Grilled Chicken Dijon

I'm always looking for recipes that meet my most important criteria: Easy. Fast. Clean. And dammit, they'd better taste good, too. And guess what? This one hits them all. Start to finish, this yummy dinner will only cost you a total of 15 minutes. Here's what you'll need to serve 2:

• 1 clove garlic, crushed 
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 
• 6 fresh parsley sprigs (or thyme, marjoram, or rosemary), finely chopped 
• 1 dash sea salt (or Himalayan salt) 
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 2 (4-oz.) each raw chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

PROTIP: Double (or more!) this recipe and have extra servings for a big family, or even leftovers for work. This reheats great! I also made amazing honey dijon chicken wraps with the leftovers for my husband's work lunch. Try it out, and don't be afraid to get creative!

The secret to this quick preparation is using the broil function on your oven- but take it from someone who knows, and make sure not to leave the room! Just a few extra minutes on a high broil, and we are talking chicken hockey-pucks. :P  So step one, turn that broiler on! Step two is to prepare your dijon glaze.

In a bowl, mix your garlic, mustard, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Now, in my case, I went with a coarse ground mustard, so mine is not as much of a marinade as a paste-- and I LIKE it that way! Yours can be more or less dense, depending on your ingredients and individual tastes. Spoon or brush your chicken breasts evenly with the mustard-garlic mixture.

PROTIP: I like to use a lightly coated piece of foil to line my baking sheet, simply to minimize cleanup.

Your next step? Grill (or broil) chicken for 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. As with all poultry, you want an internal temperature of 165 degrees (salmonella is not your friend!). So keep an eye on that timer or thermometer, and stay close. In just a few minutes, you'll have a meal of tangy deliciousness.

All that's left is to pick your side! I tend to consume any carbs I have earlier in the day, so my body can utilize them for energy, as they are intended! So for me, dinner usually looks like this: protein + vegetable. For our meal, we went with some green beans to offset this yummy centerpiece. 5 minutes, of prep, 10 minutes to cook, 1 happy family.

In my challenge groups, I focus on giving you the tools to be successful with your meal plan, not only during the group but for life! we want lasting lifestyle changes-- and that doesn't mean starving or eating foods that don't taste good! We share recipes like this, along with motivation and support as we work through some amazing workouts. Want to join us? Message me! I have a group starting soon!

And one more thing I know you're wondering-- the NUTRITION! Now, if you know me, you know I don't calories, i follow the portion fix containers that make it easy for me to know how much of what to eat. If you follow that plan, you're looking at one red and 1 1/2 teaspoons per serving. Not too shabby! And if you aren't doing that plan, here's the old fashioned info: 

• Calories: 199 
• Total Fat: 10g 
• Carbohydrates: 2g 
• Protein: 24g

Perfect if you are following a ketogenic diet, a low carb lifestyle, or just plain like good food! And if you decide to make it, let me know what you think-- I'd love to hear from you! And if you're looking for support on your fitness journey, reach out. I'm here! As always, live healthy, live happy. Love, Amanda 

Hummus Crusted Chicken

Tasty? Healthy? Easy? ✅✅✅ CHECK! I love this recipe! It takes less than 25 minutes to cook (only about 3 minutes to prepare!), and the whole family enjoys it. It reheats beautifully and the leftovers are super versatile (think wraps, quesadillas, and more). Give it a try and let me know what you think! 

You will need: 

4 4-6ounce Chicken breasts

1/2 cup hummus

1/2 lemon 

Cracked pepper

Rosemary/parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. place 4 chicken breasts cut to equal size for even cooking on pan. Squeeze lemon juice over all 4. 

 

Spread hummus on top and sides. Sprinkle Rosemary, parsley, fresh cracked pepper, and a dash of sea salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes (I remove it from the oven when the internal temp hits 160). That's it! Let it rest... then serve with your choice of veggie- to keep it simple and easy, I grab a steamer bag of veggies out of the freezer (busy mom pro-tip. :)

If you follow my meal plans (which of course you SHOULD!), this will count as: 1 Red, 1 green, 1/2 blue per serving. 

 Do you need support on your fitness journey? I would love to help you! Simply send me a message! I hope you'll subscribe and share this if it helped you. As always, live healthy, live happy! Love, Amanda

 

A Healthy Kicken' Chicken Salad

I really love the chicken salad wraps and sandwiches from Arby's, but although they brand them as healthy, they simply aren't. They are chock-full of mayo and unhealthy sugar and fat that you don't really need in your healthy diet. One thing that has helped be be successful with my clean-eating lifestyle, not only losing 95 pounds but KEEPING it off, is finding ways to make these favorite recipes in a way that actually is good for me and that y whole family enjoys. This way, I never feel like I'm missing out. This chicken salad is my own version, inspired by Autumn Calabrese' recipe from the Fixate cookbook. **If you haven't heard of that cookbook but want to get your hands on your own copy, you can find it here.**

I always start my week by prepping chicken breast in the oven. It saves me time and money throughout the week, and I can use it in various recipes.

Here's what you'll need to make my version of this delicious salad, with the 21 Day Fix Container equivalents also:

• 1 Cup Chopped Celery (1 Green)
• 1 Cup Chopped Red Seedless Grapes (1 Purple)
• 1 Cup Chopped Apple (1 Purple)
• 1 1/2 Cups Chopped Chicken Breast (Bake your own like I did or buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it to save time!)

For the dressing part, you'll need:

• 3 T Rice or Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 T Local Raw Honey
• 3 T Dijon or Stone Ground Mustard
• 1 1/2 Cups Plain Greek Yogurt (2 Reds)

Take a few minutes to prep your ingredients and chop them up.

I wait until I'm ready to use the chicken to chop it up. This prevents it from drying out in the fridge. :)

This is really so simple. First, mix your dressing base together in a bowl (yogurt, vinegar, honey, and mustard). You can add salt and pepper to taste.

Once you've done this, dump all your chopped ingredients on top!

Fold, or gently mix your ingredients together in the bowl. That's it! You now have your Creamy Chicken Salad!

If you divide this entire bowl into two portions, it will count as 1 Purple, 1 Green, 2 Reds, and 1/2 an orange on the 21 Day Fix Plan. Yes, that's a HUGE amount of salad! I personally broke it up over 2 meals at work. Questions? Just ask!

I love to use this on whole grain wraps, but you can also place it on whole grain bread to make a sandwich, or even put it on crispy lettuce bibs to avoid the carbs!

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and your family loves it as much as I do. Please comment on this post if you have any questions, and share this recipe with those you think will want to try it! As always, I'm here for you if you need help and support on your fitness journey. Live healthy, live happy! Love, Amanda

Quick Clean Chicken Cacciatore

I can't tell you exactly what a cacciatore is, because- well, I'm French-Canadian, not Italian. :) But I can tell you what I look for in a new recipe: I want it to be easy and not overly time consuming, full of clean (or mostly-clean) ingredients, and taste delicious (passing the husband-kid test).

An added bonus if it's easy to double or makes multiple portions. I want it to stretch into more than one meal so I can take it to work at night at the hospital, AND feed my family at home at the same time.

This awesome recipe from the Team BeachBody Blog fits the bill in every one of those categories. It was especially fun to photograph as I made it, due to the vibrant colors of the amazing vegetables. It's also easily made vegetarian, simply by substituting tofu for (or leaving out) the chicken. I hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you thought! Here's what you'll need:



Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. raw chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium celery stalk, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 (14.5 oz.) can whole tomatoes
1½ tsp. dried basil, crushed
Ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium eggplant, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes (you can substitute 2 more zucchini if you don't feel like eggplant)
6 fresh parsley sprigs, finely chopped (for garnish, optional)


Preparation:
1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

2. Add chicken; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Tip: Make sure you have it on medium high or your chicken will cook too slowly and also be more dry!



***You'll spend about ten minutes prepping if you chop this all at once and about 20 minutes cooking, start to finish. :) ***



3. Add onion, celery, garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes or until onion begins to soften.


4. Add tomatoes, basil, and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes. This is easy, right?


5. Add zucchini and eggplant; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle, and juices run clear. Tip: Never be afraid to pull out that thermometer (165 for poultry) or better yet, cut a piece in half and make sure there's no pink!

6. Garnish with parsley if desired. Trust me, you do. It not only gives it a little wow factor, but it adds a good counterbalance of flavor.

Tip: Chicken Cacciatore can be served over brown rice or whole wheat pasta. Add a yellow for the container of whole grains- I personally used my favorite quinoa blend from Costco and it was amazing, adding a nutty crunch and texture!



This recipe is good for four portions, each serving is 2 greens and 1 red on the container system I use to keep my eating healthy and proportioned. To get your hands on it, go here, or email me any time with questions! So, I simply divided it into 4 Tupperware containers and had myself 4 ready to eat meals to take to work over the next few nights. I love simple!







If you don't know me yet, my name is Amanda Noddings, and I am a busy mother of two who works full time in Nursing. I am also a Star Diamond Beachbody Coach. Through my own journey to lose over 90 pounds and fight depression after the loss of my baby, I have revived my life with a new purpose for helping others and a passion for health and fitness!



To contact me about joining Team Driven, having Free coaching and support, or getting started with a program and achieving your health and fitness goals, fill out this quick contact form and I'll get back to you ASAP:
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