CREOLE CHICKEN STEW

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 2 cups green bell pepper, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 6-ounce can organic tomato paste
• 2 15-ounce cans organic chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• fresh chopped parsley and chopped scallions, for serving
• hot sauce, if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet and add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic; saute on medium heat 5-7 minutes, until fragrant.
2. Add tomato paste and mix into vegetables; cook 2 minutes.
3. Spoon vegetables into slow cooker.
4. Add chopped tomatoes, chicken broth, Cajun seasoning, pepper, bay leaves and thyme.
5. Stir ingredients together to mix well.
6. Submerge chicken thighs in sauce.
7. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Read more: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-slow-cooker-creole-chicken-stew/#ixzz3YHnzohVr 
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Chocolate Chewie Granola bars

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup puffed brown rice cereal
• 2 tbsp. chia seeds

Instructions

1. Line a 9x9 dish with parchment, lightly grease the paper and set aside
2. In a large sauce pan over medium low heat, melt together the maple syrup, almond butter, coconut sugar and sea salt, stirring until smooth and liquidy
3. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder, mixing until lump-free
4. Stir in the vanilla, then the oats, 1/2 cup at a time. It gets very hard to mix but that means they will hold together well. Stir in the slivered almonds, then fold in the cereal
5. Transfer the mixture to the lined 9x9 and press it in really well
6. Sprinkle the top with chia seeds and, using the back of a spoon, press the seeds into the top of the mixture
7. Set in the freezer for an hour, then slice into bars
8. Store, covered, in the fridge or freezer

Orange Fluff Jello Salad

1 large package Cook and Serve vanilla pudding...
1 large package orange jell-o
2 cups water
1 16 oz Cool-Whip (lite or fat-free is fine)
1/2 bag mini marshmallows
1 can pineapple tidbits (Any size, depending on your preference)
1 can mandarin oranges (Any size, depending on your preference)
2 bananas, sliced (Optional, put in before serving so they don't turn brown in the fridge)

Directions:
Mix together pudding, Jell-o, and water over medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate until mixture has thickened (about an hour). Beat until creamy. Fold in Cool Whip, marshmallows, and fruit. Chill about an hour before serving.

Pumpkin Bread

2 cups canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 egg whites
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Cream Cheese filling

8 oz reduced fat cream cheese (room temperature or softened slightly)
4 tbsp sugar
1 egg
2 tsp flour
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350

Prepare one mini loaf pan (it should hold 8 loaves) or 2 9x5 loaf pans with nonstick spray

Bread Layers

In the bowl of your stand mixer or hand mixer combine pumpkin, eggs and egg white until smooth

In a separate medium bowl whisk together flour, sugars, baking soda & pumpkin pie spice

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet mixing until just smooth, set aside

Cream Cheese Layer

In another bowl either for your stand mixer or hand mixer combine all ingredients until smooth

Bread Assembly

Pour or spoon half of the pumpkin bread mixture into the bottom of the mini loaf pan or the large loaf pan

Evenly divide the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin bread mixture and smooth out using the back of a spoon

Pour the remaining pumpkin bread mixture over the cream cheese mixture, covering as much as you can

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

Let cool for about 10-15 minutes and then remove from the pans

Snickerdoodle Muffins

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs...
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cup sour cream
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar and 1 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling*

1.Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.

2.In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and nutmeg.

3.Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in the additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally.

4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar. Place muffin into muffin tin. Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 14 muffins. Bake them for approx. 20-22 minutes in a 350F oven or until they are golden brown

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Freezer Pie Recipe

 Ingredients:
1 Keebler chocolate cookie pie crust
1 large box of instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups of milk...
1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the pudding with the milk. Whisk in the Cool Whip. Unwrap the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (about 15 of the large ones, or about 25 of the minis, or however many you want to put in) and chop them roughly. Fold the chopped candy into the pudding mix. Pour all into the chocolate pie crust. Top with a few more chopped peanut butter cups. Store in the freezer till about 15 minutes before serving.

Winter Stew

1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onion
Kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch saffron threads
Ground black pepper
3 large Yukon gold potatoes
4 to 5 medium carrots
4 medium parsnip
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 LBS (or 1 small) butternut squash
1 LB (or 2 med) sweet potato
1 15oz. can garbanzo bean
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar

Slap that bad boy in a crockpot for 6 to 8 hours and you're golden!!