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 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.
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Ta-Da, it's dinner |
Thanks to Mariano's and Collective Bias for this opportunity!
On to the recipes:
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.
Want more recipes like mine? Connect with Mariano's on Twitter and Facebook, or check out their community page, which has new content weekly.
12 comments:
Have you seen Guy's Grocery Games on Food Network?! You should try out for that show! I personally hate grocery shopping but enjoy watching the shenanigans!
I haven't spent much time in Marianos, but they're building one a half mile from me so I'm sure I'll be there soon enough!
I actually get invitations to try out for those shows pretty frequently. I don't think I'm great on camera and always feel ill prepared for these things. I'd love to have a cooking show, if I could get over my nerves!
which Marianos did you go to? We love it there.
Yum! Looks delicious!
I literally CANNOT wait until the Mariano's in Gurnee opens. I could spend a long time there...between the baked goods, the endless build-your-own-everything bars, samples, etc.! I thought it was a high priced Trader Joe's at first, but then I saw their prices on some regular items and was pretty impressed!
PS- I agree with Lauren- you'd be fantastic! What invitations have you received? I can give you a little on-camera advice...(being a former TV show contestant myself ;-) I totally think you should go for it!
Looks really good, Kelly! Like you, I'm not a Brussels sprout fan, but perhaps, raw is the ticket. Mariano's bought out our local Dominick's so I look forward to checking it out soon!
Looks really good, Kelly! Like you, I'm not a brussel sprout fan, but perhaps, raw is the ticket. And toasted quinoa as a crumb coating is genius! Mariano's bought out our local Dominick's so I look forward to checking it out soon!
I was invited to audition for a commercial, which I went through with and did not enjoy. I've also received invites to audition for two separate reality TV cooking shows. I can't remember the titles, but I was intimidated because one had Anthony Bourdain as a judge and the other included Gordon Ramsey. Scary stuff! What show were you on?
I still haven't been to a Mariano's but now that Dominick's is closed I think I'll be giving it a shot. Plus there is one opening up on my way home from work.
This Christmas season has not been nice to me and my pants. I need less cookies and more vegetables.
Right there with you, friend. We'll just burn it off training, right?
I've never heard of using quinoa as a coating on chicken, yum! Good luck on your Ironman quest:) #client
That sounds yummy!!! I don't believe I have had quinoa, or if I have I do not remember. I love the way you used it as crust. And I LOVE brussel sprouts so that part sounds delicious! #client
Kris
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