Lemon Pepper Chicken with Balsamic Roasted Veggies

As you all can see, I like to cook in bulk. It makes week night meals quick and effortless. Using mustard in the marinade helps keep the chicken tender while cooking and prevent it from drying out in the oven. Make sure you reserve some of the sauce when you refrigerate the extra, it helps to keep the chicken from drying out when reheating.

This is a great recipe to cook for a few nights in advance. The chicken also reheated really well and would be great cold over a salad for lunch!


Lemon Pepper Chicken

-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Before

-2 lemons
-salt/pepper to taste
-3 T dijon mustard
-3 T water
-1 T minced garlic

Before

-Preheat oven to 350F.
-Mix mustard, garlic, water, salt, pepper, and lemon juice together.
-Clean all chicken breasts and grease a baking sheet.
-Pour marinade over chicken and throw the lemon into the mix.
-Bake for ~30 minutes or until cooked through

Balsamic Roasted Veggies

-1 large bag brussel sprouts
-1 large bunch asparagus
-1 pint cherry tomatoes
-1 yellow onion diced
-1 T garlic, minced
-2 T balsamic vinegar
-salt/pepper
-2 T rosemary (dried)
-2 T oregano (dried)
-1 T EVOO

-Preheat oven to 350F.
-chop (roughly) all veggies and pour all other ingredients into a large bowl. Toss the veggies to coat well.
-coat a ceramic baking dish before pouring veggie mix in.
-Bake for ~45 minutes (or until browned)

Spaghetti Squash with Mushroom & Meat Sauce (Fast/Easy)

This is an easy recipe that can be put together rather quickly.  There is not a lot of hands-on time, so I actually fit in a quick work out while it was cooking (stirring my meat and mushrooms between sets)... you just gotta MAKE time sometimes!

Start by cutting the squash in half lengthwise and pre-heat your oven to 425.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and place your squash halves in cut-side down.  Pour some water into the dish to fill it up 1/4 inch deep.  Cook at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until tender and "noodles" flake away easily with a fork.  Let rest until cool enough to handle. 

While squash is cooking, preheat your pan over medium heat and cook your beef (may use ground turkey, chicken or textured vegetable protein for a vegetarian version).  While beef is browning you can sneak in one rep of a circuit (tonight I did bent over rows, deadlift, then a 60 second plank)- during your break between sets stir the pan, then get back to it!

When meat is cooked through and no longer pink, remove from the pan.  If using beef, make sure you drain the meat in a colander and rinse under hot water to remove saturated fat. 

Set the meat aside and return pan to medium heat.  Heat 1 Tb olive oil and add mushrooms to the hot pan.  Cook until mushrooms are browned, tender and have released their juices.  Return the meat to the pan with the mushrooms and stir in your marinara sauce.  Season with freshly ground black pepper. 

Divide spaghetti squash into 4 plates.  Sprinkle each with 1 Tb ground parmesan.  Divide meat sauce evenly over top.  Eat up!

 

 



Spaghetti Squash with Mushroom & Meat Sauce
1 large spaghetti squash
1lb grass fed ground beef (may use ground chicken/turkey or textured vegetable protein)
1 Tb olive oil
16 ounces baby bella mushrooms, quartered
1 jar marinara sauce (look for a lower sugar option if possible)
Fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut squash in half lengthwise. 
2. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and place your squash halves in cut-side down.  Pour some water into the dish to fill it up 1/4 inch deep.  Cook at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until tender and "noodles" flake away easily with a fork.  Let rest until cool enough to handle. 
3. While squash is cooking, preheat your pan over medium heat and cook your meat. When beef is cooked through and no longer pink, place in a colander and rinse under hot water to remove excess saturated fat.
4. Heat 1 Tb olive oil and add mushrooms to the hot pan.  Cook until mushrooms are browned, tender and have released their juices.  Return the meat to the pan with the mushrooms and stir in your marinara sauce.  Season with freshly ground black pepper. 
5.  Divide spaghetti squash into 4 plates.  Sprinkle each with 1 Tb ground parmesan.  Divide meat sauce evenly over top. 

Nutrition info:
When divided into 4 servings- 450 calories, 18gm fat, 39gm carbohydrates, 5gm fiber, 32gm protein
When divided into 6 servings- 300 calories, 12gm fat, 26gm carbohydrates, 3gm fiber, 21gm protein

Noodle-less Lemon Chicken Soup

Is anyone else sick of winter and the cold weather? It's been shockingly cold in NC the past few weeks. I'm definitely over it. Spring time, where are you?

I've clearly been using my crock pot weekly. It's just the easiest way to cook in the winter. I love coming home to a cooked meal after a long day. You walk in the door and the entire house smells like a warm cozy dinner. YUM! You could make this recipe on the stove top but I chose to throw all the ingredients together in the crock pot and go about my day. Feel free to modify the recipe by using a rotissere chicken or any leftover meat/poultry you may have. You can also used precut veggies or even frozen veggies. If you're feeling really froggy through in some other root veggies like parsnips or potatoes. Soup is the perfect meal to empty your fridge/freezer and create a "garbage bowl" meal. You really can't go wrong!

Lemon Chicken Soup

Pre Picture

-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (whole)
-1 yellow onion, diced
-5 celery stalks, diced
-2 T minced garlic
-2 cups diced carrots
-2 small sprigs rosemary
-2 T oregano (dried)
-1 sliced lemon (seeds removed)
-1 container (~4 cups) low sodium chicken broth
-3 cups water
-1 T EVOO
-Salt/pepper to taste

1. Set up crockpot and place EVOO at base. Turn on high
2. Dice all veggies and throw into crockpot.
3. Add spices
4. Place chicken onto
5. Add broth
6. Place lemon slices and cover crockpot
7. Cook on high for 8 hours

Served alongside cobb salad with cumin tahini dressing

Winter Venison Stew

Well, it finally got cold in Wilmington.  After spending much of the winter months in the 60's, the temperature has plummeted today.  It's currently 27 degrees out right now.  If that's not soup weather, well I don't know what is! 

There's only one thing easier than stew, and that's stew made in a crockpot.  I can't sing the praise of my crock pot enough.  Set it, and forget it!  And the best part... after a long day of work you get to open the door to your home and are greeted by the savory, welcoming scent of whatever you have cooked up for the day.  Welcome home! 

Today, I used some of the venison we have stowed away in the freezer.  After defrosting overnight, I simply tossed the cubed meat in flour and some seasonings...

 

Add meat to oil that has been warmed over medium heat in a large skillet.  Brown the cubes of meat on all sides. 

I like to chop my vegetables while the meat is browning to be more efficient.  Time is money!!!  When your meat is browned (you don't need to cook it through), add it with your vegetables to the crock pot.  While your skillet is still sitting over medium heat, pour half the beer in the skillet to deglaze the pan.  Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the little browned bits. 

Pour that, and the rest of the beer, into your crock pot.  Stir in the garlic, rosemary, pepper, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and beef broth.

 

 

Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.  If broth is too thin, you may add additional flour.  Whisk 2 Tb flour with 2 Tb cold water (do NOT add dried flour right to hot stew... unless you like clumps of flour in the finished product).  Add your flour paste to stew while stirring.  Then serve yourself up a nice hot bowl of comfort food!

 

 

 

2 Tb canola oil
2lbs venison ham, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup flour
1 Tb dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
6 small potatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 Tb dried rosemary
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tb lite soy sauce
1 Tb worcestershire sauce
12 ounces beer (I used Sam Adams Boston Lager)
2 cups low sodium beef broth

 

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. 

2. Toss cubed venison with flour, oregano and 1/4 tsp black pepper. 

3. Add venison to hot oil and cook until browned on all sides. 

4. While meat is browning, chop your vegetables and add to crock pot. 

5. When meat is finished browning, add to the vegetables in the crockpot.   While your skillet is still sitting over medium heat, pour half the beer in the skillet to deglaze the pan.  Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the little browned bits.  Add this, as well as remaining beer, to the crockpot.  Stir in the garlic, rosemary, pepper, worschestire sauce, soy sauce and beef broth.

6. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.  If broth is too thin, you may add additional flour.  Whisk 2 Tb flour with 2 Tb cold water.  Add your flour paste to stew while stirring. Enjoy!

 

Makes 6 servings, about 2 cups each

Nutritional information per serving- 422 calories, 9gm fat, 1gm saturated fat, 27mg cholesterol, 322mg sodium, 42gm carbohydrates, 5gm fiber, 6gm sugar, 39gm protein

 

Paleo Shepherd's Pie

This recipe is great to make ahead for the week or for a dinner party. You can prep it the night before or earlier in the day for an easy weeknight meal. You could even prep it and freeze the ingredients for later!


 Paleo Shepherd's Pie
-2 lbs. ground bison (90% lean)
-1 yellow onion (large)
-1 32 oz bag baby carrots, diced
-1/2 c. low sodium beef broth
-1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk
-2 medium russet potatoes
-3 medium sweet potatoes
-3 stalks celery
-1 heaping T diced garlic
-1 sprig rosemary
-1 T thyme
-1/2 T parsley
-1 T evoo



1. Dice potatoes and add to pot with water and salt. Boil potatoes until fork tender (~15 minutes,
depending on how big your cubes are).




2. Add almond milk, salt and pepper (to taste) to potatoes after water is drained. Place back on heat and use immersion blender to puree into a smooth mixture. Set aside






3. Add EVOO to large skillet and add ground bison with salt/pepper. Cook halfway through (bison will continue to cook in oven).

4. Set bison aside and add veggies to greased skillet. Add garlic and onion first. Then remainder of veggies and saute with spices until tender. I cooked them for about 8-10 minutes.

                                                                                 

5. Add all ingredients to the greased dish. Then place 1/2 cup beef broth over the veggies/bison. This will help keep the meat/veggies tender as it continues to cook.

 6. Spread mashed potato mixture over ground bison/veggies. Make sure you have an even layer. Then cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven to bake for ~30 minutes.

 7. Remove aluminum foil and let cook another 10-15 minutes, or until top is browned. Then you're all set to enjoy this delicious recipe!