Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

Hello Foodies!

Man, it has been quite some time since I last blogged! A few weeks, actually!

I apologize for being so MIA- I unfortunately had to put my sweet furry baby to sleep 😦 I was an emotional wreck leading up to that and an emotional wreck afterward. Hence my temporary leave of absence from food blogging.

I had to come back with a bang though! And what better way to say ‘I’m back’ than with a recipe that is simple, (somewhat) healthy, and includes one of my favorite foods (bacon)? And so, I bring you… Bacon-Wrapped Chicken!

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Ingredients:
-2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts with rib meat
-8-10 pieces of bacon

Directions:
-preheat the oven to 350 degrees
-wrap each piece of chicken in 4-5 pieces of bacon (mine were kind of crossed and random)
-bake in the oven for about 55 minutes or until the bacon is brown and the chicken is thoroughly cooked
-serve with some great roasted veggies and enjoy!

This came out SO yummy. Everything I hoped for (and more) from bacon-wrapped chicken 🙂

Try out the recipe and post your photos on Instagram! Tag @laurenslovelyrecipes and #laurenslovelyrecipes.

Enjoy!
xo, Lauren
@laurenslovelyrecipes
#laurenslovelyrecipes

Healthy ‘Buffalo’ Chicken

Hi foodies!

I apologize for being MIA this week- to be honest, this week just kicked my butt all around. But hey, it’s Friday (and guess who is so excited to go to bed early? ME!)

I love making chicken, and I love coming up with new ways to cook it / flavor it, since chicken has the tendency to get a little boring. I decided to make a spicy, buffalo-inspired sauce, and let me tell you, this just might be one of my favorite recipes yet!

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Ingredients:
-1/2 of a snack pack size (so about 1/4 cup, give or take) of Fage Nonfat Greek Yogurt
-paprika
-crushed red peppers
-mosquite seasoning from Costco
**the amounts of the seasonings will vary based off of how spicy you want the sauce

Directions:
-cook the chicken however you’d like (I recommend in the oven with minimal spices for about 35 minutes, but stovetop or crockpot would be fine too)
-place the greek yogurt in a bowl and mix it with the spices

-taste test the yogurt until you get it to your desired spiciness
-dip the chicken into the yogurt until it is fully coated
-enjoy! (I enjoyed mine with some grilled zucchini and corn on the cobb)

So simple and delicious!

The greek yogurt only adds about 40 calories total to your chicken (most of which comes from protein), making this an extremely high protein, low carb main dish! I’m telling you, this chicken was BOMB. The yogurt blends so well with the spices and adds a really great texture to the chicken. I seriously cannot wait to make it again!

Try out the recipe, and post your photos on Instagram! Tag @laurenslovelyrecipes and #laurenslovelyrecipes.

Enjoy!
xo, Lauren
@laurenslovelyrecipes
#laurenslovelyrecipes

Crock Pot Chicken

Hi foodies!

When I first started eating meat, I really fell back in love with chicken. It’s a leaner protein source, it’s delicious, and it’s easy to incorporate into tons of recipes.

One of my new favorite ways to prepare chicken is in the crock pot! It’s hands down the easiest way to prepare chicken (you put it in the crock pot and don’t have to worry about it), and the texture and flavor is fantastic!

Here’s how I like to cook my chicken in the crock pot:

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Directions:
-place 12-16 ounces of chicken in the crock pot (I prefer chicken breasts with rib meat)

-drizzle olive oil over the chicken (I use a SMALL amount- about 1 tbs. for the entire batch)
-season with any spices you like (I used basil, a little sea salt, and a jalapeno spice this round)
-let it cook in the crock pot on low for about 4.5 hours
-enjoy throughout the week!

I brought some for lunch today and paired it with zucchini noodles (which I talk about in my review of the veggie spiralizer).

The nutritional information will vary depending on the type of chicken you use, as well as what you decide to put on it (olive oil, BBQ sauce, etc) but this is simple, easy, and makes for a great base for tons of healthy meals!

What do you like to cook in the crock pot? Post some photos of your favorite meals on Instagram, and tag @laurenslovelyrecipes and #laurenslovelyrecipes.

Enjoy!
xo, Lauren
@laurenslovelyrecipes
#laurenslovelyrecipes

Review: Veggie Spiralife

Hi foodies!

Just a quick update from my last post: I’m getting a new oven! It arrives on Friday 🙂 I can’t wait to get back to some real cooking (although my kettle bell competition is on Saturday, so I won’t be cooking much until after that). And on that note, my competition is on Saturday!

Tonight’s post is a review of the veggie Spiralife. I was first introduced to this by my friend Jessica when we cooked dinner together one night. For those of you unfamiliar with a Spiralife, you can use it to make your zucchini, cucumbers, etc. into cute veggie noodles!

It’s small and compact:

And when you twist your veggies into it, they come out looking like this:

So fun!

I cooked the spiraled zucchini over the stove on medium heat with just a little olive oil and paired it with a cooked chicken breast and sliced avocado.

And ta-da, a delicious, healthy and simple dinner!

It was so tasty and easy to make, and definitely hit the spot for dinner last night. I spiraled 2 zucchinis, and it made enough for dinner last night and lunch this morning.

I highly recommend picking up a veggie Spiralife to help mix it up and keep your veggies exciting. Pick one up at any home goods store or online (I got mine on Amazon).

Make some delicious veggie noodles and post your creations on Instagram! Tag @laurenslovelyrecipes and #laurenslovelyrecipes.

Happy cooking 🙂
xo,
Lauren
@laurenslovelyrecipes
#laurenslovelyrecipes