baked sriracha chicken nuggets

Let me apologize in advance for the minimal photos for this recipe.

To be honest, I wasn't even planning on writing about this because what respectable 25-year-old woman makes her boyfriend chicken nuggets for dinner?

But ya'll.
These turned out incredible.
They're like the healthier, spicier, adult version of chicken nuggets.

This was a last minute decision that I definitely do not regret making.

Chicken nuggets for everyone!

recipe adapted from SkinnyTaste

Things you'll need:

3 medium to large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp Sriracha {or hot sauce of your choice} - I used a little more because we love spice!

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 cup reduced fat grated Parmesan

salt and pepper

cooking spray, preferably olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix olive oil and Sriracha in one bowl, and breadcrumbs and reduced fat Parmesan in another bowl.

Add chicken pieces {in batches} to oil/sauce mixture and toss to completely cover.

Place chicken in breadcrumb/cheese mixture and turn to coat each side.

Lightly spray baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray and arrange finished pieces as seen above.

Sprinkle finished pieces with salt and pepper {or do this before you dip them in oil/sauce mix, whichever you prefer!}, and lightly spray the tops with cooking spray.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Flip all the nuggets over and bake for 4-5 more minutes to crisp them up a bit more.

Et voila!

That's literally it.

This dinner took about 20 minutes total to prepare.

SO. EASY.

According to MyFitnessPal:

Serving size:  11 pieces

Cals/serving: 202

Fat/serving:  9g

Carbs/serving:  14g

Protein/serving:  28g

If you aren't a huge fan of spicy food, feel free to leave out the Sriracha and follow the original recipe.

I just couldn't help myself.

And adding heat was a great way to fancy-up this dish and not feel so horrible about serving chicken nuggets to a grown man.

I also served them with a side of broccoli, so that alone totally makes this an adult meal.

Right?

Quick side note:

I pulled the trigger and signed myself up to be a part of Foodie Penpals, and I was assigned my first penpal yesterday!

I am super excited and can't wait to share with you guys what I receive in my first package!

So that's something to keep an eye out for at the end of the month!

And just like that, we're halfway through the week.

:)

crockpot chicken tortilla soup

Welcome to another edition of the I-love-Mexican-food show.

I honestly can't believe I haven't shared this recipe with you sooner.

For awhile, particularly last summer, we were having this for dinner at least twice a month.
At least.

It's just so easy and delicious!
And on days like today when I've got work all day and an hour of spin class, going home to cook dinner is the last thing I want to do.

Oh, and did I mention it has all those Mexican spices I'm in love with?

Of course it does.

recipe slightly adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks

Things you'll need:

1-2 lbs shredded chicken {approximately 4 medium-sized chicken breasts, boiled and shredded}

1 15oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 can hot enchilada sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can chopped green chiles

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 can low-sodium chicken broth, or 2 1/2 cups

1 can whole kernel corn {or 1 cup frozen corn}

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

dash of cayenne

1/4 tsp. crushed bay leaves

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 package Spanish rice

Lightly grease crockpot with olive oil cooking spray.

Add shredded chicken.

Toss in chopped onion {missing above because I ran out! :(}, zucchini, and garlic.

Add water, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and corn.

Add cilantro, spices, green chiles, and bay leaves.

Instead of crushed bay leaves, I just threw in a whole one and removed it before serving.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, prepare Spanish rice according to package.

Remove from heat and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

When rice is completely cool, stir into soup.

Serve with a sprinkle of cheese and tortilla chips!

You may be able to substitute the rice for quinoa...

I've yet to experiment with that, but I don't see any reason why not.

I'll keep you posted.

According to MyFitnessPal:

Servings: 9

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

Cals/serving: 157

Fat/serving: 1.4g

Carbs/serving: 24g

Protein/serving: 9g

This soup is definitely a favorite over here in the D-W household.

It also makes for amazing leftovers {oh hey lunch tomorrow!}.

And who doesn't like throwing a bunch of delicious things in the crockpot and coming home to a fully cooked dinner?

That's right, everyone likes that.

So get on it.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I've got some new cocktails to share soon with that delicious IZZE Fortified that I was talking about Friday.

Add that to the running list of new obsessions I have.

Happy Monday!

friday things

It's Friday, it's Friday!

Time to jump and scream from the rooftops!

1. This week I have totally slacked on trying new recipes.  It's hard to get motivated when you're only cooking for one.  Joe comes home tonight from San Fran though (!!!!) so I fully plan on making up for my lack of experimenting this weekend.

2. First on the list of things I want to try are these doughnuts.

source

I've never attempted homemade doughnuts before, and I'm not gonna lie, they're intimidating.
And yes, I realize they're healthier baked than fried.
But I've eaten exceptionally well this week and kept up with my workouts, so I might splurge.
If my cheat meal every week is a homemade doughnut, I could die happy.

3. Another thing I want to try this weekend is creating a new cocktail!  I'm thinking maybe with IZZE sparkling soda?

source

Plain old vodka sodas just aren't cutting it anymore.

And, if I'm being honest, I'm not the biggest fan of club soda.

I've been wanting to try LaCroix for awhile now, but I'm still a little wary since it's basically flavored club soda.

Like, I put it in my cart at Costco, walked around for an hour, and then put it back on the shelf because I'm so indecisive.

So I'm thinking IZZE will be a good transition to the world of sparkling water without freaking me out too much.

Yes, I'm thinking this hard about my next alcohol mixer.

4. Since Joe and I haven't gotten to talk too much this week with him being in a different time zone and all, I thought a fun thing to do this weekend would be to have a brunch date.  I've only gone to an actual brunch once with my friend, Lisa, at Meehan's Public House, and it was absolutely amazing.

We're thinking of trying Cafe Intermezzo, since it's walking distance from our place and we haven't gone there in the entire two years we've lived here.

I've got my eye on some toffee french toast!

5. Have you guys ever heard of Foodie Penpals?  I came across it this week and am seriously considering doing it.  It sounds so fun!

6. Another cool thing I came across this week - GLOSSYBOX

Preface to this: I recently got a reward at Sephora for getting so many points on my Beauty Insider card.

So, I chose a little tube of Clinique mascara and have since fallen completely in love with it.

I've never been big on spending tons of money on makeup, but that mascara.

Love.

Enter GLOSSYBOX.  I am totally intrigued by the idea of getting five new beauty products to try every month. 

I almost signed up for BirchBox once but talked myself out of it because I've heard mixed reviews on the products people have received.

Anyone have any opinions on GLOSSYBOX?

I'd love to hear them!

7. One perk of having my boyfriend travel to San Francisco for work = he orders fancy wine from the wineries there for me to try!
We have some very special wine being shipped to our place, so I'm thinking about setting up a cute little tasting for us with some good cheeses and chocolates {Trader Joe's variety, more than likely. Their cheese...oh man}.

Anyone else have any fun plans they're looking forward to?

Or interesting sites they've come across?

Have a great weekend!

cinnamon vanilla skinny granola

Let me preface this post with a quick note about this granola.
If you're looking for the kind of granola that is clumped together in balls held together with honey/other gooey sweeteners, this is not it.

This is more the sprinkle-on-your-yogurt-or-froyo-or-ice-cream-or-milkshake kinda granola.
Sweet, basic, low-fat, and baked just enough to give a good crunch to anything it's added to.

I also think it'd be great sprinkled on apple or banana slices with some almond butter, which is how I plan on enjoying it today.
Mmm snacks.

recipe adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny

Things you'll need:

1/2 cup light brown sugar

3 tbsp water

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup chopped almonds

olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix water and brown sugar.

Microwave for 30 seconds {until sugar has dissolved}.

Stir in cinnamon, oil, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, add rolled oats and chopped almonds.

Pour sugar mixture over oats/almonds.

Stir until well coated.

Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Spread granola mix.

Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring at least twice.

If it's not as crunchy as you'd like when you take it out of the oven, don't fret!

Let it cool for about an hour and you'll find that it's slowly gotten crispier.

Don't make the mistake that I did by putting it back in the oven for 4 extra minutes, or it might taste a little burnt.

Store in an airtight container.

According to MyFitnessPal:

Serving size: 2 tablespoons

Cals/serving: 79

Fat/serving: 3g

Carbs/serving: 13g

Protein/serving: 2g

Next time, I'll be adding peanut butter {I'm thinking PB2!} to up the protein a bit, and definitely some dried fruit for a little extra sweetness.

Also, I'll probably try preheating the oven to 275 instead of 300 since my beast of an oven doesn't understand heat settings.

Until then, now I have an excuse to buy myself a pint of froyo.

Total win.

I'd have to say my favorite part of making this, though, was how it made my apartment smell.

It was unbelievable.

If I ever get around to finally making my own candles, the first one I'm making will be brown sugar scented.

You heard it here first.

How's everyone's week going?

I'm still tired from the Oscars...and it's Wednesday.

When did I get so old?!

#25yearoldprobs

Oh and before I forget, come visit my new Facebook page for the blog!

friday things

1. I am totally over this week.  It's been long, cold, rainy...and today I tried to clean up my desk at work and a spider crawled out from under a stack of papers.  A FREAKING SPIDER!  So yeah, that's how my week has been.

2. Did anyone know it's National Margarita Day?  I can't think of a better way to forget this dreary week than with a marg...like this one maybe.  Treat yo'self.

source

3. I've gone to the gym three days a week, two weeks in a row now!  Staying strong on the fitness train...for now, at least.  I will say this...and I know you've probably heard it a million times, but seriously, a good playlist makes all the difference.  I actually put some effort into making a playlist last week, and it has 100% made working out a little less miserable.

4. This morning Joe and I got tickets to go see The Postal Service on June 6th, and I am super pumped!  Totally brings back flashbacks from my junior and senior years in high school.

Also, I'm excited just to go see a show with Joe.  He's bought me tickets to see three concerts since we've known each other, but he's never gone with me to see one.

I can't understand why on Earth he wouldn't want to be my guest to Hanson, Taylor Swift, or Bieber.  Ha.

5. My obsession with coconut oil is still in full swing {best moisturizer I've ever used, hands down}, but I want to start playing with it more in the kitchen.

And not just on popcorn, even though I did make the best batch of popcorn I've ever had a couple weekends ago - coconut oil, sea salt, and cayenne.
Do it.
Now.

I'm thinking about trying these little buddies next.

6. Can we please talk about how adorable these puppy bowties are?

source

And I don't even really like bowties.
But if it was AJ in a bowtie, I just might.

7.  This weekend will be spent getting some quality time in together before Joe heads out to San Francisco all next week for work, trying to find a new place to live when our lease runs out {two more months!}, and going out in Virginia Highland to celebrate Kayla's birthday.

Oh and of course, THE OSCARS!
I have totally jumped on the I-love-award-shows bandwagon and have been counting down to Sunday.
And I will absolutely be tweeting up a storm, so feel free to follow along!

Anyone else doing anything fun?

Happy weekend, everyone!

parmesan roasted asparagus

Last summer, I got really into using the MyFitnessPal app on my iPhone.

For those of you who don't know, MyFitnessPal is a calorie and diet tracker that can help you keep track of what you're putting into your body during the day.
It also keeps track of all of the physical activity you do, which for me helps me stay focused on whatever weight loss goal I'm working towards.

This week, Joe and I have picked back up with the MyFitnessPal app and I'm super excited about it.
Mostly because I realized I can type in the exact recipes I'm using and it will tell me some of the nutritional info on the food I'm serving.

Color me obsessed.

Rewind to last night.
Asparagus has always been really intimidating to me.

I don't know why really...I guess I've just tasted one too many bad batches.
But for some reason I  got it in my head that I really wanted to tackle this fear and try my hand at it.
{I'm chalking it up to be another weird phase I'm going through, like the one I went through with brussels sprouts and avocado.}
So, I mustered up the courage, bought some asparagus, and started researching good ways to cook it without making it too mushy.

Here's what I came up with.

Things you'll need:

15-20 asparagus spears

2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

ground black pepper

1/4 cup reduced fat grated Parmesan cheese {finely shredded will work also}

Preheat oven to 400 degrees {in my case, 375 - darn you, hot oven}.

Wash and trim asparagus.

I cut about an inch off the bottoms of each spear.

Lightly grease baking sheet with cooking spray.

Arrange asparagus in a line without overlapping.

Drizzle asparagus with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until asparagus is tender and a little browned.

Sprinkle Parmesan over asparagus and return to the over for about a minute, just long enough for the cheese to melt slightly.

Serve with a protein of your choice!

BBQ chicken, in our case.

According to MyFitnessPal, after entering in all of the ingredients:

1 serving: 7 asparagus spears

Total cals: 108

Total fat: 5.7 g

Total carbs: 8.8g

Protein: 5.1g

This is definitely a great low-cal side option on a night when you want to be healthy but also indulge in a little cheese.

Which is basically every night.

For me, anyway.

It's also super easy!

I mean it's basically like 3 ingredients if you don't count the salt and pepper, which are hardly ingredients in my opinion.

And after arm night at the gym, a 3-ingredient dish is about all I can handle.

Tonight Joe is going out with some work friends for dinner, so I'm left to fend for myself.

As of right now, I'm really feeling breakfast for dinner.

I'm thinking french toast...but with this banana bread instead of regular bread.

You're all invited.

spicy chicken and quinoa skillet

I finally did it.

I took the plunge and jumped on the quinoa bandwagon.

I had been debating it for some time...
Is it worth trying when you live with the pickiest eater on Earth?
Is it really as versatile as everyone says?

But yesterday, as I was making a quick run to Costco to buy apples {$10 for 10 pounds!}, a huge display of quinoa had been set up right next to the fruit section.
So obviously, I took it as a sign.

I wanted to start off with a dish that wouldn't freak Joe out too much.

When he saw me bring it in, he immediately said "what is this, it looks like bird food!"

Off to a good start, clearly.

After the dinner I came up with though, I think he's been converted.
As have I!

This was super easy to throw together, and the quinoa was the perfect substitute for rice.
Honestly, I could barely tell the difference with all of the other flavors going on.

Things you'll need:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 can Rotel

3 medium sized chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

1 cup frozen sweet corn

1/2 shredded fiesta blend cheese {or any shredded cheese of your liking!}

dash of salt

dash of cayenne

pepper, to taste

cumin, to taste

chili powder, to taste

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions, using low-sodium chicken broth instead of water for extra flavor.

2. While quinoa is cooking, boil chicken breasts for approximately 15 minutes.  Shred and sprinkle with cumin, chili powder, and pepper.

3. To skillet, add cooked quinoa, shredded chicken, Rotel, corn, and cheese.  Sprinkle salt, cayenne, and add more pepper, cumin, and chili powder until you reach desired taste.  We like things on the spicy side, so I added a lot of spice.

*Note: If mixture is a little thick, just add a splash of chicken broth to loosen it up a bit.  I had to do this because it seemed a little heavy after adding the cheese, and it worked like a charm!

4. Serve on chips, in tortillas, or just in a bowl! {We went with the latter, and it was great all by itself.}

That's literally it!

Easiest dinner ever.

I threw this together in 20 minutes and was back on the couch in time for the Amazing Race premier.

Which reminds me, I've got my eye on you, Bora Bora.

One day you and I will meet.

Mark my words.

Oh and ps:

Joe agreed that this dinner should be added to the rotation.

So that really says it all, in my opinion.

Have you made anything interesting with quinoa lately?

I need all the tips I can get!