Hi everybody!
This afternoon I faced the classic “rainy day dilemma” as I pulled up to the exit of my parking garage at work. Do I turn right and go home, put on my coziest sweats and hunker down for the night? Or do I turn left and head to the gym?
I chose left! It was the right thing to do and I felt great afterwards 
I hit the treadmill for 4 miles at speeds ranging from 6.1 to 6.3 and sprints at speeds ranging from 7.0 to 7.5. My cool down was a 5 minute walk at 4.0 and a 5% incline. Sometimes when the energy or will to work out is lacking – you literally just have to physically get yourself there. I’m glad I did!
I had been thinking about tonight’s dinner during my workout and knew it was going to be a chicken dish, but didn’t know exactly what kind. Inspired by Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus Seasoning Blend, some pineapple, an orange and a lemon that I had in my fruit bowl – tonight I made Citrus Chicken with Roasted Almonds!
Here is said inspiration
First I liberally seasoned 2 chicken breasts with the Caribbean Citrus seasoning blend and sautéed them for ~4-5 minutes a side. At the same time, I cooked up some egg noodles.
Then I got to making the Citrus Dressing that totally stole the show!
In the mix:
- Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus seasoning blend
- Crushed red pepper (not too much – you know my spice limitations!)
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ~1/2 cup pineapple
- 1 orange
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Salt & pepper (un-pictured)
I started the citrus dressing by cutting the peel from the orange and slicing out the segments with a small, sharp knife.
I squeezed the remaining juice from the orange over my segments…
Then added the rest of my ingredients and mixed. EASY!
Next, I sprayed a cookie sheet with non-stick spray, sprinkled on some almonds and sprayed the top with more non-stick spray. I put them under the broiler for ~1.5 minutes. Watch closely – they go from brown to burnt in mere seconds!
After draining the pasta, I added the citrus dressing, mixed and scooped into a bowl. Top with chicken, roasted almonds – and you’ve got Citrus Chicken with Roasted Almonds!
This was…so.amazing. So amazing! It reminded me of of my Citrus CousCous Salad ! The dressing was slightly sweet from the orange, but not too sweet.
My almonds were this close to being burnt, but they were the perfect topper for both their flavor and crrrrrrunch.
I do hope you give this a try sometime. The sweet pineapple and orange, mixed with the spiced Caribbean Citrus blend and crunchy almonds was AMAZING. I cleaned my plate!
Off to clean the kitchen, put away laundry (hey, I did fold it!!) and watch
30 ROCK!
Season premiere is tonight and I, for one, could not be more excited – Tina Fey is my hero!!
Have a great night everyone!
~~~~~
Are you a member of the “clean plate” club?
One of my biggest downfalls is that no matter how much is on my plate, I tend to eat it all. It’s just the way I grew up! Now I just use smaller plates!
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Yep, total clean plate club member here! The size of the plate doesnt matter either… i’ll just eat two smaller platefuls!
Dinner looks great! I try stay away from the “clean the plate club”
There are occasions where I do become a member of “the club”…
Your pictures are really great by the way!
Mmmm, this looks really good! I think I will be giving this one a try too!
I am a memeber of the clean plate club. My parents always made me finish what was on my plate, and if I couldn’t I’d have to have as many bites as my age.
30 ROCK!!!! I can’t wait!
Mmmm, nearly burnt almonds are A-okay in my books. Love the extra toasty flavor! Definitely a card carrying member of the clean plate club since I was 7 …was scolded at a friend’s house by his dad for leaving food on the plate after dinner
Mmmm…dinner looks great! Love that crunch + citrus combo!
Great job getting to the gym tonight! I agree – if I can just get there, I’ll end up working out. I just have to GET there.
Great job getting to the gym! I can’t wait until my hip is healed and I can go again. It makes me really appreciate being able to work out a lot more! Your citrus dressing sounds incredible
i love 30 rock and i am totally a member of the CPC ! (clean plate club!)
Yay for going to the gym on a rainy day!
Fellow clean plate club member right here. Your dinner sounds amazing!
That dinner looks amazing. I love citrus with protein.
Proud member of the Clean Plate Club here!
I was never a member of the Clean Plate Club, but strangely, after my eating disorder, now I am! Weird…
Your chicken/pasta dish looks FREAKING AMZING!! you brilliant cook, you! Oh wow! I must definitely borrow that inspiration soon!
YES – I am a member of the clean plate club! It’s just the way I grew up, too. So I just try to dish up smaller portions or use smaller plates so I don’t overeat too much!
I’m almost always a member of the clean plate club!
I’ve learned to put much smaller portions on my plate so I can still feel like my plate is clean!
my gosh – i’m so going back to this recipe… and doing it with tiliapa!
Absolutely a clean plate member! i definitely use smaller plates, and i try to serve myself less, and remind myself that if i want more, i can always go back for seconds!
Yeah, I got the Clean Plate thing from my mom who grew up on a Farm with 7 other siblings and if you didn’t eat it and fast they would so I am pretty much the same way now though I am the only child! I try to use “small” plates so I end up not eating too much.
=) Laura @ Finding A Healthy Balance……after a 100+ POUND weight loss!
The chicken dish looks good. FYI though you don’t have to spray the almonds with anything to roast/toast them. Adding heat to nuts brings out their natural oils.
I like to wake up around 8am / 9am on the weekends if I can… any later and I feel like the morning is wasted away! My boyfriend, on the other hand, could sleep til 2pm everyday seriously. I have never seen someone require/want so much sleep in my life? haha
let’s hear it for choosing the gym!!!
I ddi start buying smaller plates and just serving up less to start so that I wouldn’t feel compelled to eat too much!! luckily I have generally masterd this when eating out
I am a member of the clean your plate club so I always use my salad plates. I’d rather serve myself a small portion and go back for more than shovel it in to my face and be super stuffed.
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