Its officially time for all the fall foods, and this recipe did not disappoint! The prep work is really all that you have to do with this one, making it pretty simple for the non-cooks out there. If you want to minimize some of that prep work I recommend purchasing already cut brussels sprouts, and/or marinading the chicken the night before. Since I basically tripled this recipe below to get enough food for meal prep, the cutting and chopping did take up some time for me. Once all that prep work is done though, all that is left to do is throw everything on the sheet pan to bake. I actually ended up having to do this in two batches with all the food that I had. My only note I had with this recipe was that next time I'd roast the brussles sprouts and bacon for 10-15 minutes first before throwing the apples and chicken on top. That is just my preference though because I love brussels and bacon together and much prefer is to be well-roasted. That note aside though, all of these flavors together still came out tasting delicious and comforting, as expected. I will probably be making this one a few more times this fall! 

Rosemary Balsamic Sheet Pan Chicken with Bacon and Apples
​Ingredients:

•  1.5 lbs chicken breast
•  1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
•  1/3 cup olive oil
•  Juice of 1/2 lemon
•  2 cloves garlic crushed
•  1/4 cup chopped rosemary
•  10 oz brussel sprouts stem cut off and cut in half
•  2 apples cored, peeled, and chopped
•  6 slices of bacon chopped
•  Salt + Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut your chicken breast into smaller chunks or pieces. Set aside.
2. Make your marinade by blending balsamic vinegar, oil, lemon, and garlic. While motor is running, add chopped rosemary. Continue blending for at least 1 minute or until rosemary is well incorporated. Place chicken into a bowl or container with marinade. Marinade for at least 5 minutes, but up to 12 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with foil. Place brussel sprouts, apples, and bacon on the sheet. Add chicken. Brush any reserved marinade over sprouts and apples.
4. Bake for 15 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken). Bump up the oven to 425 degrees, and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes of cooking to get everything extra crispy!
5. Remove from oven and serve immediately. Salt and pepper to taste.

​Original recipe found here

I recently stumbled upon this Asian-inspired Paleo blog where I found this amazing recipe, and plenty of other delicious looking ones as well! This Chicken Stir-Fry with Cabbage and Shiitake turned out tasting like a true Asian stir fry and was actually pretty simple to make. I purchased matchstick carrots and bagged cabbage slaw to help minimize prep time. I also threw the shiitake mushrooms in the food processor to dice up real tiny, just so they would get lost in the stir-fry and the people I am cooking for didn't notice ;-). The only items left to prep are slicing the green onions, slicing or mincing the ginger (I preferred to mince), slicing the chicken and tossing with the seasonings. This is actually a step I goofed on - although the olive oil is listed under the chicken seasonings, that ingredient is just for when you are ready to cook in the pan. I accidentally threw it in with the marinade instead, not that I think it changed the flavoring that much. Anyways, I found that the chicken cooked much better in a wok then it did in my dutch oven, so I cooked in batches in the wok and used the dutch oven to prepare the rest of the stir fry. I only did this though because I increased the serving size to 15 for this recipe and had plenty of cabbage and carrots to cook. You can change the serving size of this recipe to your needs as well by going to the original recipe link below and adjusting the serving size amount up or down. Again, I thought this meal turned out tasting perfectly and was a delicious Asian stir fry! You will most definitely be seeing me post more recipes from this blog.

​​Paleo Chicken Stir-Fry with Cabbage and Shiitake
Ingredients:
Chicken seasonings

• 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, thin sliced
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1.5 tsp arrowroot powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ⅛ tsp black pepper + ¼ tsp coarse salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Other Ingredients

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, matchstick shape
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 6-7 bulbs scallions, sliced diagonally (separate white & green parts)
• 1 to 1 ¼ cups carrots, sliced to matchstick shape (or use shredded carrots)
• 5-7 oz. fresh shiitake
• 7-8 cups napa cabbage, diced to about 2-inch sections (separate stems from leafy parts)
• Small dash of chicken or vegetable broth

Stir-fry Sauce (stir-well with no lumps)

• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tsp aged balsamic
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp arrowroot powder

Directions:

1. Prep: Thin slice chicken breasts and mix well with coconut aminos, arrowroot, baking soda, and salt and pepper. Set aside in the fridge while preparing ingredients listed under “other”. Mix well “Stir-fry sauce” and set aside.
2. Chicken: In a well-heated 12-inch large stainless steel skillet or wok, add 2 tbsp cooking fat of your choice, sear the chicken breasts without disturbing over medium-high heat in one thin layer so to not overcrowd the skillet. Sear until golden brown. Do the same thing for flip side until they are almost cooked through. Cook in separate batches if need be. Set them aside.
3. Combine: Use the same skillet add 2 more tbsp cooking oil. Add garlic, ginger, and white parts of scallions. Season with a pinch of salt and saute until fragrant. Add cabbage stems and carrots. Season with little salt and keep stir-frying until the stems turn slightly softer. Add leafy parts of the cabbage, shiitake, and a dash of broth to lightly deglaze the skillet. Lightly toss the veggies then lower the heat to medium/medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook until the cabbage turns softer but not mushy (about 3-4 mins). Add sauteed chicken and give the stir-fry sauce another stir before adding to the skillet. Toss everything together and serve hot or in room temperature.

Original recipe found here

​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

This meal seriously turned out SO delicious! I will definitely be throwing this into my meal prep rotation of favorites. Not too many ingredients or prep with this meal either - heat up the chicken breasts on the stove top and throw the sauce ingredients in a blender. Since I made this for meal prep, I increased the chicken breast amount significantly and threw them on a large baking sheet to bake in the oven, instead of going through batches on the stove top. I also doubled the sauce ingredients and still tossed it with the cooked chicken in a large skillet, as the recipe calls for. While the chicken was baking I heated up some coconut oil in another pan, simmered some extra grated ginger and garlic, then tossed cauliflower rice. Once cooked through, I added some extra fresh parley and salt and removed from heat. I thought this ginger garlic cauliflower rice was perfect with the Pineapple Ginger Chicken, and there was plenty of sauce to throw over top as well. Slip in some regular rice if you need it and you have yourself a well-balanced, simple, and tasty meal to enjoy! This one will not disappoint :) 

Pineapple Ginger Chicken
​Ingredients:
Chicken

• 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• salt & pepper

Pineapple Ginger Sauce

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 1 cup fresh pineapple diced
• 5 medjool dates pitted
• 1 to 1 1/4 inch knob of ginger

To Finish

• 1 cup fresh pineapple diced
• fresh parsley for topping chopped

Directions:
Chicken

1. Add olive oil to saute pan or cast iron skillet. Heat pan to medium high heat.
2. Add chicken to hot pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and dried parsley on top of each breast. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip. Cook other side until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over so your herbed side is facing up. Turn off heat.

Pineapple Ginger Sauce

1. Peel your ginger knob. (You don't need to dice it as it will blend just fine once peeled.)
2. Add all sauce ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth.

To Finish

1. Pour blended sauce into the pan with your chicken. Add cup of chopped pineapple around chicken. Reduce heat to medium low or low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Sauce will reduce a bit.
2. Top with fresh chopped parsley and serve!

Original recipe found here

An absolute must-try! Although I clearly used chicken for this meal, the recipe below is for steak and seriously tastes delicious both ways. I've made this with both steak and chicken for friends and family and it's always a huge hit. For meal prep however, I opted for chicken since it's a little nicer on my wallet. If making this with chicken, I recommend slicing or pounding the chicken thin, and baking it at 375 degrees until cooked. It took me about 15 minutes to bake, then I finished with 5 minutes of broil. For everything else though I still followed the recipe as-is. Keep an eye while broiling the peppers and onions because they can burn fast! Also keep an eye on the steak too because that also cooks in no time. Since I made this recipe for meal prep, I doubled the marinade (oil and seasonings) to split between the vegetables and meat, and also doubled (probably even tripled) the vegetables and meat as well. I thought this meal turned out especially amazing over the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, which you can mix with regular rice as well. I've also had this meal with corn tortillas which turned out delicious too. Dress this up with salsa, guacamole/avocado, and/or whatever else your heart desires to make the most tasty fajitas! This really is a must-try recipe :) ​

Best Sheet Pan Fajitas with Steak 
Ingredients:

• 3 large bell peppers preferably 1 red, 1 orange, 1 yellow, seeded and sliced into 1/2" strips
• 1 large red onion halved and sliced into 1/4" pieces
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 lb. thinly sliced flank steak or “fajita” steak
• lettuce cups or tortillas

Directions:

1. Prepare all ingredients before cooking: slice peppers, slice steak, peel and seed avocados, chop garlic, etc.
2. Preheat your broiler with oven racks in thirds; place baking sheet on top rack.
3. In a small bowl, stir together avocado oil, garlic, seasonings, and salt. 
4. Put peppers and onions in a large bowl and pour half of garlic-seasoning mixture over; toss well to coat. 
5. Carefully but quickly remove baking pan and scatter peppers and onions over. 
6. Return to oven and cook for 7 minutes, or until beginning to soften and brown.
7. Place sliced steak in the large bowl and pour remaining garlic-seasoning over; toss well to coat.
8. After peppers and onions are cooked, quickly but carefully remove baking pan from oven and use a spatula to make a space between peppers. Place steak in a single layer, being careful not to crowd if possible. 
9. Return to oven and cook 4 minutes or until uniformly brown on top and medium rare. Steak will likely show medium-rare temperature on underside; it will not show on top.
10. Remove pan from oven and serve in tortillas or lettuce cups with guacamole, more fresh salsa, and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and/or red onion, if desired.

Notes:
You can marinate your steak ahead of time if you prefer; this will result in an even more flavorful and tender steak. Simply coat your sliced steak in half the garlic-seasoning mixture and chill; marinate for up to 12 hours. Take out of fridge about 30 minutes before cooking.

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

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