Crock Pot Thai Chicken

Another freezer meal I did for Dave to have while I was gone, was this Thai Chicken. I figured since it was crockpot, he could easily make it on the weekend & wouldn't have to think about dinner & could relax. I stumbled across this recipe & it sounded good, so I went with it. I actually got to try some of this because he made it Sunday night & I came home Wednesday night and was home for a day before we left for Tahoe.  It was soooo good! But I have a thing for coconut milk sauces right now & especially ones served over cauliflower. So you may not agree with me on this, but if you like Thai food & want a meal you can chuck in the crock pot, then this meal is for you :) 

Crock Pot Thai Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 medium chicken breasts
• 2 bell peppers, coarsely chopped (any color)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth,preferably homemade
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos #1
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 2/3 cup almond butter
• 1 Tablespoon coconut aminos #2
• 6 limes, juice freshly squeezed

Directions:

Place chicken, bell pepper, onion, chicken broth, coconut aminos #1, cumin, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper into slow cooker and stir to blend.  Cook on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours. 30 minutes before serving, whisk arrowroot powder, almond butter, coconut aminos #2 and lime juice together in a small bowl. Add ingredients to slow cooker and let cook for another 15-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Freezing Directions:

Place chicken, bell pepper, onion, chicken broth, coconut aminos #1, cumin, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a gallon freezer bag. Stir to blend. Remove as much air as possible and seal. In a small bowl, whisk arrowroot powder, almond butter, coconut aminos #2 and lime juice. Add to a quart freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Put both bags into another gallon sized freezer bag, label and seal. To serve: Thaw. Put ingredients from the larger bag into slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Add ingredients from small bag, stir into chicken, and let cook for another 15-30 minutes.

Recipe is from:  http://onceamonthmom.com/slow-cooker-paleo-thai-chicken/

Peach Chipotle Roast Chicken with zucchini squash sauté

Once I got Dave's chimichangas in the oven, it was time to get started on our dinner. I had already done the chipotle peach purée the day before and knew all I had to do was bake it so I needed a side dish to go with. I decided to look through the fridge first to see if I needed to use up anything before I left. Low and behold we had some zucchini and squash - 2 of each to be exact. I thought about doing my usual sauté with Italian seasoning & a little balsamic, but I always do that - I wanted something new. Somehow I stumbled upon this recipe & thought it looked good. The best part about it was it was easy & I had all the ingredients. Worst part - I had to cut the squash into match sticks & I'm not so good at that. Oh well, the only way you get better is to keep practicing... Right? Basically once you get the squash cut, you just toss everything into the sauté pan and the viola - it's done. The dish turned out to be pretty tasty, although I still prefer them the other way I cook them, just fun to try something different. 

The chicken was also just ok. It wasn't bad and was super flavorful & tender, it just wasn't amazing in my opinion, but its super easy and I think you should try it 😃 i do think next time I'd grill it over bake it to see if that changed things. Plus I still need to find dried chipotle chilies. All I can find is dried peppers. So that and also using chicken thighs might make a difference. 

Peach Chipotle Roast Chicken 

Ingredients

• 3 Ripe Peaches, cut up into chunks
• ½ c Water
• ½ c Dried Chipotle Chilis
• 2 t Salt
• 2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 lbs Chicken Thighs (or Legs, or Breasts, or even a Whole Damn Bird)

Instructions

1. Toss the peaches, water, chilis, salt, and vinegar in a blender.
2. Pulse until well blended.
3. Toss your chicken into a bowl and pour all of the marinade over it. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
4. Arrange the chicken in a baking dish and cover with the marinade.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Recipe is from: http://www.tgipaleo.com/2013/07/03/peach-chipotle-roast-chicken/

Zucchini-Squash Sauté 

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1/2  yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (6"-8") zucchini, cut into 3" x 1/4" matchsticks
• 2 (6"-8") yellow summer squash, cut into 3" x 1/4" matchsticks
• 1 (6oz) tomato sauce

Instructions

1. In large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat.  When hot, add onion and cook 3-4 minutes until onion is tender and translucent.
2. Add zucchini, summer squash and garlic, and cook until almost tender (5-6 minutes).
3. Stir in tomato sauce and cook until heated through.

Recipe is from: http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/02-02/zucchini-squash-saute/

Baked chimichangas

I know this is a food blog but I had to show off that my 8month old is floating on her own.  

Today we finally were able to coordinate her last swim lesson. Her first ones were over a month ago, but we have been so busy, we haven't been able to fit in her very last one. I wasn't sure how'd she do since it had been so long, but she didn't miss a beat and actually did it all on her own today. Such a proud mom moment :)

Anyway... When we got home from swim lessons I wanted to get two more freezer meals made for Dave. One of his favorite dishes is my baked chimichangas that I got from my mom. When I switched over to clean eating this January, I thought I'd never be able to make this dish again as it has refried  beans in it & uses tortillas. But then I discovered one day at good earth they had refried beans that only had three ingredients!!! Then I discovered tortillas in the freezer section that had no GMO's or anything on the ingredient list you didn't understand. Yahoo!! I could make this yummy, simple dish again. Unfortunately for me, beans and I don't agree, BUT they don't bother the hubby at all; thus it seemed like the perfect dish to make for the freezer. Honestly this dish doesn't take long & only requires a few ingredients, which besides the beans, you probably have them all on hand. 

Baked Chimichangas 

1lbs ground beef, chicken, turkey, or pork (I used beef) 

1 medium sized onion, diced

1 C organic, no sugar added salsa (I like Costco's Kirkland brand)

1 4oz can diced green chilies

1 can natural refried beans 

1/2 C full fat, grass fed cheddar cheese

8 tortillas - I used 2 brown rice tortillas, and 6 sprouted wheat ones 

Preheat oven to 375 & grease an 9x13 pan and set aside. Put a little oil in the pan & once hot, add onion. Once it becomes translucent, add beef. Cook until meat is no longer pink & is fully cooked through. After meat is done add your salsa, beans, and green chilies. Mix together until the beans are fully heated through. Add cheese & stir until it is all melted.  Remove from heat. 

Place about 1/4C of your mixture at one end of your tortilla & then fold in both sides and roll. Place seam side down in your pre greased pan. Then repeat until all the meat mixture is gone. It's about 8, but that all depends on the size of your tortillas & how much meat you place in each one.  Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned on top. 

Recipe is from Momma Hoovers kitchen  

Happy Anniversary Dinner - sweet potatoes with coconut, pomegranate, and lime

Husband surprised me with roses & my favorite coffee while I was in the middle of cooking

For our anniversary this year, I decided I wanted to make a special dinner for the two of us. We have been gone so much lately that I really wanted to stay home and have a home cooked meal. I knew it would be difficult to do this as I had to work that morning and also was trying to get things ready for Jaedyn & I for our big trip. Dave & I had decided to get meat from Dons meat & with that he wanted to grill asparagus. That meant all I needed was another side and dessert - I could handle that! I thought sweet potatoes sounded good, but didn't want to just bake them. I wanted something a little more fancy and that required some work from me. So the blog hunt began & thankfully I only searched two blogs before I stumbled upon this gem :) not only did it look easy, it sounded delicious too! I decided to make my life easier by throwing the sweet potatoes in the crock pot early that morning before work, so they would be all nice & soft when I got home from work. Then all I would have to do is pull the skins off, stir in the coconut milk, toasted coconut, and pomegranates & it would be done. I like those kind of dishes. This would give me plenty of time to make my dessert, clean the house, and get laundry done. Yay! It was setting up to be a great anniversary dinner. 

Like I suspected, the potatoes were done & in no time flat I was able to get it assembled. I was also able to get everything on my list done. Only thing I ran out of time for, was a shower. Oh well... At least I wasn't stinky ;) 

The potatoes turned out Ah-Mazing! I think the little bit of lime you squeeze over after you serve them, totally puts the flavor over the top. Well that & the cilantro. I hope you try this dish the next time you want a sweet potato side dish :)

Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate, Coconut, and Lime

Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup unsweetened full fat canned coconut milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
• 1 pomegranate, seeded
• sea salt (optional)
• 2 Tbs cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Cut off ends of sweet potatoes. Using a heavy fork, prick 20 times around the surface of each potato.
3. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender (about 45 minutes). - OR throw them in a crock pot, pierced, and wrapped in foil on low for 4-6 hours. 
4. Let cool slightly, then mash sweet potatoes with a fork. 
5. Stir in coconut milk, coconut flakes and pomegranate seeds. Season with sea salt if desired.
6. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Recipe is from: http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/01-25/

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Our other side dish of grilled asparagus. Yum!

Perfect Caramelized Onions

 Normally for special occasions we will buy a nice steak from Dons meat, but since we are having steak fajitas the next day (needed to use up some meat I had bought), I decided on pork. The guy at Dons suggested this bacon wrapped pork and let's be honest, everything is better with bacon :) And when i think of nice restaurants & meat I think of sautéed onions & mushrooms - okay maybe not really at nice restaurants, but who doesn't love sautéed mushrooms & onions on there meat. Normally I just sauté them in a little evoo & season them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, & a little red pepper flake. then right at the end, i add a little balsamic vinegar. It always turns out so good & tasty, but I wanted something different since this was our anniversary. When I saw this post title "Perfect Caramelized Onions" I knew I had to try them. I pretty much did the same thing that I had done the day before for my gravy, except I added in garlic & balsamic vinegar. Again they took forever to caramelize, but it was definitely worth the wait. I think because we have a swamp cooler it causes the house to become humid, and this making things on the stove top take longer to cook. I could be wrong, but that's my educated guess. 

Since this recipe didn't call for mushrooms, I decided to make them on their own and basically make them the same way. They too turned out delicious! I love mushrooms, but only if they are sautéed. :) 

Enjoy! 

Perfect Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter (you can sub more oil or use some animal fat)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

• 1.Dice up your onion. I like to make them into half moons – makes \’em the perfect length. Add it to a skillet with your butter melted on medium heat. Add the oil, salt, and pepper. Give the onions a good toss and turn your heat down to medium-low. Now let \’em sweat.

  2.Toss them around every few minutes. At 15-20 minutes, they should start to have a carmel-y color (unless you have my stove, then those 15 minutes turn into an hour). At this point, add your minced garlic and turn the temperature down low to just above a simmer (you want the garlic to be sweet and glossy like the onions, not brown and crispy). Toss and leave \’em be for 15 more minutes (you won\’t need to check on them as often – every 5 minutes will do).

  3.Once the onions have a nice brown color and they\’ve been fully reduced, add your teaspoon of balsamic (yes, just a tsp… a little goes a long way) to deglaze the pan and give the acid and hint of extra sugar which makes these onions UGH SO GOOD. Toss and serve. 

  

Anniversary Dessert - Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

(Now the top part crumbled because I a)didn't put if on after I pulled it out of the freezer and b) because I got caught in a pickle and dropped the spatula while I was transferring it.)

Dave's favorite pie is his moms rhubarb pie. Now I'm not his mom and i dont use white flour or white sugar to make a crust, but I'd say this pie was pretty darn good. Personally for me, I don't like traditional pie crust, I know that's Dave's favorite part, so I should've compromised & made the crust like his moms and the inside the way I wanted too, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Plus this crust recipe looked super tasty & was super cute with the heart in the middle, that I had to try this one out. 

This pie turned out soooo good!!! Definitely did not disappoint. I loved it so much that I cut a piece out & froze it so after my long vacation, I could have another piece :) 

You should definitely make this for your next party as it will be a hit! 

Grain-free pie crust

• 3 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda.  Make a well in the center.
2. Add the grapeseed oil, honey, and vanilla into the well.
3. Stir until well combined.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Use your pie plate to draw a circle on the parchment.  Flip the paper over.
5. Grease the pie plate with grapeseed oil. Pat half of the mixture into the pie plate in a thin even layer.
6. Pat the other half of the dough into a circle on the parchment about a 1/2 and inch smaller than the circle.  Cut out a shape in the center if desired, or make slits.
7. Bake in a 325 oven for 10-14 minutes, until lightly browned.
8. Place the top crust in the freezer to set. About 15 minutes.
9. Gently remove the top crust from the parchment to top the pie.

For the Filling

• 4-6 stalks of rhubarb (about 3 cups), roughly chopped
• 1 pint strawberries, quartered
• zest of an orange or lemon
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (heaping tsp)
• 1/3 cup honey 
• 3 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 3 tbsp water

1. Heat rhubarb in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until softened.  About 8-10 minutes.
2. Add the zest, cinnamon, and honey and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Add the strawberries and cook for 2 minutes more.
4. Mix the arrowroot and water in a small bowl to create a slurry.
5. Remove the rhubarb mixture from the heat and slowly mix in the slurry to thicken the filling.
6. Allow to cool slightly before pouring into the pre-cooked pie crust and topping with the top crust.

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

• 1 can organic full fat coconut milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp agave

1. Allow the coconut milk to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
2. Scoop out the milk solids that have separated to the top.  Reserve the coconut water left in the bottom of the can for other uses.
3. Using a wire whisk or hand mixer, mix the coconut milk solids, vanilla, and agave until light and fluffy.
4. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Recipe is from: http://bakerbettie.com/strawberry-rhubarb-

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Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork

I'm getting ready to go out of town for 10 days, then come home for a day, and then leave again for another 6. During that time, I will only be with my husband for 3 of those days. I feel bad that I'm going to be gone that long, but it just kind of the way things fell into place. Since I'm going to be gone for so long, I didn't want to leave Dave stranded without any good food/meals. Now I know Dave knows how to cook, but between working & his workouts, I know by the time he gets home the last thing that he will want to do is cook. Soooo...I figured make some freezer meals, then all he has to do is thaw & reheat, or thaw & grill, or thaw & crock pot. All of those are easy things to do and require little thinking. Today I decided to go with a crock pot pulled pork, since I was already going to be busy making our dinner. This recipe is super easy prep. Throw the pork in the crock pot, put in some liquid smoke, red wine vinegar, some seasoning and set on low. It's that easy! Once it's done you shred it, add your BBQ sauce, and then put it back in the crock pot for 30 more minutes. Now you can use whatever BBQ sauce you want, but I wanted to make my own because most kinds you buy at the store contain high fructose corn syrup, as well as refined sugar both of which are not good for you. The sauce I made was one linked on the blog page that the pulled pork came from. It's really easy too. Throw some tomato sauce, liquid smoke, molasses, red wine vinegar, spices, and maybe a few other things (can't remember off the top of my head) into a medium sized sauce pan. Bring to a boil & let it simmer for 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally and then it's done. Again, see how easy it is to make from scratch & just think how much healthier & cheaper this one is compared to store kinds. 😀

Once this was done & cooled, I put into two separate freezer friendly containers & placed them in the freezer. All Dave has to do is thaw & reheat. 

Slow cooked BBQ pulled pork

• 2.5 lb boneless pork loin roast (center cut, trimmed of all fat)
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Hickory liquid smoke
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup Homemade Kansas City BBQ Sauce

Directions:

Place pork in the slow cooker and season with salt, vinegar, garlic powder and liquid smoke.Cover and set to high 6 hours. Remove pork and transfer onto a large dish; reserve all the liquid into a cup and set aside. Shred the pork with two forks and put it back into the slow cooker along with about 3/4 cup of the reserved liquid and the BBQ sauce (for every 3 oz cooked pork, I used 2 tbsp BBQ sauce). Cook on high one more hour. 

Recipe is from: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/04/

slow-cooker-pulled-pork.html?m=1

Homemade BBQ sauce

• 1 1/3 cups tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup molasses (unsulfured)
• 2 tsp all natural hickory liquid smoke 
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp chili powder

Directions:

In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes stirring occasionally. Let it cool and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For using on grilled meat, brush onto chicken, pork or beef the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Recipe is from: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/04/

homemade-kansas-style-bbq-sauce.html?m=1

What jaedyn does/gets into while mommy is in the kitchen

Turkey bacon meatloaf with cauliflower mash & caramelized onion gravy

This dinner is super easy & super tasty. I prepared the loaf early afternoon, so all I had to do was throw it in the oven. On the blog I got this recipe off of, she served this with cauliflower mashed "potatoes" & a carmelized onion gravy. I decided that that sounded good along with some fresh green beans. If you haven't guessed yet, green beans are one of my favorite veggies. I think I could eat that & all different kinds of squash all day long if my body let me. Unfortunately, if I eat too much (and i mean A LOT), I get bloated, and well that just is no fun. 

I've made cauliflower mashed potatoes before but it was mixed with some potatoes, so I was excited to see how these turned out. I'm really loving all the different ways you can use cauliflower. My only complaint is how messy it is. Maybe it's just me, but any time I chop/rice/grate cauliflower, little pieces go everywhere and it's just a pain to clean up. That's actually what stops me from doing more cooking/baking in general; well that and having a baby to take care of. I just hate cleaning up everything!! Ha! 

Anyway back to dinner. Everything turned out AMAZING! My favorite was the cauliflower potatoes. The flavor was spot on. The meatloaf was good too, but it wasn't as amazing as the cauliflower. Dave loved it all and that's all that matters 😀 the only thing I'd change next time, is I'd cook the bacon before adding it to the meat mixture. 

Turkey Bacon Meatloaf 

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs ground turkey
• 8 oz bacon, chopped 
• 1½ cups finely shredded carrots
• ½ cup finely shredded celery
• 1 cup finely chopped sweet onions
• ¼ cup almond flour
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Combine all ingredients and place in a loaf pan.
3. Bake for 60-65 minutes.

Recipe is from: http://paleofoodiekitchen.com/2013/04/baco

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Cauliflower Mash 

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower head
• ½ cup full fat coconut milk
• 4 tbsp ghee (or grass fed butter)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Steam cauliflower until soft.
2. Place in the food processor and add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Pulse until smooth and creamy.

Recipe is from: http://paleofoodiekitchen.com/2013/04

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Caramelized Onion Gravy

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 3 tbsp ghee (or grass fed butter)
• ½ cup bone broth
• ¼ cup full fat coconut milk
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook sliced onions and ghee over low heat until onions are caramelized to a rich brown color.
2. Add bone broth and simmer.
3. Remove from heat and place it in a blender, add coconut milk and ground black pepper. Pulse until smooth.

The start of the browning process. Takes forever to get them to caramelize but its definitely worth the wait. 

Recipe is from: http://paleofoodiekitchen.com/2013/04/

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