Salt & Vinegar Chicken Wings are not only irresistibly good, but they’re healthy too! The flavours are right on–not too salty and not overpowered by vinegar–and will leave you salivating for the next wing. This simple wing recipe is gluten free, low-carb, keto & paleo.
Look for pastured chicken that has been ethically raised in open pastures with NO antibiotics, drugs or GMOs. Wild Meadows Farm is a great place to find high-quality meat that you can get delivered to your door!
I also recommend using heat stable avocado oil, which has a smoke point of 500F. You can safely bake your wings in the oven at a high temperature without worrying about creating toxic fumes or harmful free radicals.
What are you waiting for? Give this awesome wing recipe a try!
Salt & Vinegar Chicken Wings are not only irresistibly good, but they're healthy too! The flavours are right on--not too salty and not overpowered by vinegar--and will leave you salivating for the next wing. This simple wing recipe is gluten free, low-carb, keto & paleo.
Preheat oven to 400F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pat dry wings with paper towel, add to a large bowl and coat with avocado oil.
Add pepper and 1 tsp. salt to bowl and toss wings so they are evenly coated.
Place wings on baking sheet in a single layer (try to leave some room between wings) and bake for 45 minutes.
While wings are cooking mix vinegar, paprika/cayenne, garlic powder and 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl.
Remove wings from oven and turn oven to 'broil'. Add wings to the large bowl with vinegar and toss until the wings are evenly coated.
Place wings back on the baking tray, put the tray on the top rack of the oven and broil until the wings get crispy again (3-5-minutes depending on how hot your broiler gets).
Remove from oven, place on platter and spoon the remaining vinegar sauce from the bowl over the wings. Garnish with parsley.
This Cold Matcha Latte is a great way to start your day or to give you a gentle mid-day energy boost! Made with just 3 simple ingredients and in less than 3-minutes. AIP, paleo, low-carb & plant-based.
DID YOU KNOW? Matcha Green Tea can help to support weight loss.
According to a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, consuming green tea increased thermogenesis, (the body’s rate of burning calories) from 8-10% to 35-43% of daily energy expenditure.
So what causes this increase in thermogenesis?
Polyphenols – plant-based compound with powerful antioxidant properties.
Matcha is an excellent source of the polyphenols – and contains significantly higher levels than regular green tea, increasing its metabolism boosting and thermogenic effects in the body.
Of course, you can’t out-matcha an unhealthy diet, BUT matcha green tea in addition to a healthy diet is a great and natural way to raise your metabolism and help support weight loss.
This Cold Matcha Latte is a great way to start your day or to give you a gentle mid-day energy boost! Made with just 3 simple ingredients and in less than 3-minutes. AIP, paleo, low-carb & plant-based.
Ciabotta (also known as ciambotta or giambotta) is an Italian vegetable stew that is a common summer dish throughout southern Italy.
Similar to the French ratatouille, this vegetable stew is made up of seasonal Mediterranean vegetables slowly cooked down with tomatoes and finished with fresh basil.
My Nonna (a.k.a. Ma) made this dish every Summer for as long as I can remember. Although she called it peperonata (which is predominately peppers and onions), she prepared it more like ciabotta with the addition of other vegetables like eggplant and zucchini.
BUT, we won’t tell Ma that I changed the name of her famous Summer dish.
My family could always rely on Ma for containers filled with this vegetable stew, especially when the garden was overflowing with zucchini and eggplant.
She’d send my Nonno out to the garden to pick all the good stuff, while she spent hours in the kitchen (a place she truly loved to be) preparing this dish and many more. Basically, my Nonno was the gardener and Ma was the chef (and not a day passed where Ma didn’t yell at Nonno for bugging her while she was trying to cook).
This dish is dedicated to my Ma... Thank you for passing on your love of cooking to me and inspiring me to create traditional Italian dishes that bring back fun family memories.
Now give this simple and delicious ciabotta a try. It’s the perfect summer time dish and works well with meat or fish.
Here’s what you need for Ciabotta (Italian vegetable stew):
Ciabotta (also known as ciambotta or giambotta) is an Italian vegetable stew that is a common summer dish in Abruzzo, as well as all throughout southern Italy. Similar to the French ratatouille, this vegetable stew is made up of seasonal Mediterranean vegetables slowly cooked down with tomatoes and finished with fresh basil.Give this simple and delicious ciabotta a try. It's a wonderful side to meat or fish.
796mlcan fire roasted tomatoes, or other canned tomatoes
3tbspolive oil
1tspsea salt, add more if desired
Black pepper, to taste
Handful of fresh basil
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion and garlic. Cook at medium heat until the onions are translucent. Keep stirring to prevent the garlic from burning.
Add in chopped vegetables along with the canned tomatoes and salt. Simmer on low for 1 hour. If the liquid reduces too much, add a little water.
Taste and season with more salt if needed and black pepper.
Add a handful of torn basil, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, mix and serve.
Lemon Sesame Protein Balls are perfect for a healthy mid-day snack or pre/post workout fuel! They’re are soft, chewy and very satisfying given that they’re loaded with good fats and protein. These no-bake balls are super easy to make with ONLY 4 ingredients needed!
DID YOU KNOW? Sesame seeds are beneficial for female hormones.
Sesame seeds contain phytoestrogens, plant compounds that are similar to the hormone estrogen.
Therefore, sesame seeds might be beneficial for women during menopause when estrogen levels drop. Phytoestrogens may help counteract hot flashes and other symptoms of low estrogen.
What’s more, sesame seeds are a rich source of lignan precursors. These specific compounds are produced by the microflora in the colon and have been shown to have powerful cancer-fighting effects on several specific types of cancer.
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that dietary lignans may act as a natural cancer treatment to reduce breast cancer risk by modifying tumor characteristics. In the study, lignan intakes were associated with a lower risk of estrogen receptor negative breast cancer. The study found that women with the highest intake of lignans compared to the lowest intake had a 40 percent to 50 percent lower chance of developing breast cancer.
All that said, if you’re looking for an easy way to add more sesame seeds into your diet, try my Lemon Sesame Protein Balls.
These protein balls are great for a healthy mid-day snack or quick pre/post workout fuel. Make a batch and store them in the fridge or freezer, so you’ll always have a healthy snack ready to pop or take with you when you’re running out the door.
Lemon Sesame Protein Balls are perfect for a healthy mid-day snack or pre/post workout fuel! They’re are soft, chewy and very satisfying given that they’re loaded with good fats and protein. These no-bake balls are super easy to make with ONLY 4 ingredients needed!
3/4cupPurePaleo Protein Powder vanilla, or PurePea Protein for plant-based version
6-8dropsfood-grade lemon essential oil , or 1.5 tsp lemon extract
2tbspsesame seeds, black or white
1/4tspsea salt
Instructions
Add sesame seed butter, protein powder, lemon oil or extract and sea salt into the food processor and combine ingredients. Use a spatula to scrape sides if needed. Mixture should be dense and smooth so it can be pressed together. If it's too wet, add more protein powder. If it's too dry, add more sesame seed butter (1 tsp at a time).
Using a teaspoon, scoop mixture and form into small balls. If balls are too sticky to form, place mixture into the freezer for 10-minutes then remove and form balls.
Roll balls into sesame seeds then place them in large shallow glass container so they're not touching one another.
Store protein balls in the fridge or freezer for a frozen treat. Once the balls have firmed up, feel free to stack them in a smaller container.
“Spaghetti” alla Puttanesca is absolutely delicious and super quick & easy to prepare! It’s a great go-to meal during the busy work week since most ingredients (like olives, capers, tomatoes and anchovies) can be easily stored. You’ll fall in love with this gluten free & paleo spin on a classic Italian dish!
So, I was going to talk about the health benefits of this flavourful Italian dish, BUT got sidetracked by some other interesting facts when I was doing recipe research …
DID YOU KNOW? Spaghetti alla puttanesca literally means prostitute’s spaghetti!
And that’s why we’re not talking about health today – and instead learning about how this dish got its name.
Some believe this was the easiest dish prostitutes could prepare between customers because the low cost, easily stored ingredients required little shopping or preparation.
Others believe it was was created by Sandro Petti, the co-owner of the restaurant Rangio Felon. The story goes that some customers arrived late to eat and because the restaurant had run out of many fresh ingredients, they asked Petti to prepare ‘una puttanata qualsiasi’, which literally translates as ‘a whore’s any’ but means any rubbish/ garbage. So Petti created a dish with what he had left in the kitchen. The resulting pasta dish was liked so much by the customers that Petti put it on the restaurant menu calling it ‘spaghetti all puttanesca’.
Moral of the story (whichever story you choose to believe): Spaghetti alla puttanesca is not only quick and easy to whip up, but it’s also a great go-to meal during the busy work week since most ingredients (like olives, capers, tomatoes and anchovies) can be easily stored in your kitchen.
Now check out my gluten free & paleo spin on a classic spaghetti alla puttanesca.
"Spaghetti" alla Puttanesca is absolutely delicious and super quick & easy to prepare! It's a great go-to meal during the busy work week since most ingredients (like olives, capers, tomatoes and anchovies) can be easily stored. You'll fall in love with this gluten free & paleo spin on a classic Italian dish!
Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and remove seeds with spoon.
Bake at 400F for 30-40 min (first 10 min bake with flesh down, then turn so skin is down for remaining time). Fork should pierce skin easily when squash is cooked.
Use a fork to scrape out the strands of squash.
Puttanesca Sauce
In a large pan, sauté garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes in 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat. Break apart anchovies.
Once garlic is lightly golden, add tomatoes and crush with a fork. Add some salt and cook at medium heat until tomatoes break down, roughly 10-minutes.
Add in olives and capers and let simmer on low heat for another 10-minutes.
Add cooked spaghetti squash into the puttanesca pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil and coat noodles with sauce.
Garnish with finely chopped parsley and serve!
Notes
For spaghetti squash: Cooking time varies depending on the size of the squash. Check regularly to avoid overcooking the squash. You want the noodles to be ‘al dente’. Time your spaghetti squash so that it’s done cooking around the same time as your sauce.
Not a fan of anchovies? Try tuna or chicken instead.
Make this dish plant-based by replacing anchovies with beans.
Maca Matcha Smoothie is creamy and refreshing! Two powerful ingredients, maca and matcha, make this smoothie great for hormone balancing and anti-aging. Truly the perfect smoothie for looking and feeling your best! Dairy free, AIP, low-carb, plant-based & paleo.
DID YOU KNOW? Maca is a root vegetable in the Radish family that is known for its hormone balancing effects.
Maca is an endocrine adaptogen, meaning that it does not contain any hormones, but rather it contains the nutrients necessary to support normal hormone production.
This root has been studied to help enhance fertility, normalize symptoms of premenstrual/menstrual symptoms, as well as the symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, night sweats, cramps, fatigue and lethargy.
You can easily add maca to your diet by blending it into a smoothie. Look for gelatinized maca for easier digestion and absorption.
What you need for Maca Matcha Smoothie:
Unsweetened coconut or almond milk (use full fat or light canned coconut milk for an extra creamy smoothie)
Maca Matcha Smoothie is creamy and refreshing! Two powerful ingredients, maca and matcha, make this smoothie great for hormone balancing and anti-aging. Truly the perfect smoothie for looking and feeling your best! Dairy free, AIP, low-carb, plant-based & paleo.
My mission is to help women heal their gut, lose weight and feel great through simple and delicious smoothies, whole food nutrition & healthy lifestyle habits.
