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Organic, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Paleo Recipes and Thyroid Health

Chicken Piccata and a 30 Day Grain-Free Challenge

I decided to make chicken piccata for dinner the other night but didn't want to use pasta, so I tried shredded zucchini. It was an overwhelming hit with the family. In fact, my youngest asked if I could make it all the time.

 

Two years ago, I had no other option but to go grain-free for an entire year. I was having a difficult battle with Hashimoto’s disease, one it seemed like I’d lost. When my nutritionist advised a grain-free diet, I wanted to cry. I did, actually. At that point, my life had been so full of “healthy whole grains” that I didn’t know how I was going to survive with out all those wonderful grains! All I knew was to eat vegetables and meat. I didn’t know there were blogs devoted to grain-free living. We made a commitment as a family and I started learning how to make things more interesting and appetizing with what I had.

I’m feeling much better now. The Hashimoto’s disease is reversing and is almost completely gone! I’ve been able to add some gluten free grains back into my diet, but after thinking about Dr. Davis’s book, Wheat Belly , writing my last post and reading your comments, I want to challenge myself to another 30 days grain free. I’d like to show you some of the tricks I learned and inspire some of you to take the plunge, too. If you’re struggling with an illness or disease, you might just find some relief. Truly, there are few things better than learning to improve your health with food instead of medicine – especially if that food is delicious!

When I wrote about giving up wheat here and on Facebook, many people asked, “Then what can we eat?!” We’re so used to getting several servings of “healthy whole grains” each day that a week or even a day without them seems impossible. There are hundreds of wonderful foods that don’t contain grain, so for the next 30 days I’m going to challenge myself – and you, if you’re up to it – to go grain free. I’ll post my recipes, ideas, progress, etc. If you join in, I’d love to hear how your month goes and also hear about your recipe ideas. Let’s see how delicious we can make a grain free diet. Who’s in?

I decided to make chicken piccata for dinner the other night but didn’t want to use pasta, so I tried shredded zucchini. It was an overwhelming hit with the family. In fact, my youngest asked if I can “make this all the time”. We also had a salad and guess what? No one missed the grain. A pretty good way to launch a 30 day grain free challenge!

Serves 4

Chicken Piccata

Use this recipe for the zucchini substituting the coconut oil for olive oil.

Adapted from Italian Classics .

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Ingredients

  • 2 large lemons
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup almond flour (or arrowroot for a nut-free alternative)
  • ?4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons drained capers
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or ghee for Paleo)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and adjust rack to middle position. Set a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. Set aside. Cut one of the lemons in half and cut one of those halves in slices. Juice the remaining half and whole lemon. Season both sides of chicken breasts generously with salt and pepper. Place the almond flour in a pie plate (or shallow dish) and dredge each chicken breast in the flour. Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Place two pieces of chicken in the pan. Saute until browned on bottom side, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts and cook until second side is golden brown, an additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the cooling rack and place in the oven. Repeat process with remaining two chicken breasts.
  2. Add the garlic to the now empty skillet and cook for a mere 10 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock (the pan will sizzle) and lemon slices. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Simmer for about 4 minutes, until liquid reduces to about 1/3 cup. Pour in lemon juice and simmer again for 1 minute. Remove from the pan, add butter and capers, and stir until melted.
    3. To serve:
  3. Place a serving of zucchini on the plate and top with a piece of chicken. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve immediately.
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98 Comments

  3. Kami

    September 10, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    I am excited to read along! We are doing the GAPS diet so we are also grain free and although it has been a change from our previously gluten free lifestyle, we are loving it and realizing there are a lot of options when being grain free! I'm excited for some fun recipes!
    Reply to this comment

  4. Melissa B.

    September 10, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    I'm not opposed to it - in fact, I'm pretty interested! My question is this - do you have enough recipes that you might be able to make a few menus available for those of us on the menu plan? (not wanting to make things super crazy for you - just not sure if you would have enough recipes to do something like that) We don't eat a TON of grains, so I *think* it would be pretty easy to do (maybe?).Question - I just looked quinoa up on wikipedia, and it doesn't seem to be classified as a true grain (related to beets & spinach - who knew?!)...so, is it "allowed" when going grain free?
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      September 10, 2011 at 1:54 pm

      Good idea Melissa! I'll try and provide recipes without grains for those who want the option. In the next few days I can also make additions to the menus giving some grain-free options. Thanks for the suggestion!I didn't know that about quinoa. I'll have to read about it too. I thought it was a grain, so let me look into it further before saying it's "allowed". :)
      Reply to this comment

      • Melissa B.

        September 10, 2011 at 7:06 pm

        That's what I've been reading...and just never knew it before today. And if it qualifies as "grain free," that would be nice...because we do like to have rice with our dinners, sometimes. Quinoa would fulfill that occasional desire for us. :)
        Reply to this comment

  6. Marcy

    September 10, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    If I were alone I might try the 30-day challenge just to see. But there would be mutiny in the house if I tried it with the whole family, and I don't want to be cooking different things for each of us.This chicken looks delicious. I might even be willing to try it with the zucchini, as long as no one tells me to imagine it's just like pasta! :)
    Reply to this comment

  8. Susan M

    September 10, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    You are reading my mind Carrie :-) Caleb's been having some issues so we are back to the Intro stage of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. No grains or even nut flours for awhile. I had been allowing rice once a week and some quinoa, but it looks like one of them might have caused a reaction for him. Looking forward to your coming posts and recipes!
    Reply to this comment

  9. Amanda

    September 10, 2011 at 4:28 pm

    I am scared! I dont know if I could. I think I would like to see how this goes for you... and then in 30 days maybe try it for myself. It would be SUCH a huge change for me! Ah!(P.S. Thank you for mentioning the part about disease... if people only knew how much illness was tied to what we eat!)
    Reply to this comment

  10. Ashley

    September 10, 2011 at 5:22 pm

    I will be checking in to see how this goes for everyone. I am in the process of giving up meat completely and I feel that this will be the best option for me to give up, instead of grains. I wish good luck to everyone doing this challenge!
    Reply to this comment

    • Debbie J S.

      September 10, 2011 at 7:32 pm

      Hi Ashley, and Carrie,I also am looking into giving up meat (including chicken and pork) as I'm looking more into "cancer free" diet since I'm a melanoma survivor. So, if I go that route that says to eat plenty of whole grain foods, I don't even know what I will be able to eat as I'm already struggling with finding no meat recipes and trying a couple of days a week with no animal flesh.
      Reply to this comment

      • Ashley

        September 12, 2011 at 3:45 pm

        I am following a diet to help prevent cancer as well, as of today my boyfriend has found out he is officially a cancer survivor! Congrats to you! Finding meat free recipes was difficult at first but now it comes easy and it is exciting! I have some great books I could suggest to you (I hope that is okay to do on Carrie's page? : )) The Kind Diet and Peas and Thank You are two cookbooks I just bought that are wonderful! I am not going to attempt to cut out grains, but if you try, I wish you luck! Also, an amazing book for cancer preventing foods is Anti Cancer by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber.
        Reply to this comment

  12. Kelli Macatee

    September 10, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    I'm in! On day two actually. Going to take it one day at a time & LOVE the idea about the grain free option in the menus! We did turkey burger patties with cheese, caramelized onions, & roasted tomatoes with roasted broccoli & carrots & black eyed peas. My husband & I are stuffed!
    Reply to this comment

  13. Debbie J S.

    September 10, 2011 at 7:37 pm

    Ah, forgot to ask this... So, if banning wheat, I guess we can STILL do cookies, pastries, breads (maybe), etc with coconut or other flours? I know Heavenly Homemaker site has several recipes that uses coconut flour. So, maybe we could still get at least some of our "flour type" foods by substituting the flour...
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      September 11, 2011 at 2:52 pm

      Yes, coconut flour is a good option, but make sure you have a good recipe to follow as you can't replace it 1:1 for regular flours. I'll share some recipes using some coconut flour and almond flour coming up soon!
      Reply to this comment

  16. Anna

    September 11, 2011 at 4:20 am

    Hey Carrie! I have had so many conversations in my head with you...so I thought I would chime in from time to time on your blog. I bought the book 'Wheat Belly' the other day. I see conviction coming down the pipeline. Why do I do this to myself and my family? Oh yea, because I want to keep us all healthy. Living in Africa, it is VERY HARD to find ingredients I need for recipes (for instance, zucchini) so cooking in general is VERY challenging. I will probably make this chicken piccata recipe and serve it on a bed of shredded light green squash or spinach. Thanks for sharing your next challenge. I too am going to start to slow down on the grain intake and will look to your website for guidance. :-)
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      September 11, 2011 at 2:50 pm

      I can only imagine the food challenges you are facing now that you moved to Africa. I do wonder what kind of wheat you have access to over there. There's a chance it could be some of the non-hybrid wheat. I'm glad you are following along from half-way across the world! I'm interested what you think after you read the book. :)
      Reply to this comment

  17. Kathy

    September 11, 2011 at 5:37 am

    Just requested "Wheat Belly" from the library. I think you/your family CAN do this challenge. And for all that say they have the "picky eater", I say there must be a reluctant parent. Just keep moving to where you want to be in your kitchen, that picky eater will phase into whatever modifications you make, just don't give up! You can do it Carrie!
    Reply to this comment

      • Karen

        September 13, 2011 at 11:04 am

        Here's a tip regarding fruits. As you go cold turkey on the wheats and grains, try to stay away from the high glycemic fruits for at least the first few days, this will eliminate your cravings for sugars and carbs (wheat/grain). Fruits like watermelon, ripe bananas, pineapple, come to mind specifically. But, if you can tolerate no fruit for a few days it will really give you the advantage to kicking the cravings. 1 week without is best, by then you no longer even think about not having carbs/sweets, you are eating all the good stuff and your body begins to crave it. Then gradually reintroduce the fruits. 1 a day worked for me.Also, go for the lower glycemic sweet potatoe vs the other potatoes (russet, white). I'm no expert, these are just my experiences. Load up on the veggies, they really fill you up quickly. Sweet potatoe with steamed or sauted veggies, AWESOME! sprinkle with a little cheese and sour cream a side of fish or chicken and you have a meal :o)
        Reply to this comment

  20. Sheila D. Copeland

    September 11, 2011 at 7:15 am

    So glad I found your site! I had been grain free for almost a year and have slowly been adding whole/sprouted grains back in. But, I have noticed a difference in the way I feel each day and want to get back to being grain free again. Thank you for posting your daily progress and recipes. I will be "ghosting" and doing the 30 day challenge with you in hopes that it will become something more long term (for myself) again. Thanks again.
    Reply to this comment

  21. Christy Henry

    September 11, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    I bought Wheat Belly a few days ago, and decided to give up wheat for 30 days, but hadn't decided for sure if I was going to give up all grains or not. But I guess I will since there are others to do it with! I started today :)
    Reply to this comment

  22. Sharon

    September 11, 2011 at 2:27 pm

    When thing I have learned to make is socca bread. You can make it softer or crisper. I heat the oven to 400 degrees and use a cast iron skillet. I heat the skillet before I add the batter. I mix one cup bean flour, one tsp salt and one cup water. Put in the hot skillet and bake for 20 min then flip and 20 more minutes. You can use the broiler to make it crisp.
    Reply to this comment

      • Sharon

        September 11, 2011 at 6:15 pm

        I also make flax seed crackers. You do not have to grind them but I do since my family likes it better. So I grind about a cup in my blender. Then I grind some chia seeds. Then I add whatever I feel like -- sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, salt, different seasonings. Then I add one cup of water and let it soak for about 20 min -- this usually ends up being longer. Then I add enough water to make it spreadable and put it on sheets for the dehydrator. These are hard to mess up.
        Reply to this comment

  24. Shelly

    September 11, 2011 at 8:39 pm

    I have been juice fasting and now want to move toward little to no grains at all. Tonight I made lettuce wrap taco's. My family loved them. even my husband. I have been fixing a lot of stir-fried veggies with beef or chicken. I love the lettuce wraps though..anything you would have put between 2 slices of bread or a pita can go in a lettuce wrap! Well...not PB&J!! I also soaked some nuts and have organic granola waiting for breakfast in the morning for my daughter...ladies, the house smelled divine today!! Good luck everyone and thanks Carrie! You do a great job with this website!! One of my FAV'S!!
    Reply to this comment

  29. Tiffany

    September 12, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    Interesting challenge. What are you doing to give your body the carbohydrates it needs for energy? Just curious. I also have Hashimoto's and my Dr. has never mentioned anything diet related to help it. My thyroid numbers were okay for about 6 months with Levoxyl, but have now gone out of whack again (on Armour thyroid). Also suffer from low Vitamin D, even though I take 4,000 iu of D3 per day. Wonder if I should try your diet? But I know with my exercise plan I'm going to need carbs from somewhere.....
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      September 12, 2011 at 5:06 pm

      I work out a lot and as long as I am getting plenty of healthy fats I don't feel the need for extra carbs (of course, every body is different!). You can also have squash or sweet potato for a good carb.My doctors never mentioned diet to me. After almost a year of suffering from 24/7 hives (all over my face) I decided to take matters into my own hands. I started consulting with a nutritionist and she told me to drop grain (especially wheat). I first started with the GAPS diet. It's a great diet for anyone suffering from autoimmune disease.
      Reply to this comment

  31. Karen

    September 13, 2011 at 7:48 am

    A couple years ago, before I found Carrie :o), I was on the South Beach diet. It became more of a lifestyle for me than a diet. I began to eat healthy meats, veggies, and eventually fruits and grains (reintroduced after the first two weeks). Anyway, once I added back the grains, my weight loss stopped. I thought curious, now after reading what you are posting about the book "Wheat Belly", it could be the main reason I stopped losing.Anyway, my favorite food became an egg (or two for hubby) on a bed of veggie hash. I would dice up veggies as soon as I brought them home from the store so they were easily accessible. I would toss zucchini (yellow, green) bell peppers (multi colors), green onion (or red), and saute till just tender. Then I would add black beans and spinach leaves. Create a well in the middle and crack an egg into the center and cover and cook till the egg was done then add a few sprinklings of feta cheese. YUM! Sometimes I would eat this for dinner, I craved it. I only seasoned it with a little seasalt and cracked pepper. The veggie hash became a staple in my diet. A beautiful way to dress up a chicken breast or hamburger pattie, too.
    Reply to this comment

  32. Lindsay

    September 14, 2011 at 9:21 am

    The biggest challenge to going grain free in our house is that we are very active (marathons and triathlons), so we rely heavily on whole grains. Dinner and lunch are not as bad, but breakfast without grains does not give us a lot of options post workout and to fuel the rest of the day. Eggs only cut it a couple of days each week. Thoughts?
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      September 15, 2011 at 10:49 am

      Hi Lindsay. My friend Diane has some great suggestions (she commented below). I don't do marathons, but I do workout a lot and I've found that lots of good healthy fats keeps my energy levels higher than when I would fill up on carbs before workouts. Coconut oil is one of my favorites. When I need extra energy, I cut open a date (remove the pit), fill it with coconut oil and a couple almonds. Wow. It's incredibly good. A few of those keeps me going for a long time. I'm also with Diane. On the days we don't have eggs we make smoothies with coconut milk, berries, maple syrup, and egg yolks. The kids love them and no one even needs a snack mid-morning b/c they are so filling.
      Reply to this comment

  33. Diane

    September 14, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    I was the Queen of Carbo Loading, so I hear you loud and clear! We're always running and riding, too, and my favorite post workout fuel is a smoothie! My blender is the most used appliance in our house (next to the espresso machine!) I throw in coconut milk, coconut water and frozen fruits like mangos or any berries and always frozen bananas, or we do raw milk with peanut butter, frozen bananas and cacao powder (plus a raw egg yolk!). It's fun to play with flavors and our kids love it too!
    Reply to this comment

  34. Jeanie

    September 17, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    I have been doing so much research on food lately. My mind is so full of food info that I'm almost overwelmed! Just curious on your grain free challenge - have you had problems with grain or is it strictly the book you read? I've heard that whole wheat/grains are good for you because of fiber, etc.,, but after reading this, I'm so confused. Help! :)
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      September 17, 2011 at 3:20 pm

      I understand. There's so much information out there, and it can get confusing and overwhelming! After suffering through severe symptoms with a thyroid disease I discovered that those suffering or challenged by an autoimmune disease, allergies, obesity, etc. it can be helpful to limit or even completely cut grains out of your diet. It was a strange concept for me, but I did a lot of reading and also talked with my nutritionist about this concept. It helped me in the past and then I read "Wheat Belly" it gave me a greater understanding behind the benefits of cutting out grain, or at the least cutting out wheat from one's diet. I'd recommend reading "Wheat Belly" and seeing what you think. I thought the challenge would be an interesting thing to do with everyone especially to see if we feel better after giving it a try. I'm 8 days in and feel great. I've lost 5 pounds and 2 inches. Kinda crazy and nice all at the same time! :)
      Reply to this comment

  38. Sami Oakley

    December 3, 2012 at 7:43 pm

    Hi Carrie,I love your blog and I'm inspired by your story of reversing your Hashimoto's. I'm having a terrible flare up of my psoriasis since the birth of my second son three months ago and I've been wondering if going grain/gluten free for a bit might help. I currently don't take any medication for it because most treatments are steriods. I've read that psoriasis is considered to be an auto immune disorder therefore needs to be cured from within. I'd love your thoughts on this (I know you mentioned someone in your family has eczema). I'm not a huge vegetable eater so I'm not really sure where to start. Thanks!
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      December 4, 2012 at 8:06 am

      I'm sorry to hear about your psoriasis. I highly recommend reading "Wheat Belly" and giving a grain free diet a try. Many of my friends who've tried it have seen positive changes within a few days. Dr. Davis talks about how grains can cause inflammation in the body so cutting them out if you have an autoimmune disease can be a good place to start. If you need help getting started I do offer grain free meal plans. They might help you with ideas for grain free cooking. I personally love grain free eating. It simplifies my time in the kitchen, so that means more time for the family!
      Reply to this comment

  39. Kay

    March 14, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    Thanks so much for this recipe. I've been grain-free since the end of January in the hopes of managing two health issues that are better controlled when the body's blood sugar is kept low. It's been a challenge--I'm a graduate student who loved to keep pasta and frozen pizzas on hand for an easy go to! But I've been amazed at the great recipes I've found and am really not missing the grains and sweets as much as I used to whenever I simply tried to lower my intake instead of cutting completely. Anyway, getting to my point: I LOVE chicken piccata and this recipe turned out to be absolutely delicious. I only had green beans on hand, so steamed them and placed the chicken over a good serving. I'm looking forward to trying it with the zucchini. Yum.
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      March 15, 2013 at 8:39 am

      Thank you for the kind words. I'm so glad you've found some answers to your health issues through diet. Going grain-free completely changed my life! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chicken piccata!
      Reply to this comment

  40. Molly

    March 16, 2013 at 8:11 pm

    My dr has just instructed me to go gluten free for a month to see if it is the cause of my hands breaking out in hives!! My hardest challenge so far (only in one week) is eating away from home! Or falling into tempting foods that I enjoy so much!! But I am trying and the more recipes I get under my belt the better I do!
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      April 22, 2013 at 11:22 am

      I highly recommend trying it. It completely changed my world! I do eat raw dairy and lots of it! I don't have an issue digesting dairy and as long as it's coming from a good source, I don't see a reason to avoid it since it provides so many amazing nutrients.
      Reply to this comment

  44. BettyLuvs2Cook

    May 27, 2013 at 9:17 pm

    Just made this today and there were RAVE reviews all around. The only complaint was maybe there was too much lemon juice. Going to try this again, and again, and again!!! Definitely in the regularly scheduled meal rotation. Thank you for sharing such a WONDERFUL recipe.On a side note: I noticed that having my oven set at 200 degrees was WAY to low. I reset the temperature to 350 degrees after the breasts had been in the oven for approximately 15 minutes and were not quite done yet. I would suggest pounding out the breasts until they are all one thickness and cooking in the oven at a higher temp AFTER the pan searing. This is so they will finish up at the same time as the remainder of the dishes.
    Reply to this comment

  45. Karen

    July 18, 2013 at 10:08 am

    Still my go to chicken recipe for a quick dinner. I love this chicken! It's always perfect. And, so quick and easy to make. Just thought I would say "thanks" again for making grain free cooking, enjoyable! Hugs :o)
    Reply to this comment

  46. Glynda

    December 16, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    I have ready Dr Davis' book in July 2014. I have been doing know wheat/grains since Aug 2014. I feel great and don't miss the grains. At first it was a little difficult to figure out what to cook. But now very simple. Your site has helped along the recipes in the Wheat belly books. But I have also always loved a good salad with a side of grill chicken. Yes I have had some wheat on occasion. ( about 4 times since August) Since I didn't have any major health issues when I started I am just doing this to make sure I keep the health issues at bay. Taking the 30 day challenge is the way to go. Christmas gifts of cookies are not my friend. But I haven't eaten one yet. : )
    Reply to this comment

    • Deliciously Organic

      December 18, 2014 at 8:34 am

      I'm glad to hear you're finding what works well for you. Yes, the gifts of Christmas cookies can be a challenge! Thankfully there are lots of great gf cookie recipes out there! :)
      Reply to this comment

  47. Jayda

    July 2, 2015 at 12:39 am

    I'm doing GAPS and found this recipe through searching for a recipe for chicken breasts that wasn't a soup/casserole etc - but you haven't put on the recipe how long the breasts should be in the oven for?? And is it supposed to be 200 degree celcius or farenheit? 200F seems very low
    Reply to this comment

  48. Michelle

    September 18, 2016 at 9:15 am

    My husband and I are both trying to lose weight. Once I hit 50 I started putting on weight that just won't come off no matter how much I excercise. We try to eat healthy with lots of fresh fruits and veggies, chicken or bison only a few time a week. Hadn't really thought about the removing grains from our diet but I don't see that it would be too big of a challenge. There are many possibilities to replacing bread/grains with other food items. I do eat toast for breakfast but the veggie hash with egg one reader mentioned sounds really tasty! I am a little confused - the recipe for Chicken piccata calls for cooking the chicken for 2-3 min per side. Are you using thin chicken breasts? Or are you finishing cooking in the oven? The 200deg. temp seems a little low or is the oven just to keep the chicken warm? Would love to join your 30day challenge - how do I do that?Thanks in advance.
    Reply to this comment

Trackbacks

  5. [...] Our grain-free challenge ended last week, but I’m still going strong. Soup has always been a favorite of mine, but eating grain-free helped me discover how delightful soup can really be. There are hundreds of combinations and so many ways to make a healthy soup for lunch or dinner. Lately, I make a pot of soup on the weekend and then have a bowl each day for lunch. This way, I have something I can immediately reach for when I’m hungry. And you don’t need a lot, it’s filling and nutritious. [...]
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