Happy Valentine's Day!

This isn't really a Valentine's Day related post, but I'm taking the night off of work so I have some time to write.  We've tried some new recipes lately that I want to comment on.  I'm feeling better this week, not quite as tired.  I have been trying to track my food using sparkpeople as well, aiming for a low carb count each day.  I've been quite successful, so we'll how things on the scale look this weekend.  No exercise this week since my ankle is still healing.  Gymnastics class was interesting today as walking fast still hurts.  I'm kind of wondering how long it will take for me to get back to running and playing soccer.  I was hoping just a week off, but at this point I'm thinking more like 2-3.  It's weird because it's not real swollen or turning colors, just painful to the touch in certain areas and so stiff it hurts to move it certain ways.

Chicken Fingers 

We had this last night, with veggies and quinoa for the kids/Jon.  I made some small modifications.  First, we haven't been buying boneless, skinless chicken breasts due to cost.  I cut up 2 split chicken breasts.  I also don't use parts of eggs much, so I used 2 whole eggs instead of egg whites.  These turned out great (well, the first batch).  The kids gobbled them up and there were no leftovers.  One word of caution, be careful if you make 2 batches in the same pan.  I must have turned the heat up to melt some more coconut oil for round 2 and forgot to turn it back down.  I burned the second round, although not horribly and we still ate them.  So just a word of warning.  But this will definitely be something that we make again!

Tonight we did our old stand by, "chicken spaghetti" in the crockpot.  I had planned to make spaghetti squash with it, but Jon bought butternut squash.  So we had veggies and everyone else also had more quinoa.  We still have a lot of that left.  It's funny to me how Carolyn loves the sauce.  In case anyone is wondering, here's the super easy recipe:

Chicken Tomato Sauce

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

6 to 8 boneless chicken breast halves, skin removed

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

3 tablespoons water

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano, crushed

4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

If desired, brown the chicken in hot oil; drain. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken in slow cooker. Combine tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, garlic, oregano and sugar; pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken and keep warm. Turn cooker to high heat setting, stir mozzarella cheese into sauce. Cook uncovered, till cheese melts and sauce is heated through. Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked spaghetti. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Serves 6 to 8.