Jalapeno Popper Chicken

HAPPY FOODIE FRIDAY!!

Do you love zesty?? In our house we sure do =) Not going to lie though this dish just has seriously good flavor it isn't too spicy at all! I make this one at least twice a week and with summer upon us and our jalapeno plants producing like crazy...it's perfect timing.  If you can't find or don't have fresh jalapenos handy jarred pickled jalapenos will work just fine.  I use turkey bacon for ours but if you feel like walking on the wild side regular pork bacon is DELISH too! I'm not sure of the conversions for pork bacon but since you're not using a lot for the recipe I can't imagine it would be too different.  Seeing as you use a chicken breast for the recipe there is a little wiggle room for the exact measurements... from what I've found about 5oz equals a red serving.  So the chicken and the bacon account for your red container and the blue is your tasty cream cheese.  This recipe will made 2 servings.

Ingredients

2  5oz Chicken Breasts

4 Tbsp Cream Cheese Softened

1/2 Jalapeno Diced

3 Slices Cooked Bacon (Turkey or Pork)

Sea Salt and Black Pepper for Seasoning

Nonstick Cooking Spray

Directions

Preheat a saute pan to medium heat.  Mix together your cooked bacon, cream cheese and jalapenos in a small bowl.  Cut a 1" slit into each chicken breast and fan your knife in the opening to create a pocket to stuff with your filling.  Split your cream cheese mixture in half and stuff both of your chicken breasts with the filling.  Secure openings using wooden toothpicks.  Spray pan with nonstick spray and season the top of your chicken with sea salt and black pepper.  Place chicken top side down into pan and allow it to sear, season the side that's face up with sea salt and black pepper as well.  Flip chicken after 6 minutes, reduce heat to low and cover pan with a lid.  Cook chicken for an additional 10 minutes (at this point you're basically steaming the chicken).  Check the chicken to make sure that it's cook through. Remove from heat and enjoy! Cheers Friends =)

Kale Chips

I've been seeing these little guys pop up all over the place and I have been so hesitant about them!  Haha it's hard to say why but regardless I decided to bite the bullet and give them a go.  You should too these are so freaking yummy and slightly addictive!  The one thing I dislike is that they shrink up while cooking soooo they're gone faster than I'd like!!  Anywho give them a try and let me know what you think =)  I like to buy my kale pre-washed and trimmed otherwise it takes forever and a day to make them.  So get ready because these are super easy, healthy and DELISH!!  If you're a 21 Day Fix follower this recipe will equal 2 greens and 1 spoon...enjoy my friends!

Ingredients
2 Cups Kale (rinsed and dried)
Sea Salt
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim the kale leaves away from the stiff stems...keep the leaves toss the stems. Toss leaves in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil.  As you take each leaf out to place on parchment paper give it a little rub to make sure it's coated with olive oil.  Once your leaves are laid out sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 15 minutes and then eat up! =)

Chicken Chili

Chili Season is HERE!!  And this recipe did not disappoint :)  You might notice that my next few blog entries will be geared in a slightly different direction...I will be staying true to the clean eating lifestyle as well as trying to make my recipes as 21 Day Fix friendly as possible.  BUT now they will also be gluten free, dairy free, and egg free...LOL I know kill me now right?!  Fear not there is a reason to my madness.

Lately I've just been feeling off.  Seriously feeling it.  In my stomach, head, joints, skin...pretty much everywhere.  So I decided to take a leap of faith and try what is basically an elimination diet!!!  Although for this food experiment I really dislike using the term diet.  The goal of this process is not to lose weight (although if it happens I'll gladly take it!) it is to discover food sensitivities.  I will be cutting out gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, processed meats, added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and corn for the next 3 weeks.  After the 3 weeks has passed I will slowly reintroduce each food one at a time and see how I feel.  While I might not be allergic to these foods I do believe there will be a few that my body performs best without.

So here is my first recipe that follows this new mind set :) I give you my very delicious Chicken Chili!!  If you are unfamiliar with arrowroot powder it is a great thickener in place of corn starch...it can also be replaced with potato starch.  I like tossing some avocado slices on top and a couple dashes of hot sauce never hurt either.  Next time I think I'll chop up some fresh green onions to garnish it with as well.

Ingredients

3 Chicken Breasts

6 Large Mushrooms, sliced

4 Celery Stalks, halved and sliced

1 Small Yellow Onion, diced

1 Zucchini, chopped into dime size bits

2 Cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

2 Cups Vegetable Broth, low sodium

2 Cups Water

1 Cup Coconut Milk, full fat

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder

1 Tsp Dried Oregano

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1Tbsp Chili Powder

1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

*Avocado Slices Optional*

*Chopped Green Onions Optional*

Directions

Set your slow cooker to high and pour in your olive oil, onions and celery stir to coat the veggies with the oil and then cover with lid.  In a large pan heat your coconut oil over medium to med/high heat.  Once it is up to temp add in your chicken breasts and cook each side for about 2-3 minutes.  We're not trying to cook the chicken all the way through just get a nice light sear on each side :)  Check on your onions and celery and stir mixture, once your onions have softened a bit add in your beans, mushrooms, zucchini, oregano, garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper flakes, vegetable broth and water.  Stir everything to combine.  Submerge your whole chicken breasts into the mixture, cover with lid and let it cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7 hours.  When your cooking time is up use tongs to remove chicken to a plate and shred up the meat.  I use 2 forks pulling in opposites directions and after having been in the slow cooker that long it basically falls apart!  Return the shredded chicken to the mixture.  Spoon out about 1/4 cup of the liquid into a small bowl and whisk in your arrowroot powder to dissolve it, then pour mixture back into the slow cooker and stir well to combine.  Stir in your coconut milk cover and let mixture cook on high for about 20 minutes, to allow it to thicken up a bit.  Serve with avocado slices or chopped green onions :) ENJOY!!

Greek Chicken

Chicken is soooo freaking versatile which makes it a popular item in our house. This Greek chicken is great for pastas, sandwiches, salads, chicken gyros or even all on it's own.  It has tons of flavor and is super simple to make.  Give it a shot and see what you think :) Also stay tuned for my Chicken Gyro recipe coming soon!! Serving size for this is 3/4 of a cup and for the 21 Day Fix counts as 1 red and 1 spoon.⭐️Ingredients⭐️
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
2 Garlic Cloves Pressed (if you don't have a press minced will work)
1 Small Shallot finely diced
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Dill
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
4 Chicken Breasts (organic if possible)

⭐️Directions⭐️
In a large ziplock bag combine all of your ingredients. Shake things all around until your chicken is well coated with the spices. If you have time let it marinate for about 4 hours. Also I can't stand thick chicken so I use a meat tenderizer and get it pretty thin if you don't mind thick chicken you can skip that part heat your pan on med/high.  Once it's up to temp spray it with a non stick cooking spray and toss on your chicken. I cook mine 7 minutes per side if your chicken is thicker you'll have to cook it longer until its internal temp is 165...theeeeeeen You're Done!! ENJOY!