Honey Pecan Chicken - Slow Cooker Style

This week has been all about trying new recipes.  We have tried 2 new chicken recipes and 1 new steak recipe.  All of which have not disappointed.  Yesterday was a crazy busy day and I knew in order to have an easy dinner I needed a crock pot meal.  I found this recipe recently and decided it was time to give it a try.  It was sweet & salty and was a nice twist on regular chicken.  BONUS I had all the ingredients in the house (since I usually keep an assortment of nuts in the freezer).

Here you go!

Honey Pecan Chicken - Slow Cooker Style

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 1 - 1 1/2 pounds)
Sea Salt & Black Pepper to taste
2 tbsp. Coconut Oil
2/3 cp. Raw/Pure Honey
1 cp. Chopped Pecans
Garlic Powder (to taste) - OR 3 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning
Dash of Cinnamon
Handful Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley (chopped - optional)

Directions:

-  Add the coconut oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat.

-  Season the chicken breasts with the salt and pepper and add it to the saute pan.

-  Sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, or until it is slightly golden brown.

-  While the chicken is searing, add the garlic, Italian Seasonings, and Cinnamon to the honey.  Stir & set aside.

-  Place the seared chicken in the slow cooker and pour the honey mixture over the top and sprinkle on the chopped pecans.  Set the slower cooker to low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.


-  Once cooked, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and cover with aluminum foil.  Let the chicken rest for 5 minute.

-  After the chicken has rested, you can either shred the chicken and add it back to the sauce OR serve the chicken breasts whole with the sauce drizzled over the top.  Finally top with a handful of fresh parsley if you wish.

- ENJOY!!!

Thank you for visiting.  Come back again soon!


~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Emerald Coach

BANG BANG Baked Chicken

Recently we all went to Rehobeth Beach for a long weekend.  While there we went out to eat at a seafood restaurant and my husband wanted to order some BANG BANG Shrimp.  I had no idea what BANG BANG Shrimp was, but I figured what the heck why not.  And so glad I did, I loved it!  It was so tasty.

So, last week I was looking for some new recipe ideas to try and came across a recipe for BANG BANG Chicken.  I figured why not, I loved the shrimp, let's see how the chicken tastes.  And again, I was not disappointed.  The best part about making it at home was I could control the spiciness of it.  LOVE when I find a new recipe that is a hit and am able to add it to my collection.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  And yes, the sauce calls for mayonnaise - which is why I am a huge fan of the 80/20 rule, I don't feel guilty when enjoying the sauce.

**Side note:  When I was making these, I did some before adding the hot sauce to the bread crumb mixture for the kids. Next time, I will probably add just a touch of hot sauce as that added to the flavor so much!

BANG BANG Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

For Chicken - 

4 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into small pieces/chunks (between 1 & 1.5 pounds)
1 cup Buttermilk
¾ cup Whole Wheat Flour
½ cup Cornstarch
1 Egg
1 tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp Hot Sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot sauce)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Whole Grain/Wheat Panko Breadcrumbs

For Sauce - 

½ cup Mayonnaise

¼ cup Sweet Chili Sauce (I used Frank's)
1 Tbsp Frank's Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp Pure Honey

Directions: 

- In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients for the sauce together and refrigerate until ready for serving.

- Preheat the oven to 400-425 degrees.

-  In a medium bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. 

-  To the bowl add the hot sauce, egg, and buttermilk and whisk until you have a smooth batter. 

-  Add the chicken pieces to the bowl, toss to make sure each piece is coated in the batter and set aside.

-  In another bowl add about a cup of Panko breadcrumbs.

-  Coat each piece of chicken with breadcrumbs, add more breadcrumbs as needed, and place on a baking sheet (or a cooling rack over a baking sheet to help from keeping the pieces of chicken from getting soggy).

-  Place in the oven and bake for 15-30 minutes depending on how hot your oven is and how large the chicken pieces are.  I baked mine for about 20-25 minutes just to make sure they were cooked through which might have been 5 minutes to long, but they were extra crispy and good!

-  Drizzle chicken with sauce and serve.

**You could also use Extra Virgin Olive Oil and fry the pieces if you wanted.  I just don't like fried food much anymore nor did I feel like cleaning up the mess that goes with frying.

Sweet Potato, Chicken Sausage, Apple Zucchini Hash

Welcome back!  

I LOVE breakfast anytime of the day.  But I really love having breakfast for dinner.  However, when I do breakfast for dinner (aka brinner in our house), I like to find recipes that are heartier than just eggs and breakfast meat with a carb.  I found this recipe a month or so ago and love all the ingredients in it (except at the time the chicken sausage).  But, I thought it had been a while since I had chicken sausage, so why not give it a try.  WOW, they sure have come a long way with chicken sausage.  Now, I have made it a couple times and will likely make it next week again!  So tasty, filling, and the BEST PART IS it is 21 DAY FIX APPROVED!!!

Sweet Potato, Chicken Sausage, Apple Zucchini Hash

Ingredients:

- 2 Large Eggs

- Chicken sausage - cooked (1 container was 2 cooked links from Al Fresco Pepper & Onion Chicken Sausage)

- Zucchini, chopped

- Red Bell Pepper, chopped

- Red Onion/Scallions, chopped

- Sweet Potato, cubed and cooked

- 1 Apple, chopped

- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- Seasonings of your choice (I used sea salt & black pepper, but use whatever you like - garlic, etc.)
- A small handful of raisins or dried cranberries (if desired, but not necessary)

Directions:

- Using your 21 Day Fix containers, measure out 1 green of red onion, zucchini and bell pepper, 1 yellow of sweet potato, 1 purple of green apple and 1 red of chicken sausage. If you aren't using the containers, you can measure about 1 1/4 cup of the veggies, 1/3 cup sweet potato, 1/2 cup green apple, 4 oz of chicken sausage. These are NOT the same measurements as the Fix containers, but they are the best guess I can give to how much you can use. I highly recommend using the Fix containers if possible though because then you don't have to guess out your portions! Add the apples and veggies (except the zucchini) to a pan with coconut oil and cook on medium until almost fully cooked, 5-10 minutes. 

-  Once your veggies are pretty much cooked until soft, add the sausage and sweet potatoes to the veggies and cook for another 3-5 minutes.  If you choose to add the raisins or cranberries, add them in during the last minute of cooking.

-  Once your hash is all cooked together, remove from the pan.  Use the same pan to crack your 2 eggs in and make them however you like.  I like mine as close to over easy/medium as possible.  I will say this, the first time I made the eggs a little less runny than the second time.  I found the runnier the yolk was the better.  But, make them however you like!

ENJOY!!!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Emerald Coach

Roasted Broccoli

I used to be one of many people that the only vegetables I ate were green beans, corn, peas, and occasionally carrots & lima beans.  But over the past few months, I have started trying some new ways of preparing veggies.  I have found our new favorite way for broccoli (before I used to steer away from broccoli because steaming it just gets old after a while).  It is so tasty and yummy that honestly I will say that no matter how hot it is this summer the oven will be turned on for this.

Hope you enjoy it as well!

Oven Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:
Broccoli Crowns, cut from stalk (I usually use about 2lbs., but use as much or little as you want)
Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil OR Coconut Oil

Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Chili Powder
Paprika
Garlic Powder (optional)
Shredded Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
-  Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
-  Cut the broccoli flowers from the stalks and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
-  Drizzle the oil of your choice over.
-  Sprinkle as much or as little as you want of the salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika and garlic powder.
-  Then gently stir the broccoli around to make sure everything is coated.
-  Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes, until the broccoli is soft,
-  Once the broccoli is cooked, remove from the oven and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over.  Stir the broccoli and allow the cheese to melt.

ENJOY!!!!!

Thanks for visiting.  Hope you enjoy this!  For more recipes check out the Recipes tab for some yumminess!

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Emerald Coach

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

As you might or might not remember, my husband and I enjoy many things that are buffalo chicken.  When I found this recipe on a fellow coach's blog, I knew I HAD to try it.  So, it was on the menu for last night.  There were so many good things about this recipe, it is a winner and will be on the recipe rotation list often.

Some of the great things:
1.  It is ONLY 4 ingredients.
2.  It takes no time at all to prepare.
3.  It makes enough to have for leftovers or freeze for the future.
4.  It is SUPER tasty
5.  Easy to do as a 21 Day Fix meal!

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken


Ingredients:
3lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (fresh or frozen)
1 Bottle Hot Sauce (I used Frank's Original Hot Sauce)**
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Packet
1/3 block 1/3 Fat Cream Cheese

Directions:
-  Combine the chicken, hot sauce and seasoning packet in the slow cooker.
-  Cook the chicken for 4-6 hours (or 7-8 if frozen).  Once the chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to shred the chicken.
-  Mix in the 1/3 block of cream cheese and allow the cream cheese to melt and blend the flavors together.

**If you don't like things overly spicy, you might want to use only a half bottle of hot sauce.

I served this as sandwiches for my husband on a whole grain roll.  I myself mixed it with some leftover roasted spaghetti squash and it was DELICIOUS!  Then I had some chicken left in my red container and decided since I had a yellow container remaining for the day, I placed a romaine lettuce leaf on top of a whole grain tortilla and then spread the chicken over it and ate it as a wrap.  Served along side a salad for a complete meal!

Thanks for checking out my blog.  For more clean eating recipes be sure to check the Recipes Tab!

Come back and visit soon!

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Emerald Coach

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

I used to make old-fashioned oatmeal every morning and it would take me about 3-5 minutes which at the time wasn't a big deal.  BUT, after many, many months of hearing about Steel Cut Oats, I finally decided to give them a try.  The first time I made them, I didn't make them right.  However, I have since figured out the magic trick and LOVE making them.  Once I have them cooked I have at least 7 days worth of oatmeal for breakfast (but usually more considering I usually make 1 1/2 - 2 batches at once.)

Are you ready for the magic secret - USE YOUR SLOW COOKER!!  Here is how I make mine:

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients:

EVOO Cooking Spray

1 cp. Steel Cut Oats (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)

4 1/2 cp. Water

1 tsp. Salt (optional)

Directions:

- Spray a light coat of cooking spray around your slow cooker.

- Pour the water, steel cut oats and salt into the slow cooker.

- Place your lid on and turn the slow cooker on LOW.  Cook for 5-8 hours or overnight.  Stir occasionally if you can (especially if you are cooking this during the day).  Cook until the oatmeal is no longer chewy or is at the right consistency that you prefer.

-  Portion out in containers and store in the fridge.  (I use my yellow 21 Day Fix container to portion mine out.)

TO RE-HEAT:

I re-heat mine in the microwave for 1 minute (in 30 second intervals stirring halfway through).  Then I add pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, a tiny bit of honey & some flax/chia seed blend; but add whatever you like in your oatmeal!  ENJOY!

Paired with some protein and veggies/fruit and you have yourself a WELL balanced diet.  For a quick protein dish to pair this with check out the recipe for 21 Day Fix Approved Veggie Egg Cups here!

Veggie Egg Cups (21 Day Fix Approved)

I have become a HUGE fan of egg cups (aka mini quiches) depending on what the recipes calls them or what somebody you know calls them.  They are easy to prepare and are an AWESOME go to breakfast for me on those morning I am crunched for time.  I mean really, what could be better - eggs that have already been cooked but full of an entire serving of vegetables and they are ready in 1 minute!

Veggie Egg Cups
Serving Size: 2 muffin cups - 6 servings total

Ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cooking Spray
8 Large Eggs**
1-1 1/2 cp. Egg Whites**
Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper (to taste & optional)
1-10oz. bag Baby Spinach, finely chopped*
1 Medium Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
2 Green Onions, finely sliced (or use onion powder)

Directions:
-  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
-  Lightly coat a twelve-cup muffin tin with spray
-  Break eggs into a large bowl and add 1 cp. egg whites.  Whisk to blend.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
-  Add spinach, bell pepper & onions (or onion powder to taste) and mix well.  (If egg mixture seems too thick, add more egg whites to it a little at a time.)
-  Evenly pour egg mixture into prepared muffin cups.
-  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

NOTES:
*Next time I make these I was thinking of using broccoli instead of spinach.  If so, I will post the outcome.
**Also, the original recipe called for 12 large eggs, and I choose to substitute egg whites for 4 of the eggs.  But you could omit the egg whites and use only the eggs.


TO RE-HEAT:
I place 2 egg cups on a plate and cut them in quarters, and re-heat for 1 minute, checking at the 30 second mark.  Also, while I usually eat these with my steel cut oats (find the recipe here) every morning, you could easily eat these in a whole grain tortilla for a breakfast burrito spin for a balanced breakfast of healthy carbs, protein & veggies.

**21 Day Fix Approved - 1 Green Container & 1 Red Container (if you were to use a whole grain tortilla for a breakfast burrito you would use 1 yellow as well.)