Sometimes you just need a dinner that tastes really good but also doesn’t make you hate yourself for eating it afterward, am i right? I love comfort food like the next southern girl but lately its not been so nice for my waistline. You might remember I did a 3 week vegan cleanse in February and lost 10 pounds, after the cleanse I kept eating healthy (green smoothies for breakfast, etc.) but somehow the weight just popped right back on my waistline. I think this is what happens from having children, basically if I’m not heavily dieting and exercising a lot then I go right back to the spot I was at right after having my second baby, my body just wants to be 10 pounds heavier than my clothes are and I’m so over it. Does anyone else have this problem?! So basically i’m going to try my hardest to eat well and exercise more (since that seems to be the only answer) so i signed up for the Hospital Hill half-marathon in June and made these peanut chicken lettuce wraps.
Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Makes enough for 4 people
2 Chicken Breasts, chopped
1 cup diced carrots ( i used 3 large)
1 large bell pepper, or multiple small ones, diced
1 tablespoon sesame oil (or coconut)
large leaf lettuce (i used butter lettuce)
Peanut Sauce:
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/3 cup water
Over medium heat cook chopped chicken in oil. Once the chicken is mostly cooked add the veggies and a little bit of S&P. I let them cook for a few seconds and then covered to keep the moisture in while cooking. While the veggies and chicken are cooking make the sauce. Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Once the chicken and veggies are done cooking (about 5-8 minutes) pour the sauce over and mix until combined. Leave over medium heat until the sauce warms up, just a few minutes and then serve in lettuce “bowls”.
I have served this over rice in the past but since i’m trying to decrease in size these days i figured lettuce would be the way to go. 😉 Also i wanted to share with you a little organizing tip that i did about a year ago that i really love. I added command hooks to the side of my fridge to hang my hot pads on. I love this little trick because it frees up a drawer and keeps them at the ready when i need to grab something out of the oven.
Happy Tuesday friends. I’ll be pounding the pavement this morning for 4 miles, so if you happen to see a crazy girl in a bright pink headband running and singing out loud to Katie Perry- wave! 😉