Month: April 2020

Southern Chicken Salad

Food

Chicken Salad is such a simple thing that I so frequently overlook. It always resurfaces when the weather gets warmer and I start thinking about patio lunches with my friends and family. You know the daydream where we’re all dressed like a Vineyard Vines catalog (lol at the thought of John wearing Vineyard Vines…if you know my husband, you know), we have fabulous drinks in crystalware that I don’t mind taking outside and I won’t have to wash later. Anyways, of course there would be fabulous finger sandwiches with the finest of toppings – finest of all, this chicken salad. It’s that good.

I’ve always loved chicken salad and could never seem to get the consistency of my chicken to be just right. It was always too dry or big, or too tough somehow even though it was smothered in a delightful dressing.

Enter Sharon Knight, her daughter Jennifer is one of my best friends and before she left me to move across the country and do amazing things, she always raved about her mom’s chicken salad. Jennifer had the same problem. The consistency wasn’t right. When her mom visited she learned that her mom boils the chicken for about two hours. Yes, two hours sounds like a long time, but when a Southern Woman tells you to boil your chicken for two hours before making it into salad, you do it.

Although I don’t know Sharon’s fabulous secret family recipe, her chicken trick has transformed my chicken salad recipe forever. Let’s dig in to this recipe my instagram followers have been dying to get their hands on.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup mayo (I use Chosen Foods – no soy to be found in there!)
  • 1/8 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, and ground mustard
  • 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 cup red grapes, halved
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • Lettuce wraps / bread / crackers / croissants

Procedure

  1. In a medium saucepan cover chicken breasts with water so the tops are covered. Bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat to medium low and allow chicken to boil, covered, for two hours. Yes, really! Two hours, you don’t know Miss Sharon, but I do. She wouldn’t steer you wrong.
  3. Allow chicken to cool before shredding with a fork or food processor. (If you’re toasting your almonds as you go, now is a good time to take out a skillet and toss the slivered almonds in it to toast until they’re lightly browned.)
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, add mayo, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, honey, and lemon juice. Whisk together until you’re left with a smooth dressing.
  5. Add shredded chicken, grapes, and almonds to the mixing bowl. Toss to coat – I like to use my tiny tongs to incorporate everything but a wooden spoon works well too!
  6. Refrigerate or serve directly. This recipe is even better after it’s had time for the flavors to chill together!

This recipe is perfect for meal prep, luncheons – precisely as I listed above with only the epitome of class, and summer days. Add this chicken salad to a lettuce wrap, as I have here, or stick it in a container to take on the go and eat on crackers. If you’re operating at your classiest level and not gluten free, this also goes perfectly on a croissant. (Side note – if you ARE gluten free and you’ve found a good gf croissant, help a girl out! I need ya!)

Be sure to share this recipe with a friend who needs it! Tag me @bethannsbites on Instagram or use the #biteswithbeth so I can see that you’ve made it! There’s literally no bigger form of flattery to me than people making my recipes!! Wishing you sunny skies and delicious eats. ❤️Beth

Better Than Takeout Gluten Free Griddle Sandwiches

Food, GF
Homemade Griddle Sandwiches

I don’t know about you, but this quarantine has me craving allll the comfort food…or maybe it’s just that I’m bored and I love creating recipes and making things I don’t always have the time for. Regardless of its cause, my curse is your gain!

Whatever you do, don’t leave the house just for a McGriddle – it’s not worth breaking your quarantine for! I GOT YOU!

I used to LOVE McGriddle sandwiches! I also worked at McDonald’s for about 8 years of my life so I was familiar with the calories and questionable ingredients. If you work at a fast food restaurant as long as I did, chances are you familiarized yourself with the healthiest options available for your free meal on your shift. I never used to get the McGridddles because, spoiler alert, they’re not great for you.

My nostalgia got the best of me and I created for you – drumroll please – these better than takeout gluten free griddle sandwiches!! I love the idea of customizing these to your dietary needs and restrictions. Here’s what you’ll need to make my version!

Ingredients and equipment

  • Skillet or electric griddle (I recommend a griddle if you have one because it allows for more cakes at once and is easy maneuver. If you don’t have one, fear not! A skillet is fine.)
  • 6 rings to wide mouth mason jars – this is important to making the griddle cakes!
  • Spatula/pancake flipper of your choosing

For the griddle cakes:

  • 1 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 flour WITH xanthan gum (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk of choice, I used cashew mylk
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • cooking spray of choice, I used avocado oil

For the sandwiches:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 pound of bacon or 5 sausage patties, cooked
  • 2.5 cheese slices

Procedure

  1. Preheat skillet or griddle medium-medium high heat. Place mason jar rings on the surface.
  2. In a large bowl, mix gluten free flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
  3. Add milk, avocado oil, egg, and vanilla extract mixing until combined. The mixture will be smooth.
  4. Spray mason jar rings with cooking spray and add just enough batter to cover the bottom of each ring. This will create a sort of batter seal.
  5. Very carefully, dribble small dots of maple syrup into the batter of each ring, trying to stay towards the inside.
  6. Add enough batter to cover the syrup you drizzled into each ring. There should be a little room left for your pancake batter to expand.
  7. Allow each griddle cake to sit until you see that the bubbles on top have popped. (It’s important to wait long enough so your griddles aren’t gooey inside!!
  8. With a spatula, carefully flip each ring. Gently remove rings with the corner of your spatula. The rings will be VERY hot.
  9. Allow griddle cakes to sit until both sides are lightly browned. (This batter should make 10 griddle cakes)
  10. As each set of griddle cakes is finished, allow to cool on a cooling rack. I do not recommend stacking the cakes as they may become soggy.
  11. Scramble all three remaining eggs, adding salt and pepper to taste. Place a mason jar ring on your cooking surface and spray with cooking spray before adding eggs. (Your eggs should be split eggs into 5 rings.) Allow to cook almost through before flipping and removing the ring as you did with the griddle cakes.
  12. Remove eggs from heat when finished and add 1/2 slice of cheese of choice to each egg patty to melt.
  13. Assemble sandwiches with 2 griddle cakes, 3 half slices of bacon or 1 sausage patty, scrambled egg patty, and cheese.
Wrapped griddle sandwiches

Some notes:

If you’re making this recipe during NON-quarantine times and you’d like to have it ready for before school/work lunches, I recommend simply making the griddle cakes as suggested and freezing them. You can easily pop them in the toaster and add fresh eggs, meat and cheese.

A second option to make this a quick, grab and go recipe: wrap the sandwiches in parchment or wax paper and then with foil to prevent freezer burn. You’ll be able to remove the foil and heat in the microwave for 1-1.5 minutes, flipping halfway through.

I hope you’ll try these and love them as much as we do! It’s a great little brunch treat without the icky feeling of fast food sandwiches!

Share this with a friend who loves McGriddles! Be sure to tag your recreations on instagram @bethannsbites or share to my Facebook page Bites With Beth! Drop me a comment or message if you have questions. Let me know what you think!

21 Days of Joy

Life

Gooooood morning friends! I’m so happy you’re here. Not just saying that, I’m ACTUALLY happy you’re here…and not just because human interaction has been severely limited and stalled by COVID-19. Today, I’d like to challenge you to find joy in the ordinary for 21 days.

Why 21 days you ask? I’m sure you’ve heard before that 21 days is the number of days that it’s supposed to psychologically take a person to form a habit. What better habit could you possibly have than finding joy?

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “21 days is a LONG time!” Or maybe your internal monologue is saying something more like, “I’m already schooling my kids at home, still working AND trying to not eat my bodyweight in leftover Reese Eggs. How can this lady expect me to do more?” This 21 days isn’t going to feel long because we’re going to have some fun! We’ll be connecting to each other – virtually and more than 6 feet apart of course…I love you from…over there. I’ll also be encouraging you to connect with the ones you love and lean on in life already. (They’re great! Let’s celebrate them!)

If you need further encouragement to find joy in your everyday, let me just mention that finding joy will release those ‘feel good’ endorphins. I’m lookin’ at YOU dopamine and serotonin! There are lots of ways to get those endorphins to come out to play.

Experiments have even suggested that people who are happier get sick less. I can’t think of a better time to have a rock solid immune system than now. You’ll be so happy that your immune system will be all, “not today ‘rona! Not. Today.”

Maybe you just want to participate because you’re bored in quarantine? You’re totally welcome! Please join us! Maybe you’re just frustrated/annoyed/struggling to coexist with your quarantine partners? You are so welcome, please join us! I’m sending you all the virtual hugs and when this all blows over, I’ll even give you a real one too! Maybe you thrive on going, routine, and normalcy. I get it. I love to be on the go. You are so welcome here, we’ll be going on a joyful little journey for the next 21 days! Come along. Maybe you’re struggling with the anxiety or the feeling of impending doom this virus has brought. Yep, I’ve been there too. Push through, I’m proud of you and I love you. You are right where you need to be, finding joy with me.

The details

  • We’ll start our 21 days of joy challenge TODAY, April 13, 2020, yay!!
  • Where? If you don’t already, go give me a follow on Instagram @bethannsbites – it’s the place to be. Good food, a cute baby, dogs, and most importantly – that’s where this challenge is taking place.
  • Each day you’ll have a task. Something action based that will help you feel better for the day. (Don’t worry we’ll start small and work our way up!)
  • You’ll post or story on instagram using #joyswithbeth and tag @bethannsbites to show me that you’ve completed the challenge for that day.
  • Each day that you complete the challenge using #joyswithbeth and tagging @bethannsbites you earn an entry into the giveaway at the end of the challenge.
  • What’s the prize? So glad you asked. In the spirit of social distancing and remaining quarantined as much as possible, I’ll be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to a lucky winner! This way you can get yourself a little something from the safety of your own home.
  • Be sure to tune into my stories each day to find your task for the day. Can’t wait to connect with you!!

Our circumstances may not be ideal right now but I think we have a responsibility to ourselves and those around us to find joy in the meantime. Don’t waste this part of your life waiting for it to end. Do the hard thing. Find the joy. Be the joy.

Healthy-ish Homemade Reese Eggs

Food, GF, Treats, Uncategorized
Healthy-ish Homemade Reese Eggs

Is it even really Easter without Reese’s eggs? If you’d asked me as a kid…or even three years ago as an adult, I probably would have told you no. The cute, festive wrapper, the egg shape – obviously the best of all the giant Reese’s shapes, and the perfect peanut butter to chocolate ratio made those babies perfection. They’re still delicious, I’ll admit, buuuut so not worth the way that the soy, dairy, and sometimes wheat in the Reese’s makes me feel.

On top of icky side effects, it’s quarantine time so we’re going to the store ONLY for essentials. Reese’s eggs – no matter what your heart may tell you at the time – are NOT an essential item. Keep your booty home!! The good news is: I bet you’ve got the ingredients to make these healthier-for-you nutty chocolatey eggs in your pantry RIGHT now. (Note: if you DON’T have ingredients listed – see me on insta or Facebook and I’ll help you find a suitable substitution!)

Ingredients

Okay, the sooner we get started, the sooner you get to enjoy the deliciousness, so let’s dig in!

  • 1 cup peanut butter – you want the good stuff, JUST nuts and salt (I actually used Trader Joe’s Almond Butter because it’s a pandemic and Thrive Market is way behind on orders so no PB in my house!)
  • 3 Tbsp cassava flour – other good subs: coconut flour and almond flour (you’ll need more than 3 Tbsp if using almond)
  • 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil

Procedure:

  1. In a mixing bowl, add nut butter, cassava flour, maple syrup, and salt. Stir until well combined.
  2. Using a cookie scooper, portion out filling then flatten and form into an egg-like shape.
  3. Freeze eggs for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.
  4. Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil – I like to use the double boiling method: a glass bowl overtop about 2 cups of water boiling in a saucepan.
  5. Remove chocolate chips from heat and dip the eggs using a fork to flip and cover both sides.
  6. Drop onto wax paper and refrigerate for at least ten minutes or until chocolate sets.
  7. Store in the refrigerator until serving.
You’re looking for eggy shapes – they don’t have to be perfect to be cute!

Try these babies out and let me know what you think of them! Be sure to post to Bites With Beth on Facebook or @bethannsbites on Instagram! Better yet, share it with a friend who you know would love it too!

Facing fear and COVID-19

Life

In December leading into January of this year, I think I responded to the Coronavirus as many of us did – by laughing it off. The prospect of an epidemic such as China’s springing up in our own backyard was terrifying but it wasn’t our problem yet. The story developed for months. The situation worsened and was declared a pandemic as the months passed.

Suddenly, during the second week of March, things got real quickly. The virus was spreading rapidly in the United States and slowly but surely colleges, events, and schools were being shut down. As a person who is prone to anxiety over things that are completely out of my control, my first instinct was a cancerous growth of despair. The pit in my stomach was debilitating. I paced around my house aimlessly.

As a person who is prone to anxiety over things that are completely out of my control, my first instinct was a cancerous growth of despair.

The stress only worsened towards the end of the week. I was supposed to return to work the following Monday and we’d just been out for Spring Break. I knew students and teachers who had traveled to affected areas or booked a cheap flight thanks to the fear of the spreading virus. I was worried that we’d all go back on Monday and it would be a hotbed for the spread. I had two boxes of tissues and half a tub of clorox wipes left in my classroom. There were no other disinfectant cleaners to be found at the store.

Later that week, after days of worry, my school district canceled school for the coming week and I had a small sense of relief. The district insisted that they expected to return March 23rd. The pit grew as the date drew near. Eventually, our governor shut all schools down. We’re currently out until May 4th.

My husband still had to work. So I’d stay home with our son, preparing to teach online and taking care of a one year old who hates mama’s computer for no reason other than it takes precious attention away from him. (Normally, I work while he’s asleep…but these are not normal times!)

John would get home and I’d make him sanitize, change clothes immediately, and scrub his hands. Then I’d scrub the door handles, his keys, and his cell phone.

Two and a half weeks ago, it was determined that many jobs could be done from home. Luckily for us, John’s job was determined to be one of those. He’s been home with us ever since he came home early on a Wednesday afternoon. My mind rested just a little bit more. We understand the great privilege we have, being able to hole up in our home waiting for this to pass.

After we were all quarantined, I found myself fearing trips to the store. I have asthma, so John has been our grocery getter. Things were getting worse and again every trip felt like a risk. If I’m being honest, it still does.

A funny thing I’ve noticed about myself during my lifetime is that I will be the first person to look for the silver linings, I’ll even find them…but I don’t sit with them. If I let myself, I sit with worry, anxiety and despair.

The thing is, we all have a choice every single day: whether or not we want to sit with worry and despair. We all have the ability to decide how our home, family, and mind respond to this crisis. I urge you to choose faith over fear.

choose faith over fear

I read something recently about how someday our kids will tell us how they remember living through this pandemic and they will remember spending time together, being homeschooled, the silly games and activities we play to pass the time. I hope with all my heart that that is true. We have to make it come true.

I realized at some point that I was allowing myself to be paralyzed and stagnant with fear. That didn’t feel very radical to me. I also came across the saying “Faith over fear,” again recently. It’s a saying that I’ve seen around for years. It’s unclear exactly where it comes from but I think it’s a beautiful mantra during these times.

I realized at some point that I was allowing myself to be paralyzed and stagnant with fear.

I urge you today to choose faith over fear. Choose to have faith in God, faith in the goodness of humanity and your fellow man, faith that science will deliver a cure, faith in our medical staff and other essential employees who are risking themselves everyday to keep our world spinning. Pray it out, write it out, talk it out and then, most importantly, LET. IT. GO.

We can only do what we are able to do. We can only do the best that we can. I can’t control the fact that my neighbors are having a pool party or the fact that my county has passed no stay at home or shelter in place orders. I can control the number of grocery trips we take. I can control the fact that we only go out if it is absolutely necessary. I can control the fact that I sanitize everything we’ve ordered online in lieu of going to the store.

Choose to have faith in God, faith in the goodness of humanity and your fellow man, faith that science will deliver a cure, faith in our medical staff and other essential employees who are risking themselves everyday to keep our world spinning.

Do your best and leave the rest. That is the only way to protect your peace. Protecting your peace extends to your children and how they’ll remember this crisis. They know it when we’re stressed and panicked and short with them, no matter how small.

I urge you to find ways to choose faith over fear, love over hate, grace over grimace, and joy over despair. We can and we will get through this together. Take it one hour, one day, one week at a time. Choose faith and keep choosing faith.