Campfire Chicken Recipe

Cracker Barrel had an amazing Camp Fire Chicken on their menu for a limited time last year. I looked for a copy cat recipe but couldn't find one. So, I attempted it myself and it was amazing!!

I made individual pouches just like they did so that I could leave a few things out of the kids' dinner. (They are picky) 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

To make the pouches I used the large/wide roll of aluminum foil.

Place 1 chicken breast in the bottom of the foil pouch

Then add

2 small corn on the cob

Baby red potatoes

Baby carrots

Onion

Whole peeled tomatoes

Salt pepper and thyme to taste

Chicken broth 

Add the amount right for you and your family. I added enough to eat on for 2 days which turned out perfectly! 

Close it up well, place on a baking sheet, and bake (depending on how you like your vegetables) 3-5 hours! 

Before

After

Baked Apple Chips

Baked Apple Cinnamon Chips

Ingredients 2 large red apples 2 teaspoons of cinnamon Optional: 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions Preheat oven to 200 F. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Arrange the apple slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until the apples are dry and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool.

Shopping isn't always fun

I love soups and pot roasts, especially when it's cold out.. One of the hardest parts is finding low sodium ingredients.. They are out there.. You just have to be patient and shop around! 

Baked chicken, corn, and potatoes

4 potatoes diced

1 onion diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 chicken breast cubed

6 frozen corn on the cob

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chicken broth

Add all ingredients in a baking dish

Cover with aluminum foil

Bake at 400 degrees

1 1/2 hours

           Before                   After 

Chicken Philly Cheese Wrap

Ok so I'm no professional here when it comes to recipes.. I rarely measure anything I just know how much I need to fix to feed my family so I just do it lol.. But I shall try!!

First off I had no idea they had healthier options for the wraps, I found some 90 calorie wraps at food lion. So that's what I bought! 

Slice 4 chicken breast into strips

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown them in a pan with olive oil

Slice 

2 green peppers

1onion

Sauté in a separate pan

Add chicken, white american cheese, green peppers and onion to the wrap and enjoy!!

 As I side I fixed refried beans, just a suggestion!

Update

So it's been a LONG time since I've done any blogging.. But after so many positive comments and questions about how I did it.. I decided to start this thing back up! 

Let me first start with why. I've battled high blood pressure off and on for most of my 20s it doesn't run in the family.. In fact all 3 of my sisters have low blood pressure.. If untreated high blood pressure can cause so many problems. I won't go into detail, but I'd like to be around to raise my children. I had to get serious after I went to the doctor for a sinus infection and my blood pressure was really high, the doctor asked me if I was headed for a stroke. Kinda scary thing to hear when your only 28 years old.

Now on to how.. I started last spring after we joined a pool for the summer. I not only needed to get serious for my health but I wanted to feel better about myself. So I started off with my diet. I instead of eating a big breakfast every morning I started drinking the Green Machine Nakéd Smoothies. At first I felt like I was starving myself. It took some time to get used to it. (I know smoothies won't work for everyone but it worked great for me!) im not a big snacker, but in the summer at the pool there was always the temptation, so I was sure to pack a healthy option, carrots and grapes were my go to. As far a lunch and dinner goes I didn't change much.. I stayed away from fast food as much I could.. And watched my portion sizes. I also switched out my favorite, Dr. Pepper, with water. It was hard at first, but I started added fresh lemon juice and that helped!

I started losing weight but soon got stuck and decided I needed to do something else. Joining a gym was out of the question. I got a gym membership as a birthday gift and I literally went one time.. ONE!! So I downloaded 2 apps to my phone. Runtastic which I love because it keeps up with all the data.. Distance, time, etc. I also downloaded couch to 5k which helped me get started.. I have never been a runner.. I hated it! This app started me off slow, and got me where I could actually run with out feeling like I was dieing!!! I highly recommend both if you'd like to start running!! 

Now all that said.. Don't get me wrong! I am human, I love Dr. Pepper, I still eat fast food occasionly, I'm addicted to coffee (Starbucks), I love chocolate and sweets, and I do eat all these things but not everyday, and definitely in moderation! 

I've lost 20lbs and feel better than I have in years! I'm currently "training" for a half marathon, I haven't committed to it yet because honestly I'm not sure if I'm ready for that one! I'm still not 100% comfortable in my own skin, but I'm much happier now than I was a year ago! I will continue to run until I am physically unable to because that is the only way I can stay off of blood pressure meds! 

Thanks so much for all your support and positive comments! I said I was going to be healthier for so many years, and I can honestly say, it's all in your head, you have to want it, and you have to work for it!!

Just incase (like me) you think 20 lbs in a year isn't a big deal!

 

After seeing the side by side I was shocked!!!

Baked chicken and roasted potatoes

I sometimes get a little bored of the same food! The past few nights I've been trying new things! Here's a recipe from a few nights ago! 

Baked Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• generous ½ cup of plain low-fat greek yogurt
• generous 3 tbs of grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp. finely chopped garlic (fresh)
• 1 tsp. finely chopped onion (fresh)
• a good pinch of salt & pepper
• 1 tsp. dried italian herbs (salt free)

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 375
2. Place chicken breast in a large resealable bag or between sheets of wax paper and give them a good whack with the bottom of a pan or a rolling pin. Alternately, if they are coming out of the freezer and are still a bit icy, you could butterfly the breasts (and adjust the cooking time accordingly)
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl - taste it, you'll melt!
4. I took each of my pieces of chicken and pulled them through the yogurt coating on either side. You could just dump it in the ziplock but I really wanted to keep as much of the coating as I could!
5. Place chicken breasts on a foil lined cookie sheet (so they aren't touching)
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes
7. Turn broil to high for about 2 minutes before I took them out so they got nice and toasty on the top.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
• 1.5 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• ½ teaspoons garlic Powder
• Salt - to taste
• ½ teaspoon of pepper
• 1.5 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir.
3. Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes or till golden brown.
4. Enjoy!

Protein Mocha Frapp

What? How have I never thought of this?!? If you know me then you know I can't say no to coffee. I've been wanting to add some protein into my diet.. What better way than add it to my morning coffee?? 

Mix in a blender

1 cup ice

1 cup milk (any kind will do)

2 scoops chocolate whey protein

2 tsp instant coffee

(Optional sugar or anything you'd like to sweeten it up I added a bit of flavored creamer!)

Blend and enjoy!!!