Chicken Zucchini Fritters

I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything and I really need to get back into the routine of updating my food blog.  Life's been pretty hectic though and I miss cooking nice meals and being able to share them with people.  I also need to figure out a way to combine my two blogs, or at least share a link.  I've been better about posting to my fitness blog lately, which is LKNTraining.com

Now that I'm an ACSM certified personal trainer, and I'm almost through with my pregnancy, I really want to start focusing on the two things I love: how to eat healthy and workout.  I can't wait until my son Griffin is born, mostly because I really want to meet him, but also because I'm excited to challenge myself and see how long it takes to get back into the shape I was in Pre-pregnancy.  It's good to set goals for yourself!

One of those goals, is trying to stick to healthier decisions when it comes to food.  I won't say that I've been really bad lately, but I've definitely given into my sweet tooth a little more then I wanted to this pregnancy.  I'm trying to get back on track though, and the dinner I made last night was not only healthy, but absolutely delicious!  It didn't take too long to make either, so if you're short on time, this is a good recipe to keep on hand.  You can even prep it ahead of time, cover the meat mixture, and place it in the fridge until you're ready to cook it.

Chicken Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini's,  grated
Salt
1 lb. lean ground chicken or lean ground turkey
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 cup green onions, finely sliced
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. ricotta cheese (I use fat free)
Olive oil to sauté

Directions:
Place the grated zucchini into a colander and sprinkle with some salt.
Let sit for 10 minutes.

Once the 10 minutes is up, squeeze out the zucchini's.  (I find that it's helpful to use paper towel for this step.  You'll be amazed at just how much juice comes out of them.)
Now, place the drained zucchini into a large bowl

Next, add in the ground chicken or turkey, salt, pepper, green onions, egg, garlic, and the ricotta cheese.

Mix the ingredients together until well combined.  (You can do this with a spoon, but I find it easiest to use my clean hands)

After that, heat a large skillet over a medium heat and add in about 3-4 TBSP. of olive oil.
Take about a tablespoon of your mixture, or a little more, and place it into the palm of your hand until you form a little round patty about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
Place the patty into the prepared skillet and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until it looks done.

Add more oil as needed.

This recipe will make about 15-20 fritters.  They're absolutely delicious served with a little cheese and some plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  Enjoy!

Source: Slightly adapted from Natashas Kitchen

Garlic Chicken and Spinach Parmesean

Last night I was trying to come up with a quick, healthy, and easy dinner to make and just so happened to stumble across this particular recipe.  At the time, I didn't really think that my husband Jeff really for spinach, but I figured he could just pick around it.  Turns out he ended up eating it.  He then informed me that he likes spinach as long as its cooked, otherwise its too leafy, like lettuce, which he doesn't like.  I know, strange, right?

Anyway......a great thing about this recipe is that I already had the ingredients that it required, therefore I didn't have to go out and spend any money.  I even have enough ingredients left over that I could make it again this weekend, which I think I will.  Mostly because it was absolutely delicious!

Garlic Chicken and Spinach Parmesan

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Ingredients:

1-2 TBSP. butter

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

2 large chicken breasts, chopped into bite size pieces

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

¼ - ½ cup Parmesan cheese

2 cups baby spinach

Directions:

In a large skillet, over a medium heat, saute the garlic for about a minute.  After that, add in the chicken pieces, salt, and a little pepper and cook until the chicken is done and no longer pink.  Once ready, sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, and stir around until all the chicken pieces are coated.  Lastly add it the spinach.  It may look like a lot, but once you stir it around and the leaves have wilted, you will have just the right amount.

Remove the skillet from the heat, and dish onto a plate.  You may serve as is, or over noodles or rice.  Whatever way you choose to enjoy it, I recommend sprinkling on a little more black pepper and cheese!

Source:

Slightly adapted from Simply Healthy Home

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili

I can't believe how fast the weekend went by and that it's already Wednesday again!  In fact, the whole second part of last week and even this week just seemed to disappear in a flash.  Last week, it was mostly due to the weather, but  this week it's just because I've been busy.  Believe it or not, it actually snowed here in North Carolina, and everything (I mean EVERYTHING) closed down.

Being from Michigan, I usually laugh when the meteorologists forecast snow.  Although I have to admit, at least for this time around, there was good reason for the panic.  However, I still find humor in the situation.  The storm that went through brought the most snow I've seen in the 9 years that we've been down here and the city doesn't have a good way to clear off the roads.  Due to this, people just abandon their cars on the side of the road and no one goes out.  After a day or so, when I finally decided myself that it was time to leave the house, my car actually slid backwards a little down the driveway due to the ice (and I'm someone who knows how to drive in the snow).  The only good thing about the snowstorm was due to the fact that everything was closed, I got  to spend an afternoon or two, relaxing with Jeff.  It was nice!

Now, before I get to today's post, I believe I promised that I'd share the last of my Valentine's Day surprise gifts, so here they are....

Day 12: I love the "WAY" you love me!

Day 13: I can't "PICTURE" my life without you!

Day 14: You make my heart "BUBBLE" over with happiness!

I hope that these little ideas help spark your own creative side.  The gifts don't just have to be for Valentine's Day either; you could always run with the idea and countdown, or up, to other things.

Let's move on though, and get to today's recipe which is for chicken taco chili, and yes, it tastes just as good as it sounds.  Plus, the meal is incredibly easy to make and will have your whole home smelling delicious!

I'm one who always loves and appreciates a good slow cooker meal, and this is definitely a keeper!  It's a perfect combination of flavors, and you can make it as hot or mild tasting as you like, depending on what degree of ingredients you choose to add.  Plus, this chili is also healthy!

It's not spring quite yet, so sit back, grab a spoon, and enjoy!  

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili

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Ingredients:

3-4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ an onion, chopped

1 16 oz. can black beans, drained

1 16 oz. can kidney beans

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

14 oz. of corn

2 14.5 oz. cans of Rotel tomatoes with chilies (I used HOT, and pureed it in a Nutribullet to give it more of a salsa like texture)

1 packet taco seasoning (Once again, I use HOT)

1 TBSP. cumin

1 TBSP. chili powder

Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Chili peppers, chopped (optional)

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:

In your slow cooker, sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray, add in the onion, black beans, kidney beans, tomato sauce, corn, Rotel, taco seasoning, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and chili peppers (If you are including them).  Stir the ingredients around with a spoon until well combined.  Place your chicken breasts on top of the mixture and cook on HIGH for 6 hours, or LOW for 10.  About an hour before done, remove the chicken and shred it.  Once the chicken has been shredded, place it back into the slow cooker and stir around.  Make sure that all the pieces have been coated with the chili and let finish cooking.

Garnish with Fritos, tortilla chips, rice, or cheese.  The possibilities are endless!

Source: Skinny Taste

Sriracha Chicken Thighs

Jeff's a big fan of anything spicy and I know how much he likes sriracha sauce, so the other night for dinner, I decided to make him some sriracha chicken thighs.  Personally, I can't tell you what it tasted like, because it isn't my type of meal (for one thing, I'm not a big fan of chicken thighs, and for another, I don't really care for sriracha sauce), but Jeff tells me that the thighs turned out fantastic.  Therefore, I'm going to take his word and share the recipe.

Here it is!

Sriracha Chicken Thighs

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Ingredients:

10 chicken thighs, skin on

Juice of 1 ½ - 2 oranges

1-2 TBSP. Sriracha sauce, depending on how hot you like it (I added a little more)

1 tsp. honey

3-4 TBSP. red onion, finely chopper

Dash of salt

Chopped parsley

Sesame seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside.

In a small bowl stir together the orange juice, sriracha sauce, honey, onion, and salt.  Taste to see if it’s too hot, or not hot enough.  If you want it hotter, add more sauce.  If it’s too hot, add a little more honey. (I just had to guess and hope it wasn’t too hot, because I’m not a fan of sriracha sauce)

Place the chicken thighs in a large ziplock bag and add in half the prepared sauce.  Seal the bag and toss around until the chicken pieces are coated.  Put the bag in the refrigerator and allow it to marinate for 30-40 minutes.

Once the chicken is ready, remove the thighs from the bag and place onto the prepared baking sheet.  DO NOT discard the marinade; you’ll be using it in a minute.  Place the baking sheet in the oven and allow the chicken to cook for 20 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the glaze.  In a small sauce pan, over a medium-high heat, add in the leftover marinade with about 4-5 TBSP. of water.  This way, it can boil longer.  Once the marinade has appeared to reduce in size, add in the remainder of the original marinade and reduce in size again.  This will take a few minutes, so be patient and don’t give up.  By the time that it’s done, it will no longer be runny, but shouldn’t be quite as thick as jam.

When the chicken is done cooking, flip the thighs over and cook again for about another 15 minutes.  The skin should appear nice and brown.  When the additional 15 minutes are up, remove the chicken, spread on the glaze, and then place the chicken back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

After that, remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle on the sesame seeds and chopped parsley, then serve.

Source: Boh Logging

Stuffed Spinach and Mozzarella Chicken

Well, it's official!  I'm finally able to run outdoors again!!!  (And yes, that statement, without a doubt, earns those 3 exclamation points; I'm that excited about it!)

For me, it's been many agonizing months off.  If you're a runner yourself, you most likely get where I'm coming from.  However, I'm sure that some of you non-runners might be thinking, 'I don't get it, what's the big deal?'  So here it is.....when I go for a run, that's my way to release stress or just escape from everything around me, at least for a little while.  And when I can actually go outside and run (meaning not on the treadmill where people can still get hold of me), I know that it's just me, my music, and the road, and I love that uninterrupted alone time.

Being able to get back to my routine means that I now have two things working for me again when it comes to the "health" area of my life.

1. I'm eating healthy

2. I'm able to workout like I want to and am feeling good

Is it just me, or does anyone else believe that there's something about being able to workout that makes you want to stick to eating healthy?  I know that many of my friends feel the same way, but does anyone else?  If so, here's a quick and healthy recipe that's high in protein and low in carbs.  The best part is, that it's also tasty and delicious!  Feel free to leave out the Italian bread crumbs if you want to (I left them off my pieces of chicken, but put them on Jeff's).

Without the bread crumbs, the nutrition looks something like this: 1 serving=1 piece

Cal: 140  carbs: 4 grams  fat: 5 grams  pro: 16 grams

Stuffed Spinach and Mozzarella Chicken

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Ingredients:

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (butterflied to make 6 pieces)

1 cup Italian style bread crumbs (optional)

6 TBSP. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

4-5 oz. fresh baby spinach

1 garlic clove, minced

2-3 tsp. olive oil

½ cup part-skim Ricotta cheese

2 egg whites, beaten

Mozzarella cheese, shredded (just a little on each piece, I used about 1/2 a cup total)

Marinara sauce

Fresh basil, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and spray the bottom of a baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

For the Chicken:

Butterfly the 3 original large pieces of chicken so that you’re now left with 6 thinner pieces.  After that, pound the pieces flatter, so that the surface area expands some more.  Place the bread crumbs and 3 TBSP. of Parmesan cheese into a shallow dish; set aside.  In another shallow dish, whisk together the egg whites.

For the Filling:

Chop the spinach into small pieces and place into a skillet with the olive oil and the garlic.  Sauté the ingredients together, over a medium heat, until the spinach leaves begin to wilt.

In a small bowl, add the ricotta cheese, the remaining Parmesan cheese, and the prepared spinach.  Now, stir the ingredients around until well combined.

To Prepare the Chicken:

Place a piece of chicken onto a flat work surface and add on a spoonful of the ricotta mixture.  Make sure to place it in the center of the chicken piece.  After that step is complete, roll up the chicken so that the edges meet and form a seam.  (A toothpick might be helpful to keep the chicken closed)  Now, dip the chicken in the egg whites and then roll in the bread crumbs.  (Remember, this step is optional.  If you would rather not have the bread crumbs, just skip this step.)  Once the chicken roll is ready, place it into the prepared baking dish and repeat the process with the remaining pieces.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Once the chicken is done baking, meaning that it looks a little brown on the top, and white in the middle, it’s time to remove the dish from the oven.  Add on some marinara sauce and a little mozzarella cheese and then place back into the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.  Once ready, remove from the oven and garnish with a little basil.  Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Pinch of Yum!

Buffalo Chicken Wonton Cups and Birthdays!

(Please ignore the x-mas napkin)

I can't believe it's already a new week again, what happened to the weekend?  I'm not complaining though, because I honestly like Monday's and this isn't any ordinary Monday either.  It's January 13th, which means it's my older sister Shannon's birthday!  "Happy Birthday Shanny!" 

I really wish I could be with her to help celebrate; but she's been sailing around Hawaii and French Polynesia for the past 30 days (If I sound jealous, I am, which is why I wish I could be there too to help celebrate).  Today also happens to be my friend Brad's birthday, "Happy Birthday Brad!"

On that note, birthdays seem to be popping up everywhere; January is a busy month!  I actually made two birthday cakes over the weekend, for two different parties that were going on.

In addition to baking birthday cakes, I also prepared some buffalo chicken wonton cups to take as a little appetizer to yet another birthday party.  These personalized little cups are always a huge hit and super easy to make!  Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Wonton Cups
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Makes about 18 cups
Ingredients:
2 large cans chunk chicken
2 blocks 1/3 less fat cream cheese
3 TBSP. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
½ - 1 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
1 package wonton shells

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a muffin tin with a nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large skillet, over a medium heat, add in the chunk chicken and breaking apart into bite size pieces and stirring around.  Continue to cook until just warm, 2-4 minutes.  Add in the blocks of cream cheese and stir around, with the chicken, until melted and mixed together.  When ready, pour in the ranch dressing, Frank’s Red Hot sauce, and 1 ½ cups of the cheese.  Stir those ingredients around until the cheese is melted and everything is nicely combined.

To assemble:
Begin by placing a wonton shell into the bottom of each well of the muffin tin.  After that, add on about a TBSP. of the chicken mixture and top with a little cheese.  Next, place over the chicken and cheese another wonton shell, making sure to press it down around the filling (almost so that it looks like a piece of ravioli).  Now, place on top of the wonton another TBSP. of the buffalo chicken mixture and then sprinkle on some more cheese.

When ready, place the tin into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the wonton wrappers start to turn a nice brownish color.

Optional Garnish Ideas:
Blue Cheese or Feta crumbles
A slice of celery

Spinach & White Cheddar Chicken Burger

I know that it's a little late into January already, but according to some, the new year brings resolutions; so ask yourself, are you up to the challenge?  I wouldn't say that I actually made resolutions, so much as set some personal goals for the year 2014.  So far, I've been doing a really good job sticking to them.  However, the goals I set for myself aren't really anything too extravagant (like going to climb Mt. Everest) and that's ok because I usually end up adding to these throughout the year anyway.  Plus, I change my goals a little bit each month.  To me, there always has to be flexibility.

Now, you might find yourself wondering what exactly my goals are.  First off, let me just inform you that I have the type of personality that definitely likes to be challenged and most often it comes when I hear negativity from others.  Typically, that type of thinking motivates me to try even harder.  Oh yeah, you might not know this about me yet, but I like to prove people wrong; especially when it comes to what they think I'm capable of accomplishing.  I may be little, but I'm pretty strong willed.  I truly believe that nothing in life should ever be easy; you should have to constantly work at things to improve otherwise you will stay the same.  Unless of course you are on vacation, then it should always be easy and relaxing.

So here are my goals to start the new year:
1. With everything that goes on in my personal life, I want to challenge myself to find the time to update my blog at least 6-7 times a month, if not more.
2.  Now that I've recovered from my broken pelvis, I want to challenge myself to run at least 4 races this year.  (I know that I'll be able to too, I've already signed up for 1.  My problem though, is that I don't really like running with other people.  I run for enjoyment.)
3.  To eat healthier.  By this statement, I don't mean that I want to go on a diet and try to lose a bunch of weight, but rather make a conscience lifestyle change.  (I'm not saying that I won't slip here and there, no one's perfect, and everyone likes cookies here and there, but I just want to become more aware of what I put into my digestive system and attempt to eat less processed food.)

On that note, I'd like to share today's recipe with you.  Not only are these spinach and white cheddar chicken burgers healthy, but they're absolutely delicious!  I ended up eating a burger and a half, which is unusual for me, but fine.  Each chicken patty is under 200 calories, of course, this depends whether or not you put the burger on a bun and what extra toppings you end up using as garnish.  I ended up eating my burger plain; mostly because I found that there was already enough seasoning within the burger itself.  I'll definitely be making this again soon!  Even the leftovers were delicious!

Spinach & White Cheddar Chicken Burgers
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Ingredients:
1 package (about 1 ¼ lb.) lean ground chicken
2 oz. fresh baby spinach, wilted
¼ - ½ of a small onion
1 garlic clove
2 stalks of a green onion
1 TBSP fresh parsley leaves
1 cup, shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. soy sauce
¼ - ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ - ½ cup panko bread crumbs (start out on the low end and add more if needed)

Directions:
The first thing that you’ll need to do is wilt your baby spinach leaves.  This is super easy to do, so don’t be intimidated.  In order to wilt the leaves, place your spinach into colander, in a sink, and pour boiling water over them.  Drain well, and then squeeze the leaves out a little, until they appear soft and wilted.

Now, place the onion, green onion, garlic, parsley, and wilted spinach leaves into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until fairly fine looking; be careful not to completely puree.

Next, in a medium to large bowl, add the chicken, the chopped up spinach mixture, and all the remaining ingredients.  Using clean hands, knead everything together until well combined.  This is where you may need to add in more panko bread crumbs, but only if the chicken is not holding together.  (One way to tell if you need more crumbs is if the chicken is sticking to your hands)

Once the mixture is well combined, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a little olive oil.  Now, form the chicken into patties (it should make 6 depending on the size) and place onto the prepared pan.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and then transfer the baking sheet into the refrigerator for about an hour.  This will allow time for the flavors to set in.

When ready to cook, set the oven to broil and allow the patties to cook for 7-9 minutes on each side.  Garnish as desired and enjoy!

Source: Cookin' With Super Pickle

Chicken and Lime Avocado Salad

Once again I sadly disappeared for awhile and I'm sorry.

The past two weeks have just been so hectic, yet so much fun at the same time!  Things are finally starting to settle down.  Between traveling, visiting family and friends, being sick with the flu, the excitement of the holidays, eating too much, packing and unpacking, and taking down Christmas decorations, I've been exhausted.  However, I think I've finally recovered and am pretty much back to my usual schedule. 

I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to take a minute or two right now, and share with you a little bit about what I've been up to lately.  If you want to just skip right down to the tasty recipe though, please feel free. 

As I previously mentioned in a post or two, Jeff and I traveled to Michigan over the holidays, and if any of you happen to live up in that region, or have been keeping up with the nation's weather reports, then you already know that the northern states are getting slammed pretty hard with severe weather.  It actually began to go downhill the day we arrived.  Literally, the moment we crossed the state line into Michigan, a huge ice storm began. 

The storm ended up causing us, and thousands of others throughout the state, to actually lose electricity due to all the down power lines that collapsed under the pressure of the ice.  I'm not going to complain about the ice though, because luckily for us we only lost power for about 3-4 hours, whereas some of my other family members and friends lost it for about 4 days!  Overall it was a big mess, and I know it ruined a lot of people's Christmas celebrations.

The weather didn't stop there either, later that week, as we went from Jeff's parent's house, to my grandma's house, and then our friend's house, the temperatures continued to drop and more and more snow started to fall.  The day we decided to head back to North Carolina was probably not the best day to choose from, but I'm glad we did.  Apparently, at least from what I've been seeing and hearing, it's just getting worse and worse up there.  The ride home was miserable too.  Jeff and I both had the flu and we ended up driving through severe snow storms the entire way back.  It was so bad that at some points we couldn't even see the road, or tell if we were on it.  In addition to being sick, and driving through the snow, we passed at least 30 or more cars and semi-trucks that had slid off the road, plus, we encountered quite a few traffic standstills, ugh!  One standstill, which we hit in Ohio, involved me actually putting the car into park, on the expressway, for 2 straight hours.  The journey home, that should have only taken twelve hours, ended up taking about eighteen.  I usually wouldn't have minded, but we were both sick, plus we had our two little dogs with us.

On a brighter note, we are home and had a great time visiting our family and friends! 

I'm also all unpacked, decorations are taken down, laundry is done, and I'm feeling fully healthy again and ready to take on the new year!  I know I haven't posted my workout calendar for January yet, and I'm sorry because I know that some of you take ideas from it.  So far this year I've just been kind of doing whatever comes to mind, mostly because I haven't had the time to sit down and create anything.  I'll do my best to get a calendar made today though and hopefully it will be posted soon; better late than never I always say!

Ok..... enough about my holiday, now it's time to share a delicious and healthy recipe that I made for dinner the other night. 

Lately, I have found so many wonderful looking recipes that I've been wanting to try out, but have been afraid to do so.  This is mostly because, like me, Jeff can be a pretty picky eater, especially when it comes to healthier foods.  Over the holidays though, he informed me that he'd be willing to try out whatever I make; which had me super excited!  I got started on our weekly menu right away.  However, looking back now, I have to admit that this was probably not the best recipe to begin with; especially since I was trying to convince him that healthy meals are delicious.  You see, Jeff is not really, nor has he ever really been a big fan of fruits or vegetables, especially the lesser known ones, and this recipe contains avocados.  Part of me thought that it would be safe though, because he likes guacamole;  I was wrong.  After dinner, Jeff told me that it wasn't a terrible meal, it just wasn't for him.  I on the other hand loved it, and would definitely make it again!  To me, it was a perfect combination of flavors, and everything that I enjoy in one dish!

Chicken and Lime Avocado Salad
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Ingredients:

2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (size is up to you)
2 medium avocados, diced into bite size pieces
2 TBSP. lime juice, freshly squeezed
Salt
¼ cup green onion, finely sliced
½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 TBSP. light mayo

Directions:

(To make the dressing)
In a small bowl, combine the mayo and 1 TBSP. of the freshly squeezed lime juice.  Mix the two ingredients together (it’s really that easy).

After that, place the diced avocados into a medium bowl and add in the remaining 1 TBSP. of the freshly squeezed lime juice and sprinkle on some salt.  Now, gently mix around the avocados until they are evenly coated; set aside.

 

 

Place the chicken and green onions into a separate bowl and then add in the dressing.  Once ready, toss the ingredients together until everything is well coated. 

 

 

After that, add in the avocado and gently mix around.  Lastly, place in the chopped cilantro and continue to mix around until the salad is just combined.

 

Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator!

 

Source: Kalyn's Kitchen

Quick and Easy Chicken and Bacon Beer Cheese Soup

It's such another beautiful fall day outside and I absolutely love sitting on my back porch enjoying the wonderful weather.  Seeing that it's November, I can't help but notice that a lot of my Facebook friends are beginning to go day by day listing the things that they're thankful for.  My thanks though, comes in taking the opportunity to appreciate moments like this.  I personally don't feel the need to sit on a computer and type out every single little thing that I'm thankful for, but instead, I believe in showing my appreciation to the people and the moments as they present themselves throughout the year, not just because it's November.  Therefore, what I'll typically do, especially on a splendid day like this, is grab a cup of coffee, a good book and head outside; I'm currently reading "Between Sisters", by Kristen Hannah, who is one of my favorite authors.  If I'm not going to read, I'll usually bring my computer outside to type on; which is actually what I'm doing right now.  Ok....you caught me...the truth is that I'm also watching the colorful fall leaves blow down from the trees.  They're just so pretty right now and sadly are almost gone for the season.

This transitional time of year, especially when there's a chill in the air, always makes me crave warm comforting foods like soup, chili, and casseroles.  The best part about these types of dishes though, is that there are so many wonderful recipes out there to try.  I happened to land on this particular recipe for chicken and bacon beer cheese soup, mostly because it sounded delicious, but I was also drawn to the fact that it didn't take too long to make.  Some soup recipes that I've found need to cook for a few hours, this one only needed about 15-20 minutes, which was perfect and it turned out absolutely delicious! 

Quick and Easy Chicken and Bacon Beer Cheese Soup
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Makes 4-6 bowls

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon, more for garnish
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. cayenne red pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 cup beer, I used a lager
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups half & half, or equal substitute
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Garnish:
Croutons
Bacon
Shredded cheese
Scallions

Directions:

Place a skillet over a medium-high heat and cook the bacon.  Once cooked, remove the bacon from the pan, crumble it into bit size pieces, and set aside.  Don’t clean out the skillet, but instead, add the chicken.  Allow the chicken to cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side.  Once ready, remove the chicken from the pan, and using two forks, pull it apart until shredded.  Add the shredded chicken back into the pan and allow it to cook until done.  Now, remove the chicken and set it aside with the bacon.

In an 8 quart pot, over a medium heat, melt the butter.  Add in all the flour and spices and whisk together.  Next, add in and whisk together the beer, chicken broth, and half & half.  Bring to a light bubble, but DO NOT let boil.  Now, add the cheese and whisk together until the mixture is smooth.  Once ready, add in the Worcestershire sauce, chicken, and bacon; then stir around.

Allow the soup to simmer and thicken up until ready to serve.  Garnish with a few or all of the additional toppings and enjoy!

I knew that I wanted a soup that wouldn't take too long to make, yet contained a variety of comforting flavors.  After gathering up some ideas, I settled on this quick and easy bacon beer cheese soup.  Not only does it contain, bacon, beer, and cheese, but it also contains chicken and a variety of spices, all of which sound absolutely divine.  So grab a bowl, and a spoon, and enjoy!

Source: The Slow Roasted Italian

Hot Ham and Cheese Spaghetti Squash with Chicken

For those of you who read my blog post yesterday, you're already aware that I've recently injured myself.  I absolutely hate the fact that my working out, at least for now, has become limited.  If I were to describe my personality to you, I'd have to say that I have some rather distinctive character traits.  I'm definitely the type of person who doesn't let things stand in my way, especially if someone tells me that I can't do something.  Typically, that just makes me want to do it all the more. 

However, at least for now, I sadly know that I'm limited in my physical abilities and it kills me.  Mostly because working out is such a huge portion of my life and has been for awhile now.  Due to my injury though, it can be painful at times just to walk.  With that being said it looks like, at least for now, I'll have to direct my attention/dedication elsewhere.  I'm definitely not the type of person though, who's just going to sit around feeling sorry for myself.

With that being said, I'm choosing to focus my attention on nutrition.  Throughout the past few years I've definitely gotten down the fitness routine, but my eating habits haven't always gone along with it.  Growing up I was always a skinny child, and then I hit puberty and kind of inflated.  After that, I tended to struggle a little bit with my weight, usually averaging between 140-155 pounds.  I was always in the mindset though, that I wanted to lose some weight, but was never motivated enough to actually go workout.  Believe it or not, as much as I love running now, I use to skip my jogging class in college. 

Then, one day, after seeing how successful a colleague/friend of mine was with her own weight loss journey, I decided to make a change to my diet and start exercising too.  Ultimately, that was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  My goal at the time was just to get back down to my wedding weight, which was 132 pounds.  Once I hit that goal though, I decided to keep going.  The journey I made was by no means an easy one.  I had to give up things that I enjoyed and it didn't happen overnight, but I honestly never felt so good about myself.  It definitely presented a physical challenge, and, as some people know, I'm always up for a good challenge.

Looking back now, I want to have that feeling of accomplishment again, because there's really nothing else like it.  So, let's take a journey together, and if you want to keep up with how I'm doing, than you can continue to read my posts.  Otherwise, you can choose to just look at, and maybe make, my delicious recipes.

So......

Today's recipe was actually my lunch yesterday, and lucky for me, I have some leftovers for today.  I've tried once before to cook a spaghetti squash, and it didn't turn out so well (meaning it wasn't exactly stringy like it was suppose to be, but rather a little clumpy).  Therefore, I decided to "Google" spaghetti squash to see exactly where I went wrong.  This time around, I learned from my mistakes and it turned out perfectly. 

*Helpful Tip* - When you go to remove the squash from the shell, you first have to pry it apart from all sides and then pull it apart using a fork or your fingers (make sure to let it cool some before doing this).  Here's a helpful youtube video that shows you exactly what to do.    

Important FYI.....Spaghetti squash is currently in season, and they look absolutely gorgeous!  They're both large in size and the perfect color, which means delicious tasting squash!  That's why, despite my injury, I'm actually going to go to the store again this afternoon.  I'd like to purchase one or two more squash, which means that there should be some new recipes posted here very soon.

Hot Ham and Cheese Spaghetti Squash with Chicken
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Servings: 1

Ingredients:
1 half of a spaghetti squash
Olive oil
Garlic powder
1 can chunk chicken, drained (I heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds
2 oz. diced boneless ham cubes
1 triangle light laughing cow cheese (I used white cheddar, but choose your favorite)
Black pepper
Chili powder
Parmesan cheese
4-5 sprays of I can’t Believe It’s not Butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Very carefully (they are difficult to penetrate) cut a spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise.  Place both of the halves, face up, onto a baking sheet and then spread some olive oil onto each half, just to keep it moist while baking.  After the olive oil has been spread on, sprinkle just a little bit of garlic powder on top, but be careful not to add too much.  I probably sprinkled about 1 tsp. of powder onto each half.  Once ready, place the baking sheet into the oven and let cook for 45-50 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the squash to cool for 10 minutes, or until you can work with it without burning yourself.  Pry one of the squash halves from the side of the shell, using a fork, and then toss around to get the noodle formation.  (If you are cooking for more than 1, do the same thing to the other half and double the recipe)

Place the ‘noodles’ from 1 half of the squash into a bowl and add in the laughing cow cheese.  Toss around, using a fork, until the cheese is completely melted (make sure not to smash the noodles).  Now, add in the chicken and the ham, followed by a dash of black pepper, chili powder, and a few sprays of butter.  Once again, toss around with a fork until everything is well combined.  Then, sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and serve warm!

 

 

Source: Bowl of Creativity original