Healthy Twists

Ever since I had that sage fried chicken, I’ve been obsessed with combining sage and chicken again, but a much healthier version. So of course, when I went to the store, they were all out of sage. All they had was a “poultry mix” of herbs, so I picked it up.

The mix of rosemary, thyme, and sage smelled amazing! I seriously think using fresh herbs is one of the easiest and best ways to make food flavorful without relying on sugar, fat, or salt as seasoning. My favorite herbs for cooking are basil and cilantro, but I’m also love mint, rosemary, and now sage.

I just hate how expensive fresh herbs are at the grocery store! They are cheaper at the farmer’s markets but I don’t shop there much, and my little condo balcony gets no sun so I can’t really grow herbs unless I get one of those http://www.aerogrow.com/AreoGarden things…or any blog readers who grow herbs want to invite me over to pillage (and you know who you are!).

I used this recipe as a guide but made a few changes to lower the oil content and make more of a pesto-type rub for the chicken.

Herb-Crusted Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons each fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Combine all ingredients except the chicken in a food processor and pulse until everything is combined.
3. Turn chicken breasts in sauce to coat thoroughly. Place in a shallow baking dish. Cover. (You can do this ahead of time to marinate)
4. Roast at for 30-35 minutes (I did 35 but it was a little too long).

Since I had the oven at 425, my favorite temp for roasting vegetables, I roasted some potatoes and green beans alongside the chicken. I haven’t had green beans in so long!

As I mentioned, the chicken was a little overcooked, but the flavor was amazing! The herbs and the lemon with the slight heat from the hot sauce really perked up the chicken, which of course can be a little boring sometimes. I had half of my piece with dinner and then the next day I had the leftover chicken in a salad with spinach, avocado, red bell pepper, strawberries, and balsamic vinegar. I don’t get excited about my lunch salads often, but that was divine.

I am a member of the “clean plate” club, but I almost couldn’t finish all those green beans. But they were so good that I managed…I just gave Nina my last few bites of chicken. She didn’t mind

Do you use fresh herbs when cooking? What are your faves? Are there any more unusual ones I should really try?

So, wondering where the “quitter” part of the post title means? Well, I’ve been feeling a little unmotivated at the gym lately, so I’ve made a decision. I’m stopping (for now) my New Rules of Lifting for Women weight lifting program.

I’m at the end of stage 3 and I don’t like giving it up. I still think the book is great and has some fantastic workouts and training advice. But I’m going to stop it for now because:

• I’m following the program but I’m also not (see the next 3 bullets). That’s bothering me so I might as well pick it up later and do it right if I’m going to do it.
• They recommend working out 3 times per week with little to no extra training. That’s not my reality because I’ve been running a little, hill walking with my dog, going to Bikram here and there, etc. I’m a “5-6 days per week workout” girl, at least right now.
• I haven’t been doing the HIIT/cardio they recommend. It’s more of a time thing, really. I can’t spend more than an hour at the gym on weekdays, and it would take me more like 90 to do the whole thing, including HIIT, warmups, and the workout.
• I’m also not following the meal plan, and I’m probably not eating enough to really build muscle. It’s really hard to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time for one thing, and right now I’m just not at a place (mentally) where a strict diet plan will work for me.
• Next week, I start “official training” for my half marathon. I want to focus a little more on cardio and a little less on strength between now and August. I know I’ve gotten stronger since starting NROL4W so I want to maintain that, but not worry if I don’t increase in strength. One thing at a time.
• There are some exercises I just don’t like doing (prone cobra for 90 seconds x 3? ew) and some that I love (deadlifts! Arnold presses!). I have been at this lifting thing for long enough that I want to try to explore designing my own strength programs or steal ones from my favorite fitness bloggers (who else posts good workouts?) and go back to having fun at the gym.
• I want my cross training days to be just that. I want to do Bikram, go rock climbing, or play Wii fitness games and not worry that I’m doing that instead of lifting. Again, I want exercise to be something I look forward to, and for the past few weeks it has not.

Can you see how I really have to justify this? Seriously, I hate quitting.

Example: I took an Aerobic Hip-Hop Dance class at a community college a few years ago and jacked up my ankle (and still wear a brace when I exercise, boo) so I dropped out of the course halfway through. I hate that I have a W on my community college record, haha! Hopefully my grad school admission officers will still think I can be an asset to the program without knowing how to properly Superman (no joke, my Hip Hop teacher’s 9-year old granddaughter spent a class teaching us this one).

Oh, 2007…

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