almond crusted chicken

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted!  In the last month, tennis season started up, and I got a stomach bug.  It's been very eventful but has also kept me from branching out in the kitchen.  We've been eating lots of rotisserie chickens and frozen veggies lately.  We were both so busy last week, neither of us felt like going out for our standing Friday night date.  So I decided to cook something new!

Whenever we visit my parents, we usually eat at West Cobb Diner.  It popped up after I left high school, but it has become a staple in Kennesaw.  My favorite thing on the menu is Pecan Crusted Porkchops with blueberry chutney.  I always try to get someone at the table to split it with me.  It really got me thinking about using ground nuts as a coating in my cooking.  And as I've mentioned before, my first love is chicken fingers.  So it got me thinking that there had to be a way to combine these two things!

I googled many recipes and eventually pieced together my own.  It turned out to be amazing.  This recipe is 100% EASY!

Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders

Serves 4

2 lb chicken tenders

1 egg white, beaten

1 1/2 cup almonds, crushed/ground

1/2 flax meal

2 tbsp Parmesan, grated (more or less optional)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat your oven at 350.  In a small bowl, beat the egg white.  In another bowl, mix all dry ingredients well.  Take chicken tenders, lightly brush in beaten egg and coat in dry mixture well.  Place them in a glass baking dish, covered in alumnium and sprayed with Pam.

Bake for 40 minutes and enjoy!

the real hunger games

We started our legislative branch unit in government this week.  Before we can really get into things, I try to lay a foundation of what the branch is about, how it functions, and its different parts.  Today, we discussed the House of Representatives.  I gave the class a map of Georgia, and we all drew the 14 districts, which led to conversations about apportionment and gerrymandering.

One of my students looked dazed.  She was obviously in deep thought.  I asked her what was wrong and she exclaimed, "Y'ALL, THE HUNGER GAMES IS REAL!!!!" Then another student screamed, "I WISH I LIVED IN THE 12th DISTRICT! THERE MIGHT BE A REAL KATNISS! AND MORE DISTRICTS!"

I cried I laughed so hard.  I literally couldn't wait to get to lunch to tell the other teachers.  I hope this little girl was showing me how she applied her new knowledge today, instead of totally dazing out as soon as I said 14 districts!

A few nights ago, I tried a new salad out for dinner!  I found the recipe in a magazine but needed to make some adjustments.  It turned out to be very good.  There was so much flavor!  I would definitely recommend giving it a try!

Brussels Sprout Salad

One bag of fresh brussels sprouts

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 tbsp Splenda brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Using either a chopper, food processor, or knife, shred the brussels sprouts.  Whisk the next five ingredients together.  Pour over the shredded brussels sprouts and toss until covered.

Refrigerate until serving and ENJOY!

so I be like...

Warning: Lots of complaining about to ensue.  Through the use of New Girl gifs.

So I'm looking through my Instagram and Facebook feeds and I'm like...

WHY!! Why are all of my friends sharing all of the beautiful pumpkin and fall flavored sweets that I can not have :(  Pumpkin and chocolate chip waffles, pumpkin bread, apple bread, cameral covered apples, ciders with sugar, and non-skinny Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes... And the list goes on and on.

And I'm just like...

But I can't have soft pretzels.  And I can't have sugar.  And I can't have all of the yummy fall treats that exist in the world.

So then I'm like...

Don't you people know that it makes things so much harder to look at your beautiful sweet treats?

But then I'm like...

And after all of my complaining, I realize that I really don't mind being insulin resistant.  I love finding new healthy recipes and I love exercise.  

So then I'm like...

So you enjoy your yummy fall treats and feel free to...

Because I'm not really in that much pain and one day, I'll treat myself to something sugary and sweet.

So now I be like...

Happy Hump Day!

spinach stuffed portobello mushrooms

Today, my 3rd period class (of upperclassmen) decided to play a trick on my 4th period class (of underclassmen).  They turned the desks upside down.  It was truly hilarious.  They continually play pranks on my 4th period, and I get just as much joy out of it as they do!

After being under-the-weather last week, and only feeding David soup, I decided it was time to get back to cooking.  I went to Aldi yesterday, and very randomly grabbed a pack of two portobello mushrooms.  I brainstormed all day about what to do with them.  I desperately wanted to incorporate some tomatoes into our dinner.  I came up with something so delicious.  And I think there are so many other possibilities for the future!

Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

2 large portobello mushrooms

1 package of frozen spinach

1 large tomato

1/3 cup 0% Fage greek yogurt

1/2 tbsp minced garlic (or 4 garlic cloves)

1/4 garlic powder

1 tbsp parmesan

Mozzarella to top

Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

Cook spinach as package directs and add in minced garlic.

Once it cooks down, drain, and pat out water.  Mix the spinach, greek yogurt, garlic powder, parmesan, and salt.  Place the spinach mixture inside of the mushrooms.

Thinly slice the tomato and lay a few slices on top of the spinach.

Cover with mozzarella and bake for 20 minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy :)

Let me know what you think!  Do you stuff portobello mushrooms?  

pesto zoodles with shrimp

Last tennis season, I brought my bag inside.  It's a rather large bag, and the boys I coach had stuffed it full of tennis balls one day.  (Funny aren't they?)  Unfortunately for the boys, Hazel destroyed a few tennis balls that night.  She sniffed them out and pulled about 15 balls out.  She then scattered them across the house.  A couple of them became hers, and the rest were hidden in my car.  The only problem with Hazel's love of tennis balls is that, she also loves to push them under the couch.  I needed a solution that wasn't getting under the couch with a yard stick every 10 minutes.

Today I went out with one mission, find a giant tennis ball. I was successful! Hazel loves her new toy, and best of all, it can't roll under the couch!  One of the best things about Hazel is that she can play by herself.  She doesn't need me or the hubs to help entertain her.  She will even toss the ball herself, and go get it!  We love this little bundle of joy!

Now on to the yummy stuff!  Today, I'm linking up with Recipe Sharing Monday on Jam Hands!

It's no secret that I love using vegetables as fake starches.  One of my favorites is zucchini noodles or zoodles.  I saw a recipe on Pinterest for a pasta dish that looked amazing.  So I had to recreate it carb-free!  It turned out so good.  I know always I've done something right when halfway through supper David murmurs how good it is while still putting more in his mouth.

Zoodles are extremely easy to make with my handy veggie slicer! I would highly recommend it.  I use it quite often.  It has so many uses!  Now, the best part about the zoodles is that they are extremely filling and mostly water!  It doesn't take much to feel full.

Pesto Zoodles with Shrimp

3 zucchini (spiraled)

1 bag of frozen medium raw shrimp

3 tbsp Classico Basil Pesto

1 tbsp of minced garlic

1 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Spiral zucchini and set it aside.

Heat up oil, garlic and salt in skillet.

Add zucchini and pesto.  Toss and stir until zoodles are warm and soft (like noodles).  Usually takes about 10 minutes.  In the last few minutes, boil shrimp for 3-4 minutes.

Once the zucchini has cooked, drain it before plating it. (A lot of moisture will come out of the zucchini while it cooks.)

Plate noodles and add shrimp to the top.  Or if you like, throw the shrimp in the skillet and toss them around first!

ENJOY!

version 2.0

Today was my day to eat lunch in the cafeteria.  There is something about watching kids eat that is not that appetizing, but nonetheless, I made it through.  Well that is until I went to throw my trash away.  As I made my way to the trash cans with a coworker, I made the greatest save of all time.  Unfortunately, everyone in the cafeteria was there to witness.  What was this great save you might ask?  Not touching the floor when my ankle gave way to my body, and I almost completely crashed into the ground.  It was painful.

And embarrassing.

Just imagine millions of high schoolers laughing at you.  So fun.

Tonight, for dinner I made a new summer salad!  I have had a small obsession with chickpeas for awhile now, seriously, I love those little things.  And I have seriously made the most delicious salad ever!!  Really, I had to literally put the salad away to quit eating it.  YUM!  I definitely don't want you to miss out, so here is the recipe!

What recipes do you make with chickpeas?

Chickpea and Cucumber Summer Salad

3/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1-15 ounce can of chickpeas

2 roma tomatoes

1 large cucumber

1/8 cup diced sweet onion

Pepper to taste

Mix everything together well and refrigerate! 

Hope you enjoy!

cauliflower fritters

Last night was miserable.

Honestly, since we've had Hazel, she had not once kept us up at night.

She was a wonderful puppy,, and has graduated from sleeping in her kennel at night to sleeping peacefully in her bed next to my side of the room.

Well that was until last night, when she conveniently decided to keep me up.  She apparently decided she was going to sleep in our bed...in the middle of the night!  Around 1am she began jumping in, only to be abruptly kicked out.  Hazel even got so bold as to bring her bone into the bed around 2am when she was immediately put in her kennel in another room. She then whined and cried until 4am.  I couldn't take it anymore, so I took her outside, and when she came back in she RACED to the bed.  At this point she woke David up who firmly told her to get in her bed.  She obeyed and didn't move again until I had to get up at 5am.

Needless to say, it was a long day today.  But she has made up for her crazy night with lots of cuddles since I've been home from work. And napping.

Now that I have vented all about my sleepless night, let me tell you about something wonderful.  I talk about cauliflower a lot, and we frequently have it in different forms for dinner.  While scouring Pinterest for healthy recipes, I came across some cauliflower fritters.  They included bread crumbs, which I can't eat, so I just left them out and added a few other things!

They turned out so good!  Definitely a new addition to our rotating menu of side items.  To be honest, I was a little skeptical, but they were seriously delicious.

Cauliflower Fritters

1 bag frozen cauliflower

1 egg

1 egg white

1/4 tsp parsley

1/4 cup colby jack shredded cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.  Heat up skillet and cover with cooking spray.  Make cauliflower patties and place in skillet.  Cook until each side browns.  About 3 minutes per side!

Serve warm and enjoy!

gluten free vs. low carb

I read a lot of blogs.  One of the things I consistently read about are people going on gluten free diets to lose weight.  As a person with a very special diet, I have had to read lots of books to truly understand what I can and can't eat.  When I first started this journey, I decided I would just go gluten free.  That's a diet right?

Unfortunately, it's not.  In fact, if you do not have celiac's, it's probably not a good idea.

What most people don't realize when they buy something gluten free, in hopes of dieting, is that it's actually made with rice flour!  And well, that means it actually has on average 10-15 more grams of carbs that regular flour.  So if you are doing the math, when I decided to try a gluten free diet, I actually GAINED WEIGHT.

Truthfully, the best diet is NO carb.  I turned to a no carb diet shortly after the gaining weight by accident, on a gluten free plan.  My dad recommended a book to me.  In fact, if you want a reason to steer clear from carbs forever, try reading Wheat Belly.  Trust me, it'll do the trick.  I read one subtitle and suddenly everything clicked "Be gluten-free but don't eat gluten-free."  It's amazing the adverse affects flour and even WHEAT flour can have on your body!  Wheat will make you tired, increase your blood sugar, slow your metabolism, make you hungrier, and make your belly fat!  Now I am not completely no carb, I eat limited fruit and very rarely a piece of bread (maybe at a restaurant or something).  Not too long ago I made the decision not to refer to this as a diet any longer.  This is a lifestyle for me.  And it has changed me.  I have lost weight and gained energy. It has motivated me to keep on going and continue living this way.

I have come up with ten tips to help anyone be successful on a low carb lifestyle.  I hope that if you are interested you will give it a try.

1. Use alternatives.

When you are cooking, it is very easy to use healthier alternatives in recipes.

For peanut butter cookies, use peanut or almond flour.  For "fried" or baked breading, use a nut based flour to coat.  Or make changes to your favorites!  Last Easter, I made a squash casserole.  I traded out the mayonnaise with 0% Fage Greek yogurt, used VERY few whole wheat Ritz cracker rounds, and Smart Balance butter.

2. Use vegetables.

Vegetables can be used in more ways than I ever imagined.  Three of the best examples I have are mashed cauliflower, zucchini noodles, and cauliflower sauce.  They are so yummy and satisfying.  When I use vegetables to replace starches, I actually feel full faster and longer.  I would also encourage someone looking to participate in a low carb diet to try new vegetables, like spaghetti squash and acorn squash.

3. Get full on protein.

Tuna, eggs, chicken, almonds, and ground turkey are some of the staples in my life.  I usually make tuna salad, chicken salad, or egg salad for my 20 minute lunch.  I try to make it the main part of my lunch.  I always eat it first and then the rest of my lunch.  My goal is to get full on the protein first.  I give myself more leeway at supper time.  I don't necessarily eat the protein first, because there are usually so many delicious veggies on the plate too :)

4. Cook with seeds.

There are two seeds I currently could not live without--flaxseed and chia seed.  You can put them in anything, and they only add to your meal.  I especially love chia seeds and make several fruit flavored chia puddings for breakfast during the week.  There are so many benefits to these wonderful little seeds.

5. Use fruit.

If you are going to eat a carb, this is the way to do it!  Some of the best fruits you can eat on a low carb diet include--blueberries, strawberries, grapefruit, apples and pears.  Sometimes after you have been eating protein and vegetables, just having a piece of fruit feels indulgent. Yum :)

6. Know what you are consuming.

Read labels!  Turn that package around and look at the ingredients.  Are they mostly real?  How many carbohydrates are in the product?  You would be surprised what products you assume are low in sugar or carbs.  While the Atkins program has some great options (breakfast bars and frozen meals!!!), they have something even better and FREE!  If you sign up for information, they will send you 3 free bars, coupons, and the best part--a Carb Counter book.  It lists the carbs in the most popular foods and some options at restaurants.  I highly recommend signing up!

7. Get creative.

Use blogs, recipe books, and just your general knowledge in the kitchen and get creative with how you eat.  Eating well is most of the fight when it comes to weight loss, so do it right!  Some blogs I use to help inspire me in the kitchen include--Skinnytaste, Steamy Kitchen, skinnyms.,and Eat Yourself Skinny.

8. Find things you love!

Eating healthy foods you love and having fun exercising are the perfect combination for success. When I make things that the hubs and I both love, I make it over and over again.  We enjoy eating healthy and it only makes it better when it tastes amazing.  Exercise can be difficult if you do the same thing over and over again.  Find something you are really into.  This summer I fell in love with Zumba, it was different and fun.  It gave me something to really look forward too!

Find what you love!

9. Do your research.

Read books, blogs, and health magazines.  Become informed about the decisions you are making. The best part is that several of them include lots of recipes and eating plans!  Here are a few really good ones--Wheat Belly, The Metabolism Miracle Cookbook, The PCOS Plan, and Why We Get Fat.

10. Make it a lifestyle choice, not a diet.

Living no carb/low carb can be a diet.  However, as soon as its over and you bring those carbs back into your life, you will inevitably gain a little bit of weight back.  Every day I have to choose all over again to make this a way of living, but it is and will be worth it.

How do you live a healthy lifestyle?

chia seeds? yes please!

With school just right around the corner, I've been thinking more and more about how to make easy healthy meals for me and the hubs, continue exercising, and balance my daily schedule.  Let's be serious, sometimes it can be difficult to manage work, relationships, healthy eating, exercise, and anything else you might want to do!  So I'm all about finding ways to make things easier.

During the school year, I wake up at 5am every morning.  I have found that it is really difficult to eat breakfast this early in the morning.  Often times, I take my breakfast with me to work.  Another problem I run into is hunger.  When I eat so early and then teach all morning, I'm starving for my 20 minute lunch break.  

Well I have found a solution for my breakfast dilemma... CHIA SEEDS!

Have you heard of them?  ABC has deemed them the "It" food of 2013.

If you haven't, you need too! Chia seeds have MANY benefits.  One of the most important benefits for me is that it helps control blood sugar!  They are extremely beneficial for diabetics!  Other benefits include weight loss, reduced appetite, feeling fuller faster, increased hydration, boosting energy, and lowering cholesterol.  Chia seeds do not add any flavoring to a dish, so they could be added to anything!  I promise you will start seeing them a little more around this blog.

I cannot take credit for this amazing recipe, it all goes to Gina over at Skinnytaste (her blog is amazing).  I just made a few changes to make it something I would enjoy even more!

My family was skeptical, but it tasted amazing.

I doubled the recipe and will continue doing that in the future.  I may even start packing them in containers to take to work! YUM!

 Berry Chia Breakfast Pudding

Serves 4, Serving Size 1 cup

2 cups of unsweetened Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Vanilla

1 tbsp Splenda

3/4 cup blueberries

3/4 cup sliced strawberries

4 tbsp chia seeds

Put all ingredients into a container that can be covered and stir them together.

Cover container and shake.

Wait 15 minutes and shake again.

Refrigerate overnight and ENJOY!

skinny taco soup

I went home with Hazel for my 4 day weekend to give the hubs some serious study space, visit my parents and visit the doctor.  Full weekend some might say!

We (me and Hazel) jammed to my 90s playlist on Spotify on the way.

No lie... she loves it.

I got the chance to see my whole family, including two of my precious cousins.

Hazel enjoyed everyone's company (maybe too much!)  She was tuckered out when we got home! We celebrated my sister being halfway done with medical school at the Marietta Diner with my Grandma!

I had chicken souvlaki and a salad.  My sister got a piece of California Cake (partially cake and partially cheesecake...yum!)

When I got back I was on a mission.  I wanted to get all of our dinners prepared for the week.

I whipped up some Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken for tomorrow.  But for tonight, we are having Skinny Taco Soup!

I'm always trying to think of hearty and healthy meals for my hubby to take to school for lunch.  It's even better if its a one dish/grab-and-go situation for him!

So here you have it! Coming in at less than 300 calories a serving!

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 lb lean ground turkey

2 cans Bush's black beans

1 can Bush's dark kidney beans drained

1 can Bush's pinto beans drained

1 cans fire-roasted Hunt's diced tomatoes

1 can Campbell's tomato soup

1 medium sized can (or two small cans) of sliced black olives drained

1 small can diced green chiles drained

1 packets Old El Paso Mild Taco Seasoning

(Optional: 1 can of drained corn)

Directions:

Brown the meat and drain grease.

Dump everything into a soup pot.

Bring to boil for a few minutes.  Then simmer for 20 minutes.

ENJOY and Happy Monday!

butternut squash soup

This Monday is finally coming to an end.  

We are wrapping up the evening by watching the debate, of course.

The hubs and I fell in love talking politics, so what else would we do.

But earlier tonight...

Let me just tell you... I outdid myself.

I mean I'm seriously impressed.

I made a soup.

And not just one with tons of beans, but something yummy and healthy.

Husband ate two bowls, so I know I'm not crazy, it's REALLY good!

Butternut Squash Soup.

YUM.

And it gave me an excuse to buy an immersion blender.

What goes in it?

1 large butternut squash (3-4 cups cubed)

2 carrots peeled

2 celery stalks

1 small onion

7 cups of fat free chicken broth

4 sage leaves

1/2 cup skim milk

salt and pepper

How do you put it together?

Get out a big pot and lid.

Cube your butternut squash.

Chop up your celery and onion.

Peel your carrot.

Throw it all in the pot.

Add chicken broth and sage leaves.

Boil for 10 minutes.

Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Remove sage leaves.

Puree with immersion blender (while on stove).

Add milk, salt and pepper to taste.

Puree, puree, puree.

Add some parmesan cheese to the top if you like.

Trust me, you won't regret it.

I hope you ENJOY :)

Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

This weekend has been so much fun! Friday night, David and I went on date night as usual.

We watched the end of the Braves game at dinner and saw the in-fly ball call.

Let's just say, so far, not a good weekend for Georgia sports.

However, I still love my Dawgs!

David and I threw a little get together for the game last night.

But more on that another time!

Onto the food!

The challenge I have found with a low-carb diet is coming up with good side dishes.

I am a creature of habit.

Once I find something I love (for example, mashed cauli) I wear it out.

So I've been searching for something different, something yummy that is not just frozen veggies.

And something easy.

Let me preface this recipe by saying, you will not be able to control yourself.

In fact, David and I tried it before plating it for dinner and had to stop ourselves so we would have some left!  This recipe is SO good and SO easy and SO addicting!

And being the creature of habit that I am, we ate it as a side TWICE last week!

I hope you love them as much as we do!

Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

Fresh cut green beans

Mushrooms

1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to your liking

Parmesan to your liking

Then follow these EASY directions...

Toss everything into a baggie.

Shake it up! Cover everything.

I've been shake it up, coating it and letting it sit until the oven preheats!

Spread everything out on a baking sheet.

Make sure you spray it so nothing sticks!

And YUM!

I hope you enjoy!!

We definitely have!

done and done

David and I are so busy during the week we hardly have time to do anything, especially cook!

While I was searching Pinterest, I started to notice how so many women make their meals once a week or once every two weeks and freeze them.  

So I picked out a couple recipes and got busy.
This literally took me less than 20 minutes to put together.

Before I talk about my recipes, I should tell you about an amazing new app I downloaded.  Not only do I have it on my iPhone, I can access it via the web anywhere.

On Google Chrome, I have a Evernote Webclipper.  So anytime I find a recipe I like, I click on my clipper and tag it in recipes.  It organizes everything for me!  I can clip any recipes and tag them to a specific notebook.

The best part, if I need to look up something from a recipe that I can't remember, I can access it EASILY while at the store!

I made two dishes for this week--Basil Pesto Chicken and Chicken Parm Bake!

I write the directions on the tops, so that David can start something before I get home if he wants.

Here are my recipes!

Basil Pesto Chicken

- Chicken breasts

- Basil Pesto

- Mozzarella cheese

Cook at 375 for 25 minutes.

Pull out, cover in mozzarella cheese and continue cooking 5-7 minutes!

Enjoy!

Chicken Parm Bake

- Chicken breasts

- 1 cup Fage greek yogurt

- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

- Seasoned salt

- Pepper

- Garlic powder

- Onion powder

Preheat to 375.

Cover chicken breasts in the seasonings.

Mix greek yogurt and parm cheese together.

Cover chicken in mixture.  Cover the top of every piece so that it doesn't dry out!

Cook 45 minutes.

Top with fresh parm at the end and let melt.

ENJOY!

banana pancakes? no flour? yes ma'am.

I hope you are having a great weekend!  My Dawgs beat Tennessee and my Volleydoggs came in 3rd at their region tournament!  Hard work pays off!  Now all I feel like doing is going to bed for days!

Fall break is soon enough!

I have a new AMAZING recipe to share with you!

No Flour Banana Pancakes

Do the words pancakes and gluten free go together? Nope.  And they don't taste good either.

But you know what does taste good? Banana pancakes.

What's even better?  Flour free banana pancakes.

Take 1 banana, 1 egg, and 1 egg white. (I also added a little cinnamon!)

Blend. Not too much, but enough!

Spray your skillet.

Make pancakes!

No flour! Lots of protein and potassium!

And they taste, AMAZING!!!!!

I hope you enjoy them!

sundays

I love Sundays.

First, we are loving our Church.

www.watfbc.org

Secondly, it is always just a good day.

I go grocery shopping.

Then make a dinner that will hopefully provide enough leftovers for three nights.

But more on that in a minute... I need to brag on my amazing hubby real quick.

He surprised me with a dozen red roses on Friday!

Work has been wearing me OUT, so it was a really great surprise!

 

But back to Sunday.  Last night, I burnt FOUR fingers on a pan that I didn't know was hot.  OUCH!

 David and I have received a lot of tomatoes recently.  Which I have no qualms with, because I LOVE slicing them up, adding some mozzarella and parm, Italian seasonings, and broiling them for 3-4 minutes.  It's like summer in your mouth.

 

Last night I decided to try out a snack recipe I had seen on Pinterest.   I'm not a huge edamame fan, however when I saw crispy in front of it, I knew I had to make them.

They were everything I dream they would be.  YUMMY!

All I did was shell frozen edamame, tossed them in a little oil, lots of salt and pepper, and grated parm.  400 degrees, 15 minutes. YUMMY pieces of heaven.

 

Needless to say, we had a good Sunday.

I hope yours was too!