Clean Eating Sweet and Sour Chicken

Every so often I get a CRAVING for some yummy Chinese food but unfortunately what I want rarely aligns with my health and fitness goals so I have to pass on the take-out, BUT I don't have to pass on my favorite dishes!!

Not too long ago I came up with an AMAZING Chicken Fried Rice recipe that is now a staple in our house. And last night I whipped up this Sweet and Sour Chicken that was to die for!! I think Ruben must have said "babe this is REALLY good" six times...no joke!! And my little picky eater Jayden who'd eat breakfast 24/7 if he could, gobbled it right up!!

          

           

INGREDIENTS: 1/3 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos 2 tbsp raw local honey 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used a HUGE scoop of minced garlic from the jar...probably 3 tbsp lol) 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (good thing I had a few packets on hand from the last pizza delivery night!) 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 breasts), chopped into 1-inch pieces 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 small yellow onion, chopped into chunks 2 cups canned pineapple chunks in juice NOT syrup 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa, optional
INSTRUCTIONS: In a small bowl, whisk together Bragg's Liquid Aminos, honey, garlic and pepper flakes. 

In a gallon sized ziplock bag place chopped chicken and marinade mixture over chicken, tossing gently. zip closed, getting all air out, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. 

Add chicken and marinade and sauté for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

Add bell peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. 

Add pineapple and cook for 2 more minutes. 

Serve over (optional) brown rice or quinoa!!

21 Day Fix info:
*So I measured everything out with my 21 Day Fix containers using the ingredients above before I mixed it all together so I would have accurate portions.

* The TOTAL recipe was 4 red containers, 4 green containers, 4 orange containers, 2 purple containers. 

*I like to keep things simple so I divided the entire skillet into 4 servings. Each SINGLE SERVING is 1 red, 1 green, 1 orange, 1/2 purple. If you serve it over rice or quinoa you will add 1 yellow

ENJOY!!!

21 Day Fix - Fajita Bowls

I was craving Mexican food (what's new?!?!) but didn't want to blow my 21 Day Fix plan. I'm a sucker for chips and salsa at those yummy restaurants so I decided to whip up a Fajita Bowl at home instead!! For me I try to really keep eating out at restaurants for special occasions. It's too easy to get caught up in going on a regular basis and then before you know it your results have slowed or stopped all together, no matter how many grilled chicken salads you eat!!

So I didn't follow any recipes I just used what I had it the fridge. I typically plan, prep and portion all of my meals individually on Sundays so I can just grab a container and go during the week. But I also chop extra fruits, veggies, eggs and oats for my son or for myself to add as needed. So this literally took me less than 10 minutes to throw together since all the prep was done!!

Directions*Fill one green container with sliced peppers and onions
*Fill one red container with cooked chicken (Sunday I cooked about 6 chicken breasts for this purpose...I didn't know what i was going to need them for but they were there and ready when needed)
*Sauté some onions and peppers in a little no cook spray
*Cook left over chicken in a splash of veggie broth and season with cumin, garlic powder and chili powder. (these seasonings are free on the 21 Day Fix Plan)

Toss and enjoy!!

21 Day Fix Containers = 1 Red, 1 Green

This was one of the recipes I'll be creating for my 21 Day Fix Extreme test group that will be opening for registration on February 2nd! If you would like to get your hands on this program before anyone else please fill out application below and shoot me a message on Facebook so we can get you started!

Black Bean and Quinoa Bake

I've been meaning to try this for some time now and my only regret is that I didn't make it sooner! It was SOOOO good!! It tastes exactly like Tamale Pie I get from one of my favorite recipes! This is a vegetarian dish but you could easily add ground turkey or lean ground beef if you'd like to "beef" it up lol. Pun intended!! Definitely hit the spot for my regular Mexican food craving and was super easy to make. It took me less than 30 minutes from start to oven and it was a hit! We have a ton of left overs which I'll freeze for the next couple weeks when I need a quick lunch on the go. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups of water
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 small onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 Jalapeño seeded and minced
1 red pepper seeded and diced
1 cup frozen corn
Juice of 1 small lime
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of chili powder
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
2 15 oz cans of black beans drained and rinsed
2 cups of red enchilada sauce
2 cups of shredded mexican cheese
Toppings (optional):  Greek Yogurt, Avocado, Olives, Green onions

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 in pan with cooking spray.

Add quinoa and water to medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes then turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil, onion, garlic and Jalapeno.  Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add peppers and corn and saute for 5 more minutes.
Add lime juice, cumin, chili powder and cilantro.  Stir and combine and season with salt and pepper.

In a large mixing bowl stir quinoa and black beans.  Add the veggie mixture and combine, stir in 1/2 of the cheese and all of the Enchilada sauce.

Pour the mixture into the 9x13 pan, sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Then cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for 10 minutes longer until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Remove and cool!

Serve and enjoy!!!


If you are doing the fix I measured out 1 yellow and also counted it as 1 red.
I served with a side of steamed green beans which is a green.