Crazy for chicken



 

 Meal prep for a week at a time can be so blah and boring. My work weeks have been long and since I am physically challenged at work, and hitting the gym on my break I am trying to prepare fuel rather than just something to fill my stomach. I am a chicken girl, and it does not make me feel gross on a 5 show day. Here are a few of my successful chicken creations that have fed me for the week and reheated nicely :) ( sorry for my lack of fancy photographed food, as I am just here to share the straight up basics, which is all you need to create your own yummy greatness)

 

 

 Chicken and veggie bake:

 

Here is what you need:

 

-Boneless skinless chicken breast (4)

-Red potatoes

-Baby carrots

-Snow peas

-Broccoli

-1/2 yellow onion

-1 full garlic clove

-1 stick butter

 

 This is my ultimate favorite tasting, and most basic recipe yet! What you will need to do is cut a handful of red potatoes (I kind of sliced them rather than cubing them so they can line the pan). You will then want to dice up the garlic and onion to your liking. I then line half the pan with the potatoes and sprinkle some of the onion and garlic over the potatoes. Next you will lay the chicken (spiced however you like) on top of the potatoes, and in the center of the pan. You should now have extra room on each side of the chicken. I place the remaining potatoes on one side of the pan, and my veggies on the other side ( feel free to really pack them in there). You can really use any type of veggie you like for this dish! I then sprinkle the remaining garlic and onion blend over the entire dish. Next you melt 1 stick of butter and pour over everything. ( I found a garlic herb butter which was AMAZING!) Cover with foil and cook on 350 for one hour. The juices from the carrots and chicken will basically steam the chicken and it is the most soft and juicy meal I have ever eaten! 20 mins to prep and can feed the entire family :)

 

 

 

 

 

Ritz Bacon crusted chicken:

 

Here is what you need:

 

-Boneless skinless chicken breast

-1 egg

-1 full panel of bacon Ritz crackers

-Minced garlic

 

First I took one row of crackers, put them still wrapped in a zip lock baggie, and then pushed down from top to bottom to crush them finely. I removed the packaging and poured the crumbs into a bowl I can dip the chicken into later

 

 

 

Next I dipped the chicken into the egg (which I had added my spices that I like to use mixed into it)

 

 

Then I put the chicken into the crumb bowl and really coated it well with the crackers on both the top and the bottom of the breast

 

I did this one by one in my own little assembly line until each breast was coated and on my pan

 

I then added my minced garlic to each piece of chicken (I like garlic so I didn't go to sparingly) 

 

Put in the oven on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cooking time varies depending on how thick your breasts are. I prepared my other sides while my chicken was in the oven, todays sides were sautéed Kale and quinoa. Once the chicken was ready and plated I had a last minute decision to squirt just a little bit of honey on top of my chicken...... which I think made the dish! 

 

 

Garlic Lemon whole roasted chicken

 

What you will need:

-One whole chicken
-3 lemons
-1 full garlic
-Thyme
-Butter
-seasoning of your choice


 What I did was first make sure the chicken was cleaned out and ready to go. I melted 1/2 stick butter, added whatever spices and my minced garlic  to the butter, squeezed in some lemon juice,  and pulled off some thyme leaves from the stem and mixed all together. I then lifted the skin from the chicken and poured my mixture underneath so the flavoring could really sink in. I layered the bottom of my crockpot with a full sliced lemon and some minced garlic and thyme stems. I then stuffed the chicken with a 1/2 lemon and a handful of thyme stems. I then placed the chicken into the crockpot and seasoned the top to my liking, added just a few more thinly sliced lemon slices and a bit more thyme. put on low and cooked for 7 hours.

 I enjoy cooking a full chicken because you get both the light and dark meat and it really does feed 2 people for quite some time, plus it is very cost effective! :)

 

 

 

Shredded Orange Chicken

 

What you will need:

 

 

 

-5 boneless skinless chicken breats

-1 jar of orange marmalade

-1 cup BBQ sauce

- 5 tbl spoons soy sauce

 

This one was super easy and may have been my favorite. First I layed all 5 pieces of chicken (plain) into the crock pot and cooked for 3 1/2 hours on high) I then removed them and drained the liquid from the crockpot and returned them back in. to shred all you need is a fork and a knife and it shreds very easily. I then added almost 1 full jar of the orange marmalade, 1 cup BBQ sauce, you could use spicy and it would be a good fit ( I just hate spicy food so I went original), 5 TBL spoons soy sauce, and I sprinkled in some garlic salt, mixed all together and continued cooking on high 30 more minutes. Its that simple, and boy was it yummy!!!



 

 

 

BBQ Garlic chicken

 

What you will need:

-Boneless skinless chicken breasts

-Minced garlic

-BBQ sauce

-Spices of your choice

 

Here comes another very basic dish. all I did was spice the breasts to my liking ( I use a random all spice mixture from the store for almost everything I cook) I let the chicken marinate in the BBQ sauce for about an hour. Placed it on the pan and added a nice amount of minced garlic. No need to measure anything as you can just make this to your preference. I LOVE garlic so I loaded it up. Set your oven to 350 degrees and cook for 25ish minutes. I always cut through and check it so it doesn't become dry, as soon as its not pink I take it out and call it a day. Simple yet so good. This is the easiest to pair up with different side dishes to take as leftovers.

 

 





 

 

Garlic and brown sugar glazed apple chicken

 

What you will need:

 

-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

-2 apples (cubed)

-4 tbl spoons brown sugar

-2 tbl spoons olive oil

-minced garlic

-cinnamon

 

Place the chicken on the pan and arrange the cubed apples onto the pan surrounding the chicken so that all the pieces will absorb the flavor. I used Gala Apples, but it really just is preference. In a small sauce pan mix the olive oil, brown sugar, and garlic on medium heat until it all blends into a smooth liquid consistency. Spice the chicken however you like (I again went with my all spice medly) then pour the liquid evenly over all the meat. I went to each apple and sprinkled on a bit of pure cinnamon as a last minute decision which was a great life choice. Depending on how much you like garlic you can add more to top off each breast if you like, again it really is just preference as to how much you add on. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes ( or until cooked through depending on how thick your chicken breasts are) and bam it is SO GOOD!



 

 I feel like you could double the liquid  if you like to give the chicken more flavor, but it may make it to sweet in my opinion.

 

As for my sides I just go with whatever looks appealing to me at the store while shopping for the week. I most always choose a kale, with greens ( my go to are asparagus, celery, peas, and green beans) and I usually accompany it with some quinoa blend. I take 1/2 breast to work with me with a scoop of the greens and it keeps me running, and healthy.

 

 

 

Apple Pie Breakfast

I have been on this cooking craze recently. I have been meal prepping for work, different chicken variations each week, and I usually do a crock pot creation on my day off. Scrolling on Pinterest yesterday I saw greatness and decided to give it a whirl.

 However recently, health has been high priority while cooking. Don't get me wrong I enjoy my snacks, but while actually taking effort to create something in the kitchen it has been healthy. I have yet to try any breakfast items in my slow cooker so today was the day.

What you will need:

-Steel Cut oats
-Apple juice
-3 apples of your choice ( I used Fuji)
- Cinnamon
-Brown sugar
-Water

*You can do this as overnight oats if you wish, but I chose to do this during the day as I was having a lazy day off at home.

This is pretty much the most basic thing I have made thus far.

1. Add 3 cups of water
2. Add 1 cup apple juice
3.Chunk the apples into bite sized pieces and add into slow cooker
4. Add 1 cup Steel cut oats
5. Add as much cinnamon as you like. I just sprinkled in as much as I wanted by eyeballing it
6. add 1/3 cup brown sugar

If you are doing overnight oats put the cooker on Low, if you are around to watch, you can put it on High and just keep an eye on it. Mine took 3 hours on high to have a nice thick hearty texture. This will create about 4 1/2 cups of finished product.

Note: My entire house smelt like pure bliss for hours to follow cooking and cleanup!

You can leave out the brown sugar to keep it cleaner if you like, it will still taste amazing.

 Steel cut oats could be considered a "power food" because they are an excellent source of protein, soluble and insoluble fiber and select vitamins and minerals. The benefits of steel cut oats exceed the benefits of rolled oats because of the way they are processed. The insoluble fiber in steel oats includes d-beta-glucan which is associated with improved blood sugar levels in diabetes and improved cholesterol levels. The protein in steel-cut oats is complete, containing trace amounts of all the essential amino acids. You can get 10 percent of the recommended daily allowance for iron in 1/4 cup dry steel-cut oats.

DIY Sore throat remedy

 Cold season is here already in my neck of the woods. I don't know about you guys but when it comes to sore throats I am a HUGE BABY! Going to work with one of these suckers may as well be the end of the world. I recently woke up with a miserably sore throat on my day off and didn't want my boyfriend to know, so we could still enjoy the day off. I looked up some cures, and experimented with a few until I found one that 100% worked magic and I swear by it.

 Here is what is needed:

-Hot water
-Real lemon juice
-Apple cider vinegar
-Honey

Here is what else I added:

-Orange slices
-Cinnamon powder or stick

First I added in 2 Table spoons of Apple cider vinegar to my LARGE coffee mug

For this I chose certified Bragg organic raw apple cider vinegar  which is unfiltered, unheated, unpasteurized and 5% acidity. We always keep this in the fridge as it is in my opinion the BEST, plus it's good to keep on hand for a shot if an upset tummy decides to pop up.

 

Next I squeezed in a lemon wedge and tossed the wedge in once juiced

 



I then squeezed in 1 tablespoon of honey on top of the wedge. Once I had those in my cup I poured in as much water as the cup would hold, leaving just enough room in the mug to add in a Orange slice later.

I let that blend for about a minute in the mug with the lid on to seal in all the heat. I then took an orange slice and floated it on top of the water and then sprinkled cinnamon on top of the orange. Let me tell you the aroma was amazing!

 I am not a fan at all of Apple Cider Vinegar ( its like torture in a bottle to me) but after all the ingredients blended together this was actually delicious! Within about 35 minutes I honestly forgot my throat was even bothering me, it wasn't until over 5 hours later when it wore off that I remembered. I made another before bed and it was life changing.  I had developed a week long cold, so I continued to make my creation every day for my ride to work and then had one before bed. I highly recommend this cheap and easy, NATURAL remedy!

Added bonus: this kept me full for hours :)

Step aside Barbie

Ladies and Gents, the time is here.... Barbie has got some competition!

Artist Nickolay Lamm has raised over $200k in JUST 2 DAYS through his crowdfunding campaign to produce a run of Lammily dolls.

The idea spawning from an art project last year where Nikolay made an image of how Barbie would actually look with average body proportions.
The image went viral and Lamm got requests to the create the real thing, he said.





“Rather than criticizing her, we should make a proof of concept to show that a doll can actually look good if she were a normal woman,” Lamm told USA TODAY Network.

The dolls are expected in November and there’s still time to order your very own Lammily Doll.

 So for all of those women out there complaining that Barbie is a non realistic role model for our little girls, because we are not all perfect with large boobs, a tiny waist, and the perfect shade of blonde hair.... you can be able to order a doll with a realistic average everyday real womans frame with curves and all. I know as a child I never noticed that Barbie was the perfect woman, and I never caught myself wishing I could be just like her and wanting to change myself to be like her while growing up (which is what some mothers fear),I just cared that I could dress her up, and learn how to braid her hair, but times are changing and peoples insecurities  and ways of thinking call for a doll like this to show the world that this is what we look like. I am not choosing a side between the dolls, but overall I do think that this is a wonderful idea!

I found out about this doll from : (which also includes a video about the story)

http://buffblogger.com/you-wont-believe-how-many-people-this-average-doll-inspired/

DIY Body wrap

 Yesterday while replenishing my supplement supply at GNC I was given a free sample for a product called "Sweet Sweat" at checkout. Naturally I was curious and figured I may as well get the most out of this product (if it even works). So today I gave it a whirl.

Here is what I know about this product from online reviews:

• Targets "Slow to Respond" problem areas
• Substantially improves Circulation and Sweating
• Accelerates Thermogenic (Burning Calories) during your workout
• Fights muscle fatigue, while Enhancing Muscle Activity
• Stimulates the Sweat Glands releasing built up toxins
• Supports and Enhances Vasodilation, Motivation and Energy during Physical Activity
• Fights against painful injuries such as Shin Splints, Pulls and Strains

So I figured if this is supposed to make me sweat I may as well step it up a notch and do a makeshift body wrap all at once. I started off by getting some plastic wrap and scotch tape along with my sample.

I then applied a generous amount to my thighs, as my inner thighs have some stubborn fat that will not go away. I applied to both legs at once as this is a thick messy product that is hard to wash off your hands. I then applied the wrap to one leg(wrapping it around twice) and then taping the end closed. I then did the other leg.

 

After leg application I changed out of my shorts and put on a pair of tight leggings in attempts to help hold the wrap in place. I then applied the remainder of the product to my stomach and back, and then wrapped it up just as I did the legs.

 

 

Once applied I put on a tank top and a pair of sweats over the leggings to help seal in the heat and then I was off to do my cardio.

Today I biked for 30 minutes at a level 6 resistance the entire time, which resulted in just over 8 miles. Once I had finished I did a 15 minute slow uphill walk on the treadmill, followed by some light stretching.

 

When I returned to my apartment , I could tell that I was sweaty, but couldn't be sure the extent until I unwrapped myself. I truthfully am not a sweaty person, I generally have to take a thermogenic before my workouts to break a sweat (even on heavy lifting days) and to my surprise I was covered in large beads of sweat. my unwrapped areas such as my chest had minimal sweating. I am pleased with how much water I lost during a basic 45 minute cardio session, where I normally would have hardly sweat at all. I am not sure how much of it was from the product, and how much of it was from being wrapped up, but all in all for a free sample I was more than pleased.

I will say cleanup is kind of a bitch, but my skin seems moisturized and soft now that I am out of the shower.

Yo-Nanas Yum!

 Like I have posted before I am a sucker for As Seen On TV products. For Christmas I received a Yo-nana's maker. How it works is it instantly turns frozen fruit and other flavorings into a delicious and healthy treat that looks and tastes like soft-serve ice cream without the additional fat, sugar, or preservatives.

 I instantly thought like most products I already own I will use it once or twice and pass it along to someone else. But as soon as I fired it up and took a bite... I WAS HOOKED! There are so many flavor options, and recipes to make it healthy or naughty. So far I have only used it twice and have been pretty basic with my creations, but I know this is something I will use over and over.

 Last week after lying by the pool I was hot and my Yo-nana's treat was the perfect cure.

What you will need:
-Yo-Nana's maker
- 1 1/2 frozen banana
- frozen fruit of your choice (I used strawberries and pineapple)
-and any mix ins of your choice, cookies, honey, peanut butter, chocolate chips.... endless possibilities


My first attempt was very basic, just banana and strawberries drizzled with honey

 

 

My second attempt was banana, strawberries, pineapple, with lemon Oreo's! GREATNESS

 

The fact that I can make this as breakfast and it would be acceptable is the selling point for me ;)

 

Just today I made a more naughty version (dessert style) yet still quite healthy.

I took 2 full Banana's, 1 spoonful of Skippy's natural honey peanut butter, and a small handful of Chocolate Toast Crunch cereal. I went sparingly on the mix ins in attempts to keep it lower in calories, and man was it yummy! :)

 

 

Cleanup is similar to a juicer, except the process takes much less time because the ice cream texture rinses off easily rather than the messy pulp of a juicer

 

Note to self: when putting back together do not forget to put back any of the pieces (ESPECIALLY the blade) because it will not work, and it will be a huge mess ;)

 

 

You can go here to purchase your own, and see suggested recipes

http://yonanas.com/

First Annual Oreo Monday

 As showgirls we tend to have to much downtime between shows to sit and chat and think up crazy ideas. Some days we have as many as 5 shows in a day, which means you have to find ways to amuse yourself and keep yourself smiling. We were having a conversation about our favorite kinds of Oreo cookies, then one girl then blurted out how amazing it would be to have a variety pack of all the different flavors so that you can have a little bit of each one. It then occurred that we all should bring in a different flavor and do a trade and create our own variety boxes.

 I present to you...............  The Oreo Exchange

                                                          ^^Leaning tower of Oreo's^^

                                                            ^^The variety pack!!!^^

                                                          ^^Complete happiness^^

 

I ended my work week of 23 shows on a 4 show day, not even caring how tired I was because I was going home to relax for 2 days with the best Oreo stock pile in existence :)