Cranberry and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Ready or not, here comes Paleo recipes!

Paleo?

Yes, Paleo. . . meaning healthy... meaning nothing but meat, veggies, and fruit.  No flour, no noodles, no 'cream of' anything soup... just good ole stuff from the earth itself.

(for some good references and information if you're curious, visit... Guide to Paleo )

It was a real challenge for me in the kitchen for the first few meals because I felt like all of my tools and everything that I was accustom to using in the kitchen had been stripped away.  I loved cooking, but didn't know how to season things without season salt or salt period...
So for the first week or so my lovely man took over the kitchen to prevent an overwhelmed Momma D kitchen crisis breakdown.

He did great, by the way... we had mostly grilled items, but hey, they were all great!

So his little plan of  "let's pretend not to know how to cook so Darby will think she needs to cook for poor pitiful boy" fell apart quickly and right into my mouth! YUM!

He cooked salmon, steaks... the whole 9 yards.  We even have done Kabobs! Yummy!!

So once we got the hang of it, I finally got some creative juices flowing in my cooking lobe and figured out how to still be able to cook YUMMY food without all the bad stuff in processed foods that we are all so use to cooking with.

So here's my first recipe... there will be many more to come! And lots more info about Paleo in general, but I just *had* to share this today because it was so yummy and sooo very easy!

Cranberry and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

Whole thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Baby spinach

Dried Cranberries

Balsamic Vinaigrette 

Cooking Wine 

Italian Seasoning

Carroway

Pepper

Sea Salt

Garlic Powder

Cookware and Supplies needed

*toothpicks or butcher twine 

Baking Dish

Meat tenderizer

1)Heat your oven to 375 degrees and grease your pan with either Pam or a little bit of olive oil 

2) With your meat tenderizer (or anything you can flatten the chicken with), flatten out the chicken breasts as much as possible.  You're going to want a flat, even surface to deal with or else it's going to be very difficult to get these all wrapped up and together

3) Season the chicken--- use your seasonings to your best judgement... I used  just a hint of carroway and it gave a mysterious flavor that was lovely in the chicken! So if you know that you like that flavor, carry on... if you have no clue what it is, just try it out at first with a little lit and then proceed with the other seasonings.  Remember I don't give you amounts because I know you know your tastebuds better than I do, just make sure the salt is minimal, and you don't get carried away with the garlic powder. 

4) STUFFING TIME! 

       This is where the fun is, place as much- or as little, spinach and cranberries in the middle of the chicken. I could have used two times as much cranberries in my chicken last night, but do it how you like.  This is where the flavor comes from, so make sure you put as much as you'd like in there! 

        When your chicken looks about like the above picture, it's time to put a little bit of the balsamic and white wine in the middle... this way it can soak from the inside and keep all the goodness and juiciness trapped in the middle.  I would not go overboard on the balsamic or wine, just because it's a pretty distinct flavor, but, again, you know your taste buds!

5) After everything is nice and pretty, it's time to roll up your chicken boobies and stick them.  Hopefully you flattened the chicken out enough to make this part pretty painless for you... all you need to do is roll it up, then with your toothpick, secure it from the front and back. I actually used kabob skewers that were cut in half because they are thicker and easier to find then the sometimes disappearing toothpick.  You can also use butcher twine for this... just make sure you tie two ties on it to secure everything, instead of one tie in the middle because when the chicken cooks, it will not stay all pretty and together. 

6) Once the chicken is rolled up, simply add some seasoning on the face side, really just a repeat of the seasoning mixture you did on the inside minus the cranberries and spinach! :)   

7) Place carefully in your baking dish, put the yumminess in the oven for about 40 minutes on 375 degrees. 

     * The chicken needs to be oozing white fluids and have a white/tan tint to know it is done and cooked thouroughly.  Cooking for 40-45 minutes is ample time to cook through. 

8) When its done, remove from oven and enjoy!!!

(( I don't have a finished product picture because we were all so hungry last night and it looked so good we didn't even think about pictures, we just wanted it in our mouths!))

So there ya go, Paleo or not, that's one flavorful and very healthy chicken meal that takes about an hour to have done!  Enjoy!

Herb Chicken and Mushroom Cream Sauce with Fettuccine

Herb Chicken and Mushroom Cream Fettuccine 

I was craving something hearty and yummy but not my normal casseroles, mainly because I had a limited amount of ingredients to work with.  Pay day is Friday, so we get what we get this week. 

I have to be honest, I am a huge herb fan and a huge chicken fan.  When I came to college, I realized chicken was quite cheaper than the other options, and that it is probably the most versatile.  As long as I have frozen chicken breasts in my freezer, I can cook a filling meal.  

Years ago, I started just playing with the different herbs I had in my spice rack and cooking chicken in the skillet to go along with my favorite $0.99 box of pasta primavera. It was my default dish and still is, but I did not have my old faithful box of pasta, so I had to be creative.  

For the Chicken

You must know that chicken is a very easy thing to cook, but also can be easy to dry out or under-cook.  You have to get familiar with it.  If at first you don't have juicy cooked chicken, try again.  Each time you cook is a chance to better yourself and your process, don't give up on it, just make it better next time.  

Herbs are your best friend, even the dried kind in your spice rack. 

What you'll need:

-Boneless, skinless chicken breast. Thawed (one for each person you're cooking for)

- 1 tbsp. garlic

- 1 tbsp. butter

- Lemon Pepper

- Season Salt

- Season Pepper

- Crushed Basil

- Dried Oregeno

- Parsley

- Dried Rosemary

-Olive Oil

Rub down the chicken breasts with olive oil. Just enough to give it some extra moisture, but not to where it is pooled in oil. 

Now, this is the fun part. 

I start out with the salt/pepper mixtures because those are very important to the flavor of anything and well, you pretty much have to have it. 

I put equal parts of Lemon Pepper and Season pepper, enough to see a good amount, but not to cover the chicken.  Then sprinkle a little bit of season salt on both sides. 

With the herbs, your most powerful are going to be your basil and rosemary.  So if you're afraid of having too much flavor (impossible...), start out with the basil and rosemary.  The best way to "measure" when you are pouring out of a seasoning container to me is how many 'shakes'.  So i'd give it atleast 3 shakes per side, then go on to the parsley and oregeno.  If you think you want more, go for it! 

At the end of your seasoning extravaganza, the chicken breasts should be coated in flavor but not layered in it. If you can wipe your finger across it gently it be a glue like mixture, then you may have given it too much. Just simply rub the chicken breast a little, add some olive oil, and you'll be fine. 

Let your chicken sit for about 10 minutes in the fridge to soak up some of those seasonings. 

Meanwhile, begin to boil your fettuccine and get your things together for the sauce. 

I was feeding two last night, and I used about 1/2 of a box of noodles, it was a little much, but perfect amount for leftovers. 

So bring about 5 cups of water to a rolling boil and then add your pasta.  

Remember fettuccine is a thicker pasta, so you'll need to cook it a little longer than you are use to with mac n' cheese or spaghetti.  

While that is boiling,  you'll want to start the chicken.

Place your garlic and butter in a large skillet, melt butter with garlic on medium heat. Once the garlic starts to smell up the kitchen, place your chicken breasts down.  You will want to cook them on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side (depending on thickness).

Your pasta should be just about done.  Pull it off the stove and drain it.  After you drain it, add a tablespoon of olive oil to keep it from clumping/sticking together.

Now for the easy part.

Creamy Mushroom sauce


1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water

Mix the above together.
There are two ways to make this.  One being a casserole style and the other being a simple pasta style.

If you'd like to do the casserole style, after you cook the chicken, toss the pasta in the bowl with the sauce, mix it up, then place the chicken in a casserole dish.  Cover the chicken with the noodle mix, and cook for about 15 minutes covered.

If you'd like the pasta style, in the skillet with the chicken, add the cream sauce.  You'll want to stir it around a little, but just let it cook mostly.  When it starts bubbling and it is a little thicker than it started, you are good to go.   Simply plate the pasta, then put the chicken and sauce on top!

And then TADDAAA!

Easy smeezy!

It seems like a lot, but once you get going it's really simple.  Remember, you are the artist in the kitchen, so don't be afraid to be creative.

Enjoy!