Almond “Breaded” Chicken Fingers

When I was a little kid (and throughout most of my life lol) I have loved chicken fingers.  When I was younger and got to go out for dinner with family (sans mom and dad) I took the opportunity and ran with it; I ordered chicken fingers.  Sadly, those darn things aren’t that good for you and the breading makes my tummy turn.  Darn gluten…  Have no fear, my friends… I have a delicious alternative :)

Almond “Breaded” Chicken Fingers

What you need:

-        Chicken breast (you decide how many you need depending on how many people you are cooking for)

-        All natural almonds

-        Food processor or blender

-        Egg whites (2 eggs worth should be plenty depending on how much you are making)

-        Spices

-        Tongs

-        Flipper

-        Frying pan

-        2 Plates (1 to spread the chopped almonds on and 1 to place the cooked chicken on)

-        Cooling rack (to place cooked chicken on) OPTIONAL

-        Rectangular dish (to hold the egg whites)

-        Oil (you can use EVOO, coconut oil, or whatever you have on your meal plan!)

Instructions:

-        Take your almonds (I used about a cup) and throw them into the blender with whatever spices you like and chop them up!  I used a little bit of chili pepper flakes.  You can decide how fine or chunky you want the pieces of almond to be, but aim for a finer consistency.  Spread it out evenly on the plate.

-        Whisk the egg whites slightly in the dish.

-        Slice your chicken breast into thin slices.  This will help the chicken cook faster!

-        Dip each slice of chicken into the egg white and then over to the almond mixture and then place the “breaded” chicken on to a clean plate.

-        Once you have all of the chicken “breaded” put it in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes so the “breading” can adhere. 

-        While your chicken is sitting in the fridge you can heat up the frying pan.  Make sure to cook this on Low-Med heat as you don’t want to burn the almonds before the chicken has a chance to cook thoroughly.

-        Lightly oil the pan, I like to use a brush so I can spread out the oil evenly and limit the amount I need to use.

-        Once the chicken is ready to cook, space the slices out evenly in the pan and cook 4-5 minutes per side depending on thickness.  I like to leave the sides of the chicken almond free so I can see when the chicken turns colour.

-        Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly use the flipper to remove them from the pan and place them on a cooling rack (or plate).  The cooling rack will allow the chicken to cool on both sides without the bottom getting soggy from the condensation on the plate.

-        Depending on what you are allowed to eat on your meal plan you can use whatever dip you like!  Mustard is great or you can create your own veggie dip by pureeing some of your fave veggies!  A roasted red pepper dip sounds delish, don’t you think?

I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you try it!  I will talk to you all very soon!

K

Celebrating the Small Stuff!

Noticing the changes your body is going through can be tough at times. You see yourself every day! Some people would think that would make it easier but it doesn’t.  The person who is going to notice those changes the most is someone who hasn’t seen you for a little while.  But really, who wants to wait around for that?  My recommendation?  Get yourself a TShirt or pair of shorts and use it as a guide.  Throughout the weeks, months, etc. keep trying on those SAME pieces of clothing and see how differently they fit.  Maybe the TShirt is looser in the mid-section or maybe the arms feel looser (or tighter if you are trying to gain weight/muscle).  Remember to keep track of these things in a notebook.  This way you can look back on your success and remind yourself of how AMAZING you are! 

Sometimes it is hard to SEE changes and a tape measure or the scale is not the best way to measure that change.  If you move the tape measure an inch up or down it can totally throw off the measurement and you might be left feeling down on yourself, not good!  The scale is a good tool BUT your weight fluctuates and seeing that number go up/down/up/down can really mess with your head.  It’s best to weigh yourself once a day or once a week or whatever is best for you; but just remember not to put too much emphasis on the numbers.  You want to pay attention to how your clothes are fitting you, too!  I have a love/hate relationship with the scale.  When it gives me good news, I adore it, I will be in a GREAT mood all day and I have pep in my step.  If that scale dares to give me BAD news, it will ruin my whole day, sometimes my whole week!  It’s not worth it, you will waste a whole day/week feeling upset rather than continuing all of your hard work. 

Another important thing to remember is you might look worse before you look better!  Your body is going through changes and things will look different, but you won’t go from wherever you started to where you want to be that easily! I WISH!  When I started losing weight my waist started shrinking but my hips stayed the same.  I looked like the Michelin Man!  Eventually things start to even out, and then you will go through the process all over again!  But it is all welcomed changes :) I can’t wait to see more changes, I’m just at the beginning of my journey... I've got a lot of changes to come!

The main point of this post is to remind everyone who is working out and making big changes, to celebrate the small stuff!  Don’t get too caught up on the numbers and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.  This is a work in progress, enjoy it!  When you are celebrating your accomplishments throughout the entire process it’ll feel like a MASSIVE SUCCESS the whole time!  It’ll be like celebrating your birthday all year round :)  If I feel like my jeans are fitting a little looser, I celebrate!  If I am able to find an outfit quickly and easily without having to try on a few different options, I really celebrate!  You get the point!  You have to celebrate every victory; no matter how big or small :)  I should clarify what I mean by celebrate.  I don't necessarily DO anything special or extravagant... It might just be sharing the news with someone close to me or watching one of my favourite shows without worrying about the homework I really should be doing lol ;)

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I will talk to you all very soon!

K

PS – Im working on another post for a DELICIOUS almond “breaded” chicken recipe!  It tastes just like chicken fingers and it is totally gluten free!