Chicken Tacos

A super easy dinner that is on the table in seriously 5 minutes!! Veggies, protein and flavor. The kids love this meal and so does my husband.

Chicken Tacos
1 pound ground organic chicken
1/2 yellow onion - finely chopped
1 clove garlic - finely chopped
1 TBS cumin
1/2 tsp cayanne pepper
2 tsp coconut oil
salt and pepper
1 large head Boston lettuce
1 large avocado - peeled and chunked
1 large tomato - cut into large chunks
fresh cilantro - chopped
2 green onions - chopped green and white parts
sour cream - a small dollop per taco
hot sauce - to taste

In a large saute pan heat coconut oil. Add onions and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes. Add chicken and spices. Keep moving around the pan to make sure it is nice and crumbly. You do not want to overcook chicken so keep an eye on it. Taste and check seasoning.

On your dinner plate place a few lettuce leaves - this will be your taco shell. Fill and enjoy...and yes you will need a napkin!

Coconut Chicken with Peach Salsa

So our air conditioner blew up. In South Florida and in August. I think that I am offically cursed with AC issues. This seems to happen shortly after every move and I have to admit I was actually just waiting for it to happen...but was hoping it would happen in October when the heat index was not 110 degrees. We got our air back and in the process I totally lost my appetite. All I wanted was cold salad and fruit. Nothing really exciting to report on a blog ;)

Since my yearning for food is finally back I was lurred by some amazing smelling peaches at the grocery store. Rather than just gobble them up I made a salsa and this dish was created. Enjoy!

Coconut Chicken with Peach Salsa over Cauliflower "rice"

Coconut Chicken-
4 medium sized organic chicken breasts
1/2 cup shredded unsweetended coconut
2 tsp coconut oil
salt and pepper

In a hot saute pan heat coconut oil and add chicken breasts. Cook until cooked thru about 8-10 minutes. you want a nice golden brown. Top with coconut and press the coconut down onto one side of the chicken. Pop under the broiler for about a minute..DO NOT take your eyes off the chicken. It can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Peach Salsa
3 large ripe peaches - peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 fresh lime - squeezed
pepper

Combine all of the above and season to taste. This is such a versatile side and you could enjoy this as a snack alone or with seafood. Yumm!

Cauliflower Rice
1 large head of cauliflower - cut into large chunks
2 TBS coconut oil

In a food processor with the shredder blade feed the cauliflower thru the tube. The cauliflower will look like "rice". Heat a large saute pan and add coconut oil. Add cauliflower and saute for about 3-5 minutes. You don't want it mushy. It will have a slight opaque look when cooked the perfect length.

Layer on your plate - rice, chicken and then salsa!

Peach Salsa

Balsamic Chicken over "Mashed" Cauliflower

Comfort food. I think one of the hardest things about "dieting" is that we miss the foods that really fill us up and comfort us. For me that is mashed potatoes. I have a love for them that is up there with if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life they may be the winner. I found this amazing Balsamic Chicken recipe while pinning on Pinterest (if you have never been there...GO!)and used it as my jumping point for this recipe. I threw them in the crockpot at 2pm and were were eating dinner at 5:30 and the chicken was perfect! On to the mashed cauliflower..words cannot describe how good these were and I bet I could serve them to a dinner guest and they would think they were potatoes. Make this dish. PLEASE!

Balsamic Chicken
2 large organic chicken breasts
1 red bell pepper - sliced into rings
1 yellow bell pepper - sliced into rings
3 shallots - peeled and cut in half
3 cloves of garlic - peeled and cut in half
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 TBS high quality balsamic vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients into crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.

Mashed Cauliflower
1 large head cauliflower - broken into small florets
2 TBS coconut oil
salt and pepper

Steam cauliflower till it is so tender it falls apart to the touch. Transfer to the food processor. Add coconut oil, salt and pepper. Process till silky and smooth.

Curried Chicken over Sweets and Cauliflower

This has to be one of the best tasting meals I have ever made. The flavor combinations are perfect and it is so easy I make this once a week. The crockpot has become my friend. I have owned a crockpot for years and I have used it more in the last two months than I have the entire 5 or 6 years that I have owned it. Tender chicken, caramalized veggies and an amazing sauce. Can't go wrong with any of that!!

Curried Chicken over Sweets and Cauliflower
4 large chicken breasts - Free Range Organic
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken stock - I use the wolfgang puck brand
3 TBS Curry Powder
2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 TBS black pepper
1 large yellow onion - peeled and cut into large half moons.

Combine above ingredients into a crockpot set on low heat for approx 5 hours. Once chicken is tender. Shred in the crockpot and leave on warm. Taste and season.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large ziplock bag combine a small head of cauliflower broken into 1" pieces and 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into 1" pieces. Melt 2 TBS of coconut oil. Add to bag along with pepper and salt. Seal bag and shake so everthing is coated. Pour veggies onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake till golden and fork tender. Approx 45 minutes.

Top with chopped almonds, cilantro and unsweetened coconut. Yum!

A great way to start the day...

Breakfast has always been so hard for me to eat. With the chaos of my mornings getting the kids fed, wrangled and getting Scott out the door I just forget to eat! I know this is my greatest downfall in my metabolism tug of war. I just don't have time to sit, so this is the perfect breakfast for me...it fills me up for hours and the kids love it also!

Banana Almond Smoothie
1.5 bananas - cut into chunks - frozen
1 TBS almond butter
1 cup almond milk

Blend and enjoy!

The power of the almond butter... Almond Butter Pumpkin Muffins

Shocked would be the understatement when I discovered how versatile almond butter was! Little did I know that I was going to be incorporating this nutty goodness into so many of my daily meals. Yesterday I made these amazing little muffins. Words cannot describe the way they taste or the amazing smell that filled my house while they were baking. The boys helped and enjoyed throwing in the chocolate chips...hence the quantity ;)These are also a great way to sneak in veggies!! I have found a few versions out there and tweaked them a bit to create this.

Almond Butter Pumpkin Muffins
1 cup almond butter
1 egg - Omega 3 Organic
1 tsp vanilla - Organic/ Pure
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
1/2 cup honey
1 cup pureed pumpkin (organic canned)
1/4 cup high quality chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients. Fill muffin cups 3/4 way full. Top with a few chocolate chips. Bake for about 15 minutes or until puffy and golden. I yielded 10 out of this batch. Next time I will double the batch and freeze the rest. If they even make it that far.

Makeover!

Site is under construction! New vibe, new recipes and a site that makes me want to post :)

Coming soon: Paleo / Primal recipes the whole family will eat. Along with kitchen disasters, daily musings on a lifestyle change and a little bit of humor as I discover a whole new world of food.