P3 Barbacoa Salad

Leftover barbacoa is delicious on a salad! Like a taco salad only with a different flavor. Love it!

P3 Barbacoa-style Shredded Beef 

Start with a chuck roast. Anywhere between 2-4 lbs is fine. I usually go for bigger because I like leftovers to make more meals. Cut it in half and trim most of the visible fat. Place in slow cooker or instant pot.

In food processor or vitamix, puree the following:

1/2 Onion
1/4 cup Lime Juice

1/4 cup Tomato Paste
4 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cloves or Allspice

Pour the puree over the roast in the slow cooker. Pour about a cup of Beef Broth on top, and drop a few Bay Leaves.

Cook on low or "slow cook" in the IP for 7 hours. When it's done, shred it with two forks and put it back into the amazing sauce in the slow cooker that was created during cooking. Keep on low for another couple of hours to really soak up the flavor of the sauce.

Here is my husband's version of the barbacoa salad, all neatly organized. I just throw mine in the bowl. Ha.

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P3 Barbacoa-style Shredded Beef

I have fallen in love with Chipotle's barbacoa but it's so hard to go in there and resist the beans and rice, which are not HCG-Friendly. So here is a delicious recipe to make your own barbacoa at home!

P3 Barbacoa-style Shredded Beef 

Start with a chuck roast. Anywhere between 2-4 lbs is fine. I usually go for bigger because I like leftovers to make more meals. Cut it in half and trim most of the visible fat. Place in slow cooker or instant pot.

In food processor or vitamix, puree the following:

1/2 Onion
1/4 cup Lime Juice

1/4 cup Tomato Paste
4 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cloves or Allspice

Pour the puree over the roast in the slow cooker. Pour about a cup of Beef Broth on top, and drop a few Bay Leaves.

Cook on low or "slow cook" in the IP for 7 hours. When it's done, shred it with two forks and put it back into the amazing sauce in the slow cooker that was created during cooking. Keep on low for another couple of hours to really soak up the flavor of the sauce.

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P3 Crispy Tostada

This is another version of the P3 Taco Pizza, with chia instead of flax. I also flattened it more and baked it longer, so it made a nice crispy base for my taco toppings. Delicious!

Crispy Low Carb Tostada

1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1 Tbsp Water
1 Egg
1 cup Colby/Jack, Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
Taco toppings

Preheat oven to 350*. If you use a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven as well.

Mix all ingredients well and press onto parchment paper into a circle about 1/8 inch thick.

Bake for 20 minutes. If you didn't use the pizza stone method, bake about 10 minutes, then flip crust and bake another 10 minutes on the other side, or until crispy and done on both sides.

 

Top with desired taco toppings and serve! I used seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

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P2 Meatball Burger

This was one of those accidental strokes of genius. I was making a huge batch of meatballs to feed my freezer (yay for bulk cooking!) but I didn't want to eat meatballs for dinner after doing all of that prep. So I made a serving of meatballs into a burger and grilled it.  Delish!  Serve with a little marinara on top if you like (and cheese if you're on HCG Phase 3) or homemade Phase 2 ketchup.

Meatball Burgers

3.5 oz Ground Beef
1 Tbsp Bread Crumbs (this is the equivalent of your melba or grissini allowance. You can crush that if you prefer)
1 Tbsp Milk
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Garlic Salt
pinch of Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients and form into a patty, then grill until done.


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P2 Taco Salad

This isn't going to be the same as it would be on P3, but it's pretty darn good if you're wanting tacos on P2.

3.5 oz Ground Beef
1 tsp Onion, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced
Spices of your choice, like cumin, chili powder, cilantro, etc.
2 cups Lettuce
1 Tomato, diced

Brown ground beef with onion, and add garlic toward the end. Add taco spices of your choice to taste. Serve over lettuce with diced tomato.

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P2 Meatballs Gluten-Free (rogue)

I've been trying to make more and more gluten-free food since I feel better not eating gluten, so I made my regular meatballs without breadcrumbs. I felt they needed something to help bind them, though, so I added one egg to a full pound of ground beef, and then divided it into five P2 servings. It's rogue but I think it's fair.

Mini Meatballs, gluten-free

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic salt
pinch pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form into small balls and place on baking sheet and cook 7-9 minutes or until done. Drain on paper towels.

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P2 Chili

Simple, basic, tasty and satisfying as the weather cools down!

Chili

3.5 oz ground beef
2 Tbsp minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped tomatoes or 1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef in small pan with onions and garlic. Drain fat if needed. Stir in tomatoes and water. Add spices, bring to a boil, then turn it down and simmer. If using fresh tomatoes, simmer until they cook down well.

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P2 Beef Enchilada

Well obviously it isn't a *real* enchilada, since there is no tortilla or cheese.  But it still tastes really good. :)  Plus you could make up a whole batch of it for your family and let the rest of them have the tortillas and cheese while you just eat the filling.  Serve it with a big salad or veggie on the side and you have a great meal.

Beef Enchilada

1 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Onion, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 can Diced Tomatoes
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin

3 ounces of beef (or chicken), cooked and shredded.  See my previous note about preparing meat ahead of time.

Saute onion in water about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.  Add diced tomatoes and spices, mix and let simmer 5-10 minutes to thicken.  Mix in cooked, shredded beef or chicken, let simmer a few minutes more to heat the meat, and serve.

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P3 Chili with "Rice"

This one is a keeper!  My husband said to put it in the dinner rotation.  Success! 

If you eat cauliflower on phase 2 , you could count this as a phase 2 meal as well, as long as you don't add cheese or sour cream.

Chili with Cauliflower Rice

1 lb Ground Beef
1/4 Onion, finely chopped
1/4 Green Pepper, finely chopped
 1-2 Tomatoes, chopped
1 head Cauliflower, grated
1 14 oz can Tomato Sauce
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 - 1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Pepper, to taste

Brown ground beef with onions and peppers.  Drain excess fat.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, 5-10 minutes to cook cauliflower.  Serve with grated cheese and sour cream, if desired.


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P2 Taco Salad 2 (rogue)

I eat ranch dressing on P2. There, I admit it. I know lots of other HCGers who also use my ranch recipe and continue to have great losses. Some count it as their milk allowance, and others just eat it in addition. Yum!

Taco Salad 2

3.5 oz Ground Beef
Spices of your choice, like cumin, chili powder, cilantro, etc.
2 cups Lettuce
1 Tbsp Ranch Dressing
2-3 Tbsp Salsa

Brown ground beef. Add taco spices of your choice to taste. Mix ranch dressing with salsa. Serve over lettuce.

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P2 Sloppy Joe

This was an easy dinner to throw together, since I had my meat portioned out already. I highly recommend weighing out meat portions and keeping them in the fridge ready to go, or freezing them if you won't get to them soon enough.

I tried this recipe with eggplant, which is rogue, but caused no trouble for me on P2. If you like eggplant, I'd definitely recommend giving it a try. If you are not a big fan of eggplant, I doubt this recipe would convert you. The sloppy joe is delicious on its own with your favorite veggie or salad on the side.

Sloppy Joe

3.5 ounces Ground Beef
1/4 - 1/2 cup Onion, chopped
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
1/2 tsp Mustard
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Basil

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic until almost done. Add tomato sauce, mustard and spices, and simmer until thick.

Optional: Serve over broiled eggplant slices (about 1 inch thick).


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P2 Mini Meatloaf

My dad is the King of Meatloaf. He has a really delicious, elaborate recipe that includes such details as crushed pretzels and orange peel (and my mom and I always get a kick out of telling the story of the time he was out of orange peel and not happy about it). I never really made it for my family, since it was one of "Dad's Specialties" but it seemed like a good use of my 3.5 oz meat portion so I gave it a try, and loved it.

Mini Meatloaf

3.5 oz ground beef
1 Tbsp bread crumb
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp prepared mustard
1 Tbsp P2 Ketchup with a couple of drops of liquid stevia mixed in
Salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and form into a small meatloaf. Place on small baking pan and bake 15-20 minutes or until almost done. Spread P2 Ketchup (I would add liquid stevia again) on top and bake 5 more minutes. Serve with additional ketchup for dipping.

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P3 Taco Pizza

Just when you thought I'd had enough pizza, I tell you there is more! I was in the mood for tacos, so I adapted my favorite pizza recipe and it was AMAZING! Seriously, one of the best dinners ever. I could easily see myself eating low-carb forever with food like this.

Taco Pizza Crust

1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
1 Tbsp Flax Meal
1 Egg
1 cup Colby/Jack, Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/8 tsp Cilantro
Taco toppings

Preheat oven to 350*. If you use a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven as well.

Mix all ingredients well and press onto parchment paper into a circle about 1/4 inch thick.



Bake for 15 minutes. If you didn't use the pizza stone method, flip crust and bake another 15 minutes on the other side, or until crispy and done on both sides.



Top crust with seasoned ground beef and cheese, and return to oven to melt cheese.



Remove and add salsa, diced tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

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P2 Stuffed Pepper (rogue)

My friend made herself a stuffed pepper on Phase 2 and declared it "total comfort food" so I had to give it a try. Green pepper is not specifically allowed on Phase 2, so use your own judgment. Or just eat it on P3 and put cheese on top because that would be delicious.

Stuffed Pepper

3.5 oz Ground Beef
1 Tbsp Onion, minced
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Bell Pepper, top and seeds removed
1/4 cup Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix basil and oregano into tomato sauce and set aside. Cook ground beef with onion and garlic until done. Add diced tomatoes and stuff the pepper. Pour tomato sauce on top and bake about 25 minutes or until pepper is done as desired.

Here is a pic of it after I cut it open:


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P2 Cabbage Meatball Soup

I just threw this one together and looooved it!

1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Fat Free Beef Broth
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1-2 Tbsp tomato sauce, optional
2 cups Cabbage, chopped or shredded

Mix water, broth and spices. Cook cabbage in broth until done.

Mix meatballs and bake while cabbage is cooking:

Meatballs

3.5 oz ground beef
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
1 tsp milk
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
pinch pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form into small balls (I get 8-10 in a batch.) Place on baking sheet and cook 7-9 minutes or until done.

Drain meatballs on paper towel and add to soup. Super simple! Salt and pepper to taste.


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P2 Spaghetti and Meatballs (rogue)

I made zucchini spaghetti again! This time I also made a batch of meatballs to go with, and made the sauce saucier. I definitely prefer the spaghetti with tomato sauce, and the meatballs were nice because I made sure I got all of my protein in, whereas with the browned broken-up meat I didn't eat all of it.

This recipe is considered "rogue" because it includes zucchini. I haven't had any issue eating zucchini on Phase 2 but use your best judgment for yourself.

Here is my spirooli slicer again. Super fun and easy to make "noodles" out of almost any fruit or veggie.

Spaghetti Sauce

1 Tbsp onion, minced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 can diced tomatoes, or 1 fresh tomato, chopped
8 oz tomato sauce
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano

Mix and simmer while you make your meatballs.

Meatballs

3.5 oz ground beef
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
1 tsp milk
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
pinch pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form into small balls (I get 8-10 in a batch.) Place on baking sheet and cook 7-9 minutes or until done. Drain on paper towels and add to sauce.

You can add the noodles to the sauce pot to heat through, or if you prefer your zucchini to be crunchier, pour the hot sauce over the zucchini noodles.

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P2 Fauxback Steak Rub

We love Outback's steak rub and have come up with a "copycat" that we use at home. Our preferred method of cooking is to sear the steak in a hot pan. Butter is great on P3, but leave it out if you're in P2. Also remember to trim all visible fat from the steak for P2.

Fauxback Steak Rub

4 tsp paprika
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander

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P2 Mini Meatballs

I'd gotten into making meatballs with spaghetti for my family in the past few months, so meatballs were one of the first things I made when I started HCG. They turned out to be my favorite meal and they are so fast to make that I often have this when I need a last-minute lunch or dinner.

Mini Meatballs

3.5 oz ground beef
1 Tbsp bread crumbs (this is the equivalent of your melba or grissini allowance. You can crush that if you prefer(
1 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
pinch pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form into small balls (I get 8-10 in a batch.) Place on baking sheet and cook 7-9 minutes or until done. Drain on paper towels. I like to use a little P2 Ketchup for dipping.

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P2 Spaghetti (rogue)

One of the things I miss on HCG is pasta. Our family enjoys several pasta dishes and sometimes it's hard to watch my family eat them when I can't, even though it's just for a little while.

This recipe is considered "rogue" because it includes zucchini. I haven't had any issue eating zucchini on Phase 2, so I'm sharing it. Use your judgment for yourself.

The spirooli slicer is so much fun to use and it's easy enough that my 6-year-old loves to do it. It makes thin or thick "noodles" from many kinds of fruits and veggies.

Here is my zucchini!



Spaghetti Sauce

3.5 oz ground beef
1 Tbsp onion, minced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1 can diced tomatoes, or 1-2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano

Brown beef with onions and garlic. Add tomatoes and spices, and let simmer at least 10 minutes. The longer it simmers the more flavorful it will be.

You can add the noodles to the sauce pot to heat through, or if you prefer your zucchini to be crunchier, pour the hot sauce over the zucchini noodles.

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P3 Sliders (Mini Burgers)

Since I just finished making an awesome batch of onion bread in my dehydrator, I wanted to use it for something. I decided I wanted a burger. Then I thought mini burgers would be even better. They turned out delicious! The husband and I split the batch for dinner.

Mini Burgers / Sliders

Preheat a frying pan on medium-high.

Season ground beef as desired. We used salt and a few types of pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well.

Flatten onto a cutting board, creating a square about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into squares the size of whatever you're using for buns. Ours were about 3 inch squares.

Cook patties in the hot pan about 1 minute, then flip over and cook one more minute. Add cheese if desired.

Serve with toppings of your choice. I used P2 Ketchup, Mustard, Tomato and Lettuce on Onion Bread. Yum!

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