Quick & Healthy Dinner: Baked Chicken Parm w/ Salad

I have had a few requests now to share quick and easy dinners for your family. I totally get that because a lot of the time I am exhausted from watching Everly and being pregnant, or running around and have no time to prepare anything in advance. Or there are days where I just don't feel like cooking. We have all been there. I am going to share a few recipes that are really easy to make and still healthy! Even Everly eats this meal, which is a bonus because who wants to make separate dinners for their kids? Not me. You only need a few ingredients, which I always have on hand. Most of these items are staples in my pantry so it's a meal I can whip together without running to the grocery store.

Jason loves this meal and it's so easy to make. He actually wanted to make it the other day with no help, just a bit of guidance. I love that he's learning to cook and wanting to help out with dinners. This meal comes together in just over 30 minutes, and most of that time is just the chicken baking in the oven. It's also grain-free, gluten-free and low carb. Jason has always loved Chicken Parm, but it's usually deep fried, coated in white flour and really not that good for you. I decided to come up with a healthier version that was easy to make with things I had on hand! The chicken is pretty substantial, so pairing it with a salad full of veggies makes for a perfect dinner. You can basically throw together any veggies you have in the fridge with spinach or romaine lettuce, and add a simple dressing of oil and vinegar. I'm not kidding when I say this is the easiest dinner! I have made this dinner with Everly on my hip while crying (her not me). See how I make this easy yet super filling dinner below!

Baked Chicken Parm w/ Salad

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

Chicken Parm:

4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne (if you want to give it some kick)
salt & pepper
1 egg
1 cup organic marinara sauce
12 small slices of mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Salad:

2 bell peppers, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 radishes, shaved
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 cups packed spinach or romaine
dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper (I never really measure, but use about a 2:1 ratio of olive oil to balsamic vinegar and if you make too much you can just keep it in the fridge for your next salad)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet to prevent the chicken "breading" from getting soggy. (You can place directly on the pan if you don't have a wire rack, it'll still turn out great!)
Place the almond flour, flaxseed, hemp hearts and spices in a food processor and pulse until you reach a flour consistency.
Get two shallow dishes out and crack the egg into one and add the almond flour mixture to the other.
Take your chicken breast with a fork and dip it in the egg mixture. Next coat both sides with the almond flour mixture and place onto the wire rack. Repeat with all 4 chicken breasts. Bake for 20 minutes.
While the chicken is baking cut up all of your veggies for the salad. Add them to a bowl with the feta cheese and the dressing. I then keep it in the fridge until the chicken is done so it can all soak together (don't add the lettuce yet).
Remove chicken from the oven, pour 1/4 cup marinara sauce on each chicken breast and top with mozzarella and parmesan. Place back in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Check to make sure the chicken is no longer pink inside.
Take the salad out of the fridge and add in the spinach.
You can serve the chicken over the salad or on the side. Enjoy!