Herbed Lemon Chicken

My allergies have been driving me crazy since last Wednesday. I wish that when I sneezed it was lady like and dainty like every other female (with the exception of my mother) I know. This morning, I was caught in the middle of another sneezing storm, and I pulled/threw out my back. Not cool! It's starting to calm down little by little, and I'm sure I'll be fine by the morning (I hope I hope I hope - I have dead lifts tomorrow morning). Because of this I really did not feel like cooking or even doing any food prep today between shifts. David was in charge of grilling the chicken that was marinading since last night. I was planning to make Brussels sprouts to go with the chicken. My favorite veggies that I could eat day in and day out include; mashed cauliflower, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and asparagus. Sadly, I did not prep the Brussels sprouts. David came through with the side dish to go with the chicken. He made a side of beans, and they paired very well with the chicken.

I got off early at 6 tonight, but stayed and did some light cardio (in attempts to heat up, and loosen my back). I made it home by 7, and David held dinner for me. We ate together at the table. Conversation was around school, and tests, and upcoming science projects, and homework. It's only been 12 days since starting this experiment, but I can already start to notice some changes. I don't know if that means we were really messed up, or if is just a better version of what we were. I imagine that we will start to see big differences right around 4-6 weeks, and then right around 6-8 weeks, we may hit a plateau of sorts. I am finding myself wanting to change up my work schedule so that I am home every night for dinner. Maybe in the future. We'll see.

This recipe called for mayonnaise, and I've thought about experimenting with making my own mayonnaise. Maybe that will be on one of my upcoming weekend to do lists. If any of you have any experience with making your own mayo, I would love to hear any tips you might have, or how your experience went.

Herbed Lemon Chicken
Prep: 10 minutes + marinating  Grill: 10 minutes, or until done  Makes: 6 servings

1 C mayonnaise
1/4 C lemon juice
2 Tbsp white wine or chicken broth
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each)

1. In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Pour 3/4 C marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

2. Drain chicken and discard the marinade. Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat grill rack. Grill chicken, covered over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5 minutes. Turn; grill or broil for 4-9 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 170 degrees, basting occasionally with reserved marinade.

I cut the recipe in half, because we only grill 3 chicken breasts. The kids usually split a breast between themselves. I also didn't leave any marinade to baste with while grilling. I'm wondering if it would have made a difference in either taste or texture. I felt like it was pretty moist, and tender, and quite delicious.

Enjoy.