Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan

Healthy Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients: 

3 Chicken Breasts cut in half (making 6 breasts)

1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

2 Tb Coconut Oil (melted)

1/4 c Parmesan grated 

1 c Quick Marinara Sauce (recipe at bottom) 

1 c uncooked Farro

2 1/2 c Chicken Broth 

1/4 Shredded Mozzarella (for topping)

Chopped fresh basil (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Split the 3 chicken breasts into 6 total. Mix bread crumbs and grated parmesan together in a shallow dish. Bast the melted coconut oil over one chicken breast at a time and dredge into the bread crumbs. Place breaded chicken breast on a cooling wrack over a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil (this will allow for even crisping on both sides of the chicken breast without one side becoming soggy). Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Bake chicken at 425 degrees for 20 mins. Flip chicken over and bake for another 5 minutes. Allow to cook 5 mins. Place chicken on top of a bed of Farro. Add a few tablespoons of Marinara sauce on top of chicken and top 1 Tb shredded mozzarella cheese and chopped basil.

Farro:

Place 2 1/2 cups chicken broth in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add Farro and cook for 25-30 minutes or according to packaging. 

Marinara sauce: 

1/2 chopped red onion

1 Tb olive oil

1/2 orange bell pepper 

3 cloves pressed garlic

1 (15 oz) Can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato paste

1/2 water

Italian seasoning to taste

1 Tb Xylitol 

1 bay leaf 

salt and pepper to taste

Add olive oil to a sauce pan on medium heat. Add in chopped onions and bell pepper. Saute about 5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add in garlic and cook 1 minute. Follow with the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 min stirring occasionally. 

Today's Fitness Challenge

Repeat 3X

Spicy Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups

These were delicious. I will definitely be making these again! These are low carb, and family friendly! I was a little skeptical about eating just a lettuce cup but they were actually filling. Plus my meat loving marine husband even approved. So this is now a go to quick healthy dinner in under 30 minutes. Plus if you have a rice maker like muah this is going to be a breeze. 

Ingredients: 

1 lb lean ground chicken 

1 small red onion (diced) 

3 tsp chopped garlic (about 4-5 cloves) 

1 med red bell pepper (thinly sliced)

2 thai chili peppers (or 1 large Jalapeño) 

1 Tb fish sauce 

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce 

2 tsp brown sugar

pepper to taste 

1 cup torn basil

1 Tb lime juice 

2 tsp oil (I used Grapeseed oil) 

Bib boston lettuce for cups 

Add 1 tsp grapeseed oil to a skillet and saute the onion for 2 minutes. Add in sliced red pepper and cook for another minute. Add chopped garlic and cook for 30 sec. Remove pepper mixture from the pan and set a side. Add remaining 1 tsp oil to the same pan followed by the ground chicken. Cook chicken 5 minuted stirring to crumble. Chop the chili peppers (or jalapeño) and add to the chicken mixture and cook 1 min. Add the onion and pepper mixture back into the skillet and stir to combine. Add 1 Tb fish sauce and followed by brown sugar, soy sauce, and pepper. Stir and heat throughly. Remove skillet from heat and stir in torn basil and lime juice. Serve mixture on boston lettuce. 

To make a meal serve with garlic brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Ready...Set...Go

So I have been really into getting my body back into shape since having little Fallon. So here goes my fitness posts where I will be sharing my workouts of the day! Today I woke up at 6:30 am (Pre-baby waking up at 8:00 am) in order to spend some alone mommy time. This I feel it key to honing in on my fitness journey. I recently have been following Skinny Mom on my instagram and I am in love with this lady! I enjoy her workouts and recipe posts. I am a little bias because I did spend 3 years in the great Cincinnati, OH to bad I found her once I moved back to San Diego. Oh well.

Total time: 45 Mins (I'm getting better haha)

Today's Fit Challenge

30 Reverse Lunges with kick (15 each side)

:60 Butt Kickers

20 Dolphins

:60 High Knees

30 Crunches

:60 Butt Kickers

30 Side Kicks (15 each side)

:60 High Knees

15 Plie Squat Pluses 

------------------------------------------------------

Repeat 3X

All in all this kicked my but but I loved it. Good luck. 

About Me

Hi everybody! Thanks for checking out my blog. I am currently a Stay at Home Mommy who gets to spend hang out with my beautiful daughter everyday! I am really big into cooking and making things myself. Staying healthy is not just a choice it’s a lifestyle. I have a passion for cooking and eating well. I take pride in what I make and enjoy teaching my daughter that cooking can me fun and educational.  

I've been married since mid-2009 and my husband Joe and I welcomed our baby girl Fallon into our lives in March 2014! She loves to help mommy cook, and hangout with her big sister Cali ( Our Black Lab, first baby girl 2010). We currently are fortunate to live in sunny Oceanside, Ca on Camp Pendleton. North San Diego county is like being on vacation everyday. It's Amazing and I love it. Farmers Markets year round! However I did grow in the suburbs of Chicago, IL, so I do know how to appreciate all four seasons.    

The Non-New Yorker's Guide to Homemade Bagels!!

Bagels in under 2 hours!! 

I was a little intimidated to make homemade bagels at first! However, I decided I would give them a whirl. My husband eats an everything bagel every morning before heading off to work, so I figured if I could make something healthier, lighter and tastes better with ingredients I can pronounce why not! Here goes: 

First you start with your average dough base: yeast, sugar, water, salt, and flour. The trick here is to use bread flour which is higher in gluten than your average all-purpose flour. Your going to combine all the dry ingredients in a Kitchen-Aid with dough hook attachment, and slowly add the water until combined. About 3-4 mins while on low speed. Once combined switch the speed to med-high (#3) and knead for about 8-9 mins until the dough pulls aways from the sides and is tacky and smooth. Yes let the machine run for the full time. You want to activate the gluten in the flour.  Finally, take the dough out it should look like the above picture. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour to rise. Place it in a lightly oiled  bowl and cover with a clean kitchen hand towel. It will double in size. 

Once the dough has doubled plop it out on a clean work surface that is lightly floured. De-gas the dough. Meaning lightly press on the dough to alleviate any gas bubbles. Let the dough rest for 10 min. Now you will want to divide the dough into 8 equal portions. I lay the dough out in a circle and cut it like a pizza (I'm from the midwest). Roll each of the 8 pieces into a smooth ball. Then with a floured finger poke a hole in the center and stretch it out so that it is about 1/3 of the entire bagel. Trust me they with shrink when it cooks I have made the mistake of making them too small but they taste the same. Place the bagels on a baking sheet with parchment paper as shown above. Allow to rest another 10 min covered with the same towel. 

Next step is to boil these babies. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then allow it to simmer while the bagels are resting. Boil 2-3 at a time 1 min on each side. Then top with your favorite toppings or leave plain. We chose everything topping YUMMY! Recipe is at the bottom. 

Place in a 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. 

ENJOY!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 c. Bread Flour

1 Pkg yeast (2 1/4 Tsp if using a jar)

2 tsp Granulated Sugar

1 1/3 c. Warm water 

1 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt 

Toppings of choice

      Combine the yeast, flour, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer. Turn mixer on low while slowly adding the water. Continue to mix until dough comes together about 4-6 mins. Then increase speed to med-high and knead for 8-10 minutes until soft and smooth. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise and double in size about 1 hour. 

     De-gas the dough and allow to rest for 10 minutes.Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bring a large pot of unsalted water to boil. Then turn to simmer.Divide dough into 8 pieces and de-gas the each piece and roll into a ball. Use a floured finger and create a hole in the center of the dough roughly 1/3 of the size of the bagel. Place the bagel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to rest for another 10 minutes. 

    Gently lower 2-3 bagels into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute on each side. Once done place back on to the parchment paper and top immediately with your favorite toppings. Place baking sheet into the oven and cook 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Allow bagels to cool completely. 

Everything Topping:

1 Tb Sesame Seeds

1 Tb Minced Garlic (dried)

1 Tb Minced Onion (dried)

2 tsp Poppy Seeds 

1 tsp Kosher Salt 

Top Bagels liberally, and place remaining in an air tight container.