Tasty Tuesday--Speedy Chicken Stir-Fry

This is a quick meal to throw together on 

busy school nights. With tasty chicken and noodles, 

the whole family will enjoy every bite of it!

This time of year seems to be super hectic. School is in full swing, kids after school activities are going on, holidays (and planning for holidays) are right around the corner. The last thing I have time for is to be in the kitchen for hours making a wholesome dinner.

I love this recipe because it comes together so easily, is inexpensive and I typically have all the ingredients on hand. This meal comes together in less than thirty minutes and is a hit with everyone. We never have leftovers!

Speedy Chicken Stir-Fry

(origin unknown)

Ingredients

8 oz angel hair pasta, uncooked

2 c. broccoli (frozen or fresh)

1 lb chicken, raw and cubed

1/2 c. Asian Sesame Dressing

2 Tbls. Low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp. ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper

Directions

Cook pasta as directed on package. Add broccoli to pasta water for the last 3 minutes of pasta cooking time.

Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray over med-high heat, cook chicken 6-8 minutes or until cooked. Add in dressing and spices and cook for 1 minute.

Drain pasta and broccoli. Add to skillet and toss with chicken. Serve warm.

For a printable version, click HERE.

Well...it's off to another busy week here at our house. My hubby is preparing for a long hunting trip to Missouri, so its just me and the kids for 10 days. Should be interesting!! Make it a great Tuesday!

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Tasty Tuesday -- Chicken Apple Panini's

Yesterday was my son's 8th birthday! Where does the time go? We had a super fun bowling party with a few of his school friends. I even made a cool cake that looked more like a ghost than a bowling ball, but it was still a hit! I'll be sharing the party with you later on...but now, it's time for Tasty Tuesday!

I'm a big believer in Panini's. Sure, its just a sandwich, but it's extra special. With fall in full swing around here, this tasty creation is sure to hit a home run! You can change it up anyway you like, but I enjoyed mine like this:

Ingredients
Rotisserie Chicken, sliced thin
Apple, sliced thin
Bacon, cooked
Cheese, I used mozzarella, but next time it will be apple jack cheese
Romaine Lettuce
Tomatoes, sliced thin
Ciabatta Roll/Bread

Directions

Assemble your Panini by layering it with all the ingredients listed above. If you wanted to add a sauce to it feel free (I didn't because I'm trying to watch those extra calories). Next, carefully add it to a hot, grill pan and set your Panini press on top. I got mine from Pampered Chef. If you don't have one, simply use a heavy pan and set your flour canister on top! Grill for about 5 minutes and flip over. Grill for another 2-3 minutes. Slice and serve.

This is a quick and easy meal to put on the table. The great thing about these Panini's is that you can make them for each family members tastes. My daughter just wanted the apples on the side, not with the sandwich.

What kind of quick sandwich does your family enjoy?

Tasty Tuesday -- Smokey Chicken Wrap

Welcome to another addition to Tasty Tuesday. I hope your week is off to a great start. Since we still have a few weeks of quality grilling left, I thought I would share with you one of our family favorites. You could also prepare this on an indoor grill, too. This is perfect for a quick dinner. I always grill more chicken than we need to use in lunches during the week.

Smokey Chicken Wraps

Ingredients

Rub:
1 Tbls. brown sugar
2Tbls. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground chipolte pepper
1/8 tsp. ground pepper

1.5 lbs. chicken breasts
6 -8 flour tortillas, warmed
Lettuce
Shredded Cheese
Tomato
1/4 cup Low-fat Ranch Dressing

Directions:
Preheat Grill. Combine rub ingredients into large Ziploc bag. Remove 1 tsp of rub mixture and add ranch dressing, set aside. Add chicken to Ziploc bag and toss, cover chicken completely. Remove chicken from bag and grill. Watch closely that it doesn't burn. Cook until juices run clear, approx. 12 minutes.

Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes. Slice thinly. Spread ranch dressing mixture on tortillas. Add chicken, lettuce, cheese and tomato. Roll and serve with tortilla chips and fresh pico de gallo.

For a printable version of this recipe, CLICK HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Tasty Tuesday! #QuickFixCasserole {Perfect for Back-to-School}

First of all--I have to give a shout out to my dad today!!

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY DAD!! LOVE YOU!

Okay, now onto the today's Tasty Tuesday! Kids are back to school, after school activities are in full swing, so how in the world do we get dinner on the table? After working all day, the last thing I want to do is spend a long time in the kitchen! I've got a few quick tips that make dinner time a snap!

1. Plan ahead. I make a menu up for the week when I go grocery shopping. This helps our family tremendously. And it saves us lots of time and money, too. Too often we wouldn't take something out of the freezer to thaw which meant we'd hit the take-out menu folder!
2. Prepare in advance. If I am grilling chicken for dinner, I usually throw on a few extras for another meal later in the week or for lunches. Why cook twice? Same thing goes for ground beef--if I'm browning it for one meal, why not for another. It freezes up nicely and is a breeze to thaw and toss into a casserole or for something quick like tacos.
3. Rotisserie chicken is a mom's best friend. You can do so much with these bad boys! I'll share a recipe with you today. Not only can it be dinner the day you pick it up, but you can shred it for later in the week, cube it up and freeze it. The options are endless.
4. There are a ton of recipes that can be put together in 30 minutes or less. I've got Back to School board on Pinterest with a few ideas. You can also check out Country Crock's Pinterest Boards or their website for tasty solutions, too. I'm sharing another one with you today.

Here's a casserole that will get to your table speedy quick thanks to rotisserie chicken!


Chicken & Rice Casserole
(adapted from Food Network Magazine, March 2013 issue)

Ingredients
2 Tbls. Country Crock Butter
1 Clove Garlic, chopped
4 Green Onions, sliced
2 cups broccoli, chopped (fresh)
2 cups Shredded Rotisserie Chicken (skin removed)
1 cup brown rice (fast-cooking)
1 small tomato, chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup sour cream
4 oz dill havarti cheese, diced
1 oz parmesan cheese, shredded
salt & pepper as desired



Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and most of the green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 2 minutes). Add the broccoli, chicken, rice, tomato, salt & pepper to taste; stir to combine.
Whisk the broth and sour cream together and pour into skillet and bring to a simmer. Stir in half of both cheeses. Cover skillet tightly with lid or foil and transfer to oven. Bake until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
Turn on the broiler. Uncover the skillet and sprinkle with the remaining cheeses, broil until golden (about 2 minutes). Sprinkle with the reserved green onions. Serve.

Here are a few reasons I enjoy using Country Crock Spread:

• It has 0g trans fat per serving
• It contains no partially hydrogenated oils
• Is has no cholesterol
• It has 70% less fat than butter per serving
• And it has 30% fewer calories than butter per serving

Check out Country Crock's Facebook page for some great recipe ideas and product updates and information.

Do you have any other suggestions on how to get dinner to the table on hectic school nights? If so, please share!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Tasty Tuesday -- Grilled Shrimp & Red Potatoes

Anyone else hate Tuesday's? I know Monday's are bad, but there is a "funk" or something with Tuesday's, too. Ugh. Well...maybe this will cheer me (and you, if you're having "that kind" of day!) up. This dish came together quickly (love quick dinners) and everyone enjoyed it (except Hailey, who doesn't like shrimp). Normally, I tend to make rice or pasta when I prepare shrimp, but on this day, I had a generous amount of fresh garden potatoes (thanks Mom!) that I wanted to use up.

Grilled Shrimp
(adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe)

1 lb large shrimp - deveined, shelled, thawed (if frozen)
1/3 c. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbls. Fresh Oregano, chopped
2 Tbls. Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
2 Tbls. Fresh Basil, chopped
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
salt & cracked pepper to taste

Combine marinade ingredients in a glass bowl. Add shrimp. Allow shrimp to hang out in marinade for up to 1 hour. The less time it marniates, the less spicy it will be. Skewer and grill 3 minutes each side or until pink.

Grilled Red Potatoes

1.5 lbs Red Potatoes, quartered
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Fresh Herbs, chopped
Garlic Powder to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste

Place quartered potatoes in a microwave safe bowl. Cook for about 4-6 minutes or until slightly cooked. You still want them a little hard, but not cooked all the way through. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes. Add herbs and seasonings and toss. Skewer and grill 4-5 minutes each side until nice and golden brown and cooked through.

For printable recipes, please click here.

Here's to a short work week! Thanks for stopping by.

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Tasty Tuesday -- Summer Sausage Saute

Greetings friends! Its Tuesday!! I'm sharing this quick and tasty recipe that uses fresh summer veggies. I was inspired to create this recipe from this awesome blog Skinnytaste.com. Have you visited it? If not, please stop over and browse around. You are sure to find a great tasting "skinny" version of your favorite recipe. I haven't tried a recipe I didn't love from her site yet! Yum!

Here's my version:

Summer Sausage Saute
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb baby red potatoes, quartered
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt and black pepper
1 pkg. Johnsonville Chicken Sausage links
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 red pepper, chopped
2 Tbls fresh Rosemary, finely chopped

Directions
Place oil and potatoes in a large, deep non-skillet with lid on high heat, season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. When the skillet is hot and sizzles, reduce heat to low and cook with lid on for 20-30 minutes. Shake pan occasionally to prevent potatoes from sticking. Remove from heat and let them sit for 5 minutes (keep lid on). Set aside.
Add sausage to the skillet and saute on med-low until browned. Add veggies, garlic and Rosemary to the skillet and mix. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until onions and peppers become slightly browned. Return the potatoes back to the skillet and mix well. Cover and cook 5 more minutes.
**Add any additional summer veggies you may have on hand. Skinnytaste.com adds in zucchini in her recipe, although I didn't have any on hand at the time, but I think it would be yummy!

To print this recipe, click here.

Thanks for stopping by today. Please "share" with your friends!

Tasty Tuesday -- Chicken Bruschetta

Happy Tuesday! I'm back from vacation and excited to share with you my all-time favorite summer dinner dish. This is quick to prepare and everyone in the family loves it. Plus, its made with summer fresh ingredients.

I can't take full credit on this creation. I've had this dish many times at a local cafe, Mary's Market, that I decided to create the dish at home. Boy, it sure is a winner!

Chicken Bruschetta

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt & pepper to taste
Bruschetta
Garlic Toast
Parmesan Cheese

Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill until fully cooked. Grill or bake garlic toast. Top garlic toast with grilled chicken breast, followed by a spoonful of bruschetta. Sprinkle with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese and basil. DIG IN!

Bruschetta Recipe
4 small tomatoes (roma, plum, other garden), diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 red onion, diced
3-4 Tbls. (or more) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-2 Tbls. balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients together and allow to sit at room temperature while preparing and grilling chicken. Serve with chicken or over crusty bread. Top with shredded Parmesan Cheese and extra basil.

For Printable Versions of both recipes, please click HERE. 
 

That's it. I need to make this again, real soon!

I can't wait to share our vacation picture and details with you! I promise to have them up by next week! It's rough getting back into the swing of things when you've been gone for two weeks! Plus, school starts next week already! YIKES!

Thanks for stopping by. Please share this with your friends!

Tasty Tuesday--Chicken Caesar Salad Sammies

I had another DUH moment last week--I'm starting to worry myself, seriously--I mean, how many can we have before we hit 40??!! Well, whenever I take a trip to Sam's Club, I always buy a rotisserie chicken--they are delicious, huge and only $5! Plus, you can use it for so many things! We are a busy family and the sports season is beginning already. One kid is in volleyball and the other is starting baseball soon, so quick dinners are a must! This took less than 15 minutes to assemble, thanks to the help of Sam's Club's rostisserie chicken!

If you love Caesar Salad (I do!), this is a perfect meal when you don't necessarily feel like just eating a salad. You could even make this into a wrap (which I suggested to the kids, but was shot down!). And even if you didn't care for Caesar dressing, Ranch or Zesty Italian would work too! My mouth waters just looking at the picture and remembing this sammie!

Chicken Caesar Salad Sammies

Ingredients

1-2 cups shredded chicken (depends on how many sammies you make)
Shredded Romaine Lettuce--per taste
Caesar Dressing (we love Ken's Lite Caesar Dressing--its not the creamy kind)--per taste
Shredded Parmesan Cheese--per taste
Croutons (ours are homemade--so easy and delicious)--per taste
Ciabbata Rolls or tortilla wraps

Directions

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until it looks like a good balance of salad vs. chicken. I just eye-balled the amounts according to our families tastes. Spoon (or pile) on sliced Ciabbata Rolls. Seriously easy. Extremely delicious!

My kids gave this 2 thumbs up and told me we needed to have it again real soon! So, what are your favorite recipes for rotisserie chicken?

Cindy