Herb & Lemon Roasted Chicken

This is another meal from our Practically Paleo Freezer Meal Workshop.

This uses a whole chicken.  However, you can use just chicken pieces - I will probably use breasts next time.  Flavor is really good and I'm using the leftover to make a big pot of soup.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Rustic Herb Seasoning
2 tsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning
3 1/2 - 4 lbs whole chicken
1 lemon, cut in half
2 Tbsp oil (to use when cooking)
salt & pepper to taste (optional)

Assembly Instructions:

Rub first two ingredients on to chicken and place cut lemon inside chicken.  Place chicken in a gallon resealable freezer bag.  Freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

Thaw completely.  Grease slow cooker with oil, cook chicken on low for 5-6 hours (ours took longer because it weighed 5 lbs) until tender or bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 2-2 1/2 hours until tender.  Makes about 6 servings.  If baking in oven, uncover the last 30 minutes of baking time to brown.

If you use a whole chicken like I did, you can cook the meat off the bones by keeping it in the crock-pot, add 4 cups of water (or broth), cook on low heat for at least 8 hours.  Remove skin & bones.  Add carrots, mushrooms, celery, rice, & bouillon (if you didn't use broth).  Continue cooking on low until rice & vegetables are done.  Add additional seasonings if necessary.

Rustic Herb Pulled Pork

If you love pulled pork, this is a quick & delicious recipe that came from our Practically Paleo Freezer Meal workshop for this month.

Both my son and husband made it into sub sandwiches.  I just had it as a meat dish with baked potato.  My son, who is a picky eater, said it was really good.  Husband - not so satisfied (his had some fat that slipped through).  I enjoyed the flavor of the meat.

Next time I make it, I will probably use chicken.  The pork roast I used was a shoulder butt and it was full of fat and did not shred easily (even though it was cooked all the way through).  You can also use a beef roast.

Ingredients:

2 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp Rustic Herb Seasoning
2 tsp Garlic Garlic
1 Tbsp Onion Onion
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp water
3-3 1/2 lb pork roast of your choice
salt & pepper to taste, optional.


Assembly Instructions:

For a freezer meal for later preparation, label a gallon freezer bag and place the pork roast in it.  Add to it the first 6 ingredients.  Seal and squish  the bag mixing the seasonings into the meat.  open & squeeze out excess air then reseal.  Freeze.  approx prep time 20 minutes.

Cooking Instructions:

Thaw completely; place in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours until meat is fork tender.   Remove & shred meat with two forks.  Place back in slow cooker until ready to serve.  By the way I used a slow cooker liner that made clean-up a breeze!

Optional - bake covered in a 325 degree oven for 3-4 hours until meat is fork tender.

Makes about 6-8 servings.

Notes:  I used a previous season product of Tastefully Simple called Smoked Paprika & Garlic Dip Mix.  I also used the Himalayan Sea Salt and Green Tea Peppercorn Seasoning Blend.

Onion Onion Seasoning Blend

Tastefully Simple has lots of products.  Onion Onion is one of those staple products and it is in my cupboard.

I use it as a seasoning instead of onion powder, minced onion or chopped onion in a lot of my recipes.  What does that mean?  Less items in my spice cupboard!

As the title indicates, this is a seasoning blend.  Ingredients include Onion, garlic, sea salt, shallots, red bell pepper, parsley, chives, leeks, and citric acid.  It is Certified Kosher-parve by Kof-K.

Nutrition Facts:  Serv Size: 1⁄4 tsp (.5g), Servings: about 226, Amount Per Serving: Calories 0, Total Fat 0g (0% DV), Sodium 40mg (2% DV), Total Carb 0g (0% DV), Protein 0g. Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

One cap full is approximately 2 Tablespoons and 1 Tablespoon equals 6 Tablespoons fresh onion.

I use it every weekday in my morning omelette.  I have also used it in my spaghetti sauce, lasagna, meatloaf, taco meat, and as a seasoning on meats to be grilled.  A very versatile product to have.

Recipes for using this product can be found on this blog page as well as at Tastefully Simple's web page (through my website).  Here are some ideas:

• Onion Dip (recipe is on the container)
• Bacon Onion Ranch Potato Salad
• Broccoli Salad
• Scalloped Onion Onion Potatoes
• Wahoo! Chicken & Lentil Soup
• Irish Stout Stroganoff
• Savory Grilled Chicken
• Slow-Cooked  Onion Bacon Sloppy Joes
• Bayou Bourbon Pork Chops
• Scrumptious Pot Roast
• Bayou Bourbon Beef & Broccoli
• Creamy Onion Chicken
• Gorgonzola Stuffed Burgers
• Sensational Beef Stroganoff

You can purchase this product for $8.99 plus shipping and applicable sales tax (in Washington State, it is non-taxable) at my website.  All major credit cards are accepted.

Enjoy!

GF Almond Snowball Cookies

This is a recipe from our 2014 Tastefully Simple Cookie Workshop.  Actually, I modified it to be gluten-free.

Ingredients:

GF Vanilla Bean Pound Cake Mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1 egg
2 oz pkg chopped pecans
powdered sugar

Directions:

Combine first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  roll into 1 inch balls.  Place on press-n-seal paper.  Cover with another press-n-seal.  Seal and freeze.

Place balls 2 inches apart on greased or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly browned.  Cool slightly.  roll in powdered sugar until well-coated.  Cool on rack.

Makes 24-26 cookies.

The original recipe used Absolutely Almond Pound  Cake Mix.

GF Cheesy Biscuits

This is actually on the back of the Gluten-Free Beer Bread Mix and is a variation of the recipe posted in Tastefully Simple's recipes.

If you liked the biscuits at Red Lobster, this is for you . . .

Prep Time:  15 minutes
Bake Time:  15-17 minutes
Servings:  14-15 biscuits

Ingredients:

Gluten Free Beer Bread Mix
1 Tbsp Garlic Garlic
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1 Cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2-3 Tbsp melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine first 5 ingredients; stir until dough forms.  Drop dough by large tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake for 5-17 minutes or until lightly browned.  Brush tops of hot biscuits with melted butter.  Serve warm.


This was a big hit with our family on Thanksgiving day.

Chili & Cornbread

Our dinner tonight was a crock-pot meal.  The chili cooked on low for about 4 hours.  Served it over the cornbread and sprinkled with fat-free shredded cheddar cheese.

Chili:

1 pound ground turkey, browned
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can great northern beans (white kidney or cannellini)
2 Tbsp Wahoo! Chili Seasoning Blend
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 can black beans

stir all of the above in a crock-pot.  Cook on low for several hours.


Gluten-free Cornbread:

Gluten-free Beer Bread Mix
1 egg (I used egg substitute)
1/3 cup corn meal
1/4 cup canola oil (I used Extra-Virgin Olive Oil)
1 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
1/3 cup canned corn
2 tsp Fiesta Party Dip Mix (optional) (I used 1 tsp)
2-3 Tbsp melted butter
Bacon Bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine first 4 ingredients; blend well.  Add the milk; stir to blend.  Fold in corn and Fiesta Party Dip Mix (if desired).  Pour batter into a greased 8x8 pan.  Sprinkle Bacon Bacon over the top then drizzle with melted butter.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden.  Serve warm.  Makes 9 servings.

Nana's Apple Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe came from our Freezer Cookie Workshop.

Ingredients:

Nana's Apple Cake Mix or Gluten Free Cinnamon Apple Cake Mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1 egg
1 3/4 cups quick cook oats
1/2 cup Craisins (optional)

Directions:

In medium bowl, combine first 3 ingredients; blend well.  Gradually add oats (and craisins, if desired); stir until combined.  Scoop by level teaspoon onto press n'seal, flatten slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Partially thaw cookies, slide onto parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.


GF option:  bake 15 minutes.  Makes 2 dozen.

I did the gluten-free option as well as using unsalted butter and egg substitute.  I did not use Craisins but may consider adding chocolate chips next time.