Resigned Acceptance

That is the stage I have entered. I am just going to have to accept that I cannot blog every day like I used to. At least not at this current point in time. I just have way too much happening all the time to sit down for 20-30 minutes every day and write. So....if the posts are sporadic, I apologize, but they will be loaded with tasty items! :-)

For any of you readers who are involved backstage in theater productions, please forgive my misuse of this term...but last week was a "Hell Week" for me. Not in the least related to Hell Week in a theater...but I cannot really describe it any other way. Lots of (bad) personal stuff happening, and it was my poor baby Pixie's 3rd week of being sick!! First she was diagnosed with bronchitis; by the next week she hadn't improved, so I took her back, and she was diagnosed with a sinus infection and given Amoxicillin. The next week she was still being sent home from "school" with fevers of 103.2-104.6. So obviously the doctor and I had a very serious conversation (and pretty frustrated on my part). They did 2 strep tests, because Pixie's throat was quite red and swollen, but those came back negative. They determined that she picked up something else viral in addition to bronchitis and a sinus infection, and gave her a stronger antibiotic. So far that seems to be taking care of whatever was making her sick...but some of the diapers.....~shudders~ I won't even put you through that...
So....lots of frantic activity, and having to cuddle a clingy baby approximately every second, and I didn't get to cook a whole ton of food. But....I did manage to make a few meals so here they are!

Paleo Chicken and Creamed Spinach
Ingredients:
Chicken:
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C almond or coconut flour
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Spinach:
1 lb frozen spinach
3/4 C coconut milk
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 tsp coconut flour
2 tsp EVOO
1 shallot, minced
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all chicken ingredients, except the breasts, in a large ziploc bag.
Add in chicken , and toss to coat thoroughly.
Heat large oven proof skillet over medium-high heat, add in olive oil and heat until oil is smoking slightly.
Shake excess flour off chicken, and gently place in heated skillet. 
Sear 4-5 minutes each side, until nicely browned. 
Finish chicken in oven 10-12 minutes until cooked through.

Thaw spinach completely in colander, and squeeze out any remaining liquid by hand.
Heat small saucepan over medium heat; add coconut milk and 2 cloves of the garlic, pressed through a garlic press.
Whisk in the coconut flour, and stir until mixture is simmering slightly. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and add shallot, remaining garlic, and paprika.
Cook until shallot is translucent, but be careful not to burn it.
Add spinach and coconut cream sauce, and simmer until everything is heated through.

I made my Cheeseburger Casserole one evening, and that is in my archive. So go look that one up again, it's always good!

Also made a ginormous batch of Chocolate Chili! I tweaked a few flavors to my preference from last time, but the recipe is also in the archive. Biggest batch of chili I've ever made haha.

Artichoke Dip Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken, cooked as you like (I had thighs that I breaded with almond flour and baked), cut into bite size pieces
16 oz. Gluten-free rotini pasta
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess liquid
1 1/2 C milk
2 14oz cans of quartered artichoke hearts
16oz prepared artichoke (or spinach artichoke) dip (I used a GF one from Trader Joe's)
1 8oz package of light cream cheese (plain or flavored, I used garden vegetable)
1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta to al dente.
In large saucepan heat milk, but do not allow to boil. Stir in artichoke dip, until fully mixed and warm. 
Add 1 can of artichoke hearts and mix in. Then add cream cheese in tablespoon size dollops, a few at a time, until they are melted. Continue this process for all cream cheese.
Stir in spinach, and remaining artichoke hearts.
Stir in cooked chicken, and heat through.
Add sauce to drained pasta, then spread mix into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Top with mozzarella cheese, and bake 15-20 minutes, until cheese is slightly golden.

Paleo Cheesy Grits with Homemade Paelo Breakfast Sausage and Eggs
Ingredients:
4 C. riced cauliflower
1C. almond meal (not almond flour)
3 C. chicken or vegetable broth
1 C. shredded cheese of choice (I simply used cheddar)
salt and pepper

1 lb. ground pork
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

4 large eggs

Directions:
Combine riced cauliflower, almond meal, and chicken broth in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until "grits" are thickened.
In meantime mix sausage ingredients, and form into round patties. Cook through, should be nicely browned on both sides.
Add cheese to grits, and mix until fully melted. Roughly chop sausage patties and mix into grits as well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook eggs as desired, I prefer over medium with runny yolks.
Spoon grits into bowls, top with fried eggs. Mmmmmmmm.

And tonight's meal is not Paleo lol. Sometimes I have to go a little out of my Paleo box to keep Hubby happy. And since this recipe is freakin awesome (!!) I considered it justified.

Baked Gnocchi
Ingredients:
1 lb store-bought gnocchi
8 oz bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
14oz can chopped (or diced) tomatoes
1Tbsp tomato paste
handful cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp sweetener of choice, I use Truvia
2-3 Tbsp Greek yogurt
large handful fresh parsley, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
3.5 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In the meantime, in a large, hot frying pan, fry the bacon until starting to crisp with most of the fat rendered.
Pour off most of the fat then add the garlic and smoked paprika and fry for 30 seconds.
Add all of the tomatoes and the Truvia and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt, parsley and salt and pepper.
Cook the gnocchi in the salted water until it starts floating to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the sauce.
Transfer the gnocchi and sauce to an oven-proof dish and top with the sliced mozzarella.
Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: You can also use individual oven proof ramekins to bake this...so each person has their own!

Bad, Bad Blogger

Once again several days have attacked me at once, and I am very behind on this blog!
When did my schedule get so full? WHY did it get so full?! I kid you not, our evenings have been full of doing things, and getting home at 9 at night, rushing the baby into bed, and then passing out ourselves. *If* we've eaten dinner it has been Chick-Fil-A salads and wraps (hey...its probably the healthiest fast food), or whatever in the fridge hasn't grown a full head of hair yet. Plus, I was out of town a couple of days, so had to squeeze in grocery shopping during the week too! Whew....I'm loving my Challenge shakes, because if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have the energy to make it through! Haha.

Well, as I said, we have been able to actually be home a few nights, and Hubby is often all for relaxing and eating leftovers. But I (possibly because there's a smidge of insanity in there somewhere) absolutely have to cook some nights! I love cooking, I actually find it therapeutic, and it helps calm and center me. Plus, Hubby always thinks it was delicious. I apologize that there are no pictures for these. Hubby didn't prematurely eat the meal, the pics didn't get lost....I just completely spaced out taking any!! My bad.
I bring to you:

Chicken Parmesan Sliders (Makes 12)
Ingredients:
12 ( 2 oz) square ciabatta rolls, toasted (I ate just the sliders, not on buns)
2 lbs. ground chicken breast
2 C. marinara sauce, divided
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 C. part-skim shredded mozzarella
¼ C. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Combine chicken with 1 C. marinara, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Form into 12 small burgers.
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Cook burgers most of the way through on first side. Flip and cook another few minutes, until starting to feel firm. Top with mozzarella, reduce heat, cover until cheese melts.
Toast ciabatta rolls in an oven heated to 350 degrees (or on a medium heat grill). Cut rolls open, place burgers on each roll, top with remaining marinara and Parmesan cheese.



Then I was still on an Italian kick apparently, because I wanted lasagna. I love lasagna. In my opinion you just cannot go wrong with pasta, spicy sausage, and copious amounts of gooey melted cheese. Which is why I am still a bit (though not as much as before) of a fatass :-) Plus...lasagna takes *forever* to cook! And I don't have that kind of time, nor patience when I am starving at the end of a long day.
So....how to make this quick, easy, and a little healthier.....

Skillet Lasagna
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 C mushrooms, chopped (I had some beautiful portabellas from the farmer's market, so mine was a bit more mushroom-y than average)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. spicy Italian sausage, ground
2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 C tomato sauce
3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 C skim ricotta cheese
1/2 C part skim mozzarella cheese
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
About 6 oz lasagna noodles, broken into thirds & fully cooked (I used Gluten Free noodles from Tinkyada)
2 Tbsp parsley (dried or fresh)

Directions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sausage and cook until browned. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook about one minute. 
Add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Cook mixture until it thickens up a bit, around 5 minutes.
Add noodles to skillet and stir into the mixture well. Add scoops of ricotta cheese over the noodles; add in mozzarella and Parmesan. Stir in parsley.  Cook about 2 more minutes, or until mixture is thick.
Serve immediately with additional basil or parsley.

Note: When you've added the cheeses and stirred to combine, you could pop this in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up the top if you so desired!


Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients:
2 large zucchinis (or 1 gargantuan zucchini like mine)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Italian Sausage (casings removed), I like mine hot!
1 small onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 Tbsp tomatoes (diced)
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp basil (chopped)
1/2 C mozzarella (grated)
1/4 C parmigiano reggiano (grated)

Directions:
Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the middle.
Chop the zucchini that was scooped out and set aside.
Heat the oil in a pan.
Add the sausage and brown.
Add the onion and saute until tender.
Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
Add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan.
Add the chopped zucchini, tomato, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.
Let the stuffing cool.
Mix in half of the cheese.
Stuff the zucchinis with the stuffing and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake in a preheated 400F oven until the zucchinis are tender and the cheese is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Zucchini Feta Balls/Patties
Ingredients:
4 C zucchini, grated and squeezed
1/2 C of feta, crumbled
1 splash ouzo (optional)
2 clove garlic, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 handful herbs (such as mint, dill and parsley), chopped
2 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
~1 C flour (I used whole wheat)
~3/4 C ground flax meal (or breadcrumbs if you must)
oil for frying

Directions:
Mix the zucchini, feta, ouzo, garlic, green onion, herbs and egg and season with salt and pepper.
Mix in enough flour and breadcrumbs that you can work with the mixture to form balls.
Form the mixture into balls and dust in flour.
Fry in oil until golden brown and set aside to cool.
Top with a drizzle of plain Greek yogurt.

Even my picky Pixie ate these!!