Hearty, Healthy & Spicy Low Carb Chili

One thing that I had soooo much growing up, and also LOVED, was chili! We always had chili from a can stocked in our pantry. In a family with 5 kids, my parents had a lot of canned and pre-made food (frozen and packaged) as we got older so we could help ourselves without having to bug them to make us something. 😉

I am also a huge fan of hot dogs and hamburgers. I mean, what American isn't? (Totally kidding! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. 😜)  And what better addition to a delicious hot dog or hamburger than a nice heaping spoonful of chili?! Especially when the chili is aromatic, chuck full of hearty ingredients, and has a nice kick of spice to it! It's one of my favorite things in the world! You can determine how hearty you want it based on how much ground beef you put in it. If you do 2 lb, it will be a little more soupy and a little less hearty. I used about 2.25 lb for this specific one.

Now, I wasn't introduced to homemade chili until I got into my teens and my family started doing soup/chili cook-offs at our family reunions. Nothing beats having 5 different kinds of chili to chow down on! White chili, red chili, meatless chili, beanless chili... you name it, I love it! But, it really made me appreciate a good homemade chili. Plus, homemade chili is SUPER easy to make! You basically just dump everything into a pan and let the flavors mate together to make a beautiful little chili baby! 😂

I first started out eating Paleo a few years ago, and I made plenty of Paleo chilis at that time. They are good, that is for sure. Who needs beans, right?! However, I have absolutely LOVED eating Keto because of the fact that you can eat DAIRY!!! **Cue angels from heaven singing hallelujah** I mean, some people can probably make a mean dairy free sour cream and cheese flavored... something. But nothing beats a big ol' dollop of sour cream atop a mountain of cheese melting into the bowl of chili you've just scooped up! This is one of the biggest reasons I love Keto so much!

I made some chili cheeseburgers the first night after making this. The picture... it's not great, but I was tired and in a hurry, so it doesn't look as good as it tasted. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some. But I also ate this chili as a kind of "huevos rancheros" with some fried eggs and bacon on the side the next morning. I added a bit of sour cream and some Cholula.... and I'm telling you, it was amazing! This chili is so versatile! I seriously just can't get enough of it!

Enough about all of this, here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

2-2.5 lbs ground beef - I used 80/20

1 medium red onion, diced

4 stalks of celery, diced

1/4 cup fresh or pickled jalapenos, roughly chopped (optional, you can omit if you don't want a ton of spice)

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos (If you can't find this, a can of Rotel tomatoes works great), do not drain

1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes, do not drain

1 6 oz can tomato paste

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp pepper

4 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp cumin powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp paprika

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan, add ground beef and begin to break up and cook over medium/high heat.

2. When ground beef is half brown, half pink, add in garlic, half of the diced onions, salt, and pepper.

3. Continue to cook until beef has browned all the way through and the onion has softened.

4. Add all other ingredients: the other half of the onion, celery, jalapenos (optional), can of tomatoes with jalapenos (with juices), can of stewed tomatoes (with juices), tomato paste, Worcestershire, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Mix well.

5. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes, until veggies have softened and flavors have melded together.

6. Serve hot! Option to top with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, or avocados!

I hope you thoroughly enjoy this recipe! I know my family sure did! And please be sure to follow this blog, follow me on Pinterest, and comment below if you have any questions!

Love,

 

Keto Cauliflower Taco Bake

I gotta say, out of all the different foods to choose from: American, Italian, Greek, etc... Mexican has ALWAYS been my favorite!

I just love blend of seasoning that comes with Mexican food. Plus there is the salsa, the guacamole, and the SPICY deliciousness! I love me some spicy food. If my mouth is burning and my eyes are watering by the end of my meal, I'm a happy camper! But don't worry! This recipe is not too spicy. Especially if you use the mild Rotel tomatoes. I use original, and that gives me a little kick, but doesn't burn my whole face off. 😝

I also have a huge love for cauliflower rice!!! I loved it even more when I realized that Green Giant has a bag of frozen cauliflower rice in the freezer section at the grocery store! What a glorious day when I discovered this! I no longer had to bust out the food processor and make a huge mess! I do always make sure it is Green Giant brand, because they don't have any additives whatsoever. It is simply the vegetables, and that's it! I love reading the ingredients on the back of packaged food and have it read ONLY what you are expecting to purchase! No funny stuff!

Now, I did use the cauliflower medley on this recipe simply because the plain riced cauliflower was gone. The only difference is that the medley has peas and carrots mixed in, but just a small amount. It does add 1 gram more carbs per serving, equaling 5 grams of carbs per serving, whereas the regular cauliflower rice only has 4. One gram doesn't make a huge difference for me, but if you hate that idea, don't go for it!

And I only added the cauliflower rice because I didn't think that just the meat, cheese, Rotel, green onion, and olives would be enough. I felt like it needed a little more veggie to it. I am a HUGE fan of veggies! If I have a meal that doesn't include veggies, it just feels wrong. It's super strange because I didn't used to be like this, guys! I used to be a normal human that could eat a burger with a bun and fries with ketchup and feel satisfied with myself. Not anymore! And I gotta say, I don't really miss that old carb and no veggie life.

I went off on a tangent, haha! It's time to get back to the meal!

I used this recipe for meal prep, and it worked out perfectly and was SO DELICIOUS!!! There's just something about the seasoned taco meat mixed with the rich cream cheese and sour cream, and then topped with your favorite taco fixins?! I mean, really. What could be better?! So, what do you say? Are you ready for the recipe??? Here it is!!

Ingredients:
1 lb 73/27% ground beef
12 oz Green Giant frozen cauliflower rice (in the microwavable bag)
4 oz cream cheese (I use the whipped kind, it makes it easier to mix)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 10 oz cans Rotel tomatoes, drained well
2 3.8 oz cans sliced black olives, drained
1 bunch green onions, sliced, separated (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)
8 oz shredded Mexican style cheese blend
Taco seasoning:
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp chili powder
a sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Cook ground beef in a skillet on med-high heat, breaking up, until browned
2. Once beef has browned, add taco seasonings and 1/4 cup of water. Simmer for 5 min.
3. Meanwhile, cook cauliflower rice in microwavable bag for 5 minutes
4. Once cauliflower is cooked, using hot pads, open top of bag and cinch around the edges with one hand and flip upside down over the sink. With the other hand, squeeze the bulk of the cauliflower (using the cinched hand to keep it from falling out) to drain the excess fluid out from the bag.
5. Once cauliflower is drained, add into a large bowl with the cream cheese, sour cream, and add the taco meat. Mix evenly.
6. Grease a 9x11 oven safe dish, and layer the cauliflower/meat mixture evenly on the bottom.
7. Using a slotted spoon, scoop drained Rotel tomatoes over the cauliflower/meat mixture and cover evenly. Layer olives on top of tomatoes, all but 1/4 cup of green onions on top of olives, and sprinkle shredded cheese on top of it all, covering evenly.
8. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15-20 minutes until bubbly and cheese begins to brown on top.
9. Garnish with remaining green onion
10. Serve hot, or scoop into meal prep containers and eat throughout the week!

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for more great recipes!

With love,

Monterey Jack BBQ Chicken

So, for the last week or so, I've been craving BBQ sauce. I'm not really sure why, but I have! It's been killing me! Haha. So, I am an avid meal prepper, and decided that I wanted to do something with BBQ chicken for this week.

I made a delicious homemade sugar free BBQ sauce, and it worked absolutely perfect with this recipe! I was so excited that it worked out so well! And, the best part of it... it was SO CHEAP! Ya'll know how this frugal girl likes doing things on the cheap!

Not only was the BBQ sauce super cheap and easy to make, but this meal, in total, only cost about $20. And that includes the side! It made 4 portions, which we used for dinners for meal prep. AND the meal wasn't too hard to cook, either!

This recipe is strictly about the BBQ chicken, but if you're wondering about the side, I used 3 heads of broccoli, chopped, and about a cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half. I seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, a little bit of thyme and rosemary. I drizzled with olive oil, mixed well, and put on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes until the broccoli started to brown and softened slightly.

And now, here's how to make the chicken!

Ingredients:
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup plus 4 tbsp keto sugar free BBQ sauce  (or store-bought sugar free BBQ sauce), separated
2 10 oz cans Rotel, drained well
9-10 slices of bacon, cooked to a crisp and diced/crumbled
8 oz colby jack cheese

Instructions:
1. In a large ziplock bag or bowl, marinate chicken in BBQ sauce for at least 30 minutes
2. Heat a large, oven safe skillet over medium high heat.
3. Add chicken and let cook on one side about 5-7 minutes until browned
4. Drizzle uncooked side (face up side) with extra BBQ sauce before flipping over in the pan
5. Cook for another 5-7 minutes.
6. While chicken is cooking, use a slotted spoon to scoop Rotel tomatoes evenly onto each piece of chicken
7. Add bacon bits on top of tomatoes
8. Sprinkle cheese on top of bacon and tomatoes
9. Put skillet into the oven at 350 for 15 minutes, or until internal chicken temp reaches 165 and cheese has started to brown
10. Serve hot and enjoy!

I hope you all like this recipe! I will definitely be using this easy and cheap meal for my meal prep again in the future! Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for more frugal recipes to keep you fit and fierce!

Love,

Keto Sugar Free BBQ Sauce

How many of you have been doing keto and have REALLY been craving some BBQ chicken wings?? Or, how many of you have decided you love the sugar free BBQ sauce from the grocery store only to realize that you don't love the sweetener used in it?? WELL DO I HAVE A SOLUTION FOR YOU!!!

Here it is, ya'll! A super delicious sugar free BBQ sauce that is sweetened with Stevia/Erythritol! This stuff is SO good! It has a touch of sweet, a touch of spicy, and a nice little zing to it! I was so happy with the way that it turned out! I'll definitely be making this again!

Super simple ingredients, and SUPER easy to make! You basically just throw all the ingredients in a sauce pan and let it simmer for about a half hour! You do want to stir it often, so it's not just a dump and go type of thing... but it's not too hard to go in and stir in between cleaning the house or even watching TV! I was preparing all my other ingredients for meal prep while cooking this, so it made it quite easy to just turn around and give it a good stir every few minutes.

I am so excited to use this recipe more in the future! Once grilling season is here, this will be on the MONEY! 😁 Speaking of money, the best part about this recipe is that it is SUPER cheap to make! Around $5. And it makes A LOT! Like, I had 2 empty squeeze bottles that this recipe completely filled up! And that was after I used some of it to marinate the chicken for my meal prep! Way less than paying for sugar free BBQ sauce from the store! Yessss! 🤑 So, here's how you make it!

Ingredients:
18 oz Tomato Paste (I did one 12 oz can and one 6 oz can)
1/3 cup Powdered Stevia/Erythritol Blend
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tbsp Hickory Liquid Smoke
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Paprika
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (more or less, depending on how spicy you want it)
2 cups Water (more or less, depending on thickness

Instructions:
1. Place tomato paste, Stevia/Erythritol blend, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, and all spices into a medium/large saucepan. Mix together gently before turning on heat to medium/high.
2. While whisking, pour 1 cup of water into the mixture. Let come to a simmer.
3. Check thickness. You want it to be a bit thinner than normal BBQ sauce because it will thicken as it simmers. My sauce needed over 2 cups of water, so you decide what is best.
4. Check flavors. If you want it sweeter, add a bit more sweetener. If you want it spicier, add more cayenne. If it's too sweet, add more salt.
5. Let simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes with your whisk.
6. Voila! You're finished! Use sauce for whatever tickles your fancy, and bottle/jar the leftovers! Enjoy!

Love always,

Keto Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken

GUYS. I gotta say, I love ALLLLL things creamy and cheesy! And this recipe hit the SPOT! It is a perfect combination of cream and cheese. Then, of course, there is the tang you get from those sundried tomatoes and the nutrition from the spinach! I love adding in the extra vitamins by throwing spinach into recipes. It's so easy! And for those of you with kids who are picky eaters, it tends to be something you can hide pretty easily (though this recipe might not be one of those 😜).

I personally used this recipe for meal prepping. In fact, most of my recipes are for meal prepping, because I absolutely LOVE to meal prep! It makes it soooo easy to make sure you're eating healthy during the week! I usually meal prep lunches and dinners, and I love that I don't have to cook every single day! So not only is it great to keep up with eating healthy, but it is SO CONVENIENT! When I come home from a long day of work, I know that I don't have to cook, and it makes my heart smile. 😁💖

I've only recently discovered that I absolutely love boneless/skinless chicken thighs! I don't know where they've been all my life! I always ate chicken breasts, and I seriously SUCK at cooking them. Like, majorly. They always wound up super dry, even when I tried brining them, marinating them... you name it, I tried it. And they still ended up being dry and tasteless!

These chicken thighs cook up SO nicely, and come out of it SO JUICY!!! I don't see myself ever going back to being a breast girl. I've turned to the thigh side! 😋 I usually like to give them a good sear on each side before I cook the sauce, and then finish cooking them in the sauce. I'm telling you guys, these thighs are spot on!

The base of the sauce is made with quite a bit of garlic (YUM), sundried tomatoes, heavy cream, some chicken broth, spinach, and some parmesan cheese. And when it all comes full circle, it is to DIE FOR. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it! So, let's get on to telling YOU how to make it so you can understand why I'm so excited about it!

Keto Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons grass fed butter, separated

6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, seasoned with salt and pepper

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 cup sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup chicken broth

5 oz. fresh baby spinach

2 heaping tbsp grated parmesan

1 tsp freshly chopped basil

1 tbsp Italian seasoning (I create my own with basil, oregano, parsley, and garlic powder)

To Prepare:

1. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet on med-high heat.

2. Add seasoned chicken and let cook on each side 7-8 minutes, or until browned (no need to cook all the way through, they will cook later in the sauce).

3. Once chicken is browned on both sides, remove from pan and set aside.

4. Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan.

5. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.

6. Add sundried tomatoes and cook for another minute.

7. Stir in heavy cream and chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

8. Mix in the parmesan cheese, and then add spinach and cook 2-3 minutes until wilted.

9. Throw the chicken back into the pan and let simmer in the sauce until cooked all the way through (Temp should reach at least 165 F)

10. Serve hot! Or put in meal prep containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Leave a comment below if you tried this recipe and liked it!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Keto Zucchini and Mushroom Lasagna Casserole

One thing that I absolutely love about eating low carb and high fat (keto), is that you can still enjoy the same types of foods that are normally considered "bad" for you... They just have to be tweaked a little bit! You love pizza?? There's a keto recipe for that. You want biscuits??? There's a keto recipe for that! You want LASAGNA?! I've got a recipe RIGHT HERE for that!

This recipe is easy, cheesy, and super delicious!!! Just a few simple ingredients, and only two pans can be used in making this dish! Which is super important to me, because I usually meal prep for the entire week, and the less dishes used, the better! There's nothing worse than spending 2-3 hours on prepping all the food, and then spending another hour cleaning the kitchen! Not my fave!!

I did see another recipe similar to this one that did not contain any vegetables. I mean... if that's the way you like it, go for it!! But I, personally, really enjoy vegetables! Normally for something like this I would also add some onion and garlic, but for some reason they slipped my mind this time. The zucchini and mushroom add a great earthy element to the lasagna that I absolutely love! I don't know who wouldn't want that?!

Then there is the hearty sauce that is made with Italian sausage. I used a bottled sauce from the grocery store on this recipe, but if you want to take the time to make your own tomato sauce, all the power to you! I've done it before, and it is delicious!!! But it is not super practical for someone who meal preps and makes 3 different meals in one sitting. It takes far too much time! Sauce from the store is good, too. But I do suggest that you check the labels! Make sure you're buying sauce with no added sugar, and doesn't have a bunch of weird additives. It always makes me feel better when I actually know and understand what all of the ingredients are! Nothing I can't pronounce or don't know what it is or why it's in there.

This recipe has everything you would expect to get in a lasagna. The creamy, cheesy richness you get from the ricotta and mozzarella in between the zesty sauce and the crisp vegetables... well, dare I say you will have an amazing dish that your family will love to eat for dinner! And, as I stated, this can easily be used for meal prep! That is what I used it for! My husband and I loved it! I hope you will, too!

Keto Zucchini and Mushroom Lasagna Casserole

Ingredients:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, separated

4 medium zucchini sliced and quartered

8 oz white mushrooms (or mushrooms of your choice) chopped

16 oz Italian sausage

24 oz spaghetti sauce (no sugar added)

8 oz can of tomato sauce

15 oz ricotta cheese

2 heaping tbsp Parmesan cheese

3 cups mozzarella cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

Fresh parsley & basil to taste and for garnish (optional)

To prepare: Preheat oven to 400 F

1. In a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

2. Add zucchini and mushrooms to the pan, season with salt and pepper (about a teaspoon of each), and cook until mushrooms are soft and zucchini begin to soften. If you prefer the zucchini to be softer, throw them in the skillet first and cook until they begin to soften before adding the mushrooms. Once cooked, scoop into a bowl, leaving excess fluid in the pan, and set aside.

3. Drain excess fluid from the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the Italian sausage. Crumble and cook until browned.

4. Add spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce to the sausage. Season with salt & pepper, fresh parsley, and fresh basil as needed. Simmer for a few minutes to develop the flavors.

5. While the sauce is simmering, mix the parmesan cheese in with the ricotta cheese.

6. Grease a 9x11" oven safe dish. Start assembling the lasagna!

7. Put a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Just enough to cover the bottom. 

8. Put half of the ricotta and parmesan mixture on top of the sauce and spread evenly. It WILL mix together with the sauce, don't worry too much about that.

9. Add half of the zucchini and mushrooms on top of the sauce and ricotta mix.

10. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella on top of the veggies, and then start the layering over again using the rest of the ingredients: sauce, ricotta mixture, veggies, and mozzarella.

11. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes or until hot, bubbling, and browned. If the cheese is not browned enough to your liking, turn the oven to broil for a few minutes. But ALWAYS make sure you keep an eye on your food when broiling! It can burn really quickly!

12. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and basil if desired, serve hot & enjoy! Or, if you are using it for meal prep, separate into 4 meal prep containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days!

Please leave a comment and let me know how this recipe worked for you!

Thanks for reading!

Love,