Banana Balls

So far, the month of clean eating has been a challenge.  Our schedule has been a little crazy with little time to prepare for the unexpected.  Mr. J's grandfather passed away last week so most of our week consisted of traveling back home to be with family.  But we are still trying to stay on track as much as possible and I will have to say we have some new favorites.  Sweet potato chili was a huge hit in the house.  Miss A actually wanted more and then asked for it the next day.

The problem I have when trying to eat clean is I am a snacker.  And I want a snack normally at night, after dinner.  Mr. J and I have found a new love for grapefruit and we have eaten an embarrassing number over the last couple of weeks.  But sometimes, you need something more than a piece of fruit.  These banana balls were loved by everyone in the house and satisfied the craving for something a little more than grapefruit.

Banana Balls

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 T pure maple syrup
• 1 T all-natural nut butter (Use your favorite)
• 3 T coconut flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 6 T unsweetened, shredded coconut
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until a dough begins to form.
Drop balls, teaspoon size, onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Enjoy :)

I will say, that we gobbled a lot of them down after baking them, but with the extras, I placed in the refrigerator and then re-warmed the next day on 400 for about 5-10 minutes.  I preferred the texture the next day.  They were even more awesome!

A Month of Clean Eating

Pregnancy...oh pregnancy.  Between being sick, sick and sick and then the exhaustion and the cravings...let's just say that eating hasn't been the greatest in our house.  Don't get me wrong, we didn't go just crazy, but I can tell my eating has been off, for a while. Mr. J and I both can tell our bodies are begging for us to get back to clean eating.  At first I decided we should just do the whole 30, totally cleanse ourselves.  And then I decided we should go strictly paleo.  But there are just some things I am not willing to give up yet (black beans, greek yogurt (check the package for sugar!), and some dairy).  So we are just cleaning up our eating for the next month.  When I posted on FB about meal planning, many asked that I share the menu.

So, below is the menu we will be using for the next month.  I have not tried many of these recipes, so this could be interesting.  Also, I get really bored eating the same things, over and over, so there are many different recipes!

Want to join us? Let me know if you do! I would love to know how it goes!

30 Days of Clean Eating

Day 1- Roast and Potatoes

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2014/01/easiest-delicious-crock-pot-beef-ever/

Day 2- Chicken Fajita Bowls

Day 3- Coconut Green Chili Soup

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2014/01/creamy-coconut-green-chili-chicken-soup-dairy-gluten-free-slow-cooker-recipe/

Day 4- Apple Pork Chops & green beans

http://www.bestfoodcloud.com/2013/09/apple-spice-pork-chops.html

Day 5- Sweet Potato Nachos

http://paleogrubs.com/nacho-recipe

Day 6- Burger Balls and fries

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/03/10/bacon-jalapeno-burger-balls/

Day 7- zuppa toscana

http://whole30.com/2014/11/best-whole30-recipes-baby-cold-outside/

Day 8- Best chicken Ever and mixed Veggies

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/

Day 9- Stir Fry

Day 10- Mushroom Bake

http://popularpaleo.com/2012/12/04/paleoitalianmushroombake/

Day 11- Pan Fried Lemon Chicken and Sweet Potato

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/07/10/easy-pan-fried-lemon-chicken/

Day 12- Stuffed Peppers

Day 13- Buffalo Chicken Fingers and Baked Potato

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2014/03/30/crispy-buffalo-chicken-fingers/

Day 14- Sweet potato Chili

http://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/2014/09/24/paleo-sweet-potato-chili/

Day 15- Chicken fajita Bowls

Day 16- Chicken Zucchini Bites

http://www.onelovelylife.com/chicken-zucchini-poppers-gf-df/

Day 17- Stir Fry

Day 18- Best chicken Ever and Mixed Veggies

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/

Day 19- Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Day 20- orange chicken and steamed veggies

http://www.paleocupboard.com/orange-chicken.html

Day 21- Roast chicken and Baked Sweet Potatoes

http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2014/01/09/easy-slow-cooker-roast-chicken/

Day 22- Pan Fried Lemon Chicken and Green Beans

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/07/10/easy-pan-fried-lemon-chicken/

Day 23- Stir Fry

Day 24- Slow Cooker Curry

http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/2014/01/coconut-chicken-curry-slow-cooker-paleo.html

Day 25- Beef and mushroom Stir Fry

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/ginger-beef-mushroom-kale-stir-fry-recipe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+gimmesomeoven+(Gimme+Some+Oven)

Day 26- Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Day 27- Chicken Wings and Fries (See Burger Balls Recipe)

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/12/15/jalapeno-lime-chicken-wings-paleo-ranch-dressing-meatified/

Day 28- Slow Cooker Thai Beef Stew

http://stupideasypaleo.com/category/whole30-2/page/2/

Day 29-Orange chicken and steamed veggies

http://www.paleocupboard.com/orange-chicken.html

Day 30- Stuffed Peppers

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Day 1, Week 1

I am a firm believer that healthy food does not have to be "bland" or "boring".  I do not do well with eating the same things over and over and I knew this would be one of my biggest issues with this nutritional challenge.  But I refused to let boring food be the thing that made me back out of doing this challenge! So I have made it my mission to make fun, flavorful food!  

We really enjoyed this meal!  They were full of flavor and satisfying.

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from: BevCooks

Enough for about 10 good size wraps

• 2 Tbs EVOO
• 3 large chicken breast
• 2-3 chipotle peppers with sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 cups red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1/8 cup green onion, sliced thinly 
• Romain or Butter Lettuce, rinsed and leaves separated 
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season your chicken with your salt, pepper and garlic and sear for about 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked through and is browned.  Move to a cutting board and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Chop chicken into small bites.

In a food processor, my favorite kitchen appliance, combine the chipotle peppers in sauce, lime juice and cilantro.  Process until mixed well and peppers are in very small pieces.

Place the red peppers, beans, and chipotle mixture into the skillet. Let cook for about a minute or 2 just to get warm. Add chicken back in and mix well. Toss in green onions.

Top those lettuce leaves with that yummy mixture and enjoy!

Chicken Philly Sandwiches

I am not a huge slow cooker fan, but there are those days I am so thankful for them!  Tuesdays are extremely busy for us and yesterday was one of those days I was SO thankful for my slow cooker!  I think one of the reasons that I am not a huge fan is because I have such a hard time finding recipes that I love that!  I found a great one and it will for sure be a keeper!  

Chicken Philly Sandwiches

Adapted from: Food&Family Finds

Ingredients:

• 2 Frozen Chicken Breast
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Green Bell Peppers, sliced
• 1 Small Onion, sliced
• 1 Package Sliced Mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• McCormick's Steak Seasoning
• Emeril's Original Essence Seasoning 
• Garlic
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
• Sliced American Cheese
• Hoagie Buns

Place 2 tablespoons butter in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Place frozen (or fresh) chicken breast on top of butter.  Sprinkle chicken with garlic, essence seasoning, and steak seasoning.  I do not use measurements on this, I just go to town and shake until my hand gets tired. Also, feel free to use any type of seasoning you would like.  I just had these in my cabinet and they turned out great!  Add your onions, mushrooms and green peppers next.  Pour in your chicken broth.  Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire.  Add salt and pepper to your liking.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  After about 5 1/2 hours take chicken out and shred it.  Place back into slow cooker and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.

Mr. J and I like to toast our hoagie buns before we place the chicken on them.  I just stick them under the broiler for a couple of seconds until they start to brown up.  I also like to use a slotted spoon to get the chicken mixture out to help get rid of some of the juice.  Place your chicken mixture on your hoagie bun, place a slice of mozzarella and a slice of american cheese on top and place under the broiler to melt the cheese.  Place that other half of the hoagie bun on top and enjoy! :)

A Great Week Night Meal

Y'all! I have asked myself many times in the last couple of days, "Why in the world have I not shared this recipe?!". This meal has become such a staple in our weekly menu. We LOVE these chicken tacos! And the best thing, you cook them in the crock pot. I originally saw this recipe being tossed around pinterest, but it wasn't until I saw my sweet friend, Brittany at This Sassy Salmon (follow her! She has the cutest twins, ever!) blog about this awesome recipe, that I tried it. Now, I did make a few changes, but that is what I think is so great about this recipe. You can adapt it to fit your family's taste. Grab some chicken and get cooking. And most of all, enjoy!

Crock pot Chicken Tacos 

• 3 Frozen Chicken Breast (or thawed, just adjust time)
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can chicken broth 
• 1 can rotel 
• 1 package taco seasoning 
• 1 package ranch dressing mix 
• Toppings you enjoy

Place all ingredients in the crock pot, chicken being on the bottom. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until chicken is finished.

Once chicken has cooked, remove chicken breast and shred the chicken. If you have a kitchen aid mixer, or a large mixer with a paddle attachment, throw the chicken in the mixer and it will shred it for you! If not, two forks work great.

Place shredded chicken back in the crock pot for 30 minutes.

Dress your tacos and enjoy! I enjoy sour cream, cheese and avocado on mine. Mr. J loves sour cream, cheese, lettuce and corn salsa on his. Get creative!

Mr. J and I love these with crunchy taco shells, but we are sure they would be good with tortillas as well. Also, we always tend to have left overs and on the second night we have been known to skip the taco shells and eat over rice. It is just as good!

Happy Eats!

Recreating Our Favorites...part 1

Life has been busy! My brother, sister -in-law and sweet niece came in for a visit.  While they were home we celebrated two very special little girls birthdays.  (My niece, Mads, and sweet A!) I can't believe Mads is 4 and A is 1! They don't kid when they say they grow up quickly! It was so great being able to celebrate the girls together!  It was a really special week.

Since they have left, Mr. J and I have been working so hard to "get healthy".  With my love of cooking I am trying to re-create some of our favorite foods into a "healthier" version.  Tonight...Burgers.

Mr. J and I like our food spicy (and so does sweet a!).  These burgers had just the right amount of spice and a whole lot of flavor.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Jalapeno, Black Bean and Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey meat
• 1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg white
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon taco or southwestern seasoning (or both) 
• Salt and Pepper, to taste 

Drain black beans and rinse.  Seed and dice jalapeno.  Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Pat out into 6 patties.  Grill around 5 minutes on each side.  Enjoy!

I did place a little bit of guacamole on top of mine and it was fabulous! Mr. J turns green at the thought of guacamole so he passed but still loved the burgers just as much as I did.  We ate them on 80 calorie buns and paired with some broccoli . It was a great meal and we are looking forward to left over tomorrow night! 

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! 

My new love: Quinoa

Tonight while cooking dinner I was thinking I needed to write a new post.   I thought about doing a post on my favorite kitchen gadgets, but then while eating dinner tonight I quickly grabbed my phone to take a quick picture of our meal and knew that was what I had to blog about!  Tonight I cooked chicken and quinoa stew.  I have had quinoa salad once before, but I was not super impressed.  But tonight, the quinoa in this stew was really amazing.  I am now searching for new Quinoa recipes as it is going to become a staple in this house.  I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Chicken and Quinoa Stew

Adapted from: The Sisters Cafe

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 sweet peppers, I used one red and yellow
• 1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1 yellow squash, quartered and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1" pieces
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes 
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (I used 1/2 cup uncooked and followed the directions on the package)
• 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.
• 2 T Dijon Mustard
• 1 T Hot Sauce
• Kosher Salt and Fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  

Saute onion, carrots, peppers, zucchini, squash and garlic until all veggies are softened.  

Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and potatoes.  

Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil.  

Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender.

Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, chicken, dijon mustard and hot sauce.  

Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.  

Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve. 

Enjoy!:) 

2 minute Boo Boo Pie

There is a famous little restaurant, Patti's 1880s Settlement, close to where I grew up.  They are known for two things: pork chops and pies.  My favorite pie there is the Boo Boo pie.  A brownie like pie with coconut.  It is amazing!  I have been making brownies in a mug for some time, but had the bright idea to "spruce" up my recipe by adding a few things and adding coconut!  And the best part is, you cook it in the microwave and can whip this little bad boy up in 2 minutes!

Now, I have sweet friends who do not like coconut, but do not run yet!  Get creative.  Leave out the coconut and add your favorite add-ins, or just eat it brownie style.  I don't think you will regret it!

But I warn you, these are so easy and so good, you may have them every night!

2 minute Boo Boo Pie

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut (or your favorite add-in) 
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons milk or coffee (i use milk)

In a coffee cup (or mug ), stir together the dry ingredients until no lumps remain. 

Stir in the milk, vanilla and melted butter.
Cook for 1 minute (check around 30 though. Different microwaves cook differently.) 

It should be a little gooey when finished. 

Top with Whipped Cream or Ice Cream.

Enjoy! :) 

(Mr J and I share one mug!)

Caution! Highly Addictive!

Reindeer Food...a fancy made up name for what I like to call "White Chocolate Peppermint Chex".  When first seeing this recipe I thought it looked easy and festive for the holidays so I thought, why not?  I wish I would have not made it.  The bucket is almost gone (like only a few pieces of chex left).  I recommend you do not make this if you have an addictive personality.  I promise it may be gone in one setting a couple of days.

Also, I am working on my photography skills.  I know they are on the verge of being horrible right now, but stick with me as I learn!  :)

White Chocolate Peppermint Chex
Adapted from Hooiser Homemade

Ingredients:

-5 Cups Corn Chex

-1 bag White Chocolate Chips, 12 oz

- 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes

Measure out the corn chex.  Place in a large bowl.  

Place white chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute, stir and then continue heating for 15 seconds at a time, until all the chips are melted and making sure to stir after each time.

Pour 2/3 of crushed candy canes in the melted chocolate.  Mix well.

Pour chocolate and candy cane mixture over the chex.  Mix well.

Pour chex mix onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper (or on your counter).

Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes on top.

Let set for about 20 minutes.

Gently break and place in air tight container.

Enjoy! :) 

Happy Eatings! :)

The Best Soup Ever...Seriously

I am not a huge soup fan. I mean, I like it, but a lot of times, I don't love it. And as we have previously established, I do not like leftovers. So leftover soup to me is...well...ick. Until I came across this recipe. This soup has changed my view on soup forever. I made this on Wednesday and we were having it for leftovers on Thursday as well. Wednesday night I went to bed excited that we would have the leftover soup the next day. Thursday morning I woke up thinking about the soup. All day I could not wait for Mr J to get home so we could have the soup. So I thought I needed to share this recipe

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (we love to keep the vampires away!)
• 6 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup red wine...must use this! Do not substitute!
• 1 Jar canned tomates (These were from my mother-in-law, but you could totally use chopped or diced canned tomatoes. I would use the larger size can. Also you could use real tomatoes. That is what the orginal recipe called for, but you were to peel, seed and chop. That was too much work! :) )
• 1/2 bag of "match stick" carrots. (You could chop your own, but that is more work!)
• A large dose of Italian Seasoning. (I probably used one to two tablespoons. I didn't measure. Just eye-balled)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 decent size zucchini, sliced
• 1 bag frozen tortellini pasta
• 
  

1. In a 5 quart Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 2 tablespoon of the drippings. (I just reserved all in the pan...oops)
2. Saute onions and garlic in drippings (Seriously, if you do not have the pampered chef garlic press, hit me up and we will get you one ordered. It will forever change your views on fresh garlic!).
3. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, italian seasoning, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
4. Skim fat from the soup. This is kind of difficult, but you need to do it. Stir in zucchini and carrots. Simmer covered for 30 minutes to an hour. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you thought this was as good as we did! This will be around all winter in this house!

Tasty Thursdays

I have a confession to make about next week. I will not be cooking along with you. I will actually be cooking a week ahead. But this will allow for me to review the recipes before I recommend them to you! Mr J and I have had all but two of these recipes and we would highly recommend them. I hope you enjoy! :)

Island Chicken

Source: Annie's Eats

Chicken Gyros

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Toasted Ravioli

Source: What's Cookin, Chicago?

Light Spicy Lemon Chicken

Source: Babble

Baked Pesto Chicken

Source: Kayln's Kitchen

Chinese Honey Chicken

Source:Blogchef

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Source: Can You Stay For Dinner