Three Ingredient Smothered Chicken

Happy Hump day Friends!!

Today I am coming at you with a super simple and quick dinner! 

Here is how it goes :)

Shopping List:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into chunks

1 cup of freshly shredded sharp cheddar ( or colby jack works  too)

1 whole yellow or sweet onion sliced

2 butter pats ( optional)

Olive Oil 

S&P

Procedure:

Start by pouring a liberal amount of olive oil into a pan 

add the entire onion ( all sliced) and cook on medium high heat, stirring ever so often so that they don’t burn or get to brown.

Stir and wait until caramelized until you add your chicken chunks.

Add a bit more Olive oil as well as salt and pepper when you add your chicken ( still cooking over Med/High heat) add your butter pats.

cook until chicken is golden brown then add your cheese.

Serve with a side of Sliced Roma tomatoes and Asparagus!!

** A quick side** Roasted Veggies

Happy Tuesday!!

 I have been slacking on the blogging front but here I am today with a quick and easy side that I have literally been making almost every single night!!

You know that moment when you stare into  your fridge.. RIGHT about the time you are ready to make your new grocery list and you think to yourself  “Dang! all these veggies have pretty much gone to waste” *sigh* That HUGE bag of spinach that you were going to make every single night ( and maybe throw a little in your morning smoothie) is wilted and gross. The carrots you were going to shred into that amazing healthy Asian inspired egg roll boll are now.. brown, the sprouts that you were going to top on your avocado toast are ...ruined. Yep I have been there!! I am constantly thinking of new and convenient ways to incorporate my veggies into my daily life without having to make a big to do about it anymore...because #TIME and #CHASINGABABY

So...

not like this is ground breaking of any sorts but hey it works! 

Each night I have been taking a different set of veggies and roasting them. Sometimes alongside a protein like chicken, or chicken sausage, shrimp or pork and sometimes just alone. 

I AM NOT WASTING MY VEGGIES ANYMORE YAY  ME!

VEGGIE COMBOS

Each combo just olive oil S&P

preheat 400 and roast for 15-20 mins

All Veggies should be chunked into large chunks 

1. 1 bunch asparagus, 1 purple onion, bag of colorful sweet peppers chopped ( or just one large bell pepper chunked up) Sweet potato, Zuchinni

2. 1 crown of broccoli ( into florets), 1 head cauliflower (into florets), 1 purple onion ( or sweet), 1 green bell chunked, Squash

3. Eggplant ( skin off and chunked) , Bell pepper, White onion, Grape tomatoes, mushrooms

Seriously the sky is the limit with mixing and matching veggies. I feel like I am getting so much more out of my meals and I am not adding so many bad things ( rice, pasta ect) because I am getting so many vegetables! 

Veggie and Chicken Sheet Pan Meal

Happy Tuesday Friends

 I am WHIPPED by the weekend! I am so tired and could literally sleep all day.. but #momlife so not happening. This weeks menu has been pretty simple. I have been wanting to try a sheet pan meal because they look incredibly easy and THEY ARE! I tried a simple chicken version with some colorful veggies and it was very very delicious.. I even had leftovers for lunch. I feel like this is a meal that you can easily mix and match or create different versions to make them to your liking. you could do steak, pork, shrimp, chicken.. you could add potatoes or even different veggies to mix it up a little bit. I paired mine with a side of hummus and it was so good!!! 

Try for yourself!

Shopping List:

1 red onion chopped into large chunks

1 red bell pepper chunked

1 zuchinni chunked

2 chicken breasts chunked

1 head of broccoli - into chunked florets

Procedure:

Start by marinating your chicken in a bowl of italian dressing 

mean, while spread your veggies our on a baking dish and pour a liberal amount of olive oil, and salt and pepper over them.

Add your chicken to the side and pop it in a 500 degree oven for

15 minutes!

THATS IT! 

Total win for this mom and her family

ENJOY!

Lunch Rut

Happy Monday Friends!!!!

Today’s post is mostly centering around our ( or at least mine)  LEAST thought out meal of the day. Many times Lunch is just ...inconvenient?? For me anyways lunchtime falls around the baby’s nap time so as I am finishing feeding him, changing his diaper, fixing a bottle, and getting ready for our nap time routine MY LUNCH is literally the last thing on my mind. Most days I will shovel something in my mouth just so I can spend more of the time doing something productive ( like write on this blog :)) rather then fix myself something nutritious. For many of you moms I am sure a NAP or cleaning the house is more on the priority list rather than making a mess in the kitchen...am I right?? I spent this weekend meal prepping a few meals so that even on the busiest of days when I am strapped for time.. I can eat something.. fueling. 

Here are some EASY ideas that can be prepped before hand 

 Brandon’s Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken off the bone and chunked

1 apple, peeled and chunked

2 stalks of celery chopped

3 boiled eggs chopped or sliced

8 oz of dill relish

s&p

Mayo to your liking

Stir and refrigerate!!!

This chicken salad is great on Ezequiel Toast or just plain by itself:)

Tuna Stuffed Avocados

Make exactly like the above chicken salad except substitute the chicken with Tuna. Stuff in an Avocado and you have yourself a protein packed easy lunch

Turkey Roll ups

I buy Boar’s head Turkey and roll it up with light baby swiss cheese.. Sometimes I stuff it in a lettuce wrap and call it a day. EASY!

Pasta Salad 

This takes some prep work..

Usually on a Sunday I will make this but it lasts ALL WEEK!!! It is simple, easy, and delicious..your kids will eat it too :)

1 package of whole wheat bow tie pasta.. cooked and drained

1 bunch of basil, torn into small pieces or chopped fine

shredded mozzarella cheese

2 grilled chicken breasts cut into chunks

1 small bottle of pesto 

1 box of cheery tomatoes sliced

olive oil 

salt and pepper

toss all of the ingredients together and enjoy!!! 

xoxxoo

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!!

Today I am coming at you with a totally new spin on the boring old meatloaf...I have transformed the so called "loaf" into muffins!!!! This way they are portioned out and I can stick them in my lunchbox for lunch. They also freeze really easily!!!!!! I used turkey to keep things a little bit on the lean side however you can used 100 percent ground angus beef and they would be amazing. 

Shopping List:

two tubes 85 % lean ground turkey

one tube of regular pork sausage

fresh parsley 

1/2 cup shredded white cheddar

one egg

one cup breadcrumbs

1/3 cup ketchup

few gluts of worstechire sauce

salt/pepper

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped zucchini and squash

1/2 cup chopped onion.

greased muffin tin

two sweet potatoes peeled and chunked

Procedure

preheat oven to 350

In a bowl combine your tubes of turkey and about a third of the tube of pork

mix in your egg ( this is your binder) cheese, and bread crumbs...you can go ahead and season the meat the way you would like as well. I generously salt and pepper it.

Wash your hands and start sautteeing the veggies. In a pan over med. high heat start by adding a third of a stick of butter to warm the pan up then pour all of the veggies in and coat with the butter... add some salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 7 minutes... once veggies are soft add the ketchup and worstechire. Coat well. Pour veggies into the meat mixture and mix well. add the parsley and fold in with your hands. Next place the mixture into the muffin dish filling the cups all the way to the top. Squirt a little more ketchup on top for good measure :) Im a ketchup freak. 

Stick the meatloaf muffins in the oven for a good 45-55 minutes. Mean while boil your potatoes until soft..add butter and salt and pepper and give them good mashing. 

Once your meat loaf muffins are done pull them out and they should slide out of the tin relatively easy ....top with the mashed potatoes and serve with a side of veggies :) Done!!!! aren't they cute?? I love cute food! 

BBQ Chicken Tacos

Last night for dinner I wanted to make something quick, easy, and simple. I recently re-read my Rachel-Ray 30 minute meals cook book for the hundredth time and came across a pretty yummy sounding taco recipe. While I always make my own little spin on things (BBQ was my idea:)) I loved the spices she used to marinate her chicken and thought it sounded very appealing! A quick side of sautéed zucchini and squash medley was my side of choice and also pretty quick and easy..which we love!!! For this recipe you will need"

Four boneless skinless chicken breasts
two zucchini and two squash
cumin, cayenne, chili pepper
salt/pepper
BBQ sauce of your choice ( I use sweet baby rays)
one can of black beans
1/2 of a yellow onion chopped
tortillas ( I love the black bean tortillas from artisan!)


Directions:
** If you have a crockpot marinate your chicken the day before and pop them in the crock pot to let them cook all day. That way when you are ready for your dinner you only have a few steps to follow!

marinate your chicken with a little salt/pep, cumin, cayenne, and chili pepper, and BBQ sauce. Be sure and rub them really good so the spices settle in and really make your chicken tasty! Then pop those chicken in the crock pot and let them sit with a little chicken stock.  Cook for about 6-8 hours. Once the chicken is cooked you can take two forks and shred them...

NEXT

pour your beans (drained and rinsed) into a sauce pan with your chopped onions and let the onions cook with the beans. Add a couple of glugs of BBQ sauce to give them a smoky flavor! Once the beans are cooked, take your shredded chicken and add it to the beans and onions.. mix them all around until the chicken is coated with the beans and onions.. the spices from the chicken will marry with the BBQ flavors of the black beans and make for a great taco filling!!!!

Fill your tacos up with the mixture and top with fresh tomatoes and romaine lettuce!!!! YUM!


For the squash and zucchini medley

I simply sliced them in rounds then quartered them to make them into smaller bites.
Then I sautéed them in EVOO, salt and pepper and cooked until browned.

EASY!!

Chicken and Sausage Etouffe'

Everyone from the south loves some good ole' Louisiana style cookin' every once in a while. I hope! Especially when this weather is as crazy as it has been.. hot one day..freezing the next. I just get a craving for something hearty and good for my soul :) For some people its fast food, for others its soup, but when you just feel like you need a dish that will instantly make you feel warm and fuzzy and happy.. this is the one. I collect cook books..and read them front to back like novels. Yes that may sound weird but when I started cooking at the age of 18 I started asking for cook books. At first my mom and grandma started me out with easy ones like the Gooseberry patch series. This has been by far the best cook book EVER. Go and get one now. Run. I also enjoy Southern Living and Rachael Ray. UM YUMMO! For this recipe you will need:

Disclaimer: For this recipe it asks you to cook the chicken while you are making the recipe..um I AIN'T GOT TIME FOR DAT! One simple trick I use all the time is putting my chicken in the crock pot in the morning with a little chicken stock and spices and let it cook on low all day that way whatever recipe I have that calls for chicken.. the chicken is done and waiting on ME. Not the other way around.

yields 4-6 servings:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped ** I am not a huge onion fan so I tend to buy a large onion and then only use half
1 green pepper** I used two chopped and seeded
three celery ribs chopped
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 lb smoked sausage sliced** we used axis deer sausage and cooked it on the grill first. Fabulous.
2(10 oz) cans of tomatoes with green chilies-rotel
1(6 oz) can of tomato paste
2(10 0z) cans of cream of mushroom soup
salt/pepper
Cajun all seasoning


Preparation:

Heat oil in a large dutch oven and add the celery, onions, and peppers. Cook them until soft and juices run clear. Then add your chicken( remember you were all smart girls who cooked ahead of time and used that fabulous crock pot!!!) after you have added your chicken you can start adding your cans of tomatoes and chilies, tomato paste, and cream of mushroom soups. Finally add your already cooked or smoked sausage. let this mixture simmer until the mushroom soup is not so pasty and more soupy..also season it up a little to your taste. We love spicy over here so we add pepper and Cajun all seasoning ..a little paprika and salt.
Pour this mixture over hot cooked rice and enjoy. I got a thumbs up from my husband and BFF :):)

Hot cooked rice

Spicy Buffalo Turkey Burgers

When I say turkey burger I guess that could be defined as a rather loose term. These are more like Buffalo turkey sloppy Joe's but somehow the title sloppy Joe has never sounded yummy or appealing to me. So turkey burgers they are! My husband loves all things spicy and buffalo related and to be quite honest I do too! These were found off of a cute little bloggy recipe website. I just did a quick spin on them to make them a little more healthy. For those of you who GAG at bleu cheese ( AHEM ELEIN) you don't have to use it. I however LOVE that delicious bleu mold so my recipe will contain lots of it!

Ingredients you will need:

one pound of lean turkey meat ( I buy 85/15)
one five oz can of FRANKS hot sauce <<<<------- If you have never heard of this stuff I just became your new best friend.
mold, I mean bleu cheese
one chopped celery stalk for garnish
one can of tomato sauce
salt/pepper
Onion-optional
whole grain hamburger buns

Directions:
sauté  your ground turkey with 1/2 cup of an onion in a  skillet over medium
once its browned and the onion is clear pour an entire 5 oz bottle of franks and mix well
then add the tomato sauce
DONE.
yep its that easy.
Top onto a whole grain burger bun and garnish with chopped celery and BLEU cheese if you must :)

I added quinoa instead of a bun because we were out that's why my picture looks different.
YUM.
kinda spicy ;)

Kale Chips

delicious.  AMAZING!

• Three bunches of Kale
• olive oil, sea salt, ground black pepper to taste
• bake at 425 for 15 minutes
• pile on the siracha
• eat your heart out :)