Green onions

French Onion Chicken Salad {Paleo, Whole30, & Keto Friendly}

January 3, 2019

This chicken salad was inspired by that oh-so-wonderfully versatile white packet of soup mix that many of us love to use in recipes!

It takes a little extra lovin’ to caramelize the onions, but it’s so worth it! The flavor that slowly caramelized onions give to almost any dish is so comforting! You won’t miss that little packet at all – except for maybe how convenient it is. Haha – I just can’t compare on that level.

However, to me, knowing exactly what foods (clean, unprocessed foods – at that!) I’m putting into my body is more beneficial than convenience -generally! I know, life can get the best of each of us and sometimes, convenient, crappy foods win! It happens!

BUT, if you got the time, make this French Onion Chicken Salad and double the recipe. It’s great inside a lettuce wrap, a tortilla shell or on top of some crackers. You could even top a bed of greens with this and call it a day!

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Print Recipe
 French Onion Chicken Salad {Paleo, Whole30, & Keto Friendly}
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a pan over medium high heat, saute diced onions, oil, coconut aminos, vinegar, and salt for 5 minutes.
  2. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 20-25 minutes until completely caramelized, browned, and reduced in size by half. (Stirring every 5-10 minutes) Set aside to cool.
  3. Once the onions are cooled, in a large mixing bowl, mix them together with the shredded chicken, mayo, green onions, onion powder, pepper, and salt. I like to add 1 tsp of salt to start, taste, and then add more, if needed.
  4. If the chicken salad is too thick, add a couple tbsp of milk until desired consistency is reached. This is totally optional - if you like your chicken salad thick, feel free to completely omit this ingredient!
  5. Serve in a wrap or on a salad!
Recipe Notes

TIP: I always use my Instant pot when I want shredded chicken! I add 1 cup of water to the chicken and cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes. Shreds super easy! If the chicken breasts are HUGE, I cut them in half to reduce cooking time.

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Green Goddess Chicken Salad

May 30, 2018

Not every chicken salad is created equal. Some are greasy, gross, and just plain nasty! Homemade chicken salad, however, is DELICIOUS and a total game changer!

This twist on the classic is so refreshing and tastes a lot more fancy that it really is!

The combination of fresh basil in the Creamy Basil Dip with the avocado and crunchy celery is perfection!

It’s perfect inside a spinach wrap, spread on crackers, or smothered between some slices of bread…or better yet, a croissant – definitely not paleo, but a good, buttery croissant would be worth the splurge!

Add this Green Goddess Chicken Salad to your next cookout spread or picnic for a good-for-you dish packed with protein, healthy fats, and tons of flavor!

 


Print Recipe


Green Goddess Chicken Salad

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings
servings


Ingredients

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings
servings


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, basil dip, celery salt, minced garlic, and pepper.

  2. Stir in avocado, celery pieces, and green onions last. Adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

  3. Serve on a bed of greens or in a wrap!

  4. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.


Recipe Notes

Click here for Creamy Basil Dip Recipe

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Southwest Chopped Salad

March 14, 2018

There is just something so addicting about that spicy, smokey, char-boiled taste of the Southwest. You get all of that in this big bowl of veggies, plus some protein from chicken and bacon, if you decide to add those in, like I do! It all comes together perfectly with the addition of my Southwest Ranch Dressing! I swear, I could put that stuff on anything and it’d be even more delicious. It. Is. So. Good. It has a perfect balance of smoke and spice with a little tang from lime juice. It’s definitely something to keep on hand in your fridge!

Because of the charred vegetables in this salad, it takes a couple extra minutes to make, but, I PROMISE, it’s so worth it! Just look at those edges! NOTE: This recipe is not entirely PALEO. Corn is a grain, and therefore, is NOT technically paleo. It’s not necessary, but it’s a nice addition. Feel free to omit that ingredient, if you want to!


Print Recipe
 Southwest Chopped Salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5-8 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5-8 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. With the High BROIL setting on, lay jalapeños, sweet pepper slices, and red onions on a lined baking sheet. Broil for 4 minutes.
  2. Rotate the pan and broil for another 3-4 minutes or until desired char is reached.
  3. While the veggies are under the broiler, cook the corn! In a large nonstick pan over medium high, saute corn and oil until the edges are charred. This should take about 5-8 minutes. FYI: You might have some fly away kernels!
  4. Allow all of the vegetables to cool before adding to your salad.
  5. While they cool, chop your greens and cilantro into smaller bite sized pieces and add to a large bowl.
  6. To the chopped greens and cilantro, add your chicken, bacon, corn, charred vegetables, green onions, and 1/2-3/4 of the dressing.
  7. Toss the salad until everything is completely coated. If you like extra dressing, add more! Personally, I use almost all of (1) recipe of the Southwest Ranch Dressing.
  8. Top with crushed tortilla chips for extra crunch!
Recipe Notes

*Southwest Ranch Dressing

** You usually can find these mini sweet peppers in a plastic bag in the produce section - you could sub red, yellow, or orange bell peppers.

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Loaded “Sour Cream” & Chive Twice Baked Potatoes (Dairy Free)

February 17, 2018
Course


Balanced Health

Words don’t do these potatoes justice.

My husband was obsessed to say the least. I’m just gonna get right to the recipe so that you can hurry up and make these. THEY ARE SO GOOD!

 

Do yourself a favor, and make plenty! Leftovers are still just as tasty!

Balanced Health

Print Recipe
 Loaded "Sour Cream" & Chive Twice Baked Potatoes (Dairy Free)
Course Dinner, side dishes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings
halves
Ingredients
Course Dinner, side dishes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings
halves
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Clean and cook whole potatoes until you can easily poke with a fork or knife. However, don't cook them until they're falling apart! The second cooking will cook everything further! You can bake them for 45 minutes - 1 hour, depending on size OR microwave them for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
  3. Once potatoes are cooked, cut in half - long ways!
  4. With a spoon, scoop out the center, but leave just a tad of potato around all of the inside. This helps keep stability. I like to push the limits here, myself. I scoop out as much potato as possible, so I can get a crispy skin!
  5. Place skins on a baking sheet face down first - almost touching each other. (I like to line mine with parchment paper for easy cleanup!). Baking them face down and closer, helps them to hold their shape and not flatten out. Spray inside and outside of each skin with olive, coconut, or avocado oil. Feel free to sprinkle some salt on the outsides too - I love it!
  6. Bake skins for 8-10 minutes, flip, and bake the other side for another 8-10 minutes or until desired crispiness is reached.
  7. While the potatoes crisping up, combine remaining ingredients with the potato you removed from the skins. If you decided to add bacon, set aside the bacon pieces for the topping, and add the bacon grease to your filling. This addition is completely optional and not necessary! However, bacon grease makes everything better!
  8. Taste your filling and adjust the salt and pepper! We like our potatoes, not only crispy, but SALTY! Therefore, I add close to 2 tsp to this recipe.
  9. Once the potato skins are finished crisping up in the oven, remove them and add filling to each. Don't be afraid to go heavy on that filling! For this recipe, each half took about a cup of filling. Use it all or save some to snack on as these finish cooking! 😉
  10. Top with bacon pieces and bake for 10 minutes or until the tops have just slightly started to brown up.
  11. Top with more chives or sour cream alternative of choice and DIG INNNNN!
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Ham & Chive Chowder

January 28, 2018
Course

Who has ever eaten some of one of those ham and onion-y cream cheese balls (sometimes rolled in pecans)? Growing up, I think it was at just about every single family event. I LOVED THEM! Spread some of that goodness all over a buttery cracker. MMM!

Now-a-days, the cream cheese is at a minimum (if at all) in our household. I’m constantly finding myself creating alternatives for so many of my favorite recipes that involved cream cheese.

This recipe is NOT for a cheese ball…it’s for a soup that was inspired by one! Oh-so-creamy, onion-y, and dairy free, this super comforting and hearty soup is sure to be a family favorite!

Print Recipe
 Ham & Chive Chowder
Course Dinner, Soups
Servings
Ingredients
Course Dinner, Soups
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat, sauté both kinds of onion in the butter or ghee for about 5 minutes until the regular onion is translucent.
  2. To your pot, add your cream cheese and cook just until it's all melted and combined. This should take just a minute or two.
  3. Once the cheese is completely melted, add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. The longer you let this simmer the more the potatoes will cook away and thicken your soup. I always chop mine a bit bigger (I like a chunky soup anyways) that way I don't lose all of my potatoes in the cooking process!
  4. ...and you're DONE! EASY! I serve these with MORE fresh, chopped green onions on top! You can never have too much green onion! 😛
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4-Ingredient Chicken & Noodles (Dairy-free)

January 22, 2018
Course

Chicken & Noodles is a total comfort food for many people … especially my husband. It’s simple and so yummy! Canned condensed cream of chicken soup used to be a staple in my kitchen. It was always a go to for so many dishes. However, that isn’t the case anymore. I’ve made it a goal to find healthy alternatives to things that we loved to eat! Chicken & Noodles, complete with that overly-processed condensed soup was one of them! I swear that my husband could live off of that and Beef Stroganoff. Even after finding a creamy alternative, it’s been a struggle finding a pasta that wasn’t packed with carbs yet still paleo. There’s a few delicious ones out there, but we keep those to a minimum. I recently stumbled upon a green bean pasta that has only 2 INGREDIENTS – green beans and water! This pasta is so good and packed with protein! It’s now on our dinner menu at least once a week!



I love simple, one-pot dishes! Who DOESN’T love simple tasty meals?! This dish tastes like it’s been cooking forever because of my favorite chicken bouillon paste…and, I promise, you won’t miss the dairy! This paste is liquid gold and goes into so many of my dishes! It’s organic and SO DANG TASTY! Make it a point to grab some the next time you’re at the grocery store!


 My Chicken & Noodles meal comes together so quick when you have a leftover rotisserie chicken! However, you are more than welcome to cook a couple chicken breasts or a few thighs, just for this dish! Alright, let’s get to this easy recipe!

Print Recipe
 4-Ingredient Chicken & Noodles (Dairy-free)
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, bring water to a rolling boil and add pasta. Cook until desired doneness. The pasta that I used cooks in about 4 minutes - it's awesome!
  2. Drain and add the pasta back to your pot.
  3. Add remaining ingredients to the pot and cook for another 10 minutes* over medium heat or until everything is heated through. Taste and add more salt if you'd like! The bouillon paste is usually plenty salty though!
  4. For extra creaminess, add a few tbsp of ghee or grass fed butter - that ALWAYS makes things even better, in my opinion! You can try mixing in some italian herbs or poultry seasonings too. Just be sure to add those in when you add the other ingredients!
  5. You can bulk up this meal buy adding some peas, carrots, or broccoli too! I love to steam a bag of broccoli in the microwave while I'm boiling the pasta and dump it in when I add my chicken. Super easy! It's super versatile and delicious so many different ways!
Recipe Notes

*Be advised, the longer you let this simmer, the more your noodles will cook. Therefore, if you let it simmer for a while on low after it's heated through, you may end up with more broken bits of noodles and a stickier consistency - still delicious. I honestly prefer things this way! haha - A mooshy mess! 🙂


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BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad (Dairy free)

January 19, 2018
Course

This isn’t some extravagant and fancy recipe, but MAN, IS IT EVER TASTY! I’m a huge BBQ and ranch lover, and particularly love when the two are combined! I love different takes on chicken salads and this recipe does NOT disappoint! It’s so versatile and only gets better with time in the refrigerate. The flavors just get more and more happy as the day goes on. It’s definitely something to keep on hand to snack on during the week!



Print Recipe
 BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad (Dairy free)
Course Dinner, Lunch
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Course Dinner, Lunch
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Ready for this....Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Done! You can definitely make this ahead of time too! It will only get better as you allow the flavors to combine and get happy! 🙂
  2. Feel free to add more or less BBQ sauce depending on your personal preference. The same goes for the celery salt! I'm obsessed with it...so I tend to add more.
  3. You can eat these like a wrap, treat it like a dip and serve it with chips or tostones, or just eat it with a big spoon! It's good any way you have it!
Recipe Notes

*This salad uses my Ranch Seasoning Mix.

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Pork Fried Rice (Paleo & Whole30)

December 28, 2017
Cuisine
Course

Does anyone else always want Chinese food on Mondays – the day that every Chinese restaurant is closed? Or is that just me? I just love good Chinese food…which, honestly, is RARE! Good as in tasty AND healthy! This “rice” is all of the above. Jam-packed with protein and veggies, this dish is one you can feel good about eating!

If you can find all of the prepped ingredients in your grocery store’s freezer section and have leftover ham (or have a go-to clean, natural brand of already-cooked pork), this dish comes together in MINUTES, is made in one pan, tastes so similar to take-out, AND is Whole30 approved!

Make it a complete meal by pairing it with my Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken! That can also be Whole30 compliant and, the best part, it’s made in under 15 minutes with the help of that handy pressure cooker!

Print Recipe
 Pork Fried Rice (Paleo & Whole30)
Course Dinner, side dishes
Cuisine Chinese, paleo
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Course Dinner, side dishes
Cuisine Chinese, paleo
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a large sauce pan, add 1 tbsp cooking fat and chopped onion and sauté over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until onions become translucent.
  2. Once the onions have softened, add your chopped ham, riced cauliflower, and remaining fat. I like to crank the heat up and get a nice char on the meat and cauliflower - so much flavor! (that's always my favorite rice - the stuff that has some charred bits in it!)
  3. After about 3-4 minutes, add the remaining ingredients (except for the eggs), and cook until the vegetables are fork tender. This should take about 5 minutes. Note: I used all organic, frozen veggies that were already chopped and riced. HUGE TIME SAVER!
  4. Once the vegetables are cooked to your liking, add your beaten eggs. I make a divet in the pan in the middle of my rice and pour the eggs in there. Once they begin to cook, I just keep stirring everything up until they're all the way cooked. This only takes a couple minutes! No need for another pan - in my opinion! We love eggs, so I add 3 to this recipe. Feel free to add more or less!
  5. Taste now and adjust your seasonings and add more salt, coconut amines, or sesame oil. Just a bit though! You can always add more, but you can't take it out! Personally, I tend to go a bit heavier on the coconut aminos and salt. I love that soy sauce flavaaaa!
  6. Finally, stir in your chopped green onions and you're done! I like them crunchy, but feel free to cook your rice a minute or two longer after stirring them in! ENJOY!
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Jalapeño Crema

December 4, 2017
Cuisine
Course

It’s no secret that our house loves spicy things, and particularly jalapeños. You’ll find that I often suggest adding them to things in my recipes. If I didn’t suggest adding them, chances are, I still put them in there when I make the dish. Believe it or not, not everyone likes them as much as my husband does. 😉

This sauce is a MUST-HAVE whenever we have anything of the Mexican cuisine. Plus, it comes together in just a few minutes! If there’s any leftovers, it’s pretty easy to find something to pour this over the next few days.

Print Recipe
 Jalapeño Crema
Course condiments
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Course condiments
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. With the exception of the coconut milk LIQUID, add all of your ingredients to a food processor and blend! Start with 1 tsp of salt...you can always add more.
  2. Add more coconut milk liquid until your desired consistency is achieved. If you can tolerate some dairy or have a favorite unsweetened yogurt, you can add some of that to it as well to make a thicker sauce.
  3. Now, go and pour this over EVERYTHING.
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Quick Instant Pot Chicken Taco “Pasta”

December 4, 2017
Cuisine
Course

I’m always amazed at how evenly and quickly my Instant Pot cooks meals. It is one gadget that I seriously can’t say enough good things about! It’s been a year with my IP, I should just get used to it…


If you don’t have an IP, you could still cook this on your stove top. Just bake your spaghetti squash separately (it’ll probably take at least 30-40 min, depending on the size) or microwave it , for a quicker cook…then add it to your chicken taco sauce. Still easy, it will just take a bit more time and you’ll have to keep an eye on that pot. That’s probably my favorite part of the Instant Pot, I can set it and not pay any attention to it until the timer goes off and it’s basically ready! I can’t complain about that aspect a bit!

This “pasta” is made with spaghetti squash – so it’s totally guilt-free! If you’re a taco lover, this is a nice change from your typical tortillas, meat, and veggies. I use my jalapeño crema on top of this too! Love the bright, spiciness it adds!


Switch things up on your next Taco Tuesday …or Taco Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, and whip up this guilt-free “pasta”!

Print Recipe
 Quick Instant Pot Chicken Taco "Pasta"
Course Dinner, Instant Pot, Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Toppings ~ Optional
Course Dinner, Instant Pot, Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Toppings ~ Optional
Instructions
  1. To your Instant Pot, add your onions, chicken, seasonings, coconut milk*, tomato sauce, and lime juice. *(if you don't have coconut milk, use 1 1/2 cups of whatever milk you want!)
  2. Wash and cut spaghetti squash in half - I do it the short ways, around the middle section - so you're left with two "cups."
  3. Line the pot with a double layer of tinfoil. You can use your trivet, if it fits. For the spaghetti squash I used, the handles of the trivet wouldn't allow the lid to close. If you can fit it all in there with the trivet, by all means, use it. It'd work the same.
  4. Place your halved squash on top of the tinfoil layer. Close the lid, seal the valve, press the "Manual" button*, then press the "+" button until the screen reads 8. The pot will switch to "On" while it preheats. *Make sure it's on High Pressure (if it is on Low Pressure, just press the "pressure" button to get it to High)
  5. Your pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure. If you want to speed this up, you could sauté the onions and chicken for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. For me, this cuts the preheat time in half or more, also you could reduce the cooking time as well. However, then you have to stir and watch the pot more than before. So, do whatever YOU feel like doing. Experiment! When it comes to such a quick cooking time, if something isn't done enough to your liking, it's easy to add a couple extra minutes!
  6. When the timer goes off, do a QR (quick release), and open the lid. Remove your squash and divider.
  7. Make a slurry with the arrowroot powder and almond milk or water and add that to your sauce and stir. Your sauce should thicken in seconds. Personally, we like our pasta saucyyyy. If you want a thicken sauce, you can always make more slurry and add it. Once it's thickened, turn the pot off by pressing "Keep Warm/Cancel."
  8. Remove the inside of your squash, shred, and squeeze excess water out of it. If you don't do this, you will have a VERY saucy pasta - not necessarily bad - but definitely on the "wet" side.
  9. Add your squash to your pot and stir. Serve it up!
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