Oven Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, and Onion & Lemon Parmesan Breaded Chicken

Oven Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, and Onion

Ingredients

1 pound of Brussels sprouts, trim of the bottoms and cut into half

1/2 a head of cauliflower, trimmed into florets

2 medium onions, sliced thin

olive oil

4 garlic cloves, smashed

Kosher salt and pepper

pecans, chopped

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Placed all veggies into a 9x13 glass dish. Toss with olive oil, garlic, kosher salt and pepper Bake for 25 minutes. Toss veggies. Add pecans. Cook for 25 more minutes. Add additional salt and pepper, to taste. Serve toss with Parmesan cheese.

Lemon Parmesan Breaded Chicken

4 thin sliced, organic chicken cutlets

olive oil vinaigrette dressing

1 egg

milk

3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Kosher salt and pepper

1/2 lemon

Directions

In a medium bowl, marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes in vinaigrette dressing. In a 9x13 glass dish, lightly coat the bottom with olive oil. In a separate bowl, add an egg with a splash of milk and whisk together. In another bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Put chicken in egg wash and then into bread crumb mixture. Place into glass dish. Bake oven at 425 for 20 minutes. Before serving, top with a squeeze of lemon juice and lemon zest.

Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup

Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 carton chicken broth

3 stalks of celery, diced small

1 medium onion, diced small

2 cans of cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed

generous dash or two of cinnamon

generous dash or two of all-spice

generous dash or two of garlic powder

dash of cumin

2 tbsp red peeper flakes

3 tbsp sage

1 medium butternut squash

Kosher salt and pepper

Directions

In a crock pot, combine the broth, celery, onions, beans, and all of the spices. Set to high. Carefully slice the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place into a glass dish with a bit of water in it and microwave for 30 minutes. When complete, scoop out the tender squash and add to the crock pot for about 6-8 hours on high. Kosher salt and pepper to taste. Top with grated parmigiana cheese to serve.

It was rainy and cold today. Perfect soup weather. I paired my soup with a Pillsbury Cranberry Quick Bread, which I added chopped pecans and extra Craisins too. I spread each piece of bread with Maple Syrup Cream Cheese from Bruegger's Bagels. Delish blend of ingredients.

Smashed Cauliflower with Feta goes double duty as a Breakfast Faux-tata tomorrow!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am looking to add more diversity to my vegetables when grocery shopping. I never, ever buy cauliflower. So...I bought one. Now what to make with it??? Steamed? Boring. Steamed with cheddar cheese a la it's cousin the broccoli? Too suburban housewife of the 50's. I searched all types of recipes online and will be trying some unique ones in the future. I decided to keep it simple and make smashed cauliflower, similar to mashed potatoes. Chris is spending the night in Charleston, so I figured it would be a good night to try something different. The result - crumbly, nutty cauliflower mixed with salty feta and a hint of spring onion. Not as creamy as regular potatoes, but then again...this side has virtually zero carbs. Bottom line - nice & light. It also doubled as the base for my breakfast tomorrow!

Smashed Cauliflower

Ingredients

1/2 head of cauliflower

2 ozs feta cheese

2 spring onions, diced

Milk, splash

Kosher salt and pepper, optional

Directions

Cut the base and leaves off of the bottom of the cauliflower. Put into a shallow bowl with about 3/4 cups of water. Top with plastic wrap and microwave for about 8 minutes. Drain well. Pat dry. Add the feta, spring onions and a tiny splash of milk. Mash with a potato masher until your desired consistency. (You could transfer cauliflower to a food processor and puree until smooth.) You may have to pull out any long pieces from the stalks. Salt and pepper, to taste. Personally, I left mine without seasoning, as the feta added enough saltiness.

Knowing that Chris may not eat the leftover cauliflower, I was inspired by another recipe that combined cauliflower, feta and eggs. I whipped up a quick breakfast for tomorrow with the leftovers. FYI - a faux-tata is a makeshift frittata, without the fuss of putting in on the stove and then the oven.

Cauliflower and Feta Faux-tata

Ingredients

3 eggs, scrambled

Milk, splash

Leftover smashed cauliflower

Crushed red pepper flakes

Olive oil

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine 3 eggs and milk. Whisk together.

Grease the bottom of a small casserole dish with olive oil. Pour the smashed cauliflower mixture into the bottom of the dish. Add the eggs.

Top with red pepper flakes.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Let set before serving.

Chick Pea & Feta Salad

This past weekend I went grocery shopping and decided to stray from my "comfort" veggies and pick up new items. One of the items was chick peas. Chick peas can be a nice addition to White Bean Chili or other stews. However, I did not have much experience with more unique recipes. I stumbled upon a recipe for White Bean and Chick Pea Salad. It sounded fresh and lovely with a hint of mint. Due to my lack of ingredients, I modified based on what I had in my fridge and pantry. This salad was a delightful, simple lunch today and a snack tonight. I even have enough for a small snack for tomorrow.

Chick Pea and Feta Salad

Ingredients

1 15oz can of chick peas, drained and rinsed

2oz feta cheese (abt 1/2 a package)

2 spring onions, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

4 pepperoncinis, diced

1/2 lemon, juice and zest

dash of red pepper flakes, to taste

2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine all of the above ingredients. Gently mix well. Chill in refrigerator overnight.

A Super New Me!

Life is good. I have a happy 2 1/2 year old daughter giggling in her bubble bath as I type. I love my new job at the television station and business at our antique store has been great. However, one part of my life that I am not thrilled about is the lack of effort that I put into making it a priority to go to the gym. Therefore, I am disappointed that I still have about ten pounds to loose since having that said 2 1/2 year old. I have made a promise to myself and my family that by this Summer, I will be healthy inside and out. Being able to be bikini ready is a big motivation too. It seems pretty far away.

So, I am writing this as much for myself: to document my track record of success, as I am to share the healthy recipes that I try along the way.

Years ago, when I was single and baby free, I found it very successful to keep a written journal of everything that I ate and drank, everyday. I allowed myself room to cheat a little bit on the weekends. I would go for a brisk 5 mile walk down at the river about 4-5 times per week with my dog. I would also doing at least 100 daily crunches with an exercise ball and use light weight repetitions to tone my arms. As a good friend recently put in her blog, the weight loss process should be slow and steady. I knew that with consistent behavior, I would see results over time. I did.

I am going to follow that same process this time. However, instead of going totally low carb, I am going to eat clean. By eating "clean", I will incorporate lean meats, colorful fruits and veggies, and smart whole grains into my daily consumption. It is easier for me to prepare meals for my entire family this way. I still know my body type and by limiting starchy white carbs, I will loose weight quicker. I may make a meal the whole family will enjoy, but I will limit what I eat from certain dishes.

I hope that you enjoy reading about this journey. I have no expectations to inspire anyone, other than possibly positively influence my daughter to exercise and eat well. I may stumble upon some delish recipes along the way and if I do, I will be sure to share them. That is between caring for my family, working a busy, full-time job...and going to the gym. Shoot...I still need to find time to do that!