I’m always looking for different ways to cook chicken. It’s healthy, affordable, and versatile. The versatile part is what gets me though, I know there’s so much I can do with it, I just don’t know what. I came across a figure friendly recipe for Chicken Piccata which sounded good, and has pretty common ingredients that are easy to find.

Chicken Piccata

–Ingredients–

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 4 to 6 ounces each
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Flour for dredging
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

–Cooking Instructions–

1. Lay the chicken between two pieces of waxed paper and flatten each cutlet with the flat end of a mallet until thin.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet until hot. While the oil is heating, season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge it in flour.
3. Sauté the chicken over high heat, about 3 minute on each side. Remove to a warm platter and keep warm.
4. Quickly add the chicken broth to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to release any caramelized bits that may be stuck to the pan. Cook until the broth has reduced by half. Add the lemon juice and capers. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

–Nutritional Information–

Source: FoodFit.com

I lost weight by cutting calories, it was the only way I knew how. Dropping my caloric intake by 200-300 calories per day seamed doable to me, so that’s what I did. It worked. I counted calories religiously and made sure that I hovered around 1200 per day. I LOVED the foods that were healthy for me, but also were low-cal. Technically, there aren’t too many foods that are zero calorie when you intake them. But, the key is that they can still be zero calorie foods if they burn up more calories in the digestive process than what they originally started with. So, here’s the list of foods that are zero calorie foods, at least after digestion.

• Hot tea with Splenda (rumor has it that drinking tea can also help prevent other health related issues)
• Berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries…. mmmmm.
• Crunchy Veggies: Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts
• Egg whites prepared with non stick spray (great source of protein)
• Water: this is a no-brainer!
• Other: Garlic, spinach, papaya, onion, lettuce, cucumber, endive

What I love about these types of foods is the fact that you can eat a big helping and still feel good about yourself! There are lots of creative ways to prepare some of these foods to keep them figure friendly, good, and great for your health.