Sloppy Joes was a big-time comfort food for me growing up. I feel like everyone ate theirs a little different – some on buns or in a wrap, some covered in onions or mustard, some with shredded cheese, or some just PLAIN.
For me, I almost always ate it with mustard, shredded cheese, and onions…and corn chips. To this day, I eat it very similar. I scoop up that sweet tomato-y goodness with plantain chips, but leave off the cheese most of the time. Not because I don’t want it or never eat it, though! We just rarely keep cheddar cheese in the house. Thanks to my lactose-intolerant hubby, cheese is a rarity! I never thought I’d say that! I’ll go as far as saying that I don’t really miss all of that dairy. I used to be obsessed!
I love to stretch out meals to save some extra change. This way, it’s more affordable to use quality proteins. This recipe only calls for one pound of ground beef, but makes 5-6 good-sized servings … thanks to lots of veggies! I cook the veggies down enough (and chop them small!) that you don’t even notice they’re in there – a tip, courteous of my mom who used to cook for a bunch of school-aged children each week. It’s a great way to sneak some in for those picky eaters in your family. I get no complaints when I serve these for dinner, that’s for sure!
Note: It’s highly recommended to simmer this for at least 30 minutes, however, it’s not completely necessary.
On any given day, if you ask me if I want tacos or nachos, 9 times out of 10, I will say YES. This fajita-inspired, taco meat is perfectly seasoned with spices you probably already have in your cabinet. Therefore, no overly-salted, seasoning packet needed here! This meat combines all of the flavors of fajitas in an easy-to-cook, foolproof dish!
It goes great on tortillas or piled up on chips with tons of toppings…including my dairy free Pepperjack Cheese Sauce. I think I make a batch of that almost every week! Ready to dig in, yet? Here’s the recipe!
In a nonstick sauce pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat, sauté peppers and onions in oil for 3-4 minutes or until they have just began to soften.
Add your ground beef to the skillet and begin to break it up.
Add all of your seasonings to the ground beef and continue to break it up while it cooks.
After the beef has browned on all the edges, (this should take about 5 minutes), add the water.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes until most of the liquid has cooked away.
And...you're done!
Recipe Notes
*If you are using the cheapest ground beef for this, depending on the brand, you will often find that the fat content is higher, therefore, there will be more grease. Depending on how much fat is left after browning, reduce the water to 1/4 cup, first and see if you need more liquid after that.
My ground beef ratio is usually 85% lean/15% fat and I never have to drain excess. Personally, it's worth the extra dollar or two to buy quality meat. Just keep that in mind!
Chicken tenders…for kids young and old! They just never get old! These cutlets are wonderful served over creamy pasta, cauliflower rice and gravy, or make them into tenders and dip them in some good ol’ RANCH! You can’t go wrong. Totally kid-approved!
These are made with a combination of gluten free flours and spices that make the crust, crispy and flavorful! Don’t let fried chicken intimidate you. These are a great way to try it out! They’re super simple to bread and fry – you’ll impress yourself! 😉
In a medium sized bowl (big enough to toss chicken pieces in), beat the egg and water. Set aside.
In a shallow bowl or plate, add 1/4 cup of arrowroot powder.
In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients (except for the chicken breasts).
On a cutting board, slice each chicken breast into 2-3 thin slices. (about 1/4-1/2 inch thick) You do this by placing the chicken breast, flat on the board, and laying your hand on top. Hold your knife sideway (parallel to your hand and the board), and cut into the breast. Eyeball it and cut 1/4 inch above the cutting board, leaving a thin chicken slice. I typically can do this 1-2 more times with each breast. It just depends on the thickness.
You can also make tenders, by simply cutting the breast into long chunks. Cooking times may vary with the thickness of the chicken pieces.
In a large, deep cast iron skillet (you could use a good, nonstick or heavy bottom pan/pot), heat oil over medium high heat. (it should take about 4-5 minutes to heat up)
Dip each piece of chicken in arrowroot powder, being sure to evenly coat all sides. Use a fork or your fingers! You might get a little messy! (It's worth it though!)
Follow by dipping each piece of chicken into egg mixture.
Finally, coat all sides of each piece with the seasoned flour mixture, being sure to pat the mixture onto the chicken.
Gently shake off excess flour and place each chicken cutlet into hot oil. Make sure it sizzles when you place it in there. That helps to get a nice crust on the chicken! (Do not over crowd the pan. I usually fit about 3 pieces at a time.)
Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown and flip. You should easily be able to flip the chicken when it's done on the first side. If it sticks, do not flip, and cook for another minute or so.
Cook the chicken pieces for 3-4 min on the other side. The thinner you slice the chicken, the quicker it will cook! Usually, when both sides are evenly browned, it's done.
Repeat steps 7-12 until all of the chicken is cooked.
I like to keep the chicken cutlets/tender warm by placing them on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet in a 250 degree oven. It keeps them nice and crispy until you're done cooking them all!
Serve over pasta or rice, or with some Ranch or BBQ sauce! 🙂
Just like the bagel! This seasoning mix is addicting! You can sprinkle it on biscuits or bagels before baking, on top of avocado toast, fried or boiled eggs, or just about anything else! It’s so yummy! If you don’t have black sesame seeds (like I don’t typically – just sub more white sesame seeds!) – it won’t make that much of a difference!
I’d say that 99% of the population loves pizza! …including pizza-inspired dishes! These Pizza Cups will be no exception! I used italian sausage for mine and drizzled them with my Garlic Basil “Parmesan” Sauce, but feel free to use your imagination and mix in any toppings that you’d typically get on a pizza! Onions, green peppers, italian beef, pepperoni, mushrooms, bacon…the list goes on and on! Make plenty of these, they disappear quickly! They’re a perfect 2 (maybe 3) bite finger food for a party! Everyone will be grabbing these up.
The crust is made with cauliflower rice so it has much fewer carbs than the normal pizza crust one would serve. You can feel good about eating this pizza! 😉
In a bowl, combine all of the crust ingredients until everything is mixed up well.
Separate crust mixture into the openings of a greased cupcake pan. This recipe should make about 12.
Press mixture down into the bottom and slightly up the sides of each cup.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden.
While the cups are baking, crumble and brown the italian sausage in a saucepan over medium heat.
Once the sausage has all browned, add the remaining ingredients for the filling. Start with 1 tsp of salt and add more as desired. Feel free to add more/less fresh basil or even some oregano! The fresh herbs really add to the sauce!
Remove crust cups from the oven and filling each one with about 3 tbsp of filling. If you can tolerate dairy, sprinkle some raw grass fed cheddar on top!
Return cups to oven and cook for another 5-8 minutes.
Remove cups from pan and DIG IN! Drizzle with my Garlic Basil "Parmesan" sauce for extra goodness!!!
Ranch…one of life’s greatest pleasures. 🙂 It’s not just for dressing your salads! Besides putting it on basically any potato out there and being left with something delicious, you can mix it with meat and make a tasty burger (check out my Ranch Turkey Burgers for proof!), or meatloaf for a zesty change on a classic. You can also make a mean pasta/casserole inspired by that yummy condiment. The possibilities are endless, really!!
I don’t know about you, but 9 times out of 10, I always have a side of ranch with whatever I’m eating. Don’t judge. Ranch is pretty much delicious on everything. HANDS DOWN. If it says it’s covered in ranch, I’ll try it. I have a slight obsession, you could say. My obsession is to the point where it was worked into my wedding vows. Sorry, not sorry. My fellow ranch-lovers out there will understand going to certain restaurants JUST BECAUSE their ranch is AMAZING.
Prior to my husband realizing he was lactose-intolerant, our seasoning cabinet always had plenty of those wonderful little ranch seasoning packets. I would mix them into everything! I had to come up with something similar to keep on hair to easily sprinkle over anything and everything when it just needed that extra something – in my mind, that extra something is always ranch!
Here’s what I came up with, minus the milk powder that is typically involved with these types of mixes. Try sprinkling it over some of your dishes and see what you come up with! It’d be great sprinkled over homemade, savory trail mixes or over some oven-roasted potatoes. Use your imagination! 🙂
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Mix 1-2 tbsp into a cup of mayo (or your favorite sour cream/greek yogurt substitute) and a couple tbsp of almond milk for a dipping sauce! ...Or go right ahead and use sour cream, if you can tolerate dairy!
