Pages

FIT VIXEN HEALTHY TRIX 'N TIPS

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore


Recipe:
8 Chicken thighs, with bone (and skin)
1 bell pepper, red or green, or both!
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 C red wine
1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C water
15 oz. can diced tomatoes, no added salt
1 T Italian seasoning
1 tsp. black pepper
pinch sea salt

1 spaghetti squash

Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Turn it on low, and walk away for 5-7 hours! That's the beautiful part! 45 minutes before you're ready to eat, bake the spaghetti squash: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce several holes in the spaghetti squash, and put the entire squash in the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove the squash and slice it in half (the oven makes it soft and easier to cut). But be careful... it will be hot!!! Scoop out the center pulp and seeds. The flesh will still be too hard, so put both halves back in the oven, face down on a baking sheet, with about 1/4 C water. Cook for an additional 20-25 minutes. Use a spoon and scrape out fleshy part from the shell of the spaghetti squash, it scrapes out very easily! It will work magic as a spaghetti/pasta substitute! Place 1-2 chicken pieces on the squash and spoon some sauce over the top.
Enjoy!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Great Superbowl Option with Southwestern Paleo Sliders


Slider on Portobello and Slider on Lettuce
You can still WOW the crowd with these healthy sliders! The secret ingredient is a Chorizo sausage (wheat-free, dairy-free). Serve them up 2 ways – 1 on a roasted Portobello cap, and the other on a lettuce leaf.  Sauté some mushrooms, red peppers and onions in olive oil to put on top.  These also taste amazing with guacamole. 

Ingredients (makes 12 mini burgers)
- 1 lb of lean ground meat (I used Venison – choose something lean)
- 1 Chorizo Sausage (wheat-free, dairy-free) You could probably use some bacon to substitute or omit completely.
-  1/4 onion – minced
- 1 jalapeno – minced/finely chopped
-  2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp pureed chipotle pepper (optional)
- 1 egg
- 6 Tbsp olive oil (for the skillet)
- 1 Head of iceberg lettuce – leaves separated and washed in cold water

Directions
  1. In a large bowl, remove the chorizo from its casing.  Add all other ingredients (except olive oil) and mix together well – use your hands.
  2. Take small handfuls of the meat and shape into 12 mini burgers.  Set aside on a piece of wax paper or plate for frying.
  3. In a skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil and once heated, put 4 burgers in the skillet and cook for 3 minutes per side (or until cooked through).  Repeat with 2 other batches.  If you have a large skillet, then do more at once!
  4. Serve on lettuce or roasted portabello cap with yer fixins!
  5. Enjoy!
Frying away...mmmmm
Roasted Portobello (roast at 400 in oven for about 20-25 min)


 

Monday, January 17, 2011

Coconut Chicken Nuggets with Curried Mustard

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken
1 egg yolk
1 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 c + 1/2 c almond flour
1/2 c unsweetened coconut
1/2 c coconut oil
Salt & Pepper to taste 
Method:
In a bowl combine 1/4 c almond flour, 1/2 c dessicated coconut and some salt & pepper. Mix it around with your hands. In a separate bowl, combine the ground chicken, 1/2 c almond flour, onion & garlic powders, egg yolk and some salt & pepper. Mix it with your hands until everything has been incorporated.

In a saute pan, melt the coconut oil on medium heat.

Take about 2 tablespoons worth of the chicken mixture and in the palm of your left hand, roll it into a ball. Drop it into the almond/coconut mixture and roll the chicken ball around with the fingers on your left hand. Make sure it’s completely coated. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Place in the saute pan and cook on each side until nice and brown.

Curried Mustard Ingredients
1/3 c yellow mustard
1 T mayo
yellow curry powder, to taste
handful of cilantro, chopped
squeeze of honey
Mix together and serve as a dipping sauce with the nuggets.
From Health Bent - Paleo/Caveman Friendly Recipes

Monday, January 10, 2011

Healthy Beef Stew

Ingredients:
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
16 oz boneless beef
2 medium carrots
1 cube beef stock
4 cups canned tomatoes
1 5 fl oz serving red wine
1 tsp leaves oregano
1 tsp leaves basil
Instructions
Soften onion and garlic in pot, add beef and allow to brown.
Add diced carrots, allow to sweat to soften. Add spices and season.
Add stock and canned tomatoes, red wine (preferably not cooking wine because of too much salt).
Put lid on and leave on a low heat for at least one hour.

Makes 4 servings
From Paleo Plan http://www.paleoplan.com/

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Sirloin Burgers

Want gourmet grub without steakhouse prices and calorie counts? This easy-to-prepare recipe will dazzle your guests' taste buds so much, nobody will even notice it's actually healthy. But vampires, beware!
· 1 whole bulb garlic, roasted, with papery skin removed
· 1 lb. ground sirloin
· 1 zucchini, ends trimmed, coarsely grated
· 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
· 1/2 tsp. salt
· 1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
· 4 whole wheat hamburger buns
· 4 slices tomato
· 4 leaves lettuce
· 4 slices red onion
Preheat grill or broiler. Combine roasted garlic, sirloin, zucchini, rosemary, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Mix well to combine. Shape into 4 equal patties. Grill or broil (if broiling, use a baking sheet) 5 minutes per side for medium burgers, a bit more or less for well-done or rare.
Arrange burgers, tomato, lettuce, and onion on buns. Makes 4 servings.
To Roast Garlic:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap garlic in foil, place in oven and roast 45 minutes until tender. When cool enough to handle, peel away foil and squeeze cloves from papery skin.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes (add 60 minutes for garlic-roasting process, including preheating and cooling)
Cooking Time: 5 minutes (for medium burgers)
Nutritional Information (per serving): 293 Calories, 31g Protein, <.5g Fiber, 26g Carbs, 7.5g Fat Total, 2.5g Saturated Fat
Recipe source: Beach Body®

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Blueberry Buckle


Here's a delicious yet sensible dessert recipe that contains the healthy fiber of oats, the antioxidant properties of blueberries, and the crunchy goodness of almonds . . . plus it tastes great!
· 2/3 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
· 1/2 cup raw blueberries
· 1 Tbsp. slivered almonds
· 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
· 1/2 cup water
· Optional: 1 tsp. honey or raw sugar, or a pinch of stevia.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a glass baking dish and mix well. Bake for 20 minutes (or microwave on high for 1-1/2 minutes). Makes one generous serving.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Nutritional Information: (per serving, without sweetener) 291 Calories, 10g Protein, 9g Fiber, 51g Carbs, 8g Fat Total, <1g Saturated Fat
Recipe source: Beach Body®

Miso Veggie Stir-Fry

Know your ingredients Native to India and China, ginger also grows in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Called a root, it is actually an underground stem, and has been used to treat stomach upset in Asian, Indian, and Arabic herbal traditions for more than 2,000 years. In Western Europe during the Rensaissance, it appeared on every table, like salt and pepper, and was also used against the plague. Today, ginger is believed to help treat the common cold, flu-like symptoms, headaches, and even painful menstrual periods.

Miso Veggie Stir-Fry
Sauce
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
¼ cup grated ginger, fresh
½ cup mellow white miso
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup low-sodium tamari
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup water
Stir Fry
3 Tbsp. olive or coconut oil
1-½ tsp. minced garlic
1-½ tsp. grated ginger
½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
¾ cup chopped yellow onion
½ cup chopped bok choy
1-½ cup chopped broccoli
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup shredded cabbage (optional)
Sesame seeds

Sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Or place in a bowl and blend with a hand blender.
Stir fry: In a large wok or sauté pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the vegetables and stir to combine. Continue to sauté, about 5 to 10 minutes or until desired doneness. If vegetables start to stick, add a small amount of water. Add the ginger miso sauce and continue to stir-fry for a few more minutes to incorporate flavors. Serve hot over brown rice or quinoa. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired, before serving.

NutritionFacts Calories 210.7 Total Fat 10.1 g Saturated Fat 1.5 g Poly­unsaturated Fat 4.4 g Monounsaturated Fat 3.6 g Cholesterol 0 g Sodium 1,511.0 mg Potassium 366.6 mg Total Carbohydrate 26.3 g Dietary Fiber 4.0 g Sugars 12.1 g Protein 6.3 g