Keto Malibu Chicken with Keto Broccoli Salad

I've been following a keto eating plan for just over a year now. I've lost about 75 lbs and have felt so much better! Even if you are not following keto - these recipes are super tasty and not at all hard to make. These recipes are ones that I have made several times together as the net carbs of both comes in at 6 total. Not bad for such a filling, fancified meal. 

I love dinners that only take a few minutes to put together but taste like they took a lot longer. I'm all about lazy wherever possible! 

First up: Keto Broccoli Salad.

Keto Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

Dressing

1/2 cup mayo

2 Tbsp sour cream

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp finely diced onion

salt & pepper

Salad

4 cups broccoli florets

5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Prepare dressing - Whisk together mayo, sour cream, vinegar, onion, and salt & pepper. 

Prepare salad - Place broccoli in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Sprinkle with the bacon and stir to combine. Let chill for at least an hour before eating. (Is just as good a day or two later so can be made ahead of time.)

So good as a snack too! A serving of this - recipe makes 4 servings - is only 2 net carbs. 

Next up: Keto Malibu Chicken. Think inside out chicken cordon bleu. 

Keto Malibu Chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup mayo

3 Tbsp prepared mustard

3/4 cup crushed pork rinds

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper

8 pieces deli ham

4 slices Swiss cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

Pat the chicken breasts dry and set aside. Mix together the mayo and mustard in a large Ziploc bag. Place the chicken breasts in the bag and squish gently to coat the chicken. Set aside. 

In a shallow bowl, stir together the crushed pork rinds, Parmesan cheese, garlic and onion powder, and salt & pepper. 

Place one breast at a time into the crumbs and coat both sides by laying on the crumbs and pressing gently, then flipping over and doing the same on the other side. 

Place all on prepared cookie tray.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. 

Then place 2 slices of deli ham and 1 slice of Swiss cheese on top of each breast.

Continue to bake for another 10 or so minutes - until chicken is done and cheese is melted. 

Serve immediately. I like to serve mine with the Keto Broccoli Salad!

A serving of the chicken - recipe makes 4 servings - is 4 net carbs. 

So tasty. 

A great keto option if you are getting tired of the same old things. Only a little bit of prep - I'd say start to finish is under an hour. If you make the salad first and get it in the fridge then it is ready to go at the same time as the chicken. 

You can make the broccoli salad up as far as a day or two ahead of time though. 

And who doesn't love broccoli salad, right? It's a great keto option as well and makes a lovely side dish to the Malibu chicken. The salad will last a long time, covered, in the fridge, and the chicken will last about 2 - 3 days so it's a great meal prepping option too. 

FYI - because you are using pork rinds instead of bread crumbs this is also gluten free too :)

Be sure to pop by Carole's Chatter for more fun foodie links! 

Cauliflower Broccoli Pancakes with Fried Egg

For the last 8 days I have been on the Wild Rose Detox/Cleanse. I have been struggling with breakfast ideas that are "cleanse approved" until I decided to use up some veggies I had in the fridge. I decided to try a very simplified version of our cauliflower crust pizza (that recipe HERE). 

Turns out this was a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself). 

The recipe for the "pancakes" is only 3 ingredients then there is only 3 more ingredients for the toppings. How easy is that? 

According to MyFitnessPal, one serving (recipe makes 1) is: 214 calories, 14 carbs, 10 fat, 17 protein, and 4 fiber. Even if you aren't following the Wild Rose Detox/Cleanse (website here for more info), this is a great recipe for a healthy, hearty, delicious breakfast. Nutritional info includes pancakes and toppings.

If you are interested in hearing about my experience with the cleanse then be sure to check back. I will do a more extensive post with what I thought after I have finished the cleanse. 

Cauliflower Broccoli Pancakes (with Fried Egg)

Ingredients

Pancakes

1 cup grated cauliflower, raw

1/2 cup cooked, finely chopped broccoli

1 egg

Toppings

1/4 cup sliced onions

fried egg

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the cauliflower, broccoli, and egg until well combined. 

Heat a frying pan over medium/low heat. Scoop half of the cauliflower broccoli mixture into the pan and press into a circle about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. 

Let cook until firm - don't rush it!! I believe it took about 8 minutes on the first side. (I just kept gently trying to lift the edges with a flipper until it felt solid enough to turn over). Gently turn over and cook the other side for about the same amount of time. You want the heat fairly low so the outside doesn't burn and leave the inside mushy. 

When done, move to a plate and keep warm while you prepare the second pancake.

While second pancake is cooking, in a second frying pan, fry the onions and the egg over medium heat until they reach desired level of done-ness. I started the onions frying, when they were turning translucent I pushed them to one side and cracked the egg in. 

To serve: Place second pancake on serving plate with the first. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder and salt & pepper. 

Place fried egg on top and then the onions. Season with a little more salt and pepper, if desired. 

Serve immediately. 

I added a little bell pepper to my plate as the calorie count on these was so low. 

You can leave out the broccoli if you like and these will still work just fine. I just happened to have leftover broccoli to use up and wanted to add a little color. These are definitely best served as soon as they are made. They do not reheat well as they they don't maintain their crispness (read: they get soggy). 

I really liked this and will be adding it to my breakfast rotation. The only thing I will note that makes these tricky is trying to flip them. DO NOT rush it. Let them cook for as long as it takes!! You can cover the pan with a lid for a few minutes to help hold in the heat and cook better if you find the bottom is getting too dark and the pancake isn't cooking through. 

Pop over to Carole's Chatter for more food links. 

Shrimp & Asparagus with Pork & Broccoli Stir Fry on Israeli Couscous

Here is a great idea for dinner that includes lots of veggies to healthy things up.

Two separate dishes that combine to create a pretty satisfying meal. 

If you like dishes with a little Asian flare then you will probably enjoy these. Shrimp and asparagus with hints of garlic and lime along with pork & broccoli in a soy and chili sauce may just become your new favorite dinner!

Pork & Broccoli Stir Fry on Israeli Couscous

Ingredients

2 Tbsp soy sauce

juice and zest of 1 lime

2 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp oil

1 lb pork, cut in 1 inch pieces

salt & pepper

4 cups broccoli florets

2 cup button mushrooms, quartered
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 cup water

1/4 cup chopped, salted peanuts

2 cups cooked Israeli Couscous

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, lime juice & zest, Thai sweet chili sauce, and sugar. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium high heat, drizzle oil in pan. add pork and salt & pepper and cook until no longer pink. Squish meat over to side of pan. Add in the broccoli and mushrooms and dried parsley to the empty space and cook for 1 minute.
Add 1/2 cup water to the pan to deglaze pan, scraping bottom of pan to get all the good bits.
Cover pan and cook another minute.
Add in soy sauce mixture, cover and cook until slightly reduced - anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and scoop on top of the cooked Israeli couscous. (You can, of course, serve this on rice or quinoa too.)
Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.
Serve immediately.

Shrimp & Asparagus

Ingredients
2 tsp oil
2 cups shrimp, diced
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp dried parsley
3 green onions, diced

Directions
Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add oil and shrimp and cook until shrimp has turned pink. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
Add green pepper, asparagus, garlic, salt & pepper to the frying pan. Cook about 3 - 4 minutes.
Whisk together the chicken broth and cornstarch, lemon juice and dried parsley.
Pour over vegetables in pan.
Cook another 2 - 3 minutes. Stir the shrimp back into the vegetables and cook another minute to heat up the shrimp.
Serve hot, sprinkled with the green onions.

Chopping the veggies is probably the most time consuming part of this recipe. Even still - from start to finish this only takes about 20 - 30 minutes.
Plus...it looks pretty... so...there's that too.


For more asparagus recipes, check out Carole's Chatter

Broccoli & Chicken Calzones (For 2)

If you know me then you know I have been whining like a baby about the heat for the last week.

I mean... it gets up to between 38 - 42 (that's around 100 + for our Fahrenheit friends) degrees in the day and only drops to about 25 (77 F) at night.

I think I have a legit reason to be whiny.

Anyway.... When it gets like this then there is just NO way I am using our oven. 

Break out the crock pot and toaster oven. 

I used our super easy, 2 ingredient pizza dough to make these calzones which cook up very nicely in the toaster oven. (Of course, feel free to use your regular oven if it's not a million degrees where you are!)

According to Myfitnesspal one of these bad boys is only - 350 calories, 38 carbs, 8 fat, and 33 protein. 

I checked out some other broccoli and cheese calzones online and they averaged between 550 to 780 calories, 75 - 90 carbs, 26 - 30 fat, and 40 - 49 protein. 

We win.

Just sayin'

Broccoli & Chicken Calzones (For 2)

Ingredients

Filling

1 small chicken breast, diced fine

1 cup broccoli, diced fine

1/4 cup onion, diced fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

1/2 cup light Ricotta cheese

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup pizza sauce

Dough

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp 0 fat, plain Greek yogurt

Directions

Preheat toaster oven (or regular oven) to 400. Line a small tray with parchment paper and set aside. 

Prepare filling - Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat.

To the pan add: chicken, broccoli, onion, garlic, and salt & pepper.

Cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink and broccoli has softened a little.

Remove from heat and scrape mixture into a smaller bowl. Stir in the Ricotta and Parmesan.

Place mixture in fridge to chill while you make the dough.

Prepare dough - In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and Greek yogurt until dough comes together. 

Assemble calzones - Cut dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into an approx 8 inch circle. 

Spread 2 Tbsp of pizza sauce on half of each circle. 

Top each with half of the chicken & broccoli mixture.

Carefully fold the dough over the filling and pinch to seal the edges. 

Place on the prepared tray.

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn down heat to 375 and cook until calzones are a golden brown.

FYI - It's tricky to not get dark spots when you use the toaster oven because the calzone is so close to the element. If you cook them in the regular oven they brown much more evenly. 

Serve immediately - CAREFUL the filling is very hot!

One is bigger than the other in the photos because I rolled one thinner than the other. They both worked out great but the larger (read: thinner) one was a bit more fragile when I was handling the dough.

Just something to keep in mind.

So many possibilities! 

I went with what I had in the fridge, that's why my filling may seem a little odd, but it tasted very yummy.

I think next time I may try mozza cheese, more pizza sauce, and some ham and pineapple. 

Be sure to check out how you can use this very simple dough recipe to make pizzas (both savory AND sweet) HERE - 1 Dough, 2 Pizzas. 

OH, yeah, also - I had leftover filling because I didn't want to over fill the calzones. I calculated the nutritional count using the ENTIRE filling in the counts so, technically, they are even less calories and fat if you don't use all the filling.  

 

We're sharing at these fun linky parties -- The Chicken Chick, Ms. enPlace, Memories By The Mile

Noodle Salad With Sesame Garlic Dressing

Need to bring something to a potluck? Maybe a lunch at the office? 

Something that isn't "the usual" fare.

Have we got a deal for you! 

This super simple salad comes together in under 10 minutes. It's true. Really. 10 minutes. 

Grab a bag of Double Happiness Chow Mein Noodles (or any brand rice noodles should work in a pinch!) and you are almost done already. 

Want to hear some more good news?

The nutritional count on this is pretty sweet too. (According to Myfitnesspal) Per serving, and the recipe makes around 10 or so, the count is: 250 calories, 34 carbs, 10 fat, and 7 protein. (I'm counting a serving as about 1 heaping cup full....)

Noodles Salad With Sesame Garlic Dressing

Ingredients

Dressing

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

Salad

1 pkg (454 gr) Double Happiness Chow Mein Noodles

1 medium cucumber

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 medium onion

3 large radishes

2 cups baby spinach

2 cups Mann's Rainbow Salad (OR coleslaw mix)

Directions

Prepare dressing - Place all of the dressing ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Prepare salad - Place noodles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit while you prep the veggies.

Finely dice the cucumber, green pepper, onion, radishes, and spinach. 

Drain the noodles and cut them so they are a little bit shorter and easier to deal with - this is not absolutely necessary but I prefer my noodles a bit more manageable. 

Add in the diced veggies and the 2 cups of Rainbow Salad mix. 

Toss to combine. 

Drizzle with 1/2 of the dressing and toss to distribute evenly. Refrigerate until salad is completely chilled. 

When chilled, drizzle with remaining dressing and toss again. Chill until ready to serve.

I find this is best if it can sit for a few hours or even overnight! The flavors seem to mingle more.

Bring this to your next BBQ, potluck, office luncheon, or family dinner and everyone will think you are a salad super genius. 

 *NOTE - people are wondering where the bits of broccoli came from. They are in the Rainbow Salad Mix that I use. *

"So Many Vegetables" Soup With Sausages

I had a lot of veggies in the fridge that were on the verge of going bad. I'm terrible for that! I always over estimate how many veggies I'm going to eat during the week. 

Anyway, I decided to make the best of the situation and make a tasty, incredibly healthy soup. 

I have specified the measurements for the sake of the nutritional counts but feel free to add a little more of this or a little less of that as per your preference. (Just remember that it will change the nutritional count.)

I used Myfitnesspal to figure out the nutritional count:

208 calories, 27 carbs, 5 fat, and 15 protein. 

That is per serving. Serving size it 1/5th of the recipe OR approx 1 1/2 cups of soup, 1 sausage, and 1 Tbsp mozza. 

Trust me...that is a very generous amount. It is so nutrient dense that it is very filling. 

"So Many Vegetables" Soup With Sausages

Ingredients

3 cups broccoli (1 medium head)

2 cups zucchini (1 large)

2 cups squash (Delicata or acorn or similar)

1 large onion

2 cups carrot (2 large)

1 portobello mushroom cap

2 cups beets

4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

2 stalks celery

2 tsp sesame oil

2 cups beef broth, low sodium

4 cups chicken broth, low sodium

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

5 turkey breakfast sausages

1/2 cup partly skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Prep all your veggies by coarsely chopping them (broccoli through celery). (The carrots and beets you should dice smaller than the others so they cook faster.)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, drizzle the sesame oil. Place all of the veggies into the pan. 

Cook and stir for about 10 minutes, until veggies start to soften. 

Add in the broth, bay leaves, and spices. 

Bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover, and let simmer until veggies are tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. 

When cooked, remove from heat and let cool until no longer steaming.

Remove bay leaves. Place warm soup into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. 

Pour pureed soup back into the large saucepan and place back over medium heat. Cook and stir until hot again - about 5 - 10 minutes. 

While soup is reheating, cook the breakfast sausage links. Cut the 5 sausages into small, bite sized pieces.

Serve soup - Scoop about 1 1/2 cups of soup into a serving bowl.

Take a second to admire how amazing it looks and how fantastic it smells.

Ready?

Okay. Now top with a Tbsp of Mozza.

And finish it off with one of the diced sausages.

**A couple of notes**

-- I used beef and chicken broth but if you want to make it vegan then use veggie broth.

-- I had to cook my squash in the microwave for 10 minutes to be able to scoop out the guts into the soup. Keep that in mind - depending on what kind of squash you use, you may have to precook it to cut/scoop it.

-- I used turkey breakfast sausages to cut down the calories but you can certainly use any type of sausage you like or skip it altogether. 

-- Add more cayenne and/or a dash of hot sauce if you like it spicy. I'm not a fan of too much spice so I just gave it a good sprinkle of cayenne.

Need something that is filling and full of SOOOO much healthy good stuff that your insides will thank you?

This is the soup for you. 

Be sure to stop by Carole's Chatter and Hun... What's For Dinner? for tons of great links!