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Quick and Easy Breaded Chicken

June 6, 2013 in Food, Protein, Recipes with 0 Comments

breaded chicken

Who doesn’t love the words “quick” and “easy” when it comes to meal preparation?

Today’s recipe is a very simple recipe I watched my mom make over and over again as I was growing up. Simple breaded chicken, pan fried to perfection. Cheap, light, healthy, and delicious. This chicken recipe is great by itself, in salads, on top of spaghetti, and any other way you want to eat it!

PAN FRIED BREADED CHICKEN

Ingredients

1 pound chicken, breasts or strips

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs 

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 TBLSP olive oil

Directions

1. Rinse chicken and cut any extra fat, tendons, or veins from the chicken.

2. In a bowl, whisk milk and egg together to form what will be the coating for the chicken. Place bread crumbs, salt, and pepper on a small plate and mix together to form chicken breading.

3. Take each piece of chicken and dip it into the milk and egg mixture. Then take the chicken and dip and roll in breadcrumb mixture to coat each piece. Continue until all chicken is coated and breaded.

4. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Wait for oil to be extremely hot before putting chicken in to cook. When your oil is hot, the breading adheres to the chicken and crisps rather than falling off during cooking.

5. Reduce heat to medium and place chicken in olive oil. Cook chicken, covered, close to 5 minutes per side. Chicken may need to cook longer depending on the size and thickness of the chicken. Chicken is done cooking when juices run clear.

 

This is a go-to recipe for those of us who like a quick and delicious fix during the week.
Chicken also makes a great snack as 4 oz of un-breaded chicken is 120 calories and 22 grams of protein.

 

 

Are You Eating Enough Protein?

May 27, 2013 in Food, Protein with 0 Comments

protein

It is amazing how many of us do not eat enough protein on a daily basis. To be honest, I still work to eat enough protein to keep my body at optimum health and performance levels.

The idea for this blog came from my sweet and super healthy friend Hayley at work. She and her husband are extremely healthy, and she often teaches me things about health and fitness. She recommended that I write about protein consumption because so many of us are uneducated in this area.

1. What is protein?

Protein is composed of amino acids that and other elements that are essential for muscle repair and building and are essential for cells to function properly in our bodies. In fewer words, protein is ESSENTIAL to keep our bodies healthy.

2. What foods contain protein?

  • Eggs (7 grams of protein each)
  • Meats and Fish (4 oz can contain close to 30 grams of protein)
  • Whey Protein Powder (20-30 grams per scoop depending on the brand- make protein shakes for snacks or as part of a meal!)
  • Nuts
  • Beans
  • Dairy/Greek Yogurt (be wary of assuming all dairy contains enough protein to be beneficial- choose carefully!)

Animal products are the best sources of protein from the list above because animal products contain complete proteins, which means the protein is made up of all the essential amino acids we need.

3. How much protein should I eat?

The FDA recommends that an adult consume 60 grams of protein per day. I’ll be honest, that’s a terrible recommendation. 60 grams per day is not going to help your body perform at its best.

You should consume around 3/4 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight you contain. For nearly all of us, that means we should be consuming 100-150 grams of protein per day!

Shocked yet? How many of us really consume that much protein?

4. Won’t lots of protein make my muscles bulky?

Nope! Lifting weights makes your muscles toned, eating protein keeps your muscles repaired and healthy. The proper amount of protein keeps your cells healthy, your muscles strong, and your body rejuvenated. No amount of protein will magically give you big muscles… lifting weights and hard work does that.

 

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE:

Count your protein grams throughout the day.

  • Are you eating enough?
  • Do you need to eliminate some carbs and replace them with protein?
  • What will you put in place to ensure you eat enough protein to stay healthy?

 

Simple Fish Recipe

May 23, 2013 in Food, Protein, Recipes with 0 Comments

fish

Too often people are scared to cook fish.
Why? I honestly don’t know.

Fish is very simple and easy to cook and is so good for your when prepared properly. Today’s recipe is a simple fish seasoning to make a pan-fried fish fillet.

What fish should you cook?
I recommend buying frozen fillets at your local grocer because they are cheaper and are typically less fishy tasting because they were frozen immediately after being butchered. Jordan and I love Swai, a white fish with a natural sweetness. I also recommend salmon fillets or orange roughy. All of these fish are not too expensive are not “fishy” tasting.

SIMPLE FISH SEASONING

Ingredients

2 fish fillets, about 4 oz each
Salt
Pepper
Thyme, about 1 tsp per fillet
Olive Oil

Directions

1. Let frozen fillets thaw in the fridge or on the counter before cooking. This will allow your fish to cook more evenly.

2. Season fish using salt, pepper, and thyme. Use just enough salt and pepper to flavor your fish and then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of thyme over the fillet. Flip fillets and season the bottom of the fish as you did with the first side.

3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Put the fish in the skillet when the oil is extremely hot so the first side of the fillet sears and crisps. Turn heat to medium and cook fish for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

 

You can be sure fish is cooked through when the inside is flaky. If you prefer to use a meat thermometer, fish should hit 145 degrees when it is cooked through.

Nutrition:

One 2-4 oz fish fillet can be anywhere from 100 to 170 calories. It contains at least 20 grams of protein, and fish like salmon are loaded with Omegas.

Don’t let fish scare you! It is one of the best proteins you can eat a couple of times a week, and it really is easy to cook once you give it a try. This recipe may look too simple and boring, but I assure you, the flavor profile is fantastic!

 

Tex Mex Sloppy Joes

April 25, 2013 in Food, Protein, Recipes with 0 Comments

sloppy joe

One of my favorite magazines is Rachel Ray’s Magazine. She always has great recipes and party hosting tips, not to mention great information about food.

This recipe is from the March issue of Rachel Ray’s Magazine, and it is fantastic!

TEX MEX SLOPPY JOES
Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1-2 jalapeno peppers
1 TBLSP garlic, chopped
1 TBLSP chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp coriander
1 cup beer (you can buy non-alcoholic beer if you prefer not to cook with alcohol)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 TBLSP brown sugar
2 TBLSP worcestershire sauce
1 TBSLP cider vinegar
1 TSBLP hot sauce

4 hamburger buns

Directions

1. In a large skillet, drizzle olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain.

2. Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned. Season beef with salt and pepper. Return the cooked bacon to the pan and add the onion, chiles, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and coriander.
Cook stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together beer, tomato sauce, brown sugar, worcestershire, vinegar, and hot sauce. Pour the mixture over the meat. Lower the heat and let mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes or until ready to serve.

 

This recipe is excellent eaten even without a bun if you are looking to cut calories there. I highly recommend this delicious and healthy version of sloppy joes!

2 Reasons to Pack Your Meals

April 22, 2013 in breakfast, Calories, Food, Protein, Tools, vegetarian burger with 5 Comments

healthy lunch

Here’s yet another simple trick to stay healthy and save money: pack your lunch!

Pack a lunchbox (stylish or not) and prepare your meals at home for the next day and coming work week. By packing your own meals, you get to regulate what enters your mouth and how healthy it is.

WHY SHOULD I PACK A LUNCH?

1. You will save money.
Eating out at $10, 5 days a week, adds up to $200 a month, just on LUNCH. Packing your lunch will never hit that astronomical number unless you start packing rare exotic animals to eat.

2. You will save calories.
Eating out uneducated will cost you about 1000 calories per meal, while packing a lunch should cost you only 500 each day. Do the math here, and in one month’s time, you’ve eaten an extra 10,000 calories.
That’s 3 pounds my friends!

3. You will never regret saying no to unhealthy foods.
Too many of us watch coworkers and friends eat out for lunch almost every day and make terrible choices. It can be tempting to go out and enjoy what seems to be “better” food, but  feeling disgusting is never better.

EXCUSES

1. I don’t have enough time in the morning.
PACK IT THE NIGHT BEFORE. Packing my food the night before, helps me make good food choices and causes me to carefully measure out my food portions. Packing last minute in the morning would either cause me to be late or throw pre-packaged unhealthy food in my lunchbox.

You can ask my husband- come 9 o clock I make sure my lunch is packed in the right containers, fruit is washed, portions are measured, and it is stored in the fridge. I even go as far as getting my coffee in the filter so I only hit “Brew” when I get to the kitchen on my way out to work.

2. I don’t know what to pack.
LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I PACK:

Breakfast-a banana and instant flax oatmeal
Midmorning snack- 2 oz chicken and string cheese (both for the straight protein), usually accompanied by a piece of fruit
Lunch- 200 calories of either soup, chili, or a veggie burger, and a container of Greek yogurt with Chia seeds
Mid afternoon snack- CLIF Builder’s bar

This all puts me at only 1200 calories going into dinner.

 

In addition, if I know there’s an event later with unhealthy food I don’t enjoy spending my calories on, I will pre-pack a dinner. Packing my dinner ensures that I enjoy what I eat and intake foods my body loves, all while saving money and calories.

 

Quinoa Chickpea Sweet Potato Burgers

April 18, 2013 in Calories, fiber, Food, Protein, Recipes, vegetarian burger with 1 Comment

chickpea burger cooked

This weekend was a new recipe experiment. I thought to myself “what is in my pantry that I can make into dinner?” And when I found chickpeas and quinoa I quickly searched for a yummy vegetarian burger recipe. Much to my delight, I found this one, tried it, and it is delicious!

I found this recipe on the Ambitious Kitchen’s blog. A big thanks to this writer for sharing her adventures so I can now share them with you. You can find a link to the Ambitious Kitchen’s blog, the complete recipe, and step by step photos HERE. I did not list it here, but this blogger also has a spicy yogurt sauce for her burgers.

QUINOA CHICKPEA SWEET POTATO BURGERS

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced small
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium to large sweet potato
  • 1 -15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 egg
  • Buns and veggies to garnish

Directions

1. Cook quinoa by following directions. 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa is 1 1/4 cups dry. While cooking quinoa, microwave the sweet potato 3-4 minutes until soft and easily mashed.

2. Dice the onion into small pieces and saute with minced garlic in light olive oil until onions are soft and translucent.

3. Combine chickpeas, onion saute, sweet potato, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cilantro and parsley in the food processor. Pulse until chunky and taste. Add seasonings as desire. Then add 1 egg to soften the mixture. Pulse ingredients until slightly chunky but smooth overall.

4. Combine above mixture with quinoa in a large bowl. Stir together to make one homeogenous mixture. Divide mixture into patties, about 8 or 9 total.

5. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Cook burgers 4-5 minutes per side, keeping the heat at medium so they cook through without over cooking on the outside.

Nutrition

If you make 9 burgers, 1 patty only has 165 calories and is loaded with protein and fiber.

 

Enjoy!

Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot

April 11, 2013 in Food, Protein, Recipes with 1 Comment

whole chicken

I used to eat pre-packaged meat for quick protein in the mornings as a snack. Not only is this expensive when eating lunchmeat every day, but the preservatives in packaged lunch meats are not good for you.

As money was spent and I was tired of eating pre-packaged unhealthy meats, I looked for an easy recipe to cook a whole chicken. A few weeks ago, I had never cooked a whole bird. I found this recipe and have cooked it multiple times since then! Buying a whole chicken is around $1 a pound. Purchasing whole chickens to cook will save the Covarellis about $20 a month in meat! Winning!

This recipe was found on 100 Day of Real Food. You can find the link HERE.

WHOLE CHICKEN IN THE CROCK POT

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 1 large chicken

Directions

  1. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
  2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
  3. Remove any giblets from the chicken, rinse the chicken cavity and under the skin, and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
  4. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
  5. Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone.

Remember, chicken should register at at 165 degrees on a meat thermometer when it is fully cooked. I suggest purchasing a meat thermometer if you don’t own one.

Nutrition

I use my food scale to portion out 4 oz of chicken when I snack.
4 oz of white meat is about 60 calories and 15 grams of protein.

 

Enjoy! This will save you time and money and give you guilt-free, preservative-laden chicken.

A New Recipe: Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

April 4, 2013 in Calories, fiber, Food, Protein, Recipes, vegetarian burger with 2 Comments

quinoa beanburger

I’ve posted before about black bean burgers and how much I LOVE them. I found a new recipe for a quinoa and black bean burger that may be my new favorite vegetarian burger. The flavor, texture, and everything about this burger is delicious!

This recipe is courtesy of All Recipes, who always has wonderful food ideas. Their iPad app is a great tool when deciding what to cook for dinner. You can find the original burger recipe HERE.

I always double this recipe to make 10 burgers, each containing only 160 calories! Eat one on a sandwich thin bun and your burger is maxing out at 260 calories. You can’t lose!

QUINOA BLACK BEAN BURGERS

Makes 5 burgers-

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup water, to cook quinoa
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I use Italian breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup yellow bell pepper (about 1/2 of a pepper)
2 TBLSP chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, about 1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 TBSLP fresh chopped cilantro*
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp hot sauce, your choice
1 egg
Olive oil, to cook burgers

*The All Recipes version does not call for it, but I recommend adding a Tablespoon of fresh cilantro.

Directions

  1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Roughly mash the black beans with a fork or potato masher, leaving some whole black beans in a paste-like mixture.
  3. Mix the quinoa, bread crumbs, bell pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, hot pepper sauce, and egg into the black beans using your hands.
  4. Form the black bean mixture into 5 patties.
  5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
  6. Reduce heat to medium- low. Cook the patties in the hot oil until heated through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Fat Burning Starts with Food

April 1, 2013 in breakfast, fiber, Food, Protein, Weight with 0 Comments

oatmeal

You’re not losing weight and you’re frustrated.

Let me ask you this: do you eat breakfast?

Seriously… do you? The saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” still rings true today. Breakfast is the most effective way to kickstart your metabolism so your body can begin burning calories and fat.

WHEN Should I Eat Breakfast?

I have read two reputable health sources that have differing opinions.
1. One says you should eat breakfast within ONE HOUR of waking up to kick your metabolism into gear. If you’re not hungry yet, that’s okay. You don’t need to eat a huge breakfast, but you need something!

2. Another source says eat breakfast 12 hours after you had your last meal. Meaning, if you ate a late dinner at 9 o clock last night, eat breakfast at 9 am this morning. Taking 12 hours between your last meal and breakfast the next day helps your body get to the fasting phase of digestion where your body more efficiently  burns off the food you eat.

WHAT should I eat for breakfast?

2 eggs
Turkey bacon
A piece of fruit
Steel cut oatmeal (Better Oats brand is my favorite.)
Greek yogurt with fruit

Combine 2 to 3 of the above items so that your breakfast contains fiber, protein, and carbs to keep away hunger for several hours.

What SHOULDN’T I eat for breakfast?

Check the nutrition information on your favorite foods. If it doesn’t contain fiber and protein, it’s no good!

DON’T EAT:
Poptarts
Granola
Nutrigrain bars
Bagels
Muffins
Donuts

The list goes on… Even granola and Nutrigrain bars sound healthy, but they are simply carbs and sugar, no real help to your body.

 

If you do not currently eat breakfast, give it a go!
It may be the one thing your body needs to keep burning fat and keeping you looking amazing.

Walnut Rosemary Oven Fried Chicken

March 28, 2013 in Food, Protein, Recipes with 0 Comments

walnut-rosemary-oven-fried-chicken-ck-l

Cooking Light might be my favorite recipe magazine- every month it comes in the mail, and I cannot wait to tear out new delicious recipes. Today’s recipe is Walnut and Rosemary Oven Fried Chicken. One word: YUM! This recipe is not only healthy but extremely easy and tasty.

The picture above and the recipe are linked from Cooking Light and My Recipes. You can find the original recipe by clicking HERE.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk*
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 4 (6-ounce) chicken cutlets
  • 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Cooking spray

*No need to buy an entire container of buttermilk- make your own. Mix 1 cup milk to 1 TBLSP lemon juice to create your own buttermilk at home!

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425°.
  2. Combine buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to coat.
  3. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Combine panko, nuts, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture; discard buttermilk mixture. Dredge chicken in panko mixture.
  4. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on rack; coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 13 minutes or until chicken is done. Garnish with rosemary leaves, if desired.

This is Cooking Light’s exact recipe. When I cooked it, I knew it needed to be a blog recipe!

NUTRITION

Amount per serving (1 6 oz breast)

  • Calories: 292
  • Fat: 9.6g
  • Saturated fat: 1.6g
  • Protein: 42.7g
  • Carbohydrate: 6.8g
  • Fiber: 0.9g
  • Cholesterol: 101mg

This recipe is great with kale chips and baked sweet potatoes! Find my kale chips recipe HERE. Bake your sweet potatoes at 375 degrees for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Enjoy!

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