Baked Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan is a classic, and baking it in the oven as opposed to frying it really lightens up the whole dish. I make this when I want a fast and easy dinner that I know everyone will like. You could even make the chicken without the sauce and cheese and use it in a ton of other recipes. Serve with some veggies or on top of pasta for a complete meal.

Here's what you'll need:

• 3 Large Chicken Breasts $9.93
• 1 cup Breadcrumbs $0.42
• 3/4 cup Tomato Sauce $0.66
• 3 Tablespoons Light Butter $0.42
• 6 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese $0.62

Serving Size: 1 piece of chicken

Total Servings: 6

Price Per Serving: $2.01

Nutrition (per serving):

      Calories: 283

      Carbs:  15g

      Fat:  7g

      Protein:  38g

 Preheat your oven to 450 degrees

Prepare your chicken by taking each chicken breast and cutting it in half so you have a total of 6 that are each about 1/2 inch thick.

Melt the butter in a small bowl and spread half on the first side of your chicken breasts.

Pour the breadcrumbs on a plate so that you can place the chicken in them.

Place the chicken in the breadcrumbs and then butter the other side of the chicken. Flip it over and make sure that both sides get coated in breadcrumbs. 

Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and then spread the chicken out on the sheet. 

Bake the chicken for 20 minutes and then flip and bake for another 5. 

Remove the chicken and spoon the tomato sauce over the top, followed by the parmesan cheese. 

Bake for another 5 minutes or just until the cheese has melted.  

I served my chicken with steamed broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes. 

Happy Cooking! 

Butternut Squash Noodles

One more spiralized veggie recipe (for now)! I like this one the most. Butternut squash is one of my favorite winter veggies, and they are great for noodles. combine with some kale, mushrooms, and sausage, and you have the perfect dinner recipe. I use hot italian sausage because it goes well with the sweetness of the squash, but you could use whatever kind you want. 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 Butternut Squash $2.30
• 8oz Mushrooms $2.59
• **4 Hot Italian Turkey Sausages $4.00
• 1 Bunch Kale $1.00

**My grocery store was out of the italian turkey sausage, so I had to use regular italian sausage. The nutritional info is using the turkey sausage. 

Serving Size: 1/4 Total Recipe

Total Servings: 4

Price Per Serving: $2.72

Nutrition (per serving):

      Calories: 308

      Carbs:  35g

      Fat:  9g

      Protein:  27g

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

If your sausage is in its casing then you'll need to remove it. You can do this by squeezing in the middle and the sausage will come out the ends, throw the casings away.

Heat a large pan or pot over medium high heat and then add in your sausage. break up the pieces with a fork while cooking. Once done, set aside. 

Take your squash and cut off the bulb on the end. The part that you spiralize should be seedless. If you get any seeds in the part that you cut off (like I did) just scoop them out. Save the bulb part for another recipe, roast in the oven and top with some brown sugar for a sweet treat!

For the part that you'll be spiralizing, peel the skin off of the outside using a vegetable peeler and cut off the end.

Place your squash in your spiralizer and go!

Place the squash on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 7-10 minutes until they're flexible but not mushy, they should bend like pasta.

While your squash is baking, chop up your mushrooms and kale. Saute in a pan over medium high heat until kale is wilted and mushrooms have softened. 

Add in the sausage until it is heated through.

Place the noodles on a bowl or plate and top with the kale mushrooms and sausage. If you want, you can also top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. 

Happy Cooking!

Spiral Cucumber Greek Salad

More Spiralized Vegetables! This time it's spiralized cucumbers mixed with tomatoes, chicken, and feta for a delicious greek salad. You don't have to spiralize the cucumbers in this recipe, you could just chop them up into cubes, but I think it makes this recipe a little more fun. This recipe is super easy, no baking or sautéing, just chopping and mixing!  

This goes great with some Homemade Hummus on top! 

Here's what you'll need:

• 3 Cucumbers $3.00
• ~12 Cherry Tomatoes $2.99
• 12 Tbsp Reduced Fat Feta $5.12
• 1 Rotisserie Chicken $7.99
• 1 Lemon $0.79
• 6 Teaspoons Olive Oil $0.36

Serving Size: 1/6 Total Recipe

Total Servings: 6

Price Per Serving: 3.37

Nutrition (per serving):

      Calories: 223

      Carbs:  9g

      Fat:  12g

      Protein:  23g

Start off by getting your chicken ready. You could just bake some chicken breasts if you want to, but I think this is easier and just as delicious. Remove all the skin from the outside of the chicken and either throw away or save for a future recipe. Then remove all the meat from the chicken and chop into bite sized pieces. 

Spiralize your cucumbers by chopping of the ends and then using your spiralizer. If you don't have a spiralizer, just cube the cucumbers. You can also peel them if you want to.

Place the cucumbers in a bowl and add the juice of one lemon and the olive oil. Toss to combine.

Next chop up your tomatoes. I just cut them in half.

Add the cucumbers to a bowl and add the tomatoes, feta, and chicken on top. Top with a little bit of black pepper and you're done! 

Happy Cooking! 

Baked Curly Fries

So I got a vegetable spiralizer for christmas, and I have not been able to stop using it. There are just so many things you can make with it! I'll have a couple more spiral vegetable recipes coming up soon, but for now I thought I'd start off with an easy baked curly fry recipe. These fries are delicious and go great with a veggie wrap! 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 Medium Yukon Gold Potato $1.00
• 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil $0.06
• 1 Tablespoon Rosemary $0.18

Serving Size: 1/2 potato

Total Servings: 2

Price Per Serving:  $0.62

Nutrition (per serving):

      Calories: 60

      Carbs:  9g

      Fat:  3g

      Protein: 1g

This recipe can be made with pretty much any potato you want. I made them with Yukon Gold potatoes, but you could also do sweet potatoes or just regular russet potatoes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

My spiralizer is the Paderno 3-Blade Spiralizer. They're usually between 30 and 40 dollars and I think its totally worth it, but there are some other cheaper options. The Veggetti is about 15 dollars and I've heard great things about them also.

No need to peel the potato, just stick it on and go! I used the chipper blade (the larger triangles) to get a good size fry.

Place the spiralized potatoes in a bowl and add the olive oil on top. Toss to combine and sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Then spread them out on a baking sheet and place them in the oven for 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, chop your rosemary into small pieces.

Take out the potatoes and flip them over, they should just be starting to brown. Then sprinkle the rosemary over the top and place back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and they're ready to serve! To make them extra special, sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over the top.

Happy Cooking!