Italian food gets a bad rap as being a "no-no" for anyone who's trying to eat healthy. Most people associate it with lots of cheese, oil, and bread. (Think of Olive Garden and their unlimited breadsticks.) Sure, if you go to an restaurant and order the four-layer lasagna with Italian sausage, that's going to be loaded with fat and calories. But if you stick with whole wheat pasta and tomato-based sauce, there are tons of Italian dinners you can make with only 400 or 500 calories.
My in-laws were in town tonight. I had a bunch of chicken breasts in the freezer and pasta sauce in the cabinet, so I made one of my personal favorites: chicken parmesan.
I've cooked it before, but the breading never came out right. The bread crumbs didn't quite stick, so it wasn't crispy. But this time around I tried something different, and it turned out--in my father-in-law's words--"spectacular."
350 calories for the chicken, if you stick to a serving about the size of a deck of cards. One cup of whole wheat linguine will add another 180 calories.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can use more or less, but you'll have to adjust the ingredients accordingly)
1 package of fresh mozzarella (you can also use slices or the shredded kind, but the fresh stuff--the kind that comes in a big hunk--tastes so much better)
1 jar of marinara sauce
2 cups of corn flake cereal, crushed (I put them in a ziplock bag and crushed them with a meat mallet, but you can use a rolling pin, too)
1 cup of Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 box of whole wheat linguine (optional--I like to set the chicken on a bed of noodles)
Oregano (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine crushed corn flakes and bread crumbs in a bowl and set aside. Crack eggs into a separate bowl.
3. Cover each chicken breast with a piece of parchment paper and pound it flat, until it's about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Take each chicken breast and dip it in the raw egg, making sure to coat it thoroughly. Then roll it around in the corn flake-bread crumb mixture until coated. Place each breast on a baking sheet lined with tin foil, then cover them with marinara sauce.
5. Bake the chicken at 400 degrees. After 30 minutes, pull them out to see how done they are. (I check them by cutting into the center of the thickest piece.) You may need a total of 35 minutes, or you might need 45. The thinner the chicken breasts are, the faster they'll cook. When they're about 6-7 minutes from being done, place a slice of the fresh mozzarella on top of each breast. (If you put it on earlier, it might burn.) Season with oregano.
I usually make a salad with Italian food, but this time I chopped up eggplant, carrots, grape tomatoes, and asparagus, tossed them with garlic and olive oil, and roasted them in the oven.
In case you haven't noticed, I try to incorporate fruits and vegetables into all my meals. If you shop at a chain grocer like Kroger, produce can be incredibly expensive, and it spoils fast. That's why a lot of people don't eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables. But I found an independent market up the street from where I live that has ridiculously cheap seasonal produce--I can walk out with a week's worth that costs $5. If you're trying to eat healthier, I'd check out local farmer's markets and small shops.
I'm also a Starbucks fiend, but since that's overpriced too (has anyone noticed their small-sized coffee is the size of your palm and costs something like $3.25?), I make a lot of coffee drinks at home. Tonight I made an "Italian latte": Coffee, two tablespoons of CoffeeMate Italian Sweet Creme creamer, light whipped cream, and cinnamon and sugar. 90 calories.
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