Orange Chicken... paleo of course!

It is yet another incredibly snowy Saturday... Charlie is napping- ahhh peace! My quads are killing me from my workout last night-  WOD 1: 100 thrusters (63#), 200 double-unders, MU AMRAP (15 min. time cap)... ugh! Got through everything and a half of a muscle-up-- darn time ran out mid "up". Then I did EMOTM deadlifts at 90% (5 rounds), Clean and jerk 3 reps at every weight starting at 60% until failure, then WOD 2: 6 rds- 1 rope climb, 13 wall balls, 13 pull-ups. Needless to say I am tired. I actually wanted to head back into the box today because I think it helps loosen sore muscles, but Charlie came back to me early so I guess I will be doing a basement WOD tonight. I am thinking: 15 AMRAP- 5 burpees, 10 pistols, 15 KB swings at 1 pood.

When Charlie naps I like to make food so I can enjoy my time with her when she is awake. Cooking also keeps my mind off of other things... I won't go into detail but let's just say men are frustrating! Anyway....On the menu today: Orange Chicken! One of my favorite dishes at chinese restaurants, but it is usually fried and definitely not paleo. Here is my version with some vegetable short cuts to make my life easier. This is even quick enough to make on a weeknight. On a side note: this picture does not do this recipe justice- I was getting impatient waiting for the sauce to reduce :)

Paleo Orange Chicken

Sauce:

- 1 Tbl. Orange zest
- Juice of 1-2 oranges (looking for about a 1/2 cup)
- 2 Tbl. Coconut Aminos (or gluten free soy sauce)
- 2 Tbl. White Vinegar
- 1 tsp. Fish Sauce
- 2 gloves of garlic (minced or grated)
- 1 tsp. Fresh ginger (minced or grated)
- 1 Tbl. Honey
- 1 Tbl. arrow root powder

Put all of the ingredients in a jelly or mason jar and shake. Set aside.

Chicken and Veggies:

- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cubed)

- 3 Tbl. arrow root powder

- 1 small onion (or half a large)- finely chopped

- 3-4 cups of veggies... I used two bags of frozen, steamfresh mixed veggies to save time 

Directions:

- Massage the chicken with the arrow root powder.
- In a skillet over medium high heat- drizzle some oil and add the chicken and onions. Cook 4-5 minutes until cooked through.
- This is when I cooked my steam fresh veggies in the microwave, but if you are using fresh steam the veggies until they are firm but not completely cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and toss with the veggies.
- In the same skillet, add the sauce and simmer until it starts to thicken.
- Add the veggies and chicken back in to coat- the sauce should thicken and become like a glaze.
ENJOY!!! I eat it plain but if you follow a clean eating/gluten free versus paleo it would be fantastic!