Instant Pot Paleo Lemon Chicken

I am slowly learning how to use and embrace my Instant Pot. However, I do not think I will ever get over being terrified releasing the pressure! This recipe is a quick and easy crowd pleaser. I served it over a mound of steamed broccoli, but it would be good over cauliflower rice or wilted spinach too!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken breast – cut in 1 inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 lemon – juiced
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 16 oz fresh mushrooms – sliced
• 1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. basil

In a large mixing bowl, combine salt, pepper, and basil and toss with the chicken. Using the saute function set to high on your instant pot, heat the ghee and then brown the chicken and garlic until browned on all sides. Add the mushrooms lemon juice, and chicken broth. Scrape all the brown goodie off the bottom before putting on the lid and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow to natural release for 5 minutes then quick release the rest of the way. Serve over steamed broccoli, wilted spinach, or cauliflower rice.

Coconut Fish Sticks with Spicy Garlic Aioli

Here in Jersey it’s the season for fresh fish!  It doesn’t get much fresher than when your dad delivers you fish that was caught that morning!  I used fluke for this recipe, but any white fish would work.  Flounder is easily accessible and pretty much the same thing.  Give it a try!

Fig & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Salad

When explaining the paleo diet to people, they often say “no dairy means no eggs?!”…. Then I kindly remind them that eggs do not come from cows.  Neither does goat cheese.  While it isn’t the most paleo-friendly option, it sure is delicious!  This was so yummy and the ooey gooey goat cheese made it even better! Yes, “ooey gooey” is a technical term!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

1 sprig thyme

1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles

6 fresh figs

2 plates fresh greens

1 pear – thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. olive oil + a drizzle

Salt and pepper to taste

1.  In a small bowl, mix half of the goat cheese and two figs diced.  Place a small slit in each chicken breast to create a pocket.  Stuff with goat cheese and fig mixture and seal shut with toothpicks.  Season with thyme leaves, salt, and pepper and set aside.

2.  Lay fresh greens on two plates.  Top with pears, half of the goat cheese and remaining figs that have been halved.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

3.  Whisk together white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey and set aside.

4.  Preheat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Cook chicken while covered for 7-8 minutes per side.

5.  Top salads with chicken (remove the toothpicks too!) and pour the honey balsamic dressing over it.

Italian Shrimp Kabobs

Everything tastes better on a stick!  This meal is super yummy, but even better is that you can throw it together in the morning and then just toss it on the grill when you are ready to eat!  I am sure you can think of plenty of other delicious things to throw on the kebob, so be sure to let me know in the comments how you have modified it!

Avocado Salsa Ahi Tuna Salad

If I am ever stuck for an idea for dinner, I know that Trader Joe’s will have a product that will inspire me.  I stumbled across their Avocado Salsa this week and decided that I just had to try it.  Wow, yum!  I could eat avocado on pretty much anything, so when I saw it turned into salsa I was delighted!  Don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you?  Use your favorite salsa instead!  Super easy, super fast, super yummy!!!

Mango Chicken Stir Fry

Ever since we discovered that the hubby isn’t actually allergic to the fruit of the mango, it’s time to catch up on all that mango-deliciousness that we have been missing out on for years. Our supermarket has a mango display before you even get into the store now, and I think they were calling to my husband. I looked over at the fruit basket this morning and asked him if he had a plan for the mangoes that he was compelled to buy. He didn’t. I had no clue how to work them into a paleo meal since I never actually cooked with mango before last week, but I threw together this dish with hopes that it would turn out well. It did!

Bacon Littleneck Clams

My entire house smells so good that I want to eat it.

Seriously.

Two hours after creating this dish, it still smells incredible. It makes me a bit bummed that the hubby and I ate it all down to the last drop of delicious molho (that’s Portuguese for scrumptious sauce).

I enjoyed this meal as is, while the hubby dipped some Portuguese bread into the molho. I know for sure that this would have possibly been the best meal ever if it was served over pasta…. Grrrr paleo! Good news is that I thoroughly enjoyed it, had no guilt, and enjoyed feeling satisfied instead of stuffed afterwards.

When shopping for little neck clams, the smaller the better. Our supermarket had fabulous looking little guys on sale this week, so I couldn’t resist. Actually, who am I kidding? I will probably hit them up again later this week and make the same exact thing again!

Bruschetta Salmon

This meal was fabulous, but by far the best part of it was watching my beautiful nearly 9 month old house some salmon! This kid loves her fish! It really is incredible watching your little baby pick through the food on her tray to find the bits of salmon. She never ceases to amaze me!

This meal was super easy to grow together. I served it with a side of sautéed kale and it was super packed with nutrients!

Tropical Shrimp Salad

You learn something new every day!  Did you know that the same substance that makes people allergic to poison ivy is in the skin of a mango?  I have spent my entire relationship with my hubby refraining from eating mango because he had a reaction to it.  Well, we just found out that it’s just the peel of it, so as long as I had it all prepared we could enjoy it!  Thank goodness, because this meal was delicious!  As the weather is warming up, fresh crisp salads seem to taste even better than usual!

Lemon Thyme Rainbow Trout

It’s trout season!  I know this makes my daddy-o very happy because they stock the rivers by us.  Opening day, he went out with my husband and they brought home 7 delicious fish!  I love two things about this:

1. My father and husband get along great.
2. Fresh fish for dinner!

I was struggling with a way to make them tastier than just straight up grilling them, so I decided to make a sauce that the Portuguese in me would call a “molho”.  You could use anything you have around the house to make this scrumptious, so I went with what I had.  Who knew that my garden thyme would have survived the winter!?  While I grilled up a big fish feast, I have scaled down the recipe to serve two.