Grilled Turkey Piccata w/ Broccoli

Grilled Turkey Piccata

2 lemons (3 tbsp lemon juice)

4 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Turkey Breasts (ours comes in a package of 2 really thick breasts)

1 tbsp parsley (fresh is obviously better, but I used dried)

Shred peel from one of the lmons to make 1 tsp lemon peel (or I have a jar of dried lemon peel). Halve and squeeze lemons or just use lemon juice.  Fresh is always going to better, but time is always an issue for me!

In a small bowl combine lemon peel, 2 tsp olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Rub onto turkey breasts.  Grill turkey about 6-9 min each side, or until no longer pink.  You can add thin lemon slices on top for extra lemon zest while grilling. 

You notice there are noodles in this meal.  This is not a necessity, the turkey is amazing on its own.  We use Quinoa noodles to add to this dish.  You can use vegetable noodles or even spaghetti squash if you like.  The sauce we add to the noodles is the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley, warmed up and drizzled over top.

We ate this dinner with your basic broccoli.  Nothing special here.  I add a little butter, salt, and pepper for some flavor and microwave till tender.

Diary Entry #2

Dieting Struggles....

B (my hubby) and I are trying to maintain a healthy eating "lifestyle" not just "dieting".  CrossFit is really big into Paleo and Zone Diet.  B has done most of his research in Paleo and really likes how it sticks with the basic foods that God gave us to eat (plus its a lot easier than all the planning with the Zone).  I love the principles behind Paleo, but I sure do love my pasta, rice, and cheese; so I of course have my daily struggles.

After almost 4 weeks in this new year of working out and eating right, I have only lost 2 lbs and 2 ozs.  I was starting to get really frustrated.  People have been trying to encourage me that with all this new hard core working out with CrossFit, I am probably building lots of new muscle and muscle weighs more than fat.  Thus, as I gain muscle and lose fat, my weight isn't really changing much.  But the fact of the matter is, I am a good 20-30 pounds overweight, so this is not a good enough excuse for me!!

My mother is also very big into health, fitness, and nutrition and she seems to think that with my new Paleo meal plan, I am not consuming enough calories in a day, and thus actually starving my body.  So, after going through my daily meals, she and I have figured out some changes that still fit mostly with Paleo that should give me my minimum of 1200 calories I need.

I journal this in my online diary, because I want to see if I start to notice a difference in the next few weeks.  I hope this change will help me to achieve my goals.  Thank you for any encouragements during my journey!




*If you are interested in anything I have discussed, here are some links to give you more information:
http://thepaleodiet.com/
http://www.paleodiet.com/
http://www.zonediet.com/

Diary Entry #1

Welcome to my diary.  Technically if this is a diary you are all snoops, but since I am posting this online, I think I have given up any privacy rights.  Besides, I want people to join me in my adventures and support me along the way, so I need snoops! :)

I started working out at CrossFit Waco in January.  I have a goal of working out 4 days a week right now.  So far I have succeeded in this goal for 3 weeks.  I have lost about 3 pounds so far.  Not as much as I would like, but better than nothing I suppose.  My husband and I eat Paleo throughout the week.  We give ourselves 3 cheat meals, but weekends tend to get the best of us!

I will try to post my struggles and triumphs with working out, dieting, and being the wife of a CrossFit coach.  But mostly I love to cook, and since Paleo has its restrictions, I am always looking for new and creative recipes.  Most of my blogs will be these recipes and my opinions of them.  I will try to always post a picture with it!  Hope you enjoy!

Crockpot Italian Chicken

recipe to come....

Orange-Ginger Chicken w/ Roasted Brussel Sprouts

 

Orange-Ginger Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup orange juice
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger (I used ginger powder and tasted wonderful!)
1 tsp dried basil
4 tsp lemon or lime (I used 2 of each for fun!)

Season chicken with pepper. In a large fry pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, turning, until brown all over, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Pour orange juice over chicken. Add orange sections, ginger, lemon/lime juice, and basil. Stir well. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until chicken is tender.
Adapted from _365 Ways to Cook Chicken_ by Cheryl Sedaker
Roasted Brussel Sprouts

1 1/2 pounds Brussel sprouts (ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place all ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag, seal tightly, and shake to coat.  Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center rack in oven.  Roast in oven for 30-45 min, shaking pan every 5-7 mins for even browning.  Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning.  They should be darkest brown, almost black, when done.
Adapted from allrecipes.com by JAQATAC

Comments
Chicken was great.  We didn't let it simmer the whole 30 min, would probably have been even yummier and more citrusy if we had.  Husband loved the Brussel sprouts.  I liked the roasted crispy outside, had a hard time with the squishy inside.  Might try cutting into smaller pieces so they get crispy all over next time.