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Stuffed Chicken Breasts In A Lemon Garlic Wine Sauce

Transitioning from winter to spring in Colorado is always an adventure.  The days will be warm and sunny but the early mornings and evenings are still pretty chilly.  Sometimes we’ll have the occasional snow storm to keep us on our toes.  I wanted to create a meal that was light and fitting for spring but still hearty enough to stand up to those random snow days.

I decided on cream cheese stuffed chicken breasts and made a lovely sauce to go on top using 2014 Cultivar Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.  The dish came out beautifully!

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with a Lemon Garlic Sauce

Andrea’s Stuffed Chicken Breasts In A Lemon Garlic Wine Sauce

  • 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 4 oz Herb/Chive Cream Cheese (I used Kite Hill Almond Milk Cream Cheese)
  • 1/2 TBSP Garlic Blend Seasoning* (See note at bottom)
  • 1 TBSP Light Olive Oil or Melted Ghee
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
  • Zest of 1 Small Lemon
  • 1 TBSP Ghee or Butter
  • 2 TBSP Chopped Parsley
  • 1/2 C White Wine
  • Juice of 1/2 a Small Lemon
  • Toothpicks

Preheat oven to 4oo degrees.  Add in 1 TBSP of oil or Melted Ghee to a oven proof skillet, set aside.

Pound out the chicken breasts until they are about 1/2 – 1/4 inch thin. Thin enough to be able to roll them but not so thin that they fall apart.

Sprinkle some of the garlic seasoning blend on each side of the chicken breasts.  Divide the cream cheese into half ( 2 oz portions) and spread 2 oz on one of the chicken breasts.  Roll up the chicken and secure with toothpicks.  Repeat with the other chicken.

Place the stuffed chicken breasts in the skillet and place in the oven.  Cook for about 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through.  Remove the skillet from the oven and place the chicken on plates allowing to rest as you make the sauce.

In the same skillet that you used to cook the chicken, heat over medium heat and add in the ghee or butter.  Then add in the parsley, garlic, and lemon zest.  Stir and cook for 1 minute, then add in the wine.  Allow to simmer for three minutes and then add in the lemon juice.  Cook for an additional minute and then pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

This makes a good bit of sauce so there will be extra for serving!

* I used Flavor God’s Garlic Lover’s seasoning but you can use any garlic blend you like.  Or you can season simply with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Pan sauces with meats is one of my favorite combinations so I tend to make a good bit of sauce because I like having extra for dipping or drizzling on some greens or broccoli.

The 2014 Cultivar Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc  brought this dish to life. The clean crispness of the wine lightened the decadent cream cheese while the bright citrus notes complimented the lemon and made this dish pop.

This chicken is perfect for those early spring days when it’s starting to be light out longer but the evenings remind us that winter is still there in the background.

If you’d like to try Cultivar Wine , they are offering a special promotion to my readers. Use the code CultivarWineFoodEmbrace when you order and you’ll receive 10 percent off your purchase.

Disclosure: I’m required to disclose a sponsored partnership between our site, Food Embrace, and Cultivar Wine. I have been compensated in exchange for this post in the form of product. All opinions presented are my own. I receive wine from Cultivar Wine as a member of the Cultivar Wine Bloggers group.

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Smoked Salmon and Blue Cheese Ball

This smoked salmon and blue cheese ball is full of bold flavors and pairs perfectly with the 2013 Cultivar Oak Knoll Chardonnay that I received as part of their Cultivar Wine Bloggers.

Smoked Salmon and Blue Cheese Ball

 

During the holidays when I was a kid, one of the things that I looked forward to the most was the cheese ball and salmon ball that my mom made as part of the holiday table.  We only had it once a year and it was glorious.  I liked the cheese ball a lot but the salmon ball was my jam.  It was the only time I enjoyed eating salmon (I’m a grown adult now so things have clearly changed) and I lived for that salmon ball.

My mom was a proper 1960s-70s housewife so of course we had cheese ball when entertaining.  Sometimes jello molds as well but we don’t talk about those.

The cheese ball has died away and I’m not sure why.  Oh sure you may see some store bought concoction with it’s bright orange color and dotted with almonds sitting all alone on a table at a random gathering, but a cheese ball that someone made that’s actually delicious is no where to be found.

I decided to change that this year and created a dressed up version of the salmon ball my mom used to make.  This makes a lot which is perfect if you’re hosting a party or bringing a dish to one.  You can easily cut this recipe in half to create a smaller ball for smaller gatherings.

I used smoked salmon and blue cheese and paired this with 2013 Cultivar Wine Oak Knoll Chardonnay.  The butteriness of this wine balances out the sharp smoke of the salmon and brings out it’s briny bite.  The crisp citrus notes help tone down the blue cheese and helps cut through the creaminess of the spread.

This dish is great for entertaining or just to have as a snack while you binge some Netflix. No judgment here.

Andrea’s Smoked Salmon and Blue Cheese Ball

  • 8 oz Cream Cheese
  • 1/2 C Blue Cheese Crumbles
  • 6 oz Smoked Salmon* (see note at bottom)
  • 2 Green Onions, chopped, both white and green parts
  • 1 TBSP Prepared Horseradish
  • 2 tsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 TBSP Dried Dill
  • Sliced almonds for garnish
  • Dried cranberries for garnish

Add all ingredients except salmon and green onions, to a food processor and process until smooth.  Remove mixture from processor and add to a bowl.  Add in the salmon and green onion, mix till everything is combined.

Place mixture on some plastic wrap and shape into a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge.  Allow to set up for at least 4 hours before serving.  Best if made the day before.

Carefully remove from wrap and place on a plate.  Stud with sliced almonds and dried cranberries.  Serve with crackers and veggies.  Keeps for 4 days.

*The smoked salmon I used is from the Honey Smoked Fish Company so it’s not the typical thinly sliced looks almost raw smoked salmon that you’re probably used to seeing.  I personally love this kind of smoked salmon and eat it all the time.  If you can’t find this style of smoked salmon you can certainly try using the other version.  You’ll want to chop that up before adding it to the mixture.  I can’t guarantee the outcome though since I haven’t tested that out.

Dried cranberries are a great addition to this recipe so I recommended being generous when adding them at the end.  That punch of sweetness is a lovely pairing with the blue cheese.

If you’re interested in trying out Cultivar Wine, as a reader of Food Embrace, you will be given 10% off your order.  Use the code, FoodEmbrace at checkout.

Disclaimer: I’m required to disclose a sponsored partnership between our site, Food Embrace, and Cultivar Wine. I have been compensated in exchange for this post in the form of product or experience. All opinions and recipes presented are my own.

 

Walk About

Up bright and early today because we had our group dog walk at 8am.  We get together with other dog owners and do an easy walk with our dogs.  It’s exercise for dogs and owners and also allows the dogs a chance to get used to walking in a pack.  Plus it provides a nice bonding time between owner and dog.

Today was our longest walk which clocked in at almost 3 miles!  It was a lot cooler this morning than it has been so we were able to take the dogs a little further without worrying about them overheating.

Avery and Penny are so chill and relaxed the rest of the day after our group walks, which means that mom and pops can get lots of work done!

I was starving when we got back and because I planned ahead I just had to heat up leftovers. Breakfast win!

Kale fritatta with sausage

Fritatta with chopped kale (from frozen), onion, and bacon.  I topped it with some swiss cheese and tomato slices.  On the side was some pork sausage links.

For the fritatta, I used 5 eggs + a splash of water and scrambled.  I sauteed up the onion, bacon, and kale in some ghee in an oven proof skillet and sprinkled with Flavor God’s Everything seasoning. Once the onions were soft, I added in the egg mixture and placed the skillet in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

The sausage was already cooked.  I usually will cook an entire package of sausage at a time and then keep the leftovers in the freezer.  This way I can pull out what I need and easily reheat it.

Salad with tomato and avocado

Lunch was a salad with some tomato, avocado, and cucumber.  Chopped tomato and cucumber were seasoned with a little salt and chili powder.  Then I added in the juice of half a lime and a little olive oil.  Let that sit for a bit to marinade and get the juices flowing out of the veggies.  This makes a quick dressing that I used on the salad.  Easy peasy!

Roast chicken, green beans, parsnip mash

I was looking forward to dinner all day!  Roast chicken!  The chicken was rubbed down with lard (you can sub in butter or ghee if you want.  Olive oil doesn’t provide nearly the same depth of flavor but you can use that if you prefer.) and then sprinkled with Flavor God’s Lemon Garlic Lovers.  I add some water to the bottom of the cast iron skillet and roasted the chicken at 375 until cooked through.  Basting about every 30-40 minutes.  This chicken took about two hours to roast.

On the side was parsnip mash and green beans.  The green beans were simmered on the stove in water until they were cooked through.  Drained and then got tossed with butter and Flavor God’s Everything Seasoning and a little splash of water.

I also made a quick pan sauce out of the pan drippings.  I added some more water to the skillet, about 1/2 and scraped up the drippings.  I brought that to a simmer and let it reduce by half.  Bam! Pan sauce that is flavorful and doesn’t need flour or butter.

Tomorrow’s dinner will be leftovers so I only need to worry about making breakfast and lunch.  Today was a good day with the eats!

Supplies:

Flavor God seasonings

Sausage from Boulder Sausage Company

Bacon from The Boar and Bull

Eggs and chicken from Jodar Farms

Disclaimer: I list the supplies I use so you can purchase some as well and so that folks who are local know where they can find quality products.  No affiliates and no kickbacks.  I share because we should all eat well!

Monday Meals: Good Week

This will be the last “Monday Meals” but don’t worry, I’ll still be sharing all of our eats with you!  Monday through Thursday will be a recap of meals and exercise for that day.  Those posts will go up at the end of the day. Fridays will be rotating topics that include recipes and the weekend will be time off for play!

I really want to get this blog back to it’s roots, which is about living a healthy and active lifestyle by focusing on real whole foods and doing things we love.

Plus these Monday posts were just getting way too long and can’t contain all of the deliciousness!

New schedule starts tomorrow so look for that post at the end of the day.

Alright so let’s recap last week!

BREAKFAST:

Peaches and granola

PEACHES!  They have finally started showing up at the farmer’s markets and I am stoked!  Colorado peaches are amazing and their season is very short.  If you see them, grab them while you can!

Peaches with a little sprinkle of grain free granola.  This breakfast rocked, it was sweet from the peaches and the granola helped keep me full for several hours.

Scrambled eggs and sausage

This was a second breakfast.  I had a big bowl of peaches one morning (with no granola) but once we got back from our big walk with the dogs, I was starving!  So I made a potato-less hash.  Scrambled eggs, sliced up chicken sausage, and peppers and onions.  Totally hit the spot!

Kale and sausage

A huge bowl of sauteed kale with kielbasa and shredded carrots.  Cooked up in some ghee and seasoned with Flavor God’s Spicy Everything blend.

Protein + greens are a favorite next to soup!

Kale rice bowl

Leftover rice that I cooked up in some lard with a little tomato paste and seasoned with chili powder.  Then I added in some kale and cooked everything until the kale wilted down and cooked through.

Not as hardy as sausage but still very satisfying and would make a great post workout breakfast.

Granola and bacon

Poor man’s breakfast this past weekend.  We ran out of eggs!  It was tragic.  So this was some bacon, sliced cantaloupe, and granola.  Some almond milk got splashed on the granola as well.  It was good but would have been better with eggs!

Bacon and scone

More bacon and cantaloupe!  The bacon was from a local butcher that they cure and smoke in-house.  Grain free scones topped with cherry jelly.  I pitted the cherries and added them to a blender with cup of water.  I blended for a minute until the cherries broke down a little.  A little bit of sugar was added to the mixture.  In a sauce pan the mixture simmered until it reduced by half.  Once it cools it thickens up a little bit and now you’ve got a quick jelly.

And a fauxmosa to wash everything down.  OJ + Seltzer = fauxmosa  Tasty!  Plus you can add fresh lime juice or mango juice to give it a little extra kick.

LUNCH:

Kale salad, smoked salmon

Kale salad with cucumbers and carrot.  A quick balsamic dressing on top.  Allow the dressing to mix with the kale a few minutes before serving.  Helps to break down the kale and pull out some of the bitterness.  Smoked salmon on the side!

Egg, carrots, beans, guacamole

Really random lunch.  A fried egg, leftover baked beans, sliced carrot, and guacamole for dipping.

DINNER:

Cheeseburger and fries

Cheeseburger on a gluten-free bun, coleslaw, and oven fries.  I nixed the bun, I didn’t like it. It had a weird texture to it and was spongy.  Ew.  So I ate my burger bunless which I prefer!

burger, slaw, beans

Burgers take two! Leftovers with the addition of baked beans.  Both Scott and I can handle beans without it causing any distress on our digestive system (to be blunt, beans don’t give us gas) so we eat them from time to time.

pork tacos and veggie casserole

A really monotone and unappealing picture, I know!  Pulled pork tacos with a cauliflower veggie mix.  The pork butt was cooked in a slow cooker with a can of diced tomatoes, 1/2C water, with sliced green pepper and onion.  Once the pork was done, I pulled it out and shredded the meat.  I blended all of the liquid and veggies together to create the sauce. Everything was seasoned with salt and chili powder.

Served on a white flour tortilla that I ended up not eating.  It was making me feel too full too quickly, so I tossed it and ate the pork with some guacamole.

The veggie casserole was a head of cauliflower pulsed in a food processor until it resembled rice.  I sauteed that in a huge skillet with onions, peppers, carrot and corn.  Once everything was cooked, I added two eggs to the mixture and some shredded cheddar.  Everything was seasoned with chili powder and then I cooked it all again in a casserole dish till it was bubbly.

It looked like a mess but it was tasty!  We had this two nights in a row.

Mussels

Second favorite meal of the week, mussels!  I purchased these at my local Whole Foods.  With a ton of butter (seriously, like 6 tablespoons), I sauteed up some onion, jalapeno, and lots of garlic.  That all got seasoned with Lemon Garlic Lovers Flavor God seasoning.  Then I added the mussels and a bottle of wheat beer.  Put a lid on it and let that simmer until the mussels opened.  Maybe 5 minutes tops.  I sprinkled on some chopped cherry tomatoes and we dug in!

This was a lot of mussels and was plenty for both Scott and I to share.  There’s a misconception that seafood and things like mussels are expensive but they are not.

A pound of mussels (which was way over 2 dozen mussels) cost me $6.99 and that fed two people as a main meal.  That’s pretty budget friendly!

Ribeye and twice baked potato

Favorite meal of the week, ribeye steak with a twice baked potato.  So good!  And gigantic!  I did not eat the entire steak, there’s plenty of leftovers.  The steaks were seasoned with Flavor God’s Garlic Lover’s and I seared each side of the steaks and placed them on a baking sheet.  The steaks finished cooking in the oven.  It only took a couple of minutes since ribeyes are best at medium.

The potatoes were super simple, no fuss twice baked potatoes. Baked potatoes with the insides scooped out.  To that was added sour cream, cheddar, horseradish, and some green onion.  Stuffed and baked again until cooked through and bubbling.

Great eats this week plus utilizing leftovers as much as possible.  Minimal meal planning for this week because Scott and I have some big plans for the weekend!

Supplies:

Flavor God seasonings

Bacon and steaks from The Boar and Bull

Mussels from Whole Foods

Pork and eggs from Jodar Farms

Monday Meals: Utilizing What’s On Hand

It’s a fresh start to a new week!  Last week was much better than the previous one, the only time we dined out was on Sunday while we were in Boulder.

I don’t have pictures of that food because it was nothing special.  Next time I’m in Boulder, I’m hitting up the fancier farm to table joints! Lesson learned, don’t waste time at brew pubs because they don’t have any good food to offer.

There was a lot of leftovers this past week and utilizing what I had in the fridge and pantry.

This week I’m planning on spending more time in the kitchen.  I have a checklist of items that I want to get made (like stock) and I really need a kitchen day.  I haven’t had a chance to spend any significant time in the kitchen lately and it’s stressing me out.

We were busy all weekend so I also didn’t get a chance to prep for this week.  I feel a little bit behind but I think that I can catch up easily!

Let’s look as last week’s good eats!

BREAKFAST:

scrambed eggs and ham

Scrambled eggs and two slices of ham.  The ham is applegate farms and I heated it up in a skillet first then made the scrambled eggs.

sweet potato hash and fried eggs

Sweet potato hash with fried eggs.  One large sweet potato, shredded, with chopped peppers and onion.  Cooked in a skillet in a little lard until everything was cooked through.  Seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

grain free granola and blueberries

Fresh grain free granola with fresh blueberries.  I splashed on a little vanilla almond milk after the photo was taken.  I’m playing around with the recipe for the granola and using eggs in the mix as a binder so that the granola clumps up a little more.  So far it’s working but I’m still tweaking with the recipe.

baby kale and sausage

Sauteed baby kale with andouille sausage.  I used a whole package of andouille (4 links), sliced and cooked in a skillet in a little lard.  Then added in a whole 1/2 pound container of baby kale, and let that wilt and cook down.

I seasoned it with new Flavor God seasonings.  These season blends are legit!  They are handmade fresh when ordered and taste fantastic.  They are 5oz containers and for freshly made seasonings the price is spot on.  (not affiliate links).  For this dish I used the Spicy Everything Seasoning.

fried green tomatoes and fried egg

I spotted some green tomatoes at the farmer’s market this past week and immediately knew what I would be having for breakfast.  Fried green tomatoes along with a fried egg.

The tomatoes were fried in lard and I used a blend of tapioca starch and coconut flour for the coating.  Also seasoned with Flavor God’s Spicy Everything blend.

Eggs, kale, sausage

Fried eggs with leftover kale and sausage.  This breakfast was perfect fuel to deal with the crowds in Boulder!

DINNER:

veggie soup

Leftover soup that I added some diced tomatoes to for a little flavor boost.  We also had the last remaining portions for lunch one day as well.  I didn’t want to toss the last little bit and it was past the time of being able to freeze it for later.  It definitely was on it’s last leg but made for a nice quick lunch.

Salad with pulled chicken

Mixed greens salad topped with leftover chicken.  This salad was huge and so filling!  I love having gigantic salads for meals.

hot dogs and kraut

Grass fed hotdogs (Applegate Farms) topped with kraut, a side of green beans, and some onion rings.  The onion rings were premade and about as clean as you’re going to get for packaged food.  The hotdogs were amazing!  Not normally much of a hot dog fan but these really hit the spot.

hot dog salad

The next day I had the leftovers on a salad!  A little kraut, tomatoes, and I made a spicy brown mustard dressing to go on top.  It was perfect and now I think this should be on a menu somewhere.  Seriously, people would buy the hell out of a hot dog salad to go with their beer!

pork chop and corn

Looks boring but tasted delicious!  A pork chop seasoned with Flavor God’s Garlic Lovers (look I just got the seasonings last week but expect to see more of it because they are delicious) and cooked in a little lard in a cast iron skillet.  Along with fresh corn on the cob with a little grass-fed butter.

bacon corn slaw

We were out of salad stuff and I had no desire to run to the grocery store close to the weekend.  So I looked in the fridge and saw there was some cabbage that needed used up.  I made a quick slaw with purple cabbage, shredded carrot, corn cut off the cob, and some bacon.  A dijon dressing on top and I added some avocado as well.

So good that I’m definitely making the slaw again this week!

slaw and snack plate

Leftover slaw with some Applegate Farm’s pepperoni and prosciutto on the side along with a little sharp cheddar cheese.

I totally inhaled that slaw too!

Since we have been eating better for several weeks now my body has caught up with the new routine.  I’ve been hungry in the afternoons for a little lunch so I’ll be adding in lunch to the Monday Meals post.

Supplies:

All pork, chicken, and eggs from Jodar Farms.

Some veggies from the farmer’s market.

Applegate products from Whole Foods.

Flavor God seasonings

Upcoming Week:

The goal is to not eat out at all this week and looking at our schedule for the upcoming week this should be an achievable goal.

I feel like the Monday Meals posts are getting a tad long so I might break it up into smaller posts through out the week.  I’m still toying around with that idea.  Also please let me know if there are any topics you’d like me to cover!  Pantry staples or grocery shopping tips for example.  I’ll be sure to make a post on it and let you know when it’s up!

Have a great week everyone and get those meal plans together!

 

Monday Meals: Anniversary Week

How did everyone do with eats last week?  Surprisingly our eats weren’t too bad!  It was our anniversary week so we did indulge a bit but nothing crazy.  This week though I’m ready to get back on track and eat well throughout the week.

We are having pho tonight for dinner and I couldn’t be more excited! It was supposed to be our last celebratory meal for the weekend, grabbing some takeout on Sunday while we snugged on the couch and watched Pacific Rim (Save yourself, don’t watch that movie. Really bad and cheesy.).  Then we learned that they were closed on Sunday.

GASP!

Pho Blocked.

So we are having it this evening.  And while it probably doesn’t fall into the clean eats category, I have to say it isn’t a horrible choice.  It’s better than pizza for sure!

Speaking of pizza, there’s a new place here that is doing wood fired gluten free pizza and very curious to try their pizza.  Not grain-free dough but eh, sometimes we have to live a little.

I’ve done some prep work already for this week.  Still trying to work out what day would best fit my schedule for a prep day.  Sundays and Mondays are super busy.  I’m kind of stuck on what day.  Maybe Friday? I can do big grocery shopping that day and then prep the rest of the day for the following week.

Let’s look at some eats!

BREAKFAST:

Sausage, chard, scramble

Sauteed chard with sausage bites and scrambled eggs.  Whenever I make sausage, I make a whole package at the same time.  We eat a portion of it that morning and the rest goes in the freezer for later.  Then it’s ready to go when I need it.  I do the same with bacon, I cook up 2 pounds of it at a time.

Not much a fan of this breakfast, the chard ended up being really slimy and just gross so I stuck with the eggs and sausage.

Sweet potato cakes, fried egg, tomato slices

Shredded sweet potato cakes!  1 large sweet potato, shredded and mixed with two eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder.  I cooked them up in some ghee in a skillet.  With a fried egg and two big slices of tomato on the side.  Delicious!  The sweet potato cakes were a big it, both Scott and I loved them.

Brat and collards

I prepped a huge batch of collards for the week by cooking them in the crock pot with a ham hock.  I heated up some leftover brats and paired that with the collards.  One of the best breakfasts! So filling and satisfying.

Collard soup

The next day was the rest of the collards and shredded ham hock soup!  Just added stock and some extra seasonings.  Mmmm even in summer, soup is still one of my favorite breakfasts.

Grain free chocolate donuts

Tried my hand at making some grain free chocolate donuts and they turned out really well!  I still want to play around with the recipe a bit and as soon as it’s ready I will share.  They were fluffy and full of chocolatey goodness!

Sausage, eggs, roasted potatoes

Pretty standard weekend breakfast, fried eggs, pork sausage, and some roasted potatoes.  YUM!

Fried eggs and side salad

This breakfast/brunch I loved!  Fried eggs with a side salad topped with avocado and tomato salsa.  That was easy to put together:

  • Two medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 3TBSP Chopped Red Onion
  • 1 Large Avocado, chopped
  • Leftover corn on the cob, removed from the cob
  • 3TBSP Chopped Cilantro
  • Juice of 1 Lime
  • Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder

Combine in a glass bowl and stir.  Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.  This was used as the salad topping and it was so fresh tasting.  Definitely a nice squeaky clean breakfast.

 

DINNER:

Steaks, mashed potatoes, side salad

Steak house dinner!  Some grass-fed NY strips with horseradish mash potatoes and a side salad.  Also some horseradish cream sauce to dip the steaks in.  I didn’t think I would eat the whole steak but I totally did, it was so good!

The mash potatoes had sour cream, butter, whole grain mustard, and horseradish in them.  This gave the dish some nice tang and spicy bite.

grilled sausages, potato salad

Our first cookout of the season!  Grilled brats and kielbasa with grilled peppers and onions and a side of potato salad.  I used homemade mayo for the potato salad.  This tasted so so good!  We definitely need to make time to grill out more often.

Ribs and slaw

Pork ribs and homemade cole slaw.  The ribs were cooked in the oven and I used a homemade bbq sauce on top.  The sauce was made for a recipe development gig so I can’t share that with you.  I can say that it incorporated beer though!

Ribs, corn, slaw

Leftovers! With some corn on the cob and some meatballs (from the same gig).  Corn is one of those grains that I’m not sure I want to give up just yet.  Rice and corn are two that I still love and they don’t seem to mess my system up too much.

Crab salad, mixed greens

Scott and I had gone out to dinner during the week to a local fish place.  I had the lobster roll sandwich (ate the insides and left the roll) and it was very fresh tasting and not heavy at all.  I decided to recreate a version of it using some leftover snow crab that I had in the freezer.  I mixed the crab with some mayo, red onion, celery, lemon juice, and old bay seasoning.  That was placed on a bed of fresh romaine with some avocado, bacon, and tomatoes added on top.

So freaking good.  I’m going to try this with smoked salmon! I think the salmon and avocado will work well together.

snack plate

Since we didn’t get pho on Sunday, we had a snack plate instead.

  • Carrots
  • Grapes
  • Salami
  • Prosciutto
  • Rice crackers
  • Cheeses

It was tasty and fun to eat but it didn’t really fill the hole left by no pho.

Your turn, how was your holiday week?

Monday Meals: Looking For Lists

Ok, so who worked their meal plan last week?  I did, I did!  And I’m totally ready to kick this week’s ass and stick to a meal plan as well!

I print off the meal plan (template I use is here), fill it out and then stick it on the fridge.  I can add or switch around meals if I need to.  It’s very handy, plus I can make a shopping list right from the plan.

I want to go back to having a shopping list on my phone.  I used to use Springpad but they have closed up shop (I can’t even link to them, because they are totally gone) so now I need something else.  Does anyone use an app to create and maintain shopping lists?  I would love to hear your recommendations!

Alright, let’s get to the meals.

BREAKFAST:

roasted potatoes and spinach

 

Leftover roasted potatoes with spinach and onions.  I sauteed everything up in a skillet with a little lard and seasoned lightly with pepper, salt, and garlic powder.

YUM!  Definitely became a favorite! This would work with sweet potatoes too if you don’t eat white potatoes.

Kale, chicken sausage

Braised kale with roasted red pepper chicken sausage.  The sausage is Al Fresca brand and is delicious! Minimal ingredients, no gluten, and no additives.  In a pan, I heated up some lard and cooked the sausages first.  I removed those and added in the kale with a little stock to help the kale cook down.  Once the kale was wilted, I added the sausage back in.  Seasoned with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder (I should just start calling this my house seasoning!).  It was delicious and totally hit the spot!

Kale, sausage, parm

I made a huge batch of it so that there would be leftovers for the next day.  I did use a full package of sausage and 2 large bunches of kale (stemmed, chopped).  This time I added a little parm on top for some tangy cheese bite.

Sweet potato and breakfast sausage

Cubed sweet potato with onion and shredded carrot cooked in a skillet in some ghee and seasoned with chili powder.  I also cut up some breakfast sausage and added that to the mix.  Sadly this breakfast was completely unsatisfying and I was so bummed.  The sweet potato was taking forever to cook through and even after 30 minutes, it still was crunchy.  Ugh. The texture was completely off and left me disappointed.

Veggie quiche with grain free crust

I made a gorgeous veggie quiche with a grain free crust to chase the bad breakfast blues away.  The filling contained:

  • 5 eggs scrambled with 1/2C Whole Milk
  • Shredded Carrot
  • 1/2 small Onion, chopped
  • 2 Large handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
  • 5 slices of crispy bacon, crumbled
  • Dijon mustard
  • Horseradish

The dijon and horseradish was whisked in with the eggs.  The carrots, onion, spinach, and bacon were added to a hot skillet and cooked in some ghee until the onions and spinach were soft.   I let the mixture cool and then added it to the scrambled eggs.  Poured it over the crust and baked for 1 hour at 400 degrees.

The crust was a recipe from Beyond Bacon (not an affiliate link) with a little modification on my end.  I used butter instead of lard.  The crust was perfect! I couldn’t roll it out but was able to form it in the pie pan with no issue.  It was the best tasting crust we have ever had and beats anything I’ve made with flour.  We will definitely be making this again!

Eggs, rice, sausage

Scramble eggs with Mexican rice (I’m working on perfecting my Mexican restaurant style rice. Getting close!), and chicken breakfast sausage links.

quiche and sausage

Leftover veggie quiche and chicken sausage.

LUNCH:

Two lunch/snacks!

deviled eggs, carrots, fruit

Deviled eggs, carrots, and a huge bowl of nectarines.

pork chop, broccoli, salad

Leftover pork chop (which you’ll see in a second), broccoli that was dipped in hummus, and a salad of cucumber and chopped tomato.  Pretty simple but totally satisfying.

DINNER:

Roast chicken breast and parsnip mash

Roasted up a whole chicken! (The chicken was prepared this way) Paired that with some parsnip mash.  I also made a pan sauce and thickened that with some arrowroot powder!  Arrowroot powder works the same way cornstarch does.  Mix it with a little water to make a slurry and then whisk that into the sauce.  As the sauce simmers, it will thicken up.

I liked the end result with the arrowroot powder.  It thickened the sauce but didn’t weight it down.  It also left the sauce clear and glossy while a roux can lighten the color of a sauce and cause it to be cloudy.  This sauce was way more pleasing to look at!

Chicken, cole slaw, parsnip mash

Leftovers with coleslaw!

Pork chop and sweet potato fries

Gigantic pork chops and a whole mess of sweet potato fries.  Chops were cooked in a cast iron skillet with lard and seasoned with salt, poultry seasoning, and tarragon.  A splash of stock was added and the chops were finished in the oven at 400 until the were done.

Basic sweet potato fries (peeled, sliced, oil, seasonings), also roasted at 400 until cooked and crispy.

Pulled pork, rice, and roasted squash

I had some leftover pulled pork in the freezer so I heated that up and placed on lettuce wraps.  Mexican rice, and some roasted yellow squash.  The squash had oil, salt, and chili powder.  Roasted on a baking sheet at 400 until done.  About 10 minutes, squash cooks up quickly!

Pizza

Pizza! Working on a yeast based grain free pizza dough.  Not quite where I want it to be but I’m getting close.  This was baked using a cookie sheet. It’s topped with sauce, moz, banana peppers, and spicy Italian sausage.

I used too much sauce so the pizza came out really dense!  Next time lighter on the sauce and the cheese.

salad

Ending the week with a big salad, with fresh romaine and tomato that I purchased at the farmer’s market on Saturday.  Shredded carrot, hard boiled egg, and golden beets on top.  We used premade ranch dressing from Bolthouse Farms.

The beets I prepped for salads this week.  Super easy, peeled, chopped, boiled until they were tender.  Now they are ready to eat whenever I need them.

Not a bad week!

FOODS:

All eggs, chicken, pork from Jodar farms

Lettuce and tomatoes from the farmer’s market.

 

This past weekend was a huge indulge weekend because we attended the Colorado Brewer’s Festival.  Lots of beer and foods that I don’t normally eat. I’m feeling the effects and I’m ready to get back to normal eats this week.

Our anniversary is this week so there will be some special treats but kept in check.  We will be eating well, for sure!

How were your eats last week?

 

Spring Clean Eats: Day 29, Steak Salad

Even though Sunday was miserable with dreary skies and wet heavy snow falling all day long, Monday was much more manageable.  It was sunny, warmer and all the snow melted.

Thank goodness!

We need to get the heck out of April and into May because I’m not enjoying the spastic weather at all.  More snow on the way Wednesday night.  Good times.

Banana, paleo scone, coconut cream

Breakfast was a crumbled up paleo scone with sliced banana and drizzled with some coconut cream!

Steak salad

Lunch was a huge salad with leftover fake’em steak’um on top.  This time when I heated up the roast beef, I added in some dijon, horseradish, and a little stock.  This made a nice little sauce that I used as a dressing for the salad.

Since lunch was late (and hefty) we had a light dinner.

Veggie tray, sausage and cheese tray

Fruit and veggie tray, some prosciutto, sliced cheddar, and some cooked sausage.  The sausage ended up having a weird texture that neither of us liked so it sat on the side mostly untouched.

Today is the last day of the challenge!  Hooray!

Spring Clean Eats: Days 23-24, Eat Gorgeous Food

Yesterday I was out running errands most of the day and didn’t have a chance to write up a post before leaving.  I had a big shopping trip to do and I was trying to make it as quick as possible.

That naturally didn’t happen. Which always seems to be the case when grocery shopping.

But let’s get started! We’ve got two days to cover!

BREAKFAST

BBQ Pulled Pork and kaleDay 23: BBQ pulled pork with sauteed kale.  I found some leftover pulled pork in the freezer so I served that up with some sauteed kale.  It was delicious!  Some sort of pulled pork is probably my favorite protein to have at breakfast.

Grain free pancakeDay 24: Grain free pancake topped with almond butter and drizzled with maple syrup.  I used Elana’s recipe for almond meal based pancakes.  This was an interesting experience for sure!  The pancake turned out very well.  Filling but not nearly as filling/satisfying as an animal based breakfast (for me anyway).

LUNCH

Veggie noodles in a peanut sauce with curry shrimpDay 23: I was still craving some shrimp (sushi wasn’t enough) so I made a big lunch featuring shrimp.  Carrot, squash, and zucchini “noodles” coated in a peanut coconut sauce from this recipe.  The shrimp was dusted with curry powder and then sautéed up in some ghee.

Day 24: No real lunch.  I snacked on some leftover fries, a big apple, and some Applegate pepperoni while I was putting away all of the groceries.

DINNER

Chili cheese friesDay 23: There was still a tad bit of chili leftover so I turned that into chili cheese fries.  Oven baked fries topped with chili, a little cheddar, and green onions.  I really missed having some sour cream to dip them in!

Pork chop, parsnip mash, roasted carrotsDay 24: I had a meeting before dinner so by the time I got home, I was ready to eat my arm off.  Thankfully dinner was substantial!  Bone-in pork chop (from our hog share), roasted carrots, and parsnip mash.

I am in love with parsnip mash!  I even love it more than the good old favorite paleo cauliflower mash.  Don’t worry, I’ll be talking about it more after the challenge.  I cannot get enough of it.

EXERCISE 

Both days I got a chance to run!  YES!  And I can still bust through an entire mile without stopping.  Hooray! I’m definitely on my way to being a runner again.

One take-away that I learned these past few days is that the more colors on the plate, the more I am excited to dig in and start eating.  It’s not just about, “Eat The Rainbow”.  We all know that we need variety but when you have lots of colors that pop on a plate, it makes you feel better about what you are about to eat. You know you’re getting something good.

And since we are headed into summer, I can’t wait to start exploring more colors and adding to our plates!

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Clean Eats: Days 19-21, Catching Up

I’m back!  Thanks for being patient while I was squirreled away for the weekend.  I was at the blogging conference put on by The Scoop Blogs this past weekend and when I got home in the evenings I was wiped out.  Sitting down at the computer was the last thing I wanted to do!

So I sat on the couch with Scott and the pups instead.

Let’s get caught up on the past three days!  I’m going to break this up by Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.  A little easier that way.

BREAKFAST:

Blueberries, GF granola, coconut creamDay 19: Blueberries, grain free granola, and coconut cream.

Scrambled eggs, mandarin orangesDay 20: Scrambled eggs and mandarin oranges.

Scrambled eggs and sausageDay 21: Scrambled eggs and sausage

LUNCH:

Turkey, beets, asparagusDay 19: Turkey, golden beets, and asparagus.  All sauteed in ghee then I added a little splash of stock, dijon mustard, and maple syrup to create a sauce.  Delicious!

Duck poutine and 90 ShillingDay 20: Even though I was at the conference, I was still able to have Odell Day on Saturday!  Pulled Duck poutine with a maple bourbon gravy (From Common Link) and a glass of 90 Shilling.  Thanks to Kristin for being my lunch date!  Both of us were not about to pass up some duck poutine!

Day 21: An unpictured (because I was too hungry to take one) salad from Avogadro’s Number.  And a little side of sweet potato fries which were alright.

DINNER:

SushiDay 19: Sushi!  We tried out Jaws Sushi and loved it.  I had an avocado roll with cucumber and a shrimp tempura roll with avocado.  It wasn’t till after I ordered that I realized that the shrimp probably isn’t challenge friendly.  Regardless it was delicious! And I’ll probably have more. Sorry I’m not sorry.   If you’re curious Scott had their spicy tuna roll and  The After Burn roll.  He enjoyed both of those.

Chili and cheddarDay 20 & 21: Chili both nights!  I put together some chili on Saturday before I left for the conference because I knew I wouldn’t want to have to cook when I got back in the evening.  Thank goodness for prepping ahead and leftovers!