Lemon and Thyme Chicken Breasts

 

Lemon and Thyme Chicken Breasts

I thought I would share with you one of my new favorite recipes--Lemon and Thyme Chicken Breasts.  This recipe is so simple to make, yet tastes so yummy that I can eat it for days in a row.  I believe that this was tailored from an Ina Garten (my favorite) creation in order to be 100% paleo, but of course I found it on good old pinterest (via fortheloveofcooking.net).  Enjoy!

Lemon and Thyme Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:
1-2 tbsp olive oil
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of chicken broth
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Two sprigs of fresh thyme
1 lemon cut into 4 wedges

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, making sure not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, and thyme leaves to the pan. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Place the chicken in the baking dish along with the lemon wedges and the two sprigs of thyme.
Place into the oven and bake, basting occasionally, for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Drizzle the pan sauce on top of the slices of chicken and serve. 

Whole 30 Challenge

Last March, I decided to take the plunge on this crazy food challenge, and it ended up changing my life.  Spelled out in the book, "It Starts with Food" by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig, the Whole 30 challenge is a 30-day commitment to strict paleo eating.  No sugar, no dairy, no grains, no beans, no alcohol...and no cheating.  I won't lie, the first few days were definitely tough...I had pretty bad symptoms of the "carb flu"...but luckily, it only lasted a few days.  What happened after was pretty incredible--not only did I lose a few pounds (which is not really what this is all about), but the ways my body carried excess fat had shifted.  I was leaner and after 30 days, felt amazing.  I had more energy than I had felt in at least a decade, my skin cleared up, I was sleeping better, and my whole outlook on life had changed.  I was hooked.

Since then, I have pretty much stuck with the 80/20 paleo eating guidelines that are recommended after the 30-day challenge.  And then came December.  My birthday, Christmas, ridiculous late nights at work, holiday parties...I think that there were days that all I put in my body were cookies, bread, cheese and alcohol.  Not my best, and honestly, all that cheating has caught up with me. 

I had been talking to my sister for months now about trying it out, and she decided that today was the day to start.  Perfecting timing for me too, right?  Time to get back to business.  I'm excited and ready to get back on board and detox my body of all the junk I have put in it toward the end of 2013.  I would encourage anyone who has been thinking about taking the plunge to dive right in!  The first week or so might have you thinking that all of us devotees have lost our damn mind, but trust me, stick with it!  You will be thanking me in the end when you come out feeling more incredible than you have in years. 

Turkey Breast Stuffed Peppers

 

The holidays (and my birthday) are upon us, and though this is my most favorite time of year, thanks to my workout restrictions this year, I am having to tighten up my diet along with my wallet so I can spurge on only the special occasions.  That means bringing my lunch to work and eating at home, and one of my very favorite recipes to make is turkey stuffed peppers.  Super cheap and easy to make, and if you only eat one per meal, you can have lunch and dinner for almost half a week!  I have tweaked this a bit to make it more paleo (only add 1 cup of brown rice and no cheese), but both ways are delicious!

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Servings: 6 servings (1/2 pepper), Time: 55 minutes, WW Points: 5, Calories: 184.7 per serving, Fat: 2.3g, Protein: 20.8g, Carb: 20.2g, Fiber 1.6g

1 lb. ground turkey breast meat
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 onion, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 tsp garlic powder (I used more)
1 tsp cumin powder (I used more)
salt to taste
3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed
1 cup fat free chicken broth (I used regular, low sodium)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (I used brown)
olive oil spray
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400. Spray a little olive oil spray in a medium size saute pan and heat on a medium flame.  Add onion, garlic and cilantro/parsley to the pan.  Saute about 2 minutes and add ground turkey breast.  Season with salt, garlic powder and cumin and brown meat for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through.  Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes.  Combine cooked rice and meat together.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds.  Place in a baking dish.  Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can (mine were overflowing).  Place all stuffed pepper halves in the baking dish and pour the remainder of the chicken broth in the bottom of the pan.  Cover tight with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy.  I also added a few dashes of hot sauce on them after I added the cheese.  Yummy!

A Healthier Lifestyle

Baked Cod with Olives and Capers

Almost seven years ago, my father passed away after a long battle with prostate cancer.  During those years of his sickness and a few years after his death, I struggled to deal with my emotions...so I didn't leave my bed, and when I did, I partied and I ate.  A lot.  In about a course of five years, I managed to gain about 40 pounds and was constantly sick.  I was physically and mentally rundown and very unhealthy.  It was a few months after my 30th birthday when I finally decided that enough was enough, and I slowly but surely started to make changes.

But it hasn't been until the past year when I have really stepped up my health and fitness regimen and it has finally started to pay off.  I hired a personal trainer and wake up at 4:30 AM to hit the gym with him.  (p.s., Tony is a badass, but more on him later).  I have cut back my partying ways to where I rarely drink now--maybe about twice a month, if that.  I've found that I'm still fun and can have a great night out, even without a drink constantly in my hand.  Who knew?  I have started to really watch closely what I eat, which includes trying to stick to a Paleo diet.  Not only has this all helped me feel better, but the weight is finally coming off!  I'm down around 25 pounds from my highest, but still have 15 pounds to go to reach my goal.  Even though the road is still slow and sometimes incredibly frustrating, I know I will eventually get there! 

Paleo is pretty simple--I basically only eat meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and healthy fats.  No breads, dairy, or sugar allowed.  The first 30 days I was 100% loyal to this plan, as a way to detox myself.  Now, I follow the plan about 80% of the time, which is recommended for living the Paleo lifestyle after the initial 30 day period.  Occasionally, I will have a piece of pizza, or some sweets, or snack on my favorite Cheez-Its.  However, I find now that when I do eat these foods, I don't always feel so hot afterwards, so it's not worth the comfort it once brought to me.

Anyway, Sunday night I made a simple and delicious Paleo dinner that I thought I would share.  Baked Cod with Olives and Capers (thanks Martha Stewart), with roasted asparagus and brussels sprouts.  I usually cook bigger portions so I can eat whatever I cook for a few meals, and this recipe is perfect for two or for leftovers.  Delicious and easy--perfect for a busy girl like me who's trying to stay healthy!

What are some of your favorite Paleo recipes?