Happy Hour at home with Parmesan Chicken Bites

I enjoy dining out.  In fact, it is one of my all time favorite things to do.  The problem is that I'm not always good about my food choices at restaurants.  Quite often, the next day my joints are swollen and I am miserable.  Now, I cannot see myself ever giving up my love of restaurants, but I also enjoy cooking and have gotten to the point where I really appreciate a good meal at home in a comfy pair of yoga pants, with no regrets of making bad food choices.

Here is a confession.....we love happy hour!  There is a relaxed atmosphere generally and we also enjoy the reduced food prices on the menu. Let's be honest, the choices are usually not great for fighting inflammation and in fact, typically cause inflammation. So....we have mostly given up on happy hour.  I say 'mostly' because we have a favorite place that actually offers healthy choices, such as a hummus platter and satay's.

Even though we do not go out much for happy hour anymore, I love this great recipe that makes happy hour at home (once again in yoga pants) a fun relaxing time to unwind and visit with my husband.  Parmesan Chicken Bites are made out of real chicken breast meat and I choose to use the whole wheat bread crumbs instead of white.  They are baked in the oven to eliminate the deep fried greasy finish.  You can also make it a meal by putting them over pasta and topping with the marinara sauce, with a Caesar Salad on the side.  Give them a try and let me know what you think :)

Parmesan Chicken Bites

2 chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of  Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium bowl whisk together the egg and mustard.  Add the chicken pieces.  Stir to coat thoroughly and then place the chicken on a rack to drain.

In a large zip-lock bag, add the remaining dry ingredients.  Seal the bag and shake to mix.  Then open the bag and add the chicken pieces.  Seal the bag again and shake until chicken pieces are coated.

Place coated chicken pieces on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Delicious and Healthy Snacking with Hummus!

Don't you just love to snack?  I know we sure do.  Thankfully my husband is on board with healthy anti-inflammatory eating (well....most of the time).  After church today he was ready to turn on some football and start snacking.  I looked around for something quick, delicious and easy to whip up.

If you are like me and want to be careful with the food you eat, then this is a great idea for you.  Hummus! Yep....I said hummus.  It's not the old school plain hummus that I am talking about, it is sun dried tomato super flavorful hummus.  I'm  not into blah and boring eating.  It has got to be awesome!

Mild mini peppers are wonderful dipped into hummus. Since I wash and cut up my fresh veggies each week after grocery shopping, they were already prepared and waiting in the fridge.  My husband also likes to use multi-grain tortilla chips for dipping.  I have posted this recipe before, but, made with yogurt instead of Tahini Paste.  Both are quite tasty. Enjoy :)

Sun Dried Tomato Hummus with Tahini

1 15.5 oz can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 tablespoons lemon juice 
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Tahini Paste
Salt/pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  If it seems too thick add more olive oil a teaspoon at a time.

Pizza Night is Back!

 

Pizza nights are a great American tradition. Our family has enjoyed quite a few over the years. Of course now, I must look at the facts concerning this delightful dish. Your standard take out pizza is loaded with saturated fat, white flour, and sugar.  Since all three of those ingredients affect my body by causing too much inflammation, that means I will have to say no.

 

In an attempt to bring pizza night back to our home, I tried to make whole wheat pizza crust. Yes I said "tried" because it did not turn out so well. We seriously needed a hammer and chisel to cut it.

 

Recently, I received a box of Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads to try. Guess what??? I used the wholegrain flatbread to make pizza and it worked! Yippee! Many times whole grain choices are pretty disgusting, but, The Stonefire Wholegrain Naan is soft, fresh, and delicious. It was super easy too. All you need to do is spread pizza sauce over the bread, add your favorite toppings, and bake. I chose an organic pizza sauce and topped it with Kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, red onions and Parmesan cheese.

 

 

Typically I like to make our meals from scratch and I would love to find a great recipe for pizza crust (hint hint). But, sometimes it's nice to have an alternative for quick easy meals. This is one alternative I am sure I will have again. Even though I am on a strict eating plan, I don't have to miss out on pizza night anymore :)

Snack attack!

My husband and I have a big, huge, gigantic, humongous problem.  We love snacks!  It doesn't matter if we are outside in the yard, inside watching TV, or playing games, one of us will undoubtedly bring up the idea of a snack.  Then we are both on a mission to find something to munch on.  Fresh fruit and veggies are great, but they just don't cut it when we are having a snack attack. 

In an attempt to make a snack that we wouldn't regret, I whipped up a batch of Sun Dried Tomato Hummus.  THEN....I realized we didn't have anything suitable for dipping, except of course veggies, and I...uh...well... already mentioned that the veggie option was not exciting.  After searching the pantry and fridge, the only possibility was a package of whole grain tortillas.  I decided to try and make tortilla chips with them.

I brushed olive oil on both sides of the tortilla and sprinkled with just a little sea salt.  Then I used a pizza cutter and sliced the tortilla into eight wedges.  I placed them on a pizza pan and put them in the oven at 375 degrees.  After 7 minutes I flipped the wedges over and baked for another seven minutes. 

The homemade chips turned out well and were a healthy and yummy alternative for dipping into the hummus.  And.... the best part was that our snack attack was satisfied with no guilt!

Good news to report

Since my last post, I have been as good as gold!  My healthy eating habits and exercise are primary in my life once again.  The thing is, when I eat an anti-inflammatory diet my inflammation calms down and I lead a very normal  and pain free life.  My diet is absolutely delicious as I love Mediterranean food, which tends to be very anti-inflammatory.  I get to eat delicious and whole foods.  Avocado, olives, whole grain breads and pastries, whole wheat pasta, salmon, almonds, fruit and vegetables.  The list goes on and on. 

The tray you see above in the picture is an appetizer platter I made to take to Super Bowl Sunday.  I always try to have something available at parties that I know I can eat.  This platter has Kalamata olives, green olives, baby tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with feta cheese.  Grapes are lining the side of the tray.  It was a big hit with everyone. 

Yesterday, my husband and I decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants, Bardenay's.  This place is super trendy,  they have their own distillery where they make gin, rum, and vodka.  It has that hip and happening warehouse feel with comfortable and gorgeous seating.  On a warm day you can sit outside and overlook the water.  Simply fantastic.

 Bardenay's offers a Mediterranean platter that is divine.  It comes with freshly baked pita bread wedges, 2 types of olive tapenade, hummus, sliced and marinated onions, cucumber, and kalamata olives.  A glass of red wine from their extensive wine list compliments this meal perfectly. The platter of food is large so we split the meal. 

One of my downfalls in the past has been blowing my diet when dining out.  We enjoy a lot of friends and family who all love going out to eat.  My goal is to continue finding anti-inflammatory dishes at restaurants.  They are there if you look past the burgers, fries, and deep fried appetizers. The key is willpower and a strong desire to stay pain free. As you know, I am working diligently on both of those areas.

Each day that goes by, I count my successes with eating properly to heal my body and making sure to fit in daily exercise.  So far it has been a great week! 

Veggie Quesadillas: Easy breezy lunch idea!

Once in a while I really get in a rut planning out meals, especially when trying to keep the meals in the anti-inflammatory range. A couple of days ago I was extremely tempted to go out to eat with my husband rather than coming up with a new idea.  As usual I opened the refrigerator door and stared at the contents.  I saw sweet peppers and two kinds of tortillas.  White flour tortillas for my husband and multi grain with flax tortillas for me.

Hmmmm.... the wheels began to turn.  I went out to my garden and picked a beautiful white onion and headed back into the kitchen. 

I chopped up the peppers and onion and placed them in a saucepan that was drizzled with some good ole anti-inflammatory olive oil.  Look how beautiful and fresh the colors are. 

After sauteing the peppers and onion I placed half of the mixture onto each tortilla.  Then I shredded a little bit of Dubliner cheese.  This is one of our favorite cheeses lately.  Well....honestly I just love cheese in general, but this one is what is in the refrigerator right now.  I lightly sprinkled a little cheese over the veggies and covered with another tortilla.  Then I pulled out one of my favorite kitchen tools......

....... and one at a time cooked the Veggie Quesadillas in there.  They turned out scrumptious!  

Veggie Quesadillas

1 onion, diced
4 sweet mini peppers, diced
1/4 cup shredded cheese (your favorite)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 small tortillas

Sautee the onion and peppers in a medium pan drizzled with olive oil over medium heat.  Stir occassionally and cook until tender.  Add the salt and mix together. 

Lay out two tortillas and place half of the mixture on each tortilla.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the veggies and cover with another tortilla.

Cook one quesadilla at a time by placing on a pannini maker that has been lightly coated with cooking spray.  Close the top down over the quesadilla and cook for about 2 minutes or until golden griddle marks appear on the quesadilla and the cheese is melted.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or my Sundried Tomato Hummus.

Sun Dried Tomato Hummus for Dad

As my friends and family know, I love...absolutely adore...having company.  With company, comes special time together for visiting and catching up on news, eating wonderful food, and often times a glass or two of wine is included.  So, last weekend my mom went to the coast with her friends and I was able to talk my dad into heading the opposite direction and coming to stay with me for the weekend.  It was wonderful to have that time together.  Since I get my love of food from him I was excited to prepare some delicious and healthy dishes for us to enjoy together.  The appetizer, Sun Dried Tomato Hummus, was fantastic and super easy to make.   I served it with sliced red peppers, pickled asparagus, kalamata olives and crackers.  Delicious!  Oh and the Pinot Noir wasn't so bad either :)

1 15.5 oz can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons Greek plain yogurt
Salt/pepper to taste

This is so simple.  Just put all of the ingredients except the yogurt in a food processor and blend until fairly smooth.  Then add the yogurt and process for a few seconds until well blended.  Serve with red pepper strips, pita wedges, crackers, olives, or anything that sounds good for dipping.  This can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container.  Enjoy!

7-Layer Mexican Dip

Photo by:  Christopher Walker/Photoxpress.com

This Super Bowl Sunday, pass on those greasy potato chips and fatty dips, and opt instead for this 7-Layer Mexican Dip.  It is sure to be a crowd pleaser.  Serve with Multigrain Tortilla Chips for added fiber.  I buy the Food Should Taste Good brand at Costco for a much better price than the grocery store and they are delicious.

7-Layer Mexican Dip

Place
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce in the bottom of a bowl

Mix
1 16 oz. can of non-fat refried beans
1 teaspoon cumin
Then spread on top of the lettuce

Mix
3 chopped medium roma tomatoes
½ of a diced red onion
1 chopped avocado
Sprinkle over the bean mixture

Pour
1 cup of salsa
Over the top of the vegetables

Mix
1 cup of non-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon chili powder
Then spread over the salsa


Sprinkle
¾ cup of reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
On top of the sour cream mixture

Serve with
Multigrain tortilla chips

Enjoy!

Mrs. Macs Sticky Wings

With game day just around the corner, I want to share a great recipe to replace the traditional buffalo wings that tend to be fried.  These are the most amazing chicken wings I have ever had and they have great ingredients, including a good amount of anti-inflammatory ginger.  You can also make them the day before and then a few hours before serving, place them in a crock pot to re-heat them. 

Mrs. Macs Sticky Wings

4-5 pounds of chicken wings or drummettes
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup sherry
2 Tablespoons ground ginger
5 cloves minced garlic

Combine the all ingredients except for the chicken.  Simmer the sauce until it bubbles.  Place the chicken in a sheet pan and pour the sauce over the chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.  Turn the chicken every 30 minutes.