Coconut Tandoori Chicken

Coconut Tandoori Chicken

Modified from Pinch of Yum

I always love a good crockpot recipe.  Not having to worry about making dinner at the end of a busy day is a treat.  I have two crockpots, one is a mini size which is perfect for throwing in plan chicken thighs for my girls who are not a fan of spicy food.  They enjoy dipping their shredded chicken in either hummus, pesto or our new favorite Tessemae’s Organic Ketchup sweetened with dates. 

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken thighs

2 tablespoons raw honey

2 tablespoons garam masala

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons turmeric

½ teaspoon ground ginger

14 once can of full fat unsweetened coconut milk

1 onion, sliced

1 cup, mushrooms chopped

Instructions:

1.      Add everything to a crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. 

2.     Shred the chicken and serve over rice or caulirice. 

3.     Serve with a side of steamed broccoli or sautéed greens.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Salad

I do love a good potato salad but I always enjoy mixing things up in the kitchen too.  This Cauliflower Salad is a great alternative to potato salad.  It makes a fun dish to bring to a summer BBQ.  Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

Cauliflower Salad

Inspired by Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

½ cup of Avocado Mayonnaise, I like Primal Kitchen

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 teaspoons fresh dill

black pepper, to taste

½ cup chopped cucumbers

½ cup chopped dill pickle

½ cup chopped radishes

¼ cup chopped red onions

1 tablespoon pickle juice

6 hard boiled eggs, sliced

paprika for garnish

Instructions:

1.      Steam cauliflower until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

2.      In a small bowl mix mayo, mustard, dill, black pepper, and pickle juice.

3.     Add cucumbers, onion, and radishes to the large bowl with cauliflower florets.

4.     Chop 4 eggs and add to the cauliflower salad.

5.     Mix in the mayo mixture with the cauliflower salad.

6.     Garnish with the remaining 2 sliced eggs and sprinkle with paprika. 

Enjoy!

Snack ideas for the Summer!

Summer is approaching quickly which may mean kids are home and are wanting to eat you out of house and home, at least I know that will be the situation for me and my two girls.  I always like to have a lot of fruit on hand.   A variety of berries, watermelon, peaches, plums and cherries are some of our favorite summer fruits.  I also like to have cut of veggies in the fridge at eye level which I store in a glass container so it easy for them to see and grab on their own.  My girls love cut up carrots, cucumbers, and peppers in all colors.  I usually just cut up enough to last a few days as they tend to get limp quickly.

Aside from lots of fruits and veggies, goat cheese and almond flour crackers is one of our go snacks as well as hummus and veggies, raw nuts, nut butter/ rice cake sandwiches, chips and guacamole, and apples dipped in nut butter.  Organic plain full fat yogurt drizzled with maple syrup or honey and some fruit is also a healthy option as well as celery, sun butter, and raisins. 

As for packaged snacks, here are some I like to keep on hand.  All these snacks have minimal amounts of sugar and are free of unhealthy oils, food dyes, artificial flavors, and artificial sweeteners.  I shared the Amazon link below but many of these products can be found at better prices at either at Vitacost, Thrive Market, Trader Joe’s or your local grocery store. 

*  Veggie Gos (like a fruit leather with only 2 grams of natural sugar) 

*  Chomps Meat sticks  (Can be found at Trader Joe’s in two different flavors, beef and turkey)

*  Simple Mills Almond Flour crackers  

*  Larabars

*  Made Good Granola bars (I haven’t tried these because we don’t eat oats but I hear they are kid approved.)

*  Honest Jackson chips

*  Terra Plantain chips

*  Siete Grain Free Chips  

 * Kettle chips

*  Lundberg rice cake stackers

 Hopefully this list helps prepare you for having some healthy snack options on hand. One more weeks until school is out for us!

Salmon Burgers with Avocado Garlic Sauce

I’m in the midst of reading a fascinating book, The Omega-3 Effect by Dr. Sears, about the amazing benefits of incorporating Omega-3 fats into our diet. Wild Salmon is a great source of Omega 3s and important for brain health.  Our brain is made up of 60% fat so it is important for children, especially, to be eating good quality fats.  The standard American diet has a 10:1 ratio of Omega 6s (often found in processed foods) to Omega 3s.  Both fats are good fats but when the body has too many Omega 6s and not enough Omega 3s it can cause inflammation.  A 2:1 ratio is recommended by Dr. Sears.  The body does not make Omega 3s which is why it is important for us to be mindful about adding Omega 3 fats into our diet.  Seafood and Fish oil supplements are the best source for Omega 3s.  Other sources are ground Flaxseed, Flaxseed oil, nuts, and Olive Oil.  I could go on and on with this topic but I think I will save that for another blog post!

I find the easiest way for my family to get our Omega 3s in, is by eating a few servings of wild Alaskan salmon each week.  I buy 2 pounds to feed a family of four.  The first night, I bake the salmon and serve it with sweet potato or rice and veggies.  The second night I will add some avocado oil mayo and make salmon salad.  My girls love this with a rice cake and pickle or with melted goat cheese on top.  Salmon on top of a salad is delicious too.  I tried Salon Burgers for the first time this week as I was looking to expand my repertoire in the fish department.  They were not a hit with the girls as they were too “spicy” but Larry and I loved them.  Next time I will leave out the garlic, herbs and mustard and keep them plan, just fish, eggs, and almond flour, in hopes of the girls liking them. 

What is your favorite way to serve salmon?  There are so many delicious ways to eat salmon so if you or your kids don’t like the first way, I encourage you to keep trying until you find a way to serve it that everyone enjoys.  Happy fish eating!

Salmon Burgers with Avocado Garlic Sauce

Slightly altered from The Real Food Dietitians

Ingredients

Salmon Burgers:

1 ½ cups wild-caught salmon, baked and chopped

½ lemon juiced, about 2 tablespoons

2 cloves are garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped, may substitute 1 teaspoon of dried dill

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

pinch of sea salt and pepper

2 eggs

¼ cup almond flour

1 tablespoon of coconut oil or ghee

Avocado Garlic Sauce:

1 avocado

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh dill, may substitute 1 teaspoon of dried dill

2 garlic cloves, minced

pinch of sea salt and pepper

Instructions

For the burgers:

!.  Combine all the salmon burger ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl and mix well.  If the mixture is really wet you can add more almond flour, 1 TBSP at a time.

2.  Form into 6 to 8 patties. 

3.  Heat oil in a pan to medium heat.

4.  Once oil is hot (patties should sizzle when added to the pan) place burgers in pan for about 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

5.  To serve, place on a bed of lettuce and top with avocado garlic sauce.

For the Avocado Garlic Sauce:

1.  In a blender combine all the ingredients and process until smooth.