Chicken Marsala Meatball Recipe

So this recipe came together from 2 ideas.  Last November I was looking into the menu of my favorite celebrity chef's new restaurant and saw Chicken Marsala Meatballs and thought that sounded interesting (Thanks Giada!)  Then I was talking to my Mom this weekend and she said she made Chicken Marsala for my Dad and he loved it, mushrooms and all (something he normally doesn't eat).  So with that I decided I was going to try making these Chicken Marsala Meatballs.  They turned out really tasty and can be served over whole wheat noodles, or with a baked potato and extra veggies, or on a whole wheat sub roll.  I'll let you get creative with that!

The size of my meatballs afforded me 16 meatballs from 1 pound of meat.  You can make them a little larger or smaller depending on your needs.  If you make them smaller, reduce the time under the broiler to 5 minutes and if they are larger increase the time to 9 minutes.

Ingredients-

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons milk, room temperature

⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon Marsala wine

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 pound ground chicken

Coarse salt

Ground black pepper

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (you can use any, I just love cremini, which are aka baby bellas)

1 large shallot, minced  (you can use onion)

2 teaspoons flour

1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Directions - 

Preheat the broiler to high.

In a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, milk and 1 tablespoon Marsala. Leave to soak for a few minutes.  Add the parmesan, egg, parsley, salt and the pepper and ground chicken.  With your hands, gently mix together the ingredients until just combined.  Form the mixture into tablespoon-size balls and place on an oiled baking sheet.  Broil for 7 minutes, or until the meatballs are beginning to brown and are just barely cooked through.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until the mushrooms are brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.  Add the shallots and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for another 2 minutes.  Lower the heat to medium and stir in the flour and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the 1/3 cup Marsala and stir until the mixture is smooth.  Whisk in the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for an additional 10 minutes to let the flavors blend and ensure the chicken is cooked through.

Buffalo Veggie Chicken Bake

So I have been doing the Beachbody 21 Day Day Fix, and for the most part eating basic meals that I can easily put into the containers, but I decided to try a recipe.  This particular recipe is equivalent to 1 and 1/2 Green, 1/2 red, 1/2 yellow, 3/4 blue and 1 tsp.  There are 4 servings.

This recipe was really good.  It reads like it is difficult, but it really wasn't.  My biggest advice is to prep everything (measure out) before starting, that way you aren't doing it while the flour or onions cook.

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups cooked Broccoli and Cauliflower, chopped and seasoned with salt and pepper.  (Feel free to use a steam fresh bag of veggies or fresh veggies steamed)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
• 2/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 1/4 cup flour, plus 2 tbsp (divided) (I use Whole Wheat White Flour)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup shredded 2% Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt
• 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard (if you don't have ground mustard, use 2 tsp of yellow mustard)
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a casserole dish, add veggies, chicken, and 2 tbsp. flour and mix together.
• Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour. Let cook for a few minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent burning, until the flour turns a caramel color. Add in the salt, pepper, and ground mustard.
• Whisk in the almond milk so that it thickens, then add the cheese and mix until well combined.
• Remove from heat and mix in the Greek yogurt and hot sauce.
• In a small saute pan, heat remaining 1 tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onions to the sauce, and then pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and veggies. Stir to combine.
• Top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

So yummy!!!

Easy Chicken Fajita Bake

Do you have chicken breast?  Can you slice an onion and pepper?  Do you have an oven?  Then you can make this meal!  Prep time on this is less than 5 minutes (depending on how fast you can slice lol).  Then all you have to do is bake.

Firstly, I make my own taco/fajita seasoning because I love to salt my food, so I don't need the additional sodium that comes in the packets of taco and fajita seasoning.  I usually make a batch and keep it in the pantry with my other spices, but please feel free to just use a taco seasoning packet (you only need 2 tsp for this recipe).  If you want to make your own, here is the recipe for that.

Taco Seasoning Mix

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 ½  tsp cumin

1 ½  tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Mix all spices together!

Now, for the Fajita Bake...

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray (I use my misto)

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (your preference)

1 large onion

2 bell peppers (I like Red, but use whatever colors you want)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp taco/fajita seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

(salt and pepper to taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, lay chicken in baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper and the 2 tsp of taco seasoning.  Top with the sliced onions and peppers.  Drizzle the olive oil over the veggies.  Top with cheese.  Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

It's that easy!  You can serve with Greek Yogurt, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Tortillas, Tortilla Chips, or just eat it on it's own like I did.  Well I paired it with some Spanish Brown Rice, which made a filling and healthy dinner.

Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

Hello!!
So I have been making a lot of one pot meals with Ground Turkey, Veggie and Brown Rice, it's delicious, but I wanted something different.  I decided to make a Turkey Meatloaf, but most of the ones I have made in the past have been pretty tasteless.  I decided to season up the meat and add some sauteed veggies and to use gluten free oats, as normally I omit the breadcrumbs and the meatloaf isn't the same texture as I like.  I just put the 3/4 cup of oats into my Nutribullet for 3 seconds (you can do this in a food processor or blender, as well).  This really did the trick.  So below is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup diced onion
2 ribs of celery, diced into small pieces
3 garlic gloves minced, or 2 tsp of already minced garlic
1 pound of ground turkey
1 egg white (or use the whole egg)
2 tsp Worcester sauce
3/4 cup Gluten Free Oats (ground)
2 tsp ground flax seed (optional, I add it for the nutrients)
1 tsbp tomato paste (or ketchup)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
ketchup


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Super easy, just saute your onion, celery and garlic in a little olive oil spray in a non-stick pan.  Once cooked, mix everything, except the ketchup, into a bowl and form into a loaf.  Spray a meatloaf pan with olive oil spray and fill with the meat.  Top the meat with as much or as little ketchup as you like.  (I use an organic ketchup and just drizzle a few lines).  Cook for 1 hour.  Serve with a potato and veggie. Enjoy.

Buffalo Chicken Chili Recipe

Good morning!! 

Long time no post, right?  Life has been busy!!  I hope everyone is well.  I have been struggling a bit with my thyroid illness, gained a few pounds over the last year, but still maintaining a healthy diet.  My biggest obstacle right now is that to lose this 10 pounds I have gained, is to EXERCISE, but the downside to an underactive thyroid is exhaustion!  Exercise and Exhaustion do not go hand in hand.  BUT, I need to make it work and I am focused.

In the meantime, I have been trying out some new recipes and this one I found for Buffalo Chicken Chili is INSANELY good.  I adapted it from a recipe on Skinnytaste.com, to make it a fully clean meal.  I topped it with Greek Yogurt and, oh man, was it delicious.  I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey breast
1 medium onion chopped
2 carrots, chopped small
2 celery stalks, chopped small
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp Frank's Hot Sauce

Directions:

Heat a large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ground chicken in the skillet and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks, about 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through, set aside.
Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, a pinch of  salt and pepper, and cook stirring until the vegetables soften, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add white beans, pinto beans, water  and chicken broth, bring to a boil and simmer covered on medium-low about 10 minutes.
Stir in the hot sauce and add the chicken, cover and simmer until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the flavors blend. 

Top with some of your favorites like greek yogurt or sour cream, cheddar cheese or chopped scallions.

And yep, that's a picture of me, because I forgot to take a picture of the chili! lol

The Best Smoothie I Have Ever Tasted!!! (And a Healthy Pina Colada Recipe)

Ever since I received the Nutribullet for Christmas, I have been a Nutriblasting fool.  I have made the Nutriblasts/Smoothies that the Nurtibullet book provided for the first few months, then I decided to get creative and see what I could do.  Most of the smoothies I have made have been chock full of healthy ingredients, and some have been a treat, with mostly healthy ingredients.  Actually, all have had healthy ingredients, but some have just tasted like they were bad for me.  This one is one of those!!

While most Nutriblast/Smoothies start with greens, I opted not to put them in this one, because I was getting a little tired of the green smoothie, I wanted something bright and summery.  This smoothie was so easy and so delicious!!!  Ok, let me be honest, this drink came about because I wanted a healthy pina colada...but then decided to tweak it just a tad for a healthy breakfast smoothie lol  I'll also include the pina colada recipe below!

Mango Pineapple Protein Breakfast Smoothie
1 scoop Tera's Whey Vanilla Protein Powder (or protein powder of your choice)
1/2 cup frozen pineapple (I use Trader Joe's Pineapple Tidbits)
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks (about 7 chunks)
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 of an orange
5 ice cubes

Put everything into your nutribullet or blender and zip!

Healthy Pina Colada 
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/3 cup lite coconut milk
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 oz orange juice
2 oz spiced rum (I used Capt. Morgan)
5 ice cubes

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats Recipe

I had been reading so many things about overnight oats, but I just couldn't figure out what was so special.  I still don't know exactly if preparing them overnight, rather than in the morning, has any added nutritional benefits, but I can definitely tell you it's a time saver!  Also, then you have the option of eating your oats hot or cold!  This is great for people who don't eat oatmeal in the spring and summer because they can't eat hot oatmeal for breakfast (I know these people exist, because I am one of them).  But that is all figured out now, because the overnight oats can be eaten cold!!  For those who don't have any strange quirks like myself, feel free to heat up your overnight oats when you are ready to eat.

The recipe I have been making is an Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.  Of course you can just omit the applesauce and cinnamon if you would like regular oatmeal.  The recipe will be the same if you want to add your own ideas (blueberries, strawberries, pecans, almonds, etc)  Make it your own, have fun with it, eat what you like and be happy :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Rolled Oats or Old Fashioned Oats (or 1/4 cup of steel cut oats)
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp flax meal (I grind my own flaxseeds using a coffee grinder)
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1 - 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of milk (I use Almond milk because I love it, I also use only 1/2 cup because I like my oatmeal thick and creamy)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and place in a container you can store in the fridge. Enjoy it in the morning!

I purchased twelve 8 ounce mason jars from Target for less than $10!  I make ahead 5 days worth of overnight oats, so that I can quickly grab my breakfast in the morning and take it with me to work.  I have placed a link here if you are interested in the mason jars, because I think they are fantastic, time saving and space saving!!  (I also own larger mason jars from Target that I fill with Salad ingredients for lunch!  But I'll share that another time lol)

http://www.target.com/p/ball-12ct-quilted-jelly-jars-8oz/-/A-13562672#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=masonm%20jars