Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Bowl

Hi party people!

The holiday weekend is over, but it is a short work week! #silverlining

I had a great day yesterday with all of my neighbors. It turned out to be sunny and HOT here, which I think we were all kind of loving.

I did watch The Bachelorette, but this episode put me to sleep. All I will say is: 1) where did Shawn B go??? and 2) I take back everything I said last week about JJ.

I'm not going to do a whole post on the show this week because I thought it kind of stunk (sorry!). If you would have preferred to have seen that kind of post today please let me know in the comments. Otherwise, I will assume you agree with me and we can all move on. Okay? :)

What The Bachelorette did do for me last night is keep me busy before I had to go get Justin from the airport at 11:15pm (no earlier flights popped up). Coffee at 9:30pm also helps with that, but trying to get to sleep at midnight after said coffee is a real challenge.

Needless to say I am a walking zombie today. Pray for me.

Last week I shared with you my current obsession for everything from The Protein Bar here in Chicago. 

If you don't live in Chicago (or DC or Colorado!) you may not know what The Protein Bar is.  It's a causal restaurant that has super healthy options with a focus on protein: egg scramble bowls, quinoa bowls, burritos with quinoa, protein shakes, and juices.  I am not trying to do an add for The Protein Bar, because a) they're stealing my money, not paying me and b) they definitely don't need the advertising! But for people who aren't from here, I just thought I'd share! :)

There are often occasions during the work week that I have neglected to figure something out for myself for breakfast, lunch, or a snack and I love The Protein Bar because it's getting me my protein and doesn't have 8 million random ingredients thrown in that I can't figure out.

BUT...it's expensive! So, I have started experimenting making some of the recipes at home. I've been making the Buffalo Bowl for a long time (I'll share that recipe another day), and last week I tried out the Healthy Parm. It turned out so good, dare I say better than the original?

Here's What I Did:

Copycat Healthy Parmesan Quinoa Bowl

1 cup quinoa (prepared according to directions on bag or box)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut up into small cubes
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup marinara sauce (your choice!)
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash)
1 tsp garlic powder



1) Prepare your quinoa in a 4 quart sauce pan according to the directions on the bag or box.

2) While the quinoa is cooking, brown up your chicken in a separate (big) pot with the olive oil.  Add all of the seasoning to the chicken (salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder).


3) Once your chicken is fully cooked and the quinoa is also done, mix the quinoa into the chicken in the large pot. 

4) Add in your 1/2 cup of marinara sauce, mix, and allow the mixture to warm up for about 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat.

5) Mix in the Parmesan cheese.  Give everything a good stir to combine.

6) Serve in bowls and if you want, add a little more cheese on top to your liking, and enjoy! :)


So if you're like me and you're putting meals into MyFitnessPal or are just curious about the nutrition stats, I am a huge cheater and just use the stats from The Protein Bar's recipe. 

36g protein, 390 calories, 16g fat, 29g carbs, 6g fiber

Is it exact? Probably not. But, I'm a lawyer, not a dietitian so faking the numbers a little on this one works just fine for me.

Let me know if you try it! 

See you tomorrow morning when I will hopefully be a little more bright eyed and bushy tailed.

See what I did there? :) 

xoxo

Jess

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