Golden Fried Wheat Belly Chicken And Broccoli-Cheese Casserole

Tonight's "Wheat Belly" effort was a grand slam success!  We both wanted "fried chicken", so, I bought some organic Chicken Tenders, dredged them in egg and some All-Purpose Baking Mix (see page 19 in the "Wheat Belly 30 Minute (or less) Cookbook") with a little added salt, pepper, and a dash of flaxseed-meal, and fried as normal.

This concoction, for the most part, was my own creation, but you can do most anything you want "breaded" with the mix!  Guess that's why Dr. Davis calls it "all-purpose"!

While I was preparing to fry my "breaded" chicken in coconut oil, Judy made the Broccoli-Cheese Casserole on page 191 of the "Wheat Belly 30 Minute (or less) Cookbook". 

The recipe is as follows:

• 1 bag (12 oz.) fresh broccoli (we used frozen)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese (divided)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup almond meal/flour (we were out, so we used coconut flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Dash of red pepper (we used two dashes)

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Grease an 8X8 baking dish.

In a microwaveable bowl, place the broccoli florets and water, cover, and microwave on high for 3 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green and softened (or in our case thawed).  Drain and place in baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, 1/2 cup of cheese, the cream, almond meal/flour, mustard, onion powder, salt, and red pepper.  Pour over the broccoli.  Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the corner comes out clean.  For us it took 30 minutes.

As this cooked, I dipped the chicken tenders in beaten egg, rolled it in the baking mix, then put it back in the egg, and rolled it the second time.  In about 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the pieces) the chicken is done and ready to eat.

Now plate the "fried chicken"  with the broccoli-cheese casserole and serve.  It was wonderful!

Roasted Zucchini, Squash, and Tomato Medley - Wheat Belly

Continuing on with the Wheat Belly program, my wife cooked this for me tonight, in honor of my 70th birthday!

We love the convenience and taste of a good Rotisserie Chicken, which is great protein for a Wheat Belly eating program.  For the side, my wife prepared the "Roasted Zucchini, Squash, and Tomato Medley" from page 131 of Dr. William Davis' "Wheat Belly 30-Minute (or less) Cookbook".

I never knew how great zucchini, squash, and tomatoes could taste roasted, and it goes with any kind of main dish; chicken, fish, or pork!

She cut up the vegetables in bite size half-moon pieces, while heating the oven to 425 degrees.  If the chicken needs to be heated, put in an aluminum pan or on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and place in the oven.

In a bowl put 1 1/2-TBS olive oil, 1-TBS red wine vinegar, 1/2-TS of the "Wheat Belly" Italian Seasoning Mix (2-TBS dried basil, 2-TBS dried oregano, 2-TBS dried rosemary, 1-TBS dried marjoram, 1-TBS garlic powder, and 1-TS ground black pepper, and 1/2-TS of sea salt, and mixed thoroughly.

Toss in the vegetables and mix up until everything is coated.  Spread the vegetables on a grease cooking sheet and place in the oven for 20 minutes.  Stir once, or until brown.  Sprinkle with about 1/3 cup of finely shaved Parmesan cheese.

Serve it with any of the proteins mentioned above, or with chicken as the photo shows.

Eat up, you non-wheat bellies!

Spaghetti Squash For Wheat Bellies!

Well, I've started this "Wheat Belly" program I learned from watching Dr. William Davis' TV and YouTube videos.  I bought his cookbook and over the course of 3 weeks I have lost 25 pounds of weight!  And, the most amazing fact is I have only today begun to exercise again!

Anyway, I wanted to share with you this recipe.  Since beginning I haven't been hungry, but I have missed rice and pasta.  I'll share the rice dish, using cauliflower later, but tonight I wanted "pasta"!

I cooked a "spaghetti squash" (medium size) for about 50 minutes at 375 degrees.  I cut the squash in half, spread olive oil over the inside, and on a cooking sheet, and sprinkled the inside with sea-salt and garlic powder.  I turned the squash face-down and placed it in the oven.

On the stove I heated on low heat about half a jar of Monet Bene Garlic Marinara, which has no sugar added, no gluten, and no preservatives.  

In a skillet, I slow fried some chicken tenders, using olive oil and minced garlic.  I put the chicken aside to drain until I was ready to do the plating.

Once the squash was cooked, I shredded out the squash, using a fork, into a bowl; it even looks like spaghetti.

I placed a generous pile of the squash on the plate and spooned the marinara over the top.  I then sprinkled BelGioiso Parmesan over the top.  I placed two or three chicken tenders on the side and served.

It was delicious!  I even went back and finished the cold squash and marinara after eating!

I no longer have the bloating and gas I used to have after eating.  It's a new way of life!  

You really don't need grains (bread, rice, oats) to survive!

Bacon Wrapped, Walnut and Spinach Chicken

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray. You know I have to try it, if it involves BACON! 

Well, I'm not a chef, or a Rachael Ray, so I gave it my best shot.  She wasn't clear down toward the end of her recipe that the last few ingredients were part of a fancy salad*, so I mistakenly put some vinegar and onion in the stuff mix!

However, I think it turned out well, but I did have to drizzle honey over the top to dampen the vinegar a bit!  However, the rest inside was fine, but I do not like celery cooked or watercress, so I left that out completely.

That all being said, here are the ingredients for my attempt.  I should point out that Rachael's recipe was for 6 chicken breasts, and I only used 3, but I did attempt to put more stuffing inside each of mine.  Use her ingredients if you want to cook 6, or freeze 3 for later.

Ingredients: 

• 4 ounces walnuts (about 3/4 cup), toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped 
• 1 brick Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese (8 ounces), softened 
• 1 box chopped frozen spinach (10 ounces), defrosted and well-drained 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• Salt and pepper (Don't forget this step before stuffing is added to the fillet.  I did and had to salt and pepper midway through the oven cooking.  Not as good as before!)
• Freshly grated nutmeg 
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, breasts butterflied to open them up like a book 
• 1/3 pound thinly sliced smoky bacon or speck  (Thinly sliced may work better than my thick sliced, but I liked it though it didn't brown the way I wanted it.)
• 1/4 tablespoon olive or canola oil, divided 
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• 1 crisp apple, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 

Preparation 

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. 

Combine the walnuts with the soft cheese, spinach, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and divide the cheese mixture among the breasts. 

Close the chicken breasts over the filling. Wrap the chicken with bacon or speck, slightly overlapping the slices. 

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil and lightly brown the chicken on all sides. 

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-20 (This depends on how thin your breasts are.  Watch and adjust.) minutes to cook through. 

*Here is where I messed up!  The following directions are for a salad.  I served mine with potato salad instead. 

While the chicken is in the oven, whisk up the lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon, honey (I'll put the honey inside next time.) and the remaining olive oil. Combine the apple, celery, onion and greens with dressing and season with salt and pepper. 

Serve the stuffed chicken with the salad (or potato salad) alongside. 

Despite a couple of mistakes, it was delicious!

NOTHING LIKE PASTA ON A SNOWY DAY!

Got home late today, just ahead of another snow, but we needed to eat something, and eat something comforting and warm!

Previously I had frozen some chicken meat, and I found the big pasta noodles I wanted to try, along with a jar of Mezzetta pasta sauce, and some sun dried tomatoes.  Well, it looked to me like all this would go together pretty well together, and well it did!

I cooked the huge pasta noodles for about 12 minutes, while I chopped up the chicken into bite size pieces, and cut the dried tomatoes down to thin strips.  

On a back burner I heated the Home Style Marinara.  On the larger front burner I began cooking the chicken in olive oil and garlic.  I also put the dried tomatoes into the hot skillet and cooked them with the meat.  I used sea salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to season the chicken meat.

Once the chicken was thoroughly cooked (which means the tomatoes had plumped up and cooked) I added it to the marinara and then poured it all over the noodles!

Man, watching the heavy flakes of snow come down while eating hot pasta is the end to a perfect day!

FAJITA CHICKEN WRAPS

Supper is over and Judy is watching the Golden Globes, so I decided I'd rather be posting something on Mushy's Cookings for you to enjoy!

We've been trying to hold down the calories, like everyone else this time of year, but it has to have great taste or I won't like it.

Tonight I chopped up a red and yellow bell pepper, a large onion, and put them aside.

In a large skillet I sprinkled some olive oil and turned the heat on medium. I then placed 6 or 7 frozen chicken tenderloins. As the oil heated it began to thaw, so I flipped them over and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I then turned them again and seasoned the other thawed side.

I continued to flip the pieces to ensure they were not burning, and when the meat was about half cooked I sprinkled on some fajita seasoning, and added some minced garlic. I then flipped the pieces again and seasoned the opposite side.

When the meat was cooked to a nice brown color, I removed them and allowed them to drain on a paper towel.

I then dumped the peppers and onions into the same skillet, sprinkled just a little more olive oil and added the remained of my fajita seasoning packet. I continued to stir the vegetables until they became limp and added back in the meat and cut off the heat.

I placed a whole-wheat fajita wrap on to two plates, squirted a few lines of sour cream, and grated on a little cheese. I then placed one chicken tenderloin on top of the sour cream and then spread a generous portion of the vegetables on top.

The mixture was easy enclosed in the wrap and made a wonder hardy and nutritious meal. There was plenty left for lunch tomorrow!

GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN BREAST

OMG! Go to Wal-Mart, of all places, and buy you a box of Innovasian Cuisine’s General Tso’s Chicken Breast (if cooking for two – two boxes if cooking for 4 or more) in the frozen food section! It comes with a spicy sauce that is out of this world – kind’a sweet and lots of spicy kick!

Pop the chicken into the oven as the directions indicate. Remove them and add the included sauce for another 5 minutes before finishing the dish.

However, the dish needs something else – that’s where ol’ Mushy comes in!

In a skillet or large “stock pot”, add about ¼ cup of EVOO, and turn the heat up. Take about a 3^rd of the box (if cooking for two – ½ if for 3 or more) of Barilla “Plus” Thin Spaghetti and break the spaghetti into 3 pieces. Drop the spaghetti into the hot EVOO, pour in about 1 cup of chicken stock, sprinkle with salt, and put in 4 or 5 whole pieces of garlic, dash in about a table spoon of soy sauce, and about 1 heaping table spoon of butter.

As the liquid begins to boil, crush the garlic with a large spoon, and stir the mixture until all the liquid is absorbed and the spaghetti becomes limp.

When the chicken is ready (after pouring the enclosed sauce over them), dump the chicken and sauce into the pot with the spaghetti and mix thoroughly.

Man…you talking about a taste wake up, this dish will make you say “WOW!” out loud!

Look at my Katie Bug enjoying the finished dish!

SZECHWAN CHICKEN

Tonight’s menu:

• Bring to boil 14 ounces of chicken broth and add one slice of American cheese for additional flavor
• Add in 14 ounces of white rice, cover and set aside
• Add 1 package Szechwan oriental seasoning, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 3 table spoons of soy sauce and ¼ cup of water in boil, mix, and set aside
• Heat olive and sesame oil and table spoon of fresh garlic in skillet
• Add 3 boneless chicken breast cut into thin strips and brown
• Add the following fresh vegetables and stir fry until soft:
  Green beans
  Asparagus tips
  Squash
  Orange bell pepper
  ½ red onion
  ¼ cup almond pieces
• Add ¼ cup of pineapple juice and pineapple pieces and the seasoning mixture
• Stir fry until sauce is thick and hot and remove from heat

Present as shown in photos

ANOTHER STIR-FRY CHICKEN VERSION

Yeah, I know, we eat a lot of chicken, especially when we are trying to cut back a little.

We have been eating oats with bits of almonds in the mornings, sweetened with NutraSweet®, along with a cup of coffee.

We also have been trying to ride our Lifecycle® Exercise Bike at least 20 minutes per day. Let me tell you, when you are 61 years old and out of shape, it takes a while to build up to that. I can’t imagine sitting there for an hour straight, but I would love to get to that point. For now, about 10 minutes at a time is all I can hold out, and it not just that my knees give out, it’s the pressure the stupid seat puts on my prostate area! Laugh, but it you’ve tried it; you know exactly what I’m talking about!

At lunch we are trying to hold ourselves to an apple, or maybe half and apple and half a banana, with some walnuts or pecans.

For supper (that’s southern for dinner) we eat small portions of whatever we want. Tonight it was some spicy chicken tossed with some vegetables.

I always begin by frying 6 to 8 pieces of Tyson® Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenderloins in EVOO sprinkled with garlic bits and hot sauce. Once they have cooked…they get a toasty light brown when done…I take them out and cut them into little chunks and put them aside.

Into the same EVOO with the browned garlic bits I dump either fresh or frozen vegetables like different colors of bell pepper, cauliflower, onion, and broccoli. Tonight I dumped a small can of diced pineapple and water chestnuts into the mix and it was wonderful. Judy and I devoured about half the skillet’s contents and put the rest up for lunch tomorrow.

It’s good folks and not that many calories or carbohydrates.

QUICK MEAL - STIR-FRIED CHICKEN

Same meal as below except for some yellow and green peppers, and the chicken!

SPICY CHICKEN WINGS

As you know from my other blog, I was in Alabama this weekend. So, we did not buy provisions last week and made do on what we had to make it until we left Friday morning.

I found some Tyson Frozen Chicken Wings and decided “hot wings” is what we will have for supper Thursday evening.

I placed the full bag, about 27 mixed pieces of “flats” and “drums” on a greased baking sheet and heated the oven to 400 degrees. I cooked the uncovered wings for about 50 minutes, taking them out and turning them after about 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes before the wings came out of the oven, I heated 1/3 stick of butter, 2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar, 4 tablespoons of my favorite hot sauce, 1 cup of hot and spicy barbeque sauce, and about ¼ cup of honey in a large skillet.

As soon as the wings came out of the oven, I tossed them into the hot, sweet, and spicy mixture and continued to toss them repeatedly until fully coated in the sauce.

I served the wings with a frosty glass of Old Scratch beer and plenty of paper towels!

If you like you wings a little crunchy, I suggest broiling them for about 5 minutes on each side prior to tossing them in the sauce.

Finger licking good!