Chicken Fried Rice {Soy Free}

Chicken stir-fry is a super easy weeknight meal.  

A few time saving tips

1.  Cook the rice ahead of time in a rice cooker.  I set mine to cook in the morning when we are eating breakfast and then store in the fridge until that evening.

2.  Use a bag of frozen organic vegetables.

3.  Pre-cut chicken into cubes for extra ease.

Ingredients

1 cup of rice

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 TBS avocado oil (divided)

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables

1 TBS sesame oil

3-4 TBS of coconut aminos (to taste)

Cook rice according to package directions and set aside.

Cube chicken breasts.  Heat large saute pan over medium high heat.  Add in 1 TBS of avocado oil. Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes or until done.  Remove chicken from heat and set aside.

Heat additional 1 TBS of avocado oil.  Add in mixed vegetables and heat 2 minutes.  Add in cooked rice and sesame oil.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring continuously.  Mix chicken back in.  Add coconut aminos.  Stir well.

Spaghetti (Squash) Pie

Do you want to want to trick your kids into eating spaghetti squash???  Of course you do!!!! 

Make this super simple and delicious recipe.  

In front of my girls, I call this dish Spaghetti Pie.  What they don't know is that the 'noodles' are not really noodles but spaghetti squash.  It tricks them every time!  And I have picky eaters who would never eat squash willingly.

Added bonus, only 5 ingredients.  Recipe modified slightly from PaleOMG.

Ingredients


1 lb ground beef
1 tsp dried basil
1 jar of marinara sauce 
1 spaghetti squash (1 to 1.5lb)
3 eggs, whisked

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut spaghetti squash in half length-wise.  Remove seeds. Place flesh side down.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 10-20 minutes.  Remove threads with a metal spoon.

Over medium heat, brown the ground beef in a large skillet.  Remove any excess grease.

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with olive oil spray.  In dish, combine the ground beef, dried basil, marinara sauce, and spaghetti squash threads.  Mix well.  Then add in whisked eggs and stir to combine until you can no longer see the eggs.

Bake in oven for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees until well set (will not give when pressed in the middle of the dish).

Buying Beef in Bulk (part 2)

The most common question that I get when talking about buying beef is, "What do you get?" So this time I decided to take an inventory of what I actually got.

The hanging weight for the full side of beef was 312 pounds.  I split this with four families. So our portion was about 78 pounds .  That is then cut and packaged into roasts, steaks, and hamburger and wrapped in freezer paper.  Hamburger is all packaged in 1 pound increments.  Roasts are cut to fit into a crock pot and steaks (3/4") are put 2 per package.

Inventory (#packages)

Hamburger (1lb)- 22

Chuck Roast- 2

Shoulder Roast- 1

Sirloin Tip Roast- 1
Rump Roast- 1

Stew Meat- 1

Cubed Steak- 2
Filet- 1
Ribs- 2
Beef Sirloin- 1
Top Loin- 1
Ribeyes- 2
Liver- 1


Other things that we did not get but the other families did.
Skirt steak, Flank Steak, Brisket, Ox Tail

One thing to note.  This is the smallest cow we have ever bought from this particular farmer and I am not sure why.  The previous year I purchased a half side of beef that was around 300lbs hanging weight.  This year a full side of beef was the same size.  So I do not think that this will last us a full year.  Last year's purchase lasted a full 15 months.  So be sure to ask your farmer what a 'typical' size cow is so you can be prepared.

Mongolian Beef {Soy-free}

I love that I have found a soy-free option to replace soy sauce that has a similar taste.  Coconut aminos can be found at Whole Foods and Rainbow Blossom locally.

 

 

1- 1/2 lbs of steak, cut into 1/2 " x 1" slices

1/4 cup flour

6 TBS coconut oil

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh ginger

1/2 cup coconut aminos

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup brown sugar or coconut palm sugar

1 cup rice, cooked according to package directions

 

 

Add flour to a bowl.  Lightly dredge each slice of beef and tap off extra flour.  Do not over bread, should be a light dusting only.  Set aside on a plate.

 

In a large skillet, melt 3 TBS of  coconut oil over medium high heat.  Cook beef slices in batches until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer to paper towel lined plate when done.

 

In separate pan, heat 3 TBS of oil over medium heat until melted.  Add garlic and ginger and saute for 90 seconds.  Pour in coconut aminos and water.  Simmer for 3 minutes.  Stir in molasses and sugar until dissolved.  Simmer for 5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.

 

Add cooked beef to sauce and stir to coat.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes while stirring.

 

Serve over rice and with a side of vegetables.

 

Note- My kids have never had soy sauce because of a food allergy.  So they are still getting used to this new taste.  I set aside a few beef slices with no sauce just for them.

Molasses Cookies

Molasses cookies are a Christmas tradition at my house.  The original recipe was passed down to me from my grandmother and is my father's favorite cookie.  I have been making these with my mother since I was a child.  They were one of the first cookies I made on my own as a pre-teen.  

Now many years later my girls love making them with me.  Their favorite part is rolling the cookie dough balls in the sugar.

The only change I have made from my grandmother's recipe is substituting palm oil shortening for soybean oil shortening (aka Crisco) to eliminate GMO's.

I strongly recommend that you double to recipe as these will disappear fast!


1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening (Spectrum palm oil shortening)
4 TBS molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger 
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt

Using a stand mixer, cream together sugar and shortening.

Add in molasses and egg.  Then blend well.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.  Combine dry and wet mixture.  

Using a kitchen scoop or your hands, make 1 inch balls of dough.

Roll each ball in sugar until well coated.  Please on cookie sheet.  Do not flatten.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-16 minutes.

Carrot Cake Lara Bars

I have a confession.  I am addicted to Lara Bars.  Specifically the Chocolate Chip Brownie Lara Bars. I love that Lara Bars use all real ingredients.  I eat one almost every day as a snack or dessert.


While pursuing the Lara Bar website I saw a Carrot Cake version.  However, I have not been able to find it in the stores. So I decided to create my own copy cat version.  It is amazing that a grain free and refined sugar-free bar can taste just like carrot cake.

Ingredients

10 baby carrots, organic
10 large dates, pitted
1 oz raisins (snack box size)
1 cup of whole raw almonds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 TBS coconut oil (optional)
1 TBS maple syrup
3 TBS almond butter
1 TBS water (if needed)


In a high speed blender or food processor, chop the carrots until finely diced.

Add in dates, raisins, and almonds. Blend on high for several minutes.

Add all additional ingredients. Continue to blend on high speed, scraping down the sides as needed.

Dump contents on to a large piece of wax paper. Using hands or a spatula shape into a square. Refrigerate bars.

Butternut Squash Soup

This is the perfect soup for fall!  The orginal recipe came from my good friend Jennifer.

Ingredients

24 oz butternut squash cubes
2 TBS avocado oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
chopped onion, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups of chicken broth (homemade if possible)

Combine butternut squash cubes, avocado oil, garlic, onion, and salt and pepper in a large glass baking dish.  Bake at 400 degree for 30 minutes.

Let cool slightly.  Place butternut squash and 1 cup of chicken broth in a large high speed blender (an immersion blender would also work).  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a large sauce pan.  Add in additional chicken broth and stir well.  Heat over medium low heat until thoroughly warmed.

Serve with fresh bread or rolls.