The Chicken is Optional...

     Hi friends! Long time no see. Or talk. Or share. Whatever! So, we have been out of town twice in the last two weeks, the hubs has been gone and back, and I am happy as clam to be home doing nothing but little bits of yard work, NOT taking care of ANY puppies (we decided to sell them all), eating food, and NOT worrying about everything I put into my mouth. Why is this? Where is my new found wisdom to once AGAIN reduce (my time spent) reuse (whatever I have in my fridge) and recycle? Okay, recycle might not really apply, (other than to recycle the packaging I pull food out of) but hey. Experience. And demand, as in, my life demands I cut the extra work and stick to the basics! This last month has just taught me that there are a million and one new foods or ways to eat them out there, and as much as I enjoy learning about each one of them and finding new exciting ways myself to utilize them, I am severely lacking in time let alone creativity. My list of 5 basics? (and this is coming a LONG way baby from where I was 1 year ago)
     1. Pure; eat as pure and clean as you can get. Water, bread, boxed foods, whatever. Try to keep them as much to their original form as possible
     2. Less; eat as little meat in a week as I can. Nothing specifically wrong with it, it all just depends on what you read of course. Personally I feel better when I eat less, and I spend less too! skip meat at lunchtimes, go for the organic once a week if you can, and EAT MORE BEANS!
     3. Even less; Dairy, watch it if you can. Stick with hormone free, organic where you can, mostly un processed etc. (pure butter, basic simple cheese once in a while, that kind of thing) Also less money, less hormones etc, and of course less fats and such. I don’t worry about this as much with my kids but I just try to get back to more of the other good stuff and less of the animal fats.
     4. SMOOTHIE! yup, I am convinced that a raw veggie/fruit smoothie a day keeps the Dr. away.
     5. Sweat; as in don’t sweat it. Even the pediatricians are now telling moms not to worry so much about what your child gets everyday, but what they get every FEW days. So today might be out the window, but tomorrow we’re going for gold!

Now that I have once again preached to the choir, I must add another quick reference as to why. As in, my frame of mind when deciding to spout food nonsense again. It is because I have found everyday brings so much, and so much that is new and great, I cannot stress about things anymore. Not that I did that much to begin with, but it just isn’t worth it to me to slave over a bean and rice lentil casserole thing with hidden veggies painstakingly chopped as fine as I could muster the time and attention to incorporate,  all for a few bites, obnoxious gagging motions and at times even tears later. Kids will get used to it if is a lifetime of change, and I teach them moderation while they enjoy life too! I’d like to think a cheeseburger really was invented for a reason, and that our tastebuds should get their own opportunity to enjoy food without guilt. So maybe you will only hear from me once in a great while when I share my newest find and fav, some is still better then none! And we can all go on living our great lives of accomplishment, with a little side dish of  nutritious-ness to boot.  


This recipe is from a friend I just made out here, I added to it of course, but I SO love this for the ease, the different ways to serve it, and that it totally qualifies as one of those yummy meals you can make at the beginning of the week and eat as fab healthy leftovers throughout the week with out much work.


Spinach and Chicken Pasta Salad


Sauce;
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp dried chili flakes
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1/2 c canola oil
3 Tbsp sesame oil

Whisk til completely emulsified. I actually soaked the chicken breast in a few tablespoons of this, then sauteed the chicken up.

1 lb angel hair pasta cooked and rinsed
1 lb chicken breast (I used WAY less, as in maybe 1 large breast) cooked up and chunked

Toss all above with the sauce. Serve with chopped fresh spinach, matchstick carrots and bean sprouts (all in convenient bags in the store!) Keep the fresh ingredients separate so you can pull it out and throw it together anytime during the week.
For a tasty and hot mid-week lunch idea, add 1 Tbsp of peanut butter to the noodles and give them a quick zap in the microwave to heat. Then stir it all up good and add more fresh veg for the the top. Makes kind of a quick Thai noodle thing.
Enjoy!

Jamaican Me Crazy Sweet Potatoes

     This dish is dedicated to my kids...mostly because they do make me crazy, but the contents of this meal pretty much rock in my book and are a little like my kids. Spicy, zippy, sweet, colorful, and the perfect blend of what really makes a dish de-lish. It can even totally pull off a summer or a winter dinner fix. I got the idea from the restaurant Claim Jumpers that I used to go to in Vegas with the hubs back when we had more money and were trying to wooo (sp?) each other. Then I found a version I liked on the internet, and altered it to my specs. Basically it is a baked sweet potato slathered in a sort of jamaican style jerk seasoned chicken and topped with some super yum mango salsa and a little drizzle of honey. You bet your boots it is too good to be true. And for all of you that just may be bored with what else to do for dinner, this one def. qualifies as a winner, and super easy meal that is even kid friendly (we just skip the spicy salsa and viola!)

     Check it...http://whiskedawaycooking.blogspot.com (also another great site for some fun recipes and cute stories of cooking in the kitchen)

Important Note; I will re-type below for the “just in case purposes”. Also, she calls for Papaya, I used mango since I have a ton from the farmers co-op here. I also did not use as much onion, basically cut it to 1/4 of an onion plus a small shallot because I HEART them...also used half a red pepper and a whole fresh jalepeno for serious kick. Adjust your amounts to fit your needs though and maybe even prepare earlier to sit for a few hours! I did at lunch while kids were eating (also letting the chicken marinate) so dinner was a snap once I threw it together. Love it.






Jamaican Sweet Potato

2 sweet potatoes (try to get the kind with orange flesh--they might technically be yams), baked until the skins are crisp and the flesh is tender (poke holes in the potatoes, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt, cook directly on oven rack)

1 small white onion, diced (or 1/4 plus a shallot)
1 red bell pepper, diced (or 1/2)
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
1 fat clove garlic (or two small), minced
8 slices jarred jalapeno, minced (or one fresh one diced)
1 papaya (~1 lb), diced (or one mango)
2 tbsp lime juice (used 1 whole lime)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
(mix all these together, refrigerate until needed)

2 6-oz chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried chives
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp black pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
(mix all spices together, coat chicken pieces w/extra virgin olive oil then the spice mixture, you can let marinate til ready to use, then cook chicken in skillet w/a little more olive oil)

butter
honey
green onions

To assemble:
When potatoes are done, cut them open and add about 1 tbsp butter (optional); top with salsa and chicken; add green onions; drizzle with honey

What the...?

     So I just spent 30 min of my precious blog posting time filling out all that "google bio" and personal info related to blogger junk. Hmmm. Not really sure about the point to this exercise. Why would I want to add my personal bio url address as a signature to my emails? Did I miss something in the new techno world of computers and blogs, bios and the like? I thought it was kind of a joke so I gave myself the name easy e. Maybe I should work on professional-ism, class, or some other over used -ism to describe myself and present some smiley story about me. Oh well, pretty sure I failed that subject in school too.

     Quick update on life. It is still crazy! Had a friend come down and visit from Oklahoma (we were in alaska together while her husband was deployed and I even got to attend her first sons birth!) Anyway, because we are 'closer' to each other, she made the 5 hour drive down with kids in tow (and pregnant belly might I add) and Wooohooo was it fun! She has 2 boys and another boy on the way. Let's just say testosterone levels here were
  OUT OF CONTROL.
Love it. She could only stay 2 days, but it was beautiful any way you sliced it, and I am quite sure she needs to put a blog together for her much more appropriate ways of throwing parties, and presenting the more "Martha Stewart" side to my rather red neck (at least I think it is, I seem to be getting in touch with my roots out here, I am pretty sure we have some Kentucky bluegrass running through our vains from my mom's side!) take on food, life, raising kids. That is why I had to force her to make me chocolate chip cookies as her allowance to stay here! (p.s., almond extract works great in place of vanilla in those cookies when you are ghetto and don't have all your ingredients on hand!)  Someday I will have some more class for all you little loyal fans out there. At least I hope you are all there!

     Now on to the juice. As in, what is really going on and why I am giving you some brief update and lame excuse for no new recipes for the last week. We are going to buy a house! Yup, the hubs decided that it was a good time to buy. SO now we are scrambling to find something, and get closed in enough time before the baby, and me to take full advantage of the hubs before more training starts. Which means (I am so excited) I get to go look at houses in Utah this weekend! *sigh* I have it all lined up and even my dad is going to be that way for a couple days to give me some back up. I can hardly wait! The long and short of all this is I will be gone and pre-occupied (my additional excuse for everything) for a few days and I am going to leave you with this tasty morsel (the only somewhat original thing we have cooked in a week!) before I go...

     Chicken (or Tofu, or no Meat) Thai Green Coconut Curry


4-5 chicken tenders (or sub firm chunks of tofu) sauteed in a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, then chopped (super silken tofu works to be dissolved right into sauce if desired instead)
about 1/3 of a jalepeno finely diced
about 1 heaping tbsp fresh ginger finely sliced (matchstick style, skin removed)
1 small can bamboo shoots (use 1/3 or so, save the rest for a quick asian salad) also finely sliced (matchstick style)
1 13.5 oz can lite coconut cream
1 tsp finely chopped fresh basil (or dried is fine too, fresh really does rock though)

Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, use about 2 tsp-1 tbsp or to your liking
(Ingredients are as follows in case you want to make your own from your cupboard; 
green chile, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (thai ginger), salt, shallots, spices, kaffir, lime)
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
Pot of rice on the side (brown basmati or jasmine are great!)


Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a low boil (stir frequently) Pour 2-3 or more large serving spoons over hot rice and enjoy!


*We like to serve this with Thai Kitchen's Pad Thai for Two (follow directions on box) and some ubber good Lumpia (Thai egg rolls, preferably homemade, I will give you the recipe when I come back!)*

Thanks hubs

     Don't you love it how on a particularly emotional day (I won't mention of course who was the cause of most of the turmoil...) your significant other or even someone else special in your life will come through and totally make the day at least end better? Well thanks to the old husband, that is exactly what happened. After that long and stressful day, compounded by a few or more taxing conversations about money, kids etc. he managed to pull it all together with even more sit down time...maybe a little crying time, and YES, a Weinerschnitzel Chilli Cheese Dog.
*sigh* Life was most sweet again. SO, by a quick raise of hands out there, lets see who has a secret chili dog passion? Anyone? No? What about you, over on the left, trying to hide behind that hat...yeah I saw your hand. Any other late night craving secrets? Do tell. I love to swap juicy stories (and when I say juicy, I mean "where's the best place around here for a seriously juicy and amazing burger?!") You may not call that healthy, but I am pretty sure that mental health definitely qualifies as a key component factoring in on your overall daily health quotient. AND, the naturally occuring endorphins from such food eating bliss are sure to create such a rush, thereby aiding in increasing one's metabolism, consequently expelling the unwanted fat promptly and producing an overall cleansing affect on the body that might not have even been experienced without the said chili dog. Yeah...or something like that! The real beauty of this happy hour hot dog was that it really was a happy hour for it...after a few tears, mommy and daddy time, NO interference from the TV, and trying to get settled in bed we were back to our newlywed tricks.
 Don't sit there blushing like you don't know what I am talking about. 
Anyway, food was something that brought us together (you know, the whole "hey, you like food, I like food, we should make out" thing). Seriously, though. Since there wasn't a Del Taco around for those ever delectable chicken soft tacos or bacon double del's, we settled for the dog at 11pm and proceeded our late night talking and laughing ritual, just like the old days, til well past midnight. Maybe you folks are more fun and do that regularly. I am pretty sure we hit our middle age hump long before now...so the buzz is still keeping me afloat today. And just to add sweet sticky icky sugary gooey syrup with whip cream and a cherry on top...I found leftover pine nuts in the cupboard today due to a seriously zealous packer of a husband who lugged them in his weighed down and no air-conditioned car all the way from California. i think I'll keep him. And what a good thing it was too, because I threw together an amazing Chicken and Rice Pilaf Salad that would not have been complete without it. So go on, laugh at the anti-blogger who now posts all my most intimate of intimates out into cyberspace (what comedian was it anyway who said blogging is just a glorified diary and that we used to hide that behind lock and key underneath your mattress!) Kick back and chuckle that I am no longer able think rational thoughts about my day without turning them into some headline for my next post. Get a good giggle out of the fact that I did name my Blender 'Gary'. Whom I might also add has become such a favorite of my 5 year old that he informed me today that 'when I am super old like grandma (sorry mom) and he is a daddy and has kids he will take my blender so he can use it'. I promptly responded with "Just because I am old doesn't mean I won't still use it, or even share it with you!" to which he replied, "Well then when you are asleep I will sneak into your house and steal it away and you'll never know!"
Kids say the darn'dst things don't they?
I tried to fool him with the old, "well I'll get an alarm that goes off when you sneak in my house" technology response and he just threw his head back and laughed, ever so  cynically might I add. How do you even respond to that? Maybe we'll hold a contest at some point and I can just will Gary to the winner. Seems fair. And since I am still so high off of a good night lack of rest and a yummy satisfying lunch, I figured it was time I share my lunch-time easy idea with you, so enjoy the salad and maybe even some late night food raids of your own,     
just for sanity puposes.

     Chicken and Rice Pilaf Salad

• 4 chicken breast tenders (or 2 chicken breasts) or Tofu (optional) cooked in a saute pan with a little olive oil and italian spice, basil and garlic, or whatever else suits your fancy. Be sure to add salt and pepper.
• Leftover rice pilaf, homemade pilaf, or any other plain leftover grain such as quinoa, barley, brown rice etc (basically whatever might be in your fridge or could quickly cook up. Try the 'Near East' brand of quick foods as it has no msg, and great ingredients.Warm it through if using a leftover.
• 1/2 - 1 whole summer squash and zucchini chopped into rounds
• 1/4 of a white onion diced
• 2-3 tbsp. pine nuts toasted (or any other delicious nut favorite or even just a nut you happen to have around like walnuts or pecans)
• Mixed greens (salad) and extra olive oil and lemon juice are all optional, see below

After cooking chicken, set aside and quickly saute the veggies. Toss all the ingredients together til well incoporated and take a quick taste to check seasonings. Add any as needed and serve alone or over a nice bed of mixed greens with an extra shot of olive oil and squirt of lemon juice. Delish! Leftovers great for lunch to go. If vegetarian, simply omit the chicken and add Tofu or nothing at all!

Why

     Why is a very important word. Not only does it help one relate to others or create understanding (i.e. Why someone is acting the way the are), but it can also explain a state of learning. For example, the "Why Phase" of childhood. It just hit me the other day that I am going to be in the never-ending, question asking, universal discovery phase for at least, oh- the next 5-10 years of my life. (I feel like I just recounted some prison sentence!) On the subject of understanding however, I have decided to look in retrospect at this last week by asking a few "Why" questions myself;  
Why am I feeling this way? (confusion) Why did we change our plans almost literally the day after we made them (some desperate attempt to remain in control) Why did Adam struggle with his first spanish question ever in the most important interview of his known military career, right before graduation, and thus affect the result of not only that test, but quite possibly the outcome of our future pay grade? (sick irony) Why did I dye my hair dark dark brown with fantastically 70'sish bangs? (I found out I was pregnant a few weeks ago and I thought this would be "easier", plus I got bored) Why do we still not have orders that will allow us to schedule our move that needs to be complete in exactly 1 week and 6 days because we already signed paperwork to sign out of a house that we will no longer be in come 2 weeks from now (Life can stink, people don't do their jobs, and sometimes it is just not fair) and of course on a more important philosophical note, Why do bad things happen to good people and thus good things happen to bad people (Again, life stinks, people can make their own choices...yadda yadda....the Gods must be crazy etc)
     So, what brings me to such a deep and introspective point in my life? Could it be that this whole move was seemingly dependent on this new little life we were so graciously and un-expectedly blessed with? Could it be that we have had more learning experiences in this last 6 months than the last 6 years of our marriage? Could it be that the Gods MUST be crazy, and thus even laughing at us and more specifically me at this very moment of thoughtful contemplation? And why wouldn't they laugh? Haven't we all laughed at others or our own children as they sort through the mysteries of life, not in a maniacal way (hopefully, if so you may need medication) but in a completely humane and personally relatable way, that is meant to bring compassion and a lightness of heart that could soften even the most hostile of environments? Alas, it is more for my own good. What are the words to that song from Anna Nalick, "2 am and I'm still awake writing a song and if I get it all down on paper it's no longer inside of me threatening the life it belongs to" (or something like that) I have found an outlet now, and other than the food that I love to experiment with and make, it's this new opportunity to write that has been most satisfying.
     And with that, I am going to add some completely satisfying dinner recipes for you to enjoy. While I am not guaranteeing that they are very healthy or nutritious in terms of fat and calories much less veggie content, they most certainly are gratifying comfort foods that will satiate your pallet, appease your appetite, and fortify any sullen spirit.


     Chicken Alfredo con Broccoli


1 pint heavy cream of whole milk
1/2 c butter + a little more for the pan 
1/2-3/4 c parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder or more if desired
salt and pepper to taste, other seasonings for chicken
8 oz fettucini noodles cooked and drained
4 chicken breasts
1 crown broccoli or steamer bag of broccoli
olive oil for pan


Heat saute pan over med-high. Add a little olive oil and butter to coat pan. Cook chicken breasts with a little garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper (or other desired seasonings) for about 3-4 minutes per side til no longer pink. Drain pan and set chicken aside to rest (this is major, don't cut it up for at least 5 minutes). Combine butter and cream. Simmer til melted, add parmesan and garlic, and simmer for another 15-20 over low. While simmering, cook and salt broccoli in a saucepan of shallow water over med. heat til soft (or use those fantastically economical and time saving steamer bags of broccoli from Birds Eye in the microwave, awe-some). Make sure you cook the fettucini in the meantime. Chunk chicken into bite-sized pieces. Toss pasts lightly with sauce, chicken bites and broccoli. Serve Hot, with extra parmesan if desired. Tip* a little cream cheese added to the sauce will thicken and add more substance to the alfredo.


     Easy Chicken Pot Pie


1 box ready crust with 2 pie crusts (or your own recipe)
1 can cream of mushroom and 1 can cream of chicken soup (opt for 99% fat free)
any left over mixed veggies (also a great use for Birds Eye steamer mixed veggies)
Optional; 1 diced potato and onion, any addt'l mushrooms
1 can chicken or leftover cooked chicken
salt and pepper to taste


Cook potato and onion in a saute pan til soft. Add mushroom if using, chicken and vegetables. Heat through, and add cans of soup and mix thoroughly. Place a pie crust in a 9'' pie pan, prick the bottom a couple times. Add the mixture, place addt'l crust on top (or fill the pie plate without a crust and only top with a crust to save on calories) Bake at 425^ for about 20 min or til crust is golden brown. Let rest a few minutes if you can! Kids love this topped with cheese


     Sweet and Quick Turkey Meatloaf


1 lb ground turkey
1/2-1 c pureed leftover veggies (usually tomato, broccoli, mixed veggies, whatever)
1/4 - 1/2 c diced onion (sometimes I blend this as well for ease)
1 egg
crushed saltines or breadcrumbs (leftover rice pureed as well works here! or even oats, basically whatever type of grain you have on hand to absorb the juices/fat)
spices to taste (basil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper etc)
about 1 tbsp ketchup plus 2 tbsp ketchup
brown sugar
BBQ sauce


Preheat oven to 375^. Mix (by hand is a little easier) all above ingredients in a large bowl except the 2 tbsp of ketchup and brown sugar. Add to a lightly sprayed large loaf pan (not the little ones!) Mix ketchup and brown sugar and add to the top of the meatloaf. Poke a couple of times with a knife. Bake at 375^ for about and hour til meat is no longer pink. If your family does not like the ketchup kind (my hubby doesn't) then omit ketchup topping. We just leave a little uncovered and make a smidge of chicken gravy on the side for him, and even the kids for dipping. 


      Paula Deen's Baked French Toast Casserole (from the Food Network)

• 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash salt
• Praline Topping, recipe follows
• Maple syrup

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Decisions Decisions Decisions

    Whew, and what a weekend too! So I haven't been on lately to grace you with my most recent exploits in healthy cooking or soap-box diatribes in child rearing or how one should run their family. I guess I figured I would give you a break for a while, that, and when I am coming up on big decisions or lots of family concerns I tend to close up a little. Well, at least I try to. Not many days can go by without me finding something I just need to say or share my opinion about. Ask my husband, silent treatment does not last long around here. Since I think I am always right, my purposes are served much better by stating the fact that I am right vs. quietly living it! Oh well, a fault, and hopefully a blessing I will learn to develop over time. Suffice it to say, this is a busy time for our family. We went out of town and up to Oakland for most of the weekend to visit with some family. While there, we were given the opportunity to attend a temple for our church without our children and spend some time reflecting on our current choices, life direction, family needs (you know, the little stuff!) We felt strongly that the time has come to settle down more. I know, how much more settled can I get right? I mean I got married, started having children, and never did quite get that amazing high powered business career or ultra impressive specialist doctorate. NO, the settling I am referring to is the "no moving" for anything less than 2 years kind of settling. Since my hubby is in the military, this seemed like a reasonable goal, as he has four different places to attend for training this year alone, not including Utah where we are supposed to end up temporarily while he finishes his training. The original plan was to follow him around, live a little more ghetto style (anyone who has done this recently knows what I mean, and when you have kids, bringing only the very bare necessities in the back of a 8 x 8 trailer definitely constitutes as ghetto in my book, complete with cheap apartments and steering wheel club locks, yeah you remember those, while you hope your car doesn't get stolen!) The current plan (and this is also not including all the in betweens we have been to and back, our parents got to hear all of those schemes day in and day out for the last 3 weeks!) is to head up to Utah right after the hubs graduation here from language school, visit with family and get help with little ones while we search for a house. If we find one, then we start the buying process. The hubs goes on to Texas for the first part of training, and we hang around leeching off family in Utah, Denver, and the like while we wait for the house to close. Doesn't seem like much of a big deal now looking back, but there were a lot of sleepless nights over needlessly separating our family, how to use our money, and what would be best for the rugrats. We seem to have made it, at least to a decision point and although all the little steps, worries, and concerns are not yet ironed out, we have the faith to go forward and act now. A big leap from two crippling weeks ago (or even two crippling days ago!) And while there was not much by way of creative cooking this weekend, I have a couple of comfort food favorite recipes I will share with you. Enjoy, and be prepared for a potentially adventurous (or not!) next couple of weeks as we pack, vacation, and start a new segment of our life!

     Easy Chicken Saute


5-8 frozen chicken tenderloins (or more depending on number of people eating)
2 cups chopped veggies of choice (for example carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, sweet potato, beets, zucchini, green beans; usually the kind that you would roast)
1/2 -1 diced onion
2-3 Tbsp olive oil for the pan
favorite seasonings


Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add chicken tenders, and all veggies on top. Season with favorite seasoning (we really like the Mrs. Dash Italian or Garlic and Herb blend) salt and pepper etc. Cover, and check every 3 minutes or so turning chicken and giving vegetables time on the bottom too. Dish is done when chicken is no longer pink in the center and veggies are tender, usually about 15 min. Serve with a green salad.




     Sweet and Sour Pork 
(I realized this was more originally one of my hubby's brother's recipes, so I am going to check with him to make sure I can share our version of it, check back soon!)

Fun Recipes and More Leftovers

     Now I think I am just trying to get all my recipes together and out there, especially since I used some of my leftovers and turned them into quick and easy lunches and other meals. So without wasting anymore time...

     Chicken Salad


About 1 c. chopped chicken (can be leftover in my case or canned)
1/2 an apple diced
1-2 green onions chopped
About 1/4 c. craisins
Optional 1/4 c. halved grapes
About 2 Tbsp Mayo
salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder to taste


Mix all ingredients well and serve with crackers or whole grain bread. Alter the mayo to your liking.


These ingredients also make a superb chicken pasta salad. If you marinate the chicken (double the amount for this recipe) in about 1 8 oz bottle of coleslaw dressing mixed with 1/3 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp. ginger,  and a dash of thyme overnight, then prepare all your ingredients the next day you can have a great side at dinner. This recipe comes from my sister in law and is a favorite around here. Double your fruit and veggie amounts for the pasta salad. Add 1/2-1 c. celery diced and 3/4 c. toasted almonds (you can also toast your own slivered almonds by mixing them in a microwave safe bowl with about 1 Tbsp of butter with 1 tsp. of sugar, cook on high for about 2 min. depending on your microwave. Check every 20 sec and stir to make sure they are not burning!) Cook and prepare 1 16oz box of bowtie pasta, and if you can; mix all these ingredients and refrigerate about 3 hours before serving. Delish!


     Leftover Mashed Potato Soup


Leftover Mashed Potatoes (mine had cauliflower pureed in of course too!)
1 Parsnip diced
Optional 1/2 diced sweet potato
1 small Leek diced
About 1 c. whole milk w/Tbsp butter (or 1 c. cream)
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1 c. chicken or veggie broth
1/2 -1 c. Mixed frozen veggies
Salt and pepper to taste


Boil the parsnip, sweet potato, and leek in the milk and butter or cream with minced garlic til soft. Be sure to watch and stir carefully if using milk as it can scald easily. Blend slightly til desired consistency. Put back in the pan with mashed potatoes, broth, and frozen veggies. Heat through, add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. You may need more or less broth depending on how much mashed potato you have left, how thick you like your soup etc. Makes great individual servings for later too.

WARNING: Don't Try This at Home!

     SO...Gary let me down this weekend. Yup, he just may be moved to the back burner...for at least a week. I was in a particularly productive mode yesterday, not only was my little chicken in the roaster before church, but I had set my potatoes and cauliflower in a pot to boil and left them in the hot water while I was gone. Lunch was otherwise quick and easy, leftovers from the night before, and the kitchen was even clean. A-maze-ing. We get home from church about 3 hours later, (side note is that a 5.2 lb chicken cooks to absolute perfection on 250^ in that amount of time, little butter rubbed on the skin, herbs in the cavity, and all those drippings on the bottom, YUM!) and I finish preparations for the meal. Set aside the cauliflower for pureeing, bring the potatoes back to a boil, let the chicken rest before carving, and start the gravy...(again, drippings are great here, about 2 boullion cubes, 2-3 TBS cornstarch in water or the water from the potatoes for thickening, and even a little veggie base from my fridge and it was the BEST gravy ever!) Another little note that might be good to add here is that this was officially the best chicken I had ever roasted, it was juicy, plump, moist, tasty etc. AND, the gravy was pretty much perfect. Anyway, the kids were relatively quiet, low blood sugar and tired from no rest time, so it was a great time to finish things up. Then I make the dreaded mistake, I have to blame my husband for part of this though as it was HIM who added too much milk. Again, I digress. I decided the easiest way to make the mashed potatoes (also with most of the skins left on for nutrients) was to add them to the blender with the cauliflower. I wanted them really smooth right? Well this is what it turned out to be;

That's right! Mashed potato soup. The moral of this story? Never try this at home. Stick with what ya know, the good old fashioned hand mixer would have perfectly sufficed in this situation! Luckily my kids didn't seem to notice too much (after they got over the awkward, do I eat this with a spoon or fork swirling it around on their plate scenario) and my husband only reminded me once that the leftovers would probably go to better use as soup rather than the shepherd's pie I had so carefully planned.




Which brings me to another exciting note in what I would like to call "Food Creativity".....The Double Duty Meal. I am quite sure most of you have figured out that if you make extra of something, you have a meal for later. I would like to expound on that just a little by adding, purposely make extra of certain items and you are in like flint for quick and easy healthy meals. For example, extra mashed potatoes are excellent for things like, shepherd's pie, or in my case, creamy and cheesy potato veggie soup. (Shepherd's pie by the way is a dish from England that consists of a saucy and sometimes meaty bottomed veggie dish, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked to casserole perfection). Extra rice from Saturday's Thai night will be perfect for what we like to call "Hawaiian Haystacks" (maybe you've heard of them, maybe you haven't) we usually just throw a quick sauce together of
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 -1 c. chicken broth (depending on how much you need and how thin you like it)
1/4-1/2 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 can chicken or any leftover chicken in your fridge


Then we cut up tons of veggies; carrots, tomato, green onion, green/red pepper, olives, peas, spinach,  etc. We use a can of pineapple, mandarin oranges, chopped nuts (usually cashew of mixed) some shredded cheese, shredded coconut and little dry chow mein noodles or other crunchy noodles that we have around. Then load the rice, sauce on top, and any combo veggie and toppings and you have a quick and super yummy crowd pleaser, as everyone can make their own exactly like they want it.


Another easy one, is fried rice (which is of course not really fried) or a sweet rice and chicken bake, with a similar but smaller batch of the above sauce, shredded chicken from the can or fridge, shredded cheese, and any combo diced veggie mixed thouroughly and baked at 375^ anywhere from 30-45 min. We like diced squash, zucchini, corn and the like. I could go on and on about rice, it is my favorite ingredient to make extra of, as it is so versatile. While growing up, we used to have poor man's rice pudding after certain dinners by adding cold milk, sugar, and cinnamon to some leftover hot rice for dessert.
P.S. Not only is it good for dessert, but make sure you do all brown rice or an easy 3/4 brown and 1/4 white rice combo and it makes for a perfect breakfast as well, especially for any of you gluten free kids out there!
Enjoy, and here's to more good eating and less kitchen disasters!