When it comes to making or modifying recipes to healthy ones, no one can do it better than Kathleen Loggins. When in class, she is constantly talking about the recipes or baked goods she makes for her family, especially her granddaughter. One of the recipes she shares with us is her infamous family dinner Lemon Chicken with Oven Baked Vegetables. This recipe is one that she modified slightly from The Pioneer Woman’s recipe. She would make this dish with different vegetables depending on what season it is. She makes this dish 3-4 times a month varying with different vegetables each time.
Her inspiration for this recipe was the lemon tree in her backyard. “[I] need[ed] to do something with those lemons. I’ve tried different lemon recipes.You can only do so much lemonade,” Ms. Loggins said. Having a lemon tree in her backyard was a new edition to her life when she first moved into her house at the time. She likes looking for recipes and seeing how she can modify them to make them healthier. “A lot of it is just taking a recipe and just, I change them. To just you know, cut down the fat, cut down on salt, cut down on other things. This lemon chicken with oven roasted vegetables contains the benefits of vitamins, minerals, fibers from the vegetables. Protein from the chicken, low fat, and is flavorful.”
Ms. Loggins is always looking out for her family’s health when cooking. “They eat what I cook, so when I cook for my health, they are going to get the benefits as well,” Ms. Loggins said. Along with using what is around her, like the lemon tree, budgeting is another one of her ways that she can make these meals. She is also a dietitian. She likes to incorporate fruits and vegetables because she went to a vegetarian university. “ I’m a health teacher so I like to practice what I preach, “ Ms. Loggins said.
If you are wanting to try this recipe just follow the instructions below:
Ingredients: Chicken Breast- skinless and boneless, Olive Oil, Salt, Your choice of Vegetables- cut how you like, and a Lemon.
- In a baking pan lay out your cut up vegetables and spray with some olive oil.
- Then, put it into the oven at 425°F. The time to roast the vegetables will vary depending on what vegetable you chose.
- Put a little olive oil on you chicken breast along with some salt, pepper, and lemon zest (You get lemon zest from grating the lemon skin gently)
- When your vegetables are done roasting, take them out of the oven and transfer them to a bowl or plate.
- Place the chicken breast on the same baking tray and put into the oven at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.
- When done, set a plate with some roasted vegetables and the chicken breast. (If you want, you could squeeze some lemon juice on the chicken and vegetables from the same lemon)
Try this recipe for when you feel like having a healthy dish.