Recipe: Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

1/3 C Breadcrumbs

1/3 C Grated Parmesan Cheese

½ tsp Dried Oregano

¼ tsp Garlic Salt

1 Large Egg

4 Bonless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 1 pound)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

¾ C Marinara Sauce

¾ C Shredded Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese

In a shallow bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano and garlic salt. In another shallow bowl, beat the egg until frothy.

Wrap the chicken breasts in plastic wrap and place on a cutting board. Gently pound each breast with a mallet to an even thickness (about ½ inch). Dip each breast into the beaten egg to coat and then roll in the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is well browned and just cooked through.

Spoon the marinara sauce evenly on top of the chicken, and sprinkle mozzarella on top. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes until the cheese melts.

Serves 4

Source: Diabetes & You Magazine

Recipe: Quicker Than Take Out Orange Chicken

Quicker Than Take Out Orange Chicken
Points Plus+ 8

Sauce:

½ C Water

1/3 C Light Orange Juice

½ C Splenda Granulated Sweetener

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

2 Tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

3 Tbsp Lemon Juice

¼ tsp Ground Ginger

1/8 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2 Tbsp Cornstarch

Chicken:

1 ¼ Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Chopped

1 Large Egg, Beaten

¼ Cup All Purpose Flour

2 Tbsp Canola Oil

1 Small Red Pepper, Chopped

1 Small Onion, Chopped

*To make the sauce, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the first nine ingredients (water through pepper flakes). Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a slow simmer.

*In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of water and the cornstarch to create a slurry and whisk into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a low boil and cook for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens and clears. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer.

*Roll the chicken pieces in the egg and toss with flour to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes or until well browned on all sides and chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and cover. Heat the remaining oil and cook the remaining chicken pieces. Add the chicken to the bowl and set aside.

*Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the chicken to the pan and then the orange sauce. Stir to coat and serve.

Serves 4

Source:Diabetes and You

Notes: This dish was so delicious, I don’t think I will want take out Chinese again! We LOVED it!!!

Weight In Wednesday

Its that time of the week again, time to hop on the scale and see what kind of progress I've made in the past week. Something was different today, than the past several weeks  months.. I  wasn't dreading the results I would see! I've been struggling on an emotional level with this whole weight loss thing, but decided that I am in control and I'm not going to let it control me anymore! Since changing my way of thinking, the other needed changes will soon follow.

Previous Weight 210.5
Current Weight 208.0

Loss this week 2.5
Total Loss 4

Weight Loss Prescription---

After being in a rut for several months, I have delved into reading weight loss and fitness magazines to aid in keeping me from crawling back into said rut.  I will be posting what I am reading/learning, in hopes someone else can also get something from it.

The prescription for weight loss has been said to be: eat less, exercise more and get enough sleep.. Making a habit of not getting all the zzz's you need at night could cause you to end up toting around extra pounds. Sleep levels are associated with other unhealthy habits, such as lack of physical activity. Lack of sleep can also decrease hormone levels that hepl regulate your feeling of satiety or fullness, and can increase the hormome that stimulates appetite. Some studies have also found that people who lacked in sleep, also had lower levels of glucose tolerance and higher levels of stress hormones. If you are sleeping less than six hours a night you are at risk for obesity.

While the amount of sleep one needs varies from person to person, the average adult requires 7 to 9 hours of slumber per night.

After reading this article, I think I have found a huge factor in this game of losing weight.  Making sleep a higher priority is a must.  If you are struggling to lose weight  try hitting the sack a little bit earlier, it just may be the missing link in your equation.

I Lost It...

Somewhere along the way my motiviation, desire and drive for working out and trying to live a healthy lifestyle was derailed.  My mojo was gone. For several months now I have been struggling to find my way back. Every day, I had an excuse. There was always a reason why I didn't have time or there was always something else more important that needed done. Days turned into weeks and weeks have now turned into  months. I started the Burst Into Summer Challenge over at the shrinkingjeans, hoping to regain my mojo. After no contact other than the first "hello's" from my team mates, I let that derail me even further. I shouldn't have and realize that now. I feel horrible for letting that be just another excuse, for letting myself and my team down.

Today I put it out there on Twitter and spoke to Brooke about needing a kick in the pants to get back on track.(Thanks Brooke for being on the other end of that tweet!)  Just doing this and admitting to someone else how off track I have been really made me see.  I keep making excuses, but the bottom line is for whatever reason, I've been in a lazy kinda depressed if you will stupor. All of this is stopping, and stopping now!

I had a heart to heart talk today with myself and realize just how foolish I have been. Wasting the past two months feeling lazy, sorry for myself or what ever mood I was in to have an excuse to not get up and move. I asked myself is this really how you want to live and feel the rest of your life? Of course the answer is no.

I'm over feeling sorry for myself. No one got me to the weight I am in, only myself. Feeling sorry for myself and doing nothing is going to give me nothing in return.  If I want results, then I have to do something to get those results.