Stuffed Mexican Shells

Looking for a new way to eat MEXICAN food? These stuffed shells are delish!  Best thing they can be made a head of time and baked right before you are ready to eat them or stored away in the freezer for a quick midweek dinner.

Ingredients

30 jumbo shells cooked to al dente
2lbs ground beef
1/2 brick Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese)
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1.5 cups homemade salsa (recipe below)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper


Optional Toppings
Cilantro
2 roma tomatoes diced
Salsa
Avocado
Greek yogurt in lieu or sour cream
Green onions

Method:

Boil 30 shells according to package directions drain and set aside to cool until ready to stuff.

Brown meat with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder.  Melt in salsa and Neufchatel cheese until thick and creamy.

Stuff shells with meat mixture and place in a large casserole dish. (Here you can freeze them and when they are frozen place them in a ziplock bag for easier storage)

Sprinkle with cheese and bake covered 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until cheese begins to melt and shells are heated through.  (this may take longer if you are taking them from the fridge)

Serve warm with above optional garnishes

Easy Homemade Salsa

1-15oz can of organic whole peeled plum tomatoes
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 small red onion
1 garlic clove
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin

In a high speed blender combine all ingredients and blend until smooth with a little chunk to it.

SERVES 10  (3 Shells each)

21 day fix containers: 1 yellow, 1 red, 1/4 blue

Zucchini Tian

Don't know what to do with all that zucchini? Here is a delicious healthy recipe side that i'm sure you haven't tried before.  

Ingredients

5 cups shredded zucchini tossed with 1 tsp of salt and let sit over a mesh strainer to drain
1/2 cup jasmine rice
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 1/2 cup reserve liquid and milk combined
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese
2 tbs panko bread crumbs 

Method

1. Shred zucchini and toss with salt let sit in collader over a bowl to drain, save liquid.

2. Pour rice into a boiling pot of water bring back up to a boil and cook for 5 minutes remove from heat and strain rice.

3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil to sauté pan add chopped onion and saute until translucent, turn
up heat to brown onion a little bit.

4. Squeeze zucchini until it gives off all of its liquid and toss into sauté pan with chopped garlic.

5. Measure reserved juices and top off with milk to make 1.5 cups.  Warm in pan do not boil liquid.

6. Sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Add in milk and combine until all the flour is mixed in well and sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in rice and parmesan cheese (reserving 2 tbsp of cheese for later) Pour mixture into an oven safe pie dish or casserole dish.

7. Toss cheese with 1 tbsp olive oil and bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Sprinkle on to zucchini mixture. Bake  425f for 30 minutes or until top begins to brown and all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.

This recipe is adapted from Julia Childs Zucchini Tian

Homemade Marinara Sauce

Nothing tastes better than homemade marinara sauce.  This sauce has the perfect balance of acidity and sweetness with no added sugar or processed oils. I hope you take the time to try this for yourself it doesn't take long to get a delicious sauce.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Medium onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic hopped

1- 6oz can of tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine

2- 28oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes (MUST be ITALIAN san marzano or Cento tomatoes) **

1 tsp himalayan Salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 Large or 2 small carrots peeled #

3 TBSP Fresh Basil

Method

Sweat onions and garlic on medium low heat until soft.

Next add in tomato paste stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes add in wine, tomatoes, salt, pepper, carrots and bring to boil. 

Cook for 1 hour stopping to stir occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

Once sauce is finished cooking pour 2 cups of sauce including big chunky tomatoes that haven't broken down into a bowl or blender and blend until smooth. Pour it back into the sauce for a thicker sauce with a little bit of texture. (you could always puree the entire pot for a smooth sauce) 

Stir in basil leaves. Enjoy!

Notes from the chef

**You must use Italian sweet tomatoes because these are less acidic than traditntal tomatoes and make a smooth delicious sauce with out the need to add butter at the end.  I like to buy the private selection San Marzano  tomatoes with basil already added to them.

# Even if you hate carrots you MUST add these in. The carrots add natural sweetness to the tomato sauce and take away any hard acid taste for the most amazing marinara sauce. 

Recipe Adapted from FIXATE cookbook.

21DFX containers: 3 green, 1/2 tsp   Makes 12 (1/2 cup servings)

Homemade Dry Roasted Almond Butter

Nothing tastes better than pure almond butter, no soy bean oil or other fillers just plain old delicious roasted almond butter and a pinch of salt. This is so simple and easy to make. 

Ingredients 

2 cups of Raw Almonds 

1/4 tsp Himalayan Salt (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350f

Soak Raw almonds for two hours or overnight in the fridge to get rid of the phytic acid. 

The next day dry the almonds off with a towel and roast them in the oven for 20-30 minutes. You will have to pay close attention because they will take longer to roast as they have been soaking over night.  

It's best not roast them too dark because the flavor is concentrated when you turn it into butter. 

Place almonds in a high speed blender such as a vitamix or a ninja and blend on high speed, pausing to scrape down the sides until almonds are blended into a creamy butter. 

Add in your salt and blend one last time.  Store in a clean container or jar in your fridge. 

** I order my raw almonds on amazon. 

Pumpkin Muffins With Maple Cream cheese Filling

*recipe adapted from FIXATE cookbook.

Ingredients:

2oz of Neufchatel Cheese (or cream cheese)

1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

1 lg Egg (pasture raised preferably)

1 cup organic canned pumpkin puree

1.5 cups Almond Flour

3/4 tsp baking soda (aluminum free)

1 pinch of hymalayan salt

2 Tbsp Pumpkin Seeds (optional)

1 packet of stevia (optional) 

Method

Preheat oven to 350f

Spray muffin tin with non stick spray 

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl including stevia and blend with a whisk. Add in egg and 

pumpkin puree mix until just combined. 

Place 2 tbsp of mixture in bottom of 9 muffin moulds. 

Mix together cream cheese and maple syrup and place a rounded tsp on top of each of the 9 muffin moulds.  Top the muffin moulds with the rest of the pumpkin batter.  Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds if using.  

Bake 16-18 minutes. Enjoy!

21 day fix containers- 1 PURPLE & 1 ORANGE