Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Stuffed Chicken

Here's the truth about me: I AM A FOODIE. I've never thought about it that way until last week at family dinner when I wouldn't shut up about recipes and playing around in the kitchen. My uncle looked at me and said "DAMN you're a f-o-o-d-i-e aren't you!?" .....Sigh. 'Tis true. My love for food and cooking has overtaken my life! But.....ask me if I mind!? :] Possible inspiration for a new blog name....
Anyway, here is the recipe for what I made for dinner tonight, and it was OMG good. Remember when I said that my almond crusted tilapia was one of the best things I've ever made? I lied. Tonights dinner topped it for sure! A few weeks ago my sister in law made a bacon wrapped chicken with rosemary, so I decided to take it a step further and add in my favorite veggie.

The real name for this meal should be: The Delicious, Mouth-Watering, Savory Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and Garlic Stuffed Chicken Topped with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar Oven Roasted to Perfection. Yes, I think like that better.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless chicken breasts (or however many for the hungry mouths you're feeding)
• bacon (2 pieces per chicken breast)
• 1/2 bag frozen asparagus, or handful if you're using fresh. I'm sure you could use any veggie you want, really. I bet spinach would be yummy too!
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped into larger chunks
• Rosemary
• Olive oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt & Pepper

1. First, preheat your oven to 350.
2. Start by tenderizing your chicken. ANYONE who says that meat tenderizing isn't fun is a gosh damn liar. Pound the crap out of those little gems until theyre nice and flat.

3. Put in a pan and cover in a mixture of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Sprinkle some rosemary on top and let marinate for 15-20 minutes.

 

 

4. While the chicken is marinating, Heat up a skillet to medium and toss in your asparagus. I used frozen so I threw those in with the chunks of garlic and let that cook through.

 

5. Once the asparagus & garlic are cooked, transfer it to the chicken. I piled it all at one end and just rolled it up.

 

6. Carefully wrap each piece of chicken with 2 pieces of bacon and secure with a few tooth picks.

 

 

7. I drizzled some more basamic vinegar on top and sprinkled them with rosemary. I also added some salt and pepper. 



8. Put in the oven uncovered for about 40 minutes. It may take longer depending on the thickness of your bacon, how many chicken breasts you have, etc. You'll just have to keep checking on them.

I know, I know. The picture quality on my iphone camera is just out of this world amazing.

 

 

Pair this little masterpiece with some grilled veggies and you gotchurself a nice healthy, paleo, whole30 approved, WLC approved meal-i-o. Enjoy!

Almond Crusted Tilapia

This just might be the best meal that has ever popped into my brain. ALMOND CRUSTED TILAPIA! One of the things that I miss since I went paleo is fried fish. Fried anything, actually..... (shhh I didn't really say that!).

I refuse to buy almond flour, just because its too damn expensive and well lets face it, im broke. So I usually avoid any type of recipe that calls for it, such as pancakes or muffins or brownies... I'm going to stop now before I start drooling on my keyboard. Luckily for me though, I had some leftover almonds from my trip this past weekend so I decided to make my own. Thank goodness for ninja blenders!

WARNING: THE RECIPE I AM ABOUT TO SHARE MIGHT CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Seriously, its so good! Kyle walked in the door from work and said "Are you frying fish?! YOU ARENT ALLOWED TO HAVE THAT!" lol! Thank goodness I have a boyfriend who holds me accountable on my diet! BUT little did he know that this was the healthy version! MUHAHAHAH (insert evil laugh here)

Ingredients:
2 tilapia filets (or however many you want to make)
3/4 cup almonds (or almond flour if you're really fancy)
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tbs whole30 approved mustard
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

1. If you're using regular almonds, throw them into the blender with garlic salt and blend until it makes close to a powder but still has some chunky pieces in it.
2. Heat the skillet to medium heat, add olive oil to cover bottom of pan
3. Smother tilapia filet in mustard and cover with almond flour until evenly coated.
4. Toss that sucker into the pan and fry it! After a couple minutes flip over and fry the other side. Flake with for to check done-ness, mine took about 8-9 minutes per filet.

 

 

 

 

Voila (sp?)! I didn't take a final picture because I originally had my heat set to med-high and I kind of burnt it, so It wasn't a pretty picture but it still tasted delicious. That's why I recommend a lower heat and longer cook time. I hope you take my word for it and try this out for yourself! It's definitely a keeper!

Cedar Point

So this past weekend Kyle and I took off to Sandusky, Ohio to visit one of the most AMAZING theme parks ever, Cedar Point. My main concern out of the whole trip was: what the heck am I going to eat??? After gathering tips and ideas from fellow PR'ers, I loaded up on packs of tuna and an assortment of fruit and nuts. I found an awesome recipe for roasted nuts at http://www.windycitycrossfit.com/wccf_recipes/2011/10/102011.html ... seriously, CHECK IT OUT! Kyle and I munched on it all weekend, I added raisins to mine and made it with almonds, walnuts and pecans. sooo delicious! But anyway, Thank goodness I packed this, a couple larabars and a few apples to get me through the day because the second I got into the park, it was like poison food city. Every single sign that I saw: Fried chicken, chilli cheese fries, funnel cakes, elephant ears, chips, jumbo pretzels, dippin dots, chocolate chip cookies, cinnabon, "stuffed smore's" (which is basically a glorified poptart), pepsi, the list goes on. I kept my eye on different food items to just see if anything jumped out that I would be able to eat and the closest thing I got to healthy was a chocolate covered banana or an apple pie filled bosco stick. Another little thing I kept an eye out for was how many people at this park looked like they were physically fit. I got a grand total of 4. FOUR PEOPLE out of all of cedar point looked as if they were in good shape and actually took care of themselves. This kills me! I would just watch extremely unhealthy people shovel all of this poisonous "food" into their mouths all day and not think twice about it. It's like watching someone physically hurt themself and not being able to do anything about it.

The deeper I dive into my healthy new lifestyle, the more I crave to help people make the switch as well. I guess I'll just keep praying and striving to live as an example until I figure out how to change the world.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I was in the mood for italian food today. I don't crave it a lot but whenever i get the slightest whiff of lasagna or spaghetti, it lights the spark in my brain! Luckily for me, I had a beautiful spaghetti squash at home just staring at me and begging to be cooked.

I usually make my spaghetti squash with just veggies and without sauce, but I wanted to try something new tonight so that's why I made a casserole instead. It turned out yummy and was just perfect for my italian dinner.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 medium sized spaghetti squash
1 medium zucchini
1 broccoli crown
1 bell pepper
1 package smoked sausage
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
handful spinach
crushed garlic, i buy the jar of minced so about 1 tsp of that
italian spice blend
salt
pepper

1. cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Brush with olive oil and some salt, pepper & garlic salt. Wrap one half in saran wrap and put in microwave for about 7 minutes (you'll have to check on it, if it is a larger squash it may take longer) Once finished, repeat with other half of squash.

 

2. While squash is in the microwave, cut up your veggies and throw them in a pot with some olive oil over medium heat. Let these all warm through and add the sausage. Once that cooks for a couple more minutes, add the can of tomato sauce and can of diced tomatoes. Next throw in your spices. I have an italian blend mix of spices that I used and also added some salt and pepper.

 

 

3. After squash is done, shred it with a fork into a casserole dish. Once that is shredded, add all your veggies and stir together. I added some parmesan cheese to Kyle's side of the dish but left mine without.

 

4. Heat the oven to 425 degrees and cook covered for about 20-25 minutes. 

 

This dish was so good and I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Also got a 2 thumbs up by Kyle so that means you know its good! I might try it with chicken next time just to mix things up :]

 

 

 

 

Candied Pecans

SWEET TOOTH.. WE MEET AGAIN! damn you for coming around when I'm trying to push you out of my life! But here I am, giving in. **HUGE SIGH**

I officially have 1 week left until the Whole Life Challenge, and the funny thing about it is that out of the whole program I'm more concerned about the fact that I'm not going to be able to have my honey or maple syrup than I am anything else, haha! Can we all say p-r-o-b-l-e-m? I OBVIOUSLY have a sugar addiction so this 8 week hiatus will be a blessing in disguise.

ANYWAYS, SINCE I cannot have either of these two little treasures after this week, I had to make one of my favorites to satisfy my sweet tooth. Since it's late at night, I try to stay away from fruit and try to gravitate more towards nuts and healthy fats. I reached for my fav: PECANS :]. this little dish is perfect for a mini craving and completely satisfies!

CANDIED PECANS

3/4 cup raw pecans
honey
maple syrup
sea salt

Heat the pan to medium and toss in the pecans. Drizzle with honey and maple syrup and sprinklewith sea salt (because I am a huge fan of sweet & salty combo). Stir consistently until lightly browned. Remove from heat and enjoy :]

Paleo Tuna Salad

My mom makes the BEST tuna salad. EVER. I used to eat it like it was my job! The only problem is, it is definitely not paleo-friendly. So I decided to come up with my own tuna salad recipe that I could eat for lunch, because lets face it, WHO doesnt like tuna salad for lunch!?!?

I was playing around in the kitchen one day (go figure) and threw together the most tasty tuna salad that was completely paleo. The fun part is, everytime I make it, it's never the same! I literally throw in whatever's in my fridge at the time or whatever spices that I'm feelin! How easy is that? So I'm going to share the recipe that I made tonight, but it's so versatile that it can be altered HOWEVER you want it to be! Keep in mind.. i have a very HARD time measuring... i literally just throw things in and see how it tastes so my measurements might be off, youll just have to taste as you go!

Ingredients:
2 cans tuna
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 of a bell pepper any color, diced
1 hard boiled egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tsp-ish lemon juice
1/2 tsp-ish lime juice
1/2 tsp-ish mustard (make sure its paleo friendly!)
1/2 tsp-ish liquid aminos
dash garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste

It seems like alot of ingredients but I got excited and just kept adding to it! taste as you go and see what YOU want to add! That's why I love tuna salad, it goes with anything! i usually eat mine over a bed of spinach but sometimes i just eat it right out of the bowl like this! so delish!

Cheap coffee tables turned masterpiece!

So this past Labor Day weekend was very eventful, starting out with the Rascal Flatts concert on Friday, a Saturday full of house chores, a family cookout on Sunday, and the 5k race Monday. By Monday afternoon rolled around i was COMPLETELY pooped, so pooped that I told Kyle I was taking a nap and NOT to wake me up, not even if there was a fire! Ok, hopefully he would use his best judgement on that last one but you get the point :]

Let me rewind for a second. So back when Kyle and I moved into our house we literally had NOTHING. so everything we had to buy was pretty cheap to fit our budget, including our coffee table and end tables. We thought that we could get by for a little while before they started falling apart but what do ya know, they only lasted about 2 months before the laminate on the top started bubbling up. So I found this idea on Pinterest to cover the top of the coffee table with wood and stain it.. here is the blog if you want to check it out too! http://thefeministmystique.blogspot.com/. I mentioned it to Kyle a couple of weeks ago but just like most guys, I figured the idea went in one ear and out the other ;]

After I awoke from my 3 hour slumber on Monday, I went outside to find my FABULOUS boyfriend turning our crappy coffee table into a masterpiece! I couldnt have been more excited!!!

 



 

I'm absolutely OBSESSED with how these turned out! I don't have a before picture of what the tables looked like but they were very plain and the laminate was awful. These go much better with the "rustic" theme of my living room as well.

 

Kyle loved making these too, I think that there is something about a guy using power tools that makes them feel manlier... is that even a word? Either way, this just means I get to pick out more projects for him to do which means I get to be on pinterest all the time so it's a win win for me! :]

 

Zucchini Adventures Part 2

So zucchini season is one of my favorites, mainly because everyone I know grows it and it seems that there is always an over abundance of it which in turn leads to free veggies for me :] This leads to us eating zucchini every single day whether it is breakfast lunch or dinner, which is totally fine by me. The challenge, though, is finding different ways to eat it.

So one of Kyle's friends brought us over this MONSTER zucchini (yes, I know I'm in my jammies. It was a lazy Sunday but that's besides the point. Let's all focus on the zucchini that i'm holding) But my first thought when I saw this was 1. This vegetable is on steroids and 2. what the HELL am I supposed to cook with that thing?!

 

 

Kyle and I always always always make eggs on the weekends because we have time and aren't rushing out the door to work. He is definitely an omlet guy and I am more of a fried egg kind of girl. So as I was cooking this zucchini to put into kyle's omlet, I got the fab idea to turn it into a hash for myself. One of my favorite breakfasts is sweet potato hash with runny eggs on top, so I thought that this would be a fun little experiment to try with zucchini instead.

 

 

So I chopped the zucchini into 1/2 inch cubes and tossed them into a pan with olive oil. I seasoned them with some salt, pepper & garlic salt and let it cook until it was soft. Then I cooked my eggs over easy so that they were runny in the middle. I used to always eat them with two pieces of toast but ever since that got eliminated from my diet I've been looking for other things that go well with eggs. Let's just say that my experiment worked out very well! I put the eggs on top of the zucchini hash and dug in. yummy!! This was a very filling breakfast and a great way to use up all that zucchini that is just overflowing out of your garden. Unless you want to give it to me instead. Thats ok too. :]

 

 

now dat right derr is one purty breakfast if i ever did see one!