Sunday, February 22, 2009

Flatout Pizzas


Maybe, just maybe, this will be my new "healthy" addiction. I first had these about 4 years ago with my big sis, Amanda. I must have forgotten about these delicious flatouts...and now they have been re-introduced and they are better than ever! They now come in (or maybe they have for a long time, but new to me...) a LIGHT tortilla. Only 60 calories per piece! Yes! Honestly, top it with whatever you desire...as you can tell, my hubbs and I like VERY different pizzas! By keeping the sauce and cheese to a minimum, as well as loading your pizza with veggies, these are pretty dang healthy! (PS-these flatouts make amazing wraps, too!)

Chelsea's Flatout Pizza:
3 Tbs. tomato sauce
1/8 cup sauteed mushrooms
4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/2 oz. feta cheese
1 1/2 oz. colby cheese, shredded or cubed
3 oz. chicken breast, cooked and shredded or cubed

Cody's Flatout Pizza:
3 Tbs. alfredo sauce
1 1/2 oz. colby cheese, shredded or cubed
3 oz. chicken breast, cooked and shredded or cubed
1 oz. canadian bacon
1 oz. turkey bacon, pre cooked and diced

Place flatout on non stick cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with desired ingredients. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and toppings are warmed through. Enjoy!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Soy Lime Chicken

On we go with our plain chicken meals! I am exploring more flavors and we are definitely happier with our meals now! We are still resisting the temptation to serve rice with all of these meals...They would taste so much better! Anyway, this was quite the tangy flavor, with just a tiny kick because of the ginger. (You can also use this sauce as a salad dressing...yum, yum, YUM!

Adapted From: p90X

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp. EVOO
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients and pour over chicken breasts. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Serve with rice. (optional)

Serves 2.


Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Island Chicken

Well, if you are a frequent blog visitor you know that pretty much all that our diet consists of is CHICKEN. This is actually a recipe for pork tenderloin, I just subbed the chicken in to make it more husband-friendly. Talk about a moist, uber-flavorful chicken breast...here you go. Not to mention a 3 minute prep! Got to love that! As we were eating it we kept saying how good this chicken would be on a salad, in a burrito, with rice, with pretty much anything. The next time that I make my Cafe Rio Burritos I may offer this as an alternative to the pork that is usually served! Not to mention that this is P90X friendly...I love healthy, filling meals! (P.S. you might think that this is spicy, but don't be afraid! The brown sugar balances it out and it is perfectly mild!)

Adapted From: P90X

16 ounces chicken breasts (or pork tenderloin)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 Tbs. garlic, chopped
1/2 Tbs. tabasco sauce(I omitted this)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together all ingredients and dredge each side of chicken. Place chicken in a roasting pan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. 

Serves 4.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Chocolate Lover's Frosting


The title says it all: Chocolate Lover's. As you can tell from the picture, we made this on Super Bowl Sunday. It has just taken me a while to post it, that's all! Since I am an avid food blogger, you would think that I would have every word to explain the flavor, texture, and pure deliciousness of this frosting. Guess what? I DON'T! All that I can think to say is that I WILL NEVER GO BACK. AMEN.

From: Brittany 

3 cups sifted powdered sugar, divided  
2/3 cup baking cocoa 
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened 
5 to 6 Tbsp. milk, divided  
1 tsp. vanilla extract 

Beat 1 cup powdered sugar, cocoa, butter, 2 Tbsp. milk and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in remaining sugar and milk until smooth. 

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Honey Chili Chicken


Sweet and spicy. But not TOO spicy. I thought this was a extremely flavorful dish. My mouth didn't know which flavor to concentrate on-the sweet honey, the chile powder kick, or the fresh cilantro! I honestly put a piece of cilantro on each bite...the flavors work together splendidly. O how I wish we were eating rice...that would make this dish an A+ instead of just an A!

Adapted From: P90X

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/8 cup shallots, chopped
1/3 cup honey, slightly warmed
1/8 cup sherry vinegar
1 /2 tsp. chile powder
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. cilantro

Coat a saute pan with cooking spray and place on medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until tender.  Add honey and vinegar, spices, and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to half. Transfer sauce to a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour over chicken breasts and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and, if desired, serve over rice. 







White Velvet Sugar Cookies




O my, O my, O my. These are D-licious! (Even the ones that my adorable nephew doused with sprinkles and licked his fingers repeatedly while frosting!) Perfectly moist, not too sugary, heaven in a cookie! Unfortunately, I liked them too much...it is a holiday, right?!! (Excuses, Excuses!) I can't wait to continue making these-forever! TRY THEM!!!


From: Mom


2 cups butter, softened

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

4 ½ cups flour


Cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar, egg yolks and vanilla; mix well.  Gradually add flour. Cover and chill 2 hours or until firm.  Roll out on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut into 3-inch shapes; place on greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until set (but not browned).  Cool 5 minutes.  Place on wire racks to cool.

Basil Pesto Chicken

Okay, so I feel silly even posting this, because it really took no talent on my end! It was completely simple, and very healthy. I am simply posting it because you all wanted to know what healthy recipes I was whipping up, and this is one of them! I am not very familiar with pesto, I have only eaten on a sandwich here and there. This was very flavorful and good! (And there was even extra for a sandwich the next day!)

2 chicken breasts
3 Tbs. pesto

Thaw chicken breasts and trim. Spread 1 1/2 Tbs. pesto on each peice of chicken and allow to marinate for about 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Asparagus Soup...just try it!

Seriously? GREEN soup? Yep, that is exactly what we thought, until we tasted it! (As you can see, I took this picture after serving myself about 1/3 cup of soup!) I hate, yes HATE potato soup. Something about having the wonderful, creamy flavor surrounding those huge chunks of flavorless potatoes just irks me. But this soup was a different take on potato soup. Everything is blended (which makes it more appealing to hubbs) and the asparagus flavor plays off of the potato in a delicious way. Even my O-SO-PICKY husband went back for seconds! I know you all think that we are crazy, but if you are looking for a healthy, totally filling and YUMMY soup, just give it a shot! (NOT TO MENTION THE 40 CALORIES PER 1 CUP SERVING!)

Adapted From: P90X cookbook

1 1/4 cup onions, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, chopped
2 medium potatoes (cook until irish, or 3 minutes in microwave)
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard seed(I omitted)
1 dash 17-spice mix (I omitted)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Saute onions and garlic in 1/4 cup of the chicken broth. Add asparagus, potato, and remaining stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. (instead of simmering, I simply cooked my potatoes to irish and boiled my chopped asparagus prior to adding them to the stock.) Remove soup from heat and puree with a food processor or blender. Return to the pan and season with spices. Serve.

Serves 8.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

Okay....so it was super bowl Sunday, we can cheat, right? I am sure that Tony (the trainer) would kick our butts, but we still need to have our fun! (P.S. I knew I wouldn't last long without making something fun to share with you! We are sticking to our meal plan very strictly, despite what this may look like!)
I saw this made on Rachel Ray's day show, and I just HAD to make them. They were so fun to make, as well as delicious! I will be making these for EVERY single super bowl for the rest of my life! They are a great make-ahead dish that you can pop in the oven 5 minutes prior to serving. I hope that you find these as much fun as we did!

Adapted from: Rachel Ray

1 can pop biscuits
desired filling for mini pizzas

We love to fill our pizza with :
shredded chicken
alfredo sauce
turkey bacon
canadian bacon
mozzarella cheese

Split each biscuit into 3 equal discs (some of them I could only get to separate into 2). Press each disc into the cups of a sprayed muffin tin, pushing in on the corners and making sure that they go all the way up the sides. 

Place in the oven and bake for 1/2 of the directed cooking time (total time is usually 10 minutes). Remove from muffin tins and place on a cookie sheet. (I precooked all of the crusts and then cooked them for the remaining time with the filling on a cookie sheet). Fill each crust with about a tablespoon of sauce along with your desired fillings. Top with cheese.

Bake for the remaining 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and crusts are a golden brown. 

Serves 4-6.