One Dish Autumn Chicken

I love finding a recipe where everything is made in one dish!!! So last night I made One Dish Autumn Chicken! Here is the recipe:

One Dish Autumn Chicken

Ingredients:

• 5 or 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp (divided) each minced fresh thyme, sage and rosemary, plus more for serving
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, sliced into halves
• 2 fuji apples, cored and diced into 1/2-inch cubes (or smaller)
• 2 shallot bulbs, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
• 4 slices bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 lemon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour 2 Tbsp olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and 1 Tbsp of each herb into a gallon size resealable bag, add chicken, season with salt and pepper then seal bag and massage mixture over chicken while working to evenly distribute herbs. Set aside and let rest while chopping veggies.
• Place sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, apples and shallot in a large bowl and pour on remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, add 1 Tbsp of each herb, then toss to coat evenly. 
• Pour veggie/fruit mix into a large casserole dish. 
• Set chicken over veggie/fruit mixture. Sprinkle bacon (separate any pieces that stick together) evenly over entire dish. 
• Roast in preheated oven until chicken and veggies are golden brown, about 30 minutes (chicken should register 165 in center). Broil during last few minutes for a more golden skin on chicken if desired.
• When the chicken is out of the oven squeeze the lemon over everthing.
• Sprinkle with more herbs and serve immediately.

recipe inspired by: Cooking Classy

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

To get ready for fall, yesterday I made these healthy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!! I got this recipe from Jenni over at Blossom To Be Fit and it was a major hit at our house! 

I have been looking for a good cookie recipe that I am happy to give to my child. I have been trying to cut down on processed foods at our house and part of that is getting in the kitchen and trying new things! There have been so many times I have seen a recipe that might have a different ingredient or says "get out your food processor" and I would think "I really don't want to get on my stool and get down the food processor because I really don't want to have to clean it afterwards!" Seriously, that is my reasoning...well I need to GET OVER IT and get my butt up on that stool, get the processor down, then clean it afterwards! The health of my family is a million times more important!   

So lets all get off our rumps and make something better for you and your family! Oh and you should probably start with these cookies! Head over to Jenni's page for the recipe...you will thank me later!! 

The Weekend!

Saturday George and I headed out to the park to blow off some energy! I got a sweaty walking/strolling session in and he got to run around with new friends afterwards! It was a win win! The weather was wonderful!! It makes me so ready for fall to officially be here!

Sunday morning I got in a Cize workout! It is something perfect to do when George is around because he loves to dance! I am still amazed at how sweaty I get when doing this video! I love that I can dance and get some cardio in at the same time! I am definitely not the most coordinated, so I apologize to my neighbors who walk by and see me...but I have so much fun doing it!

This week I have some fun new recipes to try out! This cool weather has me craving pumpkin anything! So that is on the list!!

Happy Mornings

One thing that is very important to me is to try and start the day off on a happy note! George has never been the best sleeper so having a small simple routine that is easy for me to do at 6:45am or 5:45am has been a great way to start the day.

Here is how my mornings mostly go...

When George wakes up we go downstairs and I fix him his milk and fix myself a glass of lemon water. We both sit on the couch and have our drinks while watching Mickey.

Once we are hydrated I go and get breakfast together. I usually don't have much time to fix something because once George decides he is hungry he wants food right then! So I try to have things that are quick and healthy to heat up. I also start my coffee while cooking/heating everything up :)

After we eat I grab my coffee and hit the floor to stretch. I feel like stretching is a good way to get my blood flowing and I can do it anywhere, I can even do it with a toddler crawling all over me!! 

I then wash my face, apply whatever level of makeup for the day, and put on my mom uniform! 

Some days, like cutting teeth days, this whole process can take a little longer to get done. But, having my routine definitely helps my mornings go more smoothly!

What things do you do to have happy mornings?