Chicken Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce

Recipe from Epicurious.

Stir-Fry
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 cups of your favorite vegetables, chopped (I used frozen veggies.)

Peanut Sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Hot chile sauce (to taste)

Coat a nonstick pan with cooking spray; saute chicken over medium-high heat until cooked through. Remove from pan. Add oil and saute garlic and ginger until garlic is golden. Add vegetables; cook until tender. Return chicken to pan; stir-fry 3 minutes.

For the sauce, whisk 1-1/2 tablesoons hot (not boiling) tap water into peanut butter to blend. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and hot sauce and mix. Add to pan and toss to coat. Serve over rice.

Notes: Since Kevin is gone for the weekend, I decided to make something that I know he wouldn't eat. Peanut sauce. I found this recipe on Epicurious, and after reading the reviews, thought I'd give it a try. The original recipe served two, so I adjusted the ingredients to make only one serving (but I kept the peanut sauce measurements the same). I also had to make a few modifications to the peanut sauce as I was making it because it just wasn't sweet enough for me. It tasted too much like vinegar and not enough like peanuts, so I added a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and another 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter that was not called for in the original recipe. Even with the adjustments, it wasn't quite right, but close. I'll have to play around with different combinations and try to find the perfect match. I'll definitely be making this recipe again (when Kevin is gone of course).

Servings: 1

Nutrition Facts:
526 Calories
21.7g Fat
4.1g Saturated Fat
85mg Cholesterol
558mg Sodium
28.5g Carbs
12.1g Fiber
13.3g Sugars
55.6g Protein

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

20 oz ground turkey breast (99% fat free)
1 package Stove Top stuffing mix (I used the chicken flavor.)
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth (or water)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Divide mixture into 12 muffins. Bake for 25 minutes.

Servings: 12 muffins
Serving Size: 1 muffin

Nutrition Facts:
107 Calories
1.1g Fat
0g Saturated Fat
19mg Cholesterol
483mg Sodium
10.2g Carbs
0.1g Fiber
1.6g Sugar
13.9g Protein

Notes: This is a super easy, super fast way to make meatloaf. Not to mention the built-in portion control with having individual muffins. I made these for dinner tonight, and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. They tasted really good. I do have to admit that I have a slight problem with overcooking poultry, and I'm afraid these muffins were my latest victim. I think I need to purchase a meat thermometer. But anyway, even with being slightly dry, these muffins were still pretty tasty. And the recipe lends itself well to numerous variations. Next time I might add a little ketchup or BBQ sauce, or some Dijon mustard. I've seen similar recipes on the internet that call for an egg or egg white, but I think the muffins held together just fine without it. These definitely are perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Downsizing

Since I started this blog last fall, I've been spending a lot more time in the kitchen, and it's starting to show on my waistline. So last month I decided to take action and start living a little healthier lifestyle, including going to the gym on a regular basis, and significantly lowering my caloric intake. Unfortunately, all the time and energy I've spent on being healthy has seriously cut into my blogging time. And besides that, I'm also finding it harder to find recipes that fit into my newly diminished diet. Sadly, Chocolate Chip Angel Cookies and Chicken Milano do not qualify as "healthy" cuisine. So I'm in transition mode. From now on (or until I fall off the bandwagon) I'll be focusing more attention on healthier recipes (with the necessary splurge every now and then). I'm also going to start including nutritional information on all the recipes I make. Hopefully some of you will find that information helpful as well. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, I hope to be a thinner, leaner food blogger in the near future... if I could just learn to step away from the chocolate.