Paleo Buffalo Chicken Bites

Note: this was supposed to be published on Friday! So, can we all please mentally rewind and pretend it is Friday as you read this?

Happy Friday! TGIF! It actually doesn't feel like a Friday at all. We have been off of work since 1:00 on Tuesday due to snow and ice! I won't lie, a 2 1/2 day work week was pretty nice! We had some time to sled, cook, watch movies, clean the house, and relax!

It doesn't look like much, but our street was a big sheet of ice and beieve it or not, Ryan, Sadie, and I did a lot of sledding on that hill!

I think the thing that is greatest about a snow day is the fact that you don't know it is coming. So when you get it, it is like being given a gift of extra time. Since I expected to be various places (work, teaching Zumba, church) and they were all suddenly canceled, I found myself with 48 hours of free time with my family.

We also got to do some cooking.

We made snow cream! I got the idea to put out a big bowl BEFORE it started snowing so that we could collect snow for snow cream. This way, we would not have to scrape the snow off of the ground or other dirty things.

Recipe:

• 2 cups of snow
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix well and enjoy! Makes 2-3 small servings.

 

I also had time to create these Paleo Buffalo Chicken Bites. I know with the Super Bowl coming up, lots of people are looking for snack ideas. I think these would be a hit, especially if you like spicy chicken wings!

Paleo Buffalo Chicken Bites

Ingredients:

• 3-4 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup of coconut flour
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 stick butter or ghee
• 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce

 

Preparation:

• You will need two shallow bowls. Place the beaten egg in one bowl. In the other, mix the coconut flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
• Using tongs, dip each chicken "bite" in the beaten egg, and then dredge in the flour mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat until all the bites are coated and ready to bake.
• Bake the bites at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. While the bites are baking, mix the 1/2 stick of melted butter with the Frank's.
• Remove the bites and brush one side with the Frank's mixture. Bake 5-6 more minutes. Then turn each bite over and brush the other side with the Frank's mixture. Bake 5 more minutes, or until cooked through.
• Add a cup of homemade ranch dressing and start dipping! Add some celery sticks if you like!

Now, settle in and watch some football. Or a new episode of Downton Abbey. ;)

 

Note: the fancy camera was charging, so the iPhone had to step in for photos.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Ultimate Chicken Salad & Your Photos!

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you all enjoyed a safe but fun New Year's Eve! For the first time, the hubby and I stayed in. And literally did nothing. Seriously. I made mayonnaise and an artichoke. That's pretty much it. We had some fun plans, but were thwarted by a nasty stomach virus that has been making its way through our household. Oh well... I guess we saved a little money... Thankfully, I believe we are nearing the end of the tunnel!

I absolutely love January. I am always sad to see the holidays go, but there is something wonderful about starting a new year! It's great to see so many people taking an interest in their health and well-being. Yes, the gyms will be crowded and annoying, but in the grand scheme of the world, it is great to see it.

I am on Day 2 of my New Year's Whole 30! Click here to read about Whole 30. I made a delicious sausage and onion frittata (recipe courtesy of Everyday Paleo- click here for the recipe) for breakfast which will make for easy breakfasts this week. It's a big recipe, so there were a fair amount of leftovers.

Frittata + coffee fresh brewed from my new Keurig = delicious start to 2013!

I have a quick recipe to share with you today: my Ultimate Chicken Salad! This one is always a hit at parties and gatherings. If you like sandwiches, it is great on bread, but it is also great alone or stuffed into giant celery stalks or lettuce wraps. It is also Paleo and meets the Whole 30 guidelines.

Ultimate Chicken Salad

 

(Serves 2-3 people)


Ingredients:

• 1-2 chicken breasts (I used 1 1/4 cooked bone-in split chicken breasts), chopped
• 1/4-1/3 yellow onion, chopped (use more if you like more onion flavor)
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• Handful of raw almonds, chopped
• 1 small apple, chopped (any variety will work, but I like one with a red skin, for color)
• 1-2 Tbsp. Homemade Mayo (click here to find out how to make mayo- use as much as you like- more mayo will give you a creamier salad)
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve! It's that simple!

A couple of notes: I use my Pampered Chef chopper to chop the almonds. It keeps them from flying all over the kitchen. This recipe would work with store-bought mayo, but that would not be Paleo or Whole 30 compliant. However, if you aren't following that kind of plan, that would work fine! I have also used grapes in place of the apples, and I have used cashews in place of the almonds. Play around and try it different ways!

 

And now... Your photos! I was hosting a post-holiday photo contest. I have one major winner for the category of "Most Unusual Gift!"

Congratulations, Helen! Your can of olives was the most unusual gift that we saw!

 

I also have 2 honorable mentions for Deb, Erica, and Toya- for sending in such cute holiday pet photos. That wasn't a category, but they begged to send in some pet pics!

 

Henry (Deb's fur baby)

 

Fisher (Erica's fur baby)

 

I didn't have entries for some of the other categories, so we will save those for another time!

 

Helen, Erica, and Toya, I will be sending you a cookbook soon! I will be in touch!

 

Posted with Blogsy

What I Ate Wednesday!

It’s Wednesday… time to join in with the What I Ate Wednesday Party over at Peas and Crayons!  I actually missed the party last week when I was at the beach… oops!  This month, the focus is on food, fun, and fitness! 

 

Here’s a quick peek at what I have been eating… and doing… and I even have 2 quick and easy recipes for you! Let’s get this party started!

First of all, this week I had fun getting back to swimming.  I actually wanted to go today, but I didn’t make it home in time before the swim teams took over the cold pool. 

 

Sad face.  But I plan to go tomorrow, as long as it isn’t storming!

This has been a week of great eats, including baked tomatoes (a Pinterest find)

 

and Sausage-Stuffed Peppers (click for recipe)!

 

I also made a light and tasty salad that my sister Adrienne invented.

 

Doesn’t that look great?

It’s very easy to make.

Adrienne’s Lemon-Herb Summer Salad

Ingredients:

• butter lettuce (3 cups or more)
• mint leaves (about a handful)
• basil leaves, chopped roughly (about a handful)
• 1/3 red onion, sliced or chopped thinly
• Juice from 2 lemons
• EVOO (about 2 Tbsp)
• salt and pepper

Prep:

Mix the lettuce, mint, basil, and onion in a bowl.  Mix lemon juice, EVOO, salt, and pepper in a separate (small) bowl.  Pour the lemon-Oil dressing over the salad and serve immediately.

This salad is delicious on a hot day—very refreshing!

And now, I’d like to show you a simple dinner that I created this week using just a few ingredients—but it was a hit!

 

Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

 

 

This dish was created because I had ground beef in the fridge that had to be used quickly and I was tired of the usual chili, meatballs, and hamburger patties.  I started searching around for beef-and-broccoli recipes, which usually use thin strips of steak, but of course I didn’t have that.  So this easy version was born!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 2-3 cups of broccoli florets (I used frozen that I thawed in the microwave)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced bell pepper (any color—but I used red and green)
• 3 Tbsp. Low-Sodium Gluten-Free Soy Sauce OR Coconut Aminos
• splash of Fish Sauce (I used HT Traders)
• Sesame Seeds

Preparation:

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the onions and peppers.  Drain most of the fat when beef is cooked through.  Add broccoli to the skillet.  Add the fish sauce and soy sauce, and stir fry, heating the broccoli.  I like the broccoli to be crisp-tender, which only takes a few minutes.  When everything is cooked, add sesame seeds by sprinkling over the top.  No specific amount here—just however much you like.

Enjoy!  One pot, done in less than 30 minutes, and very hearty!  Yum!

So there you go!  That’s my past few days in a nutshell.  What have you cooked or done this week?  Leave me a comment and tell me! (And if you are a blogger too, remember you can link up to the WIAW Party!  Just click on the button at the top of this post to find out how!

Spicy Gazpacho and Return to the Pool

Hello friends!  I hope all of you had a great week!  This has been a pretty full week, with us getting carpet.  That was a couple full days of work to get ready for the carpet and then get the house back in order afterwards.  (I’ll admit… I still have some work to do.)  Plus, I have taught 3 Zumba classes this week.  Even though I am not working, I feel like there has been a lot to do!

Today, I returned to the pool.  A couple of years ago, I was doing a lot of swimming and water aerobics.  I loved it, but I have not been doing it lately.  I have found that water aerobics instructors, like any other fitness instructors, are all very different.  Some are very relaxed and cater more towards those with limited mobility and arthritis.  Others are hard core and you get an amazing calorie-burning workout.  My favorite instructor cut back her classes drastically, and her only class is Friday nights now… which is a hard night to make it to class.  It seems like there is always something going on.  I haven’t been swimming laps either, and I missed it.  So I decided that this summer was going to be my return to the pool.  Not just to lay out and relax… but to swim, too. 

Lookie what I got today…

…a swim cap and goggles!  I’ve learned the hard way that big hair drags you down.  I wasn’t even sure if a swim cap would fit over all my hair… but it did—just barely!  It really helped me to not have to deal with my hair in the pool.  And eyes + chlorine = pain.  I don’t know why I have never owned goggles. 

I swam 1100 meters today: 12 laps of breaststroke, 8 laps of freestyle, and 2 laps of sidestroke.  I have also always been afraid of the cold pool, but I realized that it actually doesn’t feel cold after about 2 laps!

After all that swimming, it was time to have some lunch!  Post swim lunch:

Spicy Gazpacho, Turkey, and organic red grapes! 

(shout out to me—made this bowl myself!)

I am excited to share this gazpacho recipe with all of you!  I have been eating gazpacho all my life.  My mom always made it in the summers, and we would always eat it after long days swimming.  Then last week, I was visiting my sister Adrienne and she made some.  I’ve been wanting to make it ever since!  I didn’t consult any recipes to make this.  It’s based on what I remember my mom making and watching my sister make it last week.  You do need a food processor to make this.

Spicy Gazpacho

Ingredients:

• 2 medium ripe tomatoes
• 1 large cucumber
• 1 handful of baby carrots
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1 bell pepper (I used a yellow pepper)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups of V8 Juice (add more if you like it thinner, less if you like it thick)
• 1/8 cup EVOO
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar (I think rice vinegar or white wine vinegar would work also)
• Frank’s Cayenne Sauce (Amount can vary—I used several tablespoons because I wanted it to have a kick—but you can adjust to your liking)
• salt, pepper to taste
• chopped green onions (optional—for garnish)

Preparation:

First, rough-chop all the veggies.  Then place each veggie (chopped) into the food processor.  I started with tomatoes. 

Chop them, then put them in the processor.  Transfer to a bowl.  Then move to your next veggie.  Chop, process, and add to the bowl.  When you get to the garlic, process that with your last veggie, since the cloves are a little small to process alone.  Mix all together. 

Add the V8, EVOO, vinegar, hot sauce, salt and pepper to the bowl.  Mix well with a large spoon or spatula. 

Store in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.  Before serving, garnish with green onions.

This makes a great light lunch—especially in the summer when the weather is hot.  Pair it with a meat or half a sandwich.  It really is so filling!  And you are getting a serious serving of veggies! 

Here’s to summer, swimming, and spicy gazpacho!

What Whole30 Food Looks Like…

Hey, do any of you remember that time when I used to blog???

Oops—I did it again.  I took an unplanned leave of absence from blogging.  I guess it was a blog-cation.  I’ve just been a bit busy and at night it was just too tempting to zone out and watch episodes of Nip Tuck at night.  But after tomorrow, I am on summer vacation, and I plan to do some catching up and more cooking!

Whole30 Update: I finished! 

I actually finished my 30 days on May 28.  It felt so great to get to the end and know that I made it through!  Lots of things happened over my 30 days:

• I started sleeping better than I can remember in many years.  Every. Single. Night.
• I quit taking my joint supplement before I started and haven’t resumed it since!  Woo Hoo!  I also will tell you that I used to take Advil before I taught my Zumba classes and I have quit doing that completely.  And I feel great afterwards.  Before the Whole30, if I taught on consecutive days, it was really hard on my body.  However, last week, I taught for 4 consecutive days and still felt great!  This is probably one of the best benefits!
• I lost about 8 pounds.  This was also awesome.  I was even able to get into the next (lower) weight “decade.”
• I lost 3 inches from my chest, waist, and hips.  I didn’t measure arms and legs at the beginning, but I should have.
• I ate new veggies I never tried before or tried them in a new way: artichokes (loved!), jicama (didn’t love), mashed cauliflower (yum! Just about as delish as mashed potatoes)zucchini and squash “noodles” (loved the zucchini, didn’t love the squash as noodles), grilled zucchini, plantain chips, dried okra, and more.
• I fell in love with Kombucha.  I still don’t totally understand WHAT it is… (fermented tea?) but I love it. 
• I learned that I can live without bread and all those bread-like things.  (Waffles, English Muffins, bagels, etc.)  It was hard at first to give them up, but I have found that eliminating grains has helped me to eat more healthy foods and not feel bloated and disgusting after a meal. 
• I (mostly) gave up snacking!  I was a huge snacker before, especially at night.  But on Whole30, I really didn’t feel the need to snack.  This also was a huge difference.

These are just some of the top things I noticed over my 30 days.  In fact, I have mostly stuck with the Paleo way of eating.  With the exception of a few bowls of fro-yo (can’t help it—I love the original tart!) and a glass of wine last night and a cookie at my sister’s house… I have mainly stuck with it.  I plan to continue eating mostly Paleo.  After the great results I got, why wouldn’t I?

Also—I will post a before and after photo.  I will try to have that up ASAP!

So now… I want to share some of my meals with you so that you can see for yourself what a day of Whole30 eating looks like.  You’ll see when you start looking at my meals that these were just healthy, delicious meals.  Feel free to ask any questions through comments on this post, because I know some of you have been curious about the program.

(Note: For meals that I have previously blogged or posted recipes, I have linked back to those recipes so that you can find out how to make them yourself!)

Breakfasts:

First of all… know that I love eggs.  So I do eat them a lot.  I also tend to eat breakfast in the car a lot because I have to be at work by 7:30 a.m. And when I arrive, I am usually busy for the next hour.  So I like to take portable items for breakfast.  I CAN eat scrambled eggs in the car because I am just that talented.  But I usually save those for weekends.  I also sometimes eat dinner leftovers for breakfast if they are portable—like hamburger patties or sliced chicken breast. (Also—I was lucky to have a coworker who helped supply me with farm-fresh eggs.)

Truly Fresh Eggs

 

scrambled eggs with locally-made sausage

 

hard-boiled eggs with carrots, almonds, and an apple

 

eggs, almonds, cucumber and tomato slices

 

Lunches:

Most of my lunches are leftovers from dinners.  However, sometimes I did make special lunch items. 

Taco salad with seasoned ground beef, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions

 

leftover turkey chili with baby carrots and almonds

 

avocado chicken salad (in the mix: green onions, apples, chicken breast, avocado, celery)

NOTE: I will write up this recipe sometime soon.

 

potpourri platter with turkey, almonds, and dried okra

 

 

tuna salad

 

Dinners:

This was when I did the most experimenting.  On the nights I taught Zumba, I had simpler dinners.  Sometimes I had leftovers, sometimes I threw together some potpourri platters, and sometimes I cooked items (like chicken strips or hamburger patties) in bulk to create quick meals on busy nights.

hamburger patty, baby artichokes with EVOO-Lemon-Salt dipping sauce, watermelon

 

Chicken and Bok Choy Skillet Meal

 

Turkey Chili

 

Zoodles and Meatballs

 

“Dessert”

Banana-Berry Sandwich Bites

 

These are just a sampling.  Now, I know some of you have also asked about eating out.  What do you do when you eat out?  Well, I am working on a post to show you some of the items I had when I ate out during my Whole30 days.  That’s coming soon.

So—what do you think?  Could you do a Whole30?