Jambalaya

I found this recipe on my computer I had written nearly a year ago for 21-Day Fix but never posted it- aahhh! So I made it the other night for dinner and figured now would be a good time to share it with you- Better late than never, right? :)

I personally love this recipe because it gives you tons of flavor- who says eating right has to be bland?!? Plus, you can customize it to your liking- you can choose the proteins and control the heat level. And, everything cooks in ONE pan, so it makes for easy clean-up!

This one is definitely going back on our regular meal rotation now that I’ve rediscovered it! Hope y’all enjoy it too.

Jambalaya

Yield: 4-6 servings

21 Day Fix Portions (per serving): 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green

Ingredients

• 1, 8-oz package of  Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain Brown Ready Rice (You can use regular brown rice too- I just like that this cooks in 90 seconds)
• 4 red containers protein of choice (mix-and-match as desired): diced chicken breast, shrimp, and/or all-natural turkey or pork sausage)
• 1½ green container (1½ cup) bell pepper (any color), diced
• 1½ green container  (1½ cup) fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 green container (1 cup) onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (or grated)
• Original hot sauce (to taste)
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce (I recommend Lea & Perrins becuase its all natural ingredients and not made with corn syrup- read your labels!)
• 2 tbsp pre-made or homemade cajun seasoning (2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, plus ½ tsp salt)

Directions

1. In a saute pan, brown protein over medium-high heat (I would do sausage first, then chicken, then shrimp). Be sure to season the chicken and shrimp with cajun seasoning. *You might need to add a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil to your pan in between meats*. Remove proteins from pan and place in a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm
2. In the same pan, drizzle a little more EVOO and reduce heat to medium/medium-low. Saute onions, peppers, and garlic until tender. Season with hot sauce as desired.
3. Add the tomatoes into the pan and allow the tomatoes to heat through.
4. Cook the rice according to package instructions, then add it to the pan.
5. Add the cooked protein back to the pan as well
6. Give it a good stir so that everything is evenly combined. Add more hot sauce and worcestershire to taste.
7. Use a GREEN container (or 1 cup) to scoop out each portion

Lasagna

You can have lasagna on 21-Day Fix??? Yes, yes you can!

I have a favorite lasagna recipe I always make for dinner parties, potlucks, taking people meals after they have babies, etc. It just needed a little modifying so that I could enjoy it myself, while keeping in line with the 21-Day Fix eating plan.

Enjoy!

21-Day Fix Portions:

Okay, so here’s what the official eating plan tells you to do when eat a meat lasagna- It says to portion it using a green container but count it as 2 yellow, 1 red. With this particular recipe, it seems more logical in my head to still use the green container for portion control, but instead count 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue- that’s what I would personally count, but I think you will be fine checking off either of these portion recommendations.

Ingredients

1. Whole wheat lasagna noodles (8 if you want 2 layers, 12 if you want 3 layers)
2. 1 lb lean ground turkey
3. 1½ jars clean pasta sauce (I like Classico. If you want it extra saucy, use 2 full jars. If you like less sauce, you can get by with 1 jar)
4. 1 carton cottage cheese
5. 1 8oz. package shredded mozzarella or italian blend cheese
6. ¾ cup real shredded parmesan cheese
7. 1 egg
8. 1 green container (combined) finely chopped celery, onion, carrot
9. 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
10. ¼ cup red wine (optional, for pan deglazing)
11. ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
12. Italian seasoning

Directions

1. Boil water for noodles (add a splash of extra virgin olive oil so they don’t stick together). Cook noodles according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, brown ground turkey. Season with italian seasoning and remove from pan.
3. Add a drizzle of EVOO to the same pan. Saute vegetables and garlic until tender.
   
4. Return the ground turkey to the pan. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and allow wine to reduce.
   
5. Stir in pasta sauce and parsley and simmer until heated through. Feel free to adjust sauce seasonings to taste (you can use garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, etc.)
   
6. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg until well beaten
   
7. Add the cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, ½ cup parmesan, and a generous sprinkle of italian seasoning. Stir to combine with the egg until everything is well blended.
   
8. When the noodles have finished boiling, rinse with cold water and pat dry completely using kitchen towels.
9. Begin the lasagna layering process in a lightly-greased 13x9 pan: Sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, repeat.
   
10. Once you have added the final layer, pour any remaining sauce over top. 
    
11. Then sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan on the top.
    
12. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese on the top is bubbly.
    

ONE PAN Roasted Chicken and Veggies

Ever just feel at a loss for what to do with chicken breast? They are a staple of healthy diets as a lean protein, but plain chicken breast definitely gets old.

I was scrolling through pinterest trying to find some chicken inspiration that didn’t involve drowning it in cream of chicken soup or frying it in flour and breadcrumbs, and then it hit me: just keep it simple- and simple doesn’t have to mean flavorless.

And I had every ingredient I needed on hand already. I whipped up this delicious, 21-day fix approved dinner in about 20 minutes.

This can be adjusted to suit 1 person or a whole family (just alter the amount of chicken and veggies used) and can be customized to whatever flavor profile you desire (see optional variations below).

Plus, dishes are a breeze afterward because its only ONE PAN! That makes this momma happy!

Fix Portions: 1 red (per chicken breast), 1 green (per veggie selected- you can adjust this to however many you have/need), 1 yellow (optional- count if using potatoes or sweet potatoes), 1 orange (for the salad dressing).

Ingredients

1. 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (per person)
2. Veggies of choice (Suggestions: squash, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, carrots; Red potatoes are good too, but remember these aren’t counted as a veggie on 21-day fix)
3. CLEAN salad dressing (I suggest using one of the dressings in the 21-day fix book or this Bragg brand Vinaigrette is excellent)

Directions

1. Marinate chicken in vinaigrette (at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours… If pressed for time, you can skip this step, but the marinating yields more flavor)
2. Place chicken and veggies in pyrex baking dish
3. Drizzle chicken and veggies with 1 orange container of vinaigrette of choice
4. Bake on 450 for 20-25 minutes (until chicken is cooked through)

Optional Variations

For an asian twist, use the asian citrus vinaigrette recipe in the 21-day fix book and pair with veggies like carrots, broccoli, and zucchini. Would be great served over some brown rice!

Interested in trying the 21-Day Fix for yourself? For more information, please click here or visit www.beachbodycoach.com/melheywardfitness

Oats & Honey Granola Bars

I always love discovering new recipes and converting them to healthy, clean options.

Last week, I found this gem in Parents magazine, changed it up a bit, and created a batch of granola bars that my husband has been raving about for a week now! So, I figured I would share them with you!

Tip: Make them on a Sunday, so they will be fresh for breakfasts or snacks during the week. They will stay fresh for 5-7 days.

Yield: 16 bars or 32 squares

21-Day Fix Portions: 1 yellow substitute

Ingredients

• 4 cups old-fashioned oats
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼- ½ cup of dried fruit of choice (raisins, cranberries, etc- look for the no sugar added varieties) OR nut of choice (chopped) OR mini semi-sweet chocolate chips OR a combination of any of those options (personalize them for what you like!
• ½ cup coconut oil (melted, but not hot)
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a large bowl combine oats, flour, salt, and choice of toppings
3. In a separate bowl, combine coconut oil, honey, and vanilla (Tip: Measure and add the oil before the honey- the remaining oil on your measuring cup will prevent the honey from sticking, making sure you get all of it in your bowl)
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Press mixture into a 13x9 pan lined with wax/parchment paper
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes (or until golden brown)
7. Allow to cool completely before cutting into these (very important)

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Third time’s a charm right?

I've redone this recipe 3 times now in the past year as I've progressed in my journey to a healthier me. The original muffin recipe I shared on this blog back in 2013 included sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar, and white flour. I tried to get healthier around the start of the new year on my own, and made a few modifications to this recipe then. Now, after being involved in Beachbody programs and educating myself further on healthy, clean eating, I decided to revamp this recipe once again, and I think it turned out great.

Yield: 2 Dozen

Serving Size: 1 Muffin

21 Day Fix Portion (per muffin): 1 Yellow

Ingredients:

• ½ cup honey
• 1 stick organic, unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 3- 4 bananas
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp plain, nonfat greek yogurt
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (I found this at Walmart. Gold Medal brand)

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350

2.      Cream butter, honey, and eggs

3.      Mash bananas and beat into mixture

4.      In a separate bowl, stir baking soda and salt into greek yogurt (as you stir, it might fizz a little and turn into the consistency of mousse)

5.      Add greek yogurt mixture into muffin batter and mix well.

6.      Gradually add in flour. Stir until completely blended.

7.      Line 2 muffin trays with paper cupcake/muffin liners (to make 24 muffins total)

8.      Spoon in batter (about 2/3 full- I use an ice cream scooper for easy and even filling)

9.      Bake for 20-25 minutes

10.  Cool before enjoying

Clean Chocolate Chip Brownie Muffins

Clean Chocolate Chip Brownie Muffins

So last night I wanted to make cookies, like really really wanted some cookies. But, I had just finished my T25 workout, and didn’t want to undo all that hardwork by the choices I made in the kitchen.

So I did a quick pinterest search for a healthier alternative to satisfy my sweet craving. I stumbled across a recipe for chocolate mini muffins. I adapted the recipe to fit clean eating standards and also because I don’t have mini muffin tins. So, after some adjustments, they became what I’m calling Clean Chocolate Chip Brownie Muffins. We took them to a friends house and they were a hit! Enjoy!

Yield: 1 dozen muffins

Nutrition: Estimated 75 calories/muffin. Clean. No flour. No butter. No oils. No artificial sweeteners.
21-Day Fix Portion: 1 yellow substitute per muffin

Ingredients

• 2 small-medium bananas
• 1 egg
• ½ cup natural peanut butter
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp honey
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips, plus a few more to put on top

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips into a blender. Tip: put the egg in first so that the liquid can help it blend more easily. The batter will be thick.
2. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
3. Scoop batter into paper-lined muffin tins- fill about ⅔ full
4. Press about 3-5 additional chocolate chips into the top of each muffin
5. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean
6. Allow to cool briefly before serving (best served warm so the chocolate chips are all melty and delicious, but don’t want you to burn your mouth here)