Chicken Pot Pie

We had the honour of hosting the Wiebe family...minus Darren...at our house this year for Easter! Lots of fun times and LOTS of food!! Mom and Dad Wiebe brought amazing chicken...organic/free range/hormone free/antibiotic free...for us to roast on Sunday for dinner. It was SO good! Take one bite of this quality of chicken and you know it's the real deal...nothing beats it! And...like all good parents...they brought enough chicken to feed a small village! We did our best to work through it as a family...then tucked the leftovers in the fridge. Well...I soon realized after two meals of left-over chicken...that we had barely made a dent it in!! Then I saw parsnips in my fridge and knew right away what I would turn the left-overs into...chicken pot pie! Chicken that is roasted has such amazing flavour...so it adds an element to dishes like this that other meat doesn't.

This recipe of course could be made with any type of chicken...roasted, grilled, boiled...it's all the same!

Also...after shredding all the meat off the bones to prep it for the pie (I made 3...one for dinner and 2 for our freezer!!)...I realized that there was still enough to place into a medium size ziploc and keep on hand in the freezer to throw on pizza or add to any last minute supper...LOVE having that on hand!

This recipe, including the topping, should make an equivalent to two pie plates or one larger baking dish. Freezes VERY well!


Chicken Pot Pie

4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour (I use spelt)
1/2 cup white wine (optional...but really compliments the flavours)
1 cup milk (I use almond)
2 cup chicken stock
5-6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves picked and chopped (2 Tbsp dried)
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat olive oil in large pan or dutch oven. Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery and parsnips to the pan, then season with salt and pepper and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7-8 minutes

When the veggies are tender, push them over to the side of the pan and add the butter to the center of the pot. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and cook for about a minute. Whisk in the white wine, if using, milk, chicken stock. Bring up to a simmer, then add the tarragon, Dijon mustard, peas and shredded chicken. Bring back up to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and cook until the sauce has thickened, 2-3 minutes.

Pastry Topping

Of course you can just buy some puffed pastry and add it on top...sometimes I even just use a few layers phyllo pastry on top to give it a light crispy finish. This time I tried something new...and it was awesome...here it is...

1 1/2 cups spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup milk (I used almond)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add all remaining ingredients. Mix just until a soft dough forms. Dot the biscuit dough over the chicken mixture. (I do a little layer of fresh ground pepper on top at this point!)

Bake 25 minutes, uncovered, until the biscuit is cooked through and golden on top. Serve & enjoy!

Breakfast Cookies

I don't know about you...but I love the fact that I could eat these for breakfast everyday, and still feel great! I'm always tempted by those other 'Breakfast Cookies' that you see for sale in coffee shops...but I also know that they aren't actually good for me, so I stay away:)

So that's what the inspiration for these was. These are amazing...they feel like a treat...and can really be eaten anytime of day. They freeze amazingly...and even taste best straight from the freezer!

It's possible to make a ton of variations on this recipe, depending on your taste buds. Today I used a mix of dried blueberries, raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds and chocolate chips. I wanted to add pecans, but forgot! I cut back on the almond flour, and add in oats...we like oats and it saves a little on the almond flour...but you can feel free to make them only with the flour (just add the extra 1/2 cup) and they will turn out great!

Enjoy!...I hope our house guests this weekend will!!!

Breakfast Cookies

2 cups of almond flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of coconut oil or melted butter
1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey
1 egg
1 tablespoon of vanilla
2 cups of nuts, dried fruit, seeds (or anything else your heart desires)

Directions

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add the wet ingredients and blend it well with a spoon.
3. Drop a golf ball size portion onto the cookie sheet, flatten slightly.
4. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes depending on the size. I make these quite large so that they are a complete breakfast!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake!

Now that's a mouthful!! Don't you just love Levi's cheeky look in this photo??!! He totally dipped his finger in the cake!! I wonder who taught him that one:)

We celebrated my wonderful husband's birthday on Friday...yes...he's an April Fool baby...gotta love that!! You can't go wrong when making a dessert for Jay...he loves anything involving cake and ice-cream...so I thought I'd combine the two this year for him! I've made ice-cream cakes before...but kept them a little more on the simple side. I'm not even sure where the idea for this one came...but it was AMAZING...and SO simple to make! It got 5 gold stars all around in this house, and needless to say we rolled ourselves to bed afterwards! The leftovers got put in the freezer...and I don't think they'll last long!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice-Cream Cake

Bake this cake...or any chocolate cake. This is a GREAT one though!

Freeze so it's easier to cut into layers.

Take frozen layers apart.

Start with one layer of cake...

Add one container of this...

Another layer of frozen cake...

Melt half a jar of this...pour over top...

Whip half a container of this until softened...smooth out on top! (note: you could use coconut milk vanilla here instead and this would be dairy free! Jay just happens to be a huge fan of this vanilla)

Voila!

Return to freezer until about 15 minutes before serving.

Ideally I would have melted some chocolate...thickened it a bit...put it in a piping bag and did some pretty designs on top...or wrote his name...but in the moment I just didn't think these 3 cake-hungry boys would care:) We'll save the pretty designs for another time!

Oatmeal Blender Pancakes

Not sure about you...but our house is filled with the aroma of pancakes ATLEAST once a week...if not more. If you've been to our house for pancakes lately, then you also know that with pancakes, comes not only syrup and many other yummy things, but The Beach Boys!! Not sure how that tradition got started...but both our boys are VERY aware that if they hear "barb barb barb...barb barbara ann" coming from the kitchen, they are getting PANCAKES!! Pure craziness I know:) We love it!!

We have a small stock of different pancake recipes that we choose from each time...depending what we're feeling like...but this is one simple, very healthy, home made recipe that we had kinda forgotten about until the other day...so I thought I'd share it with you!

It calls for Oat Flour, which you can buy, or just make in your blender like we do. It's important to do this step first...or else your blender will get wet from the other ingredients and it won't work. Other than that it's a fool-proof recipe...and quick!

Other than all the obvious toppings...we personally love peanut butter, almond butter or bananas on our pancakes!

ENJOY!

Oatmeal Blender Pancakes

1/2 cup oat flour (or blended oats in your blender)
1/2 cup spelt flour (or flour of choice)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pour oats into blender and blend on high until you have oat flour.

Add all other ingredients. Blend until well mixed.

Preheat your skillet and oil lightly. Cook as you would any other pancake!

*I try to use Quick-Cooking oats...I find the traditional ones don't get enough time to cook on the pan, leaving your pancakes doughy and heavy.

**Not sure if we've ever tried to make this one into waffles...I'll keep you posted on that!

Almond Banana Chip Muffins

At this very moment...our boys are both napping...Jay just left for work...and I'm enjoying a fresh Americano and one of these!! I was planning on doing some reading...but I was so anxious to share this recipe with you ASAP!

Notice a little trend with me lately? Almonds?! Have always loved them...as well as other nuts and seeds. We have just realized they are such a great alternative to many or all grains...we feel great eating them...and we love the taste!

I was a little skeptical whipping these guys up...I kept changing and adding to the recipe as I went along...and was VERY happy with the results! Honestly I expected quite a dense and heavy muffin...but these are so not like that! I realized quickly that this recipe is one that can be added too quite a bit (ex...nuts, seeds, dried fruit) and played around with...and would still turn out amazing!! These were a HUGE hit in our house today for all 4 of us! You can honestly actually HEAR how moist they are when you bite into them...yum!

Case in point.....

Fresh from the oven...


Five minutes after cooling...


Needless to say, they taste amazing! Easily one of the best muffins I've ever had.

Our official taste-testers in action!


Almond Banana Chip Muffins

1 c almond butter
1 c almond flour
3 medium brown RIPE bananas (the browner the better...makes them naturally sweet!)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp maple syrup...or sweetener of choice (optional)
1/4 c mini chocolate chips (optional)

Mash all ingredients (except chocolate chips) together in one bowl...stir until well combined. Add in chocolate chips.




Pour into muffin tin and bake at 350 for approx 22 minutes. You don't want to under bake these or they will sink in the middle, so lightly touch the center to test that they are fully baked.


Enjoy! Now I have to wait for the rest of my bananas to brown so I can make some more!

Thought I'd share too my Almond Flour of choice! Just went in with a few friends on a bulk order...huge savings by buying direct from the company! Their flour is super fine...bakes up like any other flour would:) Check them out!

Chocolate Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies

No that is not a typo...these are double chocolate cookies packed with tons of protein...and are grain free! Don't they look like something that's really bad for you??!! Good news is that they aren't! Definitely want a glass of nut milk, coconut milk, tea (or an Americano!) to wash these ones down...but they are so good! Great for a quick snack to get you through the afternoon, or a work out! The best part is they taste like you're eating a treat!

Tip...make sure you're almond butter is relatively fresh (soft & runny)...and not a jar that's been sitting on the back shelf of your fridge for 6 mths...these will come out very crumbly if it's not fresh:)

Chocolate Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies

1 c almond butter
1 egg
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/4 c chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)


Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

Throw ALL ingredients into ONE bowl and mix thoroughly! Does it get any easier?! I added 1 tsp of cinnamon to mine as well:)

On a parchment lined baking sheet, roll the dough into small balls and slightly flatten. These cookies won't change shape too much while baking, so shape them to how you desire them to look once cooked!

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies appear baked. These are soft and chewy and store well in the fridge!

ENJOY!

Barley Lentil Soup

Here's a peak at peak at what I just pulled out of the freezer for a quick dinner tonight...a comforting meal for all of those still experiencing SNOW!! (Happy it's not us!!)

Made this soup for the first time a few weeks ago. We had company coming for lunch, so I thought I'd try it out...kinda always a risk to try something new when guests are coming! I think they liked it?! We sure did! I had made a double batch so I froze the leftovers:) Another successful recipe from SLICE

ps...our boys BOTH love this soup...a great healthy and filling dinner to have on hand for them:)

Barley Lentil Soup

1/2 cup whole barley
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup lentils...any colour
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp tamari seasoning (or soya sauce)
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp each: basil, oregano, thyme and sea salt
1/2 tsp dill
several dashes of cayenne or hot sauce

1. Place barley in a bowl...covered with water...for at least 1 hour or overnight. Drain and rinse barely, set aside.

2. In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add stock and bring to a boil.

3. Add soaked barley, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 30 minutes.

4. Add lentils and simmer covered for an additional 20 minutes.

5. Once barely and lentils are tender, add vegetables, herbs and spices and simmer for an additional 10 minutes...or until you're ready to eat! Add more water or stock if needed to thin soup.

*I used all dried spices and seasonings...just cause that's what I had on hand...and it tasted great! I'm sure fresh would be amazing...but the dried worked too!