Clean Eating Brussels Sprouts with cranberries and walnuts

Here is another easy, healthy, delicious recipe to add to your Thanksgiving repertoire!  Clean Eating Brussels Sprouts with cranberries and walnuts.  These little cabbages are O so delicious and packed full of yummy nutrition. Brussels Sprouts offer a delicious range of nutrition that benefit our bones by helping to prevent bone loss, vitamin A, Iron to prevent anemia, and assist with heart disease protection.  I mean seriously all this and they taste good.

Dried cranberries are not usually what we would consider clean as they are usually packed full of added sugar.  I use fruit juice infused cranberries that can be found at Whole Foods.  They are a hint more tangy then sweet but they are delicious and generally a cleaner option.  I made some tweaks to the original recipe that can be found at this link http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2013/11/roasted-brussels-sprouts-walnuts-and-cranberries-recipe.html

Ingredients

3 TBSP olive oil
1 pound Brussels Sprouts

1/2 cup of packed fruit infused dried cranberries

1 cup whole raw walnuts

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.  Cut the Brussels Sprouts in half and then place on a cookie sheet.  (Parchment paper can be a great idea to line your cookie sheet so not ick it all up with the oil). 

 Add your walnuts.  Drizzle with your olive oil, salt, pepper, and then use your hands to coat the Brussels Sprouts and walnuts evenly. 

 Spread the Brussels Sprouts and walnuts out evenly on your cooking sheet.  Then bake for 10 minutes, check, and then flip them the best you can for evenly roasting.  Bake another 10 minutes or till golden brown and roasted. 

 Pull out from the oven and let cool.  Mix in your cranberries and serve!  

This dish can be prepared the night before thanksgiving and then reheated the next day.  My suggestion is to add the cranberries right before serving as they can get hard and very hot when heated. 

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

Thanksgiving is literally right around the corner and if you are looking for something new and healthy to add to your holiday repertoire this soup is a must! This butternut squash soup is savory and hearty.  It had to be, or it wouldn't have been husband approved.  My husband dislikes butternut squash, and when I say dislikes I really mean hate.  If I even mention the thought of cooking with butternut squash he makes a grimmace like no other.  Well, all I could say was challenge accepted.  Hence, the Savory.

One of the reason my husband completly 100% shies away from butternut is most recipes play up the sweetness of the squash.  I know that I love the fact we have a yummy good for you sweet squash that pares amazling with cinnamon.  I mean come on people how could your resit that.  Well my husband can.  So I had to really bust out my spice shelve for this yummy little number.

Ingrediants

2 small butternut squash or 1 large

1/2 onion roughly diced

1 minced garlic clove

2 carrots diced

1 apple (i used granny smith)

1 TBSP unsalted grass fed butter

1/4 tsp salt

sprinkle of black pepper

3 cups Chicken Stock (  for vegetable stock to make vegetarian friendly!) 

2 cinnamon sticks

1 bay leave

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp Garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 TBSP Cumin

Preheat oven to 400

Peel your butternut squash and cut into cubes. 

Mix your cubed butternut squash, sliced apple, diced carrots, minced garlic, and chopped onion on a cooking sheet.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

  Roast in the oven till soft, tender, and lightly browned.  Approxmently 25-30 minutes.

Take the tender cookie sheet mixture and empty into a food processor.  You want to blend till completly pureed.

Now in your pot you want to brown your butter.  The browning of the butter will give your soup a warm nutty flavor.  The trick is to not burn it.  So stir continuesly till browned then immediatly empty your butternut puree in the pot.

Now add the rest of your ingredients, cover and simmer for about an hour.  If you would like a thinner soup please feel free to add more Chicken or Vegetable stock to the soup.   

Then remove the bay leave and cinnamon sticks.


Soup Topping

I choose to top by soup with some lovely maple bacon that I purchased from whole foods who makes it fresh in house.  I simply fried it up, pat dried the grease, and crumbled the bacon on top of the soup. I also topped with chives.

Crock Pot Turkey Chili

As it is fall, and swiftly moving into winter,a yummy and easy chili recipe was in need.  One of the things I love about chili is how you can mix and match veggies/meats to best fit your mood and whatever is in your cabinets. I also love the fact chili is crock pot approved.  Throw everything in, set the timer, and go! Doesn't get much easier then that! Which gets two thumbs up from me.

I did not document the process in pictures as I normally would.  Unfortunately my kitchen is a disaster due to some remodeling of the dining room(which i will post pictures of).  But the recipe is simple, lean, and clean.

Ingredients

1 pound lean white ground turkey breast

1 12 oz  organic tomato sauce can (bpa lining free)

1 12 oz can of kidney beans w/ juice

1 12 oz can of black beans w/juice

1 12 oz can great white northern beans w/juice

1/2 chopped onion

1 tb garlic powder

1tsp onion powder

2 TB chili powder

1 TB cumin powder

Salt/pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper(just sprinkle if you would like a milder chili)

1 diced jalapeno (half of a jalapeno if you would like a milder chili)

2 diced tomatoes 

Through everything into your crock pot and I set mine on the low setting which cooked for 8 hours. That was it! Delicious, clean, paleo, and whole food.

Think about serving with my honey dairy free corn bread.

Eggplant Parmesan : Freezer Meal

Eggplant Parmesan is my idea of comfort food!  I love it and my husband loves it.  Between the aroma it leaves in my house and the way it tastes....doesn't get much better than that.  However as my recipe is clean, it is not what I would call low calorie and really should just be utilized as a splurge. A lovely, delicious, and whole food splurge.

I served this as our anniversary dinner and it was perfect for the occasion.  I made this meal as a freezer meal actually but there is no reason why you couldn't follow this recipe and bake the same day for a delicious dinner.

 Ingredients:

1 can of organic BPA free lined tomato sauce
1 can of organic BPA free lined tomato paste
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 TB oregano 
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 onion chopped
1 TB olive oil
Stevia
Salt and Pepper
1 Large Eggplant
1 cup whole wheat organic bread crumbs
1 egg white


In a large wok or fry pan heat the olive oil and brown the garlic and onion.  Then add the tomato sauce and tomato paste.  Fill the empty tomato paste can with water and pour into the pan and stir till well combine. Chop the fresh basil leaves and add to the sauce with the dried oregano. Sprinkle stevia and salt and stir.  The cover and reduce to a simmer.

Slice thinly the eggplant vertically.  Whisk the 1 egg white.  Coat each slice of eggplant in the egg white and then coat lightly with the bread crumbs.  Then broil in the oven set to High.  Flip each eggplant till golden brown on each side.

In a baking pan layer sauce, eggplant, and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.  This generally makes 3 layers.

The top layer cover in sauce, cheese, and then place fresh basil leaves on top.

After this step is when I wrapped with foil and froze.  I took out of the freezer and thawed before baking.  You can either freeze or go straight into the oven if your making for dinner that night.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until the cheese in golden brown.

Clean Eating and Freezer Meals

After work, if I am being honest, i don't always feel like cooking dinner.  I am tired, hunger, and most often hangry.  I just want food to appear.  Well that line of thinking and feeling does not go very well with the idea of clean eating.  Clean eating calls for fresh ingredients, whole food, and made majority of the time by yourself.  To help solve this problem of exhaustion + hunger = quick food in my tummy now, I have been delving into prepping freezer meals.

I will never be that person who can spend an entire day cooking a series of meals and freezing. I get bored very often with the same meal and I like to shake things up.  So my way of preparing freezer meals is i devote 1 afternoon a week to the project, and i try to get a variety of meals out of one staple dish.  

So for instance I made a vat of my marinara sauce, I then used the sauce to make 1 pan of egg plant Parmesan, and froze 2 cans of sauce.  Those 2 cans of sauce could be used in so many ways!!! It doesn't just have to plain old spaghetti and that egg plant Parmesan we can eat for days afterwards. This is my process. It might not be the most efficient but it keeps us fed and my sanity. 

If you devote 1 afternoon a week to freezing meals, eventually you will have a nice stock pile so their is always food in the freezer to heat up.  Currently in my freezer we have 1 can of sauce, 2 cans of vegetable soup, and a pan of chicken casserole.  Not to shabby and I still plan to add 3 meals to that list later this weekend.  

I also leave cooking instructions on each of the dishes for my husband.  He usually beats me home now a days and it makes it easy for him to be able to just preheat and bake.  Viola, I come home from work with a fresh made, delicious meal waiting for me.  Sometimes I ask myself "Why haven't I been doing this all along?"  

Dallas Farmer's Market: Fall Festival

It is Autumn!!! I love the time year!  On occasion I do miss the autumn of my childhood in the Midwest; crisp morning air, changing of the leaves, apple picking, and bomb fires.  Now that I live in North Texas I don't get quite the same experience but autumn is still lovely and my favorite season.  I love being able to take long cooler walks, a hot cup of coffee, pumpkins, and everything about it. The activity in Dallas is electric.  The hot summer days have (almost) gone, cool nights are back, and there is all sort of activities to par take in.  If you are also a foodie like myself then you are always looking for a good mix of outdoor activity and food.  The Dallas Farmer's Market pretty much hits it spot on.

 The Dallas Farmer's Market currently has there Fall Festival going on Sept 15-Oct 31.  The pumpkin patch is open daily and you can get pictures taken on the weekend as well as play games.  I don't have kiddos but that sounds like a pretty fantastic Saturday for them and great memory making with a photo for keeps.  Plus Mom and/or Dad can also hit up that weeks grocery shopping.  We spend all summer trying to beat the heat and trying to stay out of the sun.  The fall Festival  seems like the perfect opportunity to get outside and enjoy all this beautiful sunshine and fresh fall air.  Plus you get to promote local businesses while your at it.  Check out other events at the Dallas Farmer's Market
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Clean Eating Vegetable Soup

With fall arriving in North Texas this weekend with a gust of forceful wind and storms, some cozy, comforting soup was what the day called for.  I decided to make some yummy hearty vegetable soup using a couple new (to me) vegetables.  I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but dang can I say we each put down a couple generous bowl fulls today! It was so delicious and hearty, exactly what was needed to warm up my bones from the never ending rain/damp we have had this weekend.

I participate in a local fall share program through a local Dallas grocery store, Green Grocer Dallas. The wonderful thing about this program is I get a variety of different, local, organic, and in season veggies.  What this also means is I get to experiment with multiple different veggies I have a) never heard of before and b) would be scared to death to actually buy on my own in the grocery store.  So the beauty of this is, I get to support a local business, local farmers, and get to make delicious dishes with new (to me) ingredients!

I would suggest if you're in Dallas checking out this store, Green Grocer Dallas.  It is definitely a little gem.

I also made a very large pot of soup so that I could freeze a portion for meals to come. All of my ingredients were organic.  Also, if you don't have some of these veggies don't be afraid to throw in whatever you have (e.g., peas, green beans, corn, or Brussels Sprouts).

This is what Kohlrabi looks like, in case you don't know.  It is in the cabbage family.

Ingredients

• 1 quart vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 large onion roughly diced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 diced tomatoes
• 1 8 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 cup of diced carrots
• 5 diced stalks of celery
• 1 large cubed sweet potato
• 2 cubed purple kohlrabi
• 5 cubed small turnips
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp oregano 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a stock pot and bring to a boil, reduce to a slow boil, cover, and stir occasionally.  

Once all the veggies are cooked down and soft serve!.  I would also feel comfortable making this in the crock pot as well.

I served ours garnished with fresh cilantro and my Clean Eating/Dairy-Free Honey Corn Bread

Clean Eating, Dairy-Free Honey Cornbread

Today was a comfort food kinda of day.  Blustery winds, rain, and falling leaves. It was a true fall day.  In my mind nothing quite says comfort, like sweet cornbread.  It goes beautifully with a hearty soups or chili.  Just what you need to give a little warmth and comfort.

I made some modifications to the recipe by The Taylor-House's Sweet Honey Corn Bread recipe which can be found on The Taylor House blog.

The recipe required a few modifications to make it  clean and dairy-free.  Now why dairy-free you ask?  One reason is I have a few friends with an allergy to all things dairy and they can't eat anything cooked with dairy or it triggers migraines along with a slew of other digestive upsets. Also for anyone like myself who does not drink dairy milk on a regular basis, and might not have milk available in a pinch, this recipe is exactly what your looking for.  This recipe was very simple and even with the modifications turned out beautifully.


Ingredients

• 1 cup organic whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour if you prefer less of a wheat taste
• 1 cup cornmeal ( i use Bob Red Mill's Organic)
• 1/2 cup honey (i use local organic raw honey)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg (organic cage free)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Then use coconut oil to grease the inside of a 8 inch square baking pan.  Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and then add the wet ingredients and mix on low to well combined.  Then poor evenly into the baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

It literally smelled so delicious i couldn't wait to get a bite! This corn bread was exactly what I needed today. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did. 

Clean Eating Italian Mozzarella Burgers

There are few things in life that this family loves more then a delicious grilled burger.  As with all things in life I tend to get bored doing the same ol'e same burger with cheese on it.  So i decided one day this summer to  have some fun and just start experimenting.  Out of that experimentation I invented my favorite burger.  I utilize all fresh and organic ingredients and I truly believe that is what makes this burger.

Burger Ingredients

1 pound grass fed organic ground beef
1/4 ground almonds
1 TB onion powder
1 TB garlic powder
1 cage free egg
1/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Tomato Topping

Diced cherry tomato
diced 1/4 onion
1 minced garlic clove
3 chopped basil leaves
1 TB olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Place all the ingredients for the tomato topping in foil and mix with your hands so all the tomatoes are coated in the oil.  Then fold all 4 sides of the foil to make a tight grilling container and place on the grill.  You want to get these started 1st as they can take longer to cook.  You want them to be soft and cooked thoroughly..

Use a food processor or blender to make your ground almonds. In a large bowl combine all of your burger ingredients including the 1/4 cup ground almonds. Mix thoroughly with your hands.

Then make large patties for the grill. When the patties are almost cooked to your desire then top with fresh slices mozzarella cheese.  Serve on sprouted grain organic buns.

We use a charcoal grill and like all things when we started eating clean and less chemicals in our lifestyle we needed to switch out the charcoal we used.  Regular charcoal briquettes is coated with chemicals that don't entirely burn off in the cooking process. Through research I discovered a simply alternative: Real Hardwood Charcoal. 

Is usually made of maple, hickory, or mesquite wood that burned. It resembles pieces of burnt wood.  It cooks hotter then charcoal briquettes at 1000 F.  It lights faster, burns less ash, gives the food a purer wood flavor, and it is inexpensive.  I bought ours at whole foods for $4.99 in May and the 8.81 pound bag is still going strong. What's not to love it's better for you, cheap, better for the environment, and it makes the food taste amazing.  I would recommend trying to find some in your area. 

Parmesan Crusted Wild Sockeye Salmon

I am really excited to share this recipe because it is absolutely delicious, easy, and healthy.  Wild Sockeye Salmon is a pacific based salmon which ranges from Alaska to British Columbia.  It is the 2nd fattest salmon variety which provides a full dense flavor.  It is my favorite type of salmon to cook with.  If you have not tried it yet it really is a must!

This recipe is a simple recipe that takes minutes to prepare and about 10-15 minutes to bake.  I always recommend watching fish carefully as the thickness and size really vary the cooking time.  The recipe makes enough for 2 medium sized salmon.

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Organic Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 TB Dried Parsley
1 Clove Minced Garlic
Salt and a Pinch of Pepper
Baste in Olive Oil


Preheat the oven to 400. Place fish on a cookie sheet.  Baste the fish in light olive oil.  Lightly salt and sprinkle a pinch of black pepper.

Mix the cheese, garlic, and parsley in a bowl. Lightly coat the fish in the rub.

 Then bake in the oven for 5-8 minutes.  Then turn on the broil on high and place the cookie sheet with the fish directly under the broil until browned on top.  This takes about 3-5 minutes.  I suggest watching the fish closely.  Then serve!  I served ours with a nice simple side salad. This is something that is perfect for those days that you just don't want to cook.

Crock Pot Paleo Chicken Cacciatore

Crock Pot Paleo Chicken Cacciatore over Spaghetti Squash

Who doesn't love coming home after a hectic day to a delicious meal that has been simmering all day?  I haven't met a single person who would answer that question with a 'not me'. This is exactly why I love my crock pot. Crock Pot cooking has to be one of the best things ever invented for the kitchen. I know that there are times cooking after a long day just seems too exhausting and that little voice inside my head says fast food would be easier.  Those are the moments I am so glad that I have a crock pot at home waiting for me with a delicious healthy meal inside.  

You can prep the ingredients the night before, throw it in the crock pot in the morning, press on as you walk out the door, and viola dinner when you get home. What could be better? The options of combinations for meals are really endless, and one of my favorite meals to make in the crock pot is Paleo Chicken Cacciatore.  It is really a simple dish that is delicious and low carb when it is done. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless, cage free organic chicken thighs

1 large green pepper chopped

1 15 oz can organic tomato sauce

1 8 oz can organic tomato paste (no salt added)

1/2 chopped large onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 capful organic apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup packed cup of fresh basil leaves

Sprinkle of stevia

Mix all the ingredients (minus the chicken) into the crock pot together.  Fill the empty 8 oz can of tomato paste with water and add to your sauce.  Mix all the ingredients together so the tomato paste blends with the rest of the sauce.  Then add your chicken thighs and make sure the sauce covers them so you get a good flavor when it is done. 

Cover and set the cooking time for however long you will need. My crock pot setting is high, medium, or low heat with each setting having its own additional time.  So I cooked mine on medium which took 6 hours.  

When the crock pot is done cooking go ahead and remove the lid and stir the ingredients together. Feel free to add crushed red pepper to add a little heat.

I served my Chicken Cacciatore over spaghetti squash noodles to keep the meal low carb and paleo. Spaghetti squash is a beautiful thing, because it tastes great and only has 31 calories per cup while whole wheat pasta has on average 174 per cup.  It is also a great alternative to a grain for those who need the meal to be gluten free.  

Spaghetti squash is simple to cook, it takes about 30 minutes to bake in the oven.  You can cut the squash in half, clean out the seeds, rub olive oil all over the squash, sprinkle with salt, and place upside down on a cookie sheet.  Cover with foil and back for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  When it is done remove from the oven and uncover.  Let cool till you can handle the squash.  Then scrape with a fork long ways. The squash will scrape out resembling a noodle!

Now serve and enjoy! 

Paleo Crab-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Paleo Crab-Stuffed Portobello Mushroom and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Dinner the other night was a delicious new recipe I whipped up, Paleo Crab-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms.  Man, were they good!  I love when I get a recipe idea, wing it, and it turns out delicious (this does not always happen)!  My household has been making an extra special effort to eat more Paleo.  For those who may not be familiar that is the caveman diet.  In simple terms it is nuts, meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats.  The things to avoid are dairy, grain, processed sugars, legumes, starches and alcohol. Basically it is eating what you can hunt or gather, just like the cavemen used to.

When you are picking out your seafood at your local grocery store it is important to focus on wild and sustainable seafood.  Just like everything else out there not all seafood is created equal anymore, but you do have a choice that is better for the planet and your body.  I will be putting together a post specific to seafood later but for this recipe look for the Marine Stewardship Council label (pictured below).

Now for the recipe, because this was a really scrumptious meal that would have a cost a small fortune at a restaurant. I super sized our crab meat for us but you could easily split the crab meat between 4 mushrooms not 2.


Ingredients

1/4 cup Whole Almonds
1/4 cup Parmesan Grated Cheese
1 Clove Minced Garlic
8 oz Wild Lump Crab Meat
2 large Portobello or (4 medium sized)
1 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the 1/4 cup whole almonds in a food processor or blender and blend till you have fine crumbs. The almonds act as the replacement for bread crumbs.

Then add all ingredients minus the portobellos in a bowl and mix.

Break off the stem of the mushroom.

Baste mushrooms in a light coat of olive oil. 

 Add the crab mixture equally into the mushrooms. 

Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 Degrees or until the crab begins to brown lightly. 

I served our's with a side of Brussels Sprouts; the Brussels Sprouts recipe is currently on my Instagram page.  

I hope everyone enjoys this recipe as much as we did!