Baked Teriyaki Chicken

This dish is easy to mix up and throw in the oven for a week night!  I combined some other recipes together to come up with this healthier version of Teriyaki Chicken using honey, Bragg's liquid aminos. and arrowroot powder in place of sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch.  I hope you enjoy it :)

Baked Teriyaki Chicken
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 - 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt & pepper
1/2 c. Bragg's liquid aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. honey
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger (or 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
2 Tbsp cold water

Directions:
1. Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine liquid aminos, apple cider vinegar, garlic, honey, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and ginger in a small saucepan on medium-low heat.  Stir together.

3. Mix cold water and arrowroot powder together in a small bowl.  Whisk mixture into other ingredients in the small saucepan   

4. Whisk mixture together and simmer until it thickens up, about 5 minutes.

5. Lightly grease a medium casserole dish, add chicken, and then pour sauce over top of chicken.  Turn chicken over a few times to thoroughly coat with sauce.

6. Cook chicken in 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until cooked through.  About every 10 minutes, spoon sauce on top of chicken to coat.  

7. Chicken can be served with brown rice and/or mixed vegetables.  Enjoy! :)

Jalapeno, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

I've been trying to find a good recipe with chicken stuffed with goat cheese, so I just made one up myself :) This was very yummy and easy because it only uses a few ingredients.  The chicken came out very moist!  Hope you try it soon!

Jalapeno, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 oz. spinach
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced
1/3 c. goat cheese
1 egg
Salt & pepper
1/3 c. whole wheat breadcrumbs
Toothpicks

Directions:
1. Mince garlic.  Heat 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil in a medium or large skillet over medium heat.  Add minced garlic.

2. After cooking the garlic a couple of minutes, add all of spinach to the pan.  Mix the spinach around well to coat with the garlic and oil.  Put the lid on the skillet for 2 minutes.  Mix together again and cook another 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted and coated.

3. Remove from heat, and mix in a small bowl with goat cheese and jalapenos.

4. Split open the side of the chicken breasts to create an opening for stuffing it with the cheese mixture.

5. In a small bowl, whisk the egg.  In another small shallow bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, and some salt and pepper (to taste).

6. Stuff chicken with the cheese mixture and use toothpicks to hold it closed.  Dip chicken in egg then roll in breadcrumbs (being careful not to lose your filling).

7. Place chicken in a casserole dish, top with a few sliced jalapenos, and cook at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  I served this with my Mango Quinoa Salad (see recipe here), but it would be great with any vegetable and/or starch.

Devour :)

Mango Quinoa Salad

This recipe is adapted from the "California Quinoa Salad Whole Foods Copycat" recipe on another blog: KidTestedFirefighterApproved (which was also shared on facebook by my friend Elizabeth).  I too have tried the California Quinoa Salad from Whole Foods and both my husband and I loved it!  I meant to make this as a main dish yesterday (I am trying to do a Meatless Monday like Food Inc. - maybe next week!), but I ended up not having time to do so.  Anyway, I am making this for a side dish with a chicken dish I will also share with you and hope you enjoy it!

Mango Quinoa Salad
(serves 6)

Ingredients:
1 c. mixed quinoa (sprouted or regular quinoa is fine too)
1 1/2 c. water
Salt
1/2 package of frozen mangoes (I found mine at the local health food store) or 2 fresh mangoes
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (red or green)
1 c. of fresh cilantro (or 2 Tbsp of dried)
1/3 c. almonds, cut in half (soaked and dehydrated is best - see procedure here)
3/4 c. raisins
1 1/2 c. edamame (I bought frozen and thawed it)
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp shredded or flaked, unsweetened coconut (optional)

Directions:
1. Add quinoa to a bowl and cover with water.  Allow to soak for 15-30 minutes. This isn't necessary, but will help with the cooking process and the texture. Strain out water and give the quinoa one last rinse and strain. 

2. Cook quinoa according to package directions, or put 1 1/2 c. water, quinoa, and a few dashes of salt in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Once it is boiling, drop the heat down to low and cover (to simmer).  Simmer for 20 minutes, or until most of the water is absorbed.  Remove from burner, allow to sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.  Allow to cool.

3. Meanwhile, chop up the onion, pepper, mangoes, and cut almonds in half (you can easily pop them in half with your fingers).

4. When quinoa is completely cooled, add onion, pepper, coconut (optional), cilantro, mangoes, almonds, raisins, and edamame and mix well.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice and balsamic vinegar and then pour over top of the quinoa salad.  Toss & refrigerate until ready to be served. Enjoy :)

Baked Chicken and Asparagus Casserole

We had our friends over for dinner last night and I wanted to make an easy and delicious (and healthy) dinner for them! The recipe I adapted is from the Clean Eating Cookbook (great cookbook!). Be careful what kind of cream of chicken soup you buy because you want one with natural ingredients and not much sodium. I found mine in the organic aisle at Dierbergs. You could also make it yourself, but I was going for easy!

Baked Chicken and Asparagus Casserole
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 c. uncooked wild rice
2 1/2 c. water
1 tsp organic butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 (6 oz)  boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 can (or small carton - about 16 oz) of cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. water
1 bunch of asparagus (about 24)
4 oz. organic Monterery-Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Cook rice according to package directions, or mix together rice, 2 1/2 c. water, 1/4 tsp salt, & 1 tsp butter in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Once the mixture begins boiling, cover with a lid and drop the heat down to low.  Allow to simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until most of the water is absorbed.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add rice to the bottom of a 9x13" casserole dish.

3. Clean and cut the ends off the asparagus spears (about 1" off the end).  Add the asparagus to the casserole dish, on top of the rice, arranging lengthwise.

4. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.  Arrange the chicken on top of the asparagus spears in the casserole dish.

5. Whisk together the 1/2 c. water and soup in a small bowl.  Pour the mixture over top of the chicken in the casserole dish.  

6. Finally, sprinkle the cheese over top of everything.  

7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Enjoy!! :) I served this with Sweet Potato Fries (see recipe here) and Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies (see recipe here) for dessert!  

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are adapted from the cookbook "Healthy Treasures Cookbook" by Annette Reeder, I have made most of the items in her book and love it! I highly recommend it.  These cookies use all natural ingredients, with no refined flour or refined sugar. We had friends over for dinner on Saturday, so I wanted to make a special treat for them! Enjoy :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies
(makes 30-36)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. natural peanut butter (I used Justin's)
1/2 c. organic butter
1 c. sucanat
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c. hard whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 c. dark chocolate chips/chunks

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together peanut butter, butter, sucanat, egg, and vanilla until smooth on medium speed.

3. Gradually add flour, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly mixed. 

4. Add in chocolate chips and mix together briefly on low speed.  

5. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and arrange on a large ungreased cookie sheet.  Press the top with a fork in a crisscross pattern.

6.. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool & Enjoy!! 

Sweet Potato Fries

I love sweet potatoes! These type of fries are more of wedges, I adapted this recipe from the Clean Eating Cookbook. They are delicious! Try them...

Sweet Potato Fries
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
2-3 sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp chili powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and peel sweet potatoes.  Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and width-wise.  Cut each fourth into about four wedges.

2. Melt coconut oil in a small saucepan on low.

3. Place a large piece of foil on a cookie sheet.

4. Mix together sweet potato wedges, coconut oil, and chili powder in a bowl or on top of the foil. Spread out sweet potato wedges on the foil and cook at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, turning every few minutes.  When a fork easily can be poked through the sweet potato wedges, they are done!  Enjoy :)

Nutrition Facts:
(4 servings)

Calories: 66
Fat: 1g
Carbs: 13g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 1g
Sugar: 3g
Sodium: 36mg
Cholesterol: 0mg

WW Points (Previous): 1 Point
WW Points Plus: 2 Points

John's Delicious Fried Egg Sandwich

Hi All! This recipe will be short and sweet! My husband John makes these great fried egg sandwiches for me and I love them! So I am sharing...


Fried Egg Sandwich
(for 1 serving)

Ingredients:
1 Ezekiel English Muffin (or whole wheat english muffin)
1/2 Tbsp organic butter
1-2 eggs
Sliced jalapenos - fresh
Lettuce
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise (organic or homemade is best)
Turkey sausage patty (optional - Applegate Farms has an organic kind that is delish!)

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a small skillet on medium heat.  Crack in one or two eggs.  Cook to your likeness; I like over medium - completely cooked egg white, yolk is still runny inside, where John likes over hard, with a cooked yolk.  Make sure to flip at least once.

2. Slice english muffin in half and toast.  If using turkey sausage, warm the turkey sausage in the same skillet until warm throughout (they usually come already cooked).

3. Build your sandwich with the english muffin, egg(s), sausage (optional), sliced jalapenos, lettuce, and mayonnaise.  Add anything else you fancy like tomato, a little bit of organic cheese, etc.

Dig in! :)

Chicken Sausage Paella

This recipe was adapted from the cookbook "Cooking With All Things Trader Joe's".  This cookbook is one of my favorites, I recommend buying it even if you don't shop at Trader Joe's.  The book includes nutrition facts for each dish, and most are under 400 calories per serving.  Most of the recipes in the book are pretty healthy and very easy; most only take about 20-25 minutes to prepare. 

The recipe mine is based off of is actually "Seafood Paella," which includes scallops and shrimp (based off of the traditional Spanish dish served with seafood in saffron rice).  In the past, I have included the shrimp, and will tell you below when to add it if you choose to use the shrimp and/or scallops.  However, I left them out because I am choosing to limit eating a lot of shellfish. In a future post, I will talk about the meat/poultry/seafood that I do and do not eat and why.  For now, here is the recipe....

Chicken Sausage Paella
(serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
1 c. rice (I normally use brown jasmine or whole grain rice)
2 Tbsp coconut oil, lard, or tallow
2-4 sliced Chicken Sausages (I normally use Andouille Chicken sausages - Aidell's brand, which can be found at most grocery stores in the sausage section; Trader Joe's also has a good brand).
2 1/2 c. water
1/2  c. Salsa
1 tsp Tumeric (recipe calls for Spanish Saffron, but that can get pricey)
1  c. frozen peas (or edamame)
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 lb frozen small scallops, thawed (optional)
1 lb frozen uncooked medium or large shrimp, thawed (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet or dutch oven. Saute sauasages until browned, about 5 minutes per side (use 2 if adding seafood, 4 if not using seafood) and transfer to a plate.

2. Slice sausages into about 1" chunks.

3. If using scallops, pat dry and saute until opaque, 2 minutes, remove from pan.

4. Add the other 1 Tbsp oil to the pan, add rice and stir to coat.  Stir in water, salsa, and tumeric (or saffron).  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Once it starts boiling, cover and drop the heat down to low (to simmer).  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until most of the water is absorbed.

5. Add shrimp (if using), peas (or edamame), and wine, stirring to combine.

6. Increase heat back to medium or medium-high (or until it is simmering without a lid) and cook for 5 minutes, until shrimp becomes opaque (if using) or until the rice has absorbed nearly all the liquid.  Add back the sausage and scallops (if using), stirring to combine.  Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

With Seafood:
(assuming 6 servings, including seafood, about 1 1/2 c. per serving)

Calories: 383
Fat: 11g
Protein: 18g
Carbs: 30g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 2g
Sodium: 527mg

Without Seafood:
(assuming 6 servings, no seafood, about 1 c. per serving)

Calories: 304
Fat: 12g
Protein: 17g
Carbs: 29g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 3g
Sodium: 669mg