Chicken Strips

It is fourth of July and we were watching the fireworks... on T.V. Yep, we're so cool. It was about 10:30 and we realized we forgot to eat dinner! Seriously? Of course there's no snackie foods in our house, as everything has to be made from scratch. So we decided to make chicken strips! Easy!!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
Almond flour
Pinch of sea salt
Pepper
Paprika
2 eggs
Coconut Oil

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Mix almond flour, salt, pepper, paprika and put on a plate
3. whisk eggs in a bowl
4. Cut chicken into strips/chunks
5. Heat skillet and add coconut oil
6. Dip chicken in egg, coat in flour mixture, brown on each side
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through

* You can leave them to cook in the skillet (like I did this time), however after a while, the almond flour was sticking to the pan and well, that's the best part! I'd rather put it in the oven so I can have that crusty outside!

YUM!!

Almond Pancakes

Pancake recipes are kinda tricky, as they don't flip very well. Even with this one I sometimes end up with broken pancakes or they mush. But once you get the hang of how long you let the first side cook, they get easier to manage. The honey in this recipe makes these sooooo good!

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour
1 pinch sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients into bowl and whisk until well blended.
2. Pour batter onto skillet and flip (carefully) when edges look solid.

Happy Breakfast!




* I have yet to find almond flour in any store, so I order it online at www.nuts.com.

Turkey Vegetable Stew

This one is delicious with so many fresh ingredients. It makes a large pot and lasts us a few days. I am looking forward to Fall when I can make this more often since summer time and stew don't mix -  for me anyway! Frank would disagree since it's his favorite!


Ingredients:
2 Tbs coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground chipotle
2 tsp sea salt (optional)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic salt
2 lbs ground turkey or beef stew meat, cut into 1"x1" chunks
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 (4 oz) can diced green chilis
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 yellow zucchini, diced
1 large red pepper, diced
4-6 large kale leaves, shredded
green onions for garnish
1 dollop of organic sour cream if desired

Directions:
1. Heat large soup pot over medium-high heat.
2. When hot, add coconut oil and onion to pot and brown slightly.
3. Meanwhile, combine chili powder, sea salt, cumin and garlic salt in a   small dish. If using ground turkey, add spices to turkey once in pot. If using beef, roll raw beef stew meat in the mixture to coat on all sides.
4. When onions have browned slightly, add turkey or beef and brown on all sides.
5. Add the diced tomatoes. Fill the empty can with water and add to the pot. Add green chilis, chipotle peppers, carrots, oregano, thyme and bay leaf. Turn heat down to medium and cook for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add zucchini and red pepper, and cook for another 20 minutes.
7. Add kale and finish cooking for 10 more minutes. Season with sea salt if desired.
8. Serve with sliced green onions, and a dollop of organic sour cream.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

Ok, this recipe was originally a pancake recipe, however, I had the worst time trying to get them to flip without turning into a pile of mush. It smelled so good that I couldn't toss the whole thing; so I made them into muffins! The taste of coconut flour takes some getting used to, as it has a different texture, but we've gotten used to it and we love them!
 

Ingredients:
2 bananas
2 eggs
1-2 tbsp. almond butter
fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup walnuts (or nut of your choice), chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tray
2. Mash bananas in a bowl
3. Add eggs, flour, almond butter, blueberries, and nuts and whisk until well blended
3. Poor directly into muffin tray, not paper cups
4. Bake approx. 20 minutes

Tacos... always easy!

We used to buy the packet of taco seasoning at the store for our tacos, but why do that when there's plenty of spices to choose from without consuming the extra sodium!

Ingredients:

Ground beef or turkey
Spices to taste:
   Garlic powder
   Onion powder
   Red pepper flakes
   Oregano
   Paprika
   Ground cumin
   Sea Salt
   Pepper
Large lettuce leaves
Toppings as desired: chopped avocado, organic sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, tomato, etc.

Directions:
1. Brown the meat
2. Add all spices and 1/4 cup water
3. Serve on lettuce leaves.

Pizza!!

A good slice of pizza is definitely something we have missed over the last few
months! When we found this recipe, it became our new Saturday lunch favorite. It makes for a fun "date" too! We put on our aprons and enjoy creating our own pizzas!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Coconut flour, sifted
1/2 cup Coconut milk
1/3 cup Golden flax meal
4 eggs
1 can organic tomato sauce
1 can organic tomato paste
Seasoning (ex. oregano, basil, garlic, sea salt)
Mozzarella
Whatever pizza topping you want

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Place parchment paper over top pizza pan or large cookie sheet

3. In bowl, mix dry ingredients together (including spices)

4. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients

5. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together until it looks like pancake batter

6. Evenly spread batter onto parchment paper in shape desired

7. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip crust

8. Bake additional 10 minutes and remove crust

9. Add toppings to crust and then place back in oven and broil until cheese is melted

 

*This will make one small pizza, so if you want leftovers, double the recipe.

Gingery Beef & Broccoli

I make this when we are thinking, "oh, Chinese food would be so good tonight!" Ginger Beef is Frank's all-time favorite!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb petite sirloin steak, cut into very thin strips
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp flax meal
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 to 1/2 cup organic chicken broth
2 cups broccoli, cut into flowerets
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
1.Heat the 1 tbsp coconut oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the sliced beef and 1/4 tsp sea salt, and brown. Remove beef from pan to a side dish, and get rid of excess juice left in pan.
3. In a small bowl mix lemon juice, flax meal, grated ginger, freshly ground black pepper and red pepper flakes with 1/4 cup broth.
4. Heat pan again over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil when pan is hot.
5. Add broccoli to pan. Pour liquid ingredients on top and toss to coat.
6. Cook over medium heat until broccoli is tender.
7. Return the beef to the pan and add the green onions. Add the extra chicken broth if preferred.
8. Stir beef in until it's coated with sauce, and let simmer for a few minutes until beef warmed through.