Oven baked lemon chicken-No more boring food

Tired of the same grilled and baked chicken recipes as you are trying to fuel your body?  You don't need to punish your taste buds as much as you have been.  There is a happy medium between being a food lover and exercise lover and you can dress up and spice up those go-to meals with minimal extra effort.

Oven Baked Lemon Chicken
1 Large boneless/skinless Chicken Breast
1/2 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt
1 cup of breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 large lemon (cut into several thin slices)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place 1/2c of Greek yogurt in a bowl and 1c of breadcrumbs in another (add salt and pepper to your breadcrumbs to give it the extra kick that you may want).  Wash your chicken breast off and pat it dry.  Dip your chicken breast in the Greek yogurt and then lightly coat in breadcrumbs.  Place chicken breast on cookie sheet, cover with thinly sliced lemon and cook for about 10-15 minutes, just until the crumbs start to brown.  Turn over with a pair of tongs, add a couple more slices lemon and cook until done and second side of breading is browned as well.  Remove from oven and let sit for a few moments, then enjoy.
For a little advanced planning, and a bit more flavor, I suggest taking the 1/2c of Greek yogurt and adding a few spices to it, then marinating the chicken in it for a day.  This helps make the chicken more tender and will give that added flavor kick that you may want.  The same approach can be taken with the break crumbs.  Why not add a dash of Cayenne or onion flakes?  Change it up and see what best suits your pallet.

To make this a whole meal, steam some fresh veggies or even some frozen ones that can be purchased cheaply.  For last night's dinner, we steamed a mix of peas and corn and then toss it with some cracked black pepper.  Then look at a grain like brown rice or quinoa.  We will cook some quinoa (in the same way you cook rice.  2.5c water: 1c quinoa, cooked for about 20 minutes) with a herb blend mixed in as it cooks and then toss in a rich olive oil at the end to give some flavor complexity.

Remember, your protient intake on a day to day basis (for meat) should only be around the size of a deck of cards.  You want the bulk of your plate to be as full of multi-colored foods and diversity as you can.  With this meal, you are hitting most of the major food groups and giving yourself fuel for the following day.

Truly, you can make every meal interesting and healthy as you go, and it starts with just changing the way you approach your food and the flavors you are willing to give a go.

Blurry and ill lit, but delicious