Easy Chicken Wings

Hey chicken fans!

When making dinner for four, it's tough to find something everyone likes. This recipe was one of three dishes made on my Mushroom Risotto night, specifically to feed my younger brother. 

The Recipe: Easy Chicken Wings

• 8 raw chicken wings
• 1 package of Shake N Bake 

The Process: 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Clean the raw chicken, being careful to not let it touch too many surfaces, as they will all need to be cleaned. 
• Place the chicken into a large grocery bag.
• Pour the Shake N Bake breading on top of the chicken.
• Shake the bag over the sink until all chicken wings are covered. 
• Lay the chicken on a baking pan.
• Bake for about 2 hours, or until the chicken has browned and caramelized.
• Allow to cool briefly before serving. 

The Calories:

Chicken: 92 calories per wing

Shake N Bake: 40 calories (5 per wing)

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TOTAL: 97 calories per wing

This looks like a healthy recipe, but Shake N Bake is almost all chemicals, which makes it very unhealthy. 

What went right:

          With the guidance of my father, who can probably make these one handed with his eyes closed by now, I got it all right. It's really a no-brainer to be honest, so that was nice. Kirby enjoyed them and finished them, so that was a major plus. I don't really know what they tasted like, since I didn't have any. 

What went wrong: 

          The cleanup for these is obnoxious and they have a very long baking time. Otherwise, I have no issues with them. 

What I would do next time: 

           It would be nice to learn how to make my own breading for the chicken. I know there are many ways to cook without breading and I have done this before, but it would be healthier and cheaper to learn to make the breading on my own for when I do want to cook this way. It might even be possible to crumble my Garlic Sesame Croutons and add some extra spices to it as a breading...

Would I do this in college?: 

           Personally, I prefer thighs and legs to wings and it would be cheaper and healthier to make my own breading. Otherwise, yes, I think it is a great process to know and I will definitely be using it in the future.

Variations on the Peanut Butter Cookie

As promised! Some simple variations on the Peanut Butter Cookie...

These cookies used the recipe for basic peanut butter cookies from earlier in my blog, and the medium baked process. 

Experiment 1: Folding in Cinnamon Swirls

• Sprinkle cinnamon onto a small plate.
• Using your hands, flatten a small amount of batter and press it into the cinnamon.
• Roll the batter into a ball with the cinnamon in the center. Each ball should be 1/2-3/4 inches in diameter. 
• Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees

Experiment 2: Adding a dark chocolate center

• Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees
• Immediately post baking, press a dark chocolate Godiva chip into the center and allow to cool. The chocolate chip should become fully embedded into the cookie. 

The caloric addition of a single chocolate chip or a small amount of cinnamon is not significant enough to change the health value of each cookie. 

And of course, while they bake, do the Peanut Butter Cookie Workout to stay in shape and enjoy, guilt-free!

Both experiments went well, and I will definitely have more trials in the future. I might try different shapes for the cookies, such as a triangle for the cinnamon, and rolling it like a crescent, or cinnamon roll. 

 Keep checking for more variations on the Peanut Butter Cookie recipe!

Kale Chips

Hello and welcome green eaters! 

To most, the idea of eating kale is the equivalent of drinking a wheatgrass shot...completely unappealing. However, kale can be prepared in a variety of  manners that make this leafy Super-Food a tasty treat!

The Recipe: Kale Chips

• 4 leaves raw Kale
• 1 tsp oil
• Salt
• Lemon Juice (Optional)
• Pepper (Optional)

The Process: 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
• Mix your oil and salt in a small dish. If you are using lemon and/or pepper, add it now. 
• Rip smaller sections of leaf off your raw Kale and lay the pieces on a baking tray.
• Brush each Kale piece with the oil/salt(/lemon/pepper) solution. 
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until Kale becomes crisp and the tips brown. 
• Allow to cool briefly. 
• Enjoy!

The Calories:

Kale: 20 calories 

Olive Oil: 40 calories

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TOTAL: 60 calories

Any additional "toppings" such as salt, pepper, or, lemon juice are relatively insignificant, as only a few drops or shakes are necessary for the entire recipe. 

What went right: 

         I made one batch with just oil and salt and another with oil salt and lemon. I preferred the plain ones, but figured I should try two different kinds. Nonetheless, the chips were delicious, light, and healthy...in the words of my mom: "Sydney, we could SERVE these!" They have a crispy texture and are loaded with taste. 

What went wrong:

          Nothing, really. I enjoyed the more medium sized chips more than the larger ones, which tended to curl up on themselves and have a layered texture which felt strange to my mouth. Due to the success of the first batch, I decided to make the second a double, but learned that the chips to not keep more than a day or so.

Would I do this in college?: 

          Yes, I can definitely see making this in college as a study snack. They have a very quick prep time, low cleanup, and the bake time can be used for studying or changing laundry loads. 

Overall, a quick, easy, and tasty use of Kale!

When two sides make a meal: Green Teriyaki Chicken Salad and Roasted Broccoli/Honey Carrot Salad

Welcome/welcome back!

If you are a new visitor, I hope you enjoy my blog and my food! If you are a returning visitor, I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and my food! It is with your support that I am spurred to continue cooking...so thank you :)

When you hear "salad", most people think of a less-filling, low calorie substitute for a real meal. These salads definitely break that mold, and taste phenomenal together!

The Recipe: Roasted Broccoli and Honey Carrot Salad

• 1 cup broccoli
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 cup frozen baby carrots

The Process:

• Set the oven to broil on High
• Put the broccoli in a small, oven-safe pan
• Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on the broccoli
• Sprinkle Salt and Pepper onto the broccoli
• Using a spatula, mix the broccoli so that all pieces become coated in a light layer of the oil/salt/pepper mixture
• Broil for about 8 minutes, or until broccoli tips brown (depends on your oven)
• Put the carrots in a small, oven-safe pan
• Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on the carrots
• Sprinkle Salt and Pepper onto the carrots
• Using a spatula, mix the carrots so that all pieces become coated in a light layer of the oil/salt/pepper mixture
• Broil for about 4 minutes
• Remove the carrots from the oven
• Drizzle honey and sprinkle brown sugar on the carrots
• Mix the carrots into the honey and brown sugar
• Broil for another few minutes, or until carrots develop a small skin
• Mix the finished carrots and broccoli

The Calories:

Broccoli: 30 calories
Carrots: 60 calories
Olive Oil: 120 calories (technically 240, although much of the oil ends up still on the pan after cooking, so not consumed)
Honey: 64 calories
Brown Sugar: 6 calories
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TOTAL: 280 calories

Not bad! This salad alone is very filling and again, the oil content is still probably less than 120 calories after cooking.

What went right:
          Everything :) The carrots especially taste like candy. So delicious!

What went wrong:
         Nothing. I've done roasted vegetables many times, so I didn't expect any problems.

What would I do next time:
         I might try an olive oil substitute that contains less calories, but I don't really see that as a need. When you're having veggies for dinner, guilt is not on the menu.

Would I make this in college:
         Absolutely! I make this quite frequently, and am glad to have found a new partner salad to go with it.


The Recipe: Green Teriyaki Chicken Salad

• 2 cups chopped Romaine Lettuce
• 1/2 cup halved Cucumber slices
• 1/2 cup shredded Chicken breast (leftovers)
• 1 tbsp Teriyaki sauce
• 10 whole, dry Cashews

The Process:

• Preheat oven to 375
• Put your shredded chicken in a small, oven-safe pan
• Drizzle with teriyaki sauce and mix until all chicken is as saturated as possible
• Bake at 375 for about 5 minutes to heat the chicken and allow sauce to sink in
• If your lettuce comes from a bag, you will not need to chop it. If you buy whole heads of lettuce: Wash the leaves. Rip off about 4, depending on the size of the leaves. stack them on top of one another and compress the pile so that you can chop them all the way down the stem. The "leafier" part should be chopped larger than the part with more stem. Put these at the base of salad platter.
• Lay your cucumber slices around the edges of the lettuce. 
• Spread shredded chicken in the center of the cucumber ring. 
• Chop your cashews. 
• Bake at 375 for about 2 minutes. 
• Sprinkle across the entire salad. 

The Calories:

Lettuce: 12 calories

Cucumber: 8 calories

Chicken: 116 calories

Sauce: 15 calories

Cashews: 50 calories

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TOTAL: 196 calories

Pretty awesome for a salad :) If you must add dressing, be wary of what you add...not only could you screw up the teriyaki flavor, but you also run a risk of nearly doubling your calorie and fat content! 

What went right: 

         Everything. I love this salad. I'm very glad I decided to roast the cashews and use teriyaki. They definitely make fridge dump salad taste like so much more. 

What went wrong:

         Nothing. 

What I would do next time: 

         If we had multiple types of greens such as kale or spinach I would add those too. 

Will I do this in college?:

         Yeah this is definitely the kind of leftovers dish I can see making in college :) It was fast, easy, healthy, and definitely delicious. 

Overall, these two dishes make an attractive, addictive, less calorie, more filling pair!

Baked Ziti with Sausage and Vegetables

Welcome to one of my family meal challenge dishes!

If you've read my blog description, you may have noticed each month I have more and more posts, rather than just a few per week. I've actually started cooking a few times a week for myself, baking at least once a week, and cooking a meal for my four-person household once a week.

The Recipe: Baked Ziti with Sausage and Vegetables

• 1/2 box of Ziti pasta
• 1/2 can of pizza sauce (or any desired pasta Sauce)
• Mozzarella, Alfredo, Parmesean, and Romano Cheese (again, use desired cheese)
• Four small frozen sausage links
• 1 1/2 cup halved mushrooms
• 1 zuchini

The Process:

• Boil about 1.5 cups of water in a covered pan
• Cook pasta to desired stiffness
• Broil sausage links in the oven on High. After about five minutes, turn the links and broil for another few minutes. They should be fully browned and bubbling, but not burnt.
• Slice zucchini and cut slices in half
• cut small mushrooms in half
• In an oven-safe container, cover the bottom layer with pasta
• Cover the pasta with sauce
• Cover the sauce with sausage and vegetables
• Cover the sausage and vegetables with sauce
• Cover the sauce with pasta
• Cover the pasta with sauce
• Cover the sauce with cheese
• Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees

The Calories:

Pasta: 400 calories
Sauce: 70 calories
Sausage: 267 calories
Mushrooms: 30 calories
Zucchini: 20 calories
Cheese: 180 calories
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TOTAL: 967

However, this was shared by three members of the family (the fourth deciding to only eat pasta and sausage links, plain), so each person ate approximately 323 calories :)

What went right:

          The pasta was good, although not quite baked. The sausage links were also cooked correctly. Everything tasted right together, and it was a very healthy dish.

What went wrong:
          Like I said, the pasta was not quite baked long enough to be considered baked, so I know I need to bake it longer. Also, the raw vegetables lacked the carmelization to really release their flavor.

What I would do next time:
         First of all, I would bake the dish for half an hour to really get all the flavors to cook together. Additionally, I would broil the zucchini and either broil or sautee the mushrooms as well, to get them to caramelize. I would also heat the sauce before adding it, and put more sauce throughout the dish to make sure it covers everything. To make it a special dish for each season, I could change or add vegetables, such as switching the type of squash. I might also try using different meats, although using frozen sausage links will be the easiest to accomplish in college than anything else.

Would I do this in college:
          Yeah I think I'd do this in college...it would be easy to scale down and even if I didn't, I don't see a reason the dish wouldn't keep and reheat well.

Overall, a tasty challenge dish that I will be doing again to get it just right...stay tuned!

Clean Eating Soft Pretzels

Hello Clean Eater!

Anyone else have a pretzel addiction? Yes? Great. Hi, I'm Sydney and I am a pretzel addict! Soft pretzels, pretzel sticks, pretzel thins, pretzel rolls, pretzel bread...say the word 'pretzel' and my brain automatically gets a burst of dopamine just thinking about the best pretzels I've ever eaten.

However, any soft pretzel is typically very rich and caloric, with lots of sodium. That's why this recipe made me very excited!

The Recipe:  Clean Eating Soft Pretzels

• 4.5 cups of flour
• 1 packet of rapid rise yeast
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• 1.5 cups of warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 egg

The Process:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Mix your honey into the warm water and stir
• Pour the yeast in as well and allow to sit and foam
• In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and oil (and egg if you, like me, don't assume ingredient lists will include what goes on top of the actual food)
• Slowly mix in water/yeast/honey solution using a wooden spoon
• The dough will get very sticky, and you will no longer be able to stir
• Flour your hands and a clean, hard surface (preferably a granite table or any type of easy to clean, stable cutting board)

• Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and workable. This may take a while! When the dough begins to stick to your hands, pick it up off the table and become one with the dough; it's much easier than trying to roll it around on the table.
• Roll the dough out into long, thin tubes. They should be about 1.5 inches thick. 
• Rip about one foot of dough off. Shape it into a U. Fold over each side to the center, making it into a pretzel shape. If you want pretzel bites, rip off small pieces and shape them into balls. 

• Butter a baking pan and give the pretzels about an hour to rise before baking. 
• Brush the tops of each pretzel with egg (which I did not do). 
• Bake at 375 degrees until the pretzels brown slightly. This will take a different amount of time for the bites as the pretzels. Mine took about 20 minutes for the bites and 30 for the pretzels, but every oven is different. 
• Allow the pretzels to cool before eating. 
• Add desired topping (I added cinnamon sugar butter to half of them). 
• When eating on a later date, pretzels should be put in the microwave for 30 seconds on half heat, bites for 15 seconds on half heat. 

Calories:

Because this recipe was taken directly (except for the placement of the egg in vs outside the batter) from another source, I know the pretzels have about 110 calories and the bites have about 30 calories. Typical soft pretzels contain about 400 calories. 

What went right: 

           The pretzels are delicious. They're firm on the outside and chewy on the inside like real German pretzels. They taste great with or without the cinnamon sugar. 

What went wrong:

            Clearly I put the egg in the batter when I should have brushed it on. I also didn't knead quite long enough, because the batter got better as I continued shaping the pretzels. 

What I would do next time: 

             I would like to try brushing the egg on instead of putting it in the batter because I do think it would make a difference. I would also like to try adding raisins or almonds. 

Will I do this in college:  

             May be after I get more used to kneading...it is a great arm workout...but it can get pretty messy and requires a lot of clean space to roll out the dough. Health wise, I will do it for sure!

Overall, it's a great recipe that I hope to adapt to breads and biscuits as I get better at it as well! 

Kale-Sour Apple Smoothie

Happy Green Eating!

If you're brave enough to eat kale, you're probably a very devoted health foodie :) If not, I hope you try it anyway and end up enjoying it!

The Recipe:  Kale and Apple Smoothie

• 1 leaf  Kale, shredded
• 1 Apple, chopped
• Water 

The Process:

• Shred your Kale leaves
• Peel and chop your apple, tossing the core
• Put both into a Magic Bullet cup
• Add a small amount of water (you will need to add more as you blend, depending on how thick you want it)
• Blend with the Magic Bullet until it is at desired thickness. 
• Bottoms up!

The Calories:

Apple: 77 calories

Kale: 17 calories

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TOTAL: 94 calories

This is less than most protein shakes or bars, so you can have it as a small snack for that little extra cleansing boost. 

What went right:

          The smoothie tastes like sour apple, which is a flavor I quite enjoy! 

What went wrong:

          I think I was a little impatient once I smelled it, but the consistency was still a bit leafy. I will have to blend more next time or add more water. If that doesn't work, I will try steaming the Kale first. 

 What would I do next time:

          Add more water and possibly steam the Kale first. I don't think this smoothie needs anything otherwise...the flavor is very strong and to add anything else would only muddle it. 

Will I do this in college:

          Depends how the next batch turns out, but probably!

Overall it's a yummy smoothie if I can get it smooth enough...I might need to add milk or yogurt, but that would also make it less healthy and more heavy so I doubt I'd do it. Check back to see if the second batch turns out!