Turkey Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast with Creamy Spinach Sauce

Ingredients:

Turkey Bacon

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

Cream Cheese

Spinach

1 cup of plain greek yogurt

Worcestershire sauce

Fresh String Beans

Red Potatoes

Cayenne Pepper

Mrs. Dash (tomato basil)

Garlic Powder

Mrs. Dash (lemon pepper)

Seasoned Salt

1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap turkey bacon around chicken breast. Season with Mrs. Dash (tomato basil), garlic powder and black pepper and place wrapped breast in a shallow baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes.

2. While chicken is baking, cook red potatoes until tender. Add string beans and cook until string beans are bright green. Season and set aside.

3. To make the sauce, in a medium pan add about 1/2 a cup of cream cheese, 1 cup of greek yogurt, 1/4 of a cup of worcestershire sauce, and a generous amount of spinach. Season and mix sauce components together.

4. That's it…no really…you're done.

-Let's eAt!

Thai Chicken with Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

Brussel Sprouts

Chicken Thighs (with this recipe I used boneless/skinless but I've done it with bone-in/with skin before and it turned out just as great) 

Peanut Butter

Salsa

Brown Sugar

Cumin

Curry Paste

Curry Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Plain Greek Yogurt

Chinese 5 Spice (optional)

Garlic Powder

Sea Salt

1 garlic clove

Olive Oil

1. Pre heat your oven to 400 degrees F

2. While the oven is heating, grab a medium sized bowl to make your sauce in. Mix about 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of salsa, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of curry paste, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 cup of plain greek yogurt, a pinch of chinese 5 spice, 1 chopped garlic clove, and 2 teaspoons of curry powder.

3. Mix ingredients until uniform and set aside

4. Take a sauté pan and add olive oil. Heat oil and add your thawed chicken thighs to the pan. Cook thighs thoroughly, seasoning with garlic powder and a pinch of sea salt.

5. While the chicken is cooking, take your brussel sprouts and cut the bottoms off. Remove outer layers and wash them. Place them in a shallow baking pan. Season with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Make sure the olive oil, salt, and black pepper are evenly distributed on the sprouts. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 min for even roasting.

6. Once chicken thighs are done, slowly add your sauce. Reduce heat and let it simmer with the thighs for about 15 minutes.

7. Once the brussel sprouts are done, remove from oven and plate with chicken. That's it!

*Note: Every time I cook this meal, I make it with chicken thighs. However, this is a versatile dish that can easily become vegetarian (mushrooms or tofu) or something for the seafood lovers (scallops or shrimp). I served this meal with brown rice but you can use whole wheat pasta as well. 

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Lemon Spiced Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

Shrimp (deveined and shelled)

Worcestershire sauce

Spaghetti Squash

Small white onion

2 garlic cloves

Mrs. Dash (lemon pepper)

Black pepper

Seasoned salt

Honey

Parsley

Olive oil (This time I used a Mediterranean blend by Pompeian. It has Extra Virgin Olive oil, Canola oil, and Grapeseed oil. However, extra virgin olive oil is a perfect substitute)

1. Thaw the shrimp and rinse them. Place in a ziploc bag and set aside (shopping bag works too, just make sure it doesn't have any holes in it!)

2. In a bowl, mix the ingredients of the marinade together 

     1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (about 2 whole lemons)

     1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce

     1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

     1/2 small white onion

     1 tablespoon of chili powder

     1/2 tablespoon of black pepper

Pour marinade into the bag with shrimp, remove as much air as possible, close the bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes. *This marinade is perfect for grilling the shrimp as well, which is a great alternative for this dish is if you have a grill*

3. While waiting on the shrimp, take your spaghetti squash and cut it in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.

4. Take a large microwavable bowl and fill it about half way with water. Place one half of the squash face down into the water and place the bowl in the microwave for 15 minutes. Once finished, remove squash from water (carefully) and set aside to cool. Do the same for the other half.

5. Once both halves have cooled, use a spoon to scoop the squash (which will come out as spaghetti strands) into a bowl. Remove excess water and season with seasoned salt, Mrs. Dash lemon pepper, and black pepper. Set aside

6. In a medium pan, heat olive oil (enough to cover the bottom) and add shrimp. Cook shrimp until pink, which should take about 5-6 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp. 

7. Once done, mix the shrimp with the spaghetti squash. Top with worcestershire sauce and honey.

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Chicken and Asparagus

Ingredients:

chicken thighs (with bone and skin this time)

fresh asparagus

black pepper

Mrs. Dash (onion and herb seasoning)

black pepper

garlic powder

seasoned salt

olive oil

1 onion

1 green pepper

2 garlic cloves

1. In a pan, heat and add olive oil (enough to coat the bottom)

2. Dice green pepper and onion. Add to the pan. Cook veggie medley for about 5 minutes. 

3. Add the thighs to the pan, skin down, and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Season. Once skin has a nice brown  color, turn the thighs over, season, and cook until done. Add a pinch of seasoned salt over each thigh.

4. In another pan, add heat and olive oil

5. Dice garlic and add to the olive oil. Cook garlic for a minute.

6. Cut the ends of the asparagus, rinse and dry with a cloth or paper towel. Add them to the garlic and sauté them for about 10 minutes or until they turn bright green. Season.

7. Remove asparagus from heat and serve with your chicken thighs.

This meal is very quick and very simple. Whether you enjoy this for lunch or dinner, this easy recipe won't take long to whip up. Disclaimer: I don't know how familiar some of you are with asparagus, but after consumption…um how to I put this….your urine will smell funny. No need for alarm, stinky pee is normal. 

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Sweet Whiskey Cream Chicken

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 can of evaporated milk

1/4 cup of Honey Whiskey

Olive oil (extra virgin)

3 tablespoons of Yellow Mustard

3 tablespoons of Honey Mustard

3 garlic cloves

1-2 large broccoli crowns

Garlic powder 

Mrs. Dash (table blend)

Sea salt

Lemon pepper

1. In a med pan, cook the thighs in olive oil until done. Season with Mrs. Dash, garlic powder and a pinch of sea salt. Remove the thighs from the pan and set aside. Keep what was left over in the pan from the thighs cooking. You will be adding it to the whiskey sauce.

2. In a separate pan, add olive oil and heat. Dice the garlic cloves and add to the heated olive oil. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the honey whiskey. Cook at a light boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Stir in the 2 mustards into a uniform mixture. Then slowly stir in the evaporated milk. Pour in the remaining chicken thigh goodness that was left in the pan. Stir sauce until there is an even consistency. Season with a pinch of sea salt.

4. In another sm/med pot, add about a cup of water. Bring to a light boil. Cut the broccoli into bite size pieces and add to the water. Steam for about 5 minutes, or just when the broccoli turns into a bright green. I like my broccoli to have a nice crunch. You don't want to cook it too long because you'll lose most of the nutritional elements. Season with lemon pepper.  

5. Plate the chicken and broccoli, pour the cream sauce over the chicken and serve.

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Portobello Turkey Burger

Ingredients:

Pre-made turkey burger patties

Shredded carrots

Feta cheese

Spinach leaves

Shredded cheese

2 Portobello mushroom caps

2 cloves of garlic

1. Allow the burgers to thaw (if they are frozen). In a medium, shallow pan, add olive oil and allow it to heat using medium heat. Once hot, place the turkey burger patties in the pan. Cook until brown on both sides (you can cover the pan so the burgers can cook a little faster and more evenly if you're in a hurry).  Season with black pepper, garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, and a dash of sea salt. Once done, set the burgers aside on a separate plate.

2. Using the same pan and utilizing the residual drippings from the burgers, dice the garlic and add to the pan. Wash the mushroom caps and cut the stems off. Slice the stems and add then in the pan with the garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the mushroom caps. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their juices (you'll notice and thick liquid forming after about 5 minutes. This liquid is perfect for another sauce…but I'll save that recipe for another day). Remove from heat and set aside.

3. On your plate, place one mushroom cap upside down (like in the picture). cover with shredded carrots. Place your turkey burger on top of the carrot layer, then sprinkle feta cheese on top the burger. Add spinach leaves on top of the feta cheese and top with the other mushroom cap. I added more feta on top of the spinach leaves (I love feta cheese). I made a quick sesame garlic sauce as my condiment, (I would be more than happy to share the recipe if you want it) but it tastes just as good plain! Cut in half and serve.

This quick and easy recipe is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner paired with some sweet potato fries. 

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Won Ton Sliders with Edamame

Ingredients:

Ground Turkey

1Carrot

1 Onion

2 Garlic cloves

Won Ton dough

1 Green Pepper

Shredded Cheese (doesn't matter what kind of cheese)

1 Tomato

Olive oil

Edamame (Soybeans) fresh or frozen

Base seasoning (Seasoned salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Mrs. Dash) *Note: These seasonings I use as a base for all my meals, using the least amount of salt as possible. These are my favorites to bring out different flavor profiles. However, you can season your meat or veggies to your liking, just watch your salt intake!

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Then, in a med/large pan, pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

2. Once the olive oil is hot, dice the garlic, green pepper, and onion and add to the oil. Cook the vegetables until they are slightly tender. Slice the carrots and add to the vegetables. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Dice the tomato and set the tomato aside.

3. Add the ground turkey and season with seasoned salt, black pepper and garlic powder. These are my usual basic seasonings. Cook until it's brown.

4. While the ground turkey is cooking, fill a separate pan with water about half-way and allow the water to boil.

5. Once boiling, add a couple of small handfuls of edamame at a time. If using fresh edamame, it should take about 5 minutes to soften. If using frozen edamame, it will take a little less time. The beans should be firm, yet soft when finished. If they are mushy…you might have overcooked them :(

6. Once your edamame is done, drain and put aside. You can leave them plain or season with olive oil and a little salt. Once the ground turkey is cooked, remove from heat and put aside.

7. The won ton dough should already but precut into squares, if not….um…cut them into squares please :) Refer to the picture to see how I layered the dough. Line the square up on a flat baking pan. If you don't have a flat baking pan, a rectangular casserole dish is fine. 

8. Use a spoon to take spoonfuls of the ground turkey/veggie combo and put it in the middle of the dough square.  Don't worry about putting too much…. you'll be adding more once they come out the oven.

9. Bake the won ton sliders for about 5-8 minutes or until the edges are brown. Keep an eye on them because they cook fast!

10. Remove the sliders from the oven and begin plating them (it's easier to add the remaining toppings once they are already plated). Once plated, add another spoonful of ground turkey/veggie mix to the top, along with a couple of diced tomatoes and the shredded cheese of your choice. Serve hot

*I served this meal with a side of whole wheat angel hair pasta in case you were wondering what the extra ingredient is under the edamame*

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Coconut Soup

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 scallions
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 4 cups vegetable broth (you can use chicken broth too)
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• mushrooms
• 1 lime for juice
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Tofu (chicken breast or shrimp would also work. I was trying something different with the Tofu)

1. Cook the scallions, garlic, and ginger together in a large pot. Stir in veggie broth and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Cut tofu into cubes, add to the broth.
2. In a separate pan, Heat vegetable oil and cook mushrooms for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in red curry paste and lime juice until it's mixed together with the mushrooms.
4. Return to the large pot and stir in the coconut milk (it may look a little weird but it'll look better once it's mixed in with the broth)
5. Add the mushrooms/lime/red curry paste mix to the large pot.
6. Add the seasonings and cilantro and flavor it how you like it.

I served this with steamed brown rice and spooned the soup around it. This is great, quick and easy recipe that tastes amazing. Those who are skeptical about coconut milk, I assure you the soup tastes nothing like coconut!

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