Tag: homemade

Dairy Free Gluten Free Meats Recipes The Life I Live vegetables

Salsa Chicken

Being on the road is pretty great, but there are some things that I miss. A crock-pot is one of them. Whenever I have access to one, you better believe I’m pulling that thing out, coming up with a meal, and trying something new.

I ate this salsa chicken over rice and added a little bit of white cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt. It was delicious. I also ate it plain today for lunch and it was salsa chickengreat on its own as well. Plus, it’s easy and quick, and who doesn’t need more of that this season?

Crock-Pot Salsa Chicken

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 cups mild salsa
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Simply add everything to a crock-pot and cook for 3 hours on high. Remove and shred chicken. Add chicken back in and stir to incorporate.

Like this recipe? Go HERE to check out my books!

Gluten Free Recipes The Life I Live

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

What is your favorite Hamburger Helper boxed dinner from back in the day? Apparently, I’m not the only one who LOVES the Chicken Enchilada Chicken Helper. So after I made my own version, I stuffed the mixture into peppers, and called it a win.

This recipe has a lot of ingredients but it’s easy enough to throw together and the taste is just like back in the day, but homemade and (mostly) healthy!

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oilChicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 peppers, heads cut off and deseeded

Cover the peppers in oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes.

Chicken Enchilada Mixture

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • the tops of the peppers, diced
  • 2 chicken breasts, diced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 3/4 cup cheddar cheese

In a skillet, add the avocado oil, onions, and peppers. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until white and beginning to brown. Add the tomato paste, honey, and spices, and stir. Add in the chicken stock, half and half, and Greek yogurt and cook for two minutes. Add in the rice and stir, and lastly, add in the cheese. Let everything simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Scoop the mixture into the peppers and enjoy. (You will have extra chicken enchilada to eat, too.)

Like this recipe? Go HERE to check out my books!

 

 

Dairy Free Gluten Free Meats Paleo Recipes The Life I Live vegetables

Honey Chicken Chinese Dinner

I love homemade Chinese food. It’s easy and quick to pull together and healthier and more fulfilling than take out. Plus, if you don’t have good Chinese near you (we def don’t,) than not only is this the best option, but the only option.

But, honestly, this recipe is so good. I made it, I ate it and it was awesome. Nick thought so, too, and so will you. Enjoy!

Honey Chicken

  • 2 chicken breasts, cut up into 1 inch piecesIMG_20180216_142624
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil for frying
  • 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1 cup matchstick carrots
  • 1 scallion, chopped (to sprinkle at the end of cooking)
  • sesame seeds (optional)

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon tapioca flour

In a medium-sized bowl, mix your chopped chicken, 2 tablespoons tapioca starch and a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat a medium skillet on medium heat with the avocado oil and add the chicken to the pan. Cook about 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is browned and cooked through. Add the carrots and cook an additional 2 minutes.

In a separate pan, add the sauce ingredients together and whisk to combine. Add the sauce to the chicken and carrots and let cook about five minutes or until the sauce thickens a bit. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. 

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!

 

Dairy Free Gluten Free Paleo Recipes The Life I Live Vegan

Homemade Western Dressing

If you know me, you know I love soup and salad. You also know I stay away from gluten and I don’t like soy. You know what else I don’t like? Store salad dressings. So, what to do?

Of course, I want to make my own. Like everything else, I figure, why not make a dressing exactly how I love it and also homemade and healthy. (Which is so different from the stuff you buy at the store!)

Also because, as a Midwest girl living on the east coast, with a BFF that lives on the west coast, I can tell you it is very hard to find the delicious, rich western dressing that I grew up loving. But, alas, you don’t have to look for it any longer because now you can make it. It’s so easy, so good and takes only a couple of minutes.

Homemade Western DressingIMG_20180223_084656

  • 2/3 cup organic ketchup
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 tsp coconut aminos
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Pinch pepper

Just mix everything together and chill.

The taste is spot on, and there’s no soy, no high fructose corn syrup and no chemicals! If you like western, this will be your new fave. I hope you love it as much as I do.

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

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Dairy Free fruits Gluten Free Paleo Recipes The Life I Live Vegan

Homemade Sugar-Free Blueberry Coconut Syrup

Everyone has that favorite fruit they love to put on everything. What’s yours? For Nick, it’s blueberries. Fresh, dried or warmed, he loves them.

This syrup is so yummy, I truly had no idea how amazing it would turn out. And, because the recipe calls for frozen blueberries, this topping can be made year around.

I love that it would be so good on almost anything from pancakes to ice cream. Enjoy!

Homemade Sugar-Free Blueberry Coconut Syrupblueberry sauce

  • 1 cup blueberries, frozen
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1/3 cup coconut shavings
  • 1/3 cup honey

Use a small saucepan on medium heat and add all the ingredients. Heat until the blueberries are warmed and serve immediately.

Like this recipe? Check out my books=)

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

Dairy Free Gluten Free Recipes The Life I Live Vegan

Gluten-Free Honey Maple BBQ Sauce

My favorite burger is topped with bacon, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and BBQ sauce. Yum, my mouth is nearly watering just thinking about it.

But you know what I don’t love? All the preservatives, chemicals, and additive extras found in conventional condiments these days. Sigh.

So, being me, I make my own! Not only do homemade condiments taste better because they’re fresh, but they are also full of goodness and nutrition!

This recipe for my Honey Maple BBQ Sauce can be made and eaten in the same day. And better yet, if you store it in a large mason jar, it will be ready to grab from the fridge for use any day!

Honey Maple BBQ Sauce

  • 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
  • 1/2 can tomato paste (3 ounces)garlic
  • 1/8 cup molasses
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Combine in a sauce pan over medium low heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

This sauce is a hit with a little bit of heat and a little bit of sweet! Let me know what you think and enjoy!

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

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Gluten Free Meats Paleo Recipes The Life I Live vegetables

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti Dinner

Have you ever had spaghetti squash? I love how easy it is and how great it absorbs sauces. Spaghetti sauce compliments spaghetti squash both because of the similar look but also because of the similar “feel.”

The best part is you can harvest them now, in the Fall, and they can last a month or more, and into the winter. (Keep at room temperature.)

How to Make Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

IMG_20171015_141249
Whole spaghetti squash
  • 1 spaghetti squash
  • 1/4 inch water (for the bottom of the glass dish)

1. First step, slice the spaghetti squash the long way.
IMG_20171015_141320

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_20171015_141624

 

2. Much like other squash, scoop out the insides.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

IMG_20171015_141655 (1)

4. Remove from the oven and grab a fork. Scrap at the sides until you get the “spaghetti” out.

IMG_20171015_145832

That’s it! Top with spaghetti sauce, garlic and oil, pesto or whatever you like!

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!

Dairy Free Gluten Free Paleo Recipes The Life I Live Vegan

Homemade “Everything” Seasoning

I have something to tell you and you’re not gonna like it. We’re not allowed to have a grill at our place. I mean, there are grills we can use on the property, but we don’t get there very often and it’s really just not the same.

But, don’t think that keeps me from making burgers, no way! Skillet burgers (almost always with bacon for us) are quick and easy to make. This everything seasoning is perfect for these burgers.

Not only is it good for burgers, it’s also great as an all-purpose seasoning and I especially love it in hamburger dishes.

Homemade “Everything” SeasoningIMG_20171016_103150

  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 1 tablespoon course black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon coarse red pepper
  • 1 tablespoon coarse garlic
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Combine everything and store in a sealed container.

Tip: For meats, use 1 tablespoon per pound of meat.

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!

Dairy Free Paleo Recipes

From Salad Wraps to Spinach Bites: Sunday Dinner

I love Sundays. Usually my husband golfs, and I go to the gym, and church. We’re both home about 2pm or so, and ravenous.  Today, I wanted orange chicken in lettuce wraps but I didn’t have any romaine. So spinach bites were born!

The recipe is easy and quick, and tastes so good. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top to finish off the Chinese look.

Orange Chicken

  • 1 tablespoon olive oilIMG_20170723_133338
  • 4 chicken thighs, diced
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 3 heaping tablespoons honey
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ⅛ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon ground garlic powder

Place diced chicken and olive oil  in a medium-sized skillet pan and heat on medium until white and fully cooked, or about 10 minutes.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated and add to the pan. Cook about 20 minutes on medium until the sauce has thickened. Use romaine to make lettuce wraps or spinach leaves like I did, for Spinach Bites, and enjoy!

Do you like this recipe? Here’s the cookbook it’s from!

These cookbooks are yummy too! Check them out=)

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

Happy Sunday!

The Life I Live

My Newest Book is Out and Free to View Tomorrow (June 23rd) and All Weekend!

Here it is, my second book!

Everything’s Better With Soup and Salad is so perfect for this season. I have always loved soup and salad for meals and this collection is too good.

It’s also gluten free, full of vegetables, and full of flavor. Everyone needs more vegetables in their lives and these recipes are so good, you’ll forget how healthy they are.

Everything’s Better with Soup and Salad is FREE to readers all day tomorrow, June 23rd, 24th, and 25th 2017. Here’s the link:

Thanks for supporting my site. Enjoy these favorites from the book below and check out my the free promo in the coming days!

Chopped French Onion Soupimg_20161202_184156

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 small onions, chopped
  • 8 cloves roasted garlic
  • 30-40 oz beef stock
  • 2 teaspoons thyme
  • 2 tablespoons Dry Sherry

In a medium to large stock pot, add butter, olive oil and chopped onions to the pan on medium high heat. You want to caramelize them, so stir often and heat until they began to turn brown or about 20 minutes. Add the roasted garlic, 30-40 ounces of beef stock, the thyme and sherry. Cook an additional 20 minutes on medium.

For restaurant style soup, break up pieces of bread onto the top of the soup along with 2 tablespoons of Italian cheeses (Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina, Romano) and broil on high until the cheese begins to brown and is bubbling. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Saladbuff chick

  • 1 cup salad, chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • ½ cucumber, chopped
  • 1 hardboiled egg, quartered
  • 1 cup chicken, cooked and sliced
  • ½ cup onion, chopped, cooked, and cooled

Enjoy with Garlic Blue Cheese Dressing

For buffalo chicken, cook the chicken in this sauce:

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

Make sure to check out my book and enjoy all the recipes! XOXO

Want my first book too? Here it is: