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Baked Lemon Shrimp Over Kale and Spaghetti Squash

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So, there were tornado warnings in my area today… what am I supposed to do with that? I’m from Minnesota, where there honestly are tornado warnings… ALMOST every summer… I think… The thing that’s different is that in Minnesota, we had basements. Some basements are FULLY underground cement basements with little to no windows. Those felt safe when something like a tornado warning came up. Here, um…. downstairs bathroom? I was all like: “Ok kids, get in the bathtub… I am now going to cover you like you’re in a FORT with the couch cushions!”. Yeah. I’m weird. They loved it though! Hahaha! After the warning had lifted and we could come out of the bathroom, they begged to stay in the “FORT”. So, happily to say, nothing happened and all was good! šŸ™‚

After the drama, I needed to get dinner together! I was craving pasta, so what’s a good alternative?! SPAGHETTI SQUASH! Why not throw in some shrimp and kale to make it extra delicious?!

So, this could be called shrimp scampi, it could be shrimp over lemon spaghetti squash… all sorts of things… So I just went with a descriptive title. Then you know what you’re getting!

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INGREDIENTS
  • 1 Medium spaghetti squash
  • 1Ā½ lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails still on (Trust me, get it peeled and deveined… it took my husband an HOUR to clean, peel and de-vein these stupid shrimp!)
MARINADE FOR THE SHRIMP:
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • Zest of one large lemon
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • Ā½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 TB balsamic vinegar
  • 2 TB grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 TB shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2 TB olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
First, you MUST get the squash going in the oven!
  1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F
  2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place face down in a small glass baking dish. Bake 30-40 min or until the tops of the squash indent when you press on them. Remove from the oven, immediately remove the squash from the pan and separate out the squash with a fork and place in a bowl. Mix in 1/4 cup of the SHREDDED parmesan cheese. (If this is done before the shrimp, cover the bowl with tin foil.)
Make the marinade:
  1. Place the shrimp in a large bowl.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the melted butter, lemon zest and juice, garlic, onion, lemon juice, lemon zest,Ā salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese. Pour the marinade over the shrimp and let sit for 20 min if possible. I personally did not have time, and put it straight into the oven! šŸ™‚
  3. Bake the shrimp at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes (or until cooked through an no longer translucent)
MAKE
  1. Quick saute the kale (if you choose to add it) in 2 TB butter and some chopped onions… only takes about 5-8 minutes. Make sure you wash it first, and chop it into bite size pieces and REMOVE the center “vein” of the stems. Add the kale to the bowl with the spaghetti squash/cheese mixture.
  2. Ā Remove the shrimp from the oven and put the shrimp on top of the spaghetti squash/kale mixture and sprinkle with grated parmesan and black pepper and serve IMMEDIATELY!
How the cooked shrimp will look
Kale, spaghetti squash and cheese mixture

And….:

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This seriously has SO MUCH FLAVOR!!!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!

I am actually looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow!! YUM!

And now, for the SONG OF THE DAY! šŸ™‚

It’s a song by Nicole Nordeman that always does a great job of reminding me what my Savior did for me!

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Low Carb Chicken Nacho Bake

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It’s January… we are all still working on our New Year’s Resolutions I’m sure. I am continuing mine! The hubby and I are planning an anniversary cruise in the fall, and I do NOT want to be embarrassed when I put on that bathing suit. So… toning up, working out, and CLEAN eating is to be had! A lot of gluten free, low carb (except weekends), less eating out etc etc etc. You know the drill.

This recipe… mmmmmm!!!!!!!!!! DE-LISH! It’s filling, and takes care of that craving for nachos, and junk food… while being filling and full of protein and good fats! It’s a little bit on the “cheat” side with the bacon… but don’t skip it! It adds that perfect flavor!

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INGREDIENTS
  • 3 frozen chicken breasts (I used Trader Joes… my FAVORITE!)
  • 1Ā½ cups cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2Ā teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1Ā teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2Ā teaspoon cumin
  • Ā½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • OPTIONAL red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 half small onion diced
  • 1 TB oliveĀ oil
  • 1 TB butter (for extra flavor, but NOT necessary)
  • 1 large jalapeno,
  • 3/4 cup frozen corn
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
  • 3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

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INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preparation: Heat oven to 425Ā degrees
  2. If you haven’t, microwave/cook your bacon and cut/crumble into pieces
  3. Combine and mix together salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle and rub spice mixture over chicken pieces. Drizzle on oliveĀ oil on top of seasoned chicken and rub pieces together to evenly distribute oil. Melt the TB of butter in a large OVEN SAFE skillet on medium/medium high. Once melted, BROWNĀ the chicken on both sides to really get those spices into the chicken. (DON’T cook through, just cook until brown on both sides… 2-3 minutes per side)
  4. Remove the chicken from the pan and turn off the stove top. Cut the chicken into bite size (about 1″x 1″) pieces and return to the pan.
  5. Add the rest of the ingredients (BUT NOT THE AVOCADO!! That’s put on after it comes out of the oven!!) on top of the chicken in the skillet and place into the oven. Make sure that the salsa is poured over everything in the skillet to give it a bit of liquid to cook in. (MAKE SURE YOUR PAN IS OVEN SAFE!! You can also bake it in a baking sheet… I just didn’t want to dirty 2 dishes.)
  6. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-15Ā minutes or until hot, bubbly and delicious smelling (and the chicken pieces are cooked through).
  7. Remove from oven sprinkle avocado over top and serve immediately.
    *Optional: Serve withĀ sour cream and chips!

And that’s it!!!

ENJOY!

 

And now, again, instead of a quote, I’m going to share ANOTHER of my new favorite songs to sing and dance to in my kitchen… also by Jordan Feliz:

“Naked” Egg Rolls

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Do your kids ever try to tell you jokes? Mine LOVE to tell jokes. Most of them are pretty much the same thing in like 100 different versions. It starts to get hard to give a “realistic” sounding laugh! So, we’ve been looking up kids jokes online and have been telling each other jokes here and there. Just for fun, I’m going to share with you a few of my favorites:

Why did the boy throw the butter out the window? To see the butter-fly ……

My daughter’s personal favorite: How do you make a tissue dance? You put a little boogie in it!

Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don’t work.

What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground Beef

What do you call a blind dinosaur? A Do-you-think-he-saur-us

Want to hear a pizza joke? Never mind… it’s too cheesy!

HAHAHA… my little girl just GIGGLES at these jokes, which, in turn, makes them quite funny to me!! šŸ™‚

Anywho…. on to food blogging… šŸ™‚

Ok, so, have you ever CRAVED Chinese food… like, eggs rolls, but didn’t want the deep fried fattiness of it, but you DID want the food and flavor? I made egg rolls… “Naked”..!!! No wrapper, no frying, but ALL OF THE FLAVA! Yeah! Seriously, this completely satisfied my craving for Chinese food the other night! DELISH! Give this one a try some night when you’re craving Chinese food, but not the deep fried aspects of it. There is a little bit of chopping vegetables involved… but it’s WORTH IT!

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Serves 3-4 people, depending on serving size

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb breakfast sausage (NOT maple flavored, or anything crazy)
  • 1/2 head cabbage,Ā chopped/shredded
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/4 cup chopped sweet yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
  • 1/2 cup soy aminos (or coconut aminos) OR low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 TB olive oil
  • 1/2 cup of chicken broth (or water)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • sliced green onion
  • 1/2 cup UN-Cooked rice, rinsed and set aside

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Cooking Instructions

  1. Put the rinsed rice into a rice cooker and put the water suggested on packaging into the rice cooker and close lid and turn on. (OR follow cooking instructions for stove top on the rice packaging.)
  2. Start by shredding and chopping your cabbage into thin, bite size pieces.
  3. In a large skillet,Ā cook and brown the breakfast sausage. (Do NOT use links, unless they are un-cooked and you remove them from the casing BEFORE you cook them.)
  4. Start julienning your carrots. You can either use a cheese shredder, knife or mandolin.
  5. Add the olive oil, carrots and onion to the skillet and toss to combine. Let onions start to brown. Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, chicken broth (or water), garlic, and fresh ginger.
  6. Cover and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Toss in the cabbage during the last 3-5 minutes so it will soften, but not become mushy.
  7. Serve over the cooked rice, and garnish with green onion.

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ENJOY!

You’ll really like this one, I promise!

And now, for the quote of the day:

Quick Leftovers Chicken Quesadilla

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I’m continuing in this post with using up my leftovers. I used some leftover chicken that I had (you can even use leftover rotisserie chicken for this!!!) This was quick, easy, everything grabbed last minute and MAYBE took 15 minutes! After a busy and crazy day, what’s better than that?! It’s also kid friendly!

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I served this with some chips and salsa… you could also serve it with some spinach or some sour cream and salsa to dip it in. It’s actually quite versatile!

This is for 2 quesadillas… just double, triple etc for more!

Ingredients:

2 flour (or corn… or wheat for that matter!) tortillas
1/4 lb of diced of shredded chicken (already cooked)
2 pieces of cooked bacon – chopped
1/2 sliced avocado
3/4 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup diced sweet mini peppers (or 1/2 bell pepper chopped)
2-3 TB chopped sweet yellow onion
optional: a few sundried tomato pieces! You can add it in there, or use fresh tomatoes, either would be good!
optional: spinach or a bit of hot sauce

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Directions:

Start of by dicing and slicing your veggies. Get your avocado out and slice 1/2. What I do, is slice the whole thing, and ten place the 1/2 that I don’t use in a baggie (pre-sliced and not in the shell) into the freezer that I can pull out later and use in smoothies). Once all of your veggies are cut, you can pull out your chicken and bacon. I used leftovers. If you do not have leftovers, but still want to make this, just quick cook it up in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper. I usually use pre-cooked bacon and cook it quickly in the microwave and then crumble it up.

But 1/2 TB in the bottom of the skillet and let it melt and medium to medium low temp on the stove. Once melted, place 1 of the tortillas on the skillet. Cover with desired amount of cheese, then place half of chicken, then the veggies, and ending with the avocado. Fold over the tortilla and let it brown for a minute or two, then flip it over with a large spatula. Let it continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to ooze out the side. Remove from skillet and place on a plate, and repeat with the 2nd tortilla. I usually cut each quesadilla in 2-4 pieces with a pizza cutter. Serve with some salsa, maybe some sour cream, and enjoy!!!!

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And now, for the quote of the day:

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all might hear it. So I was rescued from the lionā€™s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothyā€¬ ā€­4ā€¬:ā€­17-18ā€¬

Cajun Seared Salmon topped with a Simple Guacamole

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I always forget how simple and easy fish is to make. I just always have to remember to thaw it properly in enough time for dinner! Ha! Luckily, yesterday, I remembered to put the frozen salmon into the fridge to slowly thaw the fish! I then ran it under WARM (not hot) water just before I cooked it while it was still in the vacuum sealed pack… just to finish the thawing. Once that was done… Dinner really took 20 minutes. Start to finish. How lovely is that?! Even if you work full time and need something quick to eat when you come home, this is a great answer! Serve this over a bit of rice, orzo pasta…. with some chips or… as is! I ate this with a few corn chips, and it was the perfect and filling dinner! I couldn’t even finish my portion of the salmon! DELISH though!

Salmon and a Simple Guacamole

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INGREDIENTS

1-2 lbs salmon (I did 2 salmon steaks of sockeye salmon – wild caught)
1 TB olive oil (I used light extra virgin olive oil)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Emeril’s Bayou Blast Cajun seasoning
2 TB butter
1 tsp black pepper
2 TB lemon juice

For the Simple Guacamole:

1 avocado, sliced
1 green onion diced
Juice from 1/2 of lemon
1/2 cup frozen corn (or fresh) slightly heated up and set aside
Salt and pepper to taste
2 TB chopped fresh parsley

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INSTRUCTIONS

Drizzle the olive oil over the salmon and rub the Cajun seasoning over and into the top of each salmon steaks. Place in fridge until ready to cook. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the cast-iron grill pan onto the stove and heat to medium-high. Salt the grill pan lightly.
Combine the avocado, green onion, parsley, lemon juice, corn and salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
Grill the salmon skin side down on grill pan for 4 to 5 minutes. Top the salmon with pieces of the butter and the lemon juice and place into preheated oven (still on cast iron grill pan… make sure yours is oven safe!) And bake for 5-10 minutes to desired doneness. It really depends on the thickness of the salmon steaks. (I baked them for approximately 8 minutes.)
Top with some of the simple guacamole and enjoy!

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And now, for the quote of the day:

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Fresh Quinoa Avocado Spinach Salad

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Sunday night I went to a marriage mentor group and it was requested that I bring a salad! I do love a fancy salad! Getting creative and figuring out how to make a new dressing, using fun ingredients and pumping up the taste and flavors… the BEST!

This one I found the original recipe on a website about the Mediterranean Diet and altered the salad adding a bit more flavor to it and hit the JACKPOT! It was delicious! The only thing I’d change is that I would have made it a bit more dry than I did. I added WAY more olive oil and lemon juice than they did originally… and I’d go half-way between the two… So the recipe below is exactly halfway between what I made, and the original recipe (on the amount of olive oil and lemon juice)

This one can be filling as a main dish for lunch, or an awesome side dish for a grilled hamburger night, or brats or pizza!

Make this one tonight! šŸ™‚

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Fresh Quinoa Avocado Spinach Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked Quinoa, rinsed and drained*
1 cup water
1 vine-on medium tomato – seeded and chopped
1/2 cup shredded fresh spinach – chopped or torn into large pieces
1/3 cup diced FRESH basil
1/3 cup finely chopped yellow sweetĀ (1 small)
1/4 cup fresh squeeze lemon juice (and the zest of 1 lemon)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Ā 1 ripe avocado sliced and diced (pit removed of course!)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 of a English Hothouse cucumber sliced and quartered

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*Rinse quinoa thoroughly before cooking to remove a bitter substance called saponin that coats the seeds.

Directions

  1. In a 1-1/2-quart saucepan combine quinoa and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. (OR, as I did, use your Rice Cooker… EASY!)
  2. Transfer quinoa to a medium Mixing Bowl. Add tomato, spinach, basil, cucumber, and onion; stir to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, garlic powder, oil, and salt. Add to quinoa mixture; toss to coat. Add the diced avocado and gently toss.
  3. Sprinkle with some of the feta. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

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Fresh AND filling!!

And now, for the quote of the day:

Pork Loin Chops in a Crock Pot

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I love crock pot meals when I am really busy. The other day I had a ton going on, and I knew I was not going to be home to cook dinner, but wanted my sweet hubby and my brother who was helping with the kids, to have dinner. The nice thing about crock pot meals is that when you do have time, in the morning, you can toss everything in and not think about it for the rest of the day! It was so great just knowing it was there and not having to rush before I had to leave.

So… CROCK POT meals! You can use it in the summer or the winter… cold or hot outside… there’s always a good reason to use a crock pot.

Pork Loin Chops in a crock pot:

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Servings: 2… so double for more…

Ingredients:

1 butterflied pork loin chop – 1.5 lbs
1 TB flavored vinegar (I used a pear/cranberry vinegar that I got from an oilery)
2 TB olive oil
Cooking spray to grease the inside of the crock pot
1 onion sliced thin
1 clove garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste
5 carrots cut into large pieces
8 yukon gold potatoes quartered (I washed and did NOT peel)
1/4 cup white wine
2 TB unsalted butter
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 cup chicken broth

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Directions:

Cut up the carrots, onions and potatoes and set aside. Take the pork loin butterflied pork chop (or 2 separate thick-cut pork chops) and salt and pepper both sides evenly. Heat a skillet on medium and put 1 TB olive oil in the skillet. Sear both sides of the pork chop for 2-3 minutes per side and place into the bottom of the crock pot. Put all of the veggies and starches on top. Sprinkle all the seasoning and then add the liquids. Then take the butter and cut into small pieces and placed intermittently on top of the meat and veggies. Let cook for 6-8 hours on LOW or 4-5 hours on HIGH.

It is a wonderful blend of sweet and salty… it’s got a great savory taste with just a hint of sweet. My husband and brother RAVED over this, and the pork just FELL APART when it was ready. WINNER!!!

Try this one for sure!!

And now… a bit of a giggle for the quote of the day:

This blackboard was in a pub/restaurant in Devon, UK and I have kept the photo ever since to remind myself that I should not be afraid to try something new and that no matter how old I get, there are still new people to meet, experiences to have and things to learn every day!

No Meat Lentil Chili

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My husband called me last night and asked the million dollar question: “What’s for dinner”? Hahahahaha… yesterday was grocery shopping day, and I had NOT gone grocery shopping yet. Plus side? I still had 1 meal left from my meal plan that I had not yet made… LENTIL CHILI!!! I told me husband as much, and his response was actually less than excited… can you imagine?! HA! J/K. I knew he was going to be a bit hesitant when he heard the word “lentil”. You think of anything but chili when you hear the word lentil.

I didn’t want to thaw my last pound of ground beef, I was saving that to make meatballs for my littles today, and I didn’t want to use it in chili if I didn’t have to. So… lentil chili it is! And you know what? We LOVED it!! My husband cleaned out his bowl and went back for seconds! And, if you change a few of my ingredients, you can make a vegetarian version for sure!!! This was a winner, don’t be scared off Ā by the word lentil, even your kids would like it! Just wait until after they are done to tell them it was meat free deliciousness!

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INGREDIENTS
  • 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
  • 3-4 mini sweet peppers (multi-colors), chopped
  • 1 tspĀ Minced Garlic
  • 3Ā tsp. Chili Powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • Dash cayenne pepper
  • 2 TB CornmealĀ mixed with 1/4 cup water to thicken chili
  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn (or fresh)
  • 1 can Organic Black BeansĀ (rinsed)
  • 1 1/2 cups rinsedĀ brown Lentils
  • 1 28 oz. can Fire Roasted Crushed Tomato
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2Ā cartons (48 oz)Ā Organic Low-sodium chicken Broth(use vegetable broth to go for the Vegetarian Option)
  • ā…“ cup fresh chopped cilantro
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, croutons, tortilla chips, avocado
  • salt and pepper to taste

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INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and chopped peppers; saute the vegetables for 8 minutes or until onion is soft and lightly browned.
  2. Stir in garlic, cumin, cayenne, black beans and chili powder; cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add lentils, tomatoes, bay leaf and chicken broth (or veggie broth). Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Add the water and cornmeal mixture and let simmer for 5 minutes to thicken.
  4. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.
  5. AddĀ salt and pepperĀ to taste.
  6. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Top with: more cilantro, cheese, sour cream, avocado pieces, etc!!! ENJOY, you seriously will!!

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And now, for the quote of the day:

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Lemony Orzo Chicken Sausage Soup

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Ok, so since it’s officially fall, I figured I wanted to do some posts on SOUP! What’s better in the fall and winter than soup? The ultimate comfort food, even when it’s low cal! And this one definitely fits both descriptions. Delicious, filling, high in protein and low in fat. So, over the next 2 weeks you will be seeing a lot of soup recipes as I figure out which I like best, which I will put in jars for freezing and lunches… and which I should leave for someone else to perfect… šŸ˜‰ . So, this one was a winner. I loved it! It was inexpensive to make too. A box of orzo was only $0.89 at Publix! Woohoo! Try this one out for sure!

Ingredients

  • 1 10 oz package chicken sausage halved and sliced (I used 4 out of the 6 links and froze the remaining 2) I also used “Thin&Trim” brand chicken sausage “Sweet Italian” version that is 95% fat free, and has all natural ingredients w/out nitrites!
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 TB butter
  • 1/2 small onion diced
  • 1/2 tspĀ garlic minced
  • 2 medium carrots, sliced
  • 1/4 teaspon driedĀ sage
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • Ā½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 3Ā cups low sodiumĀ chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • splash white wine (only if so desired)
  • 1/2 cup orzo
  • 1 cups fresh spinach
  • juice and zest of 1/2 lemon (about 1-2 TB of lemon juice)
  • 2-3 TB shaved parmesan for garnish

Lemonchickenorzosoup

As you can see, I served this with Grilled cheese that had a couple of sliced of avocado in it… YUM!

Instructions

  1. In stock pot heat sliced sausage until heated through, about 5-8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  2. Add olive oil to pan. Add onion and garlic, sautƩ for 1-2 minutes. Add carrots and herbs, lemon zest and juice and 1 TB butter. Continue cooking just until carrots begin to soften. Add splash of white wine if so desired.
  3. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in orzo. Continue cooking for 8 minutes or until pasta has finished cooking. Add 1 cup water. Stir in sausage and spinach, stir and bring back to simmer. Serve.

Enjoy!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Tenderloins with a Creamy pesto Sauce

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So I had absolutely no clue what I was going to make… I looked at my planned meals, and I had not thawed ANY of the meat that I was going to make… WOOPS! So, then I noticed that I had prosciutto left over from a couple of weeks ago that I hadn’t used… and some extra frozen chicken tenderloins,…. voila! DINNER! I also had a bag of Trader Joes zucchini fries and some lettuce… higher in fat, but making the portions smaller definitely helps with overall calories. This dinner, my portions, was right around 550 calories. I used chicken tenderloins though… a lot of people would opt for an entire chicken breast… which would require more prosciutto wrapped around it… smaller = lower calories!Ā 

Ok, so here’s my process:

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken tenderloins
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour, or more
  • 8 pieces of prosciutto (or 4 if you cut them in half)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 onion chopped
  • 1/4 cup homemade basil pesto (NO NUTS or parmesan in the pesto… reduces calories!)
  • 1/4Ā cup half and half (or a little less…. I didn’t use much)

Serves 4 people

prosciouttowrappedchicken

Ā 

Instructions

  1. I actually partially thawed my Trader Joes chicken tenderloins. That isn’t something I do often because they cook so perfectly from frozen… but this time I did so that the flour and prosciutto would stick to them. Put the flour and salt and pepper into a bowl, and then dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture.
  2. Wrap each piece of chicken with a piece of prosciutto.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  4. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium and add the diced onions. When it is hot, add the wrapped chicken. Cook for 3-4Ā minutes, then flip and cook for another 3Ā minutes or so, until browned. Then, in your skillet (IF YOU HAVE A OVEN SAFE SKILLET!!!) put the chicken directly into the oven @ 400 degrees for 8 minutes to finish cooking.
  5. I served this with Trader Joes zucchini fries that are baked at 400 degrees also, so the temp worked and both cooked at the same time.Ā 
  6. In a small bowl (or glass jar) whisk together the pesto and cream.
  7. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the pan and place onto a serving plate or dish. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the pesto mixture into the pan to pick up the onions and all of the drippings and stir until it slightly thickens. Pour over the chicken and serve!.Ā Serve with a light lettuce salad!

It was absolutely delicious and spilling over with flavor! To me, completely satisfying and filling. The guys at my table may have preferred another couple pieces of chicken… but then again who wouldn’t when it’s wrapped in bacon, right?

Enjoy!

Ā 

And now, for the quote of the day:

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