The answer to my Junior Mint addiction: Choco-Mint Mini Truffles

When I decided to get more serious about being healthy and eating clean I knew there would be things I would miss. And by things, I mean junk food. If you had looked in my freezer a year ago there would have undoubtedly been a stash of Junior Mints or Peppermint Patties. I love those cold, minty little treasures. Even now when I think about them, I want one...er, some, or a movie theater-size box.

Something had to be done, so I set out to fill the void in my heart left by those little babies. I came up with this concoction by starting with the regular base for my energy bars and put a chocolate/ mint spin on it. This recipe is rather small because **CONFESSION** last time I made these I ate the entire batch in one sitting. I think it would be fine to double it, but be warned: These are addictive. As it stands, this recipe makes about 15-20 mini-truffles about the diameter of a nickel.

Start by combining all the ingredients, except the water and peppermint extract in a food processor. **Note** Do not forget to pit your dates. Pulse the ingredients to combine for about 10 seconds at a time for a total of 30 or 40 seconds.  As the ingredients come together, it will be powdery. Next add the water and extract and continue pulsing. The mixture will begin to come together and get more sticky.

After the almonds are finely chopped enough for your liking, remove the lid and blade from your food processor and dump the contents into a bowl and chill for 5-10 minutes. After the mix has chilled, roll the dough into balls about the diameter of a nickle and return the mini truffles to the fridge for 5 minutes.

Melt the dark chocolate chips in a glass dish in the microwave for about 20 seconds, stir and continue heating if needed.

Lastly dip the bottom half of each truffle into the dark chocolate and allow to harden. Store in the fridge in a ziploc or tupperware.

Now...restrain yourself from eating all of them...or don't. I don't judge.

Recipe:
6 Madjool Dates, pitted
1/2c almonds
1/4c old fashioned oats
1/4c ground flax
1/8c unsweetened cocoa
2 packets of stevia
1/2tsp pure peppermint extract
1/8c water
2tbsp dark chocolate chips, melted

Just roll with it...Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

A few weeks ago I ventured  back into the world of "let's make something bad for you not so bad for you." I had avoided that style of cooking for a while, opting to try to make some new recipes and try out some dishes I hadn't made before. For my first effort back into healthier comfort food I decided to make baked egg rolls and guess what...you won't be finding that recipe on this blog.

They were a bust...literally. The worst part was that I had told my in-laws I'd make dinner that night. The trouble started when I decided to assemble them at home and bake them at their house. The egg roll wrappers all stuck together and everyone of them tore to some degree when I pulled them off the plate but I decided to try and bake them anyway. I had to feed these people, right?

It was a failure all around. They were too salty, never got crispy, plus they stuck to the foil and busted open even more...what is an open-face egg roll? Well, that night...it was dinner. Everyone humored me and ate them, but I was once again reminded that feeding friends and family is not the ideal time to try a new recipe, much less a recipe that in no way resembles food that you eat on a daily basis.

So, that brings me to today. I was really craving Mexican food. I decided Southwestern Egg Rolls a la Chili's sounded great. Um yea...let's whip out those leftover egg roll wrappers and give them another shot. Yes! Brilliant idea!

I started by prepping the filling. I tried to remember what is in Chili's egg rolls and then decide what would work to keep these as healthy as they could be. I settled on black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, diced green chiles, corn, onion, and shredded chicken seasoned with red pepper flakes, garlic and cumin.

Earlier in the day I had started a crock pot of chicken breasts. I love the way shredded chicken comes out when I cook it that way. Usually I put the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot and cover it with whatever dried herbs sound good and then pour 100% natural chicken broth over the top until it just covers the meat and then cook on low for 5-6 hours. By the time the timer goes off, you can easily shred the chicken with a fork. This is a great way to meal prep. In fact, this week we will be having three dishes that incorporate this batch of shredded chicken. That may sound boring but it's just a matter of using it in different ways. We are having a Mexican meal, BBQ and Pizza. **note: drain all but approximately 1/4 cup of the broth before you shred the chicken**

Back to the Southwestern egg rolls. The filling was tasting really good so I went to the fridge and pulled out the leftover wrappers. Funny...I didn't remember the little black specs on the wrappers. Yea, evidently they aren't supposed to be there. Only at this moment did I take a better look at the package to see it said in bold letters "PERISHABLE- USE WITHIN 2 DAYS of OPENING." These guys were at least 2 weeks old and they looked it. Dang it.

I did what any woman who really wants her egg roll would do. I loaded up both kids (one of which had been playing in my make-up all afternoon and looked a fool) and headed to the grocery store. I headed straight to the refrigerator section where I was quite sure I bought the first package of wrappers. Guess what? Not there. I circled 3 or 4 times while my blue-eye-liner-clad pre-schooler made sure to yell how hungry she was at the top of her lungs every time another shopper passed by us.

Around that time I decided that my Southwestern Egg Rolls were now enchiladas. I headed to the register with my sad little can of enchilada sauce. I was ready to pay and go, but surely the barely-teenage girl who was running the register would know if they had egg roll wrappers, right? No. No, she didn't but she knew who to call. She pointed me toward a manager that looked to be all of four days older than she was and said he knew what I wanted.

I mustered up my last bit of hope, hoisted the baby back up onto my hip and dragged my starving kid back to the refrigerator section. I was hopeful for a minute as he seemed pretty sure of where he was heading, but sorry, no. I'm not looking for frozen pre-made egg rolls. He then took me to the the section I'd been circling earlier. You guess it...still not there.

I think the lesson is clear here. The universe wants me to give up this crazy baked egg roll dream...Southwestern or otherwise.

So, for dinner ended up with some pretty tasty enchiladas, green beans sauted in olive oil and garlic and watermelon. Bellies full, mission accomplished. Sort of.

Here is how I made them:

Start by sauteing a medium onion in 1tsp of olive oil over medium heat. Once the onion has softened add the garlic and continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes.

Now add to the pan your rinsed black beans, corn, chopped green chilies, drained fire roasted tomatoes, and seasoning.

Stir your vegetable mix together well and add 2-3 shredded chicken breasts. I only wanted to make one meal, without a lot of leftovers, so I removed about 1/3 of the veg mix before adding the chicken. It will be part of my lunch this week. Since I had less vegetables, I only added 2 chicken breasts.

Let that all cook together, stirring often, for a few minutes then get out a baking dish and pour about 1/3 of the can of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Next fill and roll your tortillas and place them seam-side down in the baking dish. I made five. You could definitely make a lot more than that with this much filling, but I make these really big. Like I said, I've already meal-prepped my lunches this week so I didn't want a lot of leftovers.

These are the tortillas I prefer to use. They are not "clean" but they are low-carb and fairly low-calorie. Also they have a texture very similar to a regular flour tortilla. I can't handle the "healthy" tortillas that turn slimy and fall apart when you try to use them.

Lastly pour the remaining sauce over your rolled enchiladas and top with 1/4 cup of reduced fat cheddar cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

This isn't a beautiful picture of my plate, but I was starving and ready to dig in.

Recipe:
Carb Balance Tortillas
1 14 oz can of enchilada sauce
1 med onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 can black beans, drained
1 14.5 oz can organic fire roasted tomatoes, drained
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
1 small bag of frozen corn or the kernels off 3 ears of corn 
1/2 tsp (or more) cumin
1/2 tsp dried red chili flakes (or less if you don't want a lot of spice)
2-3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c reduced fat cheddar cheese as topping

Assemble and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees

Use Those Leftovers: Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potato Sandwiches

I hate throwing perfectly good food away but there are some nights that eating the leftovers is about as appealing as that fourth set of jump squats. As in, I'm not going to do it. That's when you have to take a second look at what's in the fridge and give it a makeover.

Not every meal has to look pretty on the plate and this one isn't going to win any beauty pageants, but it does taste great and will totally fill you up. Serve it with a side of fresh fruit and you're good to go.

Here's what you need:
- 2 slices of Ezekiel Bread or Whole Wheat Bread, toasted
- 2-3oz cooked chicken breast, sliced
- 1/2c cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
- 1tbsp dried cranberries

It couldn't be more simple. While your bread is toasting, warm your sliced chicken and sweet potatoes. Spread the sweet potatoes on your toast and sprinkle with dried cranberries. Then layer the chicken and enjoy!

Easy Margarita Pizza and Asperagus

It's summer. We all need easy and dare I say it...we all need pizza. Here is a quick and delicious summer dinner for under 400 calories. 

This is a great family meal as well. The kids will love to help you make homemade pizza and its easy to make as many or few servings as you need. 

**note: lavash bread can be found at most grocery stores. It is usually wherever pita bread and flat breads are sold, not in the bread aisle. This brand was purchased at Walmart near the deli meat counter**

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees 

Pizza:

Brush one lavash bread with 3/4tbsp olive oil and dust with garlic powder. 

Place the "crust" in the oven for 5-6 minutes until it is crispy and golden. 

Remove the crust and top with 2tbsp 100% natural tomato paste, basil paste (ground fresh basil in a squeeze tube available near lettuce & herbs in produce section) or fresh basil, 1/2 c thinly sliced cherry tomatoes, 1/2 c 2% mozzarella cheese, 2 tbsp fresh shaved Parmesan cheese and dried  Italian seasoning. (Meat optional- just make sure it is thoroughly cooked)  

Bake 5-7 min until bubbly and cheese begins to lightly brown.

Remove from the oven and drizzle with 1 tbsp reduced balsamic vinegar.

Asparagus: 

Wash and trim asparagus, place
on foil lined pan. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roll them around on the foil so all sides are coated with the oil, then sprinkle lightly with sea salt. 

Bake in 400 degree oven (with pizza) 7-10 minutes depending on the size of your spears.

Yea, yea...you can thank me later...and you will, it's that good.

Ingredient list:

Lavash bread

Olive oil

Garlic powder

Tomato paste

Basil paste or fresh basil

2% mozzarella cheese

Fresh Parmesan cheese

Cherry tomatoes

Italian seasoning

Asparagus 

Weeky Lunch Prep and Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

I've mentioned before that I'm a big believer in lunch-time food prep whether you are eating at home or out with friends. I tend to get into food cycles for lunch where I eat the same thing for a few weeks just because it tastes good or the fresh vegetables in the recipe are in season. Better get them while you can, right? After a few weeks I move onto the next thing that sounds good. I know it sounds boring, but I don't look at it that way.

For a longtime lunch was the most stressful meal of the day for me.  My workouts usually end right at lunchtime and by the time we get home my kids want to eat and they want to eat RIGHT NOW. I would find myself making their sandwiches and stuffing the crust of their PB&J in my mouth because I had no idea what I was going to eat or when I was going to get the the chance to sit down and eat it.

With my meals prepared and waiting in the fridge, I can walk in the door, stick my food in the microwave to warm up while I make the girl's sandwiches and then we all get to sit down at the table together...I won't say we eat together since lately most of our meals consist of me tying to eat while trying to convince  begging the older kid to "just eat three bites" and picking up all the food the little one is joyously and repeatedly throwing off her tray.

I've been asked several times if I prep for the whole week or just a few days. The answer is all week. I've never had a food safety "incident" that being said, if you aren't comfortable eating something you cooked on Sunday for lunch on Friday, I can understand. Just plan to prep on both Sunday and Wednesday.

For the most part my protein is always either 3-4oz of baked chicken breasts (1lb chicken breasts drizzled with olive oil, seasoning, bake 400 degrees 35-40 minutes) or two spicy turkey meatballs. (See mini meatloaf/ meatball post. Reduce recipe by half to make 10 meatballs/ 2 per meal.)

For side dishes I've been having either brown rice and broccoli, half a sweet potato and green beans or Roasted Vegetable Quinoa salad. The quinoa has been my staple for about 3 weeks now because I've been able to get awesome broccoli, peas, asparagus and onions at our local farmer's market. To those veggies I add whatever looks good at the store that week. Its usually zucchini and bell pepper...occasionally carrots.

The quinoa salad is easy to make and a great source of protein and fiber, plus its really filling. You can also easily modify this recipe into a main dish by coarsely chopping 2-3 baked chicken breasts and one 15oz can of rinsed black beans to the quinoa and veggies. You may also want to add an additional 1-2tbsp of olive oil or a splash of chicken broth to moisten the salad as well as some additional seasoning blend.

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Roasted Vegetables
4 to 5 cups of the vegetables of your choice. My suggestions are:
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 zucchini, cut into strips 3in long and 1/2in wide
1-2 cup fresh broccoli. broken into florets
6-8 asparagus spears, in 2in pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped into strips 3in long, 1/2in wide
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
1 tbsp garlic-based seasoning powder such as Mrs. Dash or McCormick Italian seasoning grinder-- really, it can be whatever seasoning blend you enjoy.

Place all your chopped veggies to a gallon-size ziploc bag and pour the 1/4c olive oil over the top. Next add half your seasoning to the bag, close it and shake it. After all the veggies seem to be coated, open the bag and add the rest of the seasoning. Close the bag and give it one more good shake.

Next, spread the vegetables out in a single layer on a large foil-lined baking sheet.

Place your veggies in oven and bake for 5 minutes, stir and bake for an additional 7 minutes.  It is tempting to continue to cook your vegetables, but remember you will be microwaving this meal to reheat it which will continue to cook them. Unless you like your vegetables very soft, you don't want to overcook them off the bat. If you are making this as a side dish for dinner or main course to serve right away, roast the vegetables an additional 3 minutes.

Quinoa
1/2 c organic quinoa
1/2 c 100% natural chicken broth
1/2 c water
1/4 tsp sea salt

Bring water, chicken broth and quinoa to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Don't add the salt to your pan yet.

When your quinoa is done pour it into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt.

When vegetables are done roasting, move them from the baking sheet into your bowl of quinoa and toss. Taste and add additional seasoning if you think it needs more.

This recipe should portion out perfectly as the side dish for 5 lunches. Enjoy!

Apricot Blueberry Vanilla Mug Cake

Who wants cake? This girl! I  threw this together in about 5 minutes this morning and split it with my daughter. It turned out a lot bigger than I was expecting, so it was plenty for both of us. I topped it with blood orange Chobani but any flavor would work, I think. Now...go have cake for breakfast!

3 tbsp coconut flour

3tbsp egg white sub

3tbsp almond milk

2tbsp plain Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 scoop vanilla whey

1/2 tsp orange extract

1 tbsp apricot jam

15 blueberries

Chobani Blood Orange Greek yogurt for topping

Combined ingredients, Stir 5 berries into mix, spray mug, microwave approximately 2:15, cool a 1 min and dump out on a plate, top with blood orange yogurt and berries. Enjoy!

If your cake starts to overflow the mug just stop the microwave, let cake settle and then continue microwaving for full time. Microwaves vary. You may need to adjust cook time. You cake will also cook more evenly if all the berries aren't clumped at the bottom of the mug. It will taste good, regardless.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Truffles

Something about the word "truffle"...sounds...well, delicious. And so much tastier than Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls. Call them whatever you want. These are good.




Step 1:

Add all the ingredients, except for water and chocolate chips to the food processor bowl. Use the pulse button to combine. The mixture will be dry. Add about 1/4 cup of water and continue to pulse. The mix should begin to come together. The dates will hold all the ingredients together, but depending on the moisture level of the dates and the absorbancy of your oats and protein powder, you may need to add more water. My batch needed about a 1/2 cup total. You don't want to it to be runny. It should be very sticky and thick. **A note about Madjool dates. They have pits that you must remove! If you forget your food processor will not thank you, either will your teeth should you bite into one**

Step 2:
Remove the dough into a bowl and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. It will make it easier to roll into your truffles.

Step 3:
Roll dough into 20 golf ball sized truffles. I only got 18 out of mine, but that is because I ate the dough right out of the food processor.

Step 4:
Refrigerate your rolled truffles for 10-15 more minutes. While your truffles are chilling, melt about 1/3c of dark chocolate chips in a glass bowl. I prefer to melt them in the microwave because it the easiest. Just put them in for 20 seconds at a time until smooth. It took 40 seconds total.

Step 5:
Dip the bottom half of each truffle into the melted chocolate.

Step 6:
Once the chocolate hardens they are ready to enjoy. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Peanut Butter Cookie Truffles

12 pitted Medjool dates
1 c Old Fashioned Oats

1/4 c PB2 or natural peanut butter
1 c almonds
1/3 c unsweetened dried coconut flakes
1.5 scoops vanilla whey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c water (Approx- maybe more or less) added gradually

1/3 c dark choc chips, melted (optional)

Moderation, schmoderation...

All things in moderation...I think that's pretty much the way to eat. Except when you are on vacation, which is exactly where we've been. I had thoughts of sticking to my goals of clean eating and working out while we were at the beach, but you know what? The beach is made for swimming and sun and FRIED FOOD.

For the most part I try to avoid fried foods, but on this trip I decided all bets were off. If you are going to fall off the wagon, best to open your eyes and jump on off, right. Everything was just as amazing as I imagined it would be. Living in a land locked state, we don't get to enjoy fresh seafood very often so on this trip, I did. Every night. In all its glorious, batter-dipped golden goodness. Fried shrimp, hush puppies, fries...fry it, I'll eat it. Let's just say I also ate something called a "cheese log." Yes, it is exactly what you are thinking it is...a fried, melty, heart attack on a plate.

My husband and I managed a couple of two-mile runs while we were there...moderation in all things, right... but for the most part we took a full-on break from life and it was just what our family needed. Rest, Eat, Repeat.

There was one noticeable difference in this trip from the other vacations we've taken. By the end of our time at the beach I found myself actually craving my routine, a solid workout, an UN-breaded vegetable. I'm realizing the changes I've made aren't just changes anymore. This is me now and I've got to say, I like it.

It would be a total lie to say all this reckless abandon didn't have it's negative side. Of course I had to know the damage I'd done so the morning after we got back I made sure to strip off every ounce of clothing, ponytail holder included, and stepped onto the dreaded (surely incorrect) scale. Yep, just as bad as I imagined it would be. I know logically it's not possible to gain 6 pounds in a week unless you are literally eating Crisco, but that's what the old girl said. I'm pretty sure it was the truth since I stepped on and off the scale three times just to make sure it said the same thing every time.  I know I'm not the only double/triple scale checker! I chose to call it water weight and move on.

We've been back nearly a week now and I'm still up a few pounds over my pre-trip weight, but the truth is as much as I hated seeing a higher number on the scale than I've seen in months, I would do it all again the exact same way. I know I feel better and work harder when I'm eating a clean diet, but finding out both my daughters love fried cheese was adorable and sharing those cookies and cream ice cream cones with them tasted even sweeter than usual. We made memories that wouldn't have been the same if Mommy "will just have a salad" and skipped dessert. In the big picture I still see it as moderation. It was one week out of many.

I ran across this old picture of Matt and me and I was reminded of how far we've come. I used to really believe in the quote, "Never look back unless you are planning to go that way." But for me, looking back is the best way to keep moving forward. The picture on the left...pure motivation.

Roma Avocado Salad

When my sweet and also healthy-eating friend sent me a picture of her snack...deviled tomatoes...I knew I had to try it. Shout out, Jessica, for the awesome suggestion. Her version is a super cute play on a deviled egg using a scooped out tomato wedge filled with mashed avocado and onion. I consider my version more of a salad, but hey it's cute too. I also opted to top mine with a 100 calorie pack of mild guacamole. You know me...always in search of the easy way. I also added a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar glaze.

The glaze is easy to make by adding somewhere around a 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar to a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring it to a low boil and continue to boil for several minutes until it has slightly thickened. Don't over-reduce the vinegar. It will get too thick to drizzle and the flavor can get a little overwhelming. Better a little thin than all thick and globby. You can store the leftover reduction in an air tight container in the fridge for several days.

I have this for an afternoon snack all the time. It's so good and filling. Hope you love it!

Lemonade Muffins

I've spent the last few weeks trying to figure out my eating...make a tweak here and there and try to figure out why my weight loss had...gasp...plateaued. It is that dirty diet word everyone fears. I wasn't exactly surprised it was happening. Inevitably as you have less weight to lose your body needs less calories to do the same amount of work and uses the calories you are feeding it more efficiently. My goal is still to eat a healthy, balanced diet, but like I said before weight loss is still high on my list of motivating factors.

Rather than try to cut calories, I decided to do the opposite and I am so glad I did. I had been eating around 1300 calories. I wasn't starving by any means, but when I took a look at how many calories I was using in my workouts (thanks to the use of a heart rate monitor) it made sense that I could definitely be eating more. And seriously, who doesn't love that? I decided to raise my daily intake 300-500 calories a day and just see how it would go. I fully anticipated a weight gain, but you know what happened? I hit the goal weight I had set for my self back in January and I was able to do it two weeks before my May 1st goal! It was a big accomplishment, not to mention I enjoyed the extra chew time.

The temptation in adding those extra calories for me is to snack all day or eat more "treats" instead of adding more nutritious food to my existing meals. Hello frozen yogurt! Where's the trail mix? In reality those calories really go pretty fast.

Tonight I was really craving bread. Muffins to be exact. I love lemon bars, lemon cake, lemon strudel, lemon danish, lemon bars, lemon cookies...You get it. If its a carb that looks or smells like lemon, I'll probably eat it. I was struggling to come up with a way to get some strong lemon flavor into my protein muffins so I did what any time-starved, shower-needing, 300-extra-calorie eating woman would do. I googled it. There were several options out there with suggestions like grated lemon peel, lemon curd, and so on. Most of those required me to have an actual lemon in my possession. I'm sure you've deciphered all my foreshadowing and figured out I had no such lemon. I did however have pink lemonade Crystal Light drink mix and Mio drink flavoring. I can't technically call this a clean eating recipe, but it was a pretty healthy and tasty addition to our dinner. They would also be a great protein packed way to start your morning. Try finding a muffing with 10 grams of protein and under 120 calories at Starbucks!

These muffins are more dense than regular muffins. I don't want there to be any surprises when you make them. That is the unfortunate reality of most baked goods made with stuff that is good for you. It's funny, but I've almost come to like the density of the "new" pancakes, cookies and muffins I bake better than the "old" kind. Call me crazy.

Anyway, these are really simple. Start my mixing all your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then add the wet to the dry and mix well with a whisk.  The batter will be thick.

I love lemon, but if its not your thing this recipe would be easy to adapt to your taste. There are a ton of drink mix flavors. I've seen a blueberry lemonade flavor that would probably be awesome with fresh blueberries added, although I haven't tried adding fruit to these yet.

You can also see from my picture that I prefer to use silicone baking cups for my muffins. I'm sure the paper kind will work fine, but the silicone type are awesome because nothing sticks to those babies.

So here ya go. Happy baking!

Pre-heat oven to 350
Bake time: 15 mim

Recipe:
1 1/4c Whole Wheat Flour or oat flour
3 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
1 "tub" of crystal light pink lemonade (the size that makes a 2qrt pitcher)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c unsweetened apple sause
4 tbsp agave
9 tbsp egg whites (I used the liquid egg whites, not separated egg whites. Its easier)
1/2 tsp Mio lemonade flavor drink mix

Divide into 12 muffin liners and bake. Store extras, if you have any, in an air-tight container or ziploc bag.

Nutritional info based on specific brands/ingredients.
*Different brands may have different nutritional content*
Calories: 116
Fat: 1g
Total Carb: 16g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 10g

Oven Baked "Cookie" Chicken

I'm guessing the name of this recipe has you wondering...oh gross, she breaded that chicken in crushed cookies, but come on. Would I do that? Now that I think about it...maybe. But not today. I called it "cookie" chicken because the most amazing thing happened when I baked it. My house smelled just like chocolate chip cookies. And I don't mean the flaxseed, avocado chocolate chip cookies my house smells like all the time. I mean full on Toll House goodness. When my husband got home from work he gave me this weird look and then got really excited that I was baking "real" cookies. I had to let him down that it was our dinner, but once we sat down to eat he was over the disappointment. This chicken is so good. Our daughter even asked if we could have it again tomorrow which is about the highest compliment she gives when it comes to food. She even chose to eat the chicken over the fruit on her plate. That's big stuff in our house.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is...Fiber One Honey Squares.

Start by crushing 1cup of Fiber One Honey Squares in a ziploc bag. I used my rolling pin. You want it pretty finely crushed, but not pulverized. Next line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Now set up your breading station. You will need two bowls, one for your egg whites and one for the crushed Fiber One. I added a few twists of the black pepper grinder and a few twists of the sea salt grinder to the egg whites before I dipped the chicken. 

The cereal needs a little help sticking but not a ton. I think it works best to dip the chicken in the egg whites on both sides and then hold it over the bowl for a few seconds and let the excess drip off. Then lay it into crushed cereal and press gently. Flip the chicken over and repeat with all your chicken. I had a very tiny amount of cereal left so I just sprinkled it on the chicken anywhere it needed a little more. Don't waste the sweet stuff.

If you let a lot the excess egg drip into your dry cereal it will glob up, get soggy and not stick to your chicken, which is sad.

The main problem I have with most chicken recipes that claim to be both baked and crunchy is that they never actually get crunchy. That is just the nature of the beast. If you want real crunch, you have to fry. If you fry all the time your pants get too small. Bake people, bake. I wanted to get this as crispy as I could. I decided to experiment. I was trying to figure out how to get some caramelization on the top of the chicken. A tiny drizzle of agave nectar did the trick. It only takes a tiny bit. I have the recipe calling for 1 tbsp, but I didn't use quite all of it. Close, but not all.

 

As you can see, it's just a very slight drizzle of agave

Lastly, pop it in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes. You may need to adjust cooking time if the chicken breasts you are using are really thick. 40 minutes is usually sufficient for most packaged fresh chicken. If you choose to use chicken tenders you'll want to reduce the time to between 20-30 minutes.

My whole family loved this recipe, plus it's super easy so I'm sure it will become part of our rotation. I can totally see the leftover chicken on top of a spinach salad with strawberries and goat cheese for lunch this weekend. Yum!

Enjoy guys. This is a good one.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Oven Baked "Cookie" Chicken:
1lb chicken breasts (worked perfectly with 4 smaller breasts)
1/4c egg whites
1c Fiber One Honey Squares, Crushed
1tbsp Agave Nectar
salt and pepper to taste

Mini Meatloafs or Meatballs

One of the things I haven't been willing to give up for the sake of a healthy diet is comfort food. I still want to eat mac n' cheese and brownies and basically any and all kinds of fried goodness. While it would be wonderful to do that everyday, I have to rein it in and look at the bigger picture. Those thing are fine for an occasional meal, but for your run of the mill dinner a few healthy substitutions can take the classics you love right into health-ville with just a few changes. Enter meatloaf...I didn't serve it with the mac n' cheese I would have loved, but the baked maple cinnamon sweet potato fries and roasted asparagus weren't anything to complain about. I'll post those recipes soon!

So here we go with the meatloaf recipe. This makes a lot...like twelve mini loafs. It is usually enough for two dinners and a lunch or two, which I like but you could cut the recipe in half if it just seems like an overwhelming amount for you. This week I got a little more creative with my meal planning and knocked out two dinners with this one batch by baking up half the recipe as mini meatloafs and half as meatballs for my favorite zucchini noodle pasta instead of using ground beef.

Also, I really like these meatloafs kind of spicy. I'll give you two variations on the recipe in case you aren't a fan of "hot". The way I like them tends to be too spicy for my kids. The second variation uses more spices I would consider to be "Italian" flavors, but you can mix and match any spices your like. You really can't mess it up. My husband likes these REALLY spicy so he dips them in Siracha. It's good, but just a warning...if you do that, a little goes a long way.

This recipe couldn't be easier. I prefer to use a stand mixer, but if you don't have one you can just mix well with your hands. So, in the bowl of the stand mixer add...everything. I told you it was easy.

Once you have it all in there, turn on the mixer on but go slow. The bowl will be pretty full and you don't want to send raw turkey flying everywhere. Yuck, lesson learned.

Next line a baking sheet with foil to keep clean up easy. To make mini meatloafs roll the mixture into 12 baseball sized loaves. To make a meat loaf dinner and a meatball dinner, roll the mixture into six baseball sized loaves and use the remaining mixture to make 16 meatballs, approximately the size of a golf ball. You can put them pretty much side by side. These are just very spread out since I was only making six of them. I was able to fit all 16 meatballs on one baking sheet.

Now pop those guys in the oven and bake at 375. It takes 40 minutes for the meatloafs and 30 minutes to bake the meatballs. I baked them at the same time by just waiting 10 minutes to put in the meatballs. They are come out nice and brown. Yum!

Meatloaf

Meatballs

 

I really wish I had thought to take a picture of the plates when we had the meatloaf. The kids were screaming. You know, like they wanted to be fed or something and I forgot. Anyway, here are the meatballs in the zucchini noodle pasta before I stirred it up.

Preheat oven to 375

Cook time Meatloaf: 40min 

Cook time Meatballs: 30min

 Spicy Meatloafs:

2 lbs ground lean turkey

3 egg whites or 2 whole eggs (I prefer egg whites only)

1 cup quick oats

1 medium zucchini, grated

1 tsp sea salt (Optional)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dry thyme

1.5 tbsp dry mustard

2 tbsp ground black pepper

2 tsp dry chipotle pepper or chili powder

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 small onion, about a cup

1 6oz can 100% natural tomato paste

Italian Meatloafs:

2 lbs ground lean turkey

3 egg whites or 2 whole eggs (I prefer egg whites only)

1 cup quick oats

1 medium zucchini, grated

1 tsp sea salt (Optional)

1/2 tsp cumin

1.5 tbsp dry mustard

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dry parsley

1 tbsp dry oregano

1 tbsp dry basil

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 small onion, about a cup

1 6oz can 100% natural tomato paste

Vanilla Protein Pancakes with Blueberry Compote

I like to think that our reformed eating habits don't have to keep us from enjoying the foods we love, but let's face it... often the things that are truly, mind-blowingly delicious are not so good for you. I'm totally picturing this muffin tin cookie thing I keep seeing people post on FB that is something like a pregnant chocolate chip cookie meets brownie. I say pregnant because somehow they managed to squeeze an Oreo cookie in the middle of this thing. Yes, I want to lick my phone when I see that picture.

When I was pregnant with my youngest we ate at Village Inn a lot. By "a lot" I mean the hostess didn't even have to ask how many in our party or if we wanted a table or booth...two waters and a chocolate milk, coming up. I mean, A LOT. I was trying to make good food choices, but you know what tastes really amazing with an egg white omelet and a side of fruit? Pancakes! I still want pancakes, like everyday. But I keep it to a weekend treat for the most part. Substitution is the key to keeping me sane.

This new recipe includes protein powder and I thought they were really good. There is no reason you couldn't top these with real maple syrup, but this blueberry compote was way better in my opinion.

I used our electric griddle this morning. I like to do it that way so we can all sit down to eat together. So if you have one, get it out and set it to 300 degrees. If not, a pan over medium heat works too. Just don't get it too hot. Also these are best served ASAP after you cook them. I was picking the scraps off my kid's plates...and shocker...just not as good cold. This recipe makes about a dozen 4in pancakes, which fed our family of two big eaters and two small eaters perfectly. A four-inch pancake sounds small, but they are filling. And since it's the weekend, you are making (turkey) sausage too, so you'll be fine.

First, get your compote started. Combine blueberries, agave and water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil for a minute or three. Who's counting? Then take a spoon and mash most of the berries. Then just reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until your pancakes are ready.

In a blender combined all the ingredients and blend until smooth. It will be thick. Spray the griddle with non-stick spray or melt a tiny bit of coconut oil and grease the surface. Then ladle the batter out of the blender and let cook until bubbles form. When they are nice and brown, flip'em, stack'em, cover'em with compote and chow down! Yum!

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Step 2:

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Step 4:

I also added a tablespoon of PB2 with cinnamon to the top of these. It was so good! If you don't have PB2 (get some) but any nut butter will be tasty.

Recipe for Compote:
1c fresh blueberries
1 tbsp agave (or honey)
3 tbsp water
(Optional 2 tbsp PB2, 1 tbsp water, a few shakes of cinnamon)

Recipe for pancakes:
1 c old fashioned oats
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 c plain non fat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp vanilla almond milk (or other milk)

I couldn't resist...Her is our daughter's favorite version:

The Piggy Pancake