what's for dinner tonight {baked sweet&sour chicken}.

i {heart} pinterest for many reasons. but one of them is the oh-so-delish recipes i come across on there. really. some of my new favs i have found on pinterest. and i always enjoy trying out new dinners for my family... especially when they are a hit!

and this one was.

if you're on pinterest, i'm sure you have seen this recipe making it's rounds. as a self-admitted chinese food lover, it definitely caught my eye. and i already had all the ingredients in my pantry to make it. even better. so it was quickly placed on my menu to make last week.

let's just say it was absolutely scrumptious. like... really, really good.

nick doesn't really get over-the-top excited about what i prepare for dinner because he always says he likes everything i make. which honestly is true. if you know my husband you know that getting over-the-top excited about anything a) isn't his personality and b) he really does love pretty much everything i cook and tells me that all the time(with the exception of these peanut noodles i liked to make that he put the kibosh to).

anyway, let's just say this meal roused raving reviews from my laid-back husband. he said it was better than any chinese takeout. aaaaand i even got a text message from him the next day when he took the leftovers with him to work, thanking me for what a great cook i am.

awwww.

so, here's the recipe. go make it! your tastebuds (and if you're married, your husband) will thank you.

baked sweet&sour chicken

* 3-4 chicken breasts
* 1 c. cornstarch
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1/4 c. canola oil
* salt&pepper

* 3/4 c. sugar
* 4 T. ketchup
* 1/2 c. vinegar
* 1 T. soy sauce
* 1 t. garlic salt

- cut chicken into bite sized chunks and season with salt&pepper.
- coat chicken in cornstarch and then dip into beaten eggs. (tip: to minimize messiness, try designating one hand to only be in the cornstarch, and one to only be in the eggs... otherwise it can become one, big goopy mess!)
- heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken until browned, but not cooked the whole way through.
- place chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish. whisk together sweet&sour sauce and pour over chicken.
- bake at 325 degrees for one hour, turning the chicken every fifteen minutes.

we ate ours with some rice, asian vegetables and these lowfat veggie egg rolls we buy and cook in our toaster oven. deeeeelish.

seriously, go make it.

(and... i calculated points for this recipe on the weight watchers points plus plan; it has approximately 10 points per 1 cup. pair with some veggies and you've got a fantastic dinner!)

what's for dinner tonight {healthy chinese chicken salad}.

i *love* salads. i really, really do. and i really love chinese chicken salads... and yall know how much i love my crockpot, so this recipe changed my life.

seriously.

you need to try this!! lately whenever i cook something asian, nick doesn't love it so much. which is especially strange because i could "make" him a bowl of cereal for dinner and he would love it. i made a stir fry the other night with bok choy, carrot, water chestnuts, lean organic pork in soy sauce with fresh garlic and ginger... yum. he wasn't a big fan. i also make amazing peanut noodles with my own peanut sauce by whisking together peanut butter, soy sauce, honey and orange juice. he says it's too "peanut-buttery" {sigh} so... i was pretty sure he may not like this one, but i wanted to give it a try anyway.

end result: one. happy. husband. he loved it. maybe even more than i did, which is pretty amazing! here's the recipe. go make it. right now.

(note: this recipe is for 2 servings although you will have alot of dressing... just double other ingredients for larger serving amounts and keep the dressing the same; you should have enough of this dressing for four salads. adapted from fix it and forget it lightly cookbook, p.34)

healthy chinese chicken salad

marinade:
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 T. fresh ginger, grated
* 2 T. honey
* 3 T. low sodium soy sauce
* 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen

dressing:
* 1/2 c. rice wine vinegar (i just used white since we had it on hand)
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 t. fresh ginger, grated
* 1 T. honey
* i added a few dashes of soy sauce, too... just season according to your preference

salad:
* shredded romaine lettuce
* 1 lg. carrot, julienned
* 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
* 1 pkg. tofu shirataki noodles (LOVE these! they are lowfat, lowcarb, gluten-free and taste amazing!!)
* crushed peanuts for garnish (i used sunflower seeds since we didn't have any peanuts)

- whisk marinade together. place chicken in crockpot, coat with marinade. cook chicken on low 6 to 8 hrs. (note: i put my meat in frozen since i am gone in the afternoons... that way, it cooks longer and i find it is more moist this way)
- remove chicken from crockpot, set aside to cook. in a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and whisk together.
- place lettuce, carrot and cilantro on plates. with two forks, shred chicken and place ontop of salads.
- remove noodles from package and rinse well in cold water. after thouroughly rinsing and draining dry, place ontop of chicken. drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with peanuts.

a-maz-ing. not even joking. and healthy, too which is a double bonus in our house.
nutritional facts: (130 calories, 2.5 g fat, 21 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate)

enjoy!