Bruschetta Pasta (or no pasta)

This is a simple meal but my family loves it and we can adapt it to meet everyone's needs.  I make it for my kids with gluten-free brown rice/quinoa pasta and I usually enjoy mine with "zoodles" (zucchini noodles) or spaghetti squash.

Ingredients:

2 lb chicken breasts, sliced thin
1 package Organic Grape tomatoes (these were ripest and most flavorful)
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
Handful fresh Basil
Parmesan
Butter
Sea Salt
Pepper
Garlic

Pasta
Zucchini
Spaghetti Squash

Dice tomatoes and basil and combine in a bowl and refrigerate to join flavors together.  In a large saucepan, saute thinly sliced chicken breast, mushrooms and garlic in the butter and season to taste with salt/pepper.  Add Tomato/Basil mixture and bring to low to simmer for a few minutes.  Prepare noodles of choice and serve sprinkled with Parmesan.  Simple, tasty and a family favorite!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

4 large eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup shredded zucchini (I used one green, one yellow)

Combine the wet ingredients with a hand mixer until well combined.

1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
sprinkle sea salt
1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips

Add dry ingredients into wet and mix well with hand mixer.  Finally, fold in chocolate chips and place evenly into 12 muffin tins.  Bake at 350 for 22 minutes then let cool for 10+ minutes.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Turkey Tenderloins

I think this is technically more of a "fall" dish but so yummy!  The prep takes some time but then only takes a short time to heat through later on so a good "pre-prep" meal idea!  I do a lot of my cooking on Sundays or else a day or two ahead of time during the week since our schedule is wild!

2 boneless turkey tenderloins or 1 pound (Trader Joe's has been my best bet for these)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, diced
1 medium butternut squash, diced/cubed
2 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 package mushrooms, diced
1 cup baby spinach
3 sage leaves, chopped
Thyme, several sprigs fresh
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
Cooking Twine

1.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add coconut oil.
2.  Add onions and begin saute' for a few minutes.  Then, Add butternut squash and a few tablespoons water and cover to simmer for 10 minutes.
3.  Remove lid and add garlic, mushrooms, spinach, sage, thyme, sea salt, and pepper and cook carefully while stirring for another few minutes.  Be sure vegetables are soft and well seasoned.  Set aside to cool.
4.  Cut the tenderloins so there is a "pocket" in each side.  Fill them as full as you can with the vegetable mixture and carefully wrap the tenderloins in cooking twice to hold together well.  Mixture will spill out, but no worries.
5.  Place the tenderloins in the used HOT skillet and carefully sear each side (not open side of course)-this helps seal all the flavors in.
6.  Transfer to a baking dish and pour any additional vegetable mixture on top/sides in dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes (cover with foil for at least half the time depending on how golden you like it on top).  Enjoy!

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Bake

I personally love spaghetti squash but my family does not enjoy it.  My kids still did not enjoy this one (because they are not big cheese fans) but my hubby gave it a thumbs up!

1 medium spaghetti squash baked (I bake mine face down in a slight bit of water for 30 minutes)
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1/4 yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Mushrooms, diced
1 pound ground beef (or two if you want leftovers or want to make half with traditional brown rice pasta for kiddos like mine)
Either 1 jar pasta sauce (or 2 cups tomatoe puree)
1/4 cup water
parsley
oregano
basil
sea salt
pepper
1 cup shredded raw mild cheese (I used mild cheddar and it was delicious)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1.  Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms, and ground beef in the the oil until browned and veggies are soft.
2.  Add in pasta sauce and spices of your choice and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes to really combine the flavors.
3.  Shred the "noodles" from spaghetti squash and transfer to the pot with the sauce to combine well.
4.  Place noodle/sauce mixture in a large casserole dish and sprinkle with a combination of cheeses.
5.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until cheese is super bubbly!

I typically use this as my "make-ahead" meal.  I make two pounds ground beef, two jars sauce, lots of veggies and we have spaghetti one night and then this is a full meal leftover for another night in the busy week!

Banana Bread/Muffins Two Ways!

The other day I felt like baking and had a bunch of over ripe bananas so here we go!  One is a more basic, gluten and refined-sugar free banana bread and the other is a double chocolate banana bread.

Banana Bread/Muffins with Chocolate Chips:

3 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup raw honey (pure maple syrup could work or a version of sugar)
1/3 cup unsweet applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp avocado oil
2 cups flour blend (I used 1 cup brown rice flour and 1 cup ground gluten-free oats finely ground)
2 Tbsp ground chia seeds
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips

1.  Mash bananas with masher or in a mixer.  Add vanilla, eggs, oil, applesauce/honey and combine well.
2.  Mix all dry ingredients together and add the the wet mixture until well combined.
3.  Stir in chocolate chips last and spoon into loaf pan or muffin tin.
4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread:

3 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup unsweet applesauce

1/2 cup raw honey or maple syrup (I did a mixture of the two)

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 cup flour blend (I did 1/2 cup rice flour and 1/2 cup ground oat flour)

2 Tbsp ground chia seed

1/3 cup raw cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

sprinkle sea salt

2/3 cup enjoy life chocolate chips

1.  Mash bananas and add wet ingredients (applesauce, sweetener, vanilla, egg)

2.  Add dry ingredients and combine well.

3.  Fold in the chocolate chips (saving a handful for decoration on the top)

4.  Put mix in a baking pan and sprinkle chocolate  chips on top.  

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until knife comes out (almost) clean.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Strawberry Pie

Here is a healthy, vegan dessert (also nut free because my middle child has a nut sensitivity)!  We ended up freezing it so it was almost like an ice cream dessert!  I was nervous to try this because I was making three separate items and trying to combine them into one dessert but it was tasty and fairly quick and simple!

Crust:
1 1/4 cups coconut flour
1 TBSP raw cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
5 TBSP coconut oil (room temperature)
1 TBSP sunflower butter
2 TBSP raw honey
sprinkle sea salt
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together to combine using a fork and press firmly into bottom of pie pan.

Chocolate Mousse Layer:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut sugar (I used less the second time I made this and it was still super sweet)
1 cup chocolate chunks (I tried with enjoy life chocolate chips once and another time using Whole Foods 365 70% chunks)
4 eggs, separated
1 can full fat unsweet coconut cream (put can coconut milk in fridge and use the layer of cream)

Boil the water in a medium pot then add the sugar until dissolved.  Remove from heat and after a few minutes add the chocolate chips until completely melted.  In separate bowls, whisk both the egg yolks until pale yellow and the whites until stiff peaks form.  Then, using a hand mixer combine the chocolate mixture and eggs until completely combined.  Finally, add the coconut cream and mix well using mixer.  Pour carefully on top of the pie crust then put in freezer while you prep the strawberry mousse!

Strawberry Mousse:
1 can full fat unsweet coconut cream (same thing, place can in fridge for a bit and remove the cream)
2 TBSP raw maple syrup (raw honey could also work)
1 cup strawberries (I used fresh)

Place the coconut cream, maple syrup and strawberries in a blender and blend well until smooth.  Pour carefully on top of the chocolate layer and place in the fridge/freezer for a few hours.  I ended up placing in the freezer and we enjoyed about 3 hours later.  Another night, I made just the chocolate mousse and did it in the fridge!  Both tasty!

Freezer Crock Pot Meal Ideas

With Fall approaching, I have seen many posts about freezer crockpot meals, so I decided to round up some of my favorites and make some of my own.  I bought almost entirely organic ingredients (a few things I could not find between 4 stores) and use hormone/antibiotic free range meats.  I made Margarita Chicken (2 bags), Beef Stew, Rosemary Apple Chicken, Chicken Taco Chili, and Thai Curry (2 bags), plus bought ingredients for a new chicken tomato recipe I am planning to try so 8 full meals (most will include leftovers for at least some of us as well).  I also bought gallon freezer bags, brown rice, Ezekial Tortilla (for taco chili leftovers), and even have some leftover veggies for snacking.  My total cost (using quality ingredients) was 106.64 so divide that by 8 meals is $13.33 per meal for a family of 4 plus leftovers.  I am pretty excited!  I plan to just keep these in the freezer and maybe have one a week or use in emergencies when I do not have a meal planned or plans change.  Now that I have done a small version of this, I may expand and do some more!

Margarita Chicken
Beef Stew
Rosemary Apple Chicken
Chicken Taco Chili
Thai Curry

Margarita Chicken (in the Crock Pot)

1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
3 Tbsp Margarita Mix (liquid)
Sea Salt
Pepper

Whisk Together, then add:

1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup cut green beans
2-3 Frozen Chicken Breasts, cubed

Place in Freezer Bag or Crock Pot for 4-5 hrs on low.  I served mine on top of Jasmine Rice.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

1.5 lbs beef stew meat
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 tomato, diced
2 medium red potatoes, diced (sweet potatoes would be good too)
1/4 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced (or powdered garlic)
Sprinkle Thyme
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Sea Salt
Pepper
Any other spices you like
1 cup beef broth (or veggie broth would likely work as well)

Place in freezer bag or crockpot for 5-7 hrs on low.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Apple Rosemary Chicken

1 Chicken Breast, 2-3 Chicken Thighs (I forgot to buy thighs so used all breasts)
2 apples, peeled and diced
Squirt of lime juice
1/4 sweet onion diced
2-3 Fresh Rosemary Spriggs
Sea Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp water (to help liquify a bit so we could seal the bag)

1.  Dice and place all in a freezer safe gallon bag (or right in the crock pot).
2.  Cook on low 6 hrs or high 4 hrs.

I served this with brown rice on the side and some steamed green beans.

Homemade Lara Bars

Enjoying the new Ninja and had to try these with the processing attachments.  You could really add/omit anything here using basic mixture of 1/2 cup pitted dates/raisins and 1 cup dry nuts/seeds/granola/oats, 1 Tbsp water and any other add ins...here is what I used!

1/2 cup Medijol Dates, pitted
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/3 cup 70% dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins
1 Tbsp water (more or less to consistency)

Blend until the consistency you would like then mash into a parchment paper lines dish (mine is about 4 x 8 inches).  Later, I will cut and place in single serve baggies for easy snacks on the go!  Yum!

Afternoon Mocha Blast

We just got a new blender, The Ninja, and are enjoying "playing" with it.  Yesterday, we made a new smoothie for a treat!

1 frozen banana
2 shots espresso, cooled (or half cup of coffee would work)
1 cup chocolate almond milk or you could do plain almond/coconut milk and add cocoa powder/honey

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

I found this recipe, tweaked it a bit and these are a delicious "treat" and easy to snack on at home or on the go!

1-3/4 cups Organic Oats (gluten-free if needed or I used an oats/quinoa blend)
1/2 cup Organic Coconut Sugar
3/4-1 cup Organic Brown Rice Flour (original recipe called for whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup Raw Organic Honey
2 Tbsp. Melted coconut oil
1/4 cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
1/4 Cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds
1/4 cup enjoy life chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients together (I did the wet first), then press into a greased pan (mine was 8 x 11)-dough will be a bit crumbly but presses in well.  Bake at 325 for 25 minutes (pulling it out after 20 minutes to sprinkle the chocolate chips on the top so they do not fully melt-or you could drizzle melted chocolate on top afterwards).  Take out and let cool entirely before cutting into rectangles and place in snack size baggies (if they can last that long, my family devoured these)!

Banana Pancakes Two Ways

Here are two delicious ways to make banana pancakes (quick and cheap too), one is grain-free and the other is simply gluten free but both are healthy and tasty (and filling)!

Paleo Pancakes:
2 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1 Tbsp chia seed
1 tsp cinnamon
coconut oil (for cooking in hot skillet)

1.  Using an electric mixer, mash the bananas and mix in the eggs.  Combine until frothy.
2.  Add in remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.
3.  Let batter sit for 5-10 minutes then cook (you need to cook extra on side one so they flip nicely).  Serve hot with pure maple syrup (or raw honey as my daughter and husband prefer)!

Gluten-Free Rice Flour Pancakes:
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1/2 Cup Coconut/Almond Milk
1 egg (two if you prefer pancakes a bit fluffier)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
sprinkle sea salt
1 cup Organic Brown Rice Flour (cheap at all stores)

1.  Using electric mixer, mash the bananas and combine wet ingredients until smooth.
2.  Add dry ingredients then mix well again until batter is smooth.
3.  Add in berries, chocolate chips, nut butter or prepare plain.
4.  Use more coconut oil to cook 3-5 minutes each side.
Serve hot with pure maple syrup or raw honey!

These were both tasty!  The coconut flour version was tougher to flip and a bit more cumbly and did not store batter well for leftovers, but the rice flour blend was like a "normal" pancake and great left over as well!

Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

Chipotle Mexican Grill is one of our favorite places to eat out!  I typically get the salads and love the dressing so I found and tweaked a recipe for that dressing and we made homemade salads of our own!  They were awesome!  I made the adobe dry rub first, used part for the dressing and used the rest as a dry rub on my chicken (steak would have been great too) before grilling it.

Adobe Seasoning:
1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
1/2 Tbsp. Chipotle Powder
1 tsp ground pepper
3/4 tsp Onion Powder
3/4 tsp Dried Oregano
3/4 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Chili Powder

Dressing:
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
less than 1/4 cup raw honey (I used just under and mine was almost too sweet so use sparingly)
1 Tbsp. Adobe Mix (from above)
1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh Oregano (or a sprinkle of dried)
3/4 Cup Olive Oil (more or less to taste)

Mix together in a blender, food processor, or shaker bottle.  This made a full bottle of dressing and tasted great that night and even better left over the next day! 

21 Day Paleo Challenge

My husband and I decided to follow up a rough eating month (January holds both our daughters birthdays, plus we had guests visit and several big Football celebrations) with a 30 day Paleo Challenge.  We are trying to make it a positive change, so not being extremely legalistic, just no grains, no refined sugar (we will allow small bit of honey or maple syrup to sweeten but try not to do much), and no desserts (even healthy ones, haha).  I am typically a person who will work out 6 days/week but then enjoys some treats throughout the week but I am going to try to continue my workouts but skip those treats for a month!  So, I plan to blog the journey and keep updating this post every few days with what we ate each day plus what my workout was.  Keep in mind, we are very busy so some of the meals might seem a bit 'repetitive' but here we go!  PS-our daughters (3 and 6) will eat mostly paleo as well but I will let them eat occasional brown rice pasta (they both dislike spaghetti squash that I love), crackers/pretzels, or a treat if they earn something special but overall they will also participate!

Day 1:

Bfast-Smoothie
Lunch-Grilled chicken with side salad made with mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers (balsamic/olive oil dressing)
Dinner-Stuffed Peppers and Squash and Mushrooms
Snacks-Carrots, Apple, Cucumber slices
Workout-3.5 mile run with puppy

Day 2:

Bfast-Protein Shake
Lunch-Sliced Chicken roll ups (chicken with lettuce and avocado rolled up), carrot sticks
Dinner-Roasted Chicken, Coconut Flour Biscuits, Green Beans, Sauteed Carrots with basil
Snacks-Carrots, Apple with peanut butter, Organic Fruit Strip, Homemade latte with coconut milk, espresso and a touch of raw honey
Workout-5.5 mile run with jog stroller while my older daughter biked

*using the roasted chicken to make chicken stock for soup this weekend

Day 3:

Bfast-Scrambled Eggs, diced avocado
Lunch-Chicken Salad with cucumbers, carrots, and mixed greens topped with avocado dressing (using leftover chicken from roasting last night)
Dinner-Chicken Basil Curry, Roasted Mixed Potatoes and Carrots (the curry was a new try from another healthy site-I might make again and tweak a few things but overall tasty)
Snacks-Organic Fruit Strip
Workout-T25 Speed 1.0

Day 4:

Bfast-Smoothie
Lunch-Salad Bar from Whole Foods (read ingredients)
Dinner-Spaghetti Squash with meat sauce (sugar free) and eggplant lasagna for my hubby
Snacks-1/2 apple, Homemade latte with coconut milk
Workout-T25 Cardio

Day 5:

Bfast-Smoothie
Lunch-Grilled Chicken Sausages, roasted mixed veggies
Dinner-Homemade Grilled Chicken (Chipotle style) Salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots and homemade chipotle vinaigrette and topped with diced avocado
Snacks-1 piece sliced turkey wrapping lettuce, homemade latte with coconut milk
Workout-T25 Upper Body Circuit

Day 6:

Bfast-Smoothie, rest of family had scrambled eggs
Lunch-Grilled chicken with steamed broccoli, with a side salad (olive oil/vinegar dressing)-ate out and just read ingredients and specified order
Dinner-Leftover spaghetti squash with meat sauce from day 4
Snacks-Organic Fruit Strip, ½ apple
Workout-day off

Day 7:

Bfast-Smoothie, rest of family had eggs
Lunch-Beef Little Smokies with non-sugar made BBQ sauce, Kale Salad (added cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and red peppers)
 Dinner-Zucchini Boat Enchiladas, with homemade guacamole
Snacks-Apple with peanut butter
Workout-T25 Speed 2.0

Day 8:

Bfast-Shake
Lunch-Turkey Roll Ups, Cherry tomatoes, Sugar Snap Pea Pods
Dinner-Tacos with lettuce for shells
Snacks-Hard boiled egg, organic fruit strip
Workout-T25 Rip’t Circuit

Day 9:

Bfast-Smoothie
Lunch-Salad with Grilled Chicken, tomatoes, and cucumbers
Dinner-Fajitas (with chicken, onions, red peppers, and mushrooms) served with Romaine lettuce shells
Snacks-Apple with peanut butter
Workout-T25 Ab Intervals

Day 10:

Bfast-Smoothie
Lunch-Grilled chicken sausages, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes on side
Dinner-Bunless burger with sautéed mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers
Snacks-Hard Boiled Egg
Workout-T25 Upper Body

Day 11:

Bfast-Smoothie, my family all had eggs
Lunch-Grilled chicken salad
Dinner-Taco Salads with tomatoes, mixed greens, olives, and homemade guacamole
Snacks-Cheat Alert:  I cheated and bought some Organic Corn Chips and had Chips/Guac
Workout-3 Mile Run

Day 12:

Bfast-Hard boiled egg with strawberries
Lunch-Leftover taco salad
Dinner-Banana Coconut flour pancakes with chicken breakfast sausage (Heart shaped pancakes)
Snacks-Homemade coconut milk latte
Workout-T25 Core Cardio

They are not allowing me to add/edit this post but I will keep trying.  Until them, check out the new recipes!

Sauteed Carrots with Basil

This is not much of a recipe, but sure was tasty.  Very quick and simple!

Butter or Coconut Oil
Sliced Carrots
Sea Salt
Diced Fresh Basil

Simple melt the butter or oil in a skillet and saute' the carrots with sea salt until browning and starting to soften.  Then as you serve, toss some of the diced basil on top for garnish and sweetness!  Yum, they looked pretty and taste great!

Coconut Flour Cheddar Biscuits

Okay, so they are not Red Lobster quality but they were tasty and filling!

1/4 coconut oil or butter, melted (I think butter is better for this one)
1/3 coconut flour
4 organic eggs
Sea Salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Baking Powder
1/3 cup shredded organic raw cheese

1.  Combine Eggs, melted oil, sea salt, onion and garlic in a bowl and whisk together well.
2.  Add in the coconut flour and baking powder and whisk until combined and not lumpy.
3.  Fold in the cheese until combined.
4.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes (makes about 8 biscuits).

I served these with chicken and veggies for dinner but they might be good with eggs for breakfast!  Also, you could skip the spices and sweeten with raw honey for a sweeter biscuit.

Pulled Barbeque Chicken

Crockpot Meals are so simple and easy when you have a busy schedule, however, my daughters are not big fans of them usually but this one they liked!

1 can organic tomato sauce
1/2 small onion, diced small
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp sweetener (agave, honey, maple syrup)
2 Tbsp organic tomato paste
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1-2 lbs chicken (thighs or breast would work, boneless)

Stir ingredients (except chicken) together until well combined.  Add chicken and cook on low for 5-6 hrs.  Then, shred the chicken and return to sauce.  Serve at sandwiches, in tacos, over rice, and or just plain with vegetables!