Spring is here.  Sunny days are foreshadowing blooming flowers and trips to the beach. Now is the time of year you may look in the mirror and realize that the winter blues have added a few unwanted pounds to your frame. It’s time to start thinking about getting in shape and easing the dread many have with bathing suit season.

This is where we come in! We know it can sometimes be hard to eat healthy and find foods that taste good. We will be posting not only healthy recipes weekly but recipes that taste good! There are so many recipes that are soo easy to make, are good for you and are full of flavor!

Now this doesn’t mean that you will ONLY see healthy recipes… =)

Majority of what we post for these few months with be healthy, but we still plan on posting our baked goods as well! Just look at it this way.  If you do great during the week then you’ll need a little something to reward yourself with!

The first recipe we decided to post was, Chicken in Tomato Sauce with Kalamata Olives and Feta. We made this recipe with our girlfriend Sarah last week. It turned out great and we all loved it! The sauce is nice and tangy and keeps the chicken moist. The feta and olives give the dish a nice saltiness and everything blends together so well.

We will definitely be making this again and again and again!

• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil (divided)
• 4 chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat, cut into two pieces
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• Oregano, to taste
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 28 oz can of whole or diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• 12 kalamata olives
• Feta cheese, garnish
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, garnish

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic.  Stir constantly for 60 seconds then add the tomatoes, broth, sea salt, pepper and oregano, to taste. Crush tomatoes with a spoon, bring mixture to a boil then lower heat and simmer until chicken is done browning. If you want a smoother sauce, blend the mixture with your immersion blender.

Trim the chicken breasts of any fat and cut into two pieces. Season each piece with sea salt, pepper and oregano, to taste. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Once hot, add seasoned chicken to the skillet and brown 4 minutes then flip. Brown for an additional 2-3 minutes; add the tomato sauce to the chicken, lower heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a serving dish and keep warm with a tin foil tent. Add the olives to the sauce and boil over high heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens – about 5 minutes. Taste and re-season with salt, pepper and oregano if needed. Pour sauce over chicken, top with feta cheese and chopped parsley. Enjoy.

We LOVE making risotto. We make it once every 1-2 weeks. What we love so much about risotto, is that you can put so many different things in it. We’ve made risotto with just about every single vegetable! We have always wanted to make it with chicken and boy are we glad that we finally did.

This risotto is defintely on our top 5 list. It is VERY good. You have both your meat and veggies in this dish so all you need to do is serve this with a nice salad.

Enjoy this recipe!

Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cubed
• 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 lb button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, washed well and thinly sliced
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 4 cups simmering water, flavored with chicken boullion cubes
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• Salt and pepper

Method:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken until well browned and cooked through. Place onto a plate and keep warm.

In the same large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and leek. Cook until mushrooms are just beginning to brown. Add rice, stirring constantly, and cook 5 minutes more, making sure rice does not brown. Add wine, stirring constantly, and let totally evaporate. When wine is evaporated, begin adding stock 1/2 cup at a time, letting each addition evaporate before adding the next addition. You will probably need to do this 5-6 times.

After last addition of stock is added, begin tasting rice. Rice should be al dente when done. You need to keep tasting rice, because, depending on rice, you may or may not have to use all of the stock.
After last addition of stock is absorbed, remove from heat, and stir in chicken, butter and pecorino cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve!

Ingredients:4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5-6 oz each), fat trimmed

1 c. unbleached all-purpose floursalt and ground black pepper

2 Tbsp oil2 ½ oz. (about 3 slices) pancetta, cut into 1 by 1/8 in. pieces

8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced (about 2 c.)

1 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 tsp tomato paste

1 ½ c. Marsala (I only like dry, the recipe calls for sweet)

1 ½ Tbsp juice from lemon

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions at the chicken breasts dry.

-Place flour in a shallow baking dish or pie plate.

-Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.

-Working with one at a time, coat both side of chicken with flour.

-Lift the breast from the tapered end and shake to remove excess flour and set aside.

-Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large 12-in heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.

-Place the floured chicken in a single layer in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

-Using tongs, turn the cutlets and cook on the second side until golden brown and the meat feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 5 min longer).

-Transfer chicken to the heated plate and return plate to the oven.

-Return the skillet to low heat and add the pancetta.

-Sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until the pancetta is browned and crisp, about 4 min.

-With a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain.

-Add the mushrooms to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high.

-Sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until the liquid released by the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 min.

-Add the garlic, tomato paste, and cooked pancetta and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 min.

-Off the heat, add the Marsala.

-Return the pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from the pan bottom, until the sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced, about 5 min.

-Off the heat, add the lemon juice and accumulated juices from the chicken.

-Whisk in the butter, one Tbsp at a time, until incorporated.

-Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

-Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.