Healthy Air Fried Chicken Tenders

I know that I am officially a grown up now because for the past three Christmases I've asked for kitchen appliances for my presents.  Like really, how boring am I now that the only thing I can think of that I want are kitchen appliances?!? Grandmom status over here I guess.

Ah well, call me a grown-up or old but I actually have really liked every kitchen gadget I've received so far: first a dutch oven, then a grill pan, and this year was definitely the best so far because I got an AIR FRYER!!! (affiliate link - I have the philips brand!)

Annnnd then I went and made healthy air fried chicken tenders with it.  WOOT! An "air fryer" essentially fries food by circulating hot air in the unit.  You can use a little bit of oil or just spray your food with olive oil spray (like PAM) and it makes the food turn out nice and crispy like it was just dunked in a regular fryer but instead is SOOOO much more healthy for you because you only use a fraction of the amount of oil!

To make my chicken tenders I cut chicken breasts into tenders and coated them with flour, then dunked them into egg whites, and lastly coated them with panko bread crumbs. 

You really only need a very small portion of flour and panko so this recipe is still pretty low carb.

After the chicken is coated all you have to do is load it into the bin of the air fryer, spray with olive oil spray, and cook at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Only 10 minutes for super crunchy and tasty chicken tenders that taste like an indulgence but for none of the extra calories! I served this for dinner one night with some ketchup (duh) and a side of roasted asparagus and my boyfriend was SO impressed.  He literally told me that he could eat that exact meal once a week for the rest of his life. I would call that a success!

Good thing I have 11 more months still to think of what appliance I want for Christmas next year because I have TONS of other ideas for things to make in my air fryer still! Stay tuned for some more yummy creations :)

Nutritional Information

My batch of chicken made two servings of  375 calories each with 18 grams of carbs, 6 grams of fat and 57 grams of protein.

Note: if you track macros exactly I would recommend weighing your egg whites, flour and panko before you dip your chicken in them, as well as after.  Subtract out the amount of egg whites/flour/panko left over in the bowl (if any) after all the chicken is coated and adjust your macros accordingly.

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Healthy Air Fried Chicken Tenders

by Rebecca @ My Girlish Whims January-5-2017

Air Fried chicken tenders taste like an indulgent fried treat at a fraction of the calories! Only a few quick steps to prepare, they cook up in only 10 minutes and make a great week night meal.

• 12oz of Chicken Breasts
• 1 Egg White
• 1/8 Cup Flour
• 35g Panko Bread Crumbs
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Trim chicken breast of any excess fat and cut into tenders. Season each side with salt and pepper. Dip chicken tenders into flour, then egg whites, then panko bread crumbsLoad into air fryer basket and spray with olive sprayCook at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until cooked through

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 10 Total time: 20 mins 

Healthy Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt

Mixing chicken salad ingredients with greek yogurt instead of the traditional condiment of mayonnaise cuts down on the fat and ups the protein in this yummy and healthy meal packed with fruit and flavor!

When I was heavy I made chicken salad almost every week for dinner.  I LOVED it!!! I would mix up chicken, onion, grapes, a few different seasoning, and a few big gobs of mayonnaise and spread it all on two big hoagie rolls and call it dinner. Yikes! No wonder I had to keep buying larger and larger pant sizes!!!

Chicken salad can be a very healthy meal...or very UNHEALTHY depending on how you make it and what you serve it on.  Today I have a super healthy way to share with you that still tastes great too!

This recipe gets lots of flavor from sweet fruit,  raw onions and a few seasonings so that it still tastes great mixed with just plain old greek yogurt.

Healthy High Protein Bagel Sandwich with Whipped Feta

This everything bagel sandwich is packed full of creamy whipped feta, caramelized onions and oven roasted turkey breast that will leave your taste buds begging for more while still allowing your waistline to thank you: one sandwich packs over 50 grams of protein and is less than 450 calories!

Bagel Sandwiches. What ISN'T there to like about a bagel sandwich??? You get all the benefits of a bagel: soft and chewy carby deliciousness, and then get to pick whatever ingredients you are feeling that day to shove in between two halves of said delicious bagel to make a rocking sandwich that can either be breakfast...lunch...brunch...I mean really bagels are good any time of the day.

Unfortunately...bagels and bagel sandwiches are not always the most healthy option.  While I don't think carbs are bad for you bagels are obviously high in carbs and since I stick to a high protein diet I always have to be careful to make sure that I can get my protein in without going over my carb limit.

That's why I was SO EXCITED to find out that Western Bagel makes"Perfect 10" Bagels that are much lower in carbs and fats than a traditional bagel AND packs 19g of protein per bagel.  One bagel is 160 calories with 21 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fat and 19g of protein.  And really: just look at that bagel.  It IS perfect! The texture is soft and taste is spot on, I love the everything flavor and it also comes in a plain "healthy grain" flavor.

Melted Brie, Caramelized Onion, Pancetta and Jam Crostinis

These crostinis mix the flavors of melted brie, sweet strawberry honey jam, caramelized onions and crispy pancetta into a bite size appetizer sure to please everyone at a party.

Merry Belated Christmas!

Like, is that even an appropriate thing to say? You can say happy belated birthday...and really Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus...so I'm saying Merry Belated Christmas and just going with it ;)

I had a great holiday, it was nothing too fancy but the perfect mix of time spent with family and relaxing and indulging.  I stuck to my diet pretty religiously Monday-Friday last week so I could enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas day eating and drinking whatever I felt like with no guilt.  It's Christmas for goodness sakes! No calories count on Christmas :)

Healthy Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Waffles

I'm not always very good at sleeping.

 I woke up wayyyyy to early for no reason today. Like, 3:45AM early. Most normal people would be able to get up, go to the bathroom, and then GO BACK TO SLEEP CAUSE IT'S 3:45 IN THE FREAKING MORNING. Sigh. No, not me.  Sometimes my body just likes to be like Hey! Hah! No more sleep for you!

Alas. I hung around in bed for awhile...scrolled instagram....checked facebook...and then by 4:30AM I figured it was an acceptable time to get up (barely). I hit up Wawa for a big ole cuppa coffee then came back home to eat breakfast. 'Cause if your up and rolling by 5AM, you might as well make use of your time, right???

Well, today's breakfast was pretty delicious. Mayyyybe even worth waking up at 5am ON PURPOSE to make, like that's how good it was.  Well, if you are a morning person at least.  I'm sure that for some even the temptation of a healthy waffle stacked with creamy strawberry cheesecake yogurt and drizzled with syrup and a white chocolate crunch topping is STILL not worth waking up that early to make...but lucky for you this waffle is super fast and easy to make so even if you can't get up early to make it you can still whip it together in a jiffy to enjoy!

Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Waffles

Ingredients:

• 30 Grams PEScience Snickerdoodle Protein Powder
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Water
• Light and Fit Strawberry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt Crunch
• Fresh Strawberries
• Sugar Free Syrup
• Fat Free Reddi Whip 

Steps:

1. Mix protein powder and baking powder together
2. Beat in one egg
3. Add enough water to consistency, around 1/4 cup
4. Cook waffle in waffle maker (I use an oster brand)
5. Cut cooked waffle into 4 servings and stack layering with greek yogurt and top with sugar free syrup, fresh cut strawberries, the crunch topping from the greek yogurt, and fat free reddi whip!

Nutritional Information

My waffle came out to 350 calories, 28 grams carbs, 9 grams fat, and 40 grams of protein. A perfect way to start your day with tons of protein while filling you up and leaving your strawberry cheesecake-loving tastes buds super satisfied.

PS: One of the benefits of waking up at 3:45? It's now only 6:30AM and I've eaten breakfast, cleaned the whole kitchen, AND blogged.  Guess it's time to go get my run done!

Pinterest: The Newlywed's Cookbook

So, before I got married, I never really HAD to cook real meals.  Most of the time when I lived at home with my parents I cooked my own food, but it consisted of easy things like grilled cheese, mac n cheese, egg sandwiches, really classy stuff like that haha.

But so after this whole marriage thing happened I wanted to branch out and start cooking real food for the Hubby and myself! I've actually been having a lot of fun doing it and think it's all turned out pretty well if I do say so myself :)

Anywho, when I plan what I want to make for dinners I turn to.....you guessed it! Pinterest :)  

Thought I'd share with you some of the recipes I've found and enjoyed so far!!

Crescent Roll Casserole 

                                                                      Source: tastebook.com via MyGirlishWhims on Pinterest

ohh momma was this good.  Here's a crappy phone pic from when I made it:

I made this when some of my friends from home were on break from college (man I'm glad I graduated!) and it served six people with absolutely no leftovers haha.

White Chicken Artichoke Lasagna 

                                                                Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com via MyGirlishWhims on Pinterest

I don't really like tomato sauce and hubby LOVES artichokes so when I saw this recipe I knew it would go over well :) I served this last night when we had another couple over and there was lots of yummms from all around.  Not the healthiest recipe around though - two whole packs of cream cheese went into it!

Mexican Dorito Casserole 

                                                                         Source: jamhands.net via MyGirlishWhims on Pinterest

Yes, this casserole actually has DORITOS in it haha! Well, mine had the off brand tostingos fandagas festitos i-can't-remember-the-giant-off-brand-version-name but basically they were doritos. Hubby really enjoyed it - next time around I would add onions to the recipe though.

Tortilla Roll-Ups

                                                                 Source: budgetsavvydiva.com via MyGirlishWhims on Pinterest

I made these with green tortillas and served them at my St. Patrick's Day Party. Very yummy

Twice Baked Potatos

                                                               Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via MyGirlishWhims on Pinterest

Potatoes, cheese, and bacon. Can I get an amen?? hah. Never had made these before, but they were surprisingly easy and did not take to long to make (if you microwave the potatoes instead of baking them originally - then it would take awhile!)

And the absolute FAVORITE recipe I tried....

Sweet Pork Tacos with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

                Source: justcookalready.com via MyGirlishWhims on Pinterest

These babies are GOOD. Hubby was VERY happy with me the night that I made these :) You marinate the pork in coke and brown sugar, funky right? But it turned out delicious.  My only qualm with this recipe is that is claims it is "super easy" and I mean, it's not hard to make but it's a little time consuming.  You have to marinate the pork overnight. Then cook it in the crock pot for three hours. Then shred it and make another sauce and cook for two more hours.  This would really work best for a day when you are home all day.  Here's my crappy phone pic version:

(That cilantro-ranch dressing was VERY good too)


So that's what I've been cooking lately! Do you have a food board on Pinterest? Leave a link to in the comments and I'll make sure to follow you :) You can find all my boards HERE.