Carmelized Onion Chicken with a Broccoli Side Salad!

This is a very easy recipe that actually tastes more complicated than it is!  I haven't made it in years but found it in the old messy recipe binder I have so I gave it a go.  Everyone loved it and it really is a one skillet dish!  I serve it on top of rice with this Broccoli Chinoise on the side.  I think it's great and compliments the chicken really well!

Carmelized Onion Chicken

(serves 4)

1 lb of chicken tenders
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1 t. olive oil
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 t. minced ginger  (I use a microplane to grate it when frozen)
1/2 t. dried rosemary
fresh rosemary to garnish

Directions:
1.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, and saute for 2 minutes.  Add chicken to the pan, saute 8 minutes or until chicken is done.  Remove onion and chicken from pan.
2.  Add jam and remaining ingredients to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Return chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes stirring occasionally.

Yield:  each serving size is 3 ounces of chicken and 1 T. sauce

Broccoli Chinoise
1 lg bunch of broccoli (about 3 stalks)
1 T. sesame seeds

dressing:
2 T Sesame Oil
1/4 C. rice vinegar
1 T soy sauce (reduced sodium)
1/2 t. sugar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste

1.  Cut the flowerets off the stalks, cut the stems on a slant into slices about 3/8 inch thick, and cut the flowerets into bite sized pieces.  Place the broccoli in a steamer rack and steam until tender crisp (about 5 to 7 mins).  Run under cold water when finished.
2.  In a heavy skillet over medium heat, taost the sesame seeds until they are golden, shaking pan to avoid burning the seeds.  Remove the seeds from the pan, and, when they are cool, sprinkle over broccoli.
3.  Combine the dressing ingredients, and pour the dressing over the broccoli, tossing to mix the salad well.

In Good Health,
Krista

Hello birdies...

Have you noticed the birds are getting busy here in the Northeast?  I love hearing them early in the morning because it means that we are closer to SPRING!! :)  Yes, it's still early and we could get a wallop of winter in the next month but the weather has been mellow and even if it's a tease for us, I am looking forward to it!

For me that means I change my food prep a bit.  Not that the grill has been closed all winter but I look forward to more seasonal fruits, veggies, salads, and smoothies!  I love throwing what ever fruit I have into the blender for my kids who drink them without protest!  I have a chapter in my upcoming book on "Efficient Cooking Methods" that helps busy moms use tools such as the blender for easy and healthy foods.  Most of us don't realize all the jobs a blender can do for us!  While I love to use them to mix up fun party drinks like Margaritas in the Summer they are really helpful in the kitchen in so many ways.  You can incorporate natural whole foods while not losing any of the original flavors you may be accustomed to.  Blenders are great for making smoothies, milk shakes, soups, dips and spreads, breads, all kinds of desserts and more.

One trick I use it for is hiding food from being noticed.  When I make lasagna I like to add some kale to my sauce for extra nutritional value without being obvious to my family.  You can certainly add a few leaves (depending on the size of the kale) without being noticed.  I also love to add beans such as cannellini to my chicken noodle soup!  I add some beans to the chicken broth and combine in the blender until smooth. It looks creamy and really adds a nice flavor with the benefits of the beans to those who would never ever eat a bean if put in front of them!  You can pretty much add whatever you'd like to try in a recipe without it being detected if you use a blender with some great blender power.  I've had many blenders over the years.  Most of them don't last very long but if you are serious about using an exceptional blender, please take my advice and invest in the VitaMix blender.  It is used every single day in my house (several times a day) and it's amazing!!!
http://www.vitamix.com/

Berry Delicious Smoothie

Yield: 3 cups (720 ml)

Preparation: 10 minutes
Processing: 45 seconds

1 cup (150 g) frozen pineapple

1 (118 g) ripe banana, peeled

1 cup (150 g) frozen unsweetened strawberries

1/3 cup (50 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/3 cup (30 g) cranberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup (120 ml) ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. 2. Select Variable 1. 3. Turn machine on and slowly increase to Variable 10, then to High. 4. Blend for 45 seconds or until desired consistency is reached.

Health Classification: Diabetic Friendly, Low Fat, Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Heart Healthy, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw

 Stay tuned for the green smoothies in my next blog!

Be Well,
Krista

Coming soon:  
"Winning the Game:  The Busy Mom's Manual to Refueling Her Athletic Family in Six Easy Steps"

"Eliminate Garbage by Adding High Performance Ingredients"

Hello Friends!

If you are the busy mom (or dad) of a young athlete you probably have your hands full with feeding your kids let along feeding them well!  There are so many nutritional claims on products and the advertising that targets our young athletes is often times over the top!  In my forthcoming book "Winning the Game:  The Busy Mom's Manual to Refueling her Athletic Family in Six Easy Steps,"   I have a chapter devoted to "Eliminating Garbage by Adding High Performance Ingredients."  I think it's important to take a step away from the tv ads, magazines and supermarket displays if we want to see clearly what is being ingested by our kids.  If you are busy juggling schedules it is sometimes difficult to stand your ground when your kids are bugging you for that candy or ice cream at the snack stand isn't it?

Here is a very simple list of some power foods that help young athletes in a variety of ways:

Eggs - helps build muscle and burn fat
Oatmeal - boosts energy, reduces cholesterol and maintains blood sugar levels
Beans and other legumes - (ex chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans) helps build muscle, burn fat and        maintain digestion
Green vegetables - neutralizes the free radicals
Almonds, seeds and other nuts - builds muscle and helps with cravings
Lean meats - especially farm raised animals that are not factory raised - builds muscle, improves the immune system
Whole Grain Breads and Cereals - helps prevent you from storing fat
Olive Oil - lowers cholesterol and boosts immune system

These are not the health food store variety of specialty foods!  They are probably in your house now!  If your young athlete is interested in taking his/her game to the next level by improving his health and wellness this may be the right time to implement simple changes in his/her routine.  These foods should be eaten by all of us however the physical and mental stress that young athletes face often compromises their immune system.

There are many ways to substitute foods that or children may be used to eating.  One of my biggest pet peeves is the snack stand that sells garbage to our kids.  The amount of garbage consumed during one baseball game, soccer game, summer swim meet is absurd!  The artificial colorings (not getting into food sensitivities, ADD, ADHD here ), high fructose corn syrup and empty calories is at an epidemic.  Yes, you can set boundaries for your children.  If you are consistent with your expectations, you will find that they really are ok with eating some nice crunchy grapes, apples, or blueberries instead of a gooey rope of candy.

Stay tuned for some more strategies!
Be Well,
Krista

~ Parents who are afraid to put their food down usually have children who step on their toes.

                              Chinese Proverb

2 YEAR CRANNIVERSARY IN THE BIG EASY!

Gooood Morning Everyone from N'Awlins!


I am celebrating my 2 year cranniversary (yes, that's what we brain tumor peeps call our surgery's anniversary) here in one of the best places to celebrate!  We are having so much fun and eating such amazing food (and I'm even getting tons of my favorite greens in brand new ways) that it's hard to really put myself back in the mindset of two years ago at St Luke's Hospital in NYC.  I am continually grateful to everyone who inquires how I'm doing and understands that I'm not blowing them off if I don't see them next to me!

I'll update you on the status of my radiation soon - I have a second opinion pending that will help me decide what option is best for the treatment of the remaining bugger that is still in my brain.  We will knock it out from growing in the way that the experts and I  feel is safest.

Gotta get this day started!  We are going to explore the many parts of the city again today ...
In Gratitude,

Krista

St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square

At Pat O'Briens

"This doesn't even taste like it's good for you..." in response to my kale chips!

I don't usually post two blogs a night but I had to laugh when my fussy eater actually couldn't stay out of the kale chips that I just made.  I mean she is a total meat and potatoes kinda girl who now has braces that don't allow her to eat all the raw veggies she used to eat prior to the metal!

I've posted the kale chips recipe before but I had to laugh about her quote up there!  I was in Whole Foods today and was trying to be smart and not overbuy everything in the produce aisle like I usually do.  I got to the kale and had to buy it because it is one of the best veggies on Earth and they actually have the organic variety.  (See my post on dirty dozen to see why).  It costs about $3.59 per bunch which sounds like a lot but when I made these kale chips I thought about how if I had bought a bag of these chips it would have cost me around $8!  So for a few minutes of work (and seriously the olive oil was a treat for my cracked skin!) I had three cookie trays worth of chips.  NOT TOO BAD!

Again here are some benefits to eating kale:
one cup contains only 43 calories
5 grams of fiber
all the requirements for vitamins A and C for the day
134 milligrams of Calcium (that's why it's called the "heavy hitting crucifer")

Kale Chips

*1-2 bunches of kale (aka "King of Calcium and "heavy hitting crucible)
*olive oil
*sea salt or other spices you like (I use Gomasio, curry or cumin)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Remove kale from stalk, leaving the green in large pieces
Brush or use your fingers to lightly oil the kale
Put the kale on a baking sheet and bake for 4 mins. or until it starts to turn a bit brown.  Keep an eye as it can burn quickly!

Remove and serve!

Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken ... Easy and Delish!

This is an oldie but a goodie ... I hadn't made it in years but needed something new for the crew and it worked!  Low carb eating (of course I added in sweet potatoes and sauteed veggies) that you can do quickly.

Balsamic Chicken

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. flour ... you can experiment with different kinds if you are gluten intolerant

2T. olive oil

2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup chicken broth

1 t. dried thyme

Place the flour, salt and pepper on a dinner plate.  Dredge the chicken breasts and tap off any extra flour.  

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and brown quickly - both sides, about 2 minutes per side.  Next, add the vinegar and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer until the vinegar is reduced by about two-thirds.

Add the chicken broth and continue to simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked - about 10 minutes.  Remove the chicken and keep warm.  Add the thyme and keep the sauce boiling until it's reduced a bit more, about another 10 minutes.  Serve the sauce over the chicken.

Enjoy this meal with your family!  

In Gratitude,

Krista