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.

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. 

Crock Pot Honey Mustard Chicken

Super easy. Very delicious. 

2 packages organic free range chicken thighs
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup dijon mustard (Grey Poupon is a decent brand)
sea salt and pepper to taste
Mix the honey, mustard, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.  Put the chicken in the crockpot and pour the mixture over the top.  Cook on high for 6-8 hours. Yum! I love easy dinners!

Gluten Free Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Here's an easy comfort-food recipe for you that you can do in your slow cooker or regular pot. I never thought I'd eat this again without using Bisquick! Ta da! I am happy and so is my tummy. :) My photo kind of stinks, by the way!

Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings (Crock Pot)

2 packages organic chicken thighs
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 onion, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
4 cups organic free range chicken broth
2 Tbsps tapioca starch mixed with 1/2 cup water
sea salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp each?)

Mix all ingredients in crock pot except tapioca starch. Let cook on low for about 4 hours or high for 1 or 2 (until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender). Add tapioca starch/water mixture to thicken it up a bit. Drop dumplings by the spoonful on top, and cook for a few more hours, until dumplings are done.


Gluten Free Dumplings

2 C gluten-free Flour (I use Bob's Red Mill GF flour mix)
1/3 C grapeseed oil
1 Tbs. Baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
3/4 - 1 C Milk (dairy or non dairy)

  Mix all dry ingredients until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add milk and mix until dough is moist.

**You can also make this in a regular pot. Just cook the chicken/veggies until done, add tapioca, then cook until dumplings are done. :)

Pineapple Chicken Wraps

This recipe is from Poor Girl Eats Well.

4-6 leaves of your favorite lettuce

1 1/2 c cooked organic chicken breasts or thighs, shredded

3/4 c pineapple, chopped into ½” pieces

2 serrano peppers, seeded, deveined, and finely chopped (optional)

Small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1/3 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 c rice vinegar

1/4 c San J Tamari wheat free soy sauce (this is fermented and good for you!)

2 T raw honey

Rinse the lettuce and pat dry. To prepare the dressing, combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce and honey together in a bowl. Whisk vigorously until completely combined and set aside. In a large bowl combine the shredded chicken, pineapple, serranos, onion, and cilantro. Add about 3/4 of the dressing and toss together well. Assemble your wraps by spooning a generous amount of the chicken & pineapple mixture. Drizzle the tops of each with a little more dressing, roll 'em up, and enjoy! Or, you can eat them as a salad like we did! :)

Basil Broccoli Pasta

1 bag Rice pasta cooked according to package

2 heads of fresh broccoli or 1 bag frozen broccoli

1 onion, chopped

1 cup fresh basil leaves

4 tbsps minced garlic

1 package organic chicken thighs

grapeseed oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

Saute onion and garlic in about 2 tbsps grapeseed oil. Add chicken and cook until just done. Then add broccoli (chopped), pasta (cooked), salt, pepper, and mix. Cook until heated through. Drizzle with extra oil, if desired.


 If you can have dairy, you can also sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Chicken Marinades!

We grill all summer long. Heck, we grill all winter long too. LOVE grilled chicken. Here is a few of our favorite chicken marinades. So easy, healthy and delicious!

Tandoori Chicken:

1 package organic boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup plain organic yogurt

1 med lemon, juiced

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

Marinade in a ziplock bag at least 4 hours or overnight. Grill to perfection and enjoy!

Grilled Buffalo Drummies:

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons MSG free hot sauce such as Tabasco
  
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts, thighs or drummies

Mix all ingredients and marinade for 4 hours or overnight. Grill to perfection! This chicken goes very well with the Mustard Balsamic Salad Dressing!

Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken:

This chicken marinade has a very fresh and tasty zing to it. It is a perfect chicken marinade for those that are adverse to spicy dishes. Also, one of the most recommended chicken marinades for the summer months.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 an onion (optional)
  
• 3 teaspoons of oregano
• 3 teaspoons of thyme
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup of lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil
• 2 whole chicken breasts, split in half, or boneless skinless chicken thighs (organic)
  

Method:

1. Rub the chicken with the cut half of the onion, then discard the onion.
2. Thoroughly mix the herbs and garlic with the lemon juice and oil.
3. Coat the chicken in the marinade, making sure all areas are covered.
4. Marinate for at least 4 hours, up to a maximum of 48 hours.

Pineapple Tamari Grilled Chicken:

I love this one on an Asian salad.

1 can pineapple chunks or rings (rings are easier to grill!) plus juice
1 cup San J Tamari
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup raw honey

Marinade for four hours or overnight, then grill to perfection. Yum!


*Note- all these recipes are great for veggies and fish too!

Chicken and Quinoa Pilaf

An easy dish I threw together... we really liked it! Enjoy :)

4 hormone and antibiotic free chicken thighs (would work with breasts or drummies too)
1-2 onions, diced
1/2 bag frozen organic mixed veggies
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
3-4 cups organic chicken stock (learn how to make your own here)
1 cup quinoa
sea salt
pepper

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add chicken and onions and cook covered for a few minutes. Flip chicken and add 1 to 2 cups stock, cover and cook until done. Add veggies and quinoa- AROUND the chicken and poor 2 cups stock over top. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until quinoa is cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

Newest Project :)

This is the latest project I've embarked on.... and I love it. It is so frugal and even fun. We love having a regular roasted chicken for dinner, and of course delicious homemade soup on these cold days! Learn how you can stretch a whole chicken for 4+ meals here:


http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/11/stretching-a-whole-chicken-for-4-meals.html

There are also recipes for roasting the chicken, making homemade gravy, homemade stock and more!

Dairy Free Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole*

3 cups cooked brown rice**

6 cups cooked diced organic chicken

1 cup grapeseed oil vegannaise

3 cups white sauce (recipe below)

1/8 cup lemon juice

2 -14 oz. bags of organic broccoli (thawed)

1 cup bread crumbs*

Cook rice and chicken, set aside. In the same pan the chicken cooked in, make white sauce:

White sauce

1 half onion, chopped

3 tablespoon grapeseed oil

3 tablespoons tapioca flour

2 cups organic chicken broth*

1 cup plain flavored almond milk

1-2 tsps sea salt, 1tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp pepper

Saute the chopped onion it the oil until tender. Add the flour and cook for about a minute letting it bubble. Slowly add the chicken broth while stirring constantly. Add almond milk. Season with salt, garlic powder and pepper to taste. Adding a clove of garlic with the onions gives the sauce a nice flavor too.

Add vegannaise and lemon juice to white sauce. Grease a 9 x 13 pan using grapeseed oil spray. Add rice to the bottom of the pan and spread out evenly. Next add a layer of broccoli over the top of the rice. Spread half of the sauce over the broccoli, then add the chicken, 2nd half of broccoli and the other half of the sauce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

*Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free broth and bread crumbs.

**Easy time saver tip: Anytime you cook rice, make double and freeze extras for another recipe.

Coconut Curry With Chicken

Yesterday I came up with this recipe. It was SO yummy, it will be a new staple meal around here.

1 can organic coconut milk (I like Thai brand because it is so creamy)
1 package organic chicken breasts (cut up) or tenders (about 3-4 breasts, 8 or so tenders)
1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1/2 a bag of frozen peas and carrots
3 Tbsps Coconut Oil
2 Tbsps San J Tamari
3-6 Tbsps Curry powder- depending on how you like it
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
Curry Powder
Quinoa or Brown Rice

In a large skillet, melt coconut oil. Add veggies and saute for a few minutes. Add chicken pieces. Sprinkle chicken with sea salt, curry powder and garlic powder. Cook for about 2-3 minutes then flip. Season again with spices and cook 2-3 minutes.
Pour coconut milk over chicken and veggies. Mix in Tamari and Curry powder and another teaspoon of sea salt. Simmer for a about 10 minutes and serve hot over Quinoa or Brown Rice.

Sauteed Chicken, Salad and Homemade Ranch Dressing!

Make a salad with whatever you have on hand/is in season (lots of veggies and good greens!)

Saute some free range chicken breast or cutlets in grapeseed oil, sea salt, pepper, dill, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and parsley, cooking several minutes on each side. Serve cooled chicken over your fresh salad and top with this homemade dressing:

Homemade Ranch Dressing:

1 1/2 Cup Grapeseed Oil Veganaise
3 Tablespoons organic almond milk
1/2 Teaspoon Parsley
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Dill
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Chives
1/4 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon San-J Tamari Sauce (wheat free, organic)
1/4 Teaspoon of lemon juice
About an 1/8 tsp stevia

Wisk together and refrigerate for a while before serving.

Chicken Soup For Your Soul!

10 free range organic chicken drumsticks
1 bag organic carrots, chopped
6 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
frozen peas and corn
4 cups organic free range chicken broth
3-4 cups water
sea salt
pepper
garlic and onion powder

Place everything in your crock pot and cook on low all day. Once cooked, remove chicken and remove meat. Place meat back into crock pot. Season and serve. :)
My husband requests this soup every time he is sick. :)

Smothered Chicken

Kind of like a fajita, but without the tortilla!

4 free range organic chicken breasts

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 red cayenne pepper

1 tbsp organic butter

1-2 colored pepper, sliced

1-2 onion, sliced

sliced fresh organic mushrooms

1/2 cup shredded organic raw mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded organic raw cheddar cheese

Drizzle some grapeseed oil in your pan, add chicken. Sprinkle with spices, cook on medium heat 8-10 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken from skillet, keep warm.

Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat. Cook pepper and onion in butter for about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms. Cook 3-5 minutes. Place chicken in skillet, and cover with veggies. Sprinkle cheeses on top, cover, and let stand until cheese is melted.

Baked Chicken

Don't have a lot of time to prep or make a meal? Try this chicken. It takes 5 minutes to prep.

Organic free range chicken leg quarters (I prefer to remove the skin)
drizzle with grapeseed oil
season generously with pepper, sea salt, paprika, garlic salt or powder and parsley.
Bake for about 30-45 minutes on 375 degrees. Easy and delish. My favorite combination. :)

Thai Chicken Wraps

Light and healthy. Easy to make. Gluten free. Love it.

I got this recipe from elanaspantry.com and we really liked it. I will make it again. I may try an alternative to the peanut sauce, as it was not my favorite. Maybe a sweeter asian sauce. Either way, it still is super yummy and just different from what we usually have for dinner. It was fun.

Try it out:

www.elanaspantry.com/thai-chicken-wraps/

Julie's 'Sticky' Hawaiian Chicken

My friend Julie gave me this recipe and it is now a staple recipe in our house! We use chicken drumsticks with it, and we can get organic grass fed chicken for $1.29/lb. The only thing I did different was the sugar (see below), thanks Julie for the yummy recipe!

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 garlic clove or use garlic powder

1/2 cup MSG free soy sauce such as San-J Tamari

3/4 cup sugar (or a good squeeze of raw honey (about a 1/4 cup)- which is what I do)

1/2 cup organic ketchup

Organic free range chicken drumsticks (I remove the skin, but Julie keeps it on)

Mix ingredients and pour over chicken in a glass pan. Cover with foil and marinade in fridge for 2 hours or overnight, flipping once. Bake at 350 degrees, foil covered, for 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil last 15 minutes. Remember to baste or flip once during baking.

If you serve this with brown rice, you can pour the extra sauce on the rice- so good!!

2-For-One Meal!

I'm all about easy these days. So tonight you can make this Asian Chicken Salad, while easily marinating the chicken with similar ingredients for tomorrow's dinner! And both are so easy.

Asian Chicken Salad

Romaine Lettuce
1 small can mandarin oranges in juice not syrup, save the juice
slivered almonds
Your favorite dressing, maybe Asian or balsamic
Cooked chicken:
1 to 2 organic free range chicken breasts cut into cubes
pan fry on medium heat with grapeseed oil once or twice around the pan
about a half cup of Asian sauce, soy, teriyaki, tamari, etc. Low sodium & check my post on MSG **San-J Tamari is my favorite
a couple tablespoons of sesame seeds
Cook about 10 minutes until golden brown
Add to salad and you're all done!

I wanted to serve this with home made fresh spring rolls but hey...I'm pregnant.



Now, use the extra chicken breasts from the pack and trim, tenderize, and cut in half
Place in a glass baking dish
Drizzle 1 or 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil in a mixing bowl
1 or 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey
3/4 cup of the same Asian sauce from the salad
Juice from the mandarin oranges
season with sea salt, pepper, garlic salt, ginger and parsley
Mix it up and pour on top of chicken.
Marinade in fridge overnight, turning breasts over in the morning
Grill for dinner, or you can bake it in the dish. If you grill, save the extra marinade, boil it, and use it as a sauce to dip the chicken in.

2 easy, healthy, light meals DONE. Yay!