SLOW-COOKED BEEF WITH RED WINE

Ingredients:
8 small new potatoes (or 4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
4 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
3.5 lb boneless beef blade roast, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, cut into wedges
4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup red wine
1.5 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups canned diced tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh thympe
Salt & pepper


Place the potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat in the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the slow cooker.

In the same skillet over medium heat, brown the onions and garlic. Add oil if necessary. Dust with flour and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil while stirring. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and add the broth, tomatoes and thyme.

Cover and cook until the meat is fork tender, about 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. 

Remove thyme, adjust seasoning if desired.

*You can also cook this dish in an oven preheated to 150 degrees. Cook for 4 to 5 hours.

chicken breast and sautéed mushroom skillet

This was so yummy and so easy to make!!

Yield: 1 Green, 2 yellow, 1 Blue for 1/4 skillet

Ingredients:
1½ tsp. olive oil, divided use
4 (4-oz) raw chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
4 medium shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 Tbsp. dried rosemary)
2 Tbsp. dry sherry (optional)
½ cup  low-sodium organic chicken broth
Sea salt (or Himalayan salt) and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)

Heat 1 tsp. oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat.

Add chicken; cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Keep warm.

Heat remaining ½ tsp. oil over medium-high heat.

Add shallots; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, on until translucent.

Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.

Add mushrooms and rosemary; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until mushrooms release all their liquid.

Add sherry (if desired) and broth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Add chicken; cook for 5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Place a chicken breast on each of four serving plates. Top with mushroom mixture.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken with Apricots, Olives and Almonds

This was yummy but not a super easy crock pot meal, as I had to take it out after 2 hours...easy if you work from home :) 

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup green olives
1/2 cup dried Turkish apricots
1/3 cup sliced almonds

In a large bowl, toss the chicken thighs with the onion, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken and onions to a slow cooker. Add the bay leaf and chicken broth, cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Stir in the chickpeas, olives and apricots, cover and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through and the apricots are plump, about 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf and season the juices with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate and toast for about 7 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden.

Spoon the chicken and juices into shallow bowls, sprinkle with the toasted almonds and serve.

SESAME ORANGE CHICKEN AND SAUTEED BROCCOLI

Ingredients:
4-6 Chicken Breasts
1/3 cup Coconut Aminos (soy free “soy” sauce) or low sodium Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Honey
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed OJ
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp sesame oil or healthy oil
2 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp sea salt
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp cracked pepper
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 Tbsp healthy oil (coconut, avocado, Extra Virgin olive)
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Place chicken on the bottom of your crockpot, place remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Pour over chicken.

Cook the chicken on low for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken from sauce. Place chicken in bowl and shred with 2 forks. 

Remove ¾ of the sauce and transfer to a small pan. Put shredded chicken back in crockpot with remainder for sauce and turn crockpot off. 

Simmer sauce in small plan for 20 minutes until it reduces.

As sauce in simmering, heat oil in sauté pan. Place 2 cups of chopped broccoli in pan. Stir and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Serve together over brown rice, sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!

Lemon Zucchini Pasta with Roasted Artichokes

Yields 3

Ingredients

For the artichokes:
1 (13.75) can halved artichokes, drained, patted thoroughly dry
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For the pasta:
3 medium zucchinis
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
pepper, to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the artichokes, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Lay the artichokes out on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through or until browned.

While the artichokes bake, spiralize the zucchini and mince the garlic. Set aside.

Ten minutes before the artichokes are done, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil and once heated, add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and let cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add in the zucchini noodles, season with pepper and toss until cooked, about 5 minutes. 

When done, add in the cooked artichokes, lemon and parmesan cheese and remove from heat, tossing constantly to coat the noodles in the parmesan sauce.

Divide onto plates and serve.

Chicken Fajita Roll Ups

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

For the Marinade:
2 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of half a lime
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
For the Chicken:
3 chicken breasts or 6 thin sliced chicken cutlets ¼-inch thick
½ red bell pepper, sliced
½ yellow bell pepper, sliced
½ green bell pepper, sliced

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne (if using) and cilantro. Set aside.

For the chicken breasts, if you purchased pre-sliced chicken cutlets then skip to the next step. If using chicken breasts, slice them longways into 2 even slices and firmly pound the chicken using the smooth side of a meat tenderizer to an even thickness of about ¼ inch.

Place chicken cutlets into a large resealable freezer bag and pour marinade over top, making sure they are completely coated. Allow chicken to marinate for a minimum of one hour to overnight.

Once chicken has marinated, evenly place 6 bell pepper slices in the middle of the chicken cutlet, roll up and secure with a toothpick. Repeat this step until all the cutlets have been rolled up and place seam side down in a prepared baking dish.

Brush tops of chicken with remaining marinade and bake, uncovered, at 375 for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the juices run clear. Serve and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serving Size: 2 chicken roll-ups • Calories: 255 • Fat: 12.7 g • Saturated Fat: 1.9 g • Carbs: 10.9 g • Fiber: 1.4 g • Protein: 27.6 g • Sugars: 2.9 g • WW Points+: 7 • Smart Points: 6

Healthy Stuffed Shells

Um wow -- how is this clean eating?!  Even our kiddos inhaled the food!!

Serves 6: 1 serving = 4 shells (1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green ,1 blue)  457 calories

Ingredients:
1 box jumbo shells
3 teaspoons oil
1lb ground turkey
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 package frozen spinach, defrosted, liquid squeezed out
2 eggs
3 cups pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook shells for 9 minutes, drain and set aside.

While shells are cooking heat oil in skillet over medium heat

Saute garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant.  Add ground turkey tyo skillet and brown, breaking up with salt and pepper.

While turkey browns, mix ricotta, spinach, and eggs in a mixing bowl.

Once turkey is browned, set aside to cool.  Add cooled turkey and garlic to ricotta mixture and mix well.

Pour 1 cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish

Stuff 24 shells with about 2 tablespoons of ricotta turkey mixture and place in  prepared baking dish.

Pour remaining 2 cups of pasta sauce over shells and stop with mozzarella cheese.

 Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes (1 hour if frozen), remove foil and bake for additional 10 minutes.