Baked Balsamic Chicken

Tik Tok for the win - adding this one to the menu this week! 

3 chicken breast - partially sliced across 

Mix together in bowl:

• 2 tsp olive oil 
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tbsp swerve brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp oregano 
• 1/2 tsp basil 
• 1/2 tsp salt & pepper to taste 
• 2 cloves garlic

Add chicken breast to marinate

Mixed following in baking dish 

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes 
• 1/2 Red onion sliced 
• 1 tbsp Oil and salt 

Mix together well

Layer chicken over top and drizzle with any remaining marinade 

Bake at 430F for 25 minutes 

Remove & Cover chicken

 with 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Return to over until cheese melted and bubbly.

Serve with a side salad 

Bon Appetite

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Chicken Caprese Casserole

 Drop me a 💗 if you’re a menu planner too? 

Now that the home childcare is closed I am not nearly as anal about it like Monday we are having this but I do sit down each Sunday to plan the 7 family dinners we will be having than I cook whatever I feel like from that list on any given day. 

Menu planning is especially important for me right now because Paul is still doing all the in person shopping since I can’t keep the mask in long enough to do a full shop so I need to make sure I have added everything I am gonna need cause he doesn’t have the same intuition to have his memory jogged in the aisle that we need something I forgot to put on the list - so if it’s not on the list he’s likely not to get it. Heck thanks to supply issues these days  sometimes even if it’s on the list he’s not likely to get it all …. like apparently slim pickings in the frozen veggie aisle poor Alex is getting so sick of salad as a side cause Paul can’t find some frozen veggies to toss his way 🙁 

If the pandemic had reinforced any skills it’s definitely the ability to learn to accept the things you can’t control and pivot as required to adapt! 

It was a slow lesson for me but I am getting there! 

 

Thankfully he just got home and found everything I needed to try this chicken caprese casserole recipe this week except the fresh Basil but I can add a drop of basil essential oil to compensate and add some spinach chopped for colour! With the no frozen veggies to be found I’ll figure out a side dish! I think air-fried asparagus might go nice!  

Bon Appetite 

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Game Day appy’s

Sunday means GAME day over here - where the boys get to enjoy some football and afternoon appy’s! Recipe credit 

JALAPEÑO PUFFS

INGREDIENTS

4 oz. Cream cheese, softened

1 ½ c. Shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg, beaten 

1/4 cup almond flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 Jalapeno peppers finely chopped

6 Slices of bacon, cooked crispy, crumbled

1 tbsp Ranch seasoning

 

Instructions:

In a small mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese until smooth. 

Mix egg into almond flour until well combined. 

Add Shredded cheddar cheese, jalapenos and ranch seasoning to the cream cheese, mix well. 

Stir in almond flour egg mixture until fully incorporated.

Crumble the bacon pieces and place them on a plate.

Form a tablespoon of the jalapeno mixture into a ball, and roll it in the crumbled bacon.

Place on cookie sheet, refrigerate 30 mins. 

Preheat oven to 425.   Bake 10 minutes or until golden and puffed. 

Allow to cool a few minutes before eating.

These are SO tasty - next time I’m gonna double the recipe cause I let the boys wanting more! 

 

Bon Appetite

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Tasty Thursday Recipe Review - Baked Boursin Chicken

Nom nom - saw this recipe on a Tik Tok so had to give it a try! I wish I had jotted down the creator so I could give a shout out but it was a 2am insomnia find and in my effort to read the ingredients on my phone clearly I zoomed in and accidentally cropped off the handle when I took the screenshot! So whoever you are - thank you kindly for this one it was a huge hit!

 

 This one got 6 thumbs around the table here and at least one this is a worthy mouth orgasm  - even the still developing his clean eating palette cleaned his plate! 

We had this with a spinach salad because we try to eat grain free - however if you can have grains it would be lovely over pasta. Next time I think I will try it over some sauteed Zucchini noodles to help with the delicious sauce having something to stick to - although its all good I got it up with a spoon this time so it did not go to waste!

 

Bon Appetite 

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4/life 

What’s On Your Plate Wednesday

 What’s your favourite kind of salad dressing? 

Did you know making your own dressing could be SO EASY and QUICK?

Plus no need to have 12 different dressings taking up space in your fridge! Control the quality of your ingredients - a lot of store bought dressings use oils that are inflammatory to both the digestive tract as well as to your muscles/joints! 

I whipped up this dinner tonight for the family in under 30 minutes - the chicken was done in the BBQ and seasoned with Montreal Chicken spice from Epicure and served with Caesar salad!  

If you want to learn more about Epicure solutions and don’t already have a spicy crack dealer aka Epicure consultant - my friend the lovely Lisa  Maybery is a consultant and she can hook you up! 

Bon Appetite

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life  

*post contains affiliate links 

Meal time Favorites!

 Table time Thursday - what’s on your plate tonight?

I made Parmesan crusted chicken and roasted veggies for the fam jam tonight! 

I love it cause it’s so easy - just mix Parmesan cheese with homemade or store bought mayo and a bit of Epicure Herbs and Spices. Make a paste with it and spread over the meat. Bake 400F for 30 minutes along with your roasted side veggies choice! We had diced tri colour sweet peppers, sliced radishes and wee bit onion. 

Bon Appetite

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4/life

#foodporn #whatsfordinner #lowcarb #grainfree #glutenfree #keto #paleo #mealideas #recipes #autoimmunedisease #cleaneating 

Fudgy Keto Brownies

 

Getting a few requests for my afternoon tea indulgence this afternoon over in our Facebook community  .... seriously a lovely guilt free mouth orgasm so thought I should share! 

 

Recipe is courtesy of the All Day I Dream about Food blog and the most amazing Cocoa I have found since Epicure discontinued theirs - it is from a company called OliveNation and I bulk ordered mine with the lovely Lynn .... having the right cocoa makes ALL the difference in chocolatey goodness! My chocolate chips are Lily's dark chocolate from NaturaMarket.ca

Bon appetite

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

*post contains affiliate links

Loaded ‘Cheese, Chives & Bacon Baked Potato’ salad - low carb version

 Who loves potato salad? It is the one comfort 'grain' based food that I miss but thankfully there is always ways to adapt one's favorite recipes to a healthier low carb alternative! 

Meet the 'Faux' Loaded Cheese, Chives and Bacon Baked Potato!

Now the original recipe I found that inspired this said to 'steam' the cauliflower however I found the texture of that method less than desirable - not a fan of steamed cauliflower! 

So I roast mine! Cut them into bite size pieces. Toss with some extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper and roast for 20-30 minutes on 400F until they are tender and start to get some caramelized edges. Let cool.

While the cauliflower is cooling chop up your favorite veggies - either traditional potato salad veggies or I like a lot of colour so to mine I have added 1/4 cup each of onion, chives, celery, shredded carrots, red pepper from my garden and radish. I have also chopped up 4 slices of crispy bacon!

Now for my potato salad sauce I love the quick and easy spice blend from Epicure ...just need 2 tablespoons and add in 1/2 cup of mayo and 1/2 cup of plain Greek Yogurt! Mix well!

It looks and tastes AMAZING!!!! And swapping out the Potatoes for Cauliflower lowers the carb count and insulin reaction considerable so I can enjoy this tonight with a nice BBQ pork chop guilty free!

 

Come on over to our Facebook community for more conversations about healthy eating, living and self care!

Bon Appetite 

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love 

Be Totallyawake

*post contains affiliate links

Fajita Craving ✅

 Nom nom 😋 who needs tortilla shells? 

Had a craving for fajitas so served the filling over Mexican inspired “cauli-rice” topped with homemade Guacamole! 

 For my fajita seasoning I used the amazingly tasty low sodium Epicure Fajita mix. 

For the Mexican inspired cauliflower rice the tasty poco picante spice from Epicure with some fresh tomatoes from our garden!

You can make amazing homemade guacamole in a flash thanks to Epicure too - try their Guacamole seasoning with a little avacado, lime and we like it creamy so added some mayo/greek yogurt combo!

Popped all my ingredients into the Carb Manager to journal - not a bad balance and packed full of flavor and taste!

Bon Appetite

Margaret

Life, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

 *post contains affiliate links

Grain Free Yorkshire pudding!

Hmmm gonna have to get a roast beef so I have a reason to try this grain free Yorkshire recipe from Carb Manager!

 

Do you love Yorkshire pudding?

 

Bon Appetite!

 

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Spagetti Squash Au Gratin

I Love Spaghetti Squash! It is such an amazing alternative to pasta and potato dishes for grain free eating or trying to reduce your carb count! It basically takes on whatever flavor you add to it with very little flavor of it's own - if you do not overcook it it has an el dente pasta or shredded potato texture to it.

What You Need:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small sweet onion - very thinly sliced
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy
• 1 teaspoon Epicure Fine Herbs or Paris Bistro
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

What You Do:

• Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. 
• Either bake 30 minutes face down at 350 or microwave 8-10 minutes on high . 
• In a medium sized pan over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and fine herbs and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color. Add pepper to taste and salt optional (I don’t cook with it personally).
• When squash is cooked use a fork to scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl. 
• Combine the squash, onions, yogurt and half the cheese together and mix well. 
• Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
• Place into a 375º oven for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Serve with a protein and side salad to balance your plate!

My favorite sides for this are Ham and steamed Broccoli because they remind me of Scallop Potatoes!

Happy eating

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life

Happy Pancake Tuesday!

If you are preparing for Shrove Tuesday today but have already given up sugar than these are a perfect way to celebrate! An encore recipe of our favorite pancakes! 

What you need

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 Eggs 
• Option - Cinnamon

What you Do

• Puree banana with a fork 
• Whisk 2 eggs and add to banana puree
• Heat your griddle 350F ~ I spritzed with coconut oil cause wasn't sure about sticking
• Scoop out SMALL about 2 tablespoon portions. I used my Pampered Chef small scoop for mine. Smaller is better as these do not 'flip' with the same ease as normal pancakes I had to use two flippers to carefully flip mine so they did not turn in on each other.
• Once you flip cook until spongy and egg is cooked through.
• Serve as desired ~ I did not feel ours needed anything extra such as syrup or icing sugar sprinkles because the banana makes them sweet.

A big flat grill is a must when feeding 5 little's!

Bakers Note

While the original recipes I  pinned had just the two ingredients mine ended up with 3 ingredients ~ cause I added some cinnamon to ours as I have one who is not a banana lover and wanted to help mask that flavor a bit. 

Like any pancake you can also add 'add ons' to them such as chocolate chips, blueberries, walnuts and top as you like! This recipe makes about 6 small pancakes and I have easily doubled the recipe by doing 4 eggs and 2 ripe bananas. 

These were also pretty tasty 'cold' as well although admittedly they go a little rubbery texture wise when they get cool but the kiddies seemed to still enjoy them. You can do bulk batches and freeze them and than pop in the toaster to reheat them.

2 Ingredient Pancakes

These are always  a total hit around the table. For those readers who like me were wondering about texture they are more of a 'crepe' consistency than a fluffy pancake with just the two ingredients. However if you really need the fluffy pancake texture for those who are texture orientated when trying new things I have also added 1tsp baking powder to them to help fluff them up as well another time tried a scoop of protien powder to play with that texture - although I prefer them as the crepe myself I have had daycare crew who need that 'fluffy' to them. They do have a hint of the banana flavor but if you add cinnamon it does help to cut that down a bit. 

Have an amazing day!

 

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

Grain Free Crescent Rolls

We are celebrating a little mans 3rd birthday today - and he requested 'goat cheese pop tarts' is what he calls them but in reality they are a version of grain free stuffed crescent rolls that we adapted to meet his dietary needs! 

 We love these because they are awesome warm out of the oven in the winter months but also just as tasty cold for picnic lunches! 

Grain Free Crescent Rolls

What You Need: Adapted from here

• 2 tablespoon flax seed 
• 1 packet Active Dry Yeast
• 1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 4 Large Egg Whites 
• 1 Large Organic Egg Yolk
• 1 tablespoon Ghee or Dairy Free Butter Alternative 
• 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 teaspoon liquid stevia 
• 2 cups of Soy flour  - plus some extra for rolling
• 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
• 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 generous cup of Coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

What You Do:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and yeast.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the almond milk, applesauce, egg whites and extracts. Dump the flax seed/yeast mix on top and quickly whisk together.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of soy flour, the coconut palm sugar , baking powder and salt. Dump the dry over the wet and fold together with a rubber spatula.
• Shape the sticky dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm area for 1 hour + 20 minute.
• Measure out your coconut flour. Take about 2 tablespoons out and dust it over the slightly risen dough. Gently fold the mixture until it absorbs the coconut flour, then dust another 2 tablespoon over the dough and fold in again Continue to do this until all the coconut flour is mixed into the dough. Then knead the dough into a ball.
• Using a cutting board or other smooth flat work surface (this is an awesome option) dust with about 2 tablespoons of of soy flour, place the dough on top, then dust again with same amount of soy flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle, then use a pizza cutter to slice the rectangle into 12 tall triangles.
• Line a large cookie sheets parchment paper and set aside.
• Create the crescents by rolling the dough triangle, starting from the widest end and rolling to the triangle point. 
• Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for 1 hour 
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and almond milk.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the crescents with the egg wash and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. 
• Let crescents cool on the pan. Serve warm!

Bakers Addiitonal Notes:

For a savory version: Stuff with heaping teaspoon of Chevre goat cheese and a raspberry jam and roll up and apply the egg wash as normal.

For a Kids will Love you forever: Stuff with a couple slices of pepperoni and shredded cheese and roll up. Sprinkle some  pizza seasoning on top of the egg wash. Serve with a side of marinara sauce 

 

For the Chocolate Lover: Add 2 teaspoon of Enjoy Life chocolate chips to each crescent as you roll them up. Apple the Egg Wash and than sprinkle some chocolate topper onto them.

For an Apple Pie Version: Dice a Granny Smith apple and marinate in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 tablespoons coconut sugar and 2 teaspoons Apple Pie spice. When the apples are soft, add a spoonful to each crescent as you roll them up. Apple the Egg Wash and sprinkle with a wee bit more Apple pie spice!

 Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken in the Crockpot!

 Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken in the Crockpot!

 





What You Need

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup BBQ sauce,  either store bought or quick DIY version below pairs nicely!
• ¼ cup coconut palm sugar
• ⅛ cup lemon juice, fresh or from a bottle
• 5 small apples, peeled and chopped, I love the tartness of a Granny for cooking but Gala works well too.
• 8 slices bacon

What You Do

1. In a small bowl, combine BBQ sauce, coconut palm sugar, lemon juice and peeled/chopped apples.
2. Wrap each chicken breast with two slices of bacon and place in a greased slow cooker.
3. Pour BBQ-apple mixture over chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is done.

Maple BBQ sauce
 
What You Need:

• 1 cup ketchup (homemade ketchup using Epicure Chai Ketchup blend)
•  3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil 
• 1.5 tablespoons molasses 
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

What You Do: 1. In a medium saucepan mix together all ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.
2. Simmer for 20minutes (uncovered), stirring occasionally.
3. Makes 1.5 cups of sauce. Pour and unused sauce into a glass jar and refrigerate for future use with a lovely BBQ hamburger option.

Serve with a side of your choice ... I opted for a lovely spinach and cabbage salad with a  Balsamic vinaigrette ... perfect dinner specially this past weekend with the wet weather we were having making using BBQ outside less palatable! 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life

Sweet 'n Smoky Salmon

So it's been a while since I have had a chance to blog - life got really busy with other awesome opportunities in my Stampin' business that brought more custom orders and time in the craftroom and in the process I lost my balance of all the plates I have in the air for a bit but I am back at making my health and wellness a priority and with that comes making sharing my journey with others, as a form of accountability, a priority too! 

It is funny how easy it is to slip back into poor habits even when you know better they can just 'sneak back up' on you!

Going to share one of my favorite ways to enjoy Salmon here for you - I adapted the recipe a bit for my own preferences

Sweet 'n Smoky Salmon (adapted from here)

Serves: Makes 4 servings

What You Need:

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Epicure Louisiana Hot and Spicy, divided 
• 2 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar or honey, divided 
• 1 pound salmon fillets 
  
  

Orange Salsa 

• 2 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin oranges, in their own juice, drained and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon Epicure Louisiana Hot and Spicy

What You Do:

• For the Salmon, mix juice, oil and 1 tablespoon each Seasoning and sugar or honey in small bowl. Place salmon in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Meanwhile, for the Salsa, mix all ingredients in medium bowl until well blended. Cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.* Mix remaining 1 tablespoon each Seasoning and sugar/honey in small bowl. Remove salmon from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Rub salmon evenly with seasoning mixture.
• Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with Orange Salsa 

 * Alternately if you would rather do on the BBQ for an additional smokey flavor. Soak a Cedar plank for a few hours and bake on the preheated BBQ for the same 10-15 minutes avoiding the 'direct flame'.

Pairs awesome with a light spinach, cranberry and almond salad or the boys had mini potatoes and a side salad. 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

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