Crockpot Italian Chicken Sandwiches

When I started the shred I decided that if I was going to begin working out that I would have to begin eating better as well. Because Lord knows that I'm not going to have Jillian Michaels kick my butt in the morning just to screw it all up by dinner time. Nuh-uh.

I have a love for pinterest. It makes life easier on me. I entered the word "skinny" and I found this blog (click here). There are lots of really yummy recipes though most of it is fat girl food. She posted this recipe earlier this week and I'm pretty sure I put the chicken in the crockpot 2 minutes later.




(Feeds 4)

2 boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbs sweet basil
1 tbs garlic powder

Place chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle both sides with parmesan cheese. Combine all other ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Once cooked shred with fork. Spread shredded chicken in between two slices of your favorite bread, top with your favorite condiments and enjoy!!

30 Day Shred

day 9. 
As exercise 1 continues to get easier I continue to see a difference in the way I look and feel. I hate working out. I hate getting sweaty and I hate the way I jiggle when I do jumping jacks. I hate the jiggle the most. Therefore I will continue to workout and and sweat until the only things on my body that jiggle are the ta-tas (sorry mom).

 

I did something awesome yesterday. I made it through all the cardio circuits without having to stop and catch my breath. I'm pretty sure my text to Brady read something like this, "Dude. I am so freakin skinny. And awesome. Mostly awesome." In real life I stripped down to my sports bra, closed my eyes, and uttered "I'm gonna die" about 3456247542 times from the floor.

 

The floor is my new bff. I spend lots of time there.

 

Then Avey started fussing so I got off the floor and we did this:

 
Last night Brady asks, "Is that a photo of you nursing?"
Brit: Yeah-huh.
Brady: Why?
Brit: Because it's a beautiful thing and I don't want to forget it so I took a picture.

Yup. Pretty sure he thinks I'm nuts. Honestly 4 months ago I would have thought the same but we worked hard for that. Breastfeeding is NOT easy when you have a baby that was bottle fed straight out of the womb. There were many tears shed and I want to remember what we achieved. I can't really explain it. I used to think breastfeeding (lets count how many times I mention boobs in this post) was kinda icky. I used to wish that there were laws that prevented women from being able to do it in public. Now I realize just how silly I was. It is so far from icky.

It's kinda awesome.


pizza.
I'm really enjoying "skinny" food. I really haven't had many problems with temptation because I spoil myself with things like:

Greek Pizza!







Recipe
1 pizza crust (homemade or store boughtyou can have whatever you like)
2 big handfuls of spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper
nutmeg, to taste
1 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/2 of a tomato
oregano

1. In a large skillet saute the garlic and onions until tender. About 3-4 minutes. 
2. Add spinach to the garlic and onions and wilt. 
3. Season with salt, pepper, and a little bit of nutmeg.
4. Top the pizza crust with the spinach mixture then top that with the feta. 
5. Place pizza in oven and bake according to the directions on crust. 
6. When the pizza comes out of the oven top with tomatoes, oregano, and black pepper. 

Banana Bread

Baking is something that the people in my family share a passion for. I think it's because there is so much joy that comes from receiving a compliment or filling someones hungry belly with delicious things. 

It is the deepest desire of my heart to show people love and food is such a tangible way of doing that. 

I was elated when I opened a cookbook full of all the recipes I admired growing up at my wedding shower. My Aunt Kim had worked hard to compile recipes for food and marriage from all the women who love me. It was a very special gift.

This is my Aunt Kim's banana bread recipe. I am delighted to get to share it with you!

Banana bread is definitely one of my comfort foods. There is nothing in the world like warm banana bread with butter in the early morning or late at night with a tall glass of milk.

I hope you get as much use and joy out of this recipe as I have.

Banana Bread 
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (roughly 2)
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease only bottom of loaf pan.
3. Mix sugar and butter stir in eggs until blended.
4. Add bananas and water. Stir for 30 seconds.
5. Stir in all remaining ingredients except for nuts.
6. Stir in nuts.
7. Pour into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out dry. 
8. Cool for 5 minutes. 
9. Loosen sides from pan with a knife and remove from pan.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

We were sick yesterday. Fevers, chills, headaches, runny noses-- you name it. It was awful. Around 2pm we realized that we hadn't eaten and Brady wanted cookies. Brady always wants cookies and usually I am happy to bake them for him-- but yesterday I was tired and not feeling well-- so I made cupcakes instead.

Not really.

We started feeling better around 2pm and so even though he asked for cookies I made cupcakes and we were both so glad that I did.

I keep saying that I am not a sweets eater and I never was but Brady is turning me into a believer. I wasn't craving cheetos today. Today I was craving cake.

Darn you black-bottom cupcakes.

Curse you cookie dough cheesecake.

Being bad never tasted so good...

makes approx. 12 cupcakes. i suggest you double it.

Ingredients

For the Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons naturally unsweetened cacao powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Make the Filling: Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Make the Cupcakes:
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring just until smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

Pasta Bake

This is a great go-to pasta dish when you only have thirty minutes to slap something together! Brady asks for it all the time and I am happy to oblige as it takes little to no work at all. This dish loves to be played with-- you can make it more complex by adding chicken or using multiple types of cheese. 

Ingredients


7 oz of your favorite pasta (I used penne and fusilli)
8 oz cream cheese
1 can chicken broth or substitute with better than bouillon
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 packet italian seasoning


Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Cook pasta according to directions on package
• While pasta is cooking heat cream cheese, italian seasoning and chicken broth on stove until cream cheese melts.
• Place cooked pasta in an 8x8 baking dish and pour cream cheese mixture over top. 
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted 

The Healthy PALEO Brownie

It's no secret that Brady and I have been trying to lose some weight. He is seeing lots of results. I am not. Because I have not seen the results that I'd like I am going to start the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. My copy came in today. I'm going to buy hand weights tonight. This is serious. 

It might kill me but I'm committed. 

In other news this is a new favorite around our house. The PALEO brownie. A delicious dessert you don't have to feel bad about indulging in. Glory!

Paleo Brownie

Ingredients


1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup raw organic sugar (or sweetener of choice--agave nectar--honey etc.)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

• Grease 8x8 baking dish
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a large bowl whisk together almond butter, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla extract and salt. 
• Then add cocoa powder, sugar, and chocolate chips. 
• Pour into prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with chopped nuts. 
• Bake for approximately 18 minutes. 

Orange Chicken

On Valentines Day we eat orange chicken. It's our thing. I was never a very healthy eater. Msg and processed foods were the least of my concerns until I met Brady. He likes to keep things natural.

Needless to say we try to stay away from Panda Express these days. Orange Chicken lover that I am isn't okay with that. Every Valentines Day I refine my recipe a bit and this year I could feel that I was on to something.

Orange Chicken 


Ingredients
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper
oil (for frying)
1/2 cup cornstarch, plus
2 tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
2 tbs ground ginger
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbs rice wine
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

Orange Sauce 
3 tbs soy sauce
3 tbs water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 orange, zest of

Directions

1. Prepare orange sauce in medium size bowl and set aside
2. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees.
3. Combine egg, salt, pepper, and 1 tbs oil in a small-meduim sized bowl.
4. Combine 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup flour in a separate small-meduim sized bowl. 
5. Take a handful of chicken pieces at a time and toss them in the egg mixture, then coat them in the flour mixture. 
6. Add chicken to deep fryer, small batches at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp. Do not overcook.
7. Remove chicken from oil and drain on paper towels. Set aside. 
8. Now this is the tricky part. Get the rest of your ingredients ready to toss into the wok because this next part is fast! Read through the rest of the directions before you begin.
9. Heat wok 15 seconds over high heat.
10. Add 2 tbs oil.
11. Add 2 tbs ginger and 2 tsp garlic. Then stir-fry until fragrant; about ten seconds. 
12. Add and stir-fry 1 tsp crushed red pepper.
13. Add 2 tbs rice wine and stir for 3 seconds.
14. Add previously prepared Orange Sauce and bring to boil. 
15. Add cooked chicken and stir until mixed thoroughly. 
16. Stir 1/2 cup water into remaining 2 tbs cornstarch until smooth and then add to wok. 
17. Heat until the sauce thickens.
18. Stir in 1 tsp sesame oil, if desired.
19. Serve with rice. 

Ranch Roasted Red Potatoes

Brady is in a love affair with ranch dressing. Anything Hidden Valley is a show stopping number so when I found this recipe I knew it was meant to be. I'm pretty sure it blew his mind a little. 

So good. So very very good. 

Ranch Roasted Red Potatoes 

Ingredients
12 oz red potatoes, washed and quartered
1/2 packet Hidden Valley dry ranch dressing mix
Olive Oil
Salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. In a large bowl add potatoes and toss with olive oil until lightly coated. Then, add in the ranch mix and salt and toss until each potato is coated evenly. 
3. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange potatoes evenly. 
4. Bake in oven until potatoes are cooked through and edges start to turn very dark brown, approximately 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

A couple months ago we went to my Grandparents house for dinner and my Grandma made, among other things, a big pot of cooked carrots. I remember hating cooked carrots as a kid but things change as you get older. I lost my love of fish sticks and started a love affair with carrots. 

YUM!

Ingredients: 
1 lb carrots
2 tbsp butter
1/3 c. brown sugar

Directions:
Cook carrots in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain most of the water leaving just the bottom of the pan covered and set carrots aside. Stir butter and brown sugar into the water. Simmer and stir until the butter melts. Return carrots to the pot and toss to coat. Cover and let sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

source

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

I love asparagus. I love it just about every way you can prepare it. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare asparagus. Unbelievably delicious!

Ingredients
16 oz asparagus
olive oil
parmesan cheese
1 large clove minced garlic
sea salt
ground black pepper


Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Asparagus has a natural breaking point. Snap the ends off and throw away. Break them in half again and place into large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Arrange asparagus on baking sheet in a single layer. 
• Bake until tender. About 12-15 minutes. 

Cake Mix Cookies

Brady and I devoured these. They were absolutely delicious and took me no time at all. Only 5 ingredients and I had everything in my pantry. Please make these. Please. Your tummy needs them. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. Easy. Wonderful. Delicious. Cake Cookies. 

Source


Ingredients:
1 (18.25 oz.) box cake mix
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 
1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2-In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix and baking powder. Add eggs and oil, then mix until well blended. 
 3-Stir in chocolate chips, or your choice of additions. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
4- Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Penne Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

We went italian last night. I'm not a huge onion fan and this dish tasted pretty oniony in my opinion but my husband loved it. He ate all of mine, his, and he ate the leftovers for breakfast! He is a huge pasta lover and he thought the dish was great. This dish has been approved for repeat by my picky eater.

Penne Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce 
Source
(I halved the recipe. If you're cooking for 6-8 click on "source" for the whole recipe.)

Ingredients:
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
1/2 whole medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
dash of sugar
1 cup heavy cream (I didn't have any cream so I melted 1/6 butter (half of one third cup. just eyeball it.) and 1/4 plus 1/8 cup milk. Mixed it together and substituted it.)
Parmesan Cheese
Basil
1/2 lb Penne Pasta

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat butted and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over love heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and basil and serve immediately. (Thin with paste water before adding basil if needed.)

Chicken and Dumplings

Growing up we'd beg my Mom to make chicken and dumplings. It was a family favorite. My Mom would get out a big ole pot and magic happened. No joke. This is one of my favorite recipes ever. It's a comfort food and perfect for a rainy day like today.

You'll find that it needs a little bit of salt and pepper at the end. Staying true to my mothers recipe I don't add it in during the process but flavor it to my liking in my own bowl. My mom never added it into the mix because we were kids and kids like things plain.

Ingredients:
5 chicken breasts
2 cups water
2 cans cream of chicken soup (click here for a much healthier substitute recipe)
1 can milk (use empty cream of chicken soup can)
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:
Boil 5 chicken breasts in an extra large pot in 2 cups of water. While chicken is boiling mix together in a meduim-large sized bowl 2 cups of flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup of milk, and 4 tbsp vegetable oil. Mixture will form a sticky ball. Set aside.

After cooked through remove chicken from water and place on cutting board. Add 2 cans cream of chicken soup to the water that the chicken was cooked in. Cut chicken into chunks and add back to pot with 1 can of milk.

Cook on high heat until bubbling, stirring frequently. Then drop dumpling mixture by the spoonful into boiling broth. Cover pot, turn heat to medium and cook approximately 20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through, stirring frequently.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Last night I made this delicious sopapilla cheesecake! I can't get over how soft and tasty it was. We had Brady's cousin Dennis over for dinner and the three of us scarfed down the entire pan. Delicious!

I used an 8x8 pan and we polished off the whole thing. If you have more than four or five people that you're planning on serving you'll want to double the batch and use a bigger pan.

Ingredients:
1 pkg pillsbury buttery crescent rolls
1/2 cup sugar
8oz cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp softened butter
cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Use half of the package of crescent rolls to press into and cover the bottom of your ungreased 8x8 pan. Blend sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until smooth. Spread mixture over crescent roll crust.  Place the remaining crescent rolls on top and stretch until they cover the cream cheese mixture. Spread softened butter over the top of the crescent rolls. Cover the top of the dish with cinnamon and sugar.

Place in oven and cook at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chicken Chili

I had never made chicken chili before so I decided to give it a go. I am actually quite proud of how this turned out. We ate it by itself because we were out of cheese and crackers but no joke--this chili may be the best chili ever with some cheddar cheese and saltines.

Super quick and easy. Just dump everything in, let simmer, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1/2 lb pinto beans
1 can chicken broth
1 small can diced green chiles
1 can cream of potato soup
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp Southwest Chipotle Seasoning (a good substitute would be some cayenne perhaps)
generous dash of onion powder and garlic salt

Directions:

Prepare pinto beans according to the instructions on the bag-- the longer you soak them the better (canned beans work great as well--just skip this step). Boil you chicken breasts for an hour or until tender. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and place it into pot. Then add all other ingredients and let simmer for awhile so all the flavors intermingle.
Enjoy hot with cheddar cheese and saltines.