Paleo Blueberry Lemon Bars

This isn't my recipe, but I have to give it a shouting endorsement!  I took these to our family reunion this past Sunday and they were a hit with everyone.  Fresh blueberries in a lemon curd-type filling on an almond flour crust pleased most everyone.

Here's the link to the recipe for these yummy bars!
http://feedinggersasser.blogspot.com/2012/06/paleo-blueberry-lemon-bars.html

Enjoy!

Spanish Chicken

This is a new recipe for us and we really enjoyed it.  I found it to be very versatile, since it can be eaten as is, with rice, on a tortilla, or over salad greens.

Spanish Chicken

• 1 1/2 to 2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. dry minced garlic
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large green or red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
• 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Cut chicken into 6 to 8 pieces or into 1/4 inch thick strips.  Mix paprika, dry minced garlic, thyme, and black pepper, and stir about 1/3 of the mixture into the chicken.
Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add seasoned chicken and brown.  Add pepper strips and onion wedges and cover; cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.   Add tomatoes and as much of the red pepper flakes as desired.  Stir until heated through and serve.

Menu plan for July 29 - August 4

July 29 – August 4, 2012

Sunday:

breakfast – eggs in ham cups/veggie juice

lunch & dinner – family reunion at DH's parents' – taking paleo blueberry lemon bars and blackberry cream cheese bars (if we end up coming home for dinner I have ingredients to make chicken fajitas with grain-free tortillas)

Monday:

breakfast - pumpkin frittata, veggie juice

lunch - egg salad on cucumber slices

dinner - Italian sausage & mushroom stuffed zucchini/salad/beet pickles

Tuesday:

breakfast – dairy-free coconut custard with berries/veggie juice

lunch - nacho cheese soup

dinner – stuffed meatloaf/twice baked non-potato casserole, green beans

Wednesday:

breakfast - grain-free carrot cake pancakes/veggie juice

lunch - Greek-style chicken cutlets/salad

dinner - herb crusted ham roast/ cucumber salad/ beet pickles/ green beans

Thursday:

breakfast – grain-free chunky monkey muffins, hard boiled eggs, veggie juice

lunch - cold cucumber soup or cucumber lime smoothie, tuna patties

dinner - Sweet potato & spinach hash with baked eggs/ tossed salad

Friday:

breakfast - grain-free breakfast burritos/veggie juice

lunch - turkey & veggie sandwiches on grain-free homemade bread

dinner - wanna-be-parmesan chicken/sauteed zucchini/green beans

Saturday:

breakfast - omelets with homemade hash browns

lunch – leftovers/clean out the fridge

dinner - almond flour crust pepperoni pizza/salad

Eggs in Ham Cups

Here's a VERY simple breakfast idea that can also be portable!  You can adjust the amounts to fit your family's size.

Eggs in Ham Cups

• 12 eggs
• 12 thin slices fully cooked ham 
• salt & pepper

Grease muffin pan.  Tuck a slice of ham into each muffin cup so that the ham covers the bottom and sides.  Break an egg into each ham cup.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Bake in a 375° oven for 22 to 25 minutes until eggs reach desired level of doneness.
I've also made these in a microwave using microwavable muffin pans.  Cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Breasts

These are really good!  They're also pretty versatile:  you can use whole breasts, slice them into strips before cooking (VERY good over a salad), or you can shred them after cooking and mix back into the sauce! (double the sauce if you do this)

Baked Buffalo Chicken Breasts

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 1/4 c. hot sauce (I used Frank's mixed with Louisiana hot sauce)
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. celery seed

Preheat oven to 400°.  Cook chicken in greased skillet for 4 minutes on each side until browned.  Place chicken in a greased baking dish.  Combine rest of ingredients and pour over chicken.  Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.  Serve with bleu cheese salad dressing if desired.

These can also be made in the crockpot.  Just put the chicken in the crockpot, cover with the sauce, cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

MIA

Yes, that's me, Missing In Action.  It's been 8 months since my last blog post.  Since then I've become a grandma to precious Aurora Lynne (born just 16 minutes before Christmas Eve 2011)!

I've also been working more and more to get our diet adjusted completely to being grain-free, and I've found so many recipes for tasty dishes that I wonder how I ever managed to enjoy food before we changed how we ate! 

Canning season starts within the next 2 weeks.  We've had a drought here, but we really worked on our garden (planted with all heirloom seeds) and kept it watered.  So far we've enjoyed strawberries, green onions, some salad greens, and one very small picking of peas, but I know that more peas are waiting out there, followed by zucchini and beans very shortly.  I also planted beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, jalepeno peppers, sweet bell peppers, parsnips, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes (in barrels!), spaghetti squash, winter squash, and pumpkins. 

Hopefully in November and December I will have a seasonal baking business, selling cakes, cookies, pies, rolls, homemade candies, and more.  Unfortunately, due to Michigan's Cottage Industry Law for food, I cannot send mail orders or sell food across state lines, but I'll be using recipes that I have shared with you in my blog. 

Thank you for staying with me during my hiatus.  I  will do my best to post more recipes for your enjoyment!