Cilantro Lime Shrimp Paleo Whole 30 compliant

This is a great, summer inspired Whole 30 and Paleo compliant recipe.  This recipe is designed for 1lb of shrimp so just increase it as you are serving more than 3 people as an entree.  This recipe is delicious and versatile for many protein sources.  I can imagine this even being good on a hearty vegetable, that will take a good grilling!  I found the original recipe on Closet Cooking. I used the recipe below but omitted the jalapeno because my children aren't fans of the spice.  As we ate, we kindly tried not to eat the last shrimp but each of us wanted to eat more.  Personally, I would not make enough for leftovers because I can't imagine the reheating process to keep them tasting as great as they are, so keep reaching for the shrimp until they are all gone.  I hope you enjoy this and use it many times! 

The What's:
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 limes, juice and zest or 1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, grated
salt and pepper to taste

The How:

Marinate the shrimp in the mixture of the lime juice, zest, oil, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper for 30 minutes. Skewer the shrimp and grill over medium-high heat until cooked, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Paleo Whole 30 compliant One-Pot Chicken

This recipe comes from Stupid Easy Paleo.   In my spare time I search for Whole 30 compliant meals, heck I have even made a pinterest board with all of my findings-Follow me here! This particular recipe is called Tuesday Night Chicken Recipe and since I have planned ahead, I naturally wanted to serve this on Tuesday! 

This was the first time I ate Fire-Roasted Tomatoes.  I really dig them, yum!  I thought this recipe was good enough to prepare for others but I wished my family appreciated my efforts more.  I did save some chicken for my children (second image) and left those pieces out of the sauce so they wouldn't complain; overall it's important to get them to eat than require them to enjoy the recipe! In addition, I didn't follow the recipe well enough so I marinated the chicken in the Italian Seasoning instead of the House Seasoning but added the House Seasoning to the chicken while I cooked it.  I am trying to lay off of salt, but I noticed others using salt at the table while eating it.  

The What's:

2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound [454 g])

1 tsp (5 g) House Seasoning Blend (see below)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup (150 g) diced white or yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 batch Italian Seasoning Blend (see below)
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 (14.5 oz [411 g]) can fire-roasted tomatoes
Fresh basil and/or flat-leaf parsley for garnish
For the House Seasoning Blend:
1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp cayenne, ½ tsp black pepper
For the Italian Seasoning Blend:
1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, ½ tsp marjoram, ½ tsp thyme, ¼ tsp red chili flakes

The How's:

1. Prepare the chicken breasts first by filleting lengthwise to make 2 thick breasts into 4 thinner ones. Dust both sides with the House Seasoning Blend.
2. Heat a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat and add a little bit of olive oil to the pan—enough to just coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, lay the seasoned chicken breasts in to sear. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan as overcrowding leads to steaming, not browning. When the chicken has been seared (note, not fully cooked) on both sides, transfer it to a plate and set aside.
3. Reduce the temperature to medium and replenish the pan with a little more olive oil if it looks dry. Add the onion, garlic, Italian Seasoning Blend, kosher salt and cinnamon and cook, stirring often. If you are not accustomed to building sauces this way, I know it may appear a bit strange, but trust me on this. Applying heat and oil to the dried herbs prior to immersing in liquid revives the oils and creates a deeper flavor. It’s the trick to crafting a rich tomato sauce in such a short amount of time.
4. Cook until the onion is translucent and the garlic and herbs fragrant. Pour in the fire-roasted tomatoes and mix together. When the sauce bubbles, add the par-cooked chicken back to the pan, nestle it into the spiced-tomato-goodness, cover and reduce the temperature to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes while chopping the fresh garnishes—use either or both basil or flat-leaf parsley.
6. I like to serve this directly from the pan after scattering with the vibrant green fresh herbs.

 

Whole 30 compliant Roasted Turkey Breast

Today it's TURKEY!  I am on The Whole 30 eating plan so I have been using more seasoning when I cook and today I am excited to share with you a fantastic find! Today's recipe Clean Eating Roasted Turkey Breast adapted from: Barefoot Contessa comes from Whole Foods New Body.  I found Turkey Breast at a great price so I thought we should eat it early in the week so I could have leftovers. I followed the recipe pretty much to the "T" (my exception was the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan) and found the breast extremely flavorful.  We could taste the seasoning throughout the breast when eating everyone found it very tasty. 

The What's:

Clean Eating Roasted Turkey Breast (adapted from: Barefoot Contessa)

• 5-6 lb. turkey breast (thawed in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. garlic (chopped)
• 2 tbsp. Herbs de Provence
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice ( fresh squeezed or organic)

The How:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix garlic, herbs, oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice in small bowl.  Place turkey on a roasting pan skin side up. Make a pocket underneath the skin and rub half of the herb mixture under the skin of the turkey. Use the other half of the mixture to rub all over the top of the skin.  (Optional: Pour chicken broth in the bottom of the roasting pan.)

Bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours or until thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees. I covered my turkey most of the roasting time but left uncovered the last 20 minutes after turning off the oven giving me time to prepare the sides.  Recipe says to cover with aluminum foil for 15-20 minutes (assuming you have left it uncovered the majority of the roasting time-opposite of my method). Slice and serve with the pan juices.

 I can't wait to for my husband to have his dinner tonight.  With myself I am well pleased. 

Paleo Whole 30 Chicken Soup

Today's recipe is from Framing Cali

Someday's I follow directions well then other days I don't.  This recipe reflect me NOT following a recipe.  

The What's:

1 whole chickens

2 sweet potatoes

"CLEAN" Diced Tomatoes, Canned

1 Bell Peppers 

 2 large Onion

Avocados (optional)

use the following spices in equal parts to taste (I used roughly 1/2 Tbsp):

Onion Salt, Garlic Powder

 

The How's:  

Boil your whole chicken (about 30-40 minutes) and season to taste. I used garlic powder, onion salt, kosher salt and bay leaves.

While the chicken is boiling, dice your vegetables. Remove chicken and add sweet potatoes to the broth made while cooking the chicken. Allow to boil until the potatoes are tender (About 15 minutes). While the vegetables are cooking, peel and discard the skin of the chicken and shred the meat. You should just be able to use a fork to shred it right off of the bones.  (You can cook the chicken in advance and let it cool in the pan so you don't hurt yourself when taking the skin/meat off of the bone).  Once the potatoes are tender add the chicken, remaining vegetables, and spices to the broth. Be sure to taste the recipe at this point.  You may not need additional spices.  Simmer on low for about 20 more minutes.

Enjoy!  

Baked Chicken with Artichoke and Spinach

This dinner comes to me on a very windy afternoon!  We have just begun to leave the house after a week's long virus that literally put three of us on the sofa for a week.  Thankfully, as the wind creates chilly air, the germs are swirling their way into the robust world and out of our home.

Today's recipe is a one pot meal of Baked Chicken with Artichokes and Spinach.  I found the original recipe while searching through pinterest under paleo.  With my variation, I used some leftover Big Batch Chicken in place of raw chicken.  I purchased artichokes in juice from Aldi's and it tasted
great.   I don't know if this is a recipe that my children will particularly enjoy as I have made it for our dinner and leftover lunch.  A few chicken breast did the trick for me. Throw in whatever vegetables you have to use up.  The recipe is not definitive so be creative.

The What's:

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 to 6 chicken pieces (thighs, chicken breast, legs, etc...)
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 can (14-ounces) quartered artichokes, rinsed and drained
 1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, sliced into thin rounds
1 bag (6 to 8 ounces) baby spinach, cut in julienne strips
a handful of cherry tomatoes
½ cup vegetable broth

The How's:

Preheat oven to 425.  Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet that's safe for stovetop and oven.  I opted for a cast iron skillet.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and brown on both sides; about 5 minutes on each side.  Remove from skillet and set it on the side, leaving butter in skillet.  Add artichokes, onions, and carrots to the skillet.  Cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are slightly tender, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken back into skillet, for 1 minute, placing spinach  and cherry tomatoes on top.  Remove from heat and add broth. Place in the oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.   Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.

Plate and ladle liquid and veggies over chicken pieces.   Serve Warm and Enjoy.

Honey Lime Pan-Grilled Chicken

Hello Folks.  Its pretty much the dead of winter here in the Carolina's.  It's been pretty mild but these last few days, have been the coldest days so far. To lighten the place, I am reaching into my pocket of tricks to bring summer into the house through food.  Today I made the children Cherry Limeades topped with very sweet red maraschino cherries.  I love drinking and eating things that make my taste bud's pucker.

Tonight's meal is a Honey Lime Pan-Grilled Chicken.  Along side, broccoli was it's partner for me, rice and corn for the kids.  This is where the limeade ties into our meal. The chicken I bought came in bulk so I co-marinated the Honey-Lime batch with a Sesame Chicken recipe which I will post later about.

Honey Lime Pan-Grilled Chicken Recipe

(Adapted from http://www.blessthismessplease.com/)

The marinade consists of:

Juice and zest from 2 whole limes, 1/2 cup honey, 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tea. sea salt

1/2 teas. fresh black pepper, 4 trimmed, skinless, boneless chicken breast sliced lengthwise.

Trim your chicken and discard the fatty pieces, or keep them for the doggie like I do.  Add all the ingredients to a large zipper-top plastic bag, close the top and turn it over in your hands until the marinade is well-blended and all of the chicken is evenly covered. Lay the bag in the bottom of a rectangular baking dish and put it in your fridge.  This the BEST advice ever! Marinade the chicken at least four hours but up to overnight.  

Since it was wintertime here, we used a pan to grill the meat.  You don't want to move it around too much but be sure that you let the chicken reach the internal temperature of 160 degrees.  Serve warm. 

Although I marinated the chicken for six hours and I did enjoy this recipe, I didn't taste the lime as pronounced as I was hoping.  I added a little bit on top for an added kick!  The original author of this recipe mentioned cooking this on a George Foreman grill and I actually think that may be the best way to cook this.  Once the honey begins caramelizing, the pan becomes brown.  Therefore so does your chicken.  Be watchful that the honey doesn't burn but oh, what a treat to have chicken with a taste of honey.

I can't wait to make this chicken this summer!  Be blessed with this Honey Lime Pan-Grilled dinner.