Intentional Living...Part Two...Chicken Piccata Anyone?

Armed with a cup of coffee I am ready to tackle the second in my series on Intentional Living. Talking about exercise and music playlists on Friday will definitely be the easiest post I do on this subject...but hang in there with me and maybe we will all be blessed.  I checked out dictionary.com for some synonyms for the word intentional...proposed, planned, intended, considered, deliberate.  There were a dozen more but these are all good words and convicting enough for me!

I am a great planner.  I love to plan a party/event, a vacation, or a home improvement project. When I taught school I loved planning a teaching unit...Once for third grade I started with the idea that my kids were going to read and study the novel Charlotte's Web. Well, we also studied spiders, and then we made beautiful spiders (out of styrofoam balls, black socks, pipe cleaners...)...then there was farm life and county fairs....!  Sorry for going down memory lane...like the time I read aloud the book Poppy by Avi and we HAD to study owls...and we HAD to dissect owl pellets and try to figure out which animal the owl had eaten...

You get it, I am all about the details...which honestly can be a curse as well as a blessing.  I tend to not stop thinking about and doing until the party starts, we are at the airport, the last bath towel and soap dish is found, or the spiders are taken down from the clothesline and packed up along with the Thursday folders into the backpack.  It has served me well when teaching, planning a wedding, or going on a vacation.  It can be my enemy, this ability to see the possibility in something random. 

Consider this example...when I first joined facebook I became friends with a wonderful woman whose daughter I taught.  She was a dietician in one of the local hospitals (forgive me C.S. for not knowing your actual title...and please correct me in the comment area). She would do status updates about great recipes from the Cooking Light Magazine and website.  Sooooo, when I got hit up with the annual magazine fundraiser by one of my nieces...I ordered the magazine THINKING I would actually look at it and then go out on the proverbial limb and maybe COOK something healthy and delicious!  My intentions were good...follow through...not so much! And at times this can be a frustration, this decision-making with a lack of follow through!

As you can see identifying the problem isn't really my issue...so I am going to cut to the chase (as my husband likes to say).  I am now making intentional decisions about everyday things in my life. When the March issue of Cooking Light arrived a couple of weeks ago I actually read through it and found an article about cooking with Meyer lemons.  If you know me then you know I was thrilled because I love lemon anything!!!  So, I made the absolutely divine Lemon Chicken Piccata (recipe to follow...) and Roasted Asparagus with you-guessed-it lemon butter!!  The chicken was fabulous and I felt great about using the magazine instead of just looking at it!  Intentional Living...Living with Purpose!

Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata (Cooking Light March 2011 p146)

Total: 36 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cutlet, 2 tablespoons sauce, and 1 tablespoon parsley)

Ingredients:

2 (8-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/3 cup sauvignon blanc or other crisp, tart white wine

1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 3 lemons)(these lemons are hard to find...regular lemons can be used, just take Meyer out of the name :)

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

1. Split chicken breast halves in half horizontally to form 4 cutlets. Place each cutlet between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound each cutlet to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle cutlets evenly with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge cutlets in flour.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cutlets to pan, and sauté 2 minutes. Turn cutlets over; sauté for 1 minute. Remove the cutlets from pan. Repeat the procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 2 cutlets.

3. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 4 minutes). Stir in juice and capers. Serve over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information:

Calories:214
Fat:7.3g (sat 4.1g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:27.5g
Carbohydrate:8.5g


Thanks for wading through today's post...Oh and I would love feedback on ways in which you live intentionally...so be thinking...next on Intentional Living...my faith life...stay tuned.