Pesto Pasta

This is our go-to summer pasta. It's fast, fresh and so healthy. As a bonus, my toddler and husband love it! We like it with chicken, tomato and fresh Parmesan, but it would be wonderful with any combination of ingredients. There are no set amounts, I just throw in what I have so all measurements are approximate.

Ingredients:

1 recipe pesto

1 box of whole wheat pasta, cooked

2 chicken breasts, cubed

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped

fresh Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients together and serve! It's delicious warm or cold.

Sweet Soy Marinated Chicken

This is one of the meals I froze before Sarah was born. The first time I served it with edamame and I think that is best. Regardless of which veggie you choose, pair it with brown rice and it is almost as good as a Teriyaki Chicken Bowl! AND Moses will eat the chicken - that's a big deal around here!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces (breasts and/or thighs)

Marinade:

1 cup honey

3/4 cup soy sauce

2 T crushed garlic

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Warm marinade ingredients in the microwave until honey is melted, about 1 1/2 minutes. Pour over chicken in freezer bag, label and freeze. When thawed, pour into baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover, turn chicken and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Freeze in: 1-gallon freezer bag

Makes 4 servings

From Once a Month cooking by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg

Mrs. Vicki's Chicken

This is a recipe that I received at a bridal shower. In an attempt to make it healthier I have tried replacing the butter with egg, but butter really is best. The recipe is for whole chicken breasts, but I like to cut them into smaller pieces. If you do this, adjust the cooking time to 15 or 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 T country dijon mustard (I like to use the spicy kind)

1/4 t salt

1/4 t ground pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

14 (approximately) Ritz crackers, crushed

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together first five ingredients in a shallow bowl. Put crackers in a shallow bowl or on wax paper. Dip chicken in butter mixture and then in crackers.

Bake on foil lined cookie sheet for 30-35 minutes.

Rice and Chicken Sausage

I didn't know what to call this dish, so I just went with the main ingredients :-) The previous post reminded me of this recipe and though I'm sure the end taste is pretty different the dishes both have the same idea- rice, veggies, and meat all in the same bowl!! This is an easy, tasty dinner that is really healthy! I think the original recipe (that I couldn't find) actually came from an 'Eat Clean Diet' cookbook! Plan on about an hour to get the finished product, but the prep is really easy!

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

1/2 Red Bell Pepper- diced

1/2 Small Yellow Onion- diced

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Salt

Pepper

2 Cloves Garlic-grated

1 TBS Fresh Parsley- chopped

1 Cup Brown Rice

3 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Package (4 links) Chicken Sausage (we use Trader Joe’s-Garlic Herb Chicken Sausage) diced

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

Directions: Heat about a tablespoon of Olive Oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat, add diced bell pepper, diced onion, smoked paprika and salt and pepper and cook until veggies are tender. While these things are cooking make a paste with the grated garlic and the chopped parsley on your cutting board. When veggies are done add the paste along with the rice and saute until mixed and slightly toasted. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer, cover and cook until broth is mostly absorbed (about 40-60 minutes). In a separate skillet brown your chicken sausage. When water is mostly absorbed in the rice mixture add the frozen veggies, sausage and salt to taste. Though the broth will be absorbed by the end of the cooking process the rice texture is pretty sticky. At this point I take the lid off and crank the heat to get the bottom rice a little crispy, then scoop up a big bowl and enjoy!

Spicy Broccoli and Chicken Pasta

Our go-to pasta. The simple garlic butter sauce with a kick goes with any combination of veggies and meat, so substitute with whatever you have on hand!

Ingredients:
1 pound penne pasta (we like Barilla Protein Penne)
2 heads broccoli, trimmed to florets (about 2-3 cups)
2-3 chicken breasts diced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, grated
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the pasta and stir and cook for another 4 minutes. Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a medium skillet cook the diced chicken with a drizzle of olive oil and garlic salt.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, pasta, chicken, salt and pepper and toss. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary, to make a light sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Poppyseed chicken casserole

This recipe makes enough to feed an army! The first time I made it I didn't realize just how much it makes and ended up freezing some. Despite the cream and sour cream it was still great defrosted.

Not exactly health food, but it sure is good!

I hope to put up a picture soon.

Ingredients:

4 boxes Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice

5 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cups cream

2 cups sour cream

2 or 3 tubes Ritz crackers, crushed

3 T butter

Poppy seeds

Directions:

Cook the rice according to package direction and spread in an 11x15 pan. Mix the cream of chicken soup, cream and sour cream together. Place chicken on top of rice and pour sauce on evenly. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Crush the Ritz medium fine and mix with butter. Spread Ritz crackers over casserole. **Bake on lower rack** uncovered one hour at 350 degrees.

You can make this ahead of time and place in the fridge - you'll just need to bake it longer. Don't put the crackers on until just before baking.

Emerging from a hole and this and that!

The nausea is getting more manageable and I have begun stepping into the kitchen again! Thank you, Lord! I hope to start putting up more recipes in the days to come, but until then I thought I would pass on some recipes I have found online and really loved. Hopefully it will help if you're having trouble with this weeks meal planning.

P-Dub's chicken parmigiana. This was so easy and everyone loved it, you may even want to serve them with her rosemary dinner rolls - super delish and very easy.

Bronzed sea bass with lemon shallot butter. I made mine with cod from the frozen section at Sam's - cut me some slack, I live in a small town :) Be careful not to use too much oil when cooking the fish and to use a lower heat when making the butter sauce. I messed those two elements up and this was still wonderful! I served mine with mashed potatoes and veggies. This was a recipe from Pastor Ryan, a contributor to The Pioneer Woman, and everything I have made of his has been met with rave reviews! He is also doing a food week at his blog, and today he had some great tips!

And who could leave out good ol' Paula Deen? My husband loves banana pudding, and while I can usually do without it, this takes banana pudding to a whole new level! It really isn't Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding!

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy eating!

Super Easy Chicken

All this recipe needs is chicken, Italian dressing mix and water. Well, and your slow cooker! I use the chicken on salads, in pasta dishes, in a wrap for a quick lunch.. easy and healthy! What a great combo!

SUPER EASY CHICKEN:
4 frozen chicken breasts
1 package of Italian dressing seasonings (The seasonings that you add oil and vinegar or water to to make salad dressing at home. I have also used Hidden Valley Ranch packets before with great success!)
1 cup warm water

Put all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

That's it!

Raspberry-Balsamic Chicken Salad

One of my favorite summer recipes is this Raspberry-Balsamic Chicken Salad. Oddly, I came across it in a Weight Watchers cookbook a few years ago and it has stuck in our dinner line-up ever since! Although it is a bit on the "light" side, I've found that once paired with corn on the cob or fresh french bread, it can tide over even the heartiest of appetites. Well, except for my father-in-law, who had to make a run to Wendy's a couple hours after I had made it for him. You can't win em' all though!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp. vegetable oil or olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2/3 cup raspberry preserves
4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. black pepper
Fresh baby spinach or spring mix
Slivered almonds, optional

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes. Combine thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sprinkle over chicken. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, preserves, vinegar, and pepper, stirring constantly until preserves melt. Place chicken breasts atop bed of greens. Spoon raspberry sauce over chicken, sprinkle with almonds and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.