Stuffed Chicken with Green Bean and Tomato Salad (The MD Factor Diet Book Review)
Stuffed Chicken with Green Bean and Tomato Salad
It is my pleasure to include a recipe from a brand new book called The MD Factor Diet written by Dr. Caroline Cederquist. This exciting new healthy weight loss book is well tested, well written, easy to understand. It is designed for those who have experienced a change in metabolism and who are struggling to lose weight. If you’ve gained belly weight or have had hormonal changes then your metabolism has probably seen better days. Maybe you feel sluggish, crave sugar, experience fogginess and want to eat all day. Dr. Cederquist calls this the MD Factor (Metabolic Dysfunction). The MD Factor at its worst is known as metabolic syndrome which dramatically increases your likelihood of developing diabetes, heart disease, stroke or cancer. But you can fix it! With help from her specific diet plan she states that your body can “reset” its metabolism, lose weight and keep it off forever.
The book starts off with several chapters describing the nutrients our bodies need including lean protein, low-glycemic healthful carbohydrates, heart-healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Dr. Cederquist discusses the best forms of exercise along with things our bodies don’t need much of like alcohol and artificial sweeteners. Finally we get to the Action Plan (I like the word Action) which starts off with “Reclaim” days during which you eat a high protein, low net carbohydrate diet to abruptly alter the metabolism from storing too much fat by balancing blood sugar and insulin output. These few days are followed by “Transformation” days that include a lean protein, low glycemic-healthful carbohydrate, heart-healthy fat eating plan with suggested menus and recipes that are realistic and balanced. The maintenance phase called “Stabilization” days, begins four weeks into the Action plan and allows for a higher amount of healthful carbohydrates along with a an emphasis on lean protein and heart-healthy fat.
The 34 recipes included in the book are balanced, provide plenty of lean protein along with healthy carbohydrates like vegetables, beans and fruit. I chose to prepare the Stuffed Chicken with Green Bean and Tomato Salad and found it to be super moist and flavorful despite baking the chicken without a crust or sauce. The stuffing is a mix of Laughing Cow cheese spread with diced Canadian Bacon. I love the colors, textures and flavors of the green bean salad. A simple dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar adds just enough flavor to balance the chicken nicely.
A big thank you to the publishers at BenBella Books for providing me the opportunity to review and prepare one of the recipes from the book. I received a complimentary copy of the book, but was not compensated for this review.
- Stuffed Chicken with Green Bean and Tomato Salad
- 2 ounces of Canadian bacon, diced
- 4 light Laughing Cow cheese wedges, garlic and herb flavored
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4–5 ounces each)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For the Chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Combine the diced Canadian bacon and light Laughing Cow cheese wedges in a bowl and mix together.
- Cut a slit in each chicken breast to form a pocket and stuff about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into each breast. Close the opening with a toothpick, if needed. Sprinkle with black pepper.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- For the Green Bean and Tomato Salad: Using a small saucepan, boil green beans for 5 minutes or until al dente. Drain water, place green beans in a medium-size bowl and set aside. Once the green beans are cooled to room temperature, add the cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and black pepper. Mix together until all ingredients are evenly combined.
- Let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour and serve cold.