First Time Mom and Losing It

Jambalaya is one of our staple recipes. It is always in our menu rotation and I have been making it so much that I made some tweaks to it to make it both healthier and easier to do. I know Jambalaya is usually made with sausage, chicken and shrimp but I just go the easy route and just use sausage. To make it healthier I use brown rice instead of white rice and turkey kielbasa instead of andouille sausage. I have also made it easier by throwing everything into my pressure cooker and setting and forgetting it.


The first thing I do is turn on the browning feature of my electric pressure cooker and then slice the kielbasa. I add a little bit of olive oil and then add the sausage to brown. While the sausage is browning I dice some celery, onion and green pepper. Then I take out the kielbasa and add the vegetables to soften. After that I added brown rice, spices and mixed it in and let the rice toast up for a couple seconds. Then I added the spices, chicken stock and a can of diced tomatoes. I added back the kielbasa, covered the pressure cooker and set it on high pressure for 25 minutes. After the minutes are up I let the pressure naturally escape for 20 minutes.





Healthier Pressure Cooker Jambalaya

• 1 package of turkey kielbasa, sliced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 2 cups brown rice
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 can diced tomatoes

1. Turn on the brown setting of an electric pressure cooker and add the olive oil. Add the kielbasa and cook stirring around until it is browned. Take out the kielbasa, add the vegetables and cook until softened. 
2. Add the rice and toast it for about a minute and stirring. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Carefully mix in the kielbasa, cover and set it to high pressure for 25 minutes. 
3. Let pressure naturally escape for 20 minutes. Fluff up the rice and enjoy!

As I am starting on my Atkins 40 journey I am becoming creative in the kitchen and getting used to the idea of using butter. To make it low carb I used zucchini in place of pasta and turkey sausage as the protein. The Creamy Sausage and Spinach Zoodles is super flavorful, creamy and light at the same time. It is also really easy to make.


Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach, rinsed and dried
• 1 turkey sausage patty
• 1 tblsp butter
• 2 tblsp shredded Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Fully cook and heat up sausage patty. Dice and set aside. 
2. Cut zucchini into zoodles using a machine like the Slice-A-Roo and set aside. 
3. Add olive oil and garlic to pan and cook for about half a minute. Add zoodles and saute for a couple of minutes. 
4. Add sausage and spinach and saute for another minute.
5. Add butter and parmesan cheese and stir for a minute. 
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

5.5 net carbs