Thursday, January 26, 2012

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

This is the easiest, most delicious Italian meal you will ever make!


1 package organic chicken thighs (6-8 thighs or 4 breasts)
1 can organic diced tomatoes (with juice)
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup Italian seasonings
2 tsps sea salt
1 tsp pepper
3 tablespoons oregano, basil, parsley, etc (all or just one)

Place all ingredients in your crock pot, cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Serve with warm pasta.


Homemade Chewy PB Oat Granola Bars

Here is Heavenly Homemaker's 

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars (you're going to want to double this!)

1/2 cup organic peanut butter
1/3 cup raw honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup oats
1 cup TOTAL of any combination of: sesame seeds, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips
*I used 1 cup kamut puffs, and another cup of a mixture of sesame seeds, currants, and chocolate/carob chips (for a doubled batch) and the kamut puff were amazing in this!!

In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil.

Remove from heat and add one cup of oats.  Choose your favorite combination of coconut flakes, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit and mini chocolate chips, to equal a total of ONE CUP. (She just got out her one cup measuring cup and poured in the ingredients until the cup was full.) Pour in and stir well.

Spread mixture into a 8x8 or 9 x 4 inch pan.

Chill for 2 hours, then cut into bars.

Wrap in plastic wrap for a quick grab and go snack!

Vegetable Beef Soup


  • 1 pound organic ground beef
  • 4 cups organic beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 3 celery ribs, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, sliced
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1-1/2 cups fresh cauliflowerets
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 3/4 cup uncooked macaroni (optional)

Directions

  • Cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the broth, water, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, potato, cauliflower, tarragon, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. 
  • You may also cook this in your slow cooker (ground beef pre-cooked)- on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Crock Pot BBQ Beef

We love this meal, and I always make extras for leftovers or for freezing.
  • 2 pounds organic ground beef, browned
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 chopped green bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup xylitol
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/4 tsp. cloves
  • 4 tbsp. mustard
  • 1 tbsp. Bragg's apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  •   2 cups organic ketchup
  • 3 pieces chopped celery
  •  2 medium grated carrots
Combine all ingredients into your crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours.  Or high for about 1. You can eat this over whole grain bread, tortillas, lettuce wraps, etc. Or scoop it up with organic corn chips.

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas


2 lbs organic boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4-5 chicken breasts) or 2 packages organic chicken thighs (what I used)
1 onion, thinly sliced (I use red onion)
 2 red bell peppers, sliced in half-circle slices
1 green bell pepper, sliced in half-circle slices
 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
 1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup organic chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Add all ingredients to your crock pot and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours. Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas and top with salsa, avocado, organic cheese, etc. 

Pumpkin Coconut Soup


pumpkin coconut soup

ingredients
5 tbsp. grapeseed oil
1 medium sized yellow onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 inch grated fresh or ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 cups organic chicken broth
1-2 cups red lentils
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 14 oz. can coconut  milk
2 tsp. sea salt (more to taste if you'd like)
1-2 tsp. pepper
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (optional)

directions

 
 Chop the onion into small, even pieces and grate the ginger with a fine grater.  in a large stock pot, add 2 tbsp. oil over medium heat. once the oil has heated, add the chopped onion, ginger, and minced garlic to the oil and stir.  cook for about 5-7 minutes until the onion is mostly cooked through (it will be translucent).

While that's cooking, peel your butternut squash and take 1/2 of it and cut into about 1/2 inch cubes.Add to pot.
Add 1 tsp. ground cumin and stir, allowing the cumin to get all toasty and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. 

Add pumpkin puree, coconut milk, chicken stock, and red lentils. Cook on medium-low for about 20 minutes or so.  Add 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper (again, you can add more after this if you'd like.  depends on your taste buds.  mine ask for salt). 
Once your soup is ready, allow to cool for a few minutes before spooning into your blender. Blend your soup until pureed and return to pot to heat up again to your desired temperature. Enjoy!