21 DAY FIX SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN CHILI

OH CHILI! What can I even say? My family loves ♡ this healthy, slightly spicy, extremely basic and wonderful turkey chili loaded with everything sweet potato and yummy. It's fall, it's cold outside and this chili always hits just the right spot! 

Ingredients

• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1 ½ pounds of ground turkey
• 1 small or ½ large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 cups of kale, chopped into small pieces
• 2 med/large sweet potatoes, diced (measure about 4 cups)
• 2+ cups of chicken stock
• 3 T salt free taco seasoning
• up to 1 T chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
• salt and pepper
• optional - maple syrup
• toppings:
• cheddar cheese
• cilantro
• chives
• avocado

Instructions

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add turkey to pan, along with 1 ½ tablespoons of the Salt Free Taco Seasoning and cook through; then add onions and kale and cook until soft. Season turkey and veggies with salt and pepper, then remove from pot.
2. Add the remaining 2 tsp of olive oil to pan and saute sweet potatoes just until they start to brown. Add the garlic, 1 ½ tablespoons of the Salt Free Taco Seasoning, a sprinkle of salt, a can of fire roasted tomatoes, and 2 cups of chicken stock to the pot. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes are very soft.
3. You can leave the potatoes as is, but I **highly recommend** the following step to get an amazing texture to your chili. This is also the way to go if you have picky eaters in your house who “don’t like sweet potatoes” **Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until it reaches your desired consistency (you can also transfer to a regular blender and puree that way, which is what I did! I just pulsed a few times).
4. Add turkey mixture back to pot and stir in black beans. Add additional stock to reach desired thickness, as the chili will continue to thicken up as it cooks. Season with chili powder to taste, starting 1 teaspoon at a time so you don’t overdo it. And, if you want to bring out the flavor of the sweet potato a little more, you can add a spoon of maple syrup. If you want a little more spice, add the cayenne! Simmer for a few more minutes before devouring!
5. Top with fresh chives, cilantro, shredded cheddar and avocado. YUM!

21 Day Fix Container Count:

Makes six (1 ¼ cup) servings: 21 Day Fix 1 R, 1 G, 1 Y, ½ B (Blue - toppings)

Spaghetti Squash Boats with Spicy Sausage

Spaghetti Squash Boats with Spicy Sausage

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ripe spaghetti squash
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground hot turkey sausage (I used Jennie-O)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes (I used no salt original)
• ¼ cup half and half
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ½ cup part skim Mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 2 Tbsp basil, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the spaghetti squash, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and cut squash right down the middle. Scoop out all the seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with oil. DO NOT PIERCE WITH A FORK!! Many recipes say to do this, but we are using these cuts of squash later as bowls so you want them to remain intact.
2. Bake squash in the oven for 45 minutes until tender.
3. Meanwhile, drizzle oil into a large skillet and saute onion and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add turkey sausage and cook until crumbled and lightly brown, draining if necessary, then add chicken broth, tomatoes, half and half, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil then cover and allow flavors to simmer on low to medium heat until spaghetti squash is ready.
4. Remove squash from the oven and scrape out all the strands of spaghetti using a fork. Add all the spaghetti squash to your skillet along with a ¼ cup of cheese. Toss well until cheese is melted and squash is fully coated with sauce.
5. Transfer squash mixture into your now scraped out squash bowls and top with the rest of your cheese. Place them back in the oven for about 3 to 4 minutes until cheese is melted and squash is heated through.
6. Top with basil, serve and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size: 1 squash boat • Calories: 278 • Fat: 13.5 g • Saturated Fat: 1.9 g • Carbs: 16.8 g • Fiber: 2.4 g • Protein: 21.9 g • Sugars: 8.9 g • WW Points+: 7 • Smart Points: 8

recipe from:eatyourselfskinny.com

21 Day Fix Fixate Stuffed Peppers

As a busy family easy to prep on a weeknight is super important in our house and this tasty 21 Day Fix  Approved Stuffed Pepper recipe delivers! (especially so if you brown the turkey and veggies the night before as I did), delicious and totally easy to reheat the next day at work! 

Ingredients: 

4 bell peppers ( Get big ones!) 1 lbs package 93% lean ground turkey breast or ground chicken 1 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes - no salt added2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and chopped
5 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp each of each, cumin, garlic powder, 
1/4- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to add heat if desired)
salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 cup tomato sauce (look for lower sugar/salt option if possible) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. 

2.Cook quinoa according to package instructions (if using brown rice I use the Trader Joe's packets of frozen brown rice and LOVE it! Super convenient and especially so if the family isn't converted to brown rice as is true of mine!)

3. Dice the onion and garlic. Cut the peppers in half, remove seeds, set aside for later use.  

4. Heat olive oil in a pan and saute onion and garlic until tender. Add ground turkey and seasonings, cook until no longer pink.

5. Add in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, quinoa, beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook; stirring occasionally until heated through (about 3-5 minutes)

6. Fill each pepper half with 1/2 cup of the mixture. Once filled place into baking dish. Lightly cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until tender; remove foil and top each pepper with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bale for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

7. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and hot sauce if desired.

Each pepper 1/2 is one serving. 

Colored container equivalents per serving are : 1 Green/1 Yellow/1 Red/ 1/2 Blue

21 Day Fix Turkey Chili

My family LOVES Chili...pretty much all types of the hearty stuff! Something about it warms you from the inside out. It is comfort food and it taste great!  I could even eat it in the summer months when it's not so cool outside!  So when Autumn Calabrese released her brand new Fixate cookbook and I saw that there was a chili recipe in it we had to try it out! I love the chance to try out any new chili recipe and this one was no different! AND... it is a GREAT one and plus it's 21 Day Fix Approved!!!  SooOo It is Even better! 

My family loved this so much that we had NO leftovers...I was kinda thinking I would have some for lunch the next day but well my family scarfed it all up and cleaned out the pot! Lesson learned, Next time I'll be making a double batch!! 

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1 medium onion

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste; optional)

2 (15 oz) cans black beans (or pinto beans) drained, rinsed

1 (15 oz) can all-natural diced tomatoes, no sugar added

12 fresh cilantro sprigs, finely chopped (for garnish; optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat
2. Add turkey, onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink
3. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute
4. Add beans and tomatoes (with liquid). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; gently bio, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thickened.
5. Serve warm, sprinkle with cilantro.

Container Equivalents:

1 Green

1 Red

1 Yellow

This recipe is perfect to use in CROCKPOTS...or you can make ahead of time and place in a freezer ziplock bag (gallon size after it's cooled) and freeze for later...great for meal prep!!

(recipe from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Nutrition Guide)

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Stuffed Zucchini 21 Fix Approved

When meal planning for the week I tend to look for 3 things. The first being fresh in season veggies to keep our cost down and to help support local farmers, the second is prep/cook time. As a busy momma to 3 simple dishes tend to help me save sanity :) and lastly...will my kiddos eat it?
As I sat down to make out this weeks meals and shopping list I hit the internet to find some new healthy recipes and I came across this super easy Stuffed Zucchini recipe from the Clean Eating Magazine. It looks right up our alley and meets all of my families recipe criteria, especially because right now zucchini is in season and this is a great way to use up your over abundance of zucchini. Not to mention it fits into my 21 Day Fix Meal plan. 

You can also add some lean ground turkey, turkey sausage or even chicken for some added protein.

Ingredients: 
3 tsp olive oil, divided 
1 clove garlic diced 
1 small yellow onion, diced 
8 oz mushrooms, diced 
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
3 tbsp whole-wheat bread crumbs 
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese 
2 zucchini halved, seeds and pulp removed. 

Preparation: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare stuffing: In a large saute pan on medium-high heat, heat 1 tsp oil. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms soften, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining 2 tsp oil, vinegar, bread crumbs and Parmesan. Mix thoroughly. 
Spoon an equal amount of stuffing into each zucchini half. Bake on a foil-lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes. 

Nutrients per 1/2 stuffed zucchini: 
Calories: 110, total fat 5g, Sat. Fat 1g, Mono saturated Fat 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat 1g, Carbs 12g, Fiber 2g, Sugars 5g, Protein 5g, Sodium 135 mg, Cholesterol 2mg. 

Can't wait to make this recipe!!

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Share this blog post and recipes with a friend who you think would enjoy it! Also if you make this recipe and post a pic on Instagram @jennamerson, Facebook or Twitter… tag me in it and use #jennamerson!

21 Day Fix Approved BAKED GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Did you know you can eat HEALTHY, TASTY meals on the 21 Day Fix? Check this one out!!

BAKED GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Container count per serving: 1¼ red, ¼ yellow, 1 teaspoons, 1½ sweetener teaspoons (for maple syrup)

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
½ cup liquid egg whites
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce (or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
¼ cup vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp chili sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp 100% pure maple syrup
1 tsp cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and mist with non-fat cooking spray.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder.

Dip chicken strips in liquid egg substitute, shake off excess and lightly coat in flour. Place chicken strips on baking sheet and lightly mist with an olive oil mister, or more non-fat cooking spray.

Bake chicken in oven for about 30 min, turning over once at halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
While chicken is cooking, combine soy sauce, vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger, syrup, chili sauce and sesame oil in a small sauce pan set over medium heat. Once sauce has begun to lightly simmer, mix cornstarch and I tsp water in a small cup, and then pour into sauce. Continue to cook, stirring regularly, until sauce has thickened up a bit, about 3-5 more minutes. If sauce remains runny, add in some additional cornstarch, tsp by tsp.

Toss the cooked chicken pieces with the sauce and serve immediately.