YUMtastic!: Spicy Chacon!

Hot Garlic Chacon!

No chacon is not a real word, I made it up because after you hear how much bacon goes into this recipe, it will seem as though the chicken and bacon become ONE!

What you need...

1. a packet of maple flavored or regular flavored bacon

2. Chili Garlic sauce

3. Sriracha

4. Chicken breasts with skin

5. Agave Nectar

6. Some salt, pepper, and olive oil for taste!

Take the chicken breasts and stuff 1 piece of bacon underneath their skins!

Then take 1 to 2 pieces more and wrap the chicken in the bacon, almost as if creating a belt. If you want to secure it tightly place tooth picks!

Then in a separate bowl mix chili garlic sauce, sriracha, and agave!

This recipe is open, so mix as much as you think you will need to coat the chicken, if you do 2 pieces probably a few tablespoons will suffice of each thing, but if you do more you should maybe do a cup of each, they need to be equal parts, unless you prefer to alter the taste from being either more spicy or more sweet!

Now after mixing it up, slather the chicken in it generously, you can even shove some under the skin!

Now in a pan with olive oil fry and sear the chicken, cover it and let it cook for about 20 minutes! Add salt and pepper to your taste!

Now you can either eat the chicken like this, as long as it's all cooked through, or you can place it in the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes and let bacon and skin get nice and crispy! Place oven at 375, first 15 mins should be on bake and the last bit should be on broil!

WALA! YUMtastic CHACON!

Be Blessed & may all your meals be YUMtastic!

cheers, Francey the Foodie <3

YUMtastic!: Francey That! It's a Snack!

Vanilla Yogurt & Grape Nuts

So this little treat is super inexpensive and amazing for extra protein and vitamin goodness!

You can also substitute unsalted peanuts and man lemme tell you, that is an even tastier little snackage! I like to mix mine all in, but you can make this pretty and toss in some fresh raspberries for color!

Be Blessed & may all your meals be YUMtastic!

cheers, Francey the Foodie <3

YUMtastic!: 5 of the best tasting BAD FOR YOU soups!

Welcome to a special edition of YUMtastic! Let me just tell you guys, I am a sucker for soup! Anytime of the year in fact, even in the blistering heat of summer you can find me enjoying a steaming hot bowl of warm comforting goodness. I also try my hardest to be health conscious, and when I can, I make my soups FRESH, from raw and organic ingredients. HOWEVER, let's face it, ya can't always be as healthy as ya'd like. SOOO the next best thing? Well instead of hoovering a few McDoubles, why not head to your local grocery store and buy some soup?!

Bear Creek makes a variety of soups ranging from Broccoli Cheese to Minestrone. MY favorite flavor is there home made chicken noodle! It is delicious! Now is it super healthy? ... NO. Unfortunately is it loaded with sodium and Bear Creek is rumored to use lots of fillers and GMOs. BUT if you are on a budget and would like to have enough soup to feed a family of 4...CHECK this one out! They run around $3-$4 each.

Thai Kitchen, good old Thai Kitchen. Let me tell you guys, this is a staple in my life. This soup has the best and most exotic taste ever, and at a $1.99 per package ya just can't go wrong. Or can you? See, Thai Kitchen is known for it's seemingly healthy look, but truth is, it's packed with too much salt and extra fillers just as any other pre-packaged food. But truth be told, even if I had a million dollars and a private chef, I would probably still pick this one up in the soup isle from time to time. ;)

I recently discovered this little bad boy. Nissin Bowl Noodles makes an amazing shrimp flavored hot and spicy soup which will seriously make you wanna look past the wax coated noodles with no nutrition and the sodium content that would make your grandmother swell up and dehydrate. This one is not good for you at all, but it sure is tasty, and if you're a college student this will be your friend at $0.88 a package!

Another shrimp flavored goodie, and why not? MAMA makes a ramen version of TOM YUM soup which is a thai favorite! This spicy, lemony, shrimpy tasting delight will surely please your taste buds, but once again...wax coated noodles, high amounts of sodium, and with 15 grams of "not good for you" fats...ya might wanna have this sparingly. I stock up on these when I am low on funds, at $0.43 a package ya just can't pass it up!

Last but not least, Maryland Style Crab from Campbells, and with a name like Campbells, it has to be at least a little healthier for you right? WRONG. TONS of GMOs go to make up this little nibble, along with tons of salt, fillers, and other crap your body will hate you for...BUT is it tasty? I MEAN COME ON, yes it is. This soup will put ya back about $1.89 a can.

So in conclusion...Am I encouraging you to eat a ton of unhealthy foods and not care about what you put in your body? NO, of course not. But I know that as much as I'd like to always stay away from BAD FOODS, it's hard, especially if you are trying to introduce better foods into your diet. SO...My advice? START slow, baby steps, with SOUP. These soups with all their downsides, have some upsides and are mostly liquid. They also won't hurt your pocket as you transition. With that being said, have a YUMtastic! day!

Be Blessed & may all your meals be YUMtastic!

cheers, Francey the Foodie <3

YUMtastic!: Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

MMMM YUMtastic Bacon wrapped Asparagus!

What you will need...

1. Bacon (any flavor you like, but I love using maple flavored organic bacon) about half a pack will cover it.

2. Asparagus (a whole bunch, about 1lb)

3. Garlic cloves

4. clove powder

5. cinnamon

6. Butter

7. sea salt and black pepper

First things first...drop your fresh asparagus into some boiling water! Allow the asparagus to soften slightly. Don't over boil it or it will become too mushy for the baking process. I like mine slightly softer, but cook it to your liking.

Once the asparagus is done remove it from the water and allow it to cool a few minutes. Then wrap it in that lovely maple bacon!

Lay these cute little bowties on a cookie sheet that has a thin layer of olive oil. And begin making your buttery garlic baste.

In a pot heat up a stick of butter, 4 chopped cloves of garlic, a pinch of clove powder, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of sea salt, and a pinch of black pepper.

Simmer the buttery garlic mixture for about 5 to 10 minutes, then pour generously over the asparagus bacon bushels!

Place them in the oven at 375 for 15 to 25 minutes. I like mine extra COOKED as you see in the pictures, but obviously you do not NEED to do that. :) Cook to your taste. Sprinkle some cinnamon and salt on top and then SERVE! YUMtastic!

As always enjoy your food with friends, I made these little lovelies for the Easter celebration at my folk's house this past April! They are ALWAYS a crowd pleaser.

Be Blessed & may all your meals be YUMtastic!

cheers, Francey the Foodie <3

YUMtastic!: Stuffed Cabbage & Green Peppers

Francey's Stuffed Cabbage Rolls & Green Peppers

You will need...

1 head of napa cabbage

2 green peppers

1/2 lb PORK sausage

1/2 of a sweet onion

3 tablespoons of minced garlic

1 small bunch of kale

1/2 teaspoon clove powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon honey

a lil salt and pepper of course ;) (to taste)

and last but not least 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Now as for the sauce, for this time around we used my best friend Sarah's grandmother's special red sauce! It was yummy, I do not have the break down for what's in that sauce, because it's her Gammy's secret...but after I explain the stuffing, I will give you an awesome and simple tomato based sauce that I normally use for this.

First place the whole head of cabbage into a pot of boiling water. Let this boil anywhere between 15 to 25 minutes. This will work to soften the cabbage to lessen the baking time and make it easier to wrap them around the meat, making the rolls.

YUMtastically delicious!

Be careful when removing the head from the water, rinse in a cold bath and allow to cool before handling. Once cool peel the leaves carefully to not rip them and place them on a plate while you mix the sausage!

Take the 1/2 pound of sausage, you can use more if you have a larger family, place it into a large mixing bowl along with the chopped sweet onion, kale, and all the other spices, including the honey! (This includes: the basil, cinnamon, clove powder, chili powder, honey, minced garlic, salt and pepper)

YUMtastic GREENNESS!

WITH YOUR HANDS, especially because it's more fun that way, mix the ingredients thoroughly throughout the sausage.

Next take the Green Peppers, cut with the knife pointing straight down into the pepper and hole in the top. Pull out the stem and then begin to clean the inside of the pepper out. Discard any scraps into the trash.

Take your sausage mix and form your cabbage rolls as well as fill up the inside of the peppers

SUPER SECRET TRICK tip time!!!: Place a small dollop of butter in each roll and pepper to keep the meat nice and moist.

Now place in an oven safe baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom, cover in sauce of your choice, cover that with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 to 2 hours, depending on your oven at 400 degrees. Then serve and enjoy!

Now as for the sauce, it's a very simple one because I do not like to take away the glorious taste of the actual veggies and their stuffing...but here it goes!

You will need...

1 can chicken stock

3 tomatoes diced

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon clove powder

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon sea salt & black pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon honey

Pour chicken stock into pot and begin to boil.

Now throw in your garlic, olive oil, butter, and honey. Allow this to simmer on a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Add in your tomatoes stirring gingerly as you then add in the remaining clove powder, sea salt, black pepper, & red pepper flakes.

Allow the mixture to cook down till the chicken stock and the tomatoes become one. You should cover with a lid, leaving a slight amount of air getting into the pot for 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat. Once this has occurred, stir the mixture and take from heat, allow it to sit for another 5 minutes, this allows the sauce to thicken and then pour over your stuffed rolls and peppers and bake! It's a deliciously simple sauce with a ton of health benefits! ENJOY!

as always

Be Blessed & may all your meals be YUMtastic!

cheers, Francey the Foodie <3

YUMtastic: Thirsty Thursday: Bacon, Doughnuts, and Pants?

Hey Francey Frans!

Welcome to a special YUMtastic installment I'd like to call "Thirsty Thursdays" Every #thirsday on my Francey That Facebook I do a little fun post called #ThirstyThursday where I share awesome drink recipes! They are not always alcoholic, but..............ok so mostly they are haha! Anyway, here on Francey That I'd like to keep the same tradition. So from now on thursdays will include drink recipes that are tasty to serve with meals, or by themselves, but not when your by yourself, cause then you'd be an alcoholic.........ummmm yea. ;) Well anyway!

So recently as is typical for me and my best friend Sarah (check out her blog http://www.kawaiipinkuu.blogspot.com) we went on an adventure to the new Kroger in town!

Me and Sarah's adventures usually involve a sudden need for ALCOHOL! ;) so here are some of the nuggets we found but didn't try yet...(surprises in store for when we do ;) )

The first lil nugget of awesome was the new Voodoo Doughnut inspired flavors of Rogue ale. THIS IS EXCITING.......for 3 reasons

#1. I am moving to Portland next year and that is where the famous and delicious Voodoo Doughnut shop resides

#2. Bacon...Maple...Ale? Do I have to explain?

#3 The pretty pink bottle, oh and did I mention to Bacon?

So when I saw this I was like, whoa and Sarah was like, take a picture, and I was like I WILL! And she was like don't shout at me! And I was all like, I'm sorry I'm excited. That convo really happened....no it didn't. Anyways...ONTO THE NEXT NUGGET!

This has me all kinds of over the moon. Sarah found it tucked away in the red wine area. This honestly should be the official wine of the entire Francey That empire lol trouble is I am not a huge fan of DRY red wines...geezy peezy, a ton of wine enthusiasts are gunna loathe me now. I AM SORRY! My wine tastes have developed and gotten more mature as time has gone on, but I still require a little sweetness to truly enjoy a wine, especially a red, however I love cooking with DRY red wines, so perhaps this little baby will find it's way into my blood soaked cornish hen recipe someday ;) EITHER WAY, both of these alcoholic beverages will be seen again on my youtube channel soon, so be on the look out!

Till next time lovers

remember to be...

YUMtastic!: Fried Beets

A wonderful substitute for fried potatoes!

What you will need......

#1.  3 to 4 organic beets (these don't have to be organic, but let me tell you, the color, the smell, the taste...can't compare!)

#2.  Maple Bacon Grease 

(this is the secret, now of course you don't have to use this but the taste is to die for! I buy my organic bacon and either buy it already maple flavored or I just fry the bacon with a little maple syrup in the pan! I of course usually couple the beets and bacon for an outstandingly divine breakfast!) YUMtastic!

#3.  Sea Salt

That's it!

Now start by slicing the beets...DO NOT PEEL THEM! They don't need to be peeled, beets are one of those amazing foods that actually holds a large portion of healthy antioxidants and vitamins in their skin, plus the skin all crisped up is super de dooper YUMtastic!

I like my beets tender but kind of firm, so I do not boil them before hand to soften them, however if ya like em softer I suggest about 10 to 15 minutes of boiling before frying them up. Note that you can also bake them, but honestly...they don't taste as awesome.

Place the slices of beet into the pan with the grease and begin frying on medium to low heat. Cover for a little and let them cook, meanwhile going back and flipping them every so often for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Cook them to your tenderness liking and then toss some sea salt, once again to your taste all over them as they dry and drain on a paper towel or in a straining bowl. omg so YUMTASTIC!

NOW SERVE THEM! Couple them with bacon, sausage, tofu, whatever your taste suggest! <3 Once again this is a paleo food, and despite being fried, it is not actually unhealthy! Be sure to google the truth behind fats and how our bodies need them as well as the benefits of eating beets with the peel on to be sure for yourself :)

as always

Be Blessed & may all your meals be YUMtastic!

cheers, Francey the Foodie <3

YUMtastic!: Salmon Parmesan

SALMON PARMESAN

garlic & lemon & salmon with mushrooms, kale, and tomato OHMY!

For this recipe you will need......

#1.  2 salmon fillets

#2.  lemon juice

#3.  kale

#4.  a can of diced tomatoes (a fresh one is fine too, but there won't be as much juice

#5.  mushrooms (use whatever kind ya like, I prefer portobello for this recipe myself)

#6.  some shredded Parmesan cheese

#7.  spices: garlic (minced or powdered), sea salt, pepper, onion powder, and a few tablespoons of white cooking wine.

    Now starts the fun! Start in your pan with some olive oil, the garlic, sea salt, pepper, mushrooms, and onion powder. Let this brown and start to fill the air with it's amazing smell!

    Then add in the lemon juice and white wine. (remember this is all in how you taste it, so be sure to taste check everything, to be safe start off with only a few pinches of the seasonings and perhaps a teaspoon or 2 of the lemon and white wine.)

     A good cook knows that sometimes following exact measurements leaves certain people with different taste buds out in the cold, so don't be afraid to feel it out as you cook, that's all the fun!

    Sautee this for a few minutes. Then add a beautiful bed of kale to the pan, you are going to lay your little salmon fillets on that bed as if tucking them in for the night. Sprinkle a little seasonings on top of the fish (along with some oregano or basil, depending on whatcha like, this is optional) yumtastic, double YUMtastic!

    Now cover the pan and allow the juice to cook the salmon all the way through. You may need to add a little more olive oil or water to the pan as it cooks down. Only flip the fish one or 2 times during cooking. This will take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes depending on your stove. Just make sure to keep an eye on it!

    Now uncover the pan and sprinkle the Parmesan on top!

Cover again and allow it to get all melty on the fish! YUMtastic!

Then UNCOVER and pair with whatever you'd like...a salad, some pasta, some rice! Or enjoy by itself! This is one of my favorite meals. It's a healthy gluten free option if you keep it solo, it's also paleo when only coupled with salad. Full of protein and not a ton of carbs to make ya feel all bloaty and lethargic.

Just remember, have fun, watch your food...step away from the cell for like 2 mins, cooking is supposed to be an experience, to make it extra special INVITE some awesome friends and WOW them with your gourmet meal preparations! 

Be Blessed & may all your meals be YUMtastic!

cheers, Francey the Foodie <3