Healthy Eating

Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe

Every once in a while, a recipe pops up in my email inbox that I just HAVE to try. Just yesterday, one of my favorite sites, Simply Recipes, posted a recipe for Cilantro Lime chicken. I’m no stranger to cilantro and lime as a flavor combination, and use it often. But this picture made me crave cilantro lime chicken!

Cilantro Lime Chicken via Simply Recipes

Since I was solo for dinner last night, I decided I would fire up the grill tonight and make it.

I’m thinking of serving it with a simple salad – mixed greens with baby spinach, red onion, organic cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and a drizzle of EVOO and balsamic vinegar. If I muster up the strength to venture out into the world, perhaps I’ll pick up some fresh mozzarella to top off the salad.

I have some cauliflower I could roast, but it is SO hot that even the thought of turning on the oven makes me want don cement shoes in the deep end of my pool. Wait, was that too drastic? You know what I mean. It is HOT. Simple is the way to go tonight.

Check out the recipe here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_cilantro_lime_chicken/

Chicken Bruschetta Salad

I was starving when lunchtime came around today, so I decided to make chicken bruschetta salad. I had some tomatoes lingering around and some remaining basil from some recipes I made earlier this week. When I make bruschetta salad, I just use the bruschetta as my dressing. It’s so fresh and vibrant, and really pops on a salad.

Since I was only making bruschetta for one, I diced up one tomato, about 3-4 cloves of garlic (I LOVE garlic and am really trying hard to get it into my diet every day), salt, pepper, and some chopped basil.

Tomato Bruschetta

Then I added some olive oil and balsamic, and let it sit for awhile.

Balsamic Tomato Bruschetta

Meanwhile, I sprinkled some seasoning on a boneless skinless chicken breast and put it with 3 strips of artisanal nitrate-free bacon (from Whole Foods) into a pan and roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes.

I chopped up a whole head of romaine, a whole cucumber, a tomato, and some red onion. I added 2 oz of avocado since I certainly have the points for the splurge.

Once the chicken was done, I cubed it up, chopped the bacon, and tossed it into my salad. I added 1oz of cubed mozzarella to my bruschetta and tossed it altogether with my salad. OMG. Heaven. It was so simple, and a great, healthy lunch for the weekend. We’re always struggling to find suitable lunches that we both can agree on. I’m sure my dear spouse would appreciate this salad too!’

Here’s a pic of the finished product, It certainly doesn’t do it justice!

Chicken Bruschetta Salad

Stuffed Chicken Braciole

My spouse is traveling for work this weekend, so it’s been meals for one here around this house. I’ve been a bit under the weather and my appetite has been wonky as a result. I have been begrudgingly cooking my dinners (rather than just eating yogurt). I tried something new last night, and boy, it was out of this world!

A friend of mine on Pinterest posted a recipe where chicken was rolled with minced garlic, basil, and a cube of mozzarella cheese. I thought this seemed like a delicious idea, so I wanted to try it out while the spouse was away – test driving, if you will. Of course I gave it my own spin.

This was my “pinspiration” from Pinterest:

Chicken Stuffed With Basil, Garlic, and Mozzarella

Basically I sliced the chicken lengthwise, to create a pocket. I lined the chicken with chopped basil, garlic, and one ounce of mozzarella cheese (not shredded). I simply closed the chicken by folding it over, brushed on a little olive oil mixed with salt and pepper, and sprinkled some plain breadcrumbs on top. I was just about to pop it in the oven when I remembered I had some crushed tomatoes in the fridge. I quickly spooned some tomatoes around the chicken – not on it and popped it in an oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Oh man, DELISH!!!!! The chicken alone was fantastic – reminded me of braciole. A nice wallop of basil and garlic. The tomatoes absorbed all the cooking juices and I served the chicken with the sauce on the side, so I could dip for extra flavor. Had it with simple roasted broccoli (olive oil and salt).

This is DEFINITELY a keeper! I wish I had made a 2nd one to have as leftovers for lunch today!

Chobani Almond Coco Loco Flips

I’ve, well, flipped for Chobani Flips. It started out innocently with the Chobani Honey Bee Nana – honey greek yogurt with bananas. It was love at first bite. At the time, my grocery store only carried two flavors. These Flips were still very new.

Chobani Flips Pictured: Almond Coco Loco, Vanilla Golden Crunch, Raspberry Choco Fix, Honey Bee Nana, Key Lime Crumble

Next up I tried the Chobani Raspberry Choco fix – raspberry yogurt with dark chocolate morsels. While good, it didn’t win the same affection as Honey Bee Nana.

It didn’t take long for my grocery store to pick up additional flavors of Chobani Flips. Next up I was able to grab Strawberry Surprise, which is strawberry yogurt with honey oats to mix in. Then I moved on to Vanilla Golden Crunch, which was pretty good – non fat vanilla yogurt with praline pecans, honey oats, and cornflakes.

And then it happened. I saw an ad for a new flavor in my Cooking Light (or was it Weight Watchers?) magazine. I just had to have it. Luckily, my supermarket agreed and it was on the shelves the next time I needed a yogurt fix.

Ladies and gents, I present to you (drumroll, please):

Chobani Almond Coco Loco Coconut Flip Yogurt

I’ll admit I was a bit scared at first. Coconut yogurt? Would it taste like suntan lotion? I’m not the biggest fan of coconut, but I’m no hater either. Slap a pina colada in my hand and I’m a happy gal. The description definitely piqued my interest – creamy low fat coconut yogurt with toasted almonds and dark chocolate morsels. How could this not be delicious? My instincts were right. This yogurt rocks my world. So much so, in fact, that I just bought the store out of it on my last shopping trip. If you like coconut, definitely give this Flip a try! It is by no means low in fat, but, IMO, it’s worth the splurge!

There’s one more Chobani Flip in their portfolio right now – the Key Lime Crumble. This one has so far eluded me. It’s a low fat key lime yogurt with crumbled graham crackers and white chocolate. Ummm, hello?? Why aren’t you in my store yet? I’ll definitely be picking this one up as SOON as I see it!

Have you tried the Chobani Flips? What do you think? Which are your favorites?

Salmon, Orzo, and Cauliflower Tonight – Yum!

We made a simple but delicious dinner tonight!

Baked salmon, with light salt and pepper and a drizzle of honey.
Roasted cauliflower (one of our FAVORITE ways to prepare cauliflower). Just olive oil and kosher salt.
Asparagus orzo. Usually I make this with zucchini and summer squash, but I really felt like asparagus tonight. Sauteed some shallots and chopped fresh asparagus in a little butter, added orzo and toasted for a minute or two. Added a little white wine, low sodium chicken broth, and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Tossed in some fresh shredded parmesan cheese. Sooooo good! Happy to have another veggie orzo to rotate in.

Just a quick post but I wanted to share a recap of our dinner! We really need to add more salmon into our diet. We love it so much… don’t know why we ever backed away from making it. We used to have it once a week when we lived in Brooklyn and could pick up a filet on the way home from the subway. Buying it fresh is so important. We’ll need to make more of an effort to incorporate it into our weekly planning.

That’s it for today!

Chicken Bruschetta – A Staple!

I usually reserve this dish for the summer, when my garden is full of gorgeous Jersey tomatoes and fresh basil. Toss together the bruschetta, throw a little of the liquid in with my chicken for a quick marinade, and throw the chicken on the grill. Simple, quick, light, and delicious!

This bitter cold weather here in the northeast makes me long for warmer days. Or maybe just a day without so much rain! I’ve been feeling a little down lately and needed a good pick-me-up, plus I really wanted a huge helping of heart healthy tomatoes, fresh garlic, and olive oil, so I decided to make an indoor version of this tonight. I had it over a huge salad with some steamed broccoli. I just use the bruschetta as my dressing… delicious!!

I didn’t think to take a pic, so definitely hop on over to the original source of the recipe for beautiful pics and comments.

Grilled Chicken Bruschetta

Adapted from Skinnytaste. See recipe here.

Skinny Taste Grilled Chicken Bruschetta – Photo via SkinnyTaste.com

Ingredients:

3 medium vine ripe tomatoes, diced
4 small cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
4 oz part skim mozzarella, diced
1lb chicken cutlets

1. Combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar. Set aside while you marinate and cook chicken (will keep overnight).
2. Place chicken in a bowl and carefully pour some of the bruschetta liquid over the chicken. Let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Prepare grill or grill pan (if indoors). Grill chicken until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink inside.
4. Add the diced mozzarella to the tomato bruschetta.
5. Top each chicken breast with bruschetta. Pile it on. Seriously.

This is really one of our favorite recipes. Hope you try it out and enjoy it!!

Lazy Dinner – Sushi Takeout

I’ve been a little under the weather and have had some dental issues this week on top of it, so I’ve been sticking to mostly soft foods. I saw the dentist yesterday and got my teeth fixed up, so I was free to BITE! You never realize what you take for granted until it’s gone. This applies to so many facets of life. Cherish your teeth. Really.

Anyway, as I mentioned, I’ve been under the weather. Not completely sick, but with that feeling that I’m coming down with something. Congested, scratchy throat, hurts to swallow at times, and extreme exhaustion. I am so tired today and I don’t know why. Hopefully it’s just a cold and not something more serious. Oh yeah, and I have an ear infection on top of it! It started the other day, and feels swollen and inflamed. If it doesn’t pass in the next few days, I’ll have to make a trip to the dreaded doctor.

Tuna Avocado Inside Out Roll Sushi Since I was so tired, we had a lazy dinner. Sushi! I’ve been craving it since NYE, but couldn’t really get it until my teeth were fixed. We skipped all the unhealthy appetizers we usually get and just stuck to hand rolls and sushi. It was soooo good and a nice healthy way to skip cooking.

What do you like to do when you’re too tired or too busy to cook?