to combine.
4. Serve with tortilla chips, greek yogurt in place of sour cream and diced avocados.

This soup counts approximately as 1 red and 1 green.These measurements are not 100% exact. If you top with tortilla chips, that adds 1 yellow to the count. If you add avocado, make sure to count a blue!

This soup is so delicious and is great for leftovers. I make a huge batch and we eat it all week!

 Enjoy!

xoxo

Brittany