Chicken with Spinach and Prosciutto Smothered in Provolone - 377 Calories/14 Weight Watchers Points

I know it's been awhile since I've posted any recipes, I just haven't been feeling very creative - until tonight. One thing that I'll be changing is, in addition to the calorie count, I'll be adding the Weight Watchers points for those that are following Weight Watchers. Tonight's point count is 14 and it include protein, green veggie, and dairy.

6 Ounce bomeless, skinless chicken breast.
1 Ounce sharp provolone
1 Ounce prosciutto
2 Cups fresh spinach
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Oregano

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Heat coconut oil in a nonstick pan on high. Drop prosciutto in and sear rapidly on both sides and remove from the pan and set aside. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breast with oregano and black pepper. Brown both sides of the chicken and place on a baking pan. Add the spinach, garlic, and crushed red pepper (to taste) to the pan and sauté until wilted. Remove from heat. Layer the prosciutto on top of the chicken followed by the spinach. Bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, layer the provolone and bake until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and serve.

Serves 1

Tomatillo Lime Chicken - 282 Calories per Serving (Serves 2)

I have always thought about cooking with tomatillos, as they looked very interesting. While I was at C&D Produce on Military and Investment Lane (great produce and CHEAP!) I saw some and figured I'd buy them. When I got them home I thought "what the hell am I going to make with them?" So I threw this together, and it was great!

1 Pound of boneless/skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 Tomatillos, peeled, washed, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Sweet onion, cut in half and thickly sliced
2 Jalapenos, thinly sliced (I leave the seeds in for more heat, remove the seeds for less heat)
1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
1 Teaspoon of cumin
1/2 Teaspoon of white pepper
1/2 Teaspoon of salt
1/2 Cup of organic vegetable broth
1 Lime (for juice)

Spray a nonstick pan with olive oil and heat on high. Add the chicken and saute for 3 minutes or until well browned. Add the tomatillos, onion, jalapenos, and garlic. Continue to saute for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the spices and vegetable broth. Cook well until the sauce becomes thick and the tomatillos "break down" (become soft and break apart). You may need to add abit more broth. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the mixture and stir well. Continue to season to taste. Remove from heat and serve.
Serves 2

Bacon Wrapped Veggie Stuffed Chicken - 400 Calories

Bacon, chicken, veggies, what's not to love? Oh, did I mention BACON?? There aren't alot of spices in this recipe because the bacon adds alot of flavor and the cumin and marjoram add a nice, clean flavor.

8 Ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast, split almost all the way through and pounded to about 1/4 inch thin
3 Strips of nitrate free, uncured bacon
4 Asparagus spears
1/2 Red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/4 Red onion, sliced thin
1ish Cup leaf spinach
1 Teaspoon minced garlic
Marjoram
Cumin
Salt
Black pepper
Splash of vegetable broth

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a nonstick pan with olive oil from the misto and heat on high. Add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and asparagus and saute for 3 minutes. Add the spinach and a splash of vegetable broth. Saute until the spinach is wilted and remove from heat. Sprinkle the chicken breast with salt, pepper, cumin, and marjoram. Place the vegetables on the chicken breast, then fold/roll closed. Wrap the chicken with the bacon. Place on a pan and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from the oven and let rest for 5 - 7 minutes and serve.
Serves 1

Cauliflower Leek Soup - 100 Calories

I love cauliflower soup! My grandma and dad make great soup but use flower and cream. This is completely paleo friendly, tastes great, and has my own twist on it!

1 Head of cauliflower
1 Leek
2 Cups of organic vegetable broth
1 Cup unsweetened, silk coconut milk
1 Tablespoon of ghee
1 Teaspoon of salt
1/2 Teaspoon of pepper
1/2 Teaspoon of curry powder

Microwave the cauliflower until soft. Pull all the florets off and place in a pot. In a separate nonstick pan, add the ghee and the leek. Sauté until soft and add to the cauliflower. Mash with a potato masher and add the vegetable broth and coconut milk. With an electric mixer, mix until you get to the consistency you want. I like mine alittle chunky. You can also use an immersion blender to make the soup creamier. Add the spices, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Serves 4

Chicken with Spinach and White Sweet Potato - 355 Calories

Tonight, as usual, I opened up the fridge and said "what the hell am I going to cook? Let's see...I have chicken (as usual), spinach, white sweet potato, onion, and tomato." So I threw it all together as below...

7 Ounces of chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
1 White sweet potato, microwaved, peeled, and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Cups of spinach
1 Plum tomato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 Onion, sliced
1 Teaspoon marjoram
1/2 Teaspoon oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
Splash of vegetable broth

Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto, heat on high. Add chicken and sauté for 3 minutes. Add all the vegetables except for the spinach and sauté unto the onion is tender. Add a splash of vegetable broth to deglaze the pan. Add the spices and sauté well. Add the spinach and another splash of vegetable broth and sauté until the spinach is wilted.
Serves 1

Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Chicken - 483 Calories

Everyone that knows me knows I love the heat. I also love sweet. This dish is the best of both worlds! Sweet and spicy sriracha chicken. Sriracha gives it the heat and honey the sweet. Since commercial sriracha isn't paleo, I found a quick and easy sriracha recipe on nomnompaleo.com (http://nomnompaleo.com/post/36060636540/paleo-sriracha-homemade-20-minute-sriracha). When I made the sriracha, I did not cut and discard the seeds and ribs because I wanted a hotter sauce. I also substituted a plum tomato and unsweetened organic ketchup with 3 drops of organic stevia extract for the tomato paste.

9 Ounces on boneless/skinless chicken breast but into 1 inch chunks

1/2 Red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 Red onion sliced

6 Stalks of baby bok choy, each stalk cut into 4 pieces

2 Tablespoons of sriracha

1 Tablespoon of minced garlic

1 Tablespoon of ghee

1 Tablespoon of honey

1 Tablespoon organic coconut aminos (soy sauce substitute)

1/2 Teaspoon ginger

Heat ghee in a nonstick pan. Add chicken and sauté until brown. Add the veggies, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 3 minutes and add the coconut aminos. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add honey and sriracha. Cook for 3 more minutes then serve. 

Serves 1

Shrimp and Scallop Scampi - 446 Calories

It's no secret I love garlic so shrimp scampi has always been a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, the original recipe with butter over pasta isn't paleo but my version is.

6 Ounces of large shrimp

3 Ounces of bay scallops

3 Ounces of Miracle Noodles

1 Tablespoon of ghee 

1 Tablespoon of minced garlic

1/2 Tablespoon oregano

1 Teaspoon white pepper

1/2 Teaspoon salt

Splash of moscato wine

Put ghee in a nonstick pan and heat on high. Add the shrimp and scallops and sauté for one minute. Add the garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper, sauté for two minutes and then add the wine. Rinse the noodles and add to the seafood mixture. Sauté until hot then serve. I sprinkle the food with crushed red pepper. 

Serves 1

"Miracle" Chicken Arrabbiata Florentine - 290 Calories

Arrabiata sauce is a spicy tomato pasta sauce. I added spinach to boost the vitamins and minerals, hence the "florentine." I served it over the miracle noodles from the earlier post.

7 Ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Cup spinach
3 Tomatoes, diced
1/4 Red onion, julienned
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
4 Large fresh basil leaves, ripped into small pieces
1/2 Tablespoon oregano
1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 Teaspoon black pepper
1/2 Teaspoon salt
Splash of moscato wine
Splash of vegetable broth
3 Ounces of Angle hair Miracle Noodles

Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and heat on high. Add the chicken and sauté for three minutes. Add a splash of moscato to deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, and spices. Cook until the tomatoes break down and the onion is tender. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add a splash of the vegetable broth if you need to thin the sauce. Rinse the Miracle Noodles with cold water and add to the sauce. Heat thoroughly and serve.
Serves 1

Miracle Noodles - Zero Calories and Paleo!!

Pasta! I LOVE pasta! But when you're watching what you eat, especially when you're eating paleo, you look for substitutes. I've tried spaghetti squash - hated it! Zucchini  "pasta" - puke! Kelp noodles - ok, but crunchy so the texture is abit to get used to. I needed a pasta fix the other day so I was at Fresh Market looking for kelp noodles when I came across this...

I saw they were zero calories and the flour used to make it was derived from a Japanese yam. When I saw that, I thought "I bet it's paleo". I did abit of research and found that indeed it was paleo! That was half the battle! Now how do they taste? I bought them to put in my Chicken Arrabiata Florentine sauce. The prep was easy. Rinse in cold water and blanch for a minute in boiling water. The blanching was optional and since it was going into pasta sauce, I opted to just dump it in. Now the moment of truth...

IT WAS FANTASTIC!! It tasted just like angel hair pasta! In addition to the angel hair, Fresh Market also has fettuccine. Their website is www.miraclenoodle.com. Zero calories,great tasting, and paleo! Holy crap I'm in pasta heaven!!

Shrimp With Red Curry - 326 Calories

I love Thai food, so I bought some red curry paste. When you by the curry paste, make sure you look at the ingredients to make sure there aren't any chemical additives. Red curry doesn't have much heat so I add sliced jalapeños. If you want a milder dish, omit the jalapeños.

7 Ounces of peeled, deveined, uncooked shrimp
1/2 Red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 Red onion, julienned
1 Jalapeño, sliced, not seeded (optional)
2 Cups spinach
1/2 Tablespoon red curry paste
1/2 Cup coconut milk

Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and heat on high. Whisk the curry paste into the coconut milk and set aside. Add the vegetables,except the spinach, and sauté for three minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté for two minutes. Add the spinach and sauté for two minutes the add the curry/coconut milk mixture and cook unti the spinach is wilted. Serve.
Serves 1

Chicken and Spinach Scampi - 386 Calories

The paleo hits just keep coming! Usually scampi recipes are made with butter, therefore aren't paleo. This one is made with ghee, therefore it is! The ghee recipe is also on this blog.

7 Ounces of boneless, skinless, chicken breast, cubed
2 Cups of fresh baby spinach
1/4 Cup of Moscato wine (or any white wine, I just prefer the sweet, fruity flavor of Moscato)
1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
1 Tablespoon of ghee
1/2 Tablespoon of oregano
1 Teaspoon of white pepper
1 Teaspoon of salt

Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and heat on high. Add the chicken and sauté for three minutes. Add the salt and pepper sauté for two more minutes. Add ghee, garlic, oregano and sauté for three more minutes. Add the Moscato and after two minutes add the spinach and cook until it is wilted then serve.
Serves 1

Spicy Almond Butter Chicken - 410 Calories and White Sweet Potato Fries - 98 Calories

Since I'm doing paleo, I wanted to take the spicy peanut butter chicken and make it with a paleo twist - using almond butter instead of peanut butter. It came out great! I added onion and jalapeño to this recipe, otherwise the recipe is the same. The link is here... http://krossfitkitchen.blogspot.com/2014/05/spicy-peanut-butter-chicken-380-calories.html
As the side, I made white sweet potato fries. White sweet potato tastes like a sweet Yukon gold potato.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with oil from the misto. Wash the outside and pricing the skin, microwave the potato for 3 minutes on each side. Cut the potato in half then slice the potato in 1/2 inch strips. Place the fries on a cookie sheet, season with salt and pepper or your seasoning of choice, and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the fries over and bake for another 15 minutes. If you want the fries crisper, place them under the broiler.
Serves 1

Ghee (Paleo Compliant Butter) - 112 Calories (1 Tablespoon)

I've always been interested in ghee and I've done quite abit of research on the subject. Ghee has been traditionally used in Indian cuisine. It is SIMILAR to clarified butter with one difference, the butter is actually cooked and not just melted. Cooking the butter does two things, it removes the milk solids (lactose, etc) by cooking it. In addition, cooking milk solids adds a "nutty" flavor to the butter. Since the milk solids are removed leaving only the oil, THIS IS PALEO! That means you can have your butter and eat it too! It's great to cook with because ghee has a very hight smoking point. Also, you an put it on any food as a condiment. I used it on baked white sweet potato tonight with some salt and pepper ant it tasted like I was eating a slightly sweet baked potato!

1 Pound of unsalted, grass fed organic butter

Place butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the butter to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium. The butter will form a foam which will disappear. Ghee is done when a second foam forms on top of the butter, and the butter turns golden. At that point, the milk solids will be in bottom of pan. Gently pour into heatproof container through fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Store in an airtight container being sure to keep free from moisture. Ghee does not need refrigeration and will keep in airtight container for up to 1 month.
1 Tablespoon per serving 

Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes in a Basil and Garlic Sauce - 324 Calories

Well, since I have a black thumb and killed my first basil plant, I bought another one a few weeks ago so I figured I'd make something with basil.

7 Ounces of skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into cubed
4 Asparagus spears cut into 1 inch pieces (I grilled them the other day)
I/4 Onion, julienned
1/2 Red bell pepper, sliced
4 Sundried tomatoes, sliced
1/2 Cup vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Teaspoon black pepper
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon of sage
5 Basil leaves, ripped in half

Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and heat on high. Add the chicken and sauté on for three minutes. Add the vegetables, basil, and spices. Sauté for three to four more minutes. Add the vegetable broth and continue to sauté until the liquid is reduced to about half. Remove from heat and serve. 
Serves 1

Chicken Cacciatore - 251 Calories

Well, I decided to take Amber Nagele's 30 day paleo challenge. While a number of my recipes are paleo, I haven't consciously developed a paleo recipe. So using Amber's rules, I came up with this one.

7 Ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Tomato, diced
I/2 Onion, julienned
1/2 Red bell pepper, diced
1 Jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional - I don't seed it)
1/2 Cup vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoon oregano
1 Teaspoon black pepper
1/2 Teaspoon salt
2 Bay leaves, broken in half

Spray a nonstick pan with olive oil from the misto and preheat on high. Add the chicken and sauté for three minutes. Add the red bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Sauté for two minutes. Add the tomato, oregano, bay leaves, black pepper, and salt. Sauté for one minute. Add the vegetable broth and continue to cook until the tomato has completely broken down and turned into a thin red sauce. Add alittle more broth if you need to. Remove from heat and serve. I served it over quinoa but you can put it over spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, or whatever you want.
Serves 1

Homemade Peanut Butter - 165 Calories per ounce

I LOVE peanut butter! I hate the calories, which can be upwards of 210 calories per ounce. In addition, the sugar, added fat, and preservatives found in commercial peanut butter. Making homemade peanut butter is really easy and tastes much better than store bought.

2 Cups of dry roasted peanuts
1 Teaspoon peanut oil

Place the peanuts in a food processor with the chopping blade and start grinding the peanuts. Occasionally, stop the food processor and scape down the sides. After 7 or so minutes, add the oil and  continue grinding until smooth.
Serving size is 1 ounce, the amount of servings vary.

Spicy Peanut Butter Chicken - 380 Calories

When I USED to go to Chinese buffets, I always liked the peanut butter chicken that so many of them had. I don't go to the buffets for a number of reasons not the least being that I find myself overeating. In addition, the high sodium levels and the use of MSG can really screw with your system. That being said, I've taken to making my own versions of Chinese, and other Asian dishes.

7 Ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Ounce peanut butter (I use homemade, you can use store bought but it's higher in fat and sugar)
1/4 Cup of coconut milk
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 Teaspoon black pepper

Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and preheat on high. Add the chicken and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the blach paper, red pepper and soy sauce, sauté until done add the peanut butter and coconut milk and cook until creamy. Remove from heat and serve.
Serves 1

Chicken Caprese - 295 Calories

Caprese salad is tomato, mozzarella (usually fresh), and basil. Sometimes it is sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and is served as as an appetizer or salad course. I decided to team it will a chicken breast and served as a main course.

14 Ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast approximately 1/2 inch thick
2 Ounces mozzarella cheese
1 Plum tomato cut into 1/4 inch slices
A few fresh basil leaves
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto. Sprinkle each side of each chicken breast with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Sear each side of the chicken and place in a baking pan. Sprinkle each breast with a 1/2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, place a few pieces of basil, and a few slices of tomato. Bake for 10 minutes then top with mozzarella and some basil. Bake until the cheese is melted. When melted, place on a plate, remove the dried basil from the top of the cheese and replace it with fresh basil and serve.
Serves 2

Chocolate "Ice Cream" Shake- 193 Calories

Sometimes I have a sweet tooth and "need" some ice cream but don't want the sugar, fat, and calories.  After some research, I found a recipe that I modified to fit my needs.

1 Banana, cut up and frozen overnight (I make a few single serve baggies and keep them in the freezer until I'm ready to use them)
1/2 Cup unsweetened coconut milk (I use Silk)
17 Grams of granola, flavor of your choice - this is optional. If you don't use the granola, reduce the calorie count by 70
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
A few drops of organic, liquid stevia

Place coconut milk, cocoa powder, and stevia in a nutri-bullet or similar type blender and blend for about one minute. Add the frozen banana and blend until smooth. Add the granola and stir. You can either serve it as is as a shake or place in the freezer for 30 minutes for more of a nice cream consistency.
Serves 1

Sweet and Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken - 272 Calories

Well, I wasn't sure what to cook tonight. I was in the mood for something spicy (I know, that was a surprise) but I was also in the mood for something sweet. I looked in the cabinet and this is what I came up with.

7 Ounces of boneless - skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 Red bell pepper cut into chunks
1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Teaspoon salt

Spray a nonstick pan with olive oil from the misto and heat on high. Add the chicken and salt and sauté for three minutes. Add the red bell pepper and jalapeño. Cook for three more minutes. Add the crushed red pepper, black pepper, and minced garlic. Cook a few more minutes until the chicken is done. Add the honey, mix thoroughly until heated throughout, remove for heat and serve.
Serves 1