Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Chicken Stew

Do you like all the green vegetables? Well this dish throws them into one pot and allows them to cook up together and become something tasty. My boyfriend says this is one of the best dishes I've ever made! If you like more bite to your broccoli and brussels sprouts, add then in later in the cooking process, or cook the whole thing for less. This is perfect for a weekend, because it involves a little pre-cooking, and only needs to slow cook for 4 hours.

Ingredients
1) 2 pounds of raw chicken thighs, diced (or breasts)
2) 2 tablespoons of cooking oil of your choice (coconut oil, ghee, tallow, etc)
3) 1 onion, diced
4) 3 cups of broccoli florets, chopped
5) 1-2 pounds of brussels sprouts, sliced in half or roughly chopped
Extra: Salt & Pepper or seasoning of your choice

Instructions
1) Heat up a large skillet over medium heat. Add your cooking oil, and then add your diced chicken.

2) Chop up your onion, and add it to the cooking chicken. Let cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is browned and the onions are softened. Season with salt and pepper, or any other spices you'd like. I did about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper, but have also added rosemary garlic seasoning and that was delicious too!

3) In the mean time, chop up your broccoli and brussels sprouts and add them to your slow cooker.

4) Once your chicken and onions have cooked 10-15 minutes, add them to the slow cooker with the raw veggies, and mix to incorporate. Cook on low for 4 hours.

Roasted Veggie Side Dish

I make 90% one-pot meals in this house, so we don't normally have to worry about a vegetable side dish. But we've started doing a nice, sit-down, Saturday night meal together that's not from the crockpot. We cook it together and it's really nice. We have been alternating between steamed salmon, pork cutlets, and chicken thighs for our protein, but usually always end up with roasted carrots for our side. I picked up some delicious looking broccoli and cauliflower at Costco this week and wanted to try and add a little variety to our Saturday night meal.

These were delicious. Like SERIOUSLY. Roasting vegetables just makes them taste so much better. So much so that my dog actually ate a couple pieces of the leftover cauliflower from this. My dog does not like vegetables very much, but apparently she changed her tune when we roasted them. And now we feed her roasted carrots for a treat instead of other, processed treats. This is a win for everyone!

Ingredients

1) 2 large handfuls of fresh broccoli (about 3 cups)

2) 2 large handfuls of fresh cauliflower (about 3 cups)

(Or you can use 6 cups of just one type)

3) 1 tablespoon cooking oil of your choice (coconut oil, ghee, duck fat, tallow...)

4) 1/4 teaspoon of salt

5) 1/4 teaspoon seasoning of your choice (cumin, curry, chili powder, 5 spice, etc)

I used ghee and chili powder for this version

**Servings: 2-4

Instructions

1) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

2) Add your vegetables to a large bowl, and add your oil. Mix well, and then sprinkle your seasonings on top.

                                    

3) Place your coated vegetables onto a lined cookie sheet (you a silicon mat, or parchment paper, or tin foil). Spread out evenly.

4) Roast for 15 minutes at 425. Then use a spatula to flip/stir the veggies.

5) Roast for another 10-20 minutes, depending on how cooked/tender you like your veggies. I cooked these about 30 minutes total.

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!

"Cheesy" Chicken-Broccoli Casserole (Dairy-Free)

I've been spending some time on Pinterest lately, trying to find some new recipes to cook up while I have a little free time. I know that I have food allergies to all things containing gluten and to dairy, but I am usually a little too liberal with allowing some dairy back into my diet now and again. I just got back from Paleo F(x) and decided I needed to cut dairy out completely for at least 60 days and see how I feel. But it is very difficult to find a good casserole recipe without any cheese in it!

I saw somewhere about using pureed squash to try and mimic cheese in a dish, so I decided to give it an experiment. I used a whole can of coconut milk and a bunch of roasted butternut squash and it turned out awesome! Definitely gives a creamy, cheesy feel without the dairy. Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Ingredients
1) 1.5 pounds of cooked chicken, shredded (this was 2 pounds raw weight)
2) 2 pounds of cubed butternut squash
3) 2 onions, diced
4) 1 pound of broccoli (about 3 cups), fresh or thawed
5) 1 can (15oz) of coconut milk

**Servings: 4-6

Instructions
1) Gather your ingredients.

2) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and preheat a large skillet on medium. Using a silicon mat or aluminum foil, line a cookie tray and spread your squash evenly on top.

3) Chop up your onions if you haven't done so. As soon as the oven is preheated, add your squash and set a timer for 30 minutes.

4) Add your onions at the same time to your large skillet. You can add some cooking oil at this time if your pan is not non-stick. You will saute the onions for the same 30 minutes you cook the squash, until they are super soft and carmelized. Stir the onions every few minutes so they do not burn.
5) While the onions are cooking, chop up your broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces.

6) Once your onions have cooked for 25 minutes, stir in your broccoli bites.

7) Cook for the remaining 5 minutes until your timer goes off and your squash in ready.
8) Once the squash has roasted for 30 minutes, take it out of the oven.

9) Add the entire can of coconut milk to a food processor or blender, and add half your squash mixture. Puree until smooth, and then add the rest of your squash and puree again.

10) Add your pureed mixture to your onions and broccoli, and stir to incorporate.

11) Stir in your cooked, shredded chicken and mix until well incorporated.

12) Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until everything is warmed through. Now eat up and wow your friends and family with this delicious, and dairy-free meal!