{Easy Peasy Chicken}

Do you ever have one of those days where you are just positive you CANNOT put forth any more effort?  You know, the days where you would rather come home, sit on the couch and be a complete slob not move until it is time for bed.  That day for me was Tuesday.  I was exhausted.  I had nothing left to give.  However, my work day doesn't stop at 5PM.  I start my second shift job...being a Mama of course!  Actually, it's more of an around the clock, never get a day off, but wouldn't trade a single second for anything job.  

Since I had other chores that had to be done, I decided I would throw this little recipe together and in the oven it went.  Simple.  Quick.  And I don't have to tend to it over a hot stove.  Winner, winner chicken dinner...literally!!  Recipe via Pinterest

Source

Ingredients:

4-6 raw chicken breasts {I cut my chicken into bite size pieces}

4-5 new potatoes {washed & cut}

Green beans (fresh or canned)  {I used broccoli because I am not a huge green bean fan}

1 cup low sodium/low fax chicken broth

1 packet Italian dressing

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Arrange in a 9 x 13 casserole dish as shown above.  Sprinkle with packet of Italian dressing mix and pour chicken broth around meat and veggies.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Enjoy!!

{It's Fall Y'all!!}

Kayleigh's fall pic 2011.  I think she's pretty cute...but I am a little biased :)

I LOVE Fall.  The temperature outside slowly cooling down.  The crisp smell of the air.  The beautiful foliage.  Carving/decorating pumpkins.   Halloween.   The fair (cause I'm a foodie fatty & I big.puffy.pink.heart the sweet, delicious, greasy CRAP they pass off as food).  Yes...it happens...I won't lie to y'all.  I guess I'll just run a little harder or maybe do my Jillian Michaels DVD an extra couple times the days prior.  I have a huge love/hate relationship with Jillian.  

Anywho...a few days ago I read through some of the blogs I follow on a daily/semi-daily basis and found this perfect little dessert creation.  Mini Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecakes.  It was in love at first site.  Found the recipe from this cool chick here.  

I decided to whip them up Wednesday night and well...the rest is history!!  Two words: LOVE THEM!!!  They are just the right amount of sweet to satisfy my craving, they require no baking, & their best aspect...they're pretty much GUILT FREE.  Mmmhmm...you read that correctly.  GUILT. FREE.  So, grab your ingredients and get to 'non baking'.  Enjoy!!

Mini Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecakes

Crust

7 graham cracker sheets

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake Mixture

8 oz. Cool Whip Free

1 (8 oz) package fat-free cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar (or 6 Splenda packets)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pumpkin Mixture

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. allspice

In a food processor, grind up the graham cracker sheets into fine crumbs.  {If you don’t have a food processor or blender, place the graham crackers into a bag and crush them with a rolling pan or a cup.}  Place the graham cracker crumbs into a bowl and add in the ground cinnamon and sugar.  Melt the butter and add it to the graham cracker crumbs.

Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and put one tablespoon of the graham cracker crumb mixture in the bottom of each liner.  Press down the crumbs with your hand.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese, vanilla extract and sugar (or Splenda) for a few minutes until fluffy.  Add the Cool Whip and whip until smooth.  To make the pumpkin mixture, combine the pumpkin puree, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger and allspice.  Add 2/3 cup of the cheesecake mixture to the pumpkin mixture.  Stir with a spatula until the two batters are completely combined and there are no lumps.

Using a cookie dough scoop (or spoon), fill each cupcake liner with 1 1/2 scoop fulls of the cheesecake mixture.  Each liner should be filled almost to the top.  Now place three dots of pumpkin batter onto the cheesecake batter in the liner.  I used a 1/4 teaspoon to scoop the pumpkin batter.  Use a toothpick to swirl the two batters.

Once each cheesecake cup is swirled, placed the cupcake pans into the fridge to chill for a few hours (I chose to keep mine in overnight) until firm.  

Want the nutritional skinny on these fabulous little babies???

Servings: 12

Serving Size: 1 mini cheesecake

Calories: 106

Fat: 3.8 g

Carbs: 12.1 g

Fiber: 0.3 g

Protein: 2.8 g

Old Points: 2.4 pts

Points+: 3 pts

I can't wait to make these again later in the season and without the pumpkin for the rest of the seasons :)

{Lacking Presence...that's ME!!}

Mercy! Almost a month since my last post...I suck! Holy moly! I WILL post more often, I WILL post more often! I must start planning some posts in advance. I did say in a previous post I would like all aspects of my life ORGANIZED. I'll put that on my ever growing, 'Sure I hope I get around to this' to-do list (Sigh!). So, enough about my awesomeness and on to this FABULOUS recipe I found on Pinterest.  <----Find me on there!

I often lay in bed at night after reading and subconsciously pin 1000484950583737838 things to my boards. MOST of them being food.  Or, I have a horrible habit of being hungry and getting on to search for new food ideas and recipes. Why, why, why do I torture myself??? I realize I have a small Pinterest addiction. Hi, my name is Lauren and I have a pinning problem. The first step is admitting the problem, right?!?!  Ha! I kid, I kid!!

Anyway...I found this lovely recipe for Jalapeño Popper Chicken. It is so yummy. I LOVE heat & I LOVE Mexican food. But I DISLIKE the calories.  Like, I could eat it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Buuuuuut, I would be a big fat fatty if I did...so I try to resist the urge.  Trust me, it's hard.  Without further rambling, here is the recipe...adapted a little from here. Enjoy!!

Serves 2 (I doubled everything so I would have left overs for lunch)

1/2 cup panko

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1.5 – 2 tsp. taco seasoning (I used the Fiesta Party dip from Tastefully Simple)

1/4 cup egg substitute

2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese (I chose the whipped kind...makes it a little easier to mix)

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2% or low fat)

1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced

2 chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 375 and place an ovenproof rack onto a rimmed baking dish. Spray with cooking oil.

In a small skillet over medium heat, combine the panko with the olive oil. Cook, stirring often, until the panko is golden and crispy. Place in a shallow bowl or dish. To the panko, add the taco seasoning* and stir to combine.

In another shallow bowl or dish, pour your egg substitute. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and jalapeños.

Using a small utility knife, cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast, or horizontally slice the chicken through the center, until it is almost butterflied. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper, and then divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between each chicken breast’s pocket. Use toothpicks to secure, if necessary.

Dip the chicken pieces one at a time first into the egg substitute, and then into the panko mixture, making sure to coat the chicken completely. Place the chicken on the prepared baking rack and cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Here is my finished product served with homemade pico de gallo (I'll post on that soon), and cheesy rice.  Sooooo darn good!!

Not completely sure of the calorie or WW points+ count...but I know it's much better than eating in some random Mexican joint.  At least I know exactly what is going into my body :)

{Tasty Tuesday: Bangin' Good Shrimp}

I love, love, love when I find a recipe that tastes so darn good AND it's "skinny". Oh, that just rocks my socks! I found Ms. Gina over at Skinny Taste a while back and fell in love...like big puffy heart LOVE. She takes regular recipes and turns them into wonderful weight friendly creations AND adds the Weight Watchers Points Plus values. That makes her super fab in my book!!  And, if you ask really nice, sometimes she'll take requests to "skinny-ize" (I think I just made a new word) your fav recipe.  Yep, you're welcome for the introduction :)

Anyway...on to the good stuff. I have recently started trying to eat better/cleaner and what better recipe for dinner other than this!

Gina's photo, not mine.  I can only wish my IPhone produced quality like this 

Banging Good Shrimp 

Ingredients:  

• 5 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (found near the soy sauce)
• 1 tsp Sriracha (to taste)

For the Shrimp:

• 1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined (weight after peeled)
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 4 tbsp scallions, chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce and Sriracha. Set aside.
Combine lettuce and cabbage and divide between four plates. Set aside. 

Coat shrimp with cornstarch, mixing well with your hands. Heat a large skillet or wok on high heat, when hot add oil. When oil is hot add the shrimp to hot pan and cook tossing a few times until cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Remove from pan and combine with the sauce coating well.  Place shrimp on lettuce and top with scallions.

Side note: I did not plate my shrimp on a bed of lettuce, nor did I add the scallions.  I grilled green, yellow, and red bell peppers and served with a side of brown rice.  SUPER YUMMY!!

Here is my plate...not near as picture perfect as Gina's, but it totally rocked my taste buds!!

Got any good "skinny" recipes you want to share?  I wanna try them!!