Copycat Outback Steakhouse Chicken

This recipe is super fast, easy and delicious! I would love to give credit where it's due, but I printed this and forgot to pin it. :-/ I made a few slight modifications. The original recipe calls for regular mustard and honey. I had neither, but I did have honey mustard. The original recipe calls for shredded colby jack cheese, I used a combination of cheddar & mozzarella.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
6 slices bacon
1/2 cup honey mustard
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. dried onion flakes
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms - used white button mushrooms but baby bellas would be good too
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice

Directions:

First, sprinkle and rub the pounded chicken breast with seasoning salt. Cover & refrigerate for now.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set it aside, but do not discard the bacon grease in the pan.

Saute the flattened chicken breasts in the bacon grease for 2-3 minutes per side or until browned.

Place the chicken in an 8x8 baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the mayo, honey mustard and dried onion flakes.

Spread some of the sauce over each piece of chicken, then layer with mushrooms, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through.

Smear a little of the sauce on your plate & place the chicken breast on top. Be prepared to have NO leftovers!

The Power of Positive Thinking

I saw this quote again today and was reminded again about how important it is to think positively. 

Last month I experienced a moment of such incredible positive thinking, I signed up for a half marathon.  I just recently have been able to complete a 5K without too much trouble, but a half marathon? I must be crazy.

I have been avoiding the treadmill and running outside when I can, but I'm kind of a puss when it comes to cold weather so that's not working out so well for me.  I have trained a handful of times since I signed up, so I've resigned myself to the fact that there will be some walking during this 13 mile trek. I'm okay with that.

I just finished the third 50 minute treadmill run of my life. I don't know why I picked 50 minutes as my most recent goal; there's no significance except that it's almost an hour. Minutes go by slowly on the treadmill, as you probably know, but I found a new way to help the time pass. I normally look at the timer and the mileage about every 30 seconds, and that makes for a really long run. Today I tuned into Pandora's "Electronic Cardio" radio station and told myself that I would only look at the timer or the mileage when one song ended and another began. I ran 2 miles in 3 songs! I started this little game after a quick stretch break at about the two mile mark. The next three songs were reaaaaaallllly long, but it worked! Before I knew it, a total of 50 minutes had passed, and I had run just over four and a half miles.

Although I believe in the quote above, I also believe that "thinking" can also get in your way. Sometimes it's better to think less, breathe more, and let your body prove something to you.  The power of your mind is incredible, and it can either be your biggest fan or your worst enemy. I encourage you to face your task, whatever it is, with a positive outlook. What's the worst that can happen? You might have to try again, practice more, change the way you do it, adapt, grow? Those are all good things.

To close this post, I dug up a note that I wrote on Facebook.  I posted this last May after finishing the Couch to 5K running program to help me prepare for the Warrior Dash.  It is a testament to positive thinking, and I remember how great it felt to accomplish what I considered to be a HUGE goal for myself. It's true - whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.

As you all know, I've been on a journey with "running" the past 9 weeks. I do not consider myself a runner and I've never felt confident in my skill. In preparation for the Warrior Dash, I decided to tackle the Couch to 5K running program. It was perfect for me...it allowed me to start slow and I gradually worked my way up to my first 3 mile run today.

Thanks to much support and encouragement from all of you, I feel GREAT after my milestone today. I wanted to share with you this mantra that seemed to be running through my head while I was on a mission to complete first one, then two, then three miles.

I can't do it.
I might be able to do it.
I want to do it.
I will try to do it.
I think I can do it.
I know I can do it.
I'm doing it.
I did it!

If you would have told me a few months or years ago that someday I would be running 3 miles without walking or stopping, I would have laughed and said "there is no way I could ever do that." Yes it was hard, yes I wanted to stop, but I kept telling myself that there are much harder things in the world than putting one foot in front of the other for 30 minutes or so.

So again, thank you for supporting me and "liking" my progress via Facebook posts. I truly appreciate it! Now, on to the Warrior Dash!

Low-Carb Pizza Crust and Why all the Low-Carbness?

Why all the low carb recipes? I once was one of those people who wouldn't even consider a lower carb diet. I love bread, pasta, potatoes, desserts, pizza, tortillas, etc. I was the queen of low-fat food for years. However, I was always hungry, and I couldn't lose those last 10-15 pounds.

I was sure that this was a fad diet, that wasn't for me, and that I wouldn't be able to succeed. I had been having some stomach issues and noticed most of my discomfort was immediately after eating foods with higher carbohydrate content and/or gluten. I thought I might have a food sensitivity (I won't use the word "allergy" as I think it's highly abused and misdiagnosed.) I also noticed that I "crashed" after eating lunch most days, especially if there was pasta or bread involved. I.was.always.tired.

My friend Suz had been living the low carb lifestyle for a few months before I visited her one weekend. While I was there, I ate how she ate. Surprisingly, it wasn't so bad. I ate things like a handful of nuts for a snack, a meal containing mostly protein and fiber, and no refined sugars. I made a commitment to try to avoid foods high in sugars, carbohydrates, corn syrup, fructose, etc. Within one month, without any change to my physical activity, I had lost 12 pounds - and several inches - mostly in my hips/thighs/belly area. During this time, I also significantly increased my intake of "good" fats such as nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios), olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and yes, some other fats such as bacon, sausage, and cheese. I eat a lot of eggs, fresh produce such as spinach, kale, cucumber, spaghetti squash, zucchini, yellow squash, cabbage, leafy green lettuce, peppers, and proteins such as tuna, salmon, turkey, shrimp, chicken, and beef. I have recently introduced more "sugary" fruits such as apples (I love green apples with almond butter! And Jif now makes a low sugar peanut butter.) Anyway....this is working out well for me.

I have since adapted most of my recipes and cooking to a lower carb version and I'm having so much fun with it! I was skeptical when Suz introduced me to this low carb pizza idea. No flour, no sugar, no gluten, basically just eggs & cheese. I was shocked and delighted at the taste.

For the third time I have successfully made this low carb pizza crust, each time I made it a little differently based on what I had for ingredients. The crust isn't going to fool you, it doesn't taste exactly like a regular pizza crust and it isn't as crispy as you might hope. It is, however, delicious and filling.

I used Nancyelle's Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust recipe. If you'd like to see that original recipe, it's here. You will want to precook your toppings. For my toppings, I browned Italian sausage, onion, red & yellow bell pepper, a jalapeno, and baby bella mushrooms. I also used about 3-4 oz. mozzarella cheese for the top.  I used a pizza sauce with the lowest sugar content that I could find, although if you search I'm certain you can find a homemade recipe with hardly any sugar added. You could also make this pizza with a white sauce, chicken, spinach, bacon - the combinations are endless.



Crust Ingredients:

• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 eggs
• Garlic powder (the original recipe calls for 1 tsp but I thought that was a bit too much)
• Basil (same as above)

Directions:

Crust before baking

Mix the cheeses, eggs, garlic powder and basil well. Line a large pizza pan with parchment paper or non stick foil (I used a round pizza pan and parchment paper every time, so I don't know how it would work to use a baking stone or something else.) Evenly spread the cheese mixture out on the pan, almost to the edge, making it as thin as possible.  Bake at 450 for 15-18 minutes. I usually check it after about 10. You want the entire crust to be evenly browned on top (my edges got a little too brown this time.)

Crust after baking

Done!

Pat off any excess grease and add your sauce (warmed) and toppings including cheese. Keeping the oven rack in the center position, put the pizza under the broiler until the toppings are hot and any cheese you added is melted and bubbly - about 4-5 minutes. I chose to keep my oven temp at 450 this time because I over baked the crust by itself.

Because there is high fat content in the crust, it is very filling and I normally eat just 2 small pieces. This type of eating stays with me longer, and I feel less hungry in between meals. The lower carb lifestyle isn't for everyone, but for me it's become more than a "diet." I find myself eating better foods, reading labels, and feeling so much better overall.

Happy pizza making!