Moist Artichoke Baked Chicken

July 8, 2014 Happy WifeStyle

Tonight I wanted to make some chicken and had the thought of that "old school" Best Foods Parmesan Chicken recipe that's been around forever! I had some homemade mayo that I needed to use up anyway, along with the rest of a jar of marinated artichoke hearts in the fridge....hmmmm, this could work! Who needs Parmesan when you have artichoke hearts... artichoke baked chicken, YUM!

I chopped up the artichoke hearts really small and mixed them into the mayo. I added some sea salt and pepper. The chicken breasts I had were monstrous!! Because they were SO big, I sliced them lengthwise so they were thinner. I put them in a baking dish and slathered the mayo-artichoke mixture all over the top to coat.

I baked them at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour, making some brussel sprouts with just a little olive oil, salt and pepper on them at the same time....easy! At the end I turned it to broil and watched it closely while everything got golden brown.

That thick, creamy crust was so good....this chicken turned out really moist! I hope you'll give this artichoke baked chicen a try, it's tasty!!!!

Paleo Magazine

July 8, 2014 Happy WifeStyle

Have you read Paleo Magazine yet? It's the only print magazine dedicated to the Paleo Lifestyle! I buy it when I see the newest issue at Sprouts...it only comes out every two months, so I've only gotten two so far. The issues above are April/May and June/July of 2014. I really like it! It has great information!

My husband read the new issue that I picked up today and kept talking about it....he thought it was really good and said, "You should go ahead and subscribe to this!" I haven't even had a chance to read it yet....but I enjoyed the last issue enough to buy it again so I'm going to subscribe! It has great articles about the Paleo Lifestyle, great recipes, book reviews, blog reviews, and just all around good information for everyone...new to Paleo or not!

I figure I'm going to buy the magazine each and every time I see the new issue at Sprouts anyway...which is my second home...so I'll save some money by getting a subscription! It's $29.99 for one year/6 issues. Otherwise each magazine is $6.99 retail US and $7.99 CAN.

Thanks Paleo Magazine...modern day primal living!! I look forward to getting mail from you!

For following MovNat which is "Natural Movement Fitness"....I saved 35%... by entering the promotion code: MOVNAT It ended up only costing $19.99 for a whole year instead of $29.99!

Thank you!! :)

Paleo "Real-Deal" Chocolate Chip Cookies with sea salt

July 7, 2014 Happy WifeStyle

I made these "Real Deal"... Paleo Chocolate Chip cookies and they did not disappoint! They would've fooled anyone into thinking they were the traditional full-of-sugar variety!! My stepson ate them up and said they should be called the "dunking cookie" because they are SO good dunked in almond milk!

I found this recipe in my "Against All Grains" cookbook and it says it's one of her all-time favorites among her readers....so I had to give it a try!! I just tweaked it a little. This is the closest you'll come in my opinion to those homemade cookies everyone grew up on! :)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup palm shortening (I couldn't find this so I used coconut oil "sticks")
1 egg at room temperature
1/4 cup coconut crystals (coconut sugar)
2 Tablespoons raw honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
2 Tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup dark chocolate pieces
1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the shortening and egg in a food processor and process for 15 seconds... I used my Vitamix.
Add the coconut crystals, honey, and vanilla extract. Process again until combined.
Add the flours, baking soda, and salt and process for 30 seconds.
Scrape down the sides and pulse again if necessary to fully incorporate the dry ingredients.
Stir the chocolate in by hand.
Use a large Tablespoon to scoop balls of the dough, placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly press them down to flatten, making disks about 1/2" thick.
Optional.....I SPRINKLED A LITTLE BIT OF SEA SALT ON TOP BEFORE BAKING...JUST A LITTLE;)
Bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are browned around the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

Once they are baking in the oven....this is a good time to tidy up that mess!! :)

Here's how mine turned out...they did not last long because it only makes about one dozen! My husband loved the sea salt on top!

I think these paleo chocolate chip cookies were amazing!!!! They DID taste like the "Real Deal"...GREAT dunked in unsweetened almond milk!! You're welcome;)

Bacon-wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

July 5, 2014 Happy WifeStyle

It's no wonder Jalapeño Poppers are so tasty...they are breaded and fried and are filled with yummy cream cheese! I used to think they were a thing of the past with my healthier lifestyle...but I was wrong. They can be even better!!

We had some friends over recently and they brought these babies over and they ended up being the hit of the day!!! She made some special for us that were stuffed with creamy goat cheese, and still made some with the traditional cream cheese. Here's how to make them...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For 16 poppers, you'll need 8 jalapeños. Cut the ends off of jalapeños, cut them in half lengthwise and clean out the seeds. Stuff the halves with goat cheese (or cream cheese). Wrap uncooked bacon around them and secure with a toothpick. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the poppers on a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet...so the bacon grease drips down onto the baking sheet. A little of the cheese will drip down too....so save cleanup time by lining that baking sheet with foil....or else you'll be soaking that baked-on cheese mess and scrubbing that pan for a while! (can you tell I learned this the hard way?) :)

Bake until the bacon is done and crispy....about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve!

These will not disappoint! These are tastier than any other jalapeño popper I've ever had!! Super easy to make and will be the hit of the next get-together you have!! Thanks Meredith for bringing these over!!

4th of July Apple Pie (the filling)

July 5, 2014 Happy WifeStyle

So....Happy 4th of July everyone!! We had guests so I'm posting this super late. This is the PART 2 of my apple pie...the filling. So, you can do this first if you want to and then make the crust, either way (see link below for the crust)....for the filling, you will need:

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp apple juice concentrate
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saute pan, reduce the butter, apple juice concentrate, cinnamon, and lemon juice into a syrup, about 5 minutes. Add apples and stir to combine.

If you have not made the crust yet...see the post for the crust here. You can make the crust ahead...or make it now. If you make it ahead like I did, wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate... just let it thaw about 1 hour.

Lightly grease a baking sheet. Put the dough on a baking sheet and press it into a circular shape, about 1/4 inch thick. I started this process using a rolling pin then pressed it by hand working it into a circle. This is an "open-faced" apple pie...

Pour the apples and all of the yummy mixture on top, making sure to keep a 1 inch border around the edge of the dough. Push the border up around the apples, creating a "moat" to catch any syrup.

Bake until crust is browned, about 30 minutes.

It turned out really good! I wanted to make vanilla ice cream to go with it....which would have been gooooood, but I didn't chill my coconut milk and this takes 24 hours, oops!!! So, we had it without and it was great....next time!! This crust is VERY good! I would definitely make this again;) This is an excellent pie for having NO SUGAR added!! This crust would be great with a variety of pies!

-This recipe is from "Primal Cravings" cookbook.

Paleo-friendly....4th of July Apple Pie (the crust)

July 3, 2014 Happy WifeStyle

Ok, what's more American than Apple Pie?? Baseball?? Well, tomorrow it's going to be Apple Pie and the WORLD CUP around here!! I am actually not a pie maker...usually. So, I just got a new Paleo cookbook that I am excited about and I decided that this would be the perfect time to have an apple pie. Let's see how this goes....it's actually July 3rd today. I realize that. So I'm doing some prep work and making the crust tonight and will be doing the filling tomorrow and baking it. I'm having a couple of friends over tomorrow and have done some prep work on everything I can. We are having Tri-Tip, artichokes, homemade mayo, Coleslaw, N'Oatmeal Cookies, and APPLE PIE!! A friend is bringing drink ingredients for a drink called "Rico Suave"...I'm not sure what it is yet, but she says it's amazing so I'll share with you all if it's good!!

So here's the crust ingredients. I SO hope this turns out good because you are with me on this one as I go!!!

1 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons apple juice concentrate

In a large bowl, whisk together the two flours. Cut the butter into small cubes and using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it's a sandy texture.

Stir in the egg and apple juice concentrate....

Here's the apple juice concentrate I found at Sprouts... I got Granny Smith apples for this pie because it called for "tart" apples and I'd always heard you used them for pie. So when I saw this I thought it would be perfect...crossing my fingers!!

I know it says "stir", but my hands were already in this....I gave my husband the camera for obvious reasons. He had a blast, saying "over the shoulder shot!"....

Mix, mix, mix...

My husband made it clear and said, "I'M not making a pie, if anyone asks!!" (This is kind of an inside joke for anyone that knows us because the comediean Bill Burr has a video called "Let It Go"...if you want to laugh HARD, watch it...and then you'll laugh harder because you'll get this joke;)

I had to add a little more tapioca flour to get the consistency just right for my dough, so adjust...make it into a ball.

It should stop sticking to your fingers and look like this....

Ok!! I wrapped it up in saran wrap, put it in the fridge and I will continue my first Apple Pie adventure with you tomorrow on the 4th of JULY!!!!! The filling and the verdict will be tomorrow's blog post!! Oh!....and I'm doing coconut milk vanilla ice cream because you HAVE TO have the a'la'mode, right??!!! I'm REALLY hoping this turns out;)

...for tomorrow's post you will need: 2 Tbsp Butter, 2 Tbsp Apple Juice Concentrate, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 tart apples....