Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken! SUPER EASY RECIPE

Hey there guys!

This past weekend, I went out of town to celebrate my uncles birthday. We stayed with my grandmother, and I offered to do all the cooking because I love to help out, and I just love to cook in general!

For the stay, we all took a trip to the grocery store. My grandmother had to pick up things off her own list... but my sister was going to make a cake for my uncle(an incredibly unhealthy one at that, haha!) and I was in charge of the healthy meals. We each went in our own directions and picked up the ingredients needed. It was actually pretty fun.

We also made a trip to a local feed store (my uncle lives in the country!), and I saw this...

Baby ducks!! Kinda made me feel bad come Sunday night dinner, but...

Anyways, Saturday night I made an Indian dinner! I used an Indian Soup recipe and a Cabbage Punjabi recipe from Everyday Maven. Holy cow, was it YUMMY. It took a lot of prep work, probably because I had never before cooked Indian food and the spices and ingredients were new to me. But BOY... was it GOOD! Everyone loved it. I actually needed to double to recipe for the soup because it was not enough for us all...Everyone said that they wanted it to be on the menu again, so I will take note of this next time! ;)

Sunday night, we had a roasted chicken (I'm about to get to the recipe!) with a black eyed pea version of my Savory Lima Beans with some sauteed veggies. The veggies were super pretty, like a rainbow, because I had all sorts of colors in there... green broccoli, white cauliflower, orange carrot, and purple cabbage!  

This recipe for the chicken is from my grandmother, so I give all credit to her. It is seriously the EASIEST, most tasty chicken recipe EVER. And it doesn't even take long!

We used an organic 6 lb chicken (more like a hen) from Smart Chicken. Cook your bird 20 minutes per pound.


Roasted Roasemary Lemon Chicken 
(recipe is for a 6lb chicken. Adjust ingredients to your liking and needs.)

1 whole chicken, giblets removed
6 springs fresh rosemary
3 small lemons
1 TBSP coconut oil
black pepper
sea salt (optional)

1) Remove the giblets. Place the chicken into a large dutch oven or other container with a lid that will fit into your oven. Shove rosemary into the front and back cavities as well as under the skin in the front and back.

2) Rub the skin with coconut oil and pepper, and salt if using.

3) Squeeze the lemon juice all over the chicken, and some into the cavities. Place 1/2 a squeezed lemon in the front cavity, and 1/2 in the back.

4) Place your chicken in the oven at 450 for 1/4 of the required time (I noted timings above the recipe), or until the skin begins to brown

5) Place your lid on the chicken, and reduce the oven to 350. Cook for the rest of the time needed.

Aaaand....

BOOM! Easy, peasy, DELICIOUS chicken. Plus it is so healthy! You get so much flavor out of so little ingredients. Also, I loved the fact we used an organic chicken. It makes me happy to know that my food was happy :)

What easy recipes do you make?
Any good roasted chicken recipes out there?

Natalie

Recipe!! Quinoa-Lentils and Squash- Vegetarian Friendly!

Hey there guys! 

So for two past WIAW, I had some yummilicious Lentil-Quinoa stuff. I couldn't decide on a name, but I decided on "Quinoa-Lentil" as one word, not two. Clever name or not, this stuff is AWESOME. 

Don't let the longer list of ingredients frighten you either. It really is not that much, and if you don't have the variety of squashes I had, just replace it with what you do have! 

As you know, I ADORE quinoa. I really love how the lentils and the quinoa create a nice, thick consistency. You would think this would end up runny (which it can, if you use too much liquid), but usually the two absorb the water and it turns out wonderful.

Similar to a recipe from quiet a while ago... though this time it doesn't have meat, and includes quinoa and a different method of preparation! 

Quinoa-Lentils and Squash 
Serves 4 

1 cup lentils, dry
1/4 cup quinoa, dry
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
2 pattypan squash
2 small zucchinis
1 medium yellow squash
1 large tomato, diced
handful leafy greens (spinach or kale work best)
2 bay leaves
2-3 springs fresh rosemary, optional
1/2 small can of unsalted tomato paste
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP Chile powder
1 TBSP cumin powder
Sea salt to taste
Dash of cayenne, optional
5 cups water or unsalted stock, plus more as needed
1-2 TBSP coconut or olive oil

1) Chop up your celery, onion, carrot, and mushrooms.

2) Heat your oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Toss in the veggies, and saute for about 5-6 minutes.

3) Add your dry quinoa and let it toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring often.

4) Add your 5 cups of liquid and your lentils. Mix in the spices, bay leaves, and rosemary. Bring to a low boil and cover.

5) In the meantime, chop up the rest of your veggies (aka the squash and tomatoes!)

6) After the lentil mix has been simmering for around 20 minutes, add your other veggies. Most of the liquid should be absorbed but not all of it. Add more liquid if needed.

7) Cover for another 15 minutes. Add more liquid at this point, usually around a cup. Stir in the tomato paste and again cover until the squash is tender.

8) Turn heat on low and add the greens to wilt.

Pretty easy if I do say so myself. And tasty... oh so tasty.

What have you been eating?
What ways to you use lentils, or quinoa?

Natalie

WIAW #11

Hello guys and gals! Time for another dose of WIAW, featuring the Clean Eating Teen's food!

Im such a dork. 

Breakfast:

YUMMY!! Oh, words can not even describe how wonderful this tasted.

And apple and peanut butter with...Chocolate oatmeal made with 1/2 cup rolled oats, spoonful cocoa powder, 1 cup water, cinnamon, and honey. 

I usually refrain from all types of sugar except that found naturally in fruits, but after reading a blog post from Girl Meets Nourishment on Why Your Body Needs Salt and Sugar, I decided to try and in cooperate natural, local honey in my diet more often.

My honey is from my uncle. His neighbor gave to to him after he harvested it right in their town! My uncle only lives 45 minutes away, so that's about as local as you can get!

Lunch:

Healthy open faced sandwiches, with my homemade bread, some homemade hummus, turkey cutlet, avocado, and veggies.  With a side of carrots and peanut butter of course!

Dinner:

More lentil quinoa melody. I documented making this one, so a recipe is coming your way!

What have you been eating?

Natalie

2013 MetroCooking Dallas Expo!! I met BOBBY DEEN!

This weekend has been filled with joy! I woke up Sunday morning to a call from my best friend, Taylor. She had bought tickets to the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertainment Show in Dallas in a few months back, and wanted to know if I could tag along and use an extra ticket they had. Of course I was THRILLED!!

We arrived at the expo around 11:30. I knew that many people from the Food Network were going to be here... Paula Deen was expected to show either Saturday or Sunday, but we did not have the special tickets to go see her or any other personalities speaking. That really didn't matter at all though. I mean, as we were approaching the building, an ecstatic women was leaving and exclaimed "Bobby Flay is in there! He'll sign anything!"

At this point, Taylor, her mother, and I all looked at eachother and began to laugh with giddy. We were SO excited! (I did not in fact get to meet or see Bobby, sadly. I guess by the time we entered he had just left...)

We entered the building and immediately were greeted with tons of vendors. In the back, the place you got to visit with the special tickets, they were having live seminars. This was were any celebrity speakers were talking. We could still hear everything going on, and even saw what was happening on a huge screen they had overhead. To the side they had live cooking and tasting that anyone could go to.

We saw a line, and realized that these people were waiting to meet Paula Deens son, Bobby Deen! I love his show on the Cooking Channel, Not My Momma's Meals. We joined the wait and after a brief 15 minutes or so, we met Mr. Deen! I mentioned my blog and healthy lifestyle to him and he guested to his beautiful wife, Claudia, who was behind him.

I was amazed to learn that she too has a health blog and lives a healthy, fit, and "clean eating" type of lifestyle! I was given the wonderful opportunity to actually chat with her, and we exchanged blog information. Isn't that awesome?! I was seriously SHAKING as I walked away... like, did that just really happen?

Look at my bag her signed! It says "To Natalie: Keep Eating Clean!" ;)

The rest of the trip, we walked around the food vendors and had a blast...

Entering the wonderful expo...

Some of the vendors!

They were selling books, and all the authors of the books had authographed them! Above is a book from Rachel Ray.

 More from the Deens!

I thought these guys were REALLY awesome! The above the picture is of wooden cutting boards! I know, I know, you can get wooden boards from Target. But look how unique these are! They looked so natural, especially the large round one in the top left. I would love to have gotten one, but they were a bit too pricey for me.

I also really liked Salt Rox. They sell giant slabs of natural pink salt, on which you cook. It naturally seasons the food you make! Isn't that so cool? I tasted some sauteed mushrooms they had as samples, and I was really impressed. They also sold round "eggs" (pictured above) in which you stick up the cavity of a chicken or turkey while you cook it. Taylor's mom bought a pair of shot glasses made from the salt slabs, which are perfect for margaritas, according to the seller.

Above is an exhibitor from Vitamix Blenders. I have seen them before at Costco.. but in any case, it was fun to watch! That brown stuff in the sample cups is chocolate ice cream, made with leafy greens, carrots, avocado, and unsweetened chocolate baking powder. As a sweetener they used Agave nectar, which is not the best option (that stuff is NOT health food. It's so processed!), but I tried a bit anyways. It was good, but if I made it myself I would use honey.

One vendor in particular, Uncle Millie, I really adored. Their hot sauces and seasonings were THE BOMB. Taylor is a HUGE fan of spicy stuff... hence her excitement in the above picture. Taylor and her mom got the Cayenne hot sauce and I got the Garlic Serrano. Plan for a recipe sooooon!

Sorry for the blurry picture. But here we are, meeting Uncle Millie.

Soon after we left the expo. We were all really happy with what we got and who we saw!! 

Afterwards, we went sight seeing around the Dallas area. We passed all the awesome arts districts and museums, as well as the great restaurants in the area. 

We noticed a lot of strange looking people all heading to the same area. I mean, really strange stuff! There was a giant group of people dressed in cameo with Duck Dynasty beards and T shirts. After that we saw some girls as a trio of Marvel superheros. And then, oh man. We saw THIS.

Yep. We met Miley and Robin ! 

(Props to this couple!! I love the idea... Taylor and I literally JUMPED out of the car as we passed them to get this picture.)

Hahaha. We found out that there was a giant costume race or 5K in the area, hence the reason everyone was wearing their racing numbers! Taylor made a bet that 'Robins' striped suit was actually from a Beetlejuice costume. Pretty clever of her! 

Overall, this was such a great experience. I mean, it's not every day you can say you met Paula Deen's son or daughter in law (or you know, Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke...)

What have you been up to lately?

Natalie 

Fall Saute Stuffed Acorn Squash- Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Dairy and Sugar Free

From my last post with WIAW, you saw my delicious acorn squash... I had leftovers of the recipe I am about to post.

My goodness,  I LOVE acorn squash. You can do so much with it! Saute it, make it sweet or savory... my person favorite it just to bake it in the oven. However, maybe that is because I have yet to TRY it any other way... I need to be more adventurous next time I prepare one.

Whats even better, is that fall is right around the corner, so these babies are in season! I have been seeing them at the farmers market when I go each weekend. Local+In season+Tasty+Healthy= Awesome.

Anyways, when I was at the farmers market last, one of the nice ladies mentioned I should try grating some of the squash I bought and sauteing it. You know, kind of like "noodles" I will use it in a "pasta" recipe for sure, but for this meal, I just decided to combine the two ideas (shredded squash with well, more baked squash...) and YUM! The textures are nice and the flavors float well together.

Anyways... on to the food!

Saute Stuffed Acorn Squash
Serves 2 

1 medium acorn squash
1 medium carrot
2 medium zucchinis
1 cup shredded or thinly sliced cabbage
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup unsalted stock
2 TBSP coconut oil
1/2 TBSP garlic powder
pinch of sea salt
pinch of black pepper
3-4 TBSP unsalted tomato paste


1) Bake your acorn squash, wrapped in foil, in a 450 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until its soft and some juices have escaped.

2) Grate them veggies up (not the onion)! This is really fun to do, actually. Its crazy how much mass three little veggies create. It's awesome to watch the pile grow! I placed my shavings into a bowl as I proceeded.

3) Heat the coconut oil over medium high heat in a pan. Saute your onions until tender, then toss in grated veggies.
Saute for about 5-7 minutes.

4) Toss in your spices and tomato paste, and add the stock. Stir until combined, and the paste thins out slightly. Cover, and turn down heat.

5) Cut open your acorn squash, remove the seeds (if wanted), and stuff with your veggies. Enjoy!

This recipe was not only super fun, but REALLY crazy easy.

You can even get the kiddos to help with this one. It's an easy way to get them to eat their vegetables when they are helping cook, plus it always helps when the food looks pretty! :)

What are some ways you use acorn squash?
How do you get your kids involved in the kitchen, and how do you get them to eat healthy?

By the way... I think I may start leaving off the names of the recipes of the pictures of them. What do you think?

Natalie

What I Ate Wednesday #10

Wowzas! 10 already?

Tuesdays eats are pictured below. Not the prettiest of pictures, I know!

Breakfast:

A redo of last week, except a cup of homemade chicken broth. We crock potted a chicken the night before and had some leftover yum! So I heated it up alongside my breakfast.

Lunch:

Some leftovers from this beauty! I absolutely ADORE acorn squash. Recipe is to come soon. ;)

Dinner:

Sauteed vegetables with spaghetti squash and a pan roasted chicken breast. There was more squash and veggies where that came from, I just made it look decent for a picture!

By the way... If you have not noticed yet, my Facebook name has been changed from "Holistic Meal Planning" to "Mean, Green, Clean Eating Teen". I was advised that this way more realistic and would be far less confusing for readers.

However, I am still offering meal planning (DISCLAIMER: I am not *yet* certified), so contact me if you are interested in helping me gain knowledge and experience!

What have you been eating lately?

Natalie

SuPER LEG Workout!

Hey guys!! I haven't posted a workout in a while so I figured it was about time to do another.

When it comes to legs, it always a love-hate relationship... however, I REALLY love the nice after burn from a great leg workout. I'm sure you know what I mean! 

I whipped out this workout Friday morning. Not only does it work those gams, but you also get in your cardio. Not to mention all the balancing moves on ONE LEG (hence the name PER LEG workout!) really work your abs, and the bear crawls and wall climbs add in some shoulder work as well. 

This workout took me about an hour to complete. All you need are dumb bells (I used a set of 5lbs, 10lbs, and 20lbs), a wall, and preferably some space. 

In total, you will complete ten rounds of the circuit.
Each of the BLUE exercises will not change format, reps, or length.
The RED exercises will follow a 10-1 rep pyramid, as in the first round you do 10 reps PER LEG, the next round 9 reps PER LEG, ext until you reach your last round in which you do 1 rep PER LEG.

In order to complete the workout, you should typically have space, like a wide living room. However, you can still do this with limited space. Note the modifications below.

30 Seconds Jump Rope/ 30 Second High Knees- You know the drill on these two, If not, Youtube the moves.
1 Leg Burpee (weighted)- Preform a burpee (no pushup) on one leg. I used 5 lb dumbells when I jumped up and I suggest you use any weight you find suitable yet challenging. Start standing, weights in hand, on one leg. Squat down, place weights down and hands flat on floor. Kick back with your standing leg into a one leg plank, hop back in. Pick up weights in hands and jump up. Repeat on the same leg for desired reps, then do the other side.
Bear Crawl- "Bear crawl" (on feet and hands) to the other side of the room, if large, or to one side and back, if room is small. If you have no room at all, go around in circles a few times.
Back Lunges- PREFORM WITH HEAVY WEIGHTS. You know the drill on these too.
Feet Wall Climbs (optional weighted)- Standing near and with your back facing a wall, dumb bells by your feet, squat down and place your hands flat on the ground. One foot at a time, place a foot on the wall and "walk" yourself up it. Then, walk back down, return the feet to the ground in squat position. Grab your dumb bells and make sure your back remains flat and not arched. Jump up! Repeat.

Have fun guys!!

What workouts do you like to do? How do you feel about working out legs?

Natalie

I'm A Contributor on Real Food Recipe Roundup!

Hey guys!! I have AWESOME, exciting news to share!!

The wonderful Kathy over at Simple Clean Living  recently told me about her website, Real Food Recipe Roundup and asked if I would like to be a part of it. Of course I was honored, and said YES!!

Image directly from Real Food Recipe Roundup home page.

Basically, the community is a collection of healthy, REAL FOOD recipes from a variety of health bloggers. Straight from the "About" page:

'My goal is to have hundreds of real food bloggers and thousands of amazing and tasty real food recipes gathered here for you to gain inspiration from, to help you create meal plans from and to make real food so much easier!"

How awesome is that?! 

I am so humbled to take part in this awesome community, and really look forward to seeing other yummy and healthy recipes posted from other bloggers as well! 

So go ahead, take a look at the site here! Oh, and also peek at the Contributors page, to not only see me, but the other lovely bloggers as well. My stomach gets butterflies when I see my face on there! 

Thank you again Kathy for having me on your website!! 

Natalie 

WIAW #9

 Well well well, what have we here?
Time for another WIAW, that's what.

This post, just like the last WIAW, is actually something for me to be proud of! It includes NEW FOOD! Yay!

Breakfast:

Two hard boiled eggs, an apple and some peanut butter. Gimme mah protein. 

The eggshells (I still think it might all be in my mind, by who cares) came off easier with my little trick I discovered! 

Lunch:

Some leftover red quinoa from the previous night's dinner... red quinoa, cooked with some veggies. It tastes really awesome and I love stuffing peppers with it. I didn't in the image below, but usually I do. Perhaps a recipe next time I make it, if wanted? 

Dinner: 

Green bell peppers stuffed with ground turkey meat, some sauteed veggies (topped with Braggs Liquid Aminos!! I just got a HUGE container of it after having ran out for a few weeks. Seriously some of the most painful days of my life.) And of course, a baked sweet potato! 

What have you been eating? Seriously guys, send me pictures or message me on Twitter, Facebook, ext and I will post a round up!!

Natalie

Nine Things I'm LOVING

This post is a collection of some things that I really enjoy, things that make me (or my tummy!) happy.

Yay for lots of pictures!

9 Things I'm LOVING...

1) The fact that I have been able to achieve Crow Pose for longer than a split second.

2) The tomatoes from the farmers market make a rainbow! Plus, they taste 10000x better than store bought.

3) Remember all my troubles stirring peanut butter? Yeah, uh, problem solved. I think I saw this idea on Pinterest... but basically, I turned my peanut butter over so that the oil settles on the bottom of the jar. Then I placed it in the fridge like this before using so it got hard, and voila! Not stirring for this chicka. 

4) Having 7 different legumes in my house. It's a must at all times. I need some recipe ideas! Any suggestions? From top to bottem: black beans, lentils, pink beans, a form of pea, black eyed peas, pinto beans, and great northern beans.

5) Having fun people to sit next to on the bus is really great. 

Yes, I still ride the bus... I AM in high school after all! My license in coming though. 

6) Coconut oil. Oh my gosh, this stuff just seriously ROCKS MY WORLD.

There is nothing its not good for. Seriously, have you seen the list of things this can do? Deodorant, toothpaste, bug bites... and SAUTEING FOOD! My favorite is sauteing. I also like to put it directly on vegetables or sweet potatoes. 

7) Putting my apples in the fridge. I've really gotten into this for the past few months and now find I hate eating them any other way. When they're cold, they just taste so much more crisp and refreshing. Plus I think they're supposed to be stored in there anyways? 

GIANT bags of quinoa? Yes, please. You can do so much with this stuff! It is full of protein, and I love adding it into my lentils, as I did on my last WIAW. I currently have two of these bags, plus a little bit left over from a small one bought a while back. I think we can agree that if the Zombie Apocalypse happens sometime soon, I'll be all set on my stock of quinoa. 

8) Did you know that putting baking soda into boiling eggs makes the shell come off easier? Thank you again, Pinterest, for the lovely idea. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I really do think that it helps! 

And in any case, it makes a really cool reaction. I pour it in the water and it instantly fizzes! 

8) And last but not least... I love that Grumpy Cat never lies. 

Haha, actually I am a morning person by nature... but you know what? This picture cracks me up, especially with school starting again.

What are you loving?

Any recipe ideas for the massive load of beans I've collected?

Natalie