chicken

Chicken and Peppers with Goat Cheese

Once upon a time I had this little ol’ blog and the only people who read it were mom and dad (thanks guys!) Ironically enough, it was during these first six months that I posted most of my recipes. Since then, I’ve started focusing more on the workout aspect of healthy living, and I leave the recipe development up to the pros like Erin, Arman, and Dannii.

So while I’m sure I’ll come up with new stuff here and there, I think it’s time to share some of the best things I’ve ever made, and hope you like them too. There’s something about spring that makes me want to start creating recipes again, and also start sharing healthy food ideas, not just fitness tips.

Chicken and Peppers with Goat Cheese

Ingredients

3 grilled chicken breasts (precooked)
16 oz bag of quinoa (or brown rice)
4 assorted bell peppers (we used yellow, orange, and green)
1 large yellow onion
1/2 of a 5oz. log of goat cheese–more or less depending on your preference
2 15oz. cans TJ’s Organic Great Northern Beans (or any other kind of white bean)
Cumin (start with 3 tbls. and add according to taste/preference)

Start by cooking the quinoa according to the instructions on the bag. Once it is cooked season it with a tablespoon of cumin and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Once the quinoa is cooking, chop your peppers and onions. You want these pieces to be bite-sized but not too small.

Sautee the chopped peppers and onions in olive oil until cooked, but still crispy. Season with salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of the cumin.

Once the peppers and onions are cooked, add the chicken breasts (chopped). Finally, stir in the goat cheese! Mix only until the goat cheese is combined throughout. Add your third tablespoon of cumin, along with a few pinches of salt and pepper.

Now that everything is combined, it’s important to keep tasting until the amount of cumin is just right. It’s a very important flavor that really adds a lot to the dish, so make sure you use enough. You can always add more, but you can never take some back!

Serve with the quinoa and a simple side salad. I made one using my dijon mustard dressing and leafy greens.

white cheddar tequila trout (it’s not what you think)

Oooo how gross is that title? But it got you to click, right? Bwahaha my master plan is working – shock and awe will keep you all coming back for more! In all seriousness, though, isn’t it funny how you can churn out content almost daily for entire blog posts and then it’s time to come up with a title and you’re like “Uhhh….”. Oh the irony….

I promise I’ll have a recap soon of my juice cleanse attempt (emphasis on the word attempt) but I really feel like I’ve committed a major blogger sin by skipping out on “What I Ate Wednesday”. When I first started reading food blogs (Kath Eats Real Food was my gateway drug) that was my favorite part! Scrolling through photo after photo of snacks, sandwiches, skillets, and everything in between got me through the day when I was working at my first summer internship. One of the first realities I faced when I started blogging was no, you can’t just upload iPhone photos of fish and veggies every single day and call it a healthy living blog. These types of outlets require covering a vast number of topics, and food is just the tip of the iceberg. But hey, we all love a good photo dump every once in awhile, right? So in homage to my blog-obsession roots, I’m going to share some of the best things I’ve eaten in the past week or so.

Lentil soup – it never sounds good but 9 out of 10 times it knocks my socks off

Trader Joe’s chicken and verde salsa burritos (an incredibly easy frozen food option) alongside some tortilla chips, salsa and peas. I’m a pea freak lately!

Tequila and good conversation mix very well 🙂

Why has no one told me about this white cheddar mac and cheese before? I about died and went to heaven

Deep dish from the Art of Pizza in Lakeview – my new favorite (the two pounds of cheese per slice helped)

Overnight oats – never pretty, always delicious

Easily the best sandwich I’ve had in awhile: chicken, roasted tomatoes, pesto, arugula and provolone.

Food Ease hot bar inside Water Tower place: Joe’s Crab Shack Roasted Tomatoes, Herb Roasted Trout, and Roasted Potatoes. Talk about a high-class lunch!

I will never turn down a Chipotle date with Zman 🙂

Let’s end the post with something I’m grateful for today: I’m grateful for the ability to read! Can you imagine never learning that basic skill? I love reading about other people’s life experiences and creative writing pieces so I’m very appreciative that I grew up in a place that values education.

Okay…now let’s hear from you!

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten in the past week?
What’s one thing you’re grateful for today?

keep calm and run like simba

Hey all!

I hope you had a kickass weekend. Mine was….busy to say the least, but I like it that way! I ate great food and even got to run outside, so I can’t complain. The fact that it was warm enough to get outside and pound the pavement got me way too excited for spring, a pretty premature feeling here in Chicagoland according to the weatherman.

But hey, I’ll take what I can get. The only downside was I couldn’t find a headband for the life of me so I looked like Simba by mile four.

One of the most important things I did this weekend was sign up for the Shamrock Shuffle downtown this upcoming Sunday! I was going back and forth about actually running this…call it fear, call it laziness, call it tight-wallet syndrome but I just couldn’t commit. Well I finally bit the bullet yesterday and registered. I’ll be running with my friend Jordan, and with a new playlist and visions of our post-race brunch, I’m confident that I’m going to kick butt. Here’s to hoping it hits 40 degrees!

In terms of food I’ve been trying to incorporate more veggies and pure sources of protein into my diet in preparation of summer, and I’ve definitely been making some progress! Like we talked about last week, it’s hard to crave veggies in cold weather (unless they’re covered in cheese, of course) but I’ve done a decent job. Not to mention I’m still balancing those healthy choices with things like cheesy chicken quesadillas the size of my head and chocolate. It’s a work in progress.

I have a crazy amount of work to do over the next few days so I’ll be back on Wednesday! But until then, here are a few pictures of my weekend happenings. Have a great Monday! Can you believe it’s almost April? Good lord.

shrimp, jicama, avocado, black beans, queso fresco, corn, peppers, tomatoes and onions

Protein Box from Starbucks

Pounded chicken with a panko/red pepper flake/garlic crust, baked at 400 for 45 minutes. Served with “hot pasta” aka pasta, finger hot peppers, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic and salt. Also the smallest glass of wine you’ll ever see