Baked Chicken Parm

Since I was a vegetarian for quite a few years, I learned to like Eggplant Parmesan and still do. However, the ability to fix and eat Chicken Parm is very satisfying to me. It's a relatively simple dish to make, although I guess I complicate it a bit by making my own marinara sauce, but it's still super easy. Of course you could by sauce from the store, but I think homemade (as with most things) is better. Pair this with some whole grain pasta and a fresh salad for a great meal any day of the week. This is another Skinnytaste.com inspired recipes.

Ingredients:

1 recipe homemade marinara sauce (same one from the Turkey Meatballs), or bought sauce
4 chicken breast halves (free range-ideally)
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt & fresh pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
mozzarella cheese, shredded
olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Using two shallow dishes, or plates with steep sides, pour olive oil in one and in the other mix together breadcrumbs, cheese, spices with a fork.

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. One at a time, coat chicken with olive oil then coat completely with breadcrumb mixture, patting the coating into the chicken. Transfer coated chicken into a greased 9x13 dish or parchment lined baking sheet.

Spray a bit of the olive oil cooking spray on the top of the chicken. This will help it get crispy.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn and allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon marinara sauce on top of each chicken breast. Sprinkle each with mozzarella (or you could use a moz/provolone blend-Sargento) and a bit more Parmesan, if you'd like. Bake 5 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted to your preferences (I like just barely melted, others like it almost crunchy-you pick and adjust cooking time accordingly).

Use leftover sauce for dressing the pasta. Leftovers of this dish are great. Try making a chicken parm sub the next day on some whole grain sub rolls! Delish!

Enjoy!

Emmy

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

Confession: I have not eaten a meal at McDonald's in well over 8 years.

Do I miss it? One word-NO!

However, I do occasionally find myself wanting something completely unhealthy and I just want to enjoy it without the guilt. Well, this combo is certainly difficult to come by-especially the lack of guilt. So, I've tried coming up with healthier equivalents of those high-calorie foods. Skinnytaste.com has been wonderful for this, which I know your probably bored stiff of me going on about it. Well, this recipe is an Emmy original. It's a hearty, filling breakfast (or dinner which is often the case in our house), with good ingredients. I can't give you calorie counts, but the quality of ingredients means more to me. So here's how I do this sandwich. Of course, you can use the more conventional ingredients, but you miss out on flavor, and in my opinion the "good-for-you" factor. :)

What you'll need for 4 sandwiches:

4 free range local eggs
4 locally produced sausage, in patties
4 slices your favorite cheese (anything, but American slices...) :)
4 whole grain English muffins (or homemade English muffins)
salt & pepper

In a large skillet, cook sausage. Once the sausage is cooked, transfer to a plate. In the same pan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter on medium heat. Add all 4 eggs evenly throughout the pan. While the eggs start to cook, toast muffins in a toaster or toaster oven (we don't actually own a toaster!).

Once the eggs are almost cooked to your liking, turn the heat down to low, lay the sliced cheese on top to melt and cover pan with lid.

When the cheese is melted, cut the eggs into 4 individual portions. Place a sausage patty on a toasted English muffin and top with egg & cheese. Fresh cracked pepper on the top makes this sandwich complete.

Enjoy!

Emmy