Chicken and Broccoli Cheese Dip (Grain-Free)

Memorial Day weekend recipe! Perfect for dipping at BBQs and parties 🙂 

Chicken and Broccoli Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked and thickly shredded chicken

1 head of broccoli, stem and florets chopped into small pieces

1 small onion, chopped

1 and 2/3 cup plain, greek yogurt

4oz cream cheese

2 tbsp spicy mustard

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on LOW for 1-2 hours. Switch to KEEP WARM and start dipping!

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Crockpot Red Cabbage and Apples (Paleo)

The opportunity to housesit could not have happened at a better time. With holiday sweets and leftovers stacked high in both of my parents’ fridges, I needed the chance to physically remove myself from the proximity before Christmas Eve and Day repeated themselves over and over again.

Now in an empty house in literally the middle of nowhere, I can detox for a few days and eat some more wholesome foods. Plus I get to read my new books and “play” with the weighted hula hoop that I got for Christmas (yes, similar to Alvin and the Chipmunks, I wanted a hula hoop for Christmas). Well, maybe not immediately. I already have some killer bruises from hula hooping the first time for 10 minutes 😦

Anyway, back to food. Since I knew I’d be sitting in a house all day, I brought along my crockpot and cooked up some red cabbage and apples. Topped with a little bit of sour cream, it was the perfect thing to eat as I rediscovered my love of Netflix (I don’t allow myself to go on Netflix during the school semester).

Red Cabbage and Apples (Paleo)

Ingredients: 

1 head of red cabbage, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 large apples, peeled and cubed

1 and 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions: 

Place all ingredients in a crockpot and stir together. Place on LOW for 4-6 hours. Stir once halfway through cooking time. Let cool slightly and top/mix in sour cream (if desired) before serving.

This year’s Christmas picture with the siblings (not that you could tell with us standing directly in front of the tree. Oops.)

Crockpot Drumsticks (Paleo)

Simple recipe to balance out the busy holiday weeks to come. Just throw everything in the crockpot and you’re done till dinner time! Plus, you get an AMAZING smell throughout the house all day long. 

Crockpot Drumsticks (Paleo)

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup celery sticks (more or less)

1 cup baby carrots, sliced in half (more or less)

2 tsp salt

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne

5 drum sticks

Directions:

Place onions, celery, and carrots at the bottom of your crockpot.

In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and cayenne. Rub seasoning onto chicken drumsticks. Place chicken on top of veggies. Cook on LOW for 6 hours. 

Crock-Pot Apple, Butternut, and Kielbasa Soup (Paleo)

Today is definitely a crockpot soup day. Chilly and rainy. Ewww. It’s the one downside of autumn  

So, I think I’m going to remake a pot of this today to keep me warm as I study for the delightful midterms that are (already!) descending upon me.

Crock-Pot Apple, Butternut, and Kielbasa Soup

Ingredients:  

3 apples, peeled and chopped

1 butternut squash, chopped

1 onion, chopped 

4 cups chicken broth 

2 cups water

1 tsp thyme 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 

pepper, to taste 

1 lb kielbasa 

4 cups fresh spinach 

Directions: 

Place apples, butternut squash, onion, broth, water, thyme, salt, pepper flakes, and pepper in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Turn off slow cooker and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add in kielbasa and spinach, turn crock pot back to low, and continue to let cook for at least 1 more hour. Adjust taste with salt and pepper and serve.  

Slow Cooker Apple and Onion BBQ Chicken

To keep costs at a relatively reasonable rate, my family and I try to eat in while on vacation. This can be hard when we all have different plans and guests over and whatnot. Especially when we’re on the beach all day. 

So, this recipe was put to use this week to feed a bunch of people as they came and went. Since it’s a slow cooker, I was able to start it up before I headed down to the beach and come back with it almost complete. 

Plus, it wasn’t too laborious on my arm (still getting used to the cast!)

Oh, and another thing I loved about this? You get a side dish of BBQ apples and onions, a combination that tastes surprising good together!

Slow Cooker Apple and Onion BBQ Chicken

Ingredients: 

4 lbs organic chicken drumsticks 

2 cup BBQ sauce (I used Bill’s Best Organic BBQ Sauce) 

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 onions, chopped 

2 apples, peeled and cut into 1 inch-cubed pieces

4 garlic cloves, minced 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker (don’t worry if it’s filled to the top- it’ll shrink as it cooks.) Put on low and let cook for 5 hours. Remove chicken. With a slotted spoon, scoop up remaining onions and apples, drain of excess sauce, and place in its own bowl to serve as a side dish.