Crispy Chicken Wings With Spicy Buffalo Sauce, Garlic Sauce and Orange Chicken Sauce (Paleo)

Happy National Chicken Wing Day! To celebrate, use my Crispy Chicken Wings recipe to bake your wings to perfection and add one of my favorite sauces to finish them off!

Crispy Chicken Wings

10 chicken wings
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place a metal drying rack on the baking sheet.

Combine ingredients in a plastic bag or mixing bowl and make sure that all the chicken is well coated with the mixture. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Take the wings out of the oven and raise the temperature to 425. Cook an additional 40-50 minutes in the oven.

Coat the wings in your favorite sauce and enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Sauce

2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon chili pepper
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons water

Make sure to thoroughly combine the ingredients (to disperse the cayenne pepper) in a large bowl. Coat your wings and serve.

Garlic Sauce

20 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

Completely de skin and peel the garlic, place into an oven safe container and add your olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in the oven, covered with aluminum foil, at 325 for about an hour or until the garlic is roasted and soft in texture.

Take out of the oven and mash up the garlic mixture with a fork. Add in the butter, combine with the wings and serve.

Orange Chicken Sauce

5 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon ground ginger powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
⅛ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon ground garlic powder
2-3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Mix the ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated. Toss the wings in the sauce bowl and serve.

Chicken wings are easy and so versatile. With endless flavors and even more dipping options, they can’t be beat.

Sweet Potato Sloppy Joe Sliders (Paleo)

Spice filled Sloppy Joes are so flavorful and easy to make. Swap the bun for baked sweet potato slices and enjoy my take on traditional Sloppy Joes.

Sweet Potato Slices

2-3 sweet potatoes, depending on the size
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt

Cut length wise and thin and place onto a cookie sheet. Add the olive oil and seasonings and make sure they are all well coated. Space the slices equal distance apart into the pan and bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes and make sure flip halfway through. Set to the side.

Sloppy Joes

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons water
1 pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ tablespoon yellow mustard
½ cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste.

In a sauce pan on medium heat, add olive oil and water and onions and peppers to the pan and cook about 10 minutes. Next, add the beef and cook until brown.

Mix the rest of the ingredients into the meat mixture and simmer about 20 minutes.

Sweet Potato Sloppy Joe Sliders

Take your sweet potato slices and top them with 1-2 tablespoons of meat mixture and enjoy!

Like this recipe? Check out my other books, and watch for more to come!

Want a paperback copy? Reply in the comments and I’ll send you one!

The Life I Live

Tip Of The Day Tuesday

Do you own an exercise ball? If not, you should!

Sit on your stability ball throughout the day (or as your desk chair) for better movement and to help strengthen your core!

Happy Tuesday!

The Life I Live

Challege Yourself With These 5 Activities For A Healthier Week

It’s almost Sunday night and with Monday looming around the corner, we are all readying ourselves for the coming week. What does your work week look like? Do you have your workouts planned? Or at least scheduled? Do you have any birthdays or social gatherings? And this is all just the start! With laundry, cooking, cleaning, getting ready for the day and the stuff of life, it’s already shaping up to be busy.

Choose one activity each day during the work week and by the time the weekend rolls around you will see how easy it was to make it a healthier week.

1. Drink 8 glasses of water

Heck, shoot for 10! Your body is made up of over 60% water, making hydration essential. It’s been said that once you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Combat dehydration with a cup each hour or so and reap the benefits of crisp clean agua.

2. Get in an extra workout

Stay active to stay healthy. Try to work out every other day or 3-4 days a week for maximum benefits. For this challenge, workout one extra day this week or choose a day to get in two workouts! A 30 minute walk or yoga session will easily fit into your week if you make it a priority.

3. Eat a green vegetable at each meal

Broccoli for breakfast? Why not! Green beans are great too. Green vegetables are packed with nutrients, help maintain a healthy weight and fill you up without extra calories. Ants on a log (celery with peanut/almond butter and raisins) are a good start to fitting in some extra roughage.

4. Have a glass of red wine

Red wine is full of antioxidants! These powerful vitamins fight infections and protect you against cancer-causing free radicals. A 5 oz glass of red wine is practically a guilt-free indulgence!

5. Stretch, do yoga or meditate

In all reality, you should do this daily. Make time to do some twists and turns before rolling out of bed or sit on the the floor for some stretching while watching a show. Yoga, stretching and meditation feel great and are great for you.

Take this challenge and make it happen. Push yourself to eat better, move more and make each week healthier than the week before.

Recipes

Emmy’s Fruit Salad

Summer heat calls for lots of hydrating fruit! This is my favorite combination of fruits and the addition of bananas is a great contrast to the berries.

Emmy’s Fruit Salad

1 banana, sliced
1 cup strawberries, cut in half or fourths, depending on their size
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon orange juice

Add all the fruit to a bowl and then the OJ. Carefully mix the ingredients and enjoy!

The Life I Live

Antioxidants for Anti-Aging

Antioxidants boost healthy skin with their wrinkle fighting power. They also combat dull skin and discoloration. For your best look, incorporate these antioxidant filled foods and drinks into your diet.

Blueberries

Blueberries are full of Vitamin C which is vital in the production of collagen and elastin. Firm up your skin with these delicious berries.

Red Wine

The antioxidant resveratrol is found in red wine. Resveratrol helps fight fine lines and wrinkles. 5 oz of red wine is a daily indulgence that is practically guilt-free!

Green Tea

Whether flavored or original, green tea is said to be one of the best antioxidant drinks there is. Green tea is packed with antioxidants called polyphenols that fight against free radicals (molecules that destroy healthy skin tissue.) 2-3 cups of green tea each day gives you 240 to 320 milligrams of polyphenols and will maximize your health benefits.

Coffee

This morning brew is full of antioxidants too. Drinking coffee increases blood circulation thus promoting healthy skin. Lotions or scrubs with coffee have benefits too such as protecting your skin against UV carcinogens (harsh rays from the sun) and qualities that repair skin tissue.

Along with beta carotene, Vitamins C and A are of the most powerful antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables are your ticket to getting these much needed vitamins into your system. Be sure to look for produce in purple, blue, red, yellow and orange hues to maximize the antioxidants you consume.

These are just a few choice favorites packed with antioxidant power. Dark chocolate, fresh thyme and avocados also work to combat wrinkles and smooth your skin. Consume all of these and more to promote and enhance the effects of antioxidants for anti-aging.

Nail Fun The Life I Live

6 Ways To Get Long Beautiful Natural Nails

Look at those nails! I’ve coveted naturally beautiful nails like these for the better part of my young adult life…but I couldn’t grow them. Deterrents like having a physical job or a college lifestyle may very well have attributed to their stunted growth at the time. However, my early 30’s have arrived and along with a healthy lifestyle, so have these beauts! Want a chance to grow your very own? Read On.

1. Take a Fish Oil Supplement

A fish oil supplement is one of the best things you can take on the daily. Benefits from fish oil are many and include things like increased energy and healthy skin. Nail growth is also at the forefront of benefits due to the Omega-3 fatty acids and the Vitamin D and A which all support nail growth.

2. Take a Multivitamin

For me, taking a multivitamin everyday is essential. Along with a healthy diet and exercise, a multivitamin is a great way to round out my habits. Make sure you choose one that is high-potency and best for your personal goals.

3. Eat Enough Protein

Protein is crucial to the growth and strength of your nails, skin, hair and even your eyes and muscles. After all, they are all made of protein! Eating enough protein helps repair and construct your nails. Amounts vary on an individualized basis but if you consume protein at each meal that is a great start to obtaining your protein needs.

4. Drink Enough Water

Our bodies are made up off more than 60% water and drinking lots of water is important to keeping nails and cuticles hydrated. Remember, if your body is dehydrated then your nails will be too!

5. Keep Them Trimmed

You love your nails long but be sure to trim them on the regular. Cutting and filing finger nails is the best defense against breakage

6. Keep Them Painted

Painted nails react strongly against the elements. Think about it, when you paint your nails (typical coverage and average nail polish) the color is usually gone within a week due to chipping and cracking. Nail polish provides a great barrier of protection for your nails and is fun too!

Length and strength can be had with proper diet and a little bit of TLC. Just like anything else, your nails will thrive and grow when you feed the body what it needs and fill up on water too.

The Life I Live

Try This Natural And Chemical Free Bathroom Scrub

My husband cleans out the tub and stand up shower, and I love him for it. Frankly, he is better suited for the job due to his height and that is just fine with me. Being a fan of natural products throughout the house, it is no wonder I was drawn to creating a natural scrub for the bathroom.

Vinegar can replace so many different chemicalized cleaning agents that it was a fast go to for me when deciding what to start with. I also added baking soda to the mixture for its whitening properties and ease of breaking up grease and soap scum (in this case).

This cleaner is great for the tub, toilet, sinks (including the kitchen) and you can even use it in the oven!

Vinegar And Baking Soda Scrub

1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda

Combine ingredients in a medium sized bowl, dip your brush into the bowl and scrub the entire surface. When you’re finished, spray down with water. Repeat as needed for desired level of cleanliness!

Tip: When you add the baking soda it fizzes intensely for a couple of seconds so use a large bowl.

Grab a good scrub brush and get to it!

We live in a rental and the tub has permanent marks on the bottom and will never be perfect- but look at that shine! Natural ingredients and a clean tub make me one happy (about to take a bubble bath) wife!!

Recipes

Red, White And Blueberry Pancakes

The 4th of July is my end all be all most favorite holiday around! Watching fireworks makes me feel all the feels. I love the all day anticipation of the show and cannot wait to partake this evening!

Before the festivities, drinks and fireworks, these pancakes are a must! Filled with red strawberries, white vanilla yogurt chips and blueberries, your breakfast can be as patriotic as the rest of your day.

Red, White and Blueberry Pancakes

2 overripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups blueberries and diced strawberries
2 eggs
1 scoop protein powder
2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt chips
1/4 baking powder

Mix the mashed bananas and eggs together first, followed by the protein powder and baking powder and combine the rest of the ingredients.

2 tablespoons oil (I like coconut) for the pan

Topping:

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
pinch of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon maple syrup

Combine in a separate bowl to spoon on top of the pancakes.

Heat two tablespoons oil to a pan to medium heat. Add pancake batter and cook for a couple minutes on each side. Top with syrup topping, slivered almonds and a few fresh blueberries to finish it off.

Enjoy and Happy 4th of July!

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Faith, Food, and Real Life

Month: July 2016

Crispy Chicken Wings With Spicy Buffalo Sauce, Garlic Sauce and Orange Chicken Sauce (Paleo)