Chicken Parmesan - Spaghetti Squash Style

Well, it looks like Winter's back... in Spring no less!! !  Perfect time to make a new recipe filled with heart-warming flavours using my new favourite veg... the Spaghetti Squash!

It's a version of the Chicken Parmesan stuffed Spaghetti Squash you see on social media... you know.... the movies.  I decided to give it a try,  and I was not disappointed.  It was delicious- and no pasta involved, just the squash that looks like pasta.

You just need to bake your squash in the oven (see recipe below) and in the meantime, cook your chicken in a pan. You'll be amazed at how little ingredients you'll need.

Then you just assemble it- marinara sauce, chicken, more marinara sauce and then a little cheese on top.

Here's how you do it:

Chicken Parmesan stuffed Spaghetti Sauce (adapted from http://goddessinthehouse.com/2015/02/chicken-parmesan-stuffed-spaghetti-squash/)

Ingredients

• Spaghetti Squash
• 1 jar Marinara Sauce
• Mozzarella cheese
• 2 Breaded Chicken Breast, cooked (I hand breaded with the trio flour/egg/breadcrumbs)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Olive Oil

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°. Prepare a baking sheet with foil.
2. Cut your spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Take the 1/2 tsp of olive oil and put 1/4 tsp on each half of the spaghetti squash. 
3. Using your salt, pepper and garlic powder, sprinkle all over each half of the spaghetti squash. 
4. Place the spaghetti squash face down on the baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes. 
5. Using a fork, gently pull the strands of squash away from the sides of the squash.
6. Cut up your cooked chicken breast and place the chicken breast on top of the spaghetti squash.
7. Either make your own marinara sauce or use your favorite jarred sauce. Spoon the sauce over top of the chicken and spaghetti squash. 
8. Sprinkle your desired amount of Mozzarella cheese on each half and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly!

There you have it! So delicious served with a side of broccoli- that's right- more nutrient filled veggies! It's really a new family favourite!

Spaghetti Squash- Asian Style

It's soooooo cold outside- forecast for the weekend is -30 with the windchill, so what better way to warm up than with a steamy bowl of Asian inspired, nutritious and tasty Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry.

As you know, I have been trying to add more vegetables to our dinner table, and let me tell you... I think I finally found a way to enjoy this stringy squash!

You start off by cutting your squash in half, removing the seeds and baking it at 400F for about 45 minutes.

Now, this is the most fun... flip them over and using a fork, scrape the inside and see the magic happen! It all comes out like stringy spaghetti- hence the name!

Look at this amazing pile of golden nutrition! Now put aside and gather your other ingredients and ask Siri about the nutritional content of this delicious squash.

Seriously, that's what I did!

And look at the proof, Siri knows!

• 1 cup of spaghetti 491 calories

• 1 cup of Spaghetti Summer Squash, as she calls it, is 14 calories. unbelievable!!!! 

Now don't even start comparing the vitamin C content (15 times more)!

Now off to the Stir Fry pan. 

I assembled my choice ingredients. The original recipe this was inspired from had mushrooms (yuk for me), so I substituted with some sweet peppers and added some chicken breast for added protein. 

So here's how I did it.

Asian Inspired Spaghetti Squash 

(inspired by http://www.pickledplum.com/yakisoba-spaghetti-squash-recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 small spaghetti squash 

• 1 sweet pepper chopped in strips
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced

• 2 scallions, finely chopped

• 2 cup coleslaw mix of carrots and cabbage
• 1 cup bean sprouts

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 tsp dried red chili, chopped (optional)

• 1 tbsp chopped peanuts
• 1 tbsp cilantro

• For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce

• ½ tbsp hot thai chili garlic sauce

• Salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut spaghetti squash in half, scrape off the seeds with a spoon, place open side down and bake in the oven at 400Fº for 40-50 minutes.
2. Use a fork and scrape the flesh into strings.
3. In a large pan over high heat, add vegetable oil and cook the peppers, add coleslaw mix and red chile and cook for two minutes.
4. Add chicken and cook for another two minutes.
5. Add spaghetti squash, bean sprouts, scallions and sauce, and mix well until the sauce has evenly coated all the vegetables. Cook for two minutes and turn the heat off.
6. Transfer to a bowl, top with cilantro, peanuts and serve.

Hello 2016, I'm back and ready for battle with my bottles

That's right, after a long pause in my healthy living journey, I am back and ready for battle.  I have updated the look of my blog, some pictures and captions 'Healthy Living Warrior' to reflect the way I feel right now!

It is a Journey, it is a daily Battle, and you have to be a committed 'Warrior' to succeed day after day. So I have committed to myself that 2016 is the year where I return to traveling along my healthy living journey. Key to success is planning and dedication, so I started with some fantastic ideas I took from Pinterest for Meal Prep Sunday.

Here's the final result....

So quite a bit of planning went into this undertaking. I purchased 12x1 Litre Mason Jars from my local Canadian Tire and I made a list of some of ideas I had for my Salad Jars.

Jar Salad Pointers:

Start with dressing, then hard vegetables that can soak in dressing for a few days, then softer veggies, then protein, nuts, then lettuce on top.

Jar Salad Ideas:

Asian salad dressing, edemame, peppers, chicken, shredded carrots, peanuts, romaine lettuce

Greek salad dressing, little tomatoes, peppers, quinoa, olives, cucumbers, feta, chicken, romaine lettuce

Italian dressing, broccoli, carrots, peppers, diced ham, romaine lettuce, hard boiled eggs

Raspberry vinaigrette, grapes, chicken, cranberries, apples, pecans, spinach 

Balsamic dressing, apple, celery, radish, walnut, lettuce

Fig balsamic dressing, blackberries, strawberries or blueberries, celery, cucumber, feta, almonds, spinach

Italian dressing, grape tomatoes, basil, baby bocconcini, romaine lettuce

Here was step one, getting all the ingredients needed. Nutrition, protein, colour and taste.

Now that everything was chopped, I did some assembly line work and packed the jars, but little labels on them so that my family could select the jars to bring to work and school this week. They should last about 4 days in the fridge... we shall see!

This is how we do it.... Chicken Tostadas from Heaven!

This beautiful picture and blog post is brought to you by 'leftover chicken'!

This summer, we have gotten into a great new habit of cooking tons of 'protein' for the week on the BBQ over the weekend. So Brent cooks chicken breasts and sausage and pork chops.... or whatever can be found in the freezer and then.... just like magic.... I create fun, healthy and fantastic meals with the leftovers!
Ta da!!!!

Let me introduce you to Chicken Tostadas made with shredded BBQ chicken

Here's what you do....

 

Shred a couple of chicken breasts, heat a pan with a bit of canola oil, add the chicken, then add about 1 cup of your favourite salsa, add some tex mex type spices too if you wish, finally add about 1/2 cup of water and cook over medium low heat until all the liquid is absorbed into the chicken.

 

Now warm up some corn tostada shells, cut some crisp veggies and cheese, sour cream, salsa and of course.... fresh cilantro!!? You can add some fresh avocado, peppers, whatever you like!!! It's a little piece of summer heaven on a tostada!

 

 

A Grillin' Mothers Day Celebration!

I'm having so much fun... I'm needing to catch up on my posts. Here's a little glimpse into my wonderful Mother's Day celebration. A day filled with love, treats, excursions and BBQ goodness!

It all started with a wonderful breakfast in bed. Brent and Melanie made me homemade French toast, bacon (treat!!!!) strawberries and coffee. Gave me a wonderful card and a pretty flower! Nice Bed Head eh?

 I received a wonderful apron, some more flowers, candles and a purse (of course)!!!! Spoiled, I know!

I wanted to go for a walk downtown Oakville, and of course browse through my favourite store- Anthropologie, wait... let me take a selfie!

 Brent made us a wonderful dinner on the BBQ. Some delicious grilled corn. He found a recipe on the web and it turned out great! All you need to do is shuck the corn and soak it in water for 30 minutes. Dry the corn and brush lightly with olive oil and grill on the top rack for about 15 minutes and then bring it down to the bottom rack for a little bit at the end to get those nice char marks.

 Of course, a family favourite- CHICKEN!

... all plated nicely with a little salad too! And for desert... what do you think? A special treat- Red Velvet Cupcake! What a wonderful day it was, and what a wonderful family I have. Thank you so much for making me feel like a Queen! Love you so much.

Spicy BBQ Men and Chicken

That's right! This blog post is dedicated to some spicy chicken and men: Brent and Guy Fieri, the Food Network Chef/Star and all around cool dude!

Look at those gorgeous BBQ chicken standing beside their 'load and proud' Guy Fieri Pacific Rim BBQ sauce.

So this is what I started with, a blend of salt, pepper and garlic powder.

I cut up 2 whole chicken and spread the seasoning salt under the skin and on top of the skin. This was not for the squeamish... but I felt like a proud butcher!

There's my spicy man- Brent BBQ chef- using his new grill.. loud and proud!

Et voila, homemade oven fries, grilled peppers and delicious crispy, juicy and spicy BBQ chicken. Thanks to my spicy men, of course!

Crock Pot Greek Style Chicken

I am telling you... sometimes, your husband just makes such an awesome dinner that you remember once again why you married him... his caring and thoughtful side. Check out this delicious recipe he made in the crock pot. It was a risk, you know sometimes chicken breasts come out quite dry from the crock pot, but this time they were super moist.... and oh.... they made the house smell so nice coming home after a long day at work. I love you Brenty!

Greek Style Chicken

(adapted from the Crock Pot Slow Cooker cookbook)

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breasts)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• Hot cooked orzo or rice

Directions

Salt and pepper chicken breast. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on all sides. Place in Crock Pot slow cooker.

Add broth, lemon, olives, garlic and oregano to crock pot.

Cover, cook on low 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve with rice or orzo.

There you have it.... beautiful and so moist and delicious. Served with a fresh and tasty Greek Salad on the side...and you have a winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Chicken Lollipops, no, really?

Yes, really!!!! If your family is like mine... nuts about chicken.... then is something that is sure to impress the bunch!

I first saw this recipe on favourite little French-Canadian Chef- Ricardo's show. It was part of a whole Asian themed meal... I decided to start small and just go ahead and try this neat Chef trick.

You take some lovely chicken legs and cut the skin/tendons/meat around the bone and then they magically shrink up into little chicken lollipops.

Asian-Style Chicken Lollipops

 (Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/asian-style-chicken-lollipops/8717/)

Ingredients:

16 chicken drumsticks with or without skin

125 millilitres (1/2 cup) ketchup

60 millilitres (1/4 cup) hoisin sauce

60 millilitres (1/4 cup) soy sauce

60 millilitres (1/4 cup) brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Sambal oeleck to taste (optional)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Using a knife, cut around the bone at the less meaty end of the drumsticks, freeing the meat and tendons. Grasp the bottom of each drumstick with one hand, and with the other push the meat to the top; the meat will remain attached to the bone and form a ball. Clean the exposed bone with a dry cloth, removing any fat and cartilage.

3. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Place the drumsticks on a 38 x 25-cm (15 x 10-inch) baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn the drumsticks and bake until the meat pulls easily from the bone and the cooking juices are syrupy, about 30 minutes.

4. Serve the chicken lollipops with Stir-Fried Vegetables and jasmine rice.

 Here's what Ricardo's looked like after (oops, I forgot to take a picture of mine, we gobbled them up too fast)

Image courtesy of www.foodnetwork.ca, http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/hosts/ricardo-larriv%C3%A9e/host.html?hostid=41070

Amazing Chicken and Veggie Stirfry

When it's soooooo cold you just can't stand it anymore (like 18 days in a row of -30 C windshield factor), you need to turn to things in life that can give you warmth, like looking at old summer vacation photos, putting on your biggest sweater and socks and drinking lots of tea, sweating your head off doing a Zumba class.... or what I like to do- preparing a warm South Asian spicy Chicken and Veggie stirfry for you family!

So here's the colourful close-up. Don't you love the colours? Ya, you eat with your eyes!

I decided to combine some of the best flavours from other recipes that I have tried and loved. A mixture of chicken stock, soya sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha, honey and a bit of sesame oil. Mostly chicken broth and then hits of all the others, to your taste. To make it a bit thicker, you can add a teaspoon of cornstarch to your mixture.

Because of the sesame oil, I thought I would amp up the taste and crunch factor by using some sesame seeds to top the dish. But you can't just put them on top, right out of the bag... oh no....

You need to lightly toast them in a pan. Turn it to medium-high and don't walk away.

Keep on stirring until they become this golden, nutty brown.

Next... put a bit of canola oil in your pan and cook your chicken then take it out of your pan to a plate.

Use tons and tons of veggies, stirfrying your thicker veggies first- my greens beans and carrots.

...then add your 'medium' hard veggies, like these colourful peppers.

...then your quick cooking softer veggies, cut up baby bokchoi. Then add the chicken and your prepared sauce and let the flavours all work together - about 3-5 minutes.

Ta-da! Here you have a warm and healthy stirfry (over basmati or whatever you like) sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and ready to be devoured by your hungry family!

Juicy Crockpot Chicken Thighs

I've shown you this picture because of the pomegranates, but perhaps you were wondering about that luscious looking chicken in the back.... well thanks to my foodie friend Iain, who shared this recipe with me, I will now divulge my secrets.

The best thing about this is that you can use thighs with skin and bones, which are 10 times cheaper then the boneless skinless type. All you do before is remove the skin, and remove the bones after cooking.

So here's the Crockpot recipe... perfect for lazy, cold, winter days!

Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

(adapted from http://crockpot365.blogspot.ca/2011/09)

Ingredients:

 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

 3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

 1 teaspoon dried basil

 1/2 cup  soy sauce

 1/2 cup ketchup

 1/3 cup honey

Directions:

Put the chicken into your cooker. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, then pour evenly over the top.
Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4

Here's the gorgeous chicken for you.

Then, be careful to remove all bones and shred the chicken so it absorbs the juicy liquid. Even better the next day as leftovers.

 

Modern Sweet Potato Stew

I love those Looney Spoons Girls, Janet and Greta Podleski. Any time I need to add a healthy, nutritious and tasty meal to my repertoire, I turn to their cookbooks and I am always impressed with the impressive flavour. It's all about the fresh herbs and spices. Have a look at my latest!

The names for these recipes crack me up! Check below...

One Flew over the Couscous Nest

(adapted from Crazy Plates: Low-Fat Food So Good, You'll Swear It's Bad for You by Janet and Greta Podleski)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 tbsp ground gingerroot

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup each chopped onions and chopped red bell pepper

1 tsp each ground coriander and curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 c chicken broth

3 c peeled, cubed sweet potatoes

1 c couscous

2 tbsp orange juice concentrate

3/4 c light coconut milk

2 tbsp each cornstarch and chopped fresh cilantro

Heat olive oil and add chicken, ginger and garlic. Cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink (Since I used cooked chicken, I just sauteed the garlic and ginger with the onions). Add onions and pepper and cook 3 minutes. Stir in spices and cook for 1 more minute.

Gorgeous Sweet Potatoes ... the star of the show!

Add broth and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, prepare couscous per directions, but add orange juice concentrate to couscous before adding water. ( I used quinoa, but you could use any grain you enjoy).

Combine coconut milk and cornstarch until smooth. 

Add to chicken and veggies along with cilantro. Increase heat and cook until thickened.

Serve over fluffed up grain of your choice. Now go an create your own magic in your cold winter kitchen!