Featured post by Kelly from The Nourishing Home

Grilled pineapple chicken's tropical flavors are like a Caribbean vacation for your taste buds!  It's especially good topped with fresh pineapple salsa and a side of black beans and brown rice – just crank up a little Caribbean music while dining to make it even more fun!

1 lb. boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts or tenders
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp fresh grated organic lime zest (about 1 lime)
2 tbsp unsweetened 100% pure pineapple juice
1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
 
Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise, so that you end up with two thinly sliced breasts for each breast you cut in half (or cut into chicken tenders, if you prefer). Place chicken in a glass baking dish. 
 
In a small bowl, add remaining ingredients and whisk together until well combined. Pour marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to grilling, but no more than 45 minutes prior to grilling, otherwise the chicken will become mushy.
 
Then, preheat grill until hot. Grill chicken, turning over once haflway through cooking time, until cooked through. Remove chicken from grill, place on plate and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to sit 3-5 minutes before serving. When ready to serve, top with a heaping dollop of fresh pineapple salsa and a side of black beans and brown rice!  Serves 4. YUM!
 
Fresh Pineapple Salsa

1 ½ cups diced fresh pineapple
¾ cup organic tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 2 small tomatoes)
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
2 tbsp unsweetened 100% pure pineapple juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely minced fresh organic cilantro
1/2 tbsp finely minced fresh flat-leaf organic parsley
1 tsp seeded and finely minced jalapeno pepper (for hotter salsa, use more)
1 clove garlic, finely minced 
½ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp fresh grated organic lime zest
 
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving, or refrigerate salsa for up to one week. Great accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish, as well as a delicious addition to burritos, quesadillas, etc.

Kelly Smith loves the Lord, her family, and sharing her passion for real food cooking and meal planning with others. She is a part-time healthcare writer and a full-time wife and mother to two awesome boys. Kelly’s real food journey began four years ago when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Since then, the Lord has blessed her with an amazing recovery – a testament to His grace and the health benefits of eating real food. Kelly shares her knowledge of cooking and meal planning via her facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheNourishingHome. She hopes to launch a blog soon.

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Featured post by Kelly of The Nourishing Home

Fabulous Fruit & Cream Bars

"I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!!"  Especially when it's fresh fruit covered in delicious creamy goodness!  Making homemade frozen popsicles and ice cream bars with your kids is not only fun, but it’s delicious and nutritious too!

Strawberries & Cream Bars

• 1 pound fresh ripe organic strawberries
• 1 cup plain organic whole milk yogurt (coconut kefir makes a great dairy-free option)
• 2 ½ tbsp raw honey
• 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Remove stems from strawberries. Finely dice four of the strawberries and set aside. Then, cut the remaining whole strawberries into halves and place in your blender or VitaMix. Add the remaining ingredients listed above, except for the four finely diced strawberries. Blend until thoroughly combined. Then add the diced strawberries and blend on low just a couple of seconds to mix together. Pour mixture into pop molds and freeze for at least 6-8 hours hours. When ready to serve, run the pop mold under warm water for a few seconds to loosen before removing the mold.

Peaches & Cream Bars

• 4 large fresh ripe organic peaches 
• 1 cup plain organic whole milk yogurt (coconut kefir makes a great dairy-free option)
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup (I prefer a light grade A, as it's less maple-y in flavor)
• 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Remove skins from the peaches. Cut one peach in half. Finely dice the half peach and set aside. Then, cut the remaining peaches (including the leftover peach half) into slices. (Be sure to slice them right over your blender or VitaMix container to catch all of the juices in the container.) Add the remaining ingredients listed above, except for the finely diced peach half. Blend until thoroughly combined. Then add the diced peaches and blend on low just a couple of seconds to mix together. Pour mixture into pop molds and freeze for at least 6-8 hours hours. When ready to serve, run the pop mold under warm water for a few seconds to loosen before removing the mold.

Please note:  Ripe fruit is much sweeter and more flavorful. So be sure to only use fully ripened fruit in your ice pops for the best flavor. To ripen peaches faster, place them in a brown paper bag with a banana and seal the bag by folding the top down. Allow them to hang out with the banana for a day or so until they ripen. Unfortunately, strawberries do not ripen after they have been harvested, so it's important to choose strawberries that have been picked fully ripened for best flavor. The key to getting the sweetest, juiciest fruit is buying locally grown fruit - so check out your local farmers' markets for the best selection of fresh organic fruits and veggies.

Also note:  When fresh ripe fruit is not in season/available, you can use frozen fruit to make ice pops. However, it's best to allow the frozen fruit to thaw first, before blending it. That's because you may need to add more liquid to get the fruit to blend properly and this will change the flavor and texture of your ice pop.

***For the groovy popsicle molds shown in the photo above, click here.

Kelly Smith loves the Lord, her family, and sharing her passion for real food cooking and meal planning with others. She is a part-time healthcare writer and a full-time wife and mother to two awesome boys. Kelly’s real food journey began four years ago when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Since then, the Lord has blessed her with an amazing recovery – a testament to His grace and the health benefits of eating real food. Kelly shares her knowledge of cooking and meal planning via her facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheNourishingHome. She hopes to launch a blog soon.

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Caprese Pasta

Caprese pasta is quick and easy to make! It’s best served at room temperature, not hot, as it melts the cheese. Also, the caprese becomes much more flavorful as you allow it time to marinate – so be sure to assemble it at least one hour before you plan to eat, so the flavors have a chance to meld together. 

12oz bag of your favorite spaghetti (or angel hair) pasta
16oz of fresh organic sweet grape, cherry or mixed medley tomatoes
8oz fresh Italian whole milk mozzarella balls packed in water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
3 heaping tbsp of fresh basil, finely minced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
 
Rinse tomatoes and cut into halves. Drain water from mozzarella balls and cut into bite-sized pieces. Finely mince fresh basil and garlic. Then, place all of the ingredients, except the pasta, into a large mixing bowl and combine using a large spoon. Cover the bowl and allow it to marinate for at least one hour.
 
When ready to serve, cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and lightly rinse pasta with cold water so it’s warm, not hot. Place pasta back in cooking pot and add 3-4 large spoonfuls of the juices only from the caprese mixture. Also add 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of sea salt. Toss to combine.  Then, transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and top with the caprese.  Absolutely delicious as a meal by itself, or serve it with a side of grilled chicken or fish.  Mangia!

Kelly Smith loves the Lord, her family, and sharing her passion for real food cooking and meal planning with others. She is a part-time healthcare writer and a full-time wife and mother to two awesome boys. Kelly’s real food journey began four years ago when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Since then, the Lord has blessed her with an amazing recovery – a testament to His grace and the health benefits of eating real food. Kelly shares her knowledge of cooking and meal planning via her facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheNourishingHome. She hopes to launch a blog soon.

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Also shared at Nourishing Gourmet and Real Food Wednesday

Featured post by Kelly from The Nourishing Home

This decadent lemon tart features one of my family’s favorite summer fruits – CHERRIES! Cherries are an incredibly delicious and nutritious superfood packed with vital nutrients that improve health and well being, such as beta carotene, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate.

Cherries also contain among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, when compared to other fruits. In fact, recent studies have shown that cherries provide many important health benefits – from helping to ease inflammation and pain, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Unfortunately, fresh cherries are only available for a short season; but the good news is their incredible health benefits remain intact when dried or frozen. We like to stock up on them while they’re in season, then pit them and freeze them for use year-round.

When fresh cherries aren’t available for this recipe, you can simply substitute with fresh organic strawberries for a delightful Strawberry Lemon Tart.  Another delicious and beautiful option is to arrange an assortment of fresh organic berries across the top, such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries.

Cherry Lemon Tart

Step 1: Prepare the Crust

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
• 3 tbsp butter, cold, cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp pure honey
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and process until it starts to form a ball. Use a rubber spatula to remove the dough and place in a small bowl. Refrigerate dough until firm, about 20 minutes. Once cool, press dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-12” tart pan or pie plate. If using a pie plate, use a fork to make a decorative pattern along the edges.

Bake crust for 7-8 minutes, until lightly golden around edges. Allow to cool before filling.

Step 2: Prepare the Lemon Curd Filling

• 6 egg yolks (pastured eggs are the best!)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 2 Meyer lemons)
• 2 tbsp filtered water
• 1/2 cup butter, cold, cut into pieces
• Fresh organic cherries (or your favorite fresh berries)

In a double boiler, or in a heat-safe glass bowl resting above a pot of gently boiling water, whisk together the egg yolks, honey, lemon juice and water until well blended. Slowly add the butter, 2-3 pieces at a time, while constantly whisking. Add more pieces as the previous ones melt.

After all the butter pieces are melted and incorporated, cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens. Then, place the lemon curd in the refrigerator to cool. Once cool, add the lemon curd to the cooled crust, using a spreader to smooth it out evenly.

Bake at 300 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until filling sets and slightly puffs up. While tart is baking, pit cherries and slice in half. You'll need about 1 1/2 cups of halved cherries to cover the top of the tart. (Or if using fresh organic strawberries instead, remove stems and slice in half.)

Once baking is complete, remove tart from oven and immediately arrange fresh cherries (or your choice of fruit) in a pleasing pattern across the top. Refrigerate for at least two hours, or until cold, before serving. Recipe adapted from the wonderful grain-free cookbook, Grain-Free Gourmet.

Kelly Smith loves the Lord, her family, and sharing her passion for real food cooking and meal planning with others.  She is a part-time healthcare writer and a full-time wife and mother to two awesome boys.  Kelly’s real food journey began four years ago when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder.  Since then, the Lord has blessed her with an amazing recovery – a testament to His grace and the health benefits of eating real food.  Kelly shares her knowledge of cooking and meal planning via her facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheNourishingHome.  She hopes to launch a blog soon.

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to Like a Bubbling Brook email updates - it's free and delivers new posts about faith, homemaking, and real foods right to your inbox.

NEW! Now you can also join us on Twitter. | NEW! Join in our community via our Facebook page.

Please Visit Our Current Sponsors & Affiliates:

• Directive 21- Berkey water systems, seed banks, emergency kits, and more
• Shaklee - Natural and effective cleaning and health products
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• The Modest Mom - Stylish, modest skirts for everyone
• Rod & Staff Books- Bible-based homeschool curriculum
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Also shared at Real Food Weekly, Nourishing Gourmet, Simple Lives Thursday, Gluten-Free Homemaker, Raising Homemakers, and Real Food Wednesday

I had the distinct pleasure of being treated to dinner on Saturday.

And not just any dinner, either; my sweet, thoughtful, handsome hunk-of-a-man cooked dinner for us and it was amazing.  Scrumptious.  Delicious.  

Recipes from America's Test Kitchen show up in his inbox every now and then, and he usually forwards them on to me, but he wanted to try and duplicate what he saw on this Italian grilled chicken video himself.

I'm so glad he did.

***

P.S.  Have you seen The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook?

***

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Also shared at:

Simple Lives Thursday, Nourishing Gourmet, and