Whole Roasted Chicken and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Now, this was probably not the healthiest recipe, but it was SO fantastic! I didn't follow the book tonight. I happened to have a whole chicken in the freezer from a stop at Fare For All before the holidays. Even though it may not be the most healthy dinner, I'm starting to realize when I'm getting full so now I know when to stop, which is good.

Whole Roasted Chicken

1/4 cup olive oil

1 envelope Good Seasons Italian or Garlic & Herb Dressing Mix (we used the Italian one)

1 large roasting chicken (6 lbs)

*Preheat oven to 350*F. Mix oil and salad dressing mix; brush under skin and on outside surface of chicken.

*Place chicken on rack in roasting pan.

*Bake 1 1/2-1 3/4 hours or until chicken is cooked through (180*F when tested in the thickest part), brushing occasionally with salad dressing mixture.

-The only thing that's not convenient about this is the length of time to cook, but you brush it and stick it in the oven, no problem.

While the chicken was cooking.....

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks

1/2 cup half-and-half

3 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp light-brown sugar

Coarse salt and ground pepper

*Set a steamer basket in a large saucepan. Fill with enough water to come just below basket, bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Place sweet potatoes in steamer basket and cover, steam until tender, 15-25 minutes. Drain, and return to saucepan.

*Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring half-and-half, butter and brown sugar to a simmer, stirring to combine; remove from heat. Add to drained sweet potatoes and mash until smooth, season with salt and pepper. (This step only takes a few minutes)

Like I said, both were SUPER easy and DELICIOUS! There was enough chicken leftover for me to mix with some pasta and sauce for lunch tomorrow.

Chicken and Rice Italiano

This one was not Bobby's favorite but was really easy and convenient to make on a busy night.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 jar (16 oz) pasta sauce with garlic and peppers (I used Prego Garlic & Red Pepper)

2 Tbsp (1/2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning (I used Tastefully Simple Italian Garlic Bread seasoning, but any will work)

1 can (14 1/2 oz) fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth (used to cook the rice in, I did a half water, half broth mixture, read the rice cooking instructions for measurements)

3/4 cup Arborio or regular long-grain white rice

*Preheat oven to 450*F

*Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Spoon sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with cheese and Italian seasoning. Cover dish with foil and bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 160*F and juices run clear.

*Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat broth to boiling. Stir in rice. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

*Divide rice among 4 plates. Top with chicken and sauce.

*We have a rice cooker and just used that, and it was still good. If you know how to cook rice, cook it the way you know, it'll still turn out delicious!

*The sauce will taste like it's low-sodium, because it probably is, but that's kind of the point. The Prego sauce is "heart smart" but it was still good, I think. I had extra sauce and used it later in the week over bow tie pasta for lunch.

Per Serving: 381 calories, 24 g protein, 51 g carbs, 7 g fat, 48 mg cholesterol, 602 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.

Happy New Year!

A quick update on "Project Slim Down for Baby:"

*Starting weight: 228 lbs

-Friday December 31: 225 lbs.

Yes, I'm going to post my weights, because I think I'm like a lot of people who thought that 200 pounds looks a lot bigger than it is. Reality check, I'm well over 200 pounds, and I don't think I look very much like those contestants on "Biggest Loser" who are only 20 pounds heavier than me.

I did 4 days of work outs this week and had a lot of fun doing them! I was introduced to a new fitness studio that only does classes and am considering getting a couple punch cards to add some spice to my journey! This isn't going to be easy, but it has to be done. It's not a resolution, it's a lifestyle change.

That being said, I hope you all have a wonderful evening celebrating (or happily saying goodbye to) the end of 2010! It has been a very difficult year for us, but we've also had many wonderful memories. I pray that 2011 brings Bobby a job, me success on my journey, and us a pregnancy. Happy New Year to you all!!

Happy New Year!

Orange Almond Chicken = Success!

This was super easy and really tasty!!

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 c. chopped shallots

3 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/3 c orange marmalade

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Orange slices (optional)

*Place almonds in a large nonstick skillet. Toast over medium heat, shaking the pan often, 5 minutes or until fragrant. Remove to a place and set aside.

*Warm oil in the same skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes or until no longer pink, turning occasionally. Remove to a plate. (I found this took closer to 10 minutes)

*Add shallots to the pan and cook 5 minutes or until soft. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms render their juices (I just cooked them 5 minutes). Stir in marmalade, soy sauce, and pepper. Return chicken to the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 160*F and juices run clear. *Top with almonds and orange slices, if using.

*I couldn't find shallots and forgot to save the half onion from another recipe, but it tasted fine without it. Also, if you're not an almond fan, the recipe still works great without them!

*We found it to be a little salty, so maybe 1 Tbsp less soy sauce and add a tablespoon or so of marmalade (it'll also help decrease the sodium).

*We served it with brown rice and poured the extra sauce over the rice and chicken.

Per serving:

265 calories, 20 g protein, 26 g carbs, 10 g fat, 46 mg cholesterol, 818 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

Bobby and I are fans of Chinese, and this was a pretty good substitute for take out! It took me about 20 minutes total to cook this, SO easy!

Project Slim Down for Baby

First let me say that I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! The new year is just around the corner and I hope you all had a chance to refresh a little with your families and friends.

Bobby and I are going to celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary tomorrow and we've started the "baby discussion." It's come time for us to start thinking about starting a family. However, I've really let myself go in terms of weight and health over the last 2 years and don't feel like I'm in a good place physically to carry a child.

I know I'm not the only person out there who struggles with losing weight and eating better. My mom began her own journey in June 2009 and has lost over 50 pounds! She did this by using a personal trainer and following recipes from a great cook book. This Christmas, she gave me my own copy. The book is called "Eat Up, Slim Down" and has tons of great recipes for every meal of the day and lots of great facts and tips for keeping up a healthy food lifestyle.

I have decided that I want to share my own weight loss journey with my family and friends who read this blog. I feel it's a way to keep myself accountable. As I go through the cookbook, I will share recipes that we really liked (and that is saying a lot because Bobby is a pretty picky eater).

Tonight we made the El Dorado Casserole, which we LOVED! Here is the recipe:

1 pound extra lean ground beef or ground turkey breast

1 onion, chopped (I used half an onion and it tasted fine)

1 cup (8 oz) fat-free ricotta cheese (I used "part skim")

1 package (8 oz) reduced fat cream cheese

2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chile peppers

1 can (4 oz) black olives, chopped and drained

4 cups coarsely broken baked tortilla chips

3/4 cup shredded reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese

3/4 cup shredded reduced fat Cheddar Cheese

Salsa (optional)

*Preheat oven to 375*F. Coat a 13" x 9" baking dish with nonstick spray

*In a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef/turkey and onion, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Drain off any fat.

*In a large bowl, combine ricotta, cream cheese, peppers (with liquid) and olives.

*Spoon half of meat into the prepared baking dish. Top with half of ricotta mixture. Top with 2 cups tortilla chips. Sprinkle with half of Monterey Jack and half of Cheddar. Repeat layers with remaining meat mixture, ricotta mixture, chips and shredded cheeses.

*Cover and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with salsa, if using.

*Makes 8 servings

*I suggest skipping the layer of chips and sprinkling them on top towards the end of baking. The chips got soggy during baking, which didn't affect the taste, but there was no crunch.

Per serving: 339 calories, 24 g protein, 16 g carbs, 19 g fat, 71 mg cholesterol, 659 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

Enjoy!

Happy October!

It's October!?!?! When did that happen??

I started my new job at Transition Plus through Saint Paul Public Schools. I am an Education Assistant/Interpreter so I'm not just letting my hands fly, I'm also doing a little teaching and, well, some assisting. We only have one student who needs an interpreter, and there are 2 of us who are EA/Interpreters, so sadly, I haven't been interpreting much so far. I'm slightly nervous that my skill will decline, because I've never been in a work environment where I'm NOT interpreting all day every day. But, I'm sure it'll be just fine. I just need to pick up some more VRS shifts and I'll be good to go!

So far, I'm loving my job. I work with 18-21 year olds who are "transitioning" into the real world and aren't quite ready for their diploma. It brings about it's challenges, but what job doesn't? I really feel like this was the perfect fit for me. I get to do some teaching, I get to help the students out with their needs and I can still do what I love which is interpreting.

In September, we had our first experience at Target Field! It is a beautiful place and I'm so pumped to get on the ball and go to more games next year!

And now it's October, which is kind of scary because I really don't remember much of September.... But it means Halloween is coming up, then Thanksgiving, then my FAVORITE time of the year!! While our life is not in an ideal situation right now, things are going really well and I'm grateful for what we have. Happy October!