Chicken Cacciatore Au Naturel

Last night I made a decadent chicken cacciatore dish. I used chicken thighs and chicken italian sausage that I bought from Publix. It's their Greenwise chicken, not organic, but antiobiotic free, and more affordable for us. I sliced an onion, put it in the bottom of the crockpot; topped it with the chicken thighs and sausage. I added a can of stewed tomatoes and a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, some minced garlic, basil, oregano, a half cup of red wine, salt and pepper. Next time I make it I will a add a can of tomato paste to thicken the sauce a bit. I cooked it on low for about 8 hours. Served with garlic mashed roast cauliflower. It was delicious and I'm sure the leftovers will be even better.

Orange-Orange Roughy

Surprisingly, Orange Roughy is an oily fish (one that has the good essential Omega oils). It is such a sweet and light fish, one of my favorites. Last night I marinated it in "fresh" (not pasturized) orange juice that we got at the Lake Eola Farmer's Market - from Scraggs Groves - and sprinkled with dried dill. I drained the marinade and sprinkled with organic pepper & himalayan salt. Baked it at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Served with a salad. Perfect meal!

Today we are taking a farm tour of the Heart of Christmas farm. Looking forward to picking up some fresh milk and greens!

Going Organic/Fresh/Real Food

My husband and I recently embarked on an exciting quest to eat better. We have been shopping at farmer's markets and buying from local farms. We are growing our own sprouts and have planted our first tomato crop. We are going to start planting more veggies. Hopefully we will be successful. I am going to post recipes here mainly to keep track of the better recipes I find. I'm by no means a chef, but I try hard to put the best tasting food on our table.

We have started making smoothies with greens added. Hopefully soon we can convert to all green smoothies, but I like having fruit in them, since I certainly don't eat enough fruit. We found some fantastic strawberries (I froze the bulk of them) at the Lake Eola farmer's market. I usually add a banana and some frozen blueberries, along with Greek yogurt and organic milk. My husband blended up some dandelion greens, parsley and watercress, that we use for our "greens". I also add some fresh baby spinach or frozen chopped spinach from Whole Foods - it comes in clumps, rather than a block of spinach.

Last weekend we visited Lake Meadows Naturals farm in Ocoee and picked our own chicken eggs. What fun! We have been eating their eggs purchased at the local farmer's markets, but picking our own was the best!

We are sprouting alfalfa, broccoli, radish and red clover. Just a few days and they are ready to add to any salad or omelet. Since I've been eating the clover (my favorite) I haven't had a hot flash or night sweat. May be coincidence, but I think not.

The quest and journey for eating real good food continues. So far, so good!