Happy Valentines Day friends! I am rushing to get this up before I head out the door to go try Jiu Jitsu for the first time. If I'm being honest, I am nervous! I have been on the search for the next big fitness endeavor to take on. If you guys have any suggestions, let me know! As for this casserole, it was a total win at my house.
​The only downside was when the pan was empty. :) 

2lbs of Chicken Breast or Rotisserie Chicken
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
Sea Salt, Pepper 
8 oz Plantain Chips 
2 TBSP nutritional yeast 
3 cups chopped broccoli 
11/4 cups condensed cream of mushroom soup 
3/4 cup mayo ( can use vegan sub) 
1/2 cup + 2 TBSP cashew milk (can use almond but sauce will be thinner) 
1 half fresh squeezed lemon 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees 
Roast Chicken Breasts + olive oil, salt and pepper in oven for 20-25 minutes 

Meanwhile, pulse plantain chips until they have a sand like texture. Add in the nutritional yeast. Pulse until combined. 

Cut Chicken into thin strips 
Lightly grease 9X13 casserole dish 
Place Chicken and Broccoli in the bottom 

In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients plus 1/2 tsp of salt 1/4 tsp pepper. 
Pour soup mixture over the top of chicken. 
Top with plantain mixture. 
Bake for 20 minutes or until it is hot and sauce is bubbling in center. 
Serve Immediately! 

I recently hit up a local Thai restaurant for the first time. Having no idea what to order, I went with something I recognized. Red Curry Chicken. Now, what came out was absolutely not what I had envisioned. I thought I was getting a plate of curry chicken, vegetables and rice. I was a little shocked when I was served a soup..BUT let me tell you, it was AMAZING! I came home and went to work on a recipe that was a little healthier. 

Ingredients 

1Tbsp olive oil 
1 Lb chicken thinly sliced 
2 scallions, chopped 
2 TBSP red curry paste 
2 TBSP Tumeric paste 
2 big cloves garlic minced 
1 can light coconut milk 
1/2 low sodium chicken broth
1TBSP fish sauce 
Chopped/sliced carrots, onion, bell peppers and broccoli (use what ever you want) 
1 tsp red pepper flakes 
Three stems of thyme 
Salt and pepper to taste 
Brown Rice

Cook chicken strips in a large pot until almost thoroughly cooked and then remove. Keep the broth. Once all vegetables are chopped and ready to go, heat oil, red pepper flakes, red curry paste, turmeric and garlic in the same pot as the chicken medium-high heat. Add all vegetables at once and let cook down. Then add coconut milk, water and fish sauce let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then add the chicken and let simmer for 10 minutes. As you remove the soup from heat, add the thyme. 

You can opt to put rice into the entire pot or just serve in each individual bowl like I did. 

Ingredients 
Large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp grass-fed butter 
1 cup beef stock 
1 tbsp minced garlic
Leaved from 3 stems of thyme, chopped about 1 tsp 
1/2 Tbs sweet potato flour or any type of flour 
1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar 
1 tsp coconut oil 
2 boneless skinless 4 oz chicken breasts
Salt & Pepper 
3 slices baby Swiss cheese 

Instructions 
Heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook, stirring frequently. As needed, add in small amounts of beef stock to keep the onions from burning as they caramelize. Cook until onions are very tender and caramelized. About 30 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and sauce one minute. 

Then Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and stir until combined. Add the rest of the beef stock and bring to a  simmer. Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Pour onion mixture into a bowl and sit aside. 

Return pan to stove and increase heat to medium high. Add in coconut oil. Season Chicken liberally with salt and pepper and sear in pan for 2-4 minutes each side or until cooked through. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the onion mixture over the top of the chicken and then add the cheese on top. Cover and let cook until cheese is melted down. 

-Mica 

It's November, still two weeks from Thanksgiving AND IT. IS. SNOWING. 
UGH. With this weather, brings on some of the best comfort food known to man. 
Something, that I have found over the years that is easy to make lighter/healthier versions of, is soup. So that is what I have made for this miserably cold day.
​It is an alternative recipe to Olive Gardens Italian Zuppa. 

The Deets: 
Serving size about 1 1/2 cups-Fat 6.7g-carbs 18g-protein 38g

Ingredients: 
4 slices Center Cut Low Sodium Bacon, Chopped (or cut with scissors) 
1/2 cup turkey sausage crumbles or 3 turkey sauce links, removed from casing 
1 Medium white onion, chopped 
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced 
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 Large russet potatoes 
3 cups baby spinach 
1/2 cup Half and Half
1 package of extra lean ground turkey
Italian Seasoning 
​Salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 
1. Brown turkey in pan. 
2. In a soup pot, cook bacon pieces until crispy; remove from pan and let cool on paper towel 
3. Sauté onions and garlic in bacon grease, in the same soup pot. 
4. Peel and cube potatoes 
5. Add chicken broth to pot. 
6. Add potatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to pot; bring to a boil and then let simmer
7. Add half & Half, turkey and spinach. 
8. Cook until potatoes are tender. 
9. Top with bacon bits & (not included in macros) mozzerella cheese.