Lemon Chicken

Wow.

It is a STUNNER out there! Such a beautiful day! I'm gonna pop this out real quick then get out there and cut the back yard. Daddy-O will be home very soon, so I want everything looking it's absolute best!

I have busted my ass in that yard these past 2 months he's been gone, so he's gonna be shocked when he sees it. When he left the whole middle of the back yard was dirt (thanks to a giant trampoline the owners kept there) and the whole side yard was all sand.

No more!! Now it's all beautiful green grass!

Anyway, enough about that. I could talk about grass all day. I think my friends are getting ready to stage an intervention over how obsessed I've become with it.

I found this recipe on Pinterest and, since I love lemon and garlic, I had to try it. It's very easy and VERY lemony (but not super crazy-obnoxious lemony...just the right amount). I liked it, Jesse liked it, and my Mother loved the leftovers...so we were all quite pleased :)

Ok guys, have a great day and I'll see ya tomorrow!!

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'Lemon Chicken'

Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

3-4 pounds chicken legs & thighs

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2-3 tablespoons melted butter

Lemon slices for garnish

Directions

1. Place lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl; whisk to combine. Place the chicken pieces and the marinade in a large freezer bag. Rotate the bag so that all chicken pieces are coated and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 425. Remove chicken from marinade and place in a single layer in a large, greased baking dish, skin side up. Reserve the marinade. Use a pastry brush to brush a little melted butter on to each piece of chicken.

3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the skins are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Half-way through the baking baste the chicken pieces generously with reserved marinade.

4. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

***PRINT RECIPE***

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Dutch Oven Pot Roast

This recipe was actually called 'Dutch Oven PORK Roast', but when I was making my shopping list I just glanced at the title and entered in POT roast. So, while I had the beef version, you can certainly make it with pork if you so choose (personally I prefer beef...I feel it's more tender).

This was a super easy recipe, and very tasty. I love using the Dutch oven. I feel like it gets the same results as a slow cooker, but in a lot less time.

Ok guys, sorry to post and run, but I've got a LOT to do in the coming days. Daddy-O is coming home very soon (yay!!) and this house needs a good scrubbing, groceries need to be bought, a stinky puppy needs a bath along with about a million other things I don't want to think about right now. We've got a full weekend planned , so I won't be able to get much done then. At least it'll make the days go by faster!

Ok guys, have a great rest of your day! See you tomorrow! (Maybe)

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'Dutch Oven Pot Roast'

Source: Adapted from The Healthy Gluten-Free Life

Ingredients

3-5 lb roast (pork or beef, whatever you prefer)

2 tablespoons coconut oil

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups water

Sauce:

1 yellow onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon rosemary

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons salt

pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325. Rub the roast with salt and pepper.

2. In a food processor, puree all the sauce ingredients until blended, but slightly chunky.

3. Heat coconut oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Add the roast and brown on all sides. Remove Dutch oven from heat.

4. Pour the pureed sauce over the roast, followed by the 3 cups of water.

5. Replace the lid and bake in the oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, or until tender. (The larger the roast, the longer the cooking time).

***PRINT RECIPE***

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1 Year Ago Today:

Provolone Pepper Jack and Ham Grilled Cheese

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Mango Shrimp Tacos (or Salad)

Omg...these were sooooooo gooooood!!

As soon as Heath gets home (which is SOON!!), I'm making these again. I absolutely loved them.

Jesse doesn't dig tacos, so he ate probably 15 pieces of shrimp by themselves in a bowl with a salad on the side. That boy loves him some shrimp.

Now, I couldn't find Jerk Seasoning at the Commissary, so I googled it and found a recipe over at All Recipes. I actually had everything on hand to make it myself, so I just did that. It was simple and awesome.

If you're eating the Paleo version of this recipe, just leave out the flour tortillas and serve it as a Mango Shrimp Salad. Just as good.

Ok guys, I've got to go get changed and then head over to my CO's wife's house. I'm helping her with yard work today. I figure now that my yard is done and looking f-ing AWESOME, I'll spread the love a little and help her out :)

Have a great day!!

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'Mango Shrimp Tacos'

Source: Adapted from Woman's Day

Ingredients

1 tablespoon rice-wine vinegar

1 small green cabbage, thinly shredded

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

1/2 small red onion, sliced

2 tablespoons mayonnaise ~ (Paleo mayo recipe)

8 flour tortillas ~ (leave out for Paleo)

4 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

1 tablespoon Caribbean jerk seasoning ~ (homemade recipe)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo and rice vinegar. Add the cabbage, mango and red onion; toss to combine.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the jerk seasoning until all pieces are coated. Cook shrimp in the heated skillet until opaque throughout, about 2 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

3. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 12-15 seconds. Fill each tortilla with the mango cabbage mixture and top with shrimp.

***PRINT RECIPE***

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Sloppy Joe's

Afternoon!

It's a cloudy dreary one here in SE CT. It's cool...I threw down more grass seed, so I'll take it :)

Ok so, this recipe...it called for ground beef. Unfortunately there are times when the Commissary only has a minimum of 2 lbs of ground beef out. Well, it's just Jesse and I here, so what in the hell am I gonna do with 2 lbs of ground beef??

Sure, I could open it, cut it in half and freeze what I don't need, but I don't want to. Simple as hat.

SO!

Instead I bought ground Bison. I know...I was skeptical too. I asked the meat guy what he thought of it, and he said he really liked it. It's super lean, so that's a plus. It turned out to be REALLY good!

Seriously, I loved this recipe. And it's one of those that's even better the next day!

So, whether you use ground beef, ground turkey, or ground Bison, I definitely recommend trying this. Jesse chowed down on it (which I did not expect). He asked to eat his in a bowl though with a roll on the side. He didn't like how messy the sandwich was :)

Ok guys, have a great day...I'll see ya tomorrow!

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'Sloppy Joe's'

Source: The Healthy Gluten-Free Life Cookbook

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 lb ground beef (or ground bison)

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon granulated onion

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Rolls

(use wheat-free, gluten-free for Paleo...I like THESE)

Sauce

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)

2 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes.

2. Add green pepper and saute for 1 minute. Add ground beef, honey and spices. Stir to combine.

3. Once the meat has started to brown (but isn't cooked completely), reduce heat to low. Add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to combine.

4. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir well and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Serve in a bowl by itself, or on sandwich rolls of choice.

***PRINT RECIPE***

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1 Year Ago Today:

Breakfast Banana Split

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Chicken and Cream Cheese Taquitos

This is a recipe I made awhile back...maybe a month or so? It was right before I switched to Paleo. I can't believe how easy it was. It was really good, and Jesse loved it. My Mom also liked them. I had about 4 leftover, and since I was going through some Crohn's issues at the time (this recipe contributed to my switching to Paleo), I didn't want to keep them around because, as tasty as they were, they did NOT agree with me.

I don't know why, but I've always been intimidated by Taquitos. They seem so difficult and involved, but they're really not. Fill a tortilla with filling, roll it, drop it in some hot oil for 2-3 minutes until they're golden, and boom! Done! Couldn't be more simple.

I served these with ranch dressing, but you serve them with whatever you like. A cilantro lime mayo would probably also be pretty good (if you like cilantro, which I don't, but many people do, so I thought I'd offer it as a suggestion).

Ok guys, I'm gonna get some laundry done then bum around on this rainy dreary day. I'm happy. I just dropped 3 more bags of grass seed last night, so rain away!!

Have a great weekend :)

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'Chicken and Cream Cheese Taquitos'

Source: Adapted from Cinnamon Spice And Everything Nice

Ingredients

3 cups cooked shredded chicken

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup salsa

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach, stems removed

salt and pepper, to taste

9 - 10 (6-inch) flour tortillas

vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Serving Options:

sour cream

quacamole

salsa

taco sauce

ranch dressing

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix together the chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, cheddar and spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Working with one tortilla at a time, add 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and set seam side down on a plate. Repeat until all the tortillas are filled and rolled.

3. Add enough oil to a large skillet to generously cover the bottom. Heat on medium to medium-low heat. Cook tortillas in batches, turning to brown each side (2-3 minutes per side). Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

4. Serve with your choice of dipping sauce.

***PRINT RECIPE***

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1 Year Ago Today:

Chili Mayo Grilled Shrimp

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