Shredded Spicy Thai Cashew Butter Chicken

I first tried this recipe with just 2 chicken breasts because I wanted to get the right combination of the 'sauce' ingredients.  After adding a bit more of this and a bit more of that I got it on the first try, except when I wrote things down it was guessing.  I'm a dump-cook.  I have to remember to write down measurements when I'm creating a new recipe for my blog because I know a lot of people do not cook like me.  They require measurements (which is totally ok!!!).  The second time around when I made it I made a large enough batch so that my family could have some and also have a little bit for leftovers.  My husband thought it was too spicy, but ketchup makes him sweat, so he didn't eat it.  My kids all enjoyed it, but my youngest opted out after a few bites saying her mouth was on fire.  HAHA  You can definitely reduce the amount of spice to make it right for you!!  Since we typically eat paleo style in our home, I made this with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce (if you substitute soy sauce use a low-sodium version or reduce to 3/4 cup in the sauce instead of 1 cup) and cashew butter instead of peanut butter.  It's really good.  We enjoyed it over baked white potatoes, but I think it would be equally as delicious over a sweet potato and my kids liked to pour a bit of bbq sauce on top.  Another option would be to put it in a wrap with some finely chopped celery, onion and lettuce!  You can reduce the amount of chicken breasts for a smaller dish, just be sure to calculate out the proper measurements for other ingredients also!

This is a paleo, whole 30 compliant & clean eating recipe.

Shredded Spicy Thai Cashew Butter Chicken
**made in the crock pot**

Ingredients:
8 chicken breasts, frozen
1 cup plus 1/4 cup coconut aminos (I use this - Coconut Aminos (Three 8oz Bottles)
1/2 cup cashew butter (I use this - Kevala Cashew Butter 3.5 Lbs)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions:
Place frozen chicken breasts with 1/4 cup coconut aminos and cook on low about 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.  Drain out all juice and shred chicken with forks (in the crock pot) or use a potato masher since it should be soft enough to do so.  After chicken is shredded add 1 cup coconut aminos, cashew butter & red pepper flakes.  Stir around to combine.  Let heat 10-20 more minutes and stir again to make sure all the cashew butter has melted in.  Let heat another 10 or so minutes and serve!

Savory Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Our family enjoys pork roast but I'm always left with the question of how best to prepare it.  We prefer slow cooking our roasts just because it ends up being so tender.  So I found a few different pork roast recipes and ideas for what to cook mine in all day.  This recipe definitely had the flavor I was looking for.  I made a gravy out of the juices with arrowroot powder and served it over potatoes.  That was delicious as well.  Then shredded it for leftovers and mixed in the leftover gravy to be served again over potatoes or eaten plain.  Either way I hope you enjoy the recipe!  We enjoy leftovers so I always make a lot of the meat, but you can certainly cut this recipe in half.  We also use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, but if you prefer to use soy sauce you can substitute it.

This is a paleo & clean eating option.

Savory Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Ingredients:
4-5 pounds pork loin roast (I used 2 2-pound roasts)
1 whole onion cut into large chunks
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup coconut aminos
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
3 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup

Instruction:
Place pork roast and onion in a 4-5 quart crock pot and sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper.  In a small bowl or 2 cup glass measuring jar add coconut aminos, balsamic vinegar, mustard and maple syrup. Whisk well to combine then pour over top of roast.  Cook on low for 6-8  hours or high for 4-5 hours.  I did turn my roasts over halfway through cooking.

Bulletproof Pumpkin Spice Latte

I am so excited to share this recipe with you! I've seen all sorts of pumpkin spice latte type drink recipes lately and as I was looking for a recipe to try, NONE of them seemed to have the ingredients that I truly wanted in my own version.  I based my version off the Civilized Caveman's Pumpkin Spice Latte.  I thought it had too many steps and not the right combination of spices/pumpkin/sweetness or caffeine that I wanted.  I also enjoy bulletproof coffee and coconut oil is so beneficial to your health so I decided to just throw it in there also.  I adore this recipe and it's my absolute new fall favorite.  Since it makes a larger cup, you can share it, save half for later, or do what I did and just pour it all into an extra large coffee mug and drink it all!!  It's going to be almost 20oz, so make sure you've got a mug big enough to handle it!  You can also try different milk variations. I used full fat coconut milk, but you can try almond milk or dairy milk (if you can tolerate it).  You could also substitute the maple syrup for honey if you like.  I only used 1 tablespoon of maple syrup in my drink, but you could make it 2 if you're looking for a bit sweeter version.  I use my immersion blender cylinder to combine the coffee ingredients for blending, but you can just as easily use a regular blender or ninja.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!!

This is a paleo & clean eating option.

Bulletproof Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:
8 ounces of coconut milk, heated
10 ounces hot coffee
2 tablespoons pumpkin (I just use canned pumpkin)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-2 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions:
Heat your coconut milk in a separate mug.  I usually just pour it into a coffee cup and heat it in the microwave for about a 1 minute to 1 minute 15 seconds until it's fairly warm.   In a tall cylinder (or blender cup) add all the ingredients except the coconut milk.

Blend about 20-30 seconds until coconut oil is melted and all ingredients are combined.

Then add the hot coconut milk and blend again.  Pour it into one large mug or two regular sized mugs if you're being generous and willing to share.

ENJOY!!

Pumpkin Pie 'Noatmeal'

I'm a week into another Whole 30 and I was craving something pumpkin for breakfast.  After all - it's the season of pumpkin spice EVERYTHING!!  This was a great new addition to my breakfast repertoire and I will definitely be eating it more.  This recipe uses the banana as the sweetener, but if you aren't trying to cut sugar out of your diet and want it a bit sweeter, I would add 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup or honey.  I topped my bowl with some unsweetened almond milk and cinnamon, but you don't have to add anything if you would rather not.

For those of you wondering what 'noatmeal' is - it's not oatmeal.  ;)

This is a paleo, clean eating & whole 30 compliant recipe.

Pumpkin Pie 'Noatmeal'

Ingredients:
1 ripe banana (the riper your the banana the sweeter it will be but the more banana flavor it will have)
1 tablespoon coconut butter (I use Artisana Coconut Butter 16oz)
1 tablespoon nut butter of your choice (my preference is almond or cashew - links below)
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
dash of sea salt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
Optional additional sweetener:  1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup or honey

Instructions:
In a small pot mash up the banana, coconut butter, nut butter, pumpkin pie spice & salt over medium low heat until well combined, then add the pumpkin and mix well.  Add the eggs (and sweetener if you're using it) and whisk continually over low heat until everything is heated through.  You will know it's done when it starts pulling away from the bottom of the pan and it has sort of a 'chunkier' look to it.  It takes about 5 minutes.  Pour into a bowl and top with almond milk and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  Enjoy some fall in a bowl for breakfast!!

Almond Butter
Justin's Almond Butter, 16 Ounce

Cashew Butter
Kevala Cashew Butter 12 oz
Kevala Cashew Butter 12oz (3 Pack) (more cost effective)
Kevala Cashew Butter 3.5 Lbs (most cost effective)

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

The kids and I went apple picking at my Great Grandparent's old farm by Hensel, ND.  We stopped to visit my Grandparents for a while and Grandma was making homemade apple crisp. The kids begged to stay at her house for supper and dessert but I already had our meal in the crock pot so I said we could make some apple crisp to eat at home. Thankfully that satisfied them until we got home and I got a reminder that I promised to make one.  So I started whipping this up.  I based it on an old recipe that I had, but made changes to create a gluten free apple crisp that is free of refined sugars.  It turned out delicious on the very first try! The hubby and kids were happy with the result which made me happy. They did eat it warm with a scoop of whipped cream on top.  I just ate it plain.  Very delicious!

You can use other fruits for this recipe too.  7-8 peeled & sliced peaches, 8-9 cups of blueberries or 8-9 cups of chopped rhubarb would be good substitutes.  Adjust your honey topping accordingly.  You can also easily cut this recipe in half and put in an 8x8 square pan.  Just don't forget to reduce the cooking time! If you don't have coconut sugar and don't want to buy any, you can use brown sugar, but that defeats the purpose of it being free of refined sugars.  Completely your choice!!

I know many people who aren't paleo, but require a gluten free recipe.  This isn't a paleo recipe, but a simple gluten free dessert option.  It is also a clean eating recipe.

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
7 to 9 medium sized apples (I used Honeycrisp, but other baking apples or crab apple would work)
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup Coconut Palm Sugar (I have also found some at Super Target)
1/2 cup coconut flour (I use Nutiva Organic Coconut Flour)
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats (I have also found this at Hugo's)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
honey, to your taste

Instructions:
Grease a 9x13 glass pan with butter or coconut oil and preheat your oven to 350.  I like to make my crumb topping first so the apples don't have a whole lot of time to get brown after slicing.  In a bowl cream the butter & coconut sugar then add coconut flour, oats, cinnamon & nutmeg.  Combine with a fork.  Set the bowl aside.  Peel and slice up the apples and arrange on the bottom of the 9x13 pan.  Drizzle honey on top of the apples.  How much you put on is dependent on how tart your apples are and how sweet you want your dessert to be.  I just squirted it right out of the bottle, but I would say I used between 1/4 & 1/3 cup.  Sprinkle the cinnamon over top of the honey.  I also sprinkled this right out of the container but I would say there was about a teaspoon sprinkled over the top of the apples.  Place your crumb topping evenly on top and bake in oven 50 minutes to an hour.  Let cool a bit before you eat.  It's even better the next day re-heated.
Enjoy!!

Cavatini

Every August & September when my husband is out harvesting wheat I take supper out to the guys in the field.

Yes - I know - how I choose to eat doesn't directly correlate with how my family earns a living, but I choose not to get into that type of debate.  I fully support the farming community and I'm sorry if I lose followers because of that, but I have grown up in the Red River Valley where agriculture is the main source of income for so many people and businesses.  I do occasionally eat grains, but because I have found they can give me headaches I just don't eat them very often.  I prefer homemade buns/bread to store bought and whole wheat noodles (if I eat them).  The less processed you can make your food, the better it is.

ANYWAYS - I got off subject.  Oh yeah, taking supper out to the field.  I like to choose something that makes a large batch so I can feed my kids first and then take the rest out to the guys; 4 of them.  This was a great dish to make.  It's an old recipe I had laying around and can be made with either pasta or zoodles (zucchini noodles).  I chose the latter, obviously.  While this isn't a true paleo meal because it has cheese, we don't eat dairy as often as we used to so having cheese occasionally isn't going to hurt any of us.  My food critic son even told me that it was 'actually pretty darn good' with the zoodles. SCORE ONE FOR MOM!  The guys in the field also enjoyed it, unless they're lying to me!!

So - here's the recipe!  Make it how you want, but I highly recommend zoodles.  They really absorb the flavors of the dish and taste so delicious.  Plus you can't even tell the difference!  If you prefer to make this a totally paleo dish, you can use cashew cheese.  There are many recipes online.  I have yet to make it myself so I don't have any to recommend.  This is a clean eating recipe.

If you need a spiralizer for your veggies, I highly recommend this one!!


Cavatini

Ingredients:
1/2 a large zucchini, peeled and made into raw noodles (about 6-8 fluffy cups worth - don't pack the noodles into a cup to measure - estimation works well with this recipe)*
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage (or pork sausage)
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
5 ounce package of pepperoni slices, chopped (Check the ingredients on your pepperoni!  I use Applegate uncured pepperoni and sometimes add extra pepperoni to the dish just because we like it!)
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce (or 1 28-ounce can)
1 pint fresh or homemade salsa
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Cook beef, sausage, onion and pepper until meat is browned in a large pot.  After meat is browned add pepperoni, tomato sauce, salsa & mushrooms.  Give a stir and let it simmer a little bit before adding the zoodles stirring to combine.  Then pour half the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.  Top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.  Add the remaining meat mixture and sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  If the cheese gets too brown for you, you can cover the dish with foil at some point during baking.

*If you want to use wheat pasta, my original recipe was made with about 3/4 pound uncooked medium shell pasta.  Cook the noodles before you add them to the pasta and stir them in at the same time you would stir in the zoodles.

Dark Chocolate Mocha

It's chilly out today and as I wait for the kids to get home off the school bus I get hit with a bit of inspiration to make a mocha for an early afternoon pick-me-up.  This really hit the spot and was very delicious.  You can make it as sweet as you want. I prefer a minimally sweet flavor to my dark chocolate so I used right around 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons of honey.  You can sweeten it to your own liking.  I used my immersion blender along with the blender cup to make this.  A regular blender or ninja-type appliance would work as well.

ENJOY!
This is a paleo and clean eating food choice.


Dark Chocolate Mocha

Ingredients:
8 oz of your favorite coffee
2 tablespoons coconut cream - I use AROY-D Coconut Cream
2-3 teaspoons honey (depending on how sweet you want your mocha)
2 teaspoons cacao powder - I use Healthworks Raw Certified Organic Cacao Powder

Instructions:
Before you brew your coffee, put your coconut cream, honey and cacao powder in your immersion blender cup.  Pour in your hot coffee then use immersion blender for about 20-30 seconds to mix well.  Pour the mocha back into your coffee cup and savor it.

Fudgy Mug Cake

Ok - I find it really hard to take a 'pretty' picture of mug cakes.  They're not really that pretty and short of taking a photo of them inside the coffee mug, I'm not sure how I can help the fact that they truly are not a photogenic piece of food.  The good thing is that it tastes so much better than it looks!!!  I was so happy when this recipe turned out.  I've tried other chocolate mug cakes and they've ended up dry and with not much flavor.  Not worth the effort, but this is great and my kids never let me enjoy one for myself, so I usually have to make 4 coffee mugs. This is a great dessert that you can feel good about eating.

This is a paleo & clean eating food option.

Fudgy Mug Cake

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder - Healthworks Raw Certified Organic Cacao Powder
1 egg
2 tablespoons pumpkin (I just use canned pumpkin)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon almond milk (I use unsweetened)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips - I use these - Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips


Instructions:
In a smaller bowl (I use a cereal bowl) combine cacao, egg, pumpkin and baking powder.  Then add the milk and honey.  Pour into an 8-10 ounce coffee mug and add chocolate chips to the top (they will sink during cooking).  Microwave for 3 minutes.  I like to put mine on a plate to eat, but you can let it cool for a bit and eat it right from the mug.  Enjoy!!

**If you like a dark chocolate flavor, add an extra tablespoon of cacao and an extra tablespoon of almond milk.  Use the same cooking time.

Sweet Potato Smash

On our recent summer vacation I had something similar to this twice.  I asked for the recipe at one restaurant and they shared it with me.  I made my own changes (as I always do) and came up with my own version.  I hit it on the first try.  This is one of the few ways my son will eat sweet potatoes.  He's not a big fan of them normally, but he really like this sweet potato smash.  This dish is very delicious, super easy to prepare and the leftovers are even better.

This recipe is paleo, clean eating & whole 30 compliant.

Sweet Potato Smash

Ingredients:
2 medium or 3 smaller sweet potatoes
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:
Peel and cube sweet potatoes and put into a smaller saucepot.  Pour coconut milk over top and cook on medium heat for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are cooked through.

Before cooking

After cooking

Remove from heat.  (The coconut milk will have an orangeish color from the sweet potatoes.)  Mash with a potato masher until smooth then add your desired amount of cinnamon.  Start with just the 1/4 teaspoon and increase if you want.  Be careful with the cinnamon, too much and it will ruin your dish.

Enjoy with your favorite meat!  We had ours with grilled chicken, as pictured, but would be great with almost any kind of grilled meat.

Turkey Veggie Crock Pot Chili

I adore chili.  I could eat it almost daily.  There are so many different ways you can make a chili.  Since I've gone mostly paleo I've had to give up my usual chili recipe that included canned beans.  I do love beans so I will occasionally make my regular old chili recipe with them, which excites my family a lot since they love it so much.  This chili is so chock full of healthy veggies that you may not even miss the beans... well maybe just a little.  ;)

It may be kind of strange to share a chili recipe during the summer, but we've had an unusually cool summer up here in NW Minnesota.  Hope you find a day you can make and enjoy it!!

This is a paleo & clean eating recipe.  It is Whole30 if you use a W30 compliant Worcestershire sauce, make a homemade W30 compliant version, substitute it for coconut aminos or forgo it altogether.

Turkey Veggie Crock Pot Chili

Ingredients:
2 green peppers, chopped
2 onions, chopped
6-8 celery stalks, chopped (about half the package)
2 tablespoons ghee
salt & pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
2 pounds ground turkey*
heaping tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (if you follow a specific diet, please check the label ingredients before you use this)

Instructions:
In a larger skillet saute the green peppers, onions & celery stalks in ghee with some salt and pepper to taste for about 5 minutes.  Then add the chicken stock to the veggies and let reduce to no liquid.
In another skillet brown the turkey with the minced garlic.
In your 5-6 quart crock pot pour in all the tomato sauce, rinse the cans out with a bit of water to get all the sauce and add just a bit more liquid to the chili.
After the veggies and turkey are ready add them to the tomato sauce in the crock pot along with the rest of the ingredients.  Cook on low for about 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

*I used 1 pound all white ground turkey and 1 pound dark meat ground turkey.

Oatmeal Buns

White Flour Oatmeal Buns

This is another recipe that I cannot take credit for except for the fact that I swapped out the sugar & oil for honey & coconut oil.  My friend  Jamie shared this recipe with quite some time ago and I finally made them today.  Buns are not something I have made in almost a year since I changed my eating habits to live a more paleo lifestyle.  I do believe, however, that if you're going to have bread or buns, they should at least be homemade!  No preservatives. Just real ingredients mixed with love.  :)
These buns are WONDERFUL!  I so appreciate Jamie sharing this recipe with me and I know others will enjoy them as much as we do!  Don't be freaked out by the fact that they are oatmeal. They are soft and fluffy to bite into and you don't even notice the oats. 
I love a good old fashioned oatmeal.  Something that is not stripped of all its nutrients.  When using oatmeal for this recipe, try and find one as whole as you can get.  I used Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, steel cut would also be great!  Just don't use minute oats - those are almost completely stripped of all nutrients.
This recipe can be made as white buns or wheat buns.  If you make wheat buns use half white flour and half wheat flour, just make sure the dough is a bit sticky.  I have tried to write quite detailed instructions because not everyone is a bun baker, but if you are, then you only really need to read through how the ingredients are mixed and how many times to let the dough rise.  I also know some people really prefer detailed instructions.  :)

If you're looking for a recipe for regular white flour buns here is one:  Buns

Oatmeal Buns

Ingredients:
2 cups boiling water
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
7-9 cups bread flour (the amount you use will just vary on any given day)*

Instructions:
I use a Bosch machine - you can use whatever you like for buns but I will give directions the way I make buns.
In the bowl of Bosch add the 2 cups of boiling water and oats.  Let sit in the bowl until cool to the touch.  In a smaller bowl combine honey, molasses, coconut oil, beaten eggs & salt.  In another bowl (I usually do this in a glass measuring cup) combine the 1/2 cup warm water, yeast & sugar.  After the oats have cooled add the sweet mixture and combine with your dough hook.  Then add the yeast mixture and combine.  Then add the flour - *here is how I add flour to my buns.  Add half of the flour you expect to use and then put the lid on the mixer and combine well.  Then add the rest of the flour minus probably a cup or two and combine again.  Then add another cup of flour at a time until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl and it comes clean.  Stop the machine to check to make sure the dough is tacky to the touch.  Then turn your machine back on and keep it mixing your dough for about 10 minutes.

Wheat Flour Oatmeal dough in my mixing bowl.



In a large bread bowl add about 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil.  Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and put into the bread bowl, flip it around in the coconut oil so it's coated all around.  Cover with a flour sack cloth and let rise. I do a fast rise method where in I will heat my oven to 200 degrees.  I then shut it off before I put the dough in.  It will cut your rising time in half.  Let the big ball of dough rise once, then pan your buns (I put my bun dough on parchment paper to bake - super easy cleanup), cover with cloth and let them rise again. If you need to, you can reheat your oven again to rise the buns, just be sure to shut it off before you put the dough in.

Wheat dough after it's risen in my oven for about an hour.

Wheat Flour Oatmeal Buns panned up and ready to rise again in the oven.

My pans of buns rising in the oven.

Once the buns have doubled in size you can bake them at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 11 minutes was the perfect time for the size of buns I make.  Typically bigger than golf ball size when I pan them and then doubled when ready for baking.

After removing from the oven, remove the buns from your pan (and parchment paper if you use it) to your counter top and immediately brush with butter.  Keep covered with a flour sack cloth while they cool.  Once they're completely cool you can put in gallon Ziploc bags to either store (for a few days on your counter top, couple weeks in the fridge or freeze in your freezer for later use).
This makes approximately 3 dozen larger buns or 4-5 dozen smaller buns.  A lot of times I will make both sizes so the little kiddos can have their own size.

Chicken Enchilada Stew

I was hit with inspiration yesterday to make some type of enchilada dish.  I love the flavor of enchilada sauce so I decided to create a stew.  I also wanted to create something healthy that was chock full of different veggies (eat the rainbow people!!).  I thought this recipe was going to take me many different tries to get right, but I got lucky and hit it on the first try!  I was super happy with how it turned out.  It was a bit more spicy than my family likes, but for me it was perfect and if you throw a half an avocado in with it, the coolness of the avocado gives it just the perfect flavor in your mouth.  My kids sprinkled their bowls with shredded cheese.  Either way, I really hope you enjoy this recipe!  It will definitely be made again in my house!!

This recipe is paleo, clean eating and Whole 30 compliant!




Chicken Enchilada Stew

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
5 to 6 tablespoons chili powder
3 cups chicken stock (find the most natural without extra ingredients)
1 6-ounce can no salt added tomato paste
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sea salt
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium green pepper, cut into chunks
1 medium orange pepper, cut into chunks
half a container of fresh mushrooms, sliced (more if you like mushrooms)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed small

Instructions:
In a large pot (Dutch oven) heat up olive oil and sauté onion until translucent then add cumin, oregano and chili powder letting the spices toast for a minute or so.  Pour in 1 cup of the chicken stock and whisk or stir to scrape off all the bits from the bottom of the pan and combine well.  Then add the rest of the chicken stock and tomato paste.  Lower temp to a simmer and while it cooks put all the chicken pieces in another skillet with some olive oil and brown edges.  You don't have to cook the chicken through, it will continue to cook in the stew, just brown the edges to get all the extra juices out that chicken tends to produce when cooking.  Before you transfer the chicken to the large pot, add the crushed tomatoes and sea salt to the large pot and mix well, then add chicken, peppers, mushrooms and sweet potatoes.  Stir and leave on stove top to simmer for about 2-3 hours.
Topping options for each individual bowl: shredded cheese, half a avocado sliced with some cilantro, sour cream

Here is how my kids enjoyed theirs!

Limocado Sauce

This is my FAVORITE dressing/dip.  It's easy, fast, healthy and delicious.  The flavor of the lime & honey really compliment the avocado and it's just so flavorful.  I hope you enjoy it!!

This recipe is paleo & clean eating


Limocado Sauce

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado (I use them when they're very soft)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
Juice a lime to get 3 tablespoons
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small jalapeno, seeded
water to thin

Instructions:
I use my immersion blender to mix this up, so my instructions will read as such.  You could also use a small food processor or blender.
Put all ingredients except water in the container the immersion blender came with.  Blend on low speed to combine then switch to high speed to blend.  Add water a couple of tablespoons at a time to then to your preference.  I only add a couple tablespoons because I like it a bit thicker.  Store in a pint jar in refrigerator.  Enjoy on a salad or use as a dip for veggies, chicken or fish.