Savory Vegetable Cauliflower Rice | PALEO, Whole30

It's that "back to school" time of year, and it is seriously kicking my butt.  Each night I set my alarms for the next day, thinking, "Tomorrow I'll work out before work.  I might be a little tired, but it will be great to just get it done early.  I'll feel so productive & energized all day!"

Fast forward to the next morning, several hours and ten snoozed alarms later:  and there's me, jumping out of bed with just enough time to get ready & run out the door.

Back to school, why you gotta be so hard?

One of my saving graces has been skipping meals.  I know, you're thinking I must have a problem.  But it's actually intentional meal skipping- AKA intermittent fasting.  It's weird to me how naturally fasting has fit into my routine, but after researching all of the benefits, I'm not mad about it!

I filmed a What I Eat video that's up on my YouTube channel, showing you what this looked like for me over summer!

Now that I'm back to work full time, my daily routine has changed a bit.  I make a bulletproof coffee in the morning that I sip on throughout the work day.  I drink plenty of water, pee all the time, and am honestly so much more productive.  I can work right through lunch, or take the hour to run some errands, and don't have to worry about packing food the night before.  By the time I get home, I'm ready for a solid snack before I hit any sort of workout.  Then it's dinner time, and I go big.  I eat a super hearty meal and focus on hitting all of the food groups and getting in plenty of fats, a good amount of protein, and some nutrient-dense veggies for my source of carbs.

Dinner has been easy with our ButcherBox meats always on deck in the freezer (link here for $10 off + free bacon!)

I'm left to make some easy sides, prep Dathan's breakfast for the next day (he's not all about the fasting life... yet), and enjoy my life without stressing out in the kitchen all day!  It's been good guys.  And with easy veggie side dishes like this one?  So good.

I am a huge fan of the TJ's frozen cauliflower rice because it's just so EASY and handy.  It hangs out right next to my ButcherBox meats, and is ready to go for so many different recipes (goes with everything, am I right?)

In this recipe, I wanted a simple, savory flavor profile that would go with anything:  grilled steaks, BBQ chicken, sauteed shrimp, hot dogs, burgers... seriously any protein!  There are tons of veggies packed in for all the micronutrients and tons of yummy flavor.  It's seasoned simply, with salt, pepper and dried herbs.  

The best part?  This recipe is so quick to throw together.  It's become an absolute go-to for us, and hopefully it will for you too!

Ingredients:

• 12 oz riced cauliflower
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 white onion, diced
• 1/4 cup carrot, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup spinach, chopped
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp julienned sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend (or your favorite blend of dried herbs)
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil or ghee
• sliced green onion, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, warm the avocado oil over medium heat.  
2. Sauté the bell pepper, onion, carrot, and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes to soften.
3. Stir in the cauliflower, spinach, and sun dried tomatoes.  Add seasonings to taste.  Sauté until the cauliflower is soft and all of the veggies are cooked through.  
4. Garnish with sliced green onion, and serve hot.