Crispy Oven Baked Chicken

This comes from Kitchen Cafe, of course. This chicken is juicy, tender, crunchy and just downright delicious. If you are craving a healthier version of fried chicken, this is the winner, baby! My husband made this for me yesterday for mother's day. We served it with mashed potatoes and peas and it was a perfect meal that was easy enough for my hubs to cook :) I loved the garlic flavor, it really made it shine and anyways, I want to eat this again, soon. It was that good.

*Note: If you don't have a food processor to make fresh bread crumbs, you can try using a blender and pulsing the crumbs or try using panko bread crumbs (usually found in the Asian foods aisle). If you are using a food processor, you can also add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to the bread crumbs and pulse to combine to create an even finer crumb.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
3 garlic cloves, finely minced (see garlic tutorial here)
2 thick slices whole wheat bread (for about 2 cups fresh bread crumbs)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Combine butter and garlic in an 8- or 10-inch skillet. Heat over medium heat until the butter has melted. Pour the butter/garlic mixture into a shallow pie plate or similar dish and cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor, tear the bread into large chunks, and pulse until the bread is ground into crumbs. Pour the bread crumbs into a shallow pie plate or shallow bowl and toss with the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Dip each chicken breast in the melted, cooled garlic butter. Transfer to the bread crumb mixture and turn until coated on all sides. Arrange the chicken in one flat layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle any of the remaining melted butter over the chicken. Bake the chicken until it is lightly browned and just cooked through, 40-50 minutes. The baking time will depend on the thickness and size of the chicken you are using.

Don't overcook or the chicken will be dry.

Asparagus and Ham Risotto

I love risotto, it is downright delicious! This is a yummy, healthy risotto that you can feel good eating and feeding to your kids. Lexi even ate this! That should tell you this really is good! It is such a perfect dinner. Yum!

adapted from melskitchencafe.com

This fed Chris and I and Lex with leftovers

4 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 medium leeks)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other medium-grain rice
3 ounces diced cooked ham (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used reduced fat and it was great)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm.

Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water until the peas are no longer warm to the touch.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in rice; cook 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Add ham to pan; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in peas, cheese, and pepper. Serve immediately.

NOte: The original recipe calls for 8 oz sugar snap peas, but we substituted asparagus, because my hubby does not like sugar snap peas, but either or would be fine.

Last Two BL Breakfast Recipes: Ham and Asparagus Omelet/Mushroom-Swiss Omelet

I love omelets! Normally, they are not healthy for you at all. But, thanks to the BL cookbook, I can diet and still eat an omelet, once in a while. These are my two favorites. I eat them a lot for breakfast. Very warm and again filling. It is important to me to eat filling food when I am "dieting" so that I do not crave what I cannot have. And, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so start it off right, with a warm delciously nutritious omelet!

Ham and Asparagus Omelet

olive oil spray
1 oz 97% or 98% lean ham steak cut into small cubes
1/3 cup chopped asparagus spears
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1/2 tsp. freshly minced garlic (sometimes i omit this and it tastes just fine)
4 large egg whites
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste

Place a small nonstick skillet over med heat. Lightly mist with olive oil spray. Add the ham, asparagus, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender and the onion is tender. Remove from the pan and cover to keep warm.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites with a fork until they bubble lightly. Season with salt and pepper.

Place a small nonstick skillet over med heat ( I use the same skillet I cooked the ham mixture in to save me from washing too many dishes in the morning). Lightly mist pan with olive oil spray (I sometimes use nonstick cooking spray instead). Add the egg whites and cook, lifting the edges with a spatula as they start to set and tipping the pan to allow the uncooked whites to run underneath, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until almost set (mine only take 2-3 minutes, so watch it carefully). Flip the omelet. Sprinkle the ham mixture over half of the omelet. Flip the bare half over the filled half and transfer to a serving plate. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving
Per serving: 125 calories, 21 g protein, 7 g carbs, 1 g fat, 8 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 527 mg sodium

Mushroom-Swiss Omelet

olive oil spray
1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 tsp. freshly minced garlic
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
4 large egg whites
3/4 oz (1/3 cup) finely shredded or thinly sliced light swiss cheese (I use Sargento brand and I buy the thin slices, one slice is equivalent to 3/4 oz).

Place a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly mist with olive oil spray. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender and any excess moisture is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs whites with fork until they bubble lightly.

Place a small nonstick skillet over med heat. lightly mist with olive oil spray. Add egg whites and cook, just the way you did for the ham omelet. Flip omelet. Arrange the mushrooms and cheese evenly over half of the omelet. Flip the bare half over the filled half and continue cooking until the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving
Per serving: 131 calories, 23 g protein, 3 g carbs, 3 g fat, 8 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 323 mg sodium

Spinach, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Wrap

Here is another BL breakfast recipe, it actually is so easy I feel weird even calling it a recipe. But, I love these. So so good.

1 (7 1/2 inch) low-carb, whole wheat, or multigrain tortilla
olive oil spray
3 egg whites
1 oz (1/2 cup) finely shredded Cabot's 75% Light Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves, stems removed

Place a small nonstick skillet over med-high heat and add the tortilla. Heat tortilla in dry pan until just warm, about 30 seconds per side.

Using the same skillet, spray a small amount of olive oil spray to cover the bottom of pan. Using a fork, whip your egg whites until a little foamy. Add egg whites to the pan with the olive oil, and cook as you would scramble eggs. Do not overcook, egg whites that are overcooked become rubbery.

Place the warm tortilla on a plate. Sprinkle the cheese in a 3 inch strip down the center of tortilla to about 2 inches from bottom. Top with half of the egg whites, the spinach leaves, then the remaining whites. Fold up the bottom so that the bare part is over the filling. Fold the sides into the center over the egg and serve.

Banana Cream of Wheat

I LOVE the Biggest Loser! Years ago, I purchased the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, and honestly, did not use it much. Well, for the past two months, I have made almost every single recipe in the book. All of them have been yummy, but I wanted to share some of Chris and I's most very favorite. And, if you want the rest, you just might have to go purchase the book :) With the help of these recipes and exercise I have lost 24 lbs and still counting. So, it works! These recipes hardly taste "diet-like" and are filling.

This first one I am sharing is for breakfast. If you think you don't like cream of wheat, like I have been saying for years, you might change your mind. This recipe fills you up too! Even Lexi eats this for breakfast when I make it. It is warm, and hearty, and overall good. Not to mention, it is easy to make, it takes no time at all to have a warm and satisfying breakfast waiting for your family to gobble it up. Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings
Per serving: 204 calories, 4 g protein, 46 gram carbs, trace fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 123 mg sodium)

4 cups water
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 cup uncooked original (2 1/2 minute) Cream of Wheat
1 cup mashed, ripe banana (about 2 small bananas)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
8 packets (.035 each) sugar substitute (I used Splenda)
4 Tbsp. crunchy, high fiber, low-sugar cereal (I used Grape Nuts)

Place water and salt in a medium nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil. Add cream of wheat, stirring constantly until well blended. Return to boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from heat and add the banana, cinnamon, and sugar substitute. Stir until well combined.

Divide among 4 bowls. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the crunchy cereal over each and serve.