Lemon Oregano Chicken

It's grilling season! But it can be hard to eat cleanly when barbecuing (and no, I do not mean anything related to napkins! I'm talking about all the added sugar and processed ingredients that often can be found in BBQ sauce). For an incredibly easy and hugely flavorful alternative, check out the recipe below. We make this just about every week at our house -- it's great for grilling (or just having some tasty tenders on hand to throw onto salads or for quick kid-friendly meals). Even my husband (who is famous in our family for his BBQ chicken) has become a convert.

What Are We Going to Eat??

Please join us for a new series that we're calling What Are We Going To Eat??  It's a little more personal for us, but we've had so many conversations with so many of you during your visits to IA about how we are all trying to eat more healthfully (and some of the challenges that accompany that endeavor).  

 

Cutting out food that's bad for you can be hard!  And lonely!  And taste really terrible!  We get it (boy, do we get it).  Meme and I have been avoiding refined sugar , wheat, and anything processed for awhile now (and we know that many of you are embarking upon similar journeys).  We thought we’d share with you some of the tips, tricks and tools that we’ve come to think of as our no-brainer, go-to, easy-to-be-on-this-“diet” solutions in the hopes that it will help you too. Whether you’re sugar free, gluten free, processed food free or just want to start somewhere to feel better or eat healthier – we’re going to be sharing easy to make, worth cooking-and-doing-the-dishes-for items that will make whatever healthy eating you’re embarking upon just a little less daunting and a lot more enjoyable.  We’re hoping that you’ll share your tips, tricks and solutions with us as well.

 

Oh, and these are all things that our entire family (including Alice) eats as well.  So, even if you aren't cutting anything out of your diet, but just want some great tasting recipes or ideas to add to your repertoire, there's plenty here for you.

 

The first recipe we wanted to share with you is the one that has helped me survive snacking without indulging in refined sugar, wheat or processed foods:  Marcia's Roasted Almonds

 

Yes, raw almonds are best, but these babies can save even the biggest snacker (I know, because I am one!).  I've used these almonds to replace chips, pretzels and crackers altogether as these almonds are salty and crunchy.  I also chop them up and sprinkle them on salads as a replacement for croutons.  Lastly, these nuts are absolutely DIVINE with a small square of really good, very dark chocolate (yes, I am "allowed" a little dark chocolate -- all in the name of anti-oxidants, of course!).

 

Marcia's Roasted Almonds

 

Ingredients:

1 pound raw almonds

1 Tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce if you aren't avoiding gluten)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

 

Directions:

Place raw almonds in a bowl and add tamari.  Stir until coated (you may think it won't be enough tamari, but they will all get coated).

Add olive oil and stir to coat.

Let marinate at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Stir nuts to flip them over.  Bake for another ten minutes.

Let cool completely.

 

 

What I love even more about this recipe is that it was created by our very own Marcia Woltjer who works here at IA.  They are super easy to make, and we ALWAYS have these on hand at our house, as we all (including my husband and especially Alice) adore them.  

Gift Giving Is Magical

12 Days of Givewaways - Day 12:

  Today we're giving away a collection of one of each of our Stonewall Kitchen Favorites:  Red Pepper Jelly, Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, Cranberry Horseradish Sauce, Orange Cranberry Scone Mix, Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread, Coffee Caramel Sauce, and a Dark Chocolate Toffee Sauce (Comment on this post to enter).

We decided to bring our Stonewall favorites back for the holidays.  Serve the Red Pepper Jelly, Garlic Onion Jam and Cranberry Horseradish over cream cheese with crackers for an easy app.  The Cranberry Horseradish Sauce is also an excellent addition to a turkey sandwich.  The Scone and Quick Bread mixes are super easy but deliciously flavorful.  We've been serving the dessert sauces with dipped pretzels here at IA (which are delicious with that little bit of salt).  They would be equally divine served over ice cream or brownies.

Not only does Stonewall Kitchen make entertaining easy (they'll never be able to tell how easy with all this flavor!) but they use only high quality, REAL ingredients -- you won't find any high fructose corn syrup or hard to pronounce ingredients here.  We also love that Stonewall Kitchen has an entire section of their website dedicated to easy recipes, organized by product.  The Roasted Garlic Onion Jam alone has over a dozen recipes ranging from Meatballs to Warm Brussel Sprout Salad that we can't wait to try.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. The winner will be picked by random number generator on 12/13/14. Item may be picked up at the store or winner may have item shipped for an additional cost.

12 Days of Giveaways - Day 11

Today we're giving away a Luminara Flameless 5" candle (Comment on this post to enter).

We're putting the cart before the horse today -- Luminara is another addition to the Initial Attraction lineup, scheduled to arrive on the premises any day.  Offering the ambiance of a real candle without the flame, these battery powered beauties will provide over 500 hours of flickers.  The pictures do not do these candles justice -- a retailer friend of ours left one of these babies "burning" overnight at her store and received a call from the local fire department in the middle of the night to alert her to what they thought was a forgotten, lit candle.  When it's realistic enough that the fire department falls for it, you know you've got a pretty good flameless candle.  In fact, Walt Disney owns the patent on these candles.  If it's good enough for Walt, we're thinking it should be pretty great for decorating at home.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. The winner will be picked by random number generator on 12/12/14. Item may be picked up at the store or winner may have item shipped for an additional cost.

12 Days of Giveaways - Day 10

Today we're giving away a Dream Package Tote and Spirit Liftah Wine Bag from SCOUT (Comment on this post to enter).

Another newbie to Initial Attraction, SCOUT is a merging of fashion and function.  HUGELY durable (are they indestructible??) and perfectly sized tote bags and accessories are available in a variety of trendy patterns with entertaining names like Breaking Plaid and Remember the Tartans (the two patterns seen here).  Because they're polypropylene, they're easy on the wallet as well.

SCOUT is a great gift for the traveler, teacher, farmers market aficionado, knitter, busy mom and more.  I'm contemplating using SCOUT as the actual wrapping for a few of my gifts, and there's one bag in particular that would be fantastic for transporting holiday gifts too and fro (no more ripped paper bags!).

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. The winner will be picked by random number generator on 12/11/14. Item may be picked up at the store or winner may have item shipped for an additional cost.

12 Days of Giveaways - Day 9:

Today we're giving away an R. Nichols candle of your choice (Comment on this post to enter).

Brand new to the Initial Attraction collection, these charming illustrations stand alone in the marketplace -- we've yet to find another candle that offers such clean, simple, joyful designs. In fact, the whole goal of the R. Nichols candle is to merge the illustration with the scent so perfectly that it just makes you smile. What better gift is there to give?

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. The winner will be picked by random number generator on 12/10/14. Item may be picked up at the store or winner may have item shipped for an additional cost.

12 Days of Giveaways - Day 8:

Today we're giving away a Juliska Country Estate Ruby Comfort Cup (Comment on this post to enter).

Curl up with a cup of your favorite soup or a frothy peppermint mocha and let the one-horse open sleigh draw you into Juliska's winter wonderland. The generous size of the comfort cup lets you enjoy your moment of relaxation just a little bit longer. Not relaxing because you're entertaining?  Fill this comfort cup with your favorite candy, nuts, or garnishes and use it as a stylish serving piece instead.

If you're going to give your favorite teacher a mug, make sure to make it this one!

Juliska's ceramic stoneware is made in Portugal and is oven, microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. The winner will be picked by random number generator on 12/9/14. Item may be picked up at the store or winner may have item shipped for an additional cost.

12 Days of Giveaways - Day 7:  Today we're giving away a pair of Snoozies footcoverings (Comment on this post to enter).

Not quite socks, not quite slippers, these adorable footcoveriings are soft, warm, and comfortable as they are lined with Sherpa fleece.  Available in a variety of sparkly colors, people are purchasing these not only as slippers, but also to wear at parties or visiting friends when you want (or need) to take your snowy boots of.  The best part about them?  They are machine washable and won't shrink.

If you win this giveaway, you must be prepared to come in quickly to claim your prize.  Snoozies are sized and selling out quickly -- we will not be restocking this item.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. The winner will be picked by random number generator on 12/8/14. Item may be picked up at the store or winner may have item shipped for an additional cost.

12 Days of Giveaways - Day 6:

Today we're giving away a Crabtree & Evelyn Nail Lacquer (in the color of your choice), clear topcoat, Nail Polish Remover Wipes, and Hand Cream (Like this post to enter, a Comment will get you a second entry).

You know and love Crabtree's luxurious and fabulously scented hand creams, but did you know that they offer a nail lacquer too?  Available in a wide array of modern and fun colors, these nail lacquers make for great stocking stuffers.  Or, pair with the remover wipes and a tube of hand cream and you've got a mini manicure or pedicure sure to delight.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. The winner will be picked by random number generator on 12/7/14. Item may be picked up at the store or winner may have item shipped for an additional cost.