Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

 Well . . . I haven't actually done the 14-Day reset as planned because I was sick with COVID.  Last night, I did use one of the recipes for dinner.  

The actual recipe is Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya.  I did lots of substitutions so if you want to see the original recipe, click on the above link.  I will need to cut the spices for next time as it was a little bit too spicy for my husband (I liked it!).  Oh, we had stewed tomatoes instead of crushed or diced.  I will use the diced next time.  And I may add more mushrooms.

Here's my modified recipe:

1 Tbsp Avocado Oil

13 oz smoked turkey sausage, sliced

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into chunks

4 mushrooms, cut in chunks

1 cup sliced celery

2 tsp Onion Onion Seasoning

1 tsp Garlic Garlic Seasoning

1 (14 oz) can no salt added crushed tomatoes

3/4 cup unsalted chicken broth

1 1/2 Tbsp Simply Salsa Mix

1 tsp smoked Paprika

2 tsp chili powder

2 (12 oz) pkgs frozen riced cauliflower

1.  In large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add sausage, chicken, celery, mushrooms, Onion Onion Seasoning and Garlic Garlic Seasoning.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink, sitrring occasionally.

2.  Stir in tomatoes, broth, Simply Salsa, paprika and chili powder.  Stir in riced cauliflower.  Bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Makes 5 servings.

Reset Prep and Day 1

Oh boy . . . plans didn't go so well.  The weather got in the way Sunday afternoon that we decided not to do the grocery shopping until yesterday.   And shopping wasn't easy . . . most of the shelves in the grocery store were empty.  We didn't get half the items.  So, went across the street to the other grocery store - was able to pick up a few more items.  Because we did the shopping so late in the afternoon, I didn't get the prep work done in advance.

This morning, I made the Simply Salsa Egg Cups

for today's breakfast as well as for Day 3 and 5.  However, I may switch Day 2 for Day 3 or 5 as we were not able to purchase the items needed for the Day 2 breakfast (more about that later).  Listed below are the items I used.  For the chopped items, please do it in advance before cooking.

Ingredients

8 oz 99% lean ground turkey 

1 red bell pepper, chopped 

1 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning 

3 tsp Simply Salsa Mix

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped (I actually tore mine into small pieces)

6 large eggs plus 3/4 c egg substitute

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In large skillet over medium-high heat (I actually used medium heat), combine turkey, peppers, Onion Onion Seasoning, and Simply Salsa mix.  Cook and crumble until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes.  Drain off excess liquid (I didn't have any).  Stir in spinach.  Remove from heat; let spinach wilt.
3. 
   Divide mixture among wells of greased muffin pan (12 count); set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk; salt and pepper as desired (I didn't use any).  Divide among wells of muffin pan.
   
   
   
5. Bake 17-20 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean (it took mine about 23 minutes).  Let stand 5 minutes; carefully remove from pan.
   

3 "muffins" equals a serving.  Serve it with 1 cup of mixed berries.  I had blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  Once the remaining muffins have cooled completely, I stored a serving in sandwich size ziploc bags.  Two can go in the frig and the last one can go in the freezer for a later time.  To reheat, microwave on High 1-2 minutes or until heated through. 

Lunch for today is supposed to be Pistachio Chicken Salad.  However, that calls for the Magic Chicken, which wasn't made in advance.  I have prepped that this morning while my breakfast was baking.  It will be used for dinner.

    Ingredients

3 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup water

4 Tbsp Makin'Magic Chicken Seasoning

    Directions

1. In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker combine all ingredients, sprinkling each layer of chicken with seasoning.
2. Cook on low 5-7 hours
3. 
   Chop or shred chicken; toss with liquid in slow cooker.  Divide into 1-quart freezer bags according to below seal well, label and refrigerate or freeze.
• 1/2 cup for Day 1 lunch Pistachio Chicken Salad
• 
  2 1/2 cups for Day 1 dinner Balsamic Chicken & Veggie Skillet
• 2 1/2 cups for Day 2 dinner Chopped Chicken BLT Salad
• Portion any remaining chicken as desired for later use. (the recipe makes 12 - 1/2 cup servings).
• If there is broth left over, freeze it for later use in making soups.

 

So, I'll have a regular green salad (2 cups of mixed salad greens) with 2 cups raw veggies (carrots, brocoli, celery, mushrooms, and peppers) and 5 ozs of low sodium tuna in water.  Dressing will be our Citrus Herb Vinaigrette.

Dinner is the Balsamic Chicken & Veggie Skillet (because the Magic Chicken will be available).  This is so good!  I did do some substitutions, so I will list what I used.  The link is to the original recipe.

 Ingredients

     2 Tbsp Avocado Oil

    1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed, cut in half

    1 medium zucchini, cubed

    1 cup sliced mushrooms

    1 Tbsp Citrus Herb Seasoning

    2 1/2 cups prepared and shopped Makin Magic Chicken

    2 Tbsp Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

    Directions

1. In large skillet, heat Avocado Oil over medium high heat.  Add next 4 ingredients.  Sauté 4-5 minutes
2. Add chicken.  Continue sautéing until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
   
3. Remove from heat.  Toss with Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Makes 5 servings.  Reserve 1 serving for Day 2 lunch.  I froze the remaining servings for later use as we are just a family of 2.

There are two snacks scheduled during the day.  Snack 1 is Prosciutto Wrapped Melon.  I'll probably have this tonight.  Snack 2 is 2 cups of assorted veggies (like broccoli, cauliflower, etc) with 1 serving of Creamy Balsamic Herb Dressing.

Time to figure out what menu I will be following for Day 2.  It will probably be Day 3 since I need to cook up the salmon that was purchased yesterday.

14-Day Reset - Day 6

I decided today would be a relaxing day and a treat day.  Actually, I didn't do too bad . . . finally cooked the beef in the crock-pot for tonight's dinner.  Pictures were taken of dinner but they will be added at a later date.

Breakfast was a small meal - 2 hard-boiled eggs, that's all.

Morning snack - hmmm . . . I think it was some almonds.

Lunch was a can of Chicken & Wild Rice soup with some added chicken.

Afternoon snack was about 4 oz of sliced turkey.

Dinner - Finally had the Salsa Beef Salad except I didn't have it as a salad . . .  just the Salsa Beef with a side of steamed broccoli.

We finished off the evening with a John Wayne western movie and some popcorn.

So, I had a couple of servings of carbs today.  Normally I avoid them.  But like I indicated earlier, it was my relax day.  Tomorrow will be another day . . . prepping for some upcoming breakfasts and dinners and planning the shopping for week 2.

14-Day Reset: Simply Salsa Egg Cups

Follow my journey with Tastefully Simple's 14-Day Reset Kit.  This was a great success for me back in July/August that I decided to do it again since I reached another plateau in my weight loss journey.

This breakfast recipe is simple to make - takes about 20 minutes total.  Nutritional Facts per serving (per recipe):  320 calories, 18 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 475 mg cholesterol, 430 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 2 g sugar, and 31 g protein.

I did some substitutions - I used 99% fat-free ground turkey, egg substitute and Vanilla unsweetened Almond milk.  I did not add the salt and pepper in the egg mixture.  However, I did sprinkle Seasoned Pepper on top before baking.


Ingredients:

8 oz 93% lean ground turkey
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning
2-3 tsp Simply Salsa Mix
4 c fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
9 large eggs
1 c unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice (almond, cashew, coconut).


Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In large skillet over medium-high heat, combine turkey, peppers, Onion Onion Seasoning and Simply Salsa Mix.  Cook and crumble until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes.  Drain off excess liquid.  Stir in spinach.  Remove from heat; let spinach wilt.

2.  Divide mixture among wells of greased (12-count) muffin pan; set aside.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk; salt and pepper as desired.  Divide among wells of muffin pan.

3.  Bake 17-20 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes; carefully remove from pan.

Makes 4 servings (3 egg cups).

Slow Cooker Simply Salsa Chicken Recipe - #9 of TS Eatwell Choices 28 day menu

This was Monday night's dinner.  We had to have a quick meal as there was a niece's soccer game to watch that evening.  I don't get home from work until 6 and the game started at 7:30 (a half-hour drive from our house).  This met the need.

This recipe came from Tastefully Simple's recipe section.  We enjoyed it very much.  And I had a very full crock-pot.  Serves 6-8 (I actually got 8 servings!).  No modifications this time (sorry to disappoint you).  My chicken was still frozen so I cooked it a little longer (probably wasn't necessary as the chicken started be a little bit dry).

Ingredients:
1/4 C Simply Salsa Mix
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (I had no salt added)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 C uncooked instant rice
1 C water
1/2 C cheese (I used low fat)

Directions:  Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, cook on low 8-10 hours.

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Simply Sweet & Spicy Lime Chicken

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup Simply Salsa Mix
1/2 cup lemon-lime soda
2 Tbsp olive oil

Place ingredients in a large resealable bag; marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Discard marinade; grill chicken to desired doneness.

Makes 6 servings.

Side:  Grilled green beans & potatoes using Roasted Garlic Infused Oil, Bacon Bacon, Garlic Garlic & Seasoned Salt.  Coat well then grill.