Category Archives: Gluten Free

Paleo Chocolate Pudding with Almond Date Topping

Grilled Chicken, Onion, Plum, and Goat Cheese Salad

I had a craving for the Grilled Chicken, Onions, and Peaches with Avocado Tomato Salsa the other night. I didn’t have any peaches on hand though and sadly my avocado’s weren’t ripe yet, so I did a variation and used some plums!

It wasn’t as delicious, but a close 2nd… 🙂Ingredients (to serve 4)

8 plums (I used ones that were almost ripe, but still a little on the firm side)
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 large sweet onion
10 cherry tomatos (I used orange ones)
4 Tablespoons of goat cheese
Handful of diced almonds
4-6 Cups of salad greens. Your choice, but I like to use a mix that has both spinach and arugula, because those wilt nicely.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (amount not measured, but will describe in instructions :))
Sea Salt and Pepper
Trader Joe’s Reduced Balsamic Glaze.

Directions

Light your grill and set it to a medium heat.
Cut your onion into 1/2 inch slices
Season the chicken breasts and onion with olive oil, sea salt and pepper.
Set both on the grill for 8-10 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken breasts)
Cut plums in half and lightly coat with olive oil and a little bit of sea salt.
At the 8-10 minute mark, flip both the chicken and onion and add the plums to the grill.
Cook everything for another 8-10 minutes until chicken cooked all the way through.
During the cooking, cut tomatoes and break up the goat cheese over the salad greens in a big bowl.
Layer everything together. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil and Trader Joe’s Glaze over each serving and ENJOY!!! 🙂

Spinach, Bacon and Artichoke Dip

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It feels like I’ve been on this Artichoke Dip frenzy now that I look back at our recipes, but then I guess we’ve also been doing this blog for a while! 🙂 Over the holidays I discovered Hot Artichoke and Crab Dip, then I was looking for a very simple baked dip and discovered the awesome Warm Artichoke Dip with only FOUR ingredients, then finally with some tweaking and consulting of multiple recipes, discovered this excellent Spinach, Bacon and Artichoke Dip that I’m posting today.

This recipe is very similar to my Spinach Artichoke Dip with Bacon, with one key difference being that this one calls for sour cream and the other one calls for mayo, and this one uses a mix of cheeses. This recipe has more veggies and less dairy that many similar dip recipes that you’ll find out there, but that’s the way I like it. And you know, with ingredients like cheese, artichoke, spinach, and BACON.. well.. you can’t really go wrong! Enjoy whatever variation you decide on or come up with. 🙂

Ingredients

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese + more for topping
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese + more for topping
5 bacon strips, cooked and chopped (an easy way to cook bacon is to microwave between paper towels until crispy)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (8oz) blocks of cream cheese, softened
1 (10oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
Serve with fresh cut veggies or tortilla chips

Directions

Heat oven to 350*
Combine mozzarella, sour cream, Parmesan and next 6 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl and stir until well blended
Spoon mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese
Bake at 350* for ~30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown
Serve warm

Super Mom Tip: this freezes well! Put in individual containers and let thaw in fridge a day ahead of use. 🙂

Costco Hack- Grilled Chicken and Onion Salad with Kale, Broccoli, and Avocado

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As a working mother of 2 teenage stepsons and a toddler, dinners aren’t always what I imagine or want them to be. If I can make them reasonably healthy, easy, and edible I count it as a major win! So, you know who gets a lot of our grocery business? Costco! I don’t have the time, patience or wallet to go to all the various grocery stores, and if you have a bigger family-Costco is a home run. So, I do a lot of what I like to call “Costco Hacks”. The term “Ikea Hack” has become pretty well known as a term of making something inexpensive into something that doesn’t look inexpensive at all, and I think that the same can be made of food!

You can totally do that with Costco/Trader Joe’s too! Especially if you have a family. Gather a bunch of ingredients, and then make them into meals that are healthy, relatively easy, and enjoyable across the board! And above all…share with the rest of us!!!

So…for my first official “Costco Hack” installment… Everything in this salad is from Costco.

And sadly, I know I could have made it look better, but I got the idea to take pictures after I had tossed it all together. Which jumbled it all and made it look messy. I guarantee it tasted a LOT better than it looked 🙂

There’s something about the grilled onion diced up into the salad. It added such a yummy flavor, that I do it almost every time we grill for dinner! Ingredients

4 Individual Chicken Breasts (frozen then defrosted)
1 medium yellow onion
Olive oil and salt and pepper to coat both chicken and onions (to taste)
1 Avocado
Handful of Cherry Tomatos
2 Handfuls of Mixed Greens
2 Handfuls of the “Sweet Kale Frise Chou Doux” Mix
One pouch of the Poppyseed Dressing.
Cheese of your choice. I was going to do some goat cheese, but I had some Parmesan on hand and that was yummy too. A little goes a long way with all the other flavors, so use sparingly and it will still be delicious!

Directions

Heat your grill to medium heat.
Marinate defrosted chicken in olive oil and salt and pepper
Slice your onion to 1/2 inch thickness and coat with olive oil and salt and pepper
Place Chicken Breasts and Onions slices on grill for 8-10 minutes (depending on size) then flip and cook again for 8-10 minutes (depending on size)
Toss the various greens together.
Add Avocado and tomatoes.
Once chicken and onions are done, dice them up and add them to the mix.
Sprinkle with cheese of your choice, add dressing and toss to ENJOY!

Warm Artichoke Dip

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This is a staple – super easy to make – artichoke dip. Four ingredients, mix well and pop in the oven. Voila! Serve hot with fresh cut vegetables or crackers!

Ingredients

1 can (~14oz) artichoke hearts, quartered
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilis (you can find them with varying degrees of heat, so check the can – mild, medium or hot – whatever your preference)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise

Directions

Combine all ingredients
Turn into 8 inch round baking dish
Bake 350* for 25 minutes or until it starts to turn golden around the edges and bubble
Serve warm as a dip with fresh cut veggies, crackers or chips

Smoked Salmon Dip

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This is a classic Smoked Salmon Dip with a hint of lemon juice and chopped dill – delicious as an appetizer, great dish to bring to a party, and it can be dressed up or down. Serve with cut vegetables, crackers, or toasted baguette!

Ingredients

8oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 oz smoked salmon, chopped and divided
Dill springs (for garnish)
Serve with fresh cut vegetables, crackers or toasted bread

Directions

Combine first three ingredients in a food processor
Add half of the salmon and process until smooth
Fold in remaining half of salmon
Garnish with dill sprigs
Yields 12 servings

Super mom tip: This dip makes very well ahead of time. Simply cover and refrigerate a day in advance.

Sweet Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup

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It’s been rainy and damp this past week, so this soup seemed like a great dish – the sweetness of the sausage and sweet potatoes balance out the kale in a delicious way. Hot steamy bowl anyone? This recipe makes a large batch and freezes very well!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 lb sweet turkey or chicken Italian sausage
8 c. coarsely chopped peeled sweet potatoes (~2 lbs)
5 c. water
4 c. chicken broth
1 bunch kale, rinsed and chopped
1 cup coconut milk
Salt / pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oil in large pot, add onion and sauté for 5 minutes
Add garlic, salt & pepper (if desired) and sauté for a minute
Remove casings from sausage and add sausage to pan
Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble
Add potato, water and broth and bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer for ~8 minutes
Gradually add kale, cook another 10 minutes or until tender
Season with salt/pepper as needed
Makes 10 servings

Shakshuka

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What’s Shakshuka? That’s what I wondered too when I saw this recipe. Apparently it’s a popular dish in Tunisia and Israel – a thick sauce made of onions, peppers and tomatoes simmered with spices. Then you poach eggs directly on top of the sauce and serve. Yum!

The recipe below makes 12 servings – a lot! You can easily cut it in half, or the sauce freezes very well!

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
2 large yellow onions, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon cayenne or harissa (optional)
6 red or yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 quart low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp salt or to taste

Toppings

Eggs (optional)
Avocado (optional)
Feta cheese (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

In a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add onions, and stir for several minutes, cooking until translucent and pale gold, about 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add garlic and cook for several more minutes, being careful not to brown the garlic. Stir in spices, cayenne or harissa and bell peppers. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add tomatoes with their juice and broth, stirring gently to blend. Simmer uncovered for 30 to 60 minutes, until liquids have reduced to a thick sauce. Taste and add salt as desired.
Warm the sauce to medium and poach one egg per person directly in the sauce.

To store: Divide equally between 3 large freezer tubs. Label with the name and date. Use within 6 months.

Thanks for the inspiration PCC Natural Markets.

Apples & Toffee Caramel Dip

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Go Seahawks!!!!!!!!!! I’m reposting this as an awesome super bowl game day snack. Totally unhealthy, totally delicious. Super easy to make. Enjoy!

This dip pairs especially well with Honeycrisp (or a tarter) apple!

Ingredients

1 brick cream cheese
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 bag toffee chips (like Heath toffee bits)

Mix first four ingredients well and fold in chips. Let chill for at least an hour. This makes very well a day in advance.

Honeycrisp apples are amazing with this dip!

Kale Salad with Chicken and Avocado

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