Crock Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken

After surfing the web for barbeque chicken recipes for the slow cooker and not finding anything that didn't call for bottled barbeque sauce, I decided to create my own. This recipe is super simple. Mix all ingredients in the crock pot itself. Add your chicken breasts and try to keep them as one layer. Cook for 6-8 hours or until your chicken falls apart easily. Shred with 2 forks and drizzle with leftover sauce.

For my first attempt at chicken in the crock pot I give myself an A+! Crock Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken was juicy and tender and definitely tasted like barbeque. I left out the cayenne pepper because my fiance is not a fan of spicy food, but next time I think I'll throw it in for a bit of a kick.  Enjoy!

Crockpot Pulled BBQ Chicken

makes 6-8 servings - prep time: 5 minutes - cook time: 6.5 hrs

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Truvia/Sugar blend
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4-6 chicken breasts

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Stir well.
2. Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the pan aligning them in one layer. Cover the crock pot and set on low heat for 6-8 hours.
3. After 4 hours have passed, flip the chicken over but be sure they remain as one single layer.
4. The chicken is done cooking if it pulls apart easily with a fork.
5. Put all cooked chicken in to a bowl. With two forks pull apart the chicken. Top with sauce that it was cooked in.

Clean Apple Pie with Gluten Free Crust by Oxygen Magazine

One of my favorite fitness magazines of all time is Robert Kennedy Publishing's Oxygen Magazine. It's always loaded with great workouts, useful tips and delicious recipes. When the December 2012 issue showed up in my mailbox, I was excited to see what was inside. This month I found a recipe for Apple Pie developed by Tosca Reno. Since I was planning to make a big dinner for Hanukkah, I thought an apple pie would be the perfect dessert. The last time I made an apple pie from scratch was when I was in college. There was a food prep class I had to take and one of our projects was to make something for the class that was cultural. My partner and I chose apple pie with vanilla ice cream to represent American culture. It was a big hit! However, it was also double or triple the calories of Tosca's apple pie.

It took me about 30 minutes to prep the pie between peeling, coring and slicing all of the apples, making the pie crust and pressing it in to the pan. I ended up doubling the pie crust because it seemed to be not enough dough for my pan and I wanted the crusty edge that was shown in the magazine photo. I also decided to add a crumble to the top of my pie using Cinnamon Oat Clusters with Flaxseeds KIND Granola. For the apples, I used McIntosh apples because that was the best baking apple I could find in the store on that day. Since I used McIntosh apples I decided to cut the apple slices a bit thicker to keep them from turning to mush.

The pie was amazing to say the least. It tasted just like apple pie and the crust, surprisingly tasted just like a pie crust even though it was made with absolutely no grains (only Almond flour). It was warm and satisfying, perfect for a holiday celebration on a cool winter night.

Clean Eating Apple Pie

makes 8 servings - prep time: 30 minutes - cook time: 45 min.

Ingredients:

• Pie Crust
• 2 cups almond four
• 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 whole egg
• Zest of 1 lemon
   
• Pie Filling
• 3 lb tart, crisp baking apples
• 3 tablespoons almond flour
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground cloves, nutmeg, allspice
• 2 tablespoons light, unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• 1/2 cup honey

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place almond flour and sea salt in a food processor, pulse to combine (can also use a hand mixer or blender), then add wet ingredients and zest, and blend until a ball of dough is formed.
2. Press into a 9" pie plate, cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
3. Fill a large bowl with cold water and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
4. Peel, core and slice apples one at a time, and drop them into the lemon water. This will keep them from turning brown.
5. Once apples are soaking, drain water from the bowl and pat dry with a clean cloth.
6. Add remaining ingredients, including remaining tablespoons of lemon juice, to apples and toss well to combine.
7. Pour mixture into pie crust and bake 45 to 55 minutes, until the crust is golden and the mixture is bubbling on top.
8. Remove and let cool for 1 hour before serving.
9. Optional: top with granola 35 to 40 minutes into the baking process.