Ashley’s Healthier Take on Chicken Pot Pie

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Ashley’s Healthier Take On Chicken Pot Pie

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

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  • Total Time: 55
  • Yield: 6 1x
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Description

A traditional comfort food recipe since the 14th century, this dose of savory warmth is normally 790 calories with a heavy dose of fat, sodium, and simple carbohydrates.

In my kitchen, I do what I can to make these staples healthier without sacrificing flavor. My pot pie is 495 calories per serving, lower in fat and sodium, half of the carbs, but just as hearty.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 TB butter
  • 2 dashes of cooking oil
  • 1/2 C or 1 small yellow onion; diced
  • 1 C carrots; sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves; minced
  • 1/2 C gluten free flour (I love using Cassava flour because it is light + airy)
  • 1 1/2 – 2 C chicken broth, organic + low-sodium
    • Start with 1 1/2 C and see if you need to thin out the filling
  • 3/4 C coconut cream; as thick as, but healthier than using heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp (+) fresh thyme
  • 1 1/2 C peas
  • 2 1/2 – 3 C diced chicken
  • 1 prepared, gluten-free pie crust “top”
  • 1 egg; beaten

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Melt the butter with the oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat – 1 minute.
  3. Add in the carrots and onion and cook until lightly softened- 5 minutes.
  4. Add in the garlic- stir for 1 minute.
  5. Sprinkle in the flour- mix well.
  6. Whisk in the stock- gradually add it in to see how much is needed based on the thickness.
  7. Mix in the coconut cream.
  8. Let warm- roughly 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients: peas, chicken, thyme, salt + pepper.
  9. Top with the pie crust; patiently spreading it across the filling.
  10. Scramble an egg and brush the crust with the egg ‘wash.’
  11. Bake for 30-35 minutes; until the crust is golden brown.
  12. Cool until ready-to-serve.

Notes

Materials Needed:

  • Cast iron skillet; 10-inch
  • Carrot peeler
  • Measuring cups
  • Food (often referred to as a ‘pastry’) brush – to brush the egg wash atop the crust
  • Optional: rolling pin
    • The pre-made pie crust can also be put between 2 pieces of parchment paper and manipulated with your hands

Cooking + Nutrition Tips:

  • Add color and varied nutrition with multi-colored carrots
  • You can do ANY veggies you want. I wanted to add a daily serving of leafy greens to boost nutrition by adding kale or spinach at the tail end, before baking the dish.
  • Cut down on cooking time by using leftover or prepping the chicken ahead of time and/or having all veggies chopped ahead of time.
  • If you don’t have a cast-iron, an oven-safe pan is an ok replacement as long as it is the same size. (so the crust can fit atop of it)
  • This is already lower in carbs than most pot pies because we aren’t putting it within an entire pie, just covering it with pie crust. You can limit the carbs even more by simply skipping or halving the peas and reduce the filling overall (broth: 1 C, flour: ¼-1/3 C, and coconut cream: ½ C)
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 35
  • Category: Entree

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 495
  • Sugar: 7
  • Sodium: 450
  • Fat: 34
  • Carbohydrates: 43
  • Fiber: 5
  • Protein: 24

Keywords: Chicken, Entree, Gluten-Free, Chicken Pot Pie, Recipe Rehab

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag me @livingwithashley, #livingwithashley — I can't wait to see what healthy tasties you've made!

Herb Air Fried Chicken with Blackberry-Hoisin Sauce

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Herb Air Fried Chicken with Blackberry-Hoisin Sauce

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

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  • Total Time: 22-25 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

I love this recipe because it is not only wonderfully flavorful, but it is perfect year-round. With a healthy dose of greens, easy-to-make and filling crispy chicken, and a sauce with a kick, this is one tasty meal.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken:

  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips or cubes
  • 1 C gluten-free breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 C cassava flour
  • 1–2 TB Italian herbs
  • 1 egg, scrambled
  • Cooking oil spray
  • Pinches of sea salt + pepper

For the Salad:

  • 3 C arugula
  • 1/2 C goat cheese, crumbled
  • Lemon zest
  • Coarse-grained sea salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

For the Sauce:

  • 1/2 C blackberry preserves (or make it from scratch with ingredients below)
  • 1/4 C hoison sauce, generally found in the international section of any grocery store and there are gluten-free versions available
  • 1 TB butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1–2 tsp ginger, minced
  • 1/4–1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 TB apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Homemade Jam:

  • 1 C blackberries
  • 2 TB sugar
  • 1 TB lemon juice
  • 1 TB butter

Instructions

For the Chicken:

  1. Slice the chicken breasts into strips or cubes.
  2. Scramble the egg into a bowl.
  3. Mix the breadcrumbs, flour, and herbs together in a wider, shallow bowl.
  4. Dip the chicken into the egg, shaking off excess, roll in the breading mix, shake again, and place on a lined air-fryer tray.
  5. Repeat until all the chicken is coated and lined up with space between each piece. Spray or brush both sides with cooking oil.
  6. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F and cooking time of 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness.
  7. Be sure to flip halfway through.

NOTE: it can be baked! Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and continue with the same preparation, using a lined baking sheet, and cooking for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through.

For the Sauce:

  1. While the chicken cooks, add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and sauté for 30 seconds.
  2. Stir in premade blackberry preserves (or see below for making your own instant version before beginning the sauce,) hoisin sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
  3. Heat and stir until thickened.

If making your own preserves like I did:

  • Start with 1 C of blackberries in a saucepan and 1 TB lemon juice over medium-low heat. Add in 2 TB sugar. Stirring to dissolve.
  • Melt 1 TB of butter into the mix and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes. Mash the mix up and set aside. Then, start in another saucepan with the instructions.

For the Salad + Serving:

  1. While it is cooking, you can put the salad ingredients into a bowl + gently toss.
  2. Brush the sauce over the prepared chicken and serve over the salad with an optional drizzle of extra sauce.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Air Fried

Keywords: Chicken, Air Fried Chicken, Salad, Entree, Gluten-Free

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag me @livingwithashley, #livingwithashley — I can't wait to see what healthy tasties you've made!

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Greek Chicken Gyro Bowl

Recipes

HEALTHY AND COLORFUL GREEK CHICKEN GYRO BOWL

MEAL PREP TIPS:

I love these flavors and the ease of having this dish in your meal prep routine because you can chop the veggies, prep the Tzatsiki sauce,  and marinate the chicken during meal prep and then cook the chicken at meal time for a 10-minute quick meal.

You can also skip the Tzatsiki and just have the hummus and feta or even just the feta to simplify the dish, save on calories as well as money on groceries.

makes 2 servings

For the Chicken + Marinade:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 ½ LBS skinless, boneless chicken breasts; sliced
  • 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 TB lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

TO MAKE:

  1. Mix the marinade together in a bowl + pour over the sliced chicken. Let if marinate overnight or for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
  2. Cook the chicken over medium heat in a skillet until done- roughly 4-5 minutes/side.

To Complete the Bowl:

  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¼ cup feta cheese
  • 1 cucumber, sliced + cut into quarters
  • ½ cup red onion, minced or thinly sliced + pan-grilled
  • Mediterranean mixed olives or kalamata olives, pitted + sliced
  • Mixed greens or watercress
  • ½ cup hummus, flavor-of-choice

 

For the Cucumber-Yogurt (Tzatsiki) Sauce:

makes 12 servings

Prep time: 5 minutes

2 TB is just 50 calories!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 3 TB sour cream or mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 TB lemon juice
  • 1 TB extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks – place them in a paper towel + squeeze to get out excess moisture that will water down the flavor

TO MAKE:

  1. Simply mix it all together in a bowl, chill for an hour, then serve with the bowl and use extra for veggie dipping!

Hot Honey Air Fried Chicken Meal Makeover

Recipes

RECIPE REHAB | MEAL MAKEOVER

Take something

HOT HONEY CHICKEN

makes a lot of servings!!!

For the Chicken:

You can do any combination of thighs, drums, and breasts you’d like, but note that breasts are generally bigger, so you may need to double the brine, flour, +  sauce.

I used:

  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 x 4 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breasts – if they come thick, you may want to pound them down into thinner pieces with a meat mallet in order to have them all cook at a uniform time. Check my chicken cooking chart for more cooking hacks.
  • 8 wings (“drumettes”)

For the Seasoning Flour:

  • 3/4 cups tapioca flour
  • 3/4 cups cornflake crumbs
  • 1 TB Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper, best if from freshly ground peppercorns

For the Brine:

  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 TB hot sauce – I used a probiotic Sriracha I love
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, best if from freshly ground peppercorns
  • Avocado oil, to brush with for air-frying

For the hot honey sauce:

  • 1 TB butter, melted in a skillet
  • 1/4 cup raw honey, melted or room temperature
  • 2 TB hot sauce
  • 1 TB Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

TO MAKE

For the Chicken:

  • Mix the brine together in one bowl.
  • Mix the seasoned flour together in one bowl.
  • Dip chicken into the brine, cover in the flour, shake, and place on a lined baking sheet. NOTE: You may need to air-fry in shifts.
  • Prep the air fryer + spray or brush the chicken with cooking oil. Air fry until desired crispiness…meanwhile preparing…

For the Sauce:

  • In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the honey, hot sauce, Worcestershire and garlic.
  • Simmer gently until it thickens.
  • Remove from heat.

To Serve:

  • Drizzle the hot-honey sauce over the chicken after air-frying, brush, + save some extra to dip!
  • Top with parsley and chives, chopped

Orange Sesame Chicken Wraps

Recipes

“Food, like many things that give us warmth in our lives, is known to comfort. It is sought after + indulged in to provide us a temporary emotional safety blanket. And that’s ok when it is made with as much thought and consideration as the comfort we seek.” – ME when thinking about this recipe rehab

THIS DISH

I am a savory person at-heart when it comes to my food cravings + have an incredible love for Asian flavor profiles. If you haven’t noticed, I also love to stuff things and wrap them up in creative ways. I approach my recipe rehabs with thoughts of nutrition, flavor, + creativity- this dish is perfect for weekly meal prep or a fresh meal in under 30 minutes.

I cut the sugar + sodium (mostly made within the sauce itself) and offered options to make it more filling with added vegetables + whole grains. Make it your own by going with my suggestions and don’t waste any food by checking out how I repurpose my leftovers to save time + $. 

SESAME-ORANGE CHICKEN WRAPS

THE RECIPE

makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ LB skinless, boneless chicken breasts; chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, for cooking
  • 1 head green or purple cabbage, leaves removed for “wraps” + the rest shredded
  • 1 head broccoli (cut into florets) or snow|snap peas
  • 4 scallions, chopped

For the Sauce:

  • 1TB orange zest
  • ⅓cup orange juice
  • 2TB coconut aminos
  • 1tsp grated ginger
  • 3TB apple cider vinegar or brown rice vinegar
  • ½tsp arrowroot starch
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced

To Top: optional, noted below are per individual servings

  • 1 TB hemp hearts
  • 1 TB raw sesame seeds, I use black or white
  • 1 to 1 ½ cups raw veggies, chopped (I love chopped radish + jicama with shredded carrot + cabbage)
  • 3 avocado slices

To Mix: optional

  • ½ cup of cooked whole grains

To Cook:

  1. Chop the veggies according to the instructions (including any toppings.) Set aside.
  2. Make the sauce: in a saucepan over medium heat, add in the ginger + garlic- saute for 30 seconds-1 minute. Stir in the aminos, orange juice, vinegar, + zest- bring to a boil, reduce the heat. Mix the starch with a dash of water in a small bowl. Add into the saucepan, stirring, simmer for 10-15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add red pepper flakes, to taste.
  3. At the same time between “stirs”- in a large wok or skillet over medium heat, heat the sesame oil for 30 seconds. Toss in the chicken + cook for 7-8 minutes or until cooked through.
  4. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli. See microwave quick prep notes below.
  5. Toss the broccoli, chicken, scallions, + chicken together in bowl- pour the sauce over it + mix well. (Note the below recommendation to wait to add raw veggies until serving.)
  6. Serve in cabbage leaves with the toppers + any whole grain of your choosing.

AVERAGE MEAL NUTRITION | ASHLEY’S MEAL NUTRITION (without rice)

473 kcal              |                  351 kcal

25g fat                 |                 20g fat

790mg sodium  |             160mg sodium

19.5g sugars       |                 8g sugars

20g protein        |                18g protein

THE DIFFERENCE: most notable here is how much lower in inflammatory ingredients my version of the dish is without as much sodium and sugar. Not to mention, saving over 100 calories/serving, but walking away full thanks to the raw/cooked veggies and whole grains.

RECIPE REHAB | MEAL MAKEOVER

The goal is to give you the most nutrients possible to uplift your health without sacrificing flavor, fulness, or even, the beauty on your plate.

In this recipe…

  • Make with steamed broccoli so no oils/fats are needed for cooking
  • Add flavor and crunch with scallions on top
  • Add raw veggies with the wraps + bulk the recipe up by adding in shredded cabbage
    • Optional add-ins for color + more veg: shredded carrot, radish, jicama, mung bean sprouts…
  • Add healthy fats with diced or sliced avocado + 1 TB hemp hearts/serving
  • Skip the white rice or pasta + instead add in quick-cooked whole grains in the form of brown or black rice or lower carb options like cauliflower rice or kelp noodles

GROCERY STORE TIPS

Our lives can’t + shouldn’t be spent scrambling for time + effort to plan, shop for, + prep healthy meals. I’ve got you.

For the chicken:

  • Bulk cook chicken breasts for the week (in a neutral flavor like low-sodium, organic chicken stock or extra virgin olive oil with lemon)
    • In this recipe, then you would store the pre-made chicken in the sauce overnight or toss it together when serving (makes a lighter flavor)

OR

  • Buy a rotisserie chicken, peel off the skin, + hand shred

For the sauce:

  • DIY sauce for a low-sugar option
    • Instead of using added sugar, I simply used real orange juice + other ingredients to fortify the flavor.
  • Store-bought sauce (how to shop the “best” options)
    • Check the label. Ingredient lists have the most used ingredients listed as one of the first 3. If it is a sugar or sugar substitute, skip it.
  • Other tips:
    • Buy pre-cut broccoli + any veg you are choosing to use
      • I pre-chop all veggies for the week on Sundays + store them in Produce Saver containers until ready-to-use. Saves time + $ by keeping them fresh, longer.
    • Purchase the quick-steam brown or “forbidden” black rice bowls by Annie Chun’s or Lotus Foods (Serving size note: 1 meal = ½ of a container)

MEAL PREP TIPS

Whether it is a designated meal prep day for the week or cooking meals fresh, there are tips to make your prep time efficient and your meal plan + storage effective.

  • Microwave steam the broccoli.
    • How-To: cut into florets, place in a glass Tupperware dish, place 1-2 inches of water in the bottom, steam until tender (4+ minutes)
  • Before separating cabbage leaves, hack off the bottom.
    • Note: the top few may rip. I use a butter knife to slip up from the bottom to start it.
  • When storing, keep the ingredients separate until serving.
    • Store the raw veggies in a small Tupperware or reusable baggie
    • Store the cabbage leaves in a baggie or wrapped in moist paper towels
    • Cooked veggies + chicken should be in its own Tupperware container.
      • NOTE: there are meal prep Tupperware containers that have sections in them to store things without touching.

HOW-TO: REPURPOSE THE LEFTOVERS

Sometimes you just don’t want the same exact thing for your leftovers + I always make sure my groceries are used so there is no waste at the end of the week. Using the same ingredients with a twist is a great way to accomplish both!

  • BROCCOLI: I chop extra broccoli to use in breakfasts for the week to start off with some fiber-filled greens
    • 1 cup steamed broccoli with 3 scrambled egg whites, 1 TB grated Parmesan cheese, Himalayan crystal salt + pepper
    • ½ brown rice bowl (microwave steamed) with ½ cup steamed broccoli, dash of teriyaki sauce, red pepper flakes, 1 TB hemp hearts, 1 egg over-easy or soft-boiled (during meal prep, soft- or hard-boil eggs for the week)
  • RAW VEGGIES: prep a slaw with the cabbage leaves remaining by shredding + adding in any other raw veggies you have (julienned, cut into matchsticks, or shredded) and use it as a base for other meals
  • CHICKEN: take the prepared chicken leftovers + make them into Nori wraps by adding raw veggies + a drizzle of tahini or into a kelp noodle pasta bowl with any veggies you choose + a bit of a teriyaki or coconut amino drizzle.
Happy, Healthy Meal Prep!
XOXO