Tag: healthy meal

Layered Chicken Enchilada Bake

Published on by Christine5 Comments

It’s Cinco de Mayo! Here’s a dinner idea that is so easy & quick to prepare. I call this a layered bake because I don’t roll the enchiladas to save time. It’s the perfect weeknight meal.

I promise this will never be a blog where you have to scroll forever to get to the recipe. So annoying, right!? But, a quick note on this recipe- it is garlic-free. Since I did food sensitivity testing and realized I was reacting to garlic, I have been avoiding it (and feeling SO much better!!). Try avoiding garlic in anything pre-made… it’s impossible! I found and now love the Fody brand sauces- their taco, enchilada, BBQ, teriyaki sauces & salsas are low-fodmap, which means they are free of onions and garlic.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb organic, free-range chicken breasts or thighs (you could use a rotisserie chicken to make this faster)
  • 12 organic corn tortillas (I love Food For Life brand for their simple, clean ingredients)
  • Fody Green Enchilada Sauce
  • Organic Pastures Raw Cheddar Cheese (I shred around 1/2 of this block) or Organic Valley Raw Cheddar (I shred the full block), which amount to about the same as a standard bag of shredded cheese.
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Avocado (optional, sliced for topping)

Preparation:

  1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then cook in an Instant Pot or slow cooker. Sometimes, I’ll put some salsa in with the chicken for extra flavor. Once it is cooked, shred the meat.
  2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  3. In an 11×13 glass pan, layer 6 corn tortillas along the bottom of the pan.
  4. Then, layer with half of shredded chicken, half of the bottle of enchilada sauce, then with half of the cheese.
  5. Repeat by layering tortillas, chicken, sauce and cheese again.
  6. Bake 10-15 minutes, or at least until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
  7. Top with sliced avocado and serve with a salad for a super green meal.

Enjoy!

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Quick Hash

Published on by Christine3 Comments

Who loves a great hash!? This is on my regular rotation of dinners because it is so quick and easy + super versatile. It’s a great way to work in veggies and I love that it is great leftover for breakfast.

The key to making this super QUICK is using the slicing disc with your food processor. It’s amazing!! I didn’t use the shredding or slicing attachment for years and I’m embarrassed at how much time I used to spend chopping things and shredding cheese.  This brings food prep time down to seconds.

Ingredients:

  • 5 large red or golden potatoes or 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 bag of Brussels sprouts (I’ve also used broccoli florets, which of course don’t require slicing, and I’ve added carrots too before)
  • 1 package of sugar-free pasture-raised bacon
  • sea salt + pepper + onion powder + garlic powder to taste

Preparation:

  1. Put slices of bacon on parchment paper on a large baking tray (I use this one: GreenLife Ceramic Cookie Sheet)
  2. Place in cold oven and turn to 425 degrees.  I typically cook for 10-15 minutes until bacon is crispy. Baking time will vary depending on your oven preheating time and the thickness of the bacon – keep an eye on it!
  3. While bacon is cooking, prepare potatoes & veggies. Clean and cut small enough to fit into the feeding cylinder of food processor.
  4. Slice the potatoes and veggies using the slicing attachment of your food processor.
  5. When bacon is cooked, transfer to paper towel lined plate, leaving the bacon grease on the pan.
  6. Add the potatoes and veggies to the pan and toss in the oil, adding more avocado or coconut oil if needed to coat.
  7. Season the potatoes and veggies, ensuring you use plenty of the sea salt.
  8. Place in oven and cook 20-30 minutes until browned and brussels are caramelized, taking out once mid-way to toss.
  9.  When potatoes and veggies are ready, crumble the bacon on top and serve.

Roasted Delicata Squash

Published on by Christine3 Comments

delicataSquash season might be my favorite food season! And delicata squash is my favorite of all. Yes, even better than acorn and spaghetti and butternut and pumpkin. Haven’t heard of it? I hadn’t either until last year.  You’ll see them with the other squashes in the grocery store and they look more like decorative gourds than anything edible. They are named “delicata” for their delicate skin- so thin you can eat it.

Delicata squashes are narrow and yellow with green stripes (and sometimes orange too) on the rind. Select one that is firm and heavy for its size. Avoid ones that are more light green- they are not ripe. Even the ripe ones I have purchased have lasted a few weeks in my pantry before I cook them.

Besides tasting so yummy, my favorite thing about this particular squash is how easy it is to prepare and cook.  This is my recipe for the perfect roasted squash – the slightly sweet bites will melt in your mouth, with a perfect crisp to the skin.

Ingredients:

  • 2 delicata squash
  • drizzle of oil (I recommend olive, coconut or avocado)
  • salt & pepper

Preparation:

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 420 degrees.
  2. Wash the squash since you will be eating the skin.
  3. Cut the squash in half length-wise. If you have trouble cutting it, pop in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften.
  4. Scrape out the seeds and stringy stuff (is there a term for that?) from the inside of your halves.
  5. Cut horizontally into 1/2 – 1 inch slices.
  6. Arrange on a roasting pan, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and toss. Split apart so each has its own spot on the pan.
  7. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes (depends on the thickness of your slices), taking out halfway to toss so pieces get equal time to brown on the bottom of the pan. It’s perfect when both sides are a light roasted brown.

Enjoy!!

 

Mashed Turnips & Parsnips

Published on by Christine1 Comment

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Today I’m sharing an easy recipe that’s perfect as a Thanksgiving side!

Craving mashed potatoes but trying to stay low-carb? I’ve got a seriously great alternative for you… mashed parsnips and turnips.  If you are like me and can’t stomach the typical replacement, cauliflower (cruciferous veggies don’t agree with me), this is another option to try.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound organic parsnips
  • 1 pound organic turnips
  • 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
  • pinch of pepper
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons grass-fed butter
  • 3 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream

Preparation:

  1. Peel the parsnips and turnips and roughly chop into 1-2 inch pieces (for faster boiling & easy blending).
  2. Put in a pot of water and bring to a boil.
  3. Boil for around 15 minutes or until tender (stab with a fork).
  4. Pour into a colander to drain the water and then put the veggies in a large food processor.
  5. Add the other ingredients (butter should melt quickly with the hot veggies) and blend until smooth, stopping to stir for better blending as needed.

I was shocked at how well this matches the texture of mashed potatoes. Since they are root vegetables, it has a very similar mild, starchy flavor to satisfy those cravings; it is just slightly sweeter. I hope you enjoy this super easy recipe!

Easy Homemade Marinara

Published on by Christine1 Comment

Homemade marinara has always intimidated me. While it’s so easy to buy pre-made sauce at the store, if you look at the ingredients list, the jars are often full of sugar and preservatives.  When we took a cooking class in Italy a few years ago, I discovered that making my own sauce is not nearly as difficult or time-consuming as I thought it would be.

This is not the recipe we learned how to make in Tuscany, but a variation I created one day while trying to use up some extra veggies I had in the fridge.  This version gives the opportunity to add more flavor and some sweetness by using vegetables in the sauce.  Since it all ends up pureed, this is an easy way to serve your unsuspecting kids more veggies.  I love that it makes an easy, all-in-one-dish meal.

Ingredients:

  • two 16-oz cans of organic tomato sauce
  • 1 organic zucchini
  • 1 organic red bell pepper (seeds & core removed)
  • 2-3 organic carrots (peeled)
  • 1/2 yellow onion (peeled)
  • 6 cloves of garlic (peeled)
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
  • 5-6 leaves of fresh basil

Preparation:

  1. Roughly chop the veggies, onion and garlic.
  2. Add the veggies to a deep pot with the olive oil and cook over medium-low temperature until soft.  This usually takes around 15 minutes; the smaller your veggie pieces, the faster they will soften.
  3. Add the tomato sauce.
  4. Use an immersion blender to puree the veggies into the sauce.
  5. Add the salt and crushed red pepper to taste and let simmer on low until you are ready to serve.
  6. When you remove from heat, add some chopped fresh basil.
  7. Serve over pasta or spaghetti squash with fresh mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.

To add some protein, make it a ragu / bolognese by adding cooked Italian sausage to the sauce.  I also love to add in even more veggies at this point by mixing in some chopped kale or spinach that I have sauteed with shallots.