Baked Chicken Nuggets

I adapted this recipe from skinnytaste.com; it's healthy and really easy to make. I served it with some veggies and potatoes, but they're just plain old chicken nuggets, so you can serve 'em with whatever you want. Try them with ranch dip, barbecue sauce, or ketchup.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

olive oil spray (which I don't have, so I just rubbed olive oil all over the baking sheet)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp olive oil

6 tbsp whole wheat breadcrumbs

2 tbsp panko

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

~1 tsp dried oregano

~1 tsp dried thyme

~1 tsp dried marjoram

~1 tsp dried basil

cajun spices

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray baking sheet with olive oil spray.

2. Put chicken pieces in bowl and season well with salt and pepper; toss to mix.

3. Drizzle olive oil over seasoned chicken and mix well to cover.

4. Put breadcrumbs, panko, cheese, and spices (I used oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, and cajun, but feel free to use whatever spices you like best) into another bowl.

5. Toss each piece of chicken in breadcrumb mixture to coat, then lay on baking sheet.

6. Lightly spray top with olive oil (I skipped this because I don't have an olive oil sprayer) and bake for 8-10 minutes.

7. Turn chicken pieces over and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy!

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

I found this recipe for gyros on The Girl Who Ate Everything... they were so delicious and you can adapt them however you want to with different herbs. She also has a link in the post to make your own pita bread (!), which sounds amazing! Overall, this one's really healthy... the worst part about it is the pita itself (try a wheat version, maybe?).

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki Sauce

1 C plain Greek yogurt

1 cucumber, peeled and grated (they say to squeeze the water out; I didn't do that part)

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil

1. Mix together yogurt, cucumber, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Whisk until well combined.

2. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Chicken

2 tsp garlic, minced

2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping tbsp plain Greek yogurt (I think I used a little more than that)

1 tbsp dried oregano

salt and pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Combine garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Whisk until mixed well.

2. Add chicken to bowl and mix to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

3. Cook chicken as desired (skillet, broiler, bake; I baked mine). When fully cooked, transfer to plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

4. Cut into gyro-style strips (almost shaved-looking).

To assemble gyros:

pita bread

fresh tomatoes, diced (I used cherry tomatoes)

red onion, sliced thin

fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and salt to taste. Serve immediately.

These were such a huge hit! We had plenty of tzatziki, so we really heaped it on and dipped in it as well. The longer you let the sauce flavors meld and the chicken marinate, the better, so that's something that can be done the day before. Then you just throw the chicken in the oven (I did it at 350°F) for 40 minutes or so and you have an easy, quick, and healthy dinner! Enjoy!

Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

These vegetable enchiladas were THE BEST! And they're so healthy, too... even the enchilada sauce is homemade! It's super easy, but does require a little bit of time and chopping :) Also, I've pretty much decided that whatever amount of cumin a recipe calls for, I decrease it by more than half. Cumin is good, but the flavor and aroma is so overpowering to me that it's all I can taste, even if there's just a tiny bit in the recipe. So I've listed exactly what the recipe calls for, but then I put in parentheses how much I actually used (and they came out delicious with the reduced cumin). This recipe's from the blog, The Garden Grazer.

Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

Makes about 8

Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 C tomato paste

1/4 C all purpose flour

2 tsp cumin (I used about 1/2 tsp)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

3 C vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

1. In saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute, whisking.

2. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes (I simmered it a few minutes longer).

4. Salt and pepper to taste. set aside.

Enchiladas

olive oil

6 oz fresh spinach

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed.

3 C shredded cheese (a blend is nice, but any favorite will do)

1 1/2 C corn

6 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp cumin (again, I used about 1/2 tsp and it was PLENTY)

1/3 C fresh cilantro, chopped

8 whole wheat or flour tortillas (even corn would probably be good; I used flour)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. In skillet, quick sauté the spinach in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, just until slightly wilted.

3. In large bowl, combine beans, 2 C cheese, spinach, corn (I totally forgot to add this), green onions, cumin, and cilantro.

4. Lightly spray a 9x13" baking dish and pour a small amount of sauce in to coat the bottom.

5. Generously fill tortillas with mixture, roll them tightly with ends tucked in, and place them seam-side down in dish.

6. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1 C cheese on top.

7. Bake about 20 minutes (I did a little longer to brown the cheese a bit) and garnish with cilantro and/or green onions.

I was also thinking black olives may be a nice addition, inside the enchiladas and/or as a garnish! We had some of these left over as well, and I just heated them in the oven the next day and added more green onions and cilantro to the tops and they were superb :) Enjoy!!!