Pineapple Fried Rice

I think that this was my favorite recipe out of the most recent round of meal prepping. I found this recipe on the COOKIE+kate blog, and I think I may have to go back for more! To be totally clear, this is not necessarily a meal prep must. It's actually a skillet meal, and is probably best when cooked as the instructions below. However, I would highly suggest chopping all of your veggies and fruit ahead of time. That simple step will save you a LOT of time on the day of cooking. Also, this one cooks pretty quickly, so there will not be time to chop in between steps.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or quality vegetable oil, divided
• 2 eggs, beaten with a dash of salt
• 1 ½ cups chopped fresh pineapple
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• ¾ cup chopped green onions (about ½ bunch)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ½ cup chopped raw, unsalted cashews
• 2 cups cooked and chilled brown rice (about 2/3 c dry), preferably long-grain brown jasmine rice
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or sriracha
• 1 small lime, halved
• Salt, to taste
• Handful of fresh cilantro leaves, torn into little pieces, for garnishing

Instructions:

Heat a large wok, cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and place an empty serving bowl nearby. Once the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on contact, add 1 teaspoon oil. Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are scrambled and lightly set, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the eggs to the empty bowl. Wipe out the pan if necessary with a paper towel (be careful, it’s hot!).

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and add the pineapple and red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has evaporated and the pineapple is caramelized on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add the green onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Transfer the contents of the pan to your bowl of eggs.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Pour in the cashews and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the rice is hot, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.

Pour the contents of the bowl back into the pan and stir to combine, breaking up the scrambled eggs with your spoon. Cook until the contents are warmed through, then remove the pan from heat. Add the soy sauce and chili garlic sauce, to taste. Squeeze the juice of ½ lime over the dish and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and set aside.

Slice the remaining ½ lime into 4 wedges. Transfer the stir-fry to individual serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a lime wedge and a light sprinkle of cilantro. Serve with bottles of soy sauce and chili garlic sauce or sriracha on the side, for those who might want to add more to their bowls.

For Meal Prep:

Bag 1: 

• chopped pineapple
• red pepper
• green onion
• garlic

Bag/container 2: 

sauce ingredients (there are only a few, so this doesn't have to be done ahead of time, but it can be done

In the Kitchen: 

• eggs
• cashews
• brown rice (can cook several days ahead and refrigerate, minute rice makes this very quick and easy)
• sauce ingredients (if not prepped ahead)
• cilantro
• lime

 

Option: Add Chicken

I love this rice on it's own, but I recently decided to make some teriyaki chicken to go on the side, and it was not a mistake. For the part of the chicken, I just bought a 30 minute marinade (Lawry's is my favorite), and put the chicken on the grill, stovetop, or in the oven. I cook the two (rice and chicken) separately, but the chicken adds to the flavor and substance. You can stretch this meal much further by adding that component.

Spicy Peanut Chicken

This recipe from Betty Crocker is very simple, and pretty yummy! I keep forgetting to take pictures when I'm cooking lately, so I do not have a picture for you - but you can see it on the Betty Crocker website (just use the link above).

Give it a try!


Ingredients
1/4 cup chicken broth (from 32-ounce carton)
1 T cornstarch
1 T sugar
2 T soy sauce
1 T white vinegar
1/4 t ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 T vegetable oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 t grated gingerroot
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts
2 medium green onions, sliced (2 tablespoons)

Instructions

Mix broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper seasoning; set aside.

Heat wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add oil; rotate wok to coat side. Add chicken, garlic and gingerroot; stir-fry about 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add bell pepper; stir-fry 1 minute.

Add broth mixture to wok. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until sauce is thickened. Stir in peanuts. Sprinkle with onions.

Verde Chicken

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breast)
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Juice from 1 large lime (or 1-2 Tbsp)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 Tbsp jarred minced garlic)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (measured prior to chopping), chopped finely
• 12 oz. green tomatillo salsa

Instructions:

• Place chicken thighs/breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Add all other ingredients on top.
• Cook on high for 4 hours (or medium for 6, low for 8).
• Break apart chicken and serve however you'd like (in tortillas, over rice, with tortilla chips).

Zesty Orange Chicken

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above. This recipe is pretty delicious. So much so... that I forgot to take any pictures. So you're just going to have to trust me.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed into 1" pieces
• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 heaping tsp jarred garlic)

Day of Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water 
• Sesame seeds
• White rice

Crock Pot Instructions:

• Chop chicken into 1" cubed pieces.
• Place all ingredients in the slow cooker except the water and cornstarch.
• Cook on high for 4 hours.
• In a small sauce pan, mix water and cornstarch together until well blended.
• Add 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and heat on medium, whisking often.
• Once it bubbles and thickens, add it back to the slow cooker and mix.
• Let it cook for another 15 minutes and serve over rice and top with sesame seeds.

Instant Pot Instructions:

• Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot except the water and cornstarch.
• Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
• Let the Instant Pot naturally depressurize for at least 5 minutes.
• In a small sauce pan, mix water and cornstarch together until well blended.
• Add the mixture to the slow cooker and mix.
• Set the Instant Pot to saute and cook for a couple minutes until it thickens.
• Serve over rice and top with sesame seeds.

Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless and also the skinless chicken breast
5 diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of cumin
2 cups of brown rice
1 can of black beans (drain and rinse)
1 cup of frozen corn
2 cups of chicken stock or chicken broth (add day of)

Instructions:

First, combine the chicken breast with the tomatoes, salt, cumin, and the chili powder into a gallon ziplock bag and freeze (make sure that the chicken is covered by the spices).

When ready to cook, remove from the freezer and add the frozen ingredients to crock pot with 1/2 cup of chicken stock (add additional stock if you want to). Cover with a lid and cook for three hours.

Remove the lid and add the brown rice, black beans, frozen corn, and the remainder of the chicken broth. Continue cooking for an hour. Check the rice periodically, stir it once or twice to make sure all of the rice cooked. Cook until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is gone.

Shred the chicken (or cut into chunks if you'd rather), and stir everything together. Add salt and the black pepper as needed, and serve with your favorite burrito toppings!

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Chicken Fajitas

This recipe is from my meal prepping a few weeks ago (originally from this website). In a pinch, this would be a recipe I would do again. It was tasty. However, I just don't like peppers when they've been frozen or overcooked (which can easily happen in a crockpot. While the peppers were fine, I'd rather make fajitas the traditional way.

Yields: Four servings

Ingredients
1 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move the frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and cook on “low” setting for 6 hours or until chicken is tender.
3. Shred chicken and serve with cooked onions and peppers.

Serve on tortillas with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Crockpot Chicken Philly Cheesesteak

This recipe is from my meal prepping several weeks ago (originally from this website). I made it, and have eaten some of it. It was not my favorite, but I don't know exactly how it was meant to be served. On bread? By itself? That was not specified, so I had a hard time figuring out the best way to eat it. The flavor is not bad, but the peppers were not my favorite (I'm not a huge fan of frozen peppers - we'll see how this goes with the chicken fajitas next week!).

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
3 medium-sized bell peppers, cut into strips (I used two green and one red pepper)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced
6 slices of provolone cheese *not needed until day of cooking

Materials (if prepping as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except cheese.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
3. Add sliced cheese and cook additional 10 minutes or until melted.

Serve on rolls.

Southwestern Chicken Chili

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago (originally from New Leaf Wellness). It has good flavor, but I made a few small alterations because I like my chili to be spicy! I may also include some spicy rotel or something next time. Drop in the crock pot and enjoy!

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts
1 onion, peeled and chopped (one cup)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (about one cup)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, chopped
14oz can of tomato sauce
15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup chicken broth
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (the original recipe had 2 teaspoons) chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-3 dashes of tabasco sauce (not included in the original recipe)

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
4. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
5. Add all ingredients.
6. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
3. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
4. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker.
5. Cook on “Low” setting for 6-8 hours or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft.
6. Shred chicken.

Serve: Top with cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to New Leaf Wellness for the recipes!! This one is definitely up there on my list of favorites from this set of crockpot meals. When prepping the broccoli, I used water, lemon juice, and pepper to steam/sauté it. I also stopped the chicken a little bit early (it was cooked, but not shreddable) so that I could dice it. I am not a fan of shredded chicken on rice. If you are, I'm sure it would be good that way as well.

Yields: 3 servings

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
The juice from one lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Materials (if prepping as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve with rice and broccoli.

Spring Chicken Soup

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. This recipe is quite tasty. The only things I would consider changing would be using some sort of small pasta rather than the orzo (it was hard to get to, as it sunk to the bottom, and just didn't fill the soup out very much). I also needed to cut my carrots smaller (you can't quite tell in this picture, but they were still pretty long, and not super thin...). I did have to pull about half of the soup into a pot on the stove as I was finishing it up. It was a bit much for my crock pot (which I think is pretty standard-sized). This recipe is quite large (and could be larger if you wanted to add more chicken broth to stretch it a bit) - it will obviously depend on who you're feeding, but I believe that this will give me at least 10 servings.

Yields: 8+ servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (1+lb)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
1 medium-sized zucchini, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
The juice from one lemon
1.5 teaspoons dill
1.5 teaspoons dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup orzo *not needed until day of cooking
48oz chicken broth (6 cups) *not needed until day of cooking
16oz water (2 cups) *not needed until day of cooking

Materials  (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except orzo, chicken broth, and water.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and add chicken broth and water.
3. Cook for 6 hours on “low” or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
4. Shred chicken and add orzo.
5. Cook for additional 30 minutes.

Serve with fresh, crusty bread.

Hawaiian Chicken

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. It was fine as-is, but not my favorite. I added some garlic, red pepper flakes, and a little more soy sauce when I heated up leftovers, and I liked it so much better! Next time I make it, I will add those from the start. You can make that choice for yourself!

(The finished product didn't photograph well, so you can see the prepped part)

Each serving shown in the picture was definitely more than a serving. The recipe originally stated 3 servings - I have made 4-5 servings out of it.

Ingredients
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 fresh pineapple, stalk, skin, and core removed and fruit cut into bitesized pieces
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
(add ginger, garlic, and chili flakes if you desire)

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve with brown rice and broccoli, and enjoy!

Red Pepper Chicken

This recipe is delicious! It is the first of the 7 Summer Chicken Meals that I prepped recently. It has just a little bit of kick - especially when it's not in a tortilla (the tortilla cuts the kick). I am excited to also try it on a salad as well!

Yields: One gallon-sized bag of red pepper chicken with three servings

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, sliced (about 1.5 cups)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced (about one cup)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Materials 
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve on tortillas with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.

Lighter General Tso's Chicken

If you haven't noticed by now, I have a thing for Asian flavors. So, when I saw this new recipe (from MarthaStewart.com), I knew I'd have to try it. I actually love General Tso's Chicken, but I haven't been able to eat it in years because my body is not a fan of fried foods. So, this lighter, unfried version has me excited.

In line with what normally happens in my life, I bought the ingredients for this recipe, and then didn't have a chance to make it for a few days. So, I prepped and froze it. It still turned out pretty well! I prepped the chicken portion separately from the veggies and sauce, since they're meant to be prepped separately. Then, I let them defrost in the refrigerator for a day, and cooked the next day!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c   long-grain brown rice
1/4 c   cornstarch
1 lb   snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
4   garlic cloves, sliced
2 t   fresh ginger, grated and peeled
3 T   light-brown sugar
2 T   soy sauce
1/2 t   red-pepper flakes
2   large egg whites
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 lb   boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 T   vegetable oil (I use EVOO)

Directions:
Cook rice according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside. (I prepped this ahead of time and froze in a ziplock bag)

In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat. (I prepped this ahead of time and froze in a ziplock bag)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).

Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

Meal Prepping: 7 Summer Chicken Meals

Today, I have branched out and done something that I've never done before. I meal prepped like a boss. I found several versions of major meal prepping, chose one, and did some grocery shopping. Today's choice was a group of 7 chicken meals.

I'll be very clear about a few things... I would say that I spent approximately $100 on all of ingredients that I had to buy. When I think about it, though, $100 for 7 meals that will have several servings each is a great deal! Also, she says "under and hour" - it took me 2-3, but I've never done this before, and I chopped all of my own vegetables (she chose some that were pre-cut). However, I think it was so worth it to spend a few hours all at once, knowing that they're available to stick into the crockpot for the next several weeks!

So, without further ado, here are the meals in this set:

-Red Pepper Chicken
-Lemon Pepper Chicken
-Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
-Spring Chicken Soup
-Chicken Fajitas
-Hawaiian Chicken
-Southwestern Chicken Chili

I will create new post and link to this one once I make some of these and try them! Stay tuned!

Red Curry

Recently, I made my first attempt at curry. I fell in love with Red Curry from the Thai restaurant across the street, and have been wanting to try to make it ever since. However, I have to say that, while it looked fairly similar, and my friend (who had never had curry) thought it was pretty good, I was pretty disappointed. It just didn't have the flavor that I was looking for. I'm not sure what was missing or how to improve on it, because most of the recipes I've found have very similar ingredients... So, I've decided to share the link for the curry that I made in case you're interested. I'll make some notes about the changes I made - which could have caused some of the change in flavor from what I'm used to (if you know more about this - please let me know what I'm doing wrong), and let you try at your own volition.

What I did...

Ingredients
1½ Pounds Boneless Chicken Thighs breasts
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
8 Tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste
14 Ounces Coconut Milk
2 Cups Hot Water
4 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger, minced
½ Whole Red Onion, sliced
3-4 Thai Bird Chilies, minced (optional)
1 Whole Red Bell Pepper, cored and sliced
1 Cup Grape Tomatoes
1 Cup Fresh Thai Basil, chopped
½ Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
½ Cup Scallions, chopped

I really made a lot of changes... many of which I didn't mean to make. I bought the cilantro, but forgot to put it in. I couldn't find the Thai Basil... I think fish sauce sounds disgusting... but maybe those were the key ingredients!?

For veggies, I used red pepper, onion, carrots, and bamboo shoots - these are the main veggies in the curry that I normally order.

I prepared it basically like she said to on the blog, so I'll let you use the link if you're really interested. I don't know that I'll make it again, mainly because I can go across the street and get some REALLY GOOD stuff... and if I try again, I'll probably try a different recipe or change this recipe. I will update you if I find something that I love :)

Broccoli & Cashew Stir Fry

This recipe is one of my new favorites. I was introduced to it by a friend who was just raving, and was excited to try it because it's really not hard (and I love anything stir-fry related). The recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe blog - and I'm excited to look around some more, because it looks like she's got some great stuff on there!

I want to start by saying what my friend who introduced this to me said to me: You can add meat to this recipe (shrimp, chicken, etc.), but I have just found that it's not as good... Also, it was a suggestion of my friend that the cashews were added - and they're SO good in this! I will say that if you're watching calories, the cashews up the ante a little bit, but they're fantastic if you're not too worried.

So, without further ado...

 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable, canola or coconut oil
3-4 cups bite-size broccoli florets
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
Sauce
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Thai sweet chili sauce (see note)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch

**Serve on brown rice

Instructions:

1. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat until hot and rippling. If using meat, add it now and stir-fry until cooked through. Remove the meat to a plate.
2. Add the broccoli to the hot skillet (you may need to add another teaspoon or so of oil if the skillet is completely dry) and cook, stirring often, until the broccoli has turned bright green and is lightly browned, 7-9 minutes. It won't cook much more after this so it should be crisp-tender. I like a bit of bite to the broccoli but if you want it more tender, add on a few minutes cooking time.
3. Stir in the garlic and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring, for a minute or so.
4. Whisk together all the sauce ingredients and pour over the broccoli. Add the meat if you cooked it in step 1. Stir the ingredients together until well coated with the sauce and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.
5. Serve immediately over hot, cooked rice.

This is the meal with chicken from when I made it a few days ago - like I said, good, but not as good as without...

The things that I found to be good tips from my friend:
*no meat actually gives it more flavor
*cashews - yum!
*when cooking the brown rice, using part chicken broth instead of all water makes for a tastier batch of rice - not a must, but definitely a good idea!

Cilantro Lime Chicken [crockpot meal]

This meal is one I found on this website. It sounds very tasty, but I have to admit that I haven't tasted it. I have it in my freezer, ready to make, and I'll see about updating this when I get it made. But, here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 lb chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).

Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese).

Mexican Dry Rub

Tonight marked my second successful, VERY tasty dinner eating with most of my staples removed (explanation in an earlier post). Tonight I used a recipe from this website for a rub and used it on chicken breast. I'm sure it would be wonderful on other meats (and the recipe suggest possibly putting it on grilled veggies as well), but I can tell you that it is very good on chicken! This is a very simple and flavorful (and quick!) way to prepare chicken. I'm also considering putting some of the left-overs on a taco-like salad... Can you say YUM!?

Ok, without further ado:

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon cumin

Instructions:

Mix ingredients together.

Rub all over chicken (or whatever meat you're using). Grill your meat as needed. looked up grill times on allrecipes.com and found a cook time of 6-8 min per side - which worked fabulously. It was juicy and flavorful!

Jalapeno Kettle Chip Crusted Chicken with Jalapeno Ranch

Via Pinterest {My Life as a Mrs.}

This recipe is something I've been wanting to try for a long time. Here's what I have concluded. yum. The sauce makes the recipe. So in case you're thinking about skipping that part and just using ranch or something, don't. This is so not ranch and so very good! Make it. Love it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the Jalapeno Ranch Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup lowfat sour cream
1/4 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) lowfat buttermilk
1 tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (the powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of cayenne
5-6 hot pickles jalapeno slices, finely chopped

For the Chicken:
4 chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 - 2 pounds total)
1 bag Jalapeno Kettle Chips, crushed
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne

Instructions:

For the Jalapeno Ranch Dipping Sauce:
Mix ingredients together (adding additional buttermilk until desired consistency). Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Chicken:
Preheat oven to 375º. Place an oven safe cooling rack in a large jelly roll pan and spray with non-cooking spray. In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, salt, and cayenne. Pound out chicken breasts to roughly 1/2" thickness and add to buttermilk mixture (toss to coat well).
Place crushed Kettle chips in a shallow baking dish. Pull one piece of chicken at a time out of the buttermilk and gently shake to remove some of the excess. Dip into the chips and coat thoroughly on both sides. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken breast are thoroughly coated.
Place into oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, until cooked through (cooking times vary based on chicken thickness and actual oven temperature). Serve hot with jalapeno ranch dipping sauce.

Easy Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas

The other day, I made the yummy Easy Chicken Tacos. Today, using the chicken taco meat, I made....

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas!

Simply and Oh-So-Tasty!

1) Shred some cheese.
2) In a skillet, spread shredded cheese and chicken (wasn't warm, it had been in the refrigerator) on one tortilla.
3) Top with another tortilla,  and turn the burner on (med-hi).
4) Flip the quesadilla once. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn, but does get warm and crispy.
5) Remove from the skillet, cut (I used a pizza cutter), and serve!

Those steps made it sound more complicated than it is. For the chicken part of the recipe, just click on the link at the top of the post.