Rosemary Honey Chicken with Cashews

Eleven weeks into my healthy lifestyle, and as of Monday, I'm down 15.8 lbs. Normally by this time I'm ready to give up, but my goal of 56.5 lbs. by my 50th birthday is exactly the motivation I need. I really want this to happen, and if I don't do it now, then it's not going to happen. And no one but me can make it happen. So, I've buckled down and I've been working hard at it. Most of the time!!! I occasionally "slip", but I don't focus on those times. I put the quotation marks on the word "slip", because I do allow myself a "cheat" every now and then. Last week was my daughter's birthday, and the grandkiddos and I made her a brownie pizza. And I had a piece and a half. And it was fantastic! But that was 6 days ago, and I've been on course since.

When I allow myself those "cheats", I really do treat myself. My mindset is that since those foods are treats, to be indulged in only every now and then, I'm going to make them the tastiest treats that I possibly can. I love ice cream, and I used to have it in my freezer all the time. I've had ice cream on two occasions since I began my journey back in March. I indulged both times. I got my absolute favorite flavor of my favorite brand. Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche. MMMMM! And I savored each bite. And I ate two servings at each sitting (finished the container each time). But both times, it's satisfied my sweet tooth for weeks on end. So, I consider those indulgences an investment of sorts.

Okay, so on to what I've been cooking lately!!! This recipe is from www.skinnymommy.com, and it was very good. I think next time I won't use the flour, though, because I could taste it with almost every bite.

The entire recipe as I prepared it was 32 original Weight Watchers points, so each of the 4 servings was 8 points total.

Rosemary Honey Chicken with Cashews
adapted from www.skinnymommy.com

1 lb chicken breasst meat, cut into cubes
Flour
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 T Balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp Rosemary, diced (I used dried, about 1/4 t., crushing it between my fingers as I let it fall into the bowl)
1/2 cup of cashews (I measured 1/2 cup of the halved and whole ones, then chopped them)
Dash of cayenne

Preheat the oven to 400. Sprinkle flour onto a plate and dip the chicken into it, shaking off the excess and sprinkle with Salt and Pepper. Place the chicken in a baking dish, making sure it is spaced out. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, mix together the garlic, balsamic, honey and rosemary. Remove the chicken from the baking dish, stirring it into the honey/vinegar mixture, stirring to coat each piece. Return the chicken to the baking dish, return it to the oven and bake for 5 minutes more, stirring a few times to be sure every piece is glazed evenly. Add in the cashews and tossing, and bake 5 minutes more. If you really like the flavor of rosemary add a few more fresh sprigs and serve.