Chicken, Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Corn Taco

Hello healthy lunch!

I'm embarrassed it's been a whole year since I last posted!! I'm going to straight up blame it on the kids, that's why I had them in the first place isn't it? I needed someone to blame for my laziness, messy house, lateness, and all out craziness and my husband wasn't letting me blame him anymore...

Avocado Chicken Salad

Avocado Chicken Salad in a romaine lettuce wrap

Today my son turns 1 year old and I'm sitting here with so many mixed emotions. Proud of the little boy he is becoming, nostalgic to the moment he was born, sad that my last baby is growing up, and so happy that he has made my family feel so complete and filled my heart with more love than I thought was possible. 

Biggies' Penne a la Vodka

This pasta is freaking YUM! My lil brother Biggies introduced it to me and Kurt probably 4 years ago. At the time he was planning on becoming a chef so we'd invite him to dinner, buy the groceries he needed, and he'd make us a delicious meal (all while completely destroying my kitchen with dirty dishes!!)! Pretty good deal if you ask me. The first time my brother made this he just did the pasta itself and made an unbelievable pork tenderloin to go with it. Since Kurt and I live on a bit of a budget we usually add chicken to the dish instead. Now, as many times as I've tried to replicate my brother's dish, it just never tastes as good as his does. I can only chalk that up to the fact that he probably left an ingredient out so that I've got to keep inviting him over for dinner! 

Chicken Pot Pie

Now that it's going to be amazing weather, I've finally decided to jump back on the blog bandwagon and I'm going to start with a favorite winter comfort food, Chicken Pot Pie! Now, my mama always made the absolute best chicken pot pie when I was growing up. When I went to college she gave me her recipe and I always tried to replicate it and it was always delicious but never quite "mama's chicken pot pie." I think it has to do with her special ingredient...she always said it was love but I'm guessing she put a little something else in it and just never told me what it was ;)! 

Teryaki Chicken All Grown Up

Sorry the picture sucks, I was so hungry and it smelled so good I couldn't wait!!

If you have looked back on some of my early posts you may have seen my Teriyaki Chicken Nuggets recipe. I was feeling exceptionally lazy last Sunday night but still wanted to make a nice dinner for my hardworking husband. I knew that my Teriyaki Chicken Nuggets are one of his favorite meals and I rarely make them because I hate how my house smells after frying up chicken not to mention the work it takes to cut up and bread all the nuggets. I decided that I could probably use the same sauce recipe and instead of cutting up the chicken into little nuggets I could just pound them out thinner and use the whole chicken breast!


My idea worked like a charm (obviously ;) and the chicken was delicious! This method was so simple and so tasty that I will definitely have to work this into the rotation more often. I would suggest cooking the chicken just a little short of done because you will stick it in the oven for about 10 minutes. I always serve this dish with white rice and spoon some extra sauce over the rice because it is sooooo tasty!! I hope you can give this recipe a whirl and if you do, let me know what you think!


Teriyaki Chicken All Grown Up
Souce: Me and My Mama


Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1-2 eggs beaten
oil for frying
Glaze (I personally double this recipe as I like a lot of extra sauce for dipping):
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. honey
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce or teriyaki marinade
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger (fresh is best but powder is good too)


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix soy sauce, teriyaki marinade or sauce, ginger, honey, and garlic in a pan and heat on medium heat.
2. Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a frying pan. Slice chicken breast in half horizontally or pound out your chicken breast to desired thickness (mine were about 1/4-1/2 inch).
3. Mix flour, salt, pepper and Lawrys in one bowl. In another bowl beat 1 egg. Dip each chicken breast in egg then in flour mixture then place on a plate.
4. When oil is hot add all chicken breast, or as many as can fit, into the frying pan. Fry on both sides just short of doneness. Immediately transfer to teriyaki mixture and make sure both sides are coated in the teriyaki sauce.
5. Place chicken on a wire rack on a baking sheet and put in oven for 10 minutes, basting chicken with teriyaki mixture halfway through.
6. Serve with white rice and a vegetable. I use the extra sauce to dip my chicken in as well!!

Slow Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

This pasta is divine! There is nothing I love more than pasta.....except maybe a pasta this easy! I found this on another one of my favorite blogs, Stephanie Cooks. She always has simple, delicious, and (usually) healthy food. One night as I was scrolling through her blog, this picture caught Kurt's eye, which was a total surprise because he usually doesn't request pasta dishes.

I have been meaning to make this now for a week or so and last night I realized that if I didn't use my tomatoes they'd probably go bad. Unfortunately Kurt had plans so I ended up making this for myself and now I am glad I did because I had two helpings with leftovers for lunch! The flavor that the slow roasted tomatoes bring to the dish is wonderful. There is a subtle sweetness that they add to the pesto. I used store bought pesto but if you make your own I think this would be even better! The angel hair is nice because the sauce isn't heavy and a thicker noodle would make this a heavier dish. On top of all these amazing layers of flavor, the whole thing was very quick to pull together. A healthy, delicious, and quick dinner...yes please!

Slow Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
5 ounces chicken
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 250.
2. Wash the tomatoes, slice them in half, and lay them in an even layer on a foil lined baking pan.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake until the tomatoes shrivel and "pop", about 20-25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the angel hair according to directions.
6. Cut the chicken into pieces, toss with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
7. Add some olive oil to a skillet, about 2 tbsp, and cook the chicken until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
8. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add them to a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or a fork, until they break apart and their juice comes loose. Pour the smashed tomatoes into the skillet.
9. Add the pesto, heat the tomato pesto mixture over medium/high heat. Add the angel hair and chicken, tossing until all is evenly coated.
10. Serve with parmesan cheese to taste.

Chicken Bundles

As you may know, I am part of a chat board for moms of July babies. These moms are just wonderful for so many reasons! We all share stories of our little ones, ask and answer questions about mommyhood, talk about the challenges we are facing in life....and share yummy recipes! This is one of those delicious recipes that had been shared. I saw the recipe pop up for the first time from one of the ladies as it is a staple in her house. After the recipe first posted, I'd see a new rave review pop up every day about this little bundle of yumminess! I have to admit, they do not disappoint. These chicken bundles are very easy to make and oh-so-tasty! If I make them again like this I will probably add mushrooms as well since we love mushrooms in this household. The other reason I like these bundles is because you can use any type of filling: pizza, mexican, italian, vegetarian...the list goes on and on really. Oh, definitely husband approved!

Chicken Bundles

Source: Cooking Up A Storme

Ingredients:

1 sm pkg (about 1-1.5 lbs) chicken breasts, browned and chopped

1 8 oz package cream cheese

1 stick of butter
1 small jar of pimientos (I used green olives and chopped them up)
1/4 - 1/2 cup diced green onions
1 tsp minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste
2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls (8 count)
2 Tbsp melted butter
Italian bread crumbs


Directions:
1. Soften cream cheese and butter and mix together in large mixing bowl.
2. Add pimientos, green onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well.Add chicken and combine all ingredients.
3. Use 2 crescent roll triangles and seal perforations to make a rectangle. I usually try to make it as close to square shaped as possible.
4. Spoon chicken mixture into center (approx 1/4 cup). Pull corners together and seal. Place on a cookie sheet seam side down.
5. Brush bundles with melted butter and dust with bread crumbs.
6. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes

If you make these I'd love to hear what you think! Did you do anything different?

Crockpot Chicken Chili

Make this. Now. No, I'm not even kidding. This is super super super easy and delicious!! I thought this would be fairly bland since there are not many ingredients but it was sooooo flavorful and yummy! And did I mention it was easy?!? I wish I had more to say about this but....just make it.

Crockpot Chicken Chili

Source: Michelle, my daycare provider

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts

1 jar black bean & corn salsa (I suggest Neuman's Own)

1 can white beans

1 jar of water (use empty salsa jar)

White cheese, about 2 cups

Optional add-ins: corn, spinach, more beans, mushrooms, etc (I added extra corn)

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in the crock pot. Pour salsa, white beans, and water over chicken and stir. Cook on high 4-5 hours (or low about 8). Shred chicken then add cheese (and any other add-ins) and cook for another 30-60 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~

This makes a very thick chili so add more water if you want a more soupy chili.

Champagne Chicken

Since becoming a mom I have not had much time to go out and par-tay with my friends. I have actually become very good at drinking at home (usually by myself but that is a whole other story). I love to have a couple glasses of wine while catching up on my DVR'd shows or watching a movie. I made this dish after Christmas as we had half a bottle of champagne leftover (yes, I was the one who drank the other half by myself). I hated wasting all that delicious bubbly and found this recipe on Food.com and I am really glad I tried it. The sauce was a little thin so next time I will add some cornstarch to thicken it. I also think it could have used some veggies in it, mushrooms, onions and peas would be delicious with the sauce. Again, it passed the husband test (which is the true test in my household) so it's definitely worth trying!!

Champagne Chicken

Source: Food.com

Ingredients

8 (8oz) pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (I had 1.2lbs of chicken breasts)

1 package sliced mushrooms

Frozen peas (maybe 1 cup)

1 onion, chopped

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper (I just used regular pepper)

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp olive oil 

1 1/2 cups champagne

1 cup whipping cream (I used half and half)

1 tsp ground rosemary

Cornstarch

1 tsp chopped parsely (I omitted b/c I didn't have it)

Directions
1. Flatten chicken and dust with flour, salt, and pepper (I just sliced the breasts in half horizonatally). In a very large skillet melt butter and olive oil together over medium heat.

2. Add the chicken, mushrooms and onions and saute 5 minutes, turn chicken over and add the champagne and cook for another 12-15 minutes.

3. Add the peas, cream, rosemary, and cornstarch and cook until thickened. Serve over noodles or rice.

Easy Tomato Baked Chicken

Since my wonderful daughter was born in July, I have hardly had a chance to cook real meals. My night consists of picking up Riglee after work, feeding her, changing her, playing with her, prepping a quick dinner or having Kurt whip something up, playing with Riglee, feeding her, bath time, and finally bedtime. When I am done with all of this it is usually around 8:00-8:15pm. I then spend the next hour cleaning the kitchen, getting my lunch and Riglee's bottles ready for the next day, packing the diaper bag, doing laundry, and trying to spend a few quick minutes with Kurt before I finally can close my eyes.

I've been itching to get back to cooking meals and now that Riglee doesn't demand as much of my time and can play by herself, I've been trying to cook some quick and easy meals. This is one that I found on Kraftfoods.com and I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was! Even Kurt said that it was really good and that I should make this again, and he'll tell me the truth.

Easy Tomato Baked Chicken

Source: Kraftfoods.com

Ingredients

1 small red onion (I used a yellow onion), thinly sliced

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1.25lbs)

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained (I only partially drained mine and used italian diced)

1/4 cup Kraft light balsamic vinaigrette dressing (I made my own using balsamic vinegar and EVOO)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup Kraft grated parmesan cheese

1 package fresh mushrooms (my addition)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place onions in bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish and top with chicken (I used an 8x8 pan). Quarter or half mushrooms and sprinkle around chicken.

2. Combine tomatoes, dressing, and garlic powder and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

3. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. I served this over spinach fettuchini noodles and used the extra sauce on the noodles. YUM!

Mama's Teriyaki Chicken Nuggets

That's right bitches, I'm back. It has been a long long long long long long time since I last posted and I apologize. You see, I was pregnant and usually ended up eating the food before I had a chance to take a picture of it. Not to mention I was sleeping as much as possible, working a lot, and pretty much spending all my free time thinking about, blogging about, and dreaming about my little baby.

So now that my baby girl has been with us for 3 months I hope to start getting some more pics and recipes up. We'll start with one of our favorite meals, Terriyaki Chicken Nuggets. I don't make this often because I hate to fry food inside because my house stinks for days but let me tell you, it is totally worth it! These are tender little chicken morsels that are deliciously coated in a yummy teriyaki sauce. I serve it with a veggie, rice, and the extra sauce for dipping! In the words of an annoying but good cook, YUM-O!

Terriyaki Chicken Nuggets
Source: My Mama
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 eggs beaten
oil for frying
Glaze:
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger (fresh is best but powder is good too)

Directions:
Cut chicken into 2 inch squares. Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces in eggs then coat with flour mixture, set aside. Slowly heat soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger in a sauce pan. Pour 1/2 inch oil in a frying pan. When hot, add some pieces of chicken (not too many at a time, I usually do 6 or so). Cook, turning as needed until golden brown. Lift chicken from oil and dip directly into honey glaze and coat completely. Lift chicken from glaze and place on a rack set in a baking pan. Repeat with all chicken. Once all chicken is on the rack, cook in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes, brushing the chicken with more glaze after 10 minutes.

**I usually double the glaze recipe because I love to have lots of extra sauce for dipping and for pouring on my rice.