When it feels like I've had all the bad news I can take, I especially love to incorporate lots of Kari Jobe songs into my worship time. I love her music. There's lots of heavy stuff in this world. Things that are so far beyond our control, it's not even funny. The more we expand our circle of who we love and care about, and the older we get, the heavier the burdens that we are handed. God is good all the time! Spend some quiet moments in broken worship, and then resolve to be thankful for something. It helps, I promise.

You lift me up, You never leave me thirsty! 

Eating Clean & a Brunch Recipe

This is one of those recipes that I categorize as "brunch" because I truly mean it. Although it is an extremely low carb dish (11 grams), it still has 400 calories. So, it's the dish you make on your "day off," when you get up early to take the hubby to work, run errands, race to your Dr.'s appt, run more errands, and finally get home at 12:30. Too late for breakfast, but loathe to call this meal lunch, I opted for a brunch tag here.

This year we are eating 100% clean. I have made huge strides towards this in 2012 but with Rich on board, I very recently started buying 100% clean foods only. This means local, organic produce, pastured eggs, organic, hormone & antibiotic free meats, no processed/packaged foods (Yes, I've got a pot of black beans cooking right now that came from a bag. Dry beans!), no refined sugar, etc. Just to make it extra fun we are also eating primarily gluten free. ;-) After losing 50 pounds in the last 18 months I have to do it again and get the next 50 off. I've been in that holiday plateau phase for a couple months so it's time to get serious again. This year, aside from continuing to lose weight and get healthier, my goal is to learn as much as I can about how to best use food as fuel & medicine for our bodies. I'm using the resources from the Daniel Plan. If you don't know about that, you can read about it HERE.

Ok. Enough about me.

Eggs, Chicken Sausage & Veggie Brunch Bowl

2 organic, pastured eggs
1 link Aidell's organic chicken sausage, halved and chopped
1/4 each red and orange bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped zucchini
1 large leaf fresh kale
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter substitute (I use earth balance)

Prep: whisk 2 eggs in a medium bowl. Add a dash of salt & pepper. Chop the veggies into small pieces.  Preheat wok on medium heat.

In a frying pan or wok (wok is best!) swirl the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, peppers, & zucchini and stir fry just until the sausage begins to turn light golden brown.

Move to the edges and melt the tsp of butter or butter substitute in the middle. 

Next, pour the eggs into the middle and then begin to "scramble" them after they have cooked about 45 seconds. (Don't burn them!) 

Once the eggs begin to solidify, you can toss in the kale. 

Once the kale is cooked for about 3 minutes, you'll be ready to eat.

And there you have it. Brunch bowl & green tea. 

Enchilada-Style Stuffed Peppers

Let's talk about stuffed peppers. I have tried several kids but they always have ground meat and rice in the recipe which makes them kind of....dry and sad. They are supposed to oozing with goodness, tender, and tasty. These met all the criteria. I got the idea for these enchilada-style peppers from Pinterest, but I just did not like all of the ingredients in the Pinterest recipe. After doing a little online reading, I came up with a recipe that combined elements of four different ones. Rich, aka "the anti-veggie" did like the filling but of course does not like bell peppers. ;-) This recipe easily makes 8 peppers so I highly recommend you consider making only half the recipe, or freezing half of the filling. Or, at least invite some guests over :-) I wanted leftovers so I made 5 peppers and put the rest of the filling away.

To start, you've gotta make some roasted chicken. Drizzle four chicken breasts with olive oil, then sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, garlic salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Wrap them in foil and bake at 400 for 45-55 minutes. Cool & shred.

Now, let's make stuffed peppers!

5 large, even-shaped bell peppers in assorted colors (green, red, orange, yellow!)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can Rotel, drained
1 cup finely shredded cheese, plus 1/2 cup for garnish
1 large can mild red enchilada sauce, any brand
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the "white stuff" and the seeds.

Spray a deep covered baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then place the peppers inside. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, beans, corn, cheese, Rotel, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, and the cumin and chili powder. 

Next. generously fill the peppers and pour the remaining enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Bake, covered, at 350 for about 50 minutes, then garnish with cheese and allow about 2-3 minutes for it to melt. 

I served ours with sweet corn tomalito. It's soooooo yummy! One pepper has approximately 325 calories, 8 grams of fat, 33 carbs and 34 grams of protein.

Until you serve with Mexican crema and Wholly Guacamole! Mmmmmmm. So good. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Why am I taking the time to write a post about chocolate chip cookies? Because this recipe is baking soda free, and I'm taking it for granted I'm not the only person who flips over the bag of Tollhouse chocolate morsels and then frowns because I don't have baking soda. Also, the Tollhouse recipe makes about a million cookies. This recipe makes about 2.5 dozen yummy, basic chocolate chip cookies. Enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1-2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (you can also shake it through a mesh strainer into a  large bowl if you don't have a sifter)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag Tollhouse milk chocolate morsels

Preheat the oven to 375. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well-mixed and fluffy. Next, add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low speed until well incorporated. Stir in the milk chocolate morsels. Drop by generous, rounded teaspoon-fulls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 9-11 minutes. 10 minutes is the perfect cookie as far as I'm concerned. You will see the edges turning light golden but the top of the cookie should not be. That way once they cool you will still have a soft, chewy cookie instead of a golden rock. Enjoy!

Four-Hour Sick Soup (Aka Chicken Potato Soup)

It's that time of year again and Rich is sick. Every year he gets a bad chest cold sometime between winter and spring, and 3 times since we've been married it's turned into a bad case of pneumonia. Last year's was the worst by far, with him actually being delirious to the point that I wasn't sure if I could get him to Dr. by myself. But I did, and I'm also a Nazi type about illness. We had an amazing Dr. this last time Rich was sick, and he gave me very strict instructions for the next time illness would strike, since Rich is so prone to getting pneumonia. He let out his first cough last night and I went balistic. ;-) I currently have him all doped up and sleeping. Good.

One problem with him when he is sick is that he's so picky. And he will NOT eat chicken noodle soup, or really any other of the popular sickie foods. In an effort to get protein and green leafy veggies down his throat, I came up with a different type of chicken soup. I also made him eat scrambled eggs and spelt toast for breakfast. Lol.

Here's today's soup du jour.

2 skinless chicken breasts, with rib bones
6 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb potatoes, any kind (I prefer yellow or gold, such as honey golds, etc)
1 cup mashed potatoes (leftovers, or store bought)
5 large carrots
32 oz container chicken broth or stock, plus a little extra...1-2 cups.
Fresh rosemary
Fresh Italian parsley
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

I believe that chicken for soup should always be roasted. I don't trust a person who would boil raw chicken for soup. Gross. :-) Spray your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray, then place the chicken breasts inside. Drizzle with about 2 tbsp olive oil, and generously add salt and pepper. Dump the chopped garlic on top. Cook on high for about 3 hours. When the chicken is done, remove the bones and cut it up. There will be a little meat left on the ribs--leave it there. Put the bones back into the crock pot. There will be juices from the chicken left in the crock pot--save them for now! Note: You could also use a deboned rotisserie chicken.

When the chicken is cooked, it's time to start the rest of the soup. Cut up potatoes and carrots into bite-sized pieces. As long as you do not use traditional "white" baking potatoes, you can leave the skin on. Leave the carrot skin on, too. You won't be able to tell the difference. Add the carrots and potatoes to your favorite soup pot, and *just* cover them with chicken broth. Add a generous amount of salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss in a decent-sized sprig of fresh rosemary. Don't rip it all apart, either. You'll be taking it out soon enough.

Bring this to a boil, reduce heat the medium and let it cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender. I am going to say 8-10 minutes.

Next toss in some fresh parsley leaves. Remove the icky stems. Only add the leaves.

Next add the chicken.

Now, pour the juices from the crock pot into the soup. Strain it, as shown, to prevent bones or fat from getting in. 

Now, it's time to thicken the soup with the mashed potatoes. Heat about 1 to 1-1/2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes, and whisk in 16 oz of chicken broth. Add to the soup along with any remaining broth until the desired consistency is achieved and add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.... and the soup is finished. 

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Break out the crock pot and get ready. This is ridiculously easy, and you can make it so many different ways. It's a hash-brown & egg breakfast casserole. You have two options: you can turn it on low just before bedtime and allow it to cook for 8-10 hours, or you can cook it on high for 3-1/2 hours. The only difference is this: if you cook it overnight, make sure you add an extra 1/2 cup of milk to the eggs. Otherwise you will end up with a very dry, yucky breakfast casserole. I did the speedy version today and we had breakfast for dinner. It's also meatless Monday around here so I did not add any breakfast meat.

2 large, yellow potatoes, peeled and grated (with the cheese grater or a salad shooter)
2 tbsp butter
3/4 c shredded cheddar
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk (3/4 cup for the overnight version)
salt & pepper

Optional: scrambled sausage, crumbled bacon, bell peppers, onions, etc.

Place the potatoes in the crock pot and add the melted butter, cheese, plenty of salt, and a couple dashes of pepper. Stir until the butter is well mixed. This is a lot easier if you use a fork. :) Next, beat the eggs and milk together in a small bowl. I added a dash of salt and pepper to the eggs too. Pour the egg mixture on top of the potatoes. Done. Now let it cook and enjoy.

Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

I wanted to make salsa verde chicken enchiladas, but Rich doesn't care for salsa verde. So, my take on those tasty looking enchiladas is salsa chicken enchiladas. I used my own salsa, which I freeze in 1-cup portions. If you need the recipe click HERE, although I think any salsa would do. Now listen up, kids. These enchiladas aren't spicy and they don't have anything extra yummy in them, like peppers, onions, cilantro, etc, but only because my hubby doesn't like those things. Add those things with liberal abandon if you like them, because it will only make your enchiladas that much yummier. Just make sure you cook them  along with the chicken. :)

Ingredients List:
2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup mexican crema.

1 cup salsa

1-1/2 cups mexican-style shredded cheese, divided

4 tortillas
salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper

***Note: Make sure to use actual Crema Mexicana!! Sour cream would be alright I suppose....but Crema is where it's at. 

First, take the chicken breasts and drizzle them with olive oil and lime juice. Sprinkle on a liberal amount of salt, then just a little pepper, chili powder, cumin powder, smoked paprika, & the world's smallest dash of cayenne pepper. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top.

 Now wrap them up nice and tight in foil and toss them into a preheated oven. Now you could bake these at 400 for about 45 minutes, but I turned my oven down to 300 degrees because I had about an hour and 20 minutes of errands to run. Oven baked chicken is done when you stab it with a fork and the juices run clear.

When your chicken is almost done, take the mexican crema, salsa, and 1 cup of cheese and stir together. Heat in the microwave or on the stove until it just bubbles and the cheese begins to melt.

Now if you timed things right, your chicken is done, so  use two forks to shred it, then incorporate 3/4 of the salsa mix.

Divide the chicken mixture into quarters, and fill each tortilla. Roll them up and nestle them neatly in a pan. Spoon the remaining salsa mix on top and use the remaining cheese to garnish. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Optional side dish: heat up some refried beans and sprinkle with some good Mexican crumbling cheese. Yes, you have to crumble it yourself. It's delicious. 

Now serve it up on paper plates. It's Friday and dishes are out. So go on and eat your yummy Mexican food in peace.