Tuesday’s Friends–Chicken Parm Subs with handmade bun

The other week I made a really good sandwich for our friends.  Of course I came across our meal idea on Pinterest.  This Chicken Parmesan Sub was found on one of my favorite sites Eating Well.  I search Pinterest for their recipes all the time since they are low fat and family pleasing.

The recipe called for whole wheat sandwich rolls, but you know me I rather make my own when I can.  So I found this bread machine roll recipe on all recipes which is another good source.

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour (I used whole wheat)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Place the bread flour, sugar, salt, milk powder, water, butter, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set on Dough cycle; press Start.
2. Remove risen dough from the machine, deflate, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces, and form into rounds. Place the rounds on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a small bowl, mix together the egg white and 2 tablespoons water; brush lightly onto the rolls. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.

Then on to the chicken and making of the subs.  This was pretty easy and man they sure would yummy!

Chicken Parmesan Sub

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts cut into 4 portions or 4 small breasts), (2 large breasts cut into 4 portions or 4 small breasts)
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 6-ounce bags baby spinach
• 1 cup marinara sauce, preferably low-sodium (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 4 soft whole-wheat sandwich rolls, toasted

PREPARATION

1. Position oven rack in top position; preheat broiler.
2. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Place chicken between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet or a heavy saucepan until the chicken is an even 1/4-inch thickness. Dip the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
4. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add half the chicken and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and chicken; transfer to the baking sheet.
5. Top each piece of chicken with the wilted spinach, marinara sauce and Parmesan. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve on rolls.

(I just baked my chicken then added the spinach and cheese in the oven, I’m about the easy version.  So I skipped the putting the chicken in the pan on the stove top).

So there you have it an easy meal and something new then just the regular chicken dinner!  Happy Monday have a great day!

Sneaking Greens into Dinner

First off I want to say thank you for all the prayers for my grandmother’s passing.  They mean more than any words I can form right now.

I have a brain overload now, so I thought I’d put up some recipes.  As we know I’m all about getting veggies in.  My boys thankfully have always had veggies so I don’t really have a problem with them eating them.  BUT I do like giving it to them in new ways.  My mom use to always make Quiche’s and Soups so this is fitting to showcase some of my favorites growing up but done in a low fat version.

First off we have a Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche That turned out very yummy.  Now it’s not as creamy as if it was made with all eggs but still very yummy!

Next on the list is a Crockpot Creamy Chicken Spinach Soup that was very yummy and you didn’t have big spinach leaves.

So there you have two very simple and classic meals that were low in fat.  Enjoy!  On our menu tonight is Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff.

What is on your menu tonight?

I’m a Green Smoothie Snob! hehe

Well guys I’ve been doing very well with my weekly work out.  I’ve been doing the DVD 5 to 6 times a week and last week I did add in an 1 1/2 hours walking in a pool.  I’ll give you a weigh loss when I see one (I finally stepped on a scale last week … ugh).  On the doctor side I went yesterday it was a community clinic so I had to WAIT 2 HOURS past my appointment time to see her.  She laid into me about not taking my thyroid … I deserve it.  She gave me 6 weeks of my pills and then wants me to come take a blood test to see what level I should be at.

On the breakfast time I’ve been sticking to a smoothie every morning even on the weekends.  I’ve been trying different ones and have found 2 more (I’m still a fan of the first Green Monster I made).  Last week I made the blueberry one that was just ok so I switched in the middle of the week to this Green Monsta!  I never thought I’d be eating let alone drinking anything with Tofu in it but it was actually good.  This one cost a little bit more with the cost of OJ and the Tofu and the Avacado.  It had an ok taste to it but then I added in my raspberry Emergency C and it was good.  I probably won’t make it a lot due to the cost.

The Green Monsta

Ingredients

• 1 cup of fresh baby spinach (rinsed)
• 1/2 of a whole avocado (peeled and sliced)
• 1 package of silken tofu
• 1 honeycrisp apple with the skin (rinsed, cored, and sliced)
• 8 oz of orange juice (calcium fortified)
• Honey or agave nectar (to taste)
• Ice

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender or smoothie maker until completely smooth (about 5 minutes)
2. Makes about 4 (8oz cups)
3. Enjoy!

Recipe from: http://keepyourdietreal.com/food/drinks/a-green-smoothie-and-an-update/

This week I thought I’d try one Kale Spinach and Apple Smoothie.  Another thing I didn’t think I’d be eating let alone drinking is Kale!  Now this is an OK one the Kale is prominent in the flavor even with my Emergency C you can taste it.  NOW it’s not like eating grass but it’s still not going to trick your brain into this being fruity .  I bought enough kale for the whole week so I will have to drink it until I’m out of it.

Weight Watchers Kale Spinach and Apple Smoothie (3pts)

Ingredients
1 cup lite vanilla soy milk
1 heaping cup spinach leaves
1 heaping cup chopped kale leaves
1 frozen banana (quick tip – freeze them without the peels for quicker use)
1/2 granny smith apple
1 tsp honey

Instructions
1. Blend the spinach, kale, and vanilla soy milk on high in the blender until well blended without chunks.

2. Add the frozen banana, apple, and honey and blend to your desired consistency.  Drink up!

Now to make you laugh today (Valentine’s Day) I’m laying in bed forever not wanting to open my eyes finally do to look at the clock to see I’m 1 1/2 hrs late for work … Caden turned off my volume! UGH.  Then when I clocked off to get Cole out the door I made my smoothie, went to poor it and the bottom exploded from my smoothie maker!  Oh yes I was green, the walls, the counter top and the floor!

Rick had the day off so I found a new machine printed it out and put it by his phone when he woke up.  Being the amazing guy he went and bought it for me!

YES this is a wedding present that I JUST opened almost 9 years later … lol.  So it was very nice to make smoothies in.  SADLY it lasted about a week … ugh.  Today it died a sad and messy death!

Happy Valentine’s Day to me from my hubs.  Roses and a Ninja!  Of course I had to try it out after my work out (yes I did my work on Valentine’s day, no excuses).

So there you have it two new green drinks and a funny green mess.  When they say egg on your face, I can now say no green on me !  Hope you had an amazing Valentines day!

Healthy Drink Week 2

As many of you know I’m been doing my work out at home with Jillian Kettlebell DVD.  I’ve been even better about my eating habits no snacking on crap during the day and doing a healthy smoothie in the morning for breakfast.  I really never thought this would feel me up but it’s actually doing the trick.  This week I tried a new recipe and I must admit it’s not as tasty as the Green Monster I posted last week and is not as filling.  I know you would think I would like the one that was more fruity.  Here is the Kate’s Power Smoothie I found for this week.

Kate’s Power Smoothie
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 cup orange juice (preferably the good stuff, like the not-from-concentrate orange juice)
3 tablespoons oat groats or 2 tablespoons steel cut oats (optional…kind of…)*
3/4 cup fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt (make sure it’s Greek and not Greek-style)
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
3 cups baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 cups crushed ice

Combine ingredients in the jar of your blender and blend. You may (read: probably will) need to run it through twice. Serve immediately. Makes 1 giant smoothie, 2 smaller smoothies, or 3 snack-sized smoothies.

I used Steel cut oats since that is what I could find.

This was made with blueberries and you would think I would LOVE this over the GREEN one from last week but not really. LOL I know who would think a Green shake in the morning would be ideal for me.  I have decided a whole week of this would not be good since I get hungry to quick after drinking it and don’t want to get into the habit of snacks again.  So I am going to try a new one I found has tofu.  I’m a little scared but let’s wish me luck!

On a side note the boys started up swim again 2 days a week.  Tuesdays are going to be my down fall since swim is right after school and then we come home and our Tuesday dinner friends come right over.  So no work out that day, BUT I’m going to stick to 5 days a week with my DVD instead of 6 so I don’t feel too guilty.  When it gets nicer out we can take the kids to walk to make up for it!  I’m on a mission .

Ringing in the New Year in Style!

Well Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012 and we can say we’re going to do a lot of things but right now I’ve decided to just do one day at a time and be better then I was before!  Well it’s what I’m going with right now, stop giggling and just let me live in a little bliss for today .. hehe!

My friend had us over to her house for a little get together for the count down and I made a few things to share.  I can never go to a party empty handed.

I took this Apple Pie Cucake and tweaked it a bit to include Sparkling Apple Cider.  I thought it was perfect for the new year!

Then I had to make some dips. The first dip was a Weight Watcher Feta & Spinach Dip.

And the hit of the party was the Weight Watcher Hot Artichoke Dip. 

Happy New Year!  Hope you all had a wonderful year and many more blessings to come this new year!  What did you do for the New Year?  Did you make anything yummy?

Yummy Side Dishes & a Sandwich!

It was my turn to make a treat for the girls at my Women’s Group at church.  I thought I would try out a few healthier options, and they were a big hit!  I also made a really yummy pork sandwich that was also very yummy.

First off I made Pumpkin Pie Dip for the girls to enjoy with some sliced apples.  This is one of my favorites.

Next off was Makeover Spinach Gratin from my favorite site Skinny Taste.  Thankfully all the girls love spinach and ate it right up!

And for a yummy sandwich that was so tasty!  This BBQ Sandwich with Homemade Slaw, which is the first time I’ve ever enjoyed slaw!!

I hope you enjoy and maybe make one to try out, I promise all three where a hit!  What’s on your menu tonight?

Manic Monday Meals ~ It's a Turkey & Pasta Day (3 Recipes)

Happy Monday, another weekend that just flew by and I even got some cleaning done .. lol :). As you can tell I'm on a ground turkey kick. I'm trying to find new ways to switch it out in as many recipes as I can find! Hope you find one or more you may enjoy!

First on the list is Cheeseburger Pasta I adapted from Taste of Home.

Next on the list was my first attempt at stuffed shells. It was actually pretty easy to make and the boys LOVED them!!! Caden who usually only eats one bite went for SECONDS and Cole hungry boy had THREE helpings! Yes this was a HIT. Recipe adapted from The Comfort of Cooking.

And last but NOT least is a recipe from Alex at Ma What's for Dinner she is an amazing cook with meals that are simple but will give you that wow factor!! Recipe for Baked Ziti.