Chicken, Avocado & Cheddar Melt

Oh yes…

…I went there.

Or the people who wrote the New Basics Cookbook went there and I just adapted their recipe.  But either way it is delicious. Over the weekend I was in need of some lunch.  I looked around the kitchen, scanning the area for some delicious looking sandwich ingredients and my eyes landed upon a perfectly ripe avocado.  Immediately I thought of this recipe (below) because just a few weeks ago I had bookmarked it…because that’s what all teenage girls do in their free time: look through recipe books.

Slightly adapted from the New Basics Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh italian parsley
• 1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces), cooked
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 4 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
• 2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Paprika, to taste

Directions:

1. Mix the mayo, ketchup, scallion, and parsley in a bowl.  Set aside.
2. Cut the chicken breast in half down the center.  Cut each half into four thin, long slices.
3. Peel the avocado, remove the pit, and slice each half lengthwise into four slices.
4. Place two slices of chicken on each piece of toast.  Spread half of the reserved dressing over the chicken.  Lay the avocado slices over the dressing.  Place 1/3 cup cheddar on top of each sandwich.  Sprinkle lightly with the paprika and scallion.
5. Preheat the broiler.
6. Place sandwiches in a broiling pan, and broil 3 inches from the heat until the cheese melts, about 90 seconds.  Remove the pan from the broiler and serve immediately.

Yield:  2 servings

Instead of halving the recipe, I decided to “share the wealth” as they say and give my mom the other sandwich.  She actually thought I was joking at first, considering I usually hoard all of the avocados to myself, but once she started to take a bite she stopped talking.  She loved it!

Plus once we finished she told me, “You have to make this again, like tomorrow!”  And guess what?  I did.

* * * * * *

Questions of the Day:

1. What is your favorite sandwich?
2. Do you like avocado?

I know I told all of you that I would post about my Track running today, but it looks like I ran out of time.  I promise I’ll post it tomorrow though! 

Have a great Wednesday!

Creamy Chicken & Pasta Bake

Hello Everyone! 

As you know, I’m officially done with my two days of SGW! But in honor of everyone going sugar-free for the entire week, I chose to post a savory recipe today!

Does this look familiar?

It should because I posted about it yesterday and many of you wanted the recipe.  So here you go…

Recipe courtesy of Kraft’s Food & Family Magazine – Spring 2009

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups multi-grain rotini pasta, uncooked
• 1 small bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 cups)
• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• ¾ cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (+ ¼ cup for topping)
• 2-4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli for the last 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.  Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring frequently.  Stir in broth; simmer 3 minutes or until chicken is done.  Add cream cheese; cook and stir on low heat for 1 minute or until melted.  Stir in 1 cup mozzarella.
3. Drain pasta and broccoli.  Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly.  Spoon into an 8-inch square baking dish; cover.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.  Sprinkle with remaining cheeses.  Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until melted.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Spoon onto plates or bowls and enjoy!

Yield:  4 servings

* * * * * *

Here’s my plate. ↓

Pretty good serving size, eh?  I need my dinners to be filling!

It tasted delicious!  My Mom loved it, my Dad loved it, even Philip loved it!  The only bad thing was that my Dad came home from work late so he had to reheat some of his – this dish doesn’t reheat too well to make sure you have people to share it with right away!  He did say the taste was good though!

It was also a really Dinner is usually my biggest meal of the day, despite all the research that says it should be the smallest, it’s what works for me so it stays. 

 

Mmmmmmmmmm…

* * * * * *

Questions of the Day:

1. What is your biggest meal of the day?    Dinner, but breakfast is pretty big too!
2. What is your favorite type of cheese?   Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella, and Brie

Have a great day!  Tomorrow I have an appointment with the Endocrinologist so wish me luck!

Sugar-Free Week Day 2

WOW! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on my Sugar-Free Week (SFW) Day 1 post!  I really appreciate all of  your kind and encouraging words.

I also learned many of you would be interested in taking part in a similar challenge in the future.  In that case, click here to learn more!  Kayla is planning on having a SFW the first week of every month.

OK, now that that’s cleared up, let’s move on to today’s eats!

* * * * * *

Breakfast:

Alex’s One Size Fits All Pancakes topped with watery peanut flour butter and cinnamon plus ½ a grapefruit on the side

I first saw those pancakes on HEAB’s blog and was immediately curious.  I believe my exact thoughts were “Sugar-free?  Fluffy?  Healthy?  I’m definitely giving them a try!” So I did and they did not disappoint.  They didn’t even taste bitter (due to the lack of sugar) like I expected. 

They actually tasted kinda sweet.  But that may have been influenced by the fact that I found out that school was closed due to snow while I was eating them.  Pretty sweet news, right?

 

Lunch:

Lunch was already all packed for school, so that’s what I had.

Turkey and TJ’s Roasted Garlic Hummus on Bran Bread, calcium-enriched applesauce, and a Babybel

Calcium-enriched applesauce?!  Yeah, I know it’s weird, but I’ll do anything and everything to get my bone density up!

Snack:

Apple Pie Larabar

I love the taste of this Larabar, but I don’t know why.  It’s not apple-y at all!

Also, don’t you love my style?!  I was wearing sweats, a t-shirt, and Uggs all day.

Dinner:

Creamy Chicken & Pasta Bake (Whole Wheat rotini pasta, chicken breast, broccoli, mozzarella, Parmesan, cream cheese, chicken broth)

This was SO good.  It was a recipe taken from a super old Kraft Foods magazine (Spring 2009).  I’m thinking of posting it tomorrow just because it was so wonderful and cheesy.

Snack:

I actually haven’t had my after-dinner snack yet.  But I’m thinking it’s probably going to be veggies and hummus.

* * * * * *

Results: 

I loved doing 2 days of SFW!  I had no trouble resisting sugar and learned so much.  For example, did you know soy sauce has corn syrup in it?! I didn’t. I was this close to adding some into yesterday’s Veggie Scramble.  Good thing I chose to read the label!  I also learned how many of my food staples have sugar in them: Sandwich Thins, Kashi/Luna bars, and cereal to name a few.

All in all SFW was a positive experience and I’m hoping to do a few more days next month.  I feel great!

* * * * * *

Question of the Day:

1. Totally unrelated but…Do you ever have days where you just stay in sweats or pajamas all day? 
2. If so, what is your go-to comfort outfit?  Mine is fuzzy socks, sweatpants, and a sweatshirt. 

Hope you had a great day!  Were any of you off because of snow?

White Chicken Chili

This isn’t just any chili…

…it’s the best White Chicken Chili I have ever tasted!

My family has tried many White Chicken Chili recipes over the years, but none of them were as good as this.  We’ve already made it twice this past week. Now that’s good!

 * * * * *

White Chicken Chili

Adapted from PreventionRD

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion, about 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 3 cans (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
• 2 cans (15 ounces) northern beans, drained but not rinsed
• 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 ½ pounds chicken, boiled, and shredded
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)

Garnish:

• Chopped cilantro
• Lime wedges
• Sour cream

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
3. Add the cumin, oregano, coriander, and green chiles. Saute for 30 seconds.
4. Add beans and chicken stock to pot, bring to a boil.  Add the chicken and hot sauce. Reduce stove heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Pour into serving bowls and add garnish.  Enjoy!

Yield:  6 servings

* * * * *

White Chicken Chili.  It’s what’s for dinner.  YUM!

Question of the Day:

1. Which one do you like better: Red Chili or White Chili?   I loooove White Chicken Chili, but I don’t mind regular red chili either. 

Working For The Weekend

Happy Friday! 

This week went by so  s   l   o   w   l   y. 

I am so happy it is finally the weekend!

*****

I started the weekend off with one of my favorite breakfasts.  Below are my choice ingredients… ↓

Yup, I’m still obsessed with White Chocolate Wonderful and loving hard-boiled eggs.

Breakfast:

1 banana, split and filled with White Chocolate Wonderful and Coco-Nutty Granola, along with a hard-boiled egg on the side

*****

Today at school I got a bunch of tests and quizzes back for the 1st Marking Period.  I also found out my final grades for the Marking Period – all A’s and 1 B.  Thankfully I got the B in an Honors class so I am still on Honor Roll!  YAY!

Lunch:

Turkey and Tabasco Sandwich with Caramel Dannon Light & Fit and grapes

After lunch I had a few more classes, got a lot of homework, and came home.  Once I got home I hung out for a little while, then had a snack, and started [my piles of] homework. 

This savory snack really hit the spot! ↓

Snack:

Carrots, horseradish hummus, and a Babybel

An hour of so of homework later, and it was time for dinner.  I was in the mood for a big salad, so that’s what I had.  It was so good, I loved the addition of the roasted brussel sprouts. 

Dinner:

Mixed greens topped with roasted brussel sprouts, grilled chicken, and edamame

I managed to photograph this in the last couple minutes of sunshine – one of the only bad things about Daylight Savings Time.

Afterwards, I dressed my salad with balsamic viniagrette. 

YUM!  It was exactly what I was craving.  A nice, big, healthy salad.

*****

After dinner, I finished homework, went shopping with my Mom, and visited my Grandma.  Now I am relaxing and enjoying the rest of my Friday Night In.

Goodnight!