A quicker and different cashew chicken then I have posted previously. Cashew chicken is one of my favorite meals to order when out, so I always love finding a healthier version to try and eat all week. This one did not disappoint either! But honestly, anything with cashews and I'm usually sold. Instead of sugar-free ketchup I used tomato paste, I omitted coconut sugar altogether (that is in the original recipe - link below), and after reading these Chinese Five Spice powder substitutes I decided to just purchase the spice. When I first started meal prepping I would never pick this recipe because there are a few ingredients that just aren't in your normal pantry. However, the more years of meal prep and education under my belt, the more all of these ingredients have become staples in my pantry. Do you only ever cook with one type of oil? It's time to get more variety of fats and flavor in your life!  Do you typically use soy sauce? Did you know that soy is the number one genetically modified crop in the world? Coconut aminos is a great soy sauce alternative that is gluten free, and doesn't taste like coconut one bit! Anyways, I only point those couple things out because if I had read them earlier in my journey I would probably be more open to trying those newer ingredients faster then I did. Back to the recipe though... I couldn't find plain frozen cauliflower rice at the grocery store, so I used both Green Giant® Riced Veggies Cauliflower & Sweet Potato and Green Giant® Riced Veggies Cauliflower Medley, which actually turned out pretty good all mixed together. The chicken had plenty of extra sauce to throw over top the cauliflower rice, so I just heated it up with some more sesame oil to give more flavor and fat to the meal. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and will be looking forward to eating it all week!

Instant Pot Cashew Chicken​
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″-1.5″ pieces
• 2 tbsp sesame oil, divided (or coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 3 tablespoons sugar-free ketchup (I used tomato paste)
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar (I used coconut vinegar)
• 1 tbsp honey*
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 2 tbsp arrowroot flour, divided (this is a thickening agent, if you don't have it and don't want to buy it, just omit it!)
• 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 cup cashews

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine 1 tbsp sesame oil, coconut aminos, ketchup, vinegar, coconut sugar, honey, garlic, ginger, Five Spice, and red pepper flakes. Whisk well to combine and set aside.
2. In a bowl or baggie, coat chicken pieces with 1 tbsp of the arrowroot flour, salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp sesame oil to the bottom of the instant pot and turn it to “sauté”.
3. Allow oil to heat up and then sear for 1-2 minutes. Press “cancel” and pour the sauce into the instant pot. Stir the sauce in with the chicken to evenly distribute. Cover, set the valve to “sealing” and press “manual” and adjust the time to 10 minutes.
4. Right before the instant pot is done, combine 1 tbsp arrowroot flour with 2 tbsp water and stir well to dissolve. Once the instant pot is done, do a quick release and open the lid. Press the “sauté” button and pour the water and flour mixture into the instant pot and whisk into the sauce.
5. Add the cashews and then continue stirring until the sauce has thickened. If you’d like it thicker after 1-2 minutes, add an additional 1/2 tbsp arrowroot dissolved in 1 tbsp water. Once the sauce has thickened, add any additional salt and pepper and serve.
6. Serve over broccoli, cauliflower rice, on it’s own with a side, over spaghetti squash “lo mien” noodles, etc. Garnish with any additional cashews, green onion, or sesame seeds

Notes:
*Omit for Whole30. Optional substitutions include 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, or 1-2 medjool dates, pitted and pureed in a food processor with 1/4 cup water to help blend.
If sauce gets too thick, you can easily thin it back out again by adding a few tablespoons of water. Only do a few at a time until at your desired consistency.

Original recipe found here

Oh my goodness this meal turned out absolutely delicious! Besides dicing the bell peppers, green chili, and onion, all you have to do is sear the meat and throw everything in the slow cooker. I actually threw all of those vegetables in the food processor to dice up real small, then cooked this for 8 hours since I doubled everything below. I know I always pair recipes with riced cauliflower, but it is seriously the easiest vegetable to heat up and serve with most recipes. There are so many frozen riced vegetables in the grocery store nowadays too, so you don't even have to pick the plain cauliflower rice if you don't want to. Below are a few of my favorite ones that ONLY have vegetables and spices listed in the ingredients:

• Cascadian Farm Riced Cauliflower Blend (Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Kale) 
• Green Giant Riced Cauliflower 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower & Sweet Potato 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower with Lemon & Garlic 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower Medley 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower & Broccoli 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower Risotto Medley
  
• Birds Eye Steamfresh Riced Cauliflower Original

If you want an easy and seamless way to start eating more vegetables, then I recommend grabbing one of those frozen rice veggie bags and serving with your protein of choice, like this slow cooker cuban-style beef! This meal seriously turned out amazing and had plenty of sauce to throw over top when done. I will definitely be making this one again soon!

Slow Cooker Cuban-Style Beef
Ingredients:

• 2 lb. beef chuck roast or flank steak
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups tomato sauce (or just 1 can of tomato sauce)
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 green chili, minced
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 cup beef stock
• Cooking fat
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Season the beef to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
2. Melt cooking fat in skillet over high heat, brown the beef on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total.
3. Place the beef in a slow cooker and add all the remaining ingredients on top.
4. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
5. Remove the beef from the slow cooker, let rest 10 to 15 minutes then shred using forks.
6. Place the beef back to the slow cooker, mix everything and serve topped with fresh cilantro.

Original recipe found here

I know it's not Fall anymore, but I had some extra cans of pumpkin that I wanted to put to use. Also, I love chili recipes, especially this pumpkin one, because they are packed with TONS of different nutrients and ingredients. I used a red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, a bag of already shredded carrots, diced tomatoes, pumpkin, and threw everything over top of cauliflower rice. Talk about getting those micro-nutrients in your life! Anyways, this chili did not have any overwhelming taste of pumpkin, and I feel like they never do unless you add more pumpkin spice to the mix. It did however still have a nice hint of pumpkin and I absolutely loved every bite of this meal. I personally don't like tomato based anything and this one did not have an overpowering tomato taste whatsoever. You can easily throw this chili over some plain cauliflower rice, regular rice, or mix the two together. Top with avocado and boom, you have a nice comforting, nutritious, and delicious pumpkin chili all week long!

​Instant Pot Paleo Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp coconut or avocado oil
• 3 pounds ground beef or meat of choice
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cup diced bell pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 2 15-oz. can pumpkin puree
• 2 cup chopped carrots
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 Tbsp chili powder, to taste 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
• 1 cup broth or water
• fresh cilantro  and avocado for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. Set your Instant Pot to the saute setting and add oil to the pot.
2. Once the oil is hot, crumble the meat into the Instant Pot. Brown for a minute or two until the meat is mostly browned, but still slightly pink. Scoop the meat out of the pot and set aside.
3. Next the garlic, onion, bell pepper, carrots to the Instant Pot. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, chili powder paprika, and cumin.
4. Next, add broth or water. Stir it into the veggie mixture, being sure to scrape up the spices and veggies that may have cooked to the bottom of the pot.
5. Add the tomatoes, pumpkin puree and cooked meat. Stir to mix everything together.
6. Turn off the saute function . Place the lid on the Instant Pot, lock in place and turn the valve to sealing. Select the manual setting and set to cook on HIGH pressure, and set time for 17 minutes. It will typically take you Instant Pot about 10 minutes to get up to pressure.
7. When the chili is finished cooking, quick release pressure, carefully.
8. Taste and add more chili, salt and pepper, if desired.
9. Serve immediately, garnished with avocado or cilantro, if desired.

Notes:

1. Make this chili as spicy or mild as you like! To amp up the heat, add 1-2 chopped jalapenos to the Instant Pot before cooking or add an extra teaspoon of chili powder!
2. No Instant Pot? That's okay! Make it in your slow cooker! Brown the meat in a skillet and then add all of the ingredients into your slow cooker with an extra cup of broth or water and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours!

​Original recipe found here