Garlic Lemon Chicken Pasta

I have started on new journey in my life to help take care of myself.  It is called the 21 Day Fix, which has a home workout DVD program and a nutrition plan.  It has simple exercises that last only 30 minutes a day for 21 days and revolutionary simple portion control.  I have only been consistently doing this for 2 weeks, but I am feeling so much better.  As I am doing this program, I spend a lot of time searching for new recipes to try.  I thought it would be a great idea to share them with you.  This recipe I found on "The Simply Anchored Blog." I hope you enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

3-4 Chicken breast cut into 1" cubes

12 oz gluten free spaghetti or 8 oz linguine

2 tbsp parsley 

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes (halved)

1 clove garlic (grated)

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup Lemon juice

salt/pepper to taste

grated parmesan cheese (optional)

How To Make:

Start water for pasta.  Put 1tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat.  Once heated, add all of the chicken and cook until browned on all sides.  Add the tomatoes and parsley and set aside on low heat - stirring occasionally. 

Sauce/Dressing:  Mix 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/4 cup lemon juice into a dish.  Grate one clove of garlic.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk and set aside.

Drain pasta and add it to the chicken pan.  Add the lemon-garlic sauce.  Mix all together and enjoy!  

You can add parmesan, if you would like.

21 Day Fix (Serving: 1 Cup)- 1 yellow, 1/2 red. 1/4 green, and 2 tsp

Gluten Free Coconut Chicken Recipe

Gluten Free Coconut Chicken

2 lbs chicken tenders, slightly pounded
1 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1 cup shredded coconut
Canola oil
Apricot jam

Since you are handling raw chicken, it is important to set up all of our supplies before you handle any of the food.  You will need 2 shallow dishes and a plate.  Place the almond flour and coconut in one dish and mix it together.  Beat the eggs in another bowl.  Set out a large skillet and canola oil as well.  


Take one chicken tender and coat it in the egg.  Then coat it in the almond flour/coconut mixture.  Place the coated chicken tender on a plate and then repeat until all of the tenders have been coated.  


In a large skillet, heat a thin layer of canola oil on a medium heat.  Fry in batches until deep golden in color, 3-4 minutes on each side.  I serve the coconut chicken with some apricot jam.  It is super tasty, and it is really simple.


This is one of my family's favorite recipes.  It is inspired from a Rachael Ray recipe, but I adapted it so that it is gluten free.  I have also made this recipe with Fiber One cereal crumbs.  No matter how I make it, it is so good!  I hope you and your family like it too.


~Cassidy

Gluten Free Mediterranean Chicken Recipe

I have trouble finding chicken breast recipes that I enjoy.  I prefer eating dark meat, which I have always found to be more moist.  Therefore, I am pretty picky when it comes to cooking chicken breasts.  I have tried many methods of cooking chicken, and this is one of my favorite recipes.  I got it a couple of years ago from You've Got Supper.  It is simple, but the Mediterranean ingredients make it a little more interesting.  We make it for ourselves frequently, but I think it is unique enough to serve it to guests.  The chicken remains moist during the cooking process, and the Mediterranean flavors liven up a plain meal.  I especially like that my family can cook this recipe together.  Here is my adaptation.
Mediterranean Chicken

1 lb chicken tenders
14oz diced tomatoes, drained
14oz can quartered artichoke hearts
8 large kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 oz feta cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine drained diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, and feta in a medium sized bowl.  Add the olive oil and oregano and mix well.  Set aside.

Cut a 12 inch square piece of aluminum foil.  You can also use parchment paper for this.  I chose to use aluminum foil, because my children were helping me make dinner.  My son was able to rip the aluminum foil off the roll for me, while my hands were dirty from handling the chicken.

Place 2 chicken tenders in the center of a piece of aluminum foil, and spoon some of the tomato mixture on top of the chicken. Then move it onto a rimmed baking sheet.  You will need to seal the aluminum foil before you cook, but I recommend that that step should not be completed until the end.  This allows me the ability to move the toppings around if they have not been placed evenly, especially since my special little helpers enjoy spooning the tomato mixture on top of the chicken.  Repeat until all of the chicken tenders and tomato mixture are gone.

Fold the aluminum foil around the chicken and tomato mixture to form a packet.  Bake the chicken in the oven for 22 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.

While the chicken is cooking, I usually make pasta to go with it.  Since I do not eat many grains, I do not make a starch to go with this recipe for me.  I just eat a salad along with it.  However, I make traditional pasta to serve along side this for my husband and kids.  They like it better, and they do not have trouble with gluten.  I do think that the gluten free pasta would go very well with this recipe.

Sorry that there are no pictures.  My husband ate the leftovers before I had a chance to take a picture.  This is such a yummy chicken recipe that even the leftovers do not last long in my house!  I hope you and your family enjoy making this together just like we did.  Enjoy!

~Cassidy