For my last repost blog of all my best recipes from last year, I’m sharing soups and other quick meals you can whip up in a jiffy. These dishes are also wonderful options to make in bulk to take to work for a thought-free lunch. For the recipes I choose to do in bulk, I tend to keep them protein/veggie only since that fits somewhere on all nutrition levels every day. Then, if I need a carb or fat, I can add it to a single portion or as a side. First up are two I kinda came up with that are super simple, super fast, super tasty, and super easy to make in bulk!
Lauren’s Gumbo
- Chicken
- Turkey smoked sausage, optional
- Shrimp, optional
- 2-3 bags frozen stir fry veggies
- 2 cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 1 small can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- Water or low-sodium veg/chicken broth
- Seasonings to taste
In large pot/Dutch oven, sauté diced onions and seasonings in 1-2 T olive oil. Add diced chicken/other meats and brown. Add frozen veggies (bags of stir fry or other medleys are so easy and provide variety), tomatoes, and water or broth to your preference. Add more seasonings. Bring to boil then simmer for 20+ min; longer is better. If you want to add frozen, cooked shrimp wait till the last 10 min of simmering to add it. Can serve it with cooked brown rice for a carb.
Counts as protein/veggies – base portions on how much protein you add. Be sure to add up all forms of protein to figure number of portions. I do NOT recommend turkey “products” like the turkey smoked sausage while doing a bootcamp. Stick to chicken and/or shrimp in that case. I also never use such “products” as my whole protein source because it’s crappy fuel. Two ounces diced is PLENTY when I make a big pot of 6-8 servings. This is a really basic recipe I just throw together so it’s pretty minimal in descriptions. Use the seasonings you like best. This was my first bulk soup that I had for weekday lunches for probably a year or more. Mix it up to make it your own!
Lauren’s Chicken and/or Shrimp Stir Fry
- Diced chicken and/or shrimp
- Frozen stir fry veggies (1 bag/2-3 servings)
- Diced onions
- Olive oil/Pam
- Spices/seasonings
Sauté onions in olive oil/Pam. Add, season, & brown chicken (and shrimp if uncooked; if frozen pre-cooked, I add it in with veggies). Add veggies & more seasonings and cook on med-high until done. Cover it to make it cook faster. Recommended seasonings: garlic, curry powder, cayenne/crushed red pepper and garlic chili sauce. Serve over cooked brown rice or Miracle Noodle Rice.
Counts as protein/veggie servings, based on how much protein you use. You can use ½ cup cooked rice for a carb serving, but I most often just have it plain or over miracle noodle rice. A new “sauce” I like to use is a mix of garlic chili sauce (NOT Sriracha which has SUGAR added – garlic chili sauce comes in a small clear cylinder with a FLAT green lid), sugar-free syrup, and a bit of low-sodium soy sauce (sweet/spicy/salty mix). A little does the trick and I wouldn’t use the soy before a weigh in.
Pumpkin Turkey Chili: (Reminisce magazine – thanks Dad!)
1) Sauté/Brown the following in a pot with a couple Tbsp EVOO.
- 2 lb ground turkey (or chicken)
- ½-whole diced onion
- 1 diced yellow pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
2) Add:
- 2 cups low-sod chicken broth
- 1-2 cans no-salt diced tomatoes
- 15 oz. no-salt tomato sauce
- 1 can pumpkin puree (pumpkin should be the ONLY ingredient listed)
- 1 can black beans - ~ 3 carbs
- 1 can kidney beans - ~ 3 carbs
- Spices (parsley, oregano, tarragon, crushed red pepper, cayenne) to taste
3) Bring to boil then simmer 1-1.5 hrs. to desired thickness.
Counts as 6 protein/carb servings. This is a tasty fall option! I’m not a bean eater so if I put in any, I only use 1 can. Keep in mind your protein allotment but everything else is veggies, so the amount of beans is the main thing to watch. The pumpkin flavor isn’t strong - I’m not a big pumpkin eater - and I think part of it’s purpose is as a thickener so you can adjust the amount of pumpkin to your taste/consistency preference.
Buffalo Chicken Chili http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Buffalo-Chicken-Chili/
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 1 lg carrot, peel, chop
- 1 large onion, chop
- 3 stalks celery, chop
- 5 cloves garlic, chop
- 5 T chili powder
- 2 T ground cumin
- 1 T ground paprika
- Salt, pepper to taste
- ½ c hot buff sauce
- 30 oz no-salt tomato sauce
- 15 oz can no-salt tomatoes
- 15 oz white kidney beans, drain/rinse - ~ 3 carbs
- 19 oz red kidney beans, drain/rinse - ~ 4 carbs
Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Place chicken in pot. Cook and stir 7-10 min, until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in veggies and spices, and cook and stir until the onion is translucent and veggies are beginning to soften, 3-4 more min. Stir in hot sauce, tomato sauce, tomatoes, and beans. Bring to a boil, and simmer over medium-low heat ~1 hour, until veggies are tender and the flavors have blended.
Counts as 7 protein/carb servings, again based on the amount of beans used. ½ cup = 1 carb. I used this recipe as a base for one of my main go-tos. I don’t measure the seasonings, I just throw in whatever I want and avoid the beans both for taste and to make this a protein/veg meal option. You can certainly add more or less tomato sauce/tomatoes/beans, etc. to thin or thicken the soup. You can even add broth or water if you like.
Chicken Avgolemono http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-avgolemono
- 1½ quarts low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup uncooked brown rice (instant worked fine for me)
- 3 eggs
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½+ cup frozen peas, defrosted
In large pot, bring broth, water, and 1 tsp salt to a simmer. Add chicken and simmer until just done, ~10 min. Remove chicken from pot; when they are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-size pieces. Meanwhile, stir rice into broth. Increase heat and boil until rice is almost tender, ~10 min. Reduce heat to lowest possible temperature. In a medium glass or stainless-steel bowl, beat eggs, lemon juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt until frothy. Remove ~1 cup hot broth from pot. Pour hot liquid in a thin stream into egg mixture, whisking constantly (to avoid ending up with scrambled eggs). Pour mixture back into pot and stir until soup begins to thicken, ~3 min. Do not let soup come to a simmer, or it may curdle. Return chicken to the pot and stir in the peas. Heat until peas are warmed through.
Counts as 3 large (feel free to make more servings!) protein/carb servings – I wouldn’t eat this on L4 with the smaller protein portions because of all the egg in the recipe. You could actually use up to 1 cup uncooked rice to even out the carbs or have another ½ carb serving with your soup; however, I found the ½ cup to be plenty. I also add more peas. I know what you’re thinking – eggs?! I thought this was SO weird and found two Chicken Avgolemono recipes around the same time both with eggs, so I knew it must be legit. I tried this seemingly simpler recipe. It was delish! Definitely give it a whirl!
Spicy Chicken (BBQ) Spaghetti (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Chicken-Spaghetti-II/)
- 2 bags miracle noodles
- ¼-½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup Heinz reduced-sugar ketchup (1g sugar/serving)
- 8 oz no-salt tomato sauce
- ¼-½ cup chopped bell pepper
- ¼-½ cup chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon chili powder (or more)
- Grilled chicken breast or ground chicken/turkey
Mix Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, tomato sauce, bell pepper, onion, and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Mix in chicken, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 min, or until chicken is heated through. Mix in cooked noodles, and serve warm.
Counts as protein/veggie servings, based on how much protein you use. I’ve had this with both grilled chicken and ground meat. With ground meat, the mix would also make pretty good sloppy joe filler on Ezekiel muffins, but I love this recipe for a carb-free option and it’s very kid friendly!
There you have it, folks. I hope you enjoy this final repost of my favorites and onto new stuff next week! Until then, feast quick, feast leftovers, and as always…FEAST ON!!!
~Coach Lauren
