chicken « eatingRD.com

March 12, 2010

chicken fajitas + giveaway winner!

Filed under: Dinner,Fitness/Health — Tags: chicken, Mexican — Kristen :) @ 7:28 am

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately! This week started out kind of slow, and then BAM! it’s Friday already? my goodness. I didn’t have my computer with me last night since I rode into to work, so I didn’t get a chance to post. It’s been a pretty good week and I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the doggie pictures! I’ll have to include more of those 🙂 There’s nothing like cute pictures of doggies to brighten the day 🙂

Besides a re-cap of my ride and various eats, I will announce the cooking gadget winner too! (more…)

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January 26, 2010

multitasking

Filed under: Blog,Breakfast,Comfort foods,Dinner — Tags: chicken, crock pot, oatmeal, pesto — Kristen :) @ 8:45 am

Thank you for all your kind words on the site! I’m super excited and happy you guys enjoy it. If you haven’t yet, be sure to enter my giveaway for some Mighty Leaf tea and an Anthro mug here. I first thought I gave the wrong feed address, but it seems that both of the ones below will work when added to your feed. Please let me know if it’s not updating in your reader so I can remedy. I’m a computer retard!

http://eatingrd.com/?feed=rss2

http://feeds.feedburner.com/eatingrd

I am having the darndest time getting up in the morning lately! ugh, 5am is just too darn early and when the alarm goes off I moan and groan wishing I could just stop time for a few more hours. I’ve always had this fascination with wanting to be able to stop time. Wouldn’t that be awesome? ha, in the mean time I’ll keep wishing for that day and get my butt out of bed! I think it does have a lot to do with not getting to bed till close to 11pm, which I need to fix.

I’ve been trying to get (more…)

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November 17, 2009

first time for . . . running?

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Fitness/Health — Tags: chicken, coconut, pasta, pistachio, salad, sweet potato — Kristen :) @ 3:48 am

I would consider myself a pretty active person. On most weeks I get to the gym about 4 times and then try to fit in an outdoor weekend activity, which is usually cycling or more gym time. Lately this exercise schedule has been thrown out the window with the end of the semester approaching fast. Now I’m getting to the gym 2, maybe 3 times per week if I’m lucky? Fitness is a huge part of my life and it just makes me feel better too, so I’ve been a bit blah not being able to get that time in. Weekends have actually been my saving grace because I’m still able to fit in something, and this past weekend I tried my hand at running!

I know that I am an anomaly in the blog world since I don’t run, and so many of you are awesome runners! I really have been wanting to try my hand at a sprint triathlon sometime in the future, so I figured I better start training now for next season’s races! Honestly I can say that I’ve never just gone for a run for the fun of it. I’ve had to run a bit for dance team in college and we had to run up and down the bleachers of the football stadium, but that’s about it. I’ve never really liked running because it is very repetitive and gets old on a treadmill to me, but running outside is so much better!

On Sunday I met Kristen at 7am at a local running store and we went for a chilly 5 miles with a couple short walking breaks in between. Honestly, aerobically I felt great, like I could keep going (we were taking it easy which was good). My body didn’t feel too bad afterwards, and right when I got home I fueled with a nice smoothie and handful of pistachios. As the day wore on though, my joints were not liking me at all. Right below and to the outside of my knee was hurting like a mother and I could tell my IT band was not right. I could barely make it up the stairs. Darn it all, I just want to be a runner! I can cycle 50 miles, dance for hours and jump around for kickbox, but running is just different. I think it is the repetitive motions. I took some Aleve, and finally tonight it’s starting to feel a bit better, but I’m hoping that with time and gradual training my body won’t hurt as much . . . right??? (reassurance please!) I may have to have someone look at my form and see if it’s off.

I am sure wanting one of these right now to track my training and practically run and cycle for me! lol

The rest of the weekend was spent in the library and working on presentations, so I won’t go into detail. I’m still working on my last proposal, and hope to start actually writing it tonight. My goal is to have it all done before Thanksgiving so I can enjoy the holiday.

I had a request from Amanda to recap the sweet tater lasagna I recently posted 🙂 This was a small version since I was using random leftovers, but you can always make more and have more layers!

2-3 cups pasta sauce
4 lasagna noodles, cooked
2 cups ricotta with Italian seasoning, garlic powder & fresh basil
2 small sweet potatoes (yams) sliced very thin
sautéed mushrooms, along with a roux added (1 cup NF milk and 1 tbsp flour) and a bit of pasta sauce
Any kind of cheese for topping: mozzarella, parmesan, etc.

Layer everything in the pan, alternating, and cover it with foil so the sweet potatoes will cook. Bake at 425 for about 25-30 minutes then un-cover, top with cheese and bake till golden.

I loved all your pistachio ideas and links, thank you!!! With an overwhelming majority, most of you want some pistachio ice cream, and boy that doesn’t sound like a bad idea if I do say so myself 🙂 Plus I have a couple vanilla beans screaming to be used in ice cream! Even though it’s getting pretty chilly outside, I always enjoy some of that.

Speaking of pistachios, here’s another quick and easy way to use them . . .

Coconut-Pistachio Crusted Chicken

(measurements are approximate)

cup pistachios
1/2 cup shredded plain coconut
1/3 cup parmesan
all-purpose seasoning (mrs. dash)
1 pound chicken breasts
1/3 cup egg white
1 tbsp honey

Pre-heat oven to 425. Pour the pistachios, coconut, parmesan and seasoning in a food processor and pulse until fine; place in a shallow dish. Pour the egg and honey in another shallow dish. Cut chicken lengthwise to make them thin, or you can pound it. Dip chicken in egg white mixture, then coconut mixture and place on a wire rack in a sheet pan. Drizzle chicken with a little olive oil.

Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. So amazing!

They are also great chopped on top of a big salad! I’ve been eating a quite a few pistachios lately.

Are you a runner? How did you get started? Any tips? And if not a runner, how did you get started in your hobby of choice?

Hope your week got off to a good start 🙂

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September 2, 2009

this one’s a keeper

Filed under: Blog,Dinner — Tags: chicken, quinoa, squash, walnut — Kristen :) @ 3:26 pm

Yay for midweek! I don’t think I get really excited for the weekend until Thursday evening when my classes for the week are over. But, then that just means more studying and work for the weekend, boo! But I am excited for the 3-day weekend! Woo-hoo! That extra day just makes all the difference. Have any fun plans?

Not all too much going on this week, I’m still trying to decide on a project topic for sports nutrition. I’m very indecisive with pretty much everything. I asked the green valley cyclists group on Yahoo! groups and they had some interesting ones too, including Quercetin, Optygen, and Hypoxico. I’m actually interested in the altitude training, but I don’t think that would be considered a supplement? I guess blood doping and EPO are pretty well-known in the cycling world, but of course they are illegal. Living at high altitudes and training low has been shown to improve performance. One must live at least 12 hours/day at a high altitude for 3-4 weeks, along with training, to see improvements. Can you imagine sleeping in a altitude tent? Very interesting! I appreciated all your suggestions, it’s too hard to choose which one I’d like to do. It’s amazing to me how many performance enhancing agents are out there, kind of scary and boy are they expensive!

In other news, Chris is still really enjoying his job so far! This makes me happy too because there is just a different feeling in the house, and a more positive vibe. I’m one of those people that can ‘feel’ the emotions of others. Have you ever talked with someone that just sucks the energy right from you? Or someone that just makes you feel calm and happy? For some reason, I’m really in-tune with little things like that and I can almost ‘feel’ it. Weird!

He also started biking to work yesterday. I think once the weather cools down here a little bit (we are still averaging 103 F days), I’m going to try my hand at it. I could really only do it on Tuesdays or Fridays since I can’t ride to school from work. That might be kind of fun, but I’m sure I would forget something and have to walk around work in spandex bike shorts, oh no!! It’s only about 15 miles one way, but may be a way to sneak in some extra training/exercise. I can’t seem to find time to get a ride in before work since I have to get ready by 5:30am. We’ll see how it goes!

Oh the life of a Basset! Buster is doing well too, and is as stubborn as ever. His ears haven’t been too bad and we clean them at least 3-4x/week.

I have an awesome recipe to share with you! This is just one of those meals that I keep making time and time again because it’s a real keeper. It has a bit of clean-up in the kitchen, but is really great to make the components ahead of time on the weekend and then savor the flavors during the week!

Walnut-Crusted Chicken and

Summer Squash Baked Couscous

(adapted from CookingLight and FOOD)

For the Couscous:

1 (14-ounce) can less-sodium chicken broth, divided
3/4 cup uncooked WW couscous (you could also use quinoa)
2 cups sliced yellow squash (about 3 small) – used the ones from the farmer’s market!
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsp fresh basil (1 tbsp dried)
1 tbsp fresh oregano (1/2 tbsp dried)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup shredded fontina cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Bring 1 cup chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in uncooked couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with a little olive oil. Add squash, onions, basil, oregano, and garlic; sauté until slightly golden. Set aside.

Combine fontina and Parmigiano-Reggiano; set aside. Combine couscous, squash mixture, and half of cheese mixture in a large bowl; stir in remaining chicken broth, egg substitute, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining cheese mixture. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

For the Chicken:

In a food processor, pulse about 1 – 1 1/2 cups of toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used TJ’s garlic ciabatta) and 1/2 cup grated parmesan – place this mixture in a large shallow pan, like a baking dish.

In another shallow pan – combine about 3 egg whites.

Take about 1 pound of chicken breasts, make sure they aren’t too thick and pound them down first. Place the breasts in the egg white mixture then dredge in the walnut mixture, pressing down. Shake off excess and place in a large skillet coated with a few good glugs of olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat until slightly firm and cooked through (about 4-5 minutes per side depending on thickness); drain them on paper towels.

We really enjoy this recipe and it’s great for leftovers, especially salad toppers 🙂 Sorry for the lack of pictures with this post!

Oh and remember when I posted about perfection a little while ago with Jessica Setnick’s take on the topic? I would recommend you read it if you get the chance, very eye opening. She also wanted to tell those of you who would like to work with individuals and eating disorders to check out her new site www.eatingdisorderjobs.com The site’s re-launch includes information for students and new graduates who are interested in the field, including Advice from the Experts – stars in the field and how they got into eating disorders, and advice they would give to others interested in the field. All this in addition to job postings and upcoming events. Any readers are welcomed and encouraged to sign up as members at the site to access all the info!

Hope your week is going by fast!

What’s one recipe you could make time and time again?

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August 4, 2009

hunger-obesity paradox and beer can chicken

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Fitness/Health — Tags: BBQ, chicken — Kristen :) @ 6:25 pm

I know, not the most fitting combination, but hey these are the next in line in my mind and on my table at the moment! Lara from Thinspired gave me the idea about this topic since I made a comment on her post a few days ago about balanced eating, eating what you really want, and the rollercoaster many of us feel like we are constantly on.

When I went to New Orleans for the SNE conference a little while ago, there were a couple sessions that were just fascinating to me. One of them was titled ‘Deconstructing a Hunger-Obesity Paradox’. Here are some of the interesting statistics I jotted down:

- 130 million American adults are overweight or obese, 61 million are obese, 6 million excessively obese BMI >40
- Excess weight gain is greater in minority groups, 77% black women >25 years old
- About 9 million children > 6 years are obese (bmi >95th percentile) and even higher in minority groups
- 65% of Americans are overweight/obese with 117 billion/year in healthcare costs
- 11.9% us families are food insecure, 1/3 also experience hunger

So the question is why does this happen? What drives eating behavior? Does a history of food insecurity lead to obesity?

Now I know that many of you haven’t experienced food insecurity and/or hunger, but it’s just interesting to see how the mind works in those ‘deprivation’ type situations whether it be real or manifested by ourselves. How many times have we deprived ourselves of something that we really craved, something that wasn’t the perfect model of health but just sounded really good? And how many times has that backfired only to crave it even more and not feel satisfied if we could have just eaten it in the first place (with reasonable portions)?

Here are some other interesting findings also presented:

- WWII was associated with food insecurity
- Holocaust survivors reported long-term effects of starvation, Couldn’t throw food away, hoarded food, craved certain foods, had difficulty standing in line to wait for food
- Research on starvation study – subjects were found to focus on food, collect recipes, changed careers to be chefs
- Veterans only 12.5% of them had a normal weight, they had to eat fast, overate at times, had to have food around

Now this is really startling:

- Homeless youth, particularly 9-18 year olds, are the weight challenged of the future
  - 45 and 50 percent of boys and girls >85th percentile
  - 55% thought they didn’t have enough food at home
  - 25% went to bed hungry
  - Strategies – overeat because they don’t know when another meal may be, eat anything, eat disliked foods, eat at relative’s/friend’s homes
  - Environment – High energy dense foods cost less per kcal
  - Household
    - Strong Parental influence
    - Parents shop with kids in mind, but food sufficiency supersedes individual preferences
    - survival value and price are more important than nutritional value

I just thought these findings/statistics were really interesting. While many of us fortunately don’t have to go through these types of situations in our daily lives, a lesson of balance can be learned. I myself like to have something a little sweet after dinner sometimes. Never at lunch or breakfast really, but only dinner. I don’t know what it is, but I do. Maybe it was those times when I was in HS telling myself that ‘those’ foods weren’t allowed, you shouldn’t have those kinds of foods if you want to be healthy, or after a long, strenuous dance class I felt I ‘earned’ it . . .

Bringing back the memories! *tear*

Dance Team at UNR! 3rd in the Nation!

Really there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods, only ‘everyday’ and ‘sometimes’ foods. We tell our 8th graders in our program ‘everyday’ foods are those that we should have to help nourish our bodies and build our bodies to become stronger, happier, healthier. ‘Sometimes’ foods aren’t bad, but they are foods that should be eaten in moderation and don’t necessarily help our bodies to grow and develop, but they are still fine to have. Yes they are!

Now I allow myself to have a treat every once in awhile to satisfy the craving and truly enjoy it, or else it tends to build up and then there’s no turning back lol And you know when I want to have a burger I’ll have a burger, when I want a milkshake by golly I’ll make one, or when I crave a giant salad I’ll chop and chop to get one. It’s really about enjoying our bodies, being in awe of the things we do every day, and realizing that we should eat what we are truly craving and love to eat, watch portions and be active!

The rest of the presentation focused on SNAP-Ed (supplemental nutrition assistance program), formerly known as Food Stamps, and how this may actually be contributing to the obesity epidemic.

I am by no means an expert in Food Stamp offerings, and I am not putting down the program by any means, but here is the argument that was raised . . .

When food stamps first began in the 1930s, it was intended to help farm prices and give needed calories to the hungry. Calories are great when people back then would buy food and make it at home, but today many people rely on quick energy dense foods to make ends meet because they are cheap and filling. The program has since expanded but the message hasn’t changed. With ‘nutrition assistance’ in the new title, this program should focus more on nutritional quality rather than just calories in general. There is still a great support for energy-dense foods, including the soft drink industry. This just doesn’t make sense to me. Also the allotments are only given once per month, so there is generally a feast during the first week and then as the supply runs out the last week, participants are just getting buy. It’s a continual feast and famine cycle, which may contribute to weight gain and eventually obesity.

Studies have found:

Significant increase in calories (400) during week 1 vs. week 4 of a SNAP cycle among food insecure, obese women.
Current participation is associated with 9% increase in probability of woman being obese. Previous participation vs. no participation increased chances of being obese.
2k increase in snap dollars was associated with 7kg weight gain.
Increasing diet cost associated with lower ED, total energy, fat, sat fat, sugars and increased intakes of A and C.

Interesting isn’t it?

Now on to a great recipe!

I’ve never made beer-can chicken before just because I’ve never been a master at the grill (most of the manly men want that job), and honestly haven’t had a grill in a long time. When I went to Home Depot to search for some grill gadgets to buy with our gift card, I found a gadget specifically for beer can chicken! I thought I had to try it! This recipe is fool-proof and the chicken comes out so moist and tender. I even thought we overcooked the chicken at first because when we went to check the temp it shot up to 190! But it turned out delicious 🙂

Beer-Can Chicken

For the brine (optional and will had some sodium to the chicken, so not the best if you are watching your sodium): in a large pot stir 1/2-3/4 cup salt and 1/2-3/4 cup sugar in about a gallon of ice water and let the chicken sit in it for 2 hours. Don’t go longer than 4 because it will get salty. This really increases the water holding capacity of the meat, which yields it juicy and tender.

For the rub: Chris put this together and didn’t really measure, but it contained cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, brown sugar, lemon zest, basil, AP seasoning, salt, pepper

Rub this all over the chicken, and under the skin to really enhance the flavor. It makes a huge difference.

For the veggies: Chop up a bunch of various veggies, throw them in the bottom of the pan and a cast iron skillet; sprinkle with AP seasoning, salt, and olive oil. Make sure to stir them as they cook! I think my favorite was the little cherry tomatoes because they get so sweet as they cook. Their juice also lends a sweetness to the rest of the veggies.

Simply place the chicken in indirect heat on the grill and cook for about 1- 1/2 hours, basting with BBQ sauce every 20-30 minutes. This sauce from TJ’s is great in a pinch!

Cooking time will vary, depending on the size of your bird, but a thermometer should register 180 in the thickest part of the thigh. Our grill is pretty small, so we just put the heat on low and it was done in an hour.

Also grilled up some portabella mushrooms with some of the BBQ sauce from TJ’s. They are so meaty!

Overall a great meal with lots of leftovers!

Sorry this post was so long, and thank you for reading! I sure look forward to your comments 🙂

What do you think of the hunger-obesity paradox or psychological food deprivation in general?

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July 7, 2009

hot hot hot

Filed under: Blog,Dinner — Tags: Asian, chicken, noodles, peanut butter — Kristen :) @ 3:02 am

It’s been pretty dang hot here lately and I think we only have another 2 1/2 months of it yet to go? Ugh! I just feel like this heat drains me and steals all the energy I have! Does anyone have any advice on powering through hot desert weather? I make sure to stay hydrated, but I can’t seem to regulate my temperature well, even in the winter. I also get terrible heat headaches since all my veins blow up like little balloons. I just have to get through it!

I call this the blow dryer effect . . .

I’m going to the SNE Conference in New Orleans, so I guess I won’t get any reprieve from the hot weather. I think it’s supposed to rain 3 out of the 5 days I’ll be there, so I’m sure the humidity won’t help things!

I also bought some new running shoes! They were only $30 at DSW and they are quite cushy and comfy. Now you all know that I am not the running type, and I don’t run that often to be honest. I’ve been dancing since I was 8 years old and was on the dance team in HS and college. I can dance all day long or take fitness classes like kickboxing and spin, but running has always been a challenge. I truly admire those of you who can run and run and run! So, I decided that I am going to start training for a sprint triathlon on October 3! I think that I’m not getting any younger and I’d like to do something like this when I have the chance. Because I’m also studying sports nutrition, I’d like to better counsel athletes if I’ve actually experienced it myself. We’ll see how it goes . . . this hot weather isn’t helping at the moment.

My lil sis Sarah’s 4th birthday was this past Sunday (the one on the left, her friend Hannah is on the right). My dad actually has 3 little ones! Isn’t he crazy?! But, he truly loves it and can’t wait till he can retire and spend lots more time with them. There is Kauner who’s 6, Sarah who just turned 4 and Josh who’s 3. Wow, I don’t think I could even imagine having 3 kids right now even at the age of 24. It was also Sarah’s friend Hannah’s birthday, so it was double the fun. Here are some pictures of the party with lots of crazy kids! Ahhh . . . to be a kid again and not have a care in the world.

Don’t drop the egg!

I want candy!

Sweet Josh was tired!

In foodie news, I have a couple great recipes for you that I tried out this past weekend, both involving my favorite thing . . . peanut butter! I swear I think I could eat that stuff all day long. It would definitely be my first choice if I was stuck on a deserted island 🙂 My ultimate favorite brand is Trader Joe’s because it has a wonderful roasty toasty flavor. When I taste a regular brand peanut butter now, it just tastes flavorless to me. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend no matter what you were up to!

Asian BBQ Chicken with Crispy Peanutty Noodles

( I got the ‘crispy’ idea from PF Chang’s dan dan noodles)

Ingredients for the chicken:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
dash cayenne
1/4 tsp curry powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 – 2 pounds chicken tenders

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 hours (this also freezes well).

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Place chicken on oiled grill; grill about 4-5 minutes each side or until done, turning and basting frequently with the marinade.

Ingredients for the Noodles:

A bunch of your favorite veggies to sauté. I used 2 baby bok choy, 2 green bell peppers, several julienned carrots, green onions
1 bundle of soba noodles, boiled until al dente
For the peanut sauce to add at the end: 2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp chili garlic sauce all warmed up in a small saucepan (you may have sauce left over, depending on how saucy you like your noodles)

Stir fry all the veggies until slightly tender in a large wok, but still crisp; remove from wok. Add some more canola oil, then the cooked noodles and cook until crispy around the edges. Pour the veggies back on top of the noodles along with the peanut sauce and serve with the asian BBQ chicken! Top with more green onions for garnish. Pyramid apricot ale is one of my favorites and went well with this type of dish.

This chicken recipe is very versatile, so I used it in another recipe the next night because I had some leftover . . .

Chicken Satay Wraps

(adapted from CookingLight)

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced carrots
1/3 cup chopped green onions
2/3 cup light coconut milk
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tsp curry powder
dash cayenne
2 cups chopped asian BBQ chicken (see above)
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)
romaine and bok choy for stuffing and greenage

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little bit of olive oil. Add carrots and onions; sauté 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk and next 5 ingredients (through cayenne); stirring constantly. Add the chicken; cook 1 minute, stirring to coat. Remove from heat; cool. Warm tortillas and spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla, and top each with greenage. Roll up and enjoy!

I also topped mine with some creamy goat cheese.

mmmm . . . mid bite

One recipe, two versatile dishes that are a whole lotta yum 🙂

Speaking of glorious nut butters . . . Angie is giving away some great stuff from Trader Joe’s (my favorite, um I mean it’s terrible!) Darn it, I forgot she is on east coast time and I missed it! But you should still check out her blog 🙂

What’s your favorite way to use nut butters?

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June 12, 2009

summer grillin’ and chillin’

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Fitness/Health,Lighter Fare — Tags: BBQ, chicken, sweet potato — Kristen :) @ 12:01 am

I absolutely love the summer time, especially for all its nutrient-dense produce in season. . . sweet fruits, a little relaxation and plenty of sunshine gets me excited to jump in the kitchen (or backyard) and put together refreshing recipes to savor the season. In the winter time I love making soups, stews and anything I can throw in the crock-pot because it’s so easy, but during the summer, especially with the 100+ degree weather here in Vegas, it’s hard not to want to eat anything but smoothies. The grill or grill pan can be a great friend because it can be really easy to marinate anything from chicken, pork, veggies, etc and throw it on the grill for a quick meal. I’m also a big fan of contrasting flavors and textures. Pairing sweet, savory and slightly spicy flavors makes my mouth sing. That is why I really enjoy this summer recipe of Jerk Chicken with mango salsa. It’s the perfect recipe for summer grillin’ and chillin’ in the backyard with a nice frosty margarita. Enjoy!

I did a post awhile ago regarding nutrition fact labels in restaurants. Here is a recent statement from the ADA and I would have to agree! I think this is so important for the future health of everyone, including myself. Even though I know what to look for when it comes to eating out, there are times when I’m eating that oh so delicious restaurant meal and wonder. . . how much butter did they hide in here to make it taste so good? On the other hand sometimes I just don’t want to know so I can enjoy my indulgent meal in moderation. If I did have the counts I would definitely think twice! But of course labels will be worthless without a foundation of nutrition education, so that consumers can understand the important information presented to them.

“The American Dietetic Association is a strong advocate for policies that will improve the lives of Americans through food and nutrition strategies. There is no goal more important in the current debate over health reform than to have a lasting, positive impact on all Americans’ health. Nutrition is at the foundation of health – necessary to be healthy and effective in preventing delaying, offsetting and managing disease. We support policies that facilitate good nutrition, including consumer-tested nutrition information and education and financial support for research.

“We see the inclusion of restaurant menu labeling provisions in health reform appropriate to achieving that goal. People need scientifically valid and understandable nutrition information to make healthful choices in all venues, including restaurants. Providing good, accurate and tested information to a consumer educated in nutrition basics can have a powerful effect on food selection at the point of sale. Over time, the act of millions of people making healthful choices can impact the health of the nation and improve the food supply by consumer demand.”

What do you think?

~Jamaican Jerk Chicken~

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients: (Many of these steps can be done in advance, it’s kind of a long one!)

For the Chicken:

1 tsp lime rind
1/4-1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp ground allspice
1tbsp brown sugar
1tbsp finely chopped jalapeno
2 tbsp olive or canola oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 scallions, chopped
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pound fairly thin so they are not too thick)

Place all the chicken ingredients in a zippy bag and marinate this mixture at least 2 hours in the fridge, turning occasionally.

For the Sweet Potato base: (Do this while the Chicken is marinating)

Stab 2 large yams/sweet potatoes with a fork, spray lightly with oil or pam and wrap in foil. Place in a 375-400 F oven for about 1 hour, depending on the size of them. They will feel very tender when done.

For the Mango Salsa: (Do this while the sweet potatoes are baking, close to eating time)

1 tsp finely diced jalapeno (you can add more if you like it hot)
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
1 tbsp honey
1 red bell pepper diced
¼ to ½ English cucumber, diced
1 mango, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 scallion, thinly sliced
¼ cup non-fat greek yogurt

Mix all the salsa ingredients together and place in fridge until ready to plate.

Time to Grill the Chicken:

Prepare the grill. Grease grill with canola oil to keep the chicken from sticking. For great grill marks place chicken on grill for 3-5 minutes, turn chicken about 35 degrees and cook another 3-5 minutes on the same side. Baste chicken with the extra marinade. Turn chicken over and repeat on the other side. Total cooking time, depending on the thickness, should be about 12-20 minutes. Instant Thermometer should read about 160 in the thickest part. Let chicken rest 5 minutes covered with foil when done.

For the Presentation:

Cut the sweet potato in half widthwise then in half again lengthwise and fan open ½ the potato on the plate, place about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salsa mixture over the sweet potato, slice chicken thinly and fan slices on top. Dollop with more Greek yogurt, lime slice, and sprig of fresh cilantro. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. It’s a flavor explosion in the mouth, yum!

What’s your favorite recipe or drink of summer?

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April 27, 2009

a little bit of spice

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Projects — Tags: chicken, quinoa, salad, yogurt — Kristen :) @ 5:12 am

We’ve made decisions on the paint colors finally, and our walls have little patches of color all over them from testing out the colors. But our painting adventure is coming along pretty well. I think we’re just exhausted from non-stop painting and lack of sleep! It’s amazing how different colors look on a little swatch compared to when you get them on the wall. We had a few ‘too bright’ surprises!

These next few weeks are going to be interesting, especially in the midst of painting, moving, finals and putting together a graduation/birthday party. I am going to try to make the easiest things possible without resorting to the conveniences of eating out (well, as much as I can!). That money can add up so quickly! I have to say that I haven’t had much desire to cook (gasp!) with getting over being sick and all the craziness of this house thing. It will be hard too when all the cooking utensils will be packed and we’ll be trying to get rid of all our food. Bear with me!

Sometimes I wish I could afford to be a not-do-it-yourselfer. We almost finished the downstairs and need to tackle a very high stair-case and most all of the upstairs.

Taping is more than 1/2 the battle and takes up most of the time, especially since I am so darn meticulous with having straight lines. But, they turned out pretty darn good!

I’m not sure what these colors will look like on your computer, but . . . This color is called greenfield pumpkin and is like a dark brownish, slightly orange-ish color. (gotta get a new chandelier)

Lots of cutting in and sore knees! This color is called olivesheen, almost like a rich sage-y green.

This was interesting! I still have to put the pumpkin in the alcove.

So far we have pretty much all the downstairs done (more than this photo), and need to start on the staircase and upstairs. We also want to start the crown molding.

You all know my love for spices because they impart such wonderful flavor without having to add extra calories. I decided to play on the flavors of chicken shawarma with a simple yogurt-marinated grilled chicken and quinoa pilaf. Super easy + good eats = extra yum!

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken

with a Quinoa Pilaf

For the marinade:

1 cup non-fat yogurt (I used greek)
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp olive oil
juice from one lemon
standard package of chicken tenders (1.25lbs)

Mix everything together in a zippy bag along with the chicken and marinate on the counter for 25 minutes. Cook chicken on grill pan for about 3 minutes per side until charred and slightly firm.

For the Quinoa:

1 tsp olive oil
1 bell pepper and 2 zucchini, chopped
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
garam masala, curry powder, garlic powder and cumin
1/4 cup raisins
3 tbsp pine nuts

Sauté the bell pepper and zucchini in the oil until browned. Add the quinoa and spices and let them get toasty. Add the water along with the raisins, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the pine nuts. Serve along side the chicken. Yum!

Do you like to be a do-it-yourselfer, or do you prefer to have the professionals do it?

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March 31, 2009

wrap it up!

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Lighter Fare — Tags: Asian, chicken — Kristen :) @ 3:04 am

With the weather warming up here, I tend to crave lighter and cooler menu items. Some days all I want is a smoothie to get a good brain freeze! I love making casseroles and stews because they are very economical and great for leftovers, but when the weather approaches the 110s all I want is something refreshing. Do you guys get that way too in hotter weather?

Lettuce wraps are a really refreshing reprieve, and they are super easy to make. I usually use butter lettuce instead of the nutritionally-void iceberg. I didn’t have any butter lettuce, and didn’t feel like going to the store just for that, so I used Romaine and used them like boats instead of wraps. And actually I think they worked out better because, while they don’t really ‘wrap’, they hold their shape well and don’t fall apart. Yum!

Mandarin Chicken Lettuce Boats

(adapted from CookingLight)

Yield

4 servings

Ingredients

1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup minced green onions, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pound ground chicken (I used 99% fat free)
1 11oz can mandarin oranges
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2-3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 tbsp black bean garlic sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee, this is pretty high in sodium, so I use it sparingly)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Romaine leaves (bottom end removed)
cooked soba noodles

Preparation

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, cornstarch, and chicken to pan; sauté until chicken is done, stirring to crumble (the lower fat will be harder to crumble). Add mandarin oranges, water chestnuts, ginger, soy sauce, juice, black bean sauce and sesame oil to pan; cook until thick. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into center of each lettuce leaf with some soba noodles and enjoy! So easy! I topped mine with some chopped bell pepper for some added freshness and crunch, or you could add some chopped peanuts or almonds too. This recipe could also be great for a little appetizer for a party!

This past weekend I also went to a gardening class for small spaces at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. It was really informative and I am going to be taking on the endeavor of starting a garden when we move and have a little backyard! I probably won’t start it since it will be mid-May and way too hot here when we move, but that is my goal for September. I really want to start my own garden with various veggies and fresh herbs. But, for now I have these little guys that I got to transplant. There is bell pepper (front), cinnamon basil (back), and asparagus (left). I don’t know how long they’ll last before I kill them, but we’ll see 🙂 I can’t wait to try a real garden!

Gotta have compost! And this is a great way to use things that would be thrown out anyway. They also gave us a huge handout with tons of information about gardening. I’m looking forward to reading it and gaining some gardening skills and tips for Nevada.

Here are some of the paint colors we picked out so far. I think Home Depot is going to be our second home! We aren’t sure if they will look quite right, but it’s exciting to have some ideas. I have a little notebook with all the house ideas. I love doing stuff like this, writing things down, taking notes. Kind of silly, but fun! We are going to have a lot of work cut out for us.

I sure hope you all had a great weekend and are getting back into the swing of things. I’m looking forward to spring break next week. I won’t have time off work, but at least I’ll have a little break from classes!

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March 26, 2009

easy and ethnic

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Lighter Fare — Tags: chicken — Kristen :) @ 4:22 am

Ethnic-type cuisines can be so interesting to try because they use such wonderful spices without having to add too much extra fat for flavor.

A new spice that I recently have been trying in recipes is sumac, which is featured here in a lamb kofta pita recipe. It’s almost similar to coriander and lends a wonderful lemony flavor. Another one of my favorites is cumin . . . smoky, rich and yummy!

Mediterranean cuisine is one of my favorites with falafels, gyros and hummos topping the list! The food is fresh, flavorful and chock-full of nutrients and fiber. Many of the recipes are plant-based focusing on vegetables, whole-grains and protein-rich lentils and beans. You can hardly notice any ‘meat’ missing because the flavors are so rich with depth. But, of course there are some wonderful meaty recipes too. Lamb has a really great flavor, although it tends to be on the expensive side.

I first tried chicken shawarma here and instantly fell in love! Of course I wanted to try to re-create this at home and it is incredibly easy to do. Marinating the chicken and chopping some fresh veggies is pretty much all there is to it. Give it a try!

Chicken Shawarma

(adapted from CookingLight)