Coconut Lime Chicken Skewers

Hey Guys!

So the first week I cooked for my clients I made them this dish, and unfortunately I never even tried it! AHHH bad chef, I know! But they kept on telling me how amazing it was so I decided to try to make it again and this time for Joe and I! If I do say so myself this was scrumdidlyumptous! Haha this dish will NOT disappoint! It is kind of high in WW Points but I believe its totally worth it!!

Serves 2 - 417 Calories & 11 WW PointsPlus

Ingredients:

• Zest of 1.5 limes
• 1 Tsp paprika
• 1 Tsp chili powder
• 1 Tsp kosher salt
• 2 Limes juiced
• 1/2 Tsp black pepper
• 5 oz Coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Cloves of crushed garlic
• 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts

Steps:

1. Mixing all of of the ingredients together in a bowl, besides the chicken, whisk together thoroughly.
2. Cut chicken into strips to be able to skewer later (I got 3 strips per breast).
3. Submerge the chicken strips into the marinade and place into fridge for 30 minutes to no more than 3 hours.
4. After your desired marinate time take the chicken out and put onto skewers and pre-heat the grill.
5. SAVE THE MARINADE - it becomes the most delicious sauce!
6. Grill the chicken on the skewers for 6-7 minutes per side. Should be no more than 15 minute total cook time.
7. While your chicken is grilling and almost done, pour the marinade into a pot and bring to a boil on the stove while CONTINUOUSLY stirring it (it will burn, trust me).
8. Let the sauce boil for a solid 3 minutes while stirring it.
9. Then using a mesh strainer, pour the sauce into a bowl and create a silky smooth sauce!
10. Take chicken off of the grill and let sit for 3-5 minutes then serve with sauce and lime slices!

ENJOY! It is seriously finger licking good!

Happy Creating

Please tag my recipes you re-create with the hash tag #FoodCourtt and make sure to follow me on Instagram @FoodCourtt

xxx Court

Turkey Apple Bacon Burgers!

Hey Guys!

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. A lot has happened to me in the last couple of months! I had a new job then it got to be really overwhelming because I had THREE. I moved to a new apartment. And now I am just anticipating a response from my last interview at a property management company! I currently am a new personal chef! I have 4 clients. It truly is amazing to do what you LOVE for work! Anyways, the people I cook for are Paleo Peeps so I will be posting lots of the recipes I have been cooking up for them. Also I will be starting a YouTube Channel with cooking videos in the future! I am going to commit to putting as much focus onto this blog as I can because it truly is something that makes me happy! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @FoodCourtt for the latest news and recipes. I have some giveaways that will be coming up as well!

So here is my BOMB recipe! BTW, Joe said it was "bomb" and that's rare so I am completely soaking every ounce of that up!!

8 Burgers - 217 Calories & 5 WW PointsPlus (Add points and calories for the bun and condiments)

Ingredients:

• 2 Apples (red or yellow preferably)
• 1 Package (12 oz) of turkey bacon
• 1-1.5 lbs of ground turkey
• 2 Cloves of garllic
• 1 Tsp pepper
• 1/2 Tsp salt
• 2 Tsp paprika
• 2 Tsp chili powder

Steps:

1. Pre-Heat Oven to 400°F
2. Place all of the turkey bacon on a sheet tray and cook in oven for 10-20 minutes until desired crispiness is achieved.
3. While bacon is cooking grate 2 apples into a bowl big enough to fit all ingredients. 
4. Add all of the ingredients, including cooked bacon and mix together making sure NOT to over mix.
5. Form 8 patties and place in fridge for 5-10 minutes to help them hold their shape.
6. Grill 6-7 minutes per side & ENJOY!

These Burgers were SOOOO good! They would be good plain or with a lettuce "bun" to be more figure friendly! They also are a great make ahead meal to freeze for the hectic weekdays and pop in an oven at 350°F for 15 minutes or so! Make sure to tag all of my recipes you re-create with #FoodCourtt!

Thank You!

Happy Creating!

Healthy Sweet Potato & Asparagus Hash

Hey Everyone! 

TO DIE FOR!

I hope you all had an awesome weekend and aren't completely dreading that tomorrow is Monday! I am excited because tomorrow starts our first week of my Healthy Changes Challenge! (Click the link for more info) I have been trying to experiment with foods that I love that are bad for you and re-create them in healthier versions! One of my favorite meals for any meal of the day is some good ole hash! It is yummy but really not that good for you! So I have swapped out regular potatoes for sweet potatoes and the bacon for chicken and I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did!! You can totally use this recipe for meatless Monday by taking out the chicken and swapping chicken stock for veggie stock. It will still be as delicious and also fit in with our new 4 week plan!! I hope you are ready for the challenge, get ready for some great changes in your health and the way you feel. xxxCourt

Serves 4 (1 cup per person) - 196 Calories & 5 WW PointsPlus per serving

Ingredients: 

• 2 large Sweet Potatoes (washed, dried & cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 1/2 Onion (roughly chopped_
• 6 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
• 2 cloves garlic (pressed or finely chopped)
• 1/2 bell pepper (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 10 spears asparagus (washed, dried and cut into 2 inch long pieces)
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• OPTIONAL: Fresh parsley to garnish

Steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet tray (with lips so the juices will stay in the pan) with foil.
3. Cut, dice and prep all of your ingredients. 
4. Place all spices into a small bowl and mix together.
5. Heat 1 tsp of EVOO in a large skillet on med/high heat on the stove top.
6. Place sweet potatoes in hot oil and caramelize for 10 minutes making sure to constantly stir.
7. Once sweet potatoes are done place on foiled sheet tray.
8. Add onions, garlic and bell pepper to hot skillet the sweet potatoes were

   

   Right before I dove in!

   in and caramelize for 4 minutes.
9. Once those are done add to sheet tray with sweet potatoes.
10. Add last tsp of EVOO to hot skillet and brown the cubed chicken breast for 10 minutes.
11. Once chicken breast is done add to the sheet tray while adding the chopped up asparagus as well. 
12. Evenly distribute spice mixture over the entire sheet tray and mix together to evenly coat all the ingredients and add 1/2 cup of stock to the bottom of the tray (add 1/4 more stock to bottom if stock isn't cover they entire bottom of tray).
13. Pop into your preheated oven for 15 minutes and then broil for 2 more after that.
14. Serve over a bed of greens or top it with a poached or fried egg and ENJOY!

Happy Creating (:

Grocery List - Get Organized !

Hey There Everyone!!

So since our 31 Day Challenge starts in THREE days I wanted to give you another tool that I use to get organized and prepared for the week. Here is my grocery shopping outline! 

To save this adorable template, right click the picture and save to computer then open it and click print!

It is easy to just print out and post on your fridge and add to it whenever you run out of something or when you sit down and start to plan you meals for the week! Because I go to several stores for my shopping, I usually fill this out then flip it over and write each of the stores names I am going to and organize where I am going to be getting all of those things from! 

Back of my list!

My top tips for saving money and preparing for a shopping trip:

1. ALWAYS make a list. Commit to buying everything plus an extra five things that aren't on the list but NO MORE than FIVE extra.
2. DO NOT GO HUNGRY! I worked at a grocery store and I know from experience that this is the number one way to over spend. 
3. Check out the sales before you make your list and plan your meals. Sometimes this can be time consuming so you can also go and print out a list from online of fruits and veggies and when they are in season and keep it somewhere handy. When you buy whats in season you SAVE.
4. COUPONS COUPONS COUPONS! Get the Sunday paper, they have the best coupons!
5. Buy LOCAL! Farmers markets or stores like Sprouts (my personal favorite) sell local produce at CHEAP prices and you are supporting your local economy which is great too!
6. Learn how to store and prep your food to make it last as long as you can! Pinterest and many other websites have tips like putting onions in pantyhose to last for months!

Don't worry, be happy (:

Top of the morning to ya!

Feeling Gooooood (:

I wanted to talk to you today about the purpose of this blog and my views on being healthy. Being healthy isn't always just about losing weight and becoming physically fit. You could have the most incredible body and eat everything right but without your sanity, your peace of mind and your mental health you have nothing (in my opinion of course). 

I have learned a lot about myself since moving out on my own 6 months ago (WOW, time really flies!!). I guess you could say I went through a tough time mentally and it wasn't until recently that I finally started to feel like Courtney again. I owe a lot of it to my mentor/therapist (she truly is amazing!) and my boyfriend Joe

My love bird, Joseph David

(bless his heart for everything he does) but I also had to work my ass off and start doing new things to change my outlook on life. What I realized that being happy wasn't just a feeling, it's a choice that you have to make every single morning when you wake up. 

God's greatest gift to me, my three beautiful sissys & bestfriends!

So basically what I'm trying to say is that even though this blog is titled "foodCOURTT" (which one of my best friends Ty came up with and I love her forever for her help!) it's much more than just recipes and how to get your physique right, it's about how to feel healthy overall. That's what's important to me. I want to make people more healthy, happy and confident in their own skin! I want you all to love and appreciate who you are from the inside out (: So look out for lots of motivational and positive posts! Hope you all have the most wonderful day! xxxCourt

31 Day Challenge Meal Planner - WEEK 1

Hey Everyone!

Just as I promised here is a print out for you to plan for Week 1 of the 31 Day Challenge! It starts Monday May 20th so make sure to print it out and use it! I also included a print out of the whole challenge again and what it is about! 

To print right click on image and save. Then open the saved document and print! 

Remember "If you fail to plan, then plan to FAIL" xxxCourt

Mini Turkey Meatloafs

Good Evening Everyone!!

Simply Delicious!

Growing up as a kid my dad did a lot of the cooking and one of the recipes he made that I never looked forward to was meatloaf. But as I grew up and my pallet became more refined I grew to love it! Unfortunately most meatloaf today is made with ground beef and that is something I don't allow in my house. So I sat down and created a FULL flavored turkey version that I'm certain won't disappoint! Not to mention they are mini and who doesn't like mini anything?!?

Hope you enjoy these as much as Joe and I!! xxxCourt

Recipe makes 12 - Serving Size 2 Muffins (1/2 Cup Each) - 170 Calories & 4 WW PointsPlus

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Lean ground turkey
• 1/2 Onion (yellow or white)
• 3 Cloves garlic (finely chopped or use garlic press)
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp Hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 tsp Dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1 (8 oz) can Tomato sauce (no salt added preferred)
• 1 tsp Mustard
• 3 tsp Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) for muffin pan to prevent sticking

Steps:

Step 4

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients except EVOO into bowl and mix together until evenly mixed (hands are the best kitchen too ever (: )
3. Oil each of the 12 muffin slots using a paper towel dipped in your EVOO, a misto sprayer like mine (see last post for more info) or a kitchen basting brush.
4. Scoop approximately 1/2 cup of meat picture into each slot and light pack it in. 
5. Cook in oven for 25 minutes and then for 3 minutes on broil after that to brown the tops. (internal temp. should be about 160 degrees)
6. Pull out of the oven after broiling and let sit for 5 minutes before pulling out of tins and serving (unless you want to make a mess haha, I learned this the hard way).
7. Enjoy!

Joe gave this meal 5 stars!

** I topped my two with 1 tsp of mustard and 1 tsp low sodium BBQ sauce mixed together and fresh parsley! 

Second Dinner Tip: Once completely cooled place in tupperware or plastic baggies separating the layers with parchment paper and freeze for future dinners. To cook just pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and place frozen muffins on cooking sheet and cook about 15 minutes to warm up!!

Make sure to use the hash tag #foodCOURTT when you make one of my recipes I love to see them!!

Happy Cooking (: