Cheeseburger Sliders

Sliders! Who doesn't love sliders right?  Well these turned out super yummy according to the kids and they were SO easy to make!  Enjoy and let me know how you like them!

Ingredients
---King's Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
---2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey (preferably extra lean)
---1 red onion
---sliced cheddar cheese
---butter
---No salt seasoning (I use the Kirkland brand or Mrs Dash)
---Smoked paprika

Directions
---Blend seasoning and smoked paprika (and any other seasoning you prefer to use) into your ground beef or turkey
---Spray a pirex dish to prevent sticking
---Spread ground beef or turkey in there to match the size of the dinner rolls packaging.  Possibly spread it a little thicker since it'll shrink.  It should a little over 1/2 an inch thick
---Bake at 400 degrees until fully cooked.  Usually about 25 minutes
---While meat is cooking, finely chop the onion.
---Melt coconut oil in a skillet and caramelize the onion, then set aside.
---Remove beef or turkey from oven, drain the fat and set aside.
---Slice the King's Hawaiian rolls down the center all the way across.
---Clean the pirex dish the meat was cooked on or use another one & lay the bottom layer of rolls in it
---Place the cooked ground beef or turkey on top.
---Then cover with slices of cheese.
---Top with onions and place the top layer of rolls on top
---Melt a tablespoon of butter.  Lightly brush the top of the rolls
---Bake at about 350 degrees for another 5-10 minutes or so until cheese is melted and rolls are browning
---Remove from the oven, let cool and slice.  Then ENJOY!
---We made them with sweet potato fries on the side and it was PERFECT!

If you're following the 21 Day Fix, the breakdown is as follows:

Each slider = 1 red (beef or turkey), 1 blue (cheese), 1 yellow (rolls) 1 teaspoon (butter & oil),

Broccoli Cheese Protein Muffins

Easy peasy way to get your protein in! Egg white, broccoli & cheese muffins! Grab and go, I don't even heat 'em up!

Ingredients
2 pints of egg whites
2 cups steamed broccoli
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chunky salsa of your choice
No salt seasoning if your choice
Smoked paprika (optional)
Non stick cooking spray
12 count muffin tin

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spray muffin tin with non stick cooking spray
3. Pour egg whites into it leaving a small amount of room in each one for other ingredients
4. Add broccoli. I buy frozen broccoli, steam it and have it ready to go in the fridge
5. Sprinkle cheese on top
6. Add about half to a full teaspoon of salsa
7. Sprinkle seasoning and smoked paprika on top
8. Bake until golden brown. Test them before removing them. If they come out of the tin while and are fully cooked all the way around, they are ready to go. I like my eggs very well done so I wait until they are very golden brown.
9. Let cool and enjoy!  I eat them cold but you can reheat in the microwave if you wish. I sometimes add a slice of baked sweet potato on top OR you can bake them with the sweet potato on the. Ittom, adding it before you add the egg whites to the tin. TONS of options with these

The Best Low Carb Pizza

Guilt free pizza without giving up the taste!
If you love pizza, and come on, who doesn’t, you HAVE to try his low carb, gluten free, guilt free option!

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken thigh (more flavor/fat than ground chicken breast but you can use breast or all ground chicken also)
1/2-3/4 cup grated (powdered) Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Mozzarella
1/4 cup frozen spinach (optional)
Salt, pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In large bowl mix ground chicken thigh, cheese and seasoning

Thaw spinach and remove excess water with paper towel or cheesecloth, add to mixture

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and press chicken mixture into even thin layer

Bake for 20 minutes

Remove from oven and top with desired toppings (ideas: red onion, cilantro, chicken, bacon and sugar free or low sugar bbq sauce!)

Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and brown
notes

If using ground chicken breast, reduce cooking temperature to 375 and reduce cooking time to 15 minutes or until cooked through. Add additional time after toppings until cheese is melted and golden, being careful not to overcook.

Once pizza cools a bit, it can be picked up like regular crust

If mixture seems too wet, add more grated parmesan. I used freshly ground chicken thigh so there was less moisture. If you’re using a roll of chicken, it could be more wet and need extra cheese

Personalize it with your favorite toppings and seasonings in the crust as well

Separate into 4-6 and freeze chicken crust (no toppings) individually for quick meal

Serving Size:
1/4 Pizza
Calories: 193
Fat: 8
Carbohydrates: 0
Protein: 27

Spaghetti Squash Patties

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And when life gives you squash, you make squash patties!  I made a TON of spaghetti squash for life group earlier this week and we didn't feel like spaghetti again last night....of any kind, so I whipped up these with a recipe I made up using the ingredients I had. Ideally, I would've used eggs or egg whites for a binding agent but I used them up for meal prep on my egg muffins so I had to make without. I'll post MY recipe below but, for a better consistency and flavor, you can add an egg as well.  And this is for a very small spaghetti squash. If you have a larger one, slowly add more breadcrumbs to make it thick enough to form patties with. 

Ingredients

1 small spaghetti squash

1/4 cup shredded cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Italian no salt seasoning

1.  Slice the spaghetti squash in half, take out the "guts" like you would a pumpkin. Scrape out the seeds and the rest of the loose interior.  

2.  Brush it lightly with olive oil and place it face down on a pan.  

3.  Bake it at 400 for about 35 - 40 minutes.

4. Remove, let it cool and scrape out the inside with a fork into a bowl.  

5.  Add cheese, breadcrumbs and no salt seasoning to the bowl and blend.  You can also add an egg for an additional binding agent. I didn't because I didn't have one but I will next time I make these :)  

6.  After you blend the mixture well, form them into patties and place on a greased cookie sheet. 

7.  Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, checking them to make sure they don't burn. They should be golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside when done.  

8.  Serve as an appetizer, side dish or finger foods for the kiddos!

21 Day Fix  APPROXIMATE Breakdown since it all depends on the size of your squash, how much egg and breadcrumbs you add :) 

4 patties = 1 green, partial blue, partial yellow & partial red (if you add egg)

Baked Zucchini Tots

Getting your kids to eat veggies can be difficult, especially if you have picky eaters! BUT, making foods like these makes it easier to sneak in some goodness!I adapted this recipe from the Skinny Taste Zucchini Tots recipe.  That recipe calls for breadcrumbs but I'm trying to avoid gluten so I replaced it with ground and cooked quinoa instead and got some extra protein out of it too!  Give this a try and let me know what ya' think! 

Ingredients

cooking spray
1 packed cup grated zucchini
1 large egg or 2 large egg whites
1/4 medium onion, minced (optional)
1/4 cup grated cheese (I used mozzarella & some parmessan because I didn't have much of either one but you can use your fave)
1/3 cup ground quinoa (I ground mine dry in my Blendtec)

1/3 cup cooked quinoa
Favorite seasoning (I used Kirkland no salt seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Grate the zucchini into a clean dish towel until you have 1 packed cup.  Wring all of the excess water out of the zucchini, there will be a lot of water. In a medium bowl,combine all of the ingredients and season to taste.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture in your hands and roll into small ovals. Place on the cookie sheet and bake for 16 to 18 minutes, turning halfway though cooking until golden. Makes 16. A serving is 4.

21 Day Fix Breakdown

1 Green (zucchini)

1 yellow (quinoa

partial blue (cheese)

partial red (egg)