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

---

• 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

---

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

---

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

Enjoy!

Wedge Salad with Cilantro Dressing

I don't know about you but I ate one too many treats during the Superbowl. I was probably eating my feelings...poor Broncos. But I'm ready to get back on track with healthy eating!

A quick meal doesn't always mean you need to pick up fast food and a healthy meal doesn't mean it takes 1 hour to prep. A simple wedge salad is always a good option to turn to. It's low in calories and you can load it up with whatever you want! We love having these staple ingredients in our house to turn to for an easy meal or snack!

Wedge Salad with Cilantro Dressing
8 SERVINGS 

PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 20 (for bacon & eggs)           READY IN: 25 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 6 pieces bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/4 chopped red onion
• Ranch dressing or Cilantro dressing (see recipe below)

Cilantro Dressing

• 6 oz fat free plain greek yogurt
• 10 oz green salsa verde
• handfull of cilantro
• 1 teaspoon lime juice

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Boil eggs for 15-20 minutes. When done cooking, let cool. Peel and chop. 
2. Cook bacon and chop. 
3. Finely chop onion.
4. Cut head of lettuce into 8 sections.
5. Drizzle with dressing.
6. Layer bacon, hard boiled eggs, onion, and feta on lettuce. 

NUTRITION FACTS

---

  1 wedge w/o dressing   93 calories  6g fat   4g carbs   7g protein   2g sugar   

---

  1 wedge w/ dressing   110 calories  6g fat   6g carbs   9g protein   3g sugar   

Sweet Potato Hash with Kale

Do you remember those kids' cereal commercials where they sell you on this super sugary cereal, and then end with a picture of their cereal accompanied by eggs, fruit, juice, milk, buttered toast, and the phrase "Part of this complete breakfast!"? It never made sense to me, even as a child, how anyone could eat that gigantic breakfast first of all, and second of all how a sugary cereal could somehow be considered as "completing" it. Even I could sniff out the faulty advertising logic there!

Well, I'm here to tell you today that this recipe really is part of a "complete breakfast." And when I say "complete," I'm talking low-sugar, low-carb, plenty of protein, and plenty of energy to get you started right for the day. I've had a new year's resolution this year to decrease my sugar (more on that in my Healthy Habits Challenge posts for February!), but I've found that one of the hardest areas to do this is at breakfast. We have such a culture of eating sweet foods for breakfast, I honestly have a hard time coming up with a variety of breakfast choices that aren't sweet (or even harder, that aren't loaded with carbs) but that are still satisfying as a breakfast food.  This breakfast, though, is a fantastic choice. I've made this sweet potato and kale hash for dinner a number of times, but I've also discovered that sweet potatoes are a great substitute for your traditional hash brown breakfast side. They work wonderfully with eggs, and are full of great energy and nutrients to get your day started. If you've never made a sweet potato hash, you should definitely try it out. This one, with the addition of kale and some "kicky" spices, is packed with lots of flavor and satisfying nutrition.

Sweet Potato Hash with Kale
4 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 15-20 minutes            READY IN: 30-35 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2-3 cups chopped kale
• salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

---

1. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion in the oil for 1-2 minutes, followed by the sweet potato cubes. Stir everything around to coat with oil, then add in the cumin and paprika. 
2. Continue stirring occasionally while the sweet potatoes cook. (If you want to speed up the cooking process, you can add in 1/2 cup of water to the pan, then cover for 5 minutes, allowing the water to steam the potatoes a bit.)
3. When the sweet potatoes are somewhat soft, add in the kale, and continue to cook for 3-5 more minutes. The kale will wilt and soften, and the sweet potatoes should be soft enough to pierce with a fork. Add more salt and pepper, to taste. 
4. Serve topped with some tabasco or sriracha sauce, if you want even more kick.

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1 cup serving    233 calories   4.3 g fat   46.6 g carbs    4.0 g protein    2.2 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Shared Appetite.