Cashew Panko Crusted Baked Chicken

Hellllllo everybody!

I made this the other day for dinner and it was SUPER delicious AND easy to make. You don't have to use cashews if you don't want to, you can use almonds or no kind of nuts at all. (Add coconut if you're feeling adventurous!)

Ingredients:

♡ 1-2 chicken breasts 

♡ olive oil

♡ season salt

♡ cashews (or not)

♡ panko crumbs (see recipe below on how to make your own it if you don't have it)

♡ baking spray

♡ foil and baking sheet

♡ coconut (optional)

Recipe:

1. Cut up your chicken breast into pieces however you'd like it, so either into strips for chicken tenders or chunks to make nuggets.
2. In a bowl put about 2 tsp olive oil and toss the chicken in and make sure all is covered (this will keep the chicken moist and juicy when you bake it!). Sprinkle with some season salt and pepper for taste.
3. Finely chop up your cashews (in a blender, using a knife or however you can manage to get them chopped up) and mix with panko crumbs in a separate bowl.
4. Begin taking your chicken pieces and toss them in the cashew-panko crumb mixture until covered. 
5. Set on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with baking spray. Place into the oven at 400 degrees and cook for about 25-30min (or until it's cooked to you liking).
6. Break out some dipping sauce and enjoy!

**Don't have Panko Crumbs on hand? If you have some slices of bread, here's how to make it!*

1. In a blender or food processor, grind up a couple slices of bread (try to make at least 2-3 cups or more, depending on how much chicken you are trying to make).
2. Spread the crumbs onto a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 5-10min. Check on the panko crumbs and make sure they are DRY, NOT BURNT. After all, we're just trying to remove the moisture from the bread :)

Trader Joes Valentine's Day Adventure!

I finally was able to make it out to Trader Joes yesterday with the hubby and we had a blast shopping in there. Not only do they have a great variety of healthy choices, they offer awesome prices to go with it! We walked out with a bunch of food to last us a good long while for about $62, SCORE! This is also including the $6.99 insulated cooler bag we bought in blue that was ENORMOUS so we could just leave our groceries in the car for the rest of the day (works perfectly!)

If you ever have the chance to go to Trader Joes, they have a ready-made food in the refrigerated sections along the wall where the vegetables are, organic vegetables, craft beers, etc. There's just too much to name! AND the packaging on this stuff! Amazing. Even their advertising signs throughout the store are great. 

Last, but not least, I FINALLY bought some Cookie Butter. HOLY MOLY serious mouthgasm. MUST TRY. They have a few different varieties, but we just chose to get the regular one. Now they even have the sandwich cookies made with the cookie butter as well!!!

 

Here's a link to their website: Trader Joes

CHECK IT OUT! :)

Chicken Alfredo w/ Broccoli (The Healthier Version!)

Full Disclosure: I didn't have broccoli.

Okay, let's begin.
I used this recipe --> http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-and-broccoli-alfredo/

BUT, I wanted to share the ingredients I used to just make this a bit healthier!

The noodles I used were by Ronzini Healthy Harvest Spaghetti

I bought Cream of Mushroom of course, but I used the Healthy Request version 

(it had waaaay less calories, pretty much 1/2).

I also bought a small can of organic mushrooms to add. I also added some salt and onion powder (maybe a teaspoon, but you can add more for taste if that isn't enough!)

Here was my end result, sorry for the lighting, it MAY or MAY NOT look appetizing.

Just follow the recipe and everything will turn out really amazing! 

Cat's Favorite Energizing Greek Yogurt Mix

Making this little mix is not hard at all and only takes about 5 minutes of your time to put together. My choice of Greek Yogurt is Oikos 0% Fat Vanilla Green Yogurt (by Dannon). I loved the texture of their Greek Yogurt from trying their Bananas Foster flavored yogurt (my very 1st taste of Greek Yogurt ever). DON'T mess up and get the plain flavor, because unless you like that sour taste, no amount of honey or sweet fruit will get that taste our of your mouth. Just stick to using it for a substitutes in making sauces.

Click here to see the health benefits of Greek Yogurt :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt (again I used Oikos)
• 1/2 banana
• blueberries (however many you'd like)
• almonds (however many you'd like - I like a lot)
• honey
• bowl
• Feel free to add: granola 
• Substitute: any fruit (or add to the mix - we just want fresh fruit!), almonds for something else

I eat this snack during any time of the day (on weekdays when I work, it's usually 1/2 for breakfast and 1/2 for lunch). It keeps you full throughout the day and you don't have to feel guilty for eating something that tastes so delicious! 

Have an energizing day!