Chicken Apple BBQ Stew

I really like the pairing of meat with fruit. I wanted to try and make a chicken stew with BBQ sauce, and figured I would throw some apples and onions in as well. Instead of serving it over some cauliflower rice, I just added the riced cauliflower to the dish and let it cook, making this dish incredibly simple and basically less than 5 minutes of prep time! No need to dice the chicken before hand, it'll shred right up after it's cooked. Easy!

You can use any BBQ sauce you like. I just happened to have a jar of PaleoChef's Peach BBQ sauce which was delicious in this dish, but use whatever kind you have on hand, or whip up your own!

Ingredients
1) 2 pounds of raw chicken thighs (or breasts, I just buy the cheaper cut usually)
2) 2 apples, cored and diced
3) 2 onions, diced
4) 1 head of cauliflower (or a 2 pound bag of florets, like I used)
5) 12oz of BBQ sauce

**Servings: 4-6

Instructions
1) Add your raw chicken to the crockpot.

2) Chop up your apples and onions, and add them as well.

3) Add your BBQ sauce, and stir to incorporate.

4) Using the shredding attachment on your food processor or a box grater, grate your cauliflower into "rice". Then, add this to your crockpot and stir to fully mix.

5) Cook on low for 8-10 hours (however long you're gone from home, perhaps). When it's done cooking, take two forks and shred the chicken into the mixture. Now, eat up!

Maple Vanilla Butter Cookies

Sometimes you just need a cookie! This random creation came after doing some browsing online and I wanted to find something to make without any eggs, since we were out at the time. These have a chewy texture, which I love, and really tasted delicious. This is a nice treat for the weekend or when you are having guests over.

Ingredients
1) 1 1/2 cups of almond flour
2) 1 teaspoon of baking powder
3) 2 tablespoons of melted ghee or butter (could sub coconut oil but won't have the butter taste then)
4) 3 tablespoons maple syrup
5) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

**Servings: 6 cookies

Instructions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Add all of the ingredients to your food processor.

3) Blend until smooth. It will be a little wet.

4) Scoop onto a lined cookie sheet, into six even balls. Flatten down until they are an even consistency.

5) Bake for 14-18 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden brown.

Sausage and Roasted Pepper Cauliflower Casserole

I have been trying to make up some new casserole dishes. We love our crockpot soups and stews, but sometimes I want something a little firmer. This recipe came as an inspiration from PaleOMG's green chili casserole.

We always buy big jars of roasted bell peppers at Costco, and this was an excellent way to use them! It has a quiche-like texture, but still packs an awesome punch for being so simple.

Ingredients
1) 1 pound of ground sausage
2) 1 large head of cauliflower (or a 2 pound bag of florets)
3) 4 eggs
4) 2 cups of diced, roasted peppers (I used red and yellow because that's what was in the jar) - this was about 8 large peppers, cut into pieces
5) 1 onions, diced
Extra: Salt and Pepper

**Servings: 4

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1) Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add your ground sausage and start to brown it.

2) Cut up your onions and roasted peppers.

3) Add your chopped veggies to your browning sausage, and stir to incorporate. Continue to cook.

4) In the meantime, using the shredding attachment on your food processor or a box grater, grate your cauliflower into "rice".

5) Once your veggies are tender and your pork is cooked through, stir in your cauliflower "rice". Add in salt and pepper to taste at this point. I added about a teaspoon or so of each.

6) Add your 4 eggs to the mixture, and stir to mix thoroughly.

7) Pour all the ingredients from your skillet into a large 9x13 cooking pan, and spread evenly.

8) Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees, until firm and browned.

Homemade Beef Bone Broth

Have you heard about all of the awesome benefits of adding in homemade beef broth to your diet? The collagen from the bones is an excellent supplement to help with your joints, skin and hair. Plus, you can use the homemade broth in dishes where you want a little extra beef flavor. I used to just use chicken stock in all my recipes, regardless of the type of meat, because at the time it was the only kind of broth I made. But making beef broth is really, super EASY and very affordable. Plus, your body will thank you for it. How cool is that?

I have been drinking about 1/2 cup a day for the last month, and I'm feeling GREAT. My workouts are better and I think I am recovering more effectively.

Ingredients

1) 1 1/2 - 2 pounds of beef bones (soup bones, oxtail, etc) - you can get these easily and cheap from the farmer's market or your butcher, or from US Wellness meats if you order through them for your meat

2) 1 tablespoon of white vinegar

3) 8-12 cups of water, to fill your slow cooker

4) 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1 bay leaf

Optional: you can add in a cut up onion and/or carrot for flavor. I was lazy the day I made this, and was out of onions.

Instructions

1) Add your bones to your slow cooker.

2) Fill up your slow cooker to the top with water. The more water, the more beef broth you'll get. Add in your vinegar, seasonings, and your veggies if using them.

3) Cook on low for 12 hours. The longer the better.

4) Once your broth has cooked long enough, strain our the liquid into some plastic bowls or containers using a cheese cloth. This will catch all the extra bits and the bones, leaving just nice stock behind.

5) Place your liquid into the fridge overnight, or at least 8 hours until the fat has solidified at the top of your containers.

6) Scrap off the fat from the stock. Keep it! It's rendered beef tallow. Use it for cooking. Look how economical you are being!

Broth plus scraped off tallow/fat

7) Now store your beef broth for use. I freeze about 2/3 of it, and pull it out as needed. Drink 1/2-1 cup a day, warmed, as you would tea, and enjoy the health benefits!