Jen’s Grain-Free Chicken and Dumplings

I love chicken and dumplings, but wanted to skip the flour. Birchbenders pancake mix is just cassava flour (root vegetable you’ll find in Mexican applications), coconut flour, and almond flour. I played around with that and it worked nicely. And between the mix and rotisserie chicken, it fits my lazy summertime kitchen mood perfectly.

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Jen’s Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork Salad

#constantlyvariedgear #cvg #ttsl

I’m celebrating over here! I won a darling cropped hoodie from my favorite CrossFit and activewear company, Constantly Varied Gear, for healthy recipe contributions. Perfect match. I can’t shut up about food, and they reward one of my obsessions with the other! 😀

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I love smoking meat. It’s my favorite meal-prepping so that I can whip out delicious summertime-easy dishes. I make a lot and vacuum seal and freeze little baggies of it. No one’s ever been sad to find BBQ in the freezer!

Jen’s Hot Mess

We have a killer BBQ place in Dallas called Pecan Lodge. It’s the number two place in the state after Franklin’s down in Austin, but man is it close! Pecan Lodge is famous for a dish called The Hot Mess. Jumbo sea salt-crusted sweet potato, South Texas barbacoa (shredded brisket with southwestern seasoning), chipotle cream, cheese, butter & green onions. I like to do an at home version. Hope you love it!

Jen’s Cuban Stacks with Melon

Garlic and Herb Pork Tenderloin is one of my favorite back-pocket recipes. It only takes a few minutes to get it into the oven or grill, and then it cooks really quickly. It’s fabulous for stress-free entertaining or just a regular Monday. It’s really lean meat, lickably delicious, super fragrant, and couldn’t be easier. I got it into the oven post-workout, and let the oven do the work while I showered. Lunch was ready when I was! I made two of them. We had the first for lunch with garlic and dill roasted carrots, and saved the other for lunch the next day. I’ll show you what I did with it!

Jen’s Deconstructed Sushi Bowls

Current mood: Sushi. Because I wanted summertime fresh and easy, I went with deconstructed sushi bowls.

Jen’s Sweet Goat Cheese Apricots

Need a fabulous and easy party appetizer? Or an Apri-tizer? I’ve got you! Turkish apricots are one of my favorite things.

Jon Bonnell has a restaurant in Ft. Worth called Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, and it is outstanding. Everything. My husband and I have gone for many anniversaries and finally went there for a Christmas week outing with our girls last year. One is the appetizers is Texas Bruschetta – chips instead of bread, of course. It arrives with 4 small things to try, like Texas tapas – Savory herbal goat cheese, avocado and pecan relish (like guac), salsa, and caramelized sweet Texas onions. I’ve been playing with goat cheese dips ever since that first time. Here’s the result.

Jen’s Hibachi Fried Rice

I had a little leftover brown rice from making sushi last night, so I thought I’d turn it into breakfast. 😀 Yeah, I know – A hibachi refers to the actual heating device, and I am using it to refer to the vegetables typically served at a hibachi restaurant. Hopefully, you’ll forgive that after you taste this!

Jen’s Eggs in Purgatory

Eggs in Purgatory. I was first introduced to this dish watching Nigella Lawson. She talked about working as cleaning staff in a hotel in Italy to fund her travels. She waxed on about the sunshine and the views, then in classic Nigella style, switched gears from this idyllic imagery to talking about the best hangover breakfast dish with a smile. <snort> That woman has made me cough on more coffee! It is an amazing, effortless dish, and I hope you love my take on it.

Jen’s Mother and Child Reunion

My favorite brunch place in Ft. Worth is Bird Cafe. *Amazing* food and it has a bit of a New Orleans feel. If you’re ever in town, it’s a must-do! They have a dish called “The Mother and Child Reunion”. <I know!> Sick joke but amazing dish. Fried chicken and a poached egg over chili cheese grits with a spoonful of bacon gravy. This is my healthy spin on that.

Jen’s Buffalo Chicken Wing Burgers

mmmmm. Wings. They take forever and I came in too hungry and impatient after my workout, so Buffalo chicken wing burgers it is! All the taste, and they’re fabulously lazy! And bonus – they’re way better for you!