Crockpot Honey BBQ Chicken

2 "family packs" boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 quart homemade Honey BBQ Sauce
3/4 c water

Place chicken in crockpot. Pour bbq sauce & water in over the chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until done.

Homemade Honey BBQ Sauce

1 c ketchup
4 T worcestershire sauce
1/4 c chili powder
1/4 c honey
1/4 c onion powder
1-2 T garlic powder
1 c water

Mix all ingredients together, refigerate in sealed container up to 2 weeks to use on your favorite meats.

Crockpot Meatloaf

2 packs Costco ground beef (about 2.5 lb)
3 slices gluten-free bread, dried or toasted, then crumbled
1/4 c flax seeds
2 eggs

1 onion, diced 

1/2 c cashew milk
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste
Paprika to taste
Potatoes
Carrots

Sauce

• 1/4 cup Ketchup (see my recipe for homemade ketchup)
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup 
• 1 tsp prepared Mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Beat eggs in large mixing bowl. Mix in cashew milk, spices, bread crumbs, oinion, & flax seeds. Break up ground meat & mix in by hand. Form into a loaf in crockpot. Cut potatoes and carrots into about 1 - inch pieces & put in crockpot  around the meatloaf. Turn on low & cook 6-8 hours. 30 minutes  before  ready to serve, put sauce on top, turn heat up to high & cook another 30 minutes.

Grain-Free "Cornbread"

Ingredients

1/4 c coconut, or avocado oil  (1/2 a stick)
1 c cashew milk
1 large egg
1 1/4 c almond meal (ground with skins on)
1 c blanched almond flour
1/2 c honey
1 T baking  powder
1/2 t salt

Heat the oven to 400°F. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

If using coconut oil, heat over low heat until melted.

In a large bowl, beat the oil , milk, honey and egg with a fork or wire whisk until well mixed. Add the almond meal, blanched almond flour, baking powder and salt all at once; stir just until the flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Pour batter into the pan; use a rubber spatula to scrape batter from bowl. Spread batter evenly in pan and smooth top of batter.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Dairy-free Yogurt

2 c raw almonds or cashews
3 c hot water  (I used the tea kettle)
3 c filtered water
2 T pure maple syrup (to feed the culture)
1 packet or capsule of yogurt culture  (or 1 T dairy-free yogurt, like store-bought coconut or almond yogurt - you can find this at Sprouts) I used yogourmet starter, but for the severely  lactose intolerant, I recommend  the Tbsp of non-dairy yogurt.
2 T chia seeds (optional)

Thoroughly clean yogurt maker & jars with hot soapy water & make sure they are dry.
Pour the 3 c hot water over the nuts & soak overnight & drain in the morning. If using almonds, the skins will be loosened & ready to peel off. Do this next. Rinse the nuts, then place in blender & add the 3 c filtered water. Blend on high for 3-5 minutes, pausing in the middle to add the maple syrup (you don't have to pause if you  have a pour spout to add ingredients & can do so without a mess). Pour a small amount  into a cup or bowl & add the culture to the small amount, then mix it back into the rest. Carefully pour mixture into your jars & put in yogurt maker. Place lid on & turn on for 8-12 hours. Stir in chia seeds before refrigerating. They add protein & thickness  to the yogurt. 

Next time, I might try this with pecans or walnuts.

*I found this recipe  on someone else's blog, & it did not specify whether or not to strain the pulp out after blending the nuts, so I opted to try leaving it in.

Teriyaki Meatballs

Meatballs:
2.5 pounds ground beef
2/3 c gluten-free steel cut oats, uncooked
3 eggs
1/4 c ground raw flax seeds
1/4 c whole  raw flax seeds
4 drops  dōTERRA black pepper oil
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to taste
White pepper to taste
Paprika  to taste

Sauce:
2 cans pineapple chunks (separate the pineapple from the juice)
1 c wheat - free Tamari soy sauce, 50% reduced sodium (for soy-free, use liquid aminos)
1/2 c pure maple syrup
1/2 c white rice vinegar
2 drops dōTERRA ginger oil 

Directions:
Mix meatball ingredients and form 32 meatballs. Brown lightly in skillet (do not cook through, but you  want a nice crust), then transfer to crockpot.

Mix pineapple juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar and ginger oil together  & pour over the meatballs and pineapple. Put pineapple chunks in on top of the meatballs. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until  meatballs are cooked through. Serve with rice & a green vegetable. We did broccoli, but fresh green beans or asparagus would be great

** For freezer meal, brown the meatballs, then combine all ingredients in freezer bag. Thaw in refrigerator the day before cooking. Dump contents of the bag into crockpot & cook on low 6-8 hours. 

Fish Chowder

1 pound of fish (I used cod), cubed
1 1/2 -2 c chopped carrots
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic, or a dash of garlic powder.
4 c raw sweet potato, peeled & diced, divided
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 pound turkey bacon, chopped
32 oz. vegetable base
2 cans full-fat coconut milk, water reserved
Salt & pepper to taste

Place fish, carrots, onion, 2 c of the sweet potato, the vegetable base, and spices in the crock pot. Boil the other 2 c of sweet potato and the cauliflower until soft. Blend the boiled sweet potato and cauliflower with the reserved water from the coconut milk. Add the blended mixture to the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Add the cream from the coconut milk to the crockpot an hour before ready to serve.

Optional: add a little hot sauce, like Tabasco or Tapatio when served.

My First "Hack": Cashew Cookie Bars

My boys are crazy about Lärabar snack bars. It was getting expensive to buy them as fast as they can eat them, so I decided to see if I can make my own. This is what I came up with:

2 c raw cashews
2 c dry pitted dates
A shallow 1/3 c water

*for "apple pie" bars, add:
1/2 c raisins
1 c walnuts
1 T cinnamon, to taste

I also added 1/4 c chia seeds to the apple pie bars for extra protein, since sometimes, these can be meal replacement bars for us.

Place all ingredients except water in food processor. Blend until mixture is fine crumbs. Slowly add the water through the pour hole in the lid until mixture pulls away like a thick dough. Pull mixture out & press into a pan to make bars.

Teriyaki Chicken

8-10 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can of pineapple chunks, with juice
1/4 c pure maple syrup
1/4 c white rice vinegar
1/2 c gluten-free tamari soy sauce (I used the 50% less sodium one)

Place ingredients in crockpot & cook on low for 6-8 hours.

For a quick freezer meal, place ingredients in gallon size ziploc bag & freeze until ready to use. Place frozen contents of bag in crockpot & cook on high for 1-2 hours. Reduce heat to low & continue cooking for 6 more hours.

Serve with rice and steamed vegetables.

Try adding chopped cashews to the meat when cooking.