Almond Chicken Soup!

November is here, and brings with it a little nip in the air! Warm up with this hearty fall soup, chock full of every healthy macronutrient! That's why I love this soup...its a meal in a cup.  Chicken is your lean protein, yams and kale are your complex carbohydrates, and almond butter is added at the end for your healthy fat. Finish it off with a squeeze of lime and not only is it healthy, it's absolutely delicious! It's great having other clean-eating friends in your circle and I think I got this recipe from my friend Kelsey, so just in case, I give her the recipe creds :) 

 Recipe:

Almond Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 onion, diced

1 minced garlic clove

1 large sweet potato, diced

2 chicken breasts, 1″ pieces(use Rotisserie chicken and shred apart for ease)

1/2 cup almond butter

1 cup chopped kale

2 tbsp minced ginger

coarse salt and pepper

1/2 lime

Combine stock, onion, garlic and sweet potato, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add chicken and simmer 20 minutes.

In a small bowl combine almond butter and 1/2 cup of soup into a paste. Add collard or kale and ginger to soup.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in almond paste. Season with salt and pepper. Add the juice of half a lime.

Perfect Fall Side Dish ~ Chili Lime Yams!

I had these chili lime yams at Nature's Fare in Kelowna not too long ago, and I couldn't resist making some of my own. They make a fabulous side dish and last in the refrigerator a few days. They pair nicely with grilled chicken or salmon, and can even be sliced up cold over a salad for your healthy complex carbohydrate!

Recipe:

1 peeled medium yam, cubed

1 cup low sodium chicken stock

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 handful fresh cilantro

1/2 lime 

In a pot, bring to simmer 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock. Add yams, 1 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp cumin. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until fork tender - approximately 12 minutes. The liquid will almost be all absorbed into the potato. 

Immediately squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime, and sprinkle with a handful of chopped cilantro. For more kick, sprinkle an additional 1/2 tsp chili powder after cooking.

Enjoy!

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

There's that moment when the air turns. A little bit "crisper" out, we say. It may not be cool enough yet to wear our leggings, boots and sweaters, but there's no harm in cracking out the pumpkin recipes!

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be so versatile to suit any taste. I added dates and walnuts to mine, but you could do: Enjoy Life chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, almond slivers, currants, sunflower seeds, cacao nibs etc. 

Recipe:

(adapted from OMGpaleo)

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon powdered ginger
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• ½ cup mix-ins (dates/walnuts)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together wet ingredients in a bowl: pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
3. In another bowl, whisk together coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, powdered ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Fold in mix ins.
6. Scoop batter into paper lined muffin tins. Mine made 10.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

BBQ Mediterranean Chicken Packets!

Ahhh summer BBQ season is in full swing! This simple recipe requires little prep and because you cook it in foil...there's no clean up! My kind of dinner.

In a bowl combine:

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

2/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives

2 large chicken breasts, cubed

Drizzle of olive oil

Small handful of Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 green onion, slivered

Salt and pepper 

Juice of half a lemon

Lay out 2 rectangles of foil and divide mixture evenly among the sheets.

Carefully fold up packets, being sure to seal all of the edges. This dish produces some juice from the tomatoes so use caution when removing from BBQ as the liquid inside will be boiling hot! I BBQ this on low heat for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. To add some extra flavour, top with crumbled feta cheese after cooking.

Delicious!

Coconut Cacao Nib Klondike Bar! (dairy-free, Paleo)

I'm saying this on screen....I probably shouldn't have made these bars...but I did! It's my son's graduation in 3 weeks and I borrowed a Roberto Cavalli dress from a friend that I don't want to just look good in...I want to look great! So, I decided to "dial it in" with my nutrition for the occasion. Sheeesh its hard!! My meals are not the problem, we enjoy eating healthy. The issue is the treats! I've got a hankering for the sweets. Anyway, I wanted to sub out the sugar for healthier options but these bars are just too dang good. It was really hard to have just one. Moderation is the key people, even when the recipe says CLEAN. Let me know what you think! 
*recipe revised from detoxinista

Vanilla Ice Cream Bar:

1 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked in water for 2 hours
1 cup water
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Extras:

2 tablespoon coconut mana

1/4 cup cacao nibs

Chocolate Coating:

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

5 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:

 Discard water that cashews had been soaking in. In a blender, combine the first 6 ingredients and blend until smooth.

Line a brownie pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Add in your cacao nibs and coconut mana.

 Pour that ice-creamy batter into pan and freeze for 4 hours. Slice bars. 

In a separate bowl, combine coating ingredients. Take each frozen slice and dunk it into the coating. Place back on pan and back into freezer to solidify. Store in freezer.

Try to eat just one:)