I have noticed to offset all this hearty homestyle eating, I have been having to do a bit more intense cardio workouts. I recently started doing the stairclimber at the gym, it looks something like this....
I like to pretend it's an escalator at Nordstrom, where they have put the entire store at 99% off. That'll get me moving.
The most recent meal I had to work off was a cheddar biscuits and a chicken recipe I found on pinterest. This chicken recipe was claimed to be the "best chicken recipe ever" on pinterest. In my experience, anything that states it is the "best ______ ever" usually ends up being pretty "meh" to me. I gave it a go anyway.
Melt in Your Mouth Chicken
- 4 boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1. Mix mayonnaise, cheese and seasonings.
2. Spread mixture over chicken breast and place in baking dish.
3. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.
NOTE: I substituted plain, non-fat greek yogurt for mayo. I don't buy mayo and I have never had success making my own.
Mix up your sauce.
Smear it on your chicken.
Best chicken ever? Not a chance! Decent chicken recipe that we all ate? Yep!
I served my chicken with baked sweet potatoes and cheddar biscuits.
Cheddar Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 3 tablespoons butter, cold (or room temp works too)
- 1 cup buttermilk (i never have buttermilk so i use 1 c milk and 1 1/2 tsp vinegar... let them sit together until little bubbles appear on the top, about ten min.)
- 1 1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (i pretty much do 2 cups)
Buttery Topping:
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes (not necessary... just pretty)
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch of salt
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, garlic powder and salt.
3. Cut in shortening and butter until coarse crumbs are formed.
4. Lightly mix in grated cheese. Mix in buttermilk just until moist (dry spots here and there are ok - the biscuits will be tough if they are overmixed).
5. Drop the biscuits onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until browned and golden.
6. While the biscuits are baking, in a small bowl combine butter, parsley, garlic powder and salt. Right when the biscuits come out of the oven, brush the butter/herb mixture over the biscuits evenly (alternately, you can dip the top of the biscuit into the butter mixture). Serve immediately.
Mix your dry ingredients.
Add your butter, shortening, and milk.
Drop onto a baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown.
I really loved these biscuits. I am, admittedly, a carb-loving, bread-eating sort of girl...so these are pretty much what I spend my days dreaming about.
Overall, this is a great meal for those chilly nights when the minis are starving after swim practice. Or soccer practice. Or volleyball practice. Or piano lessons. etc etc etc.....
