Gearing up for another challenge

As you may have noticed, I've gotten a little of course over the last couple weeks. Between traveling and trying to balance an unpredictable work schedule, my diet has been pretty inconsistent. It took me years of struggles with every diet under the sun, and non stop body image issues, to finally figure out what works best for me. Even now, I'm continuing to learn so much, and am realizing finding the RIGHT information was key. Knowing what I know now is empowering in a lot of ways because I understand what I need to eat if I want to feel great. The flip side is that I'm really limited on what I can eat when not at home. My big struggle is going to be getting in the habit of prepping meals for the week, once I take on full time work hours. I've decided that what really helps keep me on track is experimenting in the kitchen and sharing my adventures via this blog. That being said, I've decided that I want to embark on 21 days of super clean eating starting Monday (4/8). My goal is to fuse "The Virgin Diet" and Paleo into a custom regime that works for me. I like using the vegan protein shakes and I don't want to give up eggs, but other than that I'm good with the other restrictions. I want to try out some new recipes, with a specific focus on reinventing traditionally unhealthy meals. I think it'll be fun, and I'm eager to get back in the kitchen and create.

Last night I made coconut crusted chicken, and I just wish I would remember to make this on nights when I have more time. I rushed home from CrossFit and got to work, but to really get the chicken golden brown, you need to a lot about 25-30mins of bake time. Add that to prep time, and it takes about 45mins to get dinner on the table. Yes, I relaize this is actually pretty quick, but when you're hungry after a long day, you want something NOW.

Here is what you'll need:

1 lb chicken breast
1/2 coconut flour
1 large egg
1/4 cup plain coconut milk
3/4 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
S&P

Prep is super easy. I preheated the oven to 425 and then cubed the chicken (think chick filet nuggets). Then I set up my dredging station which consisted of a plate of coconut flour seasoned with S&P, egg wash (beaten egg and coconut milk), and unsweetened coconut flakes seasoned with salt. I started with the coconut flour, then dunked the chicken in the egg wash, and finally in the coconut flakes. I repeated this and spread the chick over a parchment covered pan. You definitely need to be patient with these, and it helps to not be starving when you make them. These nuggets got good reviews from Chad, and I enjoyed then as well.

I served the nuggets along with a big salad and some roasted asparagus.