Meat Muffins

I know we all like a good meat loaf and this is a rocking, easy way to do it and have something on the go afterwards. It's also portion friendly :)
This is going to be a quick post because one of my readers requested it and I have a feeling it's what's for dinner tonight for them :)

Meat Muffins
2 lbs lean ground beef (now if you are going extra lean you will need to lube the tins)
1 medium size sweet onion
a handful of chopped chives
1/3-1/2 cup of crushed up melba toast
2-3 eggs
Sauce
2 small cans of tomato paste
2 TBSP Chicken Broth
2 TBSP of Liquid Aminos (it's like soy sauce)
2 TBSP Italian Seasoning mix (I have a homemade one; mostly oregano, basil, majoram, & parsley)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I like a little spice to mine)
1TBSP of Salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp of Spicy Mustard
splash of red wine vinegar

Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together until it is thoroughly combined.Reserve just enough for the tops of each muffin about 1/4 cup worth, just enough to lightly coat each one.

Mix all other ingredients with your meat. once thoroughly combined add remaining sauce, saving the reserved for later.

In a muffin tin* almost fill each tin with the meat mixture, coat with the reserved sauce. 10 minutes before pulling them out of the oven, place just a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese on top and place back in oven to finish cooking.

*Again if you are using meat that is about 96/4 or leaner you will need to spray or thinly coat the pan with oil or the meat will stick.

Cook in a 350 oven for about 30-45 mins.

These are perfect with faux mashed potatoes or even better my spaghetti sqaush-n-cheese. I'll have to post that one later :)
Alright, hope I didn't forget anything, doing one this one straight from memory. If so, I updated it later :)

Greek Style Moroccan Infused Sweet & Spicy Shrimp- Phase 2

I love shrimp and I love finding new ways to eat it. I also love foreign flavors and this happens to be one of my favorite combinations. Now don't be freaked out by all the spices, they are amazing together. Enjoy!

5lbs of Frozen, Veined, Shelled Precooked Shrimp
Chicken Stock
2 tsp Coriander
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Stevia
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/8 tsp Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Salt to taste

On a large baking sheet evenly coat with Chicken Stock.
Spread frozen shrimp evenly on baking sheet.
In a small mixing bowl, add all spices and mix.
Evenly spread over shrimp.
Cook at 400 for 20 mins.
Add broth on top for additional flavor.

Dijon Dressing or Marinade-Phase 2

My mom likes mustard based dressings and this one I created for her.

2 tsp of Sugar-Free Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup of Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup of Chicken Stock
1/4 cup freshly chopped Parsley
1 tsp freshly chopped Thyme
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

For a sweet variation add 1 tsp of Stevia or other Sugar Substitute.

Add to a bowl of spaghetti squash with some chopped bacon and chicken and wilted spinach for a delicious dinner while on phase 3 or 4.

Spicy Moroccan Shrimp- Phase 2

I love Shrimp but man do I get bored of having something the same way day after day. I am not afraid of spices and love to play around with different flavors. It's been rather rainy lately and I just wanted to mentally escape from the gray skies. Spices and food are such a great way to get away and enjoy a moment in a far away land.
Lately I have been craving foreign food; Greek, Mexican, Italian, Middle Eastern, you name it. I have really been wanting something spicy and different. I was watching my favorite network, Food Network, and it seemed like that day was Moroccan themed. So I decided to get inspired and make a Moroccan dish and since I pretty much eat fish every night I decided to go with shrimp.
Shrimp is a great fish for going a little wild with your flavors. It will taste pretty good anyway you flavor it.

2lbs of Shelled, Deveined, Precooked, Frozen Large Shrimp (I do frozen because it helps prevent the fish from sticking.)
3-4 cloves finely minced Garlic
4 tbsp Chicken Broth (Remember there is a specific type that we use)
2 tsp Paprika
1TBSP ground Coriander*
1TBSP Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Ginger
3/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Stevia
1/2 Lemon, reserve
More Chicken Stock, reserve

* Note* Now I know that not everybody has Ground Coriander in their spice cabinet, so you can substitute with an ADDITIONAL TBSP of Cumin and 1/8 tsp of Ground Clove.*

-Preheat oven to 400
- Mix all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl EXCEPT the RESERVED ingredients.
-On a large cookie sheet add a few tablespoons of Chicken Broth
-Evenly spread Frozen Shrimp on the Cookie Sheet
-Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over all the Shrimp
-With a Rubber Basting Brush, evenly coat Shrimp
-Place in oven and bake for 18-20mins

Once you have served the shrimp spoon a few spoonfuls of the shrimp broth over your plate for additional flavor and enjoy.

I hope you enjoy this little escape to Morocco, I know I did!
I am currently working on my Phase 2 Beanless Chili, once that baby is complete I will post the recipe.
I have a ton of Phase 3 recipes that I am about to post too :)

Pistou Sauce-Phase 2

I love sauces and honestly it's hard to have sauces on phase 2 because most of them have oil. I also love pesto and in doing some research I found a french version of pesto called Pistou (sounds like Pea-stew, kind of looks like it too). If you know how to make pesto you know it has pine nuts and cheese but Pistou is pretty much the same but with out the nuts and cheese.

That being said here is the recipe:

1 cup roughly chopped fresh Basil
2 Cloves chopped Garlic
1/4 cup Chicken Stock
1/4 tsp Lemon Pepper
1/8 tsp Pepper
Salt to taste
a Pinch or two of Guar Gum

In a food processor at everything except the chicken stock and puree. Once everything is finely chopped add the chicken stock a little at a time and pulse. Once you reach the desire consistency your down.

I love this sauce, I put it on chicken, cod, beef, and in my marinara or tomato soup.

Dijon Herb Sauce-Phase 2

This is such a great sauce. It is perfect for putting over a mild fish or chicken and baking it in the oven. Or you can use it as a dipping sauce for your chicken. I also love to make lettuce wraps, next up, and spreading some on it. You could also add more broth to make a Dijon Dressing for you salads. The uses for this sauces a limitless!

.5Cup Chicken Stock: 10cal, 1TSP Dijon Mustard: 5cal.

What you need:

1/2 cup* of Chicken Stock (if you have been reading all the recipes you will know that I am very particular about the Stock that I use.)
1/2 cup of Publix Greenwise Tangy Dijon Mustard (LOVE THIS STUFF)
2TBSP Minced, Fresh Herbs (Parsley, Basil, Chives, or Oregano are some great options. I Like the Basil and Chives)
1TSP of Minced Garlic

*If you want it for a Salad Dressing, add 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar and 1TSP of Lemon Juice, and additional Chicken Stock until you reach the consistency you like.

Now you have two options on how to do this, you can stick all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times or if you don't want another dish to clean just stir it all up in a bowl.

Presto, your done. Spread over your favorite meat, dip your chicken in it, put on a wrap, whatever your heart desires. Its a great sauce to jazz up any dish!

Coming Soon... Lettuce Wraps. Yum, great Lunchtime meal that will fill you up guilt-free!
But first my all time favorite, Spaghetti Squash With Ancho Pepper Marinara and low fat Beef

Kanikama Sauce- Phase 2

Good evening,

So I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food but my family is but I decided to come up with some Chinese/Japanese inspired dishes. To do this you need to have some good sauces. Now you might be saying to yourself, "How? Most sauces, like Soy, are not on the list!" Well, there are some great alternatives for Soy Sauce, in particular Liquid Aminos, taste just like Soy Sauce. Now I know what you're thinking, "that has to be expensive". It's not. For about $5-6 a half a liter size bottle. Now you're thinking that it's probably hard to kind. No again. I found it at two different places, my local Herb Shop and Publix (near the marinades). You can also find it on Amazon.com.

This sauce was inspired by my favorite Japanese salad, Cucumber Kanikama Salad. I looked up the ingredients and thought about how I could make it more HCG friendly.

Recipe:
1/4 cup Liquid Aminos
1/8 cup red wine vinegar (also good with garlic red wine vinegar)
1/8 cup chicken stock (be sure to make sure it's sugar-free & falls within the guidelines)
3 tsps of stevia or truvia

Some people prefer to stove top cook it but because I use it while cooking I don't. Make sure you refrigerate. Good for up to two weeks.

Stay tuned to my Shrimp Kanikama! This happens to be my family's favorite dish!

Photos: