Loaded Cajun Cabbage & Sausage

Do you guys remember last week how I talked about making it my goal to figure out a cabbage and sausage recipe that was more than just the plain old "cabbage and sausage"? No? You can read that post by clicking here. But anyway... you guys. I think this one hit the nail on the head! It's delicious, easy, and TOTALLY not the normal cabbage and sausage that makes you say "blaaaah".

This recipe has a nice kick to it, a lot of great veggies to it, and alllllll the melty delicious cheese! What more could you ask for?! If you wanted to use this recipe as NOT Keto, you could always half the peppers and onions, and throw this over some rice! You could also do the same with cauliflower rice if you wanted to keep it Keto and wanted to use it in a different way. I personally just like to eat it as is!

The best part about this recipe is that everything is cooked, from start to finish, in one pan!!! I am a HUGE fan of this! Especially because most of my meals are made for meal prep, and I tend to be cooking 2-3 recipes in one day. I love the ease and convenience of being able to throw everything into one pan and not have to worry about washing a ton of dishes!

Please excuse the mess in the pictures. I tend to be a SUPER messy cook! Am I the only one?! Some days after meal prepping, I'm so tired that I just can't clean up, and my husband does it for me. He is such a peach! A saint! I don't know how he puts up with all my BS. 😂 I sure love him! How did I get so lucky?! Anyway, Let's get on to this recipe!

Ingredients:
1 large, or 2 small heads of cabbage, chopped in small slices
14 oz smoked sausage, low carb and low sugar, sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped in half and then sliced
2 green bell peppers, chopped in large strips
2 red bell peppers, chopped in large strips
Cajun seasoning, recipe here
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups Colby Jack cheese

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a large cast iron or oven-safe skillet, heat olive oil over medium/high heat.
3. Add smoked sausage and cook until browned.
4. Throw in peppers and onion, and cook until onion is transparent and peppers are soft.
5. Pour in the chicken broth, then add half of the cabbage and half of the Cajun seasoning.
6. Cover and let cook until cabbage begins to wilt, then add in the rest of the cabbage and seasoning.
7. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is wilted, but not completely soft.
8. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and throw into the oven until cheese has melted, 3-5 minutes.
9. Serve hot! If you don't want the extra juices, use a slotted spoon to serve. Or scoop into meal prep containers and eat throughout the week!

I hope you love this recipe! And I hope I've proven to you all that I can keep my word. 😉 For more Keto dishes and meal prep, follow this blog, or follow me on Pinterest!

Lots of love,

Cajun Seasoning

Cajun Seasoning

This simple, easy Cajun seasoning can be thrown together quickly and easily to be thrown in to any recipe you might want to have a nice Cajun kick! It definitely is not for the weak when it comes to spice. However, if you want some Cajun seasoning without too much spice, you can omit or use less of the cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper to make it a bit less spicy. However, if you're anything like me, you'll embrace the spice, let your nose run, and your face burn! 😝

Ingredients:

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp ground thyme

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Sprinkle over any and all food to add some spice and Cajun kick! Can be used in a recipe or tossed on top anything you'd like to add some good flavor and spice to.

I hope you enjoy! Don't burn your face off!!!

Love,

Low Carb Chicken Enchiladas

I have mentioned plenty of times that my favorite food is Mexican. How can someone who loves Mexican soooo much be on the Keto diet and do it successfully?! Well, for the longest time, I would just make "taco bowls" or "veggie enchilada casseroles" etc... Until the magical day that I discovered LOW CARB TORTILLAS!!!!!!!!!

These tortillas are AMAZING!!! Though, if you are gluten free, they do still have flour in them. So these are obviously not a good choice for you. These can be found, I believe, in most grocery stores. Just in the regular tortilla isle! They are a little bit pricey (almost $4 for 8 tortillas), but this is honestly something I'm willing to throw a little extra money down for. That's how much I love my Mexican food!

These enchiladas are super easy to throw together! The hardest part is rolling them up and throwing them in the pan. And even that takes about 5 minutes! When it comes to recipes to make for meal prep, I try to make things that aren't going to have me cooking in the kitchen all day long. I tend to make at least 3 different meals in one day when I meal prep, so quick and easy are a MUST!

I didn't put a ton of seasoning or anything into this recipe. I wanted to really let the ingredients speak for themselves. I only added a bit of salt, pepper, and some cumin. The cream cheese, green chiles, enchilada sauce, and chicken make for great flavor... but I felt like it needed a little bit more. So I threw in my secret ingredient: Black Olives!

The olives really made for a nice touch! I'll be honest, I'm not responsible for putting the olives in this recipe. It was actually my husband's suggestion. I thought it wasn't going to be a very good addition, but it turns out, it was perfect! I definitely suggest you add the olives, even if you think it sounds strange! It's better than it sounds, I promise!!

Oh, and I had leftover enchilada sauce that I used on this recipe, which is why you can't really see it in the picutre. I will tell you though, my favorite enchilada sauce is in a can. It's called El Pato, and it has a duck on it. It's the best tasting red enchilada sauce I've found! Not only that, but the ingredient list is exactly where I want it to be, without any crazy additives. I'll post a picture of what it looks like below. 😁 Alright, I've had about enough of the babbling on and on with this recipe. Let's get to how to cook it!

Ingredients:
8 low carb tortillas (I used La Banderita brand)
1 lb chicken, cooked and shredded -- or use rotisserie chicken (I got mine from Costco)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
8 oz cream cheese
2 7 oz cans diced green chiles
1 3.8 oz can sliced black olives
1 28 oz can red enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheese
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp cumin

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium/large skillet, heat olive oil over med/high heat.
3. Add onion and cook until onion begins to brown.
4. Add cream cheese, two cans of green chiles, and the shredded chicken. Stir to combine and heat through.
5. Throw in the can of olives and mix together until everything is combined.
6. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.
7. Lay the tortillas out in a row, and scoop an even amount of chicken mixture onto each tortilla in the center.
8. Roll the tortillas into small burritos by tucking in the sides, or if you prefer the ends to be open, simply roll them up without tucking in the sides.
9. Put rolled tortillas in a row in a greased 9x11 oven safe dish. Smother with enchilada sauce and top with shredded cheese.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
11. Serve hot, or put into meal prep containers to eat throughout the week!

I hope you guys enjoy this delicious and easy meal! For more Keto friendly dishes that can be used for quick weekday meals or meal prep, follow this blog, or follow me on Pinterest!

Love always,

Creamy Sausage & Broccoli Casserole

My husband mentioned earlier this week that he wanted to do a cabbage and sausage dish for meal prep this week. But, you know what, I just really wasn't feeling the whole cabbage idea. Not that I don't like cabbage. I love cabbage! I love most vegetables, let's be real here. But I just wasn't really in the mood. Especially since most of the cabbage and sausage dishes I have made in the past have been.... blah. They are just straight up cabbage and sausage. With seasonings. And butter/olive oil.

I mean, I'm sure that I could figure out another recipe to spice up the regular cabbage and sausage dish... in fact, I'm going to make that my goal! Come the next week or two, mark my words, I'm going to make a cabbage and sausage dish that have a few additional items to spice it up! Haha. But anyway, that is not at all the point of this. 😜

The point is, I just didn't want cabbage this time! 😅 Broccoli, for some reason, just sounded way better! I was kinda craving something that had a little more crunch; a little more bite. Plus, I just love the taste of broccoli. Isn't it just delicious?! Like I said earlier... I'm just a veggie lover all around. Broccoli is definitely one of my faves, though.

Now, I'm also always a fan of all things creamy and cheesy. If I could have creamy and cheesy in every single meal, I would. In fact, I probably make creamy and cheesy dishes more than my husband would like. I try to refrain from making too many, but I just can't help it sometimes! It's just so yummy! And this is also one of the reasons I struggled with eating Paleo. As much as I loved the concept, I just can't give up the cheese and dairy! Keto is my friend, because of this. It's basically the same as Paleo, but with the dairy. Thank the dietary Gods!

This recipe is super easy to throw together. It doesn't have a lot of prep time, and it doesn't have a ton of veggies to chop and prepare. I'm sure you could even use frozen broccoli and thaw it out if you didn't want to chop any. I'm not a huge fan of frozen, but it's mostly because you end up with a ton of stems and not a ton of trees. I like the trees! I need my greenery!

Anyway, this recipe can be thrown together really quickly! I used it for meal prep for the week, but it can also be used as a full-on dinner, or even used just as a side! I do suggest that if you use it as the main dish for your dinner, that you maybe have a salad on the side, as well. It's not THE most substantial dish. But it is delicious, nonetheless!

1-2-3! RE-CI-PE!!!


Ingredients:
3-4 large bunches of broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces (I use broccoli crowns because I'm not a huge fan of the stems)
12 oz Kielbasa sausage, sliced into rings
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
12 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
8 oz shredded cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Put broccoli into a large microwave safe bowl. Put about 3 tablespoons of water in the bowl, and cover tightly with saran wrap. Microwave for 3 minutes, and let sit in the bowl for an additional 2 minutes to continue to steam.
3. While broccoli is steaming, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned.
4. In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Taste, and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
5. Add sausage and cream cheese mixture into the bowl with the steamed broccoli. Mix together until it is all incorporated
6. Pour into a greased oven-safe dish. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, and bake uncovered for about 10-15 minutes, or until the shredded cheese has melted and it is heated through and bubbling.
7. Serve hot! Have a little salad on the side and call it dinner! Or separate into 4 meal prep containers and eat throughout the week!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!! If you'd like more simple, easy, keto, and cheap recipes, follow this blog, or follow me on Pinterest! I have a ton of meal prepping and keto ideas! Bon Appetit!


Yours Truly,

Low Carb White Chicken Chili

By the raise of hands, anyone else up in here obsessed with all creamy soups?! 🙋Meeeeee! And let me just say, this one totally hits the spot! Creamy, cheesy, bursting with flavor, simmering with spice, and all the chicken and veggies you'd want in a nice, hearty soup.

I personally made this for meal prep, and it worked great! It came out to be the perfect 4 portions for my husband and I to eat throughout the week. However, this meal can totally be made for an easy dinner for your family! Especially because it is SUPER easy to throw together. Just a couple veggies to chop, saute, and throw the rest in the pot to simmer all together and let the flavors marry. So simple, so easy, and SO delicious! Plus, there are a lot of ways to make it fun for kids by adding different toppings: Avocado slices, green onions, sour cream, jalapenos, your favorite shredded cheese (pepper jack is delicious with this!), or even tortilla strips, if you're not following any sort of carb restrictions.

This meal was especially easy to throw together because I used a rotisserie chicken. If you don't love the idea of this and would like to cook your own chicken, all the more power to you! You could even boil the chicken in the broth to give it some flavor, and then add the sauteed veggies in once the chicken has been cooked and shredded. But, like I said, I made this soup for meal prep, and unless I want to cook ALLLLLLLL day long, I have to take a few short cuts here and there! However, I do think rotisserie chickens can be kinda pricey! I am all about saving money!

Not to totally obsess about the chicken, but did you know that Costco sells their rotisserie chicken meat packaged separately?! It comes in a 2 lb package, and it is amazing! It's already taken off of the bones (obviously), and can easily be thrown in the freezer if you don't end up using all 2 lbs in one recipe. AND, it's not too pricey! A 2 lb rotisserie chicken from Smith's costs about $7 or $8. And by the time you tear all the meat off the bone, you don't actually have 2 lbs of meat. The packaged chicken from Costco is about $13 and it's a full 2 lb. I think it's a pretty good deal. And delicious. And easy. Moving on. 😝

The hardest part about this recipe is making sure the cream cheese doesn't stay all chunky when you're adding it to the soup. The best way to do it, I've found, is to mix the cream cheese with some heavy cream. Mix it up until it's as smooth as you can possibly get it. Then, make sure your broth is nice and hot, and start adding the cream cheese mixture in one scoop at a time and stir vigorously until you can't see any more chunks. Repeat until all of the cream cheese is mixed in. It's a great technique. I totally suggest you do it this way. No one likes cream cheese chunks in their creamy soup. We want it smooth, baby!

Cream cheese chunks

Cream cheese mixed in

Now that we've got our spices in there and the soup is simmering away, let's get the recipe going, shall we?! Sheesh.

Ingredients:
1-1.5 lb rotisserie chicken, shredded (or cook your own chicken)
2 green bell peppers, diced small
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1/4 cup pickled sliced jalapenos, roughly chopped (or 1 fresh jalapeno, diced)
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 7 oz can diced green chiles
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 oz cream cheese (I use the whipped kind, it's easier to mix)
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, add bell peppers, onion, jalapenos, garlic, green chiles, and olive oil. Cook on medium high heat for 7-8 minutes, or until onions become translucent and peppers begin to soften.
2. While veggies are cooking, mix cream cheese with heavy cream in a separate bowl. Mix well, trying to make it as smooth as possible. This will help with mixing it into the soup.
3. Once veggies have softened, add chicken broth and shredded chicken to the pot. Turn the heat up almost all the way to high (I turned mine on 8 out of 10), and start adding the cream cheese mixture one scoop at a time, and stir vigorously and continuously until there are no chunks visible in the broth. Then add another scoop and repeat until it is all mixed in, smooth and creamy.
4. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
5. Bring to a bowl and turn heat down to medium-low.
6. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until veggies are soft and broth has slightly thickened.
7. Serve hot! Add toppings, if you'd like, such as green onions, jalapenos, sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado slices, or tortilla strips. Enjoy!!

For more simple, easy, and cheap recipes -- as well as great meal prep ideas -- follow this blog, or follow me on Pinterest! Happy meal prepping!


Love always,