Healthy and Easeful Life

Garlic Butter Beef Bites & Potatoes

Ingredients
1 and 1/2 pounds of beef stew meat
1 pound of baby potatoes
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 cup of beef broth
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Directions
1. Gather all ingredients and cut the beef into bite-sized pieces and halve the baby potatoes.
2. Parboil the baby potatoes for a few minutes to soften them slightly.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the beef bites until browned on all sides.
4. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, minced garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme, rosemary, salt, and black pepper to create the garlic butter sauce.
5. In the crock pot, place the halved baby potatoes and seared beef.
6. Pour the garlic butter sauce over the top and add beef broth.
7. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until the beef is fork-tender.
8. Let the dish rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients
4 teaspoons of avocado oil
½ small red onion, chopped
1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large sweet potato, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 teaspoon of chili powder
4 leaves of lacinato kale, stemmed and torn
4 large eggs
1 avocado, sliced
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish, optional
Hot sauce, for serving
Lime wedges, for squeezing
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Heat 2 teaspoons of the avocado oil in a large lidded skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, poblano, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened.
3. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons avocado oil in the skillet.
5. Add the sweet potatoes and ¼ teaspoon sea salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
6. Add the sautéed veggies back to the pan and stir in the chili powder and kale.
7. Make 4 shallow wells in the hash and crack in the eggs.
8. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the eggs are just set.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Top with the avocado slices and garnish with cilantro, if using.
11. Serve with hot sauce and lime wedges for squeezing.

My wallet has begged me to start making Starbucks protein egg bites at home. Here is my attempt at just that. You will need a mini muffin baking pan, blender, and steaming basket for this one.

Egg Bites

Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 large eggs
¾ cup of whole milk cottage cheese
¼ teaspoon of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups of fresh kale (I switched out the kale for spinach for my son and he LOVED them.)
½ cup of diced roasted red bell pepper, about 1 pepper
½ cup of chopped green onion, about 2 green onions

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a nonstick muffin tin with olive oil.
2. In a blender, place the eggs, cottage cheese, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Place the kale in a steamer basket and set over a pot filled with 1 inch of water.
5. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and steam for 1 minute, or until the kale is wilted.
6. Transfer to a strainer and squeeze out the excess water.
7. Roughly chop the kale.
8. Place the kale in a medium bowl and add the peppers and scallions.
9. Toss to combine and measure ¼ cup of the mixed vegetables.
10. Set aside.
11. Evenly divide the remaining veggies among the muffin cups.
12. Pour a scant ¼ cup of the egg mixture over the vegetables in each well.
13. Divide any remaining egg mixture evenly among the wells.
14. Evenly sprinkle the reserved ¼ cup vegetables on top.
15. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the eggs are set.
16. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.
17. You can serve and enjoy. Or freeze for later.

My son now has an obsession with orange creamsicle bars. So I decided to try my hand at making some for him with fewer ingredients. Here is some orange creamsicle frozen yogurt.

Orange Creamsicle Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients
2 oranges
2 cups of plain greek yogurt
½ tsp of vanilla

Directions
1. Cut the oranges in half and squeeze out the juice into a large bowl.
2. Add the greek yogurt and vanilla to the juice and mix well with a spoon.
3. Pour the mixture into a freezer proof dish or container.
4. Freeze for at least 5 hours or overnight until the yogurt is solid.
5. Remove the frozen yogurt from the freezer about half an hour before you want to use it.
6. Allow it to defrost slightly before scooping into a bowl.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Today's attempt to increase the amount of vegetables and fruit in our diet is some Zucchini Bread. That was LOVED. I fear I may not find any tomorrow. Please be mindful there are nuts in this recipe.

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil
3 large eggs, beaten
3 cups of grated zucchini
1/2 cup of frozen grated coconut, thawed
1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup of maraschino cherries

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Grease two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
3. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
4. Mix the sugar, oil and beaten eggs in a separate bowl and add to the flour mixture.
5. Stir in the grated zucchini, coconut, nuts and cherries.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour.
7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the loaves from the pans.
8. Turn the breads out onto wire racks to cool completely.
9. Cut into 4 inch slices and serve!

I finished that bag of frozen chicken thighs. In celebration I went out and and brought same salmon and pomegranate molasses to enjoy for dinner tonight. It gave me a chance to try out pomogranate molasses and dust off my air fryer. It was not the fan favorite with my family, but I enjoyed it. I hope you'll try it too to see who is right about if it was yummy or not.

Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses
1 1/2 of teaspoons sweet chili sauce
1 1/2 of teaspoons soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, grated
2 teaspoons of honey
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Four 8-ounce center-cut skinless salmon fillets
1/2 cup of pomegranate arils
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Directions
1. Whisk the pomegranate molasses, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the honey, half of the lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl until combined.
2. Using the recently made mixture, brush the glaze on top of the salmon fillets.
3. Season each fillet with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.
4. Arrange the fillets in the basket of a 6-quart air fryer, making sure they are not touching.
5. Cook at 400 degrees F until the tops are dark golden brown in spots and caramelized all over and the salmon easily flakes with a fork when gently pressed, 6 minutes for medium rare and 7 minutes for medium. ***This will vary based on your air fryer so please use the user guide to determine the best cooking settings.***
6. While the air fryer is cooking, combine the pomegranate arils, cilantro, olive oil, serrano, remaining 1 teaspoon honey, remaining lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in another medium sized bowl until well combined.
7. Transfer the salmon to a serving platter and spoon the pomegranate relish over top.
8. Serve and enjoy!

I decided to shamelessly win my son's affection by offering cookies for breakfast. He thought he won the lottery. What he did not know is that I won too because these cookies are packed with all the nutrients he needs for the morning. Try these on your kids or whoever in your house has a sweet tooth. Beware this does contact nut products for anyone with allergies.

Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients
2 large extra ripe bananas, mashed
½ cup of natural peanut butter or almond butter (I made two pans one with peanut butter and one with almond butter.)
¼ cup of pure maple syrup
1 large egg
2 of teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup of oat flour
3 tablespoons of flaxseed meal
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
½ teaspoons of baking soda
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
3 tablespoons of h**p hearts
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
⅓ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
⅓ cup of chopped walnuts

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
3. Mix together in a large bowl, the mashed bananas, nut butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract.
4. Mix until smooth and well combined.
5. Add the oat flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to the mixture in the large bowl.
6. Stir until just combined.
7. Stir in the oats, h**p hearts, chia seeds, chocolate chips and walnuts.
8. Allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes.
9. Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 3 tablespoons dough per cookie. Be sure to keep about 2 inches of space between each cookie.
10. Top each cookie with a few extra chocolate chips.
11. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until they’re set, but still soft.
12. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
13. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
14. Serve and enjoy!

As I continue to try to use the rest of this frozen chicken, I decided to make some chicken enchiladas! Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients
1 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs (Make sure to fully thaw the chicken out if it was frozen like mine was.)
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
16 ounce jar of enchilada sauce
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of sour cream (I always have more for serving, yum!)
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips
15 ounce can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese blend
***Optional***
1/4 cup of sliced jalapeños
1 tablespoon of cilantro
1 sliced avocado

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened and browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer to the crock pot and add the enchilada sauce, sour cream, and water to the onion mixture and stir to combine.
4. Add in the beans until thoroughly coated.
5. Add chicken in.
6. Cover and cook on high for about 3 to 4 hours or on low for about 6 to 7, until chicken is tender and cooked through.
7. Shred the chicken in the pot with 2 forks or your chicken shredder.
8. Add the tortilla strips and stir, then top with the cheese, cover the slow cooker, and cook 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
9. Once the cheese is melted, garnish with your toppings like cilantro, jalapenos, salsa, etc.
10. You can serve it over rice like I did and top with optional sour cream and sliced avocado.

I decided to clean out our deep freeze and found that we had a forgotten bag of chicken thighs. I whipped out my trusty crock pot to make some crock pot honey garlic chicken. Please enjoy it as much as my family did.

Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients
1 ½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (Make sure to thaw the chicken out completely if it was frozen like mine were.)
⅓ cup of low-sodium soy sauce
⅓ cup of honey
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of hot sauce
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Directions
1. Thaw out the frozen chicken.
2. Place the chicken in the bottom of a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
3. In a medium mixing bowl or very large measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, hot sauce, garlic, and rice vinegar.
4. Pour the mixture over the chicken.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
6. Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool slightly.
7. Whisk the cornstarch into the crock pot cooking liquid.
8. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.
9. With two forks (or the chicken shredder, one of the next Amazon purchases I've made to date), shred the chicken and place it in the crock pot.
10. Stir to coat the chicken with the sauce.
11. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and enjoy!

Cock-a-Leekie Soup
This is a delicious Scottish chicken and leek soup.

Ingredients
4 pounds of chicken thighs, bone in, skin removed
10 cups of water
1 medium onion, chopped
⅓ cup of barley
1 (10.5 ounce) can of condensed chicken broth
7 medium leeks, sliced
2 stalks of celery, thickly sliced
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 sprig fresh thyme, chopped

Instructions
1. Place chicken into a large pot; pour in water and add onion and barley.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Use tongs to transfer chicken to a cutting board.
4. Discard skin and bones; chop meat into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot.
5. Add condensed broth, leeks, celery, parsley, salt, pepper, and thyme; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

Lately the entire house has been fighting off a cold for the past week. I decided to make some nourishing soup to help everyone get back to well. feel free to add extra vegetables, meat or anything else to add and additional hardiness to the soup. Enjoy!

Healing Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ of an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 quarts water
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
½ of a head of cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.
2. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in water, bouillon, salt, and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage.
5. Simmer until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in tomatoes.
7. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.
8. Serve hot and enjoy!

***Optional add the additional ingredients on step 7 then serve!