Thai Chicken Chowder with Carrot Noodles

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Coconut oil

One can of Coconut milk (Lite if you are using chicken, full fat if you are omitting chicken)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs boneless Chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
1 butternut squash, seeded peeled and cubed (3-4 cups)
1 (160z) jar roasted salsa – medium heat.  Hot takes flavor away and mild doesn’t have enough zing
4 cups Chicken Broth
5 large carrots, made into flat noodles with a mandolin

Onion diced

Sliced portabella mushrooms

1 Tablespoon lime juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

In a large soup pot, place the coconut oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic and chicken and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash cubes. Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add jar of salsa and chicken broth and bring to a low boil.
Wash the carrots, and then use a mandolin to create long, flat “noodles”. Add to the pot. Reduce to a simmer and cover for 40 minutes.

Use an immersion or regular blender to puree ½ of the vegetables. Add most of the cilantro, saving just enough to garnish each bowl. 
Serve warm, I served it with Black Bean chips, YUM!

Healthy Gluetin-Free Hot Breakfast

Beginning Each & Every Day with Breakfast is very Important to keep our bodies healthy. I usually start with an *Arbonne Protein Shake.  My favorite is the Vanilla Powder, Pumpkin, Cinnamon and to make it a complete meal, I add a healthy fat, like coconut oil.

But as the cooler weather of fall and winter set in here in Michigan I like something hot. So I make this Porridge type cereal.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of Gluetin-Free Ground Flax Meal
2 Scoops Vanilla *Arbonne Protein Powder
Cinnamon to taste.
Hot water - amount will depend on how thick or thin you want your cereal.
*Blanched Almonds or Pumpkin seeds.
1/4 cup of Canned Pumpkin

Instructions:

Boil water.  In a bowl, combine Flax Meal, Protein Powder and Cinnamon.  Add boiling water and stir till thick paste forms.  Add pumpkin. This is where you need to adjust as desired.  I like mine like a thick oatmeal. Make sure you dig deep from the bottom to get all the dry ingredients mixed in.
When desired consistency add Almonds.

 *I like to use Arbonne Protein Powder.  It is whey free, dairy free, Non-GMO, gluetin free, certified Vegan, only has 7 grams of cane sugar (The same amount in a green apple) and has a ton of vitamins in it. And best of all, it tastes AMAZING!!!
*Blanched Almonds are easily digested, are better for you and taste great.  Adding them last will keep them from getting too soft as they are already soft and I like the crunch.
*Only use Pumpkin when in season, when it is not, omit and add another ingredient, like dried cranberries or raisins.

**If you are interested in purchasing Arbonne Protein Powder, please feel free to contact me cpozek@gmail.com and feel free to go to my website: CherylPozek.Arbonne.com

Tomatillo Chicken

Have you ever gone into the fruit market and seen something and said, "What in the world is that and what is it used for?"  An example maybe a Tomatillo.

Tomatillos are also called "tomate verde" in Mexico (which means green tomato) and are considered a staple in Mexican cooking. It is a plant of the nightshade family, related to the cape gooseberry, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. They are not very pretty, but they are tasty.

Tomatillos chicken can be made as a hot sauce or a mild sauce, although tomatillos are not hot alone, you have to add hot to make it a hot sauce.




Ingredients:

2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 Tomatillos
1 Tomato
1 Jalapeno (seeded)
1 Small onion
1 Garlic clove
Cumin 1 tsp.
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Chicken: 
Cut chicken breasts in half and use meat mallet and flatten to 1/2 inch- just try not to rip meat.  I use plastic wrap or parchment paper over the top to protect meat.
Season with salt, pepper and cumin on both sides and in a screaming hot pan (I use cast iron), brown chicken on both sides.

Tomatillo Sauce:
Dice onions and sauté until just about translucent.  Remove outer paper skin and cut tomatillos, tomato, and garlic in large chunks and add to onions.  Cut Jalapeno in half, if you want sauce hot, just dice and add to pan.  If you desire a medium hot sauce, take out half of the seeds, if you want mild, take out all seeds.  Heat and the add veggies until almost soft.  Put contents of pan into your food processor and blend until smooth.

Pour over chicken. Heat through. Great served over riced cauliflower (put cauliflower in a food processor pulse till as small as rice) brown rice or Quinoa.

Reserve some of the sauce to make fish taco recipe –(recipe to follow in August)

Zucchini Hummus

You asked for it, here it is:  My version of Hummus with Zucchini instead of Garbanzo beans. I'm not saying that Garbanzo beans are bad for you, but to get more veggies in your diet and to cut some calories you can use Zucchini.   (1 cup of Garbanzo beans has 295 calories, one cup of chopped Zucchini has 20 calories).  Besides, what else are you going to make with all the Zucchini you grew this summer after you’re sick of Zucchini bread? (Smile)

Now if you are on my 28 day Detox boot camp, by all means, use the garbanzo beans, about 2 cans, as you will need the calories,

Ingredients:

2 large Zucchini’s chopped into large chunks (Now if they are longer than your arm, use one) (If using Garbanzo beans use 2 cans)

½ cup of raw organic sesame seeds

1 -2 cloves of garlic – minced (this is based on taste – I like a lot of garlic)

Juice of one whole lemon

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast seasoning

Water as needed

Directions

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse slowly as to not work the processor to hard.  Add water as need to thin out mix.  If processor slows too much, add water.  I like my hummus smooth.

Note:

Zucchini has a lot of water already in it, so don’t add too much water or it will be too thin.  If this happens, add a more sesame seeds.  Hummus is great with raw veggies and makes a low fat, low calories snack.

High in fiber, water, vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium, zucchini offers an abundance of nutrients to support your health. The water and fiber in this tender summer squash help you manage your weight by providing low-calorie volume. Its vitamins and minerals boost your immune system and promote the health of your heart, skin, lungs and eyes. To make the most of this vegetable's nutritional value, include its nutrient-rich skin.

Next week I will be posting my Tabbouleh recipe where I use Quiona instead of cracked wheat

About Me

Four Things

There are 4 things that I am praying and in faith  for when I get old.  One is that I don't walk bent over, two that I have all my teeth, three that I have all my hair and four that I do not have to take prescription drugs.  As a result of a fasting and praying, I realized that if I want this, things had to make some changes in my life, lose weight and change how I eat.  So I did a lot of reading on health and nutrition, gave up processed food, bought a bike and competed in my first of what I hope is many Triathlons.  Since then I have lost 20 of the 50 lbs I want to lose have felt more energetic, sleep better and know that I will have a better chance of not having to take prescription drugs in my old age.

During this change I had to adjust how I eat, shop and cook.  I realized that most of all health issues come from processed food or food that is lack of any nutritional value and all that our bodies are rejecting.  High blood pressure and cholesterol levels, type 2 diabetes all can be reverse by diet and exercise.  Now some people maybe saying, but it runs in my family.  I say try changing the way you eat and you may just change the outcome. You have the groundwork for having those diseases, but if you don't contribute to the factors that give you the disease, you really can heal your body and have it function the way God intended it to.

I love to cook and eat fresh healthy foods and have come up with recipes many people have asked me to share.  So I decided to write a blog to share how you can cook healthy, cost effectively as well as quick meals that taste great that your family will love.

I will also be sharing healthy eating tips with every post giving info on certain foods you shouldn't be eating and why and others you can replace them with.  Enjoy the journey to your final destiny in good health.

About Me

Four Things

There are 4 things that I am praying and in faith  for when I get old.  One is that I don't walk bent over, two that I have all my teeth, three that I have all my hair and four that I do not have to take prescription drugs.  As a result of a fasting and praying, I realized that if I want this, things had to make some changes in my life, lose weight and change how I eat.  So I did a lot of reading on health and nutrition, gave up processed food, bought a bike and competed in my first of what I hope is many Triathlons.  Since then I have lost 20 of the 50 lbs I want to lose have felt more energetic, sleep better and know that I will have a better chance of not having to take prescription drugs in my old age.

During this change I had to adjust how I eat, shop and cook.  I realized that most of all health issues come from processed food or food that is lack of any nutritional value and all that our bodies are rejecting.  High blood pressure and cholesterol levels, type 2 diabetes all can be reverse by diet and exercise.  Now some people maybe saying, but it runs in my family.  I say try changing the way you eat and you may just change the outcome. You have the groundwork for having those diseases, but if you don't contribute to the factors that give you the disease, you really can heal your body and have it function the way God intended it to.

I love to cook and eat fresh healthy foods and have come up with recipes many people have asked me to share.  So I decided to write a blog to share how you can cook healthy, cost effectively as well as quick meals that taste great that your family will love.

I will also be sharing healthy eating tips with every post giving info on certain foods you shouldn't be eating and why and others you can replace them with.  Enjoy the journey to your final destiny in good health.

Collard Greens - A Healthier Version

So many of my friends love Collard Greens, or as they call them, "Greens".  Which usually consist of smoked pork and all the fat that is rendered from it.  I have made a few adjustments and made it a healthier version combining the smoke pork recipe and an Arabic recipe I learned from my boss.  Kind of Southern meets Middle East meets Healthy Living Cooking.  I don’t care for boiled or smoked meat, so I cut out the pork fat to cut calories and make it the Healthy Living Cooking way = healthier.  Hope you like it as much as I do.  I was supposed to have a cooking test kitchen for these recipes, but that fell apart, so if there are any flaws in measurements, it is totally their fault.  (Just kidding)

Ingredients:

3 large bundles of Collard Greens – chopped into small parts
1 bag of fresh baby spinach
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large sweet onion – diced
1 clove of garlic - minced
2 Real Lemons juiced – (No bottled juice)
2 cartons organic chicken stock
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
1 Tbsp Rosemary

Instructions:
Boil collards in large pot of water.  (Blanch them only 5 minutes)
Drain and rinse greens and set aside in large bowl. (This will take away the bitter taste and keeps the bright green color of the collards)

In the same pot you plan to make greens in, saute onions and garlic, make sure not to burn the garlic.  Add to bowl with collards.
Dice chicken into bite size pieces and brown in same pot. (Should be done in small batches so as to brown it and NOT get too much moisture creating boiled meat. Yuk)
Once chicken is browned, deglaze pot with one container of chicken stock.  Add collard/ onion/garlic mixture, spinach, salt and pepper and the other container of chicken stock.  Once it comes to boil, add lemon juice.
Serving suggestions: Mid-Eastern recipe serves over rice (use brown rice or Quinoa for healthy version. I usually eat it by itself)