Winner winner chicken dinner!

This was a fairly simple meal and my family loved it. I made rosemary chicken, mashed cauliflower and sautéed spinach. This is a naturally gluten free and low carb meal. 

First, I took boneless, skinless chicken breasts and put them in a gallon zip bag. I added enough olive oil to lightly coat them. Seal bag & mix around to get them all coated. 

Next, I took several sprigs of rosemary from our garden and used my kitchen scissors to snip leaves off into the bag. I used quite a bit of rosemary. Seal bag & rub the rosemary around on the chicken. After that, I took the chicken out & sprinkled both sides with GF lemon pepper seasoning. 

Tonight I used our much loved Traeger (smoker) to cook the chicken. I cooked it on high, about 15 minutes on each side. The chicken was very moist and flavorful. 

You could also grill it or bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, depending on the thickness of your breasts. 

We also had mashed cauliflower. While the chicken was cooking I steamed some organic cauliflower. I used 2 small heads for 4 people. I steamed it till it was very soft. Some people boil their cauliflower before mashing it, however that can make you lose a lot of the valuable nutrients of cauliflower. 

Here is the deal about mashed cauliflower. It's cauliflower, not potatoes. So don't expect them to taste like potatoes. 

There are a lot of recipes out there for mashed cauliflower. For mine, I took the still hot cauliflower and used a hand masher to mash it up. I added salt pepper & granulated garlic to taste. While still hot, I added in about 4oz light cream cheese. I used a hand mixer to blend it. You could also use a food prossesor. 

I am thinking next time I will use garlic, Parmesan cheese & Italian seasoning. Yum!

My super quick and easy vegetable is sautéed spinach. Spinach cooks down a ton. I used two large bags of spinach

I heated up a tablespoon of coconut oil on med/high (7-8)  in a large skillet. I added two heaping tablespoons of jarred minced garlic. Then, add 1/2 of a bag of spinach. Stir often to wilt the spinach. Then that is cooked, continue to add 1/2 bag of spinach at a time, then cook down. I usually add a bit more coconut oil when I start adding the second bag of spinach. When I have cooked down all of the spinach, sprinkle a bit of lemon juice and stir in. All in all, it only takes about 6-7 minutes to cook down the spinach. 

Voila, tasty dinner and not a ton of effort! 

Father's Day dinner

Happy Father's Day too all the amazing Dads, step-dads & single moms!

I wanted to try something new, so I found a recipe for a roast from a great website www.Allergyfreealaska.com

I've never had a roast turn out moist, but Megan's looked so yummy, I gave it a try. I made both the roast and the gravy. The only things I did different was that I subbed fresh rosemary and used an oven bag. It was definitely the best roast I've made!

Here is the recipe

http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2011/11/16/garlic-herb-crusted-beef-roast-with-red-wine-gravy/

You can find a million recipes for twice backed potatoes, but it isn't that complicated, they just take time.  Bake potatoes as normal until there is a little give if you squeeze them.  You can use a microwave, but I like to do it in the oven.  I clean the potatoes, pat them dry, rub with olive oil & sprinkle with sea salt. 

Let potatoes cool to touch.  Cut each in half lengthwise.  Scoop the insides out with a spoon.  Here is a hint, leave a little potato edge in the shell.  Otherwise the shell ends up flimsy.  Mash insides of  potatoes with a masher.  The rest of the ingredients depend on your preference and how many potatoes you made.  I added these ingredients and blended with a hand mixer till smooth, but you can just use a masher.  You want them to still be pretty stiff, not too soft.

*dash milk

*sour cream

*shredded cheddar cheese

*bacon crumbles

*garlic

*salt

*pepper

Take the filling and carefully fill the shells. Sprinkle with cheese.  Place in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

I also made one of my family's favorites.  Oven roasted cauliflower.  Again, pretty simple.  Even my son who doesn't like cauliflower likes this dish.  Cut up your organic cauliflower into florets.  Place in a large mixing bowl and toss together with olive oil, lots of garlic, sea salt & pepper.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  

This was the final product.  Turned out pretty well, and Daddy was happy, so that is all that matters.  My photo is a little blurry, sorry!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Father's Day!