{Taste Test Tuesday} Chicken Parmesan w/ Pasta

My parents gave me a wonderful gift for Christmas!

I have been leaning towards "Healthy Eating" rather than "Clean Eating" because most of the clean recipes I've tried I haven't liked.  They lacked flavor and had little to no spices in them.  I'm sorry people, but you NEED salt and pepper to flavor a dish!  I pretty much gave up trying to find new clean recipes until I got this book.  It's filled with pictures, menu plans, shopping lists, cooking terms, a conversion table, etc... and guess what?  They put salt and pepper in their dishes!  Woo hoo! 

My first taste test meal out of this book is Chicken Parmesan with Pasta.  It has cheese, pasta, and several spices...that's my kind of meal! 

It did not disappoint.  I couldn't believe it was HEALTHY and CLEAN.  It tasted pretty damn similar to my version of Chicken Parmesan with Pasta minus a ton of calories.  If you're on the fence about clean eating like I was, I highly suggest giving this meal a try.  I did make a couple modifications to it:  I used multigrain pasta instead of whole wheat and I used a red bell pepper instead of a green.

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

•  Olive oil cooking spray
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. dried oregano, divided
• 1 (28 oz.) jar crushed organic tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. sun-dried tomato paste or organic tomato paste
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese (I didn't have reduced-fat on hand so I used regular Parmesan cheese)
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 4 (4 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella or Italian cheese
• 8 oz. cooked multigrain or whole wheat penne
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. 

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft.  Add one teaspoon oregano and stir to coat. Cook 30 seconds, until oregano is fragrant.  Add tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, combine panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, remaining teaspoon of oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper.  Mix to combine.  Taste for seasonings and add a bit more salt and pepper if needed.  Brush both sides of each chicken breast with mustard.  Transfer each breast to panko mixture and turn to coat both sides.  Arrange chicken on prepared baking sheet.  Coat surface of chicken with cooking spray.  Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Top each chicken breast with 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of mozzarella or Italian cheese.  Return chicken to oven and bake 10 minutes more, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.

5. Arrange pasta on a serving plate and top with remaining tomato sauce and a little grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve chicken with pasta on the side, garnishing both with basil.  I also served steamed broccoli on the side.

Tip:  Make your Chicken Parm more golden in color by toasting the panko crumbs in a skillet over medium heat before making the dish.

Adapted from The Best of Clean Eating book

This recipe gets ☆☆☆☆  Share your favorite Clean Eating recipe with me!

 



Healthy Snack Ideas

I've been eating the same three or four snacks every day for the past several months and need to change it up!  I have several books with healthy snack ideas and compiled a list of the best!

• Shakeology
• Low-fat cottage cheese with berries
• Banana or apple with peanut butter
• Plain popcorn topped with a pinch of salt
• Tuna stuffed inside a multigrain pita
• Sliced veggies with hummus
• Multigrain bagel with low-fat cream cheese
• Unsalted almonds, cashews, etc...
• Baked sweet potato topped with nonfat Greek yogurt and chives
• Whole wheat pita with hummus, smoked salmon, and dill
• Sliced kiwi with nonfat strawberry yogurt for dipping
• Fruit skewers
• Strawberries topped with light cream cheese
• Celery topped with peanut butter and raisins
• Whole wheat toast topped with turkey and reduced-fat cheese
• Hardboiled egg mashed and scooped onto a romaine lettuce leaf
• Guacamole with sliced red peppers
• Whole grain English muffin with strawberry preserves
• Protein bar
• Reduced-fat string cheese

Fruit Skewers

What's your favorite snack?

Smothered Chicken

I was digging through old recipes and found this hidden gem.  It's simple to make and the lemon marinade gives the chicken a nice tang.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

 

1.  In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper.  Place chicken and marinade in a gallon size Ziploc bag.  Refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.

 

2. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with oregano, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.  Cook chicken 8-10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink in the middle.

 

3. In a separate skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook bell pepper and onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender.  Stir in mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

4. Sprinkle cheese and vegetables over chicken; remove from heat.  Cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

 

Serve with brown and wild rice.

Eating Out Tips

When you're eating healthy all week it can be easy to let your guard down on the weekends.  It's very important to have a meal plan in place to avoid temptation.  With that said, you should always have a Cheat Meal scheduled.  Notice I said Cheat Meal not Cheat Day.  Here are some tips to help you get through the weekend.

1.  If you are going to a restaurant check out the menu AHEAD of time.  Most restaurants post their menus online along with the nutritional value.  Decide on what you're going to eat BEFORE you get there, so when you sit down at the restaurant you won't have to open the menu and be tempted.  Skip the bread and tortilla chips, they have no nutritional value and will fill you up before you get your meal.

2.  If you are going to a party eat before you go or drink Shakeology on your way there.  Offer to bring a healthy appetizer or main dish.  Make every party about socializing with others and not about the food.  Keep your conversations away from the food table and offer to clean up so you're not forced to sit around and watch everyone eat. 

3.  No matter where you are make sure you drink lots of water!  You'll feel full quicker and will stay hydrated.

4. Always have a plan.  If you are traveling, going to a sporting event, or are running errands all day, pack a small cooler with healthy snacks.  Make sure to throw in an extra snack so you're not caught in a situation where you've been out longer than expected and have nothing to eat. 

{Taste Test Tuesday} Egg Frittata

It's about time I posted a breakfast recipe!  I eat the same thing for breakfast almost every single day, so I pushed myself outside my comfort zone to try something new.  My eyes locked on an Egg Frittata recipe I found in one of my workout nutritional guides.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 tablespoons skim milk
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 tablespoon basil or oregano
• Pepper to taste

Directions

Whisk eggs with milk.  Add the spinach, basil or oregano, feta, & pepper.  Combine.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat an 8" by 8" casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour egg mixture into dish and bake for 20 minutes or until eggs are set.  (Top may remain moist)  Let stand for 5 minutes.

I love basil and the feta cheese really boosted the flavor in this, BUT it just didn't hit the spot for me.  It was too bland and needed something else to make it worth eating.  Perhaps some diced ham or turkey sausage?  Maybe even just some tomatoes and mushrooms.  I added Cholula to this thinking it would enhance the taste, but it had the opposite effect.  It competed with the feta cheese and I immediately regretted it.  As it is...I probably wouldn't make it again.  If I made some of the adjustments I listed above, I think it would be much better....maybe I will give it another try after all.  ☆☆

{Shakeology Sunday} Pineapple Paradise

I found frozen pineapple at the store and thought it would be perfect to throw in my Shakeology.  I wanted to try something different and came up with this quick recipe.

Pineapple Paradise

• 1 scoop Greenberry Shakeology
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup fat free milk
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Erin Condren Planner

I'm excited to share my new planner!  I was trying to find a nice planner for 2013 and a friend recommended this.  It's quite spendy so I spent a lot of time looking at blogs and reviews to see if it was worth the money.  After determining it was, my OCD kicked in and I spent hours trying to find the perfect style for me.  If I'm going to have this for a year I better like it, right?  Ready to see what took me hours to choose?

"Angels Singing"


For those of you who know me, you know I LOVE me some colors!  I love colors so much that I organize my clothes by color!  Crazy you say?  Perhaps.  Does it make me happy?  Absolutely!

Now I couldn't just get the planner, I also had to get the matching notepads!

What impressed me most about the notepads was the adhesives on the back.  They suggested I stick one on the back of my planner which of course I had to do.

Someone mentioned Sharpie's didn't bleed through the paper so I bought a whole set of them...think colors. I tested them on the paper and although the paper is thicker than normal, I did find that the markers bled through. I decided pencil would be my best option, so I could erase things if needed. Honestly, I was scared to even write in it because it was so damn pretty.

 

It also came with all kinds of fun labels, stickers, and inspirational quotes.

 

I was expecting the planner to be quite large, but it was smaller than a piece of paper. Perfect to take on the go!  If you have a busy life and/or work schedule and want to keep track of everything in style, I highly suggest buying an Erin Condren Life Planner.

{Taste Test Tuesday} Fish Tacos w/ Chipotle Cream

It's been challenging to find new, healthy, and more importantly, tasty recipes.  I know they exist because I've found a few, but it seems like for every good one I do find, I've had to choke down four bad ones.  In my experience, they usually lack flavor and are boring.  I realize food is fuel for my body, but I want my "fuel" to taste good.  I tend to fall back on old favorites, so I've decided to try at least one new recipe a week...and it has to be healthy.  I will share these recipes with you and rate them so you'll know if they are keepers or not. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For Fish:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. white flaky fish (Tilapia or Halibut)

For Chipotle Cream:

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayo (I use mayo with olive oil because it has less calories and tastes just as good to me)
• 1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1-1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• Diced tomato
• Sliced avocado
• Lime wedges
• Cholula hot sauce, to taste

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Pour the mixture over fish and let it marinate for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and cook over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.  Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the Greek yogurt, mayo, and chipotle peppers.

Heat the tortillas on the pan for 30 seconds on each side.

Flake the fish with a fork.  Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream.  Top with fish, cabbage, corn, tomato, avocado, cilantro, Cholula, and serve with lime wedges.  I also served refried black beans with these.

Adapted from the Food Network website.

Sometimes when I see a long list of ingredients I automatically think "This will be expensive," but these weren't.  I bought a pound of tilapia for $7.13 and as I'm sure you know, produce costs next to nothing.  These were simple to make, easy on the wallet, and packed a lot of flavor.  When I asked my husband how he'd rate them he immediately said "5 stars!"  ☆☆☆☆☆