Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

It's almost thanksgiving, so I wanted to share another one of my favorite holiday side dishes (but it's still good any day of the year). These Brussels sprouts are easy to make ahead of time and bring to your host's event, or just keep them on hand at home for those picky eaters with an aversion to vegetables. I haven't met a single person yet who didn't love these! 

Ingredients 

• 6 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts 
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
Trim up your Brussels sprouts and remove any loose outer leaves. 

Boil the Brussels sprouts until they are tender and easily pierced with a fork (about 6 to 8 minutes)

Drain well and set aside until cool

Slice in half lengthwise.

**If using frozen Brussels sprouts, just thaw the night before, and heat in the oven or microwave according to package instructions**

While the sprouts are cooling, fry the bacon until crisp, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.

Once the bacon is cooled, chop into small chunks 

Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan.

Add the butter to the pan and melt over medium heat. 

Add the onion and sauté until fully cooked and translucent 

Add the halved sprouts and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until they are lightly caramelized, 4 to 5 minutes longer.

Add the maple syrup and stir until the sprouts are well coated. 

Add chopped bacon, season to taste with salt and pepper and continue cooking until the sprouts are nicely glazed (about 3 to 4 minutes more).

To keep this dish warm, transfer to an oven-proof serving dish, cover and place in a 250°F oven for up to one hour.

Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots

Like most people, I often struggle with getting enough veggies into my diet. I'm always on the lookout for different ways to prepare vegetables that my family will not only eat, but actually enjoy. My one-year-old's favorite veggie is carrots. But she gets tired of boring, bland steamed carrots (and who can blame her). This is a recipe I originally found on diethood.com, and changed slightly. The recipe originally called for regular carrots, cut into small pieces. I just used baby carrots instead. I also cooked mine for about thirty minutes first in a baking pan before I stirred them around in a bowl to redistribute the butter and garlic, and then popped them in the oven, spread out on a baking sheet, for another thirty minutes. This ensured that they were plenty soft for my toddler, but you don't necessarily have to cook them that long. They ended up being the perfect texture, with tons of garlicky flavor! Even her daddy couldn't get enough. 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds baby carrots
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil
3. Cut up the carrots and set aside.
4. Melt butter over medium-heat in a large nonstick skillet or pan.
5. Add garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring very frequently. DO NOT burn the garlic.
6. Toss the carrots with the garlic butter either in the pan or pour the butter over them in a mixing bowl. Toss until well combined.
7. Transfer carrots to previously prepared baking sheet.
8. Arrange in one layer and bake for 22 to 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
9. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving plate.
10. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Smoky Buffalo Chicken & Sweet Onions

With the weather finally cooling off around here, I'm back to using my oven on a regular basis. Got into a little bit of a recipe rut up until now, because I only wanted to use my crockpot when preparing all of our meals. Standing over a hot stove or a hot grill just sounded like slow torture. This is actually one that you could make in the oven or on the grill if you're so inclined. For grilling, just wrap everything into foil packets and throw it on there. 

I first discovered this recipe online, and changed up some of the ingredients to make it paleo friendly. Like most of the recipes I share on here, it requires minimal ingredients, and only about 5-10 minutes of prep time. The paprika and cumin give it a spicy/smoky flavor, and paired with the sweet carmelized onions, this chicken is heaven!! 

Ingredients 

• 3 pounds chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
• 2 large sweet onions, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 lemon, sliced thinly

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine chicken, white wine vinegar, coconut oil, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
2. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Stir together until well coated with seasonings.
3. Arrange chicken in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Layer onions and bell peppers over chicken. Top with lemon slices.
4. Roast in a 425 F oven, spooning pan juices regularly over mixture, for about 40 to 45 minutes or until chicken is nicely browned. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 3 to 5 minutes.