Slow Cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken

Shredded Buffalo Chicken in the slow cooker

brings a touch of summer to the cold winter days.

It doesn't take many ingredients- and only a few minutes to throw together in the morning.

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds Chicken (thigh or breast)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup chicken stock

3 TBS minced garlic

Red Hot Sauce (to taste)

2 TBS Butter

Place all the ingredients except the butter and hot sauce into your slow cooker.

I forgot to pull out my chicken to defrost so I threw it in frozen

along with my frozen chicken stock-

If your chicken is not frozen that's fine, it will just cook faster.

Melt the butter and stir into about a 1/4 cup of hot sauce.

Coat the chicken with hot sauce butter mixture

(you can adjust this amount depending on how spicy you like your food)

 

Turn your slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours

(8-10 if frozen)

Here is what it looks like after that rock hard chicken starts to thaw and separate

 

If your chicken had bones in it,

pull it out about an hour before the end of cook time to pull out the bones

and then shred the remaining meat.

Serve on a bun with addition sauce if desired,

over rice, as a salad topper 

or place on a roll and melt a bit of cheese on top.

No matter how you eat it...enjoy it!

~eat well, be well

Patty

Cranberry Spread

 

This year on Thanksgiving I was just

dying for some cranberries.

My husband and father in law don't like turkey so I always make ham

and cranberry sauce just doesn't ever seem to fit into the menu.

As a kid though, it was one of my favorite things

about thanksgiving and I don't want my kids to miss out

so I decided to do cranberries- just a little different.

 

No need to boil your cranberries down for hours or buy that

canned gelatinous stuff. a Few fresh ingredients and a blender or food processor

and you can have this ready in about 30 minutes.

 

1 Bag fresh Cranberries

1/4 Cup water

1/4 Cup raw cane sugar

1 apple peeled and chopped

1 orange, peeled 

1/4 cup pecans or walnuts

Place cranberries, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil

Peel and chop the apple and orange and then add to the boiling cranberries.

Let heat for 5-10 minutes to soften the apple and merge flavors.

Pour hot mixture into your blender or food processor, add nuts

and blend to desired consistency.

Pour into a glass jar, seal and refrigerate.

 

Done. That's it.

I could not help but try some while it was still hot and it was delicious!

I put it in the fridge while we made some homemade waffles though and let it

solidify a bit and used it as a new and AWESOME waffle topping.

My son likes to just eat it with a spoon straight off his plate but I have been

using it regularly as a jelly replacement on toast and it's my new favorite thing.

Plus it tastes so much more like December than strawberry jelly.

Look at it though, it's so bright and happy that just looking at it makes me smile

every time I pull out the jar.

 

 

So go grab some cranberries and try it out!

It would make a great neighbor gift also.

 

~eat well, be well

Patty

 

Sorry for the Busy Month!

  Sorry I have been a little absent lately. 

We have been busy painting kids rooms and rearranging things to

make room for baby #3 and we had a few birthdays to celebrate,

a fun family run 

(my 2 year old ran a mile and my barely 7 year old did her 5K in under 42 minutes!)

teaching lots of classes at the gym the last few months,

family in town all last week,

Thanksgiving to prepare for and enjoy,

family friends visiting this weekend and then our annual

Christmas Tree decorating day yesterday and well...

our meals have been a little boring in the middle of all of that

so I have not had anything super exciting to share.

And I admit that after a super early trip to the airport Saturday morning 

my sweet husband brought home Dunkin Donuts. 

It was our sons first exposure and I am pretty sure he is a fan

but I definitely enjoyed our little naughty family donut moment together!!

But It's Monday and the beginning of December.

I know I will be making some treats for neighbors and baking with my little's 

so I need to make great choices everywhere I can. 

That mean hello shakeology for breakfast!

Super delicious and incredibly healthy.

Seriously, last year when we started drinking it I thought I would hate it.

I had tried all sorts of protein drinks or meal replacements and hated them all except slim fast...

but lets be honest, slim fast does not slim you fast.... 

and it's not even that good of a nutritious meal replacement-

but I digress, the first few days of shakeology I did not like it but 

now I do and my body feels great when I am consistent with it!

So this morning I whipped myself up one with some milk, ice and peppermint extract 

and headed to the basement for a date with Denise Austin.

That's right, no gym for me today.

I have Placenta Previa and my abs have started to split

(leaving me with a crazy triangular baby belly at times!)

Anyway, all of that means if I want to keep teaching my Spinning classes I need to 

back off some of my other workouts so back to basics

and some second trimester toning with my annoying but old friend

Denise (seriously...her voice is crazy- some weird mix of calming, sweet and uber annoying

if you have never had the pleasure of hearing it yourself.)

So, forgive my absence I will try and be much much better this month-

Remember to make good choices and always listen to your body.

~eat well, be well

Patty

Baken Chicken and Artichoke Recipe from The Chew

 

I love cooking shows.

I hat talk shows.

The Chew is a weird mix of both.

I never sit down and watch it on purpose but when 

I happen to catch it I always think I should try what they make.

This recipe was submitted by a viewer and won a contest on the show

and it looked amazing so I thought I would give it a try.

My Version of

Donna Giblin's Baked Artichoke Chicken: (adapted from ABC The Chew)

2 pounds chicken thighs

1 cup artichoke hearts, halved (canned is fine)

1 medium onion, cut into pieces same size as the artichokes
1 pound button mushrooms
2 tablespoons brown mustard
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white wine (you could also sub in chicken stock)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
kosher salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 375F

 

Chop the onion and place

drained artichokes, onions and mushrooms in the

bottom of a 13x9 pan or casserole baking dish.

 

Stir together the vinegar, wine, garlic, oil and seasonings.

 

Now place the chicken on top of the vegetables,

pour the sauce on top of the chicken

and pop it in the oven.

 

Bake this for about 1 hour, basting with the juices at least once or twice.

 

and VOILA!

restaurant worthy dinner!

You can serve this on it's own or over rice or pasta-

Enjoy!

~eat well, be well

Patty

Chicken and Rice Slow Cooker Stew

The weather is getting cold here and its

time to dust off some of my heartier soups and stew recipes.

This is just a basic chicken and rice soup but

I added some chick peas for extra protein

(and because my tiny toddler who needs to pack on a few pounds seems to be much more

attracted to anything with beans in it)

Feel free to leave those out or replace them with your favorite variety

of white or kidney bean instead.

 

You don't need a lot of crazy stuff for this one, it's one of those

'OOPs, I forgot to plan my dinner for tonight what can I throw together in a pot'

kind of meals so feel free to tinker with the seasonings

and add in's- this one is SUPER hard to mess up!

Here is what I used today:

1 1/2 Cups brown rice (not minute or instant rice)

1 pound of chicken (you can use breast, thigh or leftover roasted chicken like me)

3 stalks chopped celery

1/2 cup or so chopped carrots

1 can drained and rinsed chick peas

1 medium onion, chopped

1 TBS Dijon mustard

a splash of Worcestershire sauce

~2 cups chicken stock (I use homemade that I made at the same time as my roasted chicken but you can also use boxed or canned if you don't have any in your freezer)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Now if you are lucky enough to have a helper like me

have him or her chop up the onion for you so you don't get all teary eyed!

Seriously, this bag of onions I bought is the most potent ones

I have had in long time, it's crazy how much they burn my eyes.

Fun trick I learned on food network though:

If you chop your onion next to a burning gas stove

(like when you are browning meat or something)

the gas flame does something to atomize the acid from the onion and removes 

it from the air like magic! 

OK- it's more like science than magic but it DOES work!

Anyhow, I was using pre-cooked chicken today so no need to turn on 

a burner so we both got a bit teary eyed.

Just throw all the chopped veggies  into the slow cooker

and top with the rice, chicken, beans and broth

Then stir in the mustard,

splash the Worcestershire sauce over the top and sprinkle on the 

paprika, thyme and pepper (again- feel free to tweak these seasonings!)

Close it up 

and turn it on.

If you are using pre-cooked chicken this only needs 4-5 hours on low

but if your chicken is uncooked breasts or thighs.

I would stick to 8 hours on low.

Leave it and forget it and then at the end of your busy day you have this:

 

So good and so simple!

~Eat well, Be well

Patty

Replacement Ranch Dip mix for your pantry

Last year when my husband and I decided we were going to seriously try and cut out processed food from our diets, our first step was to start reading labels on some of our go to foods. It was pretty shocking to say the least. I talked a bit about this a few months ago here on the blog if you want to start this yourself. Anyway one of the worst contenders for way too many unnecessary ingredients was those packets of dried dressings or dips you keep around to whip up a quick dip or dressing if people are coming over. Waaaay to many unpronounceable ingredients on those, believe me!

But if you don't have those, 

what will you put out with your veggies 

or let your kids use to dip those carrots in after school? 

The answer is make your own!!!! 

You can find recipes for almost any type of homemade real food type dressing on the web or on pinterest but today I will just share my homemade ranch dip with you.

It's really pretty easy and you probably have (almost) everything you need already in your pantry. 

(I say almost because I had to go out and get dill to make this but now I am prepared!)

I mixed together all the dried spices and put them into a little glass jar 

(or use an old empty spice container-they work perfectly!)

Then I keep the dried seasoning on my spice rack and just mix it into 

some plain Greek yogurt a little at a time when I need some dip or ranch dressing 

and I know EXACTLY what's in it- a

nd more importantly what's NOT!

(no sugar, no salt, no chemicals)

So here it is:

Homemade Ranch Dip (Dry Mixture)

• 4 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp group black pepper

Just mix all of this together and store in an airtight container and then 

when you need it mix about 1 tablespoon of the dry mixture into about 

1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt. Done.

And if you are someone who hates Greek yogurt 

(I was one once too but I converted myself...)

you can substitute sour cream for the base 

but I promise you won't be able to tell the difference.

Now go make dip and be merry!

I intended to have a pretty picture for you of this one, 

but it got eaten all up yesterday and the party 

and I don't think you want to see a picture of an empty bowl.

~eat well, be well-

Patty

Balsamic Chicken in the Slow Cooker

 

I know, I know. 

I use my slow cooker all the time.

But it's awesome.

I can throw together dinner when I have a few minutes during the day

and then in the afternoons I get my Monkey from

the bus stop, help with homework,

and we can go out and play or finish up

some chores before dinner and I am not trapped in the kitchen

or rushing to get something done in time to leave for whatever that evenings activity might be.

It is seriously one of my best friends these days. 

But you cant eat soups and stews and one pot wonders every night, That would be super boring

So this recipe cooks with the ease of the slow cookers help but tastes like a Sunday dinner.

Win, Win.

AND......

It is incredibly easy.

Grab some spices you should already have on hand from the pantry

(onion powder, garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper) and mix a little spice blend in a little bowl.

coats all sides of your chicken with the spices and set it aside while you prep the cooker.

Pour 1 TBS of extra virgin olive oil into the cooker and try to spread it around to coat the bottom surface and then sprinkle about 4 cloves of minced garlic around.

Place the chicken on top of the garlic like so:

 Then pour about 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar on top of the chicken,

close it up and turn it on.

Let this cook for about 4 hours on high (6-8 on low)

and when you open it up you have this tasty, moist and very flavorful chicken dish.

I made it extra easy and set my rice cooker on delay with 

some brown rice so all we had to do at dinner time was scoop out 

some rice and place a piece of chicken on top.

If you have some fresh parsley, snip some up and throw it on top for 

some garnish to serve.

 

This meal got a 2 thumbs up from my family who were too busy

eating to actually use words to tell me whether they liked it or not

but judging by the clean plates and disappearing leftovers 

I'm guessing they enjoyed it as much as I did.

~eat well, be well

Patty

Ingredients

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder 

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

4 cloves of minced garlic 

1 Tbsp EV olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

fresh chopped parsleyfor garnish

Directions

Combine the  spices in a small bowl and then coat the chicken with it on all sides

Pour olive oil into the bottom of the crock pot and spread around then add the minced garlic. 

Place the seasoned chicken pieces on top of the garlic and then 

Pour the balsamic vinegar over the top. 

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.

And then garnish with fresh parsley to serve.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

 

It's fall and that

means farmer's markets and colorful produce sections

and last week I picked up this little gem:

 

 

Squash.

My husband is scared of it.

You would think it is evil or tastes like dirt

scooped up from the ground and served to him.

I on the other hand LOVE it

and have made it my mission to find ways 

to serve it to the whole family that they enjoy.

This casserole may have done it!

If you are from the south (like my husband)

you probably know hashbrown casserole 

and have had many varieties of it in your lifetime-

none of which are exactly 'healthy'

but this actually tastes rich and creamy and hearty like

hashbrown casserole but is soooo 

much better for you than the originals.

 

But before you can start you need to know what to do with that squash.

I use spaghetti squash for this one, its my favorite fall squash variety.

The first time I made a spaghetti squash it took me an hour and a half

just to get the sucker opened and by then I was so tired and frustrated

that I did not even want to cook it.

But I learned the secret. 

Big sharp knives are not the answer-

the best way to cut into any type of squash

with its thick skin,and slippery weird shaped outsides

is a pumpkin carving knife. 

This is the perfect time of year to go pick up one of those sets at

your local store in the halloween section. The small easy to control saw

type knife makes getting into these 

fort knox type veggies a breeze.

Mine happened to have broken last year

and I had not replaced it yet when I cut this baby open

and believe me...I regretted not having it.

But I persevered and ended up winning the battle to get it open anyhow 

(but you better believe we went out and bought a new carving kit this weekend!)

 

Once you get the squash opened up just use a spoon and 

scoop out the seeds and middle yuckiness and discard.

Lightly salt and pepper the squash 'meat'

and then flip each half upside down onto 

a cookie sheet that you lined with foil

(don't skip the foil part, it will help

the flesh get more tender, keep the

squash from sticking to the tray AND make clean up a

TON easier)

 

Throw (or gently place) the squash into the oven

at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

While that is roasting up collect the rest of your ingredients.

 

Chop up the onion and place 2 tablespoons of butter 

in a pan to melt and then toss in the chopped onion,

thyme, and red pepper flakes

and cook until the onions are slightly browned and translucent.

Once the squash is finished pull it out

and flip it over. yum!

 

 When it's cooled for a few minutes

grab a fork and gently start scraping down the sides

to free the stringy, noodle like strands of the squash.

(This is yummy by itself or tossed with garlic and diced tomatoes as

an easy pasta replacement- but for this recipe keep going)

 

Scoop out the flesh into a bowl,

 

add in the cooked onion and seasoning mixture,

1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt and

1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

and mix it all up.

 

Spread the mixture into a baking dish 

and cover the top with some more cheddar cheese if desired

(who would not desire more cheese though...)

 

and bake it at 375 degrees

for 15-20 minutes.

 

scoop out that yumminess and serve it with meat of choice,

We had ours with meatloaf for dinner

 but I mixed some clean pulled pork with it 

as leftovers the next day and YUM YUM YUM!!!

~eat well, be well

Patty

 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Place upside down on a foil covered baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes
   
   
2. In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color.
    
3. Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a mixing bowl.
    
4. Combine the squash, onions, greek yogurt and half the cheese together and mix well. 
    Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
    
5. Place into a 375º for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown on top.
    

Pumpkin Bread (with sugar)

Ok everybody. 

I am going to shock you and give you a recipe with sugar in it. 

I know!!! Yum!

I don't use much sugar in the kitchen these days but 

since my husband likes it in his coffee we always  have it around. 

I did stop buying 'regular' sugar though and we opt for organic raw cane sugar. 

Lots of people disagree about if you are going to have sugar what you should use. 

I don't like agave and truvia seems very processed to me and honestly I have never tried stevia. 

My feelings are that if I want something to be sweet I usually 

prefer to replace sugar with pure maple syrup or raw honey but 

when you are baking that just doesn't always leave you with the same texture. 

Believe me I have tried TONS of purely clean baking recipes in this house 

and though I tend to like them my kids know the difference 

and instead of it being a treat it seems like torture to get them to eat the stuff 

and that is definitely not the point of baking. (at least not for me)

So last week the weather cooled off and I pulled out the first can of pumpkin (and my sugar container) and made this bread which was a total hit with not just my kids but the whole neighborhood. So here it is:

Patty's Pumpkin Bread

1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 cup applesauce (unsweetened or homemade)

2/3 cup water

3 cups raw cane sugar (I KNOW!!! SUGAR!!!!)

3 1/2 cup whole wheat or white wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips if you are feeling super nice... 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Grease and flour 2 bread loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, applesauce, eggs, water and the sugar. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. 

Then add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture. 

Stir until just blended and then throw in the chips (or you could add some chopped nuts here) and stir.

Don't over mix or it could make your bread tough. 

Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. 

You know the bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Don't be afraid to treat yourself and your family once in awhile!

~eat well, be well

Patty

Salsa Chicken

So I am about 16 weeks pregnant and still craving all things carbohydrate these days. 

Much to my dismay this little baby does Not like lettuce. AT ALL. 

That means a huge shift in my menus and finding ways to trick my body into eating vegetables without noticing it.

One of the easiest ways I have found is to mix them into food that just seems warm and heavy and delicious. And if it happens to be super simple to make- all the better!!!

WIN, WIN!

This recipe is just that.

Put 2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in the slow cooker

Open up a can of black beans (try not to break off the tab because a can like this does NOT like can openers....)yay for me.

Once you finally get into those beans drain and rinse them and pour them into the slow cooker with the chicken and 1 container of your favorite salsa. I prefer to use fresh pico de gallo with chunks of fresh veggies, but you can use any kind you like.

Close the slow cooker, (plug it in...this step is important...and yes I have forgotten once or 5 times)

turn it on low for 4-6 hours stir it up to shred the chicken and enjoy!

You can eat this on its own, serve over some brown rice or in shells as tacos and top as desired with fresh cilantro and a dollup of greek yogurt. Yum and so so soooooo simple!

Your welcome for this one!

~eat well, be well

Patty

Chicken Marsala with Mashed Cauliflower

Want a quick meal for a weeknight dinner that tastes like you slaved over it all day?

This one is PERFECT!

From start to finish the whole meal should take less than 40 minutes

and that includes getting the table set.

Ingredients for the Mashed Cauliflower are:

1 head cauliflower

1/4 cup milk (or less depending on how wet your cauliflower is)

1 TBS butter

garlic powder*

parsley*

black pepper*

* to taste

Ingredients for the Chicken Marsala:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3/4 cup Marsala wine

1/4 cup water

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 Tbs butter or coconut oil

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 TBS parsley

1/2 tsp rosemary

salt and black pepper

 

Get the cauliflower cooking.

Chop up the head of cauliflower removing the green pieces and most of the stem

and then place in a steamer over a pot of boiling water.

You can boil it directly if you want I just find that by steaming it

I avoid it soaking up extra water and creating a very running mash later on.

Now onto the chicken.

You can pound this out if you want but I learned a trick a while back 

that is a whole lot faster and less messy.

Place one chicken boob on the cutting board and 

using a very good meat cutting knife 

(I use these serrated ones I got suckered into buying 

from a sales booth at the NEX one Saturday- 

they were supposed to magically cut tomatoes with no sharpening...

I have never heard the end of it from my husband but I am happy to announce 

they are dynamite when it comes to splitting chicken breasts!)

Anyway, I place my hand on top of the breast 

(fingers together and up to avoid any accidents!!) 

and then cut through the breast all the way through the middle 

so you end up with two halves of each breast that are thinner.

Place the now thin breasts on a cutting board or shallow pan 

and sprinkle evenly with a thin coating of whole wheat flour 

and a touch of salt and black pepper and set aside for a few minutes.

 

Once the chicken is ready (and you have washed your nasty chicken hands of course!)

warm up a medium to large size saute pan and place 2 Tbs of butter in there to melt.

Now as I noted you can replace the butter with coconut oil if you are trying to be super strict here but I have made it both ways and the butter does a better job coating the mushrooms instead of just soaking into them so I would choose butter if you twisted my arm for which is better 

(but REAL butter none of that 1 step away from plastic stuff 

that likes to masquerade as a healthier choice).

Throw the mushrooms in there and saute them until they are soft and browned fully 

(about 10 minutes). 

Once they are cooked through pull them out of the pan and set aside.

 

In the same warm pan place your flour coated chicken and cook about 4 minutes on each side or until the meat temp reaches 165 degrees and then pull it out and place in a serving dish.

While the chicken rests place the mushrooms back in the pan and pour the 3/4 cup of Marsala wine and 1/4 cup of water over them carefully and sprinkle with rosemary and thyme. 

Now you can buy Marsala cooking wine in the grocery store and use that instead of regular wine just beware that it will generally have added salt so I chose not to use it if I have a bottle of plain Marsala around.

 

 Let the sauce simmer together for 5-10 minutes

 

and then pour it all over the chicken in your serving dish and serve.

 

While the sauce is simmering you can throw together your mashed cauliflower. 

Once its soft enough to stick a fork easily through it remove the cauliflower form the heat.

Strain any excess water from it, using a colander or cheesecloth  and then treat it just like you would potatoes. I use my Vitamix because as you know- I am addicted to it and why not, but you could easily mash these by hand or use a hand mixer.

Add the milk and butter to the cauliflower pieces and blend or mash to your desired consistency and then add your preferred seasonings. I really like parsley and cauliflower together so I always use that and usually add some fresh ground pepper and garlic powder (of course feel free to add minced garlic instead if you prefer a more dense flavor!) also have fun experimenting!

Replacing the milk with Greek yogurt will give you creamy think mash and 

adding a dash of Parmesan cheese would be great also. It's your kitchen- you are in charge here so have fun and don't be afraid to try new things!

 

Now that everything is done, plate it and eat up! delicious

not-so-hard 'fancy' meal in 30-40 minutes!

Make sure everybody gets enough sauce and mushrooms on top of their chicken- 

that is the best part!!

 Hope your family enjoys this one as much as mine does!!

~eat well, be well

Patty