Chevre and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast, served over Sautéed Kale with Lemon

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I love stuffed chicken, especially when it is filled with tangy and creamy goat cheese. Chevre stuffed chicken has to be one of my all time favorite dishes. Recently, I have been on a kale kick. Mostly, because I have been using it for juicing and bought a giant bag, that I have also been using for sauteed kale. This is like the never ending bag of kale! Kale is such a super food and is packed with loads of vitamins and minerals, so I feel really good about giving this to my family. This dish requires a bit of cooking time, but has pretty minimal prep. Enjoy

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

4 cups spinach, chopped

1/3 cup green onions, diced

5 ounces chevre (goat cheese)

1 tsp basil, plus a pinch

1 tsp rosemary, plus a pinch

Salt and pepper to taste

4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add olive oil, garlic and spinach to a large sauce pan. Sauté until spinach is wilted. Pour spinach in to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Next add the green onions, chevre, herbs and salt and pepper to bowl. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated.

Slice a lengthwise slit in to the chicken, to make a pocket. Stuff the chicken with the goat cheese mixture. Sprinkle a pinch of basil and rosemary over the top of the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place chicken in to a large pyrex dish, or on a large baking tray. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Sauted Kale with Lemon

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil                                                                                                                      

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

8 cups of kale, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot sauté garlic and olive for two minutes over medium heat. Add chicken stock and kale. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook on low for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated. Add lemon and salt and pepper to taste. 

Serves 4

Healthy Chicken Fried Rice

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Most of you already know, but for those of you who don't, I am pregnant with my second child. This pregnancy is crazy different than my last one. Last pregnancy, I was a pretty healthy eater and didn't have too many out of control cravings.  I am really trying to maintain the same type of eating throughout this pregnancy, but I get the weirdest, most unhealthy cravings. I'm talking, hot dogs, chili dogs, chili cheese fries, tater tots nachos, cinnamon rolls, etc. I'm just going to say it. If I didn't know the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and always gave in to these cravings, I would have gained 25lbs by now and I am only 16 weeks. Every once in a while, I give in to a craving. I won't lie and say this has been a hot dog-free pregnancy or even a chili cheese fry-free pregnancy, since that is  far from the truth. Last week, my mother-in-law was kind enough to make me cinnamon rolls, when I was craving them. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I ate three in one sitting, but once I got my fill, I didn't crave them anymore. On a side note, my hubby has polished off the remainder of the batch. Who is the pregnant one here, again?

One of my healthy vices has been juicing. I cannot go a day without some fresh fruit and veggie juice. If my morning is tight and I run out the door without juicing, it is the first thing I do when I get home. Veggies have not been my favorite, this go around. But, I really enjoy a nice tall glass of fresh juice.

One of my more recent cravings has been Chinese food. Instead of going down to Armani Chef  (which I fully admit to doing in the past 16 weeks) and ordering a delicious, but not so healthy meal, I decided to make some healthy, Chicken Fried Rice. I loaded it up with veggies, and used brown rice and olive oil to keep it on the healthy/clean side.

Side note: I shred and chop my veggies very finely, as you may notice in the picture. This is not necessary, I just do this in hopes that my 19 month old, will accidentally eat them. If they are big, she picks right around them. If you have a toddler who refuses veggies, this technique may help a bit. Shredding and dicing them small, will also help them cook faster. On weeknights, I am a huge fan of meals that are on the table quickly

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken breast, diced
3 tbsp. olive oil (divided)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp ginger, minced
4 egg whites, plus two full eggs, whisked together
1 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2/3 cup broccoli, chopped
2/3 cup peas
2 1/2 cups of brown rice, cooked
1.2 cup green onions, diced
3 tbsp. of light soy sauce or tamari if you cannot have gluten

Directions:

First, cook your rice as per the cooking instructions and set aside (1 cup dry, should yield close to 2 1/2 cups, cooked). Next, fire up your wok, or a large sauté pan. Make sure the pan is hot, before you start. Cook the diced chicken in 1 tbsp. of olive oil for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through. Cooking time may depend on how big your diced chicken bites are. Next add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute. Create an empty pool in the middle of your pan, and pour in your eggs. Scramble them in the center, before mixing in with the chicken. Add the two remaining tbps of olive oil. Stir in the carrots, celery, broccoli and peas. Let cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Lastly, stir in the rice, green onions and soy sauce. Serve.

Yields 4 servings