Spicy Honey Chicken

 

I am always on the look out for clean, tasty recipes. I made this YEARS ago and when thumbing through my recipes, decided to try it again. OOOOOHhhhh, its sooooo good. I could eat this all day, every day. Yes, I realize the recipe calls for thighs. Not the best cut of chicken. But its so juicy and tender. I've made them with chicken tenders and they are also very tasty. Yes, it has a lot of honey in the recipe but divided into 8, it's less than 1 TBS of honey, right?

Spicy Honey Chicken

 Recipe and Picture  by Our Best Bites http://ourbestbites.com/2008/06/spicy-honey-chicken/

 

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!)
      everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I’m tellin’ ya right now it’s better with thighs.

 2 t olive oil

 

Rub

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

 

Glaze
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Instructions:

 

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

 

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

 

Drizzle the remaining glaze on top of the chicken before serving.

This ride right here changed my life ....

 

 

About a year and a half ago I made a decision that enough was enough. I can't pin point an exact moment of when I thought this but something clicked. My mindset changed.
What I DO know is that this ride right here helped change my life for the better. How?

Well, 2 years ago we went to Lagoon on Fathers Day and I was going to go on this ride with my little kiddos. There aren't straps on this ride, just a bar that comes down and clicks into place over your legs. But this time, it wouldn't close. The kind teenager tried nicely to make it fit but it wouldn't. I wasn't able to ride it with my kids! I smiled. I pretended it didn't affect me. But deep down I was mortified. How could I have allowed myself to get that way?!?!

So although EVERYTIME I look at this ride I still feel sad about that day, it reminds me of how far I have come. It reminds me of my potential. It reminds me of how the small changes I make now will make huge changes in my future.

(This pic is from this year. I can proudly say I fit this time. I even had lots of room to spare! )

Never Miss a Monday!

Monday's can be crazy busy since its back to the weekly grind. Or you could be recovering rom a crazy weekend. Either way, make it a goal to never miss a Monday's workout. It starts the entire week off on a good note. It creates a great domino effect for the rest of the week.

Don't believe me?? Try it! I dare you!

Schoooolll Out!!!

My daughter's last day of Kindergarten was yesterday! Where has the time gone?!?!?

 

 

Not only does summer mean no school, it means vacations and swimming and softball tournaments and playdates and running in sprinklers and overnighters and snacking allllll through the day and and and.....the list still goes on and on. It's just a different set of tasks. Still busy as ever. Do I dare say even more busy? And even less time for us moms?

 

 

I know it gets super tricky for me to stay on track of my fitness and health goals when I am running everywhere and when fast-food is just sooo darn easy.

 

 

To help ME conquer this right from the start, I am going to open up a group for all my mommas out there that WANT to start (or keep on) their fitness journey but are still a little nervous about their summer busy-ness. For all the peeps wondering how they are going to be able to tackle their goals while living out of their car!

 

It will be 6 days of healthy snacks for kiddos and moms that are always on the go, go, go. It won't be a structured eating plan. No one has time for that! (At least not right now when schedules are out of whack and we are just trying to figure out how everything is going to work)

 



 

---> 6 Days
---> several snack ideas provided every day
---> 1 healthy easy, make-ahead/crock pot/freezer dinner recipe provided every day
---> tips on healthy snacks while on vacation
---> tips on healthy snacks while on in the CAR
---> motivation and encouragement to keep a-movin'
---> ideas and tips to keep the kiddos entertained and engaged
---> and maybe I'll throw in some educational games (kiddos won't think they are educational tho)

Sound interesting? Sound like something you need help with? I know I do! I'll be honest, I'm a little scared how this summer is going to effect the progress I've been making. But I'm not going to allow myself excuses. I am STOPPING all excuses right now. I am going to aim high. For MYSELF. Fro MY KIDS!

Who is with me?!?!?! Let's start this summer off right!

Chicken Paremsan Meatloaf Muffins

Do of you despise grocery shopping like I do? I've done grocery shopping with the kids in the car carts. I've done it by bribing my kids with candy. I've done it after the kids go to bed. No matter how I do it, I HATE it. I hate seeing the register amount go up and up, then leaving feeling like I really didn't leave with much. Am I the only one that feels that way?

 

 

I have a tendency to think that if I don't go shopping, then I'm not spending money, so it's a win. In the long run, I know its not because we either:

1)run out of food that my family wants to eat so we go OUT to eat

2) run out of any kind of healthy food and result in eating junk

 

So it's really a losing battle. I just need to suck it up and go shopping.



 

 

 
Keeping in mind that I had an empty fridge, I took a mental note of what I did have (not much) and looked online for something I could make. The first search came up with Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Muffins. I had ground chicken breast (check). It only took 20 mins in the oven (I'll take it because I was procrastinating).  I quickly jotted down the recipe and my baking/cooking buddy immediately asked "Mom, help you?" and up on the counter he went. He helped me measure the spices (great of hand/eye coordination and counting) and scooped the mini meatloaves into the muffin tin (yet another great hand/eye activity).

 

 

 
He loves stealing water from my water stash. It's really the only time he likes drinking water. While I refilled the water bottle, he snapped a few pics.

 

 
The finished product. Super simple and delicious. I will be making these again for sure!

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Muffins

Source: http://www.food.com

 

2 large eggs

1 ¹⁄₂ lbs ground chicken

6 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs {I used ground oatmeal}

³⁄₄ teaspoon dried basil (or 2 t chopped fresh basil)

³⁄₄ teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 t fresh thyme)

³⁄₄ teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 t chopped fresh oregano)

2 garlic cloves, minced

¹⁄₂ small onion, chopped small or grated

³⁄₄ teaspoon table salt

¹⁄₃ teaspoon black pepper

1 ¹⁄₂ ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup)

³⁄₄ cup pasta sauce

3 ounces low fat shredded mozzarella cheese (3/4 cup) { I used freshly grated Parmesan}

 

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350°F Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

2.    In a large bowl, beat together egg until combined. Add everything else except pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, and optional herbs. Mix gently to combine; do not over mix or compress the mixture too firmly.

3.    Divide evenly into 12 wells of muffin tin. Divide pasta sauce evenly over the top of each portion (about 1 tbsp). Bake 20 minutes.

4.    Top each portion with about 1 tbsp shredded cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, 3-5 minutes.

My FAVORITE Playdough

I have tried a lot of homemade playdoughs in my day. I am, after all, a preschool teacher :)

I always go to homemade playdough because it is CHEAP and I can whip it up at the last minute. #busymomprobs  What I hate about most homemade recipes is having to cook it. Ugh, I don't have time for that. And the pastry chef in me knows that cooking it will make a myriad of consistencies based on how long or little you cook it, blah, blah, blah. 

Once I tried this recipe, I never looked back. Everything gets tossed in a Kitchenaid mixer (or something similar) and forget about it. Maybe switch the laundry or something ;)

It is a great consistency and it lasts a loooong time. My little [er should I say big] boy has been playing with it for 2 weeks straight!


Mixer Playdough

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 TBS vegetable oil
3/4 cup boiling water

Optional:
food coloring
kool-aid powder

Heat the water (I use the microwave). While that is heating, throw the dry ingredients in the mixer. Add the veg oil, then pour the hot water on top. Mix with a paddle attachment. I have let it go for up to 5 minutes before. It doesn't matter. Just mix until you think it looks good :)

Involve the kiddos: Let the lil ones help you measure out all the ingredients.

Bonus: The measuring cups, spoons, and Kitchenaid bowl and paddle go straight into the dishwasher, so cleanup in a breeze.



Give it a try and tell me what you think about it!

Attention: ALL BUSY MOMMAS

Hey Ladies!!! Yeah?

 

 

Are you overwhelmed with the length of your to do list? Are you constantly playing in your mind what you need to do next, making mental notes of what you need to get at the grocery store, oh yeah, I really need to clean those baseboards cuz they are getting NASTY.... on and on and on.

I feel like my brain is a complete mush some days and I just dream of the day I can actually get all the things done that I want to get done. So this is the month! This is the month to finally tackle some of the things you have wanted to accomplish, including your fitness and weight goals.

Many of you know my story. I was a mom who was tired and exhausted all the time. I felt like I didn't have time for me because I had too much to do. I was working full time, trying to start a preschool business, attempting to be a good wife. Eventually something changed within me and said that enough was enough and that it was time to make some personal changes.

 

I am scared of failure. I was TERRIFIED that I wouldn't be able to be the person I REALLY wanted to be.

 

Fast forward a little more than 1 year and here I am. I have lost 70 lbs and I am HAPPY. Happy with the progress I have made, happy I can keep up with my kiddos, happy that I learned to change my lifestyle (slowly but surely). I am in such a better place. And I want to pass everything I have learned to others that are in the same boat I was.

 

But even though I am soooooo incredibly happier in body and in my life, I still struggle with feeling inadequate as a mother and wife. So I am tackling that fear and feelings of "am i good enough?" this month. Please tag along as I discover a much simpler life.

 

Along with doing daily 30 minute workouts, we will be drinking my favorite indulgence (Shakeology). Plus I will be sharing some of my favorite old and new tips on how to simplify mommahood, simplify cleaning and organizing, and maybe even some tips about being a better wife.  This is all done in the comfort of your own home! I don't have time to go to the gym or go somewhere for weigh ins! Its all over a private FB group.

 

Click on the link below to fill out my application and we can see if you are a good fit for this group.

 

Fill Me Out!

 

It's going to be amazing!