15 Minute Chicken and Broccoli. (GF/DF)

All the flavors of the classic dish, but on the table in under 15 minutes!

This recipe is for all of you who are super busy but want a quick, easy meal on the table in 15 minutes at the end of the day.
Read: EVERYONE.
AmIright?!
I thought so.
So here’s the deal: with a tiny bit of alacrity, you definitely CAN have this recipe done in under 15 minutes start-to-finish.
Promise!

I’m slowly getting over my fear of making Asian-inspired dishes. This one was super simple and turned out really well, especially considering how quickly it all comes together. In order to get this done in 15 minutes or less, you’ll have to multi-task a little bit. But that’s okay, because you’re a kitchen rock star and can totally handle it.
Here’s how easy it is to do:
The chicken gets chopped up into bite sized pieces and cooks on medium-high heat. The higher heat will help it stay really moist and tender. Bonus: it also cooks faster! 5-6 minutes is probably all you’ll need to have it cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, you’ll whisk up your sauce.
Now, if you’re like me and want to have plenty of sauce to mix into the broccoli/rice, you’ll be happy to know I doubled the original amount.
There’s nothing worse than a dry dish, ya know? We can’t have any of that going on here.

Speaking of broccoli, you have some options as far as how you want to cook it:
#1) You can add it to the pan once the chicken is done cooking.
Pro: Same pan! No extra mess!
Con: It will take longer to cook and this will become a 20 minute dinner.
#2) You can steam them in a separate pot.
Pro: It can steam away while the chicken cooks. Yay multi-tasking!
Con: More clean up because of the extra pot.

Either way works, it just depends what your priority is: dinner on the table ASAP or as little clean up as possible.

For a complete meal, serve the chicken and broccoli over some rice (hello, 10-minute boil-in-bag rice!) and enjoy!

15 Minute Chicken and Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 1lb chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into cubes
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Broccoli florets

For the sauce:

• 6 Tbsp GF Tamari, soy sauce, or coconut aminos
• 4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 4 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp corn starch
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp sesame oil

1). Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.

2). While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.

3). If steaming broccoli in a separate pot, bring water to a boil and place in the steamer basket. Alternatively, you can add the broccoli to the pan with chicken and cover to cook for a few minutes.

4). Once the chicken is cooked through and the broccoli is crisp-tender, add the sauce mixture to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until it begins to thicken. Garnish with sesame seeds (optional), and serve over rice, if desired. Enjoy!

Servings: About 4. Recipe adapted from here.

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Lemon Herb Salmon Patties. (GF/DF, Paleo)

These stunning Lemon Herb Salmon Patties are incredibly filling and so healthy! Enjoy them in a sandwich, on a salad, or with your favorite vegetables!

I’m slightly obsessed with these Lemon Herb Salmon Patties.
They’re super filling and hearty, plus they’re so healthy! Lots of protein and Omega-3’s going on here. Love it.

If you’re guilty of getting in a salmon rut like I am sometimes, you’re going to love this simple and fresh dinner idea, especially because it’s quick enough to make on a weeknight.
Getting the patties together took maybe 5-7 minutes, and then it’s about a 4 minute cook time on each side. You could definitely have these on the table in less than 20 minutes!

For this recipe, you’re going to use the food processor to cut up the salmon so it will form burger patties.
Yup. Did you know you can grind up your own meat in the food processor?!
I use my food processor quite a bit, but I had never done this before. Please tell me I’m not the only one!
All you have to do is cut your salmon into chunks, put it in the food processor and pulse it for maaaybe 10-15 seconds. Once it’s ground up it’s ready to go!
This machine is magic, y’all. Is there anything it can’t do?? No? Okay then.

I served the salmon patties two ways–once on top of a salad and once along some roasted vegetables (yay brussel sprouts!!), but you could definitely turn these into a sandwich if you’d prefer. They’re really sturdy and won’t fall apart on you.

To keep this meal gluten and grain free, I used almond flour as a binder. The original recipe called for a cup of cooked quinoa, which would be great if you have leftover quinoa, but having to make it is an extra step (and pot!) I’d rather not deal with since almond flour worked well!

You may be wondering what that dollop is on top of the patties. We noticed they’re a tiiiiny bit on the dry side if you don’t have some sort of sauce on them. Tartar sauce would be a good option. My husband used a thick blue cheese dressing in a pinch, but then I made a homemade ranch-type of sauce which is what you see pictured here. I’ll include directions for that below in case you want to make it. It’s super easy, but it does require an immersion blender.

Lemon Herb Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

• 1lb raw salmon, skin removed
• 1 egg + 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 cup almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 red or yellow onion, finely diced (as tiny as possible!)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• juice of 1 lemon (If you only use 1/2, the lemon flavor doesn’t shine through)
• salt and pepper

1). In the bowl of a food processor, add the raw salmon and pulse until it’s evenly ground and starting to be sticky.

2). Combine all the remaining ingredients in a bowl and add the salmon. Mix to combine. Lightly score the mixture into 4 sections. Form the 4 pieces into burger patties.

3). Add a little bit of olive oil to the bottom of a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the salmon patties and cook for about 4 minutes per side. Remove when they’re cooked through and no longer pink. Enjoy!

Servings: 4. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 364 Carbs: 3g Fat: 23g Protein: 32g Fiber: 3g Points+: 9 Recipe adapted from here.

For the homemade ranch-style sauce:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup extra light (must be extra light!) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp lime juice (optional)
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste.
• Immersion blender

1). Important: You will need an immersion blender to do this. Place the egg, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt into a mason jar or container with tall sides. Put the immersion blender in the container so it’s resting at the very bottom, then turn it on. Let it blend like this for several seconds, then slowly and gently move it up so it blends all of the mixture. This should take less than a minute.

2). Once it’s blended through, add the remaining ingredients and stir together. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks! If you want to make it into a thinner dressing, add a tiny bit of water at a time and stir until you get the consistency you want.

Yield: about 1 1/4 cups. Serving size: 1 Tablespoon. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 101 Carbs: 0 Fat: 11g Protein: 0g Fiber: 0g Points+: 3 Recipe adapted from here.

20-Minute Paleo Burrito Bowls with Broccoli Slaw. (GF)

A healthier take on popular burrito bowls using a super easy to make veggie base! 

Okay, here’s the deal.
Most burrito bowls don’t have a lot of vegetables since the base is typically a generous serving of rice and beans.
To make these burrito bowls paleo/whole30 approved, I swapped them out!
And, I took a shortcut, which I don’t often do in the kitchen.
This simple swap makes this meal super convenient and easy, perfect for a weeknight meal.
Are you ready?

I used an onion, bell pepper, garlic, and…

…bag of broccoli slaw!

The end result is 110% delicious and you won’t even miss your former rice and bean base. Plus, it’s so so so fast and easy since all you have to do is open the bag and start cooking! Why have I not thought of this sooner?! I have a feeling I may be using this shortcut for other meal ideas, too.

The meat is really flavorful thanks to spices, a can of diced green chiles, and fresh cilantro. Spoon it over your veggie base and then add whatever toppings you’d like! My favorites? Salsa and guacamole. Yum!

One last thing–my husband put the slaw and meat in tortillas to eat as tacos instead of as a bowl, and he was a huge fan. So, that’s another option for you or your family members!

20-Minute Paleo Burrito Bowls with Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1 bag of broccoli slaw from the produce department
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced green chiles
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika, regular or smoked
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Toppings: salsa, guacamole, etc.

1). Pre-heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli slaw, onions, bell pepper, and garlic. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Sautee for 5-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2). Brown the ground beef in the skillet. Add diced tomatoes, green chiles, and spices. Stir to combine, adding a little water (I used about 1/3 cup) if necessary. Cook until most of the water has evaporated.

3). To assemble: layer the bowls with the sauteed vegetables on the bottom, then the meat sauce and toppings of choice. Enjoy!

Servings: 4. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 301 Carbs: 17g Fat: 15g Protein: 25g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 8g Points+: 8 Recipe adapted from here.

Honey Sesame Ginger Salmon. (GF/DF)

Put an Asian flare on your regular salmon dinner with this easy but flavorful Honey Sesame Ginger Salmon! 

My husband and I both love salmon, and it is definitely my go-to for a quick weeknight meal. It bakes in just 20 minutes, and it’s so good for you!
Unfortunately, even as a cooking blogger, I’m totally guilty of living in a salmon rut.
It goes something like this: salmon + a sprinkle of creole seasoning. Baked in the oven.
BOOM.
Done.
Dinner on the table in 20 minutes flat.

And honestly? It’s really good.
We love it.
And if you haven’t tried salmon like that, you should plan on it.
But, when I get a chance to catch my breath from our whirlwind daily schedules (summer please hurry!), I get inspired to experiment!

This honey sesame ginger salmon, though?
Amazing.
I’ve mentioned before how I usually steer clear from Asian-style dishes because I’ve had a few complete failures in the past, so I was a little bit hesitant to try this recipe.
One bite and my husband and I both looked at each other in disbelief. It’s that good.

You do need to plan ahead and let the salmon marinade for about 30 minutes, but you can work on prepping your side dishes during that time. (Or throw in a load of laundry…watch a re-run of Friends…waste time on Pinterest. You know, whatever.)

The rest of the recipe is pretty self-explanatory. A lot of the ingredients in the marinade also appear in the honey ginger glaze. You’ll add the glaze on top of the salmon after it finishes baking. You can see how the marinade caramelizes on the salmon, and the glaze just takes it up a notch!

One last note–there’s a teeeeeny bit of sriracha in the glaze, but overall this dish is not spicy! If you’re worried about it, feel free to omit that ingredient completely.

Honey Sesame Ginger Salmon

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

• 4 salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons GF tamari, or coconut aminos, or soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar or honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced

For the honey ginger glaze:

• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons GF tamari, or coconut aminos, or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

1). In a large bowl, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Add the salmon and allow it to marinade for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Turn the salmon occasionally.

2). Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Add the salmon, along with the marinade, to the dish and bake for about 20 minutes.

3). While the salmon is baking, in a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients. Serve salmon immediately with the honey glaze.

Servings: 4. Approximate nutritional information per serving: Calories: 395 Carbs: 20g Fat: 24g Protein: 14g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 16g Points+: 10 Recipe adapted from here. 

Stuffed Pepper Soup. (GF, DF, Paleo)

A deconstructed version of traditional stuffed bell peppers–all the flavors of the original dish, but in soup form!

I think I speak for, oh, half of the country when I say: brrrrrrr.

Snow, ice, and sub-zero wind chills? Pretty sure I’m going to turn into a human popsicle.
What better way to warm up than with this cozy bowl of stuffed pepper soup?
I grew up eating stuffed bell peppers (a lot), and I really love them.
But, did you know you can take all of the ingredients and flavors of stuffed peppers, and put them in a soup?

I was a little hesitant the first time I made this because I was skeptical that this soup could actually taste like traditional stuffed peppers. Thankfully, it did, and I’ve made it many, many times since!

In a way, the soup version is easier because you don’t have to actually stuff the peppers and bake them. Just let the soup do it’s thing, boil some rice seperately (if you want it), and it’s ready to go!

A note on the rice: traditional peppers have rice in them. Add it if you’d like, or don’t! If you are trying to keep it paleo-friendly, you’ll want to skip the rice.

Growing up, we always topped our stuffed peppers with sour cream, so you can do that if you’d like. Again, for dairy-free/paleo, skip the topping.

Make a big pot of this soup tonight and stay warm!!

Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean grass-fed ground beef (or turkey, if you’d prefer)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups reduced-sodium, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: cooked rice

1). Heat a large pot to medium-high heat. Brown the ground meat until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and add onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until softened.

2). Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram, and more salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.

3). Serve in bowls, over rice, if desired. Top with sour cream if you’d like!

Servings: 6. Serving size: 1 1/2 cups soup, 1/2 cup rice. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 261 Fat: 5g Carbs: 37.5g Fiber: 5g Protein: 17.6g Sugar: 6g Points+: 7 Recipe adapted from here. Adapted recipe courtesy of Audrey’s Apron.

30-Minute Shortcut Beef and Vegetable Ragu. (GF, DF, Paleo)

The most flavorful ragu ever! Perfect for a weeknight meal, and a great way to sneak in some veggies!

I had NO idea how amazing this meal was going to be when I made it.
So. Much. Flavor!!
My husband proclaimed it one of his favorite meals ever. So simple, but seriously amazing.

You know it’s a winner when you genuinely look forward to the leftovers, and this sauce reheats beautifully–it’s almost better the second day! You can serve it over pasta, gluten-free pasta, or spaghetti squash (my favorite!).

Speaking of which, click here to learn how to cook spaghetti squash!

Okay, so what makes this sauce so wonderful?

• From start to finish, you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes. Always a win, especially on busy weeknights. Thanks, food processor, for making this so quick and easy!
• Everyone loves spaghetti and meat sauce, right? Right. Gotta love dishes that will appeal to your entire family.
• The ingredients are simple. Humble, even. But, when they come together, they create a rich, cozy sauce. The key is using high quality beef (grass-fed), and marinara sauce.
• The “shortcut” in this shortcut ragu is the marinara sauce. It’s (gasp) store-bought. Normally I’m all about making everything from scratch, but sometimessssss life gets crazy and you need a quick meal. Find a high-quality marinara sauce and it will make this meat sauce taste like it has been simmering all day.
• My favorite –> Hidden veggies! In order to sneak some vegetables into the sauce, I threw them in the food processor first until they were chopped up teeny tiny. My husband hates mushrooms but didn’t even know he was eating them!

Hooray for adding nutrition and making a meal go further in a healthy, cost-effective way! I love it.

Quick tip: double this recipe and freeze it!

30-Minute Shortcut Beef and Vegetable Ragu

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass-fed ground beef (I used 90/10)
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped (I used a handful of baby carrots!)
• 1 rib of celery, roughly chopped
• 4oz sliced mushrooms
• 24 oz high quality tomato-basil marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• cooked pasta (regular or GF), or spaghetti squash
• salt and pepper

1). Heat a large skillet or pot over medium heat and add the ground beef. While it is beginning to brown, add the onion and garlic to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.

2). Add the carrot, celery, and mushrooms to the food processor. Pulse until minced. Add to the skillet and season with salt and pepper.

3). When the ground beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender, add the marinara sauce and chicken broth, stirring to combine. Reduce heat slightly and place a lid partially on top of the skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4). Stir in fresh basil. Taste and re-season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve over cooked pasta or spaghetti squash.

Servings of sauce: about 6. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 203 Carbs: 16g Fat: 7g Protein: 18g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 8g Points+: 5 Recipe adapted from here. 

Easy Paleo Almond Chicken Tenders. (GF)

These chicken tenders are coated in almond meal and baked for a healthy take on traditional chicken fingers!

Ever want a no-fuss dinner that you know everyone will love?
All the time, right?
Add this one to your weekly rotation.
Oh yes, I said weekly.
If you know me well, you know I RARELY cook anything twice, but I’ve already made this dish numerous times because it’s such a crowd-pleaser.

I mean, everyone loves chicken tenders, right?
Exactly.

Thankfully, these are much more heart-healthy than what you’d order in a restaurant or buy at the store because they’re breaded in almond meal instead of flour, and they’re baked, not fried.

Let’s be honest, usually when something is baked, that’s code for “not-as-good-as-fried”, but this chicken turns out perfectly cooked and amazing. Plus, it’s so much easier than frying since you just stick the whole pan in the oven at once and you’re done!

Before baking, I dipped the chicken in a beaten egg and then in a spicy almond meal mixture. A lot of fun spices come together here like cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. There’s a bit of heat from the pepper but it’s not overpowering.

I used Trader Joe’s almond meal for the breading. Depending on what brand you use, you may have different results. 1 cup of almond meal is perfect for 2 pounds of chicken. Your chicken should be perfectly cooked in about 25 minutes, making this a great weeknight meal option your whole family (even picky eaters) will love!

Easy Paleo Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper (use 1/2 tsp if you don’t want it spicy)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• cooking spray

1). Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a pan with foil for easy clean-up if desired, and spray with cooking spray.

2). Cut the chicken breasts into long strips about 1-2″ wide.

3). In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly.

4). In a larger bowl, combine the almond meal with all of the spices.

5). Dip each piece of chicken in the egg, letting the excess run off. Then dip into the almond meal mixture, coating well. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with leftover chicken. Tip: don’t overcrowd the pan! For crispy chicken tenders, there has to be space between them for the air to circulate. 

6). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Enjoy!

Servings: about 8. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 214 Carbs: 4g Fat: 11g Protein: 28g Fiber: 2g Points+: 6 Recipe adapted from here. Adapted recipe courtesy of Audrey’s Apron.

 

 

Gluten-Free Oat Waffles.

Easy, light and fluffy waffles made with oat flour that the whole family will love!

Happy Saturday!

Tell me: waffles or pancakes?

It seems like everyone has a preference.

Personally? A few years ago I would have said pancakes > waffles. I’m really not sure why, other than the fact we didn’t have a waffle maker growing up and my mom would make pancakes for a special breakfast. In fact, the only thing I wanted when I got home from months of studying abroad in college was pancakes!

Then I got married. My husband LOVES waffles. A very good friend of ours generously gave us a waffle maker over the summer, and waffles have been requested occasionally ever since. Usually I make him traditional waffles, but I was curious to try this gluten-free version a few months ago and it has never let me down! Now? Pancakes = waffles.

I love that this recipe is so simple. No crazy combination of flours here, just one: oat flour. You can make your own, which is what I did since I already had oats in the pantry, or you can purchase some. If you have oats and a food processor/blender, it’s super easy to make your own–just blend away!

An important note: make sure to account for the 10 minute of batter-resting time. I almost forgot this step once, but thankfully I realized it before I started pouring the batter in the waffle maker! It’s absolutely crucial to let the batter rest so the oat flour absorbs excess moisture.

Have fun with the toppings! You can’t go wrong with classic maple syrup (just be sure to get a high quality syrup if you go that route!), but I also love waffles with a small dollop of raspberry or strawberry preserves. My husband’s favorite is a spoonful of my crock pot apple butter, which adds a nice punch of warm spices. Then there’s always the savory route…chicken and waffles, anyone?

So, what are you waiting for? Go make a special breakfast for your family this weekend!

Gluten-Free Oat Waffles

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour (if making your own, you’ll need about 2 cups of oats blended together to yield 1 1/2 cups of oat flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup room-temperature milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
• 5 tablespoons of melted coconut oil or butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons room-temperature maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1). In a medium bowl, mix together the oat flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

2). In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, melted coconut oil/butter, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.

3). Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes to allow the oat flour to absorb excess moisture. Start preheating the waffle iron at this point.

4). Mix the batter once more then add it to the hot waffle iron. Once golden and cooked through, remove from the waffle iron then repeat with more batter. You can keep them in a 200F oven to keep them warm, if you’d wish, and they should also freeze beautifully. Enjoy!

Recipe yields about 5 square waffles (as pictured above). Serving size: 1 waffle. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 210 Carbs: 15g Fat: 15g Protein: 6g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 6g Points+: 6. Recipe originally from Cookie and Kate.

Chicken with Mustard and Prosciutto. (GF, DF)

An elegant French-inspired chicken dish easy enough to make on a weeknight, and show-stopping enough to serve to company!

See that?
That’s pure culinary enchantment, friends.  And a perfect Valentine’s Day dinner idea. Because French food is automatically romantic and inviting.

This is an adaptation on a French classic: tender chicken nestled into a savory mustard and herb sauce. With prosciutto. A very Italian ingredient. Sooo, this is really more of a French-Italian fusion dish, but the prosciutto is important–it’s salty character really brings out all the flavors of the dish. Don’t have proscuitto? No worries, use bacon or pancetta instead.

If you like the flavor of mustard, you will really enjoy this dish because it uses both a classic dijon and a grainy mustard. The chicken gets coated in it and it’s also used in the sauce. Don’t worry, it’s not overpowering at all, though!

Thyme is another main ingredient here. I don’t cook with thyme very often, mostly because I never have it on hand, and because the dried version is overbearing to my pallette. In this case, the fresh thyme blended beautifully in the sauce, so if you have any reservations about using thyme, leave those aside and try the recipe as-is. I think you’ll love it!

A few more important notes about this dish:

1. There are a few steps involved, but none of them are difficult, so don’t let the somewhat lengthy instructions below derail you from making this recipe. It’s a lot of “cook this in the pan, remove it, now add something else, remove it, now add it all back together”.
2. I used a mixture of both chicken breasts and boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can use what you want.
3. You will need a skillet with a lid for this dish.
4. Cooking nerd here, but one of my favorite steps in this recipe is deglazing the pan! It allows you to get all of the flavor off the bottom of the pan and into the sauce.
5. If you can tolerate dairy, add 2 tablespoons at the end right before serving for a creamier sauce. Honestly, I didn’t miss it and don’t think it needed it, but I’ll leave it up to you!
6. This dish is best served HOT and fresh!

Chicken with Mustard and Prosciutto

Ingredients:

For the chicken “marinade”:

• 2 lbs chicken (I used breasts and boneless, skinless thighs)
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (or sweet)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup diced prosciutto (or bacon, or pancetta)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 3/4 cup chicken broth (low-sodium)
• 2 Tbsp grainy mustard

1). In a large bowl, combine the chicken “marinade” ingredients well.  Add the chicken and coat evenly in the mixture. Set aside.

2). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced prosciutto, stirring frequently until it starts to crisp up and brown slightly. Remove from the skillet and put in an empty bowl.

3). In the same pan, add 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir until soft and translucent. Add the thyme and after a minute, remove from the skillet to the bowl with prosciutto.

4). To the same pan, add the other 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken for a few minutes until browned on one side, then flip and cook a few minutes more. Remove from the skillet onto an empty plate.

5). Time to deglaze the pan! Add the broth to the hot, empty pan and scrape all of the crispy brown bits off the bottom of the pan using a flat edged wooden spoon. Add the chicken, onions, and prosciutto back to the pan. Cover and cook on medium-low for 15 minutes. Be sure to turn the chicken a few times. Check to make sure it is cooked through before proceeding to step 6.

6). Remove the chicken from the pan to stir in the grainy mustard into the sauce. Add the chicken back to the pan, give it a few quick turns in the sauce, and serve!

Servings: 6. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 246 Carbs: 2g Fat: 11g Protein: 38g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 1g Points+: 7 Recipe adapted from here. Adapted recipe courtesy of Audrey’s Apron.

Paleo Italian Stuffed Peppers.

Perfect for a weeknight meal, these paleo stuffed peppers are easy and healthy!

It’s January! Everyone is looking to clean up their diets this time of year, and this is the perfect recipe to fit any new year’s resolution that is clean-eating related. This dish is paleo, Whole30 compliant, gluten-free, and overall delicious. You won’t even miss the rice that is traditionally included in stuffed peppers.

The real star of this show is the meat. So savory! So flavorful! It was absolutely perfect. There’s a hint of Italian fare from the basil, but it is not overpowering. I added lots of chopped spinach to get as many veggies in as possible.

Did I mention this recipe is super simple and easy? While the peppers are doing their initial bake, cook the meat and vegetables. Once the peppers are out of the oven, stuff them with the meat mixture. Then you can either put them back in the oven for a few minutes, or, if you don’t mind firmer peppers, eat them as-is. Also, if you don’t mind adding dairy, I think a sprinkle of parmesan cheese would be fabulous here! I’m already thinking of other ways I can use this meat mixture (tacos, perhaps?) because it’s soo good!

Paleo Italian Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers, cut in half
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1lb grass-fed ground beef (or turkey)
• 15 cherry tomatoes, chopped (or 1/2 can diced tomatoes, or 4 small tomatoes)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 2 cups baby spinach
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

1). Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Place the bell peppers, cut side down, in a large baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes.
2). While the peppers are baking, add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Season well with salt and pepper.
3). Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic to the pan. Cook for a few minutes and then add the basil and spinach. Cook until wilted. Add more salt and pepper, to taste.
4). Evenly distribute the meat mixture into each pepper half. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or eat!

Servings: 4. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 240 Carbs: 7g Fat: 15g Protein: 24g Sugar: 4g Fiber: 2g Points+: 7 Recipe adapted from here.