Simple Tandoori Chicken- no Tandoor needed

Tandoori Chicken- no Tandoor required. 

Wait. What's a tandoor and why don't I need it for this recipe? 

A tandoor is a big, round, clay (or metal) oven used in southern and western Asia. Tandoori chicken (not just a clever name) is a traditional dish served in India and Pakistan and it requires, you guessed it, a tandoor oven. 

Not today, my friends.

I do not have a Tandoor oven, but, I do have a grill and a regular-schmegular oven. If you have those things and the next few ingredients, you are set for some delicious chicken. No joke. It's good. Be advised that this recipe needs to marinate in the fridge for 1-2 days to absorb all of the wonderful flavor. One it has marinated, the cooking process and the side dishes couldn't be easier... and quick.

Serves 2-6
Prep time: 30 minutes (not including the marinating process of course)

• 1 package of boneless/skinless chicken thighs. *Ususally six per pkg.
• 1 single serving container of 2% Fagè Greek yogurt 
• 2 tbsp Olive or Avocado oil
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 cloves freshly crushed garlic
• 3-4 tbsp Tandoori spice blend  *You can buy this spice at any Indian grocer/restaurant or grocery store with an international section, or, you can make the blend yourself. I recommend getting it from Penzeys! The saffron and paprika is what really gives this chicken it's red color.  Saffron can be a pricey spice, but, it's worth it. 
• 1 White onion, sliced
• 1 Green bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 Lemon cut into wedges 
• 1 cup of fresh cilantro- chopped
• Naan bread
• 2 cups Basmati rice 
• 3 Cardamom pods

Add the chicken thighs, tandoori spice, oil, yogurt and garlic to a large ziplock bag. Seal the bag and coat the chicken pieces. Put it in the fridge and wait for 1-2 days. I recommend two days. Really, really beautiful flavor after two days of marinating. 

When you are ready to prepare the chicken, start your rice first. (Check out my page on how to steam the perfect pot o' rice)  Only this time, add 3 cardamom pods to the water. Don't fish them out after the process!! Let the family do that. Besides, it's good luck to find one-- or so I tell my family. Heh, heh...  

Next, slice your lemons, onion, bell pepper and chop the cilantro. Shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes, tops. 

Pre-oil the grill slats, and set it to the low flame setting. Next, preheat your oven to 400° and prepare some tinfoil in a baking dish or a cookie sheet. Next prepare a grill-safe sautee pan or pizza pan with non-stick spray. 

Place the chicken on the grill and let it brown and char; About 3-4 minutes on each side. After they are good and brown- you should notice the red coloring right away- place them on your prepared pan and in the 400° oven for 10 minutes to finish the cooking process. Why both? Well... The sugar from certain tandoori spices, coupled with the yogurt, tends to burn rather quickly. Best to finish it in the over for a few minutes to avoid burned, raw chicken.

While the chicken is in the oven, put the grill pan directly on the grill and let it get hot. Add the onions and green peppers and sautee them. Close the lid for 2 minutes or so. Add a touch of salt to the veggies after they have browned slightly. Once the chicken is finished cooking, you are ready to serve over the rice. Be sure to drizzle the juice from the oven cooked chicken back over itself and onto the rice. Garnish it with the lemon and cilantro. Don't forget the Naan bread! 

If you wish to make another awesome Indian-inspired dish, try my Coconut Butter Chicken. ERMERGHED! Easily one of my favorites. 

Enjoy! 

Gym Fuel: Supplements for a MEANER sweat and a STRONGER you.

"You don't sweat much...
                   for a fat chick." 

- HEY!?  

Check it: Sometimes I need a little extra motivation to get my bum to the gym, let alone break a sweat. This blog will highlight a few things I have learned to help jump start adrenaline, refuel muscles, and multiply metabolism. 





My last blog about supplements has over 700 Pinterest pins, thousands of page views, and has officially catapulted this here goofy food/nutrition chick onto Google's $earch engine radar. Not bad, eh? I continue to get emails from folks inspired by the blog, it's recipes, Momma Gone Fit, and how it has helped them tackle their own weight obstacles. 

 Humbling is an understatement.

Sun's out guns out. My third picture is coming along. 

I have been my own Nutritional Guinea Pig for almost five years now. It's no secret that I love to eat, I love a cold craft beer (or three), and I also love to break a sweat. My new passion is strength training. Lifting heavy things is a game changer. Oh, and I have taken to boxing and MMA. I'm no Ronda Rousey, but, ladies, if you have young children, a job, and/or a significant other; Wailing on a heavy bag is the best damn feeling in the world.

True dat. 

Let's dig in. Here's what I use BEFORE I break a sweat. 

**Before we begin, let me go on record as saying that I am not a licensed nutritional anything. Feel free to try all of these things at your own discretion. These are the supplements that work for moi, and they may or may not work for you? Sharing is caring** 

Green Tea & Fish Oil. 
Together, at last.

I take these bad boys (two each- four total) with my coffee and a light, snack-like breakfast- I like to workout early in the morning- a good 20 minutes before I begin my workout. What's a good pre workout food? I usually slather a tablespoon or two of almond butter onto a piece of Ezekiel bread or eat a few banana oatmeal protein nuggets. Yeah, it sounds weird, but, they are clean, tasty, and loaded with protein. If you can think of a better title, hit me up. Some fitness gurus tell you not to eat before you sweat to increase fat loss, but, that argument is debatable. If you are prone to migraines, for example, eat a little something first-- especially if you plan on taking these two supplements! 

Green Tea: Fat burners get a lot of flack, but, this one is different-ish. Why? Epigallocatechin-3-gallate. Say that three times fast. You can click onto any body building website and read up on the 10-
syllabled properties found therein. Long story short: Green Tea uses your body's fat burning hormone to support heat, thus, has the ability to make you sweat. The EGCG's in green tea, coupled with caffeine, double that result. Add a fitness routine to those elements, and you'll need a beach towel and a mop after spin class. Brew up some green tea at home to drink round the clock. 

Fish Oil: If you haven't burped up fishy fumes during a HIIT session, you've never lived, my friend. Sure, sure, you can buy the burp-less supplements, but, then you're talking an extra $10 a bottle with LESS product. I say: Go full-burp. You get used to it. Why are you taking fish oil with green tea? Remember what I said about dragging ass and not "feeling" the gym? Fish oil, in addition to being amazing for bone health and cholesterol, is known for boosting serotonin, the body's happy hormone. When both your serotonin and norepinephrine levels are raised, you will want to work out,  you will perform better, and you will sweat harder and go longer. Sounds like a Viagra commercial!  On a personal note, I have noticed a dramatic difference in my focus and my drive. Also noticed a difference in my mid section! No erections, though. Dodged that bullet.

After a good burn, you MUST refuel... and you only have a short time window in which to do so.  Your body is still in fat burn mode up to 30minutes after a workout. Consume those calories in that window for a faster metabolic break down and for muscle repair and regrowth. You need a fast, nutritionally packed food. Make a smoothie. Just do it.  

The struggle is real, my friends. 

No WHEY!? 

-Whey! 

Jump on the bandwagon and drink a whey shake already. I have tried a dozen or so powdery whey products and they are all about the same, save for two things. 1) How much filler they use and 2) TASTE!

Some protein powders are gross. Especially anything labeled "vegan" or "cookie." In your journey for the best whey, you'll read about amino acids- they help with muscle/tissue repair for bigger, faster guns- but ultimately, you have to enjoy the taste in order continue drinking it. I have found that, like everything food related, more ingredients = less tasty. (This does not apply to Indian curry. Bring ON the ingredients)  And, if you're like me, you want something that won't break the bank. Those flashy tubs of powder at Costco are EXPENSIVE! Unless you are a fitness competitor, being ripped is your career, and/or you are trying to make quality gains for a FLEX photoshoot, don't go broke over this. Whey is whey. Keep the ingredients low and the protein content high. Simple as that. I use EAS 100% Whey- Vanilla flavored protein powder.  If any of the muscley gym rats pause from their gainz selfie to razz you over this choice and it's "low amino/vitamin content," ask them how their Hot-n-Ready cheat pizza's were last night? 

Here's my recipe for one of my go-to after workout smoothies. Larry thinks it needs tuna. Um... maybe next time, bud? 

• 1/4 cup frozen peaches
• 1/4 cup frozen mango 
• 1/4 cup frozen pineapple
• 2 scoops whey protein 
• 1/4 cup almond milk 
• 1tsp whole flax seeds (optional but worth it) 
• 2 tablespoons of water 
• A couple o' ice cubes 
• Blend well and drink.

Note: If anyone sees my husband, remind him that I want a Vitamix under the tree. K-thanks.

My next nutritional bloggity-blog will be devoted to supplements you should take before bed time. We all burn calories while we sleep. (Mind. Blown) We might as well help them along, eh? Before you start downing supplements, read a few things about how you may be sabotaging your own goals: Fat: 10 Reasons Why

Tune in next time. 

Kitchen Improv: Clean Crockpot Marinara/ Sunday Gravy

Make this basic marinara happen in your kitchen... or... backyard? That's where I'll be making this stuff for a while. My sis calls it "Glamping." I like it. Take THAT hipsters!

Wait. Why in the hell are you making sauce in the backyard? 

 Excellent question. 

Allow me to elaborate. 

We are involved in what you might call a "Renters Nightmare." Our  transition/rental home, here in Olympia Washington, has tested positive for black mold and asbestos after a major leak was discovered under the dish washer.

Great.

 Long story short: The kitchen was abated, gutted, and for the past month, my family of six has been without a kitchen while they take their sweet ass time reconstructing it. Time perspective: Our kitchen has been unusable sine June 28th. In lieu of eating out (cha-ching) and nuking anything microwavable, I choose to cook.

Today it's marinara.

Sure, I could open a bottle of Prego (barf) but, I refuse to succumb! I married an Italian kid, see? The one thing that we both agree on is sauce. Homemade marinara is what we like. And if you make enough of it... you'll never need store bought. Of course I was out of the homemade stuff- go figure. Time to make some more. Only this time, I'll use a crock pot... because I have no range. FML. I have found that crockpot Sunday Gravy is where it's at! I'll do it this way from now on.

I love set-it-and-forget-it meals.

Clean Crockpot Sunday Gravy, a.k.a Traditional Marinara 
Prep time: 10 minutes    Cook time: ** see below**
Yields: 3-4 pints of Sketti Sauce

Note: Traditional Italian food is ALWAYS clean. The ingredients are fresh and, most likely, picked that day. "Clean eating" is merely a catchy phrase for fresh. Simple ingredients make for the most incredible flavor. 

1 12 oz can of whole (good quality) tomatoes

Double Note: Don't use shitty, Walmart tomatoes, please. Use the good stuff- it's what makes a good marinara... um... good. Go $an Marzano if you want, but, I've found that Trader Joe's has quality, cost friendly, canned tomatoes- perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. Get the good stuff. You deserve it. Wanna go full hipster? Use fresh tomatoes, de-skinned.  Shout out to Serious Eats for doing the taste testing!! 

You've never lived until you've made
 pasta on the grill

1 Small can of tomato paste
1/2 jar of roasted red peppers
1/2 can of water (use the tomato can)
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 heaping tbsp raw sugar
4-5 cloves of freshly peeled garlic (whole clove, not pressed)
10 fresh basil leaves
Pinch of Fennel seed *optional, but it gives the sauce a beautiful flavor*
3 tsp pepper
2 tbsp sea salt

It's pretty simple really. Add all of the above ingredients into a crock pot. You can do the next step one of two ways:

**1) If you are preparing this before work- let it crock on low heat until you get home. 
**2) Or, if you please, let it crock on high heat for 3 hours and low heat for 1 hour. 

Up to you. It's a "set-it-and-forget-it" sauce, remember. Nothing to get worked up about time-wise when it's on low all day.  The trick to a fantastic sauce is minimal, fresh ingredients.... and letting is slow cook. Jussayin. 

Once it's happy and warm, add the crocked marinara, in small

Fancy, eh? 

batches, to a blender or food processor. Blend/pulse the mixture well and add your Sunday Gravy to some mason jars for later storage. Get some pasta going, rip off a hunk of sourdough,  and presto! Dinner is served, baby. The beautiful thing is... you'll have enough marinara left over that you can freeze or preserve for a future dinner. I guarantee that once you've made this marinara/ Sunday Gravy, you'll never want store bought again. If you are looking to preserve this with, say, the 'maters in your garden, check out my Jarring101 page. 

Kertney's Clam Chowdah- PNW Style

Let me bring you up to speed. In September, the family and I moved from the conservative, blue collar, fish fry, steel city known as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the state of conservation, rainbows and GMO-free range Teriyaki and Phó. That's right. I now reside in Washington. Olympia, Washington to be exact. Quite the cross country move, I know. And no, I don't have any ganja recipes... yet. Long story short, I wanted to get my hands on some seafood! I live near the Pacific Ocean now, baby. Fresh seafood is hard (and expensive) to come by in Pittsburgh. My oldest spawn loves her some clams. We always buy enough clams to eat fresh... but mom loves her some chowdah. Soup's on, ya'll!  

This recipe is creamy, sweet, savory, and delicious. Perfect for the winter days ahead and pretty easy to prepare. Find a nice, crunchy bread to dip it into. 

Kert's Clam Chowdah'
Serves 2-4 
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

• 1/2 pint of cream
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 pieces of thick sliced bacon- chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn (or class it up with the fresh stuff) 
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup leeks chopped
• 4 medium white potatoes, diced
• 1 shallot finely chopped 
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 small carrots, chopped  
• Pinch of whole fennel seeds *optional
• bay leaf
• 1lb freshly steamed and chopped little neck clams or 2 cans o' clams (reserve the juice)
• salt
• pepper
• fresh thyme

In a large sauce pot, on medium heat, add your bacon. Once the pieces are cooked and crunchy, remove them from the grease and let it drain on a paper towel- set aside for later. Lower the heat a tad and (to the bacon grease) add the shallots, leeks, celery, carrots and bay leaf. Stir it around a bit for a minute or two, raise the temperature to medium-high heat and add the clams, clam juice, stock, fennel, corn, peas and potatoes. Let that simmer together for 15 minutes. Once the liquids have reduced, add the cream. Let that sit, stirring occasionally, on a low simmer, for another 15-20 minutes until it has reduced and thickened slightly. TASTE IT! The bacon and clam juice add a bunch of salt to the soup already, but, you may want more? If it needs it, put some in thurrr. Feel free to fish out the bay leaf, but, in my house- whoever gets it in their bowl gets to do the dishes. No brainer. Leave it in there. 


Ladle the chowder into your bowls and top with the crunchy bacon pieces, fresh thyme and freshly cracked pepper. You need a big hunk o' bread with this, too. Make sure you've made your own bread made from freshly pressed durum wheat and aged Sicilian sourdough as well as freshly picked thyme... and invited all of your sassy gay friends. If you don't have homemade bread and only mediocre gay friends, store-bought is fine... I guess? 

Power H20: Make water taste tasty

Out of alllll of my recipes, this is the one folks want the most. 

Check it: The super sweaty, hard-ass, MMA guys and gals who trained at my gym (Shout out to Absolute Fitness Academy) would beg me for it. Well... maybe not beg? But... they liked it. Anyway... there's a cutesy name for this recipe called,  "Sassy Water." Needless to say that the boys in the cage weren't going to drink "sassy" anything. Power H20 it is. 

Why Power H20? Lets face it: When you're trying to cut back on sugary drinks, you need something stronger than a bottle of Aquafina. Power H20 is also a gut calming solution as well as a pretty refresher to serve at any backyard soiree... or a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu sparring workshop? Same difference. 

1 tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated

8 Fresh mint leaves

10 Peeled cucumber slices (thin)

1/2 of sliced lemon

1 cup of Pomegranate- if it's in season?

32oz of water - a standard size pitcher  

Combine all of the above ingredients the night before. Let them get happy in the fridge and chill over night. Serve with ice and enjoy! 

*Now, you can make this bad boy with just about any fruit your heart is set upon. It's excellent with oranges, blueberries, strawberry, peaches... you name it. Just keep the cucumber, ginger, and mint in there- Those are the three magical ingredients that make this a good drink for digestion. Ginger and mint are widely used, natural, anti-inflammatories, and cucumber is a tried and true ingredient that reduces swelling and puffiness. (Why do you think spas use it over those baggy eyes?) 

When the pitcher is empty, you will be left with... well,  a cucumber, ginger, mint salad. Strain the residual water from the bits, remove the lemons and some of the mint leaves; Stir in a bit of olive oil, rice wine vinegar and cracked pepper and nom, nom, nom. Nothing goes to waste.