recipe: lemon-glazed chicken

This is pretty yummy. My son and I enjoyed ours cut up and mixed with rice and veggies. My husband and daughter ate theirs with traditional sides. It's great both ways.

Lemon-Glazed Chicken
Serves 4

1/2 cup brown rice bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

In a shallow dish combine the bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper and blend together. Dredge both sides of the chicken in the crumb mixture.

In a small bowl combine the lemon juice and honey. Set aside.

In a large non-stick pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, cover and saute until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan.

Add the lemon and honey glaze to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the glaze becomes syrupy. Return cooked chicken to pan, flipping the chicken once to coat with the glaze.

Remove from pan and serve.

Modified from this recipe on active.com. My version is not spicy.

recipe: italian spinach & chicken skillet

I love one dish meals. They make my life so easy. This one is amazing. And if my 6 year old will eat it you KNOW it's good.

Original recipe can be found here: Taste of Home

Italian Spinach and Chicken Skillet
Servings: 4
Total time to table: 30 minutes (bonus!)

2 cups uncooked yolk-free whole wheat noodles
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14-1/2 oz) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10-3/4 oz) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, soup, spaghetti sauce, chicken, spinach, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Drain noodles; toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

ENJOY!

Nutrition info: 1-1/2 cups = 389 cal, 12 g fat, 38 g carbs, 7 g fiber, 35 g protein.

kid tested, mother approved

Pizza Pepperoni Pasta

3 cups uncooked whole wheat spiral pasta
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2.5 cups garden-style spaghetti sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp pepper
3 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz sliced pepperoni (I found that 2 ounces was more than enough for our tastes)
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, basil, oregano, Worcestershire sauce and pepper; set aside.

Drain pasta. Transfer to a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Top with spaghetti sauce mixture and pepperoni. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

1-1/4 cups = 299 calories, 10 g fat, 5 g fiber (using the full 4 ounces of pepperoni)

Source: Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Magazine - Aug/Sept 2010 Issue

recipe: lemon-glazed chicken

I'm always on the lookout for healthy yet delicious recipes. I don't remember when it was but Cool Running tweeted the link to a recipe for Fiery Lemon-Glazed Chicken. At the time I just sent the link to my email and forgot about it. I realized last night (when cleaning out my inbox) that I actually had everything on hand to make this so I made it for dinner tonight. I did modify it for what I had in my pantry so here's my version.

Lemon-Glazed Chicken
Serves: 4

1/2 cup brown rice bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey (the honey in my cupboard had hardened so I ended up using Lemon Creme Honey for Tea by Republic of Tea)
3-4 shakes Tabasco sauce
1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

In a shallow dish combine the bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper and blend together. Dredge both sides of the chicken in the crumb mixture.

In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, honey and Tabasco. Set aside.

In a large non-stick pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, cover and saute until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan.

Add the lemon and honey glaze to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the glaze becomes syrupy. Return cooked chicken to pan, flipping the chicken once to coat with the glaze.

Remove from pan and serve.

If you try it let me know. We loved it and will definitely be having it again. The glaze is amazing and it took less than 30 minutes.

corn bread taco bake

I love trying new recipes and when I find one that's a keeper (especially when it's super easy and quick to make) I can't NOT share it. This one received a stamp of approval from all 4 of us including the 5 year old who would prefer to stick with the basics of cheeseburgers, pizza, mac 'n cheese, etc. I totally spaced out taking a picture but trust me it's yummy.

Corn Bread Taco Bake
Serves 6

1.5 pounds ground beef
1 can (15-1/4 oz) whole kernel corn, drained*
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 envelope taco seasoning*
1 package (8.5 oz) corn bread/muffin mix (I use Jiffy)
1 can (2.8 oz) french-fried onions, divided
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese*

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the corn, tomato sauce, water, green pepper and taco seasoning; mix well. Spoon into a greased 2-qt. baking dish.

Prepare corn bread mix according to package directions for corn bread. Stir in half of the onions. Spread over beef mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining onions. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and a toothpick inserted into corn bread layer comes out clean.

*I used frozen corn in lieu of canned. I don't use envelope taco seasoning mixes. I have my own recipe that I prefer to use and will post that separately. And I used a Mexican blend cheese instead of cheddar. I also think I'll up the green peppers to a whole one next time just because I love green peppers and extra veggies is always a good thing!

Recipe is from Taste of Home - the busy family cookbook. Definitely worth picking up a copy.

If you decide to try it let me know what you think!