baked garlic parmesan wings

About once every other week, David and I get a box of baked wings from Publix.  We are partial to the mardi gras flavor, but settle for lemon pepper when they are low on our favorite.  Every time I want to order wings, I ask if they are breaded.  You would not believe how often wings are breaded, and you don't realize it.

 I told David that I was going to make my own wings, but I would need his help.  I was unsure of what kind of chicken legs to buy and how to cut them up.  He guided me through the grocery store and taught me how to butcher them at home.

 Then he went back to studying for the bar.  When he opened the door of his office, I could tell he was impressed with my mission to bake my own wings.  It smelled amazing in our home.  And these wings are delicious.  They are so good, I almost immediately made another batch of them to ensure we would have leftovers.  Seriously, these are amazing!

 Baked Garlic Parmesan Wings

2 1/2 lbs of chicken wings

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

Preheat your oven to 425F.  Mix oregano, rosemary, cumin, and salt in a bowl.  Toss your chicken wings in the seasoning bowl, then place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake the wings for 25 minutes.  Then turn your oven to broil for about 5 minutes.  Flip the wings and allow them to continue to broil for 5 more minutes.  Until both sides are crispy.

While the wings are baking, mix the remaining ingredients together.  When the wings finished, toss them in the remaining mixture and serve hot.

 I know you will love these as much as we did!  There is no reason to go back to Publix for wings anymore when I can bake some at home that are better!  I also served this salad with them.

Let me know what you think!

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!

Chicken Soup

The weather has definitely messed with me! What about you? Everyone at school (kids and teachers) has been coming down with a nasty flu-like cold.  I thought I had kept myself healthy and free of it, and I was even bragging that I hadn't caught it! Which was probably my mistake!  It hit me like a ton of bricks Wednesday morning.  I have truly done nothing but go to work, coach, and sleep.  I needed this weekend badly!  Fortunately, I have my trusty sidekick to keep me warm as I get some work accomplished!

I have been eating soup for supper since I got sick, and there is truly nothing better than a good chicken soup!  I turned my nose up to it for so long.  My mama would always recommend it at our local La Parillia (only the best Mexican in all of Kennesaw and maybe the world). I finally tried it out around Thanksgiving, and I have never looked back! My life was seriously changed.  Moms are always right aren't they? After I made it the first time, David requested I put it on our regular rotation!  So I must have done something right!

I promise this soup will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  It is perfect for all seasons because of its flavor and warmth!

Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken, shredded

1 large tomato, diced

1 can Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes, diced

1 1/2 cups green onions

1/2 of a zucchini, very thinly sliced

1 tsp garlic

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2-48oz boxes chicken broth, fat free

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 tbsp olive oil

Avocados

Limes

Boil a few chicken breasts for about 20-25 minutes until cooked through.  While the chicken is cooking, warm up the olive oil.  Stir in the green onions and garlic, and sauté for a few minutes.  Then stir in all tomatoes, zucchini, cumin, salt, and pepper and allow them to soften for a few more minutes. Pour chicken broth in and bring to a boil.  Then simmer for 20 minutes.

Once the chicken has finished boiling, shredd it.  Put it in the bottom of the bowls you will be serving.  Then add cilantro and diced avocado to you liking.  Pour soup over the top and ENJOY!!

Cinnamon Nut Bars

Snow Jam 2014 did not affect us the same way it did Atlanta, but we did get about 2 inches of snow that was perfect for playing! It was Hazel's first snow, and she loved it!  So before I get to my newest yummy treat, here are some of my favorite pictures from the Athens, GA version of Snow Jam. 

To say that Hazel loved the snow would be an understatement! At first it was too cold for her to play, but once she warmed up, there was no stopping the fun!  I've been enjoying a couple snow days at home, which has given me the perfect opportunity to try something new! I have spent lots of time on the meal replacement bar isle in the grocery store.  To be honest, no bar is perfect.  They either have too much fat, calories, or sugar.  While many of them claim to be all protein, they have a lot of other things hidden in them.  

My favorite kind of meal replacement/snack bars are nut bars.  To make some of my own, I pulled together every type of nut and seed in my house, tossed them in a bag with some cinnamon and Splenda, and magic happened!  My snack bars turned out so good, David requested I never buy bars from the store again!  These are so easy to make and you can mix up the flavors with new ingredients every time you make them!  Below, I give my recipe and list some alternative ingredients in case you flavor palette is different from mine.

Cinnamon Nut Bars

1 cup crushed roasted almonds, no salt

1 cup roasted peanuts, no salt

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/4 cup rolled oats, plain

1/2 cup pecans

2 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp Splenda (or your favorite sweetener)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup honey

Dash of vanilla

Optional:

Dried fruit

Chocolate pieces

Sunflower seeds

Walnuts

Macadamia Nuts

Flaked coconut

Preheat your oven to 350.  Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add honey and vanilla.  Mix well with a rubber spatula to ensure the honey and vanilla coat all the ingredients. Once combined, pour the mixture out on parchment paper and firmly press it down to form a large rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Once it has finished baking, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes. The large bar may seem a little soft when it first comes out, but allowing it to cool will make it firm.  Once it has cooled, cut the large bar down the center through the length of the bar. Then, cut each section at 1.5 inch intervals to form individual bars. Each bar should be about 5 x 1.5 inches. Enjoy!

Healthy Homemade Marinara

Sorry I've been gone for awhile! I've been doing a lot of behind the scenes work on the blog that has kept me super busy! I can't wait to share it all with y'all soon! 

But I return to you with something amazing!  Lately, as I read labels at the grocery store, I feel like I'm just settling for the best option.  After looking to the internet, I've realized that making your own sauces/dressings is easy, quick, and healthier because you know exactly what is in it!  

I've made a lot of different dressings lately, but tonight I was craving Italian.  I wanted spaghetti!  Unfortunately, I can't even have whole wheat noodles, but I don't miss them.  Like I've said a hundred times before, zucchini noodles are just as good and more filling!  

However, after browsing the marinara selection at Kroger, I was disappointed there were no truly sugar free options.  So I set out to make my own.  At dinner, the husband raved about it, so I know I did something right :)  I went ahead and made a big pot so we could freeze some for later, and use some for leftovers tomorrow night.  But, this recipe could easily be halved. Enjoy!

Homemade Marinara

2  28oz cans Hunts Crushed Tomatoes

3 tsps minced garlic, divided

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

4 tbsp fresh basil

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

Olive oil

Bring a pot to medium heat with a small amount of olive oil in the bottom.  Once it's warm, sauté 2 tsps garlic until light brown and fragrant.  Stir in crushed tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer and stir in onion powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Once it has simmered for 20 minutes, stir in remaining garlic and fresh basil. Enjoy!

skinny frozen hot chocolate

I have mentioned here that David is in the midst of studying for finals.  During this time, I try to make it my goal to make him a healthy treat every now and again.  I'll never forget the year my dad gave my mama frozen hot chocolate packets from Serendipity 3 for Christmas.  We all enjoyed her present!  Last week, I researched the "healthiest" hot chocolate mix.  I came up with Swiss Miss Diet.  It has 4 carbs and 2 grams of sugar.  

Husband loved his study treat!  It had the perfect amount of sweetness and chocolate.

This wintery treat has less than 4 net carbs and 4 grams of sugar per serving.

Skinny Frozen Hot Chocolate

Serves 2-4

2 packets of Swiss Miss Diet Hot Chocolate

3/4 cup skim milk

2 tbsp Breyers CarbSmart Chocolate icecream

1 cup ice

Mix milk and hot chocolate mix together well.  Add everything to blender and pulse until smooth.

Optional: Marshmallow topping!  I zapped some marshmallows in the microwave and topped David's drink with them and shaved chocolate for the full hot chocolate effect!

cheesy spaghetti squash and spinach

I am very fortunate to have a husband that will try anything once.  Often times, when I tell him about what I'm going to invent in the kitchen, I immediately follow it with, "we can always go out to eat if it is a total fail!"  Well tonight, we got to stay home, because my invention turned out so good!  I absolutely love spaghetti squash and finding new ways to use it.  

David is in the midst of studying for finals, so our dinners are quick.  Since dinner is his only break at night, we usually watch tv.   It's the perfect mindless and hilarious way to get him through the rest of the night.

 Cheesy Spaghetti Squash and Spinach

Serves 6-8

1 spaghetti squash

1 package frozen spinach

1 tsp minced garlic (divided)

1/3 cup light/fat free whipped cream cheese

1/3 cup shredded cheese (colby jack or mild cheddar)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese + some to sprinkle on top

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic salt

Preheat to 375.  Cut spaghetti squash in half and place face down on a rimmed baking sheet.  Add 1/4 inch water to baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes.  When done, cut oven temperature down to 350.

While it is baking, cook spinach.  Once it is halfway cooked, add 1/2 tsp garlic to spinach.  When it is done, press water out.  In a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients together with spinach.  Once spaghetti squash is done, scrape out the insides into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix together well.  Add contents to baking dish.  Cover the top in shredded parmesan cheese.  

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Broil for last 3-4 minutes to create a "crust" on top.

ENJOY!

thankful thursday

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you are having a wonderful holiday!  We definitely are!  The dogs are playing, and we are relaxing.  They are sweet together.  Hazel loves her cousin-dog!

What I've really come to talk to you about today is food.  Holidays are the hardest when you are trying to stay healthy.  However, it is doable!  I remember growing up.  We would go to my gramma's house, and there would be a giant spread of sweets.  They weren't there just after dinner, they were there all day/night long!  And they were delicious!  I knew this year, beyond having some sides that would be healthy, I wanted to make a dessert that I could safely indulge in.

I mentioned to my dad that I saw a crustless pumpkin pie on Instagram that looked good.  He did a little research and found me the perfect recipe, for mini crustless pumpkin pies!  They turned out wonderfully!  They are gluten-free, flour-free, and packed with protein.  The perfect treat!

I did not vary from Taralynn's recipe at all, here it is! 

Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies

For pies:

1 (15oz) can of pumpkin puree 

1 egg white

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1 tsp baking soda

1tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

For frosting:

10 tbsp vanilla greek yogurt

1 tsp honey

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat to 350.  Mix pumpkin puree and egg white together.  Next, add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Fill muffin cups in pan a little over half way each.

Bake 20-24 minutes.

While they are baking, mix together the frosting ingredients.  Refrigerate until use.

And that's it!  Enjoy!

skinny croutons

I got you at skinny right?  Well I wouldn't call them healthy, but I would call them much healthier than the normal crouton.  And tastier!

I usually buy a loaf of bread every few weeks for David to make sandwiches.  He really likes some store brand, in-house made breads.  As I was perusing the breads that Kroger makes, I came across their Private Selection line.  They make a Sugar Free 100% Whole Wheat bread.   Amazing!  I have been buying it for David, and he loves it.  It tastes like normal bread!  The only downside is that it is  100 calories per slice.

When I got on my salad kick last week, I thought it would be fun to experiment with croutons.  It was so easy!  David loved them and has even requested more since.  Using roughly six of these croutons only adds about 25 or 30 calories to your salad!  I used both end and middle slices with success.  I promise it will be the perfect extra crunch to jazz up your salad.

Skinny Croutons

Makes 8 servings

Olive Oil

Garlic Salt

Rosemary (dried)

Preheat to 300.  Cut each slice of bread into five rows and then each row into 5 pieces.  

For me, each piece of bread made about 20-25 croutons. I put all of the pieces of bread in a bowl, drizzled olive oil on, sprinkled them with garlic salt and a couple pinches of rosemary.  Toss it all together.  Be sure not to use too much olive oil.  Just a very light coating.

Spread the pieces out on a baking sheet so they are not touching.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Then toss them on your salad!

honey-dijon fall berry salad

This salad recipe is literally the best salad I've ever tasted.  Unfortunately, it didn't have a great start.  It seems as though I have an ongoing battle with knifes in the kitchen on this blog.

Originally, I was going to put homemade apple chips on top of the salad.  I pulled out the mandolin for the first time.  I was really excited about making the apple chips because it seemed so easy.  Without a second thought, I began sliding the apple up and down the mandolin.  I realized I was good at slicing so picked up the pace.  The upbeat tempo cause a downhill, painful slice.

My pinky got caught in the blade.  I won't go into details, but it was not pretty.  The husband came flying out of his office and immediately helped fix the situation.  I was in a bad way.  This was also when I learned that mandolins have safety guards (you can only imagine my fury.)  I laid down for a bit, and he finished cutting the apple.  When the ibuprofen kicked in, I got back to work on my salad.  Note: You will notice that the apple chips did not make the recipe...they did not turn out. So my pain was for no gain :(

Above you will see a picture perfect salad.  I learned from the best (my mom), how to make salads look pretty before you toss it all together to serve.  The flavors just magically came together.  It was beautiful.  So beautiful, that we have eaten it three nights this week.

Honey-Dijon Fall Berry Salad

For dressing:

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 cup EVOO

Salt

Pepper

For salad:

1 bag of romaine lettuce

Walnuts/Pecans (Cinnamon, Splenda, and butter)

Gorgonzola cheese

Dried berries (Aldi has a great triple berry!)

For dressing: Whisk all ingredients throughly.  Refrigerate until use.  Shake or whisk before pouring over salad.

For salad: Melt 1 tbsp of butter and pour over nuts.  Stir in equal parts cinnamon and Splenda (or sugar if you prefer).  Heat nut mixture in a skillet over medium heat, continually stirring for about 5-7 minutes.  If they start to blacken, they are burning.  Set aside to dry.

Add crumbled gorgonzola and dried berries to the lettuce.  Once the nuts dry, add them as well.  Toss salad in dressing and serve!

parmesan-peppercorn wedge salad

I guess you could say I'm officially on a salad kick!  Currently, we have two heads of lettuce, and two different bags of lettuce in our refrigerator.  David doesn't seem to mind all of the greenery on his plate, especially because I have been making my own dressings!  I'm sure most people would agree with me, homemade dressing always tastes better!  Plus you have the added benefit of knowing exactly what is in it!  At the end of the week, I will have made four homemade dressings to share with you, and I'm really excited about it!  Anyone who knows me can tell you, I'm really picky about salad and generally have to be in the mood to eat it.  However, I have recently come to love it.  

Last week, I bought pecans, walnuts, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, feta, gorgonzola, and dried berries.  I also got a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette--just incase I didn't have any homemade on hand.  We already had a few other salad toppings in the refrigerator.  I thought it would be easier to eat salad if they tasted GOOD.  So to motivate myself, I invested in an assortment of salad toppings.  So far, we've had a few greek salads and salads with gorgonzola and bacon vinaigrette.  But last night we added to our salad rotation--and it's a definite keeper!

I knew I wanted to make a wedge salad to go with some leftover cauliflower soup.  I found an article by Bon Appetit magazine that really helped me decide what to do.  I found myself googling peppercorn salad dressings, because I really love peppercorn flavored foods and came across one I really liked.  I had to make some adjustments, for my personal tastes.  But, a huge thank you to Simply Scratch for introducing me to this dressing!

Parmesan-Peppercorn Wedge Salad

For Dressing:

2 minced garlic cloves

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

3 tbsp parmesan cheese

6 tbsp mayonnaise or sour cream (I used a olive oil based mayo)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 + 1/8 tsp ground peppercorn

For Salad:

1 head of lettuce

Crumbled bacon

Chopped tomato

Croutons

For the dressing: Mix the dry ingredients together first, then whisk in the vinegar and mayo.  Refrigerate before topping your salad.

For the salad: Slice the stem off your head of lettuce and divide it into 4 parts.  Drizzle dressing on and add additional toppings.

gorgonzola, candied pecan, and bacon vinaigrette salad

A couple days ago during my government class, I reminded the students it was election day.  Then the following conversation occurred.  This is real life, all statements are true.

Me: Does anyone remember what type of elections are taking place in the state of Georgia today?

(Several hands go up, but I called on an extremely excited girl bouncing out of chair with hand in air.)

Student: The presidential election!  We get a new president!

(Class bursts into laughter and tears.)

Student: Oh wait, that's not right.  I think I'm confused, who is the president again?

In this little girl's defense, she has probably only been in my class a total of eight days all year.  She is frequently absent.  But still, really?

I've been scouring the internet the past few days for a fall salad.  I had a few flavors in mind and I searched for a recipe that would bring them all together.  Unfortunately, that was hard to come by.  So instead, I ended up piecing together the different flavors I wanted in my salad by pulling together different recipes I found.

The end result was amazing.  During dinner, David said he could eat it every day.  It definitely made me feel good about how this salad turned out!  We both devoured our dinners.

Gorgonzola, Candied Pecan, and Bacon Vinaigrette Salad
Serves 4

1 bag of hearts of romaine lettuce
5 oz gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup pecans
1 tsp Splenda
3 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp bacon (we used turkey bacon)
1/2 tsp minced onion
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp Splenda brown sugar (or regular)
Salt
Pepper
Optional: Cranberries, blackberries, or baked chicken strips

Heat up a skillet with a little butter in it.  Add the pecans and stir around.  Next add the Splenda and stir continuously for several minutes so that the sugar does not burn.  Once the pecans are a nice brown color, put them on a paper plate or towel and let them dry.

Put the lettuce in a bowl.  In a jar mix the remaining ingredients (EVOO, vinegar, bacon, onion, mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper) together with a whisk or put on a lid and shake.  Once blended, pour over lettuce and stir.  Cover the lettuce well.  Then add pecans and gorgonzola cheese.  Toss the salad more and enjoy!