Chicken Zucchini Lasagna {Grain-Free & Dairy-Free}

Hi folks!  Are you ready for a new recipe?  I know I was pretty excited to get back to cooking after the wedding festivities calmed down.  We have my in-laws staying with us for another week before they head back home to Germany.  Those poor Bavarians have been subjected to my grain-free lifestyle.  There is bread in our house, and I've done exceptionally well not shoving any of it down my grain-free pie hole.  Go me!

Our zucchini from the garden has been doing pretty well, so we find ourselves with a large amount to use up.  No complaints here!  We all know I love using zucchini noodles in place of spaghetti (see my recipe for Meat Sauce and Zoodles).  Another great pasta alternative is using thinly sliced zucchini in place of lasagna noodles!  If you have a mandoline, it's pretty easy to get those nice, thin slices, but you can absolutely do this without.  

Chicken Zucchini Lasagna

Prep: 30 min / Cook: 25 min

Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken breast
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 lb zucchini (or a little less)
14 oz diced tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup bone broth (I used chicken)
3/4 tsp ground garlic
1/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. In a large skillet, melt coconut oil over medium heat.
3. Add the ground chicken and onion to the skillet.  Break up the ground chicken and cook through.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth to the skillet and stir to combine.
5. Sprinkle in the garlic, sage, thyme, basil and salt, and stir.  Lower the heat to low, and let simmer while you prepare the zucchini.
6. Using a mandoline, thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise to make the lasagna noodles.  
7. In a 9x11 baking dish, add a small amount of the sauce mixture to the bottom and spread out.
8. Lay down a single layer of the zucchini, then add about half the remaining sauce and spread out.
9. Add the second layer of zucchini, then top with the remaining sauce.  
10. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.  The sauce should be bubbly, and the zucchini tender when poked through with a toothpick.

Enjoy!

We Sawed a Log! (a.k.a. We Got Married!)

I promise to get back to creating some yummy recipes for you soon, but first...  I must share our big news!

If you've been following me on Instagram, you probably already know that I got married over the weekend!  It was a beautiful day, full of love, laughter and lederhosen!  My new Bavarian family surprised us all with traditions they brought over from Germany.  We sawed a log, made our way over and under ropes, and danced and spun around with all our guests.  

We were married in the middle of a pasture by my favorite rodeo and horse show announcer.  He pulled together a beautiful ceremony for us with such meaningful words and lots of laughter.  It fit us perfectly!  

Like any good horse girl, my horse had to make an appearance for some photos together with me and the Mr.    

We could not have pulled it all together without the help from our amazing friends and family.  They helped me get organized, put together our DIY projects, assemble our centerpieces and my bouquet (um, WOW), listened to my endless rambling and kept me well stocked with mimosas on the day of our wedding.  I can't even begin to express how much I appreciate everything they did for us!  Thank you, ladies!

We ended the night where our relationship began.  At the old saloon in our little town.  Hands down...  Best day ever!

Our photographer was the amazingly talented Kendall of Kendall Lauren Photography.  I've known Kendall since we were in elementary school and our parents have been friends for years!  Love that she could be a part of our day and we cannot wait to see everything she has in store for us!  If you're looking for someone to capture the special moments in your life, you must check her out!  

Citrus Green Beans with Toasted Almonds

Hey all!  Another busy week getting ready for our wedding this coming weekend!  Craft projects are getting wrapped up and packed up, final details being pulled together, and the house is getting a much needed deep clean in preparation for my fiance's family coming from Germany.  I'm definitely feeling the stress to get things done and am just a *little* emotional...  I may have cried a bit when my fiance accidentally shaved his beard too short...  

Xanax, anyone?

Earlier in the week, we were able to stop by our tiny farmer's market to pick up a few things.  There was a gluten-free baker there, so naturally we needed a treat, and I was pretty happy to see a new organic farm selling some great looking produce.  We took home some kohlrabi, red onions and a big bag of green beans.  It will be my first time having kohlrabi!  Just have to figure out what I'll do with it.

I had been dreaming up a recipe for green beans, so when I saw them at the market, they had to come home with us.  Not gonna lie, I think I hit the nail on the head with this one.  I love the bright citrus flavor paired with the crisp green beans and crunchy toasted almonds. 

Citrus Green Beans with 

Toasted Almonds

Ingredients:
1 lb green beans (or haricot verts, if you're fancy), stems removed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 Tbsp fresh orange juice (I used a Valencia)
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp minced shallots
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the green beans to the pot and cook for about 6 minutes until the beans are crisp tender.
2. Once the green beans are cooked, submerge them into ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain the green beans into a colander and set aside.
3. Toast the almonds in a pan over medium low heat for about 5 minutes.  Keep an eye on the almonds and move them around to keep them from burning.
4. To make the dressing, add the avocado oil, orange juice, zest, shallots, salt and pepper to a small bowl and whisk together.
5. In a large bowl, toss together the green beans, dressing and half the almonds.  Top with the remaining almonds before serving.

Serves: 4-6