Honey Lime Chicken Kabobs

For nearly the entire summer, our dinners are made on the BBQ. We love spending our summer evenings outside, and dinner seems to be ready in a flash while the kids are happily playing in the yard. :) This is a random creation that we came up with last week, and it's now been declared a favorite. The flavor is sweet with a little kick (thanks to the red pepper) and it's lip-smacking delicious. Two thumbs up across the board, even from the kids.

Honey Lime Chicken Kabobs
6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 35 minutes           COOK: 10 minutes            READY IN: 45 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (add more if you want more spice to your chicken)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
• dash salt

DIRECTIONS

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1. Cube chicken into about 1 inch pieces.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together soy sauce, honey, olive oil, lime, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, cilantro, and salt. 
3. Place chicken into the marinade, and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Put the chicken on skewers, and hang onto the marinade.
5. Place chicken skewers on the grill. While grilling, every 3-4 minutes turn the chicken, and baste it with the marinade.
6. Grill skewers for 8-10 minutes, or until done.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 skewer    191 calories   8g fat   6.8g carbs    22g protein    5.9g sugar   

Enjoy!

Avocado Chicken Melt

My husband decided to invite some family over for dinner last minute so I quickly changed what was for dinner. With little time to prepare this was my solution and it was a hit! With just a few ingredients it makes for a great quick meal! Win in my book!

Avocado Chicken Melt
4 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 40 minutes            READY IN: 55 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast thawed
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup breadcrumbs 
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning 
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 4 pieces provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat oven to 400º. Salt and pepper your chicken. 
2. Place egg in separate bowl and breadcrumbs in another. 
3. Dip chicken in egg and then cover with breadcrumbs and place in a 9x13 pan. Repeat with remaining chicken. 
4. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes over tops of chicken breast. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. 
5. Once chicken is done, place a few slices of avocado over each chicken breast and then top with cheese. 
6. Place back in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

NUTRITION FACTS

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  1 chicken breast serving   370 calories  16g fat  16g carbs   43g protein   1g sugar   

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

What's the first meal that comes to mind on days when dinnertime sneaks up on you? If you said spaghetti then you read my mind. When you're trying to cut the carbs, though, that meal is a no-no! So what looks and tastes like spaghetti, but doesn't put you on a carb overload? SPAGHETTI Squash. The name says it all! I'll be honest, I'd never made, let alone ate, spaghetti squash in my life - so I was a little skeptical - but it's REALLY easy to cook and tastes great! I hope you enjoy this refresh, we sure did!

Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce
4 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 40 minutes            READY IN: 55 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 small spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef 
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups traditional canned/bottled tomato sauce (such as Prego, Ragu, etc.)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place squash in a baking pan, cut side down, with a few inches of water in the dish. Cook in oven for 40 minutes, or until squash is tender and can be pierced with a fork. 
3. While squash is in the oven start preparing the meat sauce by placing ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat until meat is crumbly and browned. Drain any grease and set meat aside.
4. In another skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook 1/2 zucchini, red pepper, green pepper, crushed tomatoes and prego sauce until vegetables are cooked through and soft. 
5. Combine veggies with meat and onions. Simmer on low/medium heat. Add crushed red peppers. 
6. Scrape inside of spaghetti squash with a fork and divide into 4 dishes. Drizzle squash with a little olive oil, about 1 tablespoon. Add 1 and 1/2 cups meat sauce and sprinkle with remaining zucchini. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 cup serving   360 calories  10g fat  28g carbs   38g protein   16g sugar   

Original Recipe	Refresh Recipe
200 calories for noodles	50 calories squash
41g carbs in 1 serving noodles	28g carbs 1 serving w/sauce

Enjoy!

Guacamole Deviled Eggs

I feel like you should all thank me ahead of time for this appetizer...they are that good! If you're ever in need of a side dish, or even just a healthy snack, these deviled eggs are the answer to your prayers. They are easy, quick (depending on how fast you can peel an egg...me, not so fast), and best of all, healthy! Make them today, you won't regret it.

Guacamole Deviled Eggs
24 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15-20 minutes           COOK: 30 minutes            READY IN: 30 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 12 eggs
• 1 1/2 avocados
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• handful of cherry tomatoes (optional)
• Olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic, or garlic salt to taste
• 1 squirt lemon juice
• dash of red pepper flakes
• dash of salt

DIRECTIONS

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1. Hard boil your eggs by placing them in a pot of cold water, making sure the water covers the eggs completely. Once water get to a rolling boil, remove from heat and let them sit for 15 minutes
2. Move to ice bath for 15 more minutes (making it easier to peel)
3. Peel eggs and slice them in half length wise
4. Gently remove the egg yolks and place them in a separate bowl and the whites on your serving plate
5. Add avocado to yolks and combined until creamy. If mixture isn't easily spreadable you can add olive oil, a little at a time. 
6. Add in cilantro, onion, tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes to the avocado/yolk mixture. 
7. Spoon or pipe the mixture onto the egg whites. Sprinkle with salt and serve. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 serving   57 calories  4.1g fat  2.5g carbs   3.3g protein   1g sugar   

Enjoy!
Linking up here.
Recipe adapted from Primal Women in the Kitchen

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans

Is it just me or does quinoa remind anyone else of fish eggs? Nope...just me? It's taken a while for me to introduce this power food into our diet since I just couldn't get over that. I stumbled upon this recipe and thought I'd give it a go. My husband isn't a fan of peppers or quinoa, and yet this recipe highlights BOTH those ingredients. I'm a mean wife. I was just crossing my fingers he wouldn't have to gag this down. I was shocked when he actually enjoyed it! So believe me, if my husband liked these then it's a great way to introduce quinoa in your diet.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans
8 SERVINGS 

PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 25-30 minutes            READY IN: 40-45 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 4 bell peppers (slice in half from stem-to-tip and remove seeds)
• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1 4-oz can diced green chiles, with juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (for the extra kick, if desired)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup reduced fat 4-cheese Mexican cheese
• 2 14-oz can enchilada sauce (I like the medium red sauce)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Add quinoa and onion in a saucepan with 2 cups of water over medium heat with a dash of salt. Let it boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, prepare your peppers to be filled. If you like a softer pepper then microwave them for 2 minutes. If you like them more crisp you can skip this step.
3. Put your quinoa and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix in black beans, tomato, chiles, cilantro, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. If your mixture is too dry then you can add a little olive oil, but it should be fine without. 
4. Pour your enchilada sauce into a 9x13" pan (save a little for drizzling on top, if you want). Set your peppers in the pan so they are nice and snug. Divide the quinoa mixture between the peppers. Top it off with cheese. 
5. Cover with foil and bake at 375º for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 5 minutes.

Serving options: drizzle enchilada sauce on top, add diced avocado, or add a dollop of sour cream. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 pepper serving    221 calories   4.1g fat   36.2g carbs    10.8g protein    5.6g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from www.onelovelylife.com