Amazing Arugula Chicken Salad

4 cooked chicken breast diced

2 cups shredded green cabbage

6 cups fresh arugula

1 organic apple diced

6 strips of nitrate free bacon diced

3 tbsp dried rosemary

4 1/2 oz julienned sun dried tomatoes with olive oil

3 green onions diced

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Small handful of sliced almonds

Olive oil and black pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl toss in the arugula, cabbage, apple, and onion.  While the chicken and bacon are still warm, add these items to the bowl as well.  Top with the sun dried tomatoes, lemon juice, rosemary, and any additional olive oil and black pepper to taste.  Toss the ingredients all together and serve immediately topped with a small handful of sliced almonds.

Enjoy!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Making it happen can also mean getting those work outs in, even while on the road.  The last time we visited the in-laws, we loaded up our boys along with all of our nephews and nieces and hauled them to the park for a family workout.  The kids had a blast, and we got in some exercise – it’s all about making it happen! 

We can choose to, or choose not to; it’s really as simple as that…  Trust me – I am FAR from perfect but I know that putting in the extra degree of effort is worth it in the long run and making choices that sometimes seem more difficult  at that moment, actually make everything else in life much more enjoyable and manageable. 

Cheers!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Pictured is the lunch created yesterday by my 6 year old, and the dinner cooked solely by my 14 year old (lettuce wrapped burgers with grilled onions and sauteed brussel sprouts.) 

Also, here is my new favorite pot roast recipe that I adapted from a recipe that I saw on the Food Network. 

Pork Pot Roast

1 Boston pork roast (4.5 lbs) or beef chuck roast

6 carrots

5 celery stalks

 2 leeks

2 yellow onions

6 fresh thyme branches

6 garlic cloves

2 14 oz cans of diced organic salt free tomatoes

2 cups red wine

1 1/2 cups organic free range chicken broth

4 tbsp organic butter

1/4 cup coconut flour

Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste

In a large soup pan or dutch oven add the olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Sprinkle a bit of  sea salt (if desired) and the crushed black pepper all over the roast. Roll the seasoned roast in the coconut flour.  Sear the roast in the large soup pan for 4 minutes on each side (make sure you get the top and bottom of the roast seared as well).  While the roast is searing, chop the veggies into large pieces.  When cutting leeks, make sure to cut in half lengthwise and rinse well because they are full of sand and dirt in between the layers. Remove the roast from the pan and add  all the veggies and cook in the drippings from the roast until the onions and leeks become tender.  Add the wine, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, thyme branches (tie them together with some cooking twine so they are easier to remove later), and a bit more sea salt and pepper.  With the flat part of your knife blade, crush the whole garlic cloves (as pictured) and toss those in as well.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, place your roast in a crock pot (this will only work if you have a big crock pot).  Pour the vegetable mixture over the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours and on low for 1 hour.  If your crock pot is not big enough, you can cook the roast in a dutch oven or large roasting pan at 325 for 2 1/2 hours and then turn down to 250 and cook for another hour.  After the roast is done, remove  the roast from the vegetable mixture.  With scissors, remove the string holding the roast all together, and slice thin.  Remove the thyme branches from the vegetable mixture and pour half of the veggie mixture into a food processor or blender, add the butter, and blend until smooth.  On a large serving platter place the sliced meat and top with the remaining cooked veggies and pour the blended sauce over all of it. 

This recipe is a good one to make on a weekend when you have a bit more time.  I made this for my sister and her family and in my haste, I forgot to take a picture of the final product but it turned out so good, I had to share it with you all anyway. 

Enjoy!!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Grilled Chicken with Walnut Pesto Sauce

Chicken

3-4 Chicken Breasts

Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning to taste (or just some cracked black pepper)

Pesto Sauce

4 oz fresh basil (3 ½ cups)

1 cup walnut halves and pieces

6 garlic cloves

1 cup olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

Juice from ½ a lemon

Heat your grill over medium high heat for approximately 10 min.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with either the Trader Joe’s seasoning or with just some black pepper. Turn grill down to low and place the chicken on the grill.  Close the lid and grill for 7-10 minutes.  Flip the chicken, close the lid, and grill for another 7-10 minutes.  Remove the chicken and cover with tinfoil and set aside.  Now it’s time for the pesto.  In a food processor add the walnuts, garlic, sea salt, and olive oil.  Process until smooth.  Add the basil and lemon juice and process again until smooth.  Slice the chicken and spoon the pesto sauce on top to serve.

Warm Arugula Salad

6 strips nitrate free bacon diced

2 shallots finely chopped

7 oz arugula

1/4 cup olive oil

Handful of chopped walnuts

Ground black pepper to taste

Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and set aside.  In a medium sized skillet brown the diced bacon.  Add the shallots and saute with the bacon until the shallots are translucent.  Add the olive oil to the pan and heat just until warm.  Pour the olive oil, bacon, shallot mixture over the arugula and mix well.  The heat from the bacon mixture will slightly wilt the arugula – this is what you want!  Add some fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately topped with a sprinkle of walnuts. 

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Blackberry Cobbler

3 cups of fresh blackberries

1 1/2 cups almond meal (finely ground almonds)

1 omega 3 enriched egg

2 tbsp coconut oil

A drizzle of raw organic honey

Cinnamon to taste

“So Delicious” coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350. Pour the blackberries into a pie pan.  In a small bowl mix together the egg, almond meal, and coconut oil, and shake in a bunch of cinnamon.  Stir well.  The mixture will be really thick and clumpy.  If you wish, drizzle a bit of raw organic honey on top of the blackberries.  By hand (or if you have a 2 year old to help you, that works just as well…) crumble the almond meal mixture on top of the blackberries and bake in your pre-heated oven for 35 minutes.  Serve in bowls with cold “So Delicious” brand coconut milk poured over the top.  Yes, it’s addicting, but life’s too short to not eat cobbler now and then…

Enjoy!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

So, in the spirit of traveling to Mexico, here is a recipe for fresh salsa, which my sister-in-law Dixie gets all the credit for.  Soon after meeting my husband, this is one of the first things I begged Dixie to show me how to make, it’s really simple, and oh so great on everything (especially eggs and avocados in the morning)…. 

I will try to post once or twice while we are away with pics of what we find to eat on our trip - but if not (or if I drink to much tequila and forget…), I”ll be back next week with more recipes to share! 

Fresh Salsa

6 Roma tomatoes

1 jalapeno

1/2 red onion

6 garlic cloves

1 bunch of cilantro

sea salt to taste

Place the tomatoes and the jalapeno in a skillet and heat over medium high heat turning frequently until the skins start to blacken on the tomatoes and begin to peel off.  While the tomatoes and the pepper are in the skillet, put the onion, garlic, and cilantro in a food processor or blender and pulse until chopped.  Add the blackened tomatoes, pepper, and sea salt, and blend until smooth.  I usually only use about 1/2 of the pepper but if you like it really hot, toss in the whole thing.  

Enjoy!!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Check out my husband flying – the pic of him standing up on top of the weights was his final standing verticle leap at 59 inches.  He also maxed that day on his standing press at 200 lbs.  This event was the Summer Strength Challenge at Level 10 Crossfit in Oroville –  an awesome group of folks who put on a fabulous event.  Huge shout out also to our girl Jenny L. who recently started training with us again at Norcal Strength and Conditioning who beat out all the other amazing female athletes for 1st place!!  I was happy just to be there an watch!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Plantain Chips and Guacamole

3 ripe plantains (they are ripe when they look really beat up, black, and nasty)

1/4 cup coconut oil

4 avocados

juice from 1/2 a lime

garlic powder and black pepper to taste

Leave the peel on the plantain and cut off the ends.  Still with the peel on slice the plantain as thin as possible lengthwise.  Leaving the peel on while slicing will help prevent smashing the plantain.  After the plantain is sliced, carefully remove the peel and place the sliced plantains into a skillet of hot coconut oil. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip, and being careful not to burn.  Mash the avocados with the lime juice, garlic powder, and black pepper and serve with the plantain chips.

Shrimp Tacos

1 bag of frozen already cooked tail removed shrimp – thawed and drained

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

1 green bell pepper sliced

1/2 red onion sliced

1 tbsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3 garlic cloves smashed or minced

3 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 a jar of salsa verde (I prefer Trader Joe’s brand)

1 head of iceberg lettuce leaves for taco shells

Cut the thawed shrimp in half and set aside.  In a skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and saute the onions, garlic and bell peppers until tender, add the cherry tomatoes and saute for about 1 minute.  Add the shrimp, the spices, and the salsa, mix well and cook just until the shrimp are warm.  Serve in the lettuce leaves with sliced avocados and shredded purple cabbage.

Sweet Potato Spears

2 bags of sweet potato spears from Trader Joe’s or 2-3 sweet potatoes cut like french fries

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne

black pepper to taste

sprinkle of sea salt

1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, whisk all spices together with the olive oil and then toss the sweet potato spears in the olive oil mixture until all the spears are coated.  Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and evenly spread the potato spears on the foil.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning the spears over half way through the cooking time. 

Enjoy!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Now that you have a glimpse into how truly boring my life is and how excited I get about the little things like really great salmon cakes, I will happily share the recipe with you. 

Salmon Cakes

3 cans of wild caught Alaskan Salmon

3 omega 3 enriched eggs

4 diced green onions

1 tbsp dried dill

1/2 tsp ground ginger

a few shakes of red pepper flakes

about 1 tsp fresh ground pepper

a pinch of sea salt

about 1/4 cup grape seed oil

3 tbsps of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Shredded green and purple cabbage

Drain the water from the canned salmon and dump into a large mixing bowl.  Add the eggs, green onions, dill, ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt and mix well.  In a large skillet heat the grape seed oil over medium to medium high heat – make sure there is more than enough to cover the bottom of the pan.  You’ll know the oil is hot enough when it crackles after flicking some water into the pan – but do not get the oil so hot that is smokes.  Form the salmon mixture one at a time into patties or “cakes” and place gently into the oil.  Fry for 3 minutes on each side.  IMPORTANT – do not mess with the patties once they are in the pan.  Let them go for the full 3 minutes before you touch them or flip them or they will stick or fall apart.  Serve the patties over a bed of the shredded green and purple cabbage with a lemon wedge and the ginger mayo.

Ginger Mayo

2 omega 3 enriched eggs

2 tbsps apple cider vinegar

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

2 cups grape seed oil

In a blender or food processor place all ingrediants except for the oil.  Cover and blend on low while you count to 5.  Continue to blend while you slowly add the grape seed oil.  Once all the oil is in continue to blend while you again count to 5.  Shut the blender or processor down at this point, and ta-da: home made ginger mayo for your best salmon cakes ever!! 

Enjoy!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Ok, on to food!!  Here are three easy chicken based recipes that can be made in abundance and packed to go so there are no excuses at lunch time…  I have also made the last salad recipe with canned salmon and it’s awesome this way as well!

Chicken Stir Fry over greens…

1 package already cooked chicken from Trader Joe’s or 3 -4 cooked and diced chicken breasts

1/2 package of sliced mushrooms

1 head of organic broccoli chopped

2 organic carrots sliced

2-3 green onions (i used 1 giant one from the farmers market…)

1/2 a bag of frozen onions and bell peppers from Trader Joe’s

1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts

1/4 -1/2 cup organic free range chicken broth

grape seed oil

crushed garlic, black pepper, sea salt, and dried basil to taste

2 bunches of greens to your liking (chard or kale is good…)

Chop up your greens and either steam or saute until tender, set aside.  In a large skillet, pour enough grapeseed oil in to cover the bottom and heat over medium.  Add frozen onions and bells until thawed and add broccoli and carrots.  Cook broccoli and carrots until crisply tender and then add remaining veggies, artichoke hearts and chicken.  Stir together until warm, add seasoning and chicken broth, stir and simmer for just a couple of minutes.  Serve over a bed of greens.  Make a double batch and pack in Tupperware for next day’s lunch!

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Salad

4 diced chicken breasts or whatever leftover chicken pieces you might have

1 jar sun dried tomatoes

1 diced apple

1/2 a bag of sliced almonds

1/2 a head of shredded green or purple cabbage

olive oil, black pepper, and white balsamic vinegar to taste

Mix all ingredients together.  When I make this I fill up a huge Tupperware and it’s ready in the fridge for school lunches and of course for me.  My two year old loves this salad…

Warm Chicken and Bacon Green Salad

1 chicken breast diced (or 1 can of wild salmon)

4 strips of cooked diced bacon

1/2 an apple diced

2 big handfuls of salad greens

olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper to taste.

Pretty easy and straight forward but if you take the time to warm up the chicken and then adding the warm bacon on top of the crisp greens and then all that lovely olive oil, it just tastes too good to be so easy.. 

Enjoy and No Excuses!!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]