Sunday, March 20, 2011

Back to It


The truth about Jenn. I am a homebody. Prior to October, I pretty much had to be forced to leave my house. I love my little house. And I love my hobbies of crochetting and reading. Love them, love them, love them.

But, now I've found another hobby that I love just as much. Turbo and fitness! And Turbo takes me out of my house AT LEAST 4 times a week, normally. And, since I've met some really great people, it has also gotten me out of the house to spend time with them. And then the energy to try new things.

I need down time though. For my body and my mind. So, last week I took it. I had a project I was working on that had a deadline and so I stayed home on Tuesday and Wednesday and did them. NO TURBO or exercise of any kind took place on those days (or Sunday and Monday). I also ate horrible most of the week. A whole box of girl scout cookies vanished (not in one sitting). I ate more than one serving of everything! And I know I didn't track very well. And if I don't track....I don't lose. Simple as that. So, I gained 1.4 pounds last week.

I jumped back in though. I went to Turbo and RIPPED on Thursday night with Nikki. Tried my first shake day that day to try to repair some of the damage I had done.

Then I re-entered the world of Riverplex yesterday. Had an insane hour of Turbo Extreme 3, a mix specially made by Amanda. I believe there were 8 or 9 Turbo session in it. That is EXTREME!!! And I am feeling it today!!!! Oh goodness! But it feels great!

Last night I tried a new recipe from one of my Weight Watchers cookbooks. It was fabulous!!!!

Chicken Scaloppini

Scaloppini are cuts of meat that are pounded thin and then cooked to perfection in about 6 minutes. For a beautifully browned crust, make sure the pan and oil are hot - the chicken should hiss as it hits the pan.


4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 large egg white (I used egg white substitute)

2 teaspoons water

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth (I didn't use this and I'll explain why later)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I also didn't use this and I'll explain why later)



1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.


2. Combine egg white and water in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Place breadcrumbs in another shoallow dish. Dip each chicken breast half in egg mixture; dredge in breadcrumbs.


3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken to pan. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Transfer to a plate; cover and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and chicken.


4. Add broth and lemon juice to pan, stirring to loosen browned bits. Cook, uncovered, over high heat 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced to 1/3 cup. Drizzle sauce over chicken.


Yields 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 1 tablespoon of sauce).


Cookbook says that it is 6 pointsplus, but when I put in the brand of ingredients I used, it was 8.


I made a couple of observations. I am kind of new at cooking things like this, so if you have a tip for me or others reading this blog, please feel free to comment. The first thing I notice is that when I tried to heat my skillet with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, the oil evaperated almost immediately. And I couldn't see that 1 teaspoon was going to be enough. After the first 2 pieces cooked, I started putting a new drop (about a quarter size) of oil in my pan before I put the new piece of chicken in the pan. This is when I started getting the sizzling sound.


My second observation was that even though I was adding the new drop of olive oil to the pan, I did not have anything left in my pan to use for the sauce. And that is why I did not use the lemon or the chicken broth. This would not have changed my points at all, as both of those ingredients are worth zero points.


But, regardless of the observations I made, the chicken was delicious!!! And very filling. We had it with mashed potatoes and corn. Josh said I can definitely make it again. ;o)


If you try the recipe please be sure to let me know what you thought!!

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