Healthy Sweet Potato Salad Recipe

Traditional potato salad is just loaded with fat, carbs and empty calories. But this healthy sweet potato salad recipe is a great alternative, with tons of nutrition and flavor, and none of the "bad stuff" in your traditional summer recipe, has a ton more nutrition, and about 100 calories less per serving!

INGREDIENTS
4 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and quartered
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup sliced scallion
1/2 cup minced fresh mint leaves
1 or 2 fresh minced chiles (jalapeño, Thai, serrano, or habanero), or to taste
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into bite-size pieces. Put them on a baking sheet, drizzle with two tablespoons of the oil, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast, turning occasionally, until crisp and brown outside and just tender inside, about 30 minutes. Remove and keep on the pan until ready to dress.
Make the dressing while the potatoes cook. Put the remaining six tablespoons of oil in a blender, along with the vinegar, bell pepper, cumin, and zest if you're using it. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Purée until smooth.
Toss the warm potatoes with the scallion, mint, chiles, and raisins if you're using them. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing, and toss to coat, adding more if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

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Loaded Cheesy Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Cauliflower Crust Pizza topped with Eggplant, Red Bell Peppers, Ground Turkey and Low Fat Italian Cheese Blend

OK, I know there are about a billion "Cauliflower Crust" pizza recipes out there on the web - and I've been looking at them and reading them for YEARS! What prompted me to finally try one?

Boredom! A need for something different on my weekly meal plan.

What makes mine different than the rest? Simple: I forgot to read someone else's directions, screwed up, and found out my mistake worked! And was easier than the original directions!

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower - raw, washed, dried, and "riced" in your food processor

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend, divided

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup marinara sauce

1 medium eggplant

1 red bell pepper

1 lb ground turkey

2-4 cloves garlic

garlic powder

1 tsp olive oil

Italian seasonings

Himalayan pink salt

black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Crush garlic and sautee in olive oil. 

Add in ground turkey, salt and pepper to taste, and brown.

Set aside.

In large bowl combine 2 cups of riced raw cauliflower, one cup of shredded mozz or Italian cheese and egg. The mixture will NOT be wet.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread cauliflower mixture into an oval.

Bake at 425 for approx 15 mins or until golden brown.

Top with Marinara and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic to taste.

Thinly slice eggplant and cut red pepper into strips. Layer on top of marinara.

Add leftover riced cauliflower to ground turkey and mix well. 

Layer ground turkey/cauliflower mixture over veggies.

Top with remaining cup of mozz cheese, and Parm. cheese.

Bake 15-20 mins or until cheese melts and turns golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Oh, what was my mistake? I'll never tell ;-)

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Following the 21 Day Fix meal plan? 8 servings - 1 blue, 1/2 red, 1 green

Interested in starting a clean eating meal plan but don't know where or how to begin? Looking to lose weight and get whole body healthy? Email me for more details about my one on one health and fitness coaching and online private accountability groups!

Crock Pot Cajun Sausage Soup Recipe - 21 Day Fix Approved!

I love crock pot cooking - especially in the winter - set it, walk away, and return to a delicious smelling home and a hot, hearty meal with plenty of leftovers. And this recipe didn't disappoint!

It's gluten free, dairy free, grain free, and with a few little tweaks you could make it Paleo too.

Ingredients:

2 Packages of spicy Chicken Sausage

2 Medium sweet potatoes cubed

1 Lg yellow or sweet onion

1 large package of sliced mushrooms

1 red pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 green pepper, cut into bite size pieces

3-5 cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic)

1 can black beans, washed and drained

1 can green chilis

32 oz organic chicken broth

1 6 oz can tomato paste (organic if possible)

1 tbsp crushed red pepper

black pepper to taste

Directions:

Add chicken broth and tomato paste to crock pot and stir. 

Cut sausage, potatoes, onions and peppers into bite size cubes.

Crush garlic, and add all to crock pot.

Add beans, mushrooms, green chilis and seasonings.

Cook on high 4 hours, or low 6 hours. 

Enjoy!!

Serving size: approx 1 1/2 cups

Following the Portion Fix meal plan with the 21 Day Fix, Country Heat, Hammer & Chisel, Core de Force, 22 Minute Hard Corps, or any other Beachbody fitness program?

1 red, 1/2 green, 1/2 yellow

If you're interested in more healthy recipes or are interested in learning about clean eating, or the 21 Day Fix, email me or find me on Facebook.

Sweet Potato Chicken Stew Recipe

I love stew. And I love my crock pot. But I'm not a big beef eater, and I try to stay away from white potatoes. So this variation on a popular fall favorite, was a MUST.

So what's in it?

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, raw, cut into 1" - 2" cubes

3 large Sweet Potatoes, cut into 1" cubes

1 large Vidalia Onion, cubed

1/2 bag baby carrots

1 container sliced baby bella mushrooms (any kind will do)

1/2C beef broth

1/2C red wine

1 teaspoon salt free seasoning blend

Honest, that's it - I like to keep it as simple as possible!!

Partially cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave so they're easier to cut into 1" cubes.

Turn on your crock pot (I did 3 hours on high, and then 2 on low)

Throw everything in.

Mix it up.

Mix a couple times during cooking so the chicken doesn't all stick together as it cooks.

Cool and serve!!

Makes approx 8 servings!

Following the 21 Day Fix/Country Heat/Hammer & Chisel meal plans?

1 serving = 1 red, 1 yellow, 1/2 green

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Spiralized Sweet Potato Apple Bake

Last night I was craving a sweet side dish - but it had to be healthy. So I pulled out my spiralizer, and made this!

Preheat oven to approx 350 degrees

Spray glass 9x9 baking dish

Spiralize one large sweet potato

Spiralize one medium apple

Drizzle with a little bit of coconut oil

and sprinkle generously with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, mace, anything you'd consider putting in an apple pie, plus a little stevia to bring out the sweetness (optional!)

Bake for about a half hour and enjoy!

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21 Day Fix Approved Baked Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

It's been a while since I shared a recipe here - I'll just chalk it up to it being a super busy summer! But tonight I made something newish (a slant on an old favorite) and it came out so tasty, you need to know about it!

Keeping it short and simple because really, you want the recipe; not my life story.

Ingredients: 

4 Large Sweet Potatoes

1 Bag Frozen Chopped Spinach

1 lb. ground turkey

Black Pepper to taste

Turmeric to taste

Sea Salt to taste

Cook potatoes thoroughly either in the oven or the microwave.
Cool completely (I left mine for about 4 hours)

Cut potatoes in half and scoop out insides, leaving about 1/4-1/2inch thick so the skin doesn't fall apart. Set aside

In a large saucepan, brown ground turkey.
Add spinach.
Add sweet potato guts.
Season till you like the way it tastes. Place skins in a large pan, skin side down, and stuff 'em.

Simple as that!!!

Following the 21 Day Fix meal plan? 1 skin (as shown above) = 1 yellow (possibly 1 1/2 depending on how full you stuff it, and how big your potatoes are), 1/2 red, 1/2 green

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Clean Eating Paleo and Gluten Free Crockpot Pork Roast with Apples & Butternut Squash Recipe

2.5 - 3 lb pork roast (trim fat)
2 fuji apples, cored and chopped
1 Bag frozen butternut squash
1 medium onion, chopped in large pieces
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup water
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried marjoram

Spray the bottom and sides of a 4.5 quart slow cooker.

Place half of the apple, squash, and onion chunks in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Place the roast on top, followed by the water.

Sprinkle the herbs and spices over the roast, followed by the remaining chunks of apple, squash and onion.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3.5 – 4.5 hours.

Once finished, remove and slice the pork roast.  Scoop the apple, squash, and onion chunks into a bowl and mash with a potato masher.

Enjoy!
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21 Day Fix Approved Quinoa "Fried Rice" Recipe

Love Fried Rice but don't like the carbs or high glycemic index
of white rice? Try this healthier alternative!

Ingredients:

2 T Olive Oil, Divided

2 Lg. Eggs, beaten

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Small onion, diced

8 oz mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas)

1 head broccoli, cut into florets (or if you can find it, I used a bag of frozen organic)
1 zucchini, chopped

1/2C frozen corn

1/2 C frozen peas

2 carrots, peeled and grated

3C cooked quinoa

1T fresh grated ginger

3 T low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos

2 green onions, sliced

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cubed

hot sauce to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Scramble eggs and let cool.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions have become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Add mushrooms, broccoli and zucchini. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Add corn, peas, carrots, chicken and quinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

Add ginger and soy sauce, and gently toss to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Stir in green onions and eggs.

Serve drizzled with hot sauce, if desired.

Following the 21 Day Fix? One yellow, one green, 1/2 red. 

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Gluten Free Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Recipe

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Each week I make one "meal" - either in the crock pot, on the stove, or in the oven - large volume - for dinners for the week. I'm just to busy to be cooking every night, and this way I know there's going to be something healthy and easy to grab either for lunch, or for dinner at night. This week's recipe was a new one - Spaghetti Squash Lasagna. And lemme tell ya - it was G O O D! And easy to make too! So good it needs to be shared. Right here. With you. You know, so you can make it for yourself/your family too. So here ya go:

Ingredients:

2 packages Fit and Trim Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage

1 cup of ricotta cheese (I used fat free)

3/4 cups of homemade or organic tomato sauce

3/4 cups of diced tomatoes (low salt/no added salt)

1 cooked spaghetti squash

2/3 cup of fresh shredded mozzarella cheese (I used part skim, and I never by the pre-shredded stuff - it has a "waxy" coating on it so it doesn't stick to itself, and I don't like coatings so I buy a block and shred it myself)

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Slice the chicken sausage thin - about 1/8" - 1/4" thick

3. Discard seeds from the squash and remove your “spaghetti”

4. Spray a casserole dish with a little cooking spray and begin the layering process!

5. First, spoon about half of your sauce and half your diced tomatoes on the bottom of the casserole dish

6. Then add half the spaghetti squash

7. Next comes half the sausage

8. Top that with about half the ricotta

9. Add a thin layer of mozzarella cheese, and then the rest of your diced tomatoes

10. Repeat layers - spaghetti squash, sausage, ricotta cheese

11. Top with the rest of your sauce and cover with the remaining mozzarella cheese

11. Bake until cheese is melty and bubbly – probably about 15 mins. If you want your cheese to brown more, increase time or raise temp to 400. Just keep an eye on it!

And that’s it! Super easy and soooooo good!

4 servings – as written, if you're following the 21 Day Fix, it’s –

1 RED 1/2 BLUE 1 GREEN

Want more recipes like this? Follow my blog, or find me on Facebook - I frequently post great healthy recipes, most of which are 21 Day Fix approved, there. Be sure to give me a "like" while you're there.

For more information on the 21 Day Fix, email me or visit my website.

Greek Yogurt Buffalo Chicken Wraps - A Gluten Free, Clean Eating Crock Pot Recipe

One of my standard Sunday afternoon activities, is prepping my meals for the week ahead. I plan out all my snacks, pre-assemble my salads, wash my fruits, hard boil my eggs (free range organic, of course - and if you don't know why that matters, follow my blog - I'll get into it in a future post, for sure) and make a big pot or pan (or in this case, crock pot) of something I can portion out for my dinners for the week. 

Having healthy options at the ready, makes it a lot easier to stay on track, than it is to cheat, and sets me up mentally for the week as well, with some basic organization, so I don't have to think about what's for lunch (or breakfast, or snack, or dinner) once Monday hits and life gets CRAZY.

So this week, I tried a new recipe - Greek Yogurt Buffalo Chicken Wraps. Not only was it super easy; it was also flippin' yummy!

Greek Yogurt Buffalo Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 chickens breasts
  
• 1 1/2 cups of plain Greek yogurt (I used fat free)
  
• 2 cups hot sauce, divided (no need to get fancy; I used the store brand)
  
• Blue cheese crumbles (optional - and I used reduced fat)
  
• Sriracha Sauce
  
• Fresh Romaine Lettuce
  

Put the chicken breasts in crockpot with 1 cup of hot sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Once chicken is cooked, drain the juice from the pot. Once juice is drained add the second cup of hot sauce to the pot. Then use your fork to shred the chicken, adding in the Greek yogurt. The chicken will shred easily. 

While it doesn't look like much more than a creamy mess, in the crock pot, it does get pretty when you plate it. Select large Romaine leaves, and place about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture inside. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles, and drizzle with Sriracha. Fold up the bottom of the lettuce leaf, and fold over the left and right sides, pinning in place with a toothpick. Enjoy!

If you want more clean, healthy recipes like this one, check out my website: BuildingYourBetterBody.com, or my Facebook Page (be sure to like it while you're there) http://www.facebook.com/BuildingYourBetterBody - I'm always posting healthy tips, recipe ideas and hacks, and other fitness and nutrition type advice.

Meal Prep - Saving myself from eating badly

Sunday Meal Prep

Taking a few hours on Sunday afternoons, to do my meal planning and prep for the week ahead, is really critical in staying on track with eating healthy and clean. Without it, who knows what I'd reach for! (probably something chocolaty or salty or both - and my taste buds would love me for about a minute, but my butt, thighs, and hands - yup, hands - because I always feel the sodium overload in my bloated fingers first - would hate me for days to come).

So it starts of something like this: Thursday or Friday, I start thinking about what I want to make for the week. I cook one "hot meal" - in quantity - so I can portion it out in serving size containers and not have to worry about cooking much, throughout the rest of the week. Look, I'm a busy girl - Full time day job, part time nights and weekends teaching horseback riding lessons and helping out with barn chores, and a fitness and nutrition coach - and once in a while I even try to have a social life, so at the end of a full day - who has time to cook at night? I sure don't.

I pick out a "clean" recipe - from one of my cookbooks, or pinterest, or sometimes I just visit my own website, find a favorite, and either make it exactly the same way or tweak it a little for some variety. This week's recipe was Spaghetti Squash Skillet. It was fantastic, and I promise I'll share the ingredients below. 

Most weeks, everything else is pretty standard - egg white and veggie frittata with some berries on the side, for breakfast; hard boiled egg and a handful of almonds for a snack; spinach or kale salad topped with sunburst tomatoes, cukes, avocado, tuna and clean dressing for lunch; baby carrots or zucchini spears and hummus for an afternoon snack; and on my way to my night job, my favorite meal of the day - vanilla Shakeology blended with unsweetened cashew milk, crushed ice, and ground flax meal. What's Shakeology, you ask? Only the healthiest and most delicious meal of the day. And then at night when I get home, I'll have my hot meal.

So once I have my recipe picked out, I make a shopping list, doing a quick (usually mental) inventory - and I always shop on Friday nights. I don't want to fight the weekend warriors at the grocery store, and I also don't want to use my precious weekend time, fighting those crowds and waiting in those lines.

Then on Sunday afternoon, when I get home from shoveling horse sh!t, teaching lessons, and playing with our awesome German Shepard, J-Dawg, I can come home, put on some music, or a personal development podcast, and start prepping. I love doing it that way, especially in the winter, because I'm usually chilled to the bone from the farm, and nothing heats up my condo like having the burners on the stove, and the oven, cranking.

Everything gets sliced, diced, measured, packaged in containers or zip lock baggies, and perfectly portioned out in my fridge so I can *almost* guarantee myself a successful week without much risk if cheating.

Oh, and I did promise a recipe for the Spaghetti Squash Skillet, didn't I?

Cut one medium spaghetti squash in half, remove "guts", and place face down/skin up on a cookie sheet - bake approx 40 mins at 350. I do this part in advance so it can cool a bit before I have to touch it.

Brown 16-20 oz lean ground turkey (I use 93/7). Add a large can of organic diced tomatoes, a bag of frozen spinach, sliced baby portobella mushrooms, about a cup of low sodium chicken broth, Italian seasoning to taste, and scrape out the insides of the spaghetti squash and add that too. Mix it all up, and allow it to simmer for about 15-20 mins to blend all flavors.

I also added some dehydrated onion flakes and garlic powder - I was being lazy but if you want you can mince some fresh garlic, and dice an onion, and saute those first and add them in too.

Either way, really good and really easy and it made like 7-8 servings.

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