Crispy Pork Chops

Crispy Pork Chops

For those meat lovers, this is a quick and easy way to make juicy pork chops.  

Ingredients: ( serves 4-5) 

4 Pork chops ( bone in or boneless), bone in are more juicy.

2 eggs

about 1 cup Gluten free flour ( I use rice flour or almond meal) or use your own regular flour

2 TSP garlic powder 

2 TSP onion powder

Sea salt and pepper

I  beat the 2 eggs in a large bowl , set aside.

I have a second bowl with my flour mix that I add the garlic powder, onion powder, and salt & pepper.

First dredge the chops in the egg mixture.  Then dredge into the flour mixture and coat both sides.  Once they are all ready to go, I  transfer to a heated skillet with some heated coconut oil in the pan.  (Make sure your pan is hot and sizzles before adding pork.  Just shake a few flour bits into the oil and see if it sizzles)

***This is where I love my George Foreman Grill.  It heats up fast and cooks both sides with little oil.  I spray some coconut oil from a can.  It's just like "Pam" only better.  Or you can use Olive oil.

All lined up on my George Foreman Grill.  They cook in about 8 minutes.  I check them and spray a bit more oil if needed.

If you are not on a Gluten free diet, I recommend using unbleached whole wheat flour.  It is so much better for you.  Just like the name, bleached white flour is bleached! I can't say that is very healthy for your body to consume bleached food!  I'm not a huge fan of processed foods in general, For the most part, like to use almond flour.  It is just ground up almonds.  You can use any nuts and put them in your food processor and use them as bread crumbs.  It's a great healthy alternative.

I serve this up with sweet potato fries and roasted veggies.  YUM!
Try this out and see how you like it. 

Roasted Beets with Orange Balsamic Glaze

 Roasted Beets With Orange Balsamic Glaze

If you have never tried beets, they are delicious.  I used to turn my nose up at them big time.  I finally tried them again and fell in love.  They are so healthy and good for you, they are worth trying.   I like to eat mine shredded raw in salads or roasted like in this recipe.

Ingredients:  (Serves 2-4)

I used 3 large beets, stems removed.

1 orange & zest of the orange only about 2-3 TSP

4-5 TBS balsamic vinegar

TBS honey

sprinkle of salt

I peel and cut the stem and leaves off, then quarter them and place on the cooking sheet in foil.  I cover them and roast in the oven at 400º for 40 minutes or till you can pierce with a fork.

Balsamic Sauce

Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan.  I pour between 4-5 turns of the pan equivalent to 4-5 TBS. Start to simmer it until it reduces a bit and then add the zest from your orange, then cut and squeeze the orange juice in the pan.  I simmer this together then add the honey.  Add more honey to your liking.  If it's too tart, add a few TBS of water , more juice or more honey.  I adjust it till I like the taste.  

Zest of my orange

I then take the roasted beets out and toss them in my sauce and sprinkle with salt. ( I use Celtic Sea Salt) and then serve them up!  I love these sitting on top of my salad.  I like them hot to wilt my lettuce a bit.  You can serve them cold or room temp.  However you like them.  It's simple, easy, and super healthy.

Beautiful by themselves!

This was my dinner .  I put them with lettuce, olives, and sweet peppers.   No need for salad dressing for me, the sauce from the beets was flavor enough for me.  So go ahead, serve it up…Lizzy Style!
 

Goody Goody Green Lemonade

Goody Goody Green Lemonade recipe follows.  But first, a little something I want to share.

This is my favorite thing my girlfriend Jan printed for me. I just wanted to share it because I love reading this everyday.  I have it in my kitchen where I spend most of my time and it makes me giggle out loud.  I snapped a picture of this while I made my goody goody green lemonade.  It is right next to my Juicer.
 Thank you Jan, love supportive friends!  Now to the lemonade.

This is the beautiful produce that goes into my juice.

Fruit and veggies are so important!  Do not underestimate the power of phytonutrients and antioxidants.  You can not get these powerful nutrients from milk, yogurt, cheese, or any kind of meat, much less processed food.  They come from fruits and veggies.  Think before you eat.  It's that simple.

Ingredients: (Serves 1-2)

2 fresh apples.  I used Gala apples

1 inch piece of fresh Ginger

4-5 leaves fresh Romaine lettuce

large handful of spinach and kale leaves

1 large lemon

Add all ingredients to the juicer.  No need to peel the lemon or apples  just put it in whole.  The skin of the lemon cuts the green produce taste out.  If it taste to bitter, I add several drops of liquid Stevia to sweeten it up a bit for my picky one.  Or I add another apple or a pear if I have it on hand.  The juicer takes away all the fibrous content and leaves behind the straight nutrients of the produce.  If you don't have one, I suggest you getting one.  There is nothing like fresh juice.  I try to use it daily.

I have the Breville Fountain Plus juicer.    

All juiced and ready to go.  This is the froth separator.  It keeps all the foamy froth out of your juice.

Remember my picky eater that will not eat anything green or even consider trying it?
I told him this was sweet lemonade and he agreed to try it out.  He wasn't to sure about it at first since it was green and all.  He finally took a sip and said "yum".  I about fell on the floor since it has so much green produce in it.
The apples sweeten this up just enough.   Ya see,  he has such a sweet tooth that he couldn't resist.  I'm more than thrilled to get some veggies in him.  I was jumping up and down saying "Goody Goody he likes it"  This Lemonade is my go to for quick nutrition. 

Ava and Clayton drinking their juice.  Steven drank his so fast I didn't get a chance to take a picture of him!

Look at me! I love it!  Goody, Goody, Goody!

Tuscan Tomato Basil Chicken with Zucchini Spaghetti. Plus BONUS leftovers!

Tuscan Tomato Basil Chicken

What is Lizzy Style?  Well it's a way to eat that my body understands.  Most people don't really understand the impact of food and what we put into our bodies these days.  Most people think fried chicken fingers, pizza and coke are healthy.  I just want to share my ideas and recipes so you can understand there is a healthier alternative to mainstream ways.  Lizzy style is my way, a way I found to feel better about what I put into my body, it is a different way to cook than I was brought up eating. ( My mom is a fantastic cook by the way)  Unfortunately, my parents didn't know the dangers associated with all the pre-packaged and processed foods that they put in the pantry for me and my sister.   It was the thing to do 20 years ago.  I ate my share of processed foods not having a clue what I was doing to myself.  I have become my own health advocate and have made conscious choices and appreciate real food.   It's eating fresh organic foods that our bodies understand.  It's eating fresh foods thats our bodies know how to process and our bodies know how to utilize.  I have always colored outside of the lines and have continued to do so when it comes to cooking.  My strange  health issues forced me to look outside the box.   I realized food was a big contributor to my health problems and now look at food in a different light.  Food is meant to heal, protect, and nourish our bodies.   This  Tuscan chicken dish is fresh, all natural, and easy to make.  I like to keep my ingredients as fresh and simple as possible.  Our bodies like fresh food, not things that come from packages.   I do know these recipes are different than the traditional way of cooking, i.e, with tons of oil, soup mixes, and processed packaged rice and sides.  Think about what you put in your grocery cart at the store.  Is it real food or in a package?

After all, what is MSG anyway?  It is a chemical that our bodies don't know what to do with.  It is a food enhancer found in popular processed foods that causes the appetite regulation center in the brain, the hypothalamus, to stop regulating your fullness meter!  Your satisfaction and gratification sensory is diminished when you consume MSG!   Other hidden names for MSG are: Gelatin, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP), and Malted Barley.   So read your packages people.  This is not something I ever cook with.  I avoid it at all cost for me and my family!  I'm just saying!  I know lots of people that  wonder why they work out so hard and can't lose a pound.  From my personal experience,  it's not how hard one works out but it's the quality of food one puts into their bodies.  I strongly believe in the 80/20 rule.  It's 80% diet and 20% exercise.  So check out this healthy recipe and serve it up...Lizzy Style!

Tuscan Tomato Basil Chicken  (Serves 4+)

• 4 organic chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup red wine ( you can add more , I usually wind up adding a splash or two extra)
• 1//4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 5-6 cloves crushed garlic
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves chopped
• 5-7 Roma tomatoes sliced
• Bragg Organic Sprinkle Seasoning , several shakes in the pot {optional} ( I like this because it's low in sodium and has 24 herbs & spices) 
• small organic tomato paste
• small can organic tomato sauce

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Let cook on low for 4-6 hours. Once it's cooked and the tomatoes are all soft and tender, I scoop out all the chicken, set aside and put all the sauce and tomatoes in the blender and pulse it up.  Once blended, I add a small 8oz can of organic tomato paste and a small can of organic tomato sauce to thicken the sauce a bit.  Add half the paste and see if you need the whole can.  You may not need it depending on the thickness and taste.  Once the sauce is blended and seasoned to taste, pour it over your noodles and top with the chicken.

All the ingredients added to the crock pot.
FRESH INGREDIENTS!

The cooked sauce added to the blender.

Zucchini & Squash Spaghetti

Zucchini Spaghetti ( Serves 4-6)

• 2-3 large zucchini peeled 
• 2-3 large Yellow squash peeled

I use 1-2  Zucchini and Yellow Squash peeled and sliced into match sticks.  I have a mandolin slicer that works great to slice the squash into these tiny strands that resemble spaghetti noodles.  You can steam the noodles to soften them, which I do for the family, but I like mine raw…Lizzy style!  I try to eat as much raw food as I can so I keep about a cup aside just for me.  You should try this out, it's so much better for you than processed traditional pasta.  
*** If you like regular spaghetti and don't think your family will go for the zucchini spaghetti, then just use regular old pasta.  I'm just tying to give you healthier versions.  As you will see, my littlest one wasn't fooled by the noodles, he had a break down and wanted his chicken without noodles.  He is hard to fool. The rest of the family was more than happy to eat the healthier version.

Little Steven always has a smile!

Clayton wasn't gonna have it! No zucchini for him.  Do you see why I hide spinach in his smoothies!

Steven is a picky eater too but he cleaned his plate.

Ava and her hat! She enjoyed the noodles and chicken.

See that big fat artichoke heart?  I love artichokes!  I keep them on hand and eat them with lots of dishes.  

Artichokes are the perfect marriage to this dish. 

 Artichokes are high in fiber,

 potassium, calcium, iron and phosphorus. 

(YES you can get your calcium from things other than milk!)

They are high in antioxidants such as quercertin, rutin, anthocyanins, cynarin, luteolin, and silymarin.  Antioxidants guard your body against cancer.

These little gems are so good for you! ry them out.  Cook them in the sauce if you want, they are amazing.

** If you like parmesan cheese, this would be a great dish to sprinkle it on.  

Bonus:  The leftover sauce makes an awesome meat sauce!

I always have lots of extra sauce from the previous dish.  I save it and use it later in the week for spaghetti with meat sauce.  I use ground sirloin and  season it with garlic, salt and pepper and add the left over sauce and let it simmer.  It melds together like you have slow cooked it all day.  The sauce is so much better a few days later!  My kids love this meal.

I use Gluten Free Pasta if I'm eating  it.  This is the best one I have tried made from Quinoa, which is a super grain.

 Meat sauce

 with parmesan

Just a side note.  I keep various things in my freezer to add to sauces, mainly to sneak in some veggies that Clayton won't see.  In this Tuscan dish, I added 2-3 cubes of frozen red pepper puree that I had frozen in ice cube trays and put in the freezer.  It will not make or break your sauce but it does add another layer of yummy flavor to the sauce not to mention vitamins and carotenoids. 

I put the red bell pepper puree in the ice cube trays and then pop them out and put them in freezer bags.  I take out cubes and add them to chili, tomato sauces, and soups.

I have cut up onions, green onions, garlic, celery, and other various things I use on a daily basis cut and ready to go in the freezer.  I buy it all at once, clean it, chop it,  and store it so it's ready when I am.

Happy cooking…Lizzy Style!

Garlic~ Gingered Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

This is a great fall and winter soup.  It is so rich and creamy, you will just love it I promise!

Ingredients: (serves 8-10) makes a whole crock pot full

2 large butternut squash ( or 4 medium to smaller ones)
1 small white or yellow onion (diced)
3-5 cloves of pressed garlic
1 TBS fresh grated ginger
1 -32oz box vegetable or chicken stock
2 tsp cumin
1 can pure coconut milk
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)

First, rub the squash with olive oil and put in a 375º oven for 45 minutes or till soft to touch.  Let it cool before handling.

Once cool, slice open and scoop out seeds and discard seeds.  Scoop out the flesh and set aside.

Now your ready to go.  Take 2-3 TBS coconut oil, heat in pot. ( Use olive oil if that's what you like)

Cooked squash

Coconut oil heating up.  It's solid at room temperature.  A great oil for  cooking at high temperatures.

The fresh ginger.  Just scrape the skin off with a spoon.

I use this mandolin to grate the ginger.  So easy.

Saute the diced onion and garlic till translucent.  Add the ginger & saute.  Then add the scooped out squash, and large box of stock.  Add cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Stir together and let simmer on low for about 30-45 minutes. ( I put mine in my crock pot for several hours on low till its all cooked together.)

Let this simmer.

Once flavors meld ADD  1 can of coconut milk.  Use an immersion blender and blend till smooth.  I always make a mess with my hand held immersion blender so I take mine out in batches and blend it in my blender.  Add back to your pot and serve it up.   you can garnish this with grated carrots, or fresh cilantro.  I really like to sprinkle a dab of cayenne pepper on mine for a little spice.  This is so healthy and packed full of vitamins.

Nutrition benefit:  One cup of butternut squash supplies you with 3000% of your vitamin A, and 50% of your vitamin C.  It also contains calcium, fiber,  and potassium.

This is the soup blended up and ready to serve. YUM!

I hope you like this as much as we do.  It's so healthy and good for  your body.