Coconut Chicken

I found this recipe at CookingLight.com and since we love coconut, we just had to try it! It was pretty good and a nice change from plain baked chicken. I changed the recipe a little a bit since I didn't have some of the ingredients on hand, and I wanted to bake the chicken instead of pan fry. (See my notes below for my changes.)

Sorry for the poor quality photos - I wish they were a little better. Maybe with a little practice... or a new camera. (hint, hint honey)

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 cup rice flour

1 cup whole buttermilk

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut

3 tablespoons canola oil

Sweet chile sauce (optional)

Preparation

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine buttermilk and egg in a shallow dish, stirring well. Place coconut in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour; shake off excess. Dip chicken in egg mixture; dredge in coconut.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes or until done, turning to brown. Serve with chile sauce, if desired.

My changes: I didn't have rice flour so I just used regular flour. I also didn't have whole buttermilk so I made my own using fat free milk and vinegar. Finally, since I didn't want to fry the chicken, I put the chicken on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam - lightly spray the chicken pieces as well. Bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Turn once while baking.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 298, Fat: 12.7g , Protein: 28.7g, Carbohydrate: 15.9g, Fiber: 1.7g, Cholesterol: 102mg, Iron: 1.4mg, Sodium: 318mg Calcium: 20mg

Positive thought for the day: "Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. ~A.A. Milne

Pita Pocket and Home-baked Fries

This is one of those meals that I always forget I can make in a pinch. I’m usually trying to figure out what I can make for dinner using ground beef and then the light bulb in my head goes on and I say “Oh, yeah, I can make pita pockets!” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had this conversation in my head. J

The whole wheat pita pockets are low in fat and a good source of fiber. I like them toasted because it brings out the nutty flavor of the wheat. I just cut the pita pocket in half and pop it in the toaster like a slice of bread.

The home-baked fries in this recipe are a family favorite at our house. Whenever I make these “fries” I always hear a big “YES!” when I pull them out of the oven. They are a very simple recipe – potatoes sprayed with Pam and sprinkled with an herb blend, then baked in the oven. They turn out crispy and a little spicy because of the herbs.

We all love fries, but the homemade version is so much healthier. Here’s a quick comparison:

Home-baked fries (56g) 52 calories; 0 fat; 1g fiber; 1g protein

Store bought frozen French fries (baked) (69g) 115 calories; 4g fat; 2g fiber; 2g protein

In-n-Out French fries (1 order) 400 calories; 18g fat; 2g fiber; 7g protein

McDonald’s French fries (small order) 209 calories; 10g fat; 2g fiber; 3g protein

Wendy’s French fries (kid’s size) 254 calories; 11g fat; 4g fiber; 3g protein

Pita Pockets

Thomas brand whole wheat pita pockets, toasted

90% lean ground beef, cooked and crumbled, drained

Fat free sour cream

Lettuce, chopped

Mexican cheese blend (optional – save about 4g of fat if you don’t use the cheese)

Directions:

Season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Fill toasted pita pockets with cooked ground beef (about ¼ cup). Top the filled pockets with sour cream, lettuce, and a sprinkle of shredded cheese.

Home-baked fries

6 or 7 medium sized Russet potatoes

Pam spray

Herb blend (I use a rosemary/garlic blend from Sam’s Club)

Directions:

Wash and slice the potatoes into long strips. Spray cookie sheet with Pam spray and the “fries” as well. Sprinkle with herb blend. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 400^o, or until crispy. Turn the fries over at least twice during the baking.

Pita Pocket Nutrition info (3oz ground beef, ½ pita pocket):

324 calories; 15g fat; 5g fiber; 59g protein

Home-baked fries Nutrition info (1 medium potato):

161 calories; 0g fat; 4g fiber; 4g protein

While researching the nutrition info for this recipe, I ran across this website that talks about different ways to reduce the fat when cooking ground beef:

http://www.beefnutrition.org/CMDocs/BeefNutrition/ReducingFatinCookedGroundBeef.pdf

Positive thought for the day:

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” ~ Dr. Seuss (http://www.suite101.com/content/uplifting-words-quotes-and-sayings-a116309)

Breakfast Parfait

Sometimes you just get tired of the same 'ol thing for breakfast - cold cereal, oatmeal, cold cereal, oatmeal... Danielle wanted something other than cereal again for breakfast and so she made this yummy yogurt/fruit parfait this morning. It's very high in fiber and antioxidants because of the fruit, and the yogurt itself has 6 grams of protein.

It's a pretty simple recipe - layer nonfat yogurt (she used one 6oz container Yoplait Black Forest Cake), 1/4 cup raspberries, 1/4 cup blackberries, 1/2 a banana, and 1/4 cup Kellogg's Lowfat Granola.

Nutritional info:

352 calories, 2.8g fat, 74.5g carbs, 12g protein, 15.5g fiber

Positive thought for the day:

"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business." ~ Michael J. Fox (http://www.suite101.com/content/uplifting-words-quotes-and-sayings-a116309)

Irish Soda Bread

Okay, this recipe is mostly just for fun since it's St. Patrick's Day! Maybe it's the Irish in me, but every time I make Irish Soda Bread - which is usually once a year on St. Patrick's Day - I'm reminded how much I love Irish Soda Bread. It smells great while it's baking and makes your house smell like home. The bread has a crunchy crust and a creamy, slightly sweet flavor, on the inside. So good!

I tried to make it a little healthier by using low fat sour cream, but it's probably best just to eat one piece and then stop-- if you can!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups light sour cream

2 eggs

2 tbsp caraway seeds (optional)

3/4 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl beat eggs and stir in sour cream.

3. Add the egg/sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon.

4. Batter will be very thick and sticky.

5. Add the raisins and the caraway seeds and stir well with the wooden spoon or knead in with your hands. (I personally like the flavor of the caraway seeds in this bread, but not everybody does. I didn't add them in this time though since I wasn't willing to pay $6 for a bottle of caraway seeds.)

6. Place batter in a greased 9 inch springform pan. (You could also use a pie pan if you don't have a springform pan.)

7. Dust the top with enough flour so that you can pat the batter like a bread dough evenly in the pan without it sticking to your hands.

8. Make a shallow crisscross on the top of the dough using a sharp knife.

9. Bake for 50 minutes in a preheated 350 F oven.

Nutritional info:

Serving size 1

Servings per Recipe 16

Calories 205, Fiber 1g, Fat 4.15g, Carbohydrates 37, Protein 4.8g

Positive thought for the day:

"A good laugh is sunshine in the house." ~ William Makepeace Thackeray

Super Low-Cal Italian Chicken Dinner

Now that Dayle has this new app for his phone that lets him calculate how many calories, fat grams, carbs, etc. are in the food that he eats, it’s been fun to run the numbers with him on our meals every night. His phone will even let him snap a picture of a barcode on a packaged food item and then immediately tell him the name of the product and all of the nutritional information. It's pretty amazing!

The other night I made this Italian chicken dinner and I had no idea how low calorie it was - I just knew it had some healthy ingredients. So we were pleasantly surprised after he plugged it all into his phone!

Italian Chicken

4 or 5 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen this time)

1 bottle low fat Italian dressing (the cheaper the better)

This is hardly even a recipe, but this is what I did:

Preheat the oven to 375^o. Rinse off the protective coating on the frozen chicken. Place the chicken on a foil covered cookie sheet. Pour about half of the bottled dressing over the chicken. Bake in the oven for about 55-60 minutes, or until juices run clear (If using fresh chicken breasts marinate them in the Italian dressing for 3-4 hours before cooking and reduce the overall cooking time).

I served this with frozen mixed vegetables and steamed brown rice. I tried something different with the brown rice this time and added chicken broth in place of the water in the rice bowl so it had a little more flavor.

This is the nutritional information for the WHOLE dinner:

1 serving chicken (1/2 breast)

1 serving mixed vegetables (1 cup)

½ serving brown rice (1/2 cup)

326 calories; 7.6g fat; 33.21 carbohydrates; 29.32 protein

Positive thought for the day:

"To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it. - Confucius"

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - Light

My mom recently sent me this recipe for Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies that she pulled from her Cooking Light magazine. I made them last night and thought I'd share the recipe too.

The cookies are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside with a good buttery/oatmeal flavor. I also liked the flavor of the pecans instead of the usual walnuts. I'm still not sure if they are my favorite oatmeal cookie, but I would probably make them again - they probably just need more butter and sugar! lol

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup regular oats

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips (or regular will work too)

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk, set aside.

3. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in pecans and chips.

4. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls (or small scoop) 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks. Yield: 3 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

Calories: 81; Fat: 3g; Protein: 1.1g; Carb: 12.9g; Fiber: 0.5g; Chol: 10mg; Iron: 0.5mg; Sodium: 76mg; Calc: 12mg

5-10-20 Rule of Nutrition

Do you know how to read a nutrition label? You know that label on the side of the box that tells you how many fat grams and calories are in the food you're about to consume. If you're like me you'll check the fat grams and cringe at anything over about 5 or 6 grams. When you look at the calorie count you may think that anything over 200 calories is high, but really there's more to it than that.

I took a Nutrition class a little over a year ago and one of the best things I learned was how to read a nutrition label and what all that "extra" stuff on the label meant. The first thing I learned was the rule of 5-10-20. If the daily value percentage (DV%) is listed as 5% or less then that food item is low in that nutrient. If the DV% is 10% it provides a moderate amount of that nutrient. If it is 20% or higher then it provides a high amount of that nutrient. The daily value of each nutrient is based on a 2000 calorie diet.

What I like about the 5-10-20 rule is that I can quickly see whether or not a particular food is healthy or not. Instead of trying to figure out if 5 grams of fat is high, or if 300 grams of sodium is high or low, I can just look at the percentages and see at a glance what the true nutritional value is for that food.

For instance, if you look at the nutritional label above you can quickly see that this food ( I don't know what it is since I just found the image online) is definitely not healthy! It only has 280 calories, but it has many bad nutrients on the high side -- total fat is 20%, saturated fat 25%, and sodium 28%. The good nutrients -- Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Iron are all on the low side since they are under 5%. It looks calcium is a little better with 15%. So by using the 5-10-20 rule you can easily see how healthy this food item is, or isn't!

Try it for yourself, it's kind of fun! Look at some containers in your cupboards and see if the 5-10-20 rules works for you. I'd love to hear if it works for you too.

For more info on reading nutrition labels check out the FDA's site: http://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/consumerinformation/ucm078889.htm

Ignoring Stress

Sometimes we try to ignore stress so we can get things done. Sometimes when we ignore stress our body reminds us that what we were really doing was ignoring our body! When I got home from work today, instead of resting and eating lunch, I ate a protein bar, drove Danielle over to school, and then went shopping at Target. I had a long list of things I needed to pick up, starting with a desperate need for socks for Michael - he probably didn't care about new socks, but his Mom couldn't stand the sight of those crunchy, gray things anymore! After an hour in the store it was time for Danielle to get picked up, but I couldn't find the last few items on my list. I was at a different Target than usual so I criss-crossed the store several times trying to find what I was looking for.

After I finally made it out to my car, I noticed that a spool of ribbon that I was going to buy was laying on the bottom shelf of the cart. Great, I hadn't paid for it! I just really wanted to just throw it in the car and go pick up Danielle. One little voice in my head said: "No one would know...I've been over charged so many times at this store anyway... it's just one spool of ribbon... you'd have to walk all the way back into the store... " However, the other little voice in my head said "be a good example" so, of course, I ignored the first voice and schlepped back into Target and paid for the ribbon. I was a half hour late picking up Danielle, but she was fine.

It was a pretty warm day today and I was now hot, sweaty, and suddenly very tired, hungry, and kinda irritable too. :) I guess that protein bar only lasted so long. When we got home it was time to go through the mail, let the dog out to go pee, and oh look, the trash needs to get taken out. Gosh, I should really vacuum the floor...man that slipcover on the couch needs straightening again... yep, it's been a few days since I've dusted... did I run any wash last night?... hmm, dishes in the sink and crumbs on the counter... I really need to eat something for lunch... when am I going to make that poster for Danielle and wrap that gift?... I told Dayle I'd clean out that cabinet so he can use it for the computer... hungry, I need lunch... I should check my email... lunch, sit, eat...

So, I finally sat and ate. Then I sat and read my scriptures. Then I sat and ignored the bills, the floor, the slipcover, and the dust. That took just 15 minutes and I was feeling better. I read somewhere that just 15 minutes a day doing something for yourself -- a quiet moment, meditation, deep breathing, laying on the floor with your legs resting on a chair/couch, complete relaxation, NO INPUT from TV, computers, cellphones, etc. -- can significantly reduce your stress.

I went outside and watered the flowers, but that was a stress-reducer for me as well. It was a beautiful day outside and the smell of water and dirt makes me happy for some reason. I know when I was a teenager my mom, who was raising three teenagers on her own, was always outside spraying off the driveway and watering the plants. I thought she did it cause she wanted healthy plants, but I think it was a stress-reducer for her too. We always had very healthy plants!

So some things are healthy to ignore -- dust, sloppy slipcover, the vacuuming -- but we just can't ignore our bodies 'cuz it looks like that just leads to more stress!

Right now Danielle is talking on and on about whether or not she should use the blue folder or the green folder for her class notes...oh, and yeah, mom do you know what a monomer is? Mom, the reason we have villi and microvilli in our intestinal tracts is to increase the surface area for absorption of nutrients....on and on and on she goes... I want to ignore her so I can get this blog done, but that might not be one of those healthy things to ignore so I guess I'll stop typing and start listening! Good night.

Healthy Fruit Trifle

I made this dessert for Family Home Evening last night. It's simple to make, delicious, and healthy too! It's great with any kind of berries and bananas, but you could use just about any fruit you have on hand. The angel food cake is low in fat, the Cool Whip is fat free, and the pudding is sugar-free and fat-free -- and it's still yummy!

The only bad thing was that they were gone in seconds. :)

Ingredients:

Store-bought Angel Food Cake (I used a strawberry flavor this time)

Fat Free Cool Whip (thawed)

Sugar-free Fat Free Jello Instant Pudding Vanilla (or chocolate, banana, or cheesecake)

Bananas

Fresh blueberries

Fresh blackberries

Fresh strawberries

Directions:

Prepare the pudding mix as directed. Break the cake into bite size pieces and put a small handful in the bottom of the glass. Layer cake, pudding, fruit, Cool Whip and then repeat.

Enjoy immediately or eat by the next day! Yum!

Super Foods!

I have a little post-it-note on my refrigerator that lists some of the SUPERFOODS that are good to eat on a daily basis. It's just a little reminder for myself to try and eat a little healthier everyday. If I need a little snack, or I'm trying to plan a meal, I'll look to that list to see if I can use any of these foods first.

Superfoods List:

Beans - high in protein and fiber, high fiber helps with weight loss

Blueberries - antioxidants, phytoflavonoids, high in potassium and vitamin C, reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer, a great anti-inflammatory - I LOVE blueberries!

Broccoli - high in vitamins, C, K, and A, a good source of fiber too

Oats - the most soluble fiber of any grain, can lower LDL cholesterol levels, good for your heart!

Oranges - high in vitamin C

Pumpkin - high in fiber, and vitamin A

Salmon - rich in Omega 3's, good for the heart, joints, and memory

Soy - helps lower cholesterol, good source of protein, may help reduce risk of colon cancer

Spinach - Vitamins A, C, E, K, Magnesium, Manganese, Folate, Iron, Vitamin B2, Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Copper, Protein, Phosphorus, Zinc, Niacin, Selenium, and Omega-3 fatty acids -- Wow! No wonder Popeye ate this stuff!

Tomatoes - contain the powerful antioxidant lycopene

Turkey - lean meat protein, heart-healthy nutrients of niacin, selenium, Vitamins B6 and B12, and zinc

Walnuts - another source for Omega 3, can help lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease

Whole Grains - high in fiber, fiber in your diet helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, fiber also keeps you fuller longer, which helps with weight loss

Yogurt - probiotics

Quick Tip: Keep fresh or frozen blueberries on hand and throw a handful on your oatmeal or cold cereal in the morning. Add to pudding or yogurt for a healthy snack.

Resources: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/superfoods-everyone-needs; http://www.foodista.com/food/DN2QM8JR/superfoods; http://www.superfoodsrx.com/

My First Post

Welcome Me! This is my first blog. I am hoping to use this blog as a way to organize my love for great recipes, healthy living, and things that just make me happy. There are so many great websites out there that have recipes that I like to try and tips for staying healthy that I wanted to put it all in one place so I can get access to all of that info easily.

I am trying to live a more healthy life by focusing on the food that I eat and trying to make sure that I not only don't eat unhealthy foods, but that I try to eat foods that are healthy. It seems that so often we go on diets and try to STAY AWAY from certain foods that I thought it could be important to focus on those foods that we SHOULD EAT. :)

In trying to find a name for this blog I wanted to choose something that reflected it's purpose, but it was really hard to find one that wasn't already taken! I liked words like "health nut", "nourished", "home", "hearth", etc. When looking up the word "healthy" it said that "in the pink" was a definition for healthy so since I like the color pink and this will be a collection of sorts that you might find in a kitchen pantry I thought "The Little Pink Pantry" will be good fit.