Corn Chowder Recipe

November 19, 2013 By

corn chowder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been on Weight Watchers for a few weeks now. This is actually my second Weight Watchers  attempt in the last year.  I love Weight Watchers because it really does work if you work the system. I tend to use mostly fresh, homemade foods so it requires a bit more work on my end to keep up with Weight Watchers (since you have to make “recipes” for all of your homemade foods) but ultimately Weight Watchers keeps me from overeating and has helped me lose a total of 14 pounds to date!

One of the easiest foods to make is soup AND soup is so low in Weight Watchers points (which is a good thing, means you can eat a lot more of it!). Weight Watchers also encourages you to eat low calorie foods that are full of protein and fiber. This equates to a lot of fruits and vegetables with very little carbohydrates. That sounds like it is right up my dietary alley.

I decided to through together a tasty, easy and healthy corn chowder. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Corn Chowder

5 slices uncured bacon diced ( I use my kitchen shears  to cut the bacon)

1/2 of a medium white or yellow onion

1 large carrot, diced

1 large celery rib, diced

1 cup diced potatoes

64 oz of Organic Chicken Stock

Himalayan Pink Salt

pepper

1/2 teaspoon Organic Cumin

1/4 teaspoon Organic Chili Powder

3 Tablespoons butter

1 bag of frozen corn

1 bag of frozen lima beans

Method

In a large Stainless Steel Stockpot over medium heat, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat and has just become crispy.  Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots have begun to soften. Add the potatoes, stock and season with salt, pepper, cumin, child powder and butter. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes have softened. Add the corn and lima beans and reseason if necessary. Allow to cook an additional 15 minutes or until the flavor has deepened. Reseason if necessary. Serve as is, or use your Hand Blender  to puree a bit for a naturally “creamy” soup.

Post to Twitter

Meal Plan Featuring Chicken Saltimbocca Gruyere

November 15, 2013 By

chicken saltimbocca gruyere-2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I’ve said in previous meal planning posts we are gluten free. Sometimes we are even dairy free, but not always. Shh, don’t tell anyone, Ok? Today we are not dairy free, hence the wonderful addition of Gruyere cheese in this recipe. The melting cheese makes the most wonderful sauce for the chicken. I adore this meal. I hope you like it as much as we do.

 

Monday – Chicken saltimbocca gruyere  with mashed potatoes and green beans

Tuesday – Veal picata  with salad

Wednesday – Pork chops with potatoes au gratin and veggies

Thursday – Cuban picadillo with fried bananas

Friday – Bahn Mi Style Burger

 

Chicken Saltimbocca Gruyere

4 single chicken breasts without skin and bone

8 slices of prosciutto

5 oz of Gruyere cheese, shredded

toothpicks

3 tablespoons butter

1 glove garlic

1/2 cup white wine

juice of one lemon

 

Place one chicken breast in a zip lock bag and using a mallet, pound the breast thin. Repeat with the other chicken breasts. Layer 2 slices of the prosciutto on each chicken breast, top with 1/4 of the cheese.  Roll the chicken breast so that the prosciutto and cheese are contained inside the chicken breast. Secure with toothpicks. Repeat with all chicken breasts. In a large skillet melt the butter. Saute garlic for a moment or two and then add chicken breast. Allow the breasts to brown on each side. Add wine and lemon juice to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover so that the chicken can cook fully. Serve with sauce from the pan.

Post to Twitter

Kettlecorn Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

November 11, 2013 By

 

Kettlecorn Pumpkin Seeds-5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This past weekend we shuffled off to the local pick-your-own place and braved the rather frigid morning to get some pink lady apples, beets and swiss chard. While we were there we also bought two pie pumpkins. I love to cook them up during the fall and make some of the best tasting GFCF crustless  pumpkin pie around. But of course you can’t ignore all those amazing pumpkin seeds that come out of the pie pumpkins. I swear they have more seeds than the giant jack-o-lanters. Usually I simply roast them with a little salt, but during said trip to the farm we got 4 free Halloween pumpkins, so I’d had my fill of plain pumpkin seeds.

I decided I wanted to make some cinnamon spice pumpkins and of course I did a quick Google search to see what kind of recipes were out there. Not a single one I looked at included salt in the sugar and cinnamon blend. I thought that was really odd since, I thought everyone knows salt makes sugar taste sweeter. If you ever make a dessert and it tastes sweet but flat you can almost guarantee you forgot the salt.

So as I was measuring out the sugar I made sure to add a little salt for balance. I decided to taste the mixture to make sure it was an appropriate blend and it reminded me of Kettlecorn. I decided to stop right there and forego the cinnamon. My husband has cursed me already saying these are just too addictive! I hope you enjoy too.

 

Kettlecorn Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup of cleaned and air dried raw pumpkin seeds from your pumpkin, or seeds from 2 pie pumpkins

2 tablespoons organic sugar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (taste after mixing in 1/2 and determine if it fits your taste)

olive oil to coat

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl mix pumpkin seeds with oil to coat. In another bowl mix sugar and salt, taste to make sure it suits your taste. Sprinkle sugar mixture over pumpkin seeds and stir to coat. Spread pumpkin seeds evenly on a cookie sheet taking care to try to keep them in a single layer. Roast for approximately 40 minutes, but stir every 15 minutes to prevent burning. Allow to cool, stir while cooling to prevent sticking. Enjoy!

Post to Twitter

Gluten Free Meal Plan for the Week with Greek Spaghetti Squash Recipe

October 25, 2013 By

 

 

I have really been trying to focus on the family eating at home. Not only does it save your budget, and who doesn’t need to save their budget? I mean really, even Hillary Swank clips coupons. But it also allows you to make sure you know exactly what is in your food. And for a mom of 3 who has to keep us all on a gluten free diet, being prepared is the only way to fly. So to speak.

This week I’ve decided to utilize some of our grass fed steer we buy every year. We have a ton of ground beef and some steaks still in the freezer so they are a big part of my weekly inspiration.

 

Gluten Free Weekly Menu

Monday – Greek Roasted chicken with roasted potatoes and mixed veggies

Tuesday – Gluten Free Meatball Subs made with Schar rolls

Wednesday – Greek spaghetti squash with feta cheese

Thursday – Steak with twice baked potatoes and brocolli

Friday – Ham steak with cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce

 

Greek Spaghetti Squash Recipe

1 medium sized spaghetti squash

Butter

kalamata olives

feta cheese

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Steam or roast the squash until it is tender and you can run a fork through it to create the “spaghetti” strands. In a saute pan melt butter to make a sauce, add olives and spaghetti squash. Mix until evenly coated. Remove from heat and add feta cheese. Sever immediately.

Post to Twitter