Chicken Lettuce Wraps
This is a truly guilt free meal! It’s fun to assemble and devour these lettuce wraps. Stick with simple meals like this that are comprised of lean meats and vegetables in order to favorably convert your body composition.Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com
Servings: 6
Here’s what you need
- 4 chicken breasts, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 cups white mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 1 Tablespoon ginger root, minced
- 3 green onions, chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper
- ¼ cup coconut aminos (or light soy sauce)
- ¼ cup coconut palm sugar
- 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 head butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil and the chopped chicken. Cook until the pink is gone, then drain the skillet.
- Add the chopped mushrooms, garlic, pine nuts, ginger, green onions, salt and pepper. Sauté for 8 minutes.
- Combine the coconut aminos, coconut palm sugar and vinegar in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture in the skillet. Mix well and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Serve with large lettuce leaves. Enjoy!
Nutritional Analysis
One serving equals: 219 calories, 10g fat, 13g carbohydrate, 80mg sodium, 8g sugar, 1g fiber, and 20g protein.
Beef Stuffed Squash
Who needs tortillas or burger buns when we can stuff ground beef right into squash? It’s an awesome, fitness-approved way to eat your veggies and work towards your beach body!Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com
Servings: 6
Here’s what you need
- 3 Delicata squash (Butternut, Acorn or other similarly sized squash would also work great.)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 1 Tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 (4oz) can mild green chiles, chopped
- Fresh chives, chopped (optional as garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash the squash and slice each in half, lengthwise. Scoop out all of the seeds. Place the squash halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until tender. The roasting time will vary depending on the size of your squash — the bigger and thicker the squash the longer the roasting time will be.
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat and brown the ground beef. Drain the pan.
- Place the pan back over medium heat and add in the garlic, onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft. Add in the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for 8 minutes.
- Fill each squash with a generous serving of the ground beef mixture. Top with fresh chopped chives if desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutritional Analysis
One serving equals: 245 calories, 13g fat, 9g carbohydrate, 299mg sodium, 3g sugar, 2g fiber, and 22g protein.
Roasted Za’atar Cauliflower
If you haven’t tried Za’atar, it’s worth picking up a bottle of the savory spice. It gives cauliflower a whole new flavor dimension. It’s also wonderful used to flavor meat for the BBQ.Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com
Servings: 4
Here’s what you need
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons za’atar spice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
- Wash and chop the cauliflower into florets. Combine the florets, olive oil, za’atar and sea salt in a large bowl.
- Spread the floret mixture over the prepared pan. Roast for 30 minutes until tender. Enjoy!
Nutritional Analysis
One serving equals: 122 calories, 7g fat, 13g carbohydrate, 101mg sodium, 3g sugar, 7g fiber, and 5g protein.
Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken
There are many ways to prepare chicken breast. You could grill it, bake it, sauté it or fry it. You could eat it cold or hot, spicy or mild. You could season it generously or leave it plain. You could spend lots of time and effort, or barely any at all.This Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken tops my list of favorite ways to prepare chicken breast. It requires minimal time and effort and results in moist, tender, flavorful chicken that could compete with just about any fancy chicken dish. All while providing superb nutrition to keep you fit, lean and in control of your health.
Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com
Servings: 12
Here’s what you need
- 3 yellow or red onions, quartered and sliced
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Sea salt and black pepper
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon liquid stevia
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme, minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh Oregano, minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh Rosemary, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon fresh Parsley, minced for garnish
Instructions
- Place the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker and top with the chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, broth, stevia, both mustards, thyme, oregano, rosemary and red pepper flakes.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken and sprinkle with the garlic.
- Cover and cook on high, until the chicken is tender, for 4-5 hours. Garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Nutritional Analysis
One serving equals: 130 calories, 2g fat, 4g carbohydrate, 1g sugar, 350mg sodium, 1g fiber, and 26g protein.
Thumbprint Cookies
Wait, an article about giving up sugar and then a recipe for cookies? Have I lost my mind? This recipe for Thumbprint Cookies is made exclusively using stevia, so you can avoid sugar and eat a cookie too!Stevia is a natural sweetener (derived from a leaf that you can grow in your own garden) that has zero calories and zero sugar content. The benefits are huge to using stevia as a sweetener of choice.
If we can make cookies that have zero sugar content but still taste sweet and satisfying then shouldn’t we? It makes us healthier, leaner and more energetic. All without sacrificing the joy of having a delicious cookie.
Sure, if you’ve never used stevia then there will be an adjustment period. A time to get your taste buds accustomed to the absence of sugars. But once you adjust then you’ll wonder how you ever handled all that sugar in the first place. Give these low sugar cookies a try!
Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com
Servings: 30
Here’s what you need
- ⅔ cup blanched almond flour
- 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 6 Tablespoons coconut oil, softened
- 2 Tablespoons coconut cream
- 2 teaspoons liquid stevia
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 4oz lily’s stevia sweetened chocolate (chips or bar)
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- ⅔ cup natural peanut butter (or another nut butter or berries)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl combine the blanched almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, and sea salt. Whisk to remove any lumps.
- In an electric mixing bowl combine the coconut oil, cream and stevia until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract and almond extract on low speed until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients on low speed by spoonful until creamed into the coconut oil mixture.
- Shape cookies with a heaping teaspoon of dough, making an indention with your thumb. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool for 5 minutes on the pan before removing.
- While the cookies bake, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler, mixing until smooth. Dip the base of the cookies and pour a little chocolate into the indentions, topping with a teaspoon of peanut butter. Transfer to a parchment paper lined pan that fits in your freezer. Place the cookies in the freezer for 5 minutes until the chocolate has set. Enjoy!
Nutritional Analysis
One serving equals: 90 calories, 7g fat, 4g carbohydrate, 10mg sodium, 1g sugar, 2g fiber, and 2g protein.