Paleo & Clean Chicken & Creamy Tomato Crock Pot Soup

While browsing Pinterest for easy crock pot recipes I came across this one from River North Paleo Girl. 
I modifed it a little and came up with this ridiculously yummy chicken and creamy tomato soup.  If you know anything about me you know I hate chicken in soups it totally grouses me out but I really liked this and was pleasantly surprised.  I am always game for anything easy and being able to just dump all in the crock pot with no prep or anything was perfect!

Chicken & Creamy Tomato Crock Pot Soup - Paleo & Clean
1 can coconut milk
2 can diced toms with juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 can Tom paste
2 big frozen chicken breasts
2 tbs basil
1 tbs garlic salt
1 tbs Italian seasoning
I added carrots and onions too
Next time I will add mushrooms

Throw everything in the crock pot - chicken doesn't even need to be defrosted! Cooked on low all day
Then about an hour before dinner time I took chicken out and shredded with 2 forks and put it back in so it could continue to simmer in the yumminess!

Paleo & Clean Chocolate Shake

So I found this recipe at eatwell.com and decided to give it a try and it's brilliant!  My hubs is a sucker for shakes and this is a great alternative and my kids loved it too! It really was better than any shake I have had!

CHOCOLATE AVOCADO SHAKE
1 1/2c almond milk
1 avocado
3 tbs unsweet cocoa powder
3 tbs raw honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs melted choc chips
1 cup ice

Blend! I split this recipe between 3 kids and it was perfect. I split it between my hubs and I and it was just a little too much.  Its very rich but so delicious!

I have had several people ask if they could leave out the avocado bc they dont like them and the answer is NO!  Hahaha!  The avocado is what makes it nice and creamy and I promise you will not be able to taste the avocado.

Find uber cute stuff here:

Crispy Baked Cauliflower Bites

Well week 1 on the Daniel Fast is in the books! I learned a lot and did great for the first 5 days then had a lil slip up cheat meal in a pinch when we were out and about and gave in boo! And I paid profusely for it all night long! Tmi I know... But 1 bad meal doesn't mean I gave up.. Still trucking along, getting tired of veggies and fruit and kinda annoyed that I am eating things that I wouldn't normally eat, like potatoes and whole wheat stuff! On a normal day I try to stay away from those things but for the Daniel Fast since it's so limited I am trying to embrace a few other options for some variety.
The headaches were gone by day 5 and this past week I have made a few good recipes!

Today we had baked cauliflower bites! Oh Yum! It was so easy and actually tasted really good!

Crispy Baked Cauliflower Bites
1 head of cauliflower
1/4 cup Coconut Oil (melted)
Season to your liking - my new fav seasoning mix is Dill, Basil & Garlic

Preheat oven to 425
Break cauliflower up into pieces and pot into a bowl, in a separate bowl mix coconut oil and spices - then drizzle over cauliflower and mix all up and dump on baking dish!  (try to lay flat so all the pieces cook!

I baked mine for 40 mins turning 3x - the crispier pieces were the best!  Next time I will prob cook a little longer!

Find Super Cute Stuff Here: 

Paleo and Clean Coconut Crusted Chicken and No Bake Cookies!

I love that our taste buds change!  I have always hated the taste of coconut but lately I cant get enough of it!   Last night we had Coconut Crusted Chicken with Sweet & Sour Sauce it was beyond fantastic!  I found this recipe on Beezy Body Fitness and did it a little differently, next time I think I will do it more like the original recipe.  I pan fried it in coconut oil instead of baking it because I thought it would be quicker and I didn't add any spices, mostly because I forgot, but it was still yummy!  It was very Paleo and Clean Eating friendly!

Coconut Crusted Chicken Ingredients Free Range Chicken Breasts (cut into strips) Coconut Flour Coconut Oil 2 Eggs Unsweetened Organic Coconut Flakes (next time I will use shredded - or run flakes through food processor - the flakes were a little hard to keep on because they were so big) I did a little bit of coconut oil in pan - rolled chicken in coconut flour, then in egg then in coconut flakes and pan fried.  It turned out great but next time I want to try to bake it instead. I found this Sweet & Sour Sauce recipe somewhere but I can't find where I found it anywhere but its super yum! 5 tbs of Honey 2 Tbs of vinegar 1 Tbs of Arrowroot powder 2 Tbs of Aminos 2 Tbs of Tomato Paste 1 tsp of red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup of water (more if you want it thinner)   Simmer all together in a sauce pan for 5 mins then remove from heat - it thickens up while cooling.     Along our journey of getting healthy I am trying to find great healthy replacements to everyday things.  I found this amazing No Bake Cookie recipe on Sweet Treats by Shayna made a few revisions and was amazed by how yummy they were!  Paleo and Clean too!  

1 cup coconut flakes (i use organic, unsweetened ones from whole foods) 1 cup chocolate chips  (I use enjoy life choc chips, they are dairy, soy and sugar free) 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup almond butter 1/3 cup raw local honey 1/3 cup coconut oil 1 Tablespoon cinnamon In a sauce pan - melt choc chips with oil, almond butter & honey then remove from heat and mix in rest of ingredients- then spoon on to parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 mins.  I put half them in the freezer for 10 mins and they were perfect!  

Meal Plan Monday! - Clean & Paleo style

Its Monday and I found an awesome new meal plan idea!  I think I got it from the wellness mama but i have been researching and listening to so many things I really don't remember. All of our fav recipes have been written on cute note cards and each week I go through and pull the recipes of the things we want to eat - make a list and place those cards on the fridge - the magnets are perfect because I can take the one for that day and place over the stove and see my recipes easily.   Each day we can pick what we want and not have an already made list that always throws me.  

I have been doing a lot of research and planning and we are really striving to eat clean/paleo but more importantly than any title we are trying to JERF - Just Eat Real Food. If you don't know my back story, I was diagnosed with Cronhs Disease in 2008.  Its mild but food choices make all the difference.  Before a family it was fairly easy for me to stick to a plan but its harder with kids, stresses etc. When I cut out refined sugars, processed foods and diary before I had no symptoms and went into remission.  This past year has been pretty awful. Up and down on the scale, up and down with healthy and crap and the roller coaster needs to end.  I have been looking for better choices for our kids as well.  We are now off of fruit juice and have 2 kids off of cows milk.  Our 2 year old has been a little difficult to get off but we will get there.  We are eating only grassfed beef and trying to skip the processed food, eat cage free eggs and more organic veggies and fruits and stay away from dairy & gluten.   Two of my biggest resources have been Underground Wellness and Dr. Axe. We ordered Dr Axe Burst Fit plan and are starting today! Yay
Ok on with the meal plan -  Each morning we do a Dr Axe Super Food Smoothie - which is basically Keifer or Coconut Milk with Chia Seeds, Berries, Cinnamon and Raw Protein Powder (this is typically breakfast 5 days a week)
Here are our meal choices with links to the recipes Paleo Coconut Chicken   Crock Pot Spagetti Squash and Meatballs (I will post recipe when I make it later this week) Beef & Cabbage Stir Fry  My Super Yummy No-Tato Cauliflower Soup  (I also made this and added butternut squash and did it in the crock pot and omg it was yummy too) Pizza with Cauliflower Crust (trying a new way - i will post recipe if it works hahaha) Chicken Fajitas with Paleo Tortillas   These tortillas supposedly freeze well so i am gonna attempt to make quite a few and freeze some to have on hand! Primal Biscuits and Gravy with homemade turkey sausage
Sides are just veggies lots of veggies!

Absolute Best No-Tato Soup Ever! Clean and Paleo friendly

Tonight I made the absolute best - lick the bowl- fantastic 'no-tato' soup ever and I wanted to share it with you!  It really tasted just like potato soup but oh so much better for you!  This recipe is also Clean and Paleo!  Jerf!!!!  

Ingredients:  2 bags of frozen cauliflower (or 2 heads)  1 sweet onion chopped 1 package of baby portabellos 2 cans of coconut milk (you need the kind that when you turn it up size down in the store it sounds thick and not sloshy, this way you can use the water at 1 end for one thing and the thick milk part for another)  We use a taste of Thai -unsweetened first pressing - DONT SHAKE IT UP   Turmeric Italian seasoning Basil Coconut oil  Turkey Bacon & Chives to top Food processor Blender And pot for cooking 
-Steam cauliflower until soft then 'rice' by running through food processor - I generally add a little bit of coconut oil to the steamed cauliflower, I find it makes it easier to rice -While cauliflower is steaming I put some coconut oil in a pan and add diced onions and mushrooms and all spices and saute then sit aside in pot for soup (i also generally do the onions for several mins before adding the mushrooms) -open the coconut milk  from the bottom of the can (very important) pour all the water from the bottom of the can into a blender (it seems like quite a bit but you will need it) -Spoon out the thick part of the coconut milk into the onions and mushrooms and mix together on low heat  Once the cauliflower is riced through the food processor dump into the blender with the coconut water (I do 1 cauliflower and 1 can of coconut milk at a time) Blend, stirring several times, until its all  mushy & runny mashed potato looking - then dump into the pot with the mushrooms and onions and coconut oil and mix and heat
Top with Chives and Bacon - Seriously I cant even  begin to tell you how yummy this was! I seriously wanted to lick the bowl! hahah! and it tasted just like potato soup but even better! Hope you love it! 
My pics arent the best but they will work! ha

onions sauteing - forgot to take pic of it with mushrooms - i generally do onions for a few mins first

Coconut Milk 'water' from bottom of can

The thick part of the milk mixed into sauteed onions

Cauliflower Riced in food processor (I do a little bit at a time bc i have a tiny processor)

Mushed up in blender with coconut milk 'water'

Mixing it all together

Amazing Finished 'No-Tato' soup

No more fruit juice or milk for our kids!

This week I have been attending the Real Food Con online from Underground Wellness and I have learned so much! My hubs has been watching with me and he finally gets it and change is so happening in this house!  One thing I have really been struggling with is my kids eating habits!  I know every mommy deals with the dreaded food table drama and I swear I have the pickiest eaters ever!  One of the broadcasts I listened to was from The Wellness Mama and she talked about how one of the ways she saves money is by not buying drinks and using the saved money on healthier options!  Most people, me included always say we cant afford to eat healthy but there are ways to work it out and we are learning!

this is an unscripted pic of my kids chowing down on ice cream! eek! 

In a general month we spend at least $100 on juice and milk!  I know juice isn't great and I have fallen into the habit of giving the kids way to much juice.  They were at the point of rarely drinking water alone.  It was always water mixed with some juice! eeks!  Any way I made the decision the other day no more juice and day 1 was awful!  They cried and whined and whimpered!  Day 2 was a little better but still some fuss and today, day 3, they were actually asking for ice water!  Wahoo! Success!!!

I got a big pitcher, filled it with water and added some fresh orange, lemon & lime slices and keep it in the fridge!  Today I have refilled it 3 times with the 5 of us drinking it constantly!  Its delicious and refreshing and thank God my kids like it!

We also gave up milk!  I noticed in our oldest that he was having severe diarrhea and after 2 weeks of testing it out it really seems to be limited to the milk!  He had it for days I took milk away and it stopped.  When it cleared up I gave him milk again and in a day he had it again.  So we are totally away from cows milk and onto coconut milk!  It actuallly has more calcium thank cows milk and the amount of hormones in regular milk is sick! 

In another Real Food Con session I found Dr. Axe! Holy cow he has some good information!  He said that studies show that normal store bought milk contains 20 different chemicals and medications!  5 different types of steriods and growth hormones along with a lot of other sick stuff! Yuck!  No more for us!

Very exciting changes to a healthier lifestyle! Its not gonna happen over night but its a process and the outcome is going to be wonderful! The goal is to Just Eat Real Food!  

Clean & Paleo Crockpot Roast with Mushroom Gravy

Today I made my first roast and I am so proud! It was fantastic!  I forgot to take pics along the way but it was super easy and I wanted to share the recipe with you because I am in awe of how tender and yummy it turned out! 
Crockpot Roast with Mushroom Gravy - My ingredients are all Clean and Paleo friendly! I adapted my recipe from this one I found on PaleOMG - http://paleomg.com/leftovers-rump-roast/ and for my gravy i adapted mine from this recipe http://paleomg.com/paleo-coconut-ginger-mushroom-chicken/  Oh how i love PaleOMG!
To cook the roast Crock-pot 2 lb roast (I got mine at the farmers market from a local farmer who has a completely organic farm with grass fed certified Angus beef!  I have to say I know if I just have some mad cooking skills or if their beef really is what makes the real difference) 3 cups of chicken stock 1 can of coconut milk 5 garlic cloves (peeled) Spices (i used onion powder & paprika) 1 whole onion  Carrots (and whatever other veggies you want)
I put everything in the crock-pot and let cook on high for 3 hours - at the end I did not like how the sauce looked - the coconut milk got all clumpy and it stank!  So I dumped everything into a strainer and then put the veggies and the roast back in with out the sauce it cooked in.  (I also sliced the roast before putting it back in)
To make the gravy - In a pan on the stove i cooked 2 cans of coconut milk 3 tbs of ginger  1 whole container of fresh mushrooms (sliced)
Once the mushrooms were soft I poured the gravy mix over the roast and veggies and cooked on low for 30 mins to let the gravy soak into the inner parts of the meat...  OMG it was fantastic!
I thought next time I wont use chicken stock but I dont  think i would change a thing - the way i cooked it contributed to how tender it was and draining all the juice and sauce just got rid of the extra fat and grease cooked out of the roast.  I am still amazed that it turned out so well!  Cant wait for tomorrows leftovers!   This pic doesnt do it justice but its the only one I have!

 

Day 4 - 21 day sugar detox

Well today is day 4 of the 21 day Sugar Detox and its going great!  I havent had 1 cheat and I feel great! So far the tricks for me have been tons of water and healthy snacks on hand!  I made some amazing deviled eggs and what makes them so amazing is I add Pickles and Turkey Bacon! OMG! Yum
Here have been our meals so far.. you can also follow our meals and progress on instagram! 99 % of everything has been Clean, Organic and Paleo!  Day 1 -  Breakfast - Zucchini Breakfast Pie (recipe on previous post) Lunch - Turkey Bacon, Organic Onion & Tomato Lettuce Wraps Dinner - Chicken Fajitas with homemade organic salsa  - No Tortillas of course Day 2 - Breakfast - Hamburger Pizza Breakfast Pie Lunch - Turkey lettuce wraps and Turkey Bacon Deviled Eggs Dinner - Steak & Grilled Mushrooms and oven fried okra  Snack - Kale Chips (EWWWWEEE I did NOT like these lol) Day 3 -  Breakfast - Salsa Crustless Quiche with Guacamole Lunch - Turkey Lettuce Wraps Dinner - Spaghetti Squash with homemade Mushrooms and Meat Sauce Snack - Cocoa Nana-Cado Pudding  Day 4 -  Breakfast - Beef Sausage, Avacado & Tomato Snack - Deviled Eggs

I am losing pounds & inches already.. Im drinking TONS of water, I'm feeling less tired and very proud of how well its gone so far!  This great detox is setting me up to easily make the switch to Paleo! 



Check out some awesome creations here:

Im Back.. with a yummy clean recipe!

Wow it has been an incredibly long and draining summer! I haven't blogged much mostly because I have been too busy adjusting to small town life and dealing with the death of my dad and lots of traveling back and forth to the city.  I have so many thoughts and words I want to share about my dads death and alcoholism but its still a little to raw and im just not quite ready yet...  But on a good note today is September 1st and today my hubs and I start the 21 Day Sugar Detox!  I have some sweet blogging friends joining in this week and one of my bffs as well!  Im excited to see the outcome!
The Official 21 Day Sugar Detox Pinterest page is my new BFF!  There are so many great recipes!!!! To start let me tell you going into this I am tired!  ALL the freaking time! I've gained back all my 'herbalife' weight back... btw I love the taste of herbalife but ive seen it over and over again and in my hubs and I both.. the day you stop shaking the weight comes right back...  oh well! Hence our new journey... not any certain diet just eating as clean and healthy as possible and getting exercise!  We are starting with the sugar detox to help get some cravings in line and start fresh!  I am doc ordered to pretty much eat paleo type food for the sake of my health so this is perfect!  Over the next 21 days I plan to share recipes, struggles and successes! Today I have to tell you about the oh so yummy healthy breakfast I just made!

I call it - Zucchini Breakfast Pie - I adapted the recipe from this amazing recipe:  http://thingsmybellylikes.com/2013/05/20/bacon-sausage-egg-pie/  By the way this website has a ton of great recipes too
First for the crust.. 3/4 cup coconut flour 2 eggs  1/2 cup coconut oil (recipe called for butter but we prefer coconut oil)
I whipped the eggs and melted oil together then stirred in the coconut flour then dumped into a well greased pie plate and used hands to flatten and work into the pie form...Baked at 350 for 7 mins then pulled out of the oven and cooled for a few mins before filling.

For the filling you can use whatever you want! I did 5 Organic Free Range Cage Free Eggs, 1 organic Zucchini, 2 organic Tomatoes and 1 Organic Onion
For the zucchini I grate with a cheese grater..

Then after its all grated it will be very watery - I put in the middle of strong paper towels and squeeze the heck out of it till most of the water is gone (if you dont it will make the consistency too watery) Then I mixed all together and baked at 375 for 25-30 mins! It was super yummy!  Cant wait to try more of these amazing recipes and have a great 21 days!!!

Clean Cilantro Lime Fajitas & Cutie Patooties

Why do attempts to get good pics of your kids always end up in like 84 shots and only one half way good one out of the whole bundle.  Getting 3 toddlers to sit still at the same time is next to impossible! These 2 were the best of the best.. hahaha

 
Do your kids eat what you eat? Mine NEVER do and I feel like a big epic failure on the food homefont. I have 3 of the pickiest toddlers ever!  Tonight we made some Clean Cilantro & Lime Fajitas and they were so yummy! Who wouldnt want to have these?! 

Peppers, Onions & Chicken made in a lil bit of coconut oil, lime juice and cilantro with garlic and cumin.  Pretty super yummy!  topped off with a lil bit of fresh homemade salsa and guacamole! Yum!  We found the cleanest corn tortillas we could find bc my hubs isnt really up for just eating it with out wrapping it up! 
Of course the holiday was anything but clean but oh well life goes on! ha!  Excited for this long happy weekend with the hubs and my sweet babies!

New Adventures in My New Lil Hick Town

So last night was my first actual big grocery trip in my lil hick town Walmart. It was STRESSFUL!  First of all I am used to shopping at the commissary or at another local owned store chain that had amazing unbeatable prices! I have never bought groceries at walmart other than just a few things here and there.  I also joined a clean eating challenge group for July and did my best to shop 'clean' which made me very panicky!  Through the fruits and veggies section I was okay.  I actually felt great as I shopped the parameter of the store.  But when I had to move to the isles I got overwhelmed.  Looking at ingredients for the first time ever was eye opening to say the least.  Its amazing how much 'other stuff' is in everything!  
One of my friends started a new business called Bloom Holistic that focuses on Clean Eating and joining their first Clean Eating Challenge Group seemed like the best thing to get me going... I know I know.. I try it all! ha!  But clean eating is something I have done in the past and when I did it my health changed beyond belief.  Herbalife worked for me and I love the shakes and I still plan on incorporating them into my meals but they are in no way clean and I am not going to be doing 2 shakes a day for sure. I know I am not going to be able to be 100% clean but my goal is to be as clean as possible and to make changes in the kids stuff gradually.  I felt the worst when buying foods I knew they would eat.  Other than fruits and some veggies just about everything they eat is processed to the max.. danget!  They are so picky and rarely ever eat what we eat, which is a whole nother post!
Today I made my first 'Clean' breakfast and OMG it was yummy!   I called it Southwestern Crustless Quiche

5 Eggs 1 Cup of Salsa (all fresh ingredients from my dads garden with no chemicals!) 1/4 cup of Goats Cheese
Mix all together and pour in a pie pan and bake on 400* for 25ish mins ( i cooked until i poked with a knife and it came out clean! Then I topped it with avocado and salsa! YUM!   I am looking forward to this month and hoping to see some great benefits in my health and will be posting lots of clean eating recipes!