​This meal was the bomb! Since I made this for meal prep, and also need at least a cup of sweet potato per meal, I opted for roasting the potatoes separately in the oven. I then doubled the rest of the recipe (minus the black pepper and olive oil, there was no need for that much) to get me about 10 meals. I actually may have used closer to 3lbs of steak now that I think about it. Either way, the recipe itself was super simple and easy to make after you have all your ingredients diced and prepped. I paired this recipe with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, which is also super easy to whip up if you have the time. If not, another idea is to throw some plain cauliflower rice in with the peppers to cook. You can also throw the plain cauliflower rice into the same pan you cooked the steak bites and peppers (once you remove everything) to soak up the remaining flavors. I definitely over complicated this meal by roasting sweet potatoes in the oven, and separately making Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, so don't feel like you need to do all of that. The steak bite recipe as-is below was extremely simple to make and is all done in one-pan. Most importantly, this is a meal you will truly enjoy eating all week long!​

Whole30 Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers
Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces) diced into 1" pieces
• 1 tsp sea or kosher salt
• 1 lb flat iron steak diced into 1" pieces
• 3 tbsp olive oil divided
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 bell peppers seeded and diced into 1" pieces
• 4 green onions thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Place the diced sweet potatoes into a microwave safe bowl, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Cover with a plate and microwave on high until just barely tender, 4-6 minutes. Stir once halfway through. The potatoes are ready when you can piece one with the tip of a knife and meet just a bit of resistance. Take care not to overcook at this stage or they'll turn out mushy later.
2. Heat a 12” skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the steak in a single layer. Cook, turning every two minutes, until the pieces are browned and the center is medium, about 10 minutes. Remove the steak from the skillet using a slotted spoon and set aside onto a plate. 
3. Add the third tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add the sweet potatoes, toss to coat in the fat and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3-4 minutes.
4. Make a well in the center of the pan and add the garlic. Sautee, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add the bell pepper and scallions and toss with the potatoes. Sautee, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are bite tender, 3-4 minutes. 
6. Add the steak and juices back to the pan along with the coconut aminos. Toss all ingredients and cook an additional 1- 2 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.
7. Add the pepper and cilantro, toss, and remove from heat. Portion onto plates, top with additional fresh cilantro if desired, and serve immediately.

Original recipe found here


​Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower (I used two bags of frozen cauliflower rice)
• 2 limes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 handful chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. (If making own cauliflower rice) Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and cut the head in half. Remove the cauliflower from the core so you only have the florets. Place half the cauliflower into the processor and process until only small pieces remain. Remove from the processor and place into a pan. Process the remaining cauliflower repeating the steps.
2. Mince the garlic and add to the cauliflower in the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. When cauliflower is slightly toasted, and garlic cooked, remove from heat.
3. Toss with cilantro and juice from the whole lime.

Original recipe found here

My coworker was telling me about her sausage and peppers she made for dinner and I knew immediately what I was making for meal prep the following week. You are probably thrown off by the zucchini noddles and sweet potato glass noodles, but over top of all that is the Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers recipe below. I thought this entire meal turned out absolutely delicious and I seriously looked forward to eating it all week. I usually cut up the sausage more, but I was happy with cutting it into thirds for this meal - it made it extremely easy making sure I got an entire sausage serving in each meal. I found some Italian Chicken Sausages at BJ's and opted to use three bell peppers instead of two, but other then those minor tweaks I made the recipe as is. I sliced the onions and peppers the night before, so that I could wake up Sunday morning and quickly get this meal in the crockpot. The only prep left to do after that was brown the sausages and saute the onions, then everything went into the crock pot on low for 6 hours. Later in the day I spiralized about 7-8 zucchinis (this got me about 3 oz of cooked noodles in 10 meals), and I heated it on the stove top until they were soft. Besides adding some salt, I didn't flavor them with anything since I knew the sausage and peppers would have plenty of sauce. I also boiled up some Sweet Potato Glass Noodles (found at Wegman's) as my carb source in this meal. Those are just the vegetable and carb pairs I chose for this meal though. Feel free to use another spiralized or riced vegetable, whole wheat pasta, or rice instead. Of note, zucchinis are by far the easiest vegetable to spiralize yourself, so totally worth saving the extra money and skipping out on the pre-made zoodles. The two spiralizers that I own are the Veggetti (really only usable for Zucchini though) and this 5-Blade Vegetable Slicer (great for all vegetables, including potatoes). Anyways, the recipe itself was super easy to throw together and turned out tasting amazing. If you are looking for a new slow cooker recipe to make then I definitely recommend giving this one a try! 

Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil — divided
• 2 1/2 pounds Italian turkey sausage links — uncooked, in their casing, cut into thirds (sweet or spicy both work here, depending upon your preference)
• 1 large yellow onion — halved and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic — chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes — plus additional to taste
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper — cored and cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 large green bell pepper — cored and cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

For Serving:

• Cooked whole wheat pasta
• Zucchini noodles

Directions:

1. Lightly coat a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with nonstick spray. Heat a large skillet over medium high. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil. Once the oil is hot, add half of the sausages in a single layer (do not crowd the pan or the sausages will not brown properly). Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on all four sides, or until the outsides are golden brown (the sausages do not need to be cooked all the way through.) Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the next 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and repeat with remaining sausages.
2. Increase the heat slightly. Add the final 1/2 tablespoon oil, then the onions, 1 tablespoon water, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onions are starting to brown and become tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 additional minute, then add the wine. Let cook until the wine evaporates, scraping up any bits that have stuck on to the bottom of the pan. Transfer the onions and any pan juices to the slow cooker with the sausages.
3. Add the bell peppers and crushed tomatoes to the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 5 to 6 hours on low or 2 to 3 hours on high, or until sausages are cooked through and tender. (I prefer and recommend the low, long cooking time, as it makes the sausages more tender, but high works if you are in a hurry.) Serve over pasta or zucchini noodles.

Original recipe found here

If you enjoy the classic Chinese Chicken and Broccoli meal, then this one is a MUST-try! I am not sure I have ever recreated this Chinese dish before, but this recipe is seriously spot-on and so delicious! This week was a rare occasion that I did not need to prep for anyone except myself, so I made the recipe as-is below (okay, I actually increased the chicken to 3lbs, but that was it). There is barely any prep involved with this recipe, and once you throw everything in the Instant Pot you are pretty much done. Talk about easy. If you don't have fish sauce then that is always an ingredient you can skip over. However, if you are open to purchasing some I always recommend the Red Boat fish sauce, and you can search my site for plenty of recipes that will put it to use, so it's not just wasting away in your fridge. If you don't have sesame oil, simply swap for coconut oil. Also, the arrowroot powder is totally optional as it is just a thickening agent. You can put the Instant Pot on saute mode and easily thicken the sauce up that way too, it will just take a little longer. Overall, this is absolutely a must-try recipe. Not only was it ridiculously easy, but it turned out tasting just like the traditional Chinese dish, and it even includes the vegetable (one less thing to plan - winning!). I still paired with some extra plain cauliflower rice and you can easily mix in your own regular rice for more carbs too. If you have an Instant Pot then save this one now and give it a try later! 

​Instant Pot Chinese Chicken and Broccoli 
Ingredients:

• 2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon fish sauce (I use Red Boat fish sauce, can find it at Whole Foods)
• 2" knob ginger, grated or minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot or tapioca flour 
• 2 tablespoons water
• 10-12 ounces of broccoli florets (about 5-6 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
• Sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:

1. Place chicken, broth, coconut aminos, sesame oil, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper in the Instant Pot. Cover and cook on manual high pressure for 8 minutes.
2. Once done, turn the knob for quick release.
3. In a small bowl combine the arrowroot and water to create a slurry. Pour this into the instant pot with the chicken.
4. Press off, then turn on the sauté function. Add in the broccoli and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, or until broccoli has softened and sauce has reduced slightly and thickened.
5. Add apple cider vinegar and mix until combined. Press cancel to shut off.
6. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately with cauliflower rice or white rice.

Notes:
Chicken can vary in how much liquid it releases. If your sauce is thin, you can add a bit more thickener, or boil down the sauce using the saute function.

Original recipe found here

This is definitely my favorite jerk chicken recipe I have ever tried! I posted this exact meal back in 2016 and had to bring it back because it is that good. The list of ingredients for the marinade can be a bit overwhelming, but if you have the patience to throw everything into a blender, then it's smooth sailing from there. After that you just let the chicken marinate for at least a couple of hours, then throw it on the grill, and heat up the remaining sauce if you want extra dipping sauce with the meal. My biggest note is that this recipe makes plenty of extra sauce! You can easily double the chicken and still have enough sauce, in my opinion. The only time I'd recommend increasing the marinade ingredients is if you are making over 5-6lbs of chicken with this. I also don't ever use both habanero and serrano peppers, mainly because I can never find both at the store, but I have never found the sauce to be that spicy just using one or the other (I do remove the seeds though). Pairing this chicken with a cauliflower "fried" rice seems odd, but I've always really enjoyed the combo. If you are not a fan of cauliflower rice, or just beginning to throw vegetables into your routine, then I definitely recommend giving a recipe like this a try! Such a delicious recipe for sneaking more vegetables into your diet. You can also easily find frozen plain cauliflower rice at most stores these days, so don't feel like you need to make your own cauliflower rice if that intimidates you or slows your meal prep down. I wouldn't re-post a meal if it wasn't worth it! This one is definitely a must-try. 

​Paleo Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade:

• 8 green onion, chopped
• 1-4 habanero peppers (depending on how hot you like it, remove seeds for less heat)
• 1-2 serrano peppers (depending on how hot you like it, remove seeds for less heat)
• 2 kiwis, peeled
• 1 small yellow onion, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos 
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. fresh thyme
• 2 Tbsp. raw honey
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (1 Orange)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice (1-2 Limes)
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Directions:

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a blender and mix for about 30 seconds.
2. Place the chicken in the plastic bag and pour in half of the marinade, reserving the other half for basting and dipping. Let marinade for 2 hours or more.
3. Remove chicken from marinade and let rest on a plate for about 30 minutes to bring to room temperature.
4. Heat the remaining half of the marinade in a small saucepan over low heat for about 20 minutes. Place half in a small bowl for basting during grilling  and reserve the other half to serve for dipping sauce at the table.
5. Grill chicken for about 8 minutes, basting with marinade about halfway through.
6. Let chicken rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Original recipe found here 

Best Cauliflower Rice Dish Ever
Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, grated
• 1 package, shittake mushrooms
• 6 green onions
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp garlic
• 3 Tbsp coconut aminos 
• 3 eggs
• Sesame oil
• Meat of choice (I used the jerk chicken)

Directions:

1. Grate the cauliflower using a food processor (or if you have time and the patience of a saint, a box grater).
2. Prep the veggies (slice the green onions and mushrooms thinly and mince the shallot/ginger).
3. Heat a large skillet/wok to high heat. Add a spoonful or two of sesame oil. Saute the mushrooms, shallot, ginger and garlic for ~3 min or until they begin to soften, stirring often.
4. Add meat to the wok, and cook, stirring frequently for 3–4 minutes, or until the meat is mostly cooked. (Since I paired this with the paleo jerk chicken, I did not add meat to the wok and just skipped to the next step).
5. Add the cauliflower, green onions and coconut aminos. Saute for ~5 min.
6. Push the veggies to the side of the skillet and create a well. Crack the eggs into the well and scramble (yes, kind of like you’d do with fried rice). Stir everything to combine.
7. Top with a meat of your choice.

​Another quick and tasty Instant Pot recipe to add to your collection! To save time on prep you can purchase already diced onions, garlic, can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, freshly prepared salsa and guacamole, and frozen plain cauliflower rice. Just always make sure to check the ingredient label when you purchase those items! You want to be on the lookout for any unwanted ingredients like sugar, preservatives, or any other unfamiliar names you don't need to throw into your body. That is just my tip for making meal prep easier though. If you have time to prepare all your own ingredients, then that is certainly the fresher and more cost-effective way to go. About the recipe though... After sauteing the onion and garlic, you throw all the ingredients (minus the chicken) into a blender, then top the sauce blend over the chicken, and turn the pressure cooker on. The only additional step I took was putting the pot on "saute" mode when finished and stirring frequently to reduce the sauce some. I do this with majority of Instant Pot meals, so that I am not leftover with too much extra sauce. The only change I made to this recipe was using chipotle powder in place of the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, like the notes below suggest. I have never been able to find adobo sauce that only has whole food ingredients with no added sugars in it. I also opted for using half chicken breast and half chicken thighs, which I find tasty every time. You can easily double (or triple, in my case) the ingredients below to get enough food to fit your meal prep needs. Top with your favorite toppings, add some vegetables (I find cauliflower rice the easiest, especially in saucy recipes like this one), rice, and/or wrap in a tortilla (Siete’s grain-free tortillas are a great option), and enjoy this delicious meal all week long!

Instant Pot Chicken Tinga
Ingredients:
For Chicken Tinga

• 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce*
• 1 tbsp adobo sauce*
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 2 lbs chicken breast or thighs

For Serving

• 3 cups cauliflower rice**
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 large avocado sliced
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Select the saute function on the Instant Pot. Once hot, coat the bottom of the pot with oil. Toss in onion and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes, or until fragrant. Select cancel. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a high powered blender or food processor. Clean the bottom of the pot (this will help to prevent a burn message when you bring the chicken to pressure).
2. Now add the diced tomatoes, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, ground cumin, salt, and chicken broth to the onion/garlic in the blender. Pulse until smooth.
3. Pour the sauce into the Instant Pot. Add the chicken, and secure the lid. Select manual (or high pressure) and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. Use a quick release.
4. Once steam has been completely removed, remove the lid and take out the chicken. Dice or shred using a fork and knife. Return the chicken back to the pot. At this point you can select cancel, and let the sauce cool and thicken. Or serve immediately.
5. Serve with rice or cauliflower rice, or tortillas. Top with tomatoes, avocado, onion, or fresh cilantro.

Notes:
*If following a Whole30 or strict Paleo diet, you can use 2 tsp chipotle spice powder in place of the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.
**You can quickly saute the cauliflower rice to cook, or buy frozen rice and heat in the microwave.

Original recipe found here