Food Therapy

As I mentioned in my post last night, I think that boneless, skinless chicken breast is the enemy. I know, I know...it's healthy...blah, blah. I don't care how "healthy" you tell me it is, I think it's BORING. And by boring, I mean super boring. I would rather eat shoe leather.

So that said I challenged myself to make something that remained healthy, but tasted as little like shoe leather as possible. Of course...the answer was clear...cheese. Cheese makes everything better. I would put cheese on Cheerios if I could.

On the side I continued with my salad success, making a strawberry spinach salad...so yum! I mean, I run the risk of being hungry in an hour due to the lack of carbs, but hey, the hubby was super pleased...the food tasted good and fit in his diet.

Strawberry Spinach Salad
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 lemon
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 c. sliced almonds - toasted
1/4 c. red onion - sliced thin
16 oz. strawberries - sliced
crumbled feta

Mix vinegar, juice of 1 lemon and sugar in small mixing bowl until sugar dissolves. Add oil and poppy seeds. Set aside. Meanwhile, toast almonds in pan over medium heat, tossing frequently. Place spinach in salad bowl. Top with strawberries, almonds, onion, feta. Top with dressing when ready to serve.

This is a great salad for the spring. Strawberries are sweet and the combo of the berries, onions and feta creates a party in your mouth.


Veggie Smothered Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Italian dressing (I used the Four Seasons mix at home - better than the bottle)
1/2 large red onion - sliced 1/4 in. thick
1 green pepper - sliced
10-12 button mushrooms - sliced
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
garlic powder
sea salt
pepper
8 slices provolone cheese
Marinate the chicken in Italian dressing for 2-4 hours. When ready to begin cooking, slice onion, green pepper and mushrooms. Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken in Pyrex baking dish with remaining marinade, sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper and place in oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, saute veggies in butter and olive oil over medium heat until tender. When chicken is almost done, pull out of oven and top with 2 pieces of provolone cheese. Return to oven until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Like I said, cheese makes everything better and this is no exception. And the mound of veggies on top acts like a side dish in an of itself. It's perfectly easy, quick and delicious.

On a side note, I need to talk about my recent purchase...I don't know about you, but I love recycling but hate that you need to separate the recyclables from the trash. I mean, I am sick of tripping over brown Trader Joe's paper bags! So I have been on a mission to get a trash can and recycling bin all contained in one unit. Well, I found the best thing to happen to my kitchen since the cast iron skillet. It's the simplehuman Deluxe Rectangular Recycler...so awesome! Yes, it is a little pricey but so worth it for my sanity...I'm in love! Check it out...

Ahhhh....food therapy complete...and some trash therapy too...