Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

May 8, 2013 by · 3 Comments

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I have been spoiled as of late.

Runs on the beach….dog walks on the beach. Ice cream treats. Open windows – car and home. Sunglasses. Flip flops, Capris.

Late spring…it’s the best. When it’s not raining, of course…

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Mr. Prevention being in India for work has not completely deterred me from cooking at night, even though cooking for 1 is not my most favorite thing to do. It just seems like a lot of work and a lot of dishes to simply fill your fridge with leftovers you may not want to eat for 4 days straight. Quick meals for 1 are a must. Heck, quick meals for 2 are a must. Controlled volumes are helpful, too.

When the weather is nice out…I don’t want to be stuck in a kitchen. Even if were to have great natural light and a good cross breeze…which mine has neither.

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This marinade is full of bold flavors that if you’re anything like me, you likely stock in your pantry and fridge. The recipe called for chicken, but I think beef or shrimp would be great in this marinade, too, and then grilled just the same. There was enough marinade for about 1 1/2 pounds of meat, so you could increase the meat…or add veggies, as well. :)

Through Skype, I was able to make Mr. Prevention jealous of these skewers. Maybe he misses home-cooked meals and his wife after all?   I won’t hold my breath, will anxiously await his arrival…and perhaps consider making these again for him to enjoy.

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Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers from slightly adapted from Kitchen Meets Girl

3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp olive oil
juice of one lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Sriracha
red pepper flakes, to taste
3 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions:

In a zip-top bag or bowl, mix together the ingredients for the marinade (soy sauce through cilantro); add chicken. Mix thoroughly. Seal or cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. Thread chicken onto skewers (if using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak in water for 20-30 minutes beforehand).

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Grill skewers for 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Serve hot.

Yield: 3 servings

Nutrition Information (per serving): 196 calories; 2.7 g. fat; 73 mg. cholesterol; 263 mg. sodium; 5.3 g. carbohydrate; 0 g. fiber; 35.0 g. protein; 4.3 g. sugar

Result: Moist and juicy grilled skewers there had a great citrus and salty flavor with a bit of heat from the sriracha and red pepper flakes. This simple marinade would work great on any meat kebab or skewer – enjoy! Note: I measured that 1/3 of the marinade was absorbed, so I used that information when calculating the nutrition.

Half way through the week! First up today…diabetes cooking class! We’re making Giant Whole Wheat Apple-Oat Breakfast Cookies and Black Bean Breakfast Burritos!

Be well,

sig4

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Filed Under: 200 calories or less, carb-controlled, diabetes, gluten-free, guilt-free, kid-friendly, low-carb, quick meals, recipe, spicy ·

Watermelon Cupcakes {A Virtual Baby Shower for Krystal!}

May 6, 2013 by · 13 Comments

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When I was in Minneapolis a few weeks ago, the van that drove was a solid few hours behind those of us who flew. Unfortunately, the traveler who had booked our hotel rooms was in the van and we were stuck in the hotel lobby for several hours…just hanging out. We’re talking Holiday Inn Express, no where with a bar or an actual place to sit and wait.

We sprawled out on the few pieces of furniture they did have while watching the Boston Bomber coverage on CNN. To break up the sadness of watching, I vividly recall our random conversation on fruit flavored candy.

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We compared which gummy bear flavor we enjoyed best (red!), then Starbursts (pink!), then Skittles (depended on whether it was Tropical or original…), and then Jolly Ranchers (watermelon…I love watermelon everything!). It’s funny how everyone has different preferences and as it ends up, no 2 of us liked the same flavors best of the various candies. I guess we should buy a variety and divvy them up accordingly!

When the cupcake theme was decided for my dear friend Krystal’s baby shower, I was so excited! Not only because their name for the baby while he was “baking” was “cupcake” (too cute!), but also because baked goods, especially those with what is supposed to be beautiful decoration, are outside my scope. I love a great reason for sweets! Despite the less-than-impressive frosting job, they tasted faaabulous!

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Krystal (who blogs over at Mrs. Regueiro’s Plate) and her husband, Eric, are welcoming a baby boy into the world any day now. Their beautiful daughter just turned 1 and my gosh, she may just be the happiest baby on earth judging by Facebook updates you can’t help but smile at. Their family is contagious with their smiles! I wish them all the best and many blessings as they bring their second bundle of joy into this world!

For an amazing mom, friend, and foodie…Krystal, these are for you!

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Watermelon Cupcakes slightly adapted from Bird on a Cake

Cupcakes:
1 box white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) box of watermelon Jell-O powder (reserve 2 teaspoons for frosting)
1/2 cup watermelon puree
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
4 eggs
red food coloring

Frosting:
6 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tsp watermelon puree
2 tsp reserved watermelon Jell-O powder
green food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cup cake tin with 18 liners.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and Jell-O. Add water and oil; mix on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add watermelon puree and beat until blended. Add red food coloring a little at a time, until you reach desired color.

Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full and bake 20-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and butter together in the bowl or a stand mixer. add sugar, watermelon puree, and reserved Jell-O powder. Mix until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add food coloring enough to achieve desired shade of green.

Frost each cupcake with about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of frosting.

Yield: 18 frosted cupcakes

Nutrition Information (per cupcake): 320 calories; 14.9 g. fat; 58 mg. cholesterol; 235 mg. sodium; 44.8 g. carbohydrate; 0.6 g. fiber; 3.05 g. protein; 36.1 g. sugar

Result: Heavenly! Perfect for kids, but my co-workers fought over these when I brought them in. Mr. Prevention begged that I not take them all to work…he was a huge fan! Hope your frosting skills are better than mine! :-D

 Be sure to check out the FULL cupcake line-up (bring your insulin!) over at Eva Bakes! Congrats, Krystal – love you!

Be well,

sig4

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Filed Under: 350 calories or less, fruits and vegetables, kid-friendly, recipe, snack, Uncategorized, vegetarian ·

Meatless Monday: Lemon Cornmeal Waffles with Raspberry-Rhubarb Compote

April 29, 2013 by · 7 Comments

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Saturday was perfect weather in southwest Michigan. Mr. Prevention and I both ran outside, though not together. I ran my 3.7 mile route. About 2 miles into my run, I had hit my stride. I use an app called “Run Keeper” and every 5 minutes it tells me how long I’ve run, the distance I’ve run, and my average pace. I guess it can be said that I need a serious warm-up because my pace started around 11:18 min/mile and by the end of my run, I had improved to 10:38 min/mile. :-D

Right when I had come upon the school where I run their outdoor path around their field, I saw there was a group of people occupying the baseball diamond in the center of the path. They were playing cricket.

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I was spaced out, jamming to my music, and was running the perimeter path, around their game. At least I thought. It wasn’t until I was following along on the path that I realized the game spanned 180 degrees, not 90 like baseball, and I was jogging THROUGH their cricket game. I took out one ear bud as I was jogging by, laughing at myself and apologizing. They graciously accepted my apologize and probably enjoyed the laugh I gave them.

It was a great run to start the outdoor running season and put me in a good mood the rest of the day.

Sunday, unfortunately was rainy and grey most of the day.

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So, I did what I usually do when the weather isn’t the greatest…I cooked and baked. Yesterday, I was a machine.

I made breakfast first — these lovely Lemon Cornmeal Waffles with Raspberry-Rhubarb Compote. With rhubarb in season, Mr. Prevention’s love for anything raspberry, and my over-ripe Meyer lemon stash, these were all too perfect of a Sunday brunch selection. My breakfast-hating better half even wolfed these down, paying compliments to both the intense lemon flavor of the waffles and the perfectly sweet raspberry compote. I have to agree.

Today, leftovers…between coffee and these waffles, Monday will be okay.

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Lemon Cornmeal Waffles with Raspberry-Rhubarb Compote slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Compote:
1/3 cup sugar
2 stalks fresh rhubarb, sliced
1 (12 oz) package frozen unsweetened raspberries

Waffles:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup boiling water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp lemon rind, grated
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4.5 oz all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fat-free milk

Directions:

Combine compote ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and keep warm.

To prepare waffles, combine cornmeal and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Let stand 10-15 minutes or until cooled to near room temperature.

Preheat waffle iron.

Add eggs to cornmeal mixture; stir with a whisk to combine. Stir in butter, lemon rind, and lemon juice.

In a separate bowl, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup. To the bowl, add the next 4 ingredients (through baking soda); whisk to combine. Add flour mixture to cornmeal mixture; stir to moisten the flour some.

In the now empty flour mixture bowl, combine the yogurt and milk; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add yogurt mixture to cornmeal mixture, whisking just until combined.

Spoon about 2/3 cup batter per 8-inch waffle onto hot waffle iron, spreading a bit with the back of the measuring spoon. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until done; repeat procedure with remaining batter. Serve waffles with warm compote.

Yield: 6 servings (1 waffle with 3-4 tablespoons compote)

Nutrition Information (per serving): 288 calories; 5.3 g. fat; 62 mg. cholesterol; 496 mg. sodium; 45.3 g. carbohydrate; 2.8 g. fiber; 9.8 g. protein; 18.2 g. sugar

Result: These were super lemony with the perfect raspberry and rhubarb touch. The yogurt made these tangy, just as buttermilk would. Quick to make, the only wait time is for the cornmeal to cool off. These reheated great in the toaster oven. Enjoy!

 A full work week ahead…and May is just around the corner. Whaa?

Be well,

sig4

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Filed Under: 300 calories or less, fruits and vegetables, kid-friendly, recipe, Uncategorized, vegetarian ·