Asian Chicken Salad & Update

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced Chinese cabbage (3 greens)

1 1/2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (1 1/2 greens)

108 grams or 1 1/2 cup lettuce leave (1 1/2 greens)

1 TBSP reduced sodium soy sauce (3 condiments)

12 oz chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (2 leans)

6 TBSP walden farm sesame ginger dressing (3 condiments)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine Chinese cabbage, shredded lettuce, salad dressing, and soy sauce. Toss together, mixing well. Once mixed, add in shredded chicken and continue mixing. Place mixture evenly in the center of the lettuce leaves.

2 servings of 1 lean, 3 greens, and 3 condiments

So, recently, I haven't been posting much because of school and my new job. It's been fun working at PDQ, just a little hectic to not want to snack on the food. But this past Friday, I graduated from University of South Florida with my Bachelor's in Creative Writing and a minor in Psychology. It's such a big difference to realize that I can tell people that I've graduated and not attending. It's such a higher stigma to be a college graduate than to be just a student. Now I'm ready to continue on with my weight loss and succeed in the life I want. And I complete one of my 21 things that I want to do before I turn 22. I purchased a new dress for graduation, along with new heels. It's a big deal to me because the last time I purchased a dress was my senior year prom in 2008.

Chicken Alfredo and Spinach "Pizza"

Ingredients:

Crust

1 cup or 100 grams grated raw cauliflower (2 Greens)

1/4 cup egg beaters (1/8 Lean)

1/4 cup Reduced Fat 2% Mozzarella cheese (1/4 Lean)

Toppings

2.25 oz chicken, cooked and chopped (3/8 Lean)

1/4 cup Reduced Fat 2% Mozzarella Cheese or Reduced Fat Feta cheese (1/4 lean)

1/2 cup spinach, cooked, drained and chopped (1 Green)

Alfredo Sauce

2 Light Garlic and Herb Cheese Wedges (1 Healthy Fat)

1/4 cup Light Alfredo sauce (3 condiments)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray. Combine grated cauliflower, egg beaters, and 1/4 cup cheese until mixed completely. Spoon mixture on prepared pan with parchment paper. Use the back of a spoon to thin out mixture and form a circle about the size of a dinner plate without the rim. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip the crust over and bake an additional 10 minutes. Oven times may vary. Set aside.

Prepare Alfredo sauce by combining all ingredients for the sauce in a very small saucepan over medium low heat. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until sauce is bubbly and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in chicken. Set aside. Top the crust with cooked spinach. Then spread chicken mixture over the spinach. Top with 1/4 cup mozzarella or feta cheese. Broil until cheese is melted.

1 Complete Lean and Green Meal with 3 Condiments and 1 Healthy Fat

Cheesy Mexican Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cup prepared Spaghetti Squash Strands (4 Greens)

1 cup diced diced tomatoes (2 Green)

4 Light Laughing Cow Queso Fresco and Chipotle Cheese Wedges (2 Healthy Fat)

1/2 cup 2% reduced fat Mexican Cheese, Shredded (1/2 Lean)

14 oz raw Chicken Breasts, cubed - should yield 9 oz cooked (1 1/2 Lean)

2 tsp low sodium Taco Seasoning Mix (3 Condiments)

2 tbsp water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare spaghetti squash by oven or microwave. For tutorial, please go HERE.

Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken, taco seasoning mix and water. Cook chicken until chicken is no longer pink and cooked thoroughly. Make sure you have 4.5 oz of chicken when cooked. If you desire more shredded Mexican cheese, then use 1/2 cup Mexican cheese and only 3 oz chicken when cooked. Set aside.

Saute 2 cups spaghetti squash, tomatoes and laughing cow cheese wedges until cheese is melted.

Mix cubed chicken into the mixture. Pour into a casserole pan. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top of mixture. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve.

2 Servings with 1 Lean, 3 Greens, 1 1/2 Condiments and 1 Healthy Fat per Serving

So Close But Still So Far Away & Thai Coconut Curry Chicken

So, my weigh-in yesterday but me at 240 lbs. Which means I'm now .4 lbs away from having lost 50 lbs total. And I'm 5.4 lbs away from my next goal. SO FREAKING CLOSE. But I'll get there, hopefully by the end of this week.

But this past weekend I was working at Tropicana Field for the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a little difficult to stay on plan because someone I work with brought in two pans of white chicken lasagna. Trust me, it was hard. I love pasta and this lasagna is made with an alfredo sauce and artichoke hearts. But I prevailed and didn't eat any of it.

I'm actually planning to go to the second home football game for my college. It's this upcoming Saturday so I have to plan what I'm bringing with me and what I'll be doing for my lean and green.

Ingredients:

1 TSP besame oil (1 healthy fat)

1/4 cup scallions (1/2 greens)

2 TSP Thai Kitchen Red Curry Pate (2 condiments)

1/8 TSP garlic powder (1/2 condiment)

1/3 cup Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk (1 healthy fat)

2 TBSP chopped cilantro (.12 condiment)

18 oz boneless, skinless, chicken breasts - should yield 12 oz cooked and cubed (2 lean)

2 3/4 cup cooked grated cauliflower (5 1/2 greens)

Serving: 2 serving of 1 lean, 3 greens, 1.5 condiments, and 1 healthy fat

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add scallions and red curry paste and saute one minute. Add cubed chicken and garlic powder and cook until almost done. Add coconut milk and mix well. Simmer about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in cilantro. Serve over cauliflower rice.

Spinach Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
18 oz raw, boneless chicken breasts - should cook to 12 oz (2 lean)
16 oz package of Tofu Shirataki Noodles (4 green)
2 cup fresh spinach (2 green)
4 cups 99% Fat Free Chicken Broth (4 condiments)
2 chopped garlic glove (2 condiment)

The Shirataki noodles are packed in water and found with the tofu. Rinse the Shirataki noodles very well with water. The water that is in the package is smells like fish. Rinsing very well will make sure the taste is not carried over. Bring the broth and noodles to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and spinach. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

This recipe counts for 2 servings of 1 lean, 3 green, 3 condiments.

Rice-Cooker Cooked Buffalo Chicken with Mushrooms and Zucchini Ribbons

Ingredients:
18 oz raw, boneless chicken breasts - should cook to 12 oz (2 lean)
270 grams zucchini ribbons (3 greens)
1.5 cup fresh chopped white mushrooms (3 greens)
.25 cup Frank's Hot Wing Buffalo Sauce (1.33 condiments)
.25 cup Walden's Farm No Calorie Ranch (1.33 condiments)
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth (1/3 condiment)
4 wedges Laughing Cow Blue Cheese Light Cheese (2 healthy fats)

2 servings: 1 lean, 3 greens, 1.5 condiments, 1 healthy fat

Directions:
Season the chicken with the salt and garlic powder. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Place the chicken pieces and chicken broth in the rice cooker. Cook on high for about 6-7 minutes or until the chicken is mostly cooked. Add mushrooms and let cook on warm for about 1 minute. Add buffalo, ranch, and laughing cow cheese. Cook on warm for about 5 minutes or until the LC cheese melts. Add zucchini ribbons and cook for about 15 minutes, alternating between high and warm.

Rice-Cooker Cooked Alfredo Chicken with Mushrooms and Spinach

Ingredients:
18 oz raw, boneless chicken breasts - should cook to 12 oz (2 lean)
1/3 cup Classico Light Alfredo Sauce (3.5 condiment)
3 cup fresh spinach (3 greens)
1.5 cup fresh chopped white mushrooms (3 greens)
1/8 TSP salt (1/2 condiment)
1/4 TSP garlic powder (1/2 condiment)
1 chopped garlic clove (1 condiment)
.5 cup low sodium chicken broth (1/2 condiment)
4 wedges Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Light Cheese (2 healthy fats)

2 servings: 1 lean, 3 greens, 3 condiments, 1 healthy fat

Directions:
Season the chicken with the salt and garlic powder. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Place the chicken pieces and chicken broth in the rice cooker. Cook on high for about 6-7 minutes or until the chicken is mostly cooked. Add mushrooms and let cook on warm for about 1 minute. Add garlic and add laughing cow cheese. Cook on warm for about 5 minutes or until the LC cheese melts. Add sauce and cook for about 15 minutes, alternating between high and warm. Add spinach and cook until spinach begins to wilt.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

ingredients:
18 oz raw boneless chicken breasts - should yield 12 oz cooked. (2 lean)1.5 cup cooked spinach spinach (3 greens)
1/4 TSP salt (1 condiment)
1/4 TSP pepper (1/2 condiment)
1 chopped garlic clove (1 condiment)
1/2 TSP garlic powder (1/2 condiment)2 wedges Laughing Cow Blue Cheese Light Cheese (1 healthy fats)
2 servings of 1 lean, 1.5 greens, 1.25 condiments, and 1/2 healthy fat

Directions:
To prepare the chicken, trim off any fat. Butterflythe chicken by making a shallow vertical cut into the middle of the thickest part of the breast
and then running the knife horizontally toward the outside stopping within a quarter to half inch of the edge. Fold out the flap you just cut. Repeat by making a flap going in the opposite direction from the same center cut. Cover the chicken with a piece of plastic wrap and pound until it's a thin even thickness all over. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Cook the spinach in a pan with a small amount of

water. Move the cooked spinach into a bowl. Stir together the laughing cow cheese, garlic and spinach. Place 1/6 of the spinach mixture in a pile in the center of each chicken breast. Fold all the sides of each breast up and over the filling to completely cover it. Gently squeeze the seam to seal the opening. Carefully place seam side down in a greased baking dish. I sprayed my pan with Pam. Tuck in any stray ends of the chicken. Spread the rest of the spinach mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake at 375º 25-30 minutes or until chicken juices are no longer pink. Serve at once.

Grilled Chicken Parmigiana & Savory Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Grilled Chicken Parmigiana
Ingredients:
.25 cup fat free 2% mozzarella (1/6 lean)
.25 cup fat free parmesan (1/6 lean)
16 oz raw chicken breasts - should equal 10 oz coked (1 2/3 lean)
2 chopped garlic cloves (2 condiments)
1 TSP red pepper flakes (1 condiment)
1 cup chopped tomatoes (2 greens)2 TSP dried basil (2 condiments)
dash of salt
dash of pepper
2 TSP olive oil (2 healthy fats)

2 servings: 1 lean, 1 green, 2.5 condiments, 1 healthy fat

Directions:
Heat a pan to high heat. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Spray pan with non-stick spray. Cook chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on each side and transfer to foil-covered platter to hold.

Place a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and heat trough, about 2 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the broiler to high.

Layer the chicken with the tomato sauce in a casserole dish. Top the casserole with parmesan and mozzarella. Brown the chicken parm casserole under the broiler for 3 minutes.

Savory Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (4 greens)
.5 cup egg beaters (/14 lean)
.25 TSP garlic powder (1 condiment)
.25 TSP onion powder (1/2 condiment)
dash of salt
dash of pepper

2 servings: 1/8 lean, 3 greens, and 1 condiments

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until mixed thoroughly. Pour contents into prepared casserole dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let set for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

When I made it, I found that I should have used less red pepper flakes in the chicken pram. I don't like extremely spicy dishes.

Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
Meat:
18 oz raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts - should equal 12 oz cooked (2 lean)
1/4 TSP salt (1 condiment)
1/8 TSP pepper (1/4 condiment)
1 TSP olive oil (1 healthy fat)

Sauce:
1 TSP olive oil (1 healthy fat)
1.5 cup chopped mushrooms (3 greens)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
.5 cup low sodium chicken broth (.5 condiment)
1/4 TSP dried rosemary (1/4 condiment)
2 TSP fat free cream cheese (2 condiments)

Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 TSP olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown. Transfer to plate.

Add the mushrooms, scallions, and 1 TSP olive oil to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, tossing frequently until the mushrooms have wilted. Add the broth, cream cheese, and rosemary. Stir until the cream cheese fully melts. Put the chicken back into the pan and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through.

Divide the chicken and sauce evenly among two plates.

2 Servings: 1 lean, 1.25 green, 2 condiments, and 1 healthy fat

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Bake & Zucchini Ribbons

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Bake
Ingredients:
14 oz raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts - should equal 9 oz cooked (1.5 lean)
2 oz fat free cheddar cheese
.25 cup Frank's Hot Wing Buffalo Sauce (1.33 condiments)
.25 cup Light Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (2 healthy fats)
2 TBSP fat free cream cheese (2 condiments)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chicken breasts for 30-35 minutes (1 did 32) or until fully cooked. Remove chicken breasts from pan and chop the chicken into small pieces. Place chicken inside of a baking dish.
In a small sauce pan, combine Frank's Hot Sauce, ranch dressing, and cream cheese. Heat over medium high heat, stirring until cream cheese is completely melted. Once melted, pour the sauce over the chicken. Then sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

2 Servings: 1 lean, 1.66 condiments, and 1 healthy fat

Zucchini Ribbons
Ingredients:540 grams of peeled zucchini (6 greens)
9.5 TBSP chicken broth (.6 condiment)
4.5 TBSP water
2 TBSP + 2.4 TSP Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Sauce (2.2 condiments)

Directions:
Peel the zucchini to make flat, long strands. Only peel until you reach the seeds. On medium heat, simmer the zucchini in a saute pan with the chicken broth and water for about 3-4 minutes or until they're tender. On low heat, add the alfredo sauce and mix.

Note: You can also use laughing cow light cheese, but then you would have to remove the ranch dressing from the chicken bake.

2 servings: 3 greens and 1.4 condiments

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Chicken, and Feta

Ingredients:
3 cups spaghetti squash (6 greens)
1 TBSP olive oil
2 chopped garlic cloves (2 condiments)
1.5 cups chopped tomatoes (3 greens)
3/4 cup crumbled fat free feta (3/4 lean)
1 TSP basil (1 condiment)
13.5 oz cooked and cubed chicken (2.25 lean)

Directions to prepare Squash:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Cut the spaghetti squash into half longways/ Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the baking sheet and bake 30 minutes or until a sharp knife can be inserted into the side with little resistance. Remove squash from oven and let it cool enough to be handled. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash and set aside 3 cups. Save the rest for later.

Directions to complete the meal:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic in oil until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken and cook until warm. Using a mixing bowl, toss squash with the tomatoes, chicken, basil, and feta. Serve.

3 servings: 1 lean, 3 greens, 1 healthy fat, 1 condiment

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth - I use Swanson's (2 condiments)

2 cups water

1 cup diced tomatoes (2 greens)

1 TSP reduced sodium taco seasoning - I recommend Old El Paso (1.5 condiments)

1/2 TSP cumin (.5 condiment)

1/4 TSP chili powder (.5 condiment)

1 minced garlic clove (1 condiment)

13 or 14 oz raw chicken breasts (1.5 lean)

2 oz Kraft 2% Mexican Cheese (.5 lean)

Directions:

With this meal, you can use a crock pot or, in my case, a rice cooker. Combine chicken, water, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and chicken in the crock pot/rice cooker. If you are using a crock pot, cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. If you use a rice cooker, you want to cook it for around 3 to 4 hours and alternate between the hot setting and the warm setting about every 15 minutes. I shredded the chicken halfway through so that it could soak longer. You can also shred it at the end before serving. Pour the soup into two bowls and top with mexican cheese.

Because it's short 2 greens for each meal, I made a salad to go with it. You can also add 4 servings of your favorite vegetable to the pot in the beginning.

Serving: 2 complete meal of 1 green, 1 lean, and 2.25 condiments

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Bake

Ingredients:
5 oz grilled and cubed chicken breast (2/3 lean)
4 oz low fat cheddar cheese (2/3 lean)
4 egg whites (2/3 lean)
3 cups cooked broccoli (6 greens)

Directions:
I used my Black & Decker food processor for this one. I started out with just the broccoli and half of the egg whites and pureed it. Then I slowly added the chicken, the cheese, and the rest of the egg whites. I pureed it quite a bit. I used an 8 x 8 casserole dish and sprayed it with Pam. Bake it at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until it is done in the center.

It equals two (2) servings. Each serving equals 1.05 lean and 3 greens.

Chicken Fried Rice

So, I adapted the shrimp fried rice recipe. I ran out of cauliflower halfway through my grating and didn't have anymore shrimp. I used chicken instead and adapted with broccoli.

Ingredients:
1.25 cups grated cauliflower (1.75 greens)
1 cup grated broccoli (1 green)
.25 chopped green onions (.25 greens)
1 minced garlic clove (1 condiment)
.25 TSP ginger (.5 condiments)
1 TBSP low sodium Teriyaki Sauce
1.5 TSP low sodium soy sauce
1.5 eggs beaten - i used 1 egg and .5 cup egg white (1/2 lean)
3 oz cooked and cubed chicken (1/2 lean)
1 TSP olive oil

Directions:
Cooks the eggs in a pan. Scramble them until their done but moist. Set the eggs aside. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Fry the minced garlic and the green onions for about 1 minute. Add the grated cauliflower and broccoli and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the egg, ginger, and chicken and mix well. Then pour the sauces over the mix and stir well. The mix needs to brown a little before it is ready to serve.

Serving: 1 lean, 3 greens, and 2 healthy fats