Pesto Chicken w/ Cauliflower Rice... it's what's for dinner

This is def a meal that makes our rotation often! It's just sooooo stinkin easy, and healthy too! Like pretty much all my recipes, it is low carb. So if you are looking for something quick, easy, yummy and healthy, you should totes give this one a try!

Pesto Chicken

2 (16oz total) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like to pound mine out)
salt and fresh pepper to taste
7oz pesto (you can make your own or buy it, when I buy it, I buy Buitoni All Natural Pesto w/ Basil)
1/2c chicken broth
1 jar of sun dried tomatoes or 1 medium tomato, sliced thin
6-8oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4c shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400° F. Wash and dry your chicken. Cut your chicken breasts into strips or tenders (I usually pound mine out first to make thinner strips/cutlets). Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Take your pesto and mix it in a small bowl with the 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Stir until combined.

Pour half the pesto mix into a baking dish and spread around. Place your seasoned chicken cutlets in the baking dish. Top each cutlet with the remaining pesto mix.

Bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove from oven; top with tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*I use this recipe to make my own skinny pesto.

Cauliflower "Rice"

- small head of organic cauliflower, finely chopped in food processor

- 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil

- salt and pepper to taste (you can also add season all and/or Tony's to taste)

 

Instructions

1. Cut florets in small pieces and place in food processor. Pulse until the cauliflower is reduced to the size of couscous or rice grains. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in multiple stages.
2. Place in microwavable bowl with glass lid like Pyrex.
3. Add coconut oil, salt and pepper
4. Microwave 5-6 minutes and set for 1-3 to allow rice to steam a little longer.
5. Fluff rice, season to your preference as needed.

Notes

A head of cauliflower makes a good amount of rice. You can also sauté in coconut oil with onions. Also note that you should not use this in place of rice in casseroles or with anything that is particularly liquidy as it does not absorb well.

 

I forgot to take a pic of it before we ate it - but it looks very similar to this...

 

The miracle that is spaghetti squash

So last year when I started the Metabolism Miracle plan, I had to do 8 weeks of virtually no carbs, and it was REALLY hard (that's what she said), at least in the beginning. But after the first week or so, things started to get a lot easier, and one of the reasons why was because I found that I could eat everything that I loved (almost) with just a few little changes. One of those changes was pasta. Now, I LURVE me some pasta, and I didn't know how I was going to be able to live without it until I discovered the miracle that is spaghetti squash.

  

 

This little miracle veggie right here has brought me so much joy, you see now I can have my favorite foods like spaghetti, chicken fettuccini alfredo, shrimp scampi pasta, etc. And you know what??? I don't even miss the pasta! Seriously, I am not shitting you. Even my hubs and bro in law agree that they too actually prefer it over regular pasta. Not only are you ridding your meal of carbs, but you are also adding in another serving of veggies... it's WIN-WIN!

Here's a regular rotation meal at our house - you should totes try it sometime!

Spaghetti with Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

1 lb of ground turkey (or you can make this with just veggies for a meatless Monday option)
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 med size zucchini
10oz of sliced mushrooms (give or take)
1 jar of homemade marinara (see recipe below)
1 med sized spaghetti squash
shredded parm for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Recipe for homemade marinara. It seriously doesn't take long to make your own, and you can freeze it for later use. Plus, you get the added benefit of non-processed sauce with no chemicals and lower carbs - Holla!

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2.. Cut your spaghetti squash in half length wise and remove all the seeds. Brush the insides with olive oil and place both halves on a cookie sheet cut side down and cover with foil.
3. Bake squash in oven for about 40-45 minutes.
4. While the squash is cooking begin to brown your turkey in a skillet over med heat.
5. While turkey is browning cut up your veggies.
6. Drain any excess fat from browned turkey and add in bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms and marinara. Stir until combined. Cover and turn burner to low. Let simmer for 30ish minutes stirring occasionally.
7. When the squash is finished, I take a pair of tongs and turn them over and then use a fork to scoop out the spaghetti strings into a bowl. Once it's all in a bowl, I like to add a little bit of butter and garlic salt and stir it all up.
8.Place spaghetti squash on plates, top with the sauce, and garnish with some shredded parm.

Voila! You have Spaghetti with Spaghetti Squash! We usually have ours with a piece of low carb garlic toast and a side salad. I hope you try this recipe out - and if you do, please tell me what you think and if you will take the challenge to replace your pasta with spaghetti squash - your waist line will thank you :)

-Candice