I'm Melting- Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

At the start of this year the salesman and I embarked on a new eating journey. We took everything that we loved to eat and decided to not eat it. And I mean everything. We started a nutritional system (will not mention any names) that you use alongside healthy eating. This has rocked our world. I never thought about committing murder for a grilled cheese until now. The thought of chocolate cake can make me become a crazy woman. I find myself chanting, "bacon, bacon, bacon" in my sleep. We are basically eating no carbs, no sugar, no caffeine, no dairy, no salt...should I go on? Torture. For a girl like me this is tough. They call it a challenge because that is what it is. I thought I liked veggies but the thought of no creams or cheese to smother them in is hard. I have had to really adjust my cooking and put some recipes to the test in order to please all of my eaters at the table. One of our favorite dishes to eat pre-diet was a Thai peanut dish. I love the balance of sweet and heat and it was a great meal to cook for a huge crowd. Since peanut butter is part of our new healthy eating, Organic low salt no sugar added peanut butter that is, I decided to see if I could refine the recipe to fit the new bill. And it worked! I don't know if it was because this was the first carb dish I had had in three weeks or if it was because I was so hungry by this point in the night that I would have eated a paper plate, but we loved it. I felt guilty at first since it tasted so good but then I remembered that it was good for me...so I decided to go back for seconds. This is a great fiber friendly, low sugar, low fat crowd pleasing meal. Does it get any better than that?

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

2 Roasted Chicken Breasts- Don't know how? Check it out:
Yellow Rose Cafe: Canned or Not Canned....there is no question! - Roasted Chicken
2 whole carrots- grated (mine are thin sliced but grated is best)
1 cup sugar snap peas- cut in thirds
1/2 box whole grain thin spaghetti noodles
1/3 cup natural peanut butter- we use Smuckers and keep it upside down in the fridge
2 tsp Agave nectar
5-6 dashes Texas Pete or Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 Tsp (or to taste) low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 diced garlic clove
1 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
Juice of 2 limes
1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro, reserve back 2 tsp
1/4 -1/3 cup chopped peanuts or cashews

Shred the chicken and place in a large bowl. Toss in the grated carrot and cilantro.

In a large pot,cook the noodles in salted water until al dente, about 6-8 minutes. I typically add 1 Tbsp of salt to the water.

In a small skillet, saute the sugar snap peas in a splash of olive oil until tender, about 3-5 minutes. If you like the tasted of raw peas then don't bother. Once cooked, throw in to the bowl with your chicken then place the skillet back on the stove on low heat. To the pan add the peanut butter, Agave, Texas Pete, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar and juice of 1.5 limes. Gently simmer until it is all combined. Add to it 1/4 cup of hot water and stir until you have a good consistency. Taste as you go along. If you want it sweeter, add a splash more agave. If you like more heat, add Texas Pete. If you like more salt, add soy sauce. Get the point?

Once the noodles are cooked, scoop them into the pot of chicken carrot mixture with a pasta scoop if you have one. You don't want to drain the noodles totally because you want some of the water left on them to help with the sauce. Throw the sauce into the bowl and toss it around. Squeeze the remaining lime over the top, pour into your bowl and top off with the chopped peanuts and reserved cilantro.

Enjoy Y'all!