Fajita Chicken Salad

I had an entirely different post typed up and decided, at the last minute, to switch it up. Earlier today I noticed that my Facebook page had 476 ‘likes’. My goal was to hit 500 by September…something that seemed rather unreasonable since we have just days left in September and I don’t typically get more than a couple of likes per day. I posted my goal and immediately noticed that Connie’s Finally Losing It posted it on her page. Then Fast Paleo posted it and Bellatrix Nutrition and a couple of friends. 

I went to shower and by the time I came back to the computer (less than an hour later), the page had hit 500…and counting…. At this moment, there are 63 new likes JUST from today and I realized that I set my goal WAY too low. This is something I’m used to doing in real life as well… if I set my goals low enough, surely they will be attainable….right??? 

But that’s NOT right. If I just lose a couple of pounds, I will do/buy/eat _______. I never lost the couple of pounds but I would still do/buy/eat ________. When I switched to a primal diet, I did it for my health but I never expected to lose weight as quickly as I did. As I lost weight, I started setting goal weights and rewards…functional rewards. At 15 pounds (pre-Anya weight), I had my hair cut and coloured. At 20 pounds (pre-Gavin weight), I got sized for new bras (which, after being in nursing bras for over 10 years, was a real treat).

I have nothing planned for pre-Adam weight (5 pounds away)…I should probably get on that because September begins a 30 day challenge…

Fajita Chicken Salad


Ingredients


1 cup salsa (medium is what we use)
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil (divided)
2 limes, juiced (divided)
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 each red, yellow, & orange pepper, cut into strips
1 large onion, halved and sliced
additional olive oil to cook chicken and vegetables.

Directions


In a large bowl, stir together salsa, chicken broth, chili powder, salt, paprika, garlic, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup olive oil, and juice from 1 lime. Reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and stir around to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (and up to 24 hours).

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken thighs (in batches, if necessary) for 5-7 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove from pan, cut into strips, and keep warm.

Wipe pan clean and add more olive oil. Saute peppers and onion for 5 minutes, until softened but still slightly crisp.

Whisk the reserved 1/4 cup of marinade with 1/4 cup olive oil and juice from 1 lime in a small bowl. In a large serving bowl, layer romaine lettuce, sauteed vegetables, and sliced chicken. Top with dressing and serve.

Chicken Piccata

Our grocery list is made up mostly of fridge or freezer items which means there is never room in our fridge after shopping day. I have to purge half of the items in there just to fit our necessities and we would still run out of things halfway through the week! Although we don’t have extra room in the house for it, we started searching for a second hand fridge. 

After 3 months, we finally got one! We can buy our eggs by the 5 dozen now! And we can store our leftovers! I’m unbelievably excited about this and I think, eventually, we could move the fridge into our walk-in pantry. I can think of 3 shelves that will be emptied over the next couple of weeks (cereal, cracker, flour/sugar) so everything else could go onto the other shelving unit. The problem is, I don’t think the pantry door is big enough to fit a fridge through it and I don’t know that I can convince my husband to widen the frame. Spoil sport. 

Since I can’t convince my husband to just toss all of the ‘no no’ foods we have, we’ll move a bunch of it into the 2nd fridge. He wants to keep it for when we have company but I know I can make a barbecue sauce just as good as store bought without sugar in it. The kids have stopped mourning the diet they used to have and have actually started to embrace the freedom they have now with food. Breakfast is whatever they pick. Same with snacks…if it’s healthy, you can have it! 

At the moment they get 1 grain and 1 sugar a day but it’s a far cry from the cereal breakfast, sandwich lunch, rice supper, granola bar snacks, 3 freezies after playing outside diet they used to have. They’ve been fighting over who gets to help make meals and they are far more open to trying new things before whining that it looks gross. We have had chicken piccata several times before and they’ve liked it just fine but I was impressed with how much better our version was. Just enough sweet (from the coconut flour) to offset the acidity (of the lemon) and a good salty flavour (from the capers). This will be saved as our ‘go to’ meal when we’re in a rush!

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

5 chicken breasts, butterflied and split in half

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup coconut flour

3 tablespoons butter,  divided

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

1lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions

Butterfly each chicken breast and split in half. Season the breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge each breast in coconut flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet, heat half of the butter and half of the olive oil. Add half of the breasts into the pan and brown 3 minutes per side. Remove the breasts, add the remaining butter and olive oil, and add the other half of the breasts. Brown 3 minutes per side, remove, and keep warm with the first half of the breasts. 

Pour chicken broth into skillet to de-glaze the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the liquid reduces by half. Add in capers and lemon juice; bring to a simmer. Add back in chicken breasts and flip to coat with sauce. Cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes; until the sauce is slightly thickened. Serve topped with parsley. 

Beefy Mac & Cheese Soup

My kids weren’t always good eaters. I can recall several meals that Logan sat in front of for a couple of hours, refusing to even try a bite. One meal would be the cause of tears even before it was served….chili. Try as we might, he would not even take a bite. The times we did convince him to take a bite, he would gag it down. 

I wasn’t sure what to do… stop making chili and end the fight or keep making the chili and hope he would eventually like it. I chose the latter option. We kept making chili and we started including him in the preparation. Sure enough, he began eating it and then he even started requesting it! 

I’ve been asked how to deal with fussy kids and there doesn’t seem to be one simple answer. My advice is to keep trying. Just because your child doesn’t like something today, doesn’t mean they won’t like it tomorrow or next week. Also, incorporate new foods into something they already like. Put some chopped veggies into spaghetti sauce if that’s how they’ll eat it. I put spinach in a lot because it is so healthy and it shrinks to almost nothing. It doesn’t change the way something tastes either…when the kids eat it, I feel a little victorious.

Beefy Mac & Cheese Soup


Ingredients


1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 cups chicken broth
28 ounce can tomatoes
6 ounces uncooked whole wheat macaroni
11 ounces spinach, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions


In a large pot, brown ground beef with onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until vegetables are softened and beef is cooked through; 5-6 minutes. Drain fat from beef and return to pot. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper; cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in chicken broth and canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add macaroni; cook for 5 minutes. Add spinach. Reduce heat and simmer until the spinach is wilted.

In the meantime, melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk until combined. Stir frequently until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses.

Pour cheese mixture into the large pot and stir until it’s mixed thoroughly. Serve hot.

Italian Wedding Soup

In some countries, prisons use sleep deprivation as a form of torture. In my house, sleep deprivation is a very real thing. Last week I realized, after my shower, that I hadn’t even conditioned my hair or washed! I spent much of the last couple of weeks in a semi-conscious state…I remember very little of what went on and now I’m in that semi-paranoid state. You know, where I’m pretty sure I made an appointment and I didn’t write it down because I couldn’t bring myself to search for a pen? Yeah, what stage of sleep deprivation is that?

The reason I’m so sleep deprived is, of course, the kids. I’m pretty sure they are plotting against me. Before you laugh, hear me out…. The toddler and the baby wait until I ‘just’ fall asleep to wake up screaming. The older children wait until I have to use toothpicks as eyelid support to have a nightmare. And they all wait until I am so exhausted that I can’t even formulate a proper sentence to pick up a stomach bug. They know.

I should play a little game of ‘Guess what Tara forgot to put in this soup’. Nah, I’ll just tell you….I forgot the spinach. I was excited about the spinach and I forgot it. The worst part is that I didn’t even realize I forgot it until lunch time the day after! At least it still tasted great!

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 pound turkey sausage, casings removed

2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

3 tablespoons milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

salt and pepper

Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup minced onion

3 medium carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

10 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup dried orzo

1 tablespoon dried dillweed

12 ounces baby spinach, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Making the meatballs: Place ground turkey, turkey sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, milk, egg, salt, and pepper into a large bowl and combine gently. Drop into 1 inch meatballs on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. You should have around 40 meatballs. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through. Set aside.

Making the soup: Heat olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; saute for 5-6 minutes. Add the chicken stock and white wine; bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes, until pasta is just tender. Stir in the dill and turkey meatballs. Season with additional salt and pepper if desire. Add the spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. Serve topped with grated parmesan.

Recipe from Made In Mel’s Kitchen.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Life has become overwhelmingly crazy lately. My oldest has the opportunity to compete on the West Coast in May and we really want him to go so we are selling handmade lollipops. We did this 2 years ago and we made/sold 2000. This year our goal is 4000 lollipops. I’ve been plugging away doing a batch of lollipops here and there. Usually there is a batch waiting to be packaged before a meal and we can’t do anything until they are all packaged up.

During the month of February, the gym is hosting a Survivor couples’ challenge. We got a grid of 90 different challenges (from 3000 push ups, eating breakfast, run/walk 10K, etc..) that we have to try to get done over the month. The top 5 teams will be entered into a draw for money….and I want to win. One of the challenges was to use black beans in a meal and we already had chicken tortilla soup planned for the week. A week into the challenge, we are a whopping tenth of the way through the grid. 

This week I’m trying to cook a vegetarian meal, cook with couscous, cook with quinoa, and cook with fish. I’m trying to negotiate with my husband…he can do all 2500 crunches and I’ll take on the cooking challenges. *evil laugh*

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

3 cups cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced green pepper

1/4 cup diced red pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

28oz can diced tomatoes

127mL can diced green chiles

4 cups chicken stock

4 cups water

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 19oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

14oz can corn niblets

Directions

In a bowl, combine chicken with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute onions, green pepper, red pepper, and garlic for 3-5 minutes (until onions are softened). Add all remaining ingredients, including the seasoned chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Add more seasoning if needed. Serve hot, topped with sour cream, salsa (or pico de gallo), avocado, monterey jack cheese, or topping of your choice. 

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman. 

4 Bean Turkey Chili

I just finished week 1, day 2 of the Couch to 5K program. If you’re not familiar with the program, the goal is to get your butt off of the couch and running a 5K in 9 weeks. Week 1 is easy enough…only 1 minute jogging intervals. But, I made the mistake of looking into future weeks and I’m scared. It seems almost impossible that I can run more than a few minutes at a time.

I was never a runner. In fact, when we had to run in high school gym class, I was always at the back of the pack. With the smokers….even though I never smoked. When I started driving my oldest to school I would notice the runners. They seemed to enjoy running and I wanted that! I have 10 weeks until my first 5K so I am putting my faith into the C25K program….and I am smiling. 

I am running. 

I am a runner. 

4 Bean Turkey Chili

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced

1 large yellow bell pepper, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

2 pounds lean ground turkey

4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 teaspoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons chili powder + 1 tablespoon chili powder

28oz can pinto beans

28oz can red kidney beans

28oz can white beans

28oz can black beans

28oz can diced tomatoes

15oz can tomato sauce

6 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons corn starch

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 large bay leaf

Directions

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and add turkey; begin to brown. Season turkey with salt, pepper, cumin, thyme, garlic powder, and 3 tablespoons chili powder. 

Drain and rinse the beans. Add to pot along with tomatoes and tomato sauce. Dissolve the cornstarch in the chicken broth; add to chili. Stir in cider vinegar, ketchup, pepper, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 40 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from Satisfied.

Leftover Mashed Potato Soup

We had supper with some amazing friends last night. It’s something we usually do between Canadian Thanksgiving and Christmas…huge feast, delicious desserts, and great conversation. 

Baby Wylder managed to flip a tray over..knocking the remnants of Adam’s caesar salad onto his head. When I got to him, he had a piece of romaine lettuce on his head…dressing drizzled all over his head. 

We have a fridge full of leftovers and the kids aren’t overly fond of eating plates of leftovers so we have to figure out creative ways to use them up. Day old mashed potatoes are no one’s favourite but made into a soup, they are gobbled right up! This soup is also a great way to use whatever vegetable you have leftover in the fridge and topped with stuffing, it’s an entire meal in a bowl! 

Leftover Mashed Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 cups chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon thyme

2 cups chopped vegetables (I used carrots but any vegetable would be good)

4 cups leftover mashed potatoes

370mL can evaporated milk

salt and pepper to taste

reheated leftover stuffing (to top)

Directions

In a large pot sprayed with cooking spray, saute onions and garlic over medium heat until softened (5 minutes). Add thyme and cook for another minute. Add chicken broth, vegetables, and potatoes. Using a spoon, gently cut through potatoes to break them up slightly. Add evaporated milk, salt, and pepper. Heat the potatoes through and serve immediately, topped with stuffing.