Baked Orange Chicken

The whole family liked this one.

1c orange juice
3tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
2tbsp prepared yellow mustard
1/3c sherry cooking wine
1tsp ground ginger

Whole recipe (sauce only):
calories 189
fat 1g
carbohydrates 35g
protein 7g

5-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (however many fit in 9x13 baking dish)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all sauce ingredients, pour over chicken breasts and bake for 45 minutes (or until done)

Healthy Yellow Peanut Sauce

This is my favorite marinade, made into peanut sauce. :)

1 tsp coconut oil,
2 tbsp soy sauce (use low sodium if desired)
3 tbsp minced ginger (in MN the grocery store had jars of minced ginger, here I can't find it so I run ginger root through the food processor)
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp sugar (you can use splenda but the sugar is minimal and it kind of caramelizes..mm)
2 tsp ground turmeric (the magical fluorescent spice, also supposed to have anti-cancer properties)
1 tsp 5-spice powder
1/2 tbsp sea salt
1 cup chunky peanut butter
chicken broth (about 2 cups, maybe more depending on desired consistency)


Heat coconut oil in a med. saucepan, add turmeric, saute a minute, helps remove overly earthy flavor, add the 5-spice powder, garlic, ginger, salt and sugar or splenda. saute a minute to meld flavors. Add soy sauce, stir, then add peanut butter, stir and let it get bubbly and blended. Then gradually add chicken broth, stirring and heating until it is desired consistency. about 2 tbsp is a good serving. Good with chicken :) well, I would eat it with just about anything... :)

Sazon (Puerto Rican Pig Powder)

Another from Raichlen's book of rubs and marinades. My daughter loves this one on oven roasted chicken, cut the chicken up, sprinkle with this, drizzle with olive oil and squeeze the juice of a lemon over the top - yummy! it can be used on pretty much anything!


1/3 c coarse salt (sea salt or kosher)
2 tbsp freshly ground white pepper
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder

combine in a bowl and stir to mix. transfer to a jar, cover and store away from heat and light. Will keep several months.
Makes 3/4 cup

Central Asian Seasoned Salt

This is from Steve Raichlen's BBQ Bible Sauces, Rubs and Marinades. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with Raichlen :)

The spices in this mix are traditional Afghan seasonings for grilling. I love this seasoned salt on steak. he says "generously sprinkle on lamb, beef, chicken or seafood before grilling".

1/4c coarse salt (kosher or sea, I think sea salt tastes better)
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
1 tbsp freeze-dried chives
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried mint
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp hot paprika
2 tsp dried garlic flakes
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix. Transfer to a jar, cover, and store away from heat and light. The salt will keep for several months.
makes 1/2 cup.

Protein Berry Fage (strained Greek, nonfat yogurt)

This is my new favorite treat meal when I am craving a dessert like pudding or ice cream. The benefits of Greek yogurt are many - live active cultures that help make your digestive system healthier, calcium for your bones (and some tout dairy as a waist whittler), berries full of disease fighting nutrients and a 3g of fiber, and muscle milk to bring up the protein content. muscle milk is a little too sweet for my taste, but since the Fage is tart, is makes it perfect.

Another bonus, these are all Costco items, so its a cheap snack ;)

1/2c Fage , strained Greek Yogurt
1 scoop Vanilla Muscle Milk 100% whey protein Powder
1c frozen mixed berries

Mix all thoroughly, let berries melt a bit and enjoy :) It is also good mixed in the blender, if you want a smoother consistency.

Nutrition per serving:
Calories 265
Fat 2g
Protein 39.5g
Carbohydrates 17g
Fiber 3g

This would be good as a parfait, too, with some toasted oats or healthy granola on top for breakfast.

The super chocolate craving buster smoothie

The super chocolate craving buster smoothie:

1c frozen mixed berries

1 1/2 scoops chocolate protein powder ( I use MRM chocolate whey isolate)

1 tbsp peanut butter

1-2 cups water, depending on how thick you like it.

Blend it all until smooth and enjoy ;) you just got muscle building protein, fat and cholesterol fighting fiber, cancer - fighting and immune boosting nutrients and good fats :) instead of sugar and mystery ingredients and mega calories (in a blizzard or fast food shake).

I also mix this with less water to make a "sludge" that is like eating pudding sort of, yummy.

2 Summery Salsas

Finally back to trying new recipes! I love salsas - they spice up eggs, fish, chicken, beef, everything! They are also a great source of nutrient rich veggies and herbs, so eat up! healthy and tasty - double bonus!

These are from the cookbook "The Great Salsa Book" by Mark Miller I am considering cooking my way through the entire book, but a few of the recipes look iffy, so we will see!

The salsas are rated on a heat scale of 0-10, 0 being no heat at all, 10 being very hot.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde - Heat 5 Yield: 2 cups

This is a bright, citrusey medium hot salsa. he says it is good with chips, most seafood and eggs. I made it in the food processor, very quick and easy, so a good party food if you are making double batches.

1 lb tomatillos (about 15), husked, rinsed and roughly chopped
3 Serrano chiles, with seeds
3/4c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (1 bunch)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

throw it all in the blender or food processor and puree.

Salsa Romana - Heat 0 Yield about 3 cups

This tastes like bruschetta topping, or caprese salad without mozzarella (I think cubes of fresh mozzarella would be perfect mixed into it..). The fresh basil flavor is fabulous. it is great over burgers, in an omelet, on fish or would be good as a fresh pasta topping, or on grilled bruschetta. mmm. make sure you use a good quality olive oil - the flavor is awesome.

8 Roma tomatoes (about 1 lb), diced
3 tbsp finely diced red onion
3/4c loosely packed julienned basil leaves
1 tsp finely minced garlic (or more if you love garlic like I do)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt (I think real sea salt tastes better)

Thoroughly combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Allow to sit at room temp for 1 hour before serving.

variation: add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar for a tarter flavor. Mark Miller notes that "true Italians would double the salt" I found the amount in the recipe perfect.

These both got the Adam stamp of approval ;) and I could eat both with every meal and not get tired of them.