Baked Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Basil

I am not much of a cook. Not because I lack the skills, but mostly because I lack the desire. Baking is a lot more fulfilling to me, so I’ve barely bothered with cooking. However, I decided that in order to help aid in my goal to lose 10 pounds this month, I should cook a few times. I started my goal with four times this month and I feel this is attainable because it’s on chance a week to try something new and tasty and to gain health at the same time.

I found Kalyn’s Kitchen one day while I was searching for recipes (which I do frequently, it’s just the cooking part that I don’t often partake in) and in a mood to print out meals I aspire to make.

I tried this recipe first because the ingredients made my mouth water and because it was a quick simple recipe to try, but also because it wasn’t just baked chicken. When I cook, I like to cook something different. I like to experiment or try ethnic foods (note to future husband: you must not be a picky eater).

So last night I cooked chicken stuffed with goat cheese, sun dried tomato pesto and basil ala this recipe. It was delicious. (I halved the recipe because I didn’t buy enough goat cheese, and also I figured I could make something else with the extra chicken I bought).



If you’re intrigued, I highly recommend you try it!

Do you have any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

Make Life Sweet

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This is what life should be like:

Cute – may your days be filled with an adjective you adore. Tiny houses, energetic puppies, endless fiction, lasting love, cute interactions (or cute boys or cute girls, etc.)

Peanut butter frosting – may you stick with someone you adore (but not be permanently attached all of the time)

Cupcake – individual but room to adapt

Pumpkin – the essence of Autumn (okay, or any season you like)

Spice – excitement! Lust! Life! Emotion! Exclamation marks !!!

Whipped cream is the cherry on top, it’s the final puzzle piece, the sweetness that’s necessary in life.

What do you think life should be like?

The Most Important Meal?


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Breakfast is always tricky for me. I’m not a morning person. I don’t have the time to really make something, so when I find something I like I can go weeks eating variations of the same thing. And then all of a sudden it isn’t fulfilling anymore. When I’m starving by 9:30am, I know it’s time to try something new. I’m currently ending a shake phase, and I’ve been craving peanut butter on toast lately.

Here are some things I eat for breakfast, or have in the past:

When I was in Italy I started off my stay by eating healthy: yogurt and fresh squeezed orange juice, but it wasn’t long before I was eating chocolate filled pastries for breakfast. The weekend I was in Rome I ate Cannolis (because I couldn’t find them in Tuscany, and why waste the opportunity to eat Cannolis?)

Cold pizza is definitely a favorite of mine. Though it’s rare for slices to make it that long in my house, I never miss the chance to take a few for breakfast.

Shakes. This can be anything from Slimfast to blended smoothies. They’re quick and easy and not too messy. I add frozen berries, spinach, peanut butter, cinnamon, orange juice or whatever else I can find. Or I just shake it with water.

Peanut butter or almond butter on toast, or as a sandwich with bananas or pumpkin butter. The protein from the nut butter holds me over pretty well and the fiber in the bread adds to that.

Instant oatmeal with berries or peanut butter (or both! It’s like a peanut butter and jelly oatmeal mess). The oats can be dense, and combined with fruit or nut butter, it adds that “stick to your ribs” feeling.

Bars. Cliff bars and Luna bars and Lara bars tend to be my favorites. But after a while those aren’t very satisfying.

Greek yogurt with almonds/ walnuts and a couple chocolate chips. I loved this combination until I realized I’m lactose intolerant and yogurt is definitely not on my list of tolerated dairy products. And yes, I have Lactaid pills, but I try not to use them (unless I’m drinking iced coffee). I’d rather just eat something else.

My go-to breakfast is a sesame bagel from Dunkin Donuts, toasted with cream cheese. Though it totally lacks nutrition, so I try not to eat those very often. (The cheddar cheese bagel twists are also really awesome).

For a while I was addicted to chicken biscuits from McDonalds. I always felt like shit after I ate them, but they tasted so good. I dont think McDonalds up here carries them anymore, but that’s probably for the best (for me, at least).

What do you eat for breakfast?

Wacky Wednesday

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I don’t know, I just like alliteration. Sometimes too much.

What’s one of the wackiest things you’ve ever eaten?

For me, it’s escargot rangoon. Oh, and I tasted antelope burger. This was all last week! (Story coming soon).

Other odd food related things:
I used to drink pickle juice out of the jar
When I was younger I had one of those McDonalds food maker things. I had the cookie maker. There were times when our “cookies” turned out green and soupy.

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I have no idea what was in them.
Butter and roasted garlic on toast.
Bacon flavoured chocolate.
Marmite.

I know there’s other things, I just can’t think right now.

You’re Invited to A Bridal Tea

My mom makes presents that look like wedding cakes.

My mom makes presents that look like wedding cakes.

My friend Shaylin is getting married in May and I’m her Maid of Honour. So on Saturday I, along with the other bridesmaids and moms, threw Shaylin an awesome Tea Party Bridal Shower. There were lots of cupcakes, star shaped sandwiches and presents. I wore that cute dress I linked in my last Things I Love Thursday post. I saw friends I haven’t seen in forever.

These are the ones I made

Shaylin & Melanie





Lisa's food

STAR SANDWICH! (too bad it was ham and tasted like yuck)

These cakes with edible lace were the table prize.


I hope everyone had a great weekend! What was your favourite part?

Things I Love Thursday: Food.


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This is the food edition because, hey why not? And food is great.

Pizza – especially mushroom and buffalo chicken (but not together). Or just plain cheese with red pepper flakes. And garlic salt. Brick over style, bar style, personal size, extra large, on english muffins…

Cupcakes – mainly because they look so cute. Also because they’re pretty tasty (especially when purchased from a cupcake bakery).

Indian food – Vegetable Samosas are my favourite but I also love vegetable pakoras, any flavour of naan that doesn’t have lamb or something yucky in it,  palak paneer, malai koftka, panner (or chicken) tikka masala. Let’s not forget papadums and mango lassi.

Pad thai.

Tofu fritters – I’ve only ever seen them sold at the Chattabox in Bridgewater but we are in love.

Baked Lays – I’m always craving them lately.

Avocado – I can’t eat them. My mouth gets itchy and my chest hurts and I’m afraid of anaphylactic shock but oh my god I’m regularly sad about the fact that I can’t eat them anymore. Because I love them. On toast. In turkey sandwiches. In my guacamole. Alone.

Clam chowder – read about my favourite here.

Lobster – in butter. As a “salad”, grilled, boiled, plain. In my mouth, yes please.

Pumpkin soup with garam masala. My mom makes this in huge batches and I eat until it’s gone every time.

Berries – raspberries and strawberries, especially. Frozen. Fresh. In smoothies. On top of ice cream, heated in oatmeal, mixed into yogurt…

Mushrooms – stuffed, diced, grilled on pizza, in tomato sauce, alone with olive oil and garlic. I’ll try mushrooms in any form (uh probably except the ‘shroom form). Substitute a portabella for a burger or throw some in pasta. Lately my favourite is grilled with mozzarella cheese and basil, maybe some grilled onions, too. Panini-style. yum. yum.

What foods are you loving today?

Cake Pans I Need ASAP.


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It’s (probably) no secret that I enjoy baking. What I enjoy the most, out of baking, is creating cupcakes and cookies and other such things that are cute, different and maybe a little on the adventurous side when it comes to flavour. Here are some cake pans that I absolutely need sometime in the near future. (Keep in mind I already own a cake pan that’s shaped like a huge cupcake).

Doesn’t this beehive look beautiful and delicious? It matches the bee hive honey jar I got for Christmas :)

This Hello Kitty cake pan was the inspiration for this post, actually. I would make her with pink cake and decorate her with amazing tasting icing/ frosting.

Um, a CAKEWICH, yes please. Usually I’m against sweet things looking like savory foods, but come on, this is a perfect excuse to make a huge, too sweet, peanut butter and… banana/ Nutella/ pumpkin butter/ honey sandwich.

I couldn’t leave these cute little flowers out. Especially because they’re little. And cute.

Sand castles fascinate me. Every summer I dream about sculpting the most beautiful creations on the beach. It never happens, though. I lack the patience and the skill to work with sand. But an edible sand castle is better, in my opinion, anyway.

Ever since I was sixteen, I’ve worked on and off at an ice cream shop. Next to cupcakes, ice cream in cones is definitely the cutest dessert (when it comes to designs on things, etc.). Ice cream will always be my favourite to eat, though!

The Day I Made Veggie Samosas

It was a long time coming. I read the recipes over and over, I talked about it for a while but in the long run I usually ended up either going out for Indian or settling for the frozen version (which is surprisingly hard to find anyway). But I finally made some of these a few times and they’re absolutely amazing.

I started off with this recipe, but I left out the cilantro. I used puff pastry instead of Phyllo dough (I tried it with the Phyllo but I could barely even wrap the things!).

First, boil potatoes

I also added garam masala and more cayenne pepper.

SPICES!

mix the spices in a cup

brown the onions then add in the spices and PEAS

Not sure why I got so excited about them :)

 

Cut or mash potatoes to your liking.

Add potatoes

One time I ate them just like this! But if you don’t want to do that, wrap them in defrosted puff pastry dough as you please and cook them in the over for about twenty minutes (on 400 degrees).

ENJOY!

 

Breakfast Woes

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I’m almost twenty-six years old and somehow I have yet to manage finding the perfect breakfast. Seriously. When I worked closing shifts in past jobs, or when I was unemployed, I didn’t wake up in time for breakfast. When I was in high school and before I recall eating cereal (and being starving approximately ten minutes later).

This morning I mixed milk with a chocolate Weight Watchers shake mix. It tastes delicious, but the milk is making me feel sick (a random onset of lactose intolerance, anyone?). I tend to stop at Dunkin’ Donuts for bagels with cream cheese, but admittingly that leads to me eating an entire muffin or donut soon after. And being hungry within a couple hours. (Because I’m eating all shit, I know that). I’ve tried eating only fruit. I’ve tried cereal (it was somewhat a success with Grapenuts, but my mom stopped buying them because I was eating them…? and also I need something I don’t have to eat at my house because I don’t always have time).

When I first got to Italy, I had fresh squeezed orange juice and yogurt in the mornings. It didn’t take long before I was eating pastries, though. My favourite were the ones with chocolate in the middle. When I was in Rome I ate cannolis for breakfast one morning (cannolis are harder to find in Northern Italy where I mostly stayed). It was delicious and satisfying. And for some reason I don’t recall being hungry an hour after.

The biggest problem I have with breakfasts is being hungry an hour or so later. And it’s not just that I feel like little hungry, it’s that all of a sudden I need another meal.

The only time I don’t feel that way is if I eat an egg sandwich (it has to be a sandwich, eggs on their own don’t do anything else). But really I’m not a huge fan of eggs. And eating them on bagels from Dunkin’ Donuts is a little too much.

For a while I was eating greek yogurt with nuts and sometimes chocolate chips. I seem to remember that doing the job, but I can’t seem to remember why I stopped eating it.

So on to trying something new tomorrow, though I have no idea what as of right now. Maybe some more yogurt. I love Chobani.

What do you eat for breakfast?