Skinny Chicken Nuggets

I never thought I'd have such a wildly appropriate use for this picture. If using it is wrong, I don't want to be right. 

This is probably one of my favorite recipes because it's so simple and who doesn't love chicken nuggets? If you don't love them, you're wrong anyway. I found this gem on skinnytaste.com and I don't think there was much to alter for what I like. Makes 4 servings; 164.9 calories per serving.

16 oz skinless boneless chicken  breasts, cut into even bit sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs 
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 425° and spray a baking sheet (I used a regular metal baking sheet) with olive oil spray.

Put olive oil in one bowl and the panko, parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in bowl with olive oil. Mix until chicken is coated well.

Place chicken, a few at a time, in breadcrumb mixture to coat and then onto baking sheet.

Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray then bake 8-10 minutes. Turn over and cook another 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

Skinny Cheeseburger Casserole

It’s been decided that on Mondays, we post new recipes.

I don’t think I’m allowed near a grill for everyone else’s safety (I’m sure I just set myself up for some women belong in the kitchen joke), so this works well in place of grilled burgers. I found this recipe on skinnytaste.com and adapted it for what I like. It’s fairly simple and is just 261 calories per serving (serves 9).

2 cups uncooked rotini
2 tsp oil
1 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove
1 lb ground beef (96% lean)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
28oz diced tomatos
2 cups reduced fat grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

In large pot, boil salted water and cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-low heat.

Add onions and cook for five minutes or until soft. Stir in garlic, cooking for 30 seconds. Stir in beef and cook until browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes. Let mixture bubble gently for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.

Toss meat mixture with pasta and spread into prepared dish. Top with cheese and bake until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to follow up a healthy recipe with the complete opposite, but as the great Waka Flocka Flame once said, I don’t really care. I’ve made these quite a few times now and everyone always loves them (I wouldn’t trust anyone who didn’t). They’re reasonably easy to make, just a little time consuming and messy. If you love Cinnabon or just cinnamon rolls in general, you’ll love these as well.

Dough

I cup warm milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 ounce yeast

Filling

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted

Icing

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/8 tsp salt

Microwave milk 45 seconds. In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk.

In separate bowl, add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour. Mix well.  Add milk mixture to bowl mix until combined. Knead with hands into large bowl.

In a bowl sprayed with cooking spray, place ball of dough and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until dough has doubled in size. (I just left the bowl on the counter for an hour and let it rise).

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Flour a flat surface and roll out dough into a 16” x 21”rectangle and ¼ inches thick.

Spread the melted butter evenly over dough followed by brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Roll the dough longest side from you, towards you. You can then cut dough into the preferred size rolls you want. I chose to cut them smaller for a bigger batch.

Place cinnamon rolls in a lightly greased 11”x15” glass baking dish. (I used two separate 9”x13” dishes; either works). Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

As cinnamon rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt for icing. Spread evenly onto cinnamon rolls as soon as you remove them from the oven.

Skinny Texas Cheese Fries

These seemed to have the most feedback on instagram and I figured it was a good (and simple) recipe to start with. I found the recipe on skinnytaste.com and altered it for what I liked, so feel free to play around with it. Most importantly, it makes a decent size portion and it’s only 259 calories versus the usual 500 million. I’m not even sure I’m exaggerating there. Makes 2 servings.

• 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, skin on
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (if you don’t like spicy, omit this)
• 1/2  tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to your preference 
• 1 slice bacon (I used turkey bacon), cooked and chopped
• 1/3 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp diced scallions
• Jalapenos to taste if desired

Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Cut each potato lengthwise into ¼ inch thin slices; then cut each slice into ¼ inch fries (I cut them smaller for thinner fries)

In a large bowl, toss oil and potatoes. Add seasoning and combine until evenly coated.

Place in a single layer on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes (turning halfway through) until crisp.

Remove from oven and place in an oven safe dish (I just used a medium skillet). Top with cheese, scallions, and bacon. 

Return to the oven for 2 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with low fat ranch or blue cheese. 

Sometimes I listen

After many requests for the recipes I use to bake and cook, I decided to finally give in and make a blog. I'm not sure exactly how this is going to work, so keep your opinions to yourself (we all know mine is the only one I care about) and just go with it. If there's anything on my Instagram (Spoiledbratprbz) you would like posted, let me know and i'll see what I can do. Maybe we'll all end up with rings the size of Khloe K's sometime soon. (I believe the Kanye Shrug is wildly appropriate here).