Banana Walnut Green Tea Smoothie

In the last couple of months, I have noticed my skin has been awful - like teenage angst awful with a pre-midlife crisis twist.  My history with medications and creams for my dermatological issues is not all that great and my mode lately is to try to reduce chemicals as opposed to adding more, so I have been on the hunt for a more natural remedy.  I have done a decent amount of reading and am pretty confident at this point that too much sugar and not enough exercise are the biggest factors contributing to my current issue.  An injury is partly the cause of my lack of exercise (but only partly) and the sugar, well, let's just say that I wasn't at my best this holiday season but my sweet tooth certainly was.  My body alkalinity is all out of whack and my plan is to attack it with some high antioxidant leafy greens, low sugar fruits, and healthy nuts (Omega 3s) and seeds to name a few.  This shake fits the bill nicely...with others to follow.

INGREDIENTS:

• banana (frozen if you prefer)
• 6 oz green tea (I let mine cool a bit but am generally too impatient to cool it all of the way when I brew the tea myself)
• 1/8 cup of walnuts
• 1/8 tsp vanilla
• handful of baby kale
• 1/4 tsp chia seeds
• honey (optional)
• ice (optional - if you used cool tea and a frozen banana, you may not need ice)

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients into a high powered blender and blend until smooth.  (I use a Vitamix and gradually increase speed from 1-10 and then to high for about 45 seconds.)

Difficulty: easy

Time: a couple of minutes

Source: a combination of several ideas I found when researching 

Citrus-Herb Marinated Chicken

I may never have the homes that appear in Better Homes and Gardens, but I can surely enjoy looking at them.  And when it comes to the food, often I think, "I could do that!"  And sometimes I do.  This is a wonderful, flavorful, easy chicken dish from the October 2014 issue.

I go on chicken kicks and then I get kind of tired of it at times, but during those times it is usually a nice, flavorful dish that gets me out of the rut.  This is one of those dishes.  I love all of the herbs and the citrus in the marinade.  Personally, I am a big fan of grilling this chicken, but in the winter months sometimes the broiler just has to do!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/3 c lemon juice or orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. snipped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
• 2 tsp snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish.  For marinade, stir together lemon juice, shallot, honey, oliveoil, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Pour over chicken; seal bag.  Marinate in refrigerator for 2-4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

2.  Preheat broiler*.  Drain chicken, reserving marinade.  Place chicken on the unheated rack of a broiler pan.  Broil 4-5 inches from the heat about 6 minutes or until light brown.

3.  Turn chicken; brush lightly with reserved marinade.  Discard any remaining marinade.  Broil 6-8 minutes more until chicken is no longer pink.

*Alternatively, you can grill the chicken.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 10 minutes prep, 2-4 hours marinate, 12-15 minutes broiling
Source: Better Homes and Gardens, October 2014

Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette

Looking on the positive side, with the number of doctor and therapist appointments there were this summer, I had the opportunity to peruse some good magazines and the time to make a grocery list for the new recipes I found in those magazines.  Waiting rooms are good for some things, I suppose.  I found this recipe in Southern Living, and I feel like I hit the jackpot in doing so.  It is so good, and with the companion recipes that were in the magazine, such as Tomato and Gorgonzola Pasta Salad, I can't get enough. I love easy, homemade dressings! (Look for the Pasta Salad recipe here!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Stir together lemon juice and shallot; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Whisk in remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate for up to one week in air tight container.

Difficulty: very easy

Time: 10 minutes

Source: Southern Living magazine, July 2014

Honey Orange Chicken

In the past few months, things have been a bit more hectic than usual around my house, largely because of numerous doctor's and therapy appointments that take huge chucks of time out of our lives on top of the typical schedule.  So, it has been more important than ever to find recipes that are quick and easy, yet healthy and delicious, too.  This was one of the tastiest, easiest meals I have made in a long time.  It has become one of my go-to chicken recipes.  In the picture, I have the chicken served atop a bed of quinoa and spinach with mandarin oranges, but this chicken can be served in so many ways - with one or the other of those two instead of both, with rice, mixed greens, with side dishes of your choice.  Personally, I like it as part of a salad; I use the sauce as the dressing.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp ground cumin (the original recipe called for 1 Tbsp, but this was enough for us)
• salt
• pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pound chicken breasts to half-inch thickness and season with salt and pepper.
2. Combine the orange juice, honey, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet and sear chicken on both sides for about 2 minutes each side.
4. Add the orange juice mixture, cover, and allow to simmer for about 6 minutes.

Difficulty: Super easy

Time: 15 minutes

Source: Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

Honey Sauced Chicken (Slow cooker)

I am usually pretty good about predicting how well I (and my family) will like a new recipe...unless it is cooked in a slow cooker.  I am always trying new things and am always looking for new slow cooker recipes, but in that category, there have been an unfortunate number of (surprising) flops.  I would never subject anyone to the flops, of course.  This recipe is one that my running buddy, Marie, has raved about for quite a while.  It is one of her go-to recipes, and I am happy to say that it has made it into my regular rotation, as well.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium/large chicken breasts 
• salt and pepper to season
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 small onion, chopped (~2 Tbsp.)
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker.  (Some may prefer to omit the salt due to the soy sauce in the recipe.)
2. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  Pour over top of chicken.
3. Cook on low for 3 hours.  Cut chicken into bite size pieces and return to pot.  Mix with sauce to coat.  Continue cooking for another 15-30 minutes.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Note: Depending on how hot your slow cooker cooks, your sauce may turn out to be quite thin.  If thin sauce isn't your thing, try cooking for longer (at the risk of drying out your chicken a bit) or mix a bit of cornstarch with a small amount of water and stir it in before you add the chicken back in.  For the record, I liked the thin sauce.

Difficulty:  very easy
Time: 10 minutes prep, 3.5 hours cooking
Source: adapted from www.mmmcafe.blogspot.com

Panko Chicken with Grapefruit Honey Sauce

This is a recipe that I have made for a couple of years, now, and it always reminds me of spring and summer.  It is so fresh and simple, with just the right texture and flavor.  My family loves it!  I am making it again this week, because, well, I completely over-indulged over the weekend and this chicken paired with a nice salad will help get me back on the healthy-eating track in a very tasty way!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2-3 Tbsp plus 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1/2 c grapefruit juice (I have squeezed fresh and used from a carton...both good, the carton much easier)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix Panko breadcrumbs with as much salt and pepper as you would like in a shallow bowl.  (I use grinders and grind for a count of 6 or so for the salt and pepper.)
2. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness. Dip each chicken breast in beaten egg and then Panko mixture to coat.  Cook in a skillet with 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil for about four minutes.  (I use as minimal oil as I can, but tend to add throughout the cooking process to assure the browning of the chicken.)  Check that the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel and add the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil and the garlic.  Cook until garlic is tender.  Add grapefruit juice and honey.  Cook until some of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce thickens slightly.  Serve over chicken.

Difficulty: pretty easy
Time: about 20-25 minutes
Source: Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express, copyright 2009