Taco Chili

With the colder temperatures, my tummy and body have been craving warmer and heartier foods. I had these ingredients in my pantry and fridge, tossed them together and was very pleasantly surprised. I've made it two more times since. The leftovers heat up great!

Ingredients:

1 lb grass fed organic ground beef

1 tbsp of coconut oil (or your preferred cooking oil)

i sweet onion, chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic

Dash of red pepper flakes (optional)

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced into bite size pieces

2 zucchini, halved and diced

1 15oz organic can of 3 bean medley (kidney, pinto, black)

1 packet of organic natural taco seasoning (you are welcome to make your own but I was being super quick/lazy)

Salt and pepper to taste

- Heat coconut oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat

- Add onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir frequenty

- Once onions start to be come softer, add the sweet potato and mix well. Turn up heat of stove to medium

- Put zucchini in pan and combine all ingredients well. Next place pan lid on top and let veggies cook

- Meanwhile, in a separate pan, brown the ground beef

- When beef is done and veggies are cooked through, mix beef into veggie pan

- Add beans and taco seasoning, mix well. Place lid on top and let simmer for 2-5 minutes stirring as needed

Easy-peasy, healthy AND delicious! Enjoy!

Sugar and Gluten-Free (but still delicious!) Banana Bread

This is a super simple and great way to use your overripe bananas! They are a great gift or make an awesome quick treat, dessert, bfast or snack! Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

4 extremely ripe bananas (very important for them to be overly ripe or the bread will not be sweet enough)

1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or butter)

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup coconut flour (don't sub any other flours, recipe won't turn out right)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

*optional add-ins- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, raisins, etc

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- Mix all ingredients, except for optional add-ins, in a bowl and mix thoroughly until combined well

- Stir in your optional add-ins

- Pour into a lightly greased bread pan

- Bake for 45 to 60 mins, until center is is set and top is golden

"Fancy" Frittata

Ingredients:

Olive oil

5 eggs

4 egg whites

1 medium to large sweet potato, chopped into small cubes

1 clove chopped garlic

Sprinkle of crushed red pepper

Optional: 1/4 cup of crumbled goat cheese

Swig of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

- Set oven to 400 degrees

- Heat a large, oven-safe skillet to medium heat

- Add a swig of olive oil, add garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir until fragrant

- Add cubed sweet potato to pan with olive oil and stir on and off for about 10 minutes or potato is cooked through

- Beat eggs and egg whites together well. Add salt and pepper to taste

- Layer cooked potatoes evenly on bottom of pan. Pour eggs on top of potatoes in pan and sprinkle goat cheese evenly

- Turn heat down and let egg mixture cook for 6-8 minutes until edges have hardened/browned slightly. Check frequently to avoid over cooking

- Place pan in oven for 10 minutes or until eggs are cooked through

Spaghetti Squash Crust Quiche

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cooked spaghetti squash, you will use 2 1/2 to 3 cups of it's meat for this recipe

2 tbsp butter (or coconut oil or ghee)

6 large eggs, beaten

1 cup coconut or almond milk

1 bunch of green onions chopped, about 1 cup

1 tomato thinly sliced and halved

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 1/4 cup goat cheese

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

- Add 2 tbsp butter to 2 1/2 - 3 cups spaghetti squash meat and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste

- Press spaghetti squash into a crust form in a pie dish, patting up the sides and across the bottom

- Bake 8-10 minutes, until slightly crispy and golden. Set aside

- Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together

- Pour mixture on top of spaghetti squash crust. Add green onions and goat cheese throughout, evenly. Place tomato slices on top decoratively (You can get super creative with your fillings!)

- Bake for 30-40 minutes until eggs baked through and golden browned. Enjoy!

Breakfast Egg Muffins

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork/turkey/chicken breakfast sausage

Diced veggies of your liking. We used muhrooms and spinach

1 dozen eggs

Olive oil or coconut oil

salt and pepper to taste

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

- Crumble and brown  sausage in a frying pan, sauté veggies in same pan

- In a medium/large bowl scramble one dozen large eggs and season with salt and pepper.

- Liberally grease the cups of one muffin tin with oil. You can use muffin/cupcake paper cups if you'd like

- Place equal amounts of browned sausage  and veggies in the bottoms of the muffin tins

- Pour the scrambled eggs evenly (almost to the top of the tin) on top of the sausage

- Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

- Use a knife to loosen the egg muffin from the sides of the pan

No Dairy, Gluten, Grain, Sugar Ridiculously Easy PANCAKES!

These are too good to be true. They are overwhelmingly easy to make and so tasty! You could get creative with the toppings and fillings; they are very crepe like! These are very likely going to become a staple in my house!

Makes about 14 pancakes

Ingredients:

2 medium size bananas

3 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut oil (or butter)

Sliced cherries and strawberries

- Add bananas, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla to blender. Blend for at least 2 minutes.

- Heat pan to medium heat and add about a tablespoon or so of coconut oil

- Once oil and pan are heated, pour mixture directly from blender into pan to create about 2-3 inch pancakes (I fit 4 in a pan at a time)

- Let cook almost all the way through before flipping. They will bubble through and should not be too hard to flip. Note that they will be darker than "regular" pancakes

- Once all pancakes are made, toss the sliced fruit in the heated pan and stir frequently until fruit is heated. Serve ontop

No Guilt "Nachos"

We had these last night for dinner and, wow were they awesome! I was skeptical at first but they were so delicious and left me feeling perfectly satisfied! Feel free to get creative with your toppings. We had salsa, guacamole and beans on the side, yum!!!

Ingredients:

1 pound grass fed beef

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

Handful of black sliced olives

Handful of sliced peperoncini

Optional sprinkle of parmesan cheese

About 12 mini sweet peppers

- Brown meat in pan and season with garlic through cumin

- Cut stems off of mini sweet peppers, then halve them and remove seeds

- Fill the peppers with the cooked beef and add the toppings you desire

- Place them on a baking sheet and broil for about 10 minutes

Give these "nachos" a try, you won't be disappointed!

Honey's Delicious Dahl Soup

Restoration Fitness member, Honey, is a wonderful cook! We were lucky enough for her to share her lentil dahl soup recipe. Give it a try, it's SO delicious! Thanks, Honey!!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup masoor dal red lentils, picked through for stones

2 cups water

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 serrano chile, sliced in 1/2, optional

Tempering oil (bagaar):

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

Generous 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika or bafaat powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves

- Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse them under running water. Add them to a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

- In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water, the onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chile, if using, and the lentils. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim any scum from the surface. DO NOT ADD SALT YET; it will toughen the lentils, thereby lengthening their cooking time. Lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and gently simmer until the lentils are tender, almost translucent, and almost falling apart, about 30 to 40 minutes.

- Whisk the lentils, releasing its natural starch, and mash some them so the mixture becomes thick. Add salt, to taste.

- Tempering oil (bagaar): In a small bowl, combine the cumin and mustard seeds. In another bowl, combine the spice powders. Have all the ingredients ready because this will move very fast!

- In a small skillet, over a medium-high flame, warm 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add seeds and immediately cover so you don't get covered in spluttering oil and seeds! Add the spices. They should sizzle and bubble a little - that's the blooming and it's exactly what you want. Don't let them burn. The mixture should bloom for about 30 seconds, no more.

- Pour the oil mixture into the lentils, standing back so you don't get hurt when the mixture splutters again. Stir to combine. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

Ham and Broccoli Egg Bake

Ingredients:

Extra virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil or olive oil

5 eggs

A pinch of salt

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 cup coconut flour

7 tbsp coconut milk

7 tbsp almond milk

A handful of finely chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, savory, thyme, oregano

1 medium red onion, finely minced

1/2 lb  bone-in ham, diced

1 head of broccoli, steamed and chopped

- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and brush with olive oil or coconut oil a 7 x 4 pan or individual ramekins.

- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sea salt until pale yellow and frothy.

- Sift and fold in the almond meal and coconut flour, and give it a few stirs

- Stir in the coconut milk and almond milk

- Add your chopped herbs and mix until combined. Set aside the mixture

- Meanwhile, in a small pan over medium heat, add some olive oil or coconut oil. Sweat the red onions until soft, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add to the egg mixture

- Pour the batter in the pan or ramekins

- Scatter the chopped broccoli and ham throughout the egg mixture evenly

- Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden and set

- Serve warm or at room temperature

Crockpot Tomato Basil Bisque

Ingredients:

28oz Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes in Juice 1 Cup Finely Chopped or Processed Celery 1 Cup Finely Chopped or Processed Red Onion 1 Cup Finely Chopped or Processed Carrots 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil (Fresh Basil can be Substituted) 2 Cups Beef Broth (Chicken or Vegetable Broth can be Substituted) 2 Cups Tomato Juice 1 Teaspoon Salt, 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper 1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder 1 Can (Approx. 13 oz) Coconut Milk

-Process Celery, Red Onion, and Carrots in blender or food processor

-Add all ingredients to slow cooker and combine

-Cook on low for 6-8 hours

-Blend soup until smooth (Or leave as a chunky soup if desired)

As you can see, I diced up avocado and put some on top. Yum!!!!

Chimichurri Steak

Ingredients: 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2/3 cup wine vinegar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley 6 tablespoons garlic 3/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 (1 3/4 to 2-pound) skirt steak

- Combine all ingredients other than steak in a food processor or blender, pulse until blended but not pureed - Remove 1 cup of blended mixture and save in a covered bowl for later - Place rest of mixture onto steak and marinade in sealed bag for 2-4 hours in refrigerator - Heat grill to medium-high heat - Once the steak is done marinating, let it come back down to room temperature then grill on each side about 6 minutes - After grilling, allow steak to rest 5-7 minutes before cutting it against the grain in about 2 inch strips - Serve with remaining chimichurri sauce

Plantain, Coconut, Squash Soup

Ingredients: 2 ripe, grilled or baked plantains, peel removed 2 cans light coconut milk 1 12 oz frozen box of winter squash Salt and Pepper to taste

-Combine all ingredients in large stock pot on medium heat until everything is warmed through -Use a stick blender to puree everything to a desired consistency

This soup is surprisingly easy and surprisingly delicious!