lighter baked chicken parmesan

My husband makes a delicious chicken parmesan, but I can only imagine how bad it is for you...especially when you top it with a bunch of pasta noodles. I found this recipe from Gina, and it's a great lighter take on the original recipe. I had a ton of leftover marinara sauce from the baked zucchini sticks recipe, and it goes PERFECT with this! I'll post the marinara recipe below just incase. 

I did add some brown sugar to the sauce because I like it sweet for this recipe.

Servings: 8 • Size: 1 piece • Time: 40 minutes • Calories: 231 • Points: 5.5 ww points

4 (8 oz) chicken breast halves, sliced in half

3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp butter, melted (I use 1 egg white)

3/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese

1 cup marinara 

cooking spray

brown sugar to taste (optional, but not included in points) for a sweet marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a large baking sheet lightly with spray.
Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Melt the butter in another bowl. Lightly brush the butter onto the chicken, then dip into breadcrumb mixture. Place on baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken. Lightly spray a little more cooking oil on top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over, bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, spoon sauce over chicken and top with shredded cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. 

1 Point Quick Marinara Sauce (1 cup)

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 small bay leaf (I omit because my husband doesn't like me to use them lol)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes.

red lobster cheddar bay biscuits

Now we don't have a Red Lobster up here, but who can forget their AMAZING biscuits. Well... These are ALMOST as good :). Thanks to Stephanie. I modified her recipe just a bit to lower the saltiness and strong oregano flavor.

Ingredients:
2 cups of buttermilk biscuit mix (like Bisquick or Jiffy mix)
1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder
1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
2/3 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2-1 teaspoon of oregano (I probably used 1/2)
1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 400.
2- Combine the biscuit mix, cheese, and garlic powder. Stir well.
3- Add the milk and stir. The mix should be thick, not sticky. You may need to use your hands to get the ingredients well combined.
4- Bake for 10 minutes of until lightly golden.
5- While baking, melt the butter in a small bowl and add the oregano and garlic salt.
6- Using a pastry brush, brush on the butter.
7- Return to the oven for about 5 minutes.

cheesy bean party dip

My best friend made this for her halloween party. I'm pretty sure it was gone within 20 minutes of us getting there. It was that good. Try it, now!

1 can fat-free refried beans
1c. light sour cream
1 pkg dry ranch mix
2c. reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese 

Mix all ingredients together and cook in a small crock pot all day. OR if you're impatient like I am, just cook over medium low heat in a sauce pan until cheese is completely melted. It's still freakin' delicious. Even tastes good cold :)

asian glazed drumsticks. heaven.

I loooove oriental food. Unfortunately most of it up here..sucks. These are probably the 2nd best asian-style chicken wings I've ever had, right behind the ones I like to order at the Thai restaurant. They take a little bit of effort, but I promise it's well worth it. You and anyone else that eats them will love it! Made a big batch for a party the other night and they were a huge hit :) Make these. NOW! I modified the original recipe a little bit for my taste.

10-16 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed

Pam spray oil

1 cup water

1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (make sure it's low-sodium or it will be way too salty)

4 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)

3 cloves garlic

dash of ground ginger

brown sugar

honey

2 tbsp chives or scallions, chopped

sesame seeds, for garnish

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil. Add water, soy sauce, agave, garlic, ginger, hot sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down. Stir in a good amount of honey and brown sugar, until it's sweet enough for your liking. Let the sauce reduce down, 20-25 minutes until it becomes a THICK glaze, turning chicken occasionally. I like the glaze to be a syrup consistency, it will look very bubbly* and frothy* after a while. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick) Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives and sesame seeds and serve.

* This is what the sauce should begin to look like when you know it's finished:

baked zucchini sticks

I found this recipe off of a Weight Watchers blogger.. crazy right?! These things are SOOO good. I made these tonight for dinner, and my husband actually said "I love these"...to vegetables. What has gone wrong with the world?! Anyway, these are a MUST TRY. Even if you don't like veggies. They remind me of french fries...but these are actually good for you :)

3 medium zucchini sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks (I just use 1 large zucchini)

1 large egg white

1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I used grated parmesan)

cooking spray

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt

fresh pepper

Quick Marinara Sauce:

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 small bay leaf

1 tsp oregano

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

salt and fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°.
In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with 1/2 cup marinara sauce for dipping. breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well.