Chicken Pizzaiola with Torn Basil and Capers

I am so full and here is why: Chicken Pizzaiola with Torn Basil and Capers (6 w.w. points)
From the book "best darn food ever!"

capers?? yes. capers. they are: the unripened flower buds of Capparis spinosa
fancy, i know. you can find the capers near the pickles at your local grocer. also, don't eat them solo, it is, in my opinion gross.
ok let's get going on this very easy to make recipe:

• 4 (5-oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 & 1/2 cups no-salt added marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon nonpareil (tiny) capers, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 fresh basil leaves, torn

1. Place chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. With meat pounder or rolling pin (i used a giant spoon) pound to even thickness.
2. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, salt, and black pepper. Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
3. Add oil to skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Return chicken to skillet along with marinara sauce, broth, capers, and pepper flakes. simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan and basil.

1 chicken breast and 1/3 cup veggies & sauce 

Pasta with Shrimp Scampi

 

the cookbook i used

the intriguing picture

The juices are at the bottom

Pasta with Shrimp Scampi found on pg 84 in Best Darn Food Ever! (super lame title but nice book)

i picked this recipe because it had a picture with it and the picture was looking yummy.

it started off rocky when i discovered it needed "clam juice". i thought, "what the hell is that?" i found it by the canned tuna and was completely grossed out by it's murkiness. bleeeeh, how can this be tasty?

 although i wanted to abandon this meal, i did not and i'm pretty glad that i didn't.

 I had a few complications like, i tried to use brown rice & flax seed pasta instead of the wheat. i overcooked it and it was disgusting!!! i thought "how stupid of me!" so in the middle of cooking i had to run to the store. i ended up using regular angel hair pasta instead of the wheat.

all in all, it was tasty, the clam juice didn't taste as freakylicious as i had anticipated! Also, it's pretty easy to make, you should try it!

Pasta with Shrimp scampi-8 w.w. pointsplus

• 12 oz. whole wheat capellini or thin spaghetti
• 3 large garlic gloves, minced
• 1 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 (8 oz) bottle clam juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leap parsley
• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 table spoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Lemon wedges

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt if desired. Drain and transfer to serving bowl; keep pasta warm.
2. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp, clam juice, wine, oregano, salt, and pepper flakes. Bring to simmer and cook until shrimp are opaque in center, about 3 minutes.
3. Add shrimp mixture, parsley, lemon zest, and oil to pasta; toss. Serve with lemon wedges

And tada, you have a fancy pants meal that won't make you a fatty pants.

1 cup of pasta, 5 shrimp & 1/4 cup sauce= 8 w.w. pointsplus

February 15th was Alex’s birthday. It’s also our friend Jeff’s bday so we had a little celebration!
I made an ice cream cake called “The Bomb”. It’s my boss’ recipe.
It’s 2 round cakes and one rectangle cake and one big deep bowl (lined with saran wrap)
After cake has completely cooled add one round cake to the big deep bowl and line the bowl wall with the rectangle cake. Add ice cream of your choice into the hole and plug the hole with the second round cake.
Freeze in freezer. Take out and ice.
I used a peanut butter icing with fudge ice cream and chocolate cake.
everyone one seemed to love it. i’m not much of a chocolate person but that shit was THE BOMB

CHILIIIIIIIIIII.

Lemme tell you something. my chili is very tasty. i know it’s tasty because i am told this. also, you can see a chili line revealing where it started. i doubled the recipe so it was a lot of chili!
i will share my secret.

• 2 cans mexican beans (drained)
• 2 can kidney beans (drained)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 chili seasoning packet
• 1 can corn
• 1 can olives, halved
• 4 cans tomato sauce (smaller cans)
• 1 can stewed tomatos
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 onion diced

this is easy

1. brown meat, onion, minced garlic all at once.
2. in a separate pot combine beans, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, corn, olives, and seasonings. Put on medium heat.
3. once meat has browned and grease has been removed, add to bean pot.
4. once it boils bring heat to low and stir every once in a while so beans won’t stick to the bottom of the pot
5. taste test and add what you believe is necessary. i usually like to add cumin powder and lots of garlic powder when i make it.
6. once you find it tasty it’s ready to eat! sour cream, cheese and fritos usually go well with this!

Pizza Party!

i didn't even know that making your own pizza from scratch would be so liberating. i had another "food with friends" night. we decided to tackle homemade pizza!
i used the pizza dough recipe from here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-pizza-crust/
it calls for "bread flour" but i used all purpose and everything was ok! also, we used a lot of olive oil once we started to form the pizza circle.
If you use a cast iron skillet it makes your pizza crust thicker. if you put it on a flat pan you have a thinner crust.

i made a very delicious breakfast burrito!
i mixed fresh baby spinach in with egg whites (they were yellow for some reason) and scrambled it up.
i then placed it on a Mama Lupe's low carb tortilla along with 1 slice of 2% milk cheese on top and then some crispy bacon.
roll that baby up and BAM, a breakfast burrito. add a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to your egg mixture for an extra kick.