Weekend Woes

Happy Friday everybody...it's been a long, tiresome, stressful week...but its finally over.

I typically stay on track with my diet and exercise routine during the week. Then the weekend comes...and you're like "I can cheat. It's all good." I say that to myself every weekend. Then I step on the scale on Monday and I usually get disapointed. I found a couple of awesome (on the healthier side) recipes that are great whether it be for a cozy friday night in with your other half, a chilly saturday afternoon, or game day sundays.

Some weekends its nice to do nothing. After a hard work week, theres nothing more I like to do then spend the weekend relaxing with my guy. Even better, it gives me more time to experiment and try new recipes out. I enjoy spending time in the kitchen, and I look forward to that on the weekends. It's always nice to relax and cook for not only yourself but your family and friends.

Here are a few recipes I want to try, I might try the wings this weekend.

Honey Dijon Chicken Drummettes

• 1 1/3 pounds chicken drummettes (about 10)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• Salt and pepper

The original recipe I found says to fry the chicken wings in oil. But I think baked are just as good, and a lot more healthy. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pat wings dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle chicken wings with baking powder, salt and pepper to coat evenly. Refrigerate wings, uncovered, for no less than 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake wings for 20 minutes, flip them over, cook for another 20-25 mintues until crispy and brown. While the wings are in the oven, heat the butter in a small saucepan. Add the honey and both mustards until heated through, and the honey is runny and melted.

Toss wings in large bowl with honey mustard sauce. Serve immediately. They sound really delicious.

The other recipe I found that looked really good, was a creamy broccoli soup. I found it in Real Simple Magazine, which is one of my favorite magazines. It would be perfect for a cold winter day.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 cups of low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 bunch of broccoli, florets roughly chopped and stems peeled and sliced (about 7 cups)
• 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 ounces sharp white cheddar, grated
• Bagel chips, for serving

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion and red pepper if using and cook, until onion is soft about 4-6 mins. Add the broth, broccoli, potato, 2 cups of water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper to saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are very tender, 18 to 20 minutes. In a blender puree the soup until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender right in the saucepan until desired consistency is achieved. Top with cheddar cheese and bagel chips before serving.

Just a few recipes to try out if your going to be home this weekend and are looking for something new. I hope everyone has a great weekend.