Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe & Money Saving Tip

Good Morning! I hope you all are having a nice weekend. It's a little dreary here in San Diego. I really hope the marine layer breaks up soon so we can enjoy a little sunshine!

Each week when Sunday rolls around, I start to think about my weekly meal plan. I really like simple. Time always seems to move a little faster during the week, especially the weeknight when all the 'to-do's' need to get accomplished in a relatively short amount of time. So I like to look for ways to cook less yet get more out of it. I really like to lean on my Crockpot when time is short because they generally require little work and have a nice payout.

Last week  I received a 6.5lb organic pastured chicken from one of my food clubs. This thing is like a little turkey! I am going to pop it in the crockpot today and we'll be able to enjoy the meat for most of the week. One trick I learned recently to stretch our meat a little bit longer is to shred it. I know it probably doesn't make sense as to why it would last longer, but it just does. I think if I were to cook up chicken breasts, my husband and I would generally eat more meat because they come in a set portion size. Whereas when the meat is shredded, that association is no longer there and we tend to grab enough meat to fit our appetite. Try it out, and you might be surprised. I'm always looking for ways to save a little money and this is actually a nice little compromise. Each day, I will usually add different spices or maybe a sauce to change up the flavors a bit.

Below is a recipe that I love from Everyday Paleo. It's a simple and delicious chicken recipe. The meat is so flavorful and tender when it's done. The great part is that there aren't any over powering flavors in the meat so that you can easily adapt it to different recipes on another day. Enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Chicken recipe by Everyday Paelo
http://everydaypaleo.com/scrumptious-slow-cooker-chicken/

2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 parsnips

3 carrots

4 celery stalks

1 red onion

10-12 whole garlic cloves

¼ cup coconut oil

1 cup chicken broth (preferably homemade)

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon rubbed sage

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cut the parsnips, carrots, celery, and onion into large chunks making sure that the carrots and parsnips are cut roughly the same size for even cooking.  Place the chicken in the crockpot and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  On top of the chicken layer the onions and whole garlic cloves followed by the parsnips, carrots, and celery. In a glass measuring cup mix together the chicken broth, coconut oil, thyme and sage (it helps to melt the coconut oil first in the microwave).  Pour this mixture evenly over the chicken and veggies and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7.

Do you have any favorite time-saver recipes?

Healing the Gut

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and were able to enjoy some of the beautiful sunshine! It was gorgeous here in San Diego and felt a lot more like summer than spring. No complaints here. I love the sunshine. It has such a healing energy and it always seems to make me smile. :)

Today I want to share a few tips on how to heal the gut naturally. I'm sure many of you have heard about Leaky Gut Syndrome. For those of you unfamiliar, Leaky Gut occurs when the intestinal lining becomes permeable and food particles are able to pass into the blood stream. The immune system views these food stuffs as foreign and launches an attack! This can give rise to food intolerances/allergies, asthma, seasonal allergies, candida overgrowth, hormonal imbalances and auto-immune disease among other issues. Symptoms can manifest in a variety of ways, even those that seem unrelated. 

If you suspect you have a possible Leaky Gut situation going on, there are many things that you can do at home to start the healing process. Below are a few strategies that I have found to be useful with my clients.

1. REMOVE gut irritating foods. Sugar, corn, wheat, dairy and soy are the top most common food allergens.In order to determine if any of these foods could be contributing to poor gut health, try eliminating them for at least 21 days. Then reintroduce the foods, one at a time and record any symptoms. Typically you will want to consume the the food for up to two days and on the 3rd day record any symptoms. If you have a strong reaction sooner, don't wait until day number 3 and instead eliminate the food immediately. Give your stomach a few days to recover before introducing the next suspected food item. Continue until you have identified all the foods causing distress in your gut. Also, do not limit yourself to only the top allergens. If you suspect another food might be causing trouble, try eliminating it just the same. 

2. CHEW your food! This is an easy one. Undigested food in the small intestine can cause blunting and inflammation of the villi and microvilli which increases permeability. Chewing your foods can help your enzymes work better and reduce the impact to the intestinal wall.

3. ADD fermented vegetables and foods into your diet. Support the good bacteria in your intestines by consuming fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchee, and kombucha. 

4. HEAL the gut lining by consuming homemade bone broths regularly. Be sure to add a few chicken feet for extra gelatin. The minerals and gelatin in the broth heal and sooth the gut lining.They also provide a good source of minerals that are easily assimilated. 

5. ADD foods rich in L-Glutamine. This powerful amino acid is one of the best healing supplements for the gut lining. Good sources include grass fed bison, pastured eggs, and red cabbage.

6. HYDRATE. As with any healing process in the body, you need to add plenty of clean fluids to transport nutrients and flush toxins. 

For a further in depth look at Leaky Gut Syndrome, I would recommend reading the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride. Dr McBride is a brilliant physician who has done extensive research on diseases caused my a leaky gut. She recommends healing the body, starting with gut health through the implementation of the GAPS diet.  http://www.gaps.me/

*Always consult your physician before starting a new nutritional protocol.