Eating and first dates, who thought this was a good idea when going face to face with a complete stranger?!? Personally I feel as though my main focus on a date shouldn’t be whether I’m taking dainty bites or look cute while chewing, plus sometimes I end up wearing a good portion of what I’m noshing.

Takes me back to when I was boy obsessed and crushing on the entire male population of my high school. Lucky for me, best friend Trish was also going through this same craze, so double dating became our thing. We decided if eating was ever involved that we’d need a way to discreetly let one another know if food got on our face or stuck in our teeth. Not sure why but we settled on a swift kick to the leg under the table, it was discreet yet to the point.

So there we are at the golden arches enjoying some burgers and fries and so far all is going well, meaning no kicking necessary. We were both looking super cute taking little burger bites, and of course the guys had condiments dripping down their arms. Then it happened, not sure if it was the amount of ketchup, the way I dipped it, or maybe I was too slow on delivery, but as it came towards my mouth it was like watching a gun go off in slow motion, I saw the bullet coming but there was nothing I could do about it. A giant glob of ketchup falls off my tasty french fry and right onto my crisp white t-shirt. All I could do was hold my breath as everyone paused to admire my new DIY red tie dye design, but to add insult to injury Trish hauls off and kicks me in the shin, as if I hadn’t just noticed my major ketchup fail.

Nothing quite like a bruised leg and stained shirt to end this not so perfect date.

But this meal would make anyone fall in love.

Paleo Chicken Parm

¼ cup of tapioca and arrowroot starch
1 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste
1 egg
2 chicken breasts
1-2 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 zucchini spiralized
Marinara sauce (as much or as little as you like)
Feta Cheese (you could even use a sheep milk pecorino)

Ok, first up we need to tenderize our chicken. Starting at the thicker side, make a lengthwise cut into the top, stopping before you cut all the way through. This will allow you to fold open the chicken breast like a book, (should still be in one piece.) Put the breast between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and pound it out with a meat tenderizer, about 1/4 inch thick.

Next you need to prepare your breading bowls. In the first bowl, combine your dry ingredients, and in the second bowl the beaten egg.

Preheat your oven to 400F. then in a large skillet, warm the oil over medium/high heat. Once the oil is warm, toss your chicken into the starch bowl, then egg bowl, then back into the starch shaking off any excess, then into the pan it goes.

You’ll want to pan-fry the chicken for about three minutes per side, then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment and an oven rack to keep the chicken off the pan. I find it helps crisp up the bottom a bit better. PS don’t worry about whether the chicken is cooked through; the oven will finish that step off.

Now that your chicken is in the oven, using the same pan you just cooked your chicken, toss in your marinara sauce and spiralized zucchini noodles, and let that simmer on medium for about 8-10 minutes.

Once your zucchini noodles are done it’s time to plate everything up. Spoon some of your marinara sauce over your chicken, then top with a little (or a lot) of feta cheese, then your zucchini noodles on the side for the perfect culinary double date.

So throw caution to the wind and get messy, because it’s not a good date until you’ve ruined what your both wearing.