Chicken and Cauliflower Fried Rice

looks like fried rice, it tastes like fried rice, but this simple dish is a lot healthier than fried rice. By swapping out rice and replacing it with cauliflower, you cut calories and carbs, and sneak more veggies into the meal. Ground chicken gives it a boost of protein. You could also skip the ground chicken and stir in leftover cooked chicken breast instead.


This cauliflower fried rice recipe makes servings for a whole week, so it’s perfect for meal prep! Or, freeze unused portions in individual bags or containers for quick dinners when you don’t have time to cook.


Total Time: 1 hr. 8 min.
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 18 min.
Yield: 8 servings, approx. ⅔ cup each
Ingredients:
1 lb. raw lean ground chicken
5 Tbsp. organic coconut aminos, divided use
1 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Hot water
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 cup fresh (or frozen) peas
2 medium heads cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin organic coconut oil, divided use
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 green onions, thinly sliced, reserve a small amount of the greens for garnish


Preparation: 1. Combine chicken, 1 Tbsp. coconut aminos, sherry, and garlic in a medium bowl; mix well. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Boil water in steamer or large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Place carrots in steamer basket; cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add peas; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender-crisp and peas are bright green. Place in ice water bath to stop cooking process. Set aside.
4. Place half of cauliflower in food processor; pulse until cauliflower is chopped into pieces about the size of rice. Repeat with the other half. Set aside.
5. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add chicken mixture; cook, stirring frequently to break chicken into small pieces, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from pan. Set aside.
7. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil; heat, over medium-high heat.
8. Add cauliflower and remaining 4 Tbsp. coconut aminos; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 4 minutes.
9. Make a well in the middle of the cauliflower mixture. Add eggs; cook, stirring frequently in the well, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until eggs start to set.
10. Mix eggs into cauliflower mixture. Add chicken, carrot mixture, and green onions; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until heated through.

11. Divide evenly into eight serving bowls; garnish evenly with green onion.

Original recipe can be found: http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/nutrition/chicken-and-cauliflower-fried-rice

Clean Eating Pork Carnitas

Clean Eating Pork Carnitas 

Ingredients:
3 lbs of Pork Loin
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cup of water

To make the rub combine:
2 tbsp of chili powder
 2 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of ground coriander
1/2 tsp cloves
 1 tsp onion powder
 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp oregano

Directions:
Mix all spices together except the bay leaf in a bowl. Rub down the entire pork loin with the spices and place in your slow cooker. Add the bay leaf and water and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Keep an eye on the pork just to make sure the water doesn't absorb and it dries out. If you have to add more liquid please do. Your pork should pull apart easily so you can shred it.

 *****Once you it is able to be shredded take it from the crock pot, shred and then place back into the crock pot. Stir the meat to coat with the juices. (You can fill a red container with this for the 21 day fix!)
For the Carnitas you will need: Corn Tortillas Black or Pinto Beans in a can Romain Lettuce Diced Tomatoes Diced Avocado Shredded cheddar cheese Cilantro Lime Topping (Do not omit this, it is what makes the whole thing just amazing)

Cilantro Lime Topping
 Greek yogurt
1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro chopped
 1 lime cut into wedges for garnish

 Combine these ingredients in a bowl for the dressing and set aside. Add the drained beans with 1/2 of a cup of water to a pot on the stove over medium heat. Cook until heated through. Gently mash with a fork until they reach your desired consistency. Lightly spray your corn tortillas with cooking spray and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Crisp in the oven on 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until desired crispiness. Next step is to assemble the goods! So take your corn tortilla and add your fixings to make yourself a pretty sweet Carnita. Add a dollop of the dressing on top and enjoy!

For my 21 Day Fixers: 1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 green 1 blue {customize based on the toppings you choose to use}.
Measure out a red, a yellow, a green and a blue for this recipe! Your beans and tortilla are your yellow. Your cheese is your blue. Tomatoes and lettuce are your green. Pork is your red.

12 Ways to Better Eating-Mental Approach

Lots of people are trying to eat better,... trim off some extra pounds gained over the holidays, or get beach-ready for a moment in the sun. Eating better is hard, and many people get frustrated, fall short or give up. Here are some key ways to make your eat better stick. 

1. Set Goals: It starts by having clear and realistic goals. Write a list of things you want to change about your diet. Also incorporate goals that you may have regarding your body and plan your diet around those goals. I recommend setting present goals, short term, and long term goals. If you try and do everything all at once you can be overwhelmed and want to quit. Take it one goal at a time if need be, and one day at a time, this isn’t a race. You may also want to write reasons why you want to make a change in your eating habits. You might share your goals with others who will help you meet them. You can put your goals where others can see them “on the fridge, at work” to motivate you to work harder. This will also get others behind you and involved in your new routine. As you achieve your goals, check them off. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and add excitement leading to your next goal.

2. Have Realistic expectations- Any diet plan needs to work with you and not against you.You need to be realistic when setting up the parameters of your new diet. Your plan needs to work for you and your situation. It needs to fit your schedule and your budget. If you don’t follow your budget, your cooking costs will get too high and you will have to withdraw fromthe diet you set up. If you don’t cook for your schedule and your eating times you will find yourself without food and scrambling to find a healthy choice. So be realistic with time, and give yourself extra time to prepare food, or have food pre-packed. Also know that obstacles can and will come into your path from time to time to derail you and your progress, so don’t think that everything will be easy and will just happen. This takes work.

3. Be Proactive - Make a list of healthy foods you enjoy, and what foods you can take with you to work, in the car, school, etc. You can create entire menus revolving around where you will be at what time of the day. Never give yourself an excuse to not have something available for you to eat, no matter where you are when you are supposed to have a meal. Always keep healthy foods on hand. If you don’t you will probably eat whatever is available at the time whether it be fast food, office treats, etc. This can throw off a diet plan and get you in the habit of making bad food choices and eat whatever is fast and convenient. Know where you will be at what time of the day, when you are open to cook, to eat, to shop for groceries, and plan accordingly. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

4. Consistency is key - Most people respond well to consistency. Make a plan and stick to it. Try to eat at around the same times daily and keep to the same portion size and caloric intake.. Your body will recognize this pattern and in turn keep your metabolism burning and your energy levels will stay high. You will feel better, and get in a healthy routine. It is easy to sabotage yourself by grabbing nasty snacks to meet uncontrolled cravings. The time you spend on planning and consistency is a true investment that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

5. Be flexible - Of course, even the best plans fall short at times. Life can sometimes get the best of all of us. Sometimes your eating routines need to change. Where you can, try to plan ahead for these events and have items on hand you can take with you when you’re in a rush or are eating out. Example: Bag of almonds, protein bars and shakes, fresh fruit. Also educate yourself on nutrition through the internet, books, and magazines. You can use this knowledge to help you improvise and find foods that are compatible with your diet, for example if you are out with friends or stuck with no time to cook. Find items that are less time consuming that you can take with you in a pinch.

6. Don’t be so hard on yourself - Nobody is perfect all the time. If you mess up, miss a few meals, or even have a bad couple of days, just pick yourself up and get back on track. You’re doing this for you, and the added stress of not living up to your own expectations can lead to a total diet derailment. Being healthy and eating healthy does not mean you can’t enjoy foods not on your meal plan. So don’t be so hard on yourself. YOU CAN DO IT!

7. Stick with your plan - It takes time to develop healthy behaviors. After about a month of eating better consistently, you will have developed a habit. You will find that everything you initially may have had a hard time doing becomes more effortless and be a normal part of your day to day life.

8. Have fun - Eating right takes dedication, commitment and sacrifice. Don’t stress yourself out over small bumps in the road. You have the power to change any negative into a positive, and you have the choice to have a positive outlook regarding any situation you find yourself in. Find fun ways to keep yourself motivated. Get friends and family involved. Set challenges at home, with friends, or at work to start eating healthier. Take the time to cook and try new and interesting recipes. You are making change for the better, so why not make it enjoyable.

9. Give yourself praise - You are not a dog so don’t reward yourself with treats. Realize that changing your eating habits can be a daunting task for anyone. Just think how long you have had your current habits and know that changing those habits will not happen overnight, but with time. Congratulate yourself on any healthy changes you make, you deserve the praise. Praise builds confidence and makes you feel good about the healthy choices you are making, and in turn help keep you on your path to betterment.

10. Don’t rush into this - People always start with the best of intentions and will try and do everything at once. They get overwhelmed and quit before they really even started. Small changes add up and can make a huge difference. Work on one thing at a time and keep adding to it. Before you know it you will have many healthy habits that incorporate together to make a healthy lifestyle and a healthier and happier you.

11. Focus on the journey and not the destination - To live a healthy lifestyle is never easy. In order to enjoy this lifestyle with all the ups and downs, we must enjoy the process and the journey on the way to our destination. Once we hit our destination we immediately look to the next mountain top and we either want more, or worst case scenario we think that we have accomplished all we need to and we relax on all of the things that got us there in the first place. Take pride in small victories along the way, they add up.

12. Measure Success and Set New Goals: Making successful changes means measuring your progress towards your goals and recognizing your accomplishments. As you meet short-term goals, you can plan the next steps with more confidence. Constantly re-strategizing your goals takes long-term visualization. That long-term vision needs to be broken down into doable steps.