Chicken Cordon Bleu



When I first met my husband his cooking skills were let's say...limited.  When it was his night to "cook" he would order pizza or if he was feeling really adventurous he'd make his go-to meal of Tortellini.  Sounds kind of fancy right?Wrong. That meal consists of refrigerated tortellini and a jar of pasta sauce. During our 7 years of marriage he's worked on improving his cooking skills and I must say he's becoming quite the chef. 

Last night he made the most amazing Chicken Cordon Bleu!  Ham and Swiss cheese rolled up in a seasoned chicken breast and then drizzled in a luscious cream sauce.  If heaven had a taste this would be it.  We served it with a light salad which was the perfect accompaniment as the chicken and sauce are quite rich.

My husband said this recipe was quick and simple, the prefect recipe for any man trying to impress his girlfriend or wife.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 thinly sliced, skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 6 slices ham
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (He used a Pinot Grigio)
• 1 chicken bullion cube, crushed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• (Optional) Cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper, to taste

Cream Sauce:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Place a slice of ham and cheese on each chicken breast within a quarter inch of the edges.  Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling or as my husband did, fold the chicken breast in half. (Beware, if you fold the chicken breast in half some of the cheese will melt out of the sides and fall into the pan which can be incorporated into the sauce later)  Secure the chicken with toothpicks.  Mix the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and coat each piece of chicken.

Heat the butter and EVOO in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken until browned on all sides.  Add the wine and bullion granules.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the juices run clear and the chicken is no longer pink.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and remove the toothpicks.  Mix the heaving whipping cream, Dijon mustard, and cornstarch together in a small bowl.  Slowly whisk the mixture into the same skillet you cooked the chicken in.  Cook on low heat stirring until thickened.

Drizzle sauce over chicken.

*Note: If you buy thinly sliced chicken breasts you don't have to worry about cutting thicker ones in half or pounding out the chicken.  Definitely the way to go if they're available at your grocery store.

Adapted from the Allreceipes website.

21 Day Fix - Day 2

Today's Workout: Upper Fix

I'll be honest, I could barely get out of bed today because I was that sore from yesterday's workout.  It was so bad I actually used the elevator at work to go downstairs this morning. I would have taken it back up had there not be a person in the lobby.  

But that's to be expected when starting any new workout program. I've personally found it takes about a week for the soreness to go away, so as much as it sucks you have to push yourself past that uncomfortable feeling.

I woke up 20 minutes late this morning and was worried I wouldn't have enough time to do my workout until I remembered it's only 30 minutes long.  

As I approached the 21 Day Fix DVD set I was happy to see the workout was called "Upper Fix" and not "Lower Fix" because my legs were killing me.  You're supposed to have a set of light weights and heavy weights, but I didn't know that until I started so I just used my 5 pounders.  I had the option to use a resistance band or no weights at all, but felt I wouldn't get as good of a workout.  That's one of things I love most about the workouts, there are plenty of ways to modify the exercises and there's a "modifier" in the workout that shows you HOW to properly modify each one.  Overall, I felt like I got a great workout today and am excited to try the others.

Today's Food

Mango/Pineapple Shakeology

 






1 red and 1 purple container

A Small Fuji Apple

1 purple container

Salad w/ Chicken & Asian Vinaigrette

2 green + 1 red + 1 orange















Also for lunch...

Baked Sweet Potato

1 yellow container

Hard Boiled Eggs

1 red container

Beef w/ Veggies, Black Beans, Cheese, & Hot Sauce

1 red + 1 yellow + 1 green + 1 blue












Day 2 done!  Only 19 more to go!

21 Day Fix - Day 1

I've been so excited to start this program, but have been putting it off for months.  Why you ask?  Because it involves change and dedication. Unfortunately those are not my strongest attributes.  By starting this program I would have to change the way I eat.  I'd have to be dedicated to working out consistently and I haven't been able to commit to that until now. The mind is incredibly powerful and it's taken 2 months of self-talk to work up the courage to do this program.  Hey, there's no time like the present.

Here's how it works: 

1. You figure out your calorie level.

2. Find the calorie chart that corresponds with your calorie level.

3. Look at the container food groups that correspond with each color. 

4. Spread your containers throughout the day.

5. Do your daily workout.

Oh, and did I mention it's only for 21 days?  As my dad says "You can do anything for X (<--insert # here) amount of days."  And funny enough, Autumn Calabrese (the trainer of this program) said something similar in my workout today "You can do anything for 60 seconds."  Nice to know my dad and personal trainer are on the same page.

Week 1 Meal Plan

Another reason I was avoiding this program like the plague is because you have to plan your meals.  Sounds easy right?  WRONG!  Meal planning and I have a love-hate relationship.  I love knowing what I'm going to cook for the week and going to the grocery store once, but I hate the amount of time it takes to figure out what I'm going to eat for the entire week, go shopping, and prep my food.  Today's a prime example: I spent 6-1/2 hours of my wonderful holiday, shopping, washing, cutting, chopping, cooking, and portioning out my food.  BUT, I don't have to do much the rest of the week except throw it all together.  

Here's my meal plan for the week:

I'm heading out of town on Thursday which makes things challenging, but I'm going to prep most of my food in advance and will try to make healthy choices when we go out.

Workout Today: Total Body Cardio Fix

I don't mean to brag (okay, maybe I do), but I've done Insanity.  Not once, but twice, and that workout program definitely lives up to its name!  Shaun T (the trainer) is a MACHINE and the workouts are intense.  Knowing this, I went into today's workout thinking I may break a sweat.  First of all, who's this Autumn chick and secondly, this workout is only 30 min.  How hard can it be?  Sweet baby Jesus, It kicked my ass!  I didn't realize I'd have to use weights for almost the entire workout and was breaking a sweat after the first set of moves.  I could barely walk afterward; you know, the feeling when your legs feel like noodles?  That was me.  Glad it was only 30 minutes because I'm not sure I would have made it much longer.

Post workout hair

Breakfast

Strawberry Shakeology with water and mixed fruit.  I was a little concerned using water with my Shakeo instead of juice or almond milk like I normally do, but it tasted great!  Score!

Filled the purple container with fruit

1 scoop of Shakeology equals one of my red container servings.  The purple container is a fruit serving and I love adding it to my Shakeo because I am terrible at eating fruit.  Quick, easy, and filling.

Having a simple breakfast worked out well since I needed to get to the store ASAP to buy my lunch and other groceries for the week.

Snack 1

It was supposed to be an apple, but I didn't get around to eating it because I was out shopping.  The good news, I can eat it later if I get hungry.

Lunch

I was pretty skeptical about how filling lunch would be when looking at the three containers side by side...

1 yellow, 1 red, & 1 green

but to my surprise it damn near filled my entire plate!

I was also worried about my choice in the yellow container; sweet potato. I've never been a fan of sweet potatoes unless they're in "fry" form, but that wasn't the case.  I've also never baked a sweet potato (pathetic, I know), but figured it had to be similar to cooking a regular potato which it was.  I washed and dried it, stabbed it to death with a fork, wrapped it in foil, and baked it for an hour at 375 degrees.  Once it was out of the oven and cooled off, I peeled the skin off and mashed it up.  Pretty easy.

3 containers & a pretty full plate

As for the green container, I filled it up a quarter of the way with chopped onion and filled the rest with bell peppers.  Then I sauteed them in 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Once the veggies were cooked, I set them to the side and cooked two very small pieces pork which ultimately filled up my red container.  Lastly, I sprinkled everything with the All-Purpose Seasoning recipe from the 21 Day Fix eating plan. Wait, I lied...I added some hot sauce to the pork/veggie mix for a little extra kick!

Snack 2

I ate lunch pretty late, so I ended up eating one hard boiled egg instead of two.  I know how to make the perfect hard boiled egg, but haven't mastered how to peel it without tearing half the egg white off.  I got better by egg 6, but there's room for improvement.

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

Here's how to make the perfect hard boiled egg:

• Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan.  Add enough cold water to cover the eggs by at least 1 inch.  
• Bring the water to a rapid boil over high heat.
• Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 15 min.
• Drain the hot water then fill with cold water and ice cubes.
• Once  the eggs have cooled, gently tap one on the countertop, then softly roll it.
• Carefully peel off the eggshell then rinse any small pieces off.

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Dinner

By the time I got around to cooking dinner I wasn't even hungry.  Mostly due to the fact that I'd spent the last five hours cooking and prepping meals for the rest of the week.  Luckily, I had some leftover sweet potato from lunch so at least I didn't have to cook that.  I baked a large chicken breast and only needed about half of it to fill my red container.  Then I filled two green containers with yellow squash, mushrooms, and onion.  I sauteed the veggies in 1 teaspoon of EVOO.  Once the veggies were done I tossed them with the chicken.  Then I filled my orange container with green olives, sliced them, and threw them on top.  At that point, I was so ready to be done cooking I forgot my mozzarella cheese!  How is that even possible?  It crossed my mind to fill up my blue container with cheese and eat it straight up, but I resisted the urge.

Siracha on the side

And there you have it!  Day 1 of the 21 Day Fix.  My biggest regret is that I didn't do my grocery shopping and food prepping over the weekend.  Other than that, I'd say today was a success!

For those of you who've done the 21 Day Fix please feel free to share your favorite recipes!  

{Taste Test Tuesday} Spicy Korean Noodles

We recently went on a cruise to Mexico and were on a tight budget the weeks leading up to it.  This meant no elaborate and/or expensive meals.  While scrolling through recipes on Pinterest, "Ramen Noodles with Spicy Korean Dressing" caught my eye.  It doesn't get much cheaper than Ramen, right? Although the recipe was cheap and simple I felt it needed a Nicky makeover so I added a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The end result was BETTER than I imagined; loaded with veggies, chicken, and perhaps a little too much spice.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 packets Ramen noodles
• 2 tablespoons canola or EVOO
• 2-3 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded OR 4 thinly sliced, boneless pork chops
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced 
• 2 portabello mushroom caps, sliced

Dressing:

• 2 to 2-1/2 tablespoons Siracha (3 tablespoons is really spicy, BEWARE)
• 2 to 2-1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1-1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 packet of Ramen seasoning...or less, it's full of sodium

Directions

If using pork, heat half a tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan.  (It will cook fast if thinly sliced) If using a rotisserie chicken, shred it and set to the side. When pork is done cooking, take it out of the pan and set to the side.  Add the remainder of oil and cook veggies (except scallions) until slightly tender.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a pot, cook the noodles according to package instructions. (Boil for about 3 minutes)  Throw them in a colander and rinse under cold water.

Toss together the noodles and dressing until fully coated.  Garnish with scallions and serve.

Adapted from Season with Spice.

I'll be the first to admit this isn't the healthiest recipe I've made, but hey, money was tight and there was NO WAY I was eating plain old Top Ramen. It's loaded with veggies, lean meat, and the sodium was significantly reduced! Not only did my hubby love it (he just asked me to make it AGAIN while proof reading my post), but my 11 year old friend did too, veggies and all.  I'd say that's a success!

My little friend 

Feeling a little camera shy

This recipe definitely deserves ☆☆☆☆

Fiesta Avocados w/ Eggs

If you like avocados you'll definitely want to read this post!  If you don't like avocados, skip this post and go to my "Healthy Recipes" tab to find something that strikes your fancy.  :-)  

I've seen similar recipes floating around on Pinterest and always wanted to try them, but for some unknown reason felt too intimidated to give them a shot...until today. I've been asking myself all morning "Why did you take so damn long to make these?!" It's a nice change from the same old breakfast sandwiches I eat almost every day. 

I'm slowly learning some of the best recipes are the simplest ones. This recipe has 4 main ingredients along with some spices and of course, hot sauce!  In my opinion you can't have eggs without hot sauce because they are two things that just go together.  It makes me think of that part in the movie Friday where Smokey gets all upset with Craig because he never has two things that match...daaaamn!  For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about you can check it out here. I digress...

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 avocados
• 2 tablespoons shredded Italian cheese
• 4 tablespoons salsa
• 4 egg yolks
• Salt & pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• HOT SAUCE, I always use Cholula

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut avocados in half and remove the pits.  If the avocados tilt to the side too much you can cut a small sliver off the bottom to keep them upright.  Using a small spoon, scoop out a little more avocado and put in a small bowl.  Mash up the extra avocado and set aside.  Sprinkle salt and cayenne pepper on to each avocado half.  Separate the egg yolk from the egg white and place yolk in the avocado.  Sprinkle each with half a tablespoon of cheese and pepper.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on how done you want the eggs.  Top each with a tablespoon of salsa, a small scoop of the reserved avocado, and hot sauce!

Note: My husband and I had no idea how to eat these and we learned by trial and error.  Take a large spoon and scoop around the edges of the skin until all of the inner deliciousness comes out.  It's much easier than trying to eat directly out of the avocado.

Simple to make and healthy. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Now that I've stepped outside my breakfast sandwich comfort zone, I want to know what YOU make for breakfast? Hook a sister up and give me some ideas!

21 Day Fix

Several people have reached out to me wanting to know more about a new program Beachbody released called 21 Day Fix.  Simply put it's a fitness AND nutrition program.  The motto for this program is "Simple Fitness. Simple Eating. Fast Results." 

Here's the breakdown:

There are 7 colored-coded containers (i.e. fruits, veggies, protein, etc...) which teach you how to create healthy portions.  I know you're looking at the picture below with six containers thinking I don't know how to count, but you get 2 of the orange containers.  In addition to the food containers you also get a Shakeology shaker cup.  The best part is there's no counting calories, points, or tracking your food.  You're not required to follow specific recipes or buy strange ingredients, so you can keep eating the foods you love!  

The workouts are only 30 minutes long and they are designed for any fitness level, so if you're a beginner just follow the modifier. 

If you haven't picked up on it already, the program start to finish, is 21 days. That.is.awesome!  Do you have a wedding or vacation coming up?  If so, this is perfect for shedding pounds quickly.

Most programs I did in the past focused primarily on workouts which is great, but if you're over-eating or not eating the proper foods your results will be less dramatic and less likely to last.  I know this from personal experience.  I've done Insanity several times and although I was happy with my results, I feel they would have been much better had I worked on my nutrition as well.

I honestly feel this program will change many lives, including my own.  I bought 21 Day Fix today and due to it's popularity, it's on back order until mid to late March.  I am doing a 21 Day Fix challenge group with a tentative start date of April 1st.  If you are interested in taking this short journey with me you can click this link to order.  Want some more info?  Comment below and I'll contact you.

Run for Kids 10k

Out of all of the races I participate in, this one means the most to me.  The proceeds of this race benefit Citizens for Safe Schools, a local mentoring program for at-risk youth.  You spend one hour a week for at least a year with a child ranging from 4th to 8th grade.  I participated in this program a couple of years ago and it changed my life.  

2011 Run for Kids 5k

In the past, the two options for this event were a 5k and a 1/2 marathon. Let me tell you - the 1/2 marathon is hardcore. Altitude, heat, and hills all work against you.  Um, no thank you.  I think I'll pass and take the 5k please.  This year they added a 10k to the mix, so I decided to switch it up and go for the "happy" medium. WARNING! Always look at the course before signing up for a race. I assumed you would run the 5k course twice and call it good but that was not the case.

The races started at 8:15am in the morning and by that point it was already hot.  

Photo courtesy of Cody Ames Photography.

The first mile was mostly uphill (not how I'd prefer to start a race), but at least it was gradual.  Once it thinned out, I ended up on my own and occasionally played the back and forth game with another runner.  I'd pass her, she'd pass me.  After making it to the top of what I mistakenly thought was the only hill I grabbed some water at the aid station and kept going.  I started to get my second wind and was excited to be headed downhill.  As I got further down I noticed some runners hanging a right toward a neighborhood with more hills.  "Must be some 1/2 marathoners already, damn, sucks to be them!" I thought.  I soon realized those were 10k runners and I would be running uphill again.  Noooo!  

Remember how I said the 1/2 marathon sucked because of elevation, heat, and hills?  My easy 10k was turning out to be just as hideous as the 1/2 marathon, minus the distance.  There was little shade and I was sweating profusely.  The second hill was practically vertical and I walked most of it.  At the top was another aid station and I took the opportunity to take a sip of water.  I was feeling defeated, but the volunteers assured me I was doing a great job.  The one and only benefit of going up a hill is eventually you will go down.  

What goes up must come down!  Photo courtesy of Cody Ames Photography.

I finally made it to the 5k course I was familiar with!  No extreme hills but I swear it felt like 100 degrees. Nicky + running in heat = miserable.  This run was kicking my ass.  I just wanted it to be OVER and as I looked at my Garmin for the 12th time I realized I was almost there.  Thank God!  But wait?!  My Garmin was showing I had run 6.2 miles, but I was still running. You've got to be kidding me...I'd even started my watch late.  More walking ensued until I could see the finish line in the distance.  I didn't run hard because I was worried about dry heaving like I did in prior years.  When I got to the final stretch I sprinted as fast as I could and really hoped I didn't trip and fall in front of everyone.  There's nothing more motivating and flattering than hearing your friends and peers cheer you on as you're about to cross the finish line.  And just like that, I was done.  Time: 1:17:30  Distance: 6.67 miles  Pace: 11:37  Fastest Mile: 9:12

I didn't run the 1/2 marathon, I wasn't the fastest runner, I walked parts of the course, but I got out there and did it!  After the race, I swore I'd skip the 10k next year and go back to the 5k, but now I'm not so sure.  To me, the hardest part of running isn't actually running, it's how you feel mentally, how you talk to yourself, and how you push through that mental barrier.  It can be done, but it isn't always easy.