Recipe: Paleo Chicken Salad

I'm always on the hunt for new meal prep friendly recipes. Something tasty, easy to make and something I can grab on the go! Recently I have been cutting dairy and gluten out of my diet to help with my PCOS symptoms so I've been switching up my normal meal prep staples. 

I loved this one and I just had to share it with you!

Meet my dairy free, gluten free, super tasty Chicken Salad!

Ingredients:

- 2 Boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts (cooked and shredded)

- 1/2 cup dairy free mayo (I used Primal Chicken's Mayo w/ Avocado Oil)

- 2 slices of cooked bacon (chopped)

- 2 celery stalks (chopped)

- 2 green onions (chopped)

-Himalayan salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix shredded chicken, mayo, bacon, and the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix. THAT'S IT! Simple right?

*Note: I cooked my chicken in my instant pot. 2  thawed chicken breasts, 1 cup of boneless chicken broth cooked on manual for 13 minutes, shredded and then chilled in the fridge before adding.

I served it over a cup of shredded cabbage/salad mix for lunches this week and it was a nice change of pace! Next time I may add a dash of hot sauce too it for a kick ;)

Want more recipes like this? Want more recipes like this, meal prep tips and/or to get started with a fitness routine? I would LOVE to be your coach! You can reach out to me by going to my Facebook page by clicking the picture below....

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My Pantry Favorites: Part 1

I did a Facebook Live today showing some of my favorite pantry items and I thought sharing here would be fun too! 

I plan to do more of these types of posts in the future so I'm only sharing a few things here today. These are definitely some of my top favorites for sure.

 Coconut Aminos: I love this stuff SO much. I used to use Braggs Liquid Aminos, but with my PCOS I have bee trying to cut all soy from my diet.  I LOVE soy sauce so finding an alternative that is tasty and healthy was huge for me. I use this for stir fries and my combination fried rice.

Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar: Oh man where can I start on this awesomeness? Helps prevent flu and other stomach illnesses, reduces acid re-flux and hear burn, good for your hair, skin and gut. I could go on and on and on. I love using Apple Cider Vinegar to "pickle" veggies. Add 1 cup of AC Vinegar, 1 cup water, 1/2 red onion sliced and 1 cucumber peeled and sliced. Store in a mason jar and chill in the fridge. A great "crunchy/tangy" snack when you are craving chips or crackers!

Organic Stoneground Mustard: I love to make "egg salad" with this or even use it to dip chicken sausage in. 

Local Organic Honey: No brand for this one, key word is LOCAL. When you digest local organic honey from your area it will help with allergies! Crazy right? I started eating a few tsps a week of local honey about 2 years ago and was able to stop taking allergy medicine. Check out your Farmer's Market and enjoy! I love using mine in my favorite Shakeology Recipe: Honey Nut Latte.

Homemade Seasoning: The two I have right here are staples in my pantry. The "21 Day Fix Taco Seasoning" from the 21 Day Fix Nutrition Guide and the "Mediterranean Blend" from the Country Heat Nutrition Guide. I use the Taco Seasoning like it's going out of style! It's my go too when making tacos and sometimes even chili.

Want more recipes like this? Or even, meal prep tips and/or to get started with a fitness routine? I would LOVE to be your coach! You can reach out to me by going to my Facebook page by clicking the picture below....

There are kinds of fun things coming to this blog and my Facebook page this fall! I hope you come back and see what's happening :)

Recipe: Sweet Potato Chili - Instant Pot Edition

You might not know this, but I LOVE Fall. 

Not just Pumpkin Spiced Lattes... I love the season Fall. The crisp air, the leaves changing, leggings, warm boots, hot cups of coffees and hot delicious comfort foods in the evening. 

This recipe is making me really excited about the season changing. I made this recipe this week and my family loved it. When I first told them I was making sweet potato chili they turned their nose up at it. Then when it was time to eat, they were pleasantly surprised! 

I can't tell you how happy that made me! 

This new recipe will be a staple in my house from here on out. The best part is how EASY it was to prepare/cook! I hope you enjoy this recipe.

(This recipe is Dairy and Grain Free)

Ingredients:

2 lb organic ground beef

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic gloves, pressed

1 small red onion, chopped

30 oz organic tomato sauce

2 cups organic beef stock

2 carrots, chopped

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tbsp cup chili powder (or less if you desire *wink*)

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

2 tsp sea salt

 1 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Set instant pot to saute and wait tell it says "hot". Add  1 tsp of evoo then ground beef and brown. Once beef has browned add onion, garlic and let simmer for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients in. Stir well. Seal the lid and set the mode to "meat/stew" and it will automatically set for 35 minutes. Make sure the valve is set to sealed. Once done let it "natural release" in warm mode for 10 minutes. Stir well and serve.

Makes 8-9 servings

*Note if you aren't eating this "dairy free" you can add some shredded cheddar to the top. My kids love this!

*Note again: If you want more of a "kick" to your chili, you can add red pepper flakes to taste. 

Ahhh Fall, my happy place :) 

21 Day Fix/Country Heat/Portion Fix Container Equivalent:

1 Red 1 Yellow  1 Green 1 Purple

*Note I measured out my serving with 1 cup

This Instant Pot recipe was easy, a huge time saver and DELICIOUS! Stay tuned for more healthy comfort food recipes coming soon.

 In the mean time...

Want more recipes like this? Or even, meal prep tips and/or to get started with a fitness routine? I would LOVE to be your coach! You can reach out to me by going to my Facebook page by clicking the picture below....

If 80% of your results are based on what you consume, then let's get in the kitchen! Learn how to meal prep with us!

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Why we are Homeschooling and our First Day of School

We have officially gotten through our very first week of Homeschooling! With the 3 day weekend and our first class day with our co-op, we eased our way into this new routine and we've loved every minute of it.

I've been asked a lot WHY we are Homeschooling. 

I could give you a very long post on our reasons. But I'll save that for another blog post someday.

The short reason? This is what God has called us to do and we are going embrace this new season of life we are beginning.

Am I excited? Yes.

Am I nervous? Yes.

Do I trust the direction God is moving our life? With all my heart. He's known this was the plan all along. Thank you Jesus.

While we are in the building phase of our home, the cabin we are staying in on our land is home to us. It's small but fits us comfortably and we are very blessed to have this add on room that works as a office/workout room/class room. We've used up every inch of the space possible and we're happy with the the outcome.

Not everyone that homeschools has a "classroom" and there are a lot of different styles of homeschooling. Why we made a classroom? With the house building, country moving lifestyle changes and the fact we had space in this cabin to do it is why we made one. Having the room set up this way motivates Carson and I when we begin our school day, it's something we both enjoy. It has made beginning kindergarten exciting to him and he looks forward to coming in here everyday to learn. 

Prep... We have truly enjoyed getting familiar with our little local library here in our tiny town :) They've helped me order books in from other branches that will work well with our study units over the next few weeks. We go once a week. The kids get to play, and I get to explore! Double win.

Over the summer I spent a lot of time looking at SO many different types of curriculum. Then one day this awesome curriculum fell on my lap. Or should I say a wonderful friend of mine was selling her used curriculum from previous school years and this was it! Just another awesome move from God.

Caleb snapped this pic of me one night as I was working on the classroom prepping for our first week. I grumbled about it then, now a few weeks later I appreciate that he took this. I want to remember these early stages of this new journey we are on.

What do I hope to get out of our first year of Homeschooling?

Time. Time to be with my children as they learn, explore and grow stronger in their knowledge of the Lord. Time for more giggles, games, story times and snuggles.

I'm honored and humbled to get to do this with our kids. 

I'm also very thankful for my hard working Husband. He works away from us all day so that we can be here together. I'm also thankful for my coaching that allows me to work freely from home.

How we started out our first day of school. Tractor ride and skipping. It was beautiful weather too! So thankful that Fall weather is starting to say hello.

Some pictures from our school day. The first 10 days of this curriculum is called "Foundation: The Story of Creation." We started with Day 1 and read Genesis 1:1-5 in Carson's new Bible. 

At the end of the school day I asked Carson what he wanted to do now that he was done with his first day of school. His response? He wanted to go take care of the animals :) So that's what he did!

What did Lily do after our first day?

She decided the bedroom floor was a good place to fall asleep. Don't worry, I moved her to the bed :)

4 years in a blink. So proud of our sweet, silly, train track building boy. You are a blessing Carskey boy. 

This first day of homeschool has been a long time in the making. I wasn't sure if I was going to be cut out for this, to be the teacher I wanted him to have. Lots of prayer, encouragement from loved ones and other homeschool mamas and God's glorious grace got us to this point. I'm feeling incredibly thankful and blessed for this new season God has called on us, and honored to have this role in my kids lives. 

Is homeschooling for everyone? No. Is it what my family and I have been called to do? Yes. And we are going to savor it, thrive in it God willing and enjoy it. ❤️

This blog started out as a place to share my passion for health and fitness. Over the last year it has grown to a place where I also share our journey as new homesteaders and now as a new homeschool mom. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for lots more posts in the future. 

Recipe: Sweet and Sour Meatballs and Zoodles: Instant Pot Clean Eating Edition

When making healthy lifestyle changes what is one of the first things we cut out? Soda? The junk food aisle? Eating out? 

Ah yes eating out was a big one for me. I love take out Chinese food. Sweet and Sour anything makes my taste buds jump for joy.

Not only does cutting eating out several times a week help your waist line, it also will help your wallet! 

This recipe I came up with last week in the instant pot sure hit the spot for my Chinese food craving.  Pair it with my Healthy Combination Fried Rice and you'll (hopefully) be a happy camper!

Ingredients:

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

3/4 cup organic coconut sugar OR sucanat

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 

1/4 cup organic ketchup

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tbsp braggs liquid aminos

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp water

Meatballs:

1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup 2 % milk or unsweetened almond milk

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 lbs organic grass fed beef or organic lean ground turkey (note: we prefer this recipe with beef)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

1/2 tsp sea salt or Himalayan Salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

Zoodles: 

1 Zucchini

a little sliced onion optional

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Zoodler/veggie spiralizer

Directions:

Step #1: Make meatball mixture, cover and let chill in fridge for 30-60 minutes. Get your Instant Pot ready to go. Have the stainless steel pot clean/inside and place the rack inside as well. Add 1 cup of organic beef broth. Roll out meatballs and fill place them inside the pot. I start out by lining them up on the outside rim of the rack circle and make my way in. Cover the lid and set it to manual, high pressure for 5 minutes. Make sure the pressure valve is sealed. Once the pot has pressurized and cooked for 5 minutes put it in "natural release mode" ( set to warm for 10 minutes, then release the valve and remove the lid). 

*Note: I tend to prep my zucchini at this time as well.

Step #2: While the meatballs are cooking let's start making the sauce! Take a bowl and add all the dry ingredients BUT the cornstarch. Mix well then add water. Mix well again. Once the meatballs are done remove lid, take the rack out with meatballs on them. They make be a little stuck to the rack. If so, turn the rack upside down and dump the meatballs on to a plate. Drain any extra liquid left in the IP and then place pot back inside IP. Set IP to keep warm and add sauce mixture. Let warm up for a few minutes while stirring occasionally. Add cornstarch, stir well/frequently for about 2 mins. Once sauce begins to thicken add meatballs back into pot. Let meatballs sit for a minute, then turn them over and repeat the process another minute. By now you should have nice, flavorful sweet and sour meatballs! Turn pot off.

Step #3: Heat up a cast iron or skillet, add evoo and garlic/onion is optional. Then add zucchini and toss around for a few minutes. Take off heat.

Serve! 

Make these comfort food recipes into healthier versions at home as really helped me stick to my clean eating. Especially while I've been doing this round of Country Heat!

Want more recipes like this? Want more recipes like this, meal prep tips and/or to get started with a fitness routine? I would LOVE to be your coach! You can reach out to me by going to my Facebook page by clicking the picture below....

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Adventures of Homestead Homeschooling

Why We are Homeschooling, Curriculum and First Day


Stay tuned for more Adventures in Homestead Homeschooling!