Mexican Casserole

Hello Blogosphere! It's been a while, I know. I've been crazzzyyy busy the past few weeks. Sorry! Thought I'd update with a recipe. 

I was at a bridal shower yesterday, and the bride said "Mexican Casserole" and ever since then, I've been having a serious craving for it. I pretty much made this up on my own. I know I wanted it to be gluten free, nutritious, and so damn good.

I made my base crushed corn tortilla chips. Topped it with a layer 98% fat free ground chicken made kind of like a picadillo (I used salsa instead of tomato sauce), a layer of organic canned corn, a layer of organic black beans, a layer of one sliced jalapeno, a layer of fat free organic greek yogurt, and fat free cheddar cheese. Threw it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 mins and done! It was quick and so simple. I also made a side of homemade guac. 

Simple. Healthy. Tasty. What more can you ask for?

Baked Balsamic Chicken and Roasted Broccoli

Hey all! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, my b. I haven't been making anything interesting as of late. Just plain ol' chicken and broccoli/kale/salad aka nothing worth blogging about. I took a stab at balsamic chicken the other night and it came out wonderful. Flavorful and juicy, just the way I like my chicken. The pic above is my ideal dinner plate: a protein, a vegetable, a healthy fat, and a glass of ice water. Perfie! I hope you aren't judging me for the reversed fork and knife lol.

Chicken recipe:

• Boneless chicken breast
• Balsamic vinegar
• Egg whites
• Breadcrumbs (gluten free)
• Dried parsley 
• Sea salt and pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Garlic powder

1. In a bowl, whisk together 2 egg whites and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Wash chicken. Pat dry. Trim the fat.
4. Dip into the balsamic bowl on both sides. Let the excess drip off. Then dip into breadcrumb bowl on both sides.
5. Place in aluminum foil lined broiler pan (or cookie sheet). Pour a drop of extra virgin olive oil on top of the chicken.
6.  Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-45 mins or until juices run clear. (My chickens were large and I didn't butterfly them, so it took 45 mins. I also used a thermometer) 

Forgive the appearance of the broccoli. It was a tad old, so it started to yellow, but still delicious and edible nonetheless! PS this is broccoli from the farmer's market :D

Broccoli recipe:

• Broccoli
• Garlic cloves
• Extra virgin olive oil
• White vinegar

1. Peel 4-5 garlic cloves and place in food processor. Add in 2 tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp of vinegar, and some black pepper. Chop in food processor.
2. Put broccoli in a ziplock back. Add in contents from the food processor and mix back around.
3. On an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet, place broccoli and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 mins.

If you don't have a food processor, you can just mince the garlic and add everything into the ziplock directly.

And of course I topped the broccoli with some siracha for a little spice. FYI, spicy foods boost your metabolism! Bring on the burn! And 1/4 of an avocado for some fats. Yes, fats are important too!

xoxo

Baked Turkey Breast

There she is..beautiful and tasty as ever. Tonight I made possibly the best dinner ever. I made turkey breast, garlic kale, and kidney beans. So good. I got the turkey breast from the farmer's market and it was delicious. It was lean, fresh and perfect. I paired it with my garlic kale (no carbs for din) and my spanish kidney beans.

The turkey was boneless, about 3-4 lbs, and had skin.

Here's my recipe:

• Boneless turkey breast
• Thyme (fresh)
• Rosemary (fresh)
• Oregano (dried)
• Sage (dried)
• Tarragon (dried)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Chicken broth (gluten free)
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Wash the turkey and pat dry. Put holes all around with a knife. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut up fresh herbs and place in bowl. Add in dry herbs, salt, and pepper.
3. Mince the garlic (about 3-4 cloves) and add in the bowl with the olive oil (1-2 tbsp).
4. Stir up the herbs and spices and rub all over chicken.
5. Line roasting pan with aluminum foil and place chicken in the middle. Be sure to put some fresh rosemary underneath it.
6. Pour chicken broth into pan with turkey until its covering 1/3 of it (about 1/2-1 cup).
7. Put chicken in middle rack and bake 1.5-2 hrs.
8. **Be sure to baste every 30 minutes or it will come out dry.**
9. For the last 30 mins, cover with aluminum foil. When it is done thermometer should read 170 degrees Fahrenheit. 

You can also add in potatoes, carrots, and other veggies all around it. Just make sure to cover it in a little olive oil. This is great as a dinner dish with veggies, rice or in a sandwich for lunch. It's versatile and best of all it's healthy. I also recommend using fresh herbs along with dried herbs to really get the flavor. As for the chicken broth, you really have to read the nutrition label. A lot of them are super high in sodium. I prefer organic, gluten-free (obvi), and low sodium.

That's all for now. G'nite!

xoxo

My First Quinoa Salad!

Hi!! Here is my dinner for tonight, Grilled Flank Steak with a side of Quinoa Salad. It was so delicious and so healthy. Ok so about the steak. I try to limit my red meat to once a week sometimes twice a week. If I do a steak, it is always flank steak. It's the healthier, leanner choice. It's packed with protein and is a good source of iron. It has a toughness to it, so it takes a little bit longer to grill. Another good steak is top of the round. I never marinate it, I always throw it on the grill plain and use Hot Bone Suckin' steak sauce on the side. My serving size is usually 4-6oz. 

As for the quinoa salad, it was my first time making one. I borrowed a little bit from Skinnytaste.com , and tried a little few things of my own. I mixed cooked quinoa, organic black beans, organic canned corn, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, cilantro, red onion, extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, white vinegar, mango, cumin, chili powder, sea salt and pepper. Mixed it all up and served it on the side. I didn't really measure, I just did everything by eye. But you can check out Skinnytaste for her recipe. The quinoa and beans add more protein, the EVOO adds healthy fat, and the rest have added health benefits that are just too long to list (will make a separate blog post). 

This all took like 15 mins to make (if you already have the quinoa cooked). It was super fast, super easy, and super nutritious. Happy weekend!

xoxo