ONE PAN BALSAMIC CHICKEN AND VEGGIES

ONE PAN BALSAMIC CHICKEN AND VEGGIES

Say hello to one of the EASIEST dinners ever: ONE PAN Balsamic Chicken and Veggies. It’s low on prep time, has few ingredients, and is huge on flavor (while conveniently being super healthy)! There’s a 2-ingredient balsamic glaze which triples as first: a marinade, second: a sauce for cooking, and third: a dipping sauce. This is how I think every dinner should be made 😜. Whisk two ingredients together and use that base three times.

Then the veggies are like empty-out-your-fridge kind of ordeal. Throw them all together on a pan, toss them with some olive oil + seasoning, roast them, and they too seep up some of that delicious balsamic glaze.


INGREDIENTS

• 2/3 cup basalmic vinegar
• 2/3 cup zesty Italian dressing, fat free is great
• 1.25 pounds chicken tenders, or breasts
• 2 heads broccoli
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Optional: fresh parsley, salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large tray with nonstick spray (line with parchment paper if you tray isn't already nonstick or the balsamic + Italian mixture will stick to it) and set aside.
2. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and zesty Italian dressing.
3. Trim the tenderloins of fat and undesired parts. Alternatively cut the breasts into small 1/4th-1/2th inch thick pieces (resemble the size of the tenders in the picture/video)
4. Place 1/3 cup of the balsamic + Italian mixture in a large bag and add the chicken tenders. Coat and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.
5. Chop the broccoli into small pieces. Slice the baby carrots in half.
6. Place broccoli + carrots on the prepared tray with the cherry tomatoes (like your tomatoes LESS roasted? Toss in after 5-10 minutes of the broccoli and carrots being cooked. Otherwise they are ultra tender!), Italian seasoning, olive oil, garlic powder, and add some seasoned salt and pepper to taste.
7. Roast the veggies for 10-15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and flip around. Section the veggies to each side of the tray (see video) and place the chicken tenders (discard marinade) in the center. Brush 1/3 cup of the balsamic + Italian mixture over the chicken.
9. Return to the oven and cook for another 7-15 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Be careful to monitor the chicken so you don't overcook it.**The cooking time will largely vary based on the size of your chicken. See the last paragraph of text for more direction on how to cook this meal so everything is done at the same time.**
10. Serve the chicken and veggies with the remaining Balsamic + Italian mixture. Top with freshly chopped parsley if desired.

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ONE POT CHICKEN ORZO SOUP

ONE POT CHICKEN ORZO SOUP

One Pot Chicken Orzo Soup is a hearty and delicious soup recipe made with wholesome vegetables, chicken, and lemon.  This is comfort food at its best.

Hello there!  The weather has finally cooled off and I am craving some soup. Recently, I made this One Post Chicken Orzo Soup recipe and it is so filling and healthy.  This soup recipe is incredibly easy to make in just one pot.  You can have a hearty and comfort dinner ready in just about 30 minutes.  This soup tastes like chicken noodle soup with a burst of fresh lemon flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 8 cups chicken broth (plus more if you prefer)
• 1½ cups dry orzo pasta
• 2 lemons, freshly squeezed
• 2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large stock pot, add chopped onion, carrots, and celery along with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Saute for 5 minutes over medium heat.
2. Add minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add diced chicken, broth, and dry pasta. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken and pasta is fully cooked. Remove from heat.
4. Add in lemon juice and parsley. Serve hot.

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HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN, AVOCADO + BACON SALAD

HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN, AVOCADO + BACON SALAD

Being a number one fan of honey mustard everything, I gave up enjoying honey mustard dressing on salads because of all of the mayo and calories normally sneaking their way into them. Then, this morning happened. Waking up with the strongest honey mustard craving (weird, right?), I smacked myself upside the head when I remembered, um, HELLO, food blogger, remember? Which means, don’t-give-up-anything-just-find-a-way-to-make-it-yourself, type of thing.

INGREDIENTS

Dressing / Marinade:

• ⅓ cup honey
• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons smooth and mild Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt to season
• 4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts

For Salad:

• ¼ cup diced bacon, trimmed of rind and fat
• 4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed
• 1 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 large avocado, pitted and sliced
• ¼ cup corn kernels
• ¼ of a red onion, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk marinade / dressing ingredients together to combine. Pour half the marinade into a shallow dish to marinade the chicken fillets for two hours if time allows. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat a nonstick pan (or grill pan or skillet) over medium heat with about a teaspoon of oil and sear / grill chicken fillets on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. (Grill in batches to prevent excess water being released.) Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Wipe pan over with paper towel; drizzle with another teaspoon of oil and fry the bacon until crispy.
4. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with leaves, tomatoes, avocado slices, corn, onion strips and chicken.
5. Whisk 2 tablespoons of water into the remaining untouched marinade / dressing and drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle the bacon over the top and season with a little extra salt and cracked pepper (optional).

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HASSELBACK CHICKEN STUFFED WITH MOZZARELLA, TOMATO AND BASIL HEALTHY RECIPE

I have been on a chicken for dinner "kick" lately!

And I've been doing really good at taking the photos, writing the ingredients

down as I go along so I can blog about the recipe with you too. 

 I'm sure we've all seen the video floating around on Facebook of the Hasselback chicken stuffed 

with cheese, tomatoes and basil.   I made a few changes from the recipe the video showed and 

it came out delicious.  Really easy and my husband is already requesting

this recipe for dinner again.  

The term Hasselback has been around for awhile; usually for potatoes where

you make slits in the potato, like and accordion.  Being careful not to slice

the potato all the way through.  Then you stuff the slits with bacon and cheese.

Now, people are making Hasselback everything...apples, sweet potatoes and even chicken.

HASSELBACK CHICKEN STUFFED WITH MOZZARELLA, TOMATO AND BASIL HEALTHY RECIPE

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• Sliced mozzarella cheese
• Grape tomatoes; sliced in half
• Basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• salt, pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut slits across the chicken breast about 3/4 of the way through the chicken breast being careful not to cut all the way through. Depending on the size of your chicken breast, you're going to want around 6 to 8 slits per chicken breast.
3. Stuff each slit with a slice of mozzarella cheese, half a grape tomato and a basil leaf.
4. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish that has been coated with non-stick baking spray.
5. Brush each chicken breast with olive oil.
6. Sprinkle each chicken breast with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
7. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees.

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ONE-PAN SKINNY CHICKEN ALFREDO HEALTHY RECIPE

What’s not to love about a one-pan dish?  (Take this awesome One-Pan Baked Ziti, for example!) Super easy to make, even easier to clean up, and totally delicious! I’ve been working on this “skinny” alfredo for awhile and I’m really excited to finally share the recipe. No butter, heavy cream, or cream cheese (like most alfredo dishes). But the flavor is still amazing!  You still get the same “comfort food” type of feel, but with way less calories and fat. It’s keeper. And did I mention how easy it is?! Perfect for a busy weeknight.

ONE-PAN SKINNY CHICKEN ALFREDO HEALTHY RECIPE

Ingredients

• 6 oz (about 3 cups) uncooked bowtie pasta, (or any bite-sized shape pasta)*
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cup fat-free milk
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces, about 1 inch, and season with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to the hot skillet and brown on all sides for 1-2 minutes (you don’t need to cook it all the way through).
2. Add minced garlic and sauté for one minute.
3. Add chicken broth, milk, flour, onion powder, basil, parsley and uncooked pasta to pan and stir well to combine.
4. Bring to a gentle boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring once or twice during this time.
6. Remove from heat and stir in freshly grated parmesan cheese.
7. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Notes

*I use regular or whole wheat pasta
*Serve with fresh steamed asparagus, broccoli, or a garden salad

By Lauren Allen

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Grilled Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps Healthy Recipe

Get game day ready with these healthier low calorie Grilled Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps! All the same great flavor with half the calories!Football season is right around the corner and I seriously cannot wait!
We don’t watch a whole lot of college football, but I can appreciate it. I do think it is way more exciting to watch than NFL games and sometimes it makes me wish I was back in college again. hehe (maybe that’s why I don’t watch it, it makes me realize how old I’m getting … tear)
Next weekend I have the draft for the All Women’s Fantasy Football League I’m in and I need to get in the spirit. I admit, normally I will do my research for a week before the draft and have all my players picked out. I usually get the players I want during the draft, but as soon as the season starts they all get injured and I’m screwed for the rest of the year!
Have I told you I’m an extremely competitive person! 

Grilled Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps Healthy Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 large skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into ½" cubes
• ¾ cup franks red hot sauce
• 15-20 butter lettuce cups
• ¾ cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 avocado, diced
• ¼ cup sliced green onions
• ½ cup ranch dressing

Instructions

1. Add cubed chicken and ½ cup franks red hot sauce to a bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat grill to 400 degrees.
3. Place grill basket directly on grill. Add marinated chicken to grill basket and grill chicken for 8-10 minutes, stirring throughout. (if you don't have a grill basket, add cubed chicken to a kabob stick)
4. Remove from grill and place grilled chicken in a bowl, toss with ¼ cup of buffalo sauce.
5. Assemble lettuce cups: place butter lettuce cups, 2-3 cubes of chicken, 2-3 diced tomatoes, 2-3 diced avocado, a pinch of green onions, and a drizzle of ranch dressing.
6. Serve!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 lettuce cup Calories: 53 calories Fat: 3 g Carbohydrates: 2 g Sugar: 1 g Sodium: 412 mg Fiber: 1 g Protein: 5 g Cholesterol: 11 mg

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