Pollo Italiano - Shed Program Preview Recipe!

It’s Friday night. Cue the mood lighting, pour a couple glasses of red, Alt-J is jamming through your stereo. Candles are lit. It’s cozy AF right now. Time for a little date night at home with your boo and this meal from the Shed Program, Pollo Italiano!

I love this recipe because 1) tomatoes, 2) basil, and 3) garlic. I mean there isn’t a better combo than that! The chicken breast is never dry in this recipe AND it also has a subtle sweetness that brings it all together! I think its pretty much perfect in all seasons too! Obvi, cherry tomatoes are best in the summer buttttt let’s be honest, I buy them all year round.

This recipe is one of the many recipes from the Shed Nutrition Program! And today is the last day to get the launch discount of 20% off the Silver plan! Use code: TWOSHEA20. It expires at 11:59 CST tonight!

Leave me a note if you try the recipe! <3 Xo, AHS

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Pollo Italiano

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided 

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2-3) 

• Sea salt 

• Cayenne pepper 

• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced 

• 1 pint assorted cherry tomatoes, whole 

• ¼ cup chicken broth 

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

• 1 tbsp fresh basil, divided 

Instructions

In a large skillet (preferably, nonstick), heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season them generously on both sides with salt and cayenne. Add the chicken to the pan and cook, lowering the heat to medium if your pan starts to smoke, until nicely browned on both sides and just pink in the middle, about 5 minutes per side. Move chicken to a plate and tent with foil. 

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, along with the garlic and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, stirring occasionally and scraping up any bits of chicken from the bottom, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and balsamic and using the back of your spoon, gently crush the tomatoes so they release all their juices. Simmer the sauce for another 3 minutes until it’s thickened and the acidity has mellowed. Stir in the ½ tbsp basil and taste for seasoning, adding more salt as necessary. Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer until it’s cooked through. Remove from the heat, garnish with remaining basil. 

Mason Jar Spinach Salad

In honor of back to school, I decided to share a lunch recipe. Gasp, I know. I never share lunch recipes. I'm not exactly sure why, but lunch is not very inspiring to me. I am all about breakfast- it's all about starting the day out strong. You are fueling your body to tackle the day. Or spending a cozy mornings at home with some yummy pancakes. Dinner, you can have a nice long drawn out dinner with loved ones. Your food can set the tone for your evening. But lunch? I struggle to find inspiration here. It's probably just the Americanness in me, but I feel like most people are hard pressed for time and any excuse to be out of the office is a good one. I used to be so annoyed when I brought my lunch to work because it meant I had no reason to go outside for a walk. But that was the wrong attitude- bringing your lunch to work means you can eat and then enjoy the rest of your lunch hour to do what you please. Not to mention, finding #shedapproved lunch options are not always easy to find on your lunch break. 

Whether you are in school or just taking your lunch to work- this salad doesn't disappoint. Just throw the lid on your salad and it's ready to travel with you! No sogginess. And then when it's lunch time, you shake it up, and boom your lunch is ready to go! You can also make these in bulk on a Sunday to be prepared for the whole week- they keep really well because the dressing lives at the bottom! Enjoy! - AHS

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Mason Jar Spinach Salad 

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 3 oz cooked chicken breast (or tender) or 1-2 hard-boiled eggs

• 1⁄2 cup cherry tomatoes, whole

• 1⁄4 cup cucumber, halved and sliced

• Salt and pepper

• Optional: sprinkle unsweetened dried cranberries (treat yo’ self—month 1 only)

• Optional: sprinkle goat cheese (treat yo’ self—month 1 only)

• 2 cups spinach

Instructions

Layer ingredients in 32 oz. Mason jar. Start with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Then layer ingredients as listed. Shake jar before eating.

Note: If you don’t have a Mason jar, never fear! Any Tupperware will do—just separate the dressing in a side container.

GF "Breaded" Chicken Thighs AKA "The Best Chicken I Ever Made"

I was messing around in the kitchen last week, and was craving a breaded-style chicken. I had unopened almond meal in my cupboard, and voila, I came up with "The best chicken I ever made" - according to my husband. I served it on a cauliflower rice stir fry. Which was a random throw together of cauliflower rice, frozen broccoli and bell peppers, powdered ginger, paprika, liquid aminos and a dash of rice vinegar. The combo was amazing! "Breading" the chicken took an extra 5 minutes of prep compared to my usual go-tos, and it was worth it! 

The set up is easy enough! One bowl for egg and one for almond meal. 

Have you ever heard of engagement chicken? It's this recipe that every time a woman makes it for her boyfriend she finds herself engaged shortly thereafter. I'm not crazy about the premise of the story, but I feel like this recipe would bear similar results. 😂😂

So without further ado, recipe below! I hope you guys try it. If you do, leave me a comment below! - AHS

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Gluten Free "Breaded" Chicken Thighs aka "The Best Chicken I Ever Made"

Ingredients

• 5 chicken thighs 
• 1 egg, whisked 
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• Olive oil spray 
• Herbs de Provence 
• Salt and pepper 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease baking dish with olive oil spray.  

Dip chicken thighs on each side in egg. Batter with almond meal. Add to baking dish. Gratuitously add herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. (Note: You could mix the herbs de Provence in the almond meal mixture, but it turned out great just sprinkling it on top.) Some almond meal will come off where you grab the chicken. I just sprinkled those spots with more almond meal once they were in the baking dish. 

Cook for 40 minutes or until inside temperature reaches 165. I recommend using a meat thermometer - every oven is different, and you don't have to worry about overcooking your chicken for safety. :) 

Serve warm, but it's great cold for lunch the next day too! 

Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Stew

A couple weeks ago I was completely overwhelmed with things to do. I had so much work to do, I was cleaning like a fiend for house guests, I had too many social things on the docket in a very short amount of time, and my husband was out of town for work. 

...And I had committed to cooking for our house guests who have eating restrictions. (WHAT WAS I THINKING?!)

It was time to whip up the old trusty crock pot. 

I love slow cookers because once you set them, you forget them, and your house smells amazing for hours. It is pretty awesome. I am also absolutely awful at making up recipes for slow cookers. I truly just don't get how to get the right flavors to mix properly when they are cooking slowly for hours. It is a very clear gap in my culinary experience. It's on my to do list. 

I turned to Whole Foods for a perfect recipe for the occasion. This slow cooker chicken apple stew was super satisfying, and my dinner guests loved it. They talked about it all weekend. <3

This dish felt perfect on a chilly autumn evening! The Whole Foods recipe is below, but I made some minor tweaks and notes: 

•  I had purple sweet potatoes, and I swapped one out for one of the normal sweet potatoes.
• Another confession is I am actually notoriously bad at following recipes. I chopped the apples a bit too small, which made it look a bit mushier than I would've liked.  
• The original recipe indicated it serves 6-8. I would say it comfortably served 4 with everyone wanting more! (Also, those were big bowls, not the baby one shown! Everyone ate before I took the pics :) ) 

I think this recipe is a knockout. Especially if you want something gluten and dairy-free! I will definitely be making this again soon! 

Slow cooker chicken apple Stew

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
• 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3 firm, sweet baking apples, such as Braeburn or Gala, peeled and cut into 6 wedges each
• 2 medium sweet potatoes (10 ounces each), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
• 2 tablespoons sliced fresh sage leaves
• 1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Toast fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Cut chicken thighs in half. Add chicken, fennel seeds and all remaining ingredients to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until chicken and apples are very tender, 6 to 7 hours on low or 3 to 3 1/2 hours on high.

Because this came from WF, I have nutritional info: 

Per Serving: 300 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 165mg cholesterol, 610mgsodium, 19g carbohydrates, (4 g dietary fiber, 11g sugar), 39g protein.