Did anyone notice that today is Thursday? Yeah, I thought so
It means tomorrow is Friday, and then a long weekend! Excellent! I have a busy weekend ahead, with lots to look forward to, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?
Today was a great day! The sun was shining, it was warm out, the students behaved well (for the most part) and I burned 684 calories at Jazzercise! I wasn’t going to go, mostly because it’s so nice out and I wanted to walk, but I sucked it up and went. I’m glad I did, because I feel a lot better now!
I had a revelation about dinner during class, and I was hoping that my idea would work out as well as it did in my head. What sparked the idea? My friend Mindy’s rolled up workout mat. Intrigued? I thought so. Dinner tonight was
Cheesy Spinach Chicken Roll-Ups
Ingredients
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. finely shredded low fat cheddar cheese
3 cups fresh baby spinach
garlic powder
panko bread crumbs to coat each piece
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375*. Trim each chicken breast, and pound between 2 pieces of plastic wrap until each piece is about 1/4” thick. In the center of each piece, sprinkle some garlic powder, then about 2 Tbsp. of cheese, and spinach (about 1/2 c.). Roll tightly and secure with a toothpick or skewer. Roll each piece in panko, and place in a hot, oven-safe skillet. Cook a few minutes and then transfer chicken to oven. Bake until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Broil about 2 minutes to brown the top. Serve and enjoy!
I cut mine in half so you could see the cool spiral action going on there. I’m quite proud of how cool these came out, and they tasted amazing! I’m glad I didn’t try to “spice” these up too much; just the little bit of garlic powder in each one sufficed. I made some pan-“fried” potatoes to go along with the chicken, and it was a great meal. I’m looking forward to munching on some Turtle Mountain coconut milk ice cream in my new favorite flavor: cookie dough!
But first: I must shower. The curse of working out after work is that by the time I get home from Jazzercise, I’m FREAKING HUNGRY! I generally ignore my stank for a couple hours, cook dinner and eat. Sometimes I get too tired after cooking to even shower after cooking, so I put it off until the morning. I know. Gross.
Tomorrow is the REALLY COOL THING!!! I won’t make you wait very long, at all. The post will be going up at about 6:30 a.m. CDT, so it’s not even 12 hours! Trust me, it’s worth the wait.
Have a wonderful night, and I’ll “see” you all in the morning!










{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks very fancy. Well done. It seems like any time I make some kind of rolled item it falls apart, plus I am not very skilled in the toothpick arena.
I just cannnnnnnn’t take the suspense; I want to know what this REALLY COOL THING is, cause, it sounds REALLY COOL!
jennk/cinnamonquill´s last blog post..The New Samoa Cookie
I can’t WAIT!!! your dinner looks awesome
Ugh! I’m ready for the really cool thing!
DANG that’s a lotta calories! Yay!
Erin´s last blog post..Andrea: Take Action!
Ah, so jealous of last night’s dinner (and guests!!) and tonight’s!! Obvi Mara’s house is the place to go in Chi-town
Hopefully I’ll be there soon!
carolinebee´s last blog post..Studying like WHOA
Looks pretty schmancy! Very creative. I’m so intrigued by the really cool thing!
Victoria´s last blog post..Creative Solutions
***waiting for the really cool thing***
Erin´s last blog post..Why I was late to work
a workout mat inspired your dinner — that is so cool! (and sometimes i put the shower off till morning, too. showering requires a certain level of effort that is hard to come by!)
i’m so excited for the REALLY COOL THING … and it’s just in a matter of hours. yay!
Sarah (Tales of Expansion)´s last blog post..Freeee (for 10 days)
I’m staying up all night to hear the news…
Okay, not really.
Sarah (lovINmytummy)´s last blog post..Eat, Drink & Be LovIN
what a great workout!!
the chicken dish is so pretty and sounds yum. i love it when food looks creative and fun!
mi´s last blog post..raw spaghetti!
The chicken looks great..like a lighter chicken kiev! But what really caught my eye is the ketchup-laden potatoes!! YUM.
Lara (Thinspired)´s last blog post..Worth the Weight? (05/19/09)
go you with the jazzercise!
yay for the really cool thing! double yay for FRIDAY!
Shannon (The Daily Balance)´s last blog post..Daily Delish – Don’t swallow the seeds!
mara! come over and have dinner with us
Pearl´s last blog post..Zongzi (糭子)
cant wait…..
don’t worry – you can relax! i’ll cook
Pearl´s last blog post..Zongzi (糭子)
The cheesy spinach chicken roll ups look great!!!
Your jazzercise class sounds like a great workout!!!
Krista´s last blog post..A New Grain, a Fairy and Free Coffee
That is such a wonderful looking meal! I am so making this next week for dinner sometime. Thanks for an awesome idea and have a great weekend!
Quix´s last blog post..Out Living
Ooo what a great and easy dinner!!!! I am always looking for new uses for Panko…love the stuff
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats´s last blog post..Off to a Good Start
good idea I LOVE stuffing chicken especially with spinach
Jessica´s last blog post..Super Simple Chicken BBQ