Living Life Balanced Blog

Burrito Bowl

3/25/2020

This is another one of our go-to meals because it's easy, delicious (who doesn't like Mexican food?) and we usually have these ingredients on hand. Make it your own by just using up the fresh and pantry ingredients YOU have and get ready for your new favorite meal! Sometimes we eat this for dinner or we make a huge batch and eat it for the week. Yum!

Burrito Bowl: gluten free and dairy free recipes by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN

Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 servings brown rice, cooked according to package
2 Tbsp lime juice
½ tsp chili powder
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 bell peppers, sliced thin
1 onion, sliced thin
2 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 Tbsp guacamole
4 Tbsp salsa
2 cups blueberries

Directions

When rice is done cooking mix in lime juice, cilantro, chili powder and 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, peppers and onion. Sauté, stirring frequently, until slightly softened and they start to brown. Add in the beans and cook until hot.
To serve, divide rice with the bean and pepper mixture between serving bowls. Enjoy with guacamole and salsa.
Serve with 1/2 cup blueberries each.

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Chicken Pot Pie

3/18/2020

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A few weeks ago I was back in Texas visiting my family for my birthday. I had been craving chicken pot pie but it is hard to find a gluten free and dairy free version. I asked my parents if they would be interested in eating it if I made one and they said yes! We went to Sprouts and grabbed all of our ingredients. The best part was that they had already cooked, unseasoned, rotisserie chicken that we could buy! I highly recommend using something similar to cut down on cooking time (unless you already have leftover shredded chicken). That is also where I bought the gluten-free pie crust and gluten-free flour. If you watch the video you will see that I had trouble with the pie crust because I let it sit out for too long before using it. This caused it to get very sticky and I was unable to pull it off the parchment paper to place on top of the pie. Instead, I just pulled off pieces and added it on top just like if you were using a biscuit batter - which probably is just easier to do in the first place! Fortunately, all it changed was the look of the pot pie - the taste was still incredible! If you want your pie to be a little prettier, you might be able to just pour the chicken mixture into a pie crust and then top it with the other one instead of rolling them out to top a baking pan. Either way, the result will be a delicious pot pie! Shout out to my mom for videoing and helping me with this recipe and my dad for the music! Video posted at the bottom.

Chicken Pot Pie: gluten free and dairy free recipes by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN

Total Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 Tbsp vegan butter
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
4 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
5 Tbsp vegan butter
7 Tbsp gluten-free flour (I like King Arthur Measure for Measure)
dash of salt and pepper, to taste
2 1/2 cups no or low salt added chicken broth
1 cup almond milk
16 oz frozen mixed veggies
1 25 oz rotisserie chicken, unseasoned, skin removed and pulled
3 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried thyme
2 gluten free pie crusts

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
Heat 2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat in a large pan and saute the celery, onion and mushrooms until tender.
Remove the veggies from the pan and set aside.
Add 5 Tbsp of the vegan butter to the pan and 7 Tbsp of the gluten free flour and a dash of salt and pepper to make a roux. Mix together until combined.
Add chicken broth and whisk until smooth and thick.
Stir in the almond milk until blended and smooth. Add more broth or almond milk if you need to thin it out a little more.
Now add in the frozen veggies (I like the one with green beans, carrots, peas and corn) and the vegetables you just cooked, as well as the pulled chicken, and mix together until well combined. Add parsley and thyme and set aside and turn off the heat.
Roll out the cold but not frozen pie crusts to fit over a large 9x13 pan OR just pull apart pieces of the crust to throw on top after you put the chicken and vegetable mixture in the pan.
Add the chicken and vegetable mixture into the pan and top with either the rolled crust OR the crust pieces to cover the entire top (see video).
Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust starts to turn golden brown. If your pan is really full you might need a baking sheet underneath to catch anything that drips out of the pan.
Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

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Learn how to make a delicious, gluten free and dairy free chicken pot pie! Recipe in bio. #livinglifebalanced #healthcoach #chickenpotpie #glutenfree #dairyfree #recipes #healthy

A post shared by Elena McCown â€¢ Health Coach (@elenamccown) on Mar 18, 2020 at 5:07pm PDT

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Tacos

3/11/2020

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Tacos: gluten free and dairy free recipes by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN

Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
½ Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Dash of salt and pepper
12 corn tortillas
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ head lettuce, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2 cups raspberries

Directions

Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat in a large pan.
Add the turkey and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil with ½ of the onion (saving the rest for serving), the bell pepper and poblano pepper and sauté for about 10 minutes until veggies soften.
Add the turkey back in with the veggies and combine with the garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, a dash of salt and pepper and the turkey until everything is seasoned and hot. If necessary, add 1-2 Tbsp of water to help mix the spices with the turkey.
Serve corn tacos with the turkey, the rest of the onion, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro and avocado.
Serve each with 1/2 cup raspberries.

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Shrimp Jambalaya

3/11/2020

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Shrimp Jambalaya: gluten free and dairy free recipes by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN

Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning (I like Kingsford Cajun Style Seasoning)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 can diced tomatoes, no or low salt added
4 servings quick cooking brown rice
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 stems green onion, chopped
4 oranges

Directions

Cook rice according to package directions and set aside.
In a large shallow pan, heat oil over medium high heat and add the chopped onion, bell peppers and celery. Sauté for about 8 minutes until slightly translucent and brown. Add garlic and Cajun seasoning.
Add shrimp to the pan and cook until pink and opaque.
Add the Worcestershire, diced tomatoes and rice and stir until everything is hot and mixed thoroughly. Top with green onion.
Serve each with an orange.

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Chocolate Chip Bites

2/12/2020

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While sometimes it is nice and easy to just buy my food straight from the store, when I have the time I definitely prefer to make as much food as I can homemade. I especially like to make my snacks because I feel like those are even harder to find as healthy as I would like without all of the added junk. They are also usually cheaper to make vs buy so I like that part as well! These chocolate chip bites are simple, lightly sweet and help fill the void in between meals or when I am craving something sweet. Check out my cooking video here!

Chocolate Chip Bites: gluten free and dairy free recipes by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN

Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 16

Ingredients

½ cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup old fashioned oats
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut
½ cup ground flaxseed meal or hemp seeds, shelled
6 Tbsp mini chocolate chips

Directions

In a mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter, honey and vanilla.
Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly coated.
Transfer mixture to refrigerator to chill until mixture has firmed up a bit, about 30 minutes to make the dough a little easier handle. If short on time, skip this step.
Remove from refrigerator and shape into 1-inch balls.
Store in fridge in an airtight container.

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