Monday, December 19, 2016

CHICKEN AND POTATOES WITH GARLIC PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE

Sooooo good! I will be making this again and again! I changed the recipe to make it dairy free and gluten free.


Ingredients

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (I used dairy free butter)
3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
16 ounces baby Dutch potatoes, halved (I used small potatoes and did not cut them in half)
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FOR THE GARLIC PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE
1/4 cup unsalted butter 
(I used dairy free butter)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used gf flour)
1 cup chicken broth, or more, as needed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup half and half (I used coconut milk)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I used dairy free cheese)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly oil a baking dish with nonstick spray
2. Season the chicken with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the  chicken and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side, then set aside
4. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan and stir in the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to wilt, then aside.
5. To make the garlic parmesan cream sauce, melt the butter in the pan. Add the garlic, and cook. Whisk in the flour until lightly browned
6. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, thyme and basil. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, then stir in the half and half and Parmesan until slightly thickened, 
7. Place the chicken in a single layer into the prepared baking dish. Top with potatoes, spinach and cream sauce
8. Place into the oven and roast until completely cooked through for about 25-30 minutes
9. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley

Friday, December 16, 2016

Super-Quick Clean Eating 30 Minute Chili Recipe

Another simple and easy chili recipe! I made it with turkey meat. Delicious!


Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (browned)
15 oz cans dark kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
15 oz can of chili beans
15 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
14.5 oz can of tomato sauce
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
homemade chili seasoning (recipe below)

Chili Seasoning
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic salt

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot
2. Stir together
3. Heat on medium-high until the chili starts to simmer
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes (or longer)

Gluten Free Chinese Honey Chicken

DELICIOUS! So good! I cannot wait to make this again!


Ingredients

½ cup honey
2 tbsp Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup cornstarch
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 egg (whisked)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced into cubes)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp green onions (diced)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk the honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes together, set the bowl aside
2. Combine the cornstarch and brown sugar in a shallow bowl or on a rimmed plate
3. Place the whisked egg in a separate shallow bowl
4. Add the chicken to the egg, then coat it in the cornstarch mixture
5. Add the olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat
6. Add the chili pepper and garlic
7. Saute 1-2 minutes, then add the coated chicken
8. Cook the chicken until slightly brown on all sides
9. Pour the honey sauce over the chicken, saute 2-3 minutes
10. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and simmer for 6-8 minutes
11. Top with the diced green onions and serve

Cake Mix Apple Cobbler in the Crockpot

So so good! I made this on Thanksgiving day! I made the recipe gluten and dairy free as well. It was super super simply to make and it tasted so good!



Ingredients

2 (20 oz) cans of apple pie filling 
1 white cake mix (I used a gf yellow cake mix)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cinnamon sugar (optional )
Vanilla ice cream (optional)


Directions

1. Empty both cans of apple pie filling into the crock
2. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon sugar if you want
3. Mix cinnamon into the dry cake mix, then sprinkle dry cake mix mixture on top of the apples
4. Spoon the melted butter onto the cake mix layer. Do not mix the butter with the cake mix. The moisture generated from the slow cooker will bake the cake
5. Cook on high setting for 4 hours (or on low for 6 hours)
6. Spoon the cobbler into dishes and serve topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Friday, November 25, 2016

Thai Coconut Noodles

Not only did this smell delicious, it tasted delicious. It is a super easy recipe to make if you use already cooked chicken. You can cook the chicken beforehand, or buy the chicken precooked. The original recipe called for shrimp, but since I'm allergic I substituted chicken instead.

Ingredients

Rice noodles
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 green onion finely diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped or grated (I used ginger paste)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste 
½ teaspoon turmeric 
1 can coconut milk (I used a cup of regular coconut milk)
1 cup chicken broth 
1 thinly sliced red bell pepper (I omitted)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons GF soy sauce
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce 
Shredded Chicken
1 lime
Garnish with fresh basil or cilantro, bean sprouts, or thinly sliced red onions
(I added chopped zucchini and spinach)

Directions

1. Boil the noodles according to the package
2. While water is boiling, prep the green onions, ginger, garlic, and red bell pepper
3. In a deep pan, heat the oil 
4. Add the green onions and ginger and saute, then add the garlic and red curry paste
5. Add the coconut milk, water and chicken broth and bring to a simmer, stirring
6. Once gently simmering add the bell pepper, soy, fish sauce, sugar and chili garlic sauce
7. Add the shredded chicken and mix (I then added the spinach and zucchini.)
8. Squeeze the lime
9. Drain the noodles then toss the noodles right into the pan and mix well
10. Garnish with fresh basil, bean sprouts, and thinly sliced red onion

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Pumpkin Spiced Baked Donuts

These were good! The first batch kind of fell apart a little bit because I did not let them cool. Lesson learned! I will be making these again!

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
water, to loosen
3 cups sugar
3½ cups whole wheat all-purpose flour (I used GF flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix pumpkin, eggs, salt, spices and sugar in one bowl and set aside
3. Sift the flour and baking soda into mixture slowly as you fold it in
4. When mixture is completely combined, add up to ¼ cup water to loosen mixture so that it is slightly runny- like a thick cake (I also added a few tablespoons of olive oil)
5. Spoon mixture into well prepped doughnut pans
6. Fill just under the top of the pans.
7. Bake 15 minutes or until doughnuts are slightly browned and when a toothpick inserted into the doughnut comes out clean
8. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan 5 minutes
9. Remove from pan and sprinkle with some cinnamon or powdered sugar 

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Tortilla-Crusted Taco Chicken

This was absolutely delicious! The chicken was so tender. Kids would love this! I cannot wait to make this again.

Ingredients

6 cups tortilla chips
salt and pepper
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
thin sliced chicken breasts
2 eggs
1/2 cup gluten-free flour
coconut oil
shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa

Directions

1. Add tortilla chips to a food processor then process until they're fine crumbs (or you could add tortilla chips to a large Ziplock bag then crush with a rolling pin.)
2. Pour the crumbs into a shallow dish then stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, and cumin, and set aside
3. Break the eggs into another shallow dish, season with salt and pepper, then whisk and set aside
4. Add the flour to another shallow dish, season with salt and pepper, then set aside
5. Season chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper then one at a time dredge in the flour, 6. Then dip the chicken into the eggs, and then into the tortilla crumbs
7. Place chicken on a platter than refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes (this will ensure the coating doesn't fall off during the cooking process.)
8. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a large pan then place over heat 
9. Add the chicken then cook until cooked through on each side
10. Place the cooked chicken on a plate while cooking the other chicken
11. When all the chicken is cooked, spread the salsa on top of each piece and sprinkle cheese
12. Place the chicken in the oven or microwave until cheese is melted

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Chicken with Bacon Mustard Sauce

This was different. It was tasty though. Not hard to make at all. If you like bacon you'll enjoy it.

Ingredients

1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 strips of bacon, uncooked, chopped (I used turkey bacon)
1 cup chopped onion (I omitted this)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth

Directions

1. Combine the Dijon mustard, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl, to make a paste 
2. Spread the paste evenly on both sides of chicken breasts. Set aside
3. In a large pan, cook chopped bacon in oil until it starts to brown. Remove to a plate, leaving bacon fat in a pan
4. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan and cook the chicken breast (with mustard paste on it) for about 2 minutes on each side. The chicken will not be done as you will continue cooking it in the next step. Remove chicken to a plate
5. To the same pan, add 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth, bring to boil
6. Add back the bacon and the chicken breast, reduce the heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes, turning chicken once, until chicken breast is fully cooked

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This was good, but I feel like I was missing something. I added cheese to it and it made it a little better. It is definitely a nice comfort food dish.

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts
1-16 oz. jar salsa
5 c. chicken broth
1 T. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1 t. paprika
1 ½ t. salt
½ t. pepper
¼ t. garlic powder
1/8 - ¼ t. cayenne pepper
1-15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
3 T. lemon or lime juice

Toppings:
Tortilla chips
CheeseCilantro
Green Onions

Directions

1. Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of slow cooker
2. Pour the salsa and chicken broth into the slow cooker 
3. In a small bowl, combine cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Toss to combine
4. Add the seasonings, beans, corn, and lemon juice to the slow cooker. Give liquid a good stir, cover, and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high
5. Towards the last 30 minutes of cooking, shred the chicken then let it continue cooking for the last 30 minutes (I removed the chicken to shred it and then returned it to the crockpot.)
6. Serve chicken tortilla soup with tortilla chips, cheese, cilantro and green onions

Honey Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

These were so delicious and so so so simple to make. Just throw he ingredients in the crockpot and you're good to go!


Ingredients

4 boneless chicken thighs
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Teriyaki Sauce
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon
red pepper flakes
½ tablespoon toasted sesame seeds


Directions

1. Squeeze a spoonful of the Sweet Teriyaki Sauce on bottom of crock pot and arrange the chicken on top
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the Honey Teriyaki with garlic cloves, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes
3. Pour mixture in crock pot over the chicken and cover
4. Cook 4-5 hours on low setting
5. Serve hot with fresh scallion

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Rollups

I made these for my husband. He enjoyed them. They smelled delicious! Great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.


Ingredients

5 eggs
1 8 oz. can of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
Fully cooked breakfast sausage links
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small bowl, beat eggs. Reserve 2 tablespoons beaten egg for brushing on tops of crescent rolls. Scramble remaining eggs in a pan
3. Unroll the dough and separate into 8 triangles
4. Place some cheese on each 
5. Top each with spoonful of scrambled eggs and one piece of cut up sausage 
6. Loosely roll up triangles and place on an ungreased baking sheet
7. Brush the reserved beaten egg on top of each crescent
8. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each.
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown

GF and DF Chicken and Broccoli Chowder

The one thing I added to this recipe to make it taste a little better was cheese. I turned it into more of a Chicken, broccoli, and cheddar chowder.

Ingredients

4 cups Chicken Broth/Stock
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 ¼ cups dice Onion, Red
1 ⅓ cups dice Celery
2 teaspoons mince Garlic, Cloves
2 cups dice Broccoli
½ cups dice Carrot
1 cup Almond Milk
⅓ cups Flour, Gluten Free All-Purpose
2 cups cook and shred Chicken, Boneless Breasts
1 cup Water
2 teaspoons Parsley, Dried
2 teaspoons Basil, Dried
1 teaspoon Salt
Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a large stockpot, bring chicken broth to a boil
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil then add the onion and celery and saute until onions are translucent
3. Add garlic and continue to saute
4. Add the onion mixture to boiling broth and add the broccoli and carrots to broth mixture
5. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until broccoli and carrots are tender
6. In a bowl, combine almond milk and flour then add to soup mixture
7. Bring soup to a boil and continue to boil for 1 minute
8. Add the chicken, water, parsley, basil, and salt
9. Continue to heat until warmed through, about 10 minutes
10. Place the desired amount in a bowl and add the cheese

Maple Glazed Turkey Meatloaf

I thought this turned out well. It's a great way to sneak vegetables into a meat dish. You can use whatever type of meat you'd like.


Ingredients


2 pounds of Ground turkey
½ cups grate Carrot
½ cups grate Zucchini
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 individual Egg
¾ cups Bread Crumbs, Gluten Free
¼ teaspoons Nutmeg
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
½ cups Dijon Mustard
¼ cups Maple Syrup
Directions

1. In a bowl, combine ground turkey, grated carrot, grated zucchini, balsamic vinegar, egg, gluten free bread crumbs, nutmeg, cinnamon and sea salt
2. Place the mixture into a loaf pan
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine dijon mustard and maple syrup 
5. When the meatloaf is done, brush the dijon/syrup mixture on top 
6. Return to bake for an additional 15 minutes

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Honey BBQ Chicken Wings

These were amazing! I just started eating certain wings but they need to be GF. I made these myself and they were absolutely delicious and super easy to make.

Ingredients

For Wings:

Chicken Wings
1/2 Cup Flour (I used Gluten Free)
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp of Onion Powder
Avocado or Olive Oil Cooking Spray

For Sauce:

1 Cup of BBQ Sauce
1/2 Cup of Honey
1 Tsp of Garlic Powder

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, garlic powder, & onion powder
3. Wash and dry the chicken wings. Then dip into flour mixture until coated 
4. Spray baking dishes with oil and arrange the chicken wings in the dish 
5. Cook for 20 minutes then turn the wings
6. Cook an additional 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked
7. Remove from the oven and baste the chicken wings with the sauce mixture
8. Coat both sides and place extra sauce to the side for additional dipping  
9. Place the chicken wings back in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes

Saturday, October 15, 2016

One Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta

This was really really really good. Kids will enjoy this too! I will be making this again sometime soon. I made one pot with dairy cheddar and the other pot with non-dairy cheddar.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 ounce packet taco seasoning
2 cups water
1 cup jarred mild salsa
8 ounces uncooked pasta (I used GF penne)
1½ cups shredded cheese
chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat a large deep skillet with coconut oil
2. Add the meat and season with salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally until cooked thoroughly.
3. Drain the grease and stir taco seasoning into the meat then stir in water, salsa and pasta noodles
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then stir, cover and reduce heat to a simmer
5. Cook for about 15 minutes until pasta is tender
6. Turn off heat and stir in cheese.
7. Top with cilantro

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

This was delicious! It was simple to make. The recipe calls for you to brown the meat in a pan before adding it to the crockpot, but I didn't. Perfect for a cold day!


Ingredients

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced (I omitted)
2 peppers, chopped 
(I omitted)
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (15 oz) cans Petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste


Directions

1. Cook the ground turkey in a skillet, until brown. Add ground turkey to the slow cooker (I did not brown it.)
2. Add the onion, peppers, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, jalapeños, corn, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder. Stir and season with salt and pepper
3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours (Since I did not brown the turkey first, I let it cook on high for 5 hours.)



Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Coconut Lime Chicken

This was easy to make. Only one pan is needed and minimal ingredients. It's sometimes hard to cook with a 3 month old so anything that I can wipe up fast or put on the stove and walk away for a bit is ideal. This dish is whole 30 approved!

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 cup red onion, chopped (I omitted this)
1 cup organic chicken stock
1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1 large lime)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk from a can

Directions

1. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt and pepper
2. Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet then add the chicken breasts and cook each side for 5-7 minutes or until browned on each side
3. Remove the chicken from a skillet and set aside on a plate. (The chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked yet because you'll be returning it to the heat shortly.)
4. Add the chopped onion to the same skillet and sauté for a few minutes to soften
5. Add the chicken stock, lime juice, cilantro and chili flakes. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce down to a simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes 
6. Add the coconut milk and bring to simmer again for another 5 minutes
7. Add the chicken back to the skillet, cover and let cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through

Monday, October 3, 2016

Paleo Whole 30 Chicken Tenders

These were good. You can definitely taste the coconut. They are healthy and delicious and I will be making them for my son when he is old enough to enjoy them.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds chicken 
1/3 cup coconut flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425° 
2. Get out 3 bowls
3. Put the coconut flour in the first bowl
4. Crack the eggs in the second bowl and add the milk and whisk until combined
5. Place the almond flour, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and cayenne in the third bowl. Mix until all the seasonings are well incorporated
6. Taking one strip at a time, dip it in the coconut flour and make sure it is fully coated
7. Then dip it in the egg mixture and let any extra drip off. Them dip it in the almond flour mixture 
8. Place it on a pan and repeat with remaining tenders
9. Spray with pure olive or coconut oil because this will help them brown
10. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake for 10 more minutes, or until done