I saw a box of red quinoa at TJ’s the other day and had to give it a try! Isn’t TJ’s just the bomb? I’m so glad we have one fairly close to us. I always seem to find something new to try. Well, that’s how I am at most grocery stores, go in for one or two things and come out like a kid in a candy store. Chris says I am no longer allowed in Whole Foods, ha! I also made my usual walnut crusted chicken with the quinoa dish, but added another ingredient for some extra crunch and texture. You’ll see! (more…)
July 28, 2010
September 2, 2009
this one’s a keeper
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?
March 3, 2009
Sometimes you feel like a nut & BPA-free bottle giveaway!
Walnuts that is! I first found this recipe in FOOD magazine and it’s a great alternative to your traditional chicken fingers. Plus you get a healthy dose of omega-3s. The walnut coating really keeps the chicken moist and it has a wonderful roasty toasty flavor.
I also tried to brine the chicken breasts before coating them to increase their moisture and juiciness. I wouldn’t brine them longer than 45 minutes to an hour or else they can get too salty and dry out. Since my taste buds have grown accustomed to less salt, I can really notice salty flavors. But, brining for about an hour made the chicken really moist and flavorful.
Here’s what I did for the brine:
- 4 cups H20
- 1/3 cup salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 smashed garlic cloves
- pinch of black pepper and an all-purpose seasoning
- 1-1.25 lbs chicken breasts cut lengthwise to make flatter
Place all ingredients into a zip-lock bag and mix well until dissolved. Place prepped chicken breasts in bag and let marinate for 45 minutes to an hour. Pat dry before coating.
Now for the lovely coating (these measurements are approximate depending on how much chicken I have):
- 2 cups roasted walnut pieces
- 1/4 loaf TJ’s garlic ciabatta bread pulsed into breadcrumbs in the food processor (or about 1/2 cup of your favorite breadcrumbs)
- 1/3 cup parmesan/romano cheese blend
- garlic powder and all-purpose seasoning like Mrs. Dash
- 1 egg or 2 egg whites
- 1 cup of flour
- 1-1.25 lbs brined chicken breasts
Place the walnuts, breadcrumbs, parmesan and seasonings in a food processor and pulse until a course crumb coating forms. Place this mixture into a shallow wide dish.
Place beaten egg or egg whites in another shallow wide dish, and the flour in another shallow wide dish.
Let’s get coating! Place brined chicken breasts on a plate lined with paper towels to pat dry. For each breast coat in flour; shake off access. Then coat in egg; shake of access. And finally dredge in walnut coating. Place chicken in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat with a little olive oil for about 5-7 minutes each side (depending on the thickness) until golden and slightly firm to the touch. You may have to do several batches, wiping out the pan. Let rest on paper towels to absorb excess oil and enjoy!
Enjoy with a nice side salad and roasted veggies. These also make for great leftovers like baked chicken pasta parmesan.
The Health Nut is giving away BPA-free Nalgene bottles to a lucky winner and the contest ends soon, so get over there and make some comments! I haven’t quite made the complete switch to BPA-free bottles, but I would like to just out of precaution with the studies out there and the possible dangers with BPA. I love those bottles because they really keep me drinking enough while at work and on the go.
December 16, 2008
Oh the Holidays!
I love this time of year, especially the smells of wonderful baked goodies coming from the oven, tempting the senses and taste buds! I think cinnamon is my favorite spice for sure because it’s great on pretty much anything sweet or savory. For as long as I can remember my grandma and I would bake cookies and goodies for the holidays for family and friends. My grandma is particularly known for her sugar cookies and fudge, whose recipes were passed down from my great grandma. I would tediously plan the line up, along with those special people in my life who would receive such yumminess. Baking all day and night, I was perfectly content, although exhausted and relieved when they were all finally wrapped and sent.
My fiancee Chris and I decided to give tins to family and friends filled with a variety of festive homemade treats again this year. Usually there are always a couple tried and true recipes that everyone loves and are requested year after year. This would include the pumpkin chocolate chip squares and maple spice cookies from martha stewart and CookingLight, respectively. We also tried to make two new items this year, including peanut butter peanut brittle from a fellow R.D. friend and chewy chocolate chip gingerbread cookies from Martha Stewart.
Even though the holidays are filled with goodies that are usually high in calories that can expand our waste lines, just remember moderation and activity are key. We don’t want to deprive ourselves or attempt to lose weight during the holidays because that just sets us up for failure and disappointment with ourselves. We need to think of our calories as a budget, so if we decide to indulge on a couple cookies, maybe skip that glass of wine and go for a nice long brisk walk instead. Don’t let yourself get discouraged and give up trying to eat healthy all together. If you have one mishap (say have your pie and eat it too) don’t throw it all out the window, just get back on track. Every day there is a choice we make and every day is a fresh chapter to health. So go ahead and have the holiday goodies, but make sure you keep on track, stay focused with portion control, fit in some activity and have fun with family and friends! That’s really what the holidays are about, right?
If you ever need some great recipes for holiday goodies to give out to family and friends these are some great ones that we and our family enjoy very much!
Here is a picture of Chris and I doing some quality control . . .
