Chipotle Chicken Marinade

This recipe, from Simply Scratched, has saved me many of days. I’ve never been a big fan of chipotle peppers and certainly didn’t think my child liked this somewhat spicy pepper either.  One trip to the Chipotle restaurant and all the sudden Chicken tacos are the best meal ever! Though we do visit Chipotle on occasion, this is an easy recipe to mix up in the morning and have ready to finish on the BBQ for a winning dinner.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic smashed, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, roughly chopped
• a generous pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Optional: add in some fresh lime zest or chopped cilantro leaves.
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions

In a mini food processor add olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic and chopped chipotles.

Let the food processor run until the marinade is thick but not chunky.

Pour over chicken and marinade for two hours {remove 30 minutes prior to grilling}.

Heat your grill to medium/ medium high heat and grill the chicken 6 to 8 minutes a side or until no longer pink.

Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

 

 

 

Here’s Why You Don’t Need to “Get Back on Track” After the Holidays

Some great tips from Food & Nutrition blog!

The holiday season is part of our life! It’s a time to celebrate, a time to spend with friends and family, a time to enjoy, a time to feel good about, and a time to make memories. So placing this dark cloud over it sends the wrong message. I also think the diet industry really overemphasizes holiday weight gain and this sense of the holiday season equating to a “bad track.” So I am hoping to relieve any anxiety over the holiday season in terms of food that you may have. Let the holidays integrate into your life and you can absolutely maintain your healthy lifestyle during it and I would encourage you to do so too!

Here are my tips:

1. Get enough sleep (7 to 8 hours) most days. And if you stay up later than normal hanging out with friends or talking on the porch with your dad then guess what — you are going to have some good memories from that time spent together and the next day you can get that eight hours of sleep. Your body will recover. However, it is harder to recover if day after day after day you are sleep deprived so make this a priority most of the time when you can.
2. Keep exercising! And exercise to celebrate what your body is capable of doing. Exercise to challenge yourself, to feel good, to feel energized, to feel strong, to feel confident, to feel accomplished. Don’t exercise to work off what you ate. There are major differences between these two mindsets.
3. Know that if you have an extra piece of pie then it’s OK. And if you eat more in one sitting than you typically do then that’s OK too — your body will do its thing; it will digest the food and you will get hungry again. So don’t feel guilty and don’t feel anxiety over these choices. Have the pie if you want the pie. And if you don’t, then that’s OK too.
4. If you view the holidays as a time to binge then perhaps reflect on why. My thought is being too restrictive over time will lead to binges. So to prevent this, make sure your lifestyle is balanced, meaning if you want the pie on a non-holiday than that’s OK too.
5. Know that it comes down to what you do most of the time that truly impacts health. Finding an eating pattern that you enjoy and also makes you feel healthy and energized is what is sustainable. I’ve personally found a predominantly plant-based diet makes me feel the best. And bonus — it is good for the environment and our health. So I still include these foods that make me feel good throughout the holiday season.
6. Start now. There is no better time than now to eat well and feel good. Don’t wait until the new year to work on goals you have. Start now. Start where you are. And make it consistent.

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Soup

As Fall is in full swing, we’ve been enjoying the ease and simplicity of a slow cooker soup once a week. Usually on one of those nights when dinner prep time is non-existent. I love this soup recipe which is inspired by The Fresh Market! Top it with avocado, fresh cilantro and tortilla strips and you’ve got yourself a warm spicy soup with a little crunch on top.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ jalapeño, finely chopped (or more if you like it spicy)
• 8 c. Pacific Foods Organic Bone Broth Chicken
• 2 cups  salsa
• 2 ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. Mexican chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 c. green bell pepper, diced
• 1 c. white onion, diced
• 1 can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• Juice of 1 medium lime

Topping Options:

• Fresh cilantro
• Sliced avocado
• Sliced jalapeño
• Tortilla strips
• Sour cream
• Fresh lime wedges

Directions

Thinly slice chicken breast and set aside. Slice jalapeno. Add Organic Bone Broth Chicken, salsa, spices, sliced jalapeno, peppers and onions, and sliced chicken to slow cooker. Cover and set to LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Add the beans 1/2 way through the cooking time. Finish with fresh squeezed lime juice. Adjust salt if necessary. Serve topped with fresh cilantro or lime, sliced avocado, sour cream, or tortilla strips. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chocolate-Banana Bread

I love this recipe from fellow RDN Joy Bauer. We always have bananas in the house and if I’m not freezing the ones that are getting brown, I use them to make this super easy banana bread in the slow cooker!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 large egg whites
¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or any preferred milk)
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Make sure your bread pan(s) fits in your slow cooker.  

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.  

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine bananas, butter, brown sugar, egg whites and almond milk. Sprinkle dry mixture over banana mixture and fold until ingredients are just combined. Take care not to overmix; batter will be slightly lumpy. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into bread pan coated with nonstick oil spray. Place bread pan in slow cooker and set to low for 4 hours. 

To serve, cut bread into 1-inch-thick slices and then cut in half again if using a single large loaf pan.

Note: If using 2 small loaf pans, you may need to prop 1 up using foil paper in order to fit into your slow cooker. Be sure to play with pan placement before pouring batter in. This recipe works for 2 small loaf pans or 1 large pan. 

Alternatively: Bake in a 350˚ oven for 50 to 55 minutes on the middle rack, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of loaf comes out clean. 

 

 

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken

A few weeks ago, I tried this recipe from fellow RDN Jennifer Hunt and it has become my new favorite slow cooker chicken recipe! Mix up the sauce and let it slow cook all day.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp sriracha chili sauce
• ¼ cup creamy almond butter or peanut butter
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ½ tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

• Basil chopped
• Slivered or sliced nuts such as almonds, cashews or peanuts

Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker (cut in half if desired). In a small pot, combine all other ingredients on medium heat and allow to warm through until the almond butter combines with the rest of the ingredients. Pour sauce over chicken and turn slow cooker to low.

2. Cook for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken at end of cooking, if desired.

Recipe Notes

• The sauce can also be made by microwaving all ingredients in a medium glass bowl for 15-30 seconds or until almond butter melts and incorporates thoroughly.
• This recipe has a bit of spice which makes it taste amazing!  You can reduce the spice by using less sriracha and/or black pepper.

Lower Sodium Options

The sodium comes from the soy sauce, chicken broth, sriracha and possibly nut butter, depending on the brand you use.  To lower total sodium, use No Added Salt Chicken Broth (like Kitchen Basics brand) and choose a nut butter with no added salt (like Trader Joe’s No Salt Almond Butter).

Serving Ideas

• Over zucchini noodles
• With stir-fried vegetables like broccoli, edamame, pea pods, carrots, bell peppers and/or onions
• Atop brown rice, quinoa or other whole grain
• Over whole grain noodles