I'm working on eating more balanced, healthier meals, and tonite I fixed my favorite breading for chicken to go along with some Quinoa and steamed green beans.
(Serves about 4)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 5/8 clove garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8-10 skinless, boneless chicken breast tenders
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- In a bowl, blend the olive oil and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
- Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Quinoa is a whole grain that's cooked in the same manner as rice, 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa, and cook it covered until the water is absorbed. I do about 1/2C of grain and 1 C water, which easily gives me two meals out of it, and I don't get tired of it before it's all eaten so it goes bad and gets wasted. I season my water with a bit of garlic powder, and then when the cooking's done, I stir in about a tablespoon of butter, herbs of Italy, and then top with fresh rosemary.
My green beans have about 1/2 tsp of butter, fresh ground black pepper, and some herbs of Italy.
My portions were about 4 oz chicken, about a cup of quinoa, and a cup of green beans.
Well, we all survived the night, though I think Mollie's the only one who actually slept. Leo vacated the bed and slept somewhere else. Bow took her standard spot next to my pillow, and spent the whole night growling intermittently. For awhile, both the big ones were on the bed growling. It might have been fine if I'd managed to convince them to do it in unison, which might have gotten me a decent little massage happening, but oh no, they couldn't possibly do something to convenience me. So while we did all survive, unscathed, some of us were also unsleeping as well. Every time I was asleep nice and soundly, I felt a tiny movement near my feet, and then there was a growl that started in my ear. Fun times I tell ya!
While I've been in and out of the bedroom, puttering around the house and getting some things done, there's apparently been an understanding of sorts, develop, at least between Leo & Mollie. She stays out of his line of sight and he doesn't growl or hiss at her. Not that it really matters to her, since she can't hear it. Bow has decided she's just going to hide out. Earlier I came in and found her sitting in the sink in the bathroom. She was so happy to see me and purred her little brains out while we were in there, you would think she hadn't seen me in DAYS!
In other cat news, my friend and roomie, Erin (Nina) has gotten back into the cattery biz, specializing in hairless breeds, including Sphynx & Bambino. Check out HoBBiTcaTs at http://www.hobbitcats.com/. A little note before you start clicking… we ARE talking about hairless cats. Sure, initially there's a bit of squick for most people when talking about hairless cats, but they are some of the sweetest, most loving cats I've ever met. Also, they are not truly hairless, they do have a fine sort of like peach fuzz, and a bit more hair on their ears, and may also have thicker coats in patches or, like one I met recently, on their ankles. I adopted Mollie from her. Mollie is not out of her cattery and has normal cat hair, but is a dwarf, with short little legs and the sweetest personality that more than covers for the fact that she can't hear, which is why she was spayed and became a pet, instead of being part of a breeding program. One of these days things will settle down enough that I can get some video of her cute little rolling waddle.
As for me, I've had a bit of a busy day, and tomorrow's got several things on the agenda, including a trip to the Post Office, so I'm off to bed now.
