Immunity Honey, by Diane

 

I saw this "recipe" from @holistically.anne.marie for immunity honey, which ferments if you make it right about now to have on hand for the winter months. Garlic and raw honey are both super boosting to the immune system, and are anti-viral and anti-bacterial. I got both ingredients from a local farmers market, as local honey is pollenated by bees in your area and therefore also helpful for allergies too. It's important for the honey to be raw for essential bacteria and other healthy nutrients, and organic so it is free of pesticides and chemicals.

Ingredients:

several heads of garlic (enough to fill your jar 3/4 way)

local organic raw honey

Directions:

1. Sterilize a jar and fill up 3/4 way with garlic that has been peeled and the rough ends cut off.

2. Cover cloves entirely with honey.

3. Store in a dark, cool and dry place for a few weeks. Make sure to burp this honey daily by unscrewing the lid and breaking the seal, and flip upside down each day to mix things up.

4. Bubbles will start to appear from the raw ingredients in the honey after a bit, this is normal, and the garlic will sink to the bottom. Placing the honey on a plate to catch overflow might be necessary at this point!

5. Take a spoonful of honey when you start to feel sick, or as prevention. You can also eat the garlic too!

Chicken Crust Pizza, by Diane

 

I have been seeing recipes for high protein pizza made with a crust of ground chicken breast, and it looked like a easy and filling way to have sort of a chicken parm/pizza hybrid for dinners this week! This recipe by Wholesome Yum was super easy and included reheating and storage instructions (also super easy!). I chose some random toppings I wanted but this is easy to change up. This wound up being really good and tasted more like pizza and less like chicken than expected! I actually love it cold, and have made it now 3 weeks in a row! YUM.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 large egg, beaten

Seasonings: italian herbs, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders

Pizza sauce (I used Rao's marinara bc I love that stuff!)

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Toppings: thinly sliced red onion, red sweet/hot italian peppers, arugula, mexican oregano

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400, line a pan with parchment paper. 

2. Mix chicken through seasonings well and spread evenly onto parchment paper 1/4 inch thick. I did this by placing a top layer of parchment on and then rolling out with a can, then smoothing out the rest by hand. Bake for 15-20 minutes until firm and golden on edges.

3. Let the crust rest for 10 minutes to seal, then add sauce and cheese (I like to spread the sauce and cheese all the way to the edge as the "crust" isn't my fave without it) and toppings and cook for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted. 

4. Brown the cheese and toppings under a high broiler and let cool before slicing.

5. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 4 days and reheat on a baking sheet without parchment paper for 10 min at 350. Freeze crust rolled out on a baking sheet until frozen then wrapped in plastic wrap for 6 months, to reheat place unwrap and place frozen crust in the oven until hot then proceed to step 3. 

Smash Burgers, by Diane

 

This weekend we finally nailed the smash burger game!! We do love a good cheeseburger in my family, and between my amazing burger sauce and this new way to cook smash burgers, we were all super happy with this outcome! We got a cast iron griddle for the grill for this and it made a huge difference. The burgers had a slight crust, were super juicy, and the melted cheese and grilled onions combined with the sauce was *chefs kiss* Yum!

Ingredients:

1.5 lb hamburger meat (this makes about 4 double sliders), rolled into 8 balls

Salt and pepper

White onion, medium, sliced thin into rings

4 slices american cheese

4 slider potato rolls

Mayo

Burger sauce: 1/2 cup mayo, 4 tbsp ketchup, 1/4 cup choppped pickles, 1 tbsp pickle juice or white vinegar, 1 clove garlic minced, salt

Directions:

1. Make the burger sauce and set aside, adjust to taste.

2. Prep your rolls by spreading mayo on the inside of the top and bottom, close back up and set aside.

3. Preheat a grill to medium high heat, and add on a cast iron griddle until hot.

4. Place onions into 8 sets of rings spaced apart (each burger will go on top of this), and then follow with a burger.

5. Place parchment paper over the burgers, then using a wide flat spatula flatten the burgers until they are about 1/4 inch thick. Remove the parchment paper and generously salt and pepper the patties.

6. Cook for 2 min, then flip with the onions on top, cover with cheese, and cook another 2 minutes.

7. While the burgers are cooking, toast the buns mayo side down to get a golden crust and set aside.

8. Assemble the burgers: bottom bun, sauce, one patty, sauce, second patty, sauce, top bun. Eat immediately!

Chipotle Chicken Crunch Salad, by Diane

This recipe is from @ice.karimcooks on IG, who makes high protein meal bowls (which have been a game changer for meal prepping during my busy week!). This one could not have been easier to make! I made a few changes to the dressing and I LOVE it so I'll post it below. As a side note, I've been making my own dressings for a bit now off some of these recipes, and they are actually so much better than store bought. I didn't believe it when people said that, but this salad pack came with a dressing I assumed would be better and I tasted it after the one I made and I could taste all the oil, sugar, and chemicals- it immediately got tossed! A pretty neat experiment as it turns out. I also changed the cooked chicken for pre-sliced grilled chicken for ease and taste. Finally, I added pepitas for crunch to make it healthier and avocado would be great in here as well, but the tortillas it came with were also delicious! This was a total crunchy cold winner perfect for summer! The crunchy cabbage and tortilla strips with the grilled chicken and corn and the spice of cilantro and cool cilantro- perfection!

Ingredients:

2 bags Chipotle Cheddar salad bag mixes

2 bags cooked grilled chicken strips

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 ears fresh corn, charred over flame then cut from kernel

1 bunch scallions, white and green sliced (save about 3 tbsp of the green parts for the dressing)

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup roasted pepitas

Dressing: 8oz plain greek yogurt, green scallions, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 chipotle in adobo pepper, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 lime juiced

Directions:

1. Combine the salad mix and cheese with the chicken, beans, corn, scallions and cilantro, mix well and set aside. (For meal prepping I left the salad and cilantro separate to be added later so it wouldn't get soggy).

2. Combine the dressing ingredients and blend well until smooth, adjust for taste, toss with salad. 

3. Top salad with crunchy tortilla chips in salad mix and pepitas, toss well and enjoy!

Zucchini Breadwich Sandwiches, by Diane

 

This week for dinners I tried the viral zucchini breadwich trend, which I tried before with pickles and it was a serious hit! This time I used summer zucchini, and flipped the way I cooked it so the cheese was on top instead of below and got super crispy! I filled the breadwich with smoked honey turkey, pickled red onions (I saw a hack online to place leftover red onion in leftover pickle juice!), and a diced pepper tomato spread (roasted tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and yellow cherry peppers diced for some smoky heat and flavor!) with arugula and summer basil. While this combo was absolutely a hit, the zucchini still got too soft and it was easier and less messy to eat with a knife and fork. Still delicious!

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, sliced thin on a mandolin

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Italian seasoning and salt/pepper

Directions:

On a baking sheet, top with parchment paper and stack zucchini slightly overlapping to form the shape of a square as in photo above. Top with cheese and seasoning, cooking for about 25 min at 300 (I used my airfryer)3, or until golden and bubbly. Let cool then flip and fold over your fave sandwich ingredients!