I am so excited to share my latest recipe creation with you. To make the chicken super moist you soak it completely covered in buttermilk over night or for a few hours.  A few hours will do the trick but over night is ideal! I know you are all wondering is Buttermilk Paleo? Check out this article I found on Buttermilk and whether it is Paleo or not. I was happy when I read it. The sweetness of the sweet potato, the crispiness of the chips combined with cinnamon, sea salt and stevia is out of this world. I prefer to use the hormone free, organic, boneless chicken thighs when I make this recipe. The chicken thighs have more fat so they are moister and more flavorful than chicken breasts or tenders. It is your choice. Let me know how you like this recipe. Please comment below(: Thank you in advance!
Caitlin

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 8 mins

Ingredients:

1 lb of Chicken Tenders or Thighs
1 cup of buttermilk
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp of Dried Parsley Flakes
 1/4 cup coconut oil or olive oil
1/2 bag of  Terra Sweet Potato Chips
or make your own sweet potato chips
put chips in food processor until they look like bread crumbs

Process, 

1) In a bowl, toss the chicken with the buttermilk, sea salt, 1 stevia, cinnamon, parsley flakes, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or up to overnight. 

2) Allow your chicken tenders to come to room temperature for about 10 minutes before cooking. 

3) Add about one inch of coconut oil or olive oil to a large skillet, preheat the oil over medium  heat until it’s hot but don't let it burn.

4) Shake as much of the buttermilk off of the chicken as you can and dredge them in the sweet potato chip crumb mixture. 

5) Fry them in the hot oil for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until they develop good color and are crispy on both sides.

6) Remove them from the skillet, and place them on a paper towel lined plate to absorb some of the oil. 

7) Bake in oven at 350 degrees until cooked through. Approx 15-20 min.

8) sprinkle 1 stevia all over chicken, dash of salt and a little more cinnamon. Dee-Lish!

sinful without the guilt!

Chocolate Coconut Candy Bars (Paleo, nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)

Halloween is almost here and nothing is worse than be surrounded by  bags of candy bars in your house. I wanted to have something decadent, moist and delicious with the combination of chocolate and coconut so I would not be tempted to grab a piece of my kids candy.  I was inspired by a website called livinghealthywithchocolate.com by  Adriana Harlan. Chocolate is one of my favorite things to indulge in so I used Raw coconut cacao bliss by Artisana organics instead of plain coconut butter. It adds that extra chocolate flavor I love. Cut them up into individual servings and store in freezer. Take one out when you have the urge for something sweet! 

Ingredients

1 cup of store bought coconut butter or raw coconut cacao bliss(chocolate coconut butter). Melt in microwave before you measure. It has to be a liquid when measuring.

-5 tablespoons coconut oil

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-pinch of sea salt

-1/2 c shredded unsweetened coconut

-1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips(you can use enjoy life chocolate chips or cacao nibs)

- 1 stevia

Directions:

1)Line an 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 inch medium loaf pan with parchment paper, covering all four sides of the pan.

2) In a large bowl, mix together the coconut butter or cacao bliss(whichever you choose to use), coconut oil, vanilla and salt.

3) fold in shredded coconut then chocolate chips

4) spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan.

5) sprinkle unsweetened shredded coconut on top with a few chocolate chips(optional)

6) sprinkle entire pan with 1 stevia for extra sweetness

7) Freeze or refrigerate till firm, cut into pieces.

** You can make your own coconut butter by adding 2 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut to a blender or food processor. Blend it till it is creamy.

** Raw Coconut Cacao Bliss or Coconut Butter can be found at any Health Food Store or Whole Foods. If you live near me Good Health in Hanover, Ma has it.

This recipe makes 18-20 1x2” bars. Store in fridge or freezer.

Mark and I doing a WOD together at CrossFit TakeOff!

This is it week #6 of the Ab Challenge. Give yourself a pat on the back for following this for 6 consecutive weeks. You are up to 200 repetitions of sit ups and core work. Next week is "Test" week. You will take the 2 minute ab mat sit up test again and see if you can beat your score. There is no doubt in my mind you will be able to beat it!

This week's exercises..

1) TOES TO BAR!  60 repetitions!

Toes to Bar Modification....toes to post

2) Romanian Deadlift   40 reps with a light weight(15# bar, 25# bar)

3) Stability ball windshield wipers   50 reps (25 per side)

4) Core torso rotation on stability ball  50 reps(25 per side)

Good Luck, stay safe and keep me posted on how you are doing!

Caitlin