Taco chicken/Quinoa Mini Meatloafs

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Hi friends! I'm back today with a quick recipe. I've been dabbling in the "meal prep" club lately because it makes it much easier to pack lunches and keep me away from the Whole Foods hot/cold bar. It's healthier and more cost effective, so win-win! On Sunday night, I posted a quick snap of my mini taco meatloafs and received a few texts offline asking for the recipe so I'm bringing it to you today! Be warned, the photos aren't pretty because I wasn't sure that I'd post it. I'm glad I took a few though because they honestly came out SO GOOD and are super-duper healthy.

These mini meatloafs were inspired by two meals I've been making often lately. SarahFit recently posted about buffalo chicken meatloafs that I've now made  twice. They are so good and a great lunch option. The other meal I've made consistently is the "Protein Stuffed Peppers". That recipe calls for mixing ground chicken and quinoa together. I like this idea because it bulks up the recipe a bit to make more mini loafs. It also adds more protein, fiber, Iron, and Magnesium with the quinoa.

So, let's get to it, shall we?

Taco Quinoa/Chicken Mini Meatloafs
Makes 12 mini meatloafs (6 servings)

Need:
- 1Lb of organic ground chicken or turkey
- 1/2 cup of dry quinoa
- Half pint of cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion
- Packet of taco seasoning
- 1 egg + 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs
 

Chop up the red onion and organic cherry tomatoes then set aside.

Cook up both the ground chicken/onion and the quinoa, separately. Then, add the tomatoes, taco seasoning, and cooked quinoa to the meat mixture. Mix, set aside, and let cool (I put it in the fridge for a little bit).

Once it's cooled a bit, add the egg, bread crumbs, and tomatoes and mix evenly. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool!

For this week, I also washed, dried, and cut up two heads of romaine lettuce to have in a bag for salads during the week.

Here's how I ate my muffins on Monday... Romaine, squeeze of lime, two loafs (re-heated) and topped on salad. 

Delish and so easy! Enjoy!

xo

Bits & Bites #11

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Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope you are all having a productive first week of the new year!

I'm back today with the 11th edition of "Bites & Bites". I like sharing these posts as I hope they provide some healthier meal ideas for you all. I also really like to go back through the old posts to see what I was into during past seasons or phases. They always give me some solid reminders of healthy eats that I can add back into my routine. 

Obviously, my diet the last month or so included more 'treats' than normal. I shared most of those delectable little bites on my instagram account. Today, however, I have some proof of the "balance" I maintained throughout the holiday season. Note: Bits & Bites photos are never pretty. They are usually quick snaps right before I stuff my face. Let's get to it, shall we?

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Saturday Lunch: Chickpeas, tomatoes, parsley, feta, evoo, balsamic vinegar, salt & crushed red pepper. I made this one Saturday afternoon for lunch for Rob and me. I think we had dinner plans that night and I wanted to make sure we had something hearty but, light for lunch.

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Lunch: Miso and udon noodle soup bowl, simple green salad, and popcorn.

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Dinner: Quinoa made with peppers and onions, topped with grilled chicken and sriracha.

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Sunday night dinner: Barilla protein plus pasta served scampi style with pea pods and shrimp.

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Dinner: Fish stick tacos and roasted sweet potatoes.

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Lunch: Udon soup noodle bowl and grapefruit.

Lunch: Salad with peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, turkey, a little provolone with balsamic vinegar and evoo.

Lunch: Whole Foods Taco salad bar. I chose romaine, salsa, jalapeños, pulled chicken, a sprinkle of quinoa, a sprinkle of cheese, and a squeeze of lime.

Dinner: Two buffalo chicken mini meatloafs, roasted sweet potatoes, and simple salad.

Lunch: Quinoa bake made with asparagus, peppers, and cheddar plus a "kitchen sink" salad.

QUESTIONS:
Do you go through phases with foods/meals?
Do you meal prep?

Have a great rest of your week! xo

The Best Deals on the Healthiest Stuff!

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So, we all know that healthy and organic products can be a tad pricey. For me, these products are worth the money, but, if I can find a bargain then I'm going for it! Well, let me tell you that I have found a resource that sells some of my very favorite health products for a fraction of what I usually pay. My mind was kind of blown actually.

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Out of the above listed products, I use or consume the following EVERY day:
- Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar: At least one shot with water every day.
- Ceylon Cinnamon: Sprinkled on top of my english muffin.
- Argan Oil: Nightly face moisturizer.
- Turmeric: One capsule daily.

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Here's how I use the others:
- Green Tea: I try to drink it often... I'm not great about it.
- Coconut Butter: In my english muffin spread rotation along with almond butter and occasionally peanut butter.
- Liquid Aminos: NEW to me. I've known about this product for a while, but, this purchase was my first time using them.
- Tea Tree Oil: Zits. (the best BTW)

So, Swanson Health Products reached out to me a couple weeks ago to see if I'd try some of their products. As I always do when a brand approaches me... I do my research to see if in fact, it aligns with my fun fit flavor brand. As soon as I visited the website, I saw about 5 products (on the first page) that I use on a consistent basis. Then, I saw the prices and immediately responded to my contact at Swanson Health Products. Guys, the savings are THE BEST I'VE EVER FOUND.

See above... as mentioned, this breakfast is a staple every single morning. I either use coconut butter or almond butter (sometimes PB) on a whole wheat english muffin with ceylon cinnamon EVERY DAY. See the one on the left? That cost me $11. Guess how much the Swanson brand is? Ready? $4.99! Ceylon? Check. Organic? Check. Ounces? 1.9 vs. 1.76. You actually get more more.

Next, Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with "The Mother". I take a shot of this disgusting but, incredibly healthy stuff every morning. (We can have a whole other post dedicated to ACV someday). But, for now... let's talk prices. Average price for this 32oz. bottle is around $10. Swanson's price? $5.39! Seriously.

This next one is a REAL DOUZY. So, I have been using the Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil for a while now. It costs me... ahem, $48 at Sephora (oye). The skin health benefits are amazing, ok? Swanson's 100% USDA organic Argan Oil cost me $19.99 and I GOT ONE FREE. So I paid $19.99 for TWO bottles. Also, each bottle has 9mL more than Josie Maran's. 

So, here's the breakdown of everything else that I use... I could not find these products cheaper on any other site. Ready for this?
1. .5oz Tea Tree Oil: Averages $5.96-$8.29 per bottle. Swanson Price: $3.99
2. 1lb Coconut Butter: Averages 10.99-$18 per tub. Swanson Price: $8.99
3. 750mg Turmeric Delayed Release Capsule: Averages $11.99-$20 per bottle. Swanson Price: $4.99 (whoa)
4. 100% Organic Green Tea (20 bags): Averages $3.50-$5. Swanson Price: $2.49

So, if you're wondering why they can keep their costs so low (I did), they have what they call a "7 Leaf Guarantee". They will also price match if you find a lower price. Check out the below to learn more:

Swanson Health Products has been a family-owned company since 1969. We are based in Fargo, North Dakota and ship internationally.
 
Swanson takes pride in their Seven Leaf Guarantee, which includes the following:
1.       Offering you the Lowest Possible Prices.

2.       Verifying Purity and Potency through Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) audits.

3.       Ensuring your satisfaction with a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

4.       Enacting Security and Privacy measures to keep your information safe on our website.

5.       Offering top-notch Customer Service.

6.       Featuring Innovative New Products to keep up with trends and customer requests.

7.       Promoting Education with research articles, supplement facts, newsletters and more.

So, I am now an official Swanson Health Products fan and will be buying the above listed items on their site (amongst other things), moving forward. Swanson did provide me with a gift card to try their items, however, opinions, as always, are my own. Also, as I was writing this I realized that I could dedicate a whole new post to why I use these items on a daily basis. Why Ceylon cinnamon is special and what makes ACV such a wonder food. Let me know if you'd like to see a post on ALLL that stuff!
Have an awesome rest of your week! xo