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23
Oct
2012
 Easiest Crock Pot Chicken BBQ



When you think of BBQ, many think it is unhealthy because of the meat, the high sodium content, and the sugar from the sauce. I have been making this recipe over the past few years, and health-ified it!

I made the chicken in a crock pot, added about 1/2 a bottle of Williamson Brothers Chipotle BBQ sauce (only 4 g sugar per serving!), a few splashes of Italian dressing, 1-2 spoonfuls of brown sugar, and a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce.

Then, I let it cook for about 5-6 hours on low.

So, this makes this BBQ fairly healthy. The meat is very lean (made from chicken breasts) and the sugar is reduced. The only negative is that the sodium is still significant. I made sure not to add any extra salt.

I put my BBQ on top of this sprouted bagel half:

These bagels are made by French Meadow Bakery (I found them in my local Kroger). I love them–they remind me of an Ezekiel style bread. Much healthier than any bagel you can get at restaurants. Plus, they have about 5 to 10 grams of fiber per bagel!

Anyway, we also had a side of grilled asparagus (even though they are not really in season right now… just wanted to eat the little stalks!).

1
Aug
2012
 Healthy Budget Meals under $10: Eggplant & Pesto Chicken Skillet



Food costs continue to rise, so we might as well learn to make meals that are inexpensive and easy! And then, spend more money on kombucha, coffee, or expensive seed crackers later ;-) Or, save money for other things like traveling, student loans, or a new outfit. Take your pick!

I created this dinner concoction after thinking about dinner plans quickly at the grocery store.

My thought process: Eggplant is on sale. I feel like eating chicken. Pesto sounds tasty. Combine them together!

Eggplant & Pesto Chicken Skillet

Ingredients:

  • 1 Eggplant: $1
  • 1/2 a jar of pesto (about 1/4-1/2 cup): $3.50 per jar
    • *Tip: Buy pesto made with olive oil only, or at least canola oil. Avoid the more inflammatory soybean oils.
  • 1.5 lb. chicken breast: $4
  • 1 lb. box whole wheat linguine: $1
    Total Cost: $9.50 + tax

Pantry Staples:

  • Parmesan cheese to add at the end
  • 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil for the skillet
  • A few sun dried tomatoes (optional)
  • 2 tsp. garlic
  • dried basil
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat up a large cast iron skillet on medium-high, and add the olive oil. Next, preheat the oven to 375 F.
  2. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and season with salt, pepper, and dried basil. Turn down the heat to medium, and cook about 3-4 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, cut up the eggplant into cube-size pieces.
  3. Add the eggplant around the sides of the chicken. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and the garlic (and sun dried tomatoes if you have them) on top of the eggplant.
  4. Spread a generous layer of pesto on top of each chicken breast. Remember not to use the same spoon in the pesto that you have touched the chicken with.
  5. Place the skillet into the oven, and cook for about 20 minutes. Halfway through, stir the eggplant mixture. Cook the pasta while the chicken is in the oven.

Delicious, and budget friendly! I ended up eating more of the eggplant to get in more veggies and the eggplant was so tasty.

1
Jun
2012
 Serious Chicken Masala



Mr. Cyclist traveled to India and Thailand for work for 2 months, and when he came back, he was determined to make an authentic Indian dish. He made chicken masala, and it was packed with flavor.

It may not look so pretty, but it was tasty.
And English peas are not typically added to this dish… But, hey, it makes it look prettier.

Chicken Masala

Makes about 6 servings
Ingredients:

  • 10 chicken drumsticks
    For the chicken marinade:
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1/4 c. Masala spice blend (cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, clove)
  • Salt
    For the rest:
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • A few cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 jars of curry or masala simmer sauce (got ours from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 3 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
  • 1 cup green peas
  • 1/2 of a bunch fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

  1. Marinate the chicken drumsticks in yogurt, rosemary, and masala spice blend for about 2-3 hours. Note: Recommend pulling the skin off of the drumsticks before marinating.
  2. Later, in a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken drumsticks with all of the marinade. Cook until lightly browned. Remove the drumsticks from the pan and set aside on a plate.
  3. Add the onion, garlic, shallot to the saute pan. Cook about 3-5 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the jarred simmer sauce and Tbsp. of sugar. Heat until simmering. Add the cubed potatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer (barely simmering) for about 2 hours on low.
  5. Add the peas near the end. And then, stir in chopped fresh cilantro right before plating.

Serving tip: Prepare some brown rice near when you add the peas in (about 30 minutes before you are ready to eat). Serve on top of brown rice.
So, it is not totally authentic because we used some jar sauce, and added peas and potatoes. But, according to Mr. Cyclist the dish came out near perfect!

2
Mar
2012
 Eats of the Week: Marinated Grilled Chicken and Spirulina



When I get a craving for some good meat or chicken for lunch, I head over to this deli near where I work. Obsessed with this chicken…
It is basically just chicken and lettuce (and a few croutons–not many). I usually don’t even use dressing because the chicken is so flavorful. Now, I am sure the chicken was cooked with a copious amount of oil, and it is not organic, of course. But, it is some tasty chicken! It is inspired my next recipe idea is to try to make tasty marinated chicken at home.

I also bought these raw spirulina chips a while ago. I was just curious to see what they tasted like, and wanted to read up more on the health benefits of spirulina.
Spirulina is a blue-green algae packed with chlorophyll that may have a variety of health benefits. You can read more about it here on my post at diet-blog.
I guess the reason I like these chips is because they have a little sweetness, and are packed with nutrition that you can’t get in a normal cracker/cookie/chip product. I also feel I do well portioning these, probably because they are so expensive! ;)

I will leave you with a Love Your Humps musing since I missed you guys on Wednesday!
(via Pinterest)

29
Aug
2011
 Herb Polenta with Chicken Sausage



I have had a container of organic yellow cornmeal sitting around for a while just begging to be cooked before it went bad. And PS: it was dirt cheap at the Dekalb Farmer’s Market. I saw a few recipes on the internet using polenta, and it gave me the idea to make polenta from that cornmeal.

I didn’t know how much liquid to use with the cornmeal, but made a guess and then realized it was definitely not enough!

Herb Polenta with Chicken Sausage Recipe:
Makes 6 to 8 servings; Cut in half if you like, but the recipe reheats very well.

  • 4 Cups Water
  • 3 Cups Reduced sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 Cup Milk (I used fat free to keep it light)
  • 1.5 Cups Fresh corn (if you have it) or 1 can corn (no salt added)
  • 1/4 Cup Fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tsp. ground rosemary (If you don’t have, just use more fresh or dried rosemary)
  • 2 Tbsp. Fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 tsp. Garlic powder
  • 2 Cups Yellow cornmeal
  • 6-8 Links Chicken sausage (The leanest you can find; I found some at 100 calories per link and 4 grams of fat at Costco)

Directions:

  1. In a large saucepan (must be slightly larger than an 10 cup saucepan), bring the liquid ingredients to a boil.
  2. Slowly stir in the cornmeal while whisking to avoid lumps. Reduce heat to a simmer.
  3. Cook uncovered for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the corn and all the dried spices during cooking.
  4. While the polenta cooks, heat up a grill pan to medium-high and place the sausages on the grill pan. Cook about 10 minutes until golden brown. I used pre-cooked sausages.
  5. Add any fresh herbs just before the polenta is done. You will know it is done when there is no extra liquid, and you can pleasantly eat a bite with no hard grittiness. *You may have to add extra liquid as it cooks.

Eat the meal with a side of veggies, and you are all set! I went back for seconds of the polenta as well :)

31
May
2011
 Healthier Buffalo Chicken



I guess I really like spicy foods because this Memorial Day I decided to make a buffalo chicken salad. Most buffalo sauces tend to be high in sodium, and made of a bunch of processed ingredients. I finally found one that was slightly lower in sodium.

But, you can always make your own Buffalo sauce:
Combine salt, pepper, smart balance/margarine spread, a hot sauce or cayenne pepper sauce, and splash of white wine vinegar. You can add extra seasonings like garlic powder if you like.

After grilling the marinated chicken breast, I sliced it and put the chicken on a bed of romaine with sliced red onions and a yogurt-based creamy dressing.

It turned out delicious, and is a healthy alternative to the fried processed buffalo chicken you get at restaurants. Yum! And perfect for the warm weather–it is supposed to be an average high of 95 this week in Atlanta. Yikes.

22
Mar
2011
 Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Mushrooms, Ricotta



Last night I made stuffed chicken, mostly following Rachel Ray’s recipe. It turned out OK. What would make it super tasty is a cheese sauce, or some kind of melted cheese on top of the chicken. I was trying to make it healthier by using fat free ricotta and lots of spinach and mushrooms. Did I ever mention how fat free ricotta is amazing? They just use skim milk to make it, and it is full of protein. It works perfectly in various recipes, and Mr Triathlete was eating it with crackers the other night. Pretty good.

Haha… looking at this picture makes me think of how I need to get a better plate to be taking pictures of food on. You can see how many years of wear and tear this poor plate has been through.

Anyway, making the chicken was pretty easy. I bought thinly sliced chicken breasts, and to hold them in place I used toothpicks which is much easier than using string to tie them up. This is a pretty looking dish to make, and makes me a little more excited about eating chicken. So, I would recommend making this recipe, but maybe add some cheese on top of yours!

6
Dec
2010
 Recipe Slimdown: Crunchy Baked Chicken Fingers



Who would’ve thought that an excellent healthy alternative to fried chicken fingers would be a pretzel-based breading?

I was trying to decide what to bread my chicken with, and all we had in the house was pretzels, plain cheerios, some bran flakes, and regular Italian breadcrumbs. So this is what I came up with, and it was delicious!

Healthy Crunchy Baked Chicken Fingers

Makes 2-4 Servings (Using 2 Chicken Breasts)

For the breading:

1/2 C. leftover plain cereal (cheerios, bran flakes, etc.)

1 C. plain salted pretzels

2 Tbsp. Italian seasonings

1 tsp. garlic powder

For the glue that holds the breading on the chicken:

1/3 C. mustard (any kind… I use a mixture of dijon and spicy)

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Egg

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.

2. In a food processor, chop all the breading ingredients until only small chunks are left.

3. Mix the “glue” ingredients together.

4. Cut the 2 chicken breasts length-wise so that you get about 5 strips per breast. Dip each strip into the “glue” then into the breading, and place on baking sheet. Bake about 15-20 minutes until the pieces start to curl up off the baking sheet.

And yes, these make an excellent delivery device for barbecue sauce! And you are saving over 100 calories by using this method.

3
Mar
2010
 Chicken Stuffed with Mozzarella and Mushrooms



I created this recipe myself… so, I will let you all know how it turns out when I make it today or tomorrow! Used a Rachel Ray recipe as basis for this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded
  • Large plastic food storage bags or waxed paper
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cups mushrooms, crimini or button, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, cracked
  • 1 small shallot, quartered (or 1/4 cup sweet onion)
  • Saltand freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup part skim mozzarella, shredded
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated or ground nutmeg (optional)
  • Toothpicks
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • splash of balsamic vinegar

Directions Place breasts in the center of a plastic food storage bag or 2 large sheets of waxed paper. Pound out the chicken from the center of the bag outward using a heavy-bottomed skillet or mallet. Be firm but controlled with your strokes.

Place a nonstick skillet over moderate heat. When skillet is hot, add butter, mushrooms, garlic and shallot. Season with salt and pepper and saute 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms, garlic and shallot to the food processor. De-glaze pan with a little wine. Pulse to grind the mushrooms and transfer to the mixing bowl. Mix mozzarella and parmesan together in separate bowl. Return your skillet to the stove over medium high heat.

Place a mound of stuffing on each breast (mushroom mixture and cheese mixture) and wrap and roll breast over the stuffing. Secure breasts with toothpicks. Add 3 tablespoons oil to the pan, 3 turns of the pan. Add breasts to the pan and brown on all sides, cooking chicken 10 to 12 minutes. The meat will cook quickly because it is thin. Remove breasts; add butter to the pan and flour. Cook butter and flour for a minute, whisk in wine and reduce another minute. Splash in balsamic and reduce another minute. Whisk in broth and return breasts to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve. Remove toothpicks. Serve breasts whole or, remove from pan, slice on an angle and fan out on dinner plates. Top stuffed chicken breasts or sliced stuffed breasts with generous spoonfuls of the sauce and any extra cheese. Looks nice when sliced to show the filling. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Picture
ourlifeinfood.wordpress.com

3
Mar
2010
 Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad



Find the recipe at: cuisineathome.com
Picture
 
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