Chicken with Peanut Sauce & Sweet Potatoes

What's better than a fast meal? The CLEAN UP! I love tinfoil dinners. 

 They are so easy to clean up, I think...why should I NOT cook like this more? 

We were reading in a magazine called, "CLEAN EATING" and found this recipe.
~Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Sweet Potatoes~

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted natural peanut butter (use almond or sunflower nut butter if you are strict Paleo)

1/4 cup light coconut milk

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus additional for garnish

1 tbsp. raw honey

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tbsp. minced ginger

1 tsp. Braggs liquid aminos

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic (I actually use 3 in mine, but it's because I LOVE garlic)

Olive oil cooking spray

12 oz. green beans, trimmed

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes (NOTE: make sure to dice potatoes as directed so that it will cook at the same rate as the chicken)

1 red onion

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces

SERVES: 4

HANDS-ON time: 20 min

TOTAL TIME: 45 min

• Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Combine first 10 ingredients in a bowl and set aside
• Trim green beans and then dice the remaining ingredients.
• Make sure to season the chicken with a little salt and pepper
• Cut 4 (12x16 in.) pieces of large tin foil and mist with cooking spray
• Put all veggies and chicken in the center and divide the peanut mixture among all four piles of veggies/chicken.

Bring short edges of the foil together, then fold inward a few times along each long edge to seal.
Seal up the sides and place foil packets directly on the grill or on a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven.
Grill or bake for 25-30 min. 

Transfer contents of packets to serving bowls and garnish with additional cilantro.
1 serving (packet) contains 335 calories, Total: Fat: 10g  Carbs: 30g and Protein: 33g

This is like a "packet full of happiness" because it's just ANOTHER
creative way to eat the almighty chicken and sweet potatoes.

Source: www.cleaneatingmag.com

Paleo Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins (but I call them cupcakes)

I really enjoy treats, but I enjoy them more, when they are made from WHOLE ingredients. I've slowly made the move to consuming more Paleo desserts, and this banana muffin/cupcake is so moist and is a perfect replica of the regular "white flour" version....that I had to include it on my own blog.

I took this recipe straight from http://paleomg.com/banana-nut-chocolate-chip-muffins/

so, I give all the credit to Juli Bauer for her amazing Paleo blog. Go check it out!

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, mashed with a fork

• 3 eggs, whisked

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ cup smooth almond butter

• ¼ cup coconut flour

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• pinch of salt

• ½ cup chopped walnuts (I actually Omit these when I cook mine)

• ½ cup 72% Eating Evolved Baking Chocolate, chopped into pieces (or other chocolate chips you like)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl. Add eggs, maple syrup, almond butter, and vanilla extract and mix together.
3. Then add coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda and powder and a pinch of salt and mix well.
4. Lastly, fold in walnuts and chocolate chips.
5. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop batter into 9 cups of a silicone muffin pan.
6. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool before removing from silicone pan.

Special thanks and credits given to: http://paleomg.com/banana-nut-chocolate-chip-muffins/

"Peanut Butter" and Jelly Ice Cream

Oh man, I was craving Ice Cream!! 

I started surfing the Paleomg.com website and stumbled upon this one! Holy LOOKS AMAZING!!! 

So here we go! I had to have it.

First off, this recipe called for Coconut Sugar. 

Hmmmm.....never have used it before. I needed to go find this ingredient and I did!

Well, I am pleasantly surprised by this "sugar".

It's amazing the type of ingredients I am finding by diving into the Paleo food world.

Ingredients:

2 (14 oz) cans of coconut milk
3/4 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup sunflower seed butter

1/2 cup homemade jam

Instructions

1. Place two cans of coconut milk in a large bowl and whisk in coconut sugar until well mixed.
2. Pour coconut milk in to ice cream maker and follow ice cream maker directions. Once ice cream begins to churn and thicken, add sunflower seed butter and let fold into mixture.
3. Pour mixture into a bread pan (9×5) then pour in jam and use a knife to fold mixture around. Make sure not to over mix because you want those big chunks of jam to come out when you scoop it.
4. Place in freezer and freeze for 2-3 hours before scooping to help the ice cream not melt as quickly (sometimes it melts quicker coming straight from the ice cream maker)
5. Serve up, butter”peanut”cup.

Notes

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ice Cream Mix Time: 10 Minutes
Freeze Time: 2-3 hours

Recipe courtesy of: http://paleomg.com/peanut-butter-and-jelly-ice-cream/
Go check out www.paleomg.com for more INCREDIBLE recipes.

Paleo Raspberry Almond Muffins garnished with Cacao chocolate

When Josh and I were in Utah, my mother in law made these AWESOME muffins! 

They are paleo-style muffins and are dairy and grain free. 

I've made them ever since Christmas and my boys LOVE these 'cupcakes'

This recipe makes 12 muffins (cupcake size)

Ingredients:

1 C. Almond Flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp pure almond extract

3 eggs, whisked

1 cup fresh ground almond butter (you can use organic too)

1/3 C. raw honey

1/3 C. slivered almonds (I actually don't use them in mine, but it adds a great crunch)

1/3 C. Coconut Oil, melted

1 C. fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried
Dark chocolate chips, for garnishing

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl, set aside.

Mix eggs, almond butter, honey, almonds, almond extract, and coconut oil together in another medium bowl. Combine with dry ingredients and mix together.

FOLD in fresh raspberries.

Scoop batter evenly into 10-12 muffin cups (lightly greased with coconut oil or lined with a paper muffin liners)

I garnish my muffins with a few dark chocolate chips and just place them on TOP of the batter and slightly press into the batter.

Bake for about 15-20 min. REALLY watch your muffins to be sure they DO NOT overcook.

Enjoy!
I love these because they don't leave me feeling heavy and taste delicious!
My boys love them because they are soft  like cake and have a very nutty taste!

Thai Turkey Skillet (lettuce wraps)

If you like Thai food with hints of heat (spice) along with a slight nuttiness of nut butters, then you'll LOVE this! Josh made it last night for dinner and I seriously DID NOT want my serving to end!

It was spicy, nutty, tangy and colorful too!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lean ground turkey

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. minced or grated fresh ginger (original recipe calls for 2 Tbsp)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 Tbsp. peanut butter (preferably natural)**

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

8 cups spinach (original recipe calls for 8 romaine lettuce leaves to use for lettuce wraps)

Brown the ground turkey in a large non-stick skillet or wok; drain the grease.
Add the peppers, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
Cook over medium-high heat about 4 min, or until the peppers have softened slightly.
Meanwhile, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cilantro.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the peanut butter mixture to the skillet; mix well.
Serve 1 cup of the meat mixture over a bed of spinach (2 cups).

**This dish would be considered paleo if you use an almond butter.

Recipe courtesy of: The book, FIT2FAT2FIT by Drew Manning p. 146

Chinese "Fried Rice"

We have enjoyed reading a book called, FIT2FAT2FIT

by Drew Manning and within this book are some amazingly delicious and clean recipes. Also, it's a book that describes Drew Manning's experience of being a fit, very lean trainer, to overweight and unhealthy, back to being fit again. It's quite an amazing story! Great book Drew!

We decided to try out some of the recipes from his book.
This one was a HIT! It honestly tasted like an indulgent and rich Chinese dish.
But, YOU be the judge.... I think it was a spectacular knock off dish.

Chinese "Fried Rice"

Ingredients:

10 ounces fresh cauliflower (about 1/2 medium head)

cooking oil, (we used coconut oil)

3 green onions, sliced (and roughly separated into green and white)

1 clove garlic, minced

dash of ginger, optional

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

Few drops of sesame oil, to taste

16oz. raw chicken, cut into 1 in. pieces

3 eggs beaten

(makes 4 to 6 servings)

Grate the cauliflower using either the largest holes on a hand grater or the grating blade in a food processor. The results should resemble cooked white rice--hence the recipe's name.
Weigh out 10 ounces of the grated cauliflower.
On medium high heat, heat enough oil to cover the wok or skillet.
Quickly stir fry the garlic and the WHITES of the onions. (Watch closely so as NOT to burn)
Add the cauliflower; fry about 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to color a bit. (Don't overcook or it will get mushy)
Stir in the Ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion greens and shrimp. Stir fry chicken until cooked through.
Push the "rice" mixture to one side of the wok.
Pour the eggs into the other side; scramble and cook until moist.
Mix the eggs into the "rice", breaking up any large chunks of egg.

Tip: This dish stores and reheats well.

Recipe courtesy of: FIT2FAT2FIT by Drew Manning p.140 (but we changed the protein to chicken, the original recipe calls for shrimp)

No "Grain-o-la"

I posted a recipe called Sherry's Granola a few days ago and then was introduced to this granola. I had a neighbor bring it over to me as a treat and I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE TASTE! Unlike Sherry's granola, which tastes awesome in it's own way, this granola has an incredibly nutty flavor...probably because it's made from JUST raw nuts.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews, chopped

1 cup raw walnuts, chopped (I used raw pecans)

2 cups almonds, sliced

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes (I used a finely shredded unsweetened coconut)

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups dried fruit, chopped (I didn't use any, but it is still amazing with dried fruit in it, like apricots and raisins)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Combine nuts and seeds in a large bowl.

Add shredded (or finely shredded) coconut to the bowl.

Combine well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla and honey.

Add the spices.

Whisk together and pour over granola.

Stir really well, or until you see everything is well coated.

Spread mixture on a cookie sheet (with sides) and bake at 275 for 40-45 min.

Stir every 15-20 minutes throughout entire baking time.

Remove from oven and stir in dried fruit. (fruit is NOT pictured above)
Let cool completely and store in an airtight container!

Hope you enjoy it!
My boys love this granola with almond milk or regular whole milk.
The texture is very pleasing on my palette and extremely satisfying.

Recipe courtesy of Barbara, my sweet neighbor who was thoughtful enough to give us a big container of it!

Rainbow Coleslaw

This is an amazingly crunchy 

coleslaw that has a tangy, sweet bite to it!

First off, I've never been a fan of Coleslaw. Coleslaw reminds me of watered-down, mayonnaise covered goo that sinks down into a runny-sauced cabbage.

THIS IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT!

Ingredients:
1 small cabbage, shredded (1 1/2 pounds shredded)
1 medium onion (I use a yellow, or white)
1 Carrot, shredded
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 small sweet red bell pepper, chopped
1 small sweet yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 C. Sugar
2/3 C. white vinegar
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. Celery seeds
1/4 tsp. ground mustard

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl, STIR.
In a saucepan, combine sugar and remaining 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Pour vinegar/sugar mixture over cabbage mixture; TOSS.

Cover and Chill at least 2 hours. (preferably overnight)

Enjoy with a BBQ dinner, or just as a healthy side-dish.
Serves 8-- Calories--140/serving

Recipe Courtesy of Jennifer Cooper

Sauteed Shrimp-n-veggies

Here's a healthy yet yummy dish that my hubby made up.  It has turned into one of my favorite dishes for dinner.

10 Frozen Raw Shrimp (more if you want)
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Minced Garlic
1 Tbs Rice Vinegar
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
1 tsp Natures Seasoning (my favorite all purpose seasoning)
Quinoa
Chicken Stock
Sliced Veggies (mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, onions, squash, asparagus, zucchini, etc)

In a small saucepan cook up the Quinoa with chicken stock (instead of water).  Follow the directions to cook the Quinoa on the box. 

Quinoa is a sprout.  When you see the tiny balls sprout, it's fully cooked.

To prep the shrimp, lay your frozen shrimp on a plate and cover them in water so they can thaw out.

Once thawed, lay shrimp on a paper towel and pat dry

In a sauce pan, heat up the olive oil and garlic.  Once heated, saute' the onions until they are translucent, then add in the rest of the veggies and saute' them until they are tender.  Add Vinegar, Salt, Pepper, and Natures Seasoning to taste.

Once Veggies are tender, push them off to the side and add the shrimp.  Once the tails of the shrimp start turning pink, the shrimp is ready to turn over and cook on the other side.

When the shrimp is pink on both sides, it's fully cooked.  Serve veggies and Shrimp over Quinoa and enjoy.

Makes 2-3 Servings

Add soy sauce and/or hot sauce for extra flavor.
*For Paleo, do not add Natures Seasoning and Salt

Simple Pot Roast Dinner

I grew up eating pot roast dinners...the smell of pot roast cooking all day in our home reminds me of my childhood...especially Sunday afternoon meals after church.  This meal is not only yummy and hearty, but it's super easy to make.

 Ingredients:
1 Roast
1 packet of Lipton Onion mix
2 cups water
Veggies of your choice (carrots, potatoes, yams, etc)

Directions:
Place roast in the crock pot
Put crock pot on low
Pour in water
Sprinkle Lipton onion mix over entire roast

*Frozen Roast ~ start cooking in the crock pot, on LOW, the night before...add your veggies in the morning and cook on low all day long
*Thawed Roast ~ start cooking in the crock pot, on HIGH, in the morning for a few hours before adding in your veggies, then cook on LOW the rest of the day

Once you've added in your Veggies, make sure they are fully submerged in the water around the roast and make sure your crock pot is on LOW

Your Roast and Veggies will be ready by dinner time. 
Serve it up and Enjoy.

**For extra juicy roast, make sure your roast is fully submerged in water during the entire cooking process**

**For PALEO ~ use a medium red onion (sliced) and fresh Garlic instead of the Lipton Onion Mix

Curried Cauliflower Soup

I love the flavors in Thai foods and curry's, and I'm a huge fan of bisque soups, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it.   

Ingredients:

1/3 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup water
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 14-oz can light coconut milk
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp evaporated cane sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp Salt

Directions
Put the cashews in a blender and blend until finely ground. Add ¾ cup water and blend for 2 minutes.

Pour the cashew mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon. Discard the solids.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden.

Add the cauliflower, coconut milk, strained cashew milk, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, sugar, cinnamon, and salt as needed. Add enough water to cover.

Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.

Blend the soup with an immersion blender until the desired consistency is reached. If using a standing blender, allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Pour the soup into the blender. Hold the lid down firmly with a clean, folded towel over it. Start on low speed and blend until the soup is smooth. Return to the pot and reheat if serving hot.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro before serving.

Makes 10 cups

To make this soup PALEO, exclude adding the salt

*Recipe courtesy of The Dr. Oz Show ~ Dr. Weil

I cooked up Salmon and served it together with this soup.  It was a tasty little combo.

Roasted Red Pepper & Sweet Potato Salad

Prep time: 15 minutes
Grilling time: 20 minutes

Dressing:
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp chopped garlic (I use 2 in mine)
1 tsp minced jalapeno pepper ( or you can use 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Now you'll need:
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
4 large red bell peppers (I use one of each color...I just like the colorful variety it adds to the dish)
1 cup thinly sliced celery
3 green onions, white and light green parts only, cut diagonally into thin slices
1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes crosswise into slices about 1/2" thick. Dip (or lightly brush  both sides with the dressing). Set aside sweet potatoes.

Add the celery, onions and cilantro to the dressing. Set aside

Grill the sweet potatoes and 4 red bell peppers, over direct medium heat, turning occasionally.

The sweet potatoes are done when they can easily be poked with a knife, about 20 minutes.

The bell peppers are done when the skin blackens and blisters all over, 12 to 15 minutes.

After the bell peppers are cooked, place them in a bowl and put plastic wrap over them to trap the steam and let them sweat. 

Cut the COOKED sweet potatoes into 1/2" pieces and put them in a large bowl. After the bell peppers have  been able to sweat for about 10 min, remove the skin off the peppers and cut into 1/2" pieces. Add to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Toss.

Now take the dressing and add enough to moisten the sweet potato salad

 (you may not use ALL of the dressing, or you can...whatever you like)

Mix well and serve with anything you choose! We chose to cook ribs and serve it on top of the salad! It was delicious and hearty!

Recipe courtesy of Webers 'Real Grilling' p. 272