Ginger Garlic Chicken

I'm back!!! Thank you for the comments and emails congratulating hubby and I on the arrival of the new baby. We are doing great and really starting to get the hang of three little ones! 

I am going to do my very best to post a few recipes a week (if not more) but please don't get mad if I forget! I do have a 17 day old!!! Hubby and I are back to eating Paleo strictly. New baby doesn't like dairy and our 2 year olds belly cant handle dairy. I will write more on that later! 

I made this awesome crockpot chicken last week and must share it. It can be done in the oven but since I had my hands busy I put it in the crockpot around noon and just let it cook for the afternoon! I also thinking a chicken fryer would be awesome but all I had were breasts!

 The Ingredients:
chicken (I used 3 boneless breast)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP ground ginger (fresh would have been great but didn't have any)
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1/4 cup Coconut Aminos (Braggs Aminos or soy sauce)
Handful of cilantro (chopped)
Pepper
Garlic Powder

The Directions:
Place chicken in baggie and add all the other ingredients. Mix around and cover chicken. If you are doing a fryer chicken, you will need more of the liquid ingredients. Let the chicken marinate for an hour or more. Add chicken to crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours. If baking chicken cook at 425 degrees and time will vary. Breasts cook for 20-25 minutes or a fryer for 45 minutes-1 hour. I am cooking the chicken in the oven this week and will let you know for sure!

We served our garlic ginger chicken with saute broccoli slaw.

Part of: Fat Tuesday, Real Food Tuesday

Tomato and Chili Chicken in the Crock

I love cooking Chicken Fryers in the Crockpot. It is so quick and easy and leave the chicken so tender and full of flavor!

 This time I added the chicken in the crock and poured over 1 can of tomato and chili's. I let the chicken cook on low for 6 hours. The meat just fell apart. The chili's left a MILD kick in the background that was a pleasant surprise but not over powering for the kids.

Why are we in such a hurry?

Have you ever noticed how impatient we all have become???

This weekend I was sitting at a light waiting for the light to turn green and I noticed something pretty funny. The car in front would scoot forward a little, then the car behind it would shoot forward and the car behind it would scoot forward and so forth. The car in front would then scoot up just a little more and the whole process began again. Why have are we in such a hurry that we have to continuously nudge forward even though the light is still red?

Next time you are stopped at a light, watch! You will get a kick out of it! 

I am guilty of this, too! 

When did this change? Why are we in such a hurry?

Maybe it has to do with all the change in the last 10 years. We have so many things designed to make like faster and "easier."  Kindness to other just went out the door. Not sure when people not stopped caring for others but hubby and I have surrounded our family with great people and excellent neighbors. (check out this post on how to help out your neighborhood food bank from reader (and friend) Heather @ All Kinds of Goodies) Everyone has cell phones. You don't have to wait to talk to someone if they aren't home. There are FAST FOOD restaurants everywhere... Really there are not too many corners out there without one. We have changed our way of eating and we are seeing the results from it. 

It is crazy that the obesity rate is still sky rocketing and the number of diabetes is on an all time high. I remember seeing a statistic awhile back that said 58 million were obese. Even more disturbing, a few years ago, I heard that by 2012 the "norm" for children will be obese.

THAT IS CRAZY... I remember coming home after hearing that and telling Hubby "I will not accept that. I will do my best to feed my children healthy nutritious foods and allow them to be healthy. If obese is "norm" my children will be not norm"

That was reason #1 we changed...

You see, I have said it before, but we are still working on healthy changes! Yes, my 3 year old has had fast food. No, I am not proud of that. Yes, Micah will NEVER eat fast food. (please note: There are healthier choice, like Chipolte, for example, and I am sure he will have Chipolte)

Yes, Fast food is fast and a great fix when "oops I forgot to plan for dinner." And Yes, it is cheap. Hubby and I have both said fast food is really a help for those who need to feed a lot of people for less. McDonalds is offering 50, yes I said 50 chicken McNuggets for $9.99... That is just craziness... Where else can you get a meal for a family under $10. It is a quick fix.

I am not suggesting you to go to McDonald's for dinner... It is not meant to be consumed daily, if at all. Today, I just found a story about Taco Bell being sued because the meat isn't meat. It doesn't meat the minimum standards... YUCK. The meat is only 30% meat. 70% is other junk and fillers. To read the article, click here.

Hubby was out of town this past weekend. I should have planned ahead and prepared us some food but I got busy. I did not eat like I should and I am paying for it now. I went to bed Sunday not feeling well and woke up Monday with a terrible headache, that lasted all day. Monday I spent the day sluggish and lacked energy. My stomach was upset and I couldn't really eat anything without it coming right back up. I even had a few face breakouts.

So many of us have just become so busy in everyday life that so many have forgot or dropped home cooked meals. Many Americans do not use their kitchen and even more do not know how to cook. Let's bring back home cooked meals! That is my mission. If you are a reader and struggle in the kitchen contact me (call, text, facebook, email me) and I will help you. I pride myself on coming up with or finding real easy recipes that are packed with nutrition and color and are full of taste.

Hubby and I enjoy sitting together with our boys at the dinner table and spending that time with just our family. No phones. No interruptions. Just us!!! We enjoy our memories!!!! We enjoy our 3 years prayers and stories! We love our time!!! Yes, sometimes he gets home late and we are not able to eat together but 6 nights out of 7 we are together!


______________________________________________

Green Chili Crockpot Chicken

The Ingredients:
1 Chicken Fryer
2 cans green chilis
4 cups chicken broth
1 onion, diced
2 TBSP Coconut Oil
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

The Directions:
Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Add chicken to the crockpot. Top with Onion and the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.

Take chicken out and let cool before taking the skin and bones off.

Add chicken back into crockpot and either serve chicken as a soup topped with Avocado or just enjoy the chicken side with vegetables. It is your choice.


ENJOY!!!!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Starbucks has several speciality drinks throughout the year that get all the RAVE... Pumpkin Latte is one of them!!!! It is delicious but expensive. Instead of going to "five bucks" make a huge (crock) pot of pumpkin latte. It is just as good and really makes the house smell wonderful!

This was a huge favorite last year for us... I have not gotten around to make it as much as I would like this "pumpkin" season. 

The Ingredients:

2 cups milk 
2 TBSP canned pumpkin
2 TBSP white sugar
2 TBSP vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
OR: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger
1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
garnish with whipped cream (optional)

The Directions.
This will make enough for 2 people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used a 4-quart crockpot, but as small as a 1.5 quart will work with these amounts.
Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again. Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon. I added a cinnamon stick to be fancy.

Pumpkin Puree - Crockpot

curious about my easy pumpkin puree recipe... it is a crockpot easy! here it is!!! 

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Puree

1 pie pumpkin, small enough to fit into your slow cooker (mine was just a bit too big, so I simply cut it in half)

1) Poke the pumpkin a few times with a fork and place in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until quite soft.

2) Remove from the slow cooker and scoop out the seeds and discard or roast. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh and puree in a food processor, using a hand blender or regular blender until well blended. Use in recipes as desired.

Chai Spiced Latte

photo credit

I love enjoying a delicious hot cup of tea on a cold day. A Chai Tea Latte is my favorite, speciality drink! The only place that makes a really good Chai Tea Latte is Starbucks but who are we kidding it is far more expensive to go to Starbuck and get one than make one at home. 

I have come up with a delicious recipe!!!! Super easy and super yummy!

The Ingredients.

4 cups milk (I used Almond Milk -- have used 2% before)
4 black tea bags
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
4 sticks cinnamon (or 2 tsp ground)
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp vanilla extract

The Directions.


This will serve 2-4 adults, dependent on how much they like tea.


Put everything into your crockpot. I used a 4 quart. Anything over a 2 quart will work just 
fine. Float the cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods, and tea bags on top.


Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until heated through. I cooked ours on low for 2 hours and another hour on high.


Press the tea bags against the side of the crockpot with a spoon to release the last bit of tea-goodness and ladle into mugs.


--------------------------
Back to organizing and packing!!! A couple more days until we are on vacation!!!! Until then -- I will enjoying this wonderful drink!

Potato and Cabbage

A rough morning leads to a rough (easy) meal.


Yesterday morning, I was walking down my stairs, holding the baby and slipped. I landed directly on my back and neck. (Do not worry -- I am fine.) I am sore -- real sore actually (was shook up a bit) but I am good!!! Micah did get hurt at all, just scared from my yell. 


I had a pretty brutal headache all day and didn't feel motivated. I had some potatoes left over and a huge head of cabbage. I decided to go simple and cook them in my crockpot with some Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. We had 2 Applegate Sausages (Organic Fire Roasted Red Pepper Sausage ) left so a quick saute and topped the Potato and Cabbage mix. 


We were all pleased! Next time we may have this as a side dish but I was not in the mood last night! :) 

The Ingredients:
1 small head of cabbage
6 potatoes (next time I will add more)
10-12 whole cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t black pepper


The Directions:
wash vegetables, cut potatoes into 1 inch chunks (I didn't peel them)
cut cabbage into wedges--don't worry about separating the leaves (cut into smaller pieces - my leaves were too big)


Throw veggies into the crockpot with the whole garlic cloves. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Toss with hands to coat thoroughly.
(((((DO NOT ADD WATER.)))))
Cook on high for 3 hours, low for 4-6.
The vegetables are done when the potatoes reach desired tenderness.

Do not forget to comment!!! Chobani GIVEAWAY WEEK --- TWO MORE DAYS!!!

Crockpot Pound Cake

 That is right... I made a pound cake in my crockpot - and it was easy!!!! and delicious!!!! 

I have mentioned this before but I have this giant bag of Pamela's Gluten Free Baking & Pancake mix. I make my boys pancakes with it but have admired the other recipes on the bag. I decided to make the pound cake (loaf cake) in the crockpot instead of the oven. 

With just a few minor changes --- To my surprise - this cake was delicious and super easy!!!! I must say that the pound cake was best straight out of the crockpot but still good cold. 

Being that it is a giveaway week -- we topped our pound cake with Chobani Yogurt. 

I had blueberry and my husband had strawberry! 

Here is what I did! 

The Ingredients:

2 cups of Pamela's Baking Mix

1/2 tsp cream of tartar 

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup butter (I did 1/2 raw butter 1/2 cup apple sauce)

1 cup palm sugar (next time I think I am going to try to replace that with Raw Honey or Maple Syrup)

1 tsp ground nutmeg

6 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

The Directions:

Melt butter in a mixing bowl. Add the rest of your ingredients. 

Mix with a hand or stand mixer until ingredients are well incorporated

***grease the inside of your crockpot. I used a bigger crockpot and did a good job!

I propped the lid open with a toothpick.

Cook on high until an inserted toothpick or knife comes out clean. This took about 2.5 hours in my crockpot. I probably checked it too often, but I was excited.

This smells so wonderful while it's cooking.

It is giveaway week - MAKE SURE YOU COMMENT!!!! That is all you have to do to increase the odds and a case of Chobani could be yours!!!!

Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

Wednesday was our last food share pick up... I am bummed --- REALLY bummed. I have really enjoyed our weekly pick up.


Luckily - I have been saving vegetables. I have learned how to can. I canned applesauce, salsa, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes and jelly. We bought a food savor -- so I have been freezing away! :) We have Kale, Beans, Spinach, Basil, Bell Peppers, Carrots, Green Onion, Chives and more! I am stocked up on sweet potatoes and winter squash, too!


Now to find new dishes to put them them and use them up!!!! Like this one, Crockpot Roasted Winter Root Vegetables!!!!

I will miss you food share --- UNTIL next Spring/Summer!

Chicken Recipe to come!

_____________________________________________
Crockpot Roasted Vegetables



The Ingredients:

These are the different veggies I use, try any combination!

carrots
turnips or rutabagas
sweet potatoes
red skinned potatoes
garlic
beets
red onions
brussels sprouts
shallots

olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh sage or rosemary (still on the branches)
pure maple syrup (optional)

The Directions:


Crockpot - Add all the vegetables and seasonings in the crockpot and cook on High for 4 hours!  I cooked ours in the crockpot today and they came out tender and full of flavor!!!


OR

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Chop all your veggies into bite sized pieces. In a gigantic mixing bowl place all the veggies and herbs and pour a healthy amount of olive oil on top. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with maple syrup. Mix well.

Pour veggies evenly on cookie sheets. Place in oven and cook for 35-40 minutes. Turn veggies over and continue to cook another 35-40 minutes or until they are fork tender and browned!

Crockpot Black Beans

Black beans are a staple item in our house. I make a batch, sometimes two a week. I love Black Beans and so does my family.

Micah, the baby is a fan of black beans too!

I have a jar full of beans and maybe even a bag or two on hand. Never can have too many black beans!!!

The Ingredients:

Black beans, soaked, see below

onion, diced (amount depending on amount of black beans)

water

chicken or turkey neck or turkey bacon (I do not eat anything pig) or even a broth (vegetable would do)

The Directions:

Soaking - 

Beans should be rinsed then soaked with 1 Tbsp whey or lemon juice per cup of beans. After soaking, drain, rinse and start with fresh water. 

Cooking -

Add soaked beans, onion, seasoning and water into crockpot. 

Cook you beans either high for 2 -3 hours or on low for 6 - 8 hours, even longer. 

I do not have measurements **BUT** you can never have too much water. You can always drain the water when you are done cooking. If you have too little water your beans WILL burn and your house will reek... 

Trust me - I have been there!!!! The house smelled for a week (exaggeration, a little!)

If I have to guess with measurements --- cooking on high - 1 cup beans 3 - 5 cups water. cooking on low 1 cup beans 3 cups water. You can always add more and you can always drain the liquid at the end!

Black Bean recipes :

Southwestern Chicken Soup with Black Beans

Southwestern Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos with Cashew Cheese

Quinoa and Black Beans

Black Bean Lentil Salad

and many more to come!!!!

Italian Beef with Bell Peppers

It is official... I am obsessed with bell peppers. My last 3 recipes have had bell peppers in them. I think I have cooked 30+ bell pepper this week - I am sorry. I will try to become obsessed with something new next week! :) Maybe. Just maybe. I will become obsessed with my large box of sweet potatoes or winter squash... I guess we will just have to wait and see! :)

Yesterday, my boys and I enjoyed the aroma of roast cooking away in the crockpot.

The meat fell off the bone and was amazingly tender! I cooked the meat on low for 10 hours in and added the peppers for the last 15 minutes. My hubby was in charge of the bread for these sandwiches and he came home with pretzel bread.

My goal for next time - make my own Italian Seasoning Mixture and make homemade bread to serve this on!

Other than that - De -lish!

Southwestern Chicken Soup with Black Beans

Once again, the fall weather has left. It has been in the 80's the past few days and it is October. I cannot believe it... This is Crazy!!!! :)

Hoping to inspire FALL to return, I made a delicious Southwestern Chicken Soup! This was so delicious --- I forgot to take a picture! Whooops! I will take a picture today when I make lunch!

The Ingredients:

1 tsp Olive Oil

1/2 sweet Yellow Onion

4 cloves Garlic

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

7-8 cups chicken broth (I used homemade!)

1 15 oz can of Black Beans (I used 2 cups homemade Black Beans - cooked with Onions)

1 15 oz can of diced Tomatoes

1 chicken fryer

Sea Salt and Pepper

Corn Tortilla strips

The Directions:

In a crockpot add the chicken fryer, chicken broth, can of diced tomatoes, onion and seasonings. Cook on low for 8 hours. At hour 8 take out chicken and let cook then debone. Put chicken back to the crockpot and add black beans. (Corn would add a little sweet! I didn't have any on hand). Cook in crockpot until everything is hot again. Season with Sea Salt and Pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a few corn tortillas and spray them with olive oil cooking spray on both side. Cut into small strips and place on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Bake until golden brown on both sides, about 5-7 minutes.

Top with Cilantro and cheese. I didn't add either to ours but would be delicious!!!!

Rosemary and Lemon Crockpot Chicken

I love my crockpot! I love finding recipes that are healthy and forget about meals! Being a mom of 2 young boys, I love using my crockpot at least once if not twice a week.

I love chicken fryers (whole chickens). When being introduced to whole chickens a few years ago, I thought you had to either boil or bake. As I mentioned before, here, you can butterfly chicken and grill it. You can also crockpot it. No liquid needed!!!!

Rosemary and Lemon Crockpot Chicken

The Ingredients:

1 chicken fryer

2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
2 stalks celery with leaves, cut into pieces
2 small onions, whole
1 whole garlic head, cloves peeled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

The Directions:

Remove and discard giblets and neck from the chicken. Rinse and pat dry. Trim excess fat. Place rosemary, celery, 1/4 of onion, lemon wedges and 6 garlic cloves in the cavity of the chicken. Place chicken, breast side up, in the crock pot . Add remaining onion and garlic. Drizzle lemon juice over chicken; sprinkle with the salt, pepper and paprika. Cover; cook on low for 8 hours

The chicken fell apart! This is what my crockpot looked like once I removed the chicken.

The Chicken fell off the bone. It was so tender and full of flavor!

Sweet Potato and Chicken

Looking for an easy CROCKPOT dinner????

I kind of fell onto this one. I had thawed a whole chicken (chicken fryer) and had some sweet potatoes on the counter from the CSA. I had a long day ahead of me so I decided to make a crockpot dish with the two of them.

I think this turned out GREAT and had great flavor!!!!

The Ingredients:

3 cups peeled and sliced sweet potatoes, about 2 medium to large sweet potatoes

1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, undrained

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/3 cup barbecue sauce, your favorite

2 tablespoons RAW honey

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 whole chicken

The Directions:
In 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker, combine sweet potatoes, pineapple with juice, chicken broth, chopped onion, and ground ginger; stir to blend well. In small bowl, combine barbecue sauce, honey, and dry mustard; stir to blend well. Coat chicken generously on all sides barbecue sauce mixture. Arrange coated chicken in single layer over sweet potato and pineapple mixture, overlapping if necessary. Spoon any remaining barbecue sauce mixture over chicken. Cover; cook on low setting for 7 to 9 hours or until chicken is fork tender and juices run clear, and sweet potatoes are tender.

Sweet Potato