Welcome to my first post of 2021!!!!! I hope everyone enjoyed thier holidays through the end of 2020. This year was obviously not a normal year for anyone and I am sure we will never forget all the changes, adjustments and work arounds that everyone had to deal with for the last many months. I sincerely hope that we have a much better year going forward and that things can find a sense of normalcy soon. My daughter's birthday is coming up soon and trying to explain to her that we are unable to do our normal style party with every friend she has is a hard one. We will still have a few friends over to our home and she will still be able to celebrate with a group but it is not the same as renting a room somewhere and inviting her entire class to help her celebrate.
Along with all the changes in social interaction through 2020 I, obviously from my previous posts and starting this blog, have been working on being a better me with regards to diet. I have always enjoyed walking and can occasionally be found eyeing up ellipticals and considering a purchase for home use instead of trekking to the gym. However, I have let myself go a lot in regards to making myself pretty or putting myself together. This past weekend I went to a friend's home and really put myself together for the first time in a while. Not just the bare minimum makeup but a full face. Jewelry was worn and an outfit I really like to wear. It made me realize I need to do that at least once each week even if I am staying home. I feel entirely different about myself when I put in the effort to look good.
Also for the new year I decided to purchase a planner for the year. Instead of keeping schedule of all the things I need to accomplish each day I plan to write at least 3 things I am thankful for in each day. I might be thankful for the same things over and over and I might have days with something completely unexpected. It really doesn't matter how repetitive or surprising the answers are but that I remind myself to be thankful each day. You can't feel quite so down about the curveballs when you are focused on being thankful.
While I was on my hiatus from writing last week I made a new recipe I hope you will enjoy. My favorite thing about this is that it freezes really well and is still easy to cook up quickly. For me it is a great little snack when I need a little pick me up through the day. If we are ever able to entertain a larger group again this is also an simple appetizer to serve to a group of people. Air Fried Crispy Wontons filled with a Creamy Chicken Spinach Filling.... mmmmm. There is something about a cruchy outside and a creamy filling that just feels decadent. When it is hot and melty on the inside as well I am sold. Even if you choose not to use the filling in the wontons but instead want to add a little cheese and bake it as a hot dip that would be amazing as well. In fact, I did that will a little bit I had left and it was pretty fantastic.
First, I had a secret weapon when seasoning this snack. If you ever go down the snack aisle and see the popcorn seasoning shakers I highly recommend picking up a couple even if you don't intend to make any popcorn. The Kernel Season's Garlic Parmesan is so good and is used in this dish. I also like to add a tiny sprinkle of this mixed with Frank's Red Hot powdered seasoning to my popcorn for a spicy garlicy snack.
The other item you will want on hand that you may not already have purchased in the past is the wonton wrappers. I love to buy these for multiple things. You can make actual filled wontons for soups or to steam, you can fill and cook until crispy like we are doing today or you can even just cut into strips and cook to make your own chips or wonton crisps for salads. Another great idea is to line muffin tins with these so you have crispy little cups to fill with your favorite things. Crispy cups filled with mini taco salads is a favorite. And don't think they only work for savory foods. Try filling them with apple pie filling for a super quick dessert too.
The other ingredients are pretty simple and standard. When we make proteins and have leftovers I like to break those into single servings and freeze for later use so I had little bags with 2oz of cooked chicken already in my freezer. If you either don't have any cooked chicken or want to leave this as a vegetarian options feel free to leave that out. Also, we used fat free cream cheese, nonfat plain greek yogurt, deseeded jalapeno (leave in some seeds for more heat) and spinach.
48 wonton wrappers
2 oz. cooked chicken, diced
1 medium jalapeno, finely diced
1 oz. or 1 handful raw spinach, chopped
8 oz. fat free cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tsp Kernel Season's Garlic Parmesan
Everything except the wonton wrappers goes into a bowl and mixed together thoroughly. I like to use an electric mixer but just using a fork or spoon is also perfectly fine. Go with whatever preference you have for mixing these up. Then just scoop a half tablespoon into the center of each wonton and fold the wrapper around your filling.
I placed all of them in a single layer over a baking pan lined with parchment paper. When they were finished I removed a few to cook right away and then placed the entire pan in the freezer keeping all the wontons flat. After about 2 hours I removed the pan and transferred the frozen wontons into a freezer bag for future use. This method keeps the wontons from sticking to each other when they freeze.
The wontons I kept out I put into the air fryer at 375º for 10 minutes flipping them about half way through. The wontons that were in the freezer are just as simple. Just add another 2 minutes to the cooking time and you will have a crispy exterior and creamy interior for a quick and easy snack.
Nutritional information gathered by entering ingredients on myfitnesspal.
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