Margarita Chicken Wraps with Pineapple Salsa

I've been a little down recently.  I've had food failure after food failure.  I knew how to cook at one time, but my doctor had me switch up my diet to try to fix some health problems (read more about that here) and it has been like I am learning to cook all over again.

Fortunately, success is coming more often!!  I am feeling tremendously better-- especially when a recipe turns out.

Margarita Chicken wraps was a fusion between my craving for pineapple salsa and my daughter's request for lime chicken.  I've made the Margarita Chicken before for my divine Southwest Chicken Salad so you might remember it.  All  you do is chop the Margarita Chicken in small pieces, and load both the chicken and the pineapple salsa in a lettuce leaf and eat away.  Sweet, salty and sour in one mouthful.  YUMM!


Margarita Chicken Tequila Lime and Salt flavor this chicken (minus the tequila at my house...)
2 chicken breast halves
1/4 cup lime juice (lemon works well too)
2 Tablespoons salt
Splash of Tequila (optional)

Place the chicken breast on a cutting board.  Hold the chicken with one hand and slice the chicken horizontally to make thin breast pieces.  Toss the 4 breast pieces in a zip bag with the lime, salt and tequila.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 1/2 an hour.

Grill the chicken over medium high heat 10 minutes on each side or until the juices run clear.  Allow the chicken to sit for 10 minutes.  For the Chopped Chicken Salad, slice the chicken to cubes.  For the Lettuce wraps, I like the chicken finely chopped.


Pineapple Salsa

2 cups fresh chopped pineapple
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon lime juice (lemon will work in a pinch)
cilantro, salt, pepper, to taste

Mix all the ingredients and allow flavors to mix for 15 minutes before serving.

*** I tried this salsa the other day with ham wrapped up in lettuce and it was amazing too!!

Triple Berry Truffle Shake

I've been trying to figure out how to get more vegetables into my diet.  And the biggest issue is that I like food to taste YUMMY-- and no matter how hard I try, steamed spinach and broccoli is not yummy -- to me at least.  I know veggies are good for me.  They fill me up; they are full of nutrients, but I just can't down a veggie shake just to get all that goodness.

Then my good friend Adrienne introduced me to her Triple Berry Truffle Shake.  I'm hooked. Chocolate, berries, protein and spinach make this shake filling, full of nutrients, remarkably filling and DELICIOUS!  All at the same time.  We've got a winner!  This baby gives will check off a serving of fruits, vegetables and protein from your to eat list.  I dare you to eat it all in one sitting too.  I'm full/satisfied with  just over half the recipe.

One caution though.  The longer it sits the more the spinach flavor will blossom.  I like to eat it fresh from the blender.  I would not love it a half hour later.  Just saying it might taste a little like eating grass at that point-- no offense to you grass lovers out there.

I dig this shake after a tough toning or weight lifting session.  Happy Eating.

Triple Berry Truffle Shake
1/2 cup frozen berries (raspberry, blueberry, I do a mix)
1 cup fresh spinach, stems torn off
1 scoop chocolate protein powder*

1 1/2 cup water

Puree together in your blender and enjoy!

* or 1 scoop vanilla protein powder plus 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder makes a good dark chocolate protein powder substitute.

Festive Cranberry Chicken and Rice

We had this meal for our "Holiday" Relief Society Dinner at church the other night and I fell in love.  Yummy flavors.  Not fried in oil.  Quick preparation.  Life and dinner is awesome!



Festive Cranberry Chicken and Rice
6 chicken breast pieces
2 boxes of Uncle Ben's Original Long Grain and Wild Rice
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1 can whole cranberry sauce
2 cups water

In a 9x13 pan dump the boxes of rice.  Sprinkle the seasoning packets over the rice.  Place the chicken breasts over the the rice.

In a separate bowl combine the lemon juice, soy sauce, butter, cranberry sauce and water.  Pour sauce over the chicken and rice.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 1 hour.  Serves 6

Now to make a substitute for the uncle ben's rice packet.....

Japanese Curry

My daughter had dinner at a friend's house and RAVED about their Japanese Curry.  So I had to make it.  Can I say YUM?

It was worth the trip to the store to find the curry-- everything else I had in the house.  How perfect is that!

Helpful directions on the Golden Curry box

Good thing you have me to translate for you!!! (or give Erica Style directions based on a neighbor's recipe.)


Japanese Curry Chicken
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tart apple, chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
3 1/2 cups water
2 small squares Golden Curry

4 small squares to one large one

rice or noodles

Stir fry meat until well browned.  Push the meat to the side of the pan.  Stir fry the vegetables.  Mix the meat back in with the vegetables.  Cook one minute longer.

Pour the water into the pan and bring the water to a boil.  Add in the two small squares (break them off of the big square), and sir to incorporate completely.  Reduce heat to medium.  Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Serve over noodles or rice.  Serves 6

Tortellini Meatball Soup

photo credit: Micky** via photopin cc

The leaves are changing, the wind is blowing.  It is soup weather!!!  Do you have favorite fall meals?  This is one of mine.  It combines yummy meatballs, cheesy tortellini, with sprinkles of Parmesan cheese in a









Tortellini Meatball Soup
1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped vegetables (celery, zucchini, squash, carrots, peppers)
8 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14.75 oz) diced tomatoes
1 package (12 oz) frozen cheese tortellini
3 cups prepared meatballs

In a large pot brown vegetables until tender.  Add spiced, broth and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Add tortellini and meatballs.  Cook 10 more minutes.  Serve with Parmesan and Mozzarella.

Why We Plank!

Have you seen this on Facebook.  Want to try it with me!?!  We'll start adding theses into our AF East Exercise Class just after we finish our regular workout.  We'll start day one Tuesday, October 15.  Time to rock the core.


This routine will help you build a base for a strong core for the rest of your life.  Each day we will do ONE long plank hold.  We'll start with 20 seconds and build up to 4 + minutes of plank.

Need to start with the basics?  Check out my Plank How To and Problems Solved posts.

https://www.facebook.com/cityfitnessphilly

The 30 Day Plank Challenge will send your core strength through the roof!
Day 1 - 20 seconds
Day 2 - 20 seconds
Day 3 - 30 seconds
Day 4 - 30 seconds
Day 5 - 40 seconds
Day 6 - REST
Day 7 - 45 seconds
Day 8 - 45 seconds
Day 9 - 60 seconds
Day 10 - 60 seconds
Day 11 - 60 seconds
Day 12 - 90 seconds
Day 13 - REST
Day 14 - 90 seconds
Day 15 - 90 seconds
Day 16 - 120 seconds
Day 17 - 120 seconds
Day 18 - 150 seconds
Day 19 - REST
Day 20 - 150 seconds
Day 21 - 150 seconds
Day 22 - 180 seconds
Day 23 - 180 seconds
Day 24 - 210 seconds
Day 25 - 210 seconds
Day 26 - REST
Day 27 - 240 seconds
Day 28 - 240 seconds
Day 29 - 270 seconds
Day 30 - PLANK FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!!

Plank Problem SOLVED

A good friend at exercise complained this last week about her planks not working her core the way she wanted.  She was "jealous" of the strait as a board position that some others could achieve, but she couldn't.  I paused to check out her form and realized what she was missing.....

This is what she looked like.....  Can you spot the error in form?

Elbows directly below the shoulder.  Check

Bum tucked under.  Check

Abs pulled tight.  Check

Shoulder blades squeezed together.   DING, DING, DING!!!

Just fixing the shoulder blades changed the plank position to look like this.

Squeezing those shoulder blades together is the KEY to forcing your abdominal muscles to do the work in this exercise.  We want the abs to learn to lay flat (and hold in that pooch).  They can only truly engage when the shoulder blades are tucked in and down.

Happy Planking Ladies.  Tuck those shoulders back and down!