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Recipe: Butter Chicken

May21

May 19, 2014 007 crop

Here is a chicken recipe that all 3 of my kids love (and believe me, it’s not easy to get all 3 of them to agree on ANYTHING!)

Before my kids tried it, they were complaining that we were having chicken AGAIN.  After trying it, they were raving about it and even went back for seconds and thirds.  They even gobbled up the cold leftovers the next day!

In an effort to minimize waste and make clean-up easier, I prepared it entirely in the baking dish.  Previously when I would make chicken with egg or crackers, I would use a separate bowl for the egg and a separate bowl for the crackers, and then I would end up with a sink full of dishes after preparation.

Except for the Ritz Crackers, this recipe uses all REAL food ingredients.  I often struggle with finding a good balance between healthy foods and foods my kids will actually eat.  If anyone has any suggestions on a healthier, kid-friendly replacement for the Ritz Crackers, I would love to hear them!

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2.  Rinse chicken, then place in a 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish.

3.  Pour egg evenly over chicken.

4.  Sprinkle crackers evenly over chicken.

5.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over chicken.

6.  Spread out pieces of garlic and butter throughout the dish.

7.  Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Recipe: Roasted Broccoli

May16

May 16, 2014 JourneyToCompleteWellness.ComI am always trying to get more vegetables and Superfoods into my diet.  Broccoli is a Superfood and cancer-fighting food.

I’ll admit, I’m not very motivated when it comes to washing, cutting, preparing, and cooking vegetables.  Especially since I’m usually the only one in my family who will eat them.  Unfortunately, more vegetables rot in my refrigerator than I would like.  I have good intentions when I’m at the grocery store, but unless I buy them for a specific purpose, I usually forget about them and they sit there until I get the motivation to do something with them.  Or they rot.  And it really bothers me when I have to throw food away.

So, I was really excited when I found this super-easy recipe for roasted broccoli.  I made it with dinner last night, and I had to stop myself from eating the entire thing in one sitting.  I easily could have!

I found this recipe on Facebook in January and tried it for the first time then.  Here is the link to the original post on Instagram:  http://instagram.com/p/i6oZ17zgvm/#

Here is my recipe, just slightly different:

 Ingredients

1 head of broccoli, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 lemon (optional)

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 375°

2.  Place broccoli, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper in a ziploc bag and shake.  Alternatively, place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

3.  Spread out on baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  Bake about 30 minutes.

Broccoli will be crunchy and delicious!  If desired, squeeze lemon over broccoli.  This is optional, but I do this because I love anything with lemon.  Enjoy!

For lunch today, I served the leftovers with rice and a little bit of shredded cheese.  The broccoli wasn’t as crunchy as it was when I first cooked it, but it was still delicious!  I plan to make this again VERY soon!!  I think I could eat this every day.  Now if I could just get the rest of my family to try it! 🙂

May 16, 2014 030 crop broccoli

Recipe: Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Apr17

     
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Recipe: Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Prep time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 14-17 balls

If you love peanut butter and chocolate as much as I do, here is a quick and easy recipe you can tailor to your own tastes. This simple snack takes only minutes to make, and it is packed with nutrition and energy. Enjoy!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup Natural peanut butter
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • 8 dates (pitted)
  • 1 Tablespoon flax seeds (or other seeds of your choice)
Instructions
  1. Place oats and flax seeds into a food processor and grind until smooth. (I find this works really well in my NutriBullet) Pour into bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Place dates into food processor (or NutriBullet) and grind until smooth. Add this to the oats and seeds in the stand mixer.
  3. Add peanut butter to the stand mixer. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined well. Add the chocolate chips.
  4. Using a Tablespoon, scoop out the mixture and roll into a ball. Makes about 14-17 balls.
  5. Store in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Feel free to add additional ingredients such as shredded coconut, nuts, and seeds to your liking. Enjoy!

 

Recipe: Coconut Banana Cashew Smoothie

Mar26

My friend gave me some vanilla coconut milk the other day, so I decided to experiment and make some smoothies with it.  I found one that I really liked a lot!  I decided to grind up some cashews and add them to the smoothie for some extra fiber and protein.  Check out this website for more health benefits of cashews and see why they are one of the world’s healthiest foods.  Here is the recipe I came up with.  Enjoy! 🙂

Coconut Banana Cashew Smoothie

March 24, 2014 127 crop

Ingredients:

¼ cup cashews

¾ cup vanilla coconut milk

½ cup organic spinach, packed

1 frozen banana

Instructions:

1. Grind cashews in a food processor until fine.

2. Add coconut milk, spinach, and cashews to blender. Blend until smooth.

3. Add banana. Blend until smooth.

Yield: 14 ounces

 

Real Food: Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Mar22

March 22, 2014 030I love this pancake recipe because it is simple to make and it is made with just a few ingredients, all of them being REAL food ingredients.  I also love that this recipe contains no white flour or white sugar.

I just finished reading the book Wheat Belly by William Davis, and while it did not fully convince me to go 100% gluten free, it did reinforce my belief that we should strive to minimize our consumption of products made with white flour.

My daughters do prefer traditional pancakes over these, but I do enjoy these and my 9-year old daughter does as well.  Enjoy!

 

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Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Serves: 2 pancakes

Ingredients
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅓ cup rolled oats
  • ½ banana, sliced
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ tablespoon butter or coconut oil, for cooking
  • Pure maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, grind oats until fine. Add eggs, cinnamon, and banana, and grind until smooth.
  2. Heat butter or coconut oil over medium heat in a skillet.
  3. Add half of the batter (about ½ cup) pancake mix to the skillet.
  4. Cook until you are able to slip a spatula underneath the pancake and lift it without the pancake breaking. Flip the pancake.
  5. Cook until lightly brown.
  6. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with pure maple syrup.
Notes
This recipe only makes two pancakes. I only have a mini food processor, so it doesn’t hold a lot of batter. You may want to double the recipe for more servings. Also, the pancakes are thinner than traditional pancakes.

 

Recipe: Omelet with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Onions, Peppers, and Feta

Mar5

When I was taking the October Unprocessed Challenge this past October 2013, I ate A LOT of omelets and eggs in many different forms.  I also tried sun-dried tomatoes for the first time during that month, and I absolutely LOVED them!  I was surprised at how flavorful they are.  I tried to come up with different recipes to use them in, so one day I put them into my omelet with some leftover Feta cheese I had, and I loved it.  Here is the recipe I came up with.

February 21, 2014 024 crop

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten

2 Tablespoons Feta cheese

2 Sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil), chopped

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coconut oil

¼ cup green pepper, diced

¼ cup onion, diced
Instructions:
  1. In an 8″ non-stick saute pan, melt 1 Tablespoon coconut oil over medium heat.
  2. Saute green pepper and onion in coconut oil until soft.
  3. Remove peppers and onions from pan.  Set aside.
  4. Add the teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan.  Pour the eggs into the omelet pan.  Do not stir.
  5. Once edges harden and you are able to get a rubber spatula underneath the eggs without them breaking, carefully flip the eggs.
  6. Add the cheese, peppers, onions, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Cook until cheese is melted, and fold in half.  Enjoy!

Yield: 1 Omelet

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Feb26
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Buffalo Chicken Dip

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 12 servings

My family loves Buffalo Chicken Dip! It is very quick and easy to make, very tasty, and a good way to use up some leftover chicken. I have been making it a lot lately. The recipes I had initially used (from the hot sauce bottle) called for Ranch or Bleu Cheese dressings. I didn't love all the processed ingredients in the dressings from the store, so I set out to find a healthier replacement. This is what I came up with, and my family and I are both happy with the result. I usually serve it with celery sticks or organic corn chips. Enjoy! 🙂
Ingredients
  • 8 oz. Package cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried dill
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ cup Frank’s REDHOT sauce
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
  • Serve with celery sticks or organic corn chips.
Instructions
  1. Place cream cheese into baking dish or glass pie plate.
  2. Stir in remaining ingredients until mixed well.
  3. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes until hot. Stir.

Recipe: Pineapple-Orange-Banana Green Smoothie

Feb19

October 18, 2014 018 Pine Orange Banana

In an effort to get more greens into my diet, I try to have a green smoothie every day.  When I’m running short on time, this is the one I always fall back on.  It is quick, delicious, and I usually have all ingredients on hand.

I try to keep frozen bananas stocked in my freezer at all times.  I usually buy them in the reduced-produce section at the store when they are very ripe.  I take them home, peel them, break them in half, and then put them into a freezer bag for future use.  It’s a great time saver, and also a great way to keep costs low! 🙂  Here is the recipe:

pineapple orange banana green smoothie

Ingredients:
¾ cup orange juice (I prefer freshly juiced from a juicer, but store-bought also works.)

¾ cup organic baby spinach, packed tightly

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

½ cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 frozen banana
Instructions:
  1. Blend orange juice and spinach in a blender until smooth.
  2. Add yogurt, pineapple, and banana and blend until completely smooth.

Yield:  24 oz.

Recipe: Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Feb13

I love these peanut butter cookies for so many reasons!  I feel great about feeding them to my family because the recipe contains no flour, no added white sugar, and no unhealthy oils.  My family devours these cookies in no time (the recipe only makes 12, so you may want to make a double batch if your family likes them as much as mine does.)  If they do last until the next day, the cookies remain soft.  These are really yummy and super quick and easy to make.  If you like peanut butter, I hope you will give them a try.

pb-cookies-crop

 

Ingredients:

1 cup natural peanut butter (I use Skippy brand Natural Peanut Butter)

2 Tablespoons honey (local is best)

2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Combine peanut butter, honey, maple syrup, egg, vanilla, and baking soda in mixing bowl.
  3. Add chocolate chips (if using).
  4. Drop spoonfuls approximately 1 Tablespoon in size onto waxed-paper lined baking sheet.
  5. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern.
  6. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Yield: 12 Cookies

Journeytocompletewellness.com

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Jan27

We have a new favorite smoothie in our house!  I have been on the green smoothie kick lately, but last week I decided to try something different and see if my daughters would give it a try.  My 11-year-old and 6-year-old both loved it!!  They have been finishing this smoothie daily and asking for more!  Like many moms, I am always looking for ways to get as many fruits, vegetables, and superfoods into our diet as possible.  This is an easy way to do it.  This smoothie is packed with superfoods…bananas, pumpkin, oranges and pineapple!  For a great resource and list of 50 superfoods, check out this link.  Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! 🙂

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

 Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
¾ cup orange juice (I prefer freshly juiced, but store-bought also works)

1 cup organic vanilla yogurt (I like Stonyfield French Vanilla) OR 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt and 1 Tablespoon Local Honey

½ cup pumpkin puree

½ cup fresh pineapple chunks

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice* (see below for substitution)

2 frozen bananas (make sure they are ripe when you freeze them)
Instructions:
  1. Add all ingredients to the blender except the bananas.  Blend until smooth.
  2. Add the bananas.  Blend until smooth.

Yield:  Approximately 34 fl oz

Journeytocompletewellness.com

Update:  1/31/2014 – My kids love this drink and ask me to make it for them every day.  I finally ran out of the pumpkin pie spice, and when I went to buy more I noticed that it was $5.99 for 1.12 oz.  I decided I didn’t want to pay that much for it, so I did some research and found a recipe to make it myself.  Here it is:

Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice or cloves

Store in an airtight container.