Clean Foods by Rebecca

I’m going to share some of my favorite tricks that make cooking healthy so much easier!

Easy Homemade Mayo

This is something I’ve been doing for a few years now and I truly cannot imagine ever buying it at the store again. It is so easy to make, tastes much better, doesn’t contain all the preservatives and harmful oils and it is much cheaper than buying premade avocado oil from the store. You’ll just need an immersion blender – I use mine constantly for sauces and soups also!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup avocado oil
• 1 large egg (try to buy pasture-raised)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1/4 tsp dijon mustard or 2 tsp mustard powder
• pinch of salt

Pour the avocado oil in a wide mouthed mason jar and then crack your egg into the oil, careful not to break the yolk. Add in the other ingredients and place your immersion blender directly on top of the yolk at the bottom of the jar. Blend for about 10-15 seconds and do not start to move the blender up until the bottom is fully emulsified (will start to look like mayo). Then very slowly, move your immersion blender up until each area is emulsified. You may have to move back to the bottom slowly to make sure the bottom is completely blended. Make your way, little by little, to the top and that’s it!

You can store your mayo in the refrigerator with a tight lid for several weeks. I keep it on hand for making tuna or chicken salad, slaw, sriracha mayo in my Asian dishes or add in lots of minced garlic and lemon juice for the perfect Mediterranean bowl sauce.

Mason Jar Salads

These have become a favorite of mine for traveling as well as workdays away from home. This is such a good way to make sure you eat your greens each day. Start by making your dressing in the jar. This is my go-to dressing, but many variations will work. Pour 3 Tbsp avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil into the jar, add 2 Tbsp champagne vinegar (almost any vinegar will work here), 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 small or medium shallot (OR 2-3 minced garlic cloves), 1 Tbsp lemon juice (optional), 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp honey, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Shake jar well for 15 seconds. Then add in your chopped protein (leftover grilled chicken, steak, tuna or chicken salad), nuts (I love adding in walnuts or pistachios), toppings of your choice (chopped beets, artichokes, avocado, onions, etc.), then your greens. Throw the jar in your bag and shake it up before eating. This dressing amount is for a large salad so downsize your dressing if needed. You can always pour it into a bowl for easier eating – and don’t forget a fork!

Slow Cooker Chicken on Hand

I make this chicken every couple weeks – I double this recipe so that we can have half for dinner & I save half for salads or kids lunches throughout the week. Adding this high quality pasture-raised chicken to your meals ensures you are getting a good amount of protein in your diet.

If you don’t have all the ingredients don’t worry – almost anything works for this moist and delicious chicken. This recipe makes for a Greek or Mediterranean flavor, so feel free to switch it up if you want. For example, add in coconut aminos, sesame oil and ginger instead of lemon juice, rosemary and Italian seasoning if you want an Asian flavor.

Remember to double this recipe if you are cooking for others and want leftovers!

• 1.5 lbs pasture-raised chicken (breasts or thighs or a combo)
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup bone broth (optional)
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 rosemary sprig (chopped)
• salt and pepper

Place chicken in the slow cooker and season each side with salt and pepper. Add in the other ingredients and cook on high for 3.5/4 hours or low for 5/6 hours. I always find my chicken cooks in less than the 4 or 6 hour mark, so check it and you can switch it to the warm setting so the chicken doesn’t overcook. It will be done when you cut into the middle and there is no pink remaining. You can shred it with two forks or slice it up and serve over roasted veggies – the juice it cooks in makes the most delicious sauce. Let your leftovers cool and it will be great in the refrigerator for several days. Enjoy!

Tools

I love a good chopped salad! I don’t know about you, but I think everything tastes better when it’s chopped into small pieces. This tool I got off Amazon is so fun to use! I just throw all my veggies, greens & protein into a bowl and chop away.

Other tools I cannot live without…

• Cast iron skillet – I have in multiple sizes & I use for reheating food, sautéing our meals and I even made a chocolate chip skillet cookie with my 8” last night!
• Garlic press – I incorporate the superfood garlic easily into dressings, sauces and meals with my easy to use garlic press. I often bag the pre-peeled bags of garlic to make my cooking even easier.
• Small blender for smoothies, sauces, and grinding seeds/nuts. I use this tool daily since it’s easier to get out & easier to clean. My Ninja that I had for years recently broke down and I replaced it with the Magic Bullet, which I found it is not nearly strong enough for frozen fruit or most items I’m trying to blend. I’m thinking about purchasing the nutribullet so I’ll let you know how it performs!