Honey, Dijon and Pecan Crusted Chicken with Cauliflower Bacon “Mashed Potatoes”

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*Primal *Gluten free *Low Carb *Grain-free

Fall is a time that makes us all crave something warm and comforting. But we don’t want to throw our healthy way of eating out the window in favor of big sweaters and au gratin potatoes…well sometimes we do. But for the rest of the time, when we want to have our comfort food and fit in our skinny jeans too, this recipe for pecan crusted chicken breast and cauliflower mashed potatoes should come in handy. It is a recipe that is bursting with flavor. The pecans toast in the oven, lending more depth and texture to the sweet and zingy flavors hiding underneath. The cauliflower mashed potatoes are creamy and have a smoky flavor from the bacon while staying lower in carbs and fat than typical mashed potatoes. I hope these dishes will become a fall favorite for you this year as they have for me and my family!

4 Chicken breasts
1 cup chopped pecans
2 Tbsp Honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, rosemary)
Red pepper flakes to taste

For “Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes”:

1 head cauliflower steamed
2 strips if bacon cooked and crumbled
2/3 cup chopped Red onion
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp Kerry gold butter, or other quality grassfed butter
Sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350
. Steam cauliflower 25 minutes
. Began cooking bacon and set aside
. Cook red onion in left over bacon fat until browned and soft
. While cauliflower is steaming, chop pecans in a food professor and in a bowl add the chopper pecans, garlic, onion powder and Italian seasonings.
. In a separate bowl combine honey and Dijon mustard. Stir well.
. Take each chicken breast and coat in honey Dijon mixture and then in the nut mixture.
. Set onto a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes

. When cauliflower is cooked, use a potato masher to mash until smooth and no chunks are left.
. Once mashed, add butter and Greek yogurt and stir
. Next add bacon and onions. Stir again and salt to taste.

Cauliflower mash makes approximately 4- 1 cup servings.

Honey Dijon Chicken Macro Breakdown- per chicken breast
350 Kcal
21g Fat
13g Carbs
30g Protein

Cauliflower Mash Macro Breakdown- per 1 cup serving

146 Kcal
9g Fat
10g Carbs
8g Protein

Slimmed Down Spaghetti Squash and Grass Fed Beef Lasagna

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*Grain Free *Gluten Free *Low Sugar *Lower Calorie

Spaghetti squash is becoming a staple in my kitchen. I am so glad it’s back in season and I can experiment with this versatile veggie. Spaghetti squash is a lower calorie, high fiber alternative to lasagna or parts noodles. Spaghetti squash also trumps commercial pasta in vitamins A, B,C,E and K and minerals like zinc, manganese and potassium which are great for boosting immunity for the cold season ahead.
This recipe for lasagna is a crowd pleaser in my house. The secret ingredient is the fennel seed. It makes the ground beef really take on an Italian sausage flavor. I use a heavy hand with all of the ingredients so feel free to add extra-unless you have an aversion to one of the spices. You can’t really mess this up. You can even add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to add some heat to the lasagna.

Recipe:

1 lb Grass fed Beef
1/2 a large Spaghetti Squash or 1 med spaghetti squash
1/2 cup red onion
3/4 cup Gruyere Cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 can tomato sauce
1 can diced Italian style tomatoes
2 cups spinach
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 Tbsp fennel seed
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil or dried
Salt to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste

.Heat oven to 400. Slice squash lengthwise and clean out seeds. .Place open side down in cooking pan with water covering squash halfway. Set in oven and cook 40 minutes.
. Begin to brown ground beef in pan, when half way cooked, add red onion, fennel seed, 1 tbsp of oregano and garlic. Cook until beef is brown and onion is translucent.
.Set aside 1/3 of meat mixture (to add to sauce later)
.Add spinach to meat and onion mixture and cover with lid to steam spinach. Stir occasionally.
.Use reserved 1/3 meat mixture to combine in a saucepan with tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook over low heat and stir occasionally for ten minutes.
.Once squash is cooked, use a fork to remove the strands and put into a bowl. Season with a little bit of oregano and salt
.Lower oven to 350
.Combine ricotta cheese, egg, the rest of the oregano and half of Parmesan cheese. Salt to taste. Stir well.
.Ladle some of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 pan.
.Next layer the spaghetti squash evenly over sauce.
.Layer meat, onion and spinach mixture.
.Top with ricotta mixture and spread evenly
.Pour remaining sauce over ricotta mixture
.Top with shredded Gruyere and remaining Parmesan cheese.
.Bake for 15 minutes then broil for 5 minutes
.Top with fresh chopped basil.

Enjoy!!
Makes 8 servings

Macro Breakdown
Kcals- 268
Fat- 13.5
Protein-15.5
Carbs- 21

 

Lemon, Raisin, Carrot and Banana Cupcake Muffins

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*Grain Free *Gluten Free *Primal

I created this recipe one night when I was craving something sweet after dinner. I wanted to indulge a little but still have something nutritious.  So I came up with these Cupcake Muffins. They clearly have an identity complex- and that’s fine by me.  By using coconut palm sugar, these cupcake muffins are just sweet enough and are far lower in sugar, calories, and carbohydrates than commercial muffins and cupcakes. If you want to treat them like a cupcake, just add a little of your favorite frosting on top of each one. In the picture above, I added a dollop of coconut flavored yogurt on top. They are a dense and filling treat, pre-workout snack or grab and go breakfast for the week.

Recipe:

1 cup Almond Meal
3 Tbsp Tapioca Starch
1/4 cup Raisins
7 Grated Baby Carrots
2 Tbsp Melted Kerry Gold Butter
7 tsp Coconut Palm Sugar
2 Cage Free Eggs
1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Banana
1 Tbsp Lemon Zest

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.
Scoop into greased muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Makes 12 muffins

Macro Breakdown:
150 Kcal
10 g Fat
11 g Carbs
4 g Protein

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