Easy and Healthy Chicken Parmesan Recipe with Parmigiano Reggiano®

I like a good Chicken Parmesan. And since I worked at an Italian restaurant here in the USA (side note: I never heard of that dish in Europe) for a few years, I know it's one of America's favorites, too. We've always had the biggest crowd on "Chicken Parm Wednesdays".

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Now I work at a gym - total opposite to the restaurant. Flipping dishes and making them healthier is one of my passions. I don't like fried chicken nor using the pre-grated parmesan. What about using a grill - and a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano! Well, not a whole wedge all at once, but we do like a LOT of Parmigiano. I freshly grate the cheese from the wedge for the most intense flavor.

Recipe: No Fat Banana Muffins

For an even healthier version, use 3 egg whites instead of whole eggs, splenda or unsweetened apple sauce instead of sugar, and for the flour use 1 cup white & 1 c whole wheat. Using applesauce in place of sugar adds sweetness without the extra calories and, well, sugar. One cup of unsweetened applesauce contains only about 100 calories, while one cup of sugar can pack in more than 770 calories! You can sub sugar for apple sauce in a 1:1 ratio, but for every cup of applesauce you use, reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup.

 

Recipe: Pizza Dough! // No More Store Bought, Please.

I really love food blogs - but somehow I only like recipes, if they are REAL recipes. Home made stuff. Lately I see a lot of "take a box of this" or "use this and that pasta sauce". THIS is not a recipe, in my opinion. It's just putting together ready-made stuff. Especially when it comes to pizza. I have seen multiple pizza recipes of so called food bloggers lately, that start with "Buy some pizza dough - I prefer Pillsbury". Ummmmmm no. So your home made pizza will be just opening a can, putting ready-made tomato sauce on it, pepperoni, and grated cheese? Well, save some time and go straight to the frozen meal section of the grocery store next time. And please don't call it a recipe.
When we make pizza at home, we ALWAYS make our own dough. It is super easy, cheap, and trust me: it tastes DELICIOUS! This is why I want to share my go-to recipe today. Feel free to share it, pin it... Just please spread the word, so people will stop buying this ready-made crap.

And for the tomato sauce: take 1 can of diced tomatoes (plain, no salt added), 1 fresh medium sized tomato, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and throw everything in the food processor. It tastes YUMMY! Be creative when it comes to the toppings! I love baby spinach, anchovies, onions, and bell pepper on my pizza!

What's your favorite pizza? Plain pepperoni or something fancy?

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Refreshing Summer Recipe: Cool Cucumber Soup

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Wordless Wednesday LinkUp // One Year Smoke-Free :)

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My First Trip To The Local Farmer's Market

I just came back from my very first trip to the local farmer's market, and as you can see: it was a success! Since the market is pretty new, there isn't such a huge selection yet, but I did find everything I wanted, and didn't even pay $5! Farm fresh! Whoop whoop!

I'm hoping to find a wider selection soon. I missed fruit and eggs, for example. The ladies were really nice! If the weather is bad, they won't be there, so I like the fact they are up to date, and make announcements on their Facebook page.

Post by El Dorado Farmer's Market.

Post by El Dorado Farmer's Market.

One onion jumped straight into the crock pot, to accompany the Honey Sesame Chicken. They are having a little party in there right now. Everything else will be roasted tomorrow.

Life is good.

Happy Friday!

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Healthy Recipe Linkup // Easiest Pasta Recipe EVER!

Happy Monday!

I am linking up with a couple of awesome ladies today. We want to share our favorite healthy recipes!
Since this is one of my all time favorites, easy as heck, and pinned on Pinterest a lot, I will repost my "Easiest Pasta Recipe EVER!"!

Enjoy!

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5 Ways to Keep the Holiday Season Healthy // A Post from Emily Stone

Hello ladies and gents!

Today I have the lovely Emily Stone guest-posting on my blog! Relax, and enjoy:
   

5 Ways to Keep the Holiday Season Healthy

  At this year’s holiday parties, you probably won’t see me camped out at the dessert table. No, I’ve got a better plan. The bowl of mixed nuts is mine, you hear? That might seem a little aggressive, but the holidays can be a horrible time for weight gain. If I want a healthier holiday season, I have to be reasonable. That doesn’t mean I can’t indulge, but I have to prepare for it so January won’t hit me like a truck.   1. Plan Ahead. Everywhere I go at this time of year there is a deluge of sweet treats to tempt me. If I plan to expect these treats, I can find ways to subvert them. I keep healthy but sweet and filling snacks in my car, and I make sure to eat regular meals. That way, if someone offers me a dessert, I can have a bite or two, and not eat half the pan. I have workouts ready to go, as well. I maintain a program of easy exercises on my smartphone that I can perform almost anywhere (think squats, calf raises, wall sits) and I keep a bag of exercise clothes in my car.   2. Rest Well. Ugh, who can sleep when there’s so much to do? Not most moms. When I had my first child, I swore that I would never lose sleep for presents and holiday parties. This has paid off. Not only do I avoid that haggard, exhausted look that most people get around the holidays, but I also cannot procrastinate. As a result, my holiday shopping is usually done by mid-November, with presents ready to hand out just after Thanksgiving. Sleep gives me energy that no amount of caffeine can adequately replace. I take it seriously.   3. Make It Healthy. As an amateur cook and baker, I have learned to make a few healthy ingredient exchanges. For example, butter. It’s good in small quantities, but that does not mean I can slather it on. In many recipes, mashed ripe bananas or applesauce will replace butter. Extra-virgin coconut oil is another fantastic alternative. It’s a saturated fat, but considered healthier than butter since it is a medium-chain fatty acid. When I first started using it, I was amazed by the flavor and texture that coconut oil contributes to my cookies and cakes. It’s light and delicious, without drying out the crumb the way butter can.   5. Go For Fullness. Rolls, cookies and cake breads, oh my! All it is, my friends, is carbohydrate overload. When I see a luscious spread in front of me, the temptation is go right to the brownies and the fudge. But step away from the sugar! When I hear temptation calling, I load up on protein. I add a scoop of protein powder into my morning fruit smoothie and it keeps me feeling full for hours, plus it helps to keep the sweet cravings at bay.   6. Detox. After my blood sugar has got back to normal after Thanksgiving, it’s time to go into detox mode. Despite the inclination to just eat my way through to New Year’s Day, I want to avoid the holiday weight slump. However, I also don’t like the “liquid only” type of cleanses. I recently ordered, and started, the reset cleanse from Beachbody to fill in the gap between Thanksgiving & Christmas. It’s a 3-week detox so it fit into my schedule perfectly and I’ll be finished (and hopefully feeling great) just in time for Santa’s arrival.   The holidays are wonderful, but they take a toll on my health. If you want to lose or maintain weight this season, like I do: plan ahead and minimize the diet damage.  

Emily Stone is a proud stay at home mom, a dedicated wife, and a wanna-be fitness freak. Emily left her full-time writing career to pursue her career as a full-time mom and she’s been loving every minute of it! Emily is in the process of starting up her own blog, but for now you can find her at @FitMommaEm

Thank you, Emily!

 

If you want to be a guest blogger on here, just shoot me an e-mail!

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Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients

2-3	green Tomatoes
1 Tbsp	Dijon-Mustard
1 Tsp	Sugar
1/2 Tsp	Salt
1/4 Tsp	Paprika
1 pinch	Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Tsp	Worcester sauce
1/2 cup	Cornmeal
4 Tbsp	Vegetable oil

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. 
2. Scoop flour onto a plate. Whisk all other ingredients (except the vegetable oil) together in a medium-size bowl. Dredge the tomatoes in corn meal, then dip the tomatoes into this mixture, then dredge in the cornmeal again, to completely coat.
3. In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

The very best way to buy your veggies! // A trip to the farm

Last weekend my sister and nephew took me to a local farm, where you can pick your own fruits and vegetables. It was really awesome! Even though it's October and pretty much fall over here in Germany, there was still a lot to pick. On the left picture above you can see what I got. It's awesome: you go there, grab a knife and basket and/or wheelbarrow, and off to the fields you go, harvesting!

On Saturday I made fried green tomatoes right away. Yummy!! I will share my vegan recipe on here soon!

Here go some more impressions from our trip to the farm:

One thing is for sure and already discussed with M: As soon as we have a house with a nice and bigger backyard, Miss Anni will have some chicken and a garden! 

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Easiest Pasta Recipe Ever! // Printable!

I linked up here:

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Fit Food Recipe: Home Made Chocolate Protein Bars

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Smoke-Free: Day 3!

Hey there lovely readers!

So here I am, I made it to day 3 of my new life as a recovering-smokeaholic. Smoke free, and patch free. Yep! So here's how I felt so far:

Day 1

I can't remember much to be honest. Where my brain used to be, there only seemed to be a hot dog bun. That's how I felt. Chewing gum aaaaaaall day. Plus wearing this "medium" patch. Didn't sleep good at all, didn't work out that day, and I was hungry. HUNGRY! In the morning I would have had a corn dog if one was around. Oh and cocktails! I was daydreaming of Margaritas! Geeeeeeez... Drug withdrawal is tough indeed.

Feeling: Blah and dumb.
Gums: 25(?)
Patch: Yes
Food: A lot. Of crap.
Workout: Nope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2

I was so tired after waking up every 20 mins that night.Work was stressful as heck. I am all alone at the office right now, but I've somehow managed it to finish everything around 5:15PM. Went home, changed into workout gear right away, and did "Extreme Shred & Shed" with Jillian Michaels. I did the warm up and Level 2, but had to stop 5 minutes early though, cause I had to head over to my sister's to babysit my nephew. I removed the patch in the afternoon since I didn't feel it was doing any good; besides it started to itch. I think I was keeping up petty good that day! Plus I had some good night's sleep! (blame it on the no-more-patch)

Feeling: Tired but not like a junkie on cold turkey anymore.
Gums: 2
Patch: 4 hours, then ripped it off for good!
Food: Healthy breakfast, ice cream for lunch, and Lasagne and stuffed bell peppers for dinner.
Workout: "Extreme Shed & Shred", Level 2.

Day 3

Almost half way through day 3 now, and I'm feeling better and better! Almost nocraving for cigarettes. I can even smell it when someone walks past my office window smoking a cigarette and it BOTHERS me :oD
I'm looking forward to get off, so I can have a phone date with hubs, another workout with Jillian, roasted veggies and goat cheese for dinner... Feeling good!

Feeling: Awesome!
Gums: 2
Patch: -
Food: Healthy breakfast, ice cream and peaches for lunch. And tons of water!
Workout: Meeting Jillian later, so it will be "Extreme Shed & Shred" again!

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Spending some time with Jillian Michaels

Hello and Guten Tag from Germany!

It was a little quiet around here for the last couple of days, but I hope you enjoyed my vacation recaps so far?

Spring finally arrived and it is amazing how much better I feel now that the sun is still up at 7pm. Since I didn't feel really comfortable with my body lately, I went back to working out. So now I spend every evening with my new BFF Jillian Michaels, doing her "30 Day Shred" workout, plus trying to go around 100 kilometers on my bike/week. It's pretty cool how fast my body already changed! Still not feeling good enough to step on the scale, but from the way my pants fit I can totally see a difference!

 

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

So far I'm still on Level 1 of the workout. If you are on Instagram, make sure to follow me, cause that is  where I post my after-workout-pics and tell you about my progress!

Besides my "30 Day Shred" and bike tours, I am back at the gym now as well, doing mostly cardio to burn some extra calories, or working on my legs and arms.
Another big change is, that I am now using an App to track my daily calorie input. Girl, it helps a lot! If you have to write it down, you think twice, and in the end you are not eating that second cookie ;oD!

One of the biggest motivator has been my "Polar FT7" Heart Rate Monitor. It makes my workout definitely more effective!

I really should start stepping on the scale though. My Wii Fit Board might be the best way to track my weight(loss).

Who is with me on the weightloss journey?

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