{Dinner and Dessert}

You will quickly learn that I am not a food photographer!

I tried a new recipe tonight...

Indian-Spiced Chicken & Asparagus

I found it in the Eating Well March/April issue.

Recipe from Eating well as follows...

Indian Spice Chicken and Asparagus

Ready in: 40 minutes

Servings: 4 -1 cup each

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 pound chicken tenders, cut into bite-size chunks
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small fresh chile, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 bunches asparagus (about 1 1/2 pounds), woody ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup “lite” coconut milk (see Tip)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Toast cumin and fennel seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Finely grind in a spice grinder (such as a clean coffee grinder) or with a mortar and pestle. *I just used pre-ground cumin and fennel
2. Toss chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, garlic, chile and ginger; cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add asparagus, sprinkle with the remaining spice mixture and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer for 2 minutes more. Return the chicken and any accumulated juice to the pan and cook until the chicken is just cooked through and the asparagus is tender-crisp, about 2 minutes more. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

Tips & Notes

• Refrigerate leftover coconut milk for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months. It will appear separated when thawed; simply mix until smooth.

*****

I served it over quinoa, something I had never tried before, but will definitely be eating again.

Quinoa is a great grain choice. You can read more about the health benefits here.

My goal for this challenge is not to just lose weight, but eat better and add new "super foods" to my diet.

I loved the quinoa and chicken-asparagus together, even my one year old kept begging for more chicken.

1 cup Indian-Spiced Chicken and Asparagus: 249 calories

1/2 cup cooked quinoa: 127

Total: 376

This meal stuffed me!

and because I keep craving sweets...

Chocolate Crunch Quaker rice cake topped with 2T light cool whip and strawberries:

100 calories

Breakfast was peanut butter and banana oatmeal again and a half salad from Wendy's for lunch (with pomegranate dressing)...and my go to special k bar and grapes for a snack this afternoon. I was out running errand all morning/early afternoon which meant less time to think about food and snack. Score.

I hope I don't bore you all with what I'm eating. So often people think dieting means starving or eating food that tastes like cardboard...that dieting has to be miserable, but that doesn't have to be the case. I've had friends ask what kind of diet I'm doing, and since I'm not doing a "fad diet", I thought I'd share what I am eating...especially when it's something new and yummy! Promise I won't tell you every single thing I eat.

Don't want to go all How to Lose a Reader in 10 days on ya... If you don't get that, then nevermind :)