DIY Cleaning Products

No its not food, but another request I have gotten lately has to do with DIY cleaners. So I did a little research and found that most of the DIY cleaners out there comprise of 3 basic ingredients, distilled white vinegar, baking soda and hot water. Here are a couple 'recipes' I found for making DIY cleaners. I didn't make these up so I can't take credit. The website I found these on are linked to the type of cleaner, but how much easier is it just to come here and have it all laid out in front of you.

What's the benefit for using natural cleaners? You don't need to worry about the harsh chemicals which some people can be very sensitive to; not to mention the fumes from some of those heavy duty cleaners should require you to wear a mask. Plus its a lot cheaper than buying the green cleaning products you can find at the store and you probably have most these products in your house already.

Bathroom Cleaner:

Ingredients:

• Baking soda – cleans, deodorizes, scours
• Borax – cleans, deodorizes, disinfects
• Castile soap or vegetable oil-based liquid soap – cleans
• Distilled white vinegar – cuts grease and soap scum, dissolves mineral deposits, inhibits mold, freshens; reportedly kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of viruses
• Essential oils – freshen, disinfect
• Kosher salt – scours, disinfects
• Water

Preparation:

TUB AND TILE CLEANER-

In a jar or spray bottle combine 1 2/3 cup baking soda with 1/2 cup Castile soap. Add 1/2 cup water and 2 Tbsp. vinegar. Sake well before using, apply with sponge or cloth, rinse well.

TOILET BOWL CLEANER: 
Mix 1/4 cup borax or baking soda and 1 cup vinegar in the toilet. Let it sit for 15 minutes (or longer, if necessary), scrub, and flush.

GLASS CLEANER: 
Combine 1/4 cup vinegar and 4 cups warm water in a spray bottle. Use to clean glass or mirrors with a dry cloth or piece of newspaper, or coffee filter because who gets newspaper anymore.

 FLOOR SANITIZER: 
In a bucket, mix 1/2 cup borax with 2 gallons hot water. Apply with a mop or sponge. Rinsing is not necessary.

SOAP SCUM REMOVER: 
Sprinkle on baking soda, scrub with a cloth or sponge, and rinse. Vinegar or kosher salt also work.

CALCIUM OR LIME REMOVER: 
For calcium or lime deposits on a chrome faucet, soak a towel in vinegar and wrap it around the faucet. Let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight.

MOLD OR MILDEW REMOVER: 
Mix 1/2 cup borax and 1/2 cup vinegar to make a paste. Scrub with a brush or sponge and rinse with water. For tough mold, let it sit for an hour before rinsing with water.

*You can add some essential oils to any of these to give them a nice scent.

***I'm cleaning my bathroom today so I will update you guys on how it goes!

Kitchen Cleaners:

Ingredients:

Vinegar
Baking Soda
Lemon
Essential Oil (optional)
Water
Dish soap

Preparation:

ALL PURPOSE CLEANER:

Using funnel, put 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon dish soap, and 2 tablespoons vinegar into your spray bottle. Give it a stir/shake. Let it sit for a minute, now fill bottle with warm water and shake it up. Give it a few more minutes to calm down, and add a few drops of essential oil if desired.

SINK OR STOVE TOP CLEANER:

 Put a 1/3 cup baking soda in a bowl. Mix in enough warm water so that you get a nice moist paste. Put paste on sponge or brush and scrub away. Make it as you need it.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL FRESHENER:

Take the pulp from a lemon (preferably one you've squeezed to use for something else) and toss it in the garbage disposal, along with a few thin strips of the peel. Run water and turn on disposal.

MICROWAVE CLEANER:

1-2 cups of water in a large heat-proof glass or ceramic bowl, add 1 Tbsp vinegar. Microwave until about half the water have evaporated. Wait about 10 minutes and DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR. This lets the water cool off a bit and the steam penetrate any baked-on crud in the oven. Remove the bowl carefully; the water will still be hot enough to burn, so wear hot mitts. Scrub the walls of the microwave with a sponge sprinkled with a bit of baking soda; baked on stains should come off with relative ease. Wipe down the microwave with a reusable cloth dampened in clean water and the oven will be sparkling clean and free of odors.

Specialty Cleaners:

GROUT CLEANER:

Ingredients:

baking soda

vinegar

oxygen bleach

Preparation:

 Grab an old toothbrush or a small grout cleaning brush. We'd recommend the special purpose tool because grout brushes have sturdier bristles and are a little bigger, but an old toothbrush will totally work in a pinch. Start simple. Spray the affected area with a 50-50 mixture of vinegar and water, and then scrub with the brush.

 *Here's a tip: forget straight lines, and scrub in circles to remove more grossness from the grout.

 If that's not doing the trick, reach for the baking soda. Make a paste by mixing baking soda with water, then spread the mixture along the grout.Using the brush, scrub the baking soda mixture into the grout, again in circular motions. Rinse well and repeat if necessary.

Try out a steam cleaner. You can rent one from most home improvement stores.

 If that's not enough, turn to a non-toxic oxygen bleach—which is normally combo of borax or sodium percarbonate. Just like baking soda, make a thick paste to scrub into the grout. Leave the paste on the grout for about 15 minutes, and then scrub it off and rinse well.

KITCHEN GREASE CLEANER:

Ingredients:

Vinegar

Baking Soda

Vegetable Oil

Preparation:

Cleaning sticky residue from stove tops and cabinets can be done with vinegar. Pour undiluted vinegar into spray bottle and spray onto surface. Let sit for several minutes. Wipe clean with dishcloth or non-abrasive scrubber.

To use baking soda as a great non-abrasive cleaner for range hoods and appliances, put some baking soda on a damp sponge and wipe the surface down. Follow with a clean cloth to catch any powder residue.

If all else fails, a surprising fact is that grease removes grease. So, a natural vegetable oil on a paper towel can remove a difficult greasy stain on an appliance. Follow with one of the methods above for that like-new sparkle.

For really difficult cake-on grease on stove burners, there is a phosphate-free version of TSP (trisodium phosphate) called TSP-PF that is a great replacement for the toxic, heavy duty cleaners that we all want to avoid.

SCORCHED OR BURNED POTS AND PANS CLEANER:

Ingredients:
1 cup of vinegar
2 tablespoons of baking soda
1 cup of water (give or take depending on the size of your pan)
A scourer (rough sponge)

Preparation:

Fill the bottom of the pan with a layer of water. Add the vinegar. Bring the pan to boil. It should be looking a bit cleaner already. Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda. Expect fizz! Empty the pan and scour as normal; if necessary add an extra bit of dry baking soda. 

If there are any super stubborn marks that don't come off with scouring, make a paste of baking soda and a couple of drops of water. Leave the paste on the marks for a while and return to clean as normal.

There are a bunch more for whatever your cleaning need is. Just explore the links to find what it is you are looking for (carpet cleaner, polishing silver). This is a good start and let me know how they work for you!

Please remember to subscribe to my blog and receive these super helpful posts to your inbox, also makes finding recipes like this really easy to save and file. 

OIL PULLING UPDATE:

I went to the dentist, they did not seem to know anything about oil pulling or its benefits nor did they seem to impressed. (But are the ever, even when your oral routine is spot on you never get a "you're doing great" or "everything is looking really good" nope just that nothing has gotten worse. I mean would it kill them to give a little encouragement! 'end rant') So while I believe my teeth look whiter, all I got from the dentist is that they don't look stained. 

Is oil pulling worth it? Its up to the individual, I will keep it in my morning routine because its a habit now and I think my teeth are whiter, as for any other benefits, jury's still out. 

Will oil pulling help with bad breath? Studies suggest that oil pulling is just as effective as mouthwash but won't dry your mouth out. 

Will oil pulling release toxins built up in the body? Studies suggest that since toxins are mostly carried in the blood and not through saliva, probably not. 

Be your own experiment: N= 1 Try it out and decide if its for you! 

Crock Pot Beef Roast with Roasted Rosemary Carrots

I got lots of feedback last week about my Oil Pulling post and I am really excited a lot of you are giving it a go! I am going to the dentist next week so I'll update you all on what they say.

After a super fun filled weekend in NYC I came home to a house with no food in it! I immediately checked the chest freezer for something I could throw in the crock pot for a few hours with left over stuff I had lying around and that is how this recipe came to be.

**Tip- I always like to keep some homemade chicken broth/ beef broth in the freezer for these kind of things. Also, I always keep a couple cans of tomato paste and diced tomatoes in the pantry, those three things are my go to for a quick easy crock pot recipe.

Crock Pot Beef Roast:

Ingredients:

3-4 beef roast (I used shoulder)
1 cup beef broth
1 shallot- sliced
4 garlic cloves- rough chopped
2 carrots- peeled, chopped
2 Tbsp. oregano
1/2 Tbsp. salt (its always a good idea to add extra salt to crock pot recipes)
1 Tsp. Pepper
1- 6 oz. can tomato paste
1- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. butter or ghee

Preparation:
Heat a cast iron skillet (or just a large skillet) to med- high and add butter or ghee. Once melted, brown the roast on all sides. Transfer to crock pot. Add all ingredients, cook on Low 3-4 hours, remove roast, pour liquid into blender and puree. Pour puree over roast, use as sauce, season with salt and pepper.

It literally is that easy!!

Roasted Rosemary Carrots:

Ingredients:
8 carrots- peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp. melted butter or ghee
1 Tbsp. rosemary
1 Tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chopped carrots into med bowl, add rosemary, salt and pepper, toss to cover. Pour in melted butter, toss to cover. Spread carrots out onto a tin foil lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 mins, checking once to shake up the pan.

 I also baked some asparagus using basically the same method as the carrots

Enjoy!!

So that is one of the easiest recipes I have ever created. Just goes to show anyone can cook delicious, simple healthy food! Its easy and besides the meat in the crock pot for the 4 hours it probably took a total of 20 mins to prepare and make this. People that think cooking healthy is hard are cooking the wrong foods. When cooking good quality, fresh ingredients, less is more. You don't need fancy seasonings and condiments, let the food shine! The seasoning should be there to enhance the flavor of the food not cover it up.

Happy Cooking!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG AND SHARE WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

That is all.

The Wonders of Oil Pulling

Man do I LOVE Coconut Oil! I use it in my cooking, I use it to remove make up, I use it as lotion, moisturizer, lip balm. I give some to my dog, the uses are endless and here's another:

I've recently come across a totally awesome way to rid yourself of nasty toxins hiding out in your mouth and scalp, Oil Pulling Method. While this technique has been around for centuries and is an old Ayurveda technique of "swishing" oil around the mouth to pull toxins out. Such toxins as bacteria growing on teeth causing tooth decay and gingivitis, bad breath, its also known to whiten teeth. As an avid coffee and red wine drinker the latter is especially beneficial to me.
I have been using this method for the past month after reading about it and so far I have noticed whiter teeth and less build up of plaque on my teeth (that grimy feeling you get when you run your tongue over your teeth). After brushing in the morning, my teeth would feel nice and smooth until I had my cup of coffee or breakfast or even just after drinking some water I would start to feel that griminess take over my nice clean teeth. With the Oil Pulling my teeth feel nice and smooth and clean all day long!

I know you are wondering, 'What the heck IS Oil Pulling?' So this is the routine. When you wake up in the morning, before you brush your teeth, take anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon coconut oil (organic, unrefined, cold-pressed) and swish it around for 20 mins. I know that seems like a long time but its actually a nice little routine to get in. I stick it in before I hope in the shower and by the time I'm out and have my bed made I spit it out and then brush my teeth like normal.
Things you will notice upon first taste:
1. Coconut Oil doesn't taste like much so it almost seems like your swishing around your own saliva, but your not the oil is in there doing it thang!
2. It takes about 20 seconds for the oil to melt and at first its a little strange the hunk of oil just hanging out in your mouth but give it a minute and it will melt into a liquid. If you have some real texture issues you can't get over for even 20 seconds you can melt it in the microwave, just be sure its not too hot when you go to put it in your mouth.
3. 20 Minutes feels like FOREVER!! OK, its not forever it's 20 minutes to chill! Guess what, change is hard but this is a habit you will be happy to take on and after a week it will be a routine and you won't even be thinking about the time. If your in a rush, try 10 mins in the AM and 10 mins in the PM, both before brushing your teeth. (Because we are all brushing our teeth twice and day, right?!! And while we are on that, flossing once a day too, right?!)
4. What do I do with the oil when I'm done? Spit it in the trash, not down the drain, I repeat...NOT DOWN THE DRAIN. That's a real good what to clog the pipes. I spit it in the trashcan, no biggie. I guess you could get like a spit can if your into that, or out the window, or in your partners coffee, hehe!

Still not convinced to give this a try, here are some other areas this crazy technique has helped improve: Allergies, Diabetes, Insomnia, Fatigue, Migraines, Asthma, Bad Breath, Teeth/Gums, Joint Pain, Arthritis, Skin Problems.

Don't believe me, I highly encourage my skeptics to google the term Oil Pulling, even though I already did that for you!

My only disclaimer is if you have filings or crowns be careful using this method, some people have said it caused them to fall out. (No one I know but I don't want anyone commenting that I didn't warn them)


What if you can't find the preferred coconut oil (Organic, unrefined, cold-pressed)? Try getting as close to that as possible, organic being the most important.

The kind I use for EVERYTHING is from Costco, its $15 for the most gigantic tub of coconut oil I've ever seen. I will probably use it up in 3 months and I use it daily!

Give it a try and let me know what you think!!

If you're liking these posts, let me know and subscribe, share with your friends, bookmark on your computer, make a t-shirt! Whatever you want to do to show your love is greatly appreciated!!


If you have any questions about the Oil Pulling Method feel free to leave it below!
Until next time!
I leave you with a picture of my Mom's cat, since I know how much you guys love the animal pics.

Crab cakes topped with a Fried Egg, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Wedges

Hey there!

This recipe comes to you thanks to Tom's Awesome Seafood for the amazing Lump Crab meat!
If you are in North GA, you can order his seafood online and meet him at one of his drop off spots or in just a month the Farmer's Markets will be opening (YAY!!) and you can stop by his booth for a variety of fresh, local, wild caught seafood.

This delicate dish is simple yet can test your patience. Don't worry its delicious no matter what it looks like!
On to the recipe....

Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lump crab meat- Lump is more expensive but you really want the larger chunks of crab that come                                   from the claws. While most Whole Foods carry it for about $25/ lb.                                                         Tom's Awesome Seafood carries it for $21.50/ lb. and will make enough for 3 - 4                                   servings or more if you want to make this along side a grass-fed steak!

2 TBL coconut flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 TBL Old Bay seasoning
1/2 of a lemon- juice
A little Salt and Pepper
1-2 TBL cooking fat (ghee, bacon fat, coconut oil)

Preparation:
Please all ingredients in bowl and carefully combine with your hands so not to shred up the lump crab.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1/2 TBL of cooking fat.
Use a ice cream scooper or roll about 2-3 TBL of crab mixture into a ball.
Once pan is hot, place ball of crab mix on to skillet and gently press down to flatten a little into a cake. (I like to use a rim from a mason jar to help crab keep shape) The crab cake may not stick together great because you don't have a lot of filler in there holding it together. This is normal and OK, still going to taste great even if its more of a pile than a cake.

Allow cake to cook 3 mins to crisp the bottom.
Remove jar rim and carefully flip the cake to the other side, you may have to reshape it a little using a spatula or mason jar rim. (careful the rim will be hot, use tongs)
Cook another 2 mins on this side, carefully remove cake. (Note: Don't get upset if your crab cake falls apart a little, or a lot, its still going to taste great and this is the type of thing that takes some practice and patience, I have to remind myself of this a lot!)

Repeat steps above for remainder of crab mixture. You may need to add a little more cooking fat to the pan so the crab doesn't stick. If you find it it cooking faster than the first one, turn down the heat to a med-low.

Fried Egg

Ingredients:
1 egg per portion of crab cakes or 1 egg per cake (whatever you want)
1 tsp. Ghee or cooking fat

Preparation:
Heat ghee or cooking fat in a small skillet over med-low heat (or use a larger skillet and a little more cooking fat if you want to cook more eggs at a time)
Once ghee is melted crack an egg in the center of the skillet. Allow the whites to cook until the are white and not that raw egg opaque color.
Once most of the egg white is cooked, usually 1-2 mins (the middle may still be opaque) carefully flip the egg. Its helpful to loosen all sides with a silicon spatula so it doesn't stick and break the yolk with flipping.
Let the egg cook 30 seconds to 1 minute. You want the yolk to be nice and runny.
Place egg over crab cake.
*Note: if you want to put a poached egg on top instead this is a great option!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
24 oz. or 1 package of Brussels Sprouts- quartered
1 TBL Bacon fat- or other cooking fat- melted
1 TBL ground mustard
1 TBL Turmeric
Few pinches of Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
In a larger bowl, toss quartered Brussels with melted bacon fat. Spread out on baking sheet.
Dust with ground mustard, turmeric, salt and pepper.
Place in oven for 8 mins, take out and shake up baking sheet to move Brussels around, place back in oven for another 8 mins.
Remove from oven, let cool and cook a little (5 mins)
Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potato- peeled and cut into wedges (Cut sweet potato in half, then half length with, then cut into 4 - 5 sections depending on how large your potato is)
1 TBL ghee or other cooking fat- melted
1 TBL Cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp. cayenne (optional)
Few Pinches of Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
In a med. to large bowl, toss wedges with melted ghee, spread out onto baking sheet.
Dust with cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.
Place in oven for 12 minutes, remove sheet and shake wedges to make sure they are not sticking to the bottom.
Place back in oven another 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cook a little and cool.
Enjoy!

Put it all together to make an amazing and impressive meal. This can serve 2 - 4 people. I make it for two and then save the rest for the next day! Cook once, eat twice!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to let me know how you feel about this recipe or any of them. If you have some requests or questions I will be happy to answer for you! Don't forget to check out Tom's Awesome Seafood and I will be posting more seafood recipes! Not in North GA?? Check out Eat Wild to find some local, fresh seafood near you!
Don't forget to add your email to the little box on the upper right side of the blog to get these AMAZING posts straight to your inbox!!!


Announcement!!
I am so excited to share with everyone that I have almost completed a Health Coaching program through The Institute of Integrated Nutrition to become a Certified Health Coach!! I am starting to work on putting together and launch my own health coaching business to guide you to you healthier you! I will be sure to keep everyone posted on that but finally feel comfortable letting everyone know what I've been up for the past 7 months!

Zoodles Medley

Yes I know it's been a while since I posted, I got busy which lead to me not cooking anything new, just recycling old recipes; I apologize, lets move on shall we.

You don't have to be a fancy chef to make a creative, fantastic, healthy meal, you can simply make one by looking at what you have already in your refrigerator and maybe a handy kitchen utensil. This recipe is something I whipped up using left over vegetables that had about a day or two left and looking at some pictures from some of my favorite cookbooks. It can be served as a vegetarian meal (yep, I said the 'V' word) or you can throw in some left over chicken, turkey or fish for a fantastic light but filling meal. It does require on of my FAVORITE kitchen utensils, a vegetable spiralizer, I strongly urge everyone to go on Amazon and buy one NOW, prices range but I got the $20 one and its great and well worth the money!


OK...On to the recipe!

Zoodles Medley

Serves 1- because sometimes you only need to cook for yourself

Ingredients:
1/2 zucchini- spiralized- If you don't have this just chop up your zucchini
2 Carrots- spiralized- or you can use a vegetable peeler
2 1/2 cups (or more) of chopped left-over veggies- Here's what I had:
1/2 cup yellow squash- chopped
1/2 cup broccolini- chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes- halved
1 cup Brussels Sprouts- chopped
1 clove garlic- minced (smallest chop)
1 cup left over cooked chicken- chopped
1/2 cup left over Organic white rice- Add for athletes or after intense workout like Crossfit.
2 Tbls. Balsamic Vinegar

Preparation:
In a medium saute pan, heat cooking oil over med heat (butter, coconut oil, bacon fat).
Saute garlic (careful not to burn), Brussels, broccolini, squash, carrot and zucchini noodles for about 5 mins, stirring occasionally until vegetables start to soften and garlic becomes fragrant.
Add tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and (if using) left over cooked meat and toss to combine. Continue to cook until meat is warm or tomatoes start to soften about 3 more mins.
Remove from heat, pour into bowl and season with salt and pepper and drizzle a little EVOO on top.
Enjoy!

Don't be afraid to throw in a handful of almond slivers or chopped nuts for some texture!

Even if you are using different vegetables the formula is still the same. You want to add the hardest vegetables to a hot pan and let them begin to soften and then add your more delicate vegetables (spinach, tomatoes, bok choy) You will want to add the EVOO at the end and never use it to cook with. EVOO is highly unstable and oxidizes under heat so its best used as finishing oil or salad dressing.

BONUS!!
Want a quick and easy, healthy dessert!
Besides a giant glass of Vino, take an Apple- I like Granny Smith
Cut it in to quarter inch slices and place on a plate. Drizzle some warmed Almond Butter on top.
Add Ons-
Melt some dark chocolate (70% or higher) and drizzle that on top also- maybe even put a few extra un-melted chunks on there
Top with some Almond slices or slivers.
Use Coconut Butter instead of Almond and Chocolate.

Try different combo's all of them are good and satisfying and healthy- as long as you don't put a whole jar of Almond Butter- try to keep it to a couple tablespoons.

Sorry I don't have a picture of this, when I make it I have a one- track mind that looks something like this....



If you are liking these super simple, easy, delicious recipes or you just think I'm hilarious, or your my Mom and only read it for the photos of Walker, don't forget to subscribe!
Here you go Mom!

Walker and Ross getting down!

Love your feedback- Please leave a comment or if you have questions or suggestions I'll take those too!

Game Day Wings

If you're like me, Saturdays in the Fall are for three things, Football, beer and wings! If you're new to Paleo you may have thought wings are totally out but really there are lots of recipes out there to keep your game day tradition alive. In fact with the right ingredients you can make your wings better than the ones you find at your favorite sports bar. Here are two recipes that are sure to please everyone. One is your traditional Buffalo Wings, the other is Honey Garlic Wings.

Buffalo Wings
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken wings (Organic, pastured chicken is best)
4 1/2 Tbsp. Franks Hot Sauce- I use Franks because it does not have and crazy chemicals or preservatives. Its just chilies and spices.
4 Tbsp. Butter (melted)- (Organic, pastured)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheet with coconut oil, bacon fat, or (I use) palm oil. Place wings on sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

The yellow is the red palm oil, its great for greasing pans without adding any flavor like coconut oil

Cook wings 30 mins.
While the wings are cooking, combine hot sauce and melted butter in a medium size bowl. For spicier wings add more hot sauce for milder wings use less hot sauce. This combo is a medium heat.

Once wings have cooked, toss in sauce and put back on baking sheet and bake for another 30 mins.
Serve and enjoy!

I made a bleu cheese vinaigrette that really wasn't that great. I ended up just eating the wings with out the sauce which was great!  I will update this recipe when I find a great sauce to serve! So stay tuned.


Honey Garlic Wings
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken wings (Organic, pastured chicken is best)
1/8 cup honey (Local, raw)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. coconut aminos- you can find this at a health food store like Whole Foods by the soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a zip lock bag and marinate chicken for 4 hours up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease baking sheet and spread wings out.

Bake for 30 mins, flip and bake another 30 mins.
Garnish with green onion if you want and Enjoy!

Both these recipes are so easy its ridiculous so I encourage you to try them and let me know what you think!

UPDATE!!
As some of you know I am currently enrolled in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition with the goal of becoming a Health Coach. I am about 4 months in and doing great! Unfortunately it has taken up a lot of my blogging time which is why I haven't been posting any recipes lately. I will try to stay consistent and post about once a month for now and then will ramp up again once I am done with school.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement!!

If you love these recipes, love me, or love the pictures of Walker, please subscribe to my blog!

Walker is ready for some wings and football!

Not Your Typical Cobb Salad

Hey Everyone,
 I've been a bit busy lately and have not posted anything in a couple weeks, sorry about that. Hopefully this week's awesome salad recipe will make up for my neglect. When I first started this blog my biggest goal was to post something once a week. I was doing really well and then life happened, things came up, trips and just general laziness caused me to miss a week here and there but never fear, I'll never forget about my loyal readers out there. (All 7 of you!)

This salad might seem a little labor intensive but its really not, all it takes is a little prep and it can be thrown together in 5 minutes. Don't forget to go ahead and make a few extra servings for a grab and go lunch for work or general busy-ness.

Typical Cobb salads are made up of these 5 ingredients- C-chicken, O-onion, B-bacon, B-bleu cheese, but in my version I am leaving off the final B. This version is packed with so much veggie deliciousness and protein from 4 different sources, you won't be missing that extra B. Its such a hardy salad it will keep you full for hours. Eat it as lunch or dinner, feel free to leave out or add in anything you like.

The serving size is for one salad but go ahead and chop up the entire vegetable and just store what you don't use in a good Tupperware, that way when you need to make another one you can do it in a snap!

Cob Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup lettuce, mix green, Kale, spinach or mixture
1-2 tbsp. red bell pepper- chopped
1-2 tbsp. red onion- chopped
1/2 a small tomato- chopped
1-2 tbsp. bacon- finely chopped in small food processor or by hand
(Usually I cook 5-6 pieces of bacon, put them into a mini chopper and store in a small Tupperware. I'll use my homemade bacon bits all week)
1 hard boiled egg- chopped (I make 5 hard boiled eggs and store them in the refrigerator for the week)
1/4 cup sauerkraut
1/2 avocado
6-8 pistachios- dry roasted, unsalted
1/4 cup shredded chicken- I cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker on Sundays and then have chicken for the week. Or you could get a whole rotisserie chicken from the store, just try to look for one that doesn't have any added flavors to it.

Preparation:

I think we all know how to put a salad together. Put all ingredients into bowl and toss.

This salad has so much flavor it doesn't even need a dressing but I put a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 tbsp.) and Balsamic Vinegar on top (1 tbsp.).

Are you a big, burly guy who requires their body weight in protein? No problem, add more chicken or another hard boiled egg.
Are you a dainty lady who fills up quickly? No worries just cut back on the amount of ingredients.
Are you a mouse? Go ahead, add a little Bleu cheese on there or some shaved Parmesan cheese. Let's try to keep the quality up and the quantity down.

This isn't written in stone people, use your own discretion as to how much of the ingredients you want on your salad.
Salads are like art class, its your time to be creative! Try adding some sliced mushrooms or some cooked veggies like squash or zucchini. Maybe some chopped jalapeno pepper or a little fresh lemon juice. The possibilities are endless, don't be afraid to experiment!

Here's my lunch for work tomorrow, made at the same time as the one above.

Please let me know how these recipes are working for you or if you have any questions. Just leave a comment below.

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