The easiest Parmesan Chicken you'll ever make

I LOVE this simple but delicious recipe. It's quick, easy and most importantly my kids love it and always ask for a second helping.

All you'll need for this recipe is:

• 1 lb of raw chicken tenders
• 100% grated Parmesan cheese
• Mayo or Miracle Whip
• Parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

And that's it!

Directions for the easiest Parmesan Chicken you'll ever make:

Place raw chicken tenders on baking dish about an inch apart. Dab paper towel on each piece just to try and get the most water off as this will make the mayo harder to put on. Salt and pepper to taste. Using a butter knife spread mayo or miracle whip on each chicken tender. Pour Parmesan cheese over each piece. Sprinkle parley over top of each piece. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken tenders in oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and Parmesan cheese begins to slightly brown. (Cooking time may vary depending on oven) Remove, let cool and serve!

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken

I'm a semi health conscious cook so don't fry much but this is one dish that my family including myself loves.

Now for the chicken you'll need: 

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin (cut into smaller pieces if necessary. 
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 4 teaspoons black pepper

For the Flour Coating

• 2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground thyme
• 2 teaspoons ground sage
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

For the egg wash:

• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons water

Please note the original recipe calls for 4 eggs and 8 tablespoons of water but this is always too much.

For the Honey Garlic Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

The Rest:

• Peanut oil or canola oil

DIRECTIONS

To make the Honey Garlic Sauce: In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and cook the garlic over medium heat the to soften, but do not allow it to brown.

Add the honey, soya sauce and black pepper. Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

Make an egg wash by whisking together the 4 eggs and 8 tablespoon water; set aside.

Combine together the flour ginger, thyme, sage paprika and cayenne pepper; set aside.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip the meat in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the breast into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat to get good contact. Allow to rest for about 15-20 minutes to allow for good adherence.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (black iron is good) on the stove with about a half inch of peanut or canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature so that the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned, about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Do not crowd the pieces.

Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breasts into the Honey Garlic Sauce.

Corn and Peach Salad

This is a cool salad that will let you enjoy the outdoors in the summer.

picture from http://www.girlmakesfood.com/grilled-peach-and-corn-salad/

Ingredients: 

• 4 ears fresh sweet corn 
• 1 cup chopped fresh peaches
• 6 to 8 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• tbsp cider vinegar 

Directions: 

1. Remove husks from ears of corn
2. Scrub with a stiff brush to remove silks, rinse
3. Cut kernels from cob (about 2 cups) 
4. In a medium bowl, combine corn, peaches, radishes and mint
5. add oil and vinegar and toss to coat 
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper 

*recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Magazines 

My Favorite Chicken Barbeque

Who does not love chicken, right? Now that it is almost summer, barbecue is in demand once again for camping trips or to go to the beach. Here is a chicken barbecue recipe that is worth trying.

photo taken from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue_chicken

What you will need:
1. 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lb chicken pieces
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minces
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
1 cup water
1/3 cup coarsely chopped onion (1 small)
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Recommended: Remove chicken skin
2. Divide chicken between two resealable plastic bags set in shallow dishes
3. In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and black pepper
4. Pour the mixture over the chicken and seal bags. Turn the bags a little so that the chicken will be completely covered with the mixture
5. Keep the bags in the refrigerator overnight
6. To make the sauce,  combine water, onion, butter, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar and pinch of black pepper in a saucepan
7. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer uncovered
8. Mix the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and cayenne pepper and let boil
9. On the grill, drain chicken and arrange on the rack
10, Cover the grill for 50 to 60 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink
11. Brush chicken with barbecue sauce and grill for 20 more minutes

Foods to add into your diet/recipes that help fight/prevent hair loss

Beauty and/or health seems to be more popular than ever these days. For women especially, this includes the health of our hair. Well did you know the health of our hair depends also on what we eat? But there's no need to fret there are plenty of foods you can easily add into your diet to ensure you're providing your hair what it needs to thrive. Here are a couple just to get you started!

Spinach

Being a great source of vitamins and nutrients such as iron, vitamin A and C and protein, spinach on the top of the list of foods to consume to help with hair health.
















Carrots

Adding carrots to your diet will improve your hair health. Even though they are known to be good your eyes because they contain vitamin A they are also good for your hair.













Oats

Say farewell to hair fall just by adding oats to your diet. Since they are full of fiber, iron, zinc and omega-6 fatty acids, oats stimulate hair growth.







This list courtesy of  http://food.ndtv.com/

This is just a few of the many foods that can help maintain those lovely locks. Luckily there are many cafes and shops popping up these days that cater to this sort of eating and make it easy to conveniently order a healthy snack/lunch/drink.

Without paying mind to what you consume you could unknowingly be causing hair loss unnecessarily. Which also has it's many solutions thanks to the likes of Bosley.

However, if something is unavoidable it's probably best to avoid it. Unfortunately for some, hair loss and balding are genetic so it's inevitable but for others eating healthy can help to avoid or at least prolong the loss of your hair.

Good luck and good eating!

Betty Crocker's Simply Pasta- Pepperoni Caesar Pasta Salad

It's delicious. Let's just start with that. And very easy to make.

I normally don't make box meals but I decided to try this one.

The regular Simply Pasta Caesar Pasta Salad recipe calls for (from the website) 1/4 cold water and 3 tablespoons of  although I used 1/4 vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of cold water which is what the back of the box said. Mix this with the pack of seasoning and set aside.

Then boil the noodles for about 15 minutes drain and rinse, drain well.

Mix the noodles with the mixture and voila! That's the regular pasta salad done.

To spice it up with more "stuff" you need:

         2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained

         1 cup of pepperoni slices, ready to eat

         1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped (3/4 cups)

         1 jar (2.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained

Follow the direction to make the regular pasta as stated above and add these ingredients for a spectacular Pepperoni Caesar Pasta Salad that your family is sure to enjoy. Serve or refrigerate immediately .

Eating Healthy is a lifestyle not a pre summer rush...

So I've decided to break out the Nutri-Bullet and actually put it to use...daily. I've started making shakes daily for breakfast. I hate when I eat yet still feel hungry since I workout on a regular basis it has increased my metabolism and appetite. So I eat a smaller portion and supplement with a shake.

Since I've only begun I use basic ingredients including:
         a banana, celery, carrots, chopped kale and orange juice, I also add some ginger.

This is a simple mixture and includes things that most people have around their house (except maybe the kale). I plan on making a trip to a health food store in the next few days to get some new add-ins such as: avocado, pomegranate, kiwi, spinach, blueberries, pineapples, etc.

It hasn't been costly at all because if you buy the whole fruit/vegetable without it being already cut/chopped, etc it's cheaper. Anyway I don't own a scale (for me it's more about how I feel) so I can't tell you if I've lost any weight but I can definitely tell you I feel awesome! A lot less sluggish in the mornings and that in itself is a win for me. Anyway I'll keep you posted on my progress and share some recipes I try in the upcoming days.