21 Day Fix Poultry Recipes : My Crazy Good Life

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Becca Ludlum — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 16:32:23 +0000

This Instant Pot Lemon Chicken is an easy dish bursting with fresh flavors from a delicious lemon garlic sauce. Juicy lemon garlic chicken thighs are paired together with nutrient rich vegetables for a healthy and easy dinner that your whole family will enjoy.

Lemon juice and garlic are a flavor combo that just works. When you pressure cook the two together you will create the most delicious sauce to top your golden brown chicken thighs and vegetables with.

If you are looking for a healthy one pot dinner recipe, look no further than this Instant Pot lemon chicken. Everything cooks in one pan for an easy, healthy dinner that you can have on the table in no time.

I love using my trusty pressure cooker to make a quick and easy dish on busy weeknights. Not only is this lemon chicken great for school nights, it’s also a great recipe for meal prep!

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we have visitors of all different comfort levels in the kitchen. Whether you’re new to pressure cooking, or just new to cooking in general, we want you to be able to recreate our recipes with ease.

To help our readers have a successful experience cooking, we provide a lot of information in our articles. Below you will find an informative list of ingredients, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, as well as healthy eating plan calculations for a couple popular programs.

If you’re comfortable in the kitchen, and with pressure cooking, and would like to skip past all of that, please go ahead and scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find our easy to print recipe card for this Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Thighs recipe.

Ingredients in Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Garlic cloves: For this lemon garlic chicken recipe we use a spice rub that gives the chicken thighs so much flavor. This recipe calls for minced garlic as opposed to garlic powder. Fresh garlic helps to season chicken thighs and the lemon sauce for an absolutely delicious flavor. Garlic powder can be used but you won’t get as much of a fresh garlic taste.
Paprika: Paprika is rich in antioxidants as well as vitamins and minerals. It adds a sweet and peppery taste to the chicken thigh rub. Feel free to use sweet or smoked paprika. Smoked will give you an additional layer of flavor.
Oregano: Dried oregano is used in Italian seasoning and adds a delicious earthy flavor to the chicken thighs.
Marjoram: Dried marjoram is another Italian seasoning that is a great addition to this Instant Pot lemon chicken recipe.
Salt: We use just a little salt to help bring out the flavors in this Instant Pot lemon chicken recipe.
Pepper: Black pepper adds a subtle layer of heat to our chicken thighs rub.
Chicken thighs: I love using chicken thighs when I cook in the Instant Pot. If you think you’re not a fan of dark meat, I urge you to try this recipe using boneless skinless chicken thighs. Skinless chicken breasts can become dry and rubbery as the chicken cooks. One of the things I love most about cooking chicken thighs is, even if they are slightly over-cooked, you have moist, tender chicken when the cooking time is complete.
Lemon juice: Our Instant Pot lemon chicken uses fresh lemon juice from about 3 lemons to create a delicious lemon garlic sauce. Not only does lemon juice add bright and fresh flavors, lemon juice is also high in Vitamin C, which may give your immune system a boost!
Chicken broth: I use chicken broth or chicken stock for this Instant Pot chicken thighs recipe.
Potatoes: Use mini or baby potatoes for this Instant pot lemon chicken thighs recipe.
Baby bella mushrooms: You can’t go wrong with mushrooms. They’re fat-free, low-sodium, low-calorie, and cholesterol-free. They’re also packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Asparagus: Asparagus is a tasty vegetable that’s also a great source of vitamins and minerals, especially folate and vitamins A, C and K.
Cornstarch: We add this at the end of our cooking time to create a cornstarch slurry, which helps to thicken the delicious lemon garlic sauce.

How to Make Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Prep the Pot Start by spraying the bottom of the inner pot to your Instant Pot with a nonstick cooking spray, and then press sauté. You can also use a small amount of olive oil or avocado oil to lightly coat the bottom of your inner pot.
Make the Rub In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, paprika, oregano, marjoram, salt, and black pepper. Then rub the mixture into the tops of your chicken thighs.
Sear the Chicken Take care not to crowd your chicken together, you may need to repeat this process several times so that the chicken thighs can sear properly. Starting with the seasoned side down, place chicken thighs into your pot. Sear for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Set the seared and golden brown chicken thighs aside and, when you are done searing all of the thighs, add lemon juice and chicken broth to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the Potatoes Next, place the baby potatoes in the bottom of the pot, and then set the seared chicken thighs directly on top of the potatoes. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and turn the steam release valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cooking time for 5 minutes. When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and carefully remove the lid.
Add the Mushrooms & Asparagus Now it’s time to add the mushrooms and asparagus directly on top of the chicken thighs. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and again turn the steam release valve to sealing. Pressure cook (high) and set the cooking time for 1 minute.
Make the Cornstarch Slurry When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove chicken, vegetables, and potatoes to a large platter. On your Instant Pot, select Sauté and add the corn starch to the pot. Whisk together with the chicken broth to make your cornstarch slurry. Once the lemon sauce has thickened you can remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot base.
Serve Place the lemon garlic chicken, vegetables, and potatoes into individual bowls or plates, and spoon sauce on top of each serving. Serve immediately or see below for tips on storing for meal prep.

Recipe Tips

This Instant Pot Lemon Chicken is a delicious and healthy recipe for meal prep. To prep, divide equal portions of lemon chicken, vegetables, and potatoes into meal prep containers. You can serve the gravy on the side, or spoon it over the top of each serving before storing.
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken and vegetables keeps in the fridge for up to 6 days, or it can be frozen for up to 2 months. To reheat, microwave each thawed serving for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
This recipe uses a quick release to release the pressure from the Instant Pot. If you’d like to learn more about quick release vs. natural release you can read this post.

Healthy Eating Plans

This Instant Pot chicken recipe serves 6.

21 Day Fix Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Entire recipe: 6 red containers, 6 yellow containers, 6 green containers

Per serving: 1 red container, 1 yellow container, 1 green container

Weight Watchers Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

8 2023 Plan Points | 8 Blue Plan Points | 8 Green Plan Points | 5 Purple Plan Points

Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?

Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes This Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes is an easy and delicious meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
How to Cook White Rice in the Instant Pot If you’re new to pressure cooking you will love cooking white rice in the Instant Pot! This post will teach you how to cook rice in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Burrito Bowls with Frozen Chicken This is an easy Instant Pot meal prep recipe that uses frozen chicken breast, plus dried beans and rice for a true one pot meal that the whole family will eat.
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Drumsticks These Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks with Cilantro Lime Seasoning are so delicious. The marinade can be used with any type of chicken: chicken thighs, chicken breasts or chicken legs.
Chicken Gyro Bowls with Homemade Tzatziki These healthy Chicken Breast Gyro Bowls with Homemade Tzatziki sauce are perfect for meal prep because I can prepare the main ingredients and then just assemble them for a quick recipe tonight.

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword instant pot lemon chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 6

Total Time 21

Servings people

Calories 401kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Cutting Board
Kitchen Knife

Ingredients

2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless
3 lemons juice from
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 lb mini potatoes any variety
1 lb baby bella mushrooms halved
1 lb asparagus halved and woody ends removed
2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

Start by spraying the bottom of the inner pot to your Instant Pot with a nonstick cooking spray, and then press sauté. You can also use a small amount of olive oil or avocado oil to lightly coat the bottom of your inner pot.
In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, paprika, oregano, marjoram, salt, and black pepper. Then rub the mixture into the tops of your chicken thighs. 2 tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp paprika 2 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp marjoram 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper
Take care not to crowd your chicken together, you may need to repeat this process several times so that the chicken thighs can sear properly.
Starting with the seasoned side down, place chicken thighs into your pot. Sear for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Set the seared and golden brown chicken thighs aside and, when you are done searing all of the thighs, add lemon juice and chicken broth to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. 3 lb chicken thighs 3 lemons 1/4 cup chicken broth
Next, place the baby potatoes in the bottom of the pot, and then set the seared chicken thighs directly on top of the potatoes. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and turn the steam release valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cooking time for 5 minutes. When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and carefully remove the lid. 1 1/2 lb mini potatoes
Now it's time to add the mushrooms and asparagus directly on top of the chicken thighs. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and again turn the steam release valve to sealing. Pressure cook (high) and set the cooking time for 1 minute. 1 lb baby bella mushrooms 1 lb asparagus
When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove chicken, vegetables, and potatoes to a large platter. On your Instant Pot, select Sauté and add the corn starch to the pot. Whisk together with the chicken broth to make your cornstarch slurry. Once the lemon sauce has thickened you can remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot base. 2 tbsp cornstarch
Place the lemon garlic chicken, vegetables, and potatoes into individual bowls or plates, and spoon sauce on top of each serving. Serve immediately or see below for tips on storing for meal prep.

Notes

Recipe Tips

This Instant Pot Lemon Chicken is a delicious and healthy recipe for meal prep. To prep, divide equal portions of lemon chicken, vegetables, and potatoes into meal prep containers. You can serve the gravy on the side, or spoon it over the top of each serving before storing.
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken and vegetables keeps in the fridge for up to 6 days, or it can be frozen for up to 2 months. To reheat, microwave each thawed serving for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
This recipe uses a quick release to release the pressure from the Instant Pot. If you’d like to learn more about quick release vs. natural release you can read this post.

Healthy Eating Plans

This Instant Pot chicken recipe serves 6

21 Day Fix Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Entire recipe: 6 red containers, 6 yellow containers, 6 green containers

Per serving: 1 red container, 1 yellow container, 1 green container

Weight Watchers Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

8 2023 Plan Points | 8 Blue Plan Points | 8 Green Plan Points | 5 Purple Plan Points

Nutrition

The post Instant Pot Lemon Chicken appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Becca Ludlum — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 17:57:01 +0000

These Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites are my favorite healthy way to satisfy cravings for Buffalo wings. Admittedly, I crave deep fried, butter drenched wings more than I should.

Our Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites are the perfect dish to enjoy on game day, but also healthy enough to make anytime a craving hits. Our buffalo chicken bites are made with simple ingredients, yet full of delicious buffalo sauce flavor that make this the perfect appetizer!

Classic buffalo wings are deep fried, tossed in butter, then tossed in buffalo sauce. Even Instant Pot buffalo chicken wings are typically not the best choice for your healthy eating plan.

Chicken wings are made up almost entirely of fat, and while butter is fine in moderation, the sheer amount used in most wing recipes is not. This healthy chicken recipe hits all your favorite buffalo sauce flavors, and is more filling because you’re getting the meat, not just skin.

While this recipe is written for the Instant Pot, you can cook it in any electric pressure cooker! It takes about 15 minutes. These spicy, buttery, Buffalo Chicken Boneless Wings are a healthy homemade version alternative to traditional buffalo wings.

Boneless buffalo chicken bites go great with a side of celery sticks, carrot sticks, turnip fries, and homemade ranch dressing dipping sauce.

Our bite-sized pieces are the perfect protein to share with family and friends. It’s an easy appetizer, and I guarantee your friends will be asking for this recipe.

Where’s the Recipe?

My readers come from all levels of experience in the kitchen and I receive a lot of questions about recipes. To better serve everyone, I’m committed to put a ton of helpful information in all of my posts.

If you’d like to skip over buffalo chicken ingredient information, the recipe tips, and healthy eating plan calculations, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the easy to print Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites recipe card!

Ingredients in Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites

Chicken breast: Chicken breasts are a healthy low carb protein source. Boneless skinless chicken breasts work great for this recipe. If you prefer dark meat you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this buffalo chicken recipe.
Cayenne pepper: Cayenne blends nicely with the hot sauce to create the perfect spicy flavor for your buffalo sauce. If you need to tame the spice level a bit, feel free to omit or decrease the amount of cayenne pepper.
Butter: I use butter in this buffalo chicken recipe, because traditional fried chicken bites have that delicious buttery flavor. If you prefer, you can use another type of fat like avocado oil or olive oil to cook your chicken in.
Black pepper: Good seasoned chicken needs black pepper.
Franks Hot Sauce: There are a lot of different buffalo sauces available, but I prefer the original Frank’s red hot sauce. Traditional buffalo sauce has a ton of extra ingredients in it that make it less healthy. The Frank’s red hot sauce is just salt, peppers, and vinegar. This is all you need and you will still get all the buffalo flavor. You won’t miss the extra stuff, I promise!
(Optional) Ranch Seasoning: If you need to make some dip, our ranch seasoning is the best! Scroll down to find the recipe for our ranch dip in the recipe tips below.

How to Make Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites

Time needed: 16 minutes

Slice & Sauté: First you will want to slice your chicken breasts into bite size pieces or strips, and then turn your pot to Sauté. Next melt your butter in the pot. Once the butter is melted, place the chicken, seasonings, and 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce (reserve an extra 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce to add at the end) into your pot with the melted butter. Finally, place chicken in a single layer. Make sure to avoid overlapping of the chicken pieces.
Pressure Cook: Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and set your pot to Pressure Cook on high pressure. Set the cooking time for 8 minutes.
Quick Release: Once the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and then remove the lid. The chicken is cooked when a meat thermometer reads the internal temperature of the buffalo bites to 165 degrees F. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken and drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce on top and then eat now, or skip ahead to Step 4 for my preferred method.
Optional Broil: Transfer the cooked chicken to a baking sheet and drizzle it with the remaining ¼ cup of buffalo sauce. Then broil for 2-3 minutes until the buffalo sauce is thickened and the chicken bites are golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then serve with carrots, celery, or your favorite sides like ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Recipe Tips

This recipe goes perfectly with our ranch dip. If you need to make some dip, this ranch seasoning is the best! Take a small container of plain Greek yogurt, and add 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp parsley, and 1/2 tsp dill. Stir to combine.
If you’re making this recipe with frozen chicken breasts, increase the cook time to 16 minutes and cut into bite-sized pieces after it’s cooked.
If you’re short on time you can skip broiling and just toss the cooked chicken with the remaining buffalo sauce, but broiling is the best way to get that golden brown crispy exterior.
Our Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites are most delicious when they are fresh. However, you may save any remaining chicken leftovers for meal prep by storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat simply warm the buffalo chicken bites in an air fryer basket on low, or in the oven at a low temperature.

Healthy Eating Plans

Weight Watchers Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites

See this post for our WW Buffalo Chicken Bites.

21 Day Fix Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites

For the entire recipe: 8 Red Containers, 6 Teaspoons.

Per Serving: 1 Red Container, ¾ Teaspoon.

2B Mindset Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites

Serve with 50% veggies and 25% FFC for a complete lunch. 75% veggies for a complete dinner.

Trim Healthy Mama Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites

These buffalo chicken bites are a THM-S recipe with no changes.

Love all things buffalo chicken? Try these other healthy buffalo sauce recipes:

21 Day Fix Buffalo Chicken Dip Shredded buffalo chicken dip is a classic appetizer that is always a hit at parties and gatherings. However, traditional buffalo chicken dip can be high in calories and fat. This healthy buffalo dip uses shredded chicken breasts, plus cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, instead of cream cheese, to lighten things up without sacrificing flavor.
Frozen Cauliflower In Air Fryer I’m always looking for a good recipe using buffalo sauce. These Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are so easy to make and are the perfect appetizer, snack, or side dish.
Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Buffalo sauce recipes are usually a big hit in our house, so I was excited to try out this great recipe for my family. It’s a healthy buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese recipe with shredded chicken, and is a great way to get in some extra protein and veggies!
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups These Buffalo Chicken Breasts Roll Ups are a delicious quick dinner recipe! Mixing cottage cheese with buffalo sauce and ranch spices gives these roll ups a spicy and creamy center that’s a satisfying main course cuisine.
Buffalo Pasta with Shredded Chicken This easy buffalo chicken pasta recipe is a family favorite in my house, and is a great addition to your weekly meal rotation. This pasta dish is made with shredded chicken breasts and is topped with a protein packed spicy buffalo sauce. It’s one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes.
Buffalo Cauliflower Dip I add chicken breasts to this shredded chicken buffalo cauliflower dip to really get in some extra protein. It’s a healthy, game day appetizer that you can cook in the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or on the stove top.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

These spicy, buttery, Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Boneless Wings are the perfect healthy recipe. They cook right in the Instant Pot, so they’re fast and cleanup is easy.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Buffalo Chicken Bites

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 11

Total Time 16

Servings

Calories 222kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Kitchen Knife
Sealing Rings

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken breast defrosted, cut into strips (I’ve also used frozen chicken breasts, please see below)
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce not buffalo sauce
1/4 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce save for after chicken has been cooked

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Slice your chicken into bite-size strips. 2 lbs chicken breast
Set your Instant Pot to sauté and melt your butter. Once melted, add your chicken and seasoning. Then, stir in ½ cup of Franks Hot Sauce and stir well. 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
Close and lock the lid and set your pot to Pressure Cook on high pressure. Set the cooking time for 8 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pot. You can drizzle the remaining hot sauce on it and eat it now, or broil on a baking sheet. 1/4 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
Optional: Using tongs, remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Brush the chicken with the additional 1/4 cup hot sauce. Brown the chicken and thicken the sauce by placing under the broiler for 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over and repeat on the other side. Let the chicken cool 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Healthy Eating Plans:

21 Day Fix/Portion Fix: For the entire recipe: 8 Red Containers, 6 Teaspoons. Per Serving: 1 Red Container, ¾ Teaspoon.
2B Mindset: Serve with 50% veggies and 25% FFC for a complete lunch. 75% veggies for a complete dinner.
Trim Healthy Mama: This is a THM-S recipe with no changes.
Weight Watchers: See this post for the WW version.

Nutrition

The post Buffalo Chicken Bites appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Healthy One Pan Dinner

Becca Ludlum — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 21:30:09 +0000

I’m all for making life easier. At the end of the day, a sink full of dirty dishes and pans just isn’t relaxing. We’ve been obsessed with healthy one pan dinners lately. Less dishes, more nutrition. I call that a win-win.

Our healthy one pan dinner (yes, you read that correctly – only one pan) is a perfect dinner for weeknight meals and is an absolute dream. It’s an easy sheet pan dinner full of nutritious fresh vegetables and lean protein.

This one pan meal has so much flavor, and is the perfect thing for fuss free dinners on busy weeknights. With minimal clean up, it’s the perfect meal prepping recipe.

Did I mention that the entire family will love it? It’s perfect for serving because it comes from the same pan, yet your family can pick out which vegetables they love the most, and leave the ones they like the least behind.

When it comes to healthy one pan meals this one takes the cake, a healthy one pan sheet dinner means only one sheet pan or baking dish to clean up and a complete dinner recipe ready in a flash!

Where’s the Recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we work hard to ensure our delicious recipes are written to help all of our readers. Whether you’re brand new in the kitchen, or you are an experienced cooker, we want to support you where you are at in your cooking journey.

Because of this, we write our recipes with detailed instructions, recipe tips and tricks, healthy eating plan point information, and nutritional values. If you are looking for a more simplified directions, simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll find our easy to print Healthy One Pan Dinner recipe.

Ingredients in Healthy One Pan Dinner

This sheet pan dinner can be used with any vegetables and meat you have in your refrigerator, which makes it so easy. I’ll tell you how we made ours, but know that this quick dinner idea can be changed or modified with whatever healthy dinner ingredients you have on hand.

Fresh mushrooms: We love the complex flavor mushrooms deliver to this one sheet pan dinner. If you aren’t a fan of mushrooms, feel free to omit these and add another vegetable you might enjoy more.
Bell Peppers: Bell peppers offer many nutritional benefits and are rich in antioxidants. I used green and orange in our sheet pan meal but you can use any color!
Purple cauliflower: I love using purple cauliflower in recipes instead of white cauliflower. It provides all the flavors of cauliflower, but with a vibrant purple color in my meal.
Onion: We prefer using a sweet onion in this recipe, however you can use any color onion you have on hand for this baking sheet meal.
Zucchini: I love zucchini, but if you aren’t a fan, you can always swap it out with another green vegetable like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, or green beans.
Mini-potatoes: We love tiny fingerling potatoes. Look for a blend that has a combination of purple, yellow, and red potatoes. The colors of all potatoes will give a slightly different flavor and look vibrant and colorful on your baking sheet.
Chicken sausage: We prefer using chicken sausage in this delicious recipe due to the fact that it is a leaner meat. We love finding chicken sausages that are seasoned with Italian, red pepper and garlic flavors. This is a lean protein with minimal effort and minimal cleanup. We usually try to keep chicken sausage in our dinner rotation. You could sub in chicken breast or chicken thighs for this recipe. Just note that the healthy eating plan points would need to be recalculated.

How to Make Healthy One Pan Dinner in the Oven

Chop all of your veggies up small. Small is the key to even cooking, especially for the potatoes! Make sure all of the veggies are roughly the same size.
Spray olive oil in the bottom of your baking dish and set your oven to 375º F.
Check your veggies after 20 minutes, and every 5 minutes after that until they’re done. I used a fork to see how soft the potatoes and cauliflower were before pulling them out of the oven.
For your sausage, you could add it to the baking dish if you’re cooking a smaller batch of vegetables. We were feeding four, so I cooked the sausage on the grill (which is our favorite, anyway).
When the sausage was done, I added it to the top of the vegetables.

Recipe Tips

If you are using meat that is already cooked you can choose to include it before or after the veggies go into the oven. Leftover rotisserie chicken is great in this healthy casserole recipe! This sheet pan chicken recipe is flexible.
This is a great recipe for meal prep. It’s one of those one pan meals that you can meal prep ahead of time and portion out according to your container needs for the day. It’s a casserole version of those delicious sheet pan dinners that are all over the internet and Pinterest! When it comes to a healthy weeknight meal this one really does come together to the dinner table so easily.
Our sheet pan meals are flexible and the perfect starting point for healthy dinner ideas. If you don’t have the same vegetables on hand, don’t worry. I take whatever veggies we have in the fridge and pair it up with whatever protein we have hanging around. It doesn’t matter if you are working with chicken breast or roasted chicken or the chicken sausage, it all comes together great!
We love swapping out potatoes with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes add a little sweetness to the recipe. We also love rotating potatoes and sweet potatoes in our diet for the different nutritional benefits each offer.
We think the flavor of the fresh vegetables and chicken sausage is enough, however if you prefer your one dish dinners to be more seasoned than this, feel free to a savory sauce, chili powder, or other fresh herbs and spices. Our recipe is without these changes, but if you do modify the original meal please note that your healthy eating plan points will need to be recalculated.
You could serve this easy dinner with cooked rice or cauliflower rice. We usually serve it as is without the rice on the side. It’s quite filling without rice.

Healthy Eating Plan Points

21 Day Fix

For this particular recipe it could not be easier! Just fill up your containers with what you need to finish out the day. This healthy one pan dinner is easy to separate into your containers as you need. If you need to get in more greens and reds this recipe is perfect for you!

You can focus on what you need to finish the day easily because the ingredients are obvious…it’s one of my favorite things about this great recipe. When you are packing up the leftovers you can use your containers again, add what you need into meal prep containers for the next day or so and be all set with a healthy lunch option.

Weight Watchers

For Weight Watchers info you can actually check out this Weight Watchers healthy one pan dinner post for the same recipe! It provides Weight Watchers points, tips and tricks for modifying the recipe, and more.

There are so many great ways to make this healthy one pan dinner using whatever you have on hand. That’s no different for Weight Watchers. Some modifications will lower the points too so you can customize this recipe based on your points needs for the day!

30 Minute or Less Great Dinner Ideas

Good news! I have plenty of quick dinner recipes to share with you. Healthy dinner recipes don’t have to be time consuming. I keep these kinds of recipes on standby so that when I need a healthy option for the whole family I can pull these out and have a winner on the table in 30 minutes or less. Here are some of my favorite weeknight dinner recipes right now:

Healthy One Pan Dinner

This healthy one pan dinner is a dream. It's an easy dinner recipe. When it comes to healthy casserole recipes this one takes the cake, a healthy one pan dinner means just that…only one pan to clean up and a complete dinner recipe ready in a flash!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword dinner, Healthy Casserole, one pan

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 102kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Cutting Board
Kitchen Knife
Baking Dish

Ingredients

1 cup fresh mushrooms
2 peppers I used one green and one orange
1/2 head of purple cauliflower
1/2 onion
1 zucchini
5 mini-potatoes: purple yellow, and red
2 packages of chicken sausage: Italian and red pepper and garlic

Instructions

Chop all of your veggies up small. Small is the key to even cooking, especially for the potatoes! Spray olive oil in the bottom of your baking dish and set your oven to 375*. Check your veggies after 20 minutes, and every 5 minutes after that until they're done. I used a fork to see how soft the potatoes and cauliflower were before pulling them out of the oven. 1 cup fresh mushrooms, 2 peppers, 1/2 head of purple cauliflower, 1/2 onion, 1 zucchini, 5 mini-potatoes: purple
For your sausage, you could add it to the baking dish if you're cooking a smaller batch of vegetables. We were feeding four, so I cooked the sausage on the grill (which is our favorite, anyway). When the sausage was done, I added it to the top of the vegetables. 2 packages of chicken sausage: Italian and red pepper and garlic

Notes

21 Day Fix Container Counts: Super easy–fill your containers with what you need to finish up the day, this recipe is easy to separate into your containers as you need.

Nutrition

The post Healthy One Pan Dinner appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice

Becca Ludlum — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 17:42:40 +0000

Looking for a healthy and tasty alternative to traditional fried rice? Look no further than cauliflower fried rice! This awesome recipe is made with cauliflower rice, which is a low-carb, gluten-free, and high-fiber alternative to traditional rice. It’s also packed with nutrients, making it a great choice for people who are watching their health.

This Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe is an easy and absolutely delicious weeknight meal. It’s one of my favorite gluten free recipes and it can be cooked in the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or right on the stove top!

I love making this Healthy Cauliflower Rice for my family because it is an easy way to get all the veggies into your diet. My family loves it because they love fried rice, and this healthier version tastes just as good as typical fried rice.

Chicken cauliflower rice is a low carb, keto, healthy meal, and is so easy to adapt to your preferences!

Where’s the recipe?

We have readers of all different cooking abilities that visit My Crazy Good Life. Whether you are new in the kitchen or have been cooking your whole life, we want our recipes to be easy for you to follow.

Because of that, we write our posts with a lot of information. Below you will find ingredient info, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan calculations. If you’d like to skip past all of that, you can simply scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the easy to print Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe card.

Ingredients in Cauliflower Fried Rice

Olive oil: I use olive oil in this fried rice recipe but coconut or avocado oil would work well too.
Garlic: fresh minced garlic is so delicious in this cauliflower fried rice.
Onion: choose your favorite variety! I usually use red or yellow onion in this healthy fried rice.
Chicken thighs: cooked chicken is a great source of protein. I used chicken thighs in this fried rice recipe, but you can use chicken breast, or even omit the chicken entirely and add cubed tofu if you’d like.
Bell peppers: bell peppers are loaded with vitamins and minerals, and are especially high in vitamin C. Choose you favorite color variety of bells, they’re all healthy food.
Zucchini: zucchini is a mild fruit (yes, fruit) that may offer several health benefits, ranging from improved digestion to a lower risk of heart disease.
Cauliflower: for this cauliflower fried rice I use fresh cauliflower and cut it into florets. You can use frozen cauliflower or frozen cauliflower rice, but I would cook it separately and then add it at the end.
Coconut aminos: coconut aminos are a great choice for replacing soy sauce if you have gluten, soy, sugar, or other food allergies found in soy sauce. If you can’t find coconut aminos you can use low sodium soy sauce, or tamari (which is another awesome soy sauce alternative) in this fried rice recipe.
Lime juice: I love using lime juice in this recipe. It adds a fresh and bright taste that you’ll love!
Eggs: not only do eggs add great taste and help hold fried rice together, they are also considered a complete source of high quality protein because they contain all nine essential amino acids.
Green onions (optional): chopped green onions add a nice flavor and pop of color to your fried rice.

How to cook cauliflower rice in the Instant Pot

Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and press the sauté button to heat the oil.
Sauté onions and garlic in the Instant Pot for about 1 minute until they start to soften.
Add the chicken and let brown for 2-3 minutes.
Once the chicken has browned dump in the peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, coconut aminos, and lime juice.
Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the “manual” or “pressure cook” button for 1 minute. Release the pressure by doing a quick release.
Open the lid. Use a fork and break apart the cauliflower into small pieces to make your riced cauliflower rice. If there is a lot of liquid from the cauliflower and zucchini drain some of the liquid. You’ll want to keep about 2 tbsp of liquid for added flavor.
Mix in the optional cheese until it is melted. Then push the cauliflower rice to the side and turn the Instant Pot back to sauté mode.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs then slowly pour the beaten eggs into the empty side of the Instant Pot to make your scrambled eggs. You can spray your pot with coconut or olive oil first if you need to.
Scramble the eggs and then mix together the eggs and cauliflower rice.
Serve cauliflower fried rice immediately and top with optional green onions, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How to cook cauliflower fried rice in the slow cooker

Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker except the cheese and eggs.
Cover with the lid and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked and the cauliflower is tender.
Remove the lid and, using a fork, break the cauliflower into pieces to make your cauliflower rice.
Mix in the cheese and allow it to melt.
In a skillet, cook the scrambled eggs and then mix them with the cauliflower rice in the slow cooker.
Serve cauliflower fried rice immediately and top with optional green onions.

Make this cauliflower fried rice on the stove top

Heat the oil in high heat in a large skillet.
In your hot pan, sauté the garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes until they start to soften.
Add the chicken, zucchini, and bell peppers. Let them sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Turn the stove to medium heat. Add the cauliflower, lime juice, and aminos to the skillet.
Cover the skillet and allow the cauliflower to cook for 10 minutes or until it is tender and broken easily with a fork.
Use a fork to break up the cauliflower to make your cauliflower rice.
Mix in the cheese until it is melted. Then push the cauliflower rice to the side.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs then slowly pour the whisked eggs into the empty side of the skillet to cook.
Scramble the eggs and then mix together the eggs and cauliflower fried rice. Serve fried rice immediately and top with optional chopped green onions.

Recipe tips

Cutting a head of raw cauliflower can be intimidating. If you’d like some pointers on how to get your cauliflower ready to make cauliflower fried rice, you can find tips here.
I love making this cauliflower fried rice for meal prep. Just cook as directed above and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 5 days.
I don’t recommend freezing this because you will end up with mushy fried rice. If you are cooking for one and really feel like you won’t be able to use this up before it would go bad, I’d recommend cutting the recipe in half.
If you choose to cut the recipe in half, just take half the amount of ingredients and cook as described for your chosen method. It’s not necessary to alter the cooking times, everything will come out just fine.
One of the reasons I love this cauliflower fried rice is because it is so versatile! Sub fresh broccoli for the zucchini, or add in frozen peas. Craving the nutty aroma of toasted sesame oil? Splash a tiny bit of toasted sesame oil to your cauliflower fried rice when it’s done cooking. If you like a little heat, sprinkle on some red pepper flakes at the end.
Don’t forget to adjust your containers or points if you make any changes to this cauliflower fried rice recipe.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice

Entire recipe: 8 green containers, 5 red containers, Optional 1 blue container if you add cheese.

Per serving: (makes 4 servings) 2 green containers, 1 1/4 red container, Negligible (optional) blue per serving

Weight Watchers

Each serving of this cauliflower fried rice is 4 2023 Plan Points | 4 Blue Plan Points | 5 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points when using skinless chicken thighs.

This cauliflower rice is a better option than regular fried rice. It’s a low point recipe for lunch, dinner, and for meal prepping. I didn’t factor in any of the optional ingredients so be sure you add those in if you are adding cheese.

If you are looking for ways to reduce the points you can always make this with boneless skinless chicken breasts, which will remove most of the points. Personally I use the thighs because it makes this cauliflower rice more flavorful.

Trim Healthy Mama

This would be a crossover recipe on THM and you would need to make the following substitutions:

Coconut Aminos: use “Liquid Aminos” instead
Olive oil: use MCT or coconut oil
Use chicken breasts instead of thighs to bring down the fat content in the cauliflower rice. If it’s under 5 grams you can count this as an E!

Looking for more healthy Asian recipes like this fried rice?

Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls with Coconut Rice These Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls with Coconut Rice are a healthy and delicious meal that is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. This recipe is vegan and gluten free, and it is packed with protein and nutrients.
Instant Pot Orange Chicken Serve this healthy Orange Chicken with brown rice or cauliflower rice for a healthy complete meal. This Orange chicken has a sweet and savory sauce that you will love!
Chicken Lo Mein This Healthy Chicken Lo Mein stir fry is an easy and healthy recipe to make in your Instant Pot or on the stove top.
Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta I love making Chinese food at home, and this healthy Bang Bang Shrimp pasta is one of my favorite shrimp recipes to make.
Healthy Drunken Noodles This Healthy Drunken Noodles recipe is an easy stir fry noodle dish that your entire family will love. It comes together fast and works great for a weeknight meal.

Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice

This Cauliflower Fried Recipe is an easy and delicious weeknight meal! Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice is low carb and keto, healthy and so easy to adapt for your preferences!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword 21 Day Fix, cauliflower rice, healthy, Recipes, Weight Watchers

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings Servings

Calories 362kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Crockpot
Enameled Cast Iron Pan

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic minced
1/2 cup onion diced
1 lb. chicken thighs chopped
1 cups bell pepper diced
1 1/2 cups zucchini diced
5 cups cauliflower cut into florets
3 tbsp coconut aminos or low sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
2 eggs

Optional ingredients: Salt, Pepper, and Cheese

Instructions

Instant Pot:

Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and press the sauté button to heat the oil.1 tsp olive oil
Saute the garlic and onions in the Instant Pot for about 1 minute until they start to soften. 1 tsp garlic, 1/2 cup onion
Add the chicken and let brown for 2-3 minutes.1 lb. chicken thighs
Once the chicken has browned dump in the bell peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, coconut aminos, and lime juice. 1 cups bell pepper, 1 1/2 cups zucchini, 5 cups cauliflower, 3 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 tbsp lime juice
Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the “manual” or “pressure cook” button for 1 minute. Release the pressure by doing a quick release.
Open the lid. Use a fork to break apart the cauliflower into small pieces to make your “rice”. If there is a lot of liquid from the cauliflower and zucchini drain some of the liquid. You’ll want to keep about 2 tbsp of liquid for added flavor.
Mix in the optional cheese until it is melted. Then push the cauliflower rice to the side and turn the Instant Pot back to sauté mode.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs then slowly pour the eggs into the empty side of the Instant Pot to cook.You can spray your pot with coconut or olive oil first if you need to. 2 eggs
Scramble the eggs and then mix together the eggs and cauliflower fried “rice.” Serve or pack for meal prep.

Stove Top:

Heat the oil in high heat in a skillet. 1 tsp olive oil
Sauté the garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes until they start to soften. 1 tsp garlic, 1/2 cup onion
Add the chicken, zucchini, and bell peppers. Let them sauté for 1-2 minutes. 1 lb. chicken thighs , 1 1/2 cups zucchini, 1 cups bell pepper
Turn the stove to medium heat. Add the cauliflower, lime juice, and coconut aminos to the skillet. Cover the skillet and allow the cauliflower to cook for 10-15 minutes or until it is tender and broken easily with a fork. 5 cups cauliflower, 1 tbsp lime juice, 3 tbsp coconut aminos
Use a fork to break up the cauliflower to form your “rice”.
Mix in the cheese until it is melted. Then push the cauliflower rice to the side.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs then slowly pour the eggs into the empty side of the skillet to cook. 2 eggs
Scramble the eggs and then mix together the eggs and cauliflower fried “rice.” Serve or pack for meal prep.

Slow Cooker:

Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker except the cheese and eggs. 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp garlic, 1/2 cup onion, 1 lb. chicken thighs , 1 cups bell pepper, 1 1/2 cups zucchini, 5 cups cauliflower
Cover with the lid and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked and the cauliflower is tender.
Remove the lid and break the cauliflower into pieces with a fork.
Mix in the cheese and allow it to melt.
In a skillet scramble the eggs then mix them into with the fried rice in the slow cooker. 2 eggs
Serve or pack for meal prep.

Video

Notes

21 Day Fix: Entire recipe: 8G 5R Optional 1B | Per serving: (4 servings) 2G 1 1/4 R Negligible (optional) blue per serving |

Weight Watchers: 4 2023 Plan Points | 4 Blue Plan Points | 5 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points

Nutrition

The post Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Instant Pot Lasagna with Cottage Cheese

Becca Ludlum — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 19:24:57 +0000

This Healthy Instant Pot Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a delicious recipes that is so easy to cook! Cottage cheese boasts some great health benefits when compared to ricotta, so we’re taking advantage of cottage cheese in this recipe!

No boiling noodles, no watching the oven. Everything cooks together right in the pot – even the meat! Nothing beats a homemade lasagna on a busy night.

Where is the recipe?

I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen, and I receive a lot of questions about recipes. To better serve everyone here at My Crazy Good Life, I’ve made a commitment to put a ton of helpful information and tips in my posts.

If you’d like to skip over the information about freezing, swapping ingredients, and how this fits into popular diet plans, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the recipe for this healthy Instant Pot Lasagna with Cottage Cheese.

Instant Pot Lasagna Ingredients

This recipe is full of minimally processed ingredients. Whole grain lasagna noodles, homemade pasta sauce, and lean ground turkey are some of the ingredients that make up this dish.

You’ll find some substitutions mentioned in the ingredient section below as well as the Recipe Tips.

Cottage cheese or ricotta cheese: This recipe and nutrition information is based on 2% cottage cheese. Cottage cheese has less saturated fat and cholesterol than ricotta. I like to rinse my cottage cheese to help lower the sodium in it. You can use ricotta cheese instead, if you’d like.
Mozzarella cheese I prefer to buy it unshredded, as it doesn’t have as many ingredients. Shredded cheese contains additional ingredients that help the cheese no stick together or clump. You can shred cheese easily in a food processor or with a hand grater.
Crushed tomatoes: Be sure and use crushed, not whole or diced. Crushed creates the perfect amount of liquid for your noodles to cook. If you’d like to use store bought spaghetti sauce, peek a the Recipe Tips for instructions.
Dry spices: Oregano, Thyme, Parsley, Onion powder, Garlic powder
Whole wheat lasagna noodles: You can use regular or oven ready lasagna noodles (also called no boil noodles), just be sure and grab whole wheat. They’re going to cook differently than regular lasagna noodles, as well. This lasagna recipe is specifically written for wheat noodles.
Ground turkey: You can add this to the recipe cooked or raw. If using raw, please make the chunks of turkey very thin so they cook all the way through.
Spinach: A powerhouse of fiber, vitamins A, C and K.

Recipe Tips

This recipe is wonderful for meal prep. You can assemble it and freeze before or after cooking.
If you’re looking for a 21 Day Fix lasagna, the container calculations below are based on using 6 whole grain lasagna noodles for the entire recipe.
Hiding extra vegetables is super easy in this recipe. I love adding extra spinach, grated carrots, or finely chopped bell peppers.
You’ll need to cook ground beef or ground Italian sausage and drain before adding them to this recipe. Beef releases too much liquid while cooking to use raw in the Instant Pot.
Use fresh spinach for this recipe, not frozen, to reduce the amount of liquid.
I love making homemade tomato sauce, but if you buy store bought look for one that has no added sugar. Do not add the tomatoes or Italian seasonings from this recipe if you use store bought marinara sauce.
If making this recipe right in your Instant Pot liner, do not begin your layers with sauce, as it can cause a burn warning. Add 1/2 cup water to the pot, followed by turkey, then pasta, spinach, cheese, then sauce. You can make more layers, but be sure to start with water and then meat.
Spray your foil with cooking spray before covering your lasagna to prevent the cheese from sticking to it.
If your trivet does not have handles, you can make your own sling by folding a 20” long piece of aluminum foil in thirds, lengthwise. Set your pan in the middle of the foil and carefully use the ends to raise and lower in and out of the Instant Pot.
Top this recipe with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.
Naturally releasing the pressure in your pressure cooker is important to this recipe – it allows you to let the entire cooked lasagna sit and the noodles to absorb any extra liquid from the recipe. It also allows for a few more minutes of cook time to make sure your noodles and meat are finished cooking. Skipping the natural release step can result in an undercooked and soggy lasagna.
Refrigerate leftover lasagna in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Instant Pot Cooking Instructions

The time estimate includes prep time, cook time, and time for your pot to come to pressure and release pressure. Of course, this changes a bit depending on the size of the Instant Pot you use and your altitude.

Make your cottage cheese layer In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and ⅔ cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
Prepare your homemade tomato sauce Skip this step if using jarred pasta sauce. In a separate bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion powder and garlic together.
Make your layers Add half of the sauce to the bottom of a 7 inch springform pan. Break your noodles into pieces that will cover the sauce in a single layer. Top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, half the ground meat, and half of the spinach.
Repeat Continue to layer lasagna until the pan is full. Cover the top of the pan with foil. This stops liquid from getting into the pan.
Prepare your pot Place a trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot insert and pour 2 cups of water in the bottom.
Pressure Cook Place the uncooked lasagna on top of the trivet and close and lock the lid. Turn your pressure valve to sealing. Select high Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 20 minutes.
Natural Release Once the cooking time is complete, allow pressure to naturally release. If after 20 minutes the pressure has not completely released, then quick release the remaining pressure. Once the pressure valve drops, remove the lid and carefully remove your cooked lasagna.
Broil This step isn’t necessary, but it only takes a couple of extra minutes and really does make the lasagna look and taste better. Remove the foil cover from the lasagna and place the pan under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheese. Keep a close eye on your lasagna – the broil setting on most ovens is very fast.

Oven Instructions for this Cottage Cheese Lasagna Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350°F
In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and ⅔ cup mozzarella cheese.
Make your homemade marinara sauce by mixing crushed tomatoes, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion powder and garlic together in a separate bowl to make your tomato sauce. If using jarred sauce, you can skip this step.
Add half of your sauce to the bottom of an oven safe casserole dish. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, half the ground turkey, and half of the spinach, repeat. Top your lasagna with remaining ⅓ cup of mozzarella cheese, then cover your pan very tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake for 60 minutes. Remove the foil and check your noodles by sticking a sharp knife into the lasagna. If it moves to the bottom of the pan quickly, the noodles are soft enough to eat.
Turn your oven to the broil setting and broil your lasagna for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned. Keep a close eye on the lasagna when you do this, as the broil setting works fast.
Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil, if desired, and serve!

Healthy Eating Plans

This lasagna recipe is perfect for special diets like 2B Mindset and the 21 Day Fix! I’ve given a ton of helpful information about making this lasagna for the 21 Day Fix, and trust me–your family and friends will love it too, and they won’t even know it’s healthy!

21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix

These counts are based on using 6 lasagna noodles for the entire recipe: 6 Red Containers, 6 Yellow Containers, 6 Green Containers, 3 Blue Containers.

A serving is ⅙ of the lasagna. Per serving: 1 Red Container, 1 Yellow Container, 1 Green Container, ½ Blue Container.

2B Mindset

Eat with additional vegetables for a complete lunch.

Looking for WW Lasagna?

More healthy Instant Pot recipes

Instant Pot Lasagna

If you're looking for a healthy Instant Pot lasagna, this recipe is the one for you! Whole wheat pasta, homemade sauce, and layers of green spinach are a delicious way to beat your craving. Use cottage cheese or ricotta in this recipe!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword 21 Day Fix, instant pot, Lasagna

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Instant Pot pressure build and release 20

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 321kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Springform Pan
Olive Oil Spray

Ingredients

1 cup 2% cottage cheese or ricotta
1 cup mozzarella cheese I use mozzarella
28 oz crushed tomatoes Do not use full or diced tomatoes–they have too much liquid in them. For instructions on using jarred pasta sauce, please read the post.
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic
6 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 lbs ground turkey
3 cups spinach fresh

Instructions

Instant Pot

In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and ⅔ cup mozzarella cheese. 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
Skip this step if using jarred sauce. In a separate bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion powder and garlic together. 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic
Add half of the sauce to the bottom of a 7 inch springform pan. Break your noodles into pieces that will cover the sauce in a single layer. Top with half of the cheese mixture, half the ground turkey, and half of the spinach, repeat. Finally, top your lasagna with the remaining ⅓ cup of mozzarella cheese, then cover your pan tightly with aluminum foil. 6 whole wheat lasagna noodles, 1 lbs ground turkey, 3 cups spinach,
Place a trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot insert and pour 1 cup of water in the bottom.
Place the lasagna on top of the trivet and close and lock the lid. Turn your pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 20 minutes.
Once the cooking time is complete, allow pressure to naturally release. If after 20 minutes, the pressure has not completely released, turn the handle to quick release. Once the pressure valve drops, remove the lid and carefully remove your lasagna.
This step isn’t necessary, but it only takes a couple of extra minutes and really does make the lasagna look and taste better. Remove the foil cover from the lasagna and place the pan under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheese. Top with fresh basil if desired and serve.

Oven

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and ⅔ cup mozzarella cheese. 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
Mix crushed tomatoes, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion powder and garlic together in a separate bowl. If using jarred sauce you can skip this step. 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic
Add half of your sauce to the bottom of an oven safe dish. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, top with half of the cheese mixture, half the ground turkey, and half of the spinach, repeat. Top your lasagna with remaining ⅓ cup of mozzarella cheese, then cover your pan very tightly with aluminum foil. 6 whole wheat lasagna noodles
Bake for 60 minutes. Remove the foil and check your noodles for doneness.
Broil your lasagna for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil, if desired, and serve!

Video

Notes

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: These counts are based on using 6 lasagna noodles for the entire recipe: 6 Red Containers, 6 Yellow Containers, 6 Green Containers, 3 Blue Containers. A serving is ⅙ of the lasagna. Per serving: 1 Red Container, 1 Yellow Container, 1 Green Container, ½ Blue Container.
2B Mindset: Eat with additional vegetables for a complete lunch.
Looking for WW Lasagna? Click here

Recipe Tips

This recipe is wonderful for meal prep. You can assemble it and freeze before or after cooking.
If you’re following the 21 Day Fix program, the container calculations below are based on using 6 lasagna noodles for the entire recipe.
Hiding extra vegetables is super easy in this recipe. I love adding extra spinach, grated carrots, or finely chopped bell peppers.
If you choose to use ground beef instead of turkey you will need to brown and drain before adding. Beef released too much liquid while cooking to use raw in the Instant Pot.
Use fresh spinach for this recipe to reduce the amount of liquid.
I love making homemade spaghetti sauce, but if you buy store bought look for one that has no added sugar.
If you’re not a fan of cottage cheese you can swap out for skim ricotta in its place.
Spray your foil with cooking spray before covering your lasagna to prevent the cheese from sticking.
If your trivet does not have handles, you can make your own sling by folding a 20” long piece of aluminum foil in thirds, lengthwise. Set your pan in the middle of the foil and carefully use the ends to raise and lower in and out of the Instant Pot.

Nutrition

The post Instant Pot Lasagna with Cottage Cheese appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Easy Breakfast Casserole with Potatoes

Becca Ludlum — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 19:32:38 +0000

This easy breakfast casserole with potatoes is a delicious breakfast recipe that has a southwest twist you are going to love.

I love breakfast casseroles because they are so easy to make ahead of time, thus great for meal prep! This healthy recipe is full of simple ingredients like eggs, ground turkey, black beans, corn, and bell peppers.

This easy breakfast casserole recipe can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stove top and oven. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator or freezer, so you can have a healthy and hearty meal ready to reheat on busy mornings.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we have readers of all comfort levels in the kitchen. Because of that we like to make sure our posts are clear and easy to follow.

In the article below, you will find lots of information about the ingredients, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, as well as healthy eating plan calculations.

If you’d like to get straight to cooking, simply scroll down to the bottom of the page. There you will find our easy to print recipe for this potato breakfast casserole.

Ingredients

Ground turkey: I prefer to use lean ground turkey because it is lower in saturated fat than ground beef. This potato casserole is very customizable so you can choose to use beef, breakfast sausage, or Italian sausage if you prefer those to ground turkey.
Chili powder: chili powder adds a nice earthy flavor with mild heat to this potato casserole recipe.
Ground cumin: cumin is another earthy spice that I love adding to this southwest egg and potato casserole recipe.
Ground coriander: coriander and cilantro are the same plant. For this potato casserole, we’re using ground coriander, which are the seeds of a cilantro plant. Coriander is a healthy spice that may help lower your blood sugar, fight infections, and promote heart, brain, skin, and digestive health.
Garlic salt: I use garlic salt for this potato casserole but if you prefer, you can use garlic cloves and an extra pinch of salt.
Onion powder: onion powder adds a savory flavor to this recipe.
Salt and pepper: use just a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Bell peppers: I like to use orange bell pepper and red pepper in this casserole dish. Any bell pepper variety will work, they are all loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Onion: red onion contains organosulfurs, which are compounds that may improve the immune system, reduce cholesterol production, and support the liver.
Shredded cheese: I use cheddar cheese in this recipe but other cheeses would also work. Sharp cheddar, mild cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, even Swiss cheese would be absolutely delicious.
Potatoes: I prefer to use fresh potatoes, specifically russet potatoes in this breakfast casserole. If you’re trying to save time you can use pre shredded hash browns or frozen diced hash brown potatoes.
Corn: canned corn is perfect for this southwest breakfast casserole recipe.
Black beans: black beans are rich in plant-based protein, fiber, and antioxidants that help manage blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol levels.
Eggs: is there any better combo than egg and potato? Eggs are one of the healthiest foods on earth. One egg contains a little bit of almost every nutrient your body needs.

How to Make This Breakfast Casserole in the Instant Pot

Start by dicing the bell peppers and onion. Then shred the potatoes, and drain the cans of beans and corn.
Next, spray the inner pot of your Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray and select Sauté.
Once the pot is hot, add the ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic salt, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, and then add the diced peppers and onions.
Sauté the turkey and vegetable mixture together for about 5-7 minutes, or until the turkey is no longer pink.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop the cooked turkey and vegetable mixture out of the Instant Pot and into a medium bowl. Set this aside. (If you are using shredded cheese, mix it in with the turkey and vegetables now.)
Clean out the inner pot and then place it back in the Instant Pot base.
Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the bottom of the pot and spray a 7 inch round baking pan or oven-safe dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Layer the potato casserole ingredients into the pan, starting with the shredded potatoes, followed by the turkey mixture, and then the corn and beans.
In a medium to large bowl, mix eggs and then pour them over the top of the casserole.
Cover the prepared baking dish with aluminum foil, then place the pan on a trivet. Carefully lower the pan into the pot and then close and lock the lid.
Turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select high Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 25 minutes.
When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Carefully remove the trivet using oven mitts and then remove the foil from the pan.
Serve warm or let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

How to Make This Potato Breakfast Casserole in the Oven

Preheat the oven to 350º and lightly grease an 8 inch casserole dish with nonstick cook spray, then set the dish aside.
Dice the bell peppers and onion, and then shred the potatoes. Drain the cans of beans and corn into a small bowl and set aside.
Lightly coat a large skillet with nonstick cook spray, and then heat over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic salt, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, and then add the diced peppers and onions.
Sauté the turkey and vegetables together for about 5-7 minutes, or until the turkey is no longer pink. (If you are using shredded cheese, mix it in with the turkey and vegetables at this step.)
Layer the breakfast casserole in a prepared baking dish or casserole dish, starting with the shredded potatoes, then followed by the turkey mixture and topped with the corn and beans.
Mix eggs in a large bowl and then pour the egg mixture evenly on top of the casserole.
Place the casserole dish into the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes, or until the eggs have set and cooked.
Remove the casserole dish from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

This is a great recipe to make ahead of time for meal prep. After cooking, let the casserole cool and then separate it into individual airtight containers. Store in the fridge for up to 6 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat from frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge and microwave each thawed serving for 1-1 1/2 minutes.
This cheesy potato breakfast casserole recipe can be made vegetarian with a couple simple modifications. To make this vegetarian, replace the turkey with one extra can of black beans and 8 ounces of diced or sliced mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms with the peppers and onions.
To save time you can buy frozen hash browns that are pre-shredded.
I love making this breakfast casserole for Christmas morning or Easter brunch and pairing it with a fresh fruit salad.

Healthy Eating Plans

This easy egg and potato casserole makes 6 servings. If you make any changes to the written recipe, be sure to recalculate your points and containers to reflect the adjustments made.

21 Day Fix Easy Breakfast Casserole with Potatoes

Per Serving: 1 1/6 red container, 1/3 green container, 2 yellow container *optional 1/3 blue for cheese

Entire Recipe: 7 red containers, 2 green containers, 12 yellow containers, *optional 2 blue containers for cheddar cheese

Weight Watchers Breakfast Casserole Points

3 2023 Plan Points | 3 Blue Plan Points | 9 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points

If you want even fewer Weight Watchers Points, you can omit the cheddar cheese entirely and it will be just one 2023 plan point per serving.

Looking for more healthy breakfast recipes?

Shredded Sweet Potato Hash Browns These Sweet Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns are so filling and easy to make! I love starting my morning with this hash browns recipe, and it’s so easy to meal prep as well!
Whole Wheat Pancakes One of favorite weekend recipes, these hearty pancakes can easily be frozen for meal prep!
Homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage Homemade turkey breakfast sausage is a great way to start the day. It’s packed with protein and the recipe is quick and simple. If you’ve never made your own sausage this is a great place to start!
Zucchini Breakfast Casserole with Sausage & Egg This Zucchini Breakfast Casserole recipe is so easy to make and perfect for meal prep! It’s my favorite way to make breakfast ahead of time for the week, and I love that it contains sausage and eggs.
Vegan Breakfast Hash Browns with Veggies Vegan Breakfast Hash Browns with Veggies is a great way to start your day! This easy recipe has crispy golden brown fresh potatoes and a rainbow of veggies.

Easy Breakfast Casserole with Potatoes

This easy breakfast casserole with potatoes is an absolutely delicious breakfast recipe that has a southwest twist you are going to love.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword Easy Breakfast Casserole with Potatoes, southwest breakfast casserole

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings people

Calories 323kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Round Instant Pot Pan
Enameled Cast Iron Pan

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 small red bell pepper seeded and diced
1 small orange bell pepper seeded and diced
1/2 small red onion diced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 small russet potatoes shredded (about 3 cups)
15 oz can of corn drained
15 oz can of black beans drained
6 eggs

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions

Start by dicing the bell peppers and onion. Then shred the potatoes, and drain the cans of beans and corn.
Next, spray the inner pot of your Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray and select Sauté.
Once the pot is hot, add the ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic salt, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, and then add the diced peppers and onions. 1 lb ground turkey 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 1 small red bell pepper 1 small orange bell pepper 1/2 small red onion
Sauté the turkey and vegetable mixture together for about 5-7 minutes, or until the turkey is no longer pink.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop the cooked turkey and vegetable mixture out of the Instant Pot and into a medium bowl. Then set aside. (If you are using shredded cheese, mix it in with the turkey and vegetables at this step.) 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Clean out the inner pot and then place it back in the Instant Pot base.
Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the bottom of the pot and spray a 7 inch round baking pan or oven-safe dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Layer the potato casserole ingredients into the pan, starting with the shredded potatoes, followed by the turkey mixture, and then the corn and beans. 2 small russet potatoes 15 oz can of corn 15 oz can of black beans
In a medium to large bowl, mix eggs and then pour them over the top of the casserole. 6 eggs
Cover the prepared baking dish with aluminum foil, then place the pan on a trivet, carefully lower it into the pot, and then close and lock the lid.
Turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select high Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 25 minutes.
When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Carefully remove the trivet, using oven mitts, and then remove the foil from the pan.
Serve warm or let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Stove Top & Oven Directions

Preheat the oven to 350º and lightly grease an 8 inch casserole dish with nonstick cook spray, then set aside.
Dice the bell peppers and onion, and then shred the potatoes. Drain the cans of beans and corn into a small bowl and set aside.
Lightly coat a large skillet with nonstick cook spray, and then heat over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic salt, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, and then add the diced peppers and onions. 1 lb ground turkey 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 1 small red bell pepper 1 small orange bell pepper 1/2 small red onion
Sauté the turkey and vegetables together for about 5-7 minutes, or until the turkey is no longer pink. (If you are using shredded cheese, mix it in with the turkey and vegetables at this step.) 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Layer the breakfast casserole in a prepared baking dish or casserole dish, starting with the shredded potatoes, then followed by the turkey mixture and topped with the corn and beans. 2 small russet potatoes 15 oz can of corn 15 oz can of black beans
Mix eggs in a large bowl and then pour the egg mixture evenly on top of the casserole. 6 eggs
Place the casserole dish into the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes, or until the eggs have set and cooked.
Remove the casserole dish from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Healthy Eating Plans

If you make any changes to the written recipe, be sure to recalculate your points and containers to reflect the adjustments made.

21 Day Fix Easy Breakfast Casserole with Potatoes

Per Serving: 1 1/6 red container, 1/3 green container, 2 yellow container *optional 1/3 blue for cheese

Entire Recipe: 7 red containers, 2 green containers, 12 yellow containers, *optional 2 blue containers for cheddar cheese

Weight Watchers Breakfast Casserole Points

3 2023 Plan Points | 3 Blue Plan Points | 9 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points

If you want even fewer Weight Watchers Points, you can omit the cheddar cheese entirely and it will be just one 2023 plan point per serving.

Nutrition

The post Easy Breakfast Casserole with Potatoes appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup

Becca Ludlum — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 20:50:50 +0000

This Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup is a healthy and hearty meal. If you love stuffed peppers, you will love this delicious soup recipe.

Stuffed pepper soup is an easy meal to get on the table–just a few healthy ingredients in the slow cooker or pressure cooker and it pretty much makes itself. This is a great recipe for meal prep and is one that your entire family will love it!

This soup is one of the oldest recipes on My Crazy Good Life, and like all good things it needed a small update. I’ve changed some ingredients around and I love this recipe even more now. You can still find the original recipe below, but the new printable recipe will reflect the new and improved version.

Where’s the recipe?

We want to make sure that everyone can easily make this recipe–whether this is the first time you’ve cooked in the kitchen or you’ve been doing it for years.

This recipe can be cooked in the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, in the Crock Pot, or right on the stove. In this post you will find detailed instructions in all three cooking methods, as well as ingredient information, recipe tips, healthy eating plan calculations, and similar recipes for you to try down the road.

If you are comfortable in the kitchen and just need the basic recipe, scroll right down to the bottom of this post where you will find the easy to print recipe for this Delicious and Healthy Stuffed Pepper Soup!

Ingredients in Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup

The ingredients in this recipe are simple and nutritious. Using them for a soup instead of making stuffed peppers is an easy way to get healthy food into your daily diet.

Ground meat: I prefer to use turkey because it is lower in saturated fat than ground beef of the same fat percentage. Any ground meat, like ground beef or even ground chicken will work for this stuffed bell pepper soup.
Broth or water: I suggest using beef broth if you’re using ground beef and chicken broth if you’re using poultry. You can use vegetable broth or water if you don’t have the others on hand.
Diced tomatoes: I always buy low sodium canned tomatoes.
Tomato sauce: Also low sodium, when available.
Brown rice: use dry and uncooked rice, not instant rice.
Bell peppers: I typically buy red bell pepper and green bell peppers when I make stuffed pepper soup, but you can choose your favorite variety of bell pepper for this recipe. No matter the color, all bell peppers are packed with vitamins and minerals.
Onions: Any type of onion works great for this stuffed pepper soup.
Salt & pepper: salt and black pepper to taste.
Garlic: fresh minced garlic cloves are preferred, but you can use garlic powder if that’s all you have.
Oregano: dried oregano is a key ingredients in Italian seasoning, and tastes wonderful in this stuffed pepper soup.

How to make Stuffed Peppers Soup in the Instant Pot

First, dice your bell peppers and onions and then set them aside.
Next, spray your pot with nonstick cooking spray and press the sauté button. (You can use olive oil if you don’t have cooking spray.)
Then add the ground meat to the pot and stir it occasionally until it is no longer pink. Drain the liquid, if necessary (this is probably necessary only if you use ground beef). Read this if you’re using frozen ground turkey.
Now add your other ingredients to the Pressure Cooker: broth or water, tomatoes (including the juice), tomato sauce, the uncooked rice, diced bell peppers and onions, black pepper, garlic, oregano, and salt.
Close the lid and turn your valve to from Venting to Sealing. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
When the soup is finished cooking, immediately release the pressure quickly by moving the valve to “vent.” This is called a Quick Release and will make the steam come out of the pot fast, so keep your hands clear.
If by chance your rice isn’t cooked through, you have two options:
1. Press the Sauté button and allow soup to cook for 5 more minutes, then turn the pot off and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
2. Place the lid back on the pot, set the valve to Sealing again, and set the time for 2 minutes. The soup will continue cooking as it comes back to pressure. Quick pressure release when cook time is finished.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

How to make Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup in the Crock Pot

This is a really easy slow cooker stuffed pepper soup recipe…in just a few steps you’ll have a delicious and family friendly meal ready and on the table. Our entire family loves stuffed pepper soup!

First, dice your bell peppers and onions and then set them aside.
Now brown the ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the cooked ground turkey, broth or water, tomatoes (including the juice), can tomato sauce, chopped bell peppers and onions, black pepper, garlic, oregano, and salt to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Your rice should be added 1 hour before end of cooking. With this method of cooking, you can also cook rice separately in a rice cooker. Just stir cooked rice to the soup right at the end of your cooking time – I prefer to add cooked rice when I make stuffed pepper soup in the slow cooker.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

How to make Stuffed Peppers Soup on the Stovetop

First, dice your bell peppers and onions and then set them aside.
Next, add ground beef or turkey to a large pot or dutch oven and sauté over medium high heat until the meat is no longer pink.
Then add the broth or water, tomatoes (including the juice), tomato sauce, chopped bell peppers and onions, rice, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-high, then cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Test the peppers and rice to make sure they are cooked enough for you before removing the soup from the stove top.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Tips

If you choose to use white rice in this stuffed peppers soup recipe instead of brown, you can reduce the pressure cooker cook time to 4 minutes.
If you are using long grain rice, like jasmine rice, you might have to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Test your cooked rice to make sure it is done before eating. If the rice is old or stale, it will not cook as fast and might need some more time.
If you would like a bit of spice in this recipe, try adding a diced jalapeño or red pepper flakes.
This recipe is easy to freeze and reheats well in the microwave. It is one of my favorite meal prep recipes! Store the cooked and cooled stuffed pepper soup in an airtight container until you’re ready to eat. This hearty soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for 2 months. If you freeze this, thaw in the fridge overnight and then heat in the microwave for a quick meal.
If you’re looking for a low carb version of this soup, you can substitute cauliflower rice (just warm it separately and add it to the soup right before eating) or you can leave out the rice completely.
This stuffed pepper soup is not only easy to make, but it’s super versatile! Add your favorite vegetables and herbs, like diced carrots, chopped fresh parsley or even fresh cilantro. You can also top it with shredded cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese.

Healthy Eating Plans

I love this stuffed peppers soup when I’m watching my weight because it is filling and contains a good mix of healthy slow burning carbs and vegetables. It’s compatible with many diet plans!

If you end up making any changes to the recipe, like adding shredded cheese or sour cream, be sure to recalculate your points, containers, or nutrition calories to reflect the additions you’ve made.

21 Day Fix Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup

If you’re on the 21 Day Fix, make this recipe with ground turkey. Your serving size will be about 2 cups (1/4 recipe) and will count as 1 Red container, 1 1/4 Green container, and 1 yellow container per serving.

Trim Healthy Mama

For THM, use ground extra lean turkey and drain the fat after browning. This is a THM-E recipe.

Weight Watchers

Looking for the Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup? You can find the WW version right here, including all the point calculations.

Looking for the “old” recipe?

As I mentioned above, the original recipe has been improved! If you are a fan of the previous recipe, you can find it right here–you will just be switching the seasonings. Instead of using the black pepper, garlic, oregano, and salt above you’ll use these measurements:

1/2 teaspoon basil
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Looking for more soup recipes?

Healthy Cream of Chicken Soup This healthy Cream of Chicken Soup can be made both dairy free and gluten free. I love using this creamy soup recipe as a canned cream of chicken substitute for the condensed soup you’d normally buy in grocery stores.
Healthy Cream of Mushroom Soup Whether you’re looking for a comforting soup to eat on cold nights or something healthy for a casserole base, this delicious creamy mushroom soup recipe will hit the spot.
Vegan Minestrone Soup Recipe This easy Vegan Minestrone Soup recipe is packed full of fresh veggies, cooked pasta, and savory vegetable broth. It’s a great winter soup that you can eat year round!
Butternut Squash Soup Recipe This Dairy free butternut squash soup recipe is a creamy soup made with simple ingredients. It can be easily made on the stove top for a quick weeknight dinner and, the best part is, it tastes even better the next day – making it perfect for meal prep!
Rotisserie Chicken Soup Recipe Making this rotisserie chicken soup with salsa is quick and easy. It’s the perfect weeknight meal that the whole family will love. This is my favorite soup to make on cold winter days.
Healthy Gazpacho Soup Recipe This Gazpacho Soup is the perfect meal for a hot summer day. Traditionally served as a cold soup, Gazpacho has a tomato base and focuses on the fresh flavor of ripe vegetables and a variety of spices

Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup

This healthy Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe is an easy weeknight meal! Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper soup with rice is a kid-friendly dinner that you can make in the Crockpot or right on the stove.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword Stuffed Pepper Soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Saute time 5

Total Time 22

Servings servings

Calories 371kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Sealing Rings
Kitchen Knife

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey you can use beef or chicken if you'd like
1 medium onion chopped (any type will do!)
3 medium bell peppers chopped (I've added up to four peppers, and it's yummy!)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes including the liquid
15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry brown rice short grain
2 cups chicken broth or water

Seasonings:

1 clove garlic minced
2 tsp oregano
¼ tsp pepper
⅛ tsp salt

Instructions

Pressure Cooker:

Sauté the ground turkey until no longer pink. Drain liquid, if necessary. 1 lb ground turkey
Add all of the other ingredients to the pressure cooker. Close the lid and seal your vent. 1 medium onion, 3 medium bell peppers, 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes , 15 oz can tomato sauce, 1/2 cup dry brown rice, 2 cups chicken broth, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp oregano, ¼ tsp pepper, ⅛ tsp salt
Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
Quick pressure release. If you'd like to let the pressure release naturally for a few minutes, it'll be fine sitting there.

Crockpot:

Brown the ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat. 1 lb ground turkey
Add the ground turkey, broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped peppers and onion, black pepper, garlic, oregano, and salt to the Crock Pot. 2 cups chicken broth, 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes 15 oz can tomato sauce, 3 medium bell peppers, 1 medium onion, ¼ tsp pepper, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp oregano, ⅛ tsp salt
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Add your uncooked rice about 1 hour before cook time is finished. You can also cook rice separately and add it right before serving. 1/2 cup dry brown rice

Stovetop:

Sauté the ground turkey in a large pot until no longer pink. 1 lb ground turkey
Add broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped peppers and onions, rice, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-high, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes. 2 cups chicken broth, 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes , 15 oz can tomato sauce, 3 medium bell peppers, 1/2 cup dry brown rice, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp oregano, ⅛ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper
Test the peppers to make sure they’re cooked enough for you before removing the soup from the stovetop.

Video

Notes

The previous recipe was the same except for the seasonings–if you prefer that recipe, omit the spices in the above recipe and add these instead:

1/2 teaspoon basil
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

21 Day Fix Stuffed Pepper Soup: If you’re on the 21 Day Fix, make this recipe with ground turkey. Your serving size will be about 2 cups (1/4 recipe) and will count as 1 Red container, 1 1/4 Green container, and 1 yellow container per serving.

Trim Healthy Mama: For THM, use ground extra lean turkey and drain the fat after browning. This is a THM-E recipe.

Nutrition

The post Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Healthy Kung Pao Chicken

Becca Ludlum — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 19:38:05 +0000

This Healthy Kung Pao Chicken recipe is a delicious and easy way to enjoy this classic Chinese dish. Made with a sweet and savory homemade hoisin sauce, this gluten free chicken recipe will be a family favorite!

I love ordering authentic kung pao chicken when we get Chinese takeout. The sweet and tangy sauce is my favorite, but it’s not the healthiest. That’s why I was determined to create a healthy kung pao chicken recipe that I could enjoy at home.

This filling recipe is satisfying and packed with nutritious vegetables and protein-rich chicken breasts. You are going to love this healthy kung pao chicken recipe!

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we have readers of all levels of comfort in the kitchen. Whether you’re just starting out or are a pro, we want you to feel confident when you make our recipes.

To best serve all of our readers, we write our posts with lots of information. In the article below, you’ll find ingredient information, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips and tricks, as well as healthy eating plan calculations.

If you’d like to skip past all of that, go ahead and scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find our easy to print recipe card for Healthy Kung Pao Chicken.

Ingredients in Healthy Kung Pao Chicken

Brown rice: I use brown rice because it is less processed than white rice. It also has a wide array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Plus I just like the taste. You can use your favorite type of rice for this recipe, just note that the healthy eating plan calculations, nutrition facts, and cooking instructions will be different. Some other great rice options would be basmati or jasmine rice, fried rice, even cauliflower rice would be delicious.
Coconut aminos: this is one of my favorite soy sauce alternatives. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, you can use low sodium soy sauce or gluten free tamari. Regular soy sauce works too, it just contains a lot more sodium.
Honey: I love using honey as a sugar replacement. While honey and sugar are both carbohydrates composed primarily of glucose and fructose, honey offers trace amounts of vitamins and minerals. It can also help alleviate allergies.
Ginger: fresh ginger is what I use to make this kung pao chicken taste authentic.
Peanut butter: using peanut butter helps to give the kung pao sauce that sweet and savory flavor.
Rice vinegar: use plain rice vinegar to make the kung pao sauce. If you can’t get ahold of rice vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar.
Sesame oil: sesame oil comes from sesame seeds, giving it a nutty, distinct flavor that goes hand in hand with Chinese cuisine.
Garlic: fresh minced garlic adds much more flavor than garlic powder.
Sriracha sauce: sriracha sauce is so delicious and is what makes this a sweet and spicy sauce. If you’re looking for even more heat, add some crushed red pepper flakes or dried chili peppers.
Chicken: for this recipe I use boneless skinless chicken breasts because it provides more protein than chicken thighs. One boneless skinless chicken breast contains 54 grams of protein, whereas boneless skinless chicken thighs have just 13.5 grams.
Corn starch: this is needed to help thicken the kung pao sauce
Bell peppers: for this recipe I use one red bell pepper and one green bell pepper. You can choose your favorite variety.
Broccoli: I love adding broccoli to stir fry recipes. Broccoli is high in many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium.
Cilantro: I use fresh cilantro as a garnish to top this homemade kung pao chicken recipe. It adds a fresh flavor and bright pop of color to the finished dish.
Green onions: I love topping stir fry dishes with green onions.
Peanuts: Adding unsalted roasted peanuts as a crunchy garnish adds a great texture to this healthy kung pao chicken.

How to Make Healthy Kung Pao Chicken in the Instant Pot

First start by cooking your rice. To do that, spray the inner pot with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse and drain your rice, and then add it to your pot.
Next, add water to the pot, then close and lock the lid and turn the steam release to handle to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 20 minutes. (If you have a Keep Warm button, turning it off after cooking will help prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.)
When the cook time is complete, allow the rice to naturally release for 10 minutes, and then quick release the remaining pressure.
Remove the cooked brown rice and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the coconut aminos, honey, ginger root, peanut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and sriracha sauce to make your kung pao sauce. Whisk to combine.
Rinse the inner pot then spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add diced chicken and sauce to the pot, then stir to coat the chicken pieces in the sauce.
Close and lock the lid, then turn the steam release handle to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 10 minutes. When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Select Sauté and use a spoon to move the bite sized pieces of cooked chicken to one side of the pot. Add the cornstarch to the opposite side and use a whisk or fork to mix the cornstarch into the sauce. (Do not combine the chicken with the sauce.)
Once the sauce thickens and begins to bubble, cook for 1-2 minutes while continuously stirring, then turn off the pot and mix the chicken with the sauce. Add the diced bell peppers and broccoli.
Close and lock the lid, then turn the steam release handle to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 0 (zero) minutes. When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Mix the vegetables in with the chicken and transfer chicken mixture on top of the cooked brown rice. Serve kung pao chicken garnished with cilantro, green onions and roasted peanuts.

How to Make Kung Pao Chicken on the Stove Top

Cook the rice as directed on the packaging, and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the coconut aminos, honey, ginger root, peanut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and sriracha sauce to make your kung pao sauce. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Add your chopped vegetables to the pan, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they have softened but are not mushy. Remove veggies from the pan and set aside.
Next, give your pan another spray of non-stick cooking spray and then add your diced chicken. Cook the chicken pieces over medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the kung pao sauce to the pan of chicken pieces. Stir to make sure all of the chicken is coated, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the cornstarch and let simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Add the cooked brown rice to a bowl and top it with the cooked vegetables, chicken and kung pao sauce. Garnish with cilantro, green onions, and peanuts.

Recipe Tips

This easy kung pao chicken recipe is perfect for meal prep. Transfer chicken kung pao into individual serving size meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 6 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
One of the things I love about this kung pao chicken recipe is that it is so easily customizable. If you prefer to swap out the listed vegetables for others like green beans or bok choy, the recipe will be equally delicious. You can also add extras like yellow onion, red pepper flakes, sichuan peppercorns or black pepper.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Healthy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

This Healthy Kung Pao Chicken serves 6 people about 1 1/2 cup servings.

Entire recipe: 12 red containers, 6 yellow containers, 6 green containers, 6 teaspoons

Per serving: 2 red containers, 1 yellow container, 1 green container, 1 teaspoon

Weight Watchers Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

Per 1 1/2 cup serving this Healthy Kung Pao Chicken is:

14 2023 Plan Points | 14 Blue Plan Points | 17 Green Plan Points | 9 Purple Plan Points

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Healthy Kung Pao Chicken

This filling recipe is satisfying and packed with nutritious vegetables and protein-rich chicken breasts. You are going to love this healthy kung pao chicken recipe!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword chicken breast, healthy chicken, healthy chinese food, kung pao chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 55

Servings people

Calories 636kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Kitchen Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups brown rice uncooked
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup coconut aminos
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp ginger root freshly grated
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp garlic minced
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
3 lb chicken breast boneless, skinless
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 red bell pepper medium
1 green bell pepper medium
4 cups broccoli chopped
1/4 cup cilantro chopped, to garnish
1/4 cup green onions chopped, to garnish
1/2 cup peanuts roasted & unsalted, to garnish

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions

First start by cooking your rice. To do that, spray the inner pot with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse and drain your rice, and then add it to your pot. 1 1/2 cups brown rice
Next, add water to the pot, then close and lock the lid and turn the steam release to handle to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 20 minutes. (If you have a Keep Warm button, turning it off after cooking will help prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.) 1 1/2 cups water
When the cook time is complete, allow the rice to naturally release for 10 minutes, and then quick release the remaining pressure.
Remove the cooked brown rice and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the coconut aminos, honey, ginger root, peanut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and sriracha sauce to make your kung pao sauce. Whisk to combine. 2/3 cup coconut aminos 1/4 cup honey 1 tbsp ginger root 2 tbsp peanut butter 1/4 tsp rice vinegar 1/2 tsp sesame oil 2 tbsp garlic 1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
Rinse the inner pot then spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add diced chicken and sauce to the pot, then stir to coat the chicken pieces in the sauce. 3 lb chicken breast
Close and lock the lid, then turn the steam release handle to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 10 minutes. When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Select Sauté and use a spoon to move the bite sized pieces of cooked chicken to one side of the pot. Add the cornstarch to the opposite side and use a whisk or fork to mix the cornstarch into the sauce. (Do not combine the chicken with the sauce.) 1 tbsp cornstarch
Once the sauce thickens and begins to bubble, cook for 1-2 minutes while continuously stirring, then turn off the pot and mix the chicken with the sauce. Add the diced bell peppers and broccoli. 1 red bell pepper 1 green bell pepper 4 cups broccoli
Close and lock the lid, then turn the steam release handle to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 0 (zero) minutes. When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Mix the vegetables in with the chicken and transfer chicken mixture on top of the cooked brown rice. Serve kung pao chicken garnished with cilantro, green onions and roasted peanuts. 1/4 cup cilantro 1/4 cup green onions 1/2 cup peanuts

Stove Top Instructions

Cook the rice as directed on the packaging, and set aside. 1 1/2 cups brown rice
In a small bowl, combine the coconut aminos, honey, ginger root, peanut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and sriracha sauce to make your kung pao sauce. Whisk to combine and set aside. 2/3 cup coconut aminos 1/4 cup honey 1 tbsp ginger root 2 tbsp peanut butter 1/4 tsp rice vinegar 1/2 tsp sesame oil 2 tbsp garlic 1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Add your chopped vegetables to the pan, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they have softened but are not mushy. Remove veggies from the pan and set aside. 1 red bell pepper 1 green bell pepper 4 cups broccoli
Next, give your pan another spray of non-stick cooking spray and then add your diced chicken. Cook the chicken pieces over medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165ºF. 3 lb chicken breast
Once the chicken is cooked, add the kung pao sauce to the pan of chicken pieces. Stir to make sure all of the chicken is coated, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the cornstarch and let simmer for 1-2 minutes. 1 tbsp cornstarch
Add the cooked brown rice to a bowl and top it with the cooked vegetables, chicken and kung pao sauce. Garnish with cilantro, green onions, and peanuts. 1/4 cup cilantro 1/4 cup green onions 1/2 cup peanuts

Notes

Recipe Tips

This easy kung pao chicken recipe is perfect for meal prep. Transfer chicken kung pao into individual serving size meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 6 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
One of the things I love about this kung pao chicken recipe is that it is so easily customizable. If you prefer to swap out the listed vegetables for others like green beans or bok choy, the recipe will be equally delicious. You can also add extras like yellow onion, red pepper flakes, sichuan peppercorns or black pepper.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Healthy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

This healthy kung pao chicken serves 6 people about 1 1/2 cup servings.

Entire recipe: 12 red containers, 6 yellow containers, 6 green containers, 6 teaspoons

Per serving: 2 red containers, 1 yellow container, 1 green container, 1 teaspoon

Weight Watchers Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

Per 1 1/2 cup serving this healthy kung pao chicken is:

14 Blue Plan Points | 17 Green Plan Points | 9 Purple Plan Points

Nutrition

The post Healthy Kung Pao Chicken appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Instant Pot Jambalaya with Quinoa

Becca Ludlum — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 20:11:14 +0000

Our easy Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe is a healthier twist on the classic Holy Trinity Jambalaya straight out of New Orleans. Creole-style Jambalaya is one of the most popular dishes of the South.

These flavors come together to form a residual heat full of mouthwatering flavors from all of the healthy and flavorful ingredients.

This Instant Pot Jambalaya with Quinoa is packed full of bold Cajun flavors and healthy lean protein. If your family is anything like mine, this will become one of your favorite recipes in no time.

This is a great dinner for a busy weeknight and is also perfect for meal prep. It freezes and reheats really well. If you haven’t joined club Instant Pot yet, I also have slow cooker Jambalaya directions here.

Where’s the recipe?

My readers have varying levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen. To better serve everyone, I include a lot of information in my posts to ensure everyone is successful.

There are cooking tips, diet information, and other helpful information below. If you prefer to skip this, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find the easy to print Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe.

Ingredients in this easy Jambalaya recipe

Olive Oil: I prefer the Extra Virgin variety of any oil. This means it is a minimally processed oil and closest to its natural state.
Chicken: Chicken breast is one of the most commonly consumed high protein foods in the United States, and for good reason. In addition to its high protein content, it’s also a great source of minerals and B vitamins.
Onion: To save time I love to grab pre-chopped onions from the freezer section.
Celery: Did you know celery was a member of the carrot family? The plant and its seeds provide an abundant source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Garlic: You can also use pre-minced garlic to save time. If you prefer to buy the bulb use a hand grater to cut your chopping time.
Chicken Sausage: For this Cajun recipe I prefer an andouille chicken sausage instead of the traditional andouille sausage. I really love the simple ingredients in the Open Nature brand.
Diced tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes are a staple in every pantry, opt for the low-sodium variety. Using diced tomatoes provides a more authentic flavor than using tomato paste.
Thyme: A relative of oregano, thyme has a gentle flavor that blends well with almost everything.
Oregano: Oregano is used worldwide. It’s popular in Italian, Mexican, and Mediterranean cooking. Oregano is a versatile herb spawning from the mint family.
Basil: Basil adds a bright finish to this recipe. I love to use dried while cooking, and stir in some fresh when I add my shrimp.
Red pepper flakes: If you prefer more spice you can add even more red pepper. I love the heat it brings.
Tabasco sauce: Any hot sauce will do, add more if you like it hot.
Shrimp: If you can’t find raw, peeled, tail off shrimp in your freezer section head over to your grocer’s butcher counter. Often times they will have them there.
Precooked Quinoa: I love using quinoa in place of white rice or brown rice because it is considered a complete protein source, which means that it provides all nine essential amino acids. It’s also a good source of antioxidants and minerals. I typically use white quinoa, but you can choose your favorite variety. If you’re a jambalaya purist cooked regular rice works perfectly.
Green onion: Green onions are completely optional in this recipe, but give a nice bite at the end that I really enjoy.

How to make Instant Pot Jambalaya with Quinoa in the Instant Pot

Heat your Instant Pot: Turn your pot to the sauté function and add olive oil to the inner pot.
Sauté your chicken: Once your olive oil is hot, add the chicken, onions, celery, and garlic to the bottom of the pot. Cook 3-5 minutes until fragrant, and vegetables begin to soften.
Add your sausage: Next, add your chicken sausage, diced tomatoes, and thyme, oregano, basil, red pepper, and tabasco sauce. Stir everything together.
Pressure Cook: Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high pressure) and set the cooking time for 5 minutes.
Quick Release: After the cook time is complete, quick release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.
Add shrimp: Stir in the shrimp, then close the lid for two minutes to allow the shrimp to cook. Do not turn the Instant Pot back on, just let the steam in the pot do the cooking. Shrimp cooks very fast. It’s fully cooked when the flesh turns opaque with orange/pink tones. If they are still translucent, close the lid for another minute or until completely cooked.
Serve: Serve warm over cooked quinoa. Add some fresh basil and top with chopped green onions, and additional Tabasco as desired.

Recipe Tips

Buy frozen chopped onions to save time.
A small hand grater works great to mince cloves of garlic.
We’re using precooked quinoa because the cook time for quinoa and the rest of the ingredients aren’t the same.
If you’d rather use your favorite Cajun or Creole Seasoning in this recipe, replace all spices with 4 teaspoons of it. If you prefer more heat with your sausage jambalaya, feel free to add a *small* amount of cayenne pepper. A little cayenne goes a long way.
If you have bell peppers on hand, feel free to chop them and add them to the recipe. A green bell pepper would be perfect for this recipe. Just be sure to recalculate your healthy eating plans.
Bay leaves can be added to this recipe, just remember to remove them from the pot before serving!
If you are gluten free, be sure that your chicken sausage and quinoa are labeled as such.
This recipe uses no chicken broth, chicken stock, or water, the liquid in the diced tomatoes is enough for the pressure cooker.

Healthy Eating Plans

Weight Watchers Points

Per 2 ¼ cup serving

7 2023 Points | 7 Blue Plan Points | 9 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points

21 Day Fix Instant Pot Jambalaya with Quinoa

Entire recipe: 12 Red Containers, 6 Yellow Containers, 6 Green Containers, and 6 Teaspoons.

Per serving (2 ¼ cup): 2 Red Containers, 1 Yellow Container, 1 Green Container, and 1 teaspoon.

Chicken sausage isn’t found on the food list, so either leave it out and add extra chicken breast instead or, if you choose to use it, I’d watch what you eat that day (be super strict!) and flush with lots of water after.

2B Mindset

This would be a great 2B lunch with additional vegetables as a side.

More healthy high-protein Instant Pot recipes

Instant Pot Jambalaya with Quinoa

This Instant Pot Jambalaya is packed full of bold flavors and healthy protein! If your family is anything like mine it will be come a fast favorite.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword 21 day fix jambalaya, instant pot jambalaya

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings Servings

Calories 559kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Cutting Board
Kitchen Knife

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb chicken breast boneless, skinless, cubed
1 ½ cups onion chopped
1 ½ cups celery chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 lb chicken sausage sliced
30 oz diced tomatoes low sodium, 2 15 oz cans
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp crushed red peppers
1 tsp tabasco sauce or preferred hot sauce
1 lb shrimp raw, peeled, deveined, tail off
3 cups quinoa cooked
1 green onion diced

Instructions

Turn your Instant Pot on to Sauté and add olive oil. 2 tbsp olive oil
Once olive oil is hot, add chicken, onions, celery, and garlic. Cook 3-5 minutes until fragrant and vegetables begin to soften. 1 lb chicken breast 1 ½ cups onion 1 ½ cups celery 4 cloves garlic
Add your chicken sausage, diced tomatoes, thyme, oregano, basil, red pepper, and hot sauce. Stir everything together. 1 lb chicken sausage 30 oz diced tomatoes 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp basil 1 tsp crushed red peppers 1 tsp tabasco sauce
Close and lock the lid and turn valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual and set the time for 5 minutes.
After cooking is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Stir in shrimp, then close the lid for two minutes to allow shrimp to cook. Do not turn the pressure cooker back on, just let the steam in the pot do the cooking. Shrimp cooks very fast, and you can tell it's cooked when the color turns from translucent to opaque with orange/pink tones. 1 lb shrimp
If your shrimp don't look done after two minutes, close the pot and allow another minute or two.
Serve warm over cooked quinoa. Top with chopped green onions, and additional Tabasco if desired. 3 cups quinoa 1 green onion

Notes

Recipe Tips

Buy frozen chopped onions to save time.
A small hand grater works wonderfully to mince cloves of garlic.
Add salt and black pepper to your tastes before pressure cooking.

Weight Watchers

Per 2 ¼ cup serving

7 2023 Points | 7 Blue Plan Points | 9 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points

21 Day Fix- Per serving (2 ¼ cup): 2 Red Containers, 1 Yellow Container, 1 Green Container, and 1 teaspoon.

2B Mindset- This would be a great 2B lunch with additional vegetables as a side.

Nutrition

The post Instant Pot Jambalaya with Quinoa appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

Becca Ludlum — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 02:08:42 +0000

Looking for a healthy and delicious chicken salad recipe? Look no further than this Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad! This recipe is made with low-fat ingredients like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, so you can enjoy all the flavor without the guilt. Plus, the dill pickle adds a refreshing twist that will keep you coming back for more.

This Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad is a delicious low carb chicken salad recipe and perfect for my dill pickle lovers. A similar and healthy Chick-Fil-A chicken salad alternative, you can enjoy the salty and creamy recipe as a dip, as a healthy chicken salad sandwich, or as a salad topping.

Where’s the Recipe?

My readers come from all levels of experience in the kitchen, and I receive a ton of questions about my recipes from new cooks.

To better serve all of my readers, I add a lot of helpful information in all of my posts. This includes: recipe tips, detailed cooking instructions, and diet information. Some of these may be useful to you and others may be some that you already know.

If you’d like to skip over all of the extra information, please scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the easy to print recipe for this dill pickle version of the classic chicken salad recipe.

Ingredients in this Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

Chicken breast: chicken breast is low in calories, high in protein, and is rich in an array of important nutrients. I typically make my chicken for this recipe in the Instant Pot, but you can also use leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken. You’ll want to read this post about homemade rotisserie chicken vs store bought, but using rotisserie chicken allows you to skip cooking the chicken and just make the sauce and chop the pickles.
Vinegar: white vinegar is what I use and adds a nice tart flavor to chicken salad recipes.
Chopped dill pickles: I like to use 1/2 pickles and 1/2 cucumbers to cut the sodium down. I mix them together and allow them to sit in the pickle jar for a bit while I make the rest of the recipe. The dill pickle juice makes the cucumbers taste more like pickles.
Plain Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt is loaded with probiotics, and can promote gut health. It is a wonderful replacement for mayonnaise or miracle whip in healthy recipes.
Cottage cheese: Blended cottage cheese is taking over the healthy eating world. It’s a great substitute to clean up recipes, and the best part is that cottage cheese is high in protein, packed with nutrients, and low in calories. My method of blending cottage cheese and greek yogurt together gives you a creamy base but makes it so you truly cannot tell that you are eating either ingredient.
Parsley: using fresh parsley is a delicious way to brighten up this easy chicken salad recipe.
Dill: I love using fresh dill for this recipe.
Chives: chives or green onions add tons of flavor to this recipe.
Garlic: I love to use fresh garlic cloves, but garlic powder will work too.
Black pepper

Instant Pot Directions

Add the chicken and vinegar to the Instant Pot insert.
Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook the chicken on high pressure using the manual or pressure cook setting for 10-12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth.
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles (with cucumbers if you’ve chosen to use them) into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip.

How to make Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad on the Stove Top

Add the chicken and vinegar to a sauce pan.
Cover the sauce pan with a lid and cook the chicken on medium high heat for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth.
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip.

How to make Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad in the Crock Pot

Add the chicken and vinegar to your slow cooker.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook the chicken on high heat for 2-3 hour, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
In a food processor or blend mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth.
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip.

Recipe Tips

This very tasty pickle chicken salad recipe can be eaten in so many ways. It’s delicious as a dip, stuffed into mini bell peppers, topped on a salad, or made into lettuce wraps or sandwiches.
If you have a small food processor or blender, don’t make yourself crazy by trying to fit the entire recipe in it. Mix it in small batches and transfer to a mixing bowl to get it all blended and chopped up.
If you don’t have a food processor or blender to cut this recipe up, no worries! You can shred the chicken and mix the sauce in. It’ll be longer strands of chicken, but absolutely edible in any form (as a dip, etc) and still delicious.
This is a great recipe for meal prep and can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-6 days.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix

For the entire recipe: 6 red containers, 1 green container. Per serving: 1 red container, 1/6 green container.

Pickle fans rejoice! Pickles were added to the Ultimate Portion Fix in 2019. I know a lot of you love pickles and were bummed that they weren’t on the approved food list before.

I do (personally) caution you against using your green container for pickles. There is a huge difference between fresh cucumbers and cucumbers that have been brined in salt and vinegar and often sugar. As pickles are considered a green container on the 21 Day Fix now, I will still not use them more than once every few weeks at the most. Not sure what the Beachbody team is thinking about adding pickles to the list as a green, but they must have a good reason.

For this recipe, I like to use half dill pickles and half cucumbers. They sit together in a bowl together while I’m preparing the rest of the recipe. The taste is not compromised at all this way. It cuts the sodium of the pickles in half, too!

Weight Watchers

One serving of this recipe (about 3/4 cup) is 0 2023 Points, 1 Blue Plan Point, 2 Green Plan Points, and 1 Purple Plan Point when you use fat free Greek yogurt and lowfat cottage cheese.

Pickles are very high in sodium and though they are 0 points on Weight Watchers, they can easily stall your weight loss or even cause weight gain while you’re trying to lose weight.

I calculated the points for this recipe online using the calculator provided on the Weight Watchers website.

Trim Healthy Mama

This is a THM-S recipe – if using full fat cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, dill pickles (not bread and butter type), and make sure that sugar hasn’t been added to the pickles. You’d be surprised where you find sugar!

More Healthy Dip Recipes

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip I have to admit that this one is my favorite. I always have some made in the freezer, and I love having it for lunch and an easy snack.
Healthy Crack Chicken Recipe Again, a super versatile recipe that can be made multiple ways. It can also be cooked in the Instant Pot, on the stove, or in a Crock Pot.
Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip This dip (actually, all of the ones in this list) uses cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to get the creaminess without the calories. This is another favorite!
This easy and Healthy Elote Dip Recipe is a crowd pleasing side dish. If you love the flavors of Mexican Street Corn, you’ve got to give this Mexican Corn Dip recipe a try!
Spicy Mexican Corn Dip I’d say that this hot Corn Dip is good, or easy, or popular–but seriously, it’s amazing. And it’s gotten a healthy makeover!

Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

This healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad is a delicious low carb chicken salad recipe. A similar and healthy Chick-Fil-A chicken salad alternative, you can enjoy the salty and creamy recipe as a dip, on a sandwich, or as a salad topping.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Dill pickle chicken salad, healthy snack

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Total Time 22

Servings

Calories 135kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Kitchen Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast about 2 breasts
1/3 cup vinegar I use white
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt I prefer 2%
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp fresh chives chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tbsp fresh dill chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1 cup dill pickles chopped, please see note in post about using 1/2 pickles and 1/2 cucumbers

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions:

Add the chicken and vinegar to the Instant Pot insert. 1 pound chicken breast, 1/3 cup vinegar
Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook the chicken on high pressure using the manual or pressure cook setting for 10-12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth. 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp black pepper
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender, then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip. 1 tbsp fresh chives, 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 cup dill pickles

Stove Top Directions:

Add the chicken and vinegar to a sauce pan. 1 pound chicken breast, 1/3 cup vinegar
Cover the sauce pan with a lid and cook the chicken on medium high temperature for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth. 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp black pepper
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender, then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip. 1 tbsp fresh chives, 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 cup dill pickles

Slow Cooker Directions:

Add the chicken and vinegar to your slow cooker. 1 pound chicken breast, 1/3 cup vinegar
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook the chicken on high heat for 2-3 hour, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth. 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp black pepper
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip. 1 tbsp fresh chives, 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 cup dill pickles

Video

Notes

21 Day Fix container counts for the entire recipe: 6 red containers, 1 green container. Per serving: 1 red container, 1/6 green container.

Weight Watchers: One serving of this recipe (about 3/4 cup) is 0 2023 Points, 1 Blue Plan Point, 2 Green Plan Points, and 1 Purple Plan Point when you use fat free Greek yogurt and fat free cottage cheese.

Nutrition

The post Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.