Baked Chicken with potatoes & carrots

This simple yet scrumptious dish has all the look and flavor of a meal that was slaved over in the kitchen for hours, but in reality requires very little prep time and very few ingredients.  A couple other benefits of this nutritious meal include the "left-overs" factor (there are almost always enough for another meal), and the seasoned chicken bones provide a great start to homemade chicken stock.  This is also a great meal to make when having guests for dinner as it allows you to be visiting while the oven does all the work.  We eat at 5 o'clock in our home so I do my prep work at about 3:15 pm and have it in the oven by 3:30 pm~ that's all. =)

Ingredients:

• 1 (3.5-4.5 lb) Whole Fryer Chicken (we prefer organic free-range)
• 5 large organic Russet Potatoes, peeled and largely cubed
• 7 organic Carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• All-purpose Seasoning (we use a homemade one but Jen using a great one from U.S. Wellness Meats)
• Water for basting

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375°.
2. After removing the gibblets, rinse the chicken with water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Heavily season all sides of the chicken and lay breast-side up in a large baking pan.  Secure the chicken legs together with kitchen twine (thread works fine too).

3. Spread your potatoes and carrots around the chicken, sprinkle with the all-purpose seasoning and mix together.  Bake, uncovered, for 1¼ to 1½ hours (or until juices run clear), remembering to baste about every 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday

 

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Suzanne's Chicken

Last year, we had the opportunity to have an exchange student. She was from Cameroon and we learned so many things from her. It was an awesome experience that I would highly recommend! She taught me how to make one of her favorite chicken dishes. This has become a staple at our home, not only is it very yummy but it is easy to prepare and uses all fresh ingredients. (She said once while watching me use canned tomato sauce that no one from Africa trusts food that they can't see.) :) Here is what you'll need:

*2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
*Olive Oil (enough to coat your pan)
*About 10 large tomatoes, quartered
*2 cloves of garlic, minced
*1 onion, chopped
*1/2 cup chopped parsley
*2 carrots cut into thin strips
*Seasoning of choice for the chicken (she used garlic salt and season all, but we prefer to use other things)
*Hot sauce
*Salt

(Unfortunately, she was a very good cook and just added "dashes" and seemed to cook by smell. It was fun to watch, but difficult to duplicate. Here is what I do, my husband claims he can't tell the difference.)

Begin by quartering your tomatoes and chopping your onion and throwing them both right into a medium sized pot. Turn the heat to medium and just cook them down, stirring occasionally. Season your chicken strips with your seasoning of choice. Fry them in the olive oil in a large pan and set aside. Cook the garlic in the remaining olive oil until fragrant. Add carrots and parsley and cook for a couple of minutes. By this time your tomatoes and onion should be cooked all the way down to a "sauce" texture. Pour the sauce into the pan and mix well. Add the chicken back in also. Season with salt and hot sauce to your liking and simmer on low until the carrots are cooked through. Serve with pasta or rice. I really like this dish with coconut rice and a green salad. Enjoy!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

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Menu Plan Monday~ Busy Week

If the gorgeous weather isn't proof enough that winter is over then my calendar sure is.  As I was looking over our family's month of May I realized we have only 7 days that are appointment-free!  Between T-Ball starting and end-of-the-school-year activities we are going to be on the move!  This makes it difficult at times to find time to cook, which inevitably means more eating out.  And that's just not an option right now~ so what to do?

For starters, when making my meal plan this week I was careful to include several chicken dishes.  Chicken is so versatile and easy it just made sense that that is where our protein will be coming from this week.  So yesterday my husband marinated and grilled up 4 whole chicken breasts.  The main part of our weekly meals is fully cooked and ready, and then I just tried to come up with a menu that was diversified enough and not boring.  Here's what I came up with:

• Monday: Grilled Chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, green salad
• Tuesday: Chicken Fried Rice w/ sugar snap peas
• Wednesday: Chicken, brown rice pasta & roasted veggies in cream sauce
• Thursday: Grass-fed Ground beef tacos
• Friday:  Out to dinner
• Saturday: Chicken Pot Pie
• Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner~ Soaked blueberry coffee cake

Enjoy the week!

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday.
 

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Asparagus Risotto

Photo Credit

This warm and creamy traditional Italian side dish was made from a mix of fresh asparagus from my Abundant Harvest box and arborio rice.  I must admit that, while my husband and I love risotto of all kinds, my children are not crazy about this dish.  They love rice in general, just not "the slippery kind".  What can I say~ I have little boys. =)

• 1 lb. fresh asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 cups homemade chicken broth*
• 2 cups water*
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 onion, diced (or shallots)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Butter or Olive Oil for sautéing
• Celtic Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste*

*As to the chicken broth and water, you may use all chicken broth, as I did, just make sure to not add any salt.  The flavor will be very, very rich (which we prefer) if you do not cut it with the water.

1.  In a saucepan combine the chicken broth and water and heat on med-high until simmering.  Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
2. In a large skillet cook the asparagus in about 3 TBS butter until tender-crisp.  Remove the asparagus and keep warm.
3. In the same skillet sauté the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes in your choice of fat.  Add the rice and cook another 2 minutes.  Add in the wine, deglazing the pan with it until most-to-all of the liquid has evaporated. 

4. Increase the heat to a med-high and add in 1 cup of the broth-water mixture.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been absorbed.  Continue stirring and adding 1 cup of the liquid at a time, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding the next.  This should take between 25 and 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the texture is creamy.
5. Stir in the asparagus, cream, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and simmer another 2 or 3 minutes.  Serve immediately. 

I paired this with grilled chicken and a salad for dinner, although it is more than filling to enjoy as a meal of its own!  

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Menu Plan Monday - Simple Week

I'm keeping it easy with my meals this week, mostly classics and only one new recipe (out of this months edition of Sunset Magazine).  I do have to make one note about Saturday's meal~ this is one of the easiest, most flavorful meals, plus it gives you lots of leftovers.  Don't forget to save the chicken bones along with any left-over chicken to make a yummy soup.  And don't forget to check back daily as I will be posting the recipes each day I make them =)  Have a great week everyone!

Here's what's on the menu this week:

• Monday: Grilled Chicken, asparagus risotto and a green salad
• Tuesday: Grass-fed ground beef burgers and sweet potato fries
• Wednesday: Ham & Potato Soup, steamed broccoli
• Thursday: Lime-Soaked Chicken Tacos (the Sunset Mag Recipe) and grilled balsamic artichokes
• Friday: Left-over Buffett
• Saturday: Roasted Whole Chicken w/potatoes, carrots & leeks, and a green salad
• Sunday: Breakast for dinner~ Eggs, bacon, fresh hashbrowns and toast

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie

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Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Even though it is spring time, even in California we have had cool enough weather to extend soup season.  This makes me happy.  :)  I love soup, and this is one of my favorites!  Comforting, creamy, flavorful and nourishing.  I hope you enjoy it! 

* 4 cups free range chicken broth

* 2 cups water

* 2 cups leftover free range chicken meat, shredded

* 1 cup cooked wild rice

* 1 TBS all purpose seasoning of choice.  (I prefer the one from US Wellness Meats)

* 1/2 teaspoon celtic grey sea salt

* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

* 3/4 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour

* 1/2 cup butter

* 2 cups heavy cream (I use whole raw milk)

* Vegetables of choice (optional)

Combine broth, water and chicken in a large stock pot.  If you do not have leftover chicken, start raw chicken in the broth and water and simmer all afternoon until falling apart.  Shred chicken and add vegetables.  Cook until veggies are tender.  Add rice and simmer until heated through. (Add water as needed to replace what evaporates.)

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in  seasoning of choice until bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

Stir cream mixture into broth mixture. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.   Enjoy!

This post is part of Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet.

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Oh For the Love of Chicken Pot Pie

Need a way for your kiddos to eat a ton of veggies?  Throw them in this pot pie!  This recipe was adapted from one on Allrecipes.com but of course I've changed things up a bit.  TIP: use a deep dish pie plate if you have one.  I currently do not have one (gave mine away- why would I do that?) so I just use my normal pie plate which works fine, just be sure to set the pie plate on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow.  There is a little bit of prep to this i.e. making the pie crusts, chopping veggies, but nothing too extensive.  The results are well worth it~ is there anything better than nourishing with a comfort food? ;)  Without further ado...

Ingredients:

• Pie Crust from Cheeseslave (this is AMAZING! I use sprouted spelt)
• 1 lb. Free-range organic chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 1/2 cups organic veggies, sliced
• 1/3 cup onion
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup flour (again, I use spelt)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 1/2 cups organic Free-range chicken broth
• 1 cup raw whole milk

Directions:

1. Make your pie crusts in advance and refridgerate for at least 30 minutes.  Remove one, roll it out and place it in a pie pan.  Roll out the top crust and set aside.  There is no need to prebake the pie shell.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. In a saucepan, combine chicken, veggies and broth.  Cover and boil for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, drain~ save the broth, and set aside.
4. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook the onions in butter until they are soft, about 3 minutes.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Slowly stir in the saved chicken broth, and milk.  Simmer over medium heat until thick.  This should take almost exactly 5 minutes.
5. Place the chicken and veggies on bottom pie crust.  Pour the hot broth mixture over the chicken and veggies and cover with top crust, sealing edges.  Cut away excess dough and make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 Enjoy!

The post is part of Real Food Wednesday

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Meal Plan Monday~ Mixing Traditional & Simple Recipes

I am so blessed to have a great cook for a mother.  She was born in Italy and migrated to the US when she was thirteen, but not before she mastered some serious skill in the kitchen, taught to her by her mother and grandmothers, one of which had a dirt floor and only an open fire in the middle of her kitchen to cook on.  I love watching mom cook, but to record one of her recipes is almost impossible~ she doesn't measure anything!  She grabs handfuls of flour without touching a measuring cup and she shakes salt in until it "looks about right".  I have been able, though, to scribble down instructions for two of my favorite meals that she makes~ her meat sauce and her meatball recipe.  They are both amazing. 

The problem I run into is the traditional recipes like these always take so much time in the kitchen.  With 3 little boys to look after and a home to keep tidy, it's hard to find time for them, especially when I don't plan.  I have been working on mixing my favorite traditional recipes, or even new recipes that require more then 30 minutes of prep/cook time, with my simple recipes, i.e. grilled chicken, buttered pasta, etc.  I carefully look over my family's weekly schedule as I plan my menu to see what afternoons/evenings are lighter and will therefore allow me more time in the kitchen.  The planning is well worth it.  There are not quite as many "oohs" and "aahs" coming from the dinner table when I serve buttered pasta as there are when spaghetti sauce is served.  So don't shy away from the more involved meals, especially if you love to cook (as I do) but have busy families~ a little planning goes a long way. 

Here's what's on the menu this week:

• Monday: Grilled Chicken, asparagus, grape bunches
• Tuesday: "Nonna Emma's" Meatballs
• Wednesday: Creamy Pasta w/roasted spring veggies
• Thursday: Baked Chicken Strips w/ Balsamic dipping sauce, mashed potatoes, salad
• Friday: Spaghetti sauce, salad, spelt-buttermilk bread
• Saturday: Leftovers Night
• Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner: Egg scramble, toast, sliced apples

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie

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Frugal Yet Delicious~ Buttery Breadcrumb Chicken

I love when my meals are a success with my kids.  Our three boys, ages 6, 4 and 3 are pretty good eaters to begin with, but when my middle son says "MMMM! I love it, mom!" after he tries a bite of his dinner, my heart warms up instantly!  As I do my weekly meal planning I rummage through my pantry and make my meals according to what I've got stocked.  Bread, of course, is something I always have on hand as I'm sure most of you do.  A few months ago I was making dinner and in need of my breadcrumbs from Trader Joes but, of course, I was all out.  So I tried to make my own.  Success!  Why in the world have I ever been buying breadcrumbs?!  It's so easy to make them and they taste so much better (as do most homemade food items).  I love using them in my chicken parmesan, but for a frugal and less timely alternative for a breaded baked chicken, try this recipe for Buttery Breadcrumb Chicken:

• 1 lb. Free-range, organic, boneless & skinless chicken breast (about 1 whole breast)
• 1 cup homemade bread crumbs
• 1 TBS celtic grey sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 TBS garlic salt
• 1 pastured egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

For the breadcrumbs, preheat your oven to 500°.  Toast 3 slices of bread to a medium-brown.  Let cool about 5 minutes.  Break up into small pieces in a food processor and pulse until about pea-sized.

Spread breadcrumbs evenly out onto a cookie sheet.  Bake about 4 minutes, stirring once.  Keep a close eye on the breadcrumbs~ they can burn pretty quickly.

After they come out of the oven, put them back into your food processor and pulse again until nice and fine, or desired consistency.  Ta-Da!

For the chicken, lower the oven temp to 375°.  Place eggs and breadcrumbs in two seperate shallow bowls.  Season breadcrumbs with sea salt, garlic salt and pepper.  Dip chicken in eggs, the dredge in the crumbs.  Arrange in an 8x8 baking dish.  Top chicken with cut-up pieces of butter. 

Bake 30-35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.  I paired this meal with buttered brown-rice pasta and some kiwis and strawberries from our garden.

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet. 

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Eliminate the "4:30 Scramble"

 I'm an organizer at heart.  It's not the easiest thing, especially on my family who really doesn't care that I've organized the closet starting with jackets on the left, then sweaters, long-sleeve polos, long-sleeve tee's, short-sleeve polos, and finally, short-sleeve tees on the far right.  My poor husband doesn't understand why I don't want his help hanging up our childrens clothes.  He tries to reason with me that there are a lot of clothes (there are!) and it would go so much faster if he helped (and if I didn't go back through the stuff he's hung up and switch it to the "correct" place). 

Anyway, being organized with my meals is something everyone in my house appreciates.  Not only does it help me stay within my monthly grocery budget, it also eliminates the "4:30 Scramble" to throw something together for dinner.  I've gotten away from consistently planning my weekly meals, usually done on Sunday night, but I'm ready to get back on the ball.  Plan on seeing a Menu Plan Monday post every Monday morning from here on out.  I won't have links to a bunch of my recipes yet, but I'm more than happy to provide them for those who want them.  Here's this weeks menu:

• Monday: Fried Chicken (left over from Easter), potato-leek soup and grilled balsamic artichokes
• Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie (this is a favorite of my 3 boys, and I love to pack it full of fresh organic carrots, celery and peas)
• Wednesday: Homemade breadcrumb-baked chicken, buttered brown-rice pasta, steamed asparagus
• Thursday: Grass-fed beef tacos
• Friday: Organic free-range Chicken fried rice
• Saturday: Cuban Sea Bass and salad
• Sunday: Breakfast for dinner night (Blueberry sprouted-flour pancakes and bacon)

For those of you who have also planned your meals this week~ enjoy not having to participate in the "4:30 scramble"! =)

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie

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Abundant Harvest Organics

If you live in Central or Southern California and don't know of and/or don't use Abundant Harvest, I have to tell you what you're missing! On their website Abundant Harvest describes themselves as "an alliance of small family farmers in Central California dedicated to growing superior organic produce and getting it to you in the simpliest manner possible...". Everything is grown locally and they only deliver locally~ which means that all the produce you receive is as fresh as possible. Deliveries in my area are on saturdays and everything we receive was still in the ground the Thursday prior. Two days old! Can you imagine going to the grocery store and picking up fresh and ripe produce that wasn't harvested 5 weeks prior and shot with any number of chemicals? This is what Abundant Harvest offers.

Their prices are so reasonable as well. For a small box (which provides just the right amount for my husband, myself, and our 3 small boys) the price is $19.80 a week. There is also a large box available which runs $33.80 per week. In today's small box we were given: potatoes, clip top carrots, oak leaf lettuce, asparagus, vidalia onions, grapefruit, naval oranges, and mandarin oranges. Those receiving a large box were also given: artichokes, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, cabbage and tomatoes. I love getting our box Saturday mornings~ it's like a little present waiting for me. The variety has also forced us to try new veggies. For instance, I had never cooked with a beet or a parsnip (I had to google parsnip for a picture of it so I could identify it that week). But I soon found a recipe for roasted beets, sweet potatoes and onions that is out of this world, and I learned that parsnips are amazing to add into mashed potatoes. There's also a little newsletter in each box that gives pointers on how to store and cook specific items from that week. (click here to see if Abundant Harvest delivers to your area)

And that's not all Abundant Harvest offers. Along with the produce there is a long list of "add-ons" that can be added on to your weekly box. The add-ons range from raw milk to grass-fed beef and free range organic chickens to coffee and composts. Here is an example of their weekly add-ons. We have been buying our raw milk from Organic Pastures through Abundant Harvest and are now adding on all of our boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pastured eggs. It's wonderful to be able to support all of these local farms!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and Food Renegade

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Real Chicken Parmesan

Being a fairly new Real Food enthusiast I am pleasently surpised when I can continue preparing my staple recipes simply by rotating out the bad ingredients and exchanging them for the healthier, more nourishing alternatives.  Even just substituting my Target-brand diced tomatoes (I know, I know) with an organic variety from Trader Joes gives me thrills =).  This chicken parmesan recipe is modified to incorporate good fats, sprouted grains and organic vegetables.  The taste is modified too~ it has so much more flavor! Enjoy feeding your families this wonderful, Real meal: 

• 4 free-range, organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
• 1/2 cup sprouted spelt flour
• 2 pastured eggs
• 1 Tbs water
• 1 cup organic bread crumbs (or make your own!)
• 2 Tbs celtic grey sea salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 4 slices Mozzarella cheese
• freshly grated parmesan
• 6 Tbs olive oil
• 16 oz. cooked organic sprouted grain spaghetti

Preheat the oven to 450°.  Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thick.  Place the flour in a shallow bowl and season with 1 Tbs salt and 1 tsp pepper; mix together with a fork.  In a wide bowl combine the eggs and water and beat until frothy; lay bowl next to the flour.  Place the bread crumbs on a wide plate, season with remaining salt and pepper and place next to eggs (you should have a little assembly line of ingredients).

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large stainless-steel skillet.  Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in flour, dip in the egg wash to coat completely (letting excess drip off), then dredge in the bread crumbs.  When the oil is hot add the chicken and cook for 4 minutres on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle marinara sauce over the chicken and top with both cheeses.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.  Serve hot over the spaghetti.

For the marinara sauce:

• 28 oz. organic diced (or stewed) tomatoes 
• 6 oz. organic tomato paste
• 4 Tbl fresh parsley
• 2 tsp fresh oregano
• 1 tsp celtic grey sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 6 Tbl olive oil
• 1/3 cup finely diced organic onion
• 3-4 organic garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine

In a food processor, blend until smooth: tomatoes, paste, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper.  Set aside.  In a large, stainless steel skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat; saute the onion and garlic.  Add in the tomato mixture and the wine.  Simmer on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  This will yield roughly about 3 cups.

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop 

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Simple Things

It really is the simple stuff in life that makes me happy. We got some wonderful fresh organic potatoes in our Abundant Harvest box, so I had to make mashed potatoes and it is just not right to make mashed potatoes without some sort of buttery vegetable. Why not carrots? We got some of those in our box too. It is not often that I am pleased with EVERY ingredient in my meal, and this is no exception... however, it is pretty close. Other than the Costco EVOO, this is a very nourishing meal. Free range, organic chicken, organic produce, pasture butter, raw milk, Celtic Grey Sea Salt... it doesn't get much better! The best part about all of these ingredients though, is the taste. When I started to research organic and whole foods, I assumed that I would be sacrificing flavor or quality. Not so! I have been pleasantly surprised with just how much more delicious foods are when they are in their natural state. We are so used to the SAD diet that we assume that it is optimal, I mean, why on earth would we be eating this way if not?? It is amazing to me that not only is it terrible for you, but it is just terrible in general. I could never go back to the way I was eating 2 years ago! Fresh, organic carrots caramelized in rich pasture butter sprinkled with fine ground Celtic Sea Salt... there is not another taste in this world to compare that to. Very simple, yet VERY satisfying!

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