Crockpot Queso Chicken Chili

Everyone NEEDS to make this on Sunday. Buy the ingredients, throw them in your crockpot, run errands/go to the gym/go to brunch/etc., then come home to a delicious meal you can eat all week. This chili is a little spicy, a little creamy, and absolutely delicious!

This recipe is only slightly modified from Pinch of Yum:

Crock Pot Queso Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 cups salsa, divided
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bell peppers, minced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces fat free cream cheese
4 ounces lite cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese
Cilantro for topping

Directions:

1. Place the chicken breasts, 1 1/2 cups salsa, water, cumin, chili powder, and salt in the crockpot. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours. When the chicken is done, shred the meat directly in the crockpot using two forks.

2. Pat the minced peppers dry with a paper towel. Place the bell peppers in a large nonstick skillet high heat WITHOUT oil. This creates the browned, roasted look on the outside of the peppers. Stir once and repeat until the peppers are nice and browned.

3. After the chicken has been shredded, add the peppers, corn, black beans, remaining salsa and cream cheese to the crockpot. Stir and replace cover, allowing the cream cheese to the crockpot. Let the soup simmer for another 15-20 minutes until everything is smooth and melted. Just before serving, stir in the cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese.

Serves 6

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 354 calories, 6 grams fat, 40 g carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 35 grams protein

Tofu Breakfast Scramble

I had an amazing tofu scramble for breakfast when I was in California a few weeks ago, and wanted to recreate it. I found this recipe on www.itdoesnttastelikechicken.com and the only thing I changed was the type of tofu and the type of salt used (because it was harder to find).

If you're not usually into tofu, I still encourage you to try this scramble. It's heartier than you may think, and has tons of flavor!

Tofu Breakfast Scramble

Ingredients:

Spice Mix:
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon tumeric
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Tofu Scramble:
- 2 boxes of Naysoya Lite Firm Tofu (or regular firm tofu*)
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms of choice
- 1 red pepper
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:
1. Add all of the spice mix ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Chop the red pepper, onions, garlic, and mushrooms.
3. Place a large pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onions, peppers, and mushrooms and saute for about 8 minutes until everything just starts to brown. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
4. Add the tofu blocks and smash apart with a spoon or spatula. Don't mash it completely - you want some good chunks in there.
5. Add the spice mix and black beans and stir everything up. Heat through for about another 8 minutes. Serve!

Easiest Ever Black Bean Soup

I didn't have a lot of ingredients on hands, so I kept this really simple: diced tomatoes, black beans, garlic, and spices. It's an easy soup that is still full of flavor. If you're feeling fancy, top with some low-fat shredded cheese, and sliced green onion.

Easiest Ever Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 cans (14.5 ounce) black beans (with liquid- don't drain!)
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Add the canned tomatoes to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
2. Heat a large non-stick soup pot over medium heat. Add all ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve!

Vanilla Birthday Cake with Vanilla Frosting

It was my roommate's birthday last Wednesday, so I obviously had to make her a protein cake. This cake was a little random. No plan. Just throwing ingredients in the food processor and hoping for the best. It worked :)

Note: I cooked this in a loaf pan. If you are cooking in a cake pan, I would double or triple the recipe.

Vanilla Birthday Cake with Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients:

1/3 cup millet flour (or whole wheat pastry flour should work)
1/3 cup vanilla whey protein powder
1/3 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 packet stevia
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drains (can use chickpeas or cannelini)
1/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 egg

Frosting:
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
3 tablespoon vanilla whey protein powder

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2.  Throw all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
3. Add to a loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake about 25-30 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Transfer to a large plate or cooling rack and cool completely.
4. To make the frosting, mix together the Greek yogurt and protein powder. Spread evenly over the top of the cake. I cut my cake into four pieces and layered them, but that doubles the serving size. Do what you like!

For 1 slice (of 4): 164 Cal, 19 g C, 13 g P, 4 g F, 3 g Sugar

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

What's more perfect than chili and pumpkin for the fall? Comfort food at its finest. Protein and fiber-packed, this chili is healthy, satisfying, and a stick-to-your guts type of meal. It's a great go-to, crowd pleasing meal!

Note: When I went to the store to buy my ingredients, I forgot the diced tomatoes. So, I used Progresso's Recipe Starters Cooking Sauce in Fire Roasted Tomato because it was what I had on hand. Worked amazingly well! You can probably substitute with a 14.5 ounce of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup tomato sauce, but I can't promise it will be the same!

 

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 package lean ground turkey (I used 93/7)

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin 

1 can (18 ounce) Progresso Recipe Starters cooking sauce in  Fire Roasted Tomato

1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup water

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Spray a large pot with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. 

2. Add garlic and onion to pan. Cook until soft (about 2-3 minutes). Add ground turkey. Break apart the turkey with your spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until pink begins to disappear and meat begins to brown. 

4. Add pumpkin, tomato sauce, black beans, water, chili powder, and garlic powder to the pot. Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 25-30 minutes. 

6. Enjoy topped with greek yogurt and cheese if you like!

Serves 8 (about 1 1/3 cup per serving)

Nutrition Info: 272 calories, 8.4 g Fat, 25 g CHO (7 g Fiber), 24 g Protein

Black Bean Protein Brownie

I was in the mood to try something new, so I modified a recipe posted on proteinpow.com and made a delish new protein snack! The black bean part? Don't let it scare you! It created a dense, fudge-y texture.

This recipe needs only five ingredients and it's super easy to make! I made a batch and froze half (it freezes well!). I just nuke it in the micro for 20 seconds and its just as delicious as when I first baked it!

                                           


Black Bean Protein Brownies

Ingredients:

1 can low-sodium black beans (I used a can that had 3 servings at 100 calories each)
1/2 cup chocolate protein powder
3 tablespoons coconut flour
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla coconut/almond milk
Truvia to taste (optional)

Directions:

Just blend all of the ingredients together, place in a sprayed bread tin, and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes (knife should come out clean). Let cool on a cooling rack then cut into 6 bars.

Per one bar: 104 calories, 2.0 g Fat, 12 g CHO, 6 g Fiber, 11 g Protein


I brought one bar with me to my internship yesterday along with two tofu mini-meals I made. I buy the Light Firm Tofu, so one whole block is only 210 calories. Therefore, I eat the whole thing. I decided to make two totally different mini-meals instead of making a larger batch of the same recipe (just to keep it exciting). So, I came up with my Italian Baked Tofu:

AND my Tofu and Green Bean Stir-fry with Sichuan Sauce: