I always feel like Memorial Day Weekend is the start of grilling season, and let me tell you this recipe set the standards pretty darn high! Although you are making a homemade BBQ sauce, don't go running. The sauce is extremely easy and simple, using very little ingredients and NO added sugars. I have tried many over-the-counter paleo BBQ sauces and many homemade sauces before, and this sauce is unlike all of them. It seriously turned out so delicious and totally worth quickly blending up! Make sure you plan ahead for this one and let the chicken marinate in the sauce for at least 30 minutes before grilling - the longer the better, so if you can let it marinate overnight I suggest doing that. I doubled the marinade ingredients and used about 5lbs of boneless chicken thighs to get me a little more meals. I also paired with my roasted sweet potatoes and quickly roasted some broccoli when that was done to complete the meal. A little more prep time when you choose to roast so many vegetables, but I had more time this weekend so I went for it. However, baking a sweet potato or throwing them in the Instant Pot while you're grilling can save some time. Anyways, this grilled Hawaiian BBQ chicken seriously came out amazing and I will most definitely be making it all summer long. Let me know what you think if you try it out! 

​Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
Ingredients:

• 1 fresh pineapple, skin removed and cut into rounds with the core removed
• 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs (or breasts)

For the marinade:

• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 4-6 pitted dates, soaked for 10-15 minutes in warm water to soften then drained
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• For serving and topping:
• White or cauli rice (Cauli rice for Whole30)
• Mixed greens
• Chopped green onions (for topping)

Directions:

1. Soak dates in warm water as noted to soften. 
2. To make the marinade, place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and run continuously to combine all the ingredients until smooth. Stop to scrape sides down as needed and restart.
3. Place chicken in a shallow bowl or dish and pour the marinade over. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
4. When you are about ready to grill, cut pineapple into rounds as noted. Cut out the tough inner core from the rounds and set aside.
5. Heat your grill to high heat (about 500° F). Add the chicken and pineapple to grill and cook, flipping once and basting chicken with any remaining marinade until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side depending on the size of the chicken. Remove pineapple when it is grilled to your liking (we grilled it just 3-4 minutes per side). 
6. Serve chicken and pineapple with your desired side, over rice or over greens (or greens and rice). Enjoy.

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 love using Garlic Sea Salt!)
• Optional: Cinnamon, Paprika, any other Spices

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 (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 (or whatever spices you enjoy).
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.

I am absolutely making this one again like next week. I also need to turn this one into a video because it was super easy to whip together and it is seriously worth making! I altered the original recipe some, so below are the ingredients I used for meal prep. I mainly just doubled most ingredients, then left out the chicken stock entirely since I had increased the juices (the recipe definitely doesn't need anymore liquid). There is also an optional step to make the chicken more crispy, but I clearly took the easy way out and just ate the chicken as-is from the Instant Pot. The only additional step I did was put the Instant Pot on "Saute" mode once the chicken was shredded, and stirred around occasionally until the sauce reduced some. The chicken turned out full of flavor and can easily be paired with some plain cauliflower rice and/or regular rice. While the chicken was cooking in the Instant Pot, I heated up some coconut oil in a frying pan, then added plain riced cauliflower and cilantro for an easy vegetable pairing. If I had extra limes I would have also thrown in some fresh lime juice too. Just an idea for you. This one was a big hit in my house and will definitely not disappoint! 

Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas 
​Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon cumin (if you're not a big cumin fan then use 1 Tbsp)
• 2 tablespoon oregano
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup | 120 ml pineapple juice or orange juice (no sugar added!)
• 1/2 cup | 120 ml lime juice (juice from 3 limes)
• 3 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• fresh cilantro for topping

Directions: 

1. Mix the cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and chili powder together in a small bowl.
2. Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and press the "Sauté" button. Once the oil is warm add the onion. Use a wooden spoon to stir and cook until the onion is fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute.
3. Stir in the pineapple juice, lime juice, and spice blend. Mix to combine. Add the chicken breasts to the pot and stir to coat.
4. Press the "Keep Warm/Cancel" button to stop the sauté function. Secure the lid and make sure the steam valve is set to closed. Press 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' and set the timer to 20 minutes.
5. After the time is up the Instant Pot will automatically switch the keep warm. Let it keep warm for 10 minutes before releasing the steam valve.
6. Once the steam has been fully released remove the lid of the instant pot. Use a couple of forks to shred the chicken.

Optional Step for Crispier Carnitas:

1. Preheat your broiler to high heat. 
2. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shredded chicken to a large, lightly greased baking sheet. Spread the chicken out to be in an even layer. 
3. Broil high up in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, spoon some of the leftover juices in the instant pot over the top of the chicken. Toss to coat and then place back in the oven to broil an additional 5 minutes. 
4. Squeeze a little more lime juice over the top and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. Serve in tacos, burrito bowls, over nachos, quesadillas, etc and enjoy!

​Original recipe found here

A non-Instant Pot recipe that is still really simple and done completely in one-pot! The only prep I did was dice the onions and cube the chicken breasts. Other then that I bought some frozen cauliflower rice and swapped in ground ginger for the fresh grated ginger since I still don't have a small grater for that. Not only was this meal super easy to whip together, but it was also a big hit in my house! In fact, I will probably throw it into the rotation of repeated meal prep recipes going forward, it was that delicious! I did slightly change the original recipe by combining the ½ cup coconut milk and ½ cup coconut cream, and just used 1 can of full fat coconut milk. Also, since this meal had plenty of extra sauce, I just heated up the cauliflower rice plain, as-is and skipped over sauteing it. If you need those added fats though, definitely still saute the rice - it will also only provide more flavor, which this meal does not lack whatsoever! This truly was a comforting and delicious meal that I recommend everyone giving a try!

Turmeric Chicken Curry 
Ingredients:
For the cauliflower rice

• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 16 oz. (about 3 ¾ cups) Riced Cauliflower
• ½ tsp sea salt

For the chicken curry

• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1-inch ginger, grated (I used ½ tsp ground ginger instead)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 lb. chicken breast, cubed
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• Juice of half a lime (reserve the other half to serve)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnishing)

Directions:
For the cauliflower rice

1. Using a large deep pan, melt the coconut oil on medium heat. Add the cauliflower rice and lightly salt. Sauté for about 6-8 minutes or until tender. Set aside to serve with chicken curry.

For the chicken curry

1. Using a large pan, melt the coconut oil on medium heat. Add the diced onion, ginger, and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Remove from the pan and set aside, reserving the coconut oil in the pan.
2. Add the chicken to the pan and lightly salt. Sauté until the internal temperature reads 165 F.
3. Add the onion back to the pan along with the coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut aminos, lime juice, and seasonings to the pan (reserving the fresh cilantro) and stir. Simmer and stir for about 5 minutes to allow the flavors to combine and the sauce the thicken.
4. Season further to taste and top with fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with cauliflower rice and enjoy!

Original recipe found here

This one is a Nom Nom Paleo recipe, and as always, did not disappoint in the least bit! I actually had this one saved for a while now and finally decided it was time to try it out. I mean I preach that variety is key to getting more nutrients, but I've been eating cauliflower rice, broccoli, and chicken way too much these days. Anyways, this meal was a TASTY one to mix my meal prep up with! Before you read the Magic Mushroom Powder ingredient below and write this one off, let me throw it out there that I did not use that ingredient, nor did I go out and purchase it (although I am intrigued and love mushrooms and will probably check it out in the future). Instead, the recipe suggests using salt and adding a few drops of fish sauce, which is what I did. I'm sure you can even leave out the fish sauce though and still enjoy this meal. I mean I forgot to get a lemon, so I left that out and didn't think it drastically made a difference to the recipe. Just saying. Also, instead of the diced 1½ pounds zucchini, I grabbed a frozen bag of Wegman's Grilled Vegetables since that mix had some zucchini in it and plenty of other vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, red and yellow peppers, and onions) to add to the meal. I threw these into the food processor to dice up real tiny so that Robbie and my mom would never know they were eating all these amazing vegetables. My last note on this recipe is that I ended up getting closer to 6 lbs of sausage, 2 onions, 2 lbs of diced zucchini (really the Wegman's Grilled Veggies that I just mentioned), and then 8-10 zucchini's to spiralize and serve the meal with. That put my serving size at 24 instead of the 4 servings you get below. If that info helps you let me know and I'll start adding that to my write ups more! Also, I lied, I have one more note... If you don't have a spiralizer you can purchase some freshly pre-made zucchini noodles in the produce aisle or check out the frozen section for some (Green Giant Veggie Spirals® Zucchini is a great option and Trader Joe's also has one). 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). Really simple to make your own vegetable noodles and WAY cheaper then buying them pre-made. Alright that is all. I clearly enjoyed this one a lot since I wrote so much detail about it. Like I said in the beginning though, I had this one saved for a while and I don't know why I didn't try it earlier. Just trying to convince you to do the same! Enjoy 😋

Instant Pot Zucchini Bolognese
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 1½ pounds zucchini, diced into ½-inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt (with added umami boosters detailed in the instructions)
• Juice from ½ lemon

Directions:

1. Grab your Instant Pot or pressure cooker and turn on the Sauté function. When the metal insert is hot, pour in the olive oil.
2. Toss in the diced onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly softened.
3. Add the Italian sausage and break it up with a silicone spatula. Cook the sausage until it’s no longer pink.
4. Dump in the zucchini, minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon of Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt. (The salt won’t add extra umami, so you may want to add a few drops of fish sauce or a couple of dried mushrooms to the pot for extra savoriness.) Stir well.
5. You don’t need to add any extra liquid. Trust me—the zucchini will release enough liquid for the contents to reach high pressure. Lock the lid and program the Instant Pot to cook for 35 minutes under high pressure.
6. When the sauce is done cooking, you can wait for the pressure to release naturally or you can manually vent it if you’re impatient.
7. The zucchini and onions should be fork-tender and easily mashed with a spatula to form a chunky sauce.
8. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with additional Magic Mushroom Powder, salt, or freshly ground pepper. Stir in the juice from half a lemon and taste it again. (Always, always, ALWAYS taste your food and season accordingly!)
9. When the sauce is ready, grab a spiralizer to prepare some zucchini noodles (or grab some ready-to-go spiralized veggies at the store). If I’m serving this sauce on zoodles, I drop the raw spiralized zucchini straight into the pot and toss ’em around until the hot sauce softens the zoodles to my liking.
10. Top with your favorite herbs and dig in! This sauce freezes really well so make a batch whenever your vegetable crisper is overflowing with zucchini!

Original recipe found here

Yummm! This meal turned out tasting SO delicious! You can make the beef barbacoa in the slow cooker or Instant Pot (I used the Instant Pot), and you can broil it in the oven after if you want to make it crispy. There's not too much prep to this one besides dicing the onion and garlic, then preparing the rest of the ingredients into a sauce to poor over the browned beef. While you're waiting on the beef to cook you can quickly make the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, which is seriously so simple to prepare, especially if you purchase cauliflower that is already riced. If you need to add some more carbs to this just mix in some regular rice with that cauliflower rice and you're all set. This meal had an enjoyable citrus taste to it and was full of so much flavor! I definitely recommend giving this one a try for your next meal prep!

Beef Barbacoa (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
Ingredients:

• 3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 2 inch cubes (can also use beef brisket, I used a beef eye round roast)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp chipotle powder
• 2 tsp oregano (fresh or dried)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tbsp ghee (or other cooking oil)

For topping/serving:

• romaine lettuce (or sub Siete Tortillas or other sturdy lettuce)
• cilantro
• avocado
• lime wedges

Directions:

1. Cut beef into cubes and set aside. Prep onion and garlic as noted.
2. Combine orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, tomato paste, cumin, chipotle powder, oregano, salt and ground cloves in a bowl or jar and mix well.
3. (If you don't have a pressure cooker then skip to directions below) Press the sauté button on the instant pot and add ghee. Once hot, add in the beef and brown it on all sides. Press cancel on the instant pot once the beef is browned.
4. Add in the diced onion and garlic cloves and pour the juice/seasoning mixture all over everything.
5. Secure the lid on the instant pot and close the pressure valve. Press the "manual" button (or "pressure cook" button) and set the time to cook for 30 minutes at high pressure. Once the time is up, let the pressure naturally release on its own for 20 minutes.
6. Manually release any remaining pressure and remove the lid. Shred the beef with two forks.
7. Serve beef in bowls over greens, in lettuce wedges or in tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Slow cooker instructions:

1. Follow steps 1-2 above.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add ghee. Once hot, add in beef cubes to brown, just a minute or so on each side until all sides are browned. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
3. Add in the diced onion and garlic cloves and pour the juice/seasoning mixture all over everything.
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Once the beef is finished, shred it in the slow cooker with two forks and mix it with all the juices. Serve as noted above.

Optional step (for crispy beef barbacoa):

1. Set your oven to broil.
2. After shredding the beef, use a slotted spoon to remove the beef and onions from the instant pot and place on a large sheet pan. Spoon some of the juices from the instant pot over the top of the beef in the sheet pan.
3. Place in the oven to broil for 6-8 minutes, until the beef begins to develop some brown and crispy edges. Watch carefully and cook to your preference.
4. Alternatively, you can simply transfer some of the beef to a skillet over medium heat and cook it until it's crispy, stirring occasionally. This method is easiest if you are re-heating the leftovers from the fridge.

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

Yes, this meal turned out as amazing as it sounds and looks! For those who get easily intimidated by cooking, this is an extremely SIMPLE one pot meal! The only prep you need to do is cut your brussels sprouts in half and mince the garlic cloves (or just buy pre-minced garlic and you're set). For those who are wondering what ghee is, it's just clarified butter, which means it is butter with all the milk solids removed (so it's free of lactose and casein protein). This creates a higher smoke point and also gives it a nutty, more rich and intense flavor. It's not hard to make by yourself, but you can purchase it at the store as well. I mention all of this because if you haven't tried ghee yet, I definitely recommend using it in this recipe if you can! A little bit of ghee, salt, and pepper truly went a long way into making a delicious tasting meal. This is a recipe you want to save to cook up on a night when you don't have much energy or time to make a meal. I will for sure be making this one frequently! 

Crispy Garlic Butter Chicken and Brussels
Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs – skin on or off, your choice!
• 1 lb. brussels sprouts, cut in half
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons ghee
• 3 garlic cloves, very finely minced

Directions:

1. Add the chicken to a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat skin side up. (If using skinless thighs, add a teaspoon of oil.) Sprinkle half the salt and pepper over the chicken and let it cook for 5 minutes, or until it has browned on the bottom. Flip the chicken over and sprinkle on the remaining salt and pepper. Cook until the skin is crispy or the top is brown, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan.
2. While the chicken is cooking, cut the brussels in half. Add the brussels sprouts to the pan and let them cook until they are brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Push them to the side of the pan and arrange the chicken on the other side of the pan. Pour the chicken stock into the pan (not over the crispy chicken) and let it simmer until the pan is dry and the chicken is fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
3.  Pile the brussels sprouts on one side of the pan and add the butter and garlic. Let the garlic cook for 2 minutes then spoon some garlic butter over the tops of the chicken. Mix the rest of the garlic butter into the brussels sprouts.
4. Serve with lots of extra black pepper.

Original recipe found here

Another amazing chili recipe that does not have an overwhelming taste of tomatoes! This one turned out really tasty and the roasted sweet potatoes were the perfect pair. The spices were slightly different then your average chili recipe too and I really enjoyed the twist! I recommend preparing all the veggies the night before if you want to make your meal prep day even easier. That way you can wake up, throw everything in the slow cooker, and get on with your day. My preferred way to chop the peppers, onions, and carrots was to throw them in a food processor and pulse a few times. That is just way less time consuming and you can get those veggies down to rice size if you prefer. I ended up doubling everything below, so I threw everything in my Instant Pot since it's bigger then my crockpot. Plus, I utilized the 'saute' function to brown the turkey, which meant one less pan to clean. Since I doubled everything, I increased the cooking time to 8 hours in the slow cooker just to be safe. If you are looking for a super simple and delicious meal to make then I definitely recommend giving this one a try! 

Paleo Turkey Chili 
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 cup peppers, chopped in small pieces
• 1 cup carrots, chopped in small pieces
• 40 oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit for less spicy)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Cook turkey over medium high heat until browned, approximately 10 minutes
2. While turkey is browning, chop all vegetables + prepare spices. 
3. Add browned turkey + all ingredients to the crockpot.
4. Stir all of the ingredients together in the crockpot until thoroughly mixed
5. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over steamed sweet potato noodles or cauliflower rice for a paleo/whole 30 option, or rice for non-paleo/whole 30 eaters!

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 love using Garlic Sea Salt!)
• Optional: Cinnamon, Paprika, any other Spices

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 (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 (or whatever spices you enjoy).
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.

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

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

Oh my goodness this meal was seriously incredible! 100% worth purchasing the dried galangal, fish sauce, and coconut aminos if you don't have those more specialty ingredients. I linked them all to Amazon, but you can probably get them cheaper in stores, well at least the coconut aminos that is. I didn't chance trying to find the dried galangal in the store though and just got some off Amazon. The good thing is that this meal was THAT amazing that I will be making this again like next week, so I'll put these ingredients to use. I increased the chicken to closer to 6 lbs, so I doubled the ingredients below. Instead of putting 8 slices of bacon in the Instant Pot though, I fried 4 of them in frying pan, then wilted the baby kale in the leftover bacon fat. Super easy vegetable pairing, plus this gave me some extra crispy bacon to top the meal with. I also heated up a few bags of plain frozen cauliflower rice, which is hidden under all that chicken. If you couldn't tell already, frozen cauliflower rice is my go-to vegetable for meal prep. Remember not all frozen cauliflower rice is created equal though. Check the ingredients on the back of the package and make sure you pick one that just has vegetables listed. Also, for all those Instant Pot users who think we need to add at least 1 cup of liquid to the pot in order to cook (no, just me?), apparently we were wrong. Since the chicken and pineapple release plenty of fluid, no need to worry about adding more liquid. If you are a sweet and salty person, then this is the meal for you! If you like quick and easy one pot Instant Pot meals, then this is the meal for you! If you like really incredible tasting meals for meal prep, then this is the meal for you! But really, this was so delicious.

Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients:

• 3 pounds chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 3 1/2 teaspoons Red Boat fish sauce, divided
• 1 piece dried galangal or 2-inch piece peeled ginger root
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

1. Place chicken in Instant Pot insert. Sprinkle with sea salt and layer bacon on top. Add in pineapple, onion, aminos, fish sauce and galangal or ginger.
2. Seal the lid and set "Manual" pressure cooking timer to 25 minutes. Once timer elapses, release pressure valve and open the lid.
3. Carefully transfer contents of pot with a slotted spoon, leaving the liquid in the pot, to a large glass bowl.
4. Turn the Instant Pot “Saute” function on. Add the garlic and remaining 1 ½ teaspoons fish sauce to the cooking liquid. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, reduce slightly, and turn a golden yellow.
5. Meanwhile, shred the chicken with the pineapple, onions and bacon with two forks until finely shredded.
6. Pour the reduced sauce from the pot over the shredded chicken and stir well to immerse the meat. Serve warm with cauliflower rice, steamed kale, and fried plantains.

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Original recipe found here