Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions

Day two of Crock pot freezer meal!  Another success!

The next time I will add some yellow and red peppers along with the green.  Just for flavor. I may omit the onion and garlic powder.  I'm still deciding.  I make this on the stove top with a simple can of tomato sauce, not tomatoes and no seasonings.  I think I like that better.  But this was still delish!   So much I'll probably double the recipe!!

I just bought what ever Italian sausage they had at the store.  I will search out a cleaner, fresh, homemade sausage for the next time.

Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions

Ingredients
1 lb of italian sausage links
1 large green pepper
1 medium onion
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 teas onion powder
2 teas garlic powder

Mix together in ziplock, label to cook 6 hrs on low or 4 hrs on high.

Serve it however you like.  I just put it in a bowl and ate it!!

Nom Nom Nom Nom.....

Crock Pot Freezer Meal "Southwest Chicken"

The first day of crock pot freezer meals was successful!

Southwest Chicken

Ingredients:
1 can corn, drained  ( I think its about 14oz)
1 can black beans, drained
1 16 oz can of salsa   ( remember to use clean salsa.  If you like it spicy use a hot salsa)
3-4 chicken breasts ( 2lbs)
1 8 oz cream cheese

Put all the ingredients in a zip-lock except the cream cheese.  Mix well and freeze.

On the label put the instructions to add the cream cheese, cut up in cubes the last 30 min of cooking. Also remove the chicken and shred, then return to pot when cheese it melted.  Mix all together and salt & pepper to taste. 

Cook on low 7-8 hrs. 

This reminded us of chicken paprikosh ( I have no clue how to spell that and neither does spell check)

 I added more salsa to the top and salt and pepper.  I thought it needed more flavor.  My husband just added salt and pepper and said it was fine.  So I guess it depends on you.  The consistency of the chicken was a little mushy, but you're going to have that with chicken cooked in a crock pot. 

I ate mine over spinach like a salad which was very tasty.  My husband ate his with nacho chips.  

Over all....this was really good and it fed three of us plus a couple bowls of leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!

Winner Winner Chicken Southwest Dinner!! 

12 Paleo "ish" Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Making clean meals everyday is by far the greatest challenge in eating right.  The busy lifestyles we live makes it hard to have time to "make" food on a daily basis. At least for me it is.  When I make the time to prep and plan meals I am pretty good at eating clean.  The moment I run out food, fail to plan what I'm eating the next day, or not have anything ready to make quickly is the moment I fall back into old bad habits.   It's a terrible cycle I will continue to battle  until I stop the roller coaster. 

This project is something I've not tried before but have heard many people say its  great. 

Make ahead meals for the crock pot

Here's the experiment.  I spent the whole day Sunday making food.  I ended up with 12 freezer meals to make in the crock pot.  Each day I'll make one and post a blog on that meal.  Letting you know the good or bad and any adjustments that need to be made.

This is just half the food....filled up every counter top and most of the fridge!

All I did was dice up the food and put it into freezer bags labeled.  Everything was raw for the most part and easy to prep and put together. 

 The menu
1. Taco Chili
2. Thai Chicken Wings w/ Peanut Sauce
3. Italian Sausage w/ peppers and onions
4. White Chicken Chili
5. Honey Sesame Chicken
6. Teriyaki Chicken
7. Beef Stew
8. Southwest Chicken
9. Cheeseburger soup
10. Mexican Fiesta Chicken
11. Spinach and Salsa Chicken
12. South West Flank Steak




The meals in the list were paleo "ish".  
Many of them have beans or corn and maybe an add in like cheese.  The canned items I made sure to pick whole ingredients.  For example the salsa was all fresh with no added sugars.  So be sure to READ LABELS to insure you keep the contents clean.

I'll vary how it's served for myself and my husband since he's not paleo by any degree.  So I'll eat mine over a bed of spinach, he'll eat his with tortilla chips or rice. So it's great if you have diversity in the home and need to have variables.  Make both parties happy :-)

Here's the website I followed.....
http://www.graciouslysaved.com/2013/08/12-easy-paleo-ish-crock-pot-meals.html

Sriracha Roasted Chickpeas

Everyone Loves Sriracha!!!


I was a little disappointed in these because I thought they'd be crunchy.  I guess I needed to cook them longer so next time we'll turn the heat down and leave in the oven until they are good and crunchy.

 Working with chick peas are a pain because of this coating they have on them.  

I used canned chick peas so I rinsed them off good and then patted them dry.  I rolled them around in the paper towel which helped loosen up the coating.  I still had to peel them off one by one.  But worth it.

2 cups cickpeas  (1 15oz can)
3-4 Tbls Sriracha sauce
1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Drain and pat dry chickpeas.
In a bowl mix all ingredient well. 
Spread out onto lined baking sheet.

Bake 35-45 min, shaking them around every 10 minutes or so.

Keep in airtight containers.  I kept mine in the fridge.

Lemon Coconut Balls - Sweet Tooth Fix

 Simple ingredients needed for this delicious refreshing treat.



2 cups shredded coconut or coconut flakes
1/ cup almonds
2-3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp coconut oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Extra shredded coconut for coating

I bought a zester from Pampered chef a long time ago and wasn't really sure if I'd ever use it.  Let me tell you.  This little tool has been used so many times and I couldn't imagine a kitchen with out one.

If you don't have a zester tool...get one. Today

















Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend for one minute.

Roll into small balls about 1/2" or what ever size you'd like. Remember smaller balls, make more to enjoy!

Roll in shredded coconut and place on lined plate or tray. Chill until firm.

Store in airtight container in fridge.

Enjoy!  But not all at once.  Savior them a little at a time.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

I've been on a cauliflower spree lately.  It's one of those strange veggies that I find impossible to eat raw.  Yuck.  And not very favorable steamed.  Even baked is meh.

So I've been ricing it!!   Amazing

Over the weekend I prepped everything I need to throw this dish together in the wok with no prep time.  Getting home from working out or coaching at 7pm leaves little time for prep work in the kitchen. 

I had everything pretty much measured out and ready so all I had to do was follow the steps to cook it up!

I steamed the cauliflower first.  Cut the little flower pieces off and put in glass dish cover with plastic wrap. Microwave 4 minutes.  Don't over cook.  You want it still firm.  This allows you to skip the step where you have to cook the cauliflower.

I cut up the chicken and mixed with ginger, garlic and white parts of the green onion.

I shredded the carrots and chopped cilantro and measured out what was needed.  I measured out the soy sauce also.( I used coconut aminos)

Everything was in little prep bowls and ready to rock when I got home.  It took about 20 minutes to make including the bacon cooking time.

http://www.aspicyperspective.com/2014/01/cauliflower-fried-rice-recipe.html

Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 5 slices thick cut bacon, chopped (Uncured Organic Bacon for Strict Paleo)
• 1 lb. organic chicken breast, sliced into thin pieces
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tb. freshly grated ginger
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped, greens and whites separated
• 1 cup shredded carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/3 cup chopped thai basil or cilantro
• 1-3 Tb. soy sauce (Substitute Coconut Aminos for Strict Paleo)
• 1 tsp. sriracha or chile paste   
• Lime wedges for serving
• Coconut oil for frying

Directions:

1. Chop the bacon, chicken and veggies so you can work quickly once you start cooking. Cut the cauliflower into florets and place in the food processor. Pulse until it roughly resembles rice.
2. Heat a large wok (or skillet) over medium heat. Place a rimmed dish to the side of the wok as a holding dish. Add the bacon to the skillet and fry until brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the dish.
3. Add the eggs to the skillet and quickly scramble. Use your spoon to break into small pieces, then move to the holding dish. If needed add a small amount of oil to the wok. Turn the heat to high and add the chicken, white onion pieces, ginger and garlic. Stir fry until the chicken is just barely cooked through, then add the carrots and cook another minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the holding dish.
4. Now add the cauliflower "rice" to the wok. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes until soft, but still firm. Add all the cooked ingredients back to the wok, along with the frozen peas, soy sauce to taste, and chile paste. Toss and cook until the peas are warmed through, then toss in the green onion tops and basil. Serve warm with lime wedges.

Cauliflower & Spicy Italian Sausage

Today it was well below zero.  I've been burning a fire all day to keep up with keeping the place warm. And drinking Baileys and coffee to keep me warm. 

We also have to keep our wildlife fed during the cold part of the winter.  The treat is they usually will come out during the day to feed.  Today we had over 20 deer wondering the woods waiting to feed.  It  was awesome to watch them.

It was also a great day to prep and make food for the week.  

With a roast in the crock pot, and taco soup on the stove, I whipped up a new dish that is OUTSTANDING.  

It's sure to be a repeat meal.  
http://www.paleocupboard.com/pork-chops-with-mushroom-sauce.html

Ingredients are pretty simple

1 lbs Hot Sausage, taken out of casings 
1 head of Cauliflower (recipe calls for Broccoflower but I wasn't about to run around to find one)
1 C Diced Red Bell Pepper
1/2 C Chopped Fresh Parsley

Instructions

1. Begin heating a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Remove the casing from the spicy Italian sausage.
3. Brown the sausage in the pan, using a fork or spatula to break up into pieces.
4. While the sausage is cooking, cut up the Cauliflower into smaller florets, place in a 8×8 glass dish, cover with plastic wrap and heat for 4 minutes on high in the microwave. 
5. Place the Cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until approximately the size of rice. (in multiple batches if necessary.)
6. Once the sausage is completely browned, add the “riced” Cauliflower to the pan and stir while cooking for about 5-10 minutes.
7.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the red bell pepper and parsley.

My Poor Parsley Plant had to give up all it's fruit for this dish.  I hope it grows back fast.