Shredded Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Hey friends!!  This is part one of a two-part blog post.  I made two separate but awesome foods for dinner tonight (the other one was Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce) and I feel like they deserve their own posts.  Therefore, this is part one...Shredded Chicken Stuffed Peppers.

I visited one of our local farm stores today and picked up three chicken breasts.  I know the chicken is from PA, just a hop, skip & a jump away from MD - and I know that it's humanely raised with no hormones or anti-biotics.  I pretty much always buy my chicken from this particular farm store.

I tossed the chicken in the crockpot and added a mixture of about 1/3 cup of my FAVE chili sauce by Organicville and 1 cup water, then I sprinkled a Mexican spice mix over top.  The chicken cooked on low for about 6 hours and it shredded with just one fork (can't beat that!)

Ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cup shredded chicken
1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
6-7 lacinato kale leaves, chopped
1T coconut oil
2 large green bell peppers
garlic powder
taco seasoning or Mexican spice mix
Daiya cheese, 3T chopped (or any dairy or non-dairy cheese of your choice)

Heat oven to 425.  Cut the tops off of the green peppers and scoop out the insides (pic 2).  Place in baking dish and bake for about 10 minutes before stuffing (pic 3).  Meanwhile, heat a pan on stove over medium heat and add 1T coconut oil.  Add red pepper and onion (pic 8).  Once those turn translucent, add the chopped kale (pic 9).  Cook for two minutes, then remove from heat.  Mix veggies in a bowl with the chicken and cheese.  Spoon half of the mixture into each green pepper (pic 12).  Put back into oven and cook 10-15 minutes (pic 13).

Let cool and serve with Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce (part 2 of this blog post).

Now - step by step pictures!

1. Organic, fresh bell peppers 

2. Cut off tops & scoop out seeds

3. After pre-baking for ten minutes

8. Red Pepper & onion, sauteed in coconut oil 

9. Sauteed veggies with kale added for final 2 minutes

10. Shredded chicken

11. Daiya Jack - my favorite cheese substitute

12. Before baking

13. After baking

Serve alongside my Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce 

Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce

Here's part 2 of my two-part blog post tonight:  Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce.  My earlier post was for Shredded Chicken Stuffed Green Peppers.  I served these zucchini noodles with the stuffed peppers tonight and they were heavenly!  A great pairing if you ask me.

A friend had posted on Facebook last week that she purchased a spiral cutter for veggies, to make noodles and such.  I have been wanting one for quite some time - well over a year now...so I jumped at the opportunity to get this Paderno spiral slicer on Amazon.  It arrived today and while I had already decided to make my stuffed peppers, how could I not use my brand new kitchen tool?  Just happens I picked up three organic zucchini this morning.

I want to say that while I will totally make raw zucchini noodles (recipes forthcoming), I decided to steam them tonight.  I liked the consistency, but I did really need to drain them.  Zucchini retain a lot of water!

Ingredients:
1 large zucchini
pinch Himalayan sea salt
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1T coconut oil
2 avocados
1/2 lemon
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp taco or Mexican seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder

I used my spiral cutter to make the zucchini noodles.  I did cut the zucchini in half crosswise to make sure it would stay securely on the cutter (pic 1).  It worked perfectly (pic 2). Toss zucchini noodles with a pinch of sea salt and steam for about 12 minutes.  Remove from steamer and drain well to remove excess water (pic 7).

In blender, add avocados, coconut milk, juice from 1/2 lemon and seasonings.  Blend until desired consistency, adding more coconut milk if you'd like (pic 4).  *Note - I only used half of this sauce for the noodles.  Set the sauce aside and heat a small pan on medium heat.  Add the coconut oil and red peppers.  Sauté for 3-5 minutes (pic 6).  Toss drained noodles, red pepper & sauce together - serve warm.

These noodles can be served with my Shredded Chicken Stuffed Peppers or any other protein dish.  Enjoy!!

1. Half of a raw zucchini, ready for spiral cutting

2. Raw zucchini noodles, before steaming

3. Avocado Cream Sauce ingredients

4. Blended sauce

6. Red peppers, sautéed in coconut oil

7. zucchini noodles, steamed & drained 

8. Serve with Shredded Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Fit & Healthy Baked Oatmeal Bowl

Hey fit friends!!  Although I know it's really not the best time to grab my phone and plug into the digital world (i.e. fill my brain with social media mush), I often open Instagram before I get out of bed.  It's kind of my wake-up routine.  Open eyes, pick up phone, check email, check Instagram...and occasionally check Facebook.  Yeah...

As I was scrolling this morning, I saw a picture of someone's breakfast - baked oats.  It looked fantastic!!  I can't remember who's post it was (if it was yours, please comment and share your page) because it didn't really sink in just how good that breakfast would be until a few hours later, post-workout.  As my heart rate was dropping back to normal after an hour of ChaLEAN Extreme and TurboFire (Day 1 of my 90 day hybrid workout), I started thinking about food.  And the oats kept creeping back into my belly.  Er...into my mind.

I figured I'd just make my standard Overnight Oats recipe and, well...toss it in the oven.  Pretty much fool proof.  Preheat oven to 375.  I used a nonstick ceramic ramekin and didn't need to spray or grease it.  In a small mixing bowl add the following:

1/3 cup gluten free rolled oats (I like Trader Joe's brand)
1T chia seed
sprinkle of cinnamon
sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt
1/2 small banana, sliced
4 small strawberries, sliced
1-2T raw nut butter of your choice (I used walnut/cashew)

Add all, except fruit & nut butter, to mixing bowl and cover with unsweetened vanilla coconut or coconut/almond milk and stir to combine.  Add to ramekin and then layer the sliced banana and strawberries.  I added the walnut butter in the center instead of stirring to combine it.  Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

This could be made so many ways!!  I think tomorrow I might try it with organic pumpkin and fresh organic blueberries, and in place of the nut butter, use raw slivered almonds.  Decisions!!  If you make it, please share and tag me on Instagram (@FitHealthyMommy) or Facebook (Fit & Healthy Mommy) - Please like and follow me as well!

Simple, short list of ingredients

Fruit - it's a tiny cutting board - it wasn't that much fruit!

Before baking

After baking

A spoonful of Yummy Goodness