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Main Dish

BBQ Bacon Chicken

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INGREDIENTS

  • 4 chicken breasts

  • 1 cup barbecue sauce, divided

  • 8 slices of bacon, cooked

  • 4 slices of provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce and the chicken breasts. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes or more.

  2. Preheat grill to medium high.

  3. Add chicken and grill for 4-5 minutes and then flip over. Grill for 3 more minutes and then top with a spoonful of barbecue sauce to each chicken breast, then 2 slices of bacon and 1 slice of provolone cheese. Grill for 2 more minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 and cheese is melted.

  4. Remove from grill and enjoy!

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Main Dish

How To Cook Steak

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Kitchen Gadgets For The Perfect Steak

  • Cast Iron Skillet

  • Thermometer (I use a ThermoWorks Themapen)

INGREDIENTS

  • Steak of choice (I love this method with filet mignon and kobe skirt steaks)

  • Salt and pepper

  • Steak Seasoning of choice (optional)

  • 1 tbsp grassfed butter

  • 1 tsp minced garlic

  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

  • 1.4 tsp onion powder

  • Garlic salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

  2. Place a cast iron skillet over high heat. While the cast iron is heating up, sprinkle the pan with sea salt and a tsp of oil.

  3. Sprinkle the steak with sea salt, pepper and any steak seasonings of choice.

  4. Once the cast iron is done preheating, place the steaks on the pan for 2 1/2 minutes per side, then grab the cast iron (don’t forget the pot holder!!!) and place in the oven.

  5. Depending on the thickness of your steak, cook for 4-7 minutes. This is where the Therapen comes in handy! Based on the temperatures below, you want to bake in the oven at 450° until the steak reaches your desired doneness.

    • RARE: 120°

    • MEDIUM RARE: 130°

    • MEDIUM: 140°

    • MEDIUM WELL: 150°

    • WELL DONE: 160°+

  6. I personally prefer a Rare/medium rare steak so I check my steak around 4-5 minutes and remove from the oven when it reaches 120. A thicker steak will require longer cooking times.

  7. Remove the steak from the oven and set on plate to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it. If you are using garlic butter, add 1 tsp to the top of each steak while they are resting.

  8. Enjoy!

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Recipes

Cheesy Garlic Roasted Broccoli

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 crowns of broccoli, about 4 cups

  • 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

  • 2 tsp of garlic, minced

  • Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

  2. In a ceramic baking dish, coat with non-stick cooking spray and add broccoli florets, then sprinkle with salt.

  3. Bake for 20 minutes, covered.

  4. Meanwhile, combine cheddar cheese and garlic.

  5. Remove broccoli from the oven and top with cheese mixture. Return to oven for another 10 minutes, uncovered. Broccoli should be starting to get tender and cheese should be melted completely. Depending on how large your broccoli florets are, you may need to cook another 3-5 minutes to get the broccoli more tender.

  6. Remove from oven and enjoy!

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Lifestyle

Hello September!

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September is a special month for me. It marks the anniversary of when I made the decision to start taking care of myself – inside and out. I was 215 pounds, incredibly out of shape, unhappy and very insecure in myself. I had told myself a million times that I would start on Monday. Monday would come and go and I kept giving myself excuses of why I couldn’t. But one day it hit me that whatever I wasn’t changing – I was CHOOSING.

I didn’t want to choose a life of being insecure, unhappy and frankly unhealthy. I was done putting it off, I was done accepting mediocrity and I was done treating my body like crap.

So, I started. And 8 years later, I haven’t looked back.

Girl, if you know you can do better – DO BETTER. It is never too late to change and ditch the excuses. We only have ONE life and ONE body!

Celebrating my 8 year fitness anniversary a little early with a Pink Lily haul of new fall items! Nothing better than buying clothes, not worrying if they will fit and feeling good in ANY style you love! Hard work pays off!

If you check out Pink Lily, use my code, JESSDUKES20 for an extra 20% off! They have SO many new fall sweaters in! CLICK HERE to shop my outfits!

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Uncategorized

Hello September!

118711727_5001176903240988_3073492990286902179_o.jpg

September is a special month for me. It marks the anniversary of when I made the decision to start taking care of myself – inside and out. I was 215 pounds, incredibly out of shape, unhappy and very insecure in myself. I had told myself a million times that I would start on Monday. Monday would come and go and I kept giving myself excuses of why I couldn’t. But one day it hit me that whatever I wasn’t changing – I was CHOOSING.

I didn’t want to choose a life of being insecure, unhappy and frankly unhealthy. I was done putting it off, I was done accepting mediocrity and I was done treating my body like crap.

So, I started. And 8 years later, I haven’t looked back.

Girl, if you know you can do better – DO BETTER. It is never too late to change and ditch the excuses. We only have ONE life and ONE body!

Celebrating my 8 year fitness anniversary a little early with a Pink Lily haul of new fall items! Nothing better than buying clothes, not worrying if they will fit and feeling good in ANY style you love! Hard work pays off!

If you check out Pink Lily, use my code, JESSDUKES20 for an extra 20% off! They have SO many new fall sweaters in! CLICK HERE to shop my outfits!

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Recipes

Parmesan Asparagus

INGREDIENTS

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  • 1 bundle of asparagus

  • Olive oil cooking spray

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • Sea salt

  • 3 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

  2. Prepare asparagus by rinsing and cutting off the ends.

  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place asparagus on the baking sheet.

  4. Sprinkle with garlic powder and sea salt to taste.

  5. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the asparagus from the oven and top with parmesan cheese. Return to oven for another 4-5 minutes, or until parmesan cheese is melted and starting to turn golden brown.

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Recipes

Parmesan Zucchini Fries

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INGREDIENTS

  • 2 zucchinis, cut length wise into fries

  • 1 tsp olive oil

  • 1/3 cup fresh parmesan, shredded

  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan

  • 1/2 tsp paprika

  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp oregano

  • 1/2 tsp basil, dried

  • Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat your oven or air fryer to 400 degrees.

  2. In a bowl, combine zucchini fries and olive oil. Gentle stir together and then add fresh parmesan, grated parmesan, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, basil and salt. Mix together.

  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.

  4. Add zucchini to the baking sheet. There will be a lot of the cheese mixture still in the bowl. Sprinkle mixture over the zucchini fries.

  5. Bake in air fryer for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown. If baking in the oven, bake for about 15 minutes.

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Recipes

Pepperjack Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups brussels sprouts

  • 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 1/2 tsp salt, (more or less, to taste)

  • 1 cup pepperjack cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Trim and slice brussels sprouts and cut in half.

  3. In a large bowl, combine brussels sprouts with olive oil, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder and sea salt.

  4. Lay brussels sprouts cut side down on a non stick baking sheet, then top with onions and slighly spray with cooking spray.

  5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until brussels sprouts are tender, then remove from heat and add chesse. Return to heat for another 5 minutes.

  6. Remove from heat and enjoy!

This recipe works great with broccoli too!

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Recipes

Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls

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SPRING ROLL INGREDIENTS

  • 8 sheets of rice paper

  • 1 head of butter lettuce, leaves torn

  • 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced

  • 1 medium carrot, julienned or thinly sliced

  • 1 cucumber, julienned or thinly sliced

  • 1 red pepper, thinly sliced

PEANUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS

  • ⅓ cup natural peanut butter

  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar

  • 2 tbsp liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

  • 2 tbsp honey

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil

  • 1.5 tsp garlic, minced

  • Water, as needed

DIRECTIONS

  1. Fill a shallow pan with an inch of warm water. A pie pan works great. Have a clean cutting board ready and all of your spring roll fillings within reach.

  2. Place one piece of rice paper in the water. Be sure it is fully covered and wait about 20 seconds. Rice paper is tough to work with, but the key is not letting it get too sticky.

  3. Once the paper is ready, lay it carefully on the cutting board. Add 1-2 pieces of torn butter lettuce in the middle, leaving about 1 inch of rice paper around the edges for folding. Add cabbage, cucumber, carrots and red pepper.

  4. Fold one side over the fillings, then fold the ends up like you would a burrito. Tuck the fillings in and tightly roll up. Repeat with the rest of the 7 rice paper wrappers and fillings.

  5. To make the peanut sauce: In a small bowl, add all peanut sauce ingredients and mix together. Add water (1-2 tbsps) until it reaches desired thickness.

  6. Serve spring rolls immediately with peanut sauce on the side!

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Main Dish

Cauliflower Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

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SERVES 6 COOKING TIME: 40 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large head Cauliflower (cut into small florets)

  • 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

  • 1/2 lb of deli black forest ham, diced in 1 inch pieces

  • 8 ounces light cream cheese

  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth

  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp dijon mustard

  • 1 tbsp butter

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 8 slices of swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Pour about an inch of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add cauliflower and cover for 5 minutes. You should be able to put a fork through it. Remove from heat and set aside.

  3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium low heat, add cream cheese, chicken broth, dijon mustard, butter, lemon juice and salt. If sauce is too thick, you can add more chicken broth, but sauce will continue to thin while it bakes! Stir until fully melted and mixed, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

  4. Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Add chicken, ham and cauliflower, then top with cream cheese sauce. Mix sauce around so it is evenly distributed. Top with slices of swiss cheese.

  5. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 then turn up the temperature to 425 for the last 5 minutes so the top gets golden brown!

  6. Remove from heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes, then slice into 6 servings!

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Recipes

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

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SERVES 1

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 chicken breast

  • 1 tsp olive oil

  • 1 tsp BBQ seasoning, I used Flavor God’s Honey BBQ Seasoning

  • 3 cups of greens (I used a mix of chopped romaine and mixed greens)

  • 1/2 tomato, diced

  • 2 tbsp red onion, chopped

  • 1/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

  • 2 tbsp Bolthouse Greek Yogurt Ranch

  • 2 tbsp Stubbs Sweet and Spicy Sugar Free Barbecue Sauce

  • 2 tbsp green onion, chopped

  • 1 small avocado, cut in half, pit removed

  • Optional: tortilla strips

DIRECTIONS

  1. Turn barbecue on to medium high heat. While the grill is preheating, rub chicken breast with olive oil and barbecue seasoning.

  2. Grill chicken breast for 3-4 minutes per side, or until cooked thoroughly. Remove from heat and let the chicken breast rest.

  3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, add greens, tomato, red onion and black beans.

  4. Chop up the chicken and add to the salad.

  5. Slice avocado and use a spoon to add it to the salad.

  6. Top salad with ranch, bbq sauce and green onion. TIP: I like to add a tiny bit of water to the ranch so it is more pourable and goes further!

  7. Optional, add some tortilla strips for an added crunch!

2B MINDSET: Perfect lunch option! Remove the black beans and it becomes a perfect veggies most dinner!

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