Grainy Mustard Chicken

A Review & A Twist to

Rachael Ray's Grainy Mustard Chicken Thighs

My Twists: I used a whole chicken, cut into parts instead of the thighs... & I didn't have chicken stock so i cooked the chicken neck, back & organs & then simmered in water, garlic, onion & a bouillon cube & used this liquid as my "stock"...still was delish!

Click Link above for complete recipe!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds small potatoes, quartered
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound fresh green beans cut into thirds on an angle
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 to 2 1/2 cups stock
2 tablespoons honey
1 bunch parsley chopped
4 rounded tablespoons grainy mustard

TIP: This recipe can easily be made low carb with substitutions!

Potatoes →   Cauliflower Florets
Flour      →   Almond or Coconut Flour
Honey    →   Sugar Sub such as Stevia & a dash of nutmeg

This was a wonderful hearty recipe & a different way to cook chicken if you are bored with your regular everyday chicken!

(I also cooked my chicken much longer in the pan than the recipes says since I used a whole chicken and I don't trust undercooked poultry!...The breasts I used were HUGE so I split them in halves)

Southern Hummingbird Cake Cheat Days!

 This is a VERY dense and rich southern style cake that my grandmother used to make!

3 Cups of All purpose flour
2 Cups of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups mashed ripe banana
8 oz crushed pineapples (undrained)
2 cups chopped pecans

TIP: I make my icing hours ahead of time & refrigerate for a firmer icing that is easier to spread & then layer cakes with

Combine all dry ingredients & wet ingredients separately then mix together. Once thoroughly mixed, add crushed pineapple, pecans & banana & stir well.
Divide the batter into 3 well greased & floured round cake pans & bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Let cakes cool completely.

Icing:
16 oz softened cream cheese
1 cup softened salted butter
16 oz powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Once cakes are cooled, spread Icing between each layer & cover cake completely. Finish off with extra chopped pecans if so desired!

Alternate Recipe Most Often Made In My Household Due To A Cow's Milk Allergy

Milk Free Icing Recipe Substitutions:
16 oz Tofutti Cream Cheese
1 cup  Smart Balance Light or Earth Balance Spread (NOT SOFTENED)

TIP: This alternate Icing sometimes calls for a little extra powdered sugar, coconut or almond flour in order to stay firm. I would recommend making this alternate icing hours ahead of time, refrigerating & testing for firmness/consistency.

Baked Acorn Squash (by FoodandWine.com)

I do my best to create my own recipes but this is one that I actually found by Food & Wine during a time that I was fasting from meat & animal products. This recipe was so delicious even for a meat lover & I would highly recommend it as a filling meal in itself or as a holiday sides dish to replace stuffing! I will definitely be making this dish again! Click on the link below for this great dish!

TIP: My Acorn Squash were so huge I actually divided them in thirds and I was still able to stand them cut side up to stuff. One third of each squash was still ridiculously filling!

Baked Acorn Squash with Chestnuts, Apples & Leeks

Lazy Girl Tortilla Pizzas!

One thing I always have in my refrigerator in case of emergencies is an assortment of low carb tortillas & wraps & this is one of my favorite things to do with them!

Pizza with a Mexican Twist & Egg!

 

His & Her's Traditional Meat Lovers

Can You Tell I LOVE EGG!!!

Any time I want to make a low carb pizza, I use plain, store brand organic crushed, diced or pureed tomatoes or tomato sauce in a can because I usually find they have the least amount of carbs & sugars. For my beloved Mexican Style pizzas I add a little of my favorite hot sauce or salsa to the tomato sauce, I add my favorite spiced sausage or chorizo, any meats I want, a few extra fresh onions & peppers, dried red pepper flakes & VOILA!!!

TIP: Anytime you want to add egg to a pizza, apply all of your toppings first as usual, then take a spoon a create a little crater in your toppings for your egg by pushing the toppings & sauce aside. Add the egg immediately prior to baking. Bake on a lower temperature for a longer amount of time on a low rack so the egg will have time to become solid & finish off with the broiler if your egg is still a little too loose for your liking! This will probably not come out so well if you only enjoy hard cooked eggs because the rest of your toppings will become overcooked! In that case just boil or fry a hard egg & eat throw that baby on the top! LOL

No Further Instructions Needed On This One! Just Make It How You Love! It's Not Rocket Science!

Dry Brushing *Bri's Keys*

So when I started this journey I knew I had a ton of weight to lose. I've watched all of these shows where people lose an extreme amount of weight & then they have loose & saggy skin & I was a little concerned so I started doing research on skin tightening, getting rid of cellulite, keeping skin youthful & skin elasticity. "Dry Brushing" kept popping up!

Dry brushing is said to decrease & break up cellulite, prevent unevenly distributed fat, remove dry, dead skin cells and increase blood flow therefore encouraging new cell growth (meaning more youthful & elastic skin). Dry brushing is said to have added benefits & besides just looking great it can possibly help you feel great & be great internally too by stimulating the Lymphatic System, promoting drainage of wastes & stimulating the Immune System!

The Huffington Post has a wonderful article about Dry Brushing in which they compared it to other "Anti Celllulite Home Remedies" & say "it was indeed one of the more successful ways to smooth away less-than-perfect spots on your legs."

The other benefit of Dry Brushing which makes me excited is the claim that it promotes waste removal from your body & Manual Lymphatic Drainage. This excites me because I know that the wonderful ketones that my body is producing while being on a low carb eating plan are "substances that are made when the body breaks down fat for energy."WebMD  AKA a waste product! So Heck Yeah! Let's be on board with anything that claims to flush wastes out of my body & leave it in better shape! LOL

You can read in The Huffington Post article about exactly which type of brush to buy & how exactly  to "Dry Brush". I started with the brush pictured above with a few long sweeping movements in each area of my body going towards my heart prior to bathing. As I became used to this technique & my skin was accustomed to the feeling of being brushed I really started to enjoy the ritual of Dry Brushing & I increased my stroke repetitions & the pressure I applied.  I also do my best before and after bathing to drink an influx of water after Dry Brushing because in my mind this will also help coax out any waste that is stimulated & may want to exit my body! Sounds smart to me!

prior to dry brushing

after a few weeks

 

This post is a part of Bri's Keys: Daily Improvements with Ease
look for other posts like it!