Orange Cumin Chicken

I know I do a lot of chicken recipes. This is basically because I love chicken. I know many post ops have a hard time with it. I couldn't eat chicken for a whole year. The chicken recipes I put up are super moist and easy going down, so give the chicken another try. This one is very different and delicious! It was so moist, it broke apart like fish. This would also be a perfect glaze for fish. We just got home from Florida and brought home a ton of oranges, thus my inspiration!

• 1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (depending on how many people you are serving)




• 1 cup Tropicana 50 (or any other low sugar OJ)




• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste




• 2 Tablespoons olive oil




• 2 Tablespoons crushed garlic




• 2 Tablespoons dried parsley




• 1 Tablespoon honey




• 1 teaspoon cumin powder




• a pinch of salt and pepper




• 1 whole orange, sliced
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Layer chicken in a baking dish. Add all the additional ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour glaze over chicken and cover with plastic wrap. You can marinade over night or just for an hour, it really doesn't matter because the glaze is so good. Leave the chicken in the baking dish with the glaze. Slice up whole orange and lay a slice on top of each piece of chicken. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Eggplant Chili

Don't be afraid to add veggies into a traditional chili. We had a leftover eggplant from eggplant parm my mom made last night, and I didn't want it to go to waste. I used a basic chili recipe and adapted and tasted until I made a really good flavor. This looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's really not, just a bunch of spices at the end.

• 2lbs ground beef




• 1 medium onion




• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic




• 1 large eggplant peeled and cubed




• 1 can diced or stewed tomatoes




• 1 26 ounce jar pasta sauce




• 1/4 cup water (add to empty sauce jar and shake up then dump in)




• 1 can kidney beans, drained




• 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour




• 2 Tablespoons chili powder




• 2 Tablespoons cumin powder




• 1 teaspoon salt




• 1 teaspoon black pepper




• 1 teaspoon garlic powder




• 1 teaspoon splenda




• 1 teaspoon dried parsley and oregano
  

In a large pot on medium heat brown beef, onions and diced garlic. Cook until meat is fully cooked. Drain off any extra fat. Add in all of the additional ingredients. Stir. Set heat to low and cook for 2 and a half hours with the pot covered. Serve in a bowl with cheddar cheese and sour cream. I never made this before, it was really delicious and fresh tasting!

New Year, New You!

Hello all my blogger/WLS friends! Time for a new year!! A lot has been happening in my life where I was not cooking as much as I wanted to be. For one, my husband and I moved from our apartment to my parents house, so for about a month I was kitchen less/food less during the transition, we were eating out way more than I wanted to. Now there is a kitchen struggle with my mom, we both cook, so we alternate cooking days. It's working well now, just had to get into the swing of things, it's just hard when I have been living and cooking on my own for 4 years.

I graduated from Georgian Court University with my Bachelors of the Arts in Psychology with a concentration in health and human resources, and a minor in Spanish. Took 4 and a half years, but feels great to achieve such an accomplishment. Not to mention, I had both my Gastric Bypass and Gall Bladder removal while I was a full time student.

My husband and I are expecting a baby GIRL in April of this year, which is the main reason we moved back home, there was room for us and the baby, and I'm going to need help! LOL. We are absolutely thrilled, this is such an exciting time!

Finally I am struggling with gaining this baby weight. I know I am pregnant, but it makes me feel terrible that I have gained about 20lbs. I am almost 7 months pregnant with no gestational diabetes and perfect blood pressure, so no none of my Dr.'s are even slightly concerned with the weight gain. It's more of a mental thing for me, my clothes not fitting is driving me crazy but I am still eating super healthy with the occasional craving here and there. I know once the baby is born I CAN and WILL lose the weight. My WLS has given me hope I can do it!

So I say it's about time for some new recipes!! Eggplant chili coming tonight!!

Happy New Year everyone!