Protecting Your Pennies

Buy Smart. Plan. Play

Keto

Instant Pot Taco Meat – Keto/THM S

by Leave a Comment

This Instant Pot taco meat is seriously the best that you will ever make! And the best part – it works for your Keto, low carb or Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. 

Instant Pot Seasoned Taco Meat

My goal to start using and loving my Instant Pot has slowly been becoming a reality. I’ve made chicken stock, shredded Mexican pork, sous vide eggs, southern style veggies and even some desserts. 

And I’m kinda loving it. Finally! I thought it would never happen. But I keep finding myself trying to figure out another recipe to throw in my Instant Pot. I even got rid of my crock pot last week (gasp)! Ok truth be told, I dropped the lid and it broke so it wasn’t really usable anymore but I got rid of it nonetheless. 

So when I was scrolling Pinterest and saw a Taco Bell style taco meat in the Instant Pot, I had to try it. I’ve been a Taco Bell fanatic for as long as I can remember and anytime someone claims a copycat recipe I’m in. 

(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.)

Instant Pot Taco Meat – Keto/THM S

The pin that I saw was written at the blog The Salty Pot. I followed the directions meticulously (subbing in my own seasoning) and it turned out great! I made some small changes to the original to make it work for our family & our Trim Healthy Family lifestyle. 

And I’m telling you, it is good. I don’t know if it is Taco Bell good (because can anyone ever reach that greatness??) but I think you will enjoy it. My husband claimed it to be the best taco meat that I had ever made. The cooking process really infuses the meat with the Mexican seasoning blend giving it much more flavor than letting it simmer 5 or 10 minutes on the stove.

The recipe does have a couple of steps and isn’t exactly a quick recipe. But since it is made in the Instant Pot, you can set it and forget it. It is also a great recipe to make ahead and freeze. More details on how to do that in a minute. 

Step 1: Cooking the Ground Beef

You can use frozen or fresh ground beef in this step. Which is great if you are like me and forget to thaw out your meat!

Frozen Instructions: Add 2-3 lbs frozen ground beef and 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Seal and set manual high pressure to 30 minutes. Quick release when complete. 

Fresh Instructions: Add 2-3 lbs fresh ground beef and 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Seal and set manual high pressure to 8 minutes for 2 lbs or 10 minutes for 3 lbs. Quick release when complete. 

Step 2: Break up the Cooked Beef

Using a meat masher, break the cooked beef up into small pieces. The first key in my opinion to Taco Bell style beef is that the meat is broken up into very small pieces. 

Now drain the water & grease from the beef. 

Step 3: Taco Seasoning 

Homemade taco meat - Healthy Seasoned Beef - THM S

Now it is time to season the Instant Pot taco meat. Add 1 cup of beef broth and 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning for every pound of ground beef. If you want to use a store bought packet of seasoning, that is 1 packet per pound. 

If you are a Keto or Trim Healthy Mama, try this healthy homemade taco seasoning. You can make a big batch in just a couple of minutes. 

Seal the pot & place on manual high pressure for 30 minutes. 

Step 4: Saute if Needed 

I found that if you use 3 lbs of beef, you don’t really need to do this step. There will be a small amount of liquid left but I left it so that when I warm it back from frozen, there will be a bit of liquid. 

If you use only 2 pounds or want to eat right away vs. freezing, you need to get some of that liquid to evaporate. Turn the pot off & then turn it back on by pushing the saute feature. Allow the liquid to cook off for approximately 15 minutes stirring occasionally. 

Taco Meat- Beef in Instant Pot

Step 5: Freezing

If you want to freeze the Instant Pot taco meat for an easy meal later on just let it cool after step 4. Divide it into gallon size ziplock bags in portions that meat your family’s needs. 

Label your bag and lay it flat to freeze. 

To reheat, thaw in fridge and warm it in a skillet or in the instant pot on the saute setting. If you got rid of most of the liquid in the original cooking process, you may want to add 1/4 a cup of beef broth when warming. 

Serve the meat with your favorite taco toppings. 

More Healthy Low Carb / THM S Mexican Recipes:

30 Min Salsa Verde Chicken with Queso Cauli Rice 

Keto Cheese Enchiladas (No Tortilla) 

Instant Pot Shredded Mexican Pork

Low Carb Pork Belly Tacos with Siracha Mayo

Print Recipe
 Instant Pot Taco Meat - Keto/THM S
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place the fresh or frozen ground beef in the instant pot with 1 cup of water.
  2. Set Manual pressure to high, seal and cook 30 minutes if beef is frozen. Follow the same process but set the time to 8-10 minutes if the beef is fresh. (8 mins for 2 lbs, 10 mins for 3 lbs)
  3. Quick release the pressure & break up the ground beef into small pieces.
  4. Drain off the water and grease from the Instant Pot.
  5. Add 1 cup of beef broth and taco seasonings to the pot.
  6. Set manual pressure to high, seal and cook for another 30 minutes.
  7. If you used 3 lbs of beef, most of the liquid should be absorbed after a quick release of pressure. If you used 2 lbs or have excessive liquid with 3 lbs turn on the saute feature. Saute for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently.
  8. To Freeze: allow the meat to cool. Separate the taco meat into portions that will feed your family and place into freezer bags. When ready to use, thaw the meat in the fridge. To warm, simply use the saute feature on the Instant Pot or add to a skillet on the stove. You may need to add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water or beef broth while heating.

Instant Pot Green Chili Mexican Pork – THM FP

by Leave a Comment

This Instant Pot green chili Mexican pork is a quick and easy way to get seasoned pulled pork to use in tacos, enchiladas, stuffed peppers and more. It can even be made into a freezer meal for those super busy weeknights.

Keto THM FP Green Chili Pork - Instant Pot Dump Recipe (1)

A Trim Healthy Mama FP recipe is always welcome in our house! A fuel pull is kind of a blank canvas that can be shaped into whatever type of Trim Healthy Mama meal that you want. And this Instant Pot green chili shredded pork will give you a great start to your favorite Mexican meal.

Stuff a bell pepper with black beans, brown rice and green chili shredded pork for a yummy “E” meal with healthy carbs. Or load up a low carb tortilla with sour cream and cheese for a pulled pork taco that is a perfect “S” or low carb meal. We also love it in enchiladas or even as a salad protein. 

And since this recipe is low fat and low carb, it works for many different healthy lifestyles. Whether you follow a low fat diet like Weight Watchers or a low carb lifestyle like Keto, this recipe will work for you! 

(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.)

Instant Pot Green Chili Mexican Pork – THM FP

Shredded Green Chili Instant Pot Pork with Cheese (2)

I have been making this seasoned pulled pork in the crock pot for years. It is really versatile and with only 3 ingredients it is a simple weeknight meal that the whole family will love. 

But since it takes around 8 hours in the crock pot, I wanted to see how it would fair in the Instant Pot for those evenings that I forgot to worry about dinner! Does anyone else meal plan like a crazy woman and still end up at least one night a week staring in the pantry at 5:30 with zero ideas? I don’t get it but it happens to me often. 

So I pulled out that big pressure cooker that I’m determined to love (even though it wasn’t love at first sight) and dumped in the pork and sauce. And in just over half an hour we had a successful shredded pork dish.

THM Enchilada Sauce 

Let’s talk enchilada sauce before we go any further. 

Many of the store bought varieties include things like food starch, flour, caramel color and sugar. All of which we don’t want in our pork. Why do they do that?! We just want something easy that we can buy for busy weeknights. 

So no one that manufacturers enchilada sauce asked me and it is what it is at the store. But  I really wanted this to be drive thru Sue friendly like those instant pot dump meals that we loved pre-THM. 

So while there is not a perfect THM on plan store bought enchilada sauce, the one that I used is the best that I could find and I’m ok with it. If you have read the 5 things I don’t do, you will know that A. I’m not a purist & B. an off plan oil doesn’t make me cringe so long as everything else is on plan and that it is not the first ingredient. 

That is the case with this sauce. It uses cottonseed oil which is a vegetable oil and not on plan. The oil is the 4th ingredient and the numbers work so I use it. However, I don’t want to mislead you. An off plan oil makes it off plan regardless of the numbers because ingredients trump numbers on THM.

If you want something that is totally on plan, try Darcie’s enchilada sauce with this recipe. It is simple and could be frozen ahead of time to make life easier later. 

Update: I did find this store bought & on plan sauce at Target. It is 100% on plan & I’m going to try it out the next time that I make this Instant Pot Green Chili Mexican Pork recipe. You would need to use 2 cans of sauce if using this variety. 

So exciting to have a completely on plan, store bought enchilada sauce!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Mexican Pork 

Like all my favorite dump and pressure cook meals, you only need 3 ingredients for this shredded green chili pork. 

Ingredients for Mexican Green Chili Pulled Pork (1)

Pressure Cooking Green Chili Pork Tenderloin 

The instructions for this recipe couldn’t be easier! Dump in 15 oz of Enchilada sauce, 1 can of chopped green chilis and two pork tenderloins into the Instant Pot. I use the pork tenderloin that comes 2 to a package. 

Select the manual pressure cook option and set it for 35 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes and then quick release after that. 

Pork Tenderloin, Enchilada Sauce & Green Chilis (1)

Shred the pork and allow it to soak up some of the leftover enchilada sauce. You can add additional sauce if needed. I usually get the big can and then save the extra for these no tortilla enchiladas. 

You can serve it with shredded cheese to make it Keto/Low Carb or a THM S meal. Or you can eat it as written as a THM FP or low fat meal. 

Here we made it into enchiladas by just adding the shredded green chili pork and shredded cheese into a low carb tortilla. Then topped the pan of enchiladas with more enchilada sauce and additional cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly. 

Shredded Green Chili Instant Pot Pork Enchiladas

Another option is to stuff this shredded green chili pork into a bell pepper for an E meal. Add in a 1/4 black beans and corn. Place the stuffed pepper into the instant pot with trivet and 1 cup of water at the bottom of pot.

Cook on manual pressure for 10 minutes. Add a small sprinkling of cheese on top and let it melt so that you don’t go into XO. 

THM E Stuffed Bell Pepper with Mexican Pork

Does It Freeze Well? 

Instant pot green chili Mexican pork freezes beautifully! 

I use the package that has two tenderloins per package. One of those tenderloins feeds my family of 4 so I use this recipe as an easy meal prep and freezer prep opportunity. 

Shred the first tenderloin and feed your family dinner. We love to take this pork and use it to make enchiladas or stuffed bell peppers! 

Shred the second tenderloin and let it cool in the leftover sauce in the Instant Pot. Once cool place the pork and about 1/3-1/2 a cup of the enchilada sauce that it cooked in, into a gallon freezer bag. 

When you are ready to use it, place the shredded pork in the fridge while you are at work. Once you get home it should be thawed and ready to use. 

I hope you enjoy this Instant Pot green chili Mexican pork low carb recipe! Let me know your favorite way to use the shredded pork. 

Zevia Cola Memphis Style Pulled Pork, Crockpot Recipe – THM FP

Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Instant Pot Bone Broth

Print Recipe
 Instant Pot Green Chili Mexican Pork - THM FP
Servings
people
Ingredients
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place the pork tenderloins into the Instant Pot.
  2. Dump in the enchilada sauce and green chilis.
  3. Set the pressure cooker to high pressure and 35 minutes using the manual setting.
  4. Allow the pressure to naturally release for ten minutes and then fast release after that.
  5. Shred the pork and toss it in the remaining enchilada sauce (adding extra if needed).
  6. Freeze any leftovers in a gallon zip bag for future meals that will be very easy to prep.

Low Carb Cookies and Cream Protein Popsicle

by Leave a Comment

These low carb cookies and cream protein popsicles are a great way to cool off from the heat and indulge in a sweet treat while staying on plan. 

Cookies N Cream Protein Popsicle

Several months ago I bought a cheap mold to make homemade popsicles at home. I really want a Zoku and have been thinking about asking for one for Christmas for the last couple of years. But before I spend that kind of money on a popsicle mold, I figured I would see if I used my $7 set first. 

And if we are being truthful, I had only used my cheapo set one time since I bought it months ago. Last weekend as I was decluttering my kitchen cabinets I resolved to use in the next week or donate it and understand that I’m just not a homemade popsicle making girl. 

Ya’ll I did it! I made homemade sugar free popsicles! And after eating this cookies and cream protein popsicle, I might just get that Zoku mold after all! It was so good and creamy and brimming with chocolate sandwich cookie flavor!

(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.)

Low Carb Cookies and Cream Protein Popsicle – THM S 

Chocolate Protein Cookie Popsicle

I was trying to decide if these should be called pudding pops or protein pops. Since they don’t actually have pudding in them I decided on the protein option but these have such a rich flavor and creamy texture that it will remind you of a pudding pop vs. an ice pop. 

And the prep time is really quick and easy which I can appreciate now that I am making a few more low carb desserts. Why do all the recipes have to have 200 ingredients! I mean I know why – but sometimes I just need easy. And these are fairly simple.

What You Need For Healthy Chocolate Cookies N Cream Popsicles

Low Carb Cookies N Cream Frozen Popsicles

Making the Greek Yogurt Cookies N Cream Pops 

Mixture for the Protein Popsicles - THM S

To make the cookies and cream protein popsicle recipe, combine everything but the High Key Brownie bites into a Medium bowl. 

Mix until well combined. 

Next, crush the High Key cookies and add them to the popsicle mix. Gently fold the brownie bits into the mixture using a spoon. 

Mixture for the Protein Popsicles with Cookies- THM S

The mixture will be the consistency of pudding! 

Using a spoon, fill your popsicle molds with the cookies n cream mix. Since the mix is so thick, I would gently tap the molds on the counter to get it to go down in the mold which made it easier to fill. 

Freeze for a few hours until firm and ready to eat! 

Ready for the Freezer

I hope you love these Keto/THM S cookies n cream protein popsicle treats as much as we did. I’m starting to think that I am having seasonal confusion because last week I was making a THM Pumpkin Cuffin Dump Cake that was screaming with fall flavors and then today I make popsicles.

I suppose I’m preparing for the late August heat wave we are supposed to have starting tomorrow. Sigh. At least if it has to be hot, I’ve got these yummy protein pops to keep me cool and happy. 

Try this THM Cookies N Cream Coffee Frappe this week too for a quick pick me up!

Keto Cookies N Cream Protein Popsicle

Want More Frozen THM Treats? Of course you do!

Print Recipe
 Low Carb / Keto Cookies and Cream Protein Popsicle - THM S
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients except the High Key brownie bites in a medium bowl. Make sure your cream cheese is softened so that it will mix easily. m
  2. Crumble the 4 brownie bites with your hands over the popsicle mixture.
  3. Using a spoon, gently fold in the cookie/brownie bits.
  4. Fill your popsicle molds. The mixture will be thick and similar to a pudding consistency. I found it easiest to put a little in the top of the mold and then gently tap the mold on the counter to get the cookies n cream mixture to settle at the bottom of the mold.
  5. Freeze the popsicles until set - about 4 hours. Yields 4 popsicles in my mold set, it might be different depending on the size of your mold.

Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Mushrooms

by Leave a Comment

Chicken, bacon and ranch make everything better, right? These Keto chicken bacon ranch stuffed mushrooms make great appetizers or even a nice side dish for your meal. 

     Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Mushrooms

I think the first time I ever heard of the chicken bacon ranch combo was when Subway came out with their sandwich years ago. And I’ve been hooked ever since. 

Mix up a bowl of crack chicken and you can put it in anything. We love it in low carb quesadillas, in chicken puffs, or even just piled high on a salad. So why not stuffed in a yummy mushroom? 

Yes, add that to my Trim Healthy Mama S plate! 

These mushrooms are loaded with creamy cheese, bacon, rotisserie chicken and ranch to make these the perfect low carb appetizer for your next party. Well, are parties still a thing since COVID? Who am I kidding – you can make these for yourself and sit at home socially distanced BUT at least you will have good food!

(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.)

Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Mushrooms

Crack Chicken Stuffed Mushrooms - A Keto Low Carb Appetizer

You are seriously going to love these. I made them one night to go with some chicken quarters that my husband smoked on the grill. And then I made them again the next day. 

And mid-week, I made them again and we just ate a big plate of stuffed mushrooms for dinner. They were that good.

Do you like appetizers for dinner? I swear the starters are usually my favorite part of the whole meal.

Ingredients for Low Carb Crack Chicken Stuffed Mushrooms

Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Stuffed Mushrooms

If you have read many of my Keto/Trim Healthy Mama recipes, you know I like to get help from the grocery store when I can to make life a little easier. And these baked stuffed mushrooms are no exception, getting their start with a rotisserie chicken. 

Here is what you need to grab from the store or your fridge and pantry.

  • Rotisserie Chicken
  • Philadelphia Cream Cheese (I buy generic EVERYTHING but Philadelphia really is better)
  • Bacon (either cooked/crumbled bacon or real bacon bits) 
  • Ranch Dressing – This is my favorite. You could make your own also.
  • Shredded Cheese
  • White Mushrooms or Portabella (baby bella) Mushrooms

How To Bake Chicken Stuffed Mushrooms With Cream Cheese

These bacon cream cheese stuffed mushrooms are easy to mix up and bake for a tasty low carb starter. 

Start buy washing the mushrooms with water and removing the stems. You won’t use the stems in this recipe but frugal Trim Healthy Mama’s don’t throw them out! Try the sister’s ground beef mushroom hack to stretch your grocery budget!

I set mushroom caps on a paper towel to absorb any extra water while I move on to the next step. 

Then combine the shredded rotisserie chicken, room temp cream cheese, bacon bits, ranch and shredded cheese in a medium bowl. Mix it all together until well incorporated. 

Using a teaspoon, fill each mushroom until full but not overflowing with filling. 

Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Stuffed Mushrooms Ready to Cook (1)

I like to use a Broiler Pan to cook these because it lets any excess moisture from the mushrooms drain away – avoiding a mushy mushroom.

Place your crack chicken stuffed mushrooms on the broiler pan and bake until the cheese is melted and warm in your 400 degree preheated oven, about 18-20 minutes. 

Yum!

Cream Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms (1)

Looking for more Keto – THM S – Low Carb Stuffed Mushrooms? Try these Sausage Rotel Cheese Dip Stuffed Mushrooms.

Print Recipe
 Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Stuffed Mushrooms - THM S
Servings
People
Ingredients
Servings
People
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Remove stems from the mushrooms and set aside or discard (THM followers - slice them up and brown them with ground beef for another recipe). Wash and dry the mushroom caps.
  3. Combine the cream cheese, shredded cheese, bacon, chicken and ranch dressing in a medium bowl and mix together well.
  4. Using a teaspoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of filling.
  5. Place the filled mushrooms on a lightly greased broiler pan.
  6. Bake for 18 minutes or until lightly browned and cheese is melted.

Keto Crack Chicken Stuffed Mushrooms (1)

Cookies And Cream Keto Frappe With Protein – THM S

by Leave a Comment

Skip the expensive coffee house and make a delicious cookies and cream Keto frappe with protein at home!

Keto & Low Carb Cookies and Cream Frappe (1)

Cookies and Cream reminds me of childhood. I remember grabbing a carton of cookies and cream ice cream from the freeze and piling it high in a bowl. Paying special attention to pick out the biggest cookie pieces that I could find. 

Oh the joys of being young and thin. Even though I try not to eat like that anymore, I would by lying if I said I didn’t still like the combo of chocolate Oreo cookies and creamy milk. 

And Trim Healthy Mama has solved all my needs by creating a Cookies and Cream Whey Protein Powder that gives you that childhood taste you miss plus a healthy dose of protein! 

All my low carb friends stay with me, this Cookies and Cream Keto Frappe is totally Keto (along with being a THM S recipe). I’ll explain more below. 

(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.)

What is A Coffee Frappe? 

THM S Keto Cookies and Cream Frappuccino Drink (1) (1)

A frappe is a Greek inspired iced coffee typically made with instant coffee, sugar and milk. That is the traditional way to make a frappe coffee. It is then blended or shaken to mix resulting with a coffee layer and a foamy/frothy top layer.

But since we are low carb/Keto or Trim Healthy Mamas, we make some easy modifications to make an on plan coffee frappe that we can enjoy with no guilt & no sugar!

Cookies And Cream Keto Frappe With Protein – THM S

This cookies and cream Keto frappe is the perfect afternoon pick me up to get you through a long work day. 

The sweet cookies and cream flavor combined with a delicious blonde roast coffee is blended to perfection resulting in a frappe that you could almost mistake for an indulgent milkshake! 

And you only need 4 ingredients to make this iced coffee treat. 

Low Carb Sugar Free Chocolate Frappe in the Blender At Home (1)

What You Need for A Chocolate Cookie Frappe:

Trim Healthy Mama (THM) Cookies and Cream Pristine Whey Protein Powder

Sweet Leaf Chocolate Sweet Drops 

Cold Brew Coffee – this is my Fave 

Unsweetened Almond Milk 

Optional: A splash of heavy cream & Bake Believe/Lily’s Chocolate Chips / Reddi Whip

Making the Low Carb Frappe

To make this protein frappe, you need a decent blender to start. I use a Nutribullet for these drinks. 

In your blender add all ingredients and blend until smooth. 

You can top with a little Reddi Whip & Bake believe or Lily’s Chocolate Chips to make the Keto frappuccino even more appetizing. And if you blend up a tablespoon or two of the sugar free chocolate chips into the blended coffee it will remind you of the Starbucks java chip fappucino. Yum! 

All those little chocolate chip shavings mixed in with a cookies n cream protein powder and cold brew coffee is the perfect low carb treat with caffeine. 

Blended Sugar Free Java Chocolate Chip Low Carb Iced Coffee with Stevia

Want a Trim Healthy Mama FP Coffee?

What is a fuel pull (FP)? A fuel pull on THM is just a food or recipe that is low in carbs and also in fat. It can be used in an S meal, an E meal or on it’s own as a FP. 

So if you want a cookies and cream THM FP coffee, you can do it by modifying this recipe slightly. 

Omit the chocolate chips and the Heavy Cream. You can increase the almond milk slightly if needed. If you use just the THM Cookies N Cream Protein powder, Almond Milk and Sweet Leaf drops, you will have a light Fuel pull coffee that you can enjoy with any meal!

Need a no blender iced coffee? Try this easy THM FP Caramel Iced Coffee (Great for low carb/Keto diets too because it is sugar free!).

Print Recipe
 Cookies and Cream Keto Frappe With Protein - THM S
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into the blender.
  2. Blend the iced coffee frappe until smooth. If it is too thick, you can add another splash of cream or almond milk to thin it out a bit.
  3. Pour the cookies and cream keto frappe into a tall glass and top with Reddi Whip and a sprinkle of sugar free chocolate chips if desired.

THM Cookies N Cream Iced Coffee Frappe - S