Chi-chi-chi-chicken!

Fun fact: I planted what felt-like-at-the-time 187 bulbs in my back garden last year.

Fun fact: Like 2% have popped up. Sure I could keep them in the backyard where the only one who'd ever see them would be the dog when she goes outside to do her biz, orrrrrr, I could bring them into the house where I can truly enjoy them.

]

Fun fact: I roasted some chicken thighs the other night and made an awesomely easy chicken salad! Now we’re talking, right?

Roasted Chicken Salad

-8 chicken thighs, ok to have skin-on, bone-in

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon ground black pepper

-1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

-1 cup lowfat olive oil mayonnaise

-1/3-1/2 cup chopped green onions (vary the amount based on your taste preference)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over thighs and sprinkle seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip over each piece. Bake for an additional 20 minutes- take internal temperature. Once temperature registers at least 165, chicken is done. Remove from oven and let cool.

Once cool, use a serrated knife to cut off the meat. Discard the skins and bones. Dice up the cooked chicken and add to a medium bowl. Stir in mayo and green onions. Cover with plastic wrap and let refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I made this 24 hours in advance- the flavors really were well blended.

I used this to make wraps- I’m a fan of Joseph’s brand pita and lavash breads. It’s a softer texture than a tortilla while still keeping carb content under wraps. Get it?? Under wraps?

Ok.

I fixed mine with some tomato slices, fresh spinach, and bean sprouts. Yum yum yum yum. Makes a big ol’ wrap that’s still only 380 calories. The chicken salad recipe makes roughly 4 cups of chicken salad. You could add wild rice, chopped walnuts, cut up grapes, slivered almonds, tomatoes- really whatever you’d like. It’s a easy base that’s also great on its own.

That chi-chi-chi-chi-CHICKEN is definitely not going to be stuck in your head all day.

Chi-chi-chi- OK I’M DONE.

Spaaaaa-riiiiiiiing-tiiiiiiiime!

The sun is shining. 

The flowers are blooming.  

The deer have yet to eat my tulips.

All is well.

I still have a lemon in the fridge from Arizona, and since asparagus is the quintessential springtime vegetable (so says me), I wanted to make a dinner that paired them both together.

And was also easy.

And partially from a box. Yep.

Lemon Asparagus & Pea Risotto

-2 boxes risotto (I used Priano from Aldi)

-1 lb fresh asparagus, rinsed, with 1” from bottom stems trimmed. I cut mine into 1” pieces.

-2 cups frozen peas

-1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

-1 tablespoon grated lemon

-1 tablespoon lemon juice

-1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

-1 package chicken sausage, sliced (mine were spinach feta flavor)- could omit if desired

Cook risotto according to package instructions. When there’s about 10 minutes left for it to cook, add the asparagus, peas, and garlic. Once risotto is cooked, remove from heat. Stir in lemon, Parmesan, and pepper and chicken sausages. The acid from the lemon will slightly dull the green-ness of the veggies, but the flavor is thumbs up.

Makes 4 generous servings.

Per serving: 415 calories, 70 g carbs, 6 g fat, 19 g protein

Bunnycakes!

I went out for a foggy rainy jog this morning.

On my morning runs I can't *not* think about what I might be making for breakfast. Seeing as we have carrots at home as well as cream cheese, and tomorrow's Easter, I thought I'd make some carrot cake-inspired pancakes. Thus was born BUNNYCAKES!

Bunnycakes
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups milk (any kind will work)
1 egg
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots, shredded
1/4 cup finely diced pineapple (fresh or canned)
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Nonstick cooking spray

Cream Cheese Glaze
4 oz Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Heat a griddle or pan to medium high heat (350 degrees). Combine all dry ingredients (flour through sugar) in a medium bowl. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together egg, milk, and olive oil. Pour into dry ingredients. Stir in carrots, pineapple, and walnuts just until mixed. Let sit for at least 5 minutes.

Spray griddle or pan with nonstick cooking spray and spoon a small circle, about 3-4 inches, of batter to be the bunny's head. Gently spoon on some batter to be the ears. Make the ears spaced at least an inch because the batter will puff up as they cook. Use a thin spatula to check the bottoms- flip when golden brown.

For cream cheese glaze, beat together all ingredients. Add more milk if the consistency is too thick. Spoon glaze over pancakes.

Makes 6 bunnycakes. Per bunnycake: 250 calories, 33 grams carbs, 9 grams fat, 4.5 grams protein.

AZ IF I didn't have a good time

Ohhhhhh vacaaaaaaaation.

I’ll drum up zero sympathy here, but my time spent in Phoenix last week flew by way. Too. Stinking. Fast.

My bestie and I went down to her parents’ condo to spend some days in the sun.

I’m not so secretly obsessed with citrus, and there were lemon, orange, and grapefruit trees EVERYWHERE. It was heaven.

Seriously- best way to start your morning. Early morning jog with the sunrise, then veggie-packed egg bake, tea, and said citrus on the back patio.

We hiked on Camelback Mountain too. Desert temperatures + hiking are no joke.

Hit up Backyard Taco in Mesa, where we’d both been before. These make Taco Bell’s stuff look- and taste- like shoe bottom scrapings.

We did grocery shopping our first morning and bought salad ingredients, plus some boneless chicken to grill. Mmm…patio salad.

Our second night’s dinner was Red White and Brew. Everyone we came across in Mesa raved about it and it did not disappoint. My M.O. for restaurant eating is to generally order high protein with a side of veggies, in this case a turkey burger (minus that top bun) and broccoli.

We drove out to San Tan Flat for our last dinner. This place is so fun- the majority of the seating is outdoors. There’s live music, and at night they light firepits. You can buy s’mores kits and roast marshmallows. It was a great place to just hang out.

I packed a few citrus fruits in my suitcase to bring home. I definitely had my fill of fresh grapefruit while down there and it got me thinking- I love quick breads (pumpkin, zucchini, blueberry, lemon, etc), and I’ve never come across grapefruit bread. Would it be gross? Or would it be awesome? I HAD TO FIND OUT.

Turns out it is AWESOME. I’m calling this pound cake because much like the blueberry almond pound cake recipe I posted a few weeks ago, this one uses Greek yogurt to add density and texture without jacking up the fat content.

Pink Grapefruit Pound Cake

¼ cup olive oil

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grapefruit zest (just run a microplane or fine grater on the skin of the grapefruit)

1 egg

1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

½ cup fresh squeezed pink grapefruit juice

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons raw sugar crystals (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a stand mixer combine olive oil, sugar, and grapefruit zest on medium. Add egg. Add yogurt, and while mixer is on, pour in grapefruit juice. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. With mixer running, add flour mixture. I also chose to add literally 1 drop of pink food coloring.

Coat a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick baking spray. Pour batter in pan and top with sugar. Bake for ~45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack.

Refrigerate. Cake tastes better the next day. Makes 10 slices. Per slice: 178 calories, 33 g carbs, 6 g fat, 5 g protein

It’s dense. It’s moist (get over that word already). It’s pretty.

I think we might need to get a return trip in the works. Those lemons and oranges and grapefruits aren’t going to pick themselves.

Happy birthday babies

Spring is sorta kinda here.

Around our house that's come to signal birthdays.

This week Mac will turn 3 and my sweet Freddie will be 1.

I'm pretty sure that 2 1/2 blinks ago he was:

Yesterday we had a joint birthday party for both and we are so fortunate to have had friends and family come celebrate. And yeah, I got all Pinterest worthy up in that shizz.

I may have bags under my eyes and stink-eye-induced forehead wrinkles and a bladder that cannot withstand a trampoline, but these two have been worth. every. thing. It takes a village, and my husband and I are so grateful to everyone in our lives who has been there to help us, and them, as we continue through parenthood.

And in case you're wondering, those are not black bean/quinoa/stevia-sweetened cupcakes and desserts. Party on, babies. Party on.