Chile Basil Cauliflower and Chicken

Hey guys! I wanted to share this yummy- and pretty- recipe with you that I made the other day.

I say it is pretty, because I have always loved bright contrasts in food colors. In this recipe, this is done by pairing Chile powder with cauliflower. The brightness spreads throughout the florets and dulls a bit as you cook it, obviously, but when you first add it to the vegetables in the pan, the colors are shocking and very much appealing to the eye.

I also did this when I sprinkled a bit of Chile powder on some avocado, as shown in my Facebook background picture.

Chile Basil Cauliflower and Chicken 
Yields 2 servings 

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (about 2 chicken breasts)
1 TSP+ 1/2 TBSP Chile powder (separated)
1/4 cup unsalted chicken or vegetable stock
1 TSP garlic powder
2 TBSP fresh chopped basil + 1 TSP (separated)
1 TSP ground black pepper
1/4 small onion, diced
1/2 head cauliflower (or about 1 frozen package, thawed)
1/2 head broccoli (or about 1 frozen package, thawed)
1 TBSP coconut oil

1) Gather your chicken and prepare your marinade. For the marinade, combine 2 TBSP fresh basil, chicken stock, 1 TSP Chile powder, and garlic powder together. Cover, and let sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

2) Melt your coconut oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for about 3 minutes.

3) Add the cauliflower and saute for about 4 minutes. Then, add the 1/2 TBSP of Chile powder and mix. (My crummy photography skills don't show the beauty of the colors!)

4) Add the broccoli and saute for another 4 minutes or so.

5) At this point, made room for your chicken and put it in the pan, along with any marinade. you may also need to add around 1/4 cup of water.

6) Cook meat about 3 minutes on each side, or until somewhat cooked.

7) Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook another 5 minutes on each side, or until thoroughly cooked and vegetables are tender.

 8) Add the rest of the fresh basil and black pepper, mix in and allow a few minutes for the flavors to come out. Enjoy!

What color combinations are prettiest to you in foods ?

Natalie

WIAW #3: Wait, Its Thursday

Okay, so it isn't Wednesday. I know. Embarrassingly enough, I actually think I have been posting these on Thursday's anyway. I think somewhere in my head, I thought "What I Ate WEDNESDAY. So, it is what I ate ON Wednesday." Oh dear... I'm still learning.

Anyways, I have been busy all this week working at VBS! VBS=Vacation Bible School. I am a crew leader, and have a bunch of 1st graders to watch over, guide from station to station, and over all act as a good role model for.

They can be a handful at times, but I really do love helping out each year. It is rewarding in the end! This year's theme was a Medieval one. Sadly, tonight is the last night... to end a week of fun with a bang, they are letting all the kiddos (and yes, even leaders too!) dress up like princesses or knights. I am considering what to wear as I type this...

Me with just a few kids I am watching. Don't I look tired? Haha! 

I have to leave the house around 5 to get to the church at time, and usually don't get home until past 9. Then I try to work on meal plans some or blog, and usually pass out afterwards..

I am trying to get in as many normal meals as possible... here are my eats from Wednesday (next time, I will get it right and actually POST on Wednesday, I promise! ;) )

Breakfast: 

Me and my food combinations. Oh, well. 

Anyways, I got a lot of healthy fats in here! Two strips natural turkey bacon (haven't eaten bacon for YEARS. So at the store last weekend I FINALLY found a good brand and picked it up!!), and then one of my awkward looking Protein Packed Pancakes.  I added some blueberries and strawberries to the mix before I cooked in in the leftover bacon grease, plus a bit of coconut oil. All topped with peanut butter of course! 

Late lunch/ Early Dinner:

A baked sweet potato with my Raisin Rosemary Chicken with Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts. This time, I added some sauteed onion (we finally got some in the house!) and organic tomato from the farmers market.

Unpictured: Snack:
An apple and peanut butter. Well, of course! ;)

I am currently working on a review of that Bob Harper DVD I did. Are there any specific things you would like me to cover?

What have you been eating lately? Send me your pictures, and I will do a round up!

Natalie

WIAW #2

I am going to use this as my official "WIAW" banner from now on! Ugg, so fancy I can hardly stand it.

I am excited to announce my 2nd WIAW. Today was filled with fun, I went visiting family with my great aunt and (being from a family of thrifters) joined her as we roamed around some second hand stores.

 Our thrift finds:
Top: My sister found a boat load of nerdy items (that, ahem, yeah I totally would never obsess over...;) ). Harry Potter figurine, Harry Potter board game and book, Lord of the Rings and Pokemon books
Middle: My aunt picked up a certain fancy glass plate that my mom collects.
Bottom: We found a new Fossil wallet!! For my momma, she has always wanted one. It came from the manufacturers, so the bottom was ripped by them a bit when they sent it out to be resold, but we will fix it with some leather glue.

Now, on to the food!

Breakfast:

Savory oatmeal. Recipe soon? Okay.
Looks really odd, but basically it is just oats with savory ingredients (meat, veggies, ext) instead of sweet things like fruit. I topped mine with some nooch' (again, taking after Else from Hungry Hungry Hippie... lord, if I met that women we would be fast friends.)

Lunch/ Snack on the go:

Apple and peanut butter. Can't go wrong there, friends. It is small I know, but I was on the go and not home for the majority of the day. I took what I could get!

Dinner:

From left to right: Baked sweet potato, a new recipe that even though i'm still coming up with a good name, AH MY GOSH IS SO AMAZING I WILL SHARE IT SOON, and some Savory Style Lima Beans with Cilantro 
So good, and filling. This is what I LOVE about healthy eating... you can eat foods that taste so darn yummy, they just have to be bad for you... when really there's nothing guilty about them! ;)

Well, that's all i've got for you today folks... I really am starting to dig this WIAW thing. Lots of fun!

Let me know anything else you'd like to see..

Whats your favorite thing about WIAW?
Do you have a recipe that is SO GOOD (and you may or may have not just thrown it together)?

Natalie

WIAW #1- The Late Riser Addition

WOW! I feel like a real blogger, typing in that title.

I am such a food freak, and I am pretty darn nosy too, so obviously some of my FAVORITE posts to read are What I Ate Wednesday's. Seriously, I find it really interesting to see what others consume during a day... it gives me ideas for recipes, and plus it's just kinda... fun? (I'm so insane unique)

Anyways, this is very exciting to me. I think if this post goes well, I will continue with the trend... I will officially become one of those folk yelling "HOLD ON, NO ONE EAT YET. I got to take pictures for my blog!"

I was pretty busy the day I took these photos. I was preparing to head out of town to spend the holiday with my family and grandmother, so I was packing. Also, I knew I would not have much access to a computer, so I decided to write up a few posts and save them to drafts for easy publishing ability once I got down with the fam. As much as I love blogging, I would much rather be spending quality time with my loved ones than huddled in the back typing up weird recipes and uploading pictures of my kale garden...

I say this only because I know it seems I did not eat much. I could also blame this on the fact that I got to sleep in that day -can I get a HALLELUJAH- and by time I was up, it was already lunch time! So bu-bye brekkie.

Post workout/ Lunch 

Romaine Lettuce Wraps and Watermelon

... not really wrap I suppose, The leaves started getting too small as I used them up! I included avocado, chopped up leftover turkey meat, fresh cucumber and Jamaica, and a bit of mustard and tomato. Sounds REALLY strange. But it actually tastes really good, and I like having this on days when don't have a whole lot of options in the house. It is easy! I have also used hummus on these too.


Snack 

Hearty Whole Grain Bread with Avocado

Four small end slices (I was using up the last of some loafs) smeared in half a creamy avocado! SOO fresh and good. Filling too!

Dinner 

Savory Style Lima Beans with Cilantro

Recipe soon to come! I really love making this. I do not know if I could say it is Mediterranean style (?), but they are so tangy and delicious. I have been  on a bean/legume kick lately, and cilantro has always been another one of my favorites!

Just for kicks , my workout...
Burpee Burnout! Plus a little more booty work in the form of a Blogilates video...

Why is Peanut Butter So ADDICTING?

Scratch that. Why is almond butter cashew butter walnut butter any flipping type of nut butter addicting?
Well, lets look at the facts here...

Nut butters are high in healthy fats, particularly the heart healthy mono saturated fats. Eating these fats have been linked to weight loss and a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Healthy fats in general are used to help our bodies absorb vitamins!

They serve as an excellent source of protein, great for anyone regardless if they eat meat or not. This goes to show that it IS possible to sustain a healthy, balanced diet WITHOUT the consumption of animal...a serving of peanut butter has up to 8 grams of protein!

They contain antioxidants. Roasted peanut butter in particular has over 22% more antioxidants than uncooked, and the same amount of substances that protect your cells as strawberries!

Could the reason so many find their selves drooling over the thought of this sticky stuff be due to the fact of a nutritional deficiency? Studies have shown that the body tends to crave food that contains a source it is lacking.

Whatever the reason, all I know is that I LOVE nut butters. I have yet to find something that they DON'T taste good with...

Example being:

Peanut butter and Jicama. Yeah, that just happened.

I mean, it wasn't THAT far of a stretch really... if you never have had a Jicama before, its slightly sweet and crunchy. Not so far from an apple, right?

Hey, don't judge until you've tried it. 

I don't always have to feel so weird when I form odd peanut butter combinations, because my best friend, Taylor, also has an undying passion for the stuff! Here are a few combos to check out if you haven't already, and I promise you won't be disappointed, no matter which nut butter you choose!

Sweet potato and nut butter
Oatmeal and nut butter
Frozen bananas and nut butter
Soup made with nut butter 
Ezekiel bread with nut butter
Carrots with nut butter
Healthy baked goods with nut butter  
And, ahem, Jicama and nut butter.

If I develop a peanut allergy any time soon, I think I really am going to be in trouble. I better go knock on my wooden kitchen table now, just to ensure that NEVER happens. Ever.

So, what do you think is the reason nut butters are so addicting? What is YOUR favorite kind, and how do you enjoy it?

Feel free to share recipes !

Natalie