Creamy Chicken Zoodles

Ingredients:
-2 large zucchini spiralized
-4 cloves of garlic minced
-1 small yellow onion diced
-2 chicken breasts pounded thin and cut into small pieces
-1 cup greek yogurt
-1 ripe avocado
-1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes diced
-1/2 shredded Parmesan cheese
-EVOO
-house seasoning

First take a food processor and add the greek yogurt and avocado with a teaspoon of house seasoning and blend until smooth and creamy. You can add a squeeze of lemon to this as well if you like to brighten up the mixture. This will be the base of your sauce.

Next use a large frying pan and coat the bottom of the pan in a thin layer of EVOO. Place on a med-high stove top. Once the pan is hot add your chicken and sprinkle a little less then a teaspoon of house seasoning on top. Cook chicken until it just starts to turn brown all over, be sure to stir every minute or two so it doesn't stick, this should take 5 - 6 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and add your diced onion, turn your heat down to medium. Continue to cook the onion until it starts to become soft but not brown. Then add the sun dried tomatoes and return the chicken to the pan. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the sauce from earlier. You can leave this on low while you prepare the zoodles.

Now take another large frying pan or pot if you prefer and add about 1/4 cup of EVOO place on medium high temperature. Once the pan is nice and hot add the garlic, cook the garlic only for about a minute, you dont want it to turn brown. Then add the zoodles, toss in the pan to be sure everything is coated with the garlic and oil. Only cook for a couple of minutes, just until they start to become soft. Salt and pepper to taste.

Now is the fun part, plating everything together and eating it! You can toss the zoodles in the sauce or just put the sauce right on top like we did. Finish everything off with some Parmesan cheese and you're good to go. Enjoy!

xoxo,
gim

Turmeric Blueberry Muffins

OMGeeeeee..... is all I have to say about these muffins. Seeing as how I am not a baker at all (clearly this is Gigi typing)  I was very impressed with myself when these came out on my first go round. 

They are incredibly healthy, dense, sweet (although there is no sugar of any kind) and just really the perfect muffin. I found a recipe online but, like always, I did my own thing with it. 

Dry Ingredients: 

1 cup walnuts
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp turmeric powder
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of sea salt

Wet Ingredients:

2/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup EVOO
3 ripe bananas mashed
3 large eggs

A handful of blueberries

Granola for topping

Preheat oven to 400°F Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease the pan with oil or butter. 

Add walnuts and rolled oats to a food processor or blender and mix quickly into a coarse flour. Transfer to a large mixing bowl together with the rest of the dry ingredients. Add almond milk, oil, and bananas and mix until smooth, then transfer to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and beat for about a minute before adding them as well. 

Use a spatula to carefully fold everything until combined. Divide the batter into the muffin tins, drop a bunch of blueberries on top of each muffin and gently push them down a bit. Sprinkle the granola on top of the muffins. 

Bake for about 18-20 minutes. Best enjoyed still warm from the oven however, still amazing the next day... and the day after that!

To learn more about the health benefits of turmeric... head over to my health coaching website and watch my video... 5 Foods That Fight Chronic Inflammation. 

xoxo,
g

Grapefruit, Apple, Raspberry Juice

"Hey sis... If I buy all the ingredients will you make me my favorite juice?"

This is a regular question around our house as Gimmi loves this juice but hates using the juicer. So I juice it for her. She deserves it though, she's a pretty awesome sister and roommate!

While this juice is super yummy it is also filled with super healthy health benefits.

Grapefruit:
The powerful nutrient combination of fiber, potassium, lycopene, vitamin C and choline in grapefruit all help to maintain a health heart.

Raspberries:
Raspberries contain strong antioxidants such as Vitamin C, quercentin and gallic acid that fights against cancer, heart and circulatory disease and age-related decline.

Red Apples:
Apples are extremely rich in important antioxidants, flavonoids, and dietary fiber. The phytonutrients and antioxidants in apples may help reduce the risk of developing cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.

So as you can see, this juice is a power house of health! All you need to do is wash your raspberries, slice up your apples, and peel your grapefruit. Then juice away! This is a juice the kids will love too!

Happy Juicing!

xoxo,
g

Here is one of my favorite juices too! 

Creamy Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup (vegan)

Creamy Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup (vegan)

This is a great winter soup! Some of us are vegans and others have vegan friends, sometimes it can be hard accommodating their particular diet when they come over to dinner. If you make this, I guarantee that they will absolutely love it and they will love you for making it!

Ingredients:
-2 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
-10 carrots peeled and chopped
-1can coconut milk
-1 box vegetable stock
-1yellow onion finely minced
-4 cloves garlic finely minced
-House seasoning
-chopped green onions for garnish
-2 tbl spoons EVOO

In a large pot saute onions, garlic, and EVOO on a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they start to become translucent. Then add carrots and sweet potatoes. Season with house seasoning to taste, I used about a teaspoon. Mix to coat with onion mixture and seasoning. Then add the veggie stock. Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to medium/low and cover. Cook until all veggies are very tender, almost mushy, you don't want the vegetables to have any texture. Turn off heat. Use an emulsion blender to puree soup. Once you have an even texture (almost what you would imagine baby food to be like) add 1 can of coconut milk and use a spoon to stir it in until even incorporated. Garnish with green onions and enjoy.

xoxo,
gim

PB&J Pie

This recipe takes every kids favorite sandwich and turns it into an adult dessert!

Ingredients:
-1 store bought gram cracker pie crust
-1 pkg cream cheese left out to soften
-1 cup creamy peanut butter
-1 jar mixed berry jam
-1/2 cup sugar
-home made or store bought whipped cream
-2 eggs
-1teaspoon flour

Pre heat oven to 375. Mix softened cream cheese and peanut butter together using a mixer. Then and sugar and flour, continue to mix. Add eggs one at a time and continue to mix until everything is smooth and creamy. Take your jam and spread evenly on the bottom of your pie crust. Then pour peanut butter mixture on top of that. Bake for 30 minutes or until center is firm. Set out to cool completely. Then top with whipped cream and place in fridge for 2 hours to chill. Slice, serve and devour.

xoxo,
gim

Garlic Dill Pickles

Who loves a good and crunchy dill pickle? Well... the only thing better is a good and crunchy homemade garlic dill pickle. These babies are for sure a crowd pleaser. I brought a jar to work and they didn't last but an hour or two. 

If you love a good pickle. I highly recommend making your own. You won't regret it!

Ingredients:

2 quarts of water

1 cup white vinegar

½ cup sea salt

About 3 to 4 pounds of cucumbers - small pickling cukes are best

8 large heads of dill, or more if they are smaller

8 medium garlic cloves

about 20 black peppercorns

Instructions:

Bring your water, vinegar, and sea salt to a boil

While you wait, slice cucumbers into quarters long ways

Take the slices plus the dill, garlic, and peppercorns and place them into the jars

Once the liquid has come to a boil, poor it into the jars filling to the top (be careful as this is very hot)!

Seal the jars and leave on the counter for two days. The lids will seal as the temperature drops.

After the second day place in the refrigerator for two more days and then you are ready to enjoy your homemade pickles. 

They will keep for several months. 

xoxo,

g

Southern Chili

Happy Monday! Well, it has actually been a little cold in our neck of the woods the last few weeks. So we decided to cook up a big pot of chili to enjoy and boy did we enjoy it. I think this is the best chili I have ever made. I hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients
-2yellow onion
-2 tbsp EVOO
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-1lb ground turkey
-1lb ground beef
-1 green bell pepper
-4 roma tomatoes
-2 jalapeños
-2 cans red kidney beans (rinsed)
-2 cans corn
-3 cups chicken stock
-2 cans tomato sauce
-2 tbsp Chili powder
-1 tbsp Garlic Salt
-Pepper to taste

Directions
Dice onion and garlic, sauté in a large soup pot until translucent
Increase heat to medium high and add in ground meats, cook until browned
Add diced jalapeno, green onion, and jalapeños, sauté for 1 minute
Add chicken stock and tomato sauce
Add in remaining ingredients and stir
Simmer over medium heat for 40 min, the chili will thicken
Turn heat off and let rest for 5 minutes
Top with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green pepper :: Other amazing toppings are green onion and avocado.

xoxo,
g

ps... How cute is Gimmi in that picture? I honestly have the best sister.