Energy Boosting Egg Muffins

I found this recipe online and loved it! I can't even remember where I found it?! Eek! I find them delicious and that they freeze well!  So they are incredible for on-the-go!  My hubby found them too moist after freezing them but you could always leave out the zucchini if you didn't want the extra moisture. I love them!  Recipe is below!

Recipe:

6 eggs
1/2 c. skim or 1% milk (almond milk would be fine too!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 c. cheddar cheese
1/2 c. chopped zucchini
1/4 c. each red bell AND green pepper
2 tbsp chopped red onion OR 3 Onion EPICURE spice mix!

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper.  Add cheese, zucchini, peppers and onion or onion mix and mix well.

Spoon evenly into 12 lightly sprayed muffin cups. I actually use the 1/4 c. measuring cup to divide the mixture evenly into each cup. So easy and very little mess!

Bake 20-22 minutes or until set.  Cool on rack for 5 minutes.  Remove from cups and serve warm or reheat!

21 Day Fix Plan?  2 egg cups = 1 red container

This morning I enjoyed an Energy Boosting Egg Cup & a chicken breakfast sausage, with Ezekiel toast (found in the Health Food Section) and 1 tsp of natural PB.  Oh and a McCafe coffee for a treat! Hope you enjoy! :)

Taco Zucchini Boats

 Taco zucchini boats are going down in my recipe book as another family favourite in my household for many reasons!  A. The boys thought they were delicious and cleaned their plates and B. it was SO quick an easy that they took no time to make--so that made me happy! I found the recipe while doing meal prep on the road as the hubby was driving and made note.  I have to give credit to the author Gina Homolka of the "skinnytaste" website (www.skinnytaste.com) for this recipe!

Typically I use ground chicken or turkey in any recipe that now calls for ground beef but this night, I did choose to use ground beef.  We typically only eat red meat 2x a week since we have changed our diet so this was a nice treat!  I hope you and your family enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 medium zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup mild salsa (I used my homemade salsa)
1b lean ground chicken, turkey or beef

Taco Seasoning:
1 tsp or each: garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika and himalayan pink or sea salt ground (or to taste)
1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 small onion, chopped finely
2 tbsp green or red bell pepper, chopped finely
4 oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice (I used marble)
1/4 cup chopped green onion (or cilantro would be good too!)

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS for Toppings:
Greek yogurt in place of sour cream
Guacamole
Additional Salsa
Jalapeños

Before you get started:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Place the 1/2 cup of salsa on the bottom of a large glass baking dish.

Directions:
Using a small spoon, hollow out the seedy centre of each of the zucchini halves. Make sure that you still leave a thick skin on each half.  Chop up the scooped flesh of the zucchini in small pieces reserve 3/4 cup of what you have chopped--this will be used to add to the taco filling. Either discard or save the rest of the zucchini flesh for another recipe.  Using a cheese cloth or even a paper towl, squeeze the excess water out of the 3/4 cup of zucchini flesh that you have saved.

Drop zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 1-2 minutes depending how thick they are and then immediately remove them from the water and place them in the baking dish on top of the salsa.

Brown ground chicken, turkey or beef in a large frying pan or skillet making sure to break it up as it cooks.  When the meat is no longer pink, add the spices, onion, bell pepper, reserved zucchini, tomato sauce and water and stir well.  Cover and simmer on low for an additional 20 minutes

Once the taco meat is finished then fill the hollowed zucchini boats with the meat mixture using a spoon and pressing firmly until all the meat has been used up.

Top each boat with 1tbsp of shredded cheese or to your desire.  Cover with foil and bake for approx. 35 minutes until the cheese has melted and the zucchini is cooked through.

Top with scallions and serve with salsa and/or additional toppings!

21 Day Fix equivalents without any additional toppings
2 zucchini boats = 2 green, 1 red, 1 blue, 1 orange, 1/2 purple (if you added extra salsa on the side at your discretion).

Homemade Salsa

So funny enough, I get inspired sometimes to "use up" items in my fridge/pantry.  Usually each week I check out what I have from last week and incorporate it into the following week's meal prep. This week is were these gorgeous red onions that I bought at our local market last week.  So what better idea than to use them up in a fresh summer salsa?!

This is a recipe that I got a few years ago from our friend's Shawna & Terry Bergin. I have tried many recipes before but this one proves to be MY FAVE!  One of the main reasons besides the flavour, is simply because I don't have to peel the tomatoes before hand!  I got permission to share this recipe and we hope that you will enjoy it too!  This recipe is phenomenal and lends itself well to making it your own however you like it!

If you are wondering if this recipe is clean or not, you can be the judge.  I did make some modifications to the recipe based on some changes I have made in my own home. I used Pink Himalayan Salt instead of table salt. I also used raw sugar instead of the traditional white refined sugar.  I am certain that you could also try maple syrup or agave nectar too if you wanted.  Please enjoy!

Recipe Yields:  5x500ml jars (and around 1 cup left over which we just ate after the others were jarred)
Heat: Medium

Main ingredients:  
12 tomatoes
2 green pepper
3 c. celery
2 c. onions
1/3 cup of pink himalayan salt
* chop all vegetables and let set overnight and drain well in the morning.

Add:
1 1/2 c. raw sugar *optional (I used 3/4 c. of raw sugar)
1 1/2 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed chilies
1 tsp mustard seed
*I also added 1 cup of frozen corn for a splash of colour!

Cook all above for 45 minutes in a large pot on the stove. Then add 1 large can of tomato paste and cook another 15 minutes.

Enjoy this recipe and I hope you have a wonderful September!

Shrimp Tacos

Two of my favourite clean eating cookbooks I purchased at Costco.  They are written by Sarah Fragoso and the titles include, "Everyday Paleo and Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook." Shrimp Tacos is a recipe that I have adapted from the   Everyday Paleo Cookbook and it is truly delish!  This is a family favourite in our household!  Hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients
1 bag of medium shrimp, shells and tails removed and deveined (I tend to by the frozen bags at the Superstore and thaw them the night before in the fridge).
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 c. fresh or jarred salsa (restaurant salsa "verde")
10-12 large romaine leaves (rinsed and dried off)
2 cups purple cabbage
Green Yogurt
lime wedges
Optional: 5 radishes, halved and sliced
           
Method
1.  In a frying pan, heat the coconut oil over low-medium heat and sauté the garlic, onions, and bell peppers until tender.
2.  Add the shrimp and sauté until the shrimp have turned pink in colour.
3.  Turn the heat down to low.
4.  Mix the chili powder and salsa and add to the mixture in the frying pan and cook until simmering.
5.  Place the lettuce leaves on the serving dishes so they are open faced.  Add the desired amount of shrimp mixture to the leaves.  Garnish with red cabbage, sliced radishes and a dallop of greek yogurt on top.  Serve with lime wedges on the side!

Prep time: 15-20 mins

Cook Time: 7-10 mins

Serves: 3-4

21 Day Fix Approved!  1 green (lettuce, cabbage, green pepper), 1 red (shrimp, greek yogurt), 1/2 purple (salsa verde)