Summer is here and I love me some good ole summer salads. Black beans, avocado, CORN! Eat them hot or cold, summer salads are what grilling out is all about!
Years ago my good friend, Ashley over at Wee Wander, gave me this recipe. I’m not sure if she concocted it because she’s and former chef and all, but either way, it’s amazing. It’s super simple and yet the flavors are unlike any other veggie summer salad (or corn salad for that matter) that I’ve ever tried. The secret? Apple cider vinegar.
Here’s the recipe and 21 Day Fix container breakdown, below!
INGREDIENTS
5 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. EVOO
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. basil (dried) or 1 Tbsp. chopped (fresh)
DIRECTIONS
Boil corn for 3 minutes. Remove and plunge into ice water to stop the corn from cooking. Remove kernels and toss all ingredients (except fresh basil) together in a bowl. Allow to marinate for several hours or overnight. Toss with fresh basil before serving.
Ok, there’s a recurring theme on my blog here: easy, clean, and kid friendly. That about covers it. (Even bigger bonus if it’s 21 Day Fix approved, too! Luckily, I’d say 99.9% of the recipes I pots on here are, in fact, Fix approved! Yay!)
So it would make perfect sense that this here honey mustard-glazed chicken bake is also easy, clean, and kid friendly. Oh, and is it ever delish, too!
I pulled this recipe out of the February issue of Good Housekeeping since I am always on the lookout for recipes that are either a) clean or b) I can make clean. This is one of them. The original recipe calls for chicken thighs and drumsticks but I don’t like eating meat off a bone (I know, it’s a weird little idiosyncrasy I have) and dark meat, while it’s more moist in recipes like this, has more calories and isn’t as “clean.” Plus, those other two cuts of chicken have skin, which is where the big time calories (and not-so-clean factor) come into play.
So I switched things up a bit and used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and I gotta say, I was shocked at just how awesome this turned out! The bonus is that it’s a) 21 Day Fix approved! And b) it was kid friendly! My four year old couldn’t stop eating the parsnips and my 17 month old was hoovering the carrots! Score for Mom!
Here’s the recipe!
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. parsnips, sliced on an angle
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1/2 lb. carrots, quartered lengthwise, then cut into 2″ pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 tbsp. olive oil
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch long tenderloins
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. whole-grain mustard
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. brown sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In large roasting pan, toss parsnips, potatoes, carrots, onion, oil, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Roast 15 minutes.
Place chicken in single layer over vegetables. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast 15 minutes.
In medium bowl, whisk Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, honey and brown sugar. Drizzle all over chicken and vegetables. Roast 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked (165 degrees F) and vegetables are tender. Serve chicken with vegetables.
3 pieces of chicken = 1 red; 1 yellow; 1/2 green (I actually measure out each one by separating the carrots (green) from the parsnips and potatoes (both yellow)
I like easy. As in, throw it in a big Crock Pot, turn it on high, and let the flavors simmer together to create a meal that’s so delicious you’ll be licking your plate when you’re done. That’s my kinda meal. Especially as my littles get older and we’re racing from practice A to practice B to play date C. (Side note: I have officially become a soccer mom.)
So these pulled pork tacos from the 2006 issue of Real Simple have been in my dinner rotation long before kids ever came into the picture. Why? Because of all the reasons I listed, above. And now with kids and eating super clean on an every day basis, this is exactly what I need in my dinner life. Did I mention it also leaves you with amazing leftovers that taste even better on day 2?
The perks of this meal: my four year old LOVES them and it fits my clean eating lifestyle. Score!
Without further ado, here’s the kick-butt recipe, below, plus 21 Day Fix container breakdown!
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin (I’ve also made this with 3 boneless chicken breasts!)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves
2 large jars mild banana peppers (I like to use Mt. Olive brand)
1 red onion, roughly chopped
8 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed
DIRECTIONS
Heat Crock Pot to low. Season on all sides of the pork loin with the salt, pepper, and cumin. Spoon the jam over the pork, turning to coat. Scatter the banana peppers and onion around the pork. Cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred pork in the Crock Pot and mix up with all of the juices. Transfer to a bowl.
Serve with the tortillas. Cilantro and lime wedges are optional, but I don’t serve the tacos with them. There’s so much flavor it truly doesn’t need anything else.
I LOVE meatballs. I love when they’re browned ever so slightly on the outside to lock in the delicious, moist meat on the inside then baked to perfection so that when you bite into one, it literally melts in your mouth.
Yeah, I daydream about meatballs. You know what else? My waistline can’t afford to eat said meatballs all that often because of the amount of fat and calories loaded in ONE of those little bad boys. So, alas, I had to find a clean version that not only tasted just as wonderful as the ones packed with fat and oil, but were also just as easy.
Guess what? I found it! Even better? They’re 21 Day Fix approved!
Here’s the recipe:
One serving is 2 meatballs
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup Pecorino (or Parmesan)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 egg, whisked
zest of half a lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 14-ounce can store-bought pizza sauce
About 4 ounces fresh mozzarella (I use shredded but slices would actually be a good option, too)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F, setting rack to upper third part of oven. In a large bowl, using your hands, gently mix together first 11 ingredients. Shape into lacrosse-ball size balls (that would be somewhere between golf and tennis) and place a few inches from each other on a sprayed, foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix one spoonful of your pizza sauce with olive oil. Brush this mixture on top of each meatball. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove meatballs from oven, spoon some sauce on top of each meatball, and cover each with a slice of cheese. Broil another 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden. Heat remaining sauce in a small saucepan.
These yummy (and kid-friendly!) beef chorizo tacos are 21 Day Fix approved!
I love tacos. I also love anything that’s clean eating AND kid friendly. (Hey, when you’re a mom of an almost four year old, the things you love these days are pretty simple.) I came across this recipe in All You magazine and decided to give it a whirl. And wow. SO good. AND 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme approved! Score!
Best of all? I was able to cook the meat and prepare the salad ahead of time so that we could easily just heat up the meat and corn tortillas and sit down quick to eat! Plus, all of the clean up was done!
Here’s the recipe, which I tweaked just a bit because I felt the slaw needed a little more tang:
One Serving includes 2 tortillas
INGREDIENTS
4 cups very thinly sliced red cabbage
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
4 tablespoons white vinegar, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound 90% lean ground sirloin (I used lean ground beef but you could also use lean ground chicken or lean ground turkey, too)
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine cabbage and cilantro in a medium bowl.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, stirring with a fork or whisk.
3. Drizzle vinegar mixture over cabbage mixture; toss well to combine. Set aside.
4. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, paprika, cumin, pepper, and garlic, stirring well with a fork or whisk.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned and done, stirring to crumble.
6. Stir in vinegar-spice mixture; cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.
7. Heat tortillas over medium-high heat directly on the eye of a gas or electric burner or in a skillet for about 10 seconds on each side or until lightly charred.
8. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture and 1/4 cup slaw into each tortilla.
These chicken nuggets are oh-so tasty AND 21 Day Fix approved!
If you’re a parent, then you know chicken nuggets. You’ve likely cooked them in the oven for your little one. You’ve possibly gone through the drive-thru at McDonald’s, or, if you’re lucky, Chick-fil-A. (I’ll admit: Chick-fil-A’s chicken nuggets are da bomb.) BUT, the problem is not only that they’re deep-friend and heavily breaded, they’re all too often loaded with sodium not to mention ingredients that aren’t whole and clean. Who wants their child eating THAT?
So my girl-crush trainer, Autumn Calabrese, whipped up this recipe for her six-year-old son. I mean, if she’s going to preach to everyone else about eating clean and wholesome, then she better have her kid eating the same way, right? This recipe is not only one of the best and tastiest homemade chicken nugget recipes I’ve tried–and I’ve tried several including ones from Cooking Light, The Food Network, and various blogs–they’re also EXTREMELY clean. And a huge plus for me and my family is that they’re 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme approved! Boo-ya!
Here’s the recipe and 21 Day Fix container breakdown, below:
Serving size is 4-6 nuggets depending on how big you make them
INGREDIENTS
1 cup almond meal
2 Tablespoons of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning
1 lb. chicken cutlets- cut into cubes
DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl combine all of your dry ingredients. In a separate small ball whisk one large egg for the egg wash. Dip the cubes into the egg wash then into the breaking mix. Make sure to coat thoroughly. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spray a large cookie sheet with a light dusting of coconut oil, then place your coated nuggets on the pan. Bake for 25 min turning them every 5-7 min. Check to make sure there is no pink in the center of the chicken before eating.
What do you make when you have pork chops and apples laying around? Skillet pork chops and apples, of course! Hubs and I had been in a pork chops rut–we were always grilling them or cooking them in our cast iron pan but only seasoning with salt and pepper. But last night we had enough! So after a little Pinterest scrolling I found this recipe by the always reliable Mark Bittman. Not only were the flavors tremendously flavorful, but it was also Fix approved! How do ya like that?
We made a a change here or there (e.g., there was no need for that much oil OR the butter the recipe called for so I’ve removed or updated those from the recipe, below, to make it fit 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme). Oh, and we didn’t have any onions on hand sooo you won’t see those in this pic BUT next time we will definitely be adding them!
Bonus: my three year old ate this, too! Cue, pat Mom and Dad on the back :).
Here’s the recipe and 21 Day Fix container breakdown, below:
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
4 1″-thick pork chops, preferably bone in (6 to 8 ounces each)
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or light-bodied beer
2 Tbsp. chopped shallot or red onion
3 medium apples (we used Gala apples), peeled, cored, halved, and sliced
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1/2 cup chicken stock or water, or more as needed
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Blot the chops dry with a paper towel. Put a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When it’s hot, add the chops, turn the heat to high, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When they brown and release from the pan easily, turn the chops, season again, and cook this side the same way. The whole process should take about 2 minutes per side or 3 to 5 minutes total.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the wine—be careful here; the wine may splatter a bit when it hits the hot oil—and the shallot and cook, turning the chops once or twice, until the wine is almost evaporated, 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer the chops to a plate and return the pan to the heat.
Add the apples and onion to the hot pan and stir until they start to stick, 1 or 2 minutes. Add the stock, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chops to the pan, along with any juices accumulated on the plate. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat so it bubbles steadily, then cover.
Cook, stirring occasionally and turning the chops once or twice, until the chops are tender, 5 to 10 minutes; add another 1/2 cup stock or water if the apples start to stick. When the chops are done, they will be firm to the touch, their juices will run just slightly pink, and when you cut into them the color will be rosy at first glance but turn pale within seconds. By this time the apples and onions will also be soft. Stir in the lemon juice and butter and taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the chops with the sauce on top, garnished with the parsley.
Fit & Fierce Mama 