Crockpot Chicken Marsala

With the busy Summer months beginning, I have been using my crockpot a lot since we have been busy swimming, going to parks, and hanging out!  Monday at our house is gymnastics night so it's my crockpot night!  This is a quick and easy recipe that tastes super yummy and you can add whatever veggies you want!  I am also thinking you could add rice or pasta to make it more filling and go farther!

2-4 frozen chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. brown rice flour
1 cup organic chicken stock
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine
Chicken seasoning, Salt, Pepper, whatever you like to season (just make sure it is without msg)
Sliced carrots
Asparagus cut into bite sized pieces
Sliced baby bella mushrooms
(you can use whatever veggies you want, these were all available fresh from the farmer's market, except the mushrooms which were on sale at the store this week)

1.  Place the wine, chicken stock, rice flour, and seasoning in the crockpot and stir sauce well.
2.  Add veggies and chicken breasts.
3.  Stir together and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8 or more hours (I usually do low for the first 6 hours, then switch to warm for another 2-3 hours since I am home on and off throughout the day).
*If you were to add rice or pasta, I would add the last couple hours so they don't get too soggy!
4.  This turns out almost creamy and the flavors blend so well!  Enjoy!

Granola

This was a first for me, I have never ventured to make my own granola cereal.  I have never been a big cereal fan, and most are so unhealthy that breakfast at our house is usually a smoothie of some sort, oatmeal for my daughter sometimes (filled with berries or nuts), and an occasional day of omelets or gluten-free pancakes.  But, I do enjoy granola sometimes, though buying organic granola in a box is expensive and you hardly get any in the box (plus it's contains hidden sugars).  So, I looked online for hours to find a recipe I liked and did not find one so I made it up myself.  I hope you like it!

3 cups organic oats (gluten-free if you prefer)-not quick cooking oats
2 cups nuts (I used raw almonds and pecans)-I lightly food processed them so they were in pieces
2/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup organic raisins
2 scoops MILA chia seed (about 1/4 cup)
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp raw honey (I maybe did not need this but my 4 year old was helping me make it and she said honey would be good so I added a bit and it was yummy)

1.  Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl until mixed.
2.  Spread on a large cookie or baking sheets.
3.  Bake at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until browned, stirring every 10 minutes.  The granola will crisp up more as it cools.

My husband was eating this by the handful, but I enjoyed it for breakfast the next day with a splash of almond milk, and my daughter liked it too.  This was a perfect example of a great recipe to make with your child, my daughter can be a creature of habit but she loved this (mostly because she helped make it).  This was a sweet and hearty way to start the day without eating refined-sugar filled boxed cereal!

Bruschetta Grilled Chicken

I saw this recipe idea on a magazine but the ingredients were terrible so I made my own healthy version.  I served it with roasted sweet potato fries and grilled asparagus-yum!

Marinade:
1 medium tomato
A few basil leaves
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper

-Place in a food processor or blender and blend into liquid.  Marinate for 2 or more hours.

3-4 large chicken breasts

Topping:
2-3 diced tomatoes
several basil leaves, diced
Drizzle of Olive Oil

-Mix tomatoes, diced basil, and olive oil together and chill.

-After the chicken breasts marinate, grill them outside (you could bake them too I suppose)

-Top with bruschetta mixture and serve!

Chocolate Nut Crunch

I found this paleo recipe online when I was hunting for a sweet treat!  This is a perfect snack!

2 cups raw nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.)

-Slightly break down in a food processor until broken into smaller chunks
-Pour into a large bowl

3 T butter
1/4 cup raw honey
Sprinkle Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 T Raw Cocoa Powder
Sprinkle cinnamon

-Melt butter and honey together over low-medium heat.
-Add sea salt, vanilla, cocoa powder and cinnamon
-Whisk together into a chocolatey sauce.
-Pour the sauce over the broken down nuts and mix together thoroughly
-Spread the chocolatey mixture on a baking sheet
-Bake at 200 degrees for 3.5 hours
-Let cool completely and then remove from pan and break into pieces (I dare you to try and get it put away before everyone eats it all)!

Grain-Free Pizza

 We have been eating mostly grain-free for the past month and I have been craving pizza, so I found a few paleo recipes online and modified it to fit our needs and likes (we are still doing raw cheese and some beans so not full paleo).

Crust:
3 organic eggs
3 T olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-2 tsp. italian seasonings (my blend has basil, oregano, garlic, etc.)-make sure there are no msg
1 cup almond meal/flour
1/4 cup coconut flour

Mix together well.  The dough will be wet and a bit tough to spread.  Spread carefully on a baking stone and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Then remove from oven and add toppings.

Toppings:
Sliced chicken sausages
Sliced mushrooms
Diced tomatoes
Diced fresh basil
Organic, sugar free pizza sauce (or make your own)
Raw, organic cheese

Add toppings and bake for another 15-20 minutes, I broiled for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the toppings.  Enjoy!

The finished product!!  It was tasty and filling, but did not leave any of us with belly aches!

Pecan Crunch Banana Cake

My family and I are going mostly grain-free with out eating for a while so I have been on the hunt for some new recipes.  I got this one from civilizedcavemancooking.com and it was so tasty!  My husband has also requested for me to make it again next week for him to take to share with his workout buddies!

Cake:
3 mashed bananas
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup raw MILA chia seed
1/4 cup coconut flour
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cinnamon Swirl:
3 Tbsp. raw honey
2 Tbsp. cinnamon

Crunchy Topping:
1/8 cup 100% pure maple syrup
2/3 cup raw pecans chopped or whole

1.  Use a  hand mixer to mix the cake ingredients until well combined.  Pour thick batter into an 8 x 8 pyrex/glass container.
2.  In a separate bowl, whisk the raw honey and 2 T cinnamon together and drizzle on top of batter in pan.  Swirl however you want!
3.  Place cake in the over and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, taking out after 15 minutes to add the candied pecans.
4.  While the cake is starting to bake, saute' the raw pecans (walnuts would also be great) in the maple syrup for 5-6 minutes on medium heat stirring often-BEWARE NOT TO EAT THEM ALL BEFORE YOU PUT THEM ON THE CAKE!
5.  After 15 minutes of baking, pull out the cake and sprinkle the candied pecans on top of the cake and then finish baking for 15-20 more minutes or until knife/toothpick comes out clean.
6.  Let sit for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

At our house, this started as a snack, and the next day we had it for breakfast!  Enjoy!

Easy Fruit Salad

This is a simple fruit salad recipe that you can whip up in five minutes. It's perfect for a potluck, picnic, or just to have for a snack that is a little different than plain fruit. I have also done this as a fresh side item with a big Thanksgiving or Easter Dinner.

8 cups cup up fruit (I usually do granny smith apples, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, blueberries, and oranges, but you could do any fruit you like)

1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup water
2 drops of peppermint extract (just to make it a little different but you could omit)
Optional*Tbsp raw honey to sweeten*

1. Whisk together the juices and then add fresh fruit and mix well.
2. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Just writing this makes me think that maybe I should make some of this to snack on this weekend! Enjoy!