Chicken Pie (Vegetarian Option Available)

This one comes together fast and is super kid friendly.  I mean, really, what kid wouldn't think it was a treat to have "pie" for dinner?!  This is also a super easy way to use up your leftover chicken, which we always seem to have!

Ingredients:
1 Tbs coconut oil
1 1/2 c diced or shredded chicken
4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 c gluten free flour mix
1 c Silk Almond Milk, unsweetened
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 c Organicville Caesar Dressing
Coleslaw mix

1.  Preheat oven to 400 and grease a glass pie pan with coconut oil.
2.  In the pie plate, spread chicken and bacon to cover the base.
3. In a bowl, mix the GF flour, milk, eggs, and dressing.  Pour over the chicken & bacon.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
5.  Toss coleslaw mix with more the caesar dressing.
6.  Serve pie, topped with coleslaw.

**There is plenty of room for adding more veggies into this mix or making the pie entirely vegetarian by replacing some or all of the chicken/bacon with roasted veggies!!**

Chicken Enchilada Hot Dish

Hahahahaha..... this is the first recipe I've posted that I am officially deeming a "hot dish".  I guess I am fully Minnesotan now.  It only took 10 years.

This dish is super easy to put together and is perfect for hectic weeknights or - if you're like us - a Friday night when I can hardly keep my eyes open let alone get dinner on the table.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts or thighs
1 pkg Frontera taco or enchilada sauce*
1 can black beans
6 corn tortillas
1/2 cup raw milk cheddar cheese**
guacamole & chips (optional)

1. Put thawed chicken and Frontera sauce in your

crock pot and cook on low for 7 hours.
2.  When the chicken is done, shred it and drain off any excess liquid.
3.  Preheat oven to 350.
4.  Layer all ingredients - corn tortillas, meat & beans, corn tortillas, meat & beans, corn tortillas, cheese.
5.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly on the edges.
6.  Serve topped with guacamole and a side of chips!

*Available at most grocery stores.
**Available at Trader Joes.

Homemade Corndogs

Living gluten and dairy free can sometimes be a challenge for our kiddos.  I love attempting substitutes that are healthier but still fun, kid-friendly food.  This one is a hit with the kids and the hubs!

(Note:  These freeze great and are an easy make ahead lunch for kids.  Just pull them out of the freezer and pop them in the lunch box, they are thawed by lunchtime!)


What you need:
-1 batch of gluten free cornbread batter
-Hot dogs (we prefer the Applegate Farms organic, uncured, all beef variety)
-1 mini muffin tin

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.  Generously grease muffin tin. (You'll need to do this between batches if making more than one!)
3.  Cut hot dogs into 1/2" pieces.
4.  Fill muffin tins 1/2 full with cornbread batter then push 1 piece of hot dog into each muffin cup. (This is a great step to involve the kids in the kitchen!  They LOVE putting the dogs in.)
5.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick from center muffin cup comes out clean.
6.  Serve with ketchup and/or mustard for dipping, of course!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

This one is a mash up of of few different recipes I've tried over time. It is a surefire hit around here. My daughter's exact words were, "These are awesome!" I was a little uncertain what her reaction would be as she has had plenty of "real" chicken nuggets in her life (i.e. Morning Star, Tyson All Natural) but she gobbled them up and reported to want them again and again. I love that I know exactly what is in these and don't find myself trying to interpret an ingredient list that appears to be written in another language.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:
-2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into cubes*
-1 onion, quartered
-1 apple, peeled, cored, and quartered
-1 c whole wheat breadcrumbs**
-whole wheat flour for coating**

1. Put all of the ingredients EXCEPT the flour in the food processor and blend until well mixed.

2. Put the flour in a shallow bowl. Shape the chicken mixture into 24 - 1" patties, and then lightly coat the patties in flour.

(At this point, you can stick the patties in the freezer. When you want to serve them, pull them out and proceed to step 3. I haven't baked them from frozen so I can't tell you exactly how long it takes to warm them through from frozen.)

3. Bake patties at 450 for 5-7 minutes until flour starts to crisp.

*I find the Foreman Grill works best for cooking in this recipe!
**Sub cornflake crumbs and Pamela's flour mix for GF version.

Making Cold Lunch Hot

Adding this Fogo Thermos in the mix blows wide open the options for packing my daughter's lunch! Today it's Annie's Organic Mac n cheese, CSA broccoli, and TJs all beef, uncured hot dogs. She's going to love it! Incidentally, it's what I'll be enjoying for lunch too :)

Thermos tip: If you put hot or boiling water in the thermos and let it sit for a couple of minutes, then dump the water and add the food contents, it will help warm up the thermos and hold heat longer into the day.