M.A. Church's Blog, page 90

Finicky Friday - Healthy Stuffed Chicken Breasts (low carb)

Healthy Stuffed Chicken Breasts Recipe


Carbs Per Serving:6gPrep Time:5minutesPassive Time:


Ingredients
1 chicken breast
1 oz Low-fat mozzarella 28 g
1 Artichoke heart from a can
1 tsp Sundried tomato chopped
5 large basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 pinch pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 365 F (185 C)
Cut the chicken breast almost halfway through with a sharp knife
Chop up the mozzarella, artichoke, basil, tomato and garlic. Mix to combine and stuff it into the cut chicken breast
Use a few toothpicks to close the chicken breast around the stuffing
Place the chicken breast on a baking sheet or on aluminum foil, and season it with pepper, curry powder, and paprika
Bake for 21 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken breast)

Remember to remove the toothpicks before serving, and you're done!

https://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/recipe/healthy-stuffed-chicken-breasts/

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by Destiny

OMG, how did it get to August so damn fast? Okay, y'all, ready for your Tuesday Teaser lol? ;)




Dayo tugged Raiden to the dance floor as the band launched into a sweet Quai slow song. “Let’s dance.”
The lights went down, and the glass domed ceiling came alive with soft purple lights. The stars in the darkened sky added to the ambience. The floor under their feet also gleamed purple. Strings with white lights and more lanterns than Raiden could count added a soft glow.
He wrapped his arm around Dayo’s waist and held his other hand up, off to the side. Dayo pressed one of his palm against Raiden’s, and rested his other hand on Raiden’s shoulder. Slowly Raiden moved, gliding across the floor with Dayo in his arms. Other couples joined them on the dance floor. Raiden and Dayo were the only couple dancing in such a way.
“It’s so beautiful.”
“Romantic comes to mind.” Raiden pulled Dayo closer until there wasn’t an inch between the two of them. His body reacted, like it always did. The soft purple light gleamed on Dayo’s black hair. “Have I told you lately how gorgeous I think you are?”
“It’s been a day, at least.” Dayo rested his head against Raiden’s shoulder.
Raiden whispered against Dayo’s ear, “Then shame on me. I can’t wait to get back to our quarters so I can wrap myself in the black silk of your hair. Those stunning blue eyes of yours remind me of the thin rim of blue around Tah’Nar’s moon. And those sexy lips of yours… I never get tired of seeing them wrapped around my cock.”
Dayo tightened his hand that rested on Raiden’s shoulder and growled softly. “Dammit, you just had to go and make me hard.”
Raiden inhaled deeply. “I can smell your desire. Always so sweet. I love you, my mate.”

“Even though I could kill you right about now, I love you too.”

Finicky Friday - Garlic Cheddar Chicken Bake

Welcome to Finicky Friday! This cheesy rice and chicken bake is sure to please any family.

Prep 10 MIN
Total 60 MIN
Ingredients 10
Servings 4


Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup Progresso™ plain panko crispy bread crumbs
1 package (14 oz) chicken tenders (not breaded), cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2 ½ cups Progresso™ chicken stock (from 32-oz carton)
2 Cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz) 
Chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, if desired


Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix melted butter and bread crumbs until well mixed. Set aside.
2. In baking dish, mix chicken, rice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chicken stock and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese until well mixed.
3. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
4. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and the bread crumb mixture evenly over rice mixture. Bake about 5 minutes or until crumbs are light golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.


Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories 630 Calories
Total Fat 27g
Saturated Fat 15g
Cholesterol 120mg 

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by Destiny

Sorry I'm late, y'all. Courtney is moving Aug 5th to Texas and things have been just nuts around here. It's really cut into my writing time and the stress hasn't help my mental frame of mind. But I hope to have this book out by early Sept. :)
~M




Dayo. Dayo was missing, and he needed to…. Raiden took a deep breath, then another. It didn’t seem to help. The air was getting thinner, and a menacing growl began deep in his gut, working its way up. He tried to rise, but his body refused to move. Anger and fear quickly overtook rational thought.
“I have you in a force field. I promise I’ll deactivated it so you can sit up… just as soon as you show me you’re the Raiden we all know and love, not the beast who tried to destroyed the Bridge.”
Raiden stared at Savion on with deadly intent. He fought the force field, but no matter how hard he heaved and shoved, he couldn’t sit up. A quick glance told him he was in Medical. How had he gotten here? Why wasn’t he on the Bridge? “Let. Me. Up!”
“Ah, yeah, not happening, my friend,” Savion reached for the hydrosedative-spray one of the nurses held. “Not until you get control of yourself.”
Raiden snarled and thrashed, his body bulking up.
“Lieutenant Shou! As your commander and captain of the Unity, I order you to stop fighting. Do you understand? Lieutenant Shou? Dayo needs you, but you are absolutely no help to him in this condition. Show me that control you’re reputed to have. Now, Lieutenant Shou!”

Hearing his captain’s voice, and the warning so firmly embedded in his words, managed to penetrate the building terror. Hearing his rank repeated over and over helped too. “C-captain?”

Finicky Friday - Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie Link



Prep 5 mReady In 5 m2 servings 236 cals
Ingredients1 cup soy milk1/2 cup rolled oats 1 banana, broken into chunks 14 frozen strawberries 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
Directions
In a blender, combine soy milk, oats, banana and strawberries. Add vanilla and sugar if desired. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by Fate

More from Raiden and Dayo! By the way, ya'll, sorry I missed all of last weeks posts. Between Courtney getting ready to move to Texas, a whirlwind trip to Hot Springs, AR, *two* sets of edits that came in a day apart, and trying to get this book finished by the end of the month... it's just been total chaos around here.

And it's not going to get better until she leaves around the first of August. So exhausted, lol.




“You okay?”Dayo started the reduplicator and faced his dad. “I’m fine. Just listening to all those stories… I guess I got a little overwhelmed.”“It’s understandable. Bringing a young into this world is an important decision, especially since you and Raiden still have your whole career in front of you.”“It’s not so much that. We know it’s a risk, but…. That’s not it. Were you scared?” Dayo remembered then how his dad’s circumstances where different than his own. “Sorry, sorry. That was a stupid question. Of course you were scared. Your DNA was mutated against your wishes, so how could you not have been scared?”“Hon, it was a different time then.” Chad leaned against the counter. “Yes, I was harvested and mated to Gibor. Was I thrilled about that in the beginning? You bet your ass I wasn’t.”Dayo snorted. He’d give anything to have been able to have seen his dad back then. The champagne materialized. Dayo removed it from the reduplicator and sat it on the counter. “But no more so than Dale. Or John. Or Colt. Or any other male who was harvested against their will. But I got to know Gibor, and the more I got to know him, the more I fell in love with him.”“But—”“And that past has nothing to do with the here and now. To answer your question: yes. I was terrified when I had you. I came from a world where men did not have babies. You are able to, but you know what? It still okay to be scared. Honestly? I think it’s normal.”“Was it bad?”“Well, it wasn’t the funnest thing I ever did. But as soon as Doc let me hold you, none of that mattered.”“I heard you threatened to have dabba neutered.”“I swear, Dale and his big mouth. Look, the pain medicine took some time to kick in. When it did, I decided I’d let your dad keep his—”Dayo waved his hands frantically, trying to keep his dad from finishing that sentence. “No, no, I don’t need to know the rest of that.” “Anyway, it’s scary, wonderful, emotional, and something I simply can’t explain. All I can tell you is this—you and your dabba are the best thing that ever happened to me. You can and will get through a pregnancy and birth. Raiden will be with you every step of the way.”Dato hugged his dad. “Thanks, Dad. That helps.”“Good. Find something to open that champagne with and let’s get back in there before they send Dale looking for us. Hopefully he hasn’t eaten the cake. By the way, if you get a craving for icing while you’re pregnant—you didn’t get that from me.”

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by Destiny

Time for Tuesday Teaser! This is another snippet of Bound by Destiny. 

Dale walked to the force field, and careful not to touch it, looked out. His cell was part of a much larger, circular room. In the center were two large desks which set back to back and were filled with view screens. That must be where the guards were stationed.

No one was there, but the screens were operational. Maybe he was being watched by remote control? He glanced around. The circular room held nothing but cells. He couldn’t see into the ones next to him, but he could see the ones across the room.

He guessed there were maybe ten cells, and they were all empty. Having the guard station in the center of the room now made sense. Whoever sat there could see into the cells at all times. And so could the other prisoners. The lack of privacy was disturbing.

Dayo turned away from the force field and continued his exploration of his cell. The walls were solid and smooth, but there was a vent in the ceilings. Dayo stood on the bed for a better look. Yep, that was protected by a force field too.

Sighing, Dayo sat down. Only the basic necessities were provided, but that didn’t surprise him. Now that he was alone, he let Belton’s words replay in his head. Someone set this up. Although Belton hadn’t said who, there was only one person he and Raiden met lately who fit. What has Belton said? Someone with wealth and prestige didn’t take kindly to your mate rebuffing him. 


And for those in the US... Happy 4th of July!

Finicky Friday - Firecracker Milkshake for 4th of July holiday

Welcome to Finicky Friday! Since this is 4th of July holiday in the US, check out this milkshake that promises a firework of explosive flavors for your mouth. 
link: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a42978/firecracker-milkshake/


TOTAL TIME: 0:10
LEVEL: EASY
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS
1 half g. vanilla ice cream
2-3 drops red food coloring
2-3 drops blue food coloring


DIRECTIONS
Soften ice cream to a soft serve/yogurt texture. Evenly divide ice cream into three bowls.
Place red food coloring in one bowl and blue food coloring in the other, using a whisk beat each bowl until color is well blended.
Layer bottom of glass with red ice cream, then plain vanilla and blue ice cream, using long spoon or knife drag it from the bottom to the top, stirring in between to mix the color (do not overmix).

Optional decorating idea: Finish with whipped cream and red, white and blue confetti

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by Destiny

This is from Bound by Destiny and is Raiden and Dayo's book.



“Dayo! Hey, sweetie!”
“Hey, dad.” Dayo kicked off his boots and sat on the bed. He breathed a silent sigh of relief as he got comfortable. At least the bed was soft.
“Well, I can tell you’re not in your quarters.” Chad made a show of looking at the area behind Dayo. “Nope. Definitely not your quarters. I happen to know you’re not a fan of gold. So, where are you guys?”
“Quai. We’re here to pick up the new mates and scheduled to stay for three days—”
“Wait. Isn’t that the plant mostly covered in snow? It is, isn’t it?”
“You got it.” Dayo pretended to shiver. Truth be known, he didn’t have to pretend much.

Chad tried hide a grin, but he didn’t quite succeed. “Oh, good times. I know how much you lovethe cold weather.” 

Finicky Friday - Mermaid Lemonade

Mermaid LemonadeHey! Time for Finicky Friday



http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a53044/mermaid-lemonade-recipe/


TOTAL TIME: 0:10PREP: 0:10LEVEL: EASYSERVES: 4


INGREDIENTS
2 c. ice
1/4 c. Blue Curacao
1 c. white rum
2 c. lemonade
4 Lemon Slices, for garnish
8 Maraschino cherries, for garnish
4 paper umbrellas


DIRECTIONS
To four glasses, add ice. Add blue curacao, rum, and lemonade to each glass. Stir to combine. (If you prefer a lot of ice, stir together mixture first, then pour over ice.)
Skewer a lemon slice and two maraschino cherries on each paper umbrella and garnish lemonade.