Pesto Chicken with Stewed Tomatoes

Tonight I experimented with a chicken dish that surprisingly turned out to be pretty incredible! I posted a picture of the finished product, and a dear friend suggested that I write down the recipe so she could have it. I couldn't ignore the request, so here is the recipe.

Pesto Grilled Chicken with Stewed Tomatoes.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
4 tsp. Pesto (either homemade or pre made)
1-2 Roma Tomatoes
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Red Pepper Flakes to tast (i like about 1/2 tsp)
1-2 tsp Olive Oil
1 glove garlic

Directions.
1. salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breasts. rub 1 tsp pesto all over each chicken breast, and marinate in a baggie for 30 min.
2. Once the chicken is done marinating, put them on the grill. Grill both sides for about 4-5 minutes, or until the middle is no longer pink and the juices run clear.
3. while your chicken is one the grill, cut your tomates into 1/4 inch slices. salt and pepper the tomatoes.
4. heat olive oil in skillet. add red pepper flakes and garlic to the oil. once the oil is hot, add your tomatoes and the remaining 2 tsps of pesto.
5. heat the tomatoes for 5-7 minutes.
6. take chicken off the grill and top with the stewed tomatoes.
7. enjoy!!!

Serving suggestion: I served this over 2oz. of whole wheat spaghetti noodles and it was delicious. the pesto sauce from the tomatoes is a perfect light sauce. Could also be served over a salad!!!

This recipe is only 230 calories!! If served with the 2oz. of pasta it adds 180 calories. So basically it is super low in calories , and super high in tastiness!!!

ps. to make the green beans and zucchini, simply cut up your veggies and add them to a skillet with a little olive oil and garlic and sauté them for 6-8 minutes! so fast and so tasty!

 I hope you give this recipe a try!

Happy Eating!
xoxo

Hopeful

Happy New Years!

With the new year, there is always so much talk about resolutions, and commitments and craziness. And usually this stresses me out. I feel like when I make a goal in the middle of the year it is so much easier to accomplish because the expectation to succeed is lessened. There is no pressure to change. and if you do fail, its not the end of the world. But at the new year, everyone is expecting to see a change. Everyone is waiting to see the "new me" emerge. And that's stressful. Everyone is curious to know what things you don't like about yourself and want to change.

And while this does add a level of stress and pressure, this year I am less annoyed by it, and more excited by the challenge.

I want people to hold me accountable. I want people to know my goals and hold me to them. I want people to congratulate me when I eventually accomplish my goals and I want people to feel like they had a place in helping me achieve them.

It's not an original goal, but I'm so excited about it.

I'm losing weight. Tah dah! I know, it's so cliché for a New Years goal, but I feel like its something I need in my life. I need the be healthier. I need to be more aware of my body and its needs. I need to.

I joined Weight Watchers, and so far, I LOVE IT. I've never used a program like this. It's wonderful. It's more than just counting calories, and logging all you eat, although that is part of it.
The WW app really helps me set goals, form habits and love my body.
It also understands that I am human, and I have cravings and I have days I want to splurge. And WW gives me to tools to do this in the best ways possible. It's forgiving and encouraging and it's perfect for my personality.

I started last week, and I weighed in this morning and I have lost 5.2 pounds so far. And I couldn't be more ecstatic. One of the best parts of this New Years goal, is that Alex is doing it too, and we are totally competing to see who can lose the most. It's great to have the friendly competition going on. Plus we have a couple goal. When we lose a certain amount of weight together, we reward ourselves with something fun, like going to the movies, or getting tickets to a baseball game!

One of the parts of dieting that I really do love, is the cooking. I love the challenge of eating/cooking healthy, but delicious meals. So far I think I'm doing pretty good!! At least Alex is still smiling, so that's a good sign. I get lots of inspiration from magazines like Cooking Light and blogs like eatyourselfskinny. I'm also make a killer salad, so that makes healthy eating pretty easy when I'm out of creative ideas!

I'm excited to see what this next year brings!!

I will be giving WW updates every week or so to let y'all know how I'm doing.

Happy Healthy Eating!!

Top 12 from Twenty Twelve.

Is it just me, or does it seem like i was just writing up my 2011 highlights?

Guys, this year FLEW by! I can't even believe it.

I'm excited to do a Top 12. 

This was an excellent year all around!

Here we go.

12. My Best Friends Wedding -- it was so amazing to be in the temple with my best friend Hope and her husband Mark. That whole day was simply magical, and i was so glad i could be a part of it. definitely a huge highlight, was seeing them dance to "I See The Light" from Tangled. I could see Mark beaming, and he was singing along to the words, and if you know mark, you know how amazing of a sight this was! Their dance was one of the most honest, most emotional and most memorable wedding dances i think i will ever see. 

11. Our 1st anniversary -- There is something so special about celebrating ONE WHOLE YEAR of marriage. We were so happy that we made it a whole year without killing each other, and we couldn't believe how much more we could fall in love with each other. We spent an amazing weekend together, going to baseball games, eating tasty treats, and shopping til we dropped. I couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate!

 10. Nanny Trip to Hawaii -- Now this isn't necessarily a 'favorite' moment. but it is definitely memorable. This was my first vacation i had taken with the family i nanny for. There were lots of hidden tears, mental cursing and frustrated texts sent to my husband. But i learned a lot on that trip, and since then, i feel like i have been a better nanny, and a more patient person all around, so that's good i suppose.

9. Annual Memorial Day Lake Roosevelt Trip -- Every year my family goes to the lake for 3 whole days, and every year, it is one of my favorite trips of the whole year. We relax on the boat, go tubing, play cards, picnic, have dance parties, nap, and make amazing memories. 

8. 21st Birthday -- Birthdays have always been a really big deal in my family. I always look forward to my birthday week! forget counting calories and pass me that third piece of cake please. My family, friends and bosses spoiled me rotten this year! 

7. LA Trip -- If you read my blog regularly, you will know that Alex and i both have an insane love for baseball! We love it so much, and we both made have the goal to see a MLB game in every baseball park in the Nation. So for our summer trip this year, we went and saw the Arizona Diamondbacks play the LA Dodgers. It was such a fun experience!! The whole trip to LA was a blast. We also did a session in the LA temple, which was absolutely amazing. 

6. Buying our First HOME!!! -- This is by far my happiest moment from 2012! It was a long crazy road trying to find a house, and it took us almost a year, but man was it worth it. I feel so blessed to be in a home at such a young age. I love everything about our home! We closed on the house August 29th, and moved in on Sept 1. And none of this would have been possible without our amazing realtor, Paul Newcomb. Seriously, that man deserves an award. Love him!

5. Renovating our first home -- I loved being able to pick out my own carpet, paint colors, fridge, sink, furniture, and much more! It's a slow process, since we don't have the money to do it all at once, but every little addition makes me so happy!!

4. Thanksgiving in Utah -- It had been about 2 years since i had seen my cousins up in utah. so when the opportunity to go to Utah fro thanksgiving came up, i couldn't say yes fast enough. We stayed up in park city and just hung out with cousins and aunts and uncles, and it was all just so lovely. my only sadness was that it didn't snow. 

3. Decorating our home for Christmas -- There was something so surreal about decorating my own home for the holidays. I had done it before, but only in the old apartment. It was different knowing that this was the very first of many Christmas Seasons we would be sharing in this house. It was so lovely. 

2. Dying my Hair -- This one is kinda silly, but it really is something that I have loved about 2012. Back in october, i had a girls night with my in-laws, and on whim, i bought a box of dark hair dye. And since then, i have been  brunette and loving it!!! I don't know when i will go back to being my natural blonde self, but for now i'm enjoying the dark side ;)

1. All the small thing My Heavenly Father blesses me with every day -- A good, stable, well paying job. A loving husband. Families who love us. Friends who will always be there for us. And the Gospel, for the truthfulness that it brings into my life.

Here's to an amazing New Year. 

cheers y'all

xoxo

Give Thanks

Dude. This post is way over due. seeing as Thanksgiving is over and all...
but i couldn't let a year go by without writing down a few of the wonderful things i am thankful for.

10. A good job -- I love that i am able to help provide for my little family, and that i am able to do it doing something that i am good at and that i love. I have grown to love and adore the girls that i nanny, and i feel so blessed to be a part of their lives.

9. A new house -- I cannot even begin to explain how blessed i feel to be a homeowner at 21. i mean seriously  how many people in their early twenties are fortunate enough to say that they OWN a 4 bedroom, 2 story home! I love my house and can't wait to make so many amazing memories here!

8. A wonderful Choir family -- I am in an amazing Choir called Resonance. My sweet Mother-in-Law is the director, and there are 30 wonderful members of that choir who have become some of my closest friends. I go to rehearsal ever thursday and i know that no matter how my day was, that the next 2 hours  are going to make everything better. I love singing so much. Its my therapy. And i am so glad that I am able to share my talents and do it with people that i love to dearly.

7. Incredible In-Laws -- Okay, i don't care what anyone says. In-Laws are THE BEST! well, at least mine are! Seriously. My mother-in-law is the most caring, genuine, Christ-like person I have ever met. She is always looking out for me, checking in on me and Alex and doing all she can and then some to make sure we are taken care of. She is always willing to help us with anything and I know I can always talk to her about anything. My father-in-law is hilarious! He can always make me laugh, and is also always willing to help Alex and I with anything. He is full of good advice and spiritual guidance. I also adore all of my brothers and sisters in law. They are all just so accepting and loving. I honestly hit the jackpot when it comes to my second family.

6. My best friends -- I have learned so much from the women in life. They have helped me grow into the woman i am today. They have picked me up when i was at the lowest points in my life and they have celebrated with me when I was at the top. They have laughed with me, and they have cried with me. And i know that they will always be there for me, and i am so grateful for that!

5. Diet Dr. Pepper -- so this one is a little silly. but seriously, sometimes DDP is the only thing that gets me through a rough day! I just love it. :)

4. My Family -- I am so close to my family. I talk to my dad on the phone at least 3 times a week, and i go and visit my mom every chance I get. My sister is my dearest friend and my little brother is already such a huge pilliar in my life and he is only 15! I love that I have such strong relationships with my family.

3. Franklin -- our kitten. He's just so cute and cuddly. :)

2. The Gospel -- I'm so blessed to have been born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I love it and I do all I can to live it every day.

1. My Sweet Husband -- Guys, my husband is da bomb. He is hard working, dedicated, hilarious, sweet, caring, laid pack, patient, goofy, and so stinking handsome!!! There is so much i could say about him, but mostly i will just say that I love him, and he is so perfect for me.

Well there ya have it! my thankful list for 2012!