what's for dinner tonight {slowcooker chicken and bone broth}.

it's february...in maine...and we. are. freezing.

i think it's three degrees here today?  yes.  three.  no number after that.  just three.

since we have been making diet changes over here, i've been having so much fun swapping recipes with some friends.  i totally recommend partnering with a few good buddies if you're going to commit to the whole thirty, by the way.  as with anything else in life, it helps so much to have friends by your side (like when you attend a girlfriend's baby shower and face a gigantic food table and all you can have are vegetables... there's power in having a pal next to you as you both look down at your sad little plates of raw broccoli and cucumber slices)  anways, i digress.  but it's totally true.  one of my college girlfriends sent me this amazing slowcooker chicken recipe and it is like heaven in a crockpot.  plus, i used the bones and carcass to make a big pot of bone broth for soup which has been so delicious...especially in this frigid weather!

we're also in the throws of cold and flu season and bella's eczema has been going crazy over the last couple of weeks so i've been determined to do whatever i can to heal my sweet girl.  after a couple years of having prescriptions for steroid creams at me, i've pretty much stopped taking her to the doctor for it and we have been trying to address it naturally.  her skin has been almost perfect for the past year, but flared up around the holidays and has been pretty bad.  it's so awful to see your little one in such misery.  there's so much research linking eczema to gut health, and because of all of the sugar and junk she ate in the month of december, it's no doubt her skin has been a mess.  from what i've read, bone broth is like liquid gold when it comes to gut health, so i was especially excited when my girls slurped this soup right up... bowl after bowl after bowl.  my goal is to keep our freezer stocked with this, especially in the winter months when her skin seems to suffer the most.  which makes me feel SO much better than using harsh steroids... and i sprinkle probiotics in her soup (i hide that stuff in everything), so it's like a double shot of healing powers :)

and, this chicken and the soup is really SO easy to make.  here is the crockpot chicken recipe, and then instructions on how to make the soup:

slowcooker chicken

* 1 onion, chopped

* 4-5 carrots, scrubbed clean and cut into halves or thirds, no need to peel

* 4 celery stalks, cut into thirds

* 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

* 1 whole lemon, quartered

* 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 lb roasting or fryer chicken

for the rub:

* 4 t. salt

* 2 t. paprika

* 1 t. cayenne pepper

* 1 t. onion powder

* 1 t. thyme

* 1 t. white pepper (i didn't have this so i just added 1 1/2 t. black pepper)

* 1/2 t. garlic powder

* 1/2 t. black pepper

- combine ingredients for rub in a bowl and set aside.  prep veggies and put them into the crockpot.  

- prep chicken by removing the neck and any other organs... rinse chicken and pat dry.  

- rub garlic cloves all over outside of the chicken an then put inside the cavity.  massage the rub all over the outside of the chicken, putting some on the inside as well.  put the lemon quarters into the chicken cavity with the garlic.

- place chicken ontop of the vegetables in the slowcooker.  put lid on and cook on low for 4-8 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 160.  

- remove chicken and place in a glass 9x13 baking dish... place chicken under the broiler for a few minutes, allowing the skin to get nice and crispy.  allow chicken to rest for approximately five minutes before slicing.  

to make the soup...

- keep the veggies in the crockpot... once you've picked off all of the meat, add the carcass, lemons, garlic, bones back into the slowcooker with the veggies.  fill up with water... i added a little salt and italian seasoning.  cover and turn on low and allow to cook overnight.

- in the morning, strain broth by pouring contents of your crockpot through a mesh strainer.  i used 4 cups of broth to make a batch of soup immediately, and froze the rest in freezer bags once it was cooled.  i think mine made about twelve cups of bone broth, and i froze it in four cup portions.  you'll immediately notice a difference between the color of this broth, and the kind you buy at the store.  it's so rich and delicious.

- the great thing about this soup is you can use whatever veggies you have on hand... i highly recommend onions, carrots, garlic and celery because those are a great base... but from there i've added red potatoes (which really help in the place of noodles and give the soup a lot of body), shredded cabbage, asparagus, leeks, whatever i happened to have in my fridge or pantry.

- drizzle some olive oil in a large pot and throw in your veggies... allow to develop some color, season with salt and pepper if desired.  once your veggies have gotten a little tender and have browned a bit (this develops a TON of flavor), add your broth, some water (i added 2 cups to 4 cups of the stock), any added seasoning you'd like and leftover chicken from dinner the night before :)  this last batch i didn't have any chicken, so it was just potatoes and veggies and it was still so delicious.  the broth is just scrumptious with all of the spices from the rub plus the lemons and garlic... so so good!

let this picture confirm it's deliciousness (they weren't even posing, promise):

hope you enjoy!  it's the perfect thing on a cold winter's day... good thing i have another chicken sitting in my fridge... :)

dear emmy.

dear emmy,

oh my fiesty littlest love.

you sure do keep us on our toes.  you've had us laughing with your silly sense of humor since you were the teeniest babe.  and that has not changed.  

the minute you wake up in the morning, you are asking me to help take off your pajamas so you can put on a dress.  and usually not just any dress.  but one made out of tulle like you are ready to go to a party... when we are probably just headed to target.  but it doesn't matter... you wear the same one--poofy and grey--every single day.  but you twirl and flutter about and ask us if you look pretty as if it was the first time you wore it.  

every single day.

you are a little obsessed with being "pretty", so we talk to you a lot about what makes people beautiful.  you throw a huge fit if we even dream of putting you in pants... so we tell you all the time it's your heart that makes you beautiful; how you love and treat others, and because you are loved by God.  

but still, you hate pants.

i asked you the other day why you were so cute.  your little face lit up and your eyes got wide and you said "because God did that for me!"  you are adorable.

as girly as you are, you have a little boy sense of humor.  you love talking about butts and all-things-potty and you laugh and giggle like it's the funniest thing you've ever heard.  we keep telling you that you'll be spending a lot of time in the "time out" chair at school next year if you talk like that...and then you don't think it's so funny (but meanwhile we sometimes have to turn our backs to secretly laugh because of some of the things you come up with)...

speaking of school, you're excited but a little nervous.  we've gone into sissy's classroom at school to help out with a few things and you always cling to my side.  you were telling me the other day that you felt scared and when i asked you why you said "because those kids will see me!!!"  you're very sensitive about people "seeing you".  you're also just very sensitive in general.  you can cry at the drop of a hat because of being hurt by something... sometimes it's that it's my night to put bella to bed ("you ALWAYS put bella to bed and never me!!!"), and daddy and i always rotate each night... or that bella sits in my lap on a saturday morning ("bella ALWAYS gets to sit in your lap and you don't want me to!!!") when you get to sit in my lap the three mornings it's just me and you while bella's at school.  the other day you and bella were working on valentines together and something hurt your feelings.  you burst out into tears and told daddy and i "bella tore my heart!!!" (only in your cute little voice it sounded more like "bewwa towe my hauwt!!!"  we thought she had ripped up your valentine and you said "no!  my heart in my belly!"  and you REALLY meant it.  

you are a TOTAL mama's girl.  it wears on me sometimes because i can rarely do anything without you crying for me, but i know i will miss it someday too.  i love our days together and really treasure them because i know it won't be long until you're in school every day.  you go to miss alicia's house on the two days i work and you LOVE it.  they are a family that we are friends with from church and they have a little boy named jovan who is a little younger than you.  you do fun crafts and go on little trips and just love miss alicia.  and jovan is your best buddy.  i'm so thankful that you love them and are so well taken care of when i can't be with you.

you LOVE going places.  every day you that you are home with me, you have to have a run down of exactly what we are going to do.  "mama, what's aftah this nap?" when i answer you, you say "what's aftah the otha nap?"  everything is a "nap"... there's no "bedtime" to you.  if i say we're just hanging out at home you do NOT like it.  you love being in the car and being on the go... anytime we're headed in certain directions, you figure out where we're going and you'll get so excited: "mama! this is meme's paf!" (path).  everyone we know has a "path"... including target (because we go there so often).

you are a little boss... you correct your big sister all the time, and love to tell her what to do.  the minute she tries to do the same to you, you are quick to say "bella, don't tell me what to do."  and my goodness, are we in the throws of "threeness".  somedays you test my patience so terribly.  if i tell you to do something that you don't like, or tell you "no", you are quick to cross your arms, pout your lips and stomp off.  we've really had to come down on correcting your attitude and it's taken a lot of work and diligence.  you love slamming your door when you are angry, and sometimes you just scream because you are mad.  phew.  it's not always pretty, but we are determined to get you through this stage!

your favorite thing to eat is probably bacon... you also love nuts, which is so funny.  you sneak them all the time out of the pantry or off the counter.  you LOVE your gymnastics class that you go to each week and you love your baby dolls and stuffed animals.  there is constantly babies laying all over your room, each one has a pillow and is covered by a blanket.  i was about to put you down for a nap the other day and i heard smacking noises, so i tip toed to peek into your room and you were making your rounds, kissing each one on the head.  i always tell you you're going to be such a good little mama.  you love the show "goldie and bear" and "sofia the first" is still one of your favorites.  you know every word to just about every song.  you are still obsessed with your bunny and treat it as if it's your best buddy.  for a while you had nicknamed him "buns" and it was so cute.  your favorite treat is to go to target and get a soft pretzel, which we do on almost a weekly basis.  it's your thing.  you love watching cooking shows with me and you're a pest to put to bed.  but you always want us to sing "holy, holy, holy" and i just love that.  

i will really miss your chubby cheeks and how they feel warm against my face after you wake up from a nap.  i'll miss your sweet little voice and how you can't pronounce your "r's"...and how you will point do different women or girls and say "i like she" instead of "her".  you're just such a blessing to me, emmy faith, and i tell you that all the time.  i may lose my patience with you sometimes in this trying stage you are in right now, but you will always be my sunshine... you stole my heart the moment i looked into your eyes and you will have it forever.

i love you so much, my sweet girl.  always know how special you are and how beautiful you are to us.

love you to the moon and back (and back and back),

mama

what's for breakfast this morning {pear berry crisp}.

i love breakfast.  it's what gets me out of bed in the morning... and i especially love it on the weekends.  and snow days.

don't get me wrong; i love eggs and bacon.  but being on day 23 of the whole thirty i have been a little tired of eggs for breakfast every.single.day.

scrambled eggs.  fried eggs.  hard boiled eggs.  egg muffins.  eggs.  eggs.  eggggggssss.

i used to love making cinnamon rolls and muffins and yummy treats for breakfasts every once and a while and i'm not going to lie: i've missed all of those things.  so, when a snow day seemed to be in the forecast yesterday, i went to the store the night before and whipped up this delicious fruit crisp from the "against all grain" cookbook.

oh my deliciousness.

(if you don't have this cookbook and you eat paleo, gluten free or grain free, you need it.)

this fruit crisp is SO good and doesn't have any sugar other than the fruit and dates.  it tastes so much like a traditional fruit crisp it feels like you're cheating.  but you're not.  it would be good for dessert or breakfast... or a snack... or any time of the day.

pear berry crisp

* 3 lbs. red pears, peeled and sliced
* 2 c. blueberries
* 1 c. blackberries (the original recipe calls for 2 c. blackberries and 1 c. blueberries, but i liked this combo better for us)
* 1 T. lemon juice
* 2 t. coconut flour
* 1/4 t. sea salt
* 1/4 t. cinnamon
* 1/4 t. all spice

topping:

* 2 T. coconut oil in solid form
* 2/3 c. raw almonds
* 2/3 c. raw pecans
* 4 dates, pitted (I used the medjool kind)
* 2 T. shredded, unsweetened coconut
* 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
* 1/4 t. sea salt

- preheat oven to 375.
- place pears and berries in bowl and add the rest of the filling ingredients.  mix together and place in a 1 quart baking dish greased with coconut oil.
- put the topping ingredients in a food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped and it resembles a course oat mixture.  sprinkle topping evenly over fruit.
- bake for 35 minutes, or until juices are bubbling and crisp is golden brown.

YUM!  this has lasted us for a few days, too, so it's something great to have on hand for ready to go breakfasts (or as i said, snacks, dessert, etc).

these are the kinds of things that get me excited about eating healthy :)  enjoy!

what's for dinner tonight {almond crusted chicken}.

so, today is day fifteen of my whole thirty and i'm feeling great!  i fought a little bit of a bug for a few days, but am thankfully feeling much better.  i feel more energetic, have been full throughout the day while eating less... and just all around really really good!!  nick and i have each lost around eleven pounds which is pretty insane considering it's only been fifteen days.

and really, that's an added bonus to feeling healthier.  but hey, it's one i'll gladly take.

i can honestly say i've LOVED the food we've eaten the last fifteen days.  i absolutely love to cook and make food for my loved ones... and that was one of my biggest hesitations about starting the whole thirty.  i love making homemade bread for my family twice a week... i love surprising them with chocolate chip cookies or their favorite dinners, and loving how the women in my family taught me to... through food.  but i'm just learning to readjust the way i look at food and caring for my family... and there will still be time for homemade goodies, but serving them healthy food definitely feels great.

especially when it's something they like.  which is sometimes...difficult.

the girls have been eating whatever i make for dinner... we have a rule in our house that what's on the table is what's for dinner, they can take it or leave it but mama is not a short order cook.  we've gotten through a lot of pickiness this way... the girls aren't allowed to say they don't like something until they've tried it.  while they still have their bouts of pickiness... and there have been many nights i get tired of hearing "ewwww i'm NOT eating this!" that is for sure.  but, it has been so fun for me to watch them try different veggies, discover new things they like and gobble up fish and homemade chicken soup asking for seconds and thirds.  i love that.  and it kind of makes all of the whining and complaining worth it.

kind of.

this recipe is one that was totally loved by my girls... which makes it kid-tested and whole thirty approved.  while i think it would be better pan-fried, it's obviously much healthier baked and still fit the bill when i wanted something that felt like a bit of a cheat meal.  a good alternative to chicken fingers, and totally grain free.

almond crusted chicken

* chicken tenderloins or breasts (i cut four chicken breasts into strips)
* 2 c. almond flour or meal
* 4 eggs
* 2 t. garlic powder
* 1 t. onion powder
* 1/2 - 1 t. cayenne pepper
* 1/4 t. pepper
* 1/2 t. salt
* 1/4 t. chili powder

- grease a sheet pan by brushing with olive oil and preheat oven to 350.
- combine the flour, spices and seasonings in a shallow dish.  crack eggs into another shallow dish and whisk.
- coat each chicken strip in eggs and then dredge through flour mixture... then repeat.  i liked double dipping so that the coating was nice and thick and stayed on well.
- arrange chicken strips evenly over sheet pan and spray or drizzle with olive oil.  bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for 20 more, or until chicken is done and coating is golden brown.  i might play around with the cooking time a bit... the coating took longer to brown up than the chicken took to cook, but overall this was a good recipe and my kids LOVED it!  (so did their parents).

i served mine with grilled cauliflower that i turned into rice, and asparagus.  so good!  you can also create your own dipping sauce as well... i'll post the ranch recipe i use soon... you'll want to put it on everythinggggg.

this is one whole thirty recipe your kids can get behind.  let me know if you try it!