Finally a recipe that is not done in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Well, at least not the main recipe...I still made the sweet potato mash in the Instant Pot. Anyways, I was super busy this weekend and have an even busier week ahead, so I ordered lunches from Territory Foods and quickly got this meal prepped for my other lunch this week. I have to admit, ordering just one meal from Territory Foods really helps when life gets busy and stressful. I highly recommend having a back-up plan for meals when you simply don't have the time or energy to expend meal prepping. Anyways, this meal got me really excited for all the fall recipes! This one was comforting, delicious, and extremely simple to make. I omitted the sweet potatoes from the original sheet pan recipe below, but made the rest as is. I did end up doubling everything too, so I ended up making that recipe in two batches and got about 8 meals out of it. Side note, I almost always throw my Brussels sprouts in the food processor, which is way more convenient then slicing them individually. I even threw the apple and onion in there too and that saved a lot of time I would have spent on cutting. I also doubled the Super Fast Instant Pot Sweet Potato Mash recipe below and kept that in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes. Instead of adding coconut oil, I just threw the drained sweet potato back into the pot, added a cup of homemade unsweetened applesauce, and used a masher to mash everything together. Easy and quick meal prep day for me and this meal turned out tasting amazing!

Sheet Pan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes Apples and Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and lightly pounded to a relatively even thickness
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 4 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (quarter if very large), about 1 pound
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 medium Granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into rough 1-inch pieces (these pieces should be larger than the other vegetables)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a large ziptop bag. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, then add the garlic, 1 tablespoon rosemary, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Zip the bag tightly, then shake and rub the bag to coat the chicken in the oil and spices. Set aside while you chop the vegetables and apples, or refrigerate for up to 1 day.
3. Once chopped, place the Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, onion, and apple on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to evenly coat, then spread into an even layer.
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on top of the apple and vegetables. Place in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 160 to 165 degrees F, about 18 to 22 minutes, or until done. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove to a plate to rest and cover with foil to keep warm. Toss the apple and vegetables on the pan, then return the pan to the oven and continue baking until caramelized and tender, about 10 to 15 additional minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary. Serve warm with the rested chicken.

Original recipe found here

Super Fast Instant Pot Sweet Potato Mash
Ingredients:

• 1-2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
• 1 cup of water
• 1 to 2 tbsp of coconut oil
• salt and seasonings to taste

Directions:

1. Peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into 1″ cubes.
2. Add sweet potatoes and water to the instant pot. Close pot and set to sealing.
3. Cook on manual, high pressure, for 4 minutes.
4. Immediately quick release the pressure as soon as the 4 minute cooking cycle has completed.
5. Use oven mitts to carefully remove the inner pot from the Instant pot, carrying it to a colander in your sink to drain the potatoes.
6. Quickly wash out the inner pot and dry it with a kitchen towel.
7. Immediately place the clean inner pot back into the instant pot, add the coconut oil and press the sauté button.
8. Once the coconut oil starts to sizzle, add your potatoes back to the pot along with any seasonings you desire. Use a wooden spoon to stir and turn your sweet potatoes, cooking until a desired consistency is reached. This step should only take a few minutes before you are ready to serve your sweet potato mash! Enjoy!

Original recipe found here

This meal turned out as flavorful and delicious as it looks! For the Chicken Vaca Frita I used just over 3 lbs of chicken breasts, only 2 large onions, and closer to 3 Tbsp of bacon fat, but made everything else as the recipe calls for. While the chicken was in the Instant Pot, I made the Mexican Cauliflower Rice. For that recipe I doubled (maybe even tripled) the amount of cauliflower, so I doubled all the spices, diced 3 bell peppers, and made everything else as the recipe calls for. I actually just threw everything in the food processor too, so I technically didn't slice and dice much, but I saved a lot of time. The cauliflower rice was done and portioned out into all my meal containers by the time the Chicken Vaca Frita was complete. This was a super fast and easy meal prep that really came out tasting amazing! If you don't have tallow or bacon fat, just use coconut oil or ghee and still give this a try. 

Instant Pot Chicken or Turkey Vaca Frita
Ingredients:

• 4lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or turkey breasts
• 1 cup bone broth
• ¼ cup tallow or bacon fat (divided)
• 3 large sweet onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 lemons
• 3 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1 cup minced cilantro

Directions:

1. First you need to cook your chicken breasts. Open your pressure cooker, add in my chicken and broth and set to poultry (20 min, high).
2. While the chicken cooks get prep the rest of the ingredients; peel and slice all the onions and the garlic. Juice the lemons and mince the cilantro. Once the chicken is done, release the pressure manually. Remove the chicken from the pressure cooker and place in a bowl. Shred with two forks and set aside.
3. Empty the bowl of your pressure cooker. Heat, with the lid open on sauté mode, medium or low heat. When it comes to temperature add in 2 tbsp. cooking fat and all the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until the onions are very tender, translucent and sweet.
4. Remove half of the onion from the pot and add in half of the shredded chicken, one tbsp. fat, sprinkle in some salt and set the saute heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes until crispy bits begin for form. Add in half of the lemon juice and a handful of cilantro. Stir well and remove from the pressure cooker. Next add in the remaining fat, onions, chicken and repeat. Same with the remaining salt, lemon and cilantro.
5. Once it’s all done, mix it all together and toss well and let it sit for 5 minutes. Mix again, make sure you scrape and crispy bits from the bottom of the pot. Then you’re ready to serve! Garnish with remaining cilantro. This is great over cauliflower rice, with plantain chips or over greens! Buen Provecho!

Original recipe found here

Mexican Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients:

• 3 cups Cauliflower Florets (stems removed and washed)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
• 1 jalapeno (finely chopped)
• 2 medium Tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 3/4 cup diced Bell Peppers
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika Powder (or red chilli powder)
• 1 tablespoon chopped Coriander (or Cilantro)
• Salt to taste
• More cilantro, sliced avocados, jalapenos, lime juice etc. for topping

Directions:

1. Add cauliflower florets to a food processor or chopper and pulse till the cauliflower resembles small bits (like rice). Make sure not to go all the way or it can turn mushy. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and add onions, garlic and jalapenos. Stir fry for a few minutes till the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
3. Add tomatoes, cumin powder, paprika powder and salt to the pan. Cook the tomatoes for a few minutes till they soften. Add the diced bell peppers and cauliflower rice to the pan and mix well. Stir fry the cauliflower for 3-4 minutes till it’s tender.
4. Top with your favorite topping and serve hot.

Original recipe found here

I apologize for all the Instant Pot recipes lately, but that appliance really saves me a lot of time on meal prep day. If you want to try this recipe and do not have an Instant Pot, you can sear these meatballs on a skillet, then bake in the 400 degree F oven for 15 minutes! Even if you do have an Instant Pot though, I still suggest searing the meatballs on a skillet instead of on the saute mode in the Instant Pot. Maybe it was just me, but the saute mode did not work well when I tried to quickly brown the meatballs. The ghee naturally spreads to the outsides of the pot, so some of the meatballs just stuck to the pot and were difficult to brown while keeping a meatball shape. Also, since I was trying to turn over the meatballs that were stuck to the pot, my hand just kept getting hit with hot ghee and that was not pleasant. I ended up just searing on a skillet and that was a lot easier, cleaner, and made me way less cranky. Anyways, I doubled this recipe below to get enough meatballs for the whole week, and also a few meals for my mother as well. I also ended up just adding a cup of PaleoChef Wing Sauce to make sure I had enough sauce in the pressure cooker and to cover all the meatballs. The meatballs turned out tasting delicious though! (Thank goodness because ground chicken is messy to begin with and that saute fiasco really was not pleasant whatsoever.) Also, I found out that greasing your hands with oil before making the meatballs helps the ground chicken from not sticking to your hands as much. I am not sure why I've never thought of doing that before! Anyways, I did not do a good job of selling this recipe, but the meal seriously did turn out tasting really yummy and I look forward to eating this all week. If you give it a try let me know what you think!

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb ground chicken
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 green onions thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
• 6 Tbsp hot sauce (I used PaleoChef Wing Sauce)
• 2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
• Chopped green onions, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, almond meal, salt, minced garlic cloves, and green onions.
2. Use your hands to combine everything together, but be careful not to overwork the meat.
3. Grease your hands with ghee or coconut oil, then shape the meat into balls 1-2 inches wide.
4. Set your Instant Pot to sauté setting and add remaining ghee.
5. Working in batches, gently place the chicken meatballs in the Instant Pot to brown them. Turn them every minute until all sides are brown.
6. While the meatballs are browning, combine hot sauce and 2 Tbsp of ghee and heat them in the microwave or the stove top until the butter is completely melted. Use a spoon to stir. This is your buffalo sauce.
7. Place all the browned meatballs in the Instant Pot, then pour the buffalo sauce evenly over the meatballs.
8. Screw on the lid to the Instant Pot, make sure that the pressure valve is set to "sealing," then set it to "Poultry."
9. Once the meatballs are finished cooking (about 15-20 minutes), the Instant Pot will beep. If you are eating right away, hit "Cancel" then release the pressure valve, making sure your hand is away from the opening where the steam escapes. If not, the Instant Pot will automatically switch to the "Warm" setting for the next 10 hours and the pressure will slowly lower on its own.
10. Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, zoodles. or just eat on its own!

Original recipe found here


My Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 4-6 Sweet Potatoes (Depending on how much you want to make. 5 medium sized sweet potatoes usually gets me 6 oz of sweet potato fries for 6 meals. I think my idea of medium sized is bigger than most though.)
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt (I actually use Garlic Sea Salt on everything I cook)
• Optional: Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Skin and cut the sweet potatoes into whatever shape you want. I either do fries, wedges or circles.
3. Spray baking pan with olive oil. Lay down sweet potato fries flat (please do not just dump a pile on the pan).
4. I fill my Misto with olive oil and lightly spray the fries, then add some sea salt (sometimes cinnamon too).
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Take out of the oven and move them around or flip them over. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.
6. Keep an eye on them, if they are thin bake for less time, and vice versa. Key is to move them around or flip them over half way through baking them. I usually make mine thicker, so I bake them for at least a total of 40 minutes.

If you are looking to switch up your egg muffin in the morning then give this one a try! To get 12 muffins I doubled the recipe below, with the exception of still only using 2 Tbsp of Maple syrup and totally omitting the egg whites (after adding 8 whole eggs, there was plenty enough mix to fill the 12 muffin containers). Besides waiting on the bacon to cook and spiralizing the sweet potato, there is very little prep for this recipe. I thought they turned out looking and smelling amazing, but I make these morning muffins for my mom's breakfast, so I didn't actually give them a try. I can't imagine she will not enjoy these though! Let me know if you give them a try and what you think.

Egg Muffins with Maple Sweet Potato Noodles, Bacon, and Almond Butter
Ingredients:

• 1 Small sweet potato peeled and spiralized using the 3mm blade (about 150g potato or 2 packed once spiralized)
• 2 Strips hickory-smoked bacon cooked and crumbled
• 2 Tbsp Almond butter
• 2 Tbsp Maple syrup
• 4 Whole eggs
• 2 Egg whites
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp Almond finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and generously rub a muffin tin with oil. These can stick quite easily, so make sure you give it good rub.
2. Divide the sweet potatoes between 6 of the muffin cavities, using about 1/3 packed cup per cavity. Your cavities will be pretty full, which is what you want.
3. Divide the crumbled bacon evenly between each cavity, sprinkling on top of the potatoes and kind of pushing the potato noodles around so that the bacon pieces gets mixed in, and aren't just all sitting on top in a clump.
4. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the almond butter in the microwave until smooth, about 30 secs - 1 minute. Add in the maple syrup, eggs, egg whites, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Whisk until well combined. You may have some small clumps of cinnamon which is totally fine.
5. Divide the the egg mixture between the cavities, wiggling the pan around as you fill with the egg mixture, so that the eggs fill all the cracks between the potato.
6. Sprinkle the chopped almonds on top of the muffins and gently press down on each muffin with a spoon so that the potatoes and almonds sink into the egg mixture.
7. Bake until the muffins rise (a lot) and feel very set, about 30 minutes. Some of your muffins may go over the muffin tin, but just squish them back into the cavity once they come out of the oven.
8. Cool to room temperature in the pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
9. DEVOUR.

Original recipe found here

Although this recipe says slow cooker, I ended up throwing this recipe in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes instead and that made for an even quicker meal prep. When the chicken was done, I shredded it, measured, and portioned it out into my baked sweet potatoes. I left the sauce in the Instant Pot on saute mode, added the Tbsp of arrowroot starch, and stirred pretty often to thicken up the sauce. Once I thought the sauce was thick enough, I turned the Instant Pot off and poured the sauce over the portioned out chicken. You can also throw all your shredded chicken back into the sauce and serve that way if you prefer. It definitely looks better that way, but it still tastes amazing either way. This recipe might be my new go-to buffalo chicken recipe it turned out that good! Along with the baked sweet potatoes, I roasted some fresh broccoli with a little olive oil and sea salt to complete the meal. Very basic, simple, and easy meal to throw together for meal prep that still tastes amazing!

​Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potatoes​
Ingredients:

• 2.5 - 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s (I used PaleoChef Wing Sauce)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 4 sweet potatoes (or however many you need)
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water to create a slurry
• Chopped green onions, for serving

Directions:

1. Lightly coat a slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Place the hot sauce, coconut oil, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave until the coconut oil is melted (about 45 seconds), then stir until smooth. If you prefer not to use the microwave, melt the ingredients together in a small saucepan on the stove. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker, then cook for 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low, until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken from crockpot and shred.
3. About 30 minutes before the chicken is done, bake the sweet potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon the size of your sweet potato. Turn off the oven and leave the sweet potatoes inside to keep them warm.
4. Once the chicken is shredded and while the sweet potatoes bake, mix the arrowroot starch and 1 tablespoon water together to create a slurry. Add it to the cooking liquid in the slow cooker, then whisk to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken, stirring once half way through. Once thick, return the chicken to the slow cooker and toss to coat.
5. Split open the sweet potatoes, then top with the crock pot Buffalo chicken, and green onions. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here

Another NomNom Paleo recipe! My friend shared this one with me recently and said she loved it, and it certainly did not disappoint! This meal was super delicious and full of all the flavors and nutrients. I ended up omitting the olives (I just don't like olives) and I forgot to get tomato paste at the store, so I did not add that either. Since I didn't have tomato paste though, I bumped up the cherry tomatoes to 500 g (a lot, but I also had 3 lbs of chicken). I also decided to go with step 12 and use the immersion blender to thicken up the sauce, which is why my meal turned out looking the way it did. I measured and portioned out my chicken before adding the sauce back on, but you can also shred the chicken and just throw it back in the sauce if you prefer that. Check out the original recipe below to see how the meal looks without using the immersion blender - it's a lot different.  Anyways, I paired this with the garlic cauliflower mash that I have posted multiple times now, and thought they went really well together. That cauliflower mash is seriously one of my favorites because it so easy and quick to make and tastes delicious. Overall, I highly recommend giving this Summer Italian Chicken recipe a try If you have a pressure cooker!

Pressure Cooker Summer Italian Chicken
Ingredients:

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (~2.5 pounds) (I used boneless chicken breasts instead)
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ghee, avocado oil, or olive oil
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
• ½ pound (227 grams) cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered (I used baby bella mushrooms)
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups (400 g) cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup (60 g) pitted green olives (I omitted these)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ cup (14 g) loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup  (7 g) loosely packed fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Grab your chicken and sprinkle ¾ teaspoons kosher salt all over them. You can do this part up to two days in advance, and keep the chicken covered in the fridge.
2. Press the "Sauté" button on the Instant Pot or heat a stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat. Add your fat of choice.
3. When the fat is shimmering, add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms, and a ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
4. Sauté the vegetables until the softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
6. Add the salted chicken, cherry tomatoes and green olives to the pot. Give it all a good stir.
7. Turn off the sauté function, and lock the lid on the pressure cooker.
8. I position my Instant Pot under my stovetop exhaust vent before I program the pressure cooking so that when the chicken’s done and I immediately release the pressure, the vent will suck up all the steam. Your kitchen cabinets will thank you. (Stick a cutting board underneath your cooker if your stovetop grates aren’t even—and remember not to turn on your stove!)
9. If you’re using an Instant Pot, press the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button and set the cooking time to 7 minutes for chicken breasts (if your chicken boobs are bigger than 8 ounces each, you can cut them in half or increase the cooking time to 9 minutes) and 10 minutes for thighs. Bone-in thighs will take 15 minutes to cook under high pressure. (For those of you using a stovetop pressure cooker, crank the heat to high to bring the contents to high pressure. Once high pressure is reached, reduce the heat to low, or just enough to maintain high pressure. Set a timer for 6 minutes for breasts and 9 minutes for thighs.)
10. When the chicken is finished cooking, turn on the stovetop exhaust fan before turning the pressure cooker valve to release the steam.
11. Remove the lid right away to prevent overcooking. Add the freshly cracked black pepper and adjust the seasoning with additional salt as needed.
12. If you want a thicker gravy, remove the chicken and blend up the vegetables and cooking liquid with an immersion blender.
13. Stir in the fresh herbs, and serve immediately.

Original recipe found here

​
Garlic Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower head (I used 2 bags (16 oz) of frozen cauliflower)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil (you can also use ghee or olive oil)
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Chop cauliflower into large florets.
2. Steam the cauliflower in a large pot with boiling water, garlic cloves, and salt. Steam until fork tender.
3. Drain and transfer cauliflower and garlic cloves into a blender or food processor.
4. Add the ghee and black pepper. Blender until smooth. Add salt if needed.

I came across this breakfast meatball recipe and decided it was probably time to try a breakfast recipe that wasn't in the shape of a muffin. These meatballs were extremely easy to prepare and make, especially since I threw the bell pepper and spinach in the food processor. I make these breakfast recipes for my mom and she is not a fan of eating her greens, so the smaller the vegetables are the better. I made this recipe into 21 tiny meatballs and baked them for 20 minutes with an additional 5 minutes under the broiler. I also taste-tested one of the meatballs and thought they were delicious! I paired the meatballs with an egg that was scrambled with a little bit of culinary coconut milk​ and used this random Silicone Egg Ring​ I found to make the egg into a perfect circle. That part is totally not necessary, I just wanted to try it out. If you are looking to switch up your breakfast routine then this is a great recipe to try out!

Paleo Breakfast Meatballs 
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey 
• ½ of medium red bell pepper, diced in a blender
• ¼ cup fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp sage
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for drizzle
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
2. Place red bell pepper in a blender and pulse several times until it's diced finely. It should be somewhat liquidly.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey breast, garlic powder, sage, salt, pepper, red bell pepper and chopped spinach with your hands.
4. Roll the mixture into 16 bite-sized balls. A small ice cream scoop will help with this.
5. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.
6. Bake at 325 F 10 minutes then using a tongs flip the balls cooking another 10 minutes until slightly browned.
7. Remove from the oven. Serve immediately or cool completely before storing in the fridge.

​Notes
*Any ground meat would work with this recipe. 
**If you use a higher fat meat, you can omit the extra virgin olive oil.

Original recipe found here

Two Instant Pot recipes this week made for a quick meal prep day! For this recipe I used Primal Palate Organic Taco Seasoning, but I also listed a taco seasoning you can make on your own. Also, to save time I baked the sweet potatoes in the oven while the chicken was in the pressure cooker and I did not end up making the avocado-jalapeno sauce or guacamole to garnish. Both of those probably would have made this meal taste delicious, but I just topped with some salsa and red onion instead. I though this meal turned out tasting pretty good and was full of flavor, but I do think the chicken should have been marinated or rubbed in the taco seasoning before cooking. I also forgot to put the Instant Pot in saute mode after I shredded the chicken, so I did not end up using a lot of the leftover tomato sauce in the pot. To pair with the Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potato I made up my own coleslaw and I thought it turned out really great! I'll have to make another batch of that mid-week though since coleslaw does not keep well after a few days. Anyways, this is definitely a flavorful meal that I really enjoyed! Let me know if you give this one a try and what you think.

​Instant Pot Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes

• 4 medium sweet potatoes , scrubbed
• 1 1/2 cups water

Chicken

• 2lb chicken breasts
• 1 can RO*TEL , undrained, any variety
• 1-2 Tablespoon taco seasoning (I used Primal Palate Organic Taco Seasoning, or you can make your own taco seasoning:)
  • 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
  • 2 tsp Cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika
  • 2 tsp dried Oregano
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground Coriander 

Avocado-Jalapeno Sauce

• 1 avocado , peeled and seeded
• 1 jalapeño , stemmed
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Quick Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• 1/4 cup avocado-jalapeño sauce
• salt

Garnishes

• jalapeños , sliced thin
• fresh cilantro
• salsa
• red onion , chopped

Directions:

1. See Notes for sweet potato and chicken cooking instructions if you do not have an Instant Pot. You can also bake your sweet potatoes in the oven while you cook the chicken in the Instant Pot to save time, if you like.
2. Cook your sweet potatoes: Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Place steaming trivet in bottom of Instant Pot pot then pour 1 1/2 cups water in pot. Place sweet potatoes on trivet then secure lid and cook on Manual, high pressure for 16 minutes. Quick release pressure and remove sweet potatoes from trivet. Set aside. Discard steaming water and rinse cooking pot, making sure outside is very dry.
3. Make your shredded chicken: combine chicken breasts, taco seasoning, and RO*TEL (undrained) in the pot of an Instant Pot. Do not add water. Secure lid and cook on Manual, high pressure for 20 minutes. Quick release pressure and remove chicken breasts from pot. Shred with two forks then return to pot. Stir on Sauté mode a few minutes until sauce is absorbed. 
4. Meanwhile, make your sauce: combine all avocado-jalapeño sauce ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. 
5. To make guacamole, mash avocados and stir in avocado-jalapeño sauce.
6. To serve: with a knife, make a slit down the top of each sweet potato and press sweet potatoes ends toward center to push open. Top with shredded chicken, guacamole, avocado-jalapeño sauce, more RO*TEL, and garnishes. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes:
If you don't have an Instant Pot, follow these instructions to bake your sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400º F. Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork then place directly on oven rack in middle position. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and set aside.

To make chicken in a slow cooker instead of an Instant Pot: In the pot of a slow-cooker, combine all ingredients. Do not add water. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or cook on high for 4 to 6 hours. After about 3/4 of the time, shred the chicken breasts with two forks and leave in the slow-cooker for the rest of the time.

Original recipe found here

Paleo Coleslaw
Ingredients/Toss:

• ​1 14-ounce package prepared coleslaw mix
• 1 Tbsp raw honey
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. celery seed – maybe use taco seasoning?
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. taco seasoning

A friend shared with me that they made this Crockpot Garlic Honey Chicken over Cauliflower Fried Rice for meal prep and I realized how incredibly similar it looked to this Teriyaki meal I made this week. I guess I really enjoy this kind of meal. Both were super easy recipes to make though and both turned out tasting incredibly delicious! I ended up using closer to 3lbs of chicken breast, but made the rest of the recipe as is. Also, this is my favorite cauliflower rice recipe too! If you are not a fan of cauliflower rice or have a hard time eating your veggies, I definitely recommend you giving this recipe a try! 

Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki 
Ingredients:

• 2lb boneless skinless chicken breast , cut in half
• ½ c honey
• ½ c coconut vinegar or rice vinegar
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp pepper
• 4 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot starch
• 1 Tbsp water

Directions:

1. Cut chicken breast in half-length ways and place halves in the instant pot.
2. In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients except the arrowroot starch and water.
3. Pour ingredients over the chicken and turn the Instant pot to high pressure and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Quick release the instant pot and check the internal temperature. Chicken should reach an internal temp of 165 degrees.
5. If your chicken is not fully cooked, place back in the instant pot, cover, and let sit until the temperature reached 165 degrees.
6. Take the chicken out of the instant pot and shred with two forks.
7. Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode and create a slurry with the arrowroot starch and water.
8. Pour the slurry into the instant pot and bring the sauce to a boil. Once the sauce thickens, add shredded chicken.
9. Serve over cauliflower rice or with a side of broccoli.

Original recipe found here


Paleo Cauliflower Fried Rice 
Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger (adjust to taste)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large cauliflower, grated (I used two 12 oz bags of frozen cauliflower rice)
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• 1/2 cup diced green onions

Directions:

1. In a large pan, cook the onion and carrots in the coconut oil until soft. About 7-9 minutes.
2. Season with salt, ginger, and garlic.
3. Once the carrots are tender, add the cauliflower and coconut aminos.
4. Stir to evenly coat the cauliflower and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Push the mixture to one side of the pan and add the scrambled eggs. Stir until cooked, then mix in.
6. Add the green onion, take off the heat, and serve.

Original recipe found here

Changed up my mom's breakfast this week with these sweet potato muffins! They were really simple to make, but the batter was pretty sticky from all the cashew butter, so it was not as quick as I thought it would be. I only added 1-2 Tbsp of 100% maple syrup and I also added a scoop of Paleo Protein to get some more protein in these muffins. There are also ingredients and directions for making frosting if you want to top these muffins off, but I chose not to add any. Unfortunately I had to resist all temptation to taste test these since I made these for my mom to eat for breakfast all week. They turned out looking and smelling amazing though and I have a feeling this one will be a repeat. Let me know if you give this recipe a try and what you think!

​Paleo Blender Sweet Potato Muffins
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 
• 1 cup smooth cashew butter (can sub for any nut or seed butter)
• 1/2 cup mashed sweet potato

Frosting (optional)
For the high protein frosting

• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder 
• 1-2 T granulated sweetener of choice (optional)
• 1-2 T nut butter of choice (optional)
• Milk to form batter

For the coconut butter frosting

• 1/2 cup coconut butter, melted
• 2 T coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 10-12 muffin tins with patty pans and set aside.
2. In a high speed blender, combine all your ingredients and blend until a fine batter is formed. If your nut butter is not smooth enough, you may want to melt it slightly beforehand.
3. Divide the batter amongst the muffin tin and bake as follows- For the grain free option, you'd need 20-25 minutes (depending on your oven brand). For the oat based version, you'll be looking at 25-30 minutes. Ensure you check by inserting a skewer and once clean, they are done.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool in muffin tin for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, top with frosting of choice if desired.

Original recipe found here