Healthy and Flavorful Chicken!

I love chicken! In every possible dish! Okay, well maybe not evvvvvery dish but you know what I mean.  It is super versatile and can be worked into a great many healthy recipes! The best part is that I have finally perfected how to make a healthier, juicier and most important, more flavorful chicken!  Here is a recipe that I used the other night that my husband and I absolutely love!

You will need:

For the chicken:

Two large thawed chicken breasts with the fat trimmed

1 cup low fat chicken broth

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

two dashes lemon pepper seasoning per breast

salt and pepper

pan seared polenta:

store bought polenta (already prepared in the tube)

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

sauteed baby bok choy and spinach salad:

10-15 small baby boy choy - cleaned and separated

two cups of fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup low fat chicken broth

1 tsp hoisen sauce

1 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

Yes, I know that is a lot of ingredients but it's for the entire meal so really when you think about it, it's not that much.

So here we go! In a large, deep pan heat your olive oil and garlic over high heat.  While your oil and garlic are heating up, dash lemon pepper and salt and pepper on each side of chicken breasts.  Put into your pan and cook the outside of each breast.  Allow a bit of browning to happen on each side.  Once each side is browned up turn down the heat to medium and add in your broth around the chicken and cover.  Your chicken will almost poach in the broth while absorbing a lot of the broth flavors.

While you are getting your chicken going, heat butter and oil over high heat in another pan for your polenta.  While the oil and butter is heating, slice your polenta into 8 pieces about 1 inch thick.  Once your pan is nice and toasty ever so gently put in your polenta pieces.  I say every so gently since I was not ever so gently and I still have an oil/butter burn on my hand...OUCH!  Brown each side of the polenta until it is a medium brown color.  About the same shade as a caramel candy.  Once both sides are nice and crispy and brown removed the pieces and place on a plate with some paper town under it to absorb some of the oil.

Once your chicken is cooked through remove it from your pan and set aside to rest.  Put your heat back up to high and allow your pan to get nice and hot again.  In a small bowl stir your chicken broth, soy sauce, hoisen, and garlic.  Add your baby bok choy and spinach to the pan and allow the heat to just warm it a slight bit (only about twenty seconds or so).  Pour your liquid mixture over the greens and toss them a bit to get some of the sauce on each piece.  Turn your heat down to low and cover.  Wait about two to three minutes and toss the greens again.  After about 45 seconds you are ready to put together your plate!

I have to say that this is one of my favorites meals to make now.  I was very reluctant with the polenta since I have had some baaaad polenta.  But in this dish it was nice and crispy on the outside and buttery smooth on the inside with almost a potato quality to it.

The chicken turned out nice and moist and was full of flavor!

Give it a try and let me know how it works out for you!

Moroccan-Spiced Pork Chops!

I love to cook, I love to bake but I am definitely not one to start experimenting with spices.  I have my set spices that I tend to use, often more of one and less of another to change the taste of whatever I am making to suit the dish.  Rarely will I buy spices and marinades that aren't familiar because I am just too nervous to mess up a recipe and not like it at all!

But since I've started to change my eating habits I have also decided to change my flavor habits too.  I looooove ethnic food, if I could live at My Thai Palace I would!! Yum! And there is this fabulous place in town called Ali Baba's that has a wide blend of Indian and Moroccan cuisine.  I am really hoping that it is still open since I haven't been there since just before my son was born ... hmmmm, next date night I am thinking!

When I came across a recipe for Moroccan-Spiced Pork Chops I was all in.  This recipe pairs it with Apricot and Cilantro Couscous, which is fantastic!!

Here is what you will need:

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp ground coriander

1 pound uncooked lean only pork loin (4x 4oz boneless chops)

2 tsp olive oil

10 oz uncooked whole wheat couscous

2 cups fat-free chicken broth

8 1/2oz canned water-packed apricot halves - chopped

1 tpsp cilantro, fresh - chopped

In a large ziplock bag, mix the cumin, coriander and cinnamon (for myself using this recipe the first time around I only used half the cumin, next time I would definitely use all that it calls for!).  Add the pork pieces to the bag, seal it up and shake it up! Just an FYI, if you have and eight month old in the kitchen with you when you are doing this step it is apparently hilarious to watch and will bring about giggles!  Make sure the meat is well coated and marinate in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

In a large deep skillet over medium high heat, cook the pork chops turning them once browned on one side. The recipe called for them to be light pink inside and said this would only take about 8 minutes...yeah, no.  It took about 8 minutes per side for that.  You can judge for yourself when yours are done.  I know not a lot of people like pork to have any pink left so use your own judgement.

While your chops are cooking, prepare the couscous following the package directions with the chicken broth instead of water.  Fold in the chopped apricots and cilantro (try not to "sample" too much of it since it will smell amazing while you are doing this!).

Plate up your couscous with the chops on top and there you have it!  This meal serves four so if you are looking to impress at a dinner with friends I would highly suggest this one as an intro into new spices!

I was going to make a side salad to add in some veggies to the meal but while trying not to mess up the chops I completely forgot which as it turned out the salad wasn't needed at all as this was a very filling meal!

In case you were wondering this would be a twelve point meal, which was pretty darn worth it!

Try it out and let me know if it has spiced up your meal plan!

A bit of background for you...

I decided that it is time to give you a bit of an idea of who you are reading from... so stay with me lovely people as I fill you in on a little bit of me and my journey so far!

 I think one of the hardest parts of this journey has been getting it into my head that I AM NOT ON A DIET and that I am not restricting my eating.  My journey is a change in lifestyle and a healthier way of eating.  It has been better this time around.  

Now let me clarify "this time around" for you.  Not that I would be embarrassed or anything at all if this is something that I had to try multiple times, because I do know people who have had to do that and hey, applaud yourselves because you've come back to it!

When I say that this is something that I have come back to it is because after my husband and I were married and started trying for a baby we found it really difficult, not in the logistics because believe you me we got entirely too many tips in that area!  For us it just wasn't happening.  There was too much work stress, too much financial stress and too much family stress.  And to top it all off I was at the heaviest that I had been in ten years.  Not a high point for me.

So, after going to see our doctor and having to answer the obvious "well, are you having sex" question...and yes a doctor will ask that and YES I did sit there dumbstruck for a full minute before asking if that really is a problem for some people.  Just an FYI, after talking to my GP I have found out that for a lot of first time parents having issues conceiving, the main issue is that they aren't having enough sex! Der! Isn't that step one!

Anyways, back to the topic at hand... that wasn't our issue (too much info, I know) so I had to go through a whole slew of questions from the doctor as to what could be going on and we narrowed it down to waaaay too much stress and simply that I need to lose a bit of weight to get my body back in balance.

I understood the stress part, but the weight thing bothered me.  I didn't think that I was that big, and I didn't think it was effecting our ability to conceive.  But after going to my first Weight Watchers meeting with a friend of mine at her suggestion to try it out, I heard a story from another young lady that was in my same position, and was PREGNANT!  I was changed, I was convinced... I was thrilled! I signed up!

It was really tough in the beginning because well, if only one person is on board, no one is on board.  My husband was really not into it the first time around, but he was "supportive" as he sat eating his big back of chips on the couch.  I did it though, and in time he did start eating healthier meals with me so it helped both of us in a way.  The weight came off, about twenty pounds of it and along came this kid...

I like to think that we made a pretty cute one.  

Within six weeks of me having him, I was back at meetings and gearing up to lose the weight again, which as it turns out, me being pregnant turned out to be a really good diet since I was so sick I actually lost weight during my pregnancy and came out of the hospital lighter than before I conceived!  * Please don't worry though, my son was a healthy seven pounder!

I tried to tell my husband that if we have another five or six kids I could probably be a super model buuuuut he doesn't seem to be on board with the plan.  Can't blame a girl for trying!

Needless to say I ended up getting pregnant again! Woo! And to our delight we had a little girl...

It's been great! But now I am determined to get back on track and to become the healthier me that I want to be! Not so that I can fit into skinny jeans or become a marathon runner because let's face it, when I run I look like Phoebe from friends and NO ONE should ever see that!  I want to be a healthier me so that I can be there for my kids later on and be able to watch them become the awesome parents I hope they will be......

BUT not for another twenty years at least!

Keep with me...the best stories are to come... like how my best friend knew I was pregnant both times, before me or my doctor got the note...

Stay tuned!

Chicken Paella Recipe

I've been working on some healthier eating habits for dinners for the family this past week and have posted some pics on Facebook of the yumminess so I thought that I would post some recipes on here for your enjoyment! 

Last nights dinner was Chicken Paella, something I thought was really hard but it turns out that it's super easy! Especially in the crock pot! My house smelled fantastic all day which made this so much better!

Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 medium fresh tomatoes - chopped

1 medium onion - chopped

1 medium uncooked bell pepper (I went with red for some color) - chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 cloves garlic - chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp turmeric

1/3 cup frozen green peas - I used a full cup since Xan loves peas at the moment

2 cups uncooked white rice - you could also substitute quinoa for this, could be yummy!

Put everything but the rice and peas in a large crock pot.  Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

Add the peas and rice, stir and cook about another 15 minutes.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups per serving with 1 chicken thigh per serving.

For those of you following this would be a 10 point meal.

It turned out absolutely great!  Just a tip, careful with the turmeric, I got some on my hands and it most definitely turns everything it touches yellow!

Try it out and let me know how yours turned out!

Getting Back on Track!

I was so on a roll! I was doing great! And then Christmas happened! Crud!!!

It happens every year, we all know it does since it happens to nearly everyone! And if you say it doesn't happen to you well then either you have super powers or you're just plain awesome!

I was doing super awesome with my Weight Watchers goals, I started the online version just after my daughter was born and was steadily losing every week which was great! This time around I had actually kept up with my tracking and was making smart choices.  Buuuuut, then my Christmas baking started and for some nutty reason I feel the need to sample all my baking to make sure it passes muster before sending it out to people since heaven forbid the double chocolate cookies are dry!

Since my Mum passed away in July 2011, I have made it my goal to drastically cut back on all things unhealthy in my life.  I've majorly cut back on what I drink (not that there was a problem or anything like that, it's just really who needs a glass of wine with dinner every other night or every weekend for that matter).  Ps.. we found some awesome non-alcoholic wine at Costco that is more like a sparkling juice that I am in love with!

I've tried to cut out at much stress in my life as possible, but really with a two year old and a new baby there is going to be some stress so I've amended that to just try and roll with the stress a bit easier.

And last but not least I have re-joined Weight Watchers in an effort to get my weight and health to a better level.  So like I said it WAS going great but then the holidays happened.  I think at this point in my life I've come to realize that every Christmas this is most likely going to happen, so when the scale goes up for two weeks in a row I just need to suck it up and move on!! 

If you know what you're going to be seeing it somehow doesn't make it as hard to bear.  So, now that the holidays are well behind me I am getting back on track! The last three nights I have made a conscientious effort to make healthier meals for us and it's been pretty darn great! I'm loving the improved recipes that WW online has!

Friday night I went with some flavorful chicken with polenta cakes and a sauteed baby bok choy and spinach salad on the side.

Last night I made some super yummy Moroccan pork chops with whole wheat couscous and apricots...something I will most certainly be making again!

I'm trying to keep with the plan ahead so you don't get surprised method...which seems to work! So in keeping with that, breakfast and lunch are already planned out, now just need to come up with something for dinner!

I have some more crafty creations and some yummy recipes coming your way to the blog soon! Stay tuned and stay healthy!

Have a very DIY Christmas!

This year seemed to be completely about DIY crafts and gifts in our house... and since I have started my blog I wanted to share some of what I have done!

My previous post shows one of the gifts I made for my sister...and after talking to her last night she absolutely loved it so that was PERFECT!! However, I still wish I had of kept it...so I'm planning on making my own still  this summer and may even rope her into helping out!

Since the lovely sewing machine I recently got was from my Dad he requested a couple of Christmas gifts ahead of time... a new barbeque apron and a cover for his seat belt since he hates when it rubs on his neck.

Both were pretty easy to do but I still had some fun with it! He asked for a pretty basic apron (not one too tacky I believe was the wording)...hmmm I guess he remembered all those interesting ties I bought him every Christmas while he was working.

I went with a reversible option to give him a couple of looks and it went over really well!

For side one I went with a really clean lettuce green color with an easy to wash fabric.

Kind of plain but really nice for around the house and if he happens to host a dinner party.  But for the other side I decided to have a bit of fun! When we were kids we loved potatoes in our house! And Dad was always in charge of making them but for what ever reason they would come out like golf balls a lot of the time and it just became a bit of a running joke in our house.  So when I was in Fabricland and saw this fabric it had to come home with me!

LOVE IT!

My Dad absolutely loved this so it was a ripping success!  

Since I was so occupied with trying to get everything made up and wrapped I totally forgot to take a picture of his seat belt cover.  I made it really simply with some dark brown minky and attached some Velcro for easy cleaning whenever he needs to.

For my Best Friend I found another wonderful fabric at Fabricland.  She looooooves Elvis so when I spotted this fabric I knew that it was PERFECT for her!

Beach Elvis! How can you go wrong!

I made her an apron since I know that she loves cooking and making yummy treats (PS, Paula if you read this I enjoy being your unofficial taster...just saying)

This project let me try my hand at applique on the front pocket and doing pleats! 

I think it turned out great! What do you think?

My next project was for my little guy Xander.  This is his third Christmas and up until now he has used one of our spare stockings that we had.  I got the inspiration to make him his own stocking from one that my Mum had made for me for my first Christmas.

Xander's is on the left and mine is on the right.  I found this great John Deere fabric at Triangle Sewing in Guelph, Ontario.  Love it since Xander is completely in love with tractors and thought that it was great!

My sister in law had a special request this Christmas that I helped her out with.  She had purchased the below adorable Hello Kitty fabric for her girls.  Since she has three kids now she didn't have an opportunity to get some things made up for the girls when she made up their big girl room.

Soooooo, being the Santa's little helper that I am I put together some pillows for them!

....well fourteen pillows to be exact...and a pillow case for my oldest niece.

 

I picked up some pink minky to back the pillows with and did a variety of sizes for them, some for them and some for their dolls.

I've been told they were a hit!

And now for my absolute favorite project this year..and also the most difficult since I have never made a quilt on my own before!

I decided to make a runner for my Grandmother's table since she is the most crafty woman that I have every met and also the one who taught all of us grandkids the importance of knowing how to do your own sewing projects (not only to reattach buttons but also for various other things).

I started with a block of four...

then attached the same...

starting to look like a runner now...

I added a strip of light green around the edges to add a bit of fun...

and backed it with some funky Christmasy fabric...and then quilted it all together!

I love it! I was totally hard on myself for the little mistakes I made along the way but only I know where they are so I've let it go...kind of...

She loved it so much that she refuses to put it on the table in case something spills on it, and she wants to see it better, so it's hanging on one of her chairs in the living room.

Those are my projects this year...aside for the multitude of baking projects...including Xander's first gingerbread house...

 complete with guard hippos...

which we only let him put a couple of candies on since a) he was licking the candies and pulling them off as soon as he put them on...and b) well he's two and he just wasn't doing it right...lol...he can do his own house next year.

Let me know what you did for projects this year!