Taco Tuesday is anything less than boring in our house because WE MIX IT UP. 

If you're tired of eating the same old taco dish over and over, then try this FUN & SIMPLE way to eat tacos! 

There's no reason you should ever be in a taco slump!  TRUTH. 

Ingredients:

• 3 sweet potatoes
• 2 lbs grass-fed beef (could use ground chicken or turkey) 
• 2 cups of baby spinach, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 1 lime, juiced
• fresh chopped cilantro, for serving

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Place sweet potatoes on the oven rack, and bake for 1 hour or until sweet potatoes are tender. Bake these before hand, or microwave for quicker prep time!

2.  Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the beef, and break it into clumps as it's cooking. 

3.  Once the beef is no longer pink, and most of the water has evaporated, add in seasonings.  Stir altogether to coat every piece of beef with the seasonings. 

4.  Once sweet potatoes are done cooking (leave your oven on), let cool for about 5 minutes.  Slice them in half and spoon out the sweet potato meat into a large baking dish.  Using a fork, mash the sweet potatoes.

5.  Next add the beef, red onion, baby spinach and lime juice into the mixing bowl. Stir altogether. 

6.  Bake this in the oven for about 15 minutes. 

7. Serve this delicious Taco Sweet Potato Bake with chopped cilantro and your favorite taco toppings. 

I like a big dollop of plain Greek yogurt and salsa on mine!

​
         Always craving health & happiness,
                       Jillian ​

P.S.  If you like this simple and tasty meal >> check out my new program SIMPLIFY MY MEALS to help save you time and energy! 

We eat pizza once a week in this house so I gotta keep the pizza toppings super fun and exciting! 

The Ham & Jam Pizza creation was inspired by one of my favorite pizzas I used to get all the time at a local brick oven pizza place.  I love the simplicity of taking a usual pizza topping like ham and pairing it with an unusual pizza topping such as fig jam.

Ya'll know I'm a KALE FANATIC, so I had to sneak the greens into this recipe.  Adding kale is the EASIEST WAY to health up any pizza because the kale gets crispy and tastes fantastic! 

Get ready to make the pizza of your dreams.  Enjoy friends! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large pizza crusts or 4 small pizza crusts
• 1 lb. nitrate-free ham
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2-3 tbsp. Fig Jam/Preserves
• 1 block of Gruyere or Goat Cheese 
• 2 cups of kale, chopped
• Red pepper flakes, optional

1.  In a large skillet, melt butter on medium heat and fry ham slices until browned on both sides (about 3-4 mins). 

2.  While ham is frying, preheat oven to 400 degrees and chop kale into small pieces.

3.  Take pizza crust and spread about 1-2 tbsp. of fig jam all over (just a thin layer). 

4.  Cut fried ham slices into bite size pieces and place all over the pizza crust. 

5.  Next, place chopped kale all over your crust. 

6.  Then, add either sliced gruyere cheese or goat cheese all on top of your chopped kale. 

7.  Bake pizza for 10 -12 minutes. 

8.  Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for some added heat. 

Eat it all by yourself, or cut into bite size pieces for a fabulous appetizer.

Cheers to a new way of jazzing up pizza nights at home! 

This is my first time putting ground meat in a slow cooker, and now I can't go back to cooking ground meat on the stove! 

This way of cooking gave me some much needed TIME BACK!

This simple taco bowl was created because we ran out of tortillas, so the family was pumped to do TACO NIGHTS differently! 

​The flavorful meat complimented the whole grain rice so DANG NICELY, especially once you add in all the tasty taco toppings and mix it together.  Delish! 

​Get ready to set it and forget it, so you can go on a walk, play with your kids or maybe even get some much needed alone time as the slow cooker does ALL THE WORK FOR YOU.  

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of ground chicken
• 1 cup of salsa verde
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (if you want some heat) 
• 1 yellow, orange or red bell pepper, chopped 
• Whole grain rice or quinoa 
• Spinach or mixed greens, chopped

Optional Taco Toppings:
Avocado, Salsa, Plain Greek Yogurt and/or Cheddar Cheese, Fresh Cilantro 

​
1.  Cook rice/quinoa according to package directions.

2.  In a medium size slow cooker place chicken, salsa and seasonings inside. Mix together gently. 

3.  Cover slow cooker lid, cook on high for 2- 2 1/2 hours or on low for 4- 4 1/2 hours.

4.  Once chicken is cooked use a spatula to break the meat into smaller chunks.  Then, add in your chopped peppers so they can warm up but still maintain their crunch! 

To serve your taco bowl, place some cooked rice or quinoa in a bowl, add a big scoop of this delicious meat, a handful of chopped greens and your favorite taco toppings!


​
   Always craving health + happiness,
                         Jillian 

This is one of those meals that you can cook once, and eat two or three more times! #leftoversaremyjam

Seriously, this pasta bake is going to knock your socks off because not only is it healthy, but it only requires 8 ingredients! 

I recently made this pasta bake for a friend who just had a baby and the text I received the next day was, "so yeaaaa I'm gonna need that recipe." 

ARE YOU READY TO HEALTH-UP YOUR PASTA NIGHT AT HOME? 

Grab some wine or sparkling water and let's make this simple pasta bake feel fancy shmancy! 

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 tbsp of butter, ghee or olive oil 
• 2 lbs. of Italian sausage (chicken, turkey or pork and remove casings) 
• 1- 15 oz. can organic pumpkin 
• 2 cups tomato marinara sauce
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 cups of kale, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta, add more for serving if you wish 
• 2- 8 oz. boxes of penne pasta (lentil, chickpea, or whole wheat) 

​
1.  In a large skillet on medium-high heat, add butter and Italian sausage, breaking apart as it is cooking.

2.  While meat is cooking, cook penne accordingly to packaged directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees too! 

3.  After meat has finished cooking, add in the pumpkin, tomato marinara sauce, nutmeg and chopped kale.

4.  Stir sauce altogether and let simmer on low for about 5 minutes.

5.  Once pasta has finished cooking, drain and put into a large baking dish. 

6.  Add sauce and feta into the baking dish as well and stir gently together. 
​
7.  Bake covered for about 10-15 minutes and enjoy this AMAZING PASTA DISH! 


Always craving health & happiness,
                     Jillian 


P.S. If you're digging this simple & healthy recipe and want more to come to your inbox then check out my new program >>> SIMPLIFY MY MEALS (Doors Close May 21st!)  or join our cozy community list and get yourself a FREE SIMPLE MEAL PLANNER why you're at it! 

MEATS:
✔️ 2 lbs. Applegate hotdogs (no nitrates) 
✔️ 2 lbs. organic ground chicken
✔️ Applegate prosciutto (no nitrates) 
✔️ Applegate pepperoni OR salami (no nitrates)

PANTRY:
✔️ 1 box lentil or chickpea pasta*
✔️ 1 can organic black beans
✔️ 1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
✔️ 1- 2 bags of Siete Foods tortilla chips or organic corn chips (Late July is also a great brand) 
✔️ 1 loaf of sourdough bread
✔️ Whole pizza crust or whole wheat tortillas (Brooklyn BRED is a great brand)  
✔️ 1 jar of Organice Marinara Sauce (Muir Glen is a great brand) 
✔️ 1 jar of Organic Salsa

DAIRY:
✔️ 2 blocks sharp cheddar cheese (or you can buy shredded)
✔️ 1 block Monterey Jack cheese (or you can buy shredded) 
✔️ 16 oz. Mozzarella cheese
✔️ Plain Greek Yogurt (Fage and Siggis are great brands we use as "sour cream" for nachos) 

VEGGIES:
✔️ Organic Kale
✔️ Organic Baby Spinach
✔️ Organic Arugula
✔️ Organic broccoli **
✔️ Yellow and Red Pepper 
✔️ 1-2 Avocados 
✔️ 1 Yellow onion

FREEZER: 
✔️ Mini tots (Cascadian Farm and Alexia are good brands) 

SPICES: 
✔️ Garlic Powder
✔️ Dried Basil
✔️ Fresh Cilantro

*If you prefer not to make your own mac-n-cheese, Annie's mac-n-cheese is a healthy shortcut. 
​
To make homemade mac-n-cheese, cook pasta according to packaged directions.  Then heat 2-3 tbsp. of butter in a large pot or pan, add in chopped kale or chopped broccoli to saute for 5 minutes.  Next, add in cooked noodles, tons of cheese, a little bit of milk (plain almond milk works too) , salt, pepper, garlic powder and stir altogether.  Once cheese has melted, dive on in friends!