Yummy Chicken & Spiced Apples...

So tonight's super yummy dinner was a slightly edited meal from eatingwell.com it's not only clean it's also ST2 Feingold friendly and you can make this without the apples and still be good.  The apples are just like apple pie filling...YUMMY


Chicken & Spiced Apples
Serves 6
 
 2 apples, preferably Braeburn, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/8 teaspoons herbes de Provence, divided (I used Mrs. Dash)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 cup reduced-sodium organic chicken broth
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1. Toss apple slices with lemon juice and cinnamon in a small bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Keep warm.
2. Mix 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence mrs. dash, salt and pepper. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or the bottom of a small saucepan to a 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with the seasoning mixture.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a platter and keep warm. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter to the pan; heat over high heat. Cook the remaining chicken in the same manner.
4. Add broth, lemon zest, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon herbs and any accumulated juices from the chicken to the pan. Cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with the sautéed apples.

VERDICT: OMG everyone in my family emptied their plates and loved this.  The apples are so yummy and go nicely with the chicken.  I served this with some whole grain pasta and roasted asparagus...I didn't have the herbes de provence so I used mrs. dash garlic herb and it worked really good.  I also added the apples to the sauce at the end.  If you are doing Feingold either just omit the apples or don't add them to the plate for the person who can't have them.

Healthy New England Clam Chowder

It's comfort food at it's best.  This week has been a cold one and my middle child told me he wanted to try clam chowder so I took him up on that and made a quick & healthy Feingold friendly & Clean Eating clam chowder...Enjoy!!!












New England Clam Chowder
Serves 5

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 slices bacon, chopped (make sure it's approved)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 medium red potato, diced
• 1 8-ounce bottle clam juice
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups low-fat milk (I used 1%)
• 1/2 cup organic 1/2 & 1/2
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 6-ounce cans chopped baby clams, rinsed
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer half of the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. Add onion and thyme to the pan; cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add potato, clam juice and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Whisk milk, 1/2 & 1/2, flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add to the pan and return to a simmer, stirring, over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add clams and cook, stirring occasionally, until the clams are just cooked through, about 3 minutes more.
3. To serve, discard bay leaf. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with some of the reserved bacon and scallions.
   
   VERDICT: This was wonderful...easy, thick and tasty with only a fraction of the fat of regular clam chowder.  My family loved it and the only complaint was where is the bread bowls LOL
   

Spiced Honey Cranberry Chicken

Are you ready for something a little bit different but yummy...well here you have it.  I got this from the Clean Eating magazine and with a few changes this can be made Feingold friendly also.


 


Spiced Honey Cranberry Chicken
Serves 4


1 cup brown rice
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt, divided
1 cup whole cranberries (I always buy at thanksgiving and then freeze them for later use)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless chicken breast
2 tbsp honey (you can probably use agave also)
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp dried sage

Instructions:
1) cook rice according to directions, first adding in zest to pot then the water.  When rice is cooked through remove from heat and stir in orange juice, paprika & 1/2 tsp salt. (I use a rice cooker)

2) chop cranberries and set aside.  heat oil in a large skillet on medium.  Add chicken, swirl to coat in oil and saute for 3 minutes or until chicken begins to turn golden brown.  Flip breast over and cook for another 3 minutes.

3) Add cranberries, honey 1/4 cup water, mustard, sage and remaining salt to chicken.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 12 minutes.  Cut into thickest part of chicken to check doneness...if still pink continue to cook until done.

4) Remove chicken when done and set aside.  Continue cooking until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

5) serve

VERDICT: I loved how the rice was diffrent than just plain rice, it was sweet & tart and complemented the cranberries perfectly.  The chicken was nice and my family loved it...ENJOY

Shrimp & Corn Chowder

So I just realized after 10 years my kids like soup...it all started with beef stew so this week we had a yummy Shrimp & Corn Chowder with a nice salad and I made drip biscuits with some Bob's Red Mill 10 grain pancake mix...it's clean and Feingold friendly


Shrimp & Corn Chowder
Serves 6

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small white onion
2 large carrots, chopped
Salt & Pepper
1 jalapeno pepper (I omitted this)
1 tsp smoked paprika (omit if doing ST1 Feingold)
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1 lb potatoes, peeled & chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
3 cups frozen corn
1 cup low fat milk
2 lbs small shrimp (not salad shrimp)

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium.  Add onions & carrots; season with S&P and cook until soft.  Add jalapeno, paprika & thyme and cook 1 minute. Add 3 cups of water, increase heat and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and reduce heat to simmer until just tender, 7-8 minutes.  Add corn & milk; season with some salt and pepper and simmer for 3 more minutes.  Remove from heat.
2. Pour 3 cups of soup mixture into a blender and cover (be very careful, this is going to be hot) with lid and a towel and puree (I did this in batches).  Add back to soup and simmer.
3. Add shrimp to pot and simmer for 3 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked.  
4. Ladle into soup bowls and enjoy
   
   VERDICT: very good, easy and my kids all loved it, who knew they liked soups...this will be great on a cold rainy day!
   

It's Quick, It's Easy, It's Clean and It's kid friendly...Beef Stronanoff

Okay this week has been crazy...one day I literally walked in the house, dropped everything and headed to the kitchen to make super simple beef stroganoff...I had dinner on the table in 15 minutes, how's that for fast!





Beef Stroganoff...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups wide ww egg noodles
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 cup low sodium beef broth
1/3 cup low fat sour cream (I have also used greek yogurt as a sub)
1 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 lb extra lean ground beef
6 shallots, chopped
8oz container of sliced mushrooms, chopped

Directions:
Cook noodles according to the package directions.

Brown ground beef with mushrooms and shallots until all the way cooked through, drain fat and set meat mixture aside.

Spray a pan with a little EVOO (I have a sprayer that I add olive oil to). Whisk in flour and cook whisking constantly for one minute. Add broth and bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook whisking constantly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream, Dijon, soy sauce, salt, pepper and dill. Cover and keep warm.

Return beef, along with any juices and sauce to skillet. Stir.

Transfer noodles to plates or platter and top with beef mixture. Sprinkle with remaining tsp of dill and serve.

VERDICT: what do you want out of a simple meal...it was fast, cheap & easy that the kids gobbled up LOL

What's cookin in my kitchen this week...a preview

So here's a quick look at what's cookin in my kitchen this week...

Spiced honey-cranberry chicken
rice
veggie

Seafood corn chowder
salad

Roasted salmon w/snow peas
rice
veggie

Clean eating beef stroganoff
egg noodles
veggie

Spaghetti w/ meat sauce
Salad

Tomato walnut pesto & grilled chicken breast
pasta
salad

Danish meatballs
rice
veggie

Chicken Stir-fry with Thai Peanut Sauce

So tonight's super yummy Feingold & Clean Eating.  Yummy chicken with a sweet peanut sauce, brown rice & roasted asparagus with dry italian dressing mix (homemade not a package). dinner was wonderful

I am only going to post the recipe for the sauce as a saute is what you want to make of it.  I did chicken tenderloins, straw mushrooms, bamboo shoots and baby carrots.


Chicken with Thai Peanut Honey Sauce
Serves 7

1/4 c. pure honey (or agave)
1/4 c. natural peanut butter
1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (optional, I omited it)
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp fresh minced garlic
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
1 tsp crushed chili peppers (I omited this due to FG)

Directions:

Stir together the honey, peanut butters, soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.  Add to your stir fry when you are ready

VERDICT: very good...my kids loved it and I can see this as a really nice dipping sauce for chicken also.  I will be doing this again