Ingredients:
4 x Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Marinade:
1/3 cup of Vinegar
1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce (or if using regular Soy Sauce, use 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup of water - otherwise it will be too salty)
2 1/2 tsp of Minced Garlic
1 small onion, sliced
2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
3 Bay leaves, dry
1/4 tsp of cayenne
salt & ground black pepper for seasoning chicken breasts

Directions:
1. Season chicken breast lightly with salt & pepper. Set Instant Pot to saute mode. When Instant Pot is ready, add olive oil to the bottom of the pot. Add chicken breast and cook until outsides are brown. Remove and transfer chicken to a plate. Turn off the saute mode.

2. In a bowl, add soy sauce, vinegar, onion, cayenne and garlic. Mix ingredients together. Now add the marinade to the Instant Pot and mix throughly. Add the chicken breasts and the bay leaves to the pot. Close pot with lid until it is securely sealed. Set Intant Pot to pressure cook for 10 minutes. Once it is finished, manually release the pressure carefully.

3. Remove lid, set Instant Pot to sauté Mode again and stir sauce occasionally for about 8-10 minutes (or until desired consistency). Serve over your choice of cooked rice and enjoy!
Nutritional: 316 Calories, 43 g of Pro, 3 g of CHO, 13 g of Fat
​Photo by Selina Thomas on Unsplash

Who is going to win this Super Bowl?  Are you hosting this years Super bowl party? This is such an easy recipe to do when you are entertaining guests or out & about running around getting stuff done!

Ingredients:  
1 lb of Ground Turkey
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 can of  Chiili style beans in sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes undrained
1/2 tsp of ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp of cumin
2 Tbsp of chill powder
2-3 fresh tomatoes chopped in chunks

Directions:  
Get your medium size crockpot ready.

1.  In a non-stick skillet, cook the ground turkey to fully cooked. Once cooked set aside in a bowl.
2.  Chop fresh tomatoes into chunks and chop onion & garlic cloves. Add to crockpot.
3.  Now add the beans & diced canned tomatoes with their sauce. Mix well together.
4.  Add the cooked ground turkey to the crockpot & all remaining spices (chill powder, ground pepper & cumin). Mix together.
5.  Cook on low heat for 6 hours.
6.  Serve with brown rice or whole wheat, whole grain buns & Enjoy!

This is one of my favourite Chili recipes from a visit to Cincinnati.  A sales rep I was chatting with told me how, in Ohio, they put cinnamon in their Chili and they serve it a different way. I had to check out what all the hype was about!  Cincinnati is known as the "Chili capital of USA!"

JCJ's Fav Chili

1 Qt. water
2 lbs. of Lean Ground Beef
1 Tbsp of Salt
1 Tsp of Cinnamon
1 tsp Black pepper
2 chopped onions
1/2 tsp of chili pepper
3 whole bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 small can of tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove
1 tsp ground cumin

1. Add ground beef to water.  Add all other ingredients and bring to boil. 

2. Simmer for 3-4 hours. 

3. Remove garlic and bay leaves. 

Here is the unique ways they serve it up in Cincinatti!!

Cincinnati 2 way: Spaghetti topped with chili.  
3-way:  Spaghetti topped w/ chili & grated cheese. 
4-way:  Spaghetti topped w/ chili, grated cheese & chopped fresh onions.  The Best!
5-way: Same as a 4-way but add kidney beans to the chili (for those who love their beans).

This recipe is for all the San Fran fans!...reminds us of visiting Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant at one of the Piers.  Sweet and tangy memories of San Francisco....


JCJ's Sweet Chili Shrimp

15-20 Cooked Shrimp 
2 Tbsp of Sweet Chili Sauce 
15-20 Sliced Field Cucumbers

1. In a pot, boil water over medium heat.  Add shrimp and cook until shrimp pink and floating.  Slice your cucumbers at this time.

2. Once cooked, remove from heat and drain.  Cool shrimp under cold running water. 

3. Transfer shrimp to bowl and add the sweet chill sauce. Add coated shrimps over sliced cucumbers.  Serve and enjoy!

We love this recipe for snacking, hanging out with some friends, and watching some football! Or, make up a big batch and portion out for afternoon snacks or kids' lunchboxes!

JCJ's Vanilla Almond Crunch

1/4 cup partly skimmed evaporated milk
1 Tbsp of cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
3 cups of Almonds
1 cup of sugar
2 Tbsp of Vanilla Whey powder

1. Preheat oven to 300'F. Spread almonds on a cookie sheet and bake, stirring after 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove almonds and let cool as needed.

2. Combine evaporated milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar in a pot. Dissolve mixture over medium heat.

3. Add almonds and continue to cook and stir frequently. Cook until nuts are completely covered and no liquid is left. Lightly coat the cooked almonds with Vanilla Whey powder.

4. Spread over cookie sheet on wax paper to let them cool.

*Optional: add 2 Cups of Kashi Honey Sunshine Cereal to help give them a extra crunchy bite!

Are you ready for the holidays?  Here's one more recipe - quick and delicious! - that will keep you and your fellow party-goers satiated thanks to a healthy dose of protein, a bit of natural sugar, and a chocolate-y kick!

JCJ Approved Holiday Protein Bites

2 + 3/4 C pitted dates
1/2 C water
1/2 C natural nut butter
1 C vanilla whey protein
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/4 C hemp seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
lukewarm water for rolling

Blend dates and water in a food processor.  Next, add the nut butter.  Add the protein powder slowly.  Last, add the cocoa powder, hemp seeds, and cinnamon and mix all thoroughly.

Set aside a bowl of lukewarm water to clean hands while working with dough.  Form into golf ball-sized bites.  Roll in festive toppings if desired (we like red and green sprinkles!).

Freeze on a baking sheet for minimum 3 hours before packaging together.  Bites can be stored in freezer until ready to eat!


Wishing you Happy Holidays and a healthy New Year!
- JCJ

For all our "wheat-free" fans, we especially want to share this recipe with you! This was created for a friend who was pregnant at the time and has IBS (Irritable Bowl Syndrome). I wanted to make something for her that she could eat on-the-go when in a rush to doctor's appointments or too tired to bake for herself!

We hope you enjoy JCJ's first official wheat-free recipe, and we promise we will keep 'em coming! In the meantime, don't be shy to ask us for nutrition tips and tricks or put a request in for our next round of recipe blogging!! :)

- JCJ

JCJ's Rice Flour Banana Bread

4 medium bananas, mashed
300g rice flour (can be found at a health food store or organic grocer)
100g dairy-free spread (or basic margarine)
4 Tsp wheat/gluten-free baking powder
2 eggs
1 Cup coconut milk (found at any grocery store, sometimes in the asian/ethnic cooking section)

1. Preheat oven to 350'F. Lightly grease loaf pans and set aside until ready to use. Next, mash bananas to a pureed texture in a bowl (or in a blender/food processor, if you prefer).

2. In a separate bowl, measure all other ingredients. Add mashed bananas to the mixture and thoroughly combine.

3. Transfer mix to greased loaf pans. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out cleanly.

Nutrition:
1 Serving: 242 Calories | 34g CHO | 4g Pro | 10g Fat

This recipe is a personal favourite.  Several years ago when I was hospitalized, but out on a weekend pass, I hosted a "Frozen Food Party."  I had all my closest girlfriends there and we worked together to make meals that could be easily frozen and saved for easy "heat and eat" meals on days when I was too tired to cook.  This is a great strategy not just for people dealing with a long-term illness, but also for anyone who needs tasty, nutrient-packed meals in a quick and simple way!  I made this recipe for our brunch and it was a big hit!  

- JCJ


JCJ's No Crusti-ness Spinach Quiche

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 bunch green onions (white parts only), finely diced
4 eggs, beaten
1 container of cottage cheese (no added salt)
2 cups of low fat shredded cheddar cheese
whole wheat breadcrumbs (optional garnish)

1.  Preheat oven to 325'F (165'C).  Lightly grease a muffin pan.

2.  Place the spinach in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until spinach softens.  When wilted, set the spinach aside for later. 

3. In a bowl, mix the onion, eggs, cottage cheese, and cheddar.  Add the spinach to this mix and stir all ingredients until combined throughly.  Divide evenly in your muffin pan.

4.  Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, until egg is firm and fully cooked (use your judgement!).  If using breadcrumbs, remove pan from oven after 30 minutes and sprinkle with crumbs to top; return pan to oven for 5-10 minutes to finish.  

* Gluten-free option for replacing breadcrumbs: Grate a few cauliflower florets with a cheese grater!  It will look crumbly and you can sprinkle on top.  Cook until eggs are firm and cauliflower is lightly browned.

I love this recipe because it is so easy to make.  You can pair it with spaghetti squash, pasta, breads to dip, or even rice!  It makes quite a bit, so you can freeze the rest and save for a cold day!

- JCJ

JCJ Approved Easy Peasy Meat Sauce

1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 onion, chopped
15 cherry tomatoes, sliced in 1/2
3-4 small mushrooms, sliced
1 jar of your favourite spaghetti sauce (low in sugar & sodium would be best)

1.  Halve cherry tomatoes, chop onion, and slice mushrooms.  Set all aside for later.

2.  Preheat pot on stove to medium high heat.  Transfer ground beef into pot and cook until meat is well done and brown in colour.  Drain any excess fat from the pot after browning.

3.  Add spaghetti sauce to the meat.  Stir until mixed thoroughly.  Add tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms to the meat mix.  Stir all until thoroughly mixed.

4. Change heat to low and cover pot with lid.  Let meat sauce simmer for 25 minutes.  Enjoy!