Stuffed spinach chicken

Found this one on the internet awhile ago and it originally calls for pomegranate juice instead of honey either would be fine.

INGREDIENTS:
2 chicken breasts
2-3 ready to eat dates sliced
2 cups spinach
6-8 slices of bacon cut up
1/2 onion diced
1 clove garlic diced
cumin
salt and pepper honey


In a sauce pan on med heat, saute the bacon onion and garlic until browned. Add spinach, dates and 1/2 tsp cumin, cook until spinach is wilty and dark green.
Cut chicken breasts lengthwise and add stuffing. Drizzle honey over the top and season lightly with salt pepper and a little bit of cumin. Put in oven safe pan and cook for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. MMMMMMM. You can add more dates if you want but 2 is pretty sweet as it is.

Chicken Fried caulirice

Ok so I know in my last post I said chicken isn't my favorite, and honestly it's not, but apparently I'm going nuts with it this month. I made a chicken fried rice the other day that I just love, thanks to Carley and her wonderful use of cauliflower, I have been putting it in everything, a breakfast scramble, steak fajitas, stuffing, (all to be posted later). It is so veristale and just plain yummy. It took me forever to finally make this amazingly simple carb but now that I've tried it, I'm going crazy!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsn olive oil
3 chicken breast cut into strips
2 tbsn olive oil
1/2 head cauliflower grated on a cheese grater
1/2 onion sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks sliced
4 small peices of broccoli minced
1 egg
1 to 2 tsp soy sauce. (I use wheat free soy sauce (tamara) found in super one, pilgrams and I think Fred Meyer.)

Grate the cauliflower and spread it on a plate microwave for 3 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper cook strips in 1 tbsn oil until brown, set aside. in frying pan or wok, add the rest of the oil, throw in garlic and onions and brown. Add all vegys and stir fry until they start to get tender, add soy sauce to egg and beat until mixed up than add egg mixture and cooked chicken. Stir until egg is cooked and serve hot!

This pic is without the chicken I actually made this as a side for some pork chops and it was perfect.

Just in time for Thanksgiving

I used this recipe to stuff 2 whole chickens however it can easily fill a nice size turkey as well. This stuffing is actually my dads recipe as a clean choice for the holidays or whatever.








INGREDIENTS:
6 strips bacon sliced
1/2 medium butternut squash cubed
4 red delicious apples cubed
1 c. non added sugar raisins
5 stalks celery sliced
1/4 sweet onion sliced
2 cloves garlic diced
1 tsp rosemary, thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 C chicken stock

On medium high on the stove top in a sauce pan cook bacon. Add garlic and onions, cook until brown. Add squash cook until tender. Add a celery, raisins, apples, and spices and broth. Cook until broth reduces a little. Stuff bird and cook according to bird directions or place in a oven safe dish and back at 400 degrees until top is browned.

Brooky's apple bottom banana custard

So last night while I was cooking dinner Brook (for those of you that don't know is my 10 year old) asked if she could make dessert (clean of course.) Without my help she put together this custard recipe with garnishments and all (I helped her figure out the cooking temperature though). It was delicious, and tasted so much like a regular custard that her Grandpa had no idea it didn't have sugar or dairy in it. She quit the cook!

INGREDIENTS:
1 banana
3/4 C coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 red delicious apple diced

Puree the banana add all other the spices and extracts. Whip up the 2 eggs until blended, stir into the banana mixture. In 4 ramekins put the diced apples on the bottom and fill halfway with the custard.










Bake on a cookie sheet (to prevent overflowing) at 425 degrees for 20 min and than reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 10 more or until toothpick comes out clean.

Brook covered her custard with some homemade plum jam and an almond flower with a blueberry center. MMMMMMM

The best baked chicken ever!!

OK so this is my personal opinion, but I love this chicken (and I'm not a huge chicken fan to start with.) I got the original recipe from a Sunset magazine and altered it slightly to fit the paleo lifestyle. (The original says yukon potatoes and of course I put in sweet potatoes.)

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsn olive oil
5-6 chicken thighs and/or legs or a whole cut up chicken
1 tsp salt and pepper
2 springs thyme
3 peices of bacon sliced (but I always use more you can never have too much bacon)
2 C. chicken broth
1 C. frozen pearl onions
6 cloves of garlic diced
2 large sweet potatoes cubed
1 container of sliced mushrooms







I use a cast ion frying pan for this recipe they are perfect to frying baking and just about everything

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and some of the thyme. Put the oil in an oven safe pan on the stove top on med add the seasoned chicken,skin side down, until skin is crispy and deep brown (about 12 min.). Set chicken a side.
On med-low cook your bacon and garlic in the same oven safe pan, after browned add the onions, and the remaining thyme. Cook until onions start to carmalized. Stir often (about 5 min.)









Add potatoes, stir until mixture is brown (potatoes are almost soft.) Add the mushrooms and stock bring to a boil cook until the liguids reduced. Arrange the chicken on top of the vegys, skin side up and bake in the oven at 375, uncovered, about 20 min. or until the chicken is completely done (juices run clear.)











Scope out and enjoy!!!!

A perfect Fall stew

Sorry there haven't been any posts here lately. Carly, our recipe guru, has been exceedingly busy these last several weeks so I am going to take over for her for a bit. Although my pics and recipes may not be as stunning or creative.

This is a new favorite at my house, it's quick, easy, feeds a lot and is a great choice for a crisp Fall evening.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHICKEN STEW
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 large chicken breasts, cubed
3 tbsn olive oil
2-32 oz chicken stock
5 large carrots, peeled and sliced
12+ spears asparagus sliced
5+ stalks of celery, sliced
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 bay leaves
2+ tblsn of: Rosemary, Basil, Thyme
salt and pepper to liking











Start with a large stock pot on med-high. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil until brown. Add chicken and some Rosemary, and salt, and pepper. Cook until chicken is brown. Add stock and remaining spices ( I add a little bit of water if I think the stock is a little to strong.) Add all vegys, boil for about 5 min. Reduce temp. to simmer, cover and cook until squash is tender and has created a thickening effect on the broth.
I have used this recipe before with acorn squash but it doesn't produce the thickness of broth that I really like in the butternut squash. (Plus the butternut is easier to prepare than the acorn.)
This stew is enough to feed my household (2 adults and 4 kids) for 1 meal, which is about 10 very full bowl. But for those of you with smaller families, freezing is a great option too.

Blissfully Blessed: A guest post and delish recipe!

Check out this post. My sister asked me to guest post on her blog. There is also a great recipe on there that I havent posted on this blog so check it!


Blissfully Blessed: A guest post and delish recipe!: "I am so excited for my first guest blogger because she happens to be my little sis! She is such an amazing cook and baker. And her recipes n..."

I Scream You Scream We All Scream For Blueberry Ice Cream

This is a very simple treat, perfect for these hot days we have been having! You can substitute virtually any fruit in this recipe. If you have any brilliant concoctions please post them to the comments!

Blueberry Ice Cream

1 Can coconut milk

2 C. Frozen blueberries (or any frozen fruit)

1 Tbsp Honey

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, pour into 1/2 c size bowl and freeze until almost solid. If you freeze them too long they get a little icy and aren't as smooth. However I found that if you do freeze them too long just pop them in the fridge for a bit before you eat them and they will be a little smoother.

My First Fresh Steps Box

There were several great things about my first experience with Fresh Steps. Here are the top 5 reasons why I love this company!

1. I got WAY more produce than I thought I was going to get.

2. All the fruit and veggies were ripe and ready to eat.

3. Nothing was old, bruised or in any way inedible.

4. They used a box with a plastic bag and they ask you to return the boxes at your next pick up making them an environmentally friendly company.

5. The variety was great and it inspired me to get creative with the meals I prepared (recipes to come!)

Here is what I got in my box:

1 huge head cabbage

1 huge head leaf lettuce

1 celery

2 yellow squash

3 bell peppers

1 bunch cilantro

1/2# cherries

1 pkg blueberries

4 Fuji apples

2 Oranges

2 apricots

3 nectarines

It was all organic and locally raised. I averaged out what I would have paid for the organic produce at the store and it came out to over $40.00 I got all the above mentioned produce for $22.00!!!! They are running a promotion for the first 4 boxes at that price! What a great deal! Go check them out, also Crossfit is hosting a pickup location so you can get it while you are at the gym, I know convenient right?!?! http://www.freshstepsonline.com

Fresh Tuna Burgers

This is such a great recipe! I am not a huge seafood fan, but these burgers were to die for! They have the perfect amount of spice and because of the lime in them they taste a little tropical.

Tuna Burgers

Makes 4 good sized burgers

1# Tuna Steaks

2 TBSP Bragg's Liquid Amino's

1 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Wasabi Paste (this is where the spice comes from if you like it hot add more)

Zest of 1 Lime

1/4 C Cilantro

2 tsp. Ground Ginger

1 TBSP Dijon Mustard

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Here are the lovely tuna steaks I found.

Chop the tuna steaks until large chunks and put in a food processor with all the ingredients. After you zest your lime squeeze the juice from 1/2 into the mix too! Process until it is well mixed and it starts to form a ball in the bowl.

Take the burger mixture and divide it into 4 equal parts by scoring it with your hand. This way the burgers are equal in size and they will take the same amount of time to cook.

Lightly grease a skillet or griddle and cook the burgers. It will only take about 2 minutes on each side for a medium burger, which is how I like mine!

I served it with some Bragg's liquid amino's and wasabi on the side.

Jalapeno's: Bacon Wrapped/Chicken Stuffed

I took these bacon wrapped chicken stuffed jalapeno peppers to the CFLC BBQ/Hooverball game. The day was tons of fun and these peppers got lots of compliments. I thought I would share the recipe (as embarrassingly simple as it is) with all of you lovely people who couldn't attend our fun day. As a side note, the peppers aren't very spicy because I removed the ribs and seeds, if you want them to have a little kick leave some of the seeds. My hubby hates spicy food and he thought these were tolerable, (even mild salsa is hot to him!)


12 Jalapeno Peppers (or how many you want to eat, they are great reheated)
1# Chicken cut into pieces that will fit into the pepper, seasoned with your favorite seasoning.
Bacon
Cut the tops off of all the pepper and carefully scrape all the seeds out, the best way I found was to take a butter knife and put it into the center of the pepper and twist it back and forth, then just dump out the seeds.

Stuff the raw chicken into the pepper cavity and wrap with bacon. It takes one full slice of bacon to wrap the pepper properly (say that 5 times fast!). I have grilled them and cooked them in the oven. Grilling them is a little tricky because of the fat from the bacon, cook it up on the top rack if you have one or use indirect heat (turning on one side of the grill or putting briquet's on one side only). They took about 45 minutes to an hr depending on the size in the oven at 350 degrees. Just make sure the pepper is soft and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. I used a meat thermometer to make sure they were done enough. Aim for 170 degrees for chicken.

Fresh Steps is On-line!

That produce delivery company now has its website up! http://www.freshstepsonline.com/. They are planning an debuting their business at the Rathdrum farmers market on the 16th of July. They will have boxes there ready to go at a promotional discounted price, along with some other products that they will be carrying from local businesses. Make sure go and check them out, I know I'll be going!!! Another exciting thing is that they will be adding recipes from the nutrition blog and linking us to their webpage!!!

Turkey Sausages with Apples

This is a great recipe that I saw on ElanasPantry.com. It reminds me of the Aidell's sausages that I love so much. The great thing about this recipe is that you get the full flavor of sausage patties without all of the fat if you are concerned with that sort of thing. They are the perfect balance of sweet and savory and are a great addition to any breakfast.

Turkey Apple Sausage

Recipe from Elana's Pantry

1# Ground Turkey or Chicken

3/4 C. Dried Apples diced

1 TBSP Maple Syrup

1 tsp. each Salt and Pepper

1/4 tsp. Allspice (this is what gives it such good flavor)

2 TBSP Fresh Sage- chopped (this is what gives it a sausage taste)

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, take off your rings and get those hands in there!

This is what it should look like when you are done mixing.

Heat up a skillet with a little pan spray or a small amount of Olive oil, form the meat mixture into patties and cook over high heat for 3 minutes on each side.

This is about the color you are going for.

Moroccan Melts In Your Mouth Chicken

I have heard the term "melts in your mouth" before, I had never actually experienced it until I made this dish. The original recipe is from Bon Apetite (fancy right) I just adapted a few things to make it clean and viola, you have the most moist, flavorful and yes, melt in your mouth chicken ever! I would imagine that this recipe would be easy to make in the crock pot. My sister Nicole is always looking for quick easy crock pot meals being a busy mom of 2 crazy cute boys, I have been trying to work on her request of more crock pot recipes! If you try it in the crock pot, post a comment and let me know!

Moroccan Chicken

1 Medium to Large Chicken

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 Lemons

3 Cinnamon Sticks

6 Shallots thinly sliced (you could substitute red onion)

6 Carrots peeled and chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces

12 dates halved

1 C. Chicken Broth

1 1/2 tsp Ginger

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/8 tsp Cayenne

Salt and Pepper

1/2 C Cilantro

1/2 C. Sliced Almonds Toasted

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a dutch oven heat 1 Tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. Put the chicken in breast up and cook for about 5 minutes to brown the skin. Flip it over and cook for 5 minutes on the breast side. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the chicken and put the rind into the cavity. Scatter the veggies and dates around the chicken, squeeze the other lemon on top and slice into a few pieces. Scatter the pieces of lemon in with the veggies. Pour over the other Tbsp of Olive oil. Mix all the spices together and sprinkle over the chicken and veggies. Nestle the cinnamon sticks among the veggies cover the dutch oven and cook for 1 hour. Raise the temperature to 425 remove the lid and cook for 45-1 hr more, or until the internal temperature reads 180 degrees. There will be the most amazing sauce on the bottom, this is the part that melts in your mouth, take the chicken out and slice it into pieces, serve the veggies on the side and spoon the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cilantro and a few toasted almonds.

aren't the veggies so pretty?

Here is the look you are going for when browning the chicken

Wait until you smell all the spices! Your house will smell amazing!

I forgot to take a picture with the almonds and cilantro, it is a very pretty dish and worth making for dinner company.

This recipe is a little more work than most of the recipes that I make, but it is well worth the work!

Red, White and Blueberry Muffins

Here is the perfect recipe for the 4Th of July, and patriotic to boot!

Red, White and Blueberry Muffins

1/2 C Coconut Flour

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 Eggs

1/3 C. Honey

1/3 C. Coconut Oil *revision*

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 C. each Raspberries or strawberries and Blueberries

Mix all ingredients excluding the berries. Mix well, it will seem like a very thick batter. Add the berries last and mix carefully so you don't mash up the berries.

Put the batter into cupcake liners 2/3's of the way full. Bake at 375 degrees for 24 minutes.

A Gluten Free Kids Snack

I know that as an adult it is hard to give up tasty little treats when I went Primal, I would imagine as a child it would be even harder. After all, they are tempted with junk food at school and at friends houses and they lack the will power of knowing the effects that gluten/sugar can have on our bodies. I was trying to think of a Paleo treat to make for my niece when I was babysitting, it has been so nice these last few days I wanted something like a Popsicle... Here's what I came up with last minute with the ingredients I had on hand. Banana Pops.

This is also the perfect little project for the kiddo's to help with! Make it a fun time in the kitchen and teach them the importance of eating healthy while your cooking. They will thank you for it some day!

Frozen Banana Pops

desired amount of bananas, peeled and cut in half

1 Recipe Fully Paleo Chocolate the recipe can be found here:

http://cflcfood.blogspot.com/2010/08/fully-paleo-chocolate.html

Popsicle sticks or sticks of some kind

Toppings, I used coconut and chopped walnuts

After you have peeled and cut the bananas, put a stick into the bottom of each one

I didn't have enough chocolate to dip the bananas so I just used the back of a spoon and smeared the chocolate all over the banana


Roll in your favorite topping and freeze for an hour

Fathers Day Blueberry Pancakes

Maybe you want to make dad breakfast in bed to celebrate Fathers Day, if that's your plan then definitely include these on the menu. They have a really nice consistency, they are very similar to traditional pancakes.

Blueberry Pancakes

1/4 C. Coconut Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

A Pinch of Salt

1/2 C. Coconut Milk

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 C. Blueberries (or any other berry your heart desires)

100% Maple Syrup for serving

Mix all the ingredients excluding the blueberries together in a bowl until smooth.

Heat up a griddle and use some non-stick spray, wait until the pan is nice and hot to ensure your pancakes stay together. Sprinkle a few blueberries on each pancake.

Flip

Serve

A New Business Coming To Town

I am very excited about this new business that will be coming to our area soon! It is based out of Blanchard, Idaho (supporting locals is so cool) and it will be run by a woman named Melissa and her husband Seth.

The company is called Fresh Steps. It is an organic produce and healthy food delivery service. They feature as much local produce and products as possible. The products are the best of the best because they offer what is in season. They also offer coffee, nuts, local honey and farm fresh eggs; they want to eventually offer quality meats, which pretty much makes this a one stop shop! The prices haven't been set yet, but I'm told by the owner that they will be comparable to or less than the prices at the local grocery stores! They figure out local delivery spots and will have a pick-up on certain days. They will offer a 10% discount if you are part of a group of 10 people or more who order boxes.

Basically, they make up boxes according to what you want, the boxes weight an average of about 15 lbs, and the best part is that it will be different stuff every time you order! Oh think of the variety and inspiration! I CANT wait for my first box! They will have a list of likes and dislikes so you wont be getting things that you wouldn't use. Like no mushrooms or potatoes for my boxes!!!

They will also sell boxes at local farmers markets, I will keep you up to date on when and where as I hear about it. If anyone is interested in more info or wants to try a box, leave me a comment and maybe we can get on with a group to get that 10% off!

Candied Walnuts

Disclosure: These nuts are addictive!

k having said that, I made these as a topping for the strawberry spinach salad,you can find the recipe here: http://cflcfood.blogspot.com/2010/07/strawberry-spinach-salad.html. I used them instead of the toasted pecans. I must say it was very good! You could make this recipe with any kind of nut, and use them as a topping or just for a little treat! Go ahead, you deserve it!

2 C. Nuts

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

1 tsp Sea salt

1 tsp Vanilla

2 tsp Cinnamon

Toss to coat, bake on a cookie sheet at 350 for 5-8 minutes

Genetically Modified Cows

This is a featured story on the news this morning. Cows are being genetically modified to produce milk that is similar to human milk. Ok, I don't eat dairy and boy am I glad that I don't! Basically what they are doing is cloning Holstein dairy cows and adding a little bit of human DNA to surrogate cows and then implanting genetically modified embryo's into the surrogates. Thus producing a cow that will have 20% more milk fat and their milk will include some of the milk proteins that occur NATURALLY in humans.

I hope that I never see the day that mothers are encouraged to use milk from a pseudo human-cow to feed their babies. God gave us our own milk makers, lets use them whenever possible!

I also have to wonder, if they are doing this testing, who is drinking the final product? What is their outcome going to be? And most importantly, what are we eating and drinking that has been tampered with that we don't even know about? All for the sake of science and people trying to change the perfect creations that God has made.

Why do we drink cows milk anyway? Human milk is for baby humans, cat milk is for kittens, shouldn't cows milk be for baby cows?

SCARY!

Read the entire story here: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/03/scientists-genetically-modify-cows-produce-human-milk/

Making The Perfect Bacon

I don't know anyone who doesn't like bacon. Whats not to like? Its crispy, salty, fatty, yummy and piggy all at the same time. I do not however like the mess that it leaves all over my black appliances (black shows everything, it looks, nice but not worth it!). The solution, bake it! It is so easy and you can pop it in the oven and leave it to do its thing. Another perk, line the pan with foil for an easy clean up.

1 Package nitrate and nitrite free bacon

Line the pan with foil or parchment, put the bacon on the pan, put in the oven and set for 400 degrees. Make sure you start in a cold oven! Bake for 17-20 minutes depending on your oven and the desired crispness.

Simple Spinach Salad

Nothing too fancy here, I needed a salad for a last minute lunch guest and pulled this one together in a hurry. The nice thing is that you only need to dirty one dish to make this, so clean up is a breeze!

Spinach Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

1/2 a red onion sliced into rings

6 C. Spinach

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar

1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/8 tsp. Pepper

2 Cloves Garlic pressed

Make the dressing right in the bottom of the bowl, mix well. Add the spinach and red onion. Your done!

Make Your Own (You'll be glad you did!)

At times in the past I have used pre-packaged taco seasoning in my cooking, I am vowing here and now to N-E-V-E-R never do that again. I will not be lazy and take the extra two minutes to make a healthy choice for me and my family! Ok, I'll admit that was a little dramatic, but check out the ingredients for a typical pre-packaged taco seasoning:

Say what? Do you really want to be eating all that junk? My rule of thumb is that if you can't say it, don't eat it! Plus did you see that it has MSG? Millions of people suffer from allergic reactions to MSG and aren't even aware of what causes their symptoms.

Now take a look at the ingredients below. Wholesome, healthy, I can say all the names and it is actually more cost effective to make your own. Plus, as a bonus the taste doesn't even compare. How long do the pre-packaged ones stay on the shelf anyway? Winning!

I Can Read The Words Taco Seasoning

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Onion Powder

1tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Red Pepper (or crushed pepper flakes)

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Cumin