Enjoy yourself AND Get Healthier

Melissa and I recently did something that we haven’t done enough of lately.

We had 2 couples over for a dinner date. One of the couples has 2 kids. We made some good food (more on that below) and had a ball!

One of the couples brought their 2 kids which was great as all the kids ate and played together while the adults hung out.

I wanted to tell you about one of the conversations we had and I hope it will help you.

The main course was one of my personal favorites, chicken picata. The best part is it was completely healthy, breaded with wheat germ rather than bread crumbs.

The meal wasn’t perfectly healthy as we had beer, wine, and ice cream but I did make a healthier version of the classic brownie.

It wasn’t made with any flour and I told them that they had to eat them before I told them what it was made of. Thankfully everyone ate them and absolutely LOVED them. Some even went back for another one.

I finally told them what they were made of and they were shocked to learn that the base of the brownies was made from black beans.

Again, were they perfectly healthy? Probably not as they were made with honey as well as chocolate chips and topped with vanilla ice cream. But they were much better than a lot of other options.

OK back to the conversation I mentioned.

One of our guests, my friend John, mentioned how you really can eat healthier and still enjoy yourself. And that’s the point I want you to take away. People think it’s so hard and it’s such a sacrifice to eat more supportively and live a healthier lifestyle. On the contrary, a healthy lifestyle should be more enjoyable. It doesn’t mean you can never have your favorite foods. Just keep in mind that a bite of your favorite treat is just as satisfying as a whole box.

Here’s to living healthier AND enjoying life!

Here are the recipes for both the Healthy Chicken Picata and the Black Bean brownies. Enjoy!

Chicken Picata

1. Gather 2 chicken breasts and slice them in half to make cutlets or use thin cutlets

2. I like to bread the chicken using 2 eggs and wheat germ

3. Heat a skillet with avocado oil and butter and fry the chicken.

4. Remove the chicken. Add additional butter to the pan with capers, garlic, and white wine. Simmer.

5. Serve the chicken alongside the sauce.

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained, and rinsed

• ¼ cup honey

• 1/3 cup coconut oil melted

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 packet stevia

• ¼ cup cocoa powder

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• 2 large eggs

• ¾ cup chocolate chips divided

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8″ baking pan and set aside.

2. Put beans, coconut oil, stevia and honey into the container of your food processor. Blend until well combined.

3. Add cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Blend until smooth.

4. Add in eggs and blend.

5. Mix in ½ cup chocolate chips by hand.

6. Pour into greased 8×8-inch pan and top with remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is set and brownies are just barely pulling away from the sides.

8. Let cool, cut and ENJOY!

9. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat for 15 seconds in the microwave to restore the fresh-from the oven gooeyness.

We also served with mashed cauliflower so just let me know if you want that recipe.