Quick, Healthy, and Delicious Chicken Curry!

Last night after a long day of traveling back from South Bend, I was craving some peace and quiet in the kitchen, a homemade meal, and vegetables! Luckily, I didn’t have to look too far for some inspiration. I headed straight over to Fitnessista website for some ideas as I’ve been drooling over Gina’s weekly Indian dishes. I used her Slow Cooker Eggplant Curry as the base and then added my own twists to use more refrigerator ingredients. I made the following changes:


-added chicken 
-added squash and zucchini 
-added a bit more salt to improve flavor
-cooked it stove top in my Dutch Oven since I only had 2 hours
In a slow cooker, sprayed with nonstick spray, add the following:

1 medium eggplant, large diced
1 yellow onion
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 pack small chicken tenders thinly pounded
1 can (14.5oz) organic diced tomatoes, drained
1 C organic vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
2 T curry  
1/2 T cumin
1 1/2 t garlic
1-1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne 



Chop all vegetables in small diced pieces.



Combine all ingredients except chicken in large Dutch Oven on the stove over medium heat.

Saute over medium heat while stirring continuously. Meanwhile, sauté the chicken over medium heat in a light coat of olive oil, curry, garlic, and salt.




Once the chicken is cooked partially (approx 1/2 way through) take it off the heat and combine it with the vegetables and spices in the dutch oven. Simmer over low heat for an hour letting the flavors combine and reduce. If you want it to thicken you can add 1 Tbsp of corn starch towards the end to help thicken the sauce. Enjoy!



Slow Cooker Method: Mix to combine. Set it on low. Forget about it for 4-6 hours. Serve over long grain brown rice and enjoy with a spoon.


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Kickstarting Cinco de Mayo and Southern Caviar

If you haven’t done so yet, don’t forget to enter my Swiffer giveaway here!
Happy Cinco de Mayo! I knew today may include more chips and salsa than the average day so I started out the morning with a killer kickin’ workout! I’m often inspired by fellow bloggers kick boxing workouts but have always been intimidated by the moves and jumps. After hearing a few friends rave about Akin’s Cardio Kickboxing class at Equinox I decided today was the perfect day to try!  I LOVED IT! He was very friendly and took me through the moves before class started so I was more comfortable. In addition, his music was upbeat and definitely woke everyone up at the early hour of 6:30! After the hour class I was drenched through my t-shirt and already feeling my quads and arms from the punching moves, kicks, and squats.

I arrived at the office this morning greeted by Cinco de Mayo everywhere! There were emails galore about happy hour drinks
and my manager, whose roots are in Mexico, decided to treat our office to lots of this:

and…
in honor of the holiday. Our area was definitely the most popular as everyone kept sneaking in to grab a plate filled with chips and salsa. If salt intake and calories didn’t exist I could survive on chips, salsa, and guacamole alone! I love the flavors in the gourmet salsas that exist on the market today. I grew up on Tostitos salsa and chips but now I am obsessed with Green Mountain Gringo salsa and flax tortilla chips. These Trader Joes Veggie and Flaxseed chips are amazing!
I tried my best to avoid these during the day and even used a few tactics which were pretty effective:
-Keep my water bottle front and center on my desk and ensure it’s full all day long
-Enjoy my grapefruit mid morning snack and afternoon pear to keep hunger at bay
-Move the chips to different areas of our office area so they are no longer on the table next to my desk
These tactics worked quite well and I only enjoyed a plate full of chips and salsa during the day. This allowed me to feel fresh and energetic when our work happy hour started and even continue the party to the second location where we had a mini high school reunion. Bo and I had the great opportunity to catch up with five of our fellow high school alums at a local irish bar in hopes of avoiding the crazy Cinco de Mayo crowds. Yup, you read that right, Bo and I actually went to high school together.  It was great to catch up with our fellow Georgia transplants.
I’m exhausted and fully intend to do nothing besides watching The Parenthood in the vertical position on the sofa the rest of the evening! I hope you all have a great night! Tomorrow I’ll be reviewing Fitnessista’s newest lifting routine and Cheribundi! Until then, here is the next recipe from last weekend’s Diamond Derby Housewarming Party- Southern Caviar! Southern caviar has nothing to do with fish or their offspring. Instead, it’s a colorful and healthy dip that is a favorite at Southern gatherings and parties! Better yet,  it is inexpensive, fast, easy, and transports well! It was a big hit on Saturday  night and the leftovers have made the perfect salad topping!

Ingredients

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (recommended: Ro-Tel)
  • 2 cups chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh jalapeno peppers
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 (8-ounce) bottle Italian dressing (you can use light or fat free if you prefer)
  • 1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate mixture overnight. Serve with corn chips or veggies!

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A Pound Cake Worth It’s Weight in Flavor

Pound cake is traditionally made with a pound of each ingredient: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. This is not always the case anymore as the quantity is changed depending on the cake size.

I grew up enjoying every different pound cake flavor imaginable. My mom’s favorite is pineapple pound cake but I’ve always found a plain and simple pound cake to be the most delicious especially when paired with fresh Spring berries. I knew that a simple pound cake would be a perfect dessert for our Derby party as it pleases almost any pallet, is easy to slice and serve, and isn’t messy.

This Southern Living Two Step Pound Cake recipe is foolproof!  It was the most popular dessert featured at our party. By the night’s end there were only two pieces left which were quickly devoured by my co-workers today! I made a few flavor adjustments to the recipe which I capture in italics below.

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Ingredients:

  • 4  cups  all-purpose flour
  • 3  cups  sugar
  • 2  cups  butter, softened
  • 3/4  cup  milk
  • 6  large eggs
  • 1.5  teaspoons  vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
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Preparation

1. Layer Ingredients and Mix. Preheat oven to 325°. Place flour, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract (in that order) in 4-qt. bowl of a heavy-duty electric stand mixer. Beat at low speed 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes.

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2. Pour and Bake. Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch (16-cup) tube pan, and smooth. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

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I hope you’re enjoying my Southern treats! While I understand these aren’t the picture of healthy and nutritious delights, I believe there is a time and place for everything in moderation. 🙂 There were indeed Derby delights done right.

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