When you’re eating a lot of lean protein, keeping things interesting is a challenge. Since becoming the chicken breast whisperer, I’ve been on a quest to liven things up, without salt. Sometimes, it’s hard to stay inspired and interested.

Enter this spice blend – you can sprinkle a bit on your chicken breasts before searing, sprinkle a little over your ground turkey breast and onions . . . it’s great with ground lamb, beef, or even a new-to-me fav, buffalo (try making meatballs, or kofta). Think garlic, olive oil, onions and this . . . serve over rice with veg on the side and you have a quick and easy Middle Eastern meal.

I browned up a pound of ground turkey breast, added chopped onion and about a tablespoon of this blend . . . voila! A tasty lean protein source to have on hand for easy meals and snacks. 3-4 oz. of this and a non-starchy vegetable side will keep you full and satisfied for a few hours. Try this ground turkey mix atop mixed lettuces, add a chopped orange and a drizzle of pomegranate vinegar for a super-healthy, protein-packed meal (salads, not just for lunch or dinner anymore!).

Who said eating like a bodybuilder has to be boring?

© 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Well well well. It’s been a while, no? I have enjoyed my break from blogging, but I’ve also missed you guys in a way too. Striking a balance with blogging is hard – it’s the proverbial goldfish, or mushroom . . . will grow to fill whatever space you give it in your life. And if you happen to be a type-A overachiever who hates a half-way job like someone we know, well, then, you’re just sunk.

Not blogging has really brought the joy back to cooking for me. I never found it a drag, per se, but relieving the pressure of taking notes and pics and posting has left me feeling more relaxed and creative in the kitchen. And that’s why I started cooking in the first place.

I’ve also been up to so much fitness and diet-wise, that I feel like I want to update you all on that, too . . . so stay tuned. In the meantime, try out this terrific and super-fast Rosemary Chicken recipe I made the other night. Let me know what you think about this new recipe formatting plugin I’ve found – EasyRecipe. Note that you can print the recipe from within the box – handy!

© 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Ahhh. Today, my friends, is my 6 month surgerversary! Yes, 6 months ago I was amputated and rebuilt and although it seemed like it took for-evah, I am back to what feels like normal. Maybe in another 6 months I’ll tell you I have more energy and can rebound more quickly, but I know I’m driving myself HARD right now, and I’m holding my own with the best of ‘em. Big gold star for me (and my amazing healthcare team)!

I’ve also closed out week 3 of my intense exercise and dieting plan and I am feeling so, so good. It hasn’t been a walk in the park, but I’ve pushed through the trouble spots and am being rewarded – I am stronger, leaner and I have more energy than I have in months. I can wear my skinnier skinny jeans again. I can now do sissy push-ups with the best of ‘em – moving forward into “big boy” push-ups now. Remember, my goal is to do at least 10 big-boys in a row by the end of this year – so long as I don’t stop, I’ll meet that goal WELL before December. Best yet, I’ve been allowed back into Pilates classes for “normal” people – my strength is back all over my body, and I’m now stronger than ever in my upper body, despite those parts being removed and replaced 6 months ago. I feel, in a word, vital.

It’s a helluva lot of work though. I won’t lie. And there are days (afternoons, mostly) when I say to myself, “This sucks. It’s boring, it’s hard and it’s just not that much fun.” I want it to end. Many days it feels like it’s going too slowly, but I haven’t met my goal yet. 9 more weeks to go. Weight loss done the right way is necessarily slow – 1-2 lbs. a week are all you should lose if you want it to stick later, people. To combat these feelings, I need to spice it up – and you can’t take the foodie out of the girl – so I’m entertaining myself by trying to cook up delicious, but dietetic food. Four words that do NOT always go together. And honestly, this is not as yummy as biting into a cheesy gooey pizza. But it’s got vibrant flavor, is interesting texturally and it’s got lots of protein and fiber to fill you up. There is no substitute for a burger and fries, but maybe this’ll keep you interested enough to go another few days on the healthy eating plan? I hope so. You will feel light and clean and satisfied after eating this, and really, what more can you ask for when you’re dieting?

Peanut Chicken Salad (inspired by The Ultra-Metabolism Cookbook)

Dressing

Salad

If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, quickly poach your chicken breast by placing it in a saucepan with water to cover. Heat until boiling, sprinkle a little salt in the pan, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep covered for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, let stand for 5 minutes, and then cut into bite-sized pieces. This is a great technique to have in your back pocket when you want to cook chicken with NO extra fat or calories.

Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions (this usually involves pouring boiling water over them, letting them sit for a few minutes, then draining them and rinsing them with cold water and draining again – very very easy).

Combine the peanut butter, rice vinegar, lime juice, ginger, garlic and lime zest in a small bowl or jar and stir or shake vigorously until smooth.

Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl along with the rice noodles and toss well. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss again. Eat up!

Serves 2, but this could easily be doubled.

© 2012 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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What do I miss most when I’m actively dieting? Carbs. Starchy starch starch. Mmmm. Sure, I can always budget some in, that’s why I’m such a big fan of counting calories. But the issue is, I can’t get nearly as much bang for my food buck if I’m eating pasta, or bread, or rice, or, well, you get the idea. That stuff has a lot of calories (it’s calorie-dense, as we nutrition geeks like to say). You can have a “wicked lot” of fish, broccoli, dark leafy greens, plain non-fat Greek yogurt, etc. in lieu of your carbs and you’ll be fuller and more satisfied for waaaay longer. So carbs go by the wayside for me for a time.

But a girl cannot live by tofu and greens alone. And the other day my daughter and I had to bake a bunch of our FAVORITE cookies in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. (These are them. I won’t hate you if you make them, but please, just don’t tell me about it right now, OK?) She had a family history unit at school, and for the open house which (mercifully) closed the unit, we all were to bring in food that was meaningful to our family. My Grandma made these every Christmas. They are my favorite. They are L.’s favorite. I am on a diet. I challenged myself not to taste, lick or nibble one. single. freakin’. cookie. And I did it!

I even blew myself away with this one. I’ve told you, I’m low on “willpower.” So why’d it work this time? Chewing gum, for one – you laugh, but you don’t want to taste cookie dough when you have gum in your mouth. Two, I was making this recipe for dinner, and I knew that it was a little bit of a treat, because THERE IS PASTA IN IT and I HAVEN’T HAD PASTA IN 2 1/2 WEEKS BUT WHO IS COUNTING?

This recipe is easy, light, flavorful, and has a bit of a “spa cuisine” feel to it. It’s loaded with protein and is decent on fiber – especially for a pasta dish. That’s on account of the whole wheat pasta, which you should learn to love. Don’t over cook it. That, I think, is the #1 mistake people make with the stuff and why so many people profess not to like it. It’s nutty and substantial, and actually, in this dish I think it’s better. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a carb-deprived maniac or anything. Honestly. Eat up!

Pasta Salad With Chicken, Raisins and Almonds (adapted from Everyday Food Light - which is an awesome cookbook)

1 T. finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 T. fresh lemon juice

Put the almonds in a small skillet and toast them lightly over low heat, stirring constantly for approximately 10 minutes. Let cool, then chop coarsely.

Place the chicken in a large skillet or saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chicken stand, covered, until cooked through, approximately 12-14 minutes. Remove chicken from the water, and when it’s cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, cook the penne until al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water. Reserve 1/2 c. pasta water. Drain the pasta, then rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well again.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, yogurt, raisings, parsley, almonds, and lemon zest and juice. Thin the sauce with some of the reserved pasta water. Season with salt and pepper. Serve refrigerated (up to one day) or at room temperature. I think it was great at room temp.

Serves 4.

I served this with steamed asparagus spears that were sprinkled with lemon juice and finished with some chardonnay smoked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. The whole shebang was delicious (even the hubs liked it, and in fact suggested a 1st course of carrot ginger soup next time – more spa and more volume to increase those feelings of fullness!). A nice reward for slaying that cookie dragon.

Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© 2012, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Yeah, no, that’s not a typo. This is not your average chicken divan, it’s Chicken Divine, people. It’s cheesy and starchy and warm, and even though I lightened up the America’s Test Kitchen recipe, it’s decadent. If you wanted to mess around with this and try the pre-cooked brown rice from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, you could, but I wonder if it’d be starchy enough. But me? I’m not going to bother. Because the alchemy of the instant white rice (yes, you read that right, had to make a special trip to Stah Mahket for that one) and the sauce and the cheese . . . well, you better hustle up to make this before the thermometer slides back up to 50, ’cause what we have here, folks, is certified winter comfort food. Just enjoy it.

Chicken Divine (adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution Cookbook)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and the thyme and cook until the onion is translucent. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and smoothing out any lumps. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Stir the 1/2 and 1/2 and the dry mustard into the mixture in the slow cooker. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and add it to the slow cooker, coating it evenly with the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Break up the chicken into bite-sized pieces with a spoon (don’t be over-zealous – the chicken will break up more as you stir in the other ingredients). Stir in the rice and cheeses, cover, and cook on high until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.

Microwave the broccoli in a covered glass dish, stirring occasionally, until tender; about 3 minutes total. At this point, you can either 1) stir the broccoli into the casserole, re-cover the slow-cooker and let stand until heated through (about 5 minutes); or 2) serve up some broccoli-free casserole for your veg-haters (you KNOW who you are) and then serve up casserole atop broccoli for those of the veg persuasion.

Serves 4 generously.

A note: Fear not the 5 cloves of garlic. Remember, the slow-cooker dumbs everything down, flavor-wise. Neither D. nor I would describe this as garlicky at all, just flavorful. Besides, garlic and onions are GREAT for your immune system, and it is winter, after all.

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Let me just preface this by saying, “I know.” I know this is not a dump-n-go slow cooker recipe, and yes, I know I bill myself as a dump-n-go kinda girl, but I think this one is worth the effort. Because although, yes, there is some pre-cooking involved (am I at shock & awe yet?), you will be richly rewarded with a stew that does not taste like it came out of your slow cooker. Nope. This is more of the “simmering all day on the stovetop in a wildly expensive Dutch oven” taste. Does this appeal to you? Read on.

Before my surgery, I decided to torture myself by picking up the America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution cookbook. Just to make myself feel bad, you know? I couldn’t resist this when I saw it at Costco – I love my Crock-Pot and am constantly looking for new, tasty material. ATK tests the hell out of every recipe, and although, yes, many of their recipes involve machinations, they are usually worth it (See, for example, cooking the apples before you put them in your apple pie crust. This is to prevent shrinkage so that your pie is filled to the brim with sweet juicy apples. Genius.).

So the other day, I embarked on this recipe with an open mind. I grumbled as I browned and cooked the veggies, but this came out great. And to bolster my case – I did all the cleanup after I got the ingredients in the Crock-Pot, so all I had to do post-dinner was load the bowls & plates into the dishwasher and wipe up. Ta-daaa!

Slow Cooker Chicken & Sausage Stew (adapted from the ATK Slow Cooker Revolution)

Dry the chicken and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the chicken on both sides. Transfer to the slow cooker. You will probably have to do this in two batches.

Add the sausage to the skillet, brown it well, and transfer it to the slow cooker.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and add the onions, fennel, garlic, tomato paste, thyme and red pepper flakes and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned. Add those to the slow cooker.

Lower the heat to low, and add the flour to the skillet. Stir it for about 30 seconds, and then slowly whisk in the wine/vermouth, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Whisk in 1 cup of broth, smooth out any lumps, and transfer this to the slow cooker. Stir the remaining 3 cups of broth and bay leaves into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook for 6 hours on low.

Skim the fat off the top of the stew using a large spoon and discard the bay leaves.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker, and also add the beans and kale (You will need to stir in the kale ’til wilted – it will dramatically decrease in volume. You may need additional broth here to thin the consistency of the stew). Turn the cooker up to high and let warm through, about 30 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with Parmesan (and a lot of crusty bread, if you like that sort of thing).

Serves 6 to 8.

© 2011 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Couldn’t resist that one . . . And you won’t be able to resist this easy slow-cooker chicken molé. It’s got a deep, smoky, slightly spicy flavor and is great served over rice. Pair with a crisp green salad and cuddle up for a delicious dinner that’s ready when you are.

Slow Cooker Chicken Mole (adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food)

Season the chicken with salt and place in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Place the tomatoes through the cinnamon in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the mixture to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high until chicken is tender, 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Serve chicken and sauce over rice and topped with cilantro.

Serves 6.

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© 2011 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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OMG, this is so tasty, so easy . . . I thought my dear friend Lindsay made this one up – you should hear her talk about this dish – her eyes light up, her hands flutter, she smiles dreamily as she describes how easy it is and how it’s “the ultimate comfort food.” So why did it take me SO LONG to get around to making this? Dunno. What inspired me last weekend was again, my Shared Harvest CSA share. I had 5 pounds of Empire apples, beautiful leeks and fresh rosemary staring at me. How could I let this opportunity slide by?

Turns out, this was originally a Real Simple recipe . . . but to call it a recipe is overstating it. It’s a method, and you can tweak this to your needs in terms of quantity and taste. No matter what, it’s a hands-off preparation that yields a healthful dish that’s easy enough for a weeknight.

Roast Chicken With Apples & Leeks (adapted from Lindsay, who adapted it from Real Simple)

Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a large roasting pan, toss the apples, leeks, rosemary, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and nestle it among the vegetables (if using skin-on, bone-in chicken, place it skin-side-up). Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the apples and leeks are tender, 40 to 45 minutes, tossing the apple and leek mixture about every 15 minutes.

Serve the chicken, apples and leeks, along with some of the pan juices, over hot cooked rice . . . and in this instance, I have to say I think white rice is better. So shoot me.

Serves 4.

© 2011 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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This, my friends, might be your favorite slow cooker recipe – if you like the flavors of Indian food, that is. It’s rich and silky and perfect either over rice, or with naan. Enjoy a crisp salad on the side, or better yet, steam up some fresh green veg and season with a splash of lemon juice – you’ll want something light and a little bit acidic to counteract the lusciousness of the chicken.

Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken (adapted from food.com)

3/4 cup plain lowfat Greek yogurt (see note below)

Put chicken in the slow cooker. Add the onion, garlic, and all of the dry spices. Add the butter, tomato paste, lemon juice and coconut milk. Give it a little stir and ensure that the mixture is covering the chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. The chicken should shred easily with 2 forks when fully cooked. Shred the chicken and if you’ve been cooking on high, turn the heat to low or warm. Stir in the yogurt 15 minutes before serving. Salt to taste and serve.

Serves 4.

A note regarding Greek yogurt: You could certainly use fat-free Greek yogurt here, but your sauce won’t be as silky. I used home-made Greek yogurt from Sophia’s Greek Pantry in Belmont . . . I have mentioned this stuff on Facebook, and if you haven’t tried it, it’s worth a trip to Belmont to get yourself a tub. Sophia says it’s made from 2% milk – I say it is the tangy cousin of creme fraiche and is fabulous in both sweet and savory applications. I am undeniably addicted to the stuff.

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© 2011 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Today’s recipe is a simple, hearty  and healthy dinner salad that boasts high protein and high fiber.  If you skip the added chicken, you could serve this as a pretty and creative side dish.  Or sub tofu for chicken, and create a vegan one-dish meal.  In any case, this’ll cost you only 30 minutes of your time, counter to table.

Orange Chicken Quinoa

Boil 1 1/4 c. water in a small saucepan.  Add rinsed quinoa, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for approximately 12 minutes, or until the water is absorbed by the quinoa.  Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff.

While the quinoa is cooking, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.  Trim the scallions and cut into 1-inch pieces.  Saute the chicken and scallions in a skillet with 1 t. of olive oil, until the chicken is no longer pink inside.

Meanwhile, make the dressing.  Cut 1 inch off each end of the orange.  Squeeze the orange ends into a small bowl, to get about 2 T. of juice.  Whisk together the orange juice, the lemon juice, 3 T. olive oil, salt and pepper.  Peel the remainder of the orange and slice it very thinly.

Add the chicken mixture, the dressing, sliced orange and the pistachios to the quinoa and toss.  Taste for seasoning – add more lemon juice, salt and/or pepper if desired.  Arrange 1 c. of salad greens on each of four plates, garnish each with 1/4 of the chicken mixture.

Serves 4.

Adapted from the Nutrition Action Healthletter, April 2009

Tip: Are you using non-stick cookware?  It’s more than suspect from a health-standpoint, it could be downright dangerous.  Did you know that a properly seasoned cast iron frying pan is virtually non-stick?  The secret is to heat it up before you begin cooking your food.  The 1 teaspoon of oil in this recipe more than coated my cast iron frying pan and created a non-stick surface for my chicken – all for only 10 extra calories per serving.  And bonus!  If you use cast iron cookware, you’ll get a little extra iron in your diet.

© 2011 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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