cauliflower rice

Name: Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken with Cauliflower Rice
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 package chicken tenderloins; 1 tbsp fajita seasoning; 8 oz block of cream cheese ((softened)); 16 oz salsa verde; 1 tbsp olive oil

THM Oatmeal Hack (Explode The Health Benefits)

October 22, 2020 by Stacy Craft 1 Comment

If you like to eat oats for breakfast, you need this THM oatmeal hack in your life.

So if you have followed Trim Healthy Mama for very long, you know that Pearl and Serene are always coming up with cool hacks to make foods more nutritious.

They put okra in brownies and cottage cheese in ice cream. You will find perfectly sunned mushrooms in their ground beef. And you can bet any smoothie that crosses their table has something green in it.

If you have read a few of my posts, you might think I’m a rogue Trim Healthy Mama because I am typically a little resistant to veggies on my breakfast table or okra in my brownies.

The sisters put veggies in everything! And while I am usually intrigued by the newest trend, I don’t often jump on the train for a while.

So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered a hack for oatmeal that I don’t *think* they have ever posted about. I know Pearl has made sweatpants oatmeal and PPP oatmeal but has she ever done this hack to her oatmeal? I don’t know but maybe she will tell us!

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THM Oatmeal Hack (Boost the Nutritional Value)

As I was scrolling through Instagram the other day, I saw an oatmeal phenomenon. It rocked my world. People put what in their oatmeal?!

Cauliflower.

My first thought (because I’m not a good THM rule follower) was nope, no way, not happening. I’m not Pearl. I can’t put some weird vegetable in my oatmeal. That sounds like a miserable way to enjoy your morning breakfast.

Sounds dramatic but those were really my thoughts. But for some reason this week, I lost my mind and said what the heck and dumped some cauliflower rice in my oatmeal.

And I didn’t die – even kinda liked it.

I kind of liked cauliflower in my morning oatmeal. Who am I? The further I get on my THM journey, the less I know. I’m certainly not the breakfast veggie hater that I was just a few months ago.

Then today, I did it again. Cauliflower in my breakfast bowl. I tweaked the amount of oats and cauliflower and this time I loved it. And the THM oatmeal hack was born.

Can You Taste The Cauliflower in the Oatmeal?

No! It takes on the flavors of your oatmeal. And really unless you are picking through each spoonful, you can’t even really see it.

The cauliflower does a great job of blending in with the bowl of oats making it virtually undetectable.

Why Add Cauli Rice to Oatmeal?

Adding cauli rice to your oatmeal is a great way to add in a vegetable to your morning meal. It seems to be easier to saute some mushrooms in an omelette or throw some spinach into scrambled eggs when you are eating an S meal.

But getting veggies in with your E oatmeal has always been tougher. Not many people want to eat a bite of kale with their oats. So using this THM oatmeal hack is a great way to get a few bites of veggies in with your E breakfast.

How Do I Make Cauliflower Oatmeal – THM Veggie Hack

The great thing about this THM oatmeal hack is that you can adapt it to work for any of your favorite stove top oatmeal recipes.

Here is the recipe that I used:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup frozen cauliflower rice
1 cup almond milk
1.5 tbsp Swerve Brown Sugar

Heat the oats, cauliflower rice, almond milk and sweetener until boiling. Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and dump in 1/3 cup of frozen wild blueberries and serve. This makes one serving.

And if you have never tried wild blueberries do it. I learned about them from the sisters and they are so tasty plus they have enhanced nutritional value when compared to cultivated blueberries.

Since oatmeal is a healthy carb, this is an E recipe.

Protein Source for This Recipe

There is a small amount of protein in oatmeal and cauliflower. However, you will probably want to bump up the protein a bit to make sure you make it to the 3 hour mark for your next meal.

You can add some egg whites to your oatmeal to bump up the protein or eat them on the side. You could also add a protein powder to a shake or collagen to your coffee if you like.

30 Minute Keto/THM S Cheesy Salsa Chicken With Cauli Rice

June 3, 2018 by Stacy Craft 36 Comments

This Keto/THM S Cheesy Salsa Chicken With Cauli Rice will be on your table in 30 minutes.

Easy and quick are what I need these days in order to stay on track. This creamy, cheesy sauce is rich and decadent (and covers the taste of the cauliflower rice). I know this goes against the new rage of low carb cauliflower rice but I just can’t get on board , UNLESS it is covered in some cheesy goodness! I can get on board with anything that is swimming in cheese and salsa.

This cheesy salsa chicken with cauli rice meal will fit with your Keto/low carb/THM S lifestyle and is also pretty budget friendly! I made it for less than the cost of 2 value meals at a fast food restaurant.

I love this cheesy salsa chicken with cauli rice meal because you only need a few ingredients and they are all pretty shelf stable or long lasting. Pull out some frozen chicken tenderloins, riced cauliflower, a bottle of salsa verde and a block of cream cheese and you are ready to make a quick dinner that will conform with your low carb lifestyle.

Pin this recipe for later here!

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

30 Minute Keto/THM S Cheesy Salsa Chicken With Cauli Rice

When you start a low carb lifestyle, cauliflower rice is almost always suggested. And while it is a great way to fill up your plate and bulk up your nutrition, I didn’t love it. But I found that if I layer it in delicious cheese and spicy salsa it turns into a great base for chicken.

And now cauliflower rice finds a way to get into a bunch of my meals & I’m not sad about it! I recently made a really yummy (and totally easy) 20 minute Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip casserole that turns your favorite appetizer into an easy weeknight meal. Pin it here for later.

Cooking Directions for Keto Salsa Verde Chicken & Queso Cauliflower Rice

The first thing you want to do is make sure you have your cream cheese softening up so it will melt nicely in your sauce. Next, get your chicken tenders cooking.

I added a little pepper and some fajita seasoning that I had on hand. If you are a Trim Healthy Mama purist (I am not) you may want to ensure that it fits within the guidelines. I love the overall method of THM but I just kind of go with the flow and don’t mind an off plan ingredient here or there. You could make your own seasoning that would fit into the plan perfectly.

Get your chicken completely cooked and then remove it from the pan. Cover it with some foil if you are worried about it getting too cold but the sauce comes together pretty quickly.

Make The Cheesy Queso Sauce:

Next, you want to take your softened cream cheese and cut it into fourths. This will help it to melt a little quicker.

Now you need to add your bottle of Salsa verde. Cook it over medium-low heat until the cream cheese is completely melted.

Once the sauce comes together, add your cooked chicken back on top for a minute or two. Just make sure the sauce and chicken are warm.

While the chicken is mixing with the sauce, put your cauliflower rice in the microwave. Cook according to the directions. Then layer the cauli rice, cheesy salsa verde sauce and chicken. The result is a satisfying cheesy chicken with cauli rice meal that will make you forget about carbs!

Serve It Up:

The way that I prepared it, there was enough for a dinner and I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. I did have a bit of unused sauce so if you added more chicken, the sauce could stretch farther since it is so rich. I have also wrapped this meal up into a green salsa queso drenched enchilada that is a family favorite! Pin it!

Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

Course

Main Dish

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

1 package chicken tenderloins
1 tbsp fajita seasoning
8 oz block of cream cheese (softened)
16 oz salsa verde
1 tbsp olive oil

Course

Main Dish

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

1 package chicken tenderloins
1 tbsp fajita seasoning
8 oz block of cream cheese (softened)
16 oz salsa verde
1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken tenders to the skillet and season with the fajita seasoning. Cook your chicken completely and remove from pan. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Cheesy Salsa Verde Sauce

Reduce heat to Medium/low.
Cut the softened cream cheese into fourths and add it to the pan.
Add the bottle of Salsa verde.
Stir occasionally until the cream cheese is completely melted and the salsa is well incorporated.
Add the chicken tenderloins on top of the completed sauce for 1-2 minutes to warm it all together.

Recipe Notes

To serve, place 1 cup cooked Cauliflower rice at the bottom of a bowl, spoon the cheesy salsa verde sauce on top of the rice and top with the desired number of chicken tenderloins.

Follow my low carb / THM food diary on Instagram!

If you like this cheesy salsa chicken with cauli rice meal, check out these other top THM/Keto recipes:

Mac and Cheese Zoodles

Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Smoked Salmon Topped Popper

Protein Packed Meat/Cheese Roll Up Salad

$5 Chicken Sausage & Vegetables Grill Meal

If you are curious about Trim Healthy Mama, read about how it helped me lose 22 lbs. postpartum here. And if you need a super easy 2 minute Keto microwave egg breakfast, find that simple scramble recipe at this link.

10 Keto Recipes Using Cauliflower Rice

January 27, 2019 by Stacy Craft 1 Comment

Find 10 keto recipes using cauliflower rice that will spice up your dinner table but keep your pants fitting well!

A bag or two of riced cauliflower is always living in the bottom of my freezer. It is kind of a Keto/low carb rite of passage. It is the Kale of 2015.

The trend is to eat cauli rice so of course, I buy it and put it in my freezer. But what do you actually do with it? Because I can promise you I am not just popping it in the microwave and putting it on a plate. No Ma’am, too plain and blah for me. These 10 keto recipes using cauliflower rice will show you how to easily doctor that lonely bag of frozen cauliflower into something amazing!

(Affiliate links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Why Eat Cauliflower Rice?

Want to know a secret? When I first started eating low carb, I didn’t like cauliflower rice. Not just didn’t like it, I despised it. The smell of cooked cauliflower does not please me but I wanted to eat it. Remember that 2018/2019 cauliflower bandwagon that I wanted to hop on?

But why should we eat cauliflower? There are lots of reasons and here are a few of my favorites.

High Nutritional Value

Cauliflower is rich in vitamins and high in fiber. It is also very low in calories so it allows you to bulk up your meal without adding lots of excess calories. The cool thing about keto is that you don’t need to count calories but you also don’t want to go crazy with your calories either.

Budget Friendly

Cauliflower is also relatively inexpensive, even when buying it as a convenience item (like riced in the frozen food section). Since it is economical, you can use it to add volume to your meal and have plenty of money in your grocery budget left for more expensive items like meats and cheese.

Great Substitute for High Carb Items

Lets be honest. Many of us want to eat the same way that we did before making the choice to move to a healthier and lower carb lifestyle. Rice and potatoes and bread are all comfort foods that we grew up with. Being able to find a substitute to give you the feeling of a comfort food dish without all the unnecessary carbs and calories is a win.

10 Keto Recipes Using Cauliflower Rice

As I said up top, I didn’t always love cauli rice. You know why? Because it is not good plain. I am sure someone out there will disagree with me but to me it needs to be doctored up a bit (or a lot).

These 10 keto recipes using cauliflower rice will give your dinner rotation a fresh new feel while incorporating a vegetable packed with vitamins and nutrients. I love that each of these recipes gives a completely different flavor profile and cuisine to the cauliflower rice that you haven’t known what to do with.

Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken with Cauliflower Rice – This is my top recipe on my blog and was pinned more than 100,000 times in 2018. It features a simple 2 ingredient queso to drench your cauli rice and chicken in. And it is ready in 30 minutes!
Low Carb Cajun Shrimp Casserole – An old family favorite, this recipe of my grandmother’s was adapted to be low carb by subbing the white rice for cauliflower rice. It is rich and delicious.
Keto Hawaiian Haystacks – Keen for Keto shows you how to make a completely customizable Hawaiian Haystacks meal using cauliflower rice. She shares that it is great for her large family because everyone can choose exactly what they like. I am definitely adding this to my meal plan the next time we have all the kids over. Trying to please 5 kids (3 teens and 2 toddlers) is next to impossible.
Chicken Divan – Broccoli, chicken, cheese and rice just go together. They are keys to a great casserole and buy simply subbing cauli rice for the white stuff, you can eat it on your low carb / keto diet. Yum!
Cajun Cauliflower Rice – Valerie at Thyme and Joy has created a delicious take on New Orleans dirty rice with this recipe. My husband is from Louisiana so Cajun food hits our table often. And as a busy mama, I love simple one skillet meals like this one.
Bacon Burger Casserole – Burgers are always a family pleaser and a casserole is great for an easy week night meal.
Keto Chicken Korma – One of my step-daughters loves Indian food. This dish has all of the classic Indian flavors and comes together in 30 minutes. It is going on my meal plan for this week!
Tumeric Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup – A quick soup that is loaded with vegetables and turmeric is a great week night remedy to keep you feeling your best.
Cauliflower Fried Rice – One of the first cauli rice recipes that I ever made was a low carb fried rice. Even my cauli rice hating husband ate it and like it. It is a great way to get your Chinese take out fix without cheating.
Louisiana Seafood Gumbo with Cauliflower Rice – This recipe from A Sprinkling of Cayenne is a little more time consuming than the others in this list but I just couldn’t leave it out. I had written off gumbo while eating low carb and boy was I wrong! Check out this yummy recipe when you have a little extra time on your hands and want a big bowl of Cajun love.

Other Keto / Low Carb / THM Recipes

And if this list of 10 Keto Recipes using cauliflower Rice leaves you wanting more, I have many more Keto/low carb/Trim Healthy Mama recipes that you may want to try! Feel free to stay a while and look around! Some of my favorites are Leftover Cheeseburger Soup, Cucumber and Smoked Salmon Faux Sushi, and Parmesan and Pork Rind Crusted Pork Chops.

If you love low carb / keto but you feel like you could use a healthy carb every now and then, read about how I have lost 60 lbs postpartum using the Trim Healthy Mama plan.