Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

I don't remember if it was Chili's or Applebee's (because honestly, who can tell the difference between the two), but I remember watching TV and seeing a commercial for Bruschetta Chicken and thinking, wow that looks good.  And my next thought was, hey, I can make that!

When Aaron and I began our weight loss journey, which happened to coincide with having a child and realizing that going out to eat all the time was pretty ridiculous, one of the things we gave up was going out to dinner unless it was worth going out for.  That pretty much meant that we needed to go out for dinner for things that we couldn't get at home or things that were really good.  Woodstock's Pizza, for one.  Chinese food, Sushi, those kinds of things.  But we didn't want mediocre, so we have our favorites and once a week or so we hit those restaurants.

One of the things that helped me realize how much I love too cook is finding things I like and making them myself.  So after watching this commercial, I decided to do just that.

Bruschetta is delicious   It's great on little toasts as an appetizer, or in this recipe just slap it on some grilled chicken, add pasta, and enjoy!

I never did get a chance to try that Bruschetta Chicken that I saw on the TV, but this has become a really tasty and healthy favorite in my house.

Bruschetta Chicken

Bruschetta Chicken with Penne Pasta and grilled Squash

2 boneless, skinnless chicken breasts
4 oz. whole grain spaghetti
2-3 cups bruschetta (recipe follows)

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper then place on grill (I like my George Foreman for this for easy clean up, but the grill outside works too!).  Cook the spaghetti and divide into two servings.  Should be approximately 4.25 oz of cooked spaghetti.  Slice chicken and place on pasta.  Divide Bruschetta in half and spoon it on.  You can really have as much of the Bruschetta as you like.  Enjoy!

My homemade Bruschetta with Basil from my garden!

Bruschetta:
4-6 Whole Roma Tomatoes
1/2 cup of Fresh Basil (or so)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 tsp kosher salt (or so)
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Dice the tomatoes, chop the basil and throw it with all the other ingredients in a bowl together.  For best results let it marinate for a few hours before serving the chicken.  The measurements are approximate because I am really bad about measuring, so play around with it and just make sure it tastes good!

I really like this recipe for a light dinner.  The biggest things to watch for is not to serve yourself too much pasta!  One serving is 2 oz of uncooked pasta and most of the time, that is enough.  Serve a nice salad or steamed broccoli on the side.  If you're grilling outside, corn, squash, zucchini, or anything else grillable can go on right with your chicken!

I have a few more copycat recipes coming.  One is Lean Cuisine's Chili Lime Chicken and the other one is their Ranchero Braised Beef.  Don't be afraid of copying, they say that it is the sincerest form of flattery.  Plus you can save money and tons of calories by making it at home!