Honey Nut Barbecue Chicken Fingers

Taylor Matheny is a Los Angeles–based fitness trainer and chef. She studied sports nutrition while learning culinary techniques and is certified in personal training and sports nutrition. Finding herself in the bodybuilding industry—she’s also an NPC bikini competitor—she honed her cooking skills on contest diets. Currently, she works as a personal chef in Los Angeles and is a spokesmodel for Myogenix.

Hot and Healthy in the Kitchen is designed to help you get creative with new ways to cook food that is clean and full of flavor. Every meal you eat should be enjoyable and be good for you at the same time. I’ll show you that you can eat healthful meals that have five-star taste without feeling guilty.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is as true as ever, but new studies suggest you might add a handful of nuts to the prescription. People who eat nuts regularly have shown a consistent 30 to 50 percent lower risk of heart attacks or heart disease than those who don’t. Nuts are loaded with amino acids that are proven to protect the inner lining of the arterial walls and essential fatty acids, which have health benefits that are legion. The following healthful dish will give you a good dose of nuts as well as muscle-building protein:

Honey Nut Barbecue Chicken Fingers

6 skinless chicken breast tenders

1/2 cup Fiber One honey clusters, crushed

1/2 cup ground honey roasted almonds

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon organic barbecue sauce

Pepper to taste

Finely chopped garlic to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a shallow dish combine the egg whites and barbecue sauce. In another dish mix the crushed cereal, ground almonds, garlic and pepper. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg dish, and then coat with the crumb mixture. Bake about 12 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Serves two.

Each serving: calories, 300; fat, 12 grams; carbohydrate, 14 grams; protein, 35 grams; sodium, 75 milligrams; sugar, 6 grams.