SWEET POTATO AND QUINOA CHICKEN SOUP

This sweet potato and quinoa chicken soup is so nutrient dense it is insane! Check out my list below shows all of the vitamins and minerals that it contains. The recipe is super easy if made in a crock pot and it stores well.

      Health benefits

• Vitamins A, C, B-6, E. B-2
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Manganese 
• Folate
• Zinc
• Copper
• Phosphorus
• Choline
• Fiber
• Protein ( all essential amino acids)
• Calcium

      Ingredients

• 1 1/2 yellow containers of minced uncooked quinoa
• 1 can of black beans
• 6 yellow containers of raw cubed sweet potatoes ( 2 medium)
• 3 green containers of fresh spinach
• 1/2 green container of diced onion
• 1/2 green container of diced bell pepper
• 1/2 green container of diced green onion
• 1 1/2 lbs of diced chicken breast ( 6 red containers)
• 1 can of low sodium diced canned fire roasted tomatoes 
• 5 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 2-3 T of chili powder to taste 
• 2 Tsp Himalayan salt
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 T ground black pepper
• 1 T onion powder
• 1/2 T cumin
• Hot pepper sauce to taste ( I probably used 1/4 cup) 
• Cheddar cheese (optional)

Note: Anyone that doesn't use 21 day fix containers here are the equivalents: Green= 1 1/4 Cup, Red =3/4 cup, Yellow: 1/2 cup

       Preparation 

Cook: 3-5 hours in crock pot on high

Servings: 7 servings 

Serving size: 1.5 cups

21 Day Fix: 1 Red, 1 Green, 2 Yellow, 1/2 blue (optional)

1. Spay the bottom of you crockpot with coconut oil spray
2. Add to crockpot chicken, beans, quinoa* (make sure you rinse), sweet potatoes, spinach, onion,  peppers, tomatoes, seasonings *, pepper sauce, and chicken broth. 
3. Allow to cook on high until potatoes are tender ( approx. 4 hours) 
4. Serve warm and top with raw green onions and 1/2 blue container of cheddar cheese (optional)

*Note: I really just estimated what I used in seasonings so feel free to add more or less to your liking. Also, I used a seasoned pack of quinoa that I had so if you have some seasoned quinoa you can use that just make sure in the ingredients in only contains quinoa and spices with sea salt. If you don't have seasoned quinoa you can use regular just MAKE SURE YOU RINSE IT in a small strainer first or your soup will have a bitter taste. 

Tonight I made these stuffed peppers and man they were DELISSHH!!! I made them for my family and everyone loved them! My mom said she even liked them better than regular stuffed peppers. The recipe is very clean and is 21 day fix friendly:) The main ingredients are the peppers, quinoa, and ground turkey....all super nutritious and packed with vitamins and minerals. Check out the facts about quinoa below and why is is healthier than rice!

Quinoa

• Has all 9 essential amino acids making it a complete portion
• Contains 2x the amount of fiber in comparison to white rice
• Is a seed not a grain
• Has 4x the amount of iron than brown rice!
• One serving has 29% of your daily recommendation of magnesium
• One serving contains 6 grams of protein

In terms of the recipe, I browsed a couple online to get some ideas:) Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Serves: 4 people ( makes 8 half peppers)

Serving Size: 2 half peppers

Time: 90 minutes ( approx 30 min prep and 60 minutes cook)

21 Day fix: 1 Red, 2 green, 1/2 yellow, 1/2 blue, 1 tsp

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Bell peppers
• 1 lb of ground turkey
• 2 yellow containers of plain cooked quinoa
• 1 C. chopped onion
• 1/2 T of coconut oil
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1 can of organic,low sodium tomato sauce
• 1 tsp of the following seasonings : garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, basil, himilayian salt, and ground black pepper
• Tabasco sauce for taste 1-3 T
• 2 blue containers of cheddar cheese ( I got a block of white cheddar and yellow and grated them. I like to do this because they don't have the anti caking agent in them that pre-shredded cheese does)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cook quinoa per instructions on package ( make sure you rinse before cooking)
3. Cook onions and garlic in skillet with coconut oil
4. Set onions aside and brown turkey in same skillet
5. Meanwhile cut peppers in half and clean out the flesh and seeds
6. Take a 9 x 13 pan and place tomato sauce in bottom
7. Once turkey is cooked, combine onions, quinoa, turkey, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, seasonings, tabasco sauce, and one blue container of cheese and mix.
8. Fill each mixture with the filling. 
9. Place peppers in pan and cover with aluminum foil
10. Bake for 50 minutes
11. Remove peppers from oven and take off foil. Top the peppers with the remaining container of cheese and place back in the oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly :)
12. Allow the peppers to rest for 10 minutes and serve! ENJOY