Back on Track with Mariano's Health Key System

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

The past two weeks have been a total whirlwind. Between beaching it up in Mexico and celebrating the holidays multiple times with our families, my healthy eating resolve has been a little less resolute. So I was pretty psyched to get invited to try Mariano's health key system this month. Basically, I need to cut back on this:

And increase this:

Because the Ironman waits for no one. I treated December as a bit of an off season, doing my workouts and enjoying the best treats of the season. But now it's time for dedication and focus. I gained roughly eight pounds during my self-prescribed down time, so I'm ready to get back to business and peel this weight off before the training gets hot and heavy. Every pound I can lose now is weight I don't have to carry 140.6 miles come September. Enter, the Mariano's health key.

It's a wellness program aimed at streamlining your shopping process to make it easy to make healthy choices. There are color-coded tags throughout the store identifying options for a variety of specialized dietary needs, like vegan, gluten free, organic and lean. I relied on the tags as I zipped through the store.

It's a shame I was working on posting a PR for grocery shopping speed, because I feel like I could waste an afternoon here. It's like my Candyland - there's a build your own trail mix bar, a huge array of spices, a salad bar, a sweet microbrew selection and the most amazing bakery case. Be still, my heart, and look away.

 

But not before the samples. Always, samples.

 

I set out to create a healthy, protein-packed dinner with enough leftovers for the next day. I ended up with a chicken breast entree with a crunchy quinoa crust held in place by a dijon mustard and dill glaze. The quinoa provides and awesome texture and holds in the moisture of the chicken.

I paired it with a Brussel sprout slaw, which let me tell you, was damn adventurous for me. I have never, ever had a Brussel sprout. But when I saw them in the store for $2 a pound, I figured now was the time to try it.

I shredded the sprouts in the food processor, then threw in toasted walnuts from the bulk bins and fresh Parmesan I bought at the cheese counter. I made a little vinaigrette to go with it and I'm pretty impressed with my culinary prowess on this one. It's crunchy and tangy, thanks to the dressing, and held up well for leftovers, too.

Ta-Da, it's dinner

I was actually really impressed with Mariano's and the health key. For whatever reason, I've never ventured into one of their stores, despite the fervent loyalty the establishment garners here in suburbia. I think I was under the impression it was an expensive option, but my dinner ingredients cost less than $20 with plenty leftover for lunches and perhaps another chicken dish.

Thanks to Mariano's and Collective Bias for this opportunity!

On to the recipes:

Quinoa Crusted Chicken Recipe

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon dried dill

4 chicken breasts, pounded to flatten

Cooking spray

Start by spread out the cooked quinoa in a baking dish and toasting in a 300-degree oven for 20 minutes or until dried and brown. While that bakes, combine the mustard and dill in a shallow dish and flatten out the chicken breasts. You don't need to make them completely flat, just a uniform thickness to aid in even cooking.

Once the quinoa is toasted, spread the mustard mixture evenly over the chicken, then roll in the quinoa and place on a baking sheet. Cook for 25 minutes at 425 degrees or until cooked through and browned on the outside.

Brussel Sprout Slaw Recipe

1 1/2 pounds Brussel sprouts

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

After washing the sprouts, shred using a food processor. Mix in the walnuts and Parmesan. Place remaining ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Top the slaw with the dressing and add salt and pepper per your taste buds.

Want more recipes like mine? Connect with Mariano's on Twitter and Facebook, or check out their community page, which has new content weekly.