I did not do a great job of planning breakfasts and lunches this week. It was a busy weekend, and I had to change my schedule and chaos ensued.
I actually planned ahead and cooked the chili on Sunday night, but well, I made modifications and the boys refused to have it in their lunches for today.
So here's what's up for dinners this week:
Pumpkin chili
weeknight turkey bolognese
cilantro lime shrimp
crockpot salsa verde chicken
chili mac
monte cristo
mexican pizza
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Monday, October 20, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
Turkey Taco Chili
I used cannellini, dark kidney beans, pinto, and navy beans.
Here's another post I found in my drafts. Looks yummy!
http://www.yummyhealthyeasy.com/2012/10/quick-easy-delicious-turkey-taco-chili.html
Portobello Pizza
This was sitting in drafts; since it's been so long since a post.....
http://www.bodyrock.tv/2011/06/25/delicious-healthy-pizza-recipe/
I liked, M said it needed something, boys refused to try it.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Meal Plan
I have been horrible about blogging. I've realized, though, the necessity of posting a meal plan here. Many times, my husband will have to take care of getting dinner started, and I have no idea what to tell him or which recipe to send him because the meal plan is at home. Putting it here will help in those situations, and give me a starting point should I need to pick up anything last minute. It's just a matter of actually posting it.
Lunches and breakfasts are the plan for the boys. Usually, the lunches happen while the breakfasts do not. I don't plan ahead for myself, which I know is incredibly foolish.
Monday:
Breakfast: Crockpot Apple Oatmeal
Lunch: Meatballs (leftover from my mom's party; in a thermos)
Dinner: Weeknight Turkey Bolognese
Tuesday:
B: Green Monster Smoothie
L: Taco
D: Crockpot Potato Soup
Wednesday:
B: Waffle Sandwich
L: Mac and Cheese
D: Cilantro Lime Shrimp with Cilantro Rice
Thursday:
B: Slow Cooker French Toast
L: Black Beans and Mango (I really have to blog this; it's their favorite! It's really just cooked rice, cooked black beans, and diced mango)
D: Peanut Butter Chicken
Friday:
B: Banana Roll Up
L: PBJ
D: Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken
Lunches and breakfasts are the plan for the boys. Usually, the lunches happen while the breakfasts do not. I don't plan ahead for myself, which I know is incredibly foolish.
Monday:
Breakfast: Crockpot Apple Oatmeal
Lunch: Meatballs (leftover from my mom's party; in a thermos)
Dinner: Weeknight Turkey Bolognese
Tuesday:
B: Green Monster Smoothie
L: Taco
D: Crockpot Potato Soup
Wednesday:
B: Waffle Sandwich
L: Mac and Cheese
D: Cilantro Lime Shrimp with Cilantro Rice
Thursday:
B: Slow Cooker French Toast
L: Black Beans and Mango (I really have to blog this; it's their favorite! It's really just cooked rice, cooked black beans, and diced mango)
D: Peanut Butter Chicken
Friday:
B: Banana Roll Up
L: PBJ
D: Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken
Monday, September 15, 2014
Egg muffin cups
I think I'll be selling this one big time in the morning, but here's the source: http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2012/10/3-for-3-lunch-challenge-lunchbox-ideas-107/
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Apple wiches
Super long time...
Trying out a new lunchbox treat. This came from http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2012/10/3-for-3-lunch-challenge-lunchbox-ideas-107/
Sides were watermelon and sliced apple.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Firecracker Chicken
This is a recipe that seems to be floating around the blogosphere these days, and since I'm hardly on blogs these days, it looks like I missed it. So I'm super glad that Stephanie shared this because we LOVED it. Most telling, though, was that the boys said they liked it even though it was spicy. Wow!
This came together really quickly, which was a saver on the crazy day we had when I made it. I thought it was really great; the flavors were awesome and the broccoli had a nice crunch since I chose not to precook it. I was really disappointed when these reheated very poorly for lunch the next day.
Firecracker Chicken and Broccoli, Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks via Stephanie Cooks
Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/2 c. cornstarch
2 eggs
For the Sauce:
1/3 c. buffalo sauce
1/2 c. light brown sugar
2 t. rice wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. salt
1 T. olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/2 c. cornstarch
2 eggs
For the Sauce:
1/3 c. buffalo sauce
1/2 c. light brown sugar
2 t. rice wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. salt
2 c. broccoli florets
Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350.
2- Dice chicken into 1" pieces.
3- Pour the cornstarch in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs in a separate shallow dish.
4- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip the chicken into the cornstarch and then in the eggs. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes or until just browned. Place in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish along with the broccoli florets.
5- In a bowl combine the buffalo sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, salt. Pour evenly over top of the chicken and broccoli and bake for 30 minutes (until chicken is cooked through), stirring every 15 minutes, until the sauce is completely coating the chicken.
6. Remove from oven and serve over top of rice.
6. Remove from oven and serve over top of rice.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Bbq turkey meatloaf
I made this one a long time ago and haven't made it since. This was foolish, because this is an amazing meatloaf. My husband made it this go around. The BBQ sauce on top is sweet and yummy while there's a real savory flavor in the meat itself. The onions and pepper add some nice crunch too.
Make this one soon when you're craving some comfort food!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon Neelys' BBQ Seasoning, recipe follows (I used a pinch of paprika, a pinch of sugar)
- 1 teaspoon crab boil seasoning, (recommended: Old Bay)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce, reserving 1/2 cup for the top (this was a bottle's worth)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey (I used ground chicken)
- 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix BBQ seasoning, crab boil seasoning, soy sauce, beaten egg, 1 cup of the BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper and garlic. Saute until tender. Remove from heat and add to wet mix.
Pour mixture into bowl with the ground turkey. Add bread crumbs and mix all together with your hands.
Transfer the meat mixture to a cookie sheet or baking pan. Using your hands, shape the meat into an oblong or rectangular shape. *Cook's Note: Alternately, you can pat the meat into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and pour 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce on the top of the loaf.
Bake for 35 minutes. Remove and add the reserved 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce to the top and continue to bake for 20 more minutes.
In a large bowl, mix BBQ seasoning, crab boil seasoning, soy sauce, beaten egg, 1 cup of the BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper and garlic. Saute until tender. Remove from heat and add to wet mix.
Pour mixture into bowl with the ground turkey. Add bread crumbs and mix all together with your hands.
Transfer the meat mixture to a cookie sheet or baking pan. Using your hands, shape the meat into an oblong or rectangular shape. *Cook's Note: Alternately, you can pat the meat into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and pour 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce on the top of the loaf.
Bake for 35 minutes. Remove and add the reserved 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce to the top and continue to bake for 20 more minutes.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Smothered Italian Chicken
When I see something on Stephanie's blog, I know I will enjoy it; when she raves about something, I know I will as well. This is no exception. I've made this before, but wanted to highlight it again since I found a way to not waste the rest of the Philly Cooking Creme, again thanks to Stephanie... see my next post to see how I used it up with amazing results.
This dinner also inspired my husband to make this into a sandwich. I made more than enough chicken cutlets, which he topped with the leftover sauce, tomato, lettuce, and bacon on a whole grain ciabatta roll to rave results.
Yum!
Smothered Italian Chicken Source: Stephanie Cooks
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, butterflied
1 egg
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1.5 cups baby spinach
1/3-1/2 tub Philadelphia Italian Cooking Creme
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350.
2- Slice the tomato and place in a small baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Bake covered for 15 minutes or until soft.
3- Meanwhile, dip the chicken in egg, then bread crumbs, until coated. Heat oil and fry chicken until crisp and cooked through. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
4- Add the spinach and cooking creme to the tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes or so, stirring well.
5- Spoon the sauce mixture over the hot chicken. Serve immediately.
2 chicken breasts, butterflied
1 egg
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1.5 cups baby spinach
1/3-1/2 tub Philadelphia Italian Cooking Creme
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350.
2- Slice the tomato and place in a small baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Bake covered for 15 minutes or until soft.
3- Meanwhile, dip the chicken in egg, then bread crumbs, until coated. Heat oil and fry chicken until crisp and cooked through. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
4- Add the spinach and cooking creme to the tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes or so, stirring well.
5- Spoon the sauce mixture over the hot chicken. Serve immediately.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Meatless Monday: Baked lemon orzo
It's no secret that my kids are gonzo for Mac and Cheese, so when I saw this recipe, I figured it would be a more sophisticated version of mac and cheese for us to try. It also happened that I was reading a book, and "orzo" was the hip new thing, in the early 80s. So, it was clearly Kismet for us to give this a go.
As for the result, I liked it, but wasn't super jazzed about it. I took it for lunch leftovers (as written, it makes a LOT) but it was really missing some pizzazz. Definitely a good side dish, though I'm certainly not likely to put this much time and effort into a side dish.
But, maybe it's for you or you can think of a way to get this suited to your family's tastes better! (Side note: I did skip the bread crumb topping, which could have been my problem here)
Baked Asiago and Lemon Orzo Source: Sarcastic Cooking
Ingredients
- For the Pasta:
- 1 Pound Orzo Pasta
- ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter, plus more for greasing
- ½ Cup Diced Yellow Onion
- 1 Clove Garlic, grated
- ¼ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 ½ Cup Shredded Asiago Cheese, plus more for topping
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Dill
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- For the Topping:
- 1 Cup Cubed Stale Bread
- 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo, cook according to packaging.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, sauté for two minutes until translucent. Add garlic, stir to combine. Sauté an additional minute.
- Add the flour to the saucepan. Whisk to combine flour and butter. Cook for one to two minutes.
- Slowly pour in the milk, while stirring/whisking. Stir/whisk until the sauce and roux are totally combined.
- At this time the pasta should be ready to be drained. Drain pasta and set off to the side.
- Add the cheese to the sauce, stir, and cook until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in all the seasonings, zest, dill, and lemon juice.
- Grease a large 9×11 inch baking dish with butter. Add pasta to the baking dish, pour sauce over the pasta, and stir to evenly coat all the orzo with sauce.
- In a food processor, pulse the stale bread until a medium/fine crumb is formed. It doesn’t have to be uniform.
- In a small skillet, heat butter over medium/high heat until it melts. The butter will crackle and foam and then start to slowly turn brown. Once the butter starts to turn brown, add in the breadcrumbs and stir. Cook for another minute or two and then remove from heat.
- Pour the brown butter breadcrumbs over the cheesy orzo along with a little bit more shredded asiago and parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven uncovered for 20 minutes. Let sit for three to five minutes before serving.
- Store pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat in microwave or oven.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Cilantro lime shrimp
I wasn't thinking when I made this shrimp dish, and served it over plain brown rice. While it was certainly delicious, I should have served it over Cilantro Lime Rice. Not only would I have made a side dish that better complimented the dinner, but I also would have used up some of the extra ingredients I bought to make the shrimp dish.
And the shrimp dish was lovely. I brought it in for lunches for a few days after, and while the shrimp definitely get rubbery in the microwave, I still enjoyed this the second time around.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Source: Skinnytaste, via He and She Eat Clean
Ingredients:
2 lbs shrimp, shelled & deviened
2 tsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
Directions:
1. Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat.
2. Add oil to the pan & once the pan is hot add shrimp.
3. Season with salt & pepper.
4. When the shrimp is cooked on one side (about 2 minutes), turn over & add garlic.
5. Saute another minute or two until shrimp is cooked, careful not to overcook.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Squeeze lime over shrimp & toss with cilantro.
8. Serve & enjoy!
Makes 4 servings (each serving is 6 oz)
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Chili mac
Ah the days of school lunches. According to my son, a lot of my favorite lunches still grace the cafeteria (chicken patty, anyone?), so it was with fond memories that I stumbled across this recipe in the midst of a clean eating challenge. Of course my beloved chicken patty was not real food, and it's likely even worse now, but I can make chili mac with all real ingredients, and it will be delicious too.
All three boys enjoyed this too, though the two youngest of them have this thing about onions lately, and spent more time picking onions out than enjoying. I enjoyed it for several days after as lunch, and the boys even asked for it in the lunchboxes one day.
Clean Eating Chili Mac Source: The Gracious Pantry
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds lean, ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder (or 8 fresh cloves, minced)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce, no sugar added, low sodium is best
- 1 cup water
- Whole grain macaroni, cooked to package directions (I used half a box)
- Salt to taste
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions:
- In a medium to large soup pot, cook the turkey in the oil.
- When the meat is about half way cooked, stir in all the spices.
- When the meat is finished cooking, stir in the pasta and remaining ingredients.
- Serve topped with parmesan cheese.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Weelicious Veggie Tortilla Wrap
You may have heard that lunchboxes are no longer what they used to be. Moms across the internet (and surely Dads too, but they don't seem to have as much of an online presence) cut foods into cute shapes for their kids to eat (or, perhaps, turn up their noses at).
I don't do any of that. I have been known to use a cookie cutter on a sandwich and also got the Cute-Z-Cute cutter as a Christmas gift, but I try to keep the lunchboxes full of interesting foods and keep my fingers crossed they will like them. Pinterest is a huge source of inspiration, but one of the mavens of the lunchbox world has recently published a cookbook, Weelicious Lunches: Thinking Outside the Lunchbox, and I knew I had to give it a try.
I wish I'd packed one of these for myself, but I didn't quite have enough of the ingredients. It was not a hit for the boys, though I will likely make it for them again in the hopes their tastes will change, but my husband and I both thought this might be one for US to try one day. Unfortunately I didn't plan ahead and make the homemade hummus ahead of time, but it took so little time that it was really no big deal (even though I pack lunches after cooking dinner and just want to crash on the couch). Since I made the hummus from scratch, though, I didn't get around to making the suggested veggie salad for the side. Maybe next time I'll plan better, but the boys got a side of the hummus, pita chips, and grape tomatoes and baby carrots instead.
Weelicious Veggie Tortilla Wrap Source: Weelicious Lunches: Thinking Outside the Lunchbox
Ingredients
*Makes 4 servings
- ½ cup hummus
- 4 whole-wheat tortillas
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated (about 1 cup)
- 1 avocado, sliced
Directions
1. Lay the tortilla flat on a work surface, and spread hummus along the inside.
2. Top each tortilla with 1/4 of the grated carrots, then 1/4 of the sliced avocados.
3. Roll everything up, cut into half, and lunchbox it.
I used this hummus recipe, from the Weelicious website, for this wrap.
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons tahini (can be usually be found right next to the peanut butter at your local grocery)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Preparation
- 1. Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and puree.
- 2. Add the olive oil and continue to puree until creamy.
- 3. Serve.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Pineapple Glazed Chicken
Sometime last year, I reorganized many of the photos on my Photobucket account, and as a result, many of my older blog posts no longer have photos. So, even though this is a terrible photo of a yummy meal, I'm posting it to update the older post. I've made this a few times, and if you have the book in which the recipe can be found ( Best 30 Minute Recipe), I also recommend the cranberry version (which I also don't seem to have shared here).
Although my husband is not generally a fan of curry flavors, I continue to make this because the curry is subtle and adds some interesting balance to the sweetness of the pineapple. This is really nice with rice on the side, especially if you use some of the pineapple sauce on top of it.
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt & fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup)
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- ¼ cup sliced almonds , toasted (see note)
DIRECTIONS:
- Lightly pound chicken so it's roughly the same thickness. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1T olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown the chicken, about 4 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, drain pineapple chunks, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Whisk pineapple juice, honey, soy sauce, curry powder, and cayenne together. Add this mixture, along with the pineapple chunks, to the skillet with the chicken and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 8-12 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and an instant read thermometer through the thickest part of the chicken reads 160 degrees F,
- Transfer chicken to a plate, cover with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Return glaze to simmer and cook, uncovered, until thickened slightly and glossy, about 8 minutes.
- Add accumulated chicken juices to glaze. Whisk cornstarch and vinegar together until smooth, then whisk into glaze. Continue to simmer glaze until thick and syrupy, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour glaze over chicken, sprinkle with toasted almonds, and serve.
- Note: To toast the 1/4 cup almonds, put them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the skillet occasionally to prevent scorching and toast until they are lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 8 minutes.
Recipe found online at: http://www.food.com/recipe/pineapple-glazed-chicken-284226#ixzz1nLok6TAh
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Peaches and cream crockpot oats
Making oatmeal in the crockpot has made mornings around here substantially less crazy. The boys enjoy it and I know I'm giving my kids (and self) a hearty and healthful breakfast with little work on my part. It takes a little bit more prep work than the little instant packets I had as a kid, but is surely much better for all of us than those were and less costly too.
The first time I made steel cut oats in the crockpot, I made a gigantic mess. The cooked oats stuck to the crock and it required much elbow grease to clean the mess. I've since discovered a much easier method: place all ingredients in a bowl that will fit inside your crockpot, and fill the crock around that bowl with water. Cook as directed. If there's any mess, it's confined to the small bowl, but I've found it doesn't get stuck on the way it did that first time.
The original directions for this Peaches and Cream Oatmeal suggest using canned peaches; I used frozen since that's what I have on hand, but the flavor just wasn't there without the juice. My boys didn't notice or mind, but I (of the instant preference) wasn't really nuts about this. That's not to say I won't make them again, the boys enjoyed and I didn't mind enough to not eat them, but I will probably add some honey or sugar to my bowl in the future. I'll share the original recipe for you to try either way!
Peaches and Cream Crockpot Oats Source: Eat at Home
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches in light syrup
- enough milk to bring liquid to 4 cups
- dash salt
Instructions
- Spray inside of crock with nonstick cooking spray.
- Put steel cut oats in crock.
- Drain can of peaches, reserving juice.
- Slice peaches in bite size pieces. Add to crock.
- Add milk to peach juice to make 4 cups. Pour into crock.
- Add dash of salt and stir to combine.
- Cook 3-4 hours on low. You can cook up to 7-8 hours, if needed.
- Serve with extra milk, if desired.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Shrimp Penne Rosa
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I hope you have great plans for Game Day; we'll probably watch a little of the game with the boys but otherwise have no plans.
I'm feeling in a food rut. This is particularly true for my own breakfasts and lunches, but it's applying to dinners around here too. So I turned to some past recipe swaps for inspiration. This recipe, shared by Becoming Pigzilla seemed rut breaking so I gave it a go. I liked that it called for some different ingredients than I've been using lately (though it seems like nearly everything has been served with pasta lately), and it's fairly clean too.
This was pretty good, but probably would have been kicked up a notch if I'd added more red pepper flakes (which I don't do for my boys' sake, but could have amped up the flavor here) and I also used two rather than three tomatoes; I definitely wish I'd used three.
Shrimp Penne Rosa as seen on Becoming Pigzilla
Ingredients:
12 oz whole wheat penne pasta
olive oil
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 large or 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup dry white wine
9 oz fresh spinach, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
olive oil
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 large or 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup dry white wine
9 oz fresh spinach, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large deep skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften stirring frequently, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and tomatoes and cook until garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Increase heat to medium and add shrimp. Add white wine and cook until shrimp become bright pink and are almost cooked through (don’t worry, they’ll continue to cook), about 4 minutes. Turn off heat. Stir in spinach and cover.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together marinara sauce and Greek yogurt. Once spinach has wilted, add sauce to pan and turn heat back on low. Add in pasta and stir until well combined. Stir in basil. Serve and garnish with parmesan cheese.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Tropical Chicken Quesadilla
I made these last spring as part of the recipes swap in which I was partaking at the time. That version used a pineapple-avocado salsa while this time around, I used the originally called for mango.
I know I liked the pineapple, but this was fantastic. It was an amazing salsa to go along with your pretty standard chicken and cheese quesadilla, and so bright and fresh for the dismal wintery "Polar Vortex" weather we've had lately. I made these with some shredded chicken I had in the fridge, but Kelsey gives directions for cooking fresh chicken and spicing it up with some Mexican flavors.
Yummy!
Tropical Chicken Quesadilla with Mango Avocado Salsa Source: Kelsey's Apple a Day
Ingredients:
For the salsa:
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 habañero (Scotch Bonnet) or jalapeño, seeded and diced
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
juice from one fresh lime
1/4 c. chopped red onion
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 habañero (Scotch Bonnet) or jalapeño, seeded and diced
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
juice from one fresh lime
1/4 c. chopped red onion
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the quesadillas:
2 t coconut oil, divided
shredded chicken
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
8 medium/soft taco size tortillas
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese
Directions:
- Make the salsa by combining all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Adjust seasonings as you like.
- Make the quesadillas by laying out the tortilla then topping half with cheese, shredded chicken, onion, and pepper. Fold quesadilla in half over the filling.
- Heat 1 t coconut oil in a skillet. When hot, lay the quesadilla in the pan and cook until crispy, then flip over to cook the other side. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Serve with the salsa and enjoy!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Sweet and sour chicken
I love making Asian inspired dishes at home. Of course, nothing is as quick and easy as pulling up to your local Chinese restaurant, but I'm so hesitant after watching them pour spoonful after spoonful of sugar into a recent General Tso's chicken order. But this is really fast, really delicious, and way better for you than pretty much anything at your local Chinese takeout!
So when I saw that Stephanie had an Asian inspired recipe on her blog, my ears (figuratively) perked! And, Stephanie didn't disappoint. This was delicious with just the right blend of sweet and tang. It definitely takes some planning to make this a weeknight meal, though; I'm always hesitant when I see an hour's worth of baking time, but it can be done! All your prep could be done the night before so all you have to do is pop into the oven when you get home from work.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Source: Stephanie Cooks
Ingredients:
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325.
1- Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper.
2- Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through.
3- Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.
4- Bake for one hour at 325 degrees, uncovered. Turn chicken every 15 minutes.
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325.
1- Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper.
2- Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through.
3- Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.
4- Bake for one hour at 325 degrees, uncovered. Turn chicken every 15 minutes.
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