Today was my first day back in the office after the Christmas Break and it was painful. But probably not for the reason you think. Rather, it seems I have a severe case of DOMS (or Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness) from yesterday’s weight session! Seriously….I am feeling sore in muscles that I didn’t even know existed!! So, while I skipped my planned run this evening, I did come home and make a protein packed dinnerl. With chicken and mozzarella in the fridge, and tomatoes in the pantry, parmigiana seemed the obvious choice! But as I am not a huge fan of crumbed chicken (or any sort of crumbed food really), I opted to make my favourite oven baked chicken parma instead. First, while I had two chicken breasts browning in a frypan, I made a tomato sauce combining tinned tomatoes, fresh tomato, oregano, garlic and thyme. 
Then it was all layered together in a casserole dish. 
Chicken and tomato sauce. 
Plus a sprinkle of olives and chorizo for an extra flavour kick. Covered with foil and placed in the oven for 30 minutes or so, until the chicken had cooked through. Finished with a slice of mozzarella… 
Ad grilled until melted. 
Mmmm cheesy. Served with a side of broccoli and beans. 
I just love the flavour combination of tomatoes, olives and mozzarella. And the chicken was wonderfully moist and tender having been oven baked while covered with foil. 
A tasty and healthy take on a pub favourite. And , to be honest, I’d easily pick this version over the crumbed variety any day. Although I think I still need to convince Mr BBB 😉 Anyway, its time to watch some Tudors with my fur gals…. 
Who, as you can see, are being rather clingy this evening!! What about you? Do you like crumbed foods? Happy Baking 🙂
Sunday seconds
Wow – is it Sunday evening already? Today may have lacked the rain we encountered yesterday, but it did not lack in delicious meals. Starting with breakfast. Ever since we had that wonderful breakfast of eggs / asparagus / avocado while on holidays, I have been dreaming about recreating it at home. So with a fridge full of fresh produce, and time for a relaxing breakfast, today was the perfect day to get creative in the kitchen. Here is the original…. 
And here is my version! 
Perhaps not quite as pretty – but all the right flavours were there. Poached egg, GF toast, avocado, roasted tomato and asparagus. 
Served with a balsamic reduction – which was super easy to make – and super delicious. The only thing that was missing was a freshly squeezed juice served alongside! I spent much of the day at work (gasp) catching up on work and making a start on my daunting ‘to do’ list. I did, however, break for lunch, and take a wander around the city. Can’t spend the whole Sunday in the office right??? This evening’s dinner was a “seconds” dinner of sorts – utilising the remainder of last night’s tomato salsa. 
I heated it in a pan, and added broccoli and chickpeas, and a splash of chilli sauce. 
Served with a sweet potato that I had baked in the oven for an hour or so. 
And topped with a dollop of natural yoghurt, fresh coriander, and a drizzle of leftover balsamic reduction. 
Sometimes ‘seconds’ make some pretty tasty ‘firsts’. Happy Baking 🙂