Hi!  I’m Bob’s wife, Charleen, and I decided to give Bob a day off from his blog.   

I thought I’d share a recipe on here every now and then to help you achieve your health goals.  Part of our goal is to improve our nutrition.  Even tho’ I hate to cook, I’d rather put something together with whole foods than to eat some processed “frankenfood.” 

Planning is a must to get something on the table each night.  Most of my recipes make enough to have leftovers for lunch for a couple of days.  That also helps avoid stopping at a fast food place, because I usually have something in the fridge that I can warm up.  And, just a note here: I don’t mean in the microwave!  Using the microwave to heat or cook food damages the food by depleting the nutrients.  I use the stove and a toaster oven a lot!  Ok, back to planning.  I plan a month of meals.  Since it’s just me and Bob, I plan 3 major meals a week, each of which makes enough for several meals of leftovers.  Every now and then we cook a whole turkey or chicken, debone it and freeze it in small containers.  That way I can just thaw some meat and throw it in a meal.  I mentioned that I hate cooking.  A recipe must be fairly simple, (and if it’s a little more time consuming, it must be so delicious that I’m willing to take the time for it), and I’m always on the lookout for recipes that include veggies.  I have a hard time including veggies with my meals so if the recipe includes them, that’s probably a meal I will make.

Zesty Italian Chicken is one of our favorites and at only 342 calories per serving, it’s great to include in your meal plan when trying to lose weight.  I can’t remember where I found this recipe, otherwise I would credit them.  Anyway here it is:

Zesty Italian Chicken & Veggies

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cubed

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped, optional

1 c. cauliflower, optional

Zesty Italian Dressing

1. In a bowl whisk together all the ingredients until blended.
2. Put in the fridge – can be stored up to 90 days.

Serve with a salad and breadsticks.

If you want to save some time the Italian Dressing can be made ahead or you can substitute your favorite bottled dressing.  The nutritional values will change.

Thanks for letting me take some of your time.  I would appreciate comments and I think it would be great if any of you would like to share some of your recipes.  Please email me at charleen@realworldpersonaltraining.com.

Thanks!