Chicken and "Rice"

This is something that popped in my head the other day and I thought to myself, "Hey, I haven't had chicken and rice in forever". It was something I ate a lot of growing up but it doesn't exactly fit into my new lifestyle with the rice and canned cream of mushroom soup. I came up with this recipe and it surprisingly tastes like the real thing!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken
• 1 large head cauliflower
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon almond flour
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sage
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 can coconut milk (I used Trader Joe's light)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook your chicken over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from the skillet, shred into bite size pieces, and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan.
2. While the chicken is cooking, rice the cauliflower in a blender, food processor, or with a grater. Put in a medium sized saucepan with 1 cup chicken stock and cook on medium heat until tender, about 20 minutes.
3. In the skillet with the chicken drippings add the remaining chicken stock, arrowroot powder and almond flour, whisking constantly until it becomes very thick. Then add 1/3 of the canned coconut milk and continue whisking.
4. Add in the salt, pepper, sage and thyme and stir until well combined. Slowly cintinue adding the coconut milk until you have used it all. Let simmer for 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thin, add 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot power. If it is too thick add 1/4 cup chicken stock.
5. Add the shredded chicken to the gravy, mix thoroughly, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Serve with a scoop of cauliflower rice on top.

Pumpkin Coffee Creamer

Anyone that knows me knows that I need coffee to get started in the morning. I like my coffee with cream and sugar and if one of those is missing I'm an unhappy girl. On the downside, I always felt swollen and yucky for a few hours after drinking it. I switched to stevia, kept the cream, and I still felt sluggish but never associated it with the dairy until I did the Whole30 program. Apparently I am unable to tolerate dairy so I gave it up, just like that. That left me with a void to fill so I started researching dairy free coffee creamer recipes. I took what I liked from each of them and experimented to find my favorite taste combination. You may need to play with the sweetness to suit your own taste. This recipe calls for a raw egg so if you are squeamish about that then you can try it without but the purpose of the egg is to prevent separation of the coconut cream from the milk resulting in a rich cream that is the closest I have come to the real thing.

Ingredients:

• 1 can coconut milk, full fat
• 1 pastured egg
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoons Stevia in the Raw

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. About 30 seconds.
2. Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
3. The creamer should thicken after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Pumpkin Porridge

I love pumpkins!! I love them so much that I have been known to buy enough cans to last all year. I have been making different variations of this for over a year now and I think I have finally perfected it. I used to make oatmeal for breakfast regularly pre-paleo and it would leave me hungry again in just a few hours. This breakfast keeps me satisfied until lunch!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs (preferably organic and cage free)
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon Tahini (or any nut butter of choice)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons Stevia in the Raw
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until fully incorporated.
2. Transfer the mixture to a sauce pan and heat over medium low heat until it starts looking like cottage cheese.

*My favorite toppings are a pouring some coconut milk on top with a teaspoon of shredded coconut and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Breakfast Sausage

I was never a sausage eater in my younger days because all I knew was the kind that came in a roll that you cut into slices and when you bit into it there was always a chance of chomping on some gristle. Bleh! Then I came across a recipe on www.civilizedcavemancooking.com for a breakfast sausage that changed my mind. His recipe uses a pound of bison meat as well but since I didn't have that on hand I improvised. This makes about 20 patties depending on how big you make them. I made a bunch of small ones so it would last a while. I just made them into patties and stuck them in the freezer. Whenever I want some I pull them out and fry them up from frozen.

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb Grass-fed Ground Beef
• 1 Lb Ground Pork
• 1 ½ Tsp Thyme
• 1 ½ Tsp Sage
• ¾ Tsp Rosemary
• 1 ½ Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Black Pepper
• ¾ Tsp Nutmeg
• ½ Tsp Cayenne

Directions:

1. Combine all of your ingredients thoroughly with your hands in a large mixing bowl.
2. Form into 1-2 inch rounds and flatten into patties until all the sausage is used. If putting in tupperware, separate the layers of sausage with parchment paper to prevent from sticking together.
3. You can refrigerate the patties for up to 1 week and/or freeze for up to 3 months.
4. If you are going to eat them immediately, heat a skillet over medium-low heat
5. Saute until brown and cooked through, ~10-15 minutes
6. Serve with any other food you can imagine, breakfast, lunch or dinner
7. Enjoy

Chicken Crust Pizza

Sometimes I get a hankering for a certain food from my past way of eating and I happened to LOVE pizza. After eating the real deal I always feel swollen and yucky so I had to find another way to enjoy the tastes of pizza without the bad side effects. Making a crust for a pizza out of cauliflower or almond flour takes so much time and feels like way too many steps, especially when I'm constantly on the go so this recipe was born. This recipe does call for dairy (which I don't eat anymore) but you can omit it and it still tastes awesome! I have even substituted pesto for the marinara for a different taste.

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 chicken breast
• Coconut oil
• Marinara, no sugar added
• Green bell peppers, sliced
• Onion, sliced
• Spinach
• ¼ cup feta cheese
• Spices (garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne powder, oregano, etc.)
• Pepperoni slices

Directions:

1. Butterfly chicken breast then place on cutting board and cover with wax paper. Pound with meat tenderizer or rolling pin until flattened.
2. Rub both sides with coconut oil and place on baking sheet. Broil under high heat for a minute and a half on each side.
3. Take out of the oven and coat with marinara sauce, then layer the toppings any way you would like.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
5. Take out of the oven and enjoy!

 

*Be creative with this, it's your pizza.

 

Crock Pot Chocolate Chili

With this being my first ever post and the beginning of the fall season, I thought I would start out with a recipe that has recently become my go to meal. I throw it in the crock pot in the morning and it is ready when I go home for lunch. I came across the recipe on www.theclothesmakethegirl.com, it is her favorite chili recipe and it is mine as well! I have made a few changes along the way to suit my taste (I like it spicy!).

(Shown here with mashed buttercup squash)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted, chopped tomatoes
• 1 can Hot Rotel (optional, but encouraged if you like spicy chili)
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) beef broth

Directions:

1. In a large pan, melt the coconut oil. When melted, add the onions, stir often and cook until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Crumble the meat into the pan, stir in with the onions and cook until no longer pink.
2. Add the meat mixture to your crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients. When adding the oregano, dump it in your hand and rub together to let the fragrance blossom.
3. Stir the chili until well combined. Set to low and cook 3-5 hours.

*Top with a Tablespoon of coconut milk and cauliflower rice for one of the most delicious meals you have ever tasted.

*If you are an athlete looking for extra carbs, peel and chop 2 sweet potatoes and add to the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients.