Apple Turkey Meatloaf with Maple Roasted Butternut Squash

This may be the best turkey muffin/mini meatloaf I've ever made. So moist and perfectly flavored. This recipe is perfect for the fall! You can easily make this into one large meatloaf and cook it longer, but they are so cute when they are baked in muffin tins. I HIGHLY recommend you serve this with a side of maple roasted butternut squash. Fall food party in your mouth!

                   

Apple Turkey Muffins

Ingredients:

- 1 lb lean ground turkey breast
- 1/4 cup egg whites
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/4 onion, finely chopped (I used my Ninja)
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- dash of pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure it is mixed really well!
3. Spray a muffin tin (mine had 6 cups) with cooking spray. Evenly divide the turkey mixture into the muffin tins.
4. Bake for 25 minutes and serve!

Nutrition information for 1 turkey muffin: 149 calories, 6 grams fat,  8.5 grams carbohydrates, 15.6 grams protein

Maple Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredient:

- 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks
- Cinnamon
- Sugar free syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cover a baking pan with tin foil and coat with cooking spray. Spray with  butternut squash with cooking spray and toss in a large bowl with cinnamon (I use a lot!).
2. Baked for about 30-35 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and drizzle with a sugar free syrup. Toss to coat.

               

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Not soggy!!)

The cauliflower pizza crust was all the rage a few years back. I experimented with it a few times, and although some recipes were tasty,the texture was not so great. Most of the time they were too flimsy and soggy.

A few people started to incorporate different flours, more cheese, added binders, etc. which helped the texture, but made the calories skyrocket. I feel like I found a really nice balance with this recipe. It didn't come out soggy like some of the basic recipes I’ve tried in the past, it’s MUCH more reasonable calorie-wise,  AND it’s really flavorful!

NOTE: For this recipe, I used a low-fat cheddar blend in the crust because it was what I had on hand. A low-fat mozzarella cheese would be a more traditional choice.

However, the cheddar crust would be great topped with a low-sugar BBQ sauce (instead of tomato sauce), grilled chicken, and avocado.  Or, spread with fat-free refried beans, grilled chicken, and topped with cheddar cheese. The possibilities are endless!

I made my own tomato sauce for this version and topped it with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, and a homemade olive tapenade. This recipe was inspired by Kalyn’s recipe- I modified some of her ingredients and was very happy with the results. 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

 Ingredients:

1 cup cauliflower (chopped in a food processor until it resembles rice-I used my Ninja)

½ cup grated low-fat cheese (used my Ninja to make my shredded blend more grated)

2 tablespoon almond flour

¼ cup egg beaters

1 tablespoon flaxseed

½ teaspoon garlic powder

pinch of salt

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450. Place a pizza stone inside the oven and let it heat up. 

2. Use a food processor to grate your cauliflower.Put the cauliflower into a bowl and microwave it until its  soft (about 6 minutes). It is EXTREMELY important that your cauliflower has NO moisture/water- you don’t want a soggy crust!

3. Combine the finely grated cheese, almond flour, flaxseed,and spices in a bowl. Whisk the egg beaters in a separate bowl, then mix them into the other ingredients. Combine well.

4. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Form the crust ingredients into a ball and place them on the cookie sheet. Use your fingers to shape the crust, spreading it out thin. Place the cookie sheet on top of the stone in the oven and cook until the crust is lightly browned, about 12-15 minutes.

5. When the crust is done, add your toppings and put the pizza back in the oven to melt your cheese.

I wasn’t the only one who loved it- my whole family thought it was delicious. They never would’ve guessed it was made from cauliflower. They did, however, guess tofu, protein powder, and beans. They know me well ;)

Tomato Orange Swai

This is a simple recipe that is packed with flavor. You can use almost any white fish for this dish. Comes together really quickly for an easy, healthy, and delicious meal!

Tomato Orange Swai

1 (4 oz) Swai filet
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 large orange (2 large wedges), chopped
1 teaspoon orange zest
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
Ginger
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add the onion and cook until soft (about 3-4 minutes).
2. Add the tomatoes, oranges, orange zest, salt, pepper, and ginger. Add spices to taste; I used a dash each of salt and pepper and a few dashes of the ginger. Cook together for about 10 minutes.
3. Season the swai with salt and pepper. Add to the pan with the sauce and cook until the fish is cooked through (it will flake easily with a fork).

Protein Rice Pudding

I cannot take credit for this recipe, but it is so amazingly delicious that I had to share! This recipe uses zero calorie Miracle Rice. I haven't tried the rice in any other recipe, because I'm officially addicted to this pudding. After trying it the first time, I placed an immediate order for more Miracle Rice. The serving size is HUGE (makes 1 serving), so if you're a volume eater, you need this in your life. You can view the original recipe on Kim's site. 

Protein Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

1 package Miracle Rice 
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 scoop Cellucor Cinnamon Swirl protein powder
1 tablespoon sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
1 packet stevia

Directions:

1. Rinse the Miracle Rice in a strainer (make sure it has super small holes so the rice doesn't fall out!)

2. Pat the rice dry (don't drive yourself crazy, but you want to make sure there isn't a lot of water in your bowl)

3. Add the rice to a large bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients.

I topped mine with fresh fruit, roasted edamame, and peanut butter!

Serves: 1

• 1 whole bag of miracle rice (2.5 servings)
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 scoop cinnamon swirl cellucor protein
• 1 TBSP sugar free vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 stevia packet

- See more at: http://www.thecoconutdiaries.net/protein-rice-pudding/#sthash.UiO8tdEd.dpuf