Office Laps & Sheet Pan Chicken

I was a happy camper to have my egg muffins again for breakfast wraps. I am trying to keep meals between 300-600 calories each. This breakfast came in at 273. I will probably mix up the fruit I have with it (clementines are so low - 35 calories) to get it over 300 calories. It is actually quite filling so I am not obsessed with increasing the calories if it is working for me as is. I am sure my food log will get a little boring with egg muffin wrap after egg muffin wrap.

I am going to have to get serious about getting my exercise minutes in. Yesterday, at work, I took two 10 minute breaks to walk laps in the office. Basically, down the hall around the conference table and back to the copier...over and over. It was a little boring, but I did my best to move with a purpose.

I passed this sign every lap. As I passed it I couldn't read the small print. I just kept seeing SUCCESS over and over...I hope some of that success rubs off on me. Funny thing is that sign has been there forever and I think I have really only read through it once or twice and couldn't tell you more than a couple items on the list without peeking.

When I was on the straightaways (hallway) I did some punching. Around the corners I just tried to keep my arms pumping. I am a little embarrassed to say that my poor neglected arms were pretty tired after 10 minutes.

I took a cup of the homemade chili for lunch. I am not a huge fan of chili but it sounded good on a cold day.

Since a cup of the chili was only 200 calories I added a generic lunchable that I had a work. I love cheese and crackers. The package was 220 calories (including the candy) so it fit easily into my target calorie range.

 For dinner I tried a new recipe Sheet Pan Chicken with Roasted Potatoes from Cooking Light.

You cook it in a very hot oven (500). while the oven was preheating I prepped everything. The sauce is basically a mustard/tarragon sauce. I am getting my dollar's worth out of that little tarragon packet!

The sheet pan goes in the oven while the oven is preheating. By the time the oven reaches temperature the pan is super hot too. I had doubts about lining the pan with aluminum foil because foil cools so quickly and I thought it might take away from the reason they had me preheat the pan. But when I put the potatoes on the pan I was quickly proved wrong. The potatoes immediately started popping and shaking around the pan from the heat. That amusement alone was reason enough to make this recipe.

I didn't read the recipe as clearly as I should have. I thought everything just cooked together. Before the chicken goes in it had to be seared in the skillet. It makes sense, but it was extra step. It works out though because the potatoes get a 10 minute head start in the oven - plenty of time to sear the chicken.

I ended up making three chicken breasts because I thought my husband might want a little more chicken.  If not, I could always eat it as a leftover. After the chicken is seared it is drizzled with the sauce and added to the potatoes to finish in the oven.  It looked pretty coming out of the oven and clean up was a breeze with the foil :)

I served it with peas. The plate definitely needed the green! Overall, I liked this meal. It was simple to make. I liked the sauce - tarragon is growing on me. My biggest issue was the chicken - it came out a bit rubbery. My husband did not like the sauce. I tried to zero in on what he didn't like about it, but he couldn't pinpoint it. I hope it is not the tarragon. Bottom line is it was a good meal, but I won't be in a rush to make it again. There are so many options we have enjoyed more.

I would love to hear from anyone who has tried this recipe or does try it. I am especially interested in how the chicken turns out for you.