I know, I know... it's been awhile since I've posted anything. It is certainly not due to lack of cooking on my part (just lack of motivation to upload pictures haha). The past 2 weeks, I've been waking up at 5 am and hitting the gym early instead of after work to see if that helps my calf cramping/twitching issue. It was maybe helping a little bit, but I'm keeping at it! As hard as it is to wake up over an hour earlier than usual, I do feel better after my workout and I think it might be helping boost my metabolism too. I saw a neurologist last week, to see if there were other options for my cramping calf. She put me on a dopamine supplement, used for people with Restless Leg. It's only been just under a week, but it might be working. I have seen a pretty good reduction in twitching and cramping so far. Not sure if that's from my exercise time change or the meds, but I also don't really care so long as I can sleep at night! I'll keep you posted. Since I am not going to the gym after work as often (still going to Pilates and one Zumba class after work twice a week), that gives me more time to cook! I have five recipes to share with you, all with pictures! Here is by far my favorite of the lot, it will surely enter our "what should we cook tonight?" rotation when we run out of steam. It's easy and pretty quick. You can cook the chicken and the bacon and the noodles at the same time, they all finish together. Next time, we might add a side of roasted mushrooms and broccoli, it did need a little something to go on the side (or you could just eat more of the pasta, of course!).
I am so excited to share this recipe! When I found it a few weeks ago, I immediately pinned it onto my new-ish Pinterest account. I seriously cannot believe I never thought to do this myself, I love avocados so much! This recipe was all the more perfect, because we usually have all the ingredients on hand. I made a few tweaks, mostly to the cooking of the chicken. My crock pot is 7 qt, and it seemed awfully silly to cook 1 chicken breast in there. Maybe someday I will try, but I simply poach the chicken in my version. See the original post here, as posted by The Realistic Nutritionist. I kept it at 4 servings because I really wanted to have leftovers for lunch. Ate it cold the next day and it was just as good!
Creamy Avocado Pasta with Chicken and Bacon
4 servings total
350 Cal, 11 g fat, 41 g Carbs, 9 g Fiber, 21 g Protein, 311 mg Sodium
Ingredients:
• 1 large 8 ounce chicken breast
• 1 can low fat, low sodium chicken broth
• 8 ounces dry spaghetti noodles, cooked
• 1 avocado, pitted and scooped out of skin
• 4 tablespoons fat free half and half
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 pieces of crispy cooked bacon
Directions:
1. Poach the chicken: Place the chicken breast in a small saucepan and cover with the stock, about ½” above the chicken (you can use just water or a combo of chicken stock and water, if you'd like. We save the poaching liquid after, skimming any fat or scum off the top, to reuse for making rice or couscous, etc). Bring to a boil and then partially cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes (it should barely have bubbles). Remove from heat and let sit for 10 more minutes with the lid still partially on. Once done, shred using two forks and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, place avocados, half and half, lime juice, salt and pepper. Blend until soft and creamy. If mixture is too chunky, add additional cream. Add additional lime juice to taste.
3. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, pasta and avocado sauce together. Crumble bacon on top and enjoy!
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