Clean Eating Citrus Grilled Chicken with Grilled Eggplant with Herbs and Feta

   The other night Wade and I actually had a few minutes where we were home at the same time and I wasn't exhausted. (Man, summer is busy.) Soooo, I got to make dinner!

   The chicken is a recipe I have done before. It's incredibly simple and incredibly healthy, two things I love in a meal. Youknowwhatimean? Yep. 

   The eggplant was something new I was trying. I get daily recipe emails from ten million different places and this one caught my eye. I am a newer fan of eggplant and boy-oh-boy is it good. So eggplant and Feta? Together? I hopped right on that wagon and gave it a try!

Clean Eating Citrus Grilled Chicken- www.thegraciouspantry.com

Ingredients:

• 1 orange
• 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I omitted this so Mini Chef would eat it)

Directions:

1. Zest orange and lime into a large bowl.
2. Squeeze orange juice into bowl.
3. Add oil, garlic and chicken, tossing to coat.
4. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
5. Prepare grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
6. Remove chicken from marinade, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Cook chicken 6 minutes per side or until done.

Nutrition Facts: Calories per serving 142; Fat 1.7g, Carbs 13.5g, Sugars 5g, Protein 25.1; Sodium 191.5g

Now, like I said I had made this before and loved it... So, when I made it this time I thought I could do it from memory because it's pretty simple, right? Wrong. Looking at the recipe now I realize I did it allllll wrong. I forgot to zest my orange and lime and just juiced them. It's still pretty good that way if zest is not your bag, but I definitely recommend doing it the right way. Hopefully next time I won't trust my memory... Womp, womp. 

   Now for the eggplant, this recipe is from Fine Cooking magazine but I did make some alterations to make it easier and tastier in my opinion.

Grilled Eggplant with Herbs & Feta- from Fine Cooking

Ingredients:

1 small clove garlic

Kosher salt

1 small shallot, finely diced

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 medium size eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices

2 Tbsp fresh minced cilantro

2 Tbsp fresh minced mint

1/4c crumbled reduced fat feta

Directions:

1. Preheat grill and broiler.

2. Add first 6 ingredients to blender or food processor and blend until smooth to make a vinaigrette.

3. Brush slices of eggplant with the vinaigrette. Grill over medium-high heat for 3 minutes per side. 

4. Once eggplant is grilled place In a shallow baking dish, so that the slices overlap slightly. Top with the remaining vinaigrette, fresh minced herbs, and feta. 

5. Broil under high heat until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts: Serves 5; Calories per serving 93; Fat 6.4g; Carbs 7.4g; Sugars 2.1g; Protein 1.9g; Sodium 177.3g

Enjoy friends!

Margherita Pizza Salad

  Hi, my name is Molly and I am a pizza addict. I will eat it any day, anytime, anywhere especially when I am hungover.
   A year and a half ago I was lucky enough to go to Rome for my 25th birthday. I love the way they do pizza there, everything on it so fresh. Fresh veggies, meat, minimal sauce and cheese, and homemade delicious dough. Domino's ain't got nothing on the Italians. So, when one of the RN's I work with gave me an issue of Eating Well Magazine with a section on "Pizz'alads" (pizza salads) that had a fresh Margherita version, saying I was thrilled was an understatement. Seriously?! A healthy(ish) way to make pizza?! Hell yes my friends.
   Today I am sharing with you my adaptation of Eating Well's Margherita Pizz'alad. It made a perfect Meatless Monday dinner for Wade and I. Luckily, it was cool enough out today to use the oven.
  To start off I made two batches of Eating Well's Whole- Grain Pizza Dough (you can find the recipe here). I have made my own pizza dough before, but I have never found a recipe that used whole wheat and had the consistency I like in a pizza dough. This stuff was about as good as it gets for a healthier version. I was a little worried I screwed up the first ball of dough and that it wasn't going to rise, so to be on the safe side I made two of them. Looks like I am having pizza twice this week! Woot woot!
  So, the deviations I made from original recipe are very minimal, mostly done to make it cheaper, quicker, and get my Artichoke fix. Enjoy this great summer recipe in the oven or on the grill and always with a glass of wine! (or two or three or four)

Margherita Salad Pizza

• 1 ball of Whole Grain Pizza Dough
• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Large Tomato, thinly sliced
• 4 oz Marinated Artichoke Hearts, diced
• 1/2 c Shredded Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 c Arugula
• 1 c Torn Fresh Basil
• 2 Tbsp Dried Parsley Flakes
• 1/4 c Shredded Parmesan Cheese 

1. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 500 degrees.
2. Combine 1 Tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, and parsley and whisk together in a large bowl. Add arugula, basil, and Parmesan and toss. I like to do this before I start putting together the pizza because letting it sit for a while kind of wilts the arugula and makes it a little less crunchy (I love the taste of arugula but the texture weirds me out)

3. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface, corn meal works great for this too to get a crispier crust. Roll out dough into a 12-14 inch circle, then transfer to a pizza stone or pan.

4. Combine 1 Tbsp oil and garlic in a small bowl and brush the dough with it. Top with tomato, artichoke hearts, and shredded mozzarella. Bake until golden and crispy, about 10 minutes.

5. When pizza is done , let cool for 5-10 minutes.

6.Put arugula salad mixture on top of the pizza, slice, and serve immediately.

  

Nutritional Facts: Servings 8, Calories 234; Fat 11g; Carbs 26; Protein 8g; Sodium 472mg; Sugars 4g

Now, off I go to enjoy that glass of wine. Hope you enjoy this great summer meal!

Spaghetti Squash Parmesan Bake

We've all heard the saying "don't judge a book by its cover", weeeeeeellllllllll that would be tonight's dinner. It looked like crap, I am not going to lie, BUT it was sooo good and so easy. I found a recipe on Skinnytaste for some baked spaghetti squash boats. They looked amazing, only two things. They called for spaghetti squash on the smaller side (so that each half was a portion) and the grocery store only had HUGE ones and I've been eating a lot of chicken so I decided to try ground turkey instead. Which brought me to my adaptation: Spaghetti Squash Parmesan Bake.

Finished Product

Spaghetti Squash Parmesan Bake:

Ingredients:

• 1 20oz Package 93/7 Lean Ground Turkey
• 1 Large Spaghetti Squash
• 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 2c Marinara Sauce
• 1c Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella
• 1/8c Shredded Parmesan
• Salt and Pepper
• Parsley or Basil (optional garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out "guts" i.e. seeds and membrane with a grapefruit spoon. Season the squash with salt and pepper and place guts side up in a shallow dish. Bake for approximately 40 minutes. (Spaghetti squash can be cooked in microwave by piercing with a knife several times and cooking 8-9 minutes)

   

   Uncooked, prepared Squash

2. Meanwhile, cook ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat. Once cooked through add italian seasoning and 1/4c water. Cook until water is evaporated.
3. Once spaghetti squash is cooked, scrape the guts out with a fork. It will come out in strands.
4. In a Baking dish, layer the squash, turkey, marinara (make sure to use a thicker sauce, I used my mom's homemade sauce which tastes great but made the dish a little runny) and top with the shredded cheeses.

   

   Layers before the cheese

5. Bake at 400 for approximately 20-30 minutes until cheese is golden brown. Garnish with minced or sliced parsley or basil and serve.

Nutrition Facts: Serves 6; Calories per Serving 271; Fat 15g; Carbs 9; Protein 25 g; Sodium 442mg; Sugars 4g

Enjoy!

Chicken Fajitas + Faux Refried Beans

    Anyone seeing a theme here? 2 out of 4 posts are Mexican recipes? I am such a sucker for Mexican food. It's bad... it's real bad. If I don't get some chips and queso every couple weeks I start going through withdrawls... No, seriously I need that cheese (see? not always healthy.) 
   Anyway, the other night I made my mom's fajitas. They are pretty much amazing, this is a recipe I have used basically ever since I have been cooking and my friends always ask for it. Over the years I have made some modifications and deviations, finding ways to make it a little healthier (not that it's bad to begin with). I also love the addition of zucchini, my favorite Mexican restaurant does it this way. 

Mom's Chicken Fajitas:

• 1lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 Green bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 White onion, cut into strips
• 1 Zucchini, cut into half moons
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Cloves garlic
• 1/4c Fresh minced cilantro
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• A dash of Red pepper flakes
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional ingredients and toppings:

• Corn tortillas
• Salsa
• Cheese (queso fresco or just generic shredded mexican blend are my favorites)
• Sour cream

 Combine all of the ingredients listed and marinate for atleast a half hour, the longer the better! (Mine accidentally marinated overnight because working on the sailboat and drinking beer seemed like more fun the night I planned to eat them. They were just as good, if not better, the next day.) In a large frying pan, I prefer to use my electric skillet, cook all ingredients until chicken is cooked through and peppers, onions, and zucchini are tender. Toss equal parts on warmed corn tortillas and top with additional toppings, make a salad and serve over a bed of lettuce with some salsa on top, or just eat them plain. No matter what they are awesome!

Serves 6, Calories per serving 118 (without tortilla); 3g fat; 6g carbs; 19g protein; 63mg sodium; 3g sugar

  I've been trying to find some healthy side dishes to accompany my Mexican fiesta that goes on a couple times a week. The canned re-fried beans were not cutting it, clearly. Then I stumbled on this great blog, The Skinny Fork Blog. This site has some pretty good healthy modified recipes and I have to say I am a believer. These were awesome and EASY. 

Faux Re-fried Beans:

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb. Dry Pinto Beans, Sorted & Rinsed
• 1 Onion, Diced
• 1 Jalapeño, Seeded & Diced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tsp. Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp. Paprika
• 1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper
• 1/8 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 6 C. Water
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Salt

Directions:
1. Toss everything into a slow cooker (except the salt), secure the lid and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8. The longer they cook, the easier they are to mash at the end.
2. When cooked, mash the beans. Feel free to remove or add any water from them until they are the desired consistency. I would recommend making them a little thinner than you may think, since they do dry out slightly as they cool. Once mashed, season with salt to taste, about 1 1/2 tsp. Adding the salt at the end let you use less and allows for the beans to be more tender. Serve warm and enjoy!

Yep, They're that easy and HEALTHY.

Nutritional Facts:
Servings: 9; Size: 1/3 Cup; Calories: 62.8; Fat: 0.3 g;  Carb: 12.4 g;  Fiber: 3.8 g; Protein: 3.4 g; Sugar: 0 g; Sodium: 486.1 mg

A seriously tasty meal if I do say so myself. I brought some left overs to work for lunch today and my coworkers were sold too!

With that I will wrap things up today and leave everyone with some pictures of the FIRST REAL DAY OF SUMMER TODAY! It was amazing, the boyfriend and I got off work at the same time which doesn't happen often so we played tourist for the afternoon and went and walked around the canal and enjoyed some beer and ice cream. Enjoy!

At least I got a small, A for healthy effort right?

Canal Park Brewing Co.

I. Love. This. Lake.

I know, he's pretty cute huh?