Grain Free Recipe Reviews

Hey all!

Is it just me or is everyone going a million miles a minute? I love this time of year and we are doing so many fun things but it never seems to slow down!

My family is continuing on in our gluten free journey.  However, it appears that we are going more grain free than gluten free.  And after a friend shared some articles, I feel even more confident in this decision for our family.  {If you are interested in reading the articles, I posted the link to my Facebook page so you can check them out there}

Many dinners I make are already grain free.  And honestly, eating a grain free meal can be as simple as we want.  But I also know my family, and myself, like some variety, so I have been trying out some great recipes! In the midst of the busyness, I haven't been able to photograph them all but let's be honest, I don't take the best foodie pics anyway.  Instead, I am sharing with the link the original recipe and my family and I's opinions of the meal and if we changed the recipe at all!

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Strips

I served this main dish with broccoli sprinkled with parmesan.  It was a busy Friday night.  My husband has been working out of town a lot and was getting in. I wanted to make a meal that he would love but to get dinner done with my three littles is not always easy.  This meal was SO SIMPLE to make! It took no time to prep and was on the table in about 35 minutes.  

We all ate this dinner up! It was delicious.  The flavor of the chicken was amazing.  Really juicy; had the yummy taste of bacon and the honey sauce brushed on was the perfect addition of sweetness.  I used {what little} leftover strips in a salad the next day for lunch and they reheated and were awesome on my salad.  

My husband said he could eat them every week. And that is coming from a man who likes variety! 

Italian Sausage and Potato Quick Skillet

This dinner! Just make it! Tonight!

Like I said above, my husband has been traveling.  Which means it is me solo against the world...or my three boys, whichever.  On Mondays, my oldest has soccer at five.  It's just a half-hour intro to soccer because, I mean, he's three.  But by the time it is over and we have bundled up and driven back across town, we are nearing six.  For us, that is past the dinner hour and Tuesdays are preschool days.  I have learned that dinner needs to be simple and quick.  

On this night, I did all the prep work before soccer.  It took me about 10 minutes or so to chop everything up.  When we got home from soccer, my mom {bless her} gave the little two a bath while Hudson got a quick shower.  I had time to dump it all in the skillet per the directions and had it done in about 15 minutes.  This meal was full of flavor and texture.  It was hearty and filling.  

It calls for 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes.  I like spicy and so do my boys.  This meal was pretty spicy however.  If you are not a fan of spice, I would leave the red pepper flakes out or use less.  

Other nights we had really simple meals. I made chilli with 50/50 venison and ground beef.  We always have leftovers when I make chilli.  Another night was a simple meat/starch/veggie combo.  Sweet potatoes are generally are go to starch and are really versatile.  

Point is, if you have any issues associated with grains or gluten, or maybe you want to live a clean and healthy lifestyle, look into if grain free is a good choice for your family.  

What's for Dinner: Slow Cooker Jambalya

How is August almost half over?? These weeks just fly by don't they??

 This week we will be featuring the slow cooker once again for a meal my whole family ate up! 

Here's what you will need:

12 oz turkey sausage, sliced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper**
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry brown rice

The original recipe also called for chicken but I didn't want a "meaty" dish so we used just the turkey sausage.  I am sure you could use other sausage if you like.  Or you could use shrimp or just chicken.  It really is your preference. 

Directions:
Place all the ingredients in your slow cooker except your rice. {You don't need that yet.} Give it a good stir and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low 7-10.  

When you are almost ready to serve, cook up some brown rice according to the package directions. Spoon the jambalaya over the rice and serve it up hot! {For my boys, (3 and 1.5) I served their rice on the side.  I knew they probably wouldn't eat the tomatoes but everything else, seriously, GOBBLED UP!}

**I only used 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper since our whole family was eating this and I didn't want it to be too spicy for the littles. Well, my husband thought it was spicy {I did not}.  So you may want to tone down that measurement even more if you don't like a lot of heat. :) 

Original recipe here

What's for Dinner: Chicken Gyros

Happy Thursday everyone! It is the first Thursday of August and to me, August signifies the start of fall.  I know technically that is incorrect, but my yearly calendar will always begin with August.  From the years of being a student going straight into teaching for four years before staying home, August signifies the end of summer and the beginning of fall.

And fall is my FAVORITE time of year! Bring on the skinny jeans, boots, chunky sweaters, hoodies, bonfires, FOOTBALL, pumpkin patches, the BEST scents, and--in my kitchen-- the SLOW COOKER!

I use the slow cooker year round but it really gets fired up and put into overtime during the fall and winter months.  Regardless of if you work or stay home or work from home, knowing that your dinner is slow cooking all day so it is ready when you want it is just a bit of a dream.  So these next few weeks we will be highlighting some healthy slow cooker meals to get you geared up for fall!

Don't we all love a good gyro? I know I do! But if we aren't careful they can be quite calorie dense so this recipe is great because it is light, made my house smell awesome and, of course, cooked in my slow cooker! 

Not picture: The most important ingredient--the chicken! HA

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken

1 onion, diced,

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup water

3 gloves garlic, minced (I didn't have fresh so I used the dry equivalent)

1 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp oregano

1tsp lemon pepper

1/4 tsp all spice

Directions:

Spray your slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray.  (I look for coconut oil or something a little cleaner than Pam) Or better yet, use one of those handy-dandy slow cooker liners for even easier clean up! 

Place your chicken in the slow cooker. Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl and then pour onto your chicken.  Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 7-8 hours.  Shred your chicken and then serve it up!

This is a great way to get in some extra veggies.  Slice up some onions, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber.  You can add a teaspoon of feta for a kick or if you are adventurous, check out some clean tzatziki sauce recipes! I left that off mine.  You can eat this naked or with a whole-grain pita pocket.  Your choice!

Original recipe here  

What's for Dinner: Week

Happy Thursday! Are you ready to see what's cooking in the kitchen this week?

We have been a grilling family this week! I love the grill! Especially when the weather gets really hot! I just don't want to get my kitchen and house all warm because I am running the oven or stove whipping something up! No thanks; not so fun! So we take a lot of our meals outside.  Another bonus--less kitchen clean up!!!! Can I get an amen??

Today's featured meal is supper simple.  It is actually something I was introduced to in high school.  A group of friends and I made these together one night. It is a really great way to use up veggies, to create a different meal for everyone {without ACTUALLY creating a different meal} and it is really healthy.

Let me introduce you to...

Hobo Dinners {please take no offense to the name, that is what they were introduced to me as. And  no, I don't know why. That is just what my friends called them.}

What is a hobo dinner? It is a hodge podge of deliciousness that is all put together in a foil packet to be grilled.  Are you questioning me? Don't! Just don't.  It is delicious. 

Ingredients:

~1 pound of ground turkey

~1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

~1 tsp garlic powder

~2-3 red potatoes, diced into small chunks

~2-3 carrots, shredded

~1 onion, chopped

~2 cups of corn {I use frozen and just make sure it is thawed}

~Salt and pepper

~Heat your grill to about 375. 

~Mix the first three ingredients together.  Then form them into 4-5 small patties. Place those patties onto large separate sheets of foil that have been sprayed with non-stick spray or have a bit of EVOO on them.  {these sheets will be your grill pouches}

~Next take your potatoes and veggies. Distribute them evenly among each pouch.  

~Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

~Fold your pouch but not so tight that the heat can't circulate in there.  More like a tent.

Grill for 30-40 minutes.

SO SIMPLE right??!? I love this meal.  It has everything I need to call it a meal but if you want, serve a side salad with it to up your veggies.  You can absolutely change it up and add other ingredients.  Think summer squash, bell peppers, mushrooms--- whatever you'd like.  Or if you have a picky eater, you can omit an ingredient from their pouch.  

Go ahead and give it a try! You are going to love it! 

What's for Dinner? Week 3

Happy Thursday everyone!!

Since I missed last week, I thought I'd share a couple of recipes with you guys! 

Side note: I had a healthy meal planned out and made..just in the midst of packing and heading home, it was not a night where taking photos of each step seemed practical. It'll be featured later though, I promise, because it was tasty! :) 

This week's menu at the Bruce household was full of really simple meals.  But simple doesn't mean bland and it certainly doesn't mean difficult. 

My first recipe for you is SUPER simple.  We eat a lot of grilled chicken in our house.  I love to find new ways to season or marinade our chicken without adding a lot of ingredients, heavy dressings, or salt.  So when I found this recipe Pinterest I knew I could figure out something similar.  This one didn't have exact measurements so I conjured up my own.

Zesty Chicken Marinade
~3-4 chicken breasts
~1.5 cups apple cider vinegar (I love Bragg's brand)
~2 tablespoons of Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning blend
**I love Mrs. Dash seasonings because they are really yummy, have no MSG and can be used in lots of recipes. 

I let my chicken marinade in this mix for about 6-8 hours.  Then either bake or grill.  We baked ours since my hubby worked late.  Our house smelled amazing.  AND my whole family chowed! Like even my boys, who have been a bit picky lately, inhaled their servings.  I served ours with fresh green beans.  A super simple, healthy, and delicious meal. 

My next recipe for y'all screams summer.  It is super easy.  A friend on Facebook posted about meal prep and had this dish and I just knew I wanted to try it.  I tweaked it a little because I like a little extra flavor but I am sure she made an awesome dish! Thanks Haley for the inspiration!

Summer Veggie Chicken Salad
~3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
~1 summer squash, diced
~1 zucchini, diced
~1/2 container of cherry tomatoes, halved
~1 tablespoon EVOO
~1.5 tablespoons of Newman's Lite Italian Dressing
~1-2 teaspoons of Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy seasoning (I used a pinch more than 1 teaspoon)

While your chicken cooks, dice up those colorful veggies.

Seriously..YUM!

Once your chicken is cooked, dice it up and add it to your veggies.  Then add your oil, dressing and seasoning.  Stir it up and serve! Seriously. That is it.  So stinking simple and yet SO DELICIOUS! I sprinkled a few pinches of Parmesan cheese on mine before eating and it was divine.

You could serve it with something or on it's own.  I toasted some sesame Ezekiel bread, topped it with a little butter.  Perfect, light summer meal. 

I hope you enjoy these dishes as much as my family did! 

What's For Dinner? : Week 2

Thursday is already here in this short work week! I have been looking forward to sharing this recipe with y'all since I made it.  So let's get right to it!

Cauliflower Pizza
Our family adores pizza and we have tried tons,several, HUNDREDS  quite a few cauliflower crust recipes.  They come out way to mushy, soupy, or more like a casserole than a crust.  The taste is the there but what is missing is the feeling of eating a piece of pizza.  Something I can hold in my hand or cut through with our slicer and here that crisp crunch of the crust. You feel me, pizza lovers??

So I found a recipe I hadn't tried here at Lucky Penny and decided to give it a go. 

Here is what you'll need:
~1 medium head of cauliflower
~1/4 tsp Kosher salt
~1/2 tsp dried basil
~1/2 tsp dried oregano
~1/2 tsp garlic powder
~1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I like spice, you could cut this out or use less)
~1/4 cup parmesan cheese
~1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
~1 egg
~your choice of sauce and toppings

***Here is how this recipe was different.  It had me heat my pizza stone before putting the crust on it.  It had me cook the crust on oiled parchment paper on the stone.*** 

First you need to cut your cauliflower into florets and then get them nice and tiny in a food processor.  Or blender.  Whatever you have handy so you don't have to chop it all finely by hand. {Oh yeah, you should be preheating that oven at temp of 450. And don't forget to pop that empty pizza stone (or cookie sheet) in there too!}

You microwave that beautiful mess for 4 minutes. Then let it cool!! Don't rush a good thing people. You will also burn your pretty little paws on the next step if you do rush it!

When your heap of cauliflower is cool, dump it onto a tea towel or thin dish towel.  Then wring out all the excess water.  Cauliflower is one of the veggies that holds a lot of moisture naturally and you well, you just steamed it.  This step has always played a big roll in my pizza crust success. I squeezed and squeezed and got quite a lot of water out. 

Then dump your crust back into a bowl, and add all the ingredients listed above (except the sauce and toppings!)  Mix well with yo' hands!

Then form your crust on that oil piece of parchment I mentioned earlier.  You are going to place that crust on your hot stone.  Cook for 8-11 minutes then remove from the oven for your next step. 

Before cooking

After. Do y'all see how nice that is cooking up? This mama was feeling pretty hopeful about this crust!

Next add your toppings.  For sauce, if you are keeping it clean, mix no sugar/no salt added tomato sauce with some oregano, basil, and smidge of garlic salt to create your own clean sauce.  Spread that on.  Then add whatever you like.  My boys requested "peppy-oni" pizza so I used some turkey pepperoni.  Eh, not the cleanest but, it's better than frozen or delivery. *ahem*

Then pop your pizza back into the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes until the cheese is nice and melty.  

Y'all, I took it out and looked at those crispy edges and was just delighted.  I couldn't wait.  But let me honest, mmmmk.  It wasn't as firm as I'd have liked it to be.  And it stuck to the parchment.  So here is my little tip.  If you have a pizza stone, lightly grease it, and cook it straight on the stone.  I think that would have made all the difference.  The flavor of this pizza was phenomenal it was definitely sturdier than other recipes I've tried, but still could use improvement.  

So get to adding this to your list of must-tries and let me know how it turns out! :) 

What's for dinner?

Happy Thursday! 

Inspired by yesterday's post, I wanted to start a new little series on this blog, "What's for dinner?" I plan to post every Thursday a healthy meal idea, a twist on menu staple making it healthier, a dessert, or *GASP* an occasional indulgence because, let's remember, it's a lifestyle, not a diet! ;)

So today I have a really simple recipe to share with you all! 

Last night, Mr. had to work late and I was planting flowers up until almost dinner time.  My kids are routine.  They like to stay as close to the norm as possible, especially when it comes to meal times.  So this was the perfect meal to whip up because it is super quick.

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
Here's what you'll need:
~1 lb. chicken, diced
~2 cups of mix veggies, diced
        ~I use onions, asparagus, yellow squash, carrots, celery, mushrooms
~1 cup {uncooked} rice or quinoa
~Bragg's liquid aminos
**optional ~ 1-2 eggs

I mean seriously, could that get any easier?? That list is not long! If you are super short on time I will share some time savers with you at the end!

First, heat up a teaspoon of olive oil in a large saute pan.  I use the biggest one I have because I generally do this whole meal in that one pan.  While that heats up, dice up your chicken.  Then add it right into the pan.

As your chicken cooks, bring a pot of water to boil to cook your rice or quinoa. Once it is boiling, add the rice/quinoa and reduce heat. 

As those two things are cooking, dice up all your veggies.  I like my veggies pretty small.  But you can do whatever size you want!

Once you see your chicken is cooked through, this is when I up the protein and crack two eggs in.  Scramble them around.  

After your protein is cooked (we don't salmonella) add in your veggies.  Yes, all in the same pan. 

When your rice/quinoa is completely cooked, dump it into your mix and stir.  Make sure everything is well combined and heated through.  Here is where you have two options: you can go ahead and season your dish with the Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or you can let everyone season their own.  This seasoning is super healthy and natural and is a great replacement when you want that soy sauce flavor.  I usually do about 3-4 shakes on the large dish. It is your call, folks!

Then dish it up in a bowl or on plate! 

See? So stinkin' simple! Now- time savers! This whole meal takes about 30 minutes total, including the time to chop! But what if you are rushing the door and don't have 30 minutes? No worries! Here are some ideas!

~Pre-dice your chicken the night before, or in the morning before work, put it in a tupperware in the fridge.  Huge time saver.

~You could take it one step further and use some rotisserie chicken if you really don't want to wait on that chicken to cook through!

~Frozen veggies! Yes, I said it! You can find all different kinds of frozen veggie blends in your grocer's freezer section.  Set them out to thaw a bit while everything else is cooking and then dump that bag in.  Saves tons of time on all the dicing and doesn't take away any of the nutritional value. 

~Last tip- boil in the bag rice, or quick cooking rice.  Choose a brown rice versus a white.

This meal can be put together quicker than the pizza delivery guy showing up to your door! Enjoy!