Mexican Taco Lettuce Wraps

This Fixate recipe is a huge favorite in our family.  Fraser likes his in a whole wheat wrap mostly because it's easier for his tiny hands to manage; while the rest of us enjoy ours in lettuce wraps!  

The great thing about the Fixate Cookbook is that many of the recipes refer to other recipes within the book so you can make a meal plan around prepping an item like tomato sauce and use it for a few recipes through the week.  

Both boys started out with lettuce wraps but Frasers
changed to a whole wheat wrap after a couple spills.

This Mexican Taco Meat recipe is used for a few recipes the the cook book gives you a few suggestions on how you can use it and what container counts you would use.  Tonight we added black beans and corn to it and then topped it with a sprinkle of shredded white cheddar then added it on top lettuce wraps.  We all love it this was but I would also love it over some Zoodles or a bed of brown rice, I just love the freshness of the lettuce wrap.

FIXATE Mexican Taco Meat

Serves: 4 (approx. 1 1/4 cup each)

Prep Time: 20 min. 

Cooking Time: 26 min. 

Container Equivalents per serving: 2 Green, 1 Red, 1/2 Purple, 1 Tsp 

Ingredients

1 tsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium jalapeno peppers, seeds & finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb. raw ground 93% lean turkey breast

1 tsp. ground chipotle chili powder (or 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder) 

1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano leaves

1 dash sea salt 

1 1/2 cups Grandma's Tomato Sauce (recipe also in FIXATE) 

3 tbsp. all natural tomato paste, no salt added 

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. 

2. Add onion and peppers, cook, stirring often for about 4-5 minuts, or until onion is translucent. 

3. Add garlic, cook, stirring often for 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to a medium bowl, set aside. 

4. Add turkey to the same skillet, cook over medium heat, stirring often to break up the turkey, for 8-10 minutes or until the turkey is no longer pink. 

5. Season with chili powder, oregano and salt. 

6. Add onion mixture, tomato paste and Grandma's Tomato Sauce. Mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low, gently boil stirring often, for 8-10 minutes, or until most of the liquid evaporates. 

Serving Suggestions

(For one serving of taco meat) 

Serve with 2 corn tortillas, 1 cup shredded lettuce and 2 tbsp. Homemade Salsa (recipe also in FIXATE) 

Containers: 2 green, 1 yellow, 1 red, 1/2 purple, 1 tbsp

Serve over 1 cup Zoodles (recipe also in FIXATE) 

Containers: 3 1/2 green, 1 red, 1/2 purple, 1 tbsp 

Serve over 1 cup cooked quinoa 

Containers: 2 green, 2 yellow, 1 red, 1/2 purple, 1 tbsp

Serve inside 2 large romaine lettuce leaves

Containers: 3 green, 1 red, 1/2 purple, 1 tbsp 

Breakfast Quesadillas

I am always looking for breakfast ideas I can prep ahead and take to work with me.  Often I'll make my Baked Oatmeal or overnight oats but this weekend I made Breakfast Quesadillas and prepped an extra for work on Monday.  

I love making egg scrambles on the weekends or days when I'm home from the office for my breakfast but it's more difficult to make the time on work days to make a hot breakfast and eat it before I go.  So I decided to give these Quesadillas a go.  

The were easily heated up in the toaster oven on the toast setting or bake setting; either would work well.  I heated them until slightly crispy and cheese is bubbling again.  These Breakfast Quesadillas made for a rare hot and cheesy breakfast in the office!  YUM!  The only thing that could have made these better was if I had brought a little salsa with me too.  Next time :)

Breakfast Quesadillas

Total Time: 30 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 15 min.
Yield: 2 servings, 1 quesadilla each
Portion Fix Container Count:  1 Yellow, 1 Green, 1 Red, 1 Blue

1 tsp. olive oil
1 portobello mushroom, chopped
1 medium Orange (or red) bell pepper, chopped
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 whole wheat tortillas
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add mushroom and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until peppers are slightly soft. Reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Add eggs; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until eggs are set. Remove from heat.
4. Top each tortilla evenly with egg mixture and cheese.
5. Fold each tortilla in half; cook in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until cheese is melted and tortilla is golden brown.

Tip: You can cook quesadillas you are going to eat or serve, and you can tightly wrap the others and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days (or freeze them). This is a great way to have breakfasts prepared in advance. 

Fixate Protein Waffles

Tonight was a breakfast for dinner kinda night! So I decided to throw together a batch of protein waffles from the fixate cookbook! We topped them with homemade blackberry jam!  #YUM

I'm currently following the Country Heat Program which I am really enjoying, and the Meal plan mirrors that of the 21 day fix so I've been referring to my Fixate cookbook for inspiration in addition to the New Fixate Cooking show on Beachbody on Demand!  Having so many recipe ideas and inspiration at my finger tips keeps me on track.

In the Fixate Cookbook these waffles are paired with chicken for a Chicken and Waffle combo as you will see in the photo below.

Fixate Protein Waffles

Ingredients

4 large egg whites, beaten to form stiff peaks
2 cups oat flour *
2 Tbsp. flaxseeds
¾ cup vanilla protein powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
A pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Pre-heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or using a mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

In a medium bowl, add oat flour, flaxseeds, protein powder, baking powder, vanilla, and almond and mix to combine. Add the egg whites and gently fold to incorporate.

Drop by 2/3 cupful onto hot waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions, until golden brown and crisp.

Serve immediately with your favorite topping.

Notes

*Oat flour can be made by grinding an equal amount of regular uncooked oatmeal in a blender or food processor until it forms a powder.

Adapted from the FIXATE cookbook

Iced Coffee

We are on holiday right now in Patksville, enjoying the beach and the sun ☀️

Today we hit the beach after lunch and Had some left over coffee in the coffee pot from this morning which inspired me to make an iced coffee when we returned. ☕️

Trailer made Iced Coffee

Ingredients 

Ice

Splash of maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

Splash of milk or cream 

Cooled coffee

Directions

Add the ingredients in the order listed, at your preference (more milky, less sweet etc) stir and enjoy! 

White Cheddar and Broccoli Stuffed Chicken

This week my meal planning has been on point!  Yay me!!  Through July I found we were really winging it and not planning ahead as we normally do during the school year so before we headed to the root cellar grocer on Monday (Holiday day) afternoon I made my meal plan and grocery list for the rest of the week.  On Tuesday we enjoyed homemade turkey burgers with veggies for dinner and last night I made these lovely white cheddar and broccoli stuffed chicken roll ups!  

Everyone really loved these and they were super easy to put together too. I made a small pot of brown rice as a side dish for the boys along with some veggies to complete the meal and I was surprised to see the kids gobble it up!  

White Cheddar and Broccoli Stuffed Chicken

Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast very thin
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped broccoli fresh or frozen

Sea salt

Ground black pepper

Garlic powder

Paprika
1/2 tbsp Olive Oil 

Toothpicks

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If your chicken breasts are not already thin, pound them with a mallet or rolling pin until thin. This makes the chicken easier to fold in half. Place them in a baking dish or parchment lined baking pan.

Pulse fresh broccoli in the food processor to make very small pieces, the smaller the better.  Or chop broccoli into small pieces.

Coat chicken with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Sprinkle white cheddar cheese evenly on top of the chicken breasts. You can save a little bit to add to the top after you fold them if desired.

Sprinkle chopped broccoli evenly on top of the cheese. The smaller you chopped your broccoli, the easier it stays on when you fold it.

Fold your chicken breasts in half and secure with 1-2 toothpicks each.

Brush the tops of the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with more sea salt and pepper.

Place Chicken into the Oven.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

If desired sprinkle chicken with the remaining cheese and then bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.