20 Minute Balsamic Chicken & Veggies

This meal, adapted from cooking classy, is quickly becoming my go-to summer dinner! So many amazing flavors!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Italian Dressing

3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (regular balsamic will work too, I just prefer white)

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1 lb chicken tenderloins

2 tbsp olive oil

Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper

1 bundle asparagus (trim the tough ends and chop into 1.5-2 inch pieces...cooking classy suggests thinner stalks and I agree it's much better with thinner stalks)

2 sweet peppers (for the recipe above I used yellow and red)

1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved (you can use any kind of cherry or grape tomato)

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl whisk together Italian dressing, white balsamic vinegar, honey & red pepper flakes, then set aside. 

2. Heat olive oil in 12 inch skillet over med-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then place chicken evenly in skillet. Cook about 7-10 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked through (chopping your veggies while it's cooking and turning chicken throughout). Add half the dressing mixture to the skillet and evenly coat. Transfer chicken to large plate while sauce is in the skillet. 

3. Add asparagus and peppers to the skillet, season with salt & pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently, until desired tenderness (I cook them for about 5 minutes). Transfer veggies to plate with chicken. 

4. Add remaining dressing mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly until thickened, approx 1 minute. 

5. Turn off heat

6. Add plate of chicken, asparagus and peppers to the skillet as well as your halved tomatoes. 

7. Mix and enjoy!

3 Healthy Cook Out Tips

1. Bring a healthy dish. Don't blame the host, bring your own healthy dish: Veggie Trays, Salads, Fruit Bowls, etc.

2. Eat before you go. Call me crazy, I know, but if you're full you're going to be less likely to pig out on the unhealthy choices that will be tempting you.

3. Have an accountability buddy. They don't have to be at the party, have someone you can text pics of your plate to. Every bit of accountability helps :)

Which tip do you think will help you most this summer?

No Sugar Stir Fry

Stir fries are SO yummy and healthy, right?! Ummmm...not if you make them the way I typically make them which is with tons of sauces like soy, teryaki, etc...so since I'm trying to improve my eating habits and eat clean 85% of the time, I decided it was time to try out a clean, 21 day fix/fix extreme approved stirfry, no sauce, no sugar :) and it was GOOD!

First off, let me say that I've not made much from scratch in my day so hopefully these directions aren't too hard to follow :)

Things you'll need:

1/2 cup Quinoa (uncooked)

4 cups fresh cut up veggies (I used orange bell pepper, mushrooms, and broccoli) 

2 tsp EVOO

2 eggs scrambled 

For the seasoning (****I only used 1tbsp of this total in the recipe):

4tsp Onion Powder

2tsp Garlic Powder

1/4tsp Ground Black Pepper

1/4tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1&1/4tsp Sea Salt

1/4tsp Chili Powder

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan add1 cup water  and 1/2 cup pre-washed quinoa on medium high heat, stir occasionally (cook approx 15 minutes total)

2. Add 2 tbsp to large skillet (or wok if you prefer), turn stove to med-high heat

3. Once warm, add your 4 cups of veggies to the skillet, stir occasionally for 7 minutes

4. Scramble your 2 eggs in a cup with a fork (add a dash of milk for fluffier eggs) and add to skillet

5. Let eggs and veggies cook in skillet for another 2-3 minutes

6. Add quinoa (when finished cooking) to your skillet of veggies and eggs

7. Add 1tbsp of above seasoning and stir

8. Enjoy!

***This made enough for 2 servings***

Here I tried cooking them on half of the skillet.....

Here you can see the above method didn't really work and I just mixed it all together haha