Eat, Execise, Enjoy! August 31-Sept 6th

With the summer vacations winding down and the kids going back to school, now is the time to get into a regular eating and exercise rhythm before the next round of yearly chaos (aka the holidays!) Rhythms don't have to be boring or restrictive. The number one food I hear clients say they are sick of eating is grilled chicken. It's time to spice up this healthy cook's staple with a ton of "stuff"! This recipe is a perfect post-workout meal, and it even lets you choose your own filling! Try a different one each week and kiss your chicken blues goodbye!

Cream Cheese and Pesto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (1-1 1/4 pounds total)
• 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Cream Cheese-Pesto Filling:

• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese, (Neufchatel)
• 1 tablespoon basil pesto, (store-bought or homemade)
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Goat Cheese-Olive Filling:

• 2 tablespoons creamy goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped black olives
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Ham & Cheese Filling:

• 1/4 cup grated Swiss, Monterey Jack or part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped ham
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine cream cheese, pesto and pepper in a small bowl with a fork.
3. Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up each breast and place one-fourth of the filling in the center. Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.
4. Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in the egg white, then dredge in the breadcrumbs. (Discard leftovers.)
5. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.

Cream cheese-pesto stuffed chicken per serving: 233 calories; 9 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 81 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 33 g protein; 1 g fiber; 379 mg sodium; 351 mg potassium.

1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 Carbohydrate Serving, Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 3 1/2 lean meat, 1 fat
Nutrition Note: Goat cheese-olive stuffed chicken per serving: 235 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 72 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 1 g fiber; 248 mg sodium. Ham-&-cheese stuffed chicken per serving: 236 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono