The best ever Pumpkin Chili, hands down.

Recipe Status: A great low fat, high fiber chili that you'd never know it had pumpkin in it. It's great because the pumpkin is the base of the chili, so you don't get the acidity tomatoes give. But no worries, the salsa gives you enough of the tomato flavor. This usually wins at our chili cook-off's each year, but I think they gave someone else a chance this year... ;)

2 lbs ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 package fajita seasoning

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ea. Salt & Pepper

1 16 oz can pumpkin

1 cup salsa (medium tastes better)

1 small can diced green chilis

1 28 oz can black or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Brown turkey, onion & garlic until almost no longer pink. Add fajita seasoning, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to blend the seasonings. Reduce heat to med-low. Stir in salsa, green chilis and pumpkin. Bring to a gentle boil, and stir in beans. Let simmer for a few hours to let flavors blend. I like to cook the meat and seasonings, then mix everything together in the crock pot and let it cook on low for the afternoon.

Serve with a glop of sour cream, cheese, diced green onions, olives etc. This also is quite tasty with baked potatoes and Indian fry bread. Happy harvest!

Orange Ginger Chicken (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: I guess I've been spoiled with orange chicken recipes that have been very bold in flavor and at times very spicy. This in comparison was very bland. I liked it okay, but if I made it again, I'd definitely have to spice it up. A little cayenne and crushed red peppers, probably. Oh and more ginger. I could not taste any ginger. :(

100 g chicken breast, cut into cubes

1 orange cut into quarters

2-3 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp fresh ginger root (roughly 1/2" to 1" piece of root)

1/2 tsp basil

Juice from half a lemon

Pepper to taste

Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Add chicken to heated pan and stir fry until all edges are no longer pink. Add garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Squeeze juice of orange quarters & lemon over chicken, then peel and separate sections of orange and add to the chicken. Stir in ginger & basil. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

*This counts as one meat and one fruit serving.

Lemon Shrimp & Spinach (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: I wasn't eating it thinking of how amazing it was. I was nervous about putting that much garlic in it, and I thought 200 g of spinach was waaaay too much. But I was wrong! There wasn't very much flavor at all. I sprinkled some dill over everything, and that made it much better.

100 g shrimp (shelled & deveined)

200 g spinach

3 tbsp water

Juice from one lemon (or half lemon if it's large)

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & Pepper to taste

Dill to taste (My addition)

Preheat non stick skillet over medium heat. Add water, garlic & shrimp, and cook until shrimp turns pink. Squeeze lemon juice over shrimp. Add spinach, salt and pepper. Cook until spinach wilts.

Ginger Mahi Mahi (HCG Friendly)

Recipe Status: I was hesitant at first because of the tomatoes. But I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Somewhat of a fresh marinara on the fish.

Song: It's not over - Client

1oo g mahi mahi, or any white fish

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp ginger

Pepper to taste

1 tomato, sliced

Juice from half a lemon

Place whitefish on top of a large sheet of aluminum foil. Cover with garlic, ginger and pepper.

Place tomatoes on top of seasoned fish & squeeze lemon juice over tomatoes.

Fold foil into a pouch and seal top and ends.

Bake @ 350° for 10-20 min (depending on thickness of fish) or until fish flakes.

*This counts as one meat and one vegetable serving.