There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a home cooked meal. There’s only a few things that can make it better: if it’s Italian, if you can say you made it yourself, and if it’s healthy without sacrificing flavor. Well, you’re in luck because this version of chicken parm is just that- super satisfying and healthy. Serve with whole wheat fettuccine and ’5- minute zucchini’ (see below) for a perfectly balanced meal.

Chicken Parm with 5-minute Zucchini and whole wheat penne

Healthy Chicken Parm(esan)

Makes 3 portions

Garlic adds delicious flavor, it’s packed with antioxidants, and is essentially calorie-free. Depending on your love of garlic, increase or decrease the number of cloves you use. The eight cloves listed gives the dish a very mild garlic flavor. This recipe uses shallots to give the sauce flavor. Shallots are a milder, somewhat sweeter version of an onion. If you’re not ready to expand your culinary horizons just yet, feel free to stick with good ol’ yellow onions. Same idea applies in choosing whether to use whole wheat bread crumbs or hemp seeds for the chicken coating. Bread crumbs are cheaper but hemp seeds have a greater nutritional value, especially in protein content, and add great texture to the chicken.

Ingredients and approximate co$t$:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (butter or canola oil is fine) -  one quart extra virgin olive oil runs about $5 at most grocery stores and will last you a long time
• 8 cloves of garlic, diced -  I like to buy pre-peeled cloves to make my life easier. Approximately $1.50 per bulb
• 1/2 cup shallots, peeled & diced-  Approximately $3 for 1/2 pound (see note above)
• 2 eggs (use just the whites to cut calories) -  approximately $2 for a dozen
• 1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard (optional)- Approximately $2 for a jar which will last forever
• 1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs or hemp seeds -  whole wheat bread crumbs: $2 for 15 oz./ hemp seed: $8 for an 8 oz bag (see note above)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt -  I’m assuming everyone has salt and pepper in their kitchen
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts -  Approximately $3-5 or $5-7 for organic chicken
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese -  Approximately $4 for 8 oz. (Splurge on the real stuff, it’s worth it!)
• 1 (28 oz/ 1 pound) can of plum tomatoes -  $1.50
• 1 1/2 cups or about 1/3 a package whole wheat fettuccine (1/2 cup = one serving size) -  Approximately $2

Approximate meal cost: $12, which makes 3 servings at $4 each
Approximate cooking time: 1 hour

Pre-heat oven to Bake 400. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat on stove. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and mustard together. Mix bread crumbs and salt and pepper on a plate. Add garlic and shallots to the pan and stir occasionally, making sure not to let them burn. When garlic and shallots begin to turn golden brown, coat both sides of raw chicken breast in egg, and repeat method in bread crumb mixture. Place coated chicken breasts in skillet. Turn over after 2-4 minutes or until brown. Once both sides of the chicken have been browned, distribute parmesan cheese on both sides of the chicken.

Chicken pre-sauced

Next comes the fun (and sometimes messy) part: remove each whole tomato (with your hands) from the can and rip them into shreds, working carefully over the skillet. When all the tomatoes have been ripped into the skillet, add excess tomato juice around the chicken. Place pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Test the chicken for doneness by cutting a slit in the center of a breast to make sure the meat is white and not at all pink completely through. (Begin boiling pasta water 20 minutes before chicken is ready)

Finished from the oven!

5-minute Zucchini

Makes 2 servings

This is one of my favorite side dishes. It is so fast and cheap, I make it at least once a week. One reason this recipe is so much healthier than other zucchini recipes (I mean, hello, zucchini is a vegetable after all) is that it uses NO FAT! I learned this cheap, fat-free method of cooking vegetables from a wonderful family friend, Val. Val taught me that substituting cooking oil with low sodium vegetable stock will produce healthier, moister vegetables. Now I cook all my vegetables this way and I think after trying this method, you too will convert to being a vegetable stock user.

Ingredients and approximate co$t$:

• About 5 tablespoons low sodium vegetable stock or broth -  $1.50 for 28 oz which will last you a long time (my roommate and I share ours and it lasts for weeks)… remember to refrigerate after opening
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped -  I like to buy pre-peeled cloves to make my life easier. Approximately $1.50 for one bulb
• 1 pound (about 2 cups) zucchini -  usually around $2-3 per pound
• salt and pepper to taste

Approximate meal cost: $3.25, which makes 2 servings at $1.62 each
Approximate cooking time: 8 minutes

5 Simple Ingredients

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Chop zucchini into 1/2 inch cubes or cut longways (as pictured) or in whatever shape is appealing to you. Add about one tablespoon of stock and chopped garlic to skillet. Cook for about two minutes so garlic gets lightly browned. Add zucchini and remaining vegetable stock (zucchini should be almost swimming in stock), cover, and let simmer for five minutes over medium heat. Zucchini is done when stock has evaporated and zucchini is soft.

All done!