In the kitchen

Ok so, my butt is officially back on the wagon again. I'm done waiting to see what might get in the way next week if I start back eating perfectly this week. Eh, it is what it is. I made it through my birthday. It might have been a slightly glutinous week of celebrations, but a happy one and said food cravings are dealt with (looking at you tex-mex food!)

I started off my morning with a delicious coconut milk smoothie with a banana and then somehow walked out the door without 1/2 of it :( I was hungry and craving a taco by 10am. Yes, 4 hours into another whole30 and my brain was stomping its feet and begging for bad foods. I NEVER crave tacos. Like, ever. I hope this all blows over in a few days....

I did take advantage of the beautiful weather and took the kids on a walk to the park. I plan to really try and make being active in some way a priority this time around. The weather is warming up and its time to enjoy it before its too hot to do anything.

Anyways.... I've got some good recipes that I love in my kitchen recently. I want to share them with you. I just added a new one tonight too (yum!)

First off.... I've  totally talked up this recipe a ton, but I love it and I don't think I'll ever eat broccoli any other way again. Super simple and fabulous.

Broccoli
Olive oil
Seasoning

1. Cut the broccoli from the main stem into little florets (like in the picture) Short, but it doesn't have to be tiny. You're looking for little bit size pieces.

2. Toss in just a tiny bit of olive oil (about 2 tbls) in a bowl. Not enough to drench it, just enough to make it a little shiny. This is also where you can add the seasonings. My favorite way is to do just a bit of sea salt and black pepper or if you're looking for a kick, cajun seasoning is delicious too. Just a little bit though or it'll over power.

3. Oven set to 350*, lay the broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. 15-20 minutes. It'll look like the picture below. A bit smaller than when it went in and slightly crunchy/crispy.

See that little browned crispy goodness? Its best with just a tad more crispy parts, but not scorched. A fine line, but worth it :) Try it.... my kids eat this, y'all. They're not picky eaters really but I never thought they'd ask for seconds on the broccoli!!


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And I'm going to share the recipe for dinner tonight.This is Paleo friendly too!

Homemade Orange Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite size pieces)
• 3 T fat (coconut oil works well here)
• juice of 2 oranges*
• zest from 1 orange
• 1 t fresh ginger
• 3 T coconut aminos or wheat-free soy sauce
• 1 t chili garlic sauce or sriracha
• 3 green onions, chopped

Method

In a medium size sauce pot, add the orange juice, zest, ginger, coconut aminos and chili garlic sauce or sriracha. Set over medium heat and let simmer to reduce and thicken while the chicken cooks. In a saute pan, heat 3 T of the fat of your choice, over medium high heat. Add the chopped chicken thighs and cook until a nice brown crust has developed on the chicken pieces, about 6 minutes. Add the chicken to the sauce pot and stir to coat with the orange sauce. Serve topped with sliced green onions. *Taste your oranges. If they don’t taste orange-y, then neither will this dish. Use tangerines if you gotta or add a teaspoon of sweetener until you’re satisfied with the flavor.


**sidenote... I don't know what the sriracha sauce is. I used a little powdered ginger. Also, if you add the sweetener, its not whole30 anymore.

( Excuse the cell phone pictures today. My fancy camera needs a charge.)

This dinner was so good! I would rather eat this than order in. Easy to make too.

If you've got any good recipes to share, I'd love to have some more variety for next week. Last whole30 I really fell into the habit of eating the same boring stuff every week because I didn't want to take the chance of making something I didn't want to eat after. I think that is part of what has kept me from jumping back on this time. I'll take the weight loss any day (duh) but didn't want to go back to boring and blah again. I really like food. Tonight's dinner was an experiment that turned out way better than expected. :) I hope you enjoy it too!