OK, so you've made your resolution to get healthy. Now what? You may be thinking to yourself "How on earth am I going to keep this up? I have a full time job, husband and two kids." eating healthy requires cooking (at the end of a tiring day at work), which can often result in a huge sink full of dirty dishes. It seems much easier to just pick up some takeout on the way home. Cooking low-fat, healthy, and delicious meals can be just as fast and easy as takeout, as long as you have a plan of action.
Your broiler is about to become your new best friend. It is basically an upside-down indoor grill. Broiling is fast, healthy and requires almost no cleanup. Cooking chicken, fish and vegetables is so easy using this method.
Healthy Marinated Chicken Breast and Asparagus
*2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*your favorite marinade
*large freezer bag
*asparagus
*Parmesan cheese
Healthy Marinated Chicken Breast and Asparagus
*2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts*your favorite marinade
*large freezer bag
*asparagus
*Parmesan cheese
In the morning, before you leave for work, place chicken breasts in a large freezer bag. Pour in marinade to cover chicken, squeeze out extra air in the bag and seal. Allow to sit in the fridge until you come home (sometimes I even put frozen chicken breasts in the bag, and let them thaw in the marinade) If your chicken breasts are rather thick, you can pound them out while they are inside the bag, being careful not to break open the seal. Preheat broiler. Line a jelly roll pan with foil and place asparagus (with the ends trimmed) on one side of the pan. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. With a second piece of foil, create sort of a "boat" for your chicken and place on the other side of the pan (see picture below). Using tongs or a fork, remove chicken breasts from the bag, shaking off any excess marinade. Place in foil "boat". Broil for 6 minutes, remove from oven and flip chicken breasts over. Broil for about another 6 minutes or until browned and juices run clear. (Broiling sometimes causes smoke so make sure your hood fan is on)
Serve with a crusty loaf of bread, rice, couscous, or mashed potatoes. For a really fast side, Country Crock mashed potatoes from the refrigerated section of your grocery store are heated in the microwave in 4 minutes. (That's what I used!) They taste great and make for even easier cleanup. Any leftovers can be used the next day in a variety of ways. We had some leftover asparagus, so I saved it to make a delicious omelette the next morning.
I hope this recipe will help make life a little easier and healthier after a long day. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
