A Better Me

Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken


Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
  • 3 — 8oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1-2 cups cooked broccoli, chopped
  • 3 wedges of The Laughing Cow® Original Swiss Cheese
  • ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
  • 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 egg whites
  • 6 toothpicks


Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Wash and dry the chicken breasts. Slice the chicken breasts length wise into two equal sized cutlets. You should have 6 cutlets.
  3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Place egg whites in a shallow dish and set aside.
  5. Mix Panko breadcrumbs, whole wheat bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a separate shallow dish and set aside.
  6. Open The Laughing Cow® Cheese wedges and separate into 6 equal pieces. Spread one piece of The Laughing Cow® Cheese onto chicken cutlet. Add the cooked broccoli on top of the cheese. Roll chicken cutlet as tight as possible. Secure with 1-2 toothpicks.
  7. Next, take the secured cutlet filled with cheese and broccoli and brush lightly with egg whites. Immediately, place chicken cutlet into bread crumb mixture to cover. Place secured chicken cutlet, seam-side down, onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  8. Repeat steps with other chicken cutlets. Spray chicken cutlets lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
  9. Bake chicken cutlets for 20-25 minutes until done.

Posted by Meet Me Under the City Lights at 8:33 PM 0 comments

Veggie Quinoa Breakfast Bowl


Makes 1 serving.

  • 1/2 cup of quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • broccoli, cut into florets
  • mushrooms, sliced
  • cheddar cheese, grated
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1 egg

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a pan over medium high. Add broccoli and mushrooms, and stir-fry until cooked (around 5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine milk, water, and quinoa in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring regularly*, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Add vegetables, cheese, and salt & pepper to the pot of quinoa and stir to combine. Cover and set aside.

Fry a sunny side–up egg. (I was going to tell you about my experiments with the frying technique, but you should really just read Izy’s post instead, because it’s way better!)

Transfer the quinoa to a bowl, then top with the egg.

Posted by Meet Me Under the City Lights at 8:25 PM 0 comments
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Quinoa Breakfast Bowl


Posted by Meet Me Under the City Lights at 8:18 PM 0 comments
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Spicy Ddeokbokki

There are many ways to prepare this humble lump of rice flour – you can stir-fry it, put it in soup or even make Ddeokbokki skewers and grill it on the barbeque! Today, I made Spicy Ddeokbokki. My recipe’s all vegetarian, but you can use dried anchovies instead of kelp for a sweeter stock.

Step 1: Ingredients!

About 15-20 rice cake sticks 1 1/2 tbsp of gochujang 6 dried kelp knots soaked in water or a small handful of cleaned dried anchovies (ikan bilis) 3 stalks of green onion cut into 5cm strips 2 bowls of water sugar to taste

Step 2: Make a simple stock!





Posted by Meet Me Under the City Lights at 6:52 AM 0 comments
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Doenjang Jjigae

Today’s recipe is a very nourishing stew made with Doenjang. Doenjang is fermented soybean and is very similar the Japanese miso. It is said that doenjang is so good for you that having it regularly can help prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, strengthen the liver, aid digestion, keep our skin healthy, and best of all, slow down the aging process. In some sites I’ve browsed, they’ve said that doenjang is also a detoxifying agent (and it’s effective against some snake venom and bee stings!), prevents heart disease and keeps the brain healthy. Wow, this truly is some kind of super food!


Well, I don’t know about the snake venom, but I can tell you this – I have been eating doenjang quite often because it is so simple and quick to make and my skin has become more vibrant over time. I rarely use products on my skin so I’m pretty sure this stuff works.


Doenjang comes in several varieties ranging from light tan to dark chocolate brown pastes. I usually get the ones that range in the middle. The darker the paste, the stronger the flavor.


Step 1: Ingredients! Serves 2 people as a side dish, or 1 person as a main dish.


1 litre of water (3 ½ cups) 3 – 4 heaping tablespoons of doenjang A selection of your favourite vegetables. In my doenjang, I’ve put in –


Carrots (cut into bite sized chunks) Zucchini (cut into bite sized chunks) Onions (thinly sliced) Tofu (cut into cubes) Shiitake mushrooms (chopped)


Garnish with: Chopped scallions A drizzle of sesame oil


Step 2: Dissolve the doenjang! Fill a clay pot or small soup pot with water and incorporate doenjang in water BEFORE turning on the heat. I’ve found it easier this way because with the heat on, it’s a little hot on your hands.


Once the doenjang has completely dissolved in the water, bring the broth to a boil. Do a taste test, you might like to add in more doenjang for a thicker stew.


Step 3: Keep it boiling! When the doenjang broth is hot and boiling, add in the vegetables and ingredients that take longer to cook first (carrots, zucchini, etc) followed by the ones that take less time to cook (mushrooms). Boil stew until ingredients are just about cooked then turn off the heat. Your stew will continue cooking in the hot broth.


Step 4: Garnish and serve! If you used a claypot, just add a handful of scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil and serve, still bubbling and boiling in its pot, with a bowl of hot rice. Yum!


A tub of doenjang


Tip: You can try adding clams or shrimp to your doenjang jjigae. & if you like it spicy, add in some gochujang & freshly cut chilies.

Posted by Meet Me Under the City Lights at 6:48 AM 0 comments
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7 day Diet Plan

DAY ONE:
Breakfast:
Grapefruit (76)

Mid Morning Snack:
Granola Bar (118)
1 cup strawberries (47)

Lunch:
Tomato Soup (85)
Turkey Sandwich on Wheat (350)
Water (0)

Afternoon Snack:
1 apple (80)
1 tbsp peanut butter (96)

Dinner:
Salmon filet (140)
Green salad (48)
Brown rice (216)
Water (0)

Total: 1256

DAY ONE:
Breakfast:
Grapefruit (76)

Mid Morning Snack:
Granola Bar (118)
1 cup strawberries (47)

Lunch:
Tomato Soup (85)
Turkey Sandwich on Wheat (350)
Water (0)

Afternoon Snack:
1 apple (80)
1 tbsp peanut butter (96)

Dinner:
Salmon filet (140)
Green salad (48)
Brown rice (216)
Water (0)

Total: 1256

Shopping List for 1 Week:
Mixed berries
Pineapple
Apple
Granola
Eggs
Skim milk
Grape Nuts
Puffed rice cereal
Raisin Bran
Green salad
Brown rice
Chicken breasts
Sandwich buns
Tortilla wraps
Stir fry veggies
Shrimp
Linguine
Peanut butter
Tuna
Bagels
Cream cheese
Canned vegetable soup
Mayonnaise
Pudding cups
Gelatin cups
Gummy bears

Posted by Meet Me Under the City Lights at 10:12 AM 0 comments
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Is the Sandwich Really Helping You Lose Pounds?

The favorite meal of all dieters alike is a Sandwich. Satisfying and filling, it seems to be the perfect alternative to a fatty burger or a steak. But is it really helping you cut down calories or are you simply substituting one type of unhealthy meal for another?
Here are some reasons why your sandwich may not be as healthy as you think it is:

1. White bread isn't a healthy option, especially for diabetics. In fact, you will be more likely to continue having belly fat because body is not receiving proper nutrition.
2. The choice of meats added to your sandwich can easily match up with a chicken-fry of hamburger and fries.
3. Beneath the bread, it's a whole lot of cheeses which can total to half the amount of your day's worth of calories.
4. Sandwiches are usually overstuffed and serve as a complete meal stuffed between slices of bread. Most of the time, the stuffing is twice the serving size recommended by food experts and at times, it is more than the recommended servings for an entire day.
5. Coming to the spreads, did you know that one single tablespoon of mayonnaise has 12 grams. And we are supposed to limit our fat to 65 grams a day.
6. You must have seen dieters going in for Tuna salad sandwiches but you can never be more wrong with a choice than this one. A Tuna salad sandwich, with nearly a quarter cup of mayonnaise, is almost 20 times fattier than a Chicken breast sandwich.
So what do you do to make your 'Sandwich Diet' work?
1. Start with eliminating mayonnaise altogether. Mustard makes for a better option anytime.
2. Choose lean meats. The leanest lunch meats are turkey, chicken breast and roast beef.
3. Trade in your favorite tuna salad sandwich for a chicken breast on multigrain bread for a healthier option.
4. Even when choosing turkey, go for the breast and reduce two thirds of the fat.
5. Eliminate multiple layers of fat on your sandwich. If you have to have ham, skip the cheese. If you can't do without cheese, order a plain cheese sandwich instead.
6. Substitute white bread with whole grain breads.
7. Try making your own sandwiches using lean meats, whole grain bread, mustard, veggies and lesser amounts of fats. It takes 10 minutes to put it together, keeps your diet successful and saves you a whole lot of money.

Posted by Meet Me Under the City Lights at 10:11 AM 0 comments
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