My sister's kitchen: Skinny Chicken Parm

As I was preparing my own dinner last night, I received a text from my sister, Allison:

I just made the best dinner ever...be jealous.

After a couple additional texts back and forth, I WAS jealous...and proud of her for taking the time and effort to prepare such a wonderful and healthy dinner for herself!   I promptly asked her if she wouldn't mind sharing it, to which she whipped up this little ditty to share.  My sister is one of the most important people in my life.  I love her for her beauty, humor and heart...which definitely shows through in her writing.  Enjoy!! 

 Ok, I know what you’re thinking. I may not be the best person to be writing a spot for a health blog. Let’s face it, I’m not the Lewis girl known for being svelte. I love the carbs. In fact I have made it my job to supply people with fresh baked calories.  When I see exercise waving at me across the street, I avoid eye contact like it’s the one person in high school you’d wish you’d never see again. 

But, I am getting better. 

‘Smalls steps’ is the key phrase. I work crazy hours and after working in a kitchen all morning, fast food is my afternoon delight. Lately though, I have cut my fast food intake by 70%, stocked my fridge with fruit and have started walking to local places instead of driving. Did I mention the multi-vitamin? They’re gummies. *HIGH FIVE*

My main problem with most things in life is that I get bored easily, and well…I’m lazy. 

There, I said it. The first step is admitting the problem. 

And when I’m only cooking for one, it’s hard to get motivated to fire up the oven or wash those pesky dishes. This particular night though, I had a stroke of genius and promptly texted Annie to gloat about my delicious dinner. (hence the blog spot)

My mind set was ‘I’m hungry. It’s dinner time.’

The cravings were exactly as follows: Nachos, Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Noodle Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

So what’s do Is dos in this situation? I watch my recently DVR'd episode of Top Chef: All Stars and the challenge is Italian. HEY! THAT LOOKS GOOD! So off I went.

The following recipe will blow your mind. You have been warned…

Skinny Chicken Parmesan

2 Grilled Chicken Breasts (frozen. I used Tyson’s Grilled and Ready)

16 oz Tomato Sauce (I used Hunts 100% Natural with basil, garlic, and oregano)

2 humongous Portobello Mushrooms   

½ cup Mozzarella cheese (shredded)

2 slices of Provolone cheese

A dash of red pepper

Take one Pyrex casserole dish you might have gotten from your awesome sister for Christmas, and place your frozen chicken inside. I sliced the Portobello mushrooms and filled in the spaces around the chicken. You can obviously chop them more finely; I just prefer them this way. Pour the sauce over the chicken and mushrooms and pop the dish into a 375 degree oven for 18 mins. While that’s baking away you can boil you some water to make the pasta of your choice. I chose spaghetti noodles. Once the timer goes off, sprinkle the mozzarella over the entire dish, top with the provolone slices, and sprinkle on your red pepper for a nice jolt. Bake for an additional 5-10 mins or until the cheese is nice and gooey. 

I didn’t add anymore spices because the grilled chicken has a marinade already and the sauce is obviously spiced. Plate by putting naked noodles in the bottom of a bowl, take one of the chicken breasts that’s covered in the cheese and place on top of the noodles. Spoon extra sauce and mushrooms around the rest of the bowl. Voila! You have a bowl of awesomeness. And if you were cooking for one, you have your lunch or dinner for tomorrow! SCORE! 

 

Onions would be a nice addition, maybe some zucchini…I was just working with what I had already in the fridge. 

And I think that’s all folks! Lewis, out.

Need a little jump rope variety?

If you've taken up jump rope and added it into your daily or weekly workout routine, then you may be bored out of your gourd by now with just jumping....and jumping...and jumping...

Elizabeth, however, is never bored with just jumping and stole Mommy's new Buddy Lee jump rope to show off her skills.  As you can hear, Rachel is unimpressed.

Perhaps YOU are looking to add some variety?  Check out the following  jumping options (making sure that you are jumping one time for each rotation - not adding a little double jump in between).

In-outs (jump your feet like the bottom of a jumping jack - in, out, in, out)

Front-backs (switch your feet front and back - meet them up in the middle)

Twists (keep your feet together and twist to one side - back to middle - then to the other side)

Two jumps on each foot (jump twice one foot, holding the other in the air, then switch)

Runner - or Speed (single feet jumps each time the rope turns, so it feels like you're running)

So if you need a cardio workout today, try the following (remembering that I always count every other jump...so my 100 is actually 200.  5 sets are a lot easier than 10...plus, they are easier to count!)

1,000 straight jumps.  You can rest/walk around after every set if you need to.

1 set In-Outs

1 set Front-backs

1 set Straight jumps

1 set two jumps each foot

1 set twists

Finish with 100 crunches

Good luck!

Little Things

Amy, I'm stealing your post (from May All Beings Be Well).  I've shared with you that she is in the process of marathon training and recently wrote about how appreciative she is for the little things in her training...the accomplishment of running just a couple miles, nice leg definition, being able to run without her ipod, etc.   

This got me thinking...what is your favorite "little thing" that you noticed that encouraged you to continue on your wellness journey?  I keep calling this a wellness journey because for some of us, it's not just about weight loss, and I completely understand that.  It's nutrition and emotion and spiritual and physical and...WELLNESS!!

I still remember when my youngest sister came to college (she played at the same school where I was coaching...and was even on my pitching staff!  Neat, huh?) and began running and training more than she ever had before.  She was so excited when she ran up to me and said, "Annie! You will never believe what I have now!!  Back dimples!"

Now, I was probably as clueless as I know you are right now.  But she raised the back of her shirt to show me the indentations at the base of her spine that were visible because of her leanness.  

Of course, I just smiled and said, "That's great, Andrea..." in a bless-your-heart kind of way. And after she left, I went in the bathroom to check out if I, too, had back dimples.  

Go ahead and check yours out...I'll wait... :)

I remember being so thankful to see my hip bones when I worked my weight off from both pregnancies (they were MIA for a while!), when I no longer needed the taste of sugar in my coffee anymore because I'd gotten used to using just milk (that was a HUGE step for me!), and when I was able to finally button my pre-baby jeans again.

So what about you?  Please share your little things - because we all can benefit by your positive victories!!

Saturday Stumbles

Another random week, my friends. 

Clover Lane - Winner of Tiny Sprouts Contest
Because this little punkin' is just the sweetest thing...

May all Beings Be Well - Surround yourself with Success
Amy gave me a shout-out and talked about her inspirations in life.  I love the positivity!!

A Feathered Nest - Crafting Chickies
I just love this site and these little plates seem so easy that even I could make them without screwing them up.  This would be cute for a Super Bowl party!!

Under the Table and Dreaming- Hurricane Luminary
Waaaaay out of my league, but love it!

Thanks, Simply Staci for the link!!

You're only as Strong as your Weakest Pig-Out Moment

Am I the only one that has one of these? 

I swear, all day I eat clean, clean, clean.  I write proudly in my little journal and mark down my fruits and vegetables.  I walk triumphantly past the kitchen, not even glancing in.  I mean, I am just the hot nutritional stuff...

Until nap time hits.

The girls go down and I fix myself a cup of coffee or tea.  And then I think, you know what would be good with this?  CHOCOLATE.  So I go scavenging through the cabinets / freezer / refrigerator until I find something (ANYTHING) chocolate.  It's at this time that I lose all control of portion sizes - I mean 5 or 10 Hershey kisses...2 or 3 cookies...does it really matter?!  And before I know it, I put away my journal for the day because there's no point in writing any of this down!

Am I alone here?

I think I've always had these times.  At one point of my life, my pig-out moment came at night when I was watching TV.  Or when I worked in an office, I had to "stretch my legs" and walk past the vending machine around 3:00 every afternoon.  When I was coaching, I'd stop and grab a snack and a Coke on the way out of town to get me through the drive.  I'm not sure if this is mental or physical, but I can tell you this much, I think I would have a pretty clean slate if not for these little episodes.

But then I ask myself, are these episodes keeping me from reaching my goals or are they keeping me sane?  Because really, I am a MUCH happier person after I've eaten the kisses...  Perhaps they are keeping me human?!

All of this was irrelevant until an occurrence as of late...

I was caught.

Elizabeth be-bopped in from her nap before I had a chance to clean up the table and pointed to an Oreo wrapper (found beneath a fryer chicken in my deep freezer...I'm serious, people!  I scavenge, sometimes!).  "Mama?  Tooties??  Me want tooties!!"

*Groan*

Although that was not as bad as this summer when I was really trying to lose weight so I kept all chocolate out of the house.  Well, Nancy Drew here found a single box of Klondike Bars in the freezer.  So I ate one every day for however many bars were in there.  They would just call to me during nap time!  When they were gone, like an idiot, I threw the box in the recycling.

And guess who does the recycling...oh yes, my dear husband.

In he comes one day, holding up the empty box.

"Why didn't anyone tell me we had little ice cream sandwiches??!!" 

Ah well...if this is the worst of it, I guess it's not all that bad.  :)

Because sometimes you just need macaroni and cheese

When you ask Elizabeth what she wants to eat, you're going to get one of three answers.  Every time.  

Pizza.

Cheese sandwich.

Mac and cheese.

Now, very rarely do I make these things for dinners - a lot of times, I'll appease her for lunch and then we'll have whatever is on my menu plan for dinner.  Well, yesterday ended up being just one of those blah days.  And I think on those days, you just might need mac and cheese for dinner.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, because my husband called on his way home from work and asked, "What's for dinner?  I am starving tonight."  My answer received a pause on the other end (since we are both trying to slim down and this meal would not help).  "Are you going to post this on your blog?  Will this help mamas get their pre-baby bodies back?"

No.  It will not.

So here I am, being accountable to you and letting you know that I fixed macaroni and cheese for dinner last night and IT'S OK BECAUSE I'M ONLY HUMAN AND I NEEDED IT!  And you might, one night too - considering that you are only human as well.  

Of course, I healthified it, because that's what I do.  So I felt a little less guilty (and you will see why I say little when you see the ingredients).  Here is my recipe - mostly handed down from my Grandma to my mom.

Boil up your box of pasta - I used Ronzoni's Garden Delight, the little whirly-gig kind.  Both of the girls love it and it is tomato, spinach and carrot pasta AND there are three servings of vegetables in the box AND a lot of times, I can get it BOGO at Publix...with a coupon...because I'm cheap.

Make your white sauce.  I melt 2 tbsp of butter and whisk in 2 tbsp of flour to a bubbly paste.  Then add in 1 cup of milk (I use 2%).  Whisk until thick, smooth and bubbling.  Then add in 1-2 cups of shredded cheddar (I just use whatever's left in the bag that I'm sure is already open in the fridge) and 1 cup of Velveeta  a very secret ingredient.  (I KNOW it's so bad for you, but I HAVE to have it in there.  I grew up eating it this way!)  

Whisking in the cheese

In order to combat my secret ingredient and make myself feel better, I throw in 1/2 cup to 1 cup of pureed butternut squash from the freezer and let that melt in with the cheese.  This just gives it an extra dose of vegetables that no one knows...and it even makes the color more orange.  Seriously, you don't taste it!

And there's with the squash...see?  you can't even tell.

Drain the cooked noodles and add to the cheese sauce.  I always put mine in a covered Pyrex dish and microwave for five minutes to get it extra melty...but you don't have to. 

And the best part about cooking dinner last night?  I found the cutest little elves to do my laundry...

Have a great night!

Picture Catch Up

Because I don't feel like I can write fast enough to keep up with my kids.  I can't believe Rachel will turn one this month...just doesn't seem possible!

"MWAH" - loud kiss for Rachel

I swear, they can read each other's minds...

Not sure if this was a hug, or Rachel's attempt to confiscate the Princess CD player

 

Um, Mom?  Do you think...that we might...be able to watch Mickey?

 

Yeah, Mom!  Mickey!  I want to too!!

What?!  No???

Oh ok...you were just kidding.  That's cool, yo.

WHY I ever give my children spaghetti for lunch is beyond me...especially after I just cleaned the floors...

Exhibit A...  Rachel's newest thing is to start throwing the food off her tray to let me know she's done.  This morning, she slung a piece of waffle half way across the room.  And this is why the dogs love Rachel.  ha!