Paleo BBQ Chicken

It's coming close to pay day, you're into single figures in the bank account and you need to eat. We've all been there. It's not easy but it doesn't have to mean omelettes every night either (although Omelettes are a cheap and healthy way to make the pennies stretch! Check out my recipe HERE). Keep reading to see how you can make €2-3 go a very long way!

We've become a nation who want to eat only certain parts of the animal. The meaty, muscle parts are usually expensive and although lean, not always the healthiest choice. Go back 50 years to past generations and they didn't waste a thing. You couldn't buy 10 chicken breasts in a super market! Oh no. You bought a whole chicken and used every part of it, right down to the juices for gravy, made a stock with the carcass and only then was it thrown out. Not only was this more economical it was healthier too.

Eating a variety of foods is so important. It gives the body more nutrients and different types of protein that are needed to repair natural wear and tear in the body. Eating meat close to the bone contains ligaments, tendons and blood vessels that help repair those said parts of our body. Eating the skin means you get good fats and collagen to help repair skin damage and prevent ageing. Eating the brown meat close to the bone ensures you are getting meat packed with micro nutrients, vitamins, minerals and connective tissue to make your body healthier and happier.

You can read more on this topic of eating the whole animal HERE

This is where the Wings and Drumsticks come in. You can easily get these on offer for about €1 or €2 in the supermarkets. The meat is tastier and juicer not to mention healthier. I've also seen Chick Thigh fillets for relatively cheap. These are basically the meatiest parts of the drumstick with no bone. Perfect for stirfrys and casseroles. The meat may appear brown in parts when cooked but remember this is ok. This is healthy! So read on to try my Paleo friendly BBQ marinade that will have you licking your lips (and fingers!) while saving you money and making you healthier.

Ingredients:

5 Chicken Drumsticks or 10 Chicken Wings (or a mix of both!)

1 heaped teaspoon of Cumin

1 heaped teaspoon of Paprika

1 heaped teaspoon of Ginger

1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric

1 teaspoon of Salt

1 teaspoon of freshly ground black Pepper

3 table spoons of Olive Oil (more if you want to make the sauce more liquid and sticky as opposed to dry and crispy)

1 heaped tablespoon of Honey (more if you want to make them stickier!)

1 teaspoon of Tabasco

1 teaspoon of Balsamic vinegar

Method:

Mix your dried spices together and make a well.

Add all the wet ingredients into the well and mix thoroughly. You can add more oil or honey as you go to make the mix more liquid and less dry. This will determine if the marinade is more dry and crispy or sticky and liquid.

Taking your drumsticks or wings (or a mix of both!) coat them in the marinade and leave them in a bowl covered in cling film for as long as you can. I typically make this up the night before or that morning to give all the spices time to absorb into the chicken but if you are short on time 30 minutes to an hour is plenty!

Spread the coated chicken onto a foiled baking try (saves having to scrub the sticky, cooked sauce from it otherwise!) and cook at 190 degrees Celcius or Gas Mark 4/5 for 20 minutes or until the chick is thoroughly cooked.

Serve with any sides you fancy. See below for some serving suggestions.

Enjoy!

Prep Time:

5 minutes to make marinade

Cooking Time:

20 minutes

Dietary Information:

Paleo

Gluten Free

Wheat Free

Sugar Free

Olive Oil is full of good fats, Omega 3s and excellent for hair, skin and nails

Ginger is good for digestion issues, nausea, it is a natural anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system. 

Paprika is high in Vitamin A, E and Iron. It also has anti ageing properties, prevents hair loss and promotes sound sleep

Cumin aids digestion, lowers blood sugar and prevents hypoglycaemia (excellent for people with diabetes), fights viral infections, is rich in Iron and has many other benefits 

Turmeric - too many benefits to mention. Check them all out on my post HERE

Serving Suggestions:

I served these with boiled rice mixed with a tablespoon of coconut oil, teaspoon of turmeric and salt and pepper to taste. (note Rice is NOT Paleo but is the best non paleo carb to have if you're going to have one!)

I also made some non paleo dip. Using some yoghurt, cream cheese, chives and oregano to cool down the spice.

You could also serve it at a BBQ with my Red Cabbage Slaw (Recipe HERE)

Or with my Sweet Potato Wedges (Recipe HERE)

Best served straight from the oven!

Paleo, Italian, Summer Salad

The kids might be back to school and the Sunday evening, sandwich making ritual may have begun but I for one REFUSE to believe summer is over! To make myself feel more summery I decided to experiment with some summer flavours recently and invented my Paleo, Italian Summer Salad.

This is light, tasty, fills you up and takes just minutes to prepare. Even my 'Salads don't fill me up, can I have Chips too?' husband approved of it and said he really enjoyed it. (Spot his chips in the pictures below!)  Here's how you can make it too.

Ingredients:

Chicken/Turkey/Beef (meat optional as always!)

Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Squeeze of lemon juice

Rock Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped Basil, Rosemary, Thyme (I grow these 3 easily and cheaply on my windowsill) 

Sliced fresh mozzarella (comes in a bag of fluid)

Organic vegetables of choice. Here I used:

Rocket

Cherry tomatoes

Yellow and Orange Peppers

Cucumber 

Mustard and Balsamic optional.

Method:

Time allowing, chop your meat and leave it marinade in a few dashes of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, basil, rosemary, thyme. Thoroughly coat all the meat and allow to rest for as long as you have! If you don't have time to marinade just quickly toss the meat in the ingredients and move onto the next step.

Chop all your veggies and arrange as you feel fit on your plate.

On a low, gentle heat in a cermanic pan, cook the meat including oil, herbs and seasoning until fully cooked. 

Slice mozzarella into strips or chunks.

Arrange chicken and mozarella to the side of veggies or on top.

Using any excess juice left in the pan add some balsamic vinegar and a spoon of honey mustard to make a lovely dressing served on the side or drizzled over the top.

Enjoy as is or serve with crinkled oven chips for your husband!

The best thing about this recipe is it's quick and easy to make double portions. I usually make enough for 3 and keep some of everything to the side so I can take it for my lunch the next day. This massively cuts down on waste, time and effort and ensures you have a healthy meal ready to go for the next day.

Prep Time:

5 minutes, more if you marinade

Cook time:

15 minutes or as long as the meat is safely cooked

Dietary Information:
Gluten Free

Wheat free

Sugar Free 

Paleo 

High in protein

Vegetarian - leaving out the meat. Add nuts or more cheese instead.

Olive Oil is full of good fats, Omega 3s and excellent for hair, skin and nails.

Rosemary boosts immunity, increases circulation, aids digestion, is an excellent anti-inflammatory - great for asthmatics - and increases concentration. 

Basil helps clear skin, alleviates stress and worry and boost your mood.

Thyme is a natural disinfectant helping to fight bugs and bad bacteria in the body, lowers blood pressure and helps with coughing.

Enjoy this light, refreshing and satisfying salad anytime of day. And stay strong Jeanies! Summer is NOT over!

Paleo Chicken Kiev

I made these last Friday night as a nice treat dinner. They are so easy to make and taste delicious.

I served them with some oven chips and fresh broccoli and it made for such a nice Friday night dinner with a movie.

You can use chicken, turkey or pork for these. 

Ingredients:

Meat of choice - turkey, chicken or pork.

5 heaped teaspoons of ground almonds/almond flour

1 egg beaten

Pinch of salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon of Paprika

1-2 cloves of freshly grated garlic (per 2 portions of meat)

1 teaspoon of butter (per portion of meat)

Chives or parsley to taste

Method:

Place the almonds, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl. 

Place the beaten egg in a separate bowl.

Take your meat fillet and either flatten it or slice into the meat in order to stuff it with filling. If it's a flat thin piece of meat you can roll the meat around the filling.

Grate/press the fresh garlic and mix with butter and some chives or parsley.

Place the garlic butter in the centre of the meat.

Dip the meat in the beaten egg, ensuing it is full coated. Then dip in the ground almond and spice mix until all the meat is fully coated.

Place the now coated meat in some loosely wrapped tinfoil and bake in the oven at 170 degrees for 15-20 minutes (depending on the meat) until the meat is fully cooked and coating is crispy.

Enjoy!

Preparation Time:

5-10 minutes

Cooking Time:

15-25 minutes

Dietary Information:

Paleo

Gluten Free

Wheat Free

Sugar Free

Low Carbohydrate

High in lean protein

Good fats - butter and almonds

Omega 3 from the almonds (brain food)

Garlic is antibacterial and antiviral so excellent for fighting colds and flu

Serving suggestions:

Excellent with sweet potatoes, rice, fresh salad or greens. 

Enjoy!