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Lettuce (or Tortilla) Hawaiian Chicken Tacos, with Mango, Avocado, Cheese, Tomato and Lettuce

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Lettuce (or Tortilla) Hawaiian Chicken Tacos, with Mango, Avocado, Cheese, Tomato and Lettuce

No matter how much you try to plan, things get crazier at the end of the week, which is one reason I love menus like tonight’s. Because I already cooked this chicken earlier in the week, the only “work” to do is warming things up. There is nothing to cook!

I also like this meal because it is so fresh.  The mango, avocado, tomato and lettuce are welcome flavors and textures during the winter months when I tend to cook more of my meals and make more soups.  And tonight, for maximum freshness and minimum carbs, I experimented with using lettuce instead of tortillas.

My kids also like this meal. And while they really like the taste, I know they are big fans of this meal because, well… they like to eat with their hands.  Yes, I admit it.  As much as I encourage, teach, and yes, nag them about using silverware, they really prefer to eat without their fork and spoon…  If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!

…

I decided to eat early as my son had a late practice and my husband was coming home too late to eat with the kids.  My plan was to eat at 5:15.  At 5:00 I pulled everything out of the refrigerator – the chicken, cheese, lettuce, mango, radish, the remaining black beans, salsa, Braggs Hawaiian Dressing and Marinade, and tortillas.  I also grabbed the avocado and tomato from the counter.  If you haven’t already diced the pepper, tomato, mango, radish, or chicken, and if the cheese is not already grated, allow an extra 15 minutes.

After warming the chicken on a griddle on the stove, I began warming the tortillas, 2 at a time.  Once the tortillas were hot on the first side, I flipped them, added grated cheese and turned down the heat.  As the cheese began to melt, I added chicken, and the rest of the toppings. You can fold them in half like a taco or roll them into a “burrito”. As finger food is a favorite and burritos are neater, I rolled mine into a burrito and placed them on the side of the griddle. You can also use corn tortillas (which are smaller) and fold in half for tacos.

Preparing Hawaiian Chicken Tacos (or Burrito)

I took some larger leafs of lettuce, (I used butter lettuce but you can use romaine or any other lettuce that can hold taco ingredients.  I added the warmed chicken, cheese, and the rest of the toppings and served.  We sat down at 5:15!

Hawaiian Chicken Tacos (Burrito) with Mango, Avocado and Black Beans

The Verdict

This is a favorite! Everyone really liked the tacos.  Ratings of 9 and 10 across the board.  The kids had the burritos and my husband and I had the low carb, lettuce tacos.  I would definitely make this again – it is a great reinvention of chicken made earlier in the week.  The mangos really make this dish, so don’t leave them out.  If you can’t find mangos, use pineapple or kiwi.

Lettuce Hawaiian Chicken Tacos (or Burrito) with Mango, Avocado, Tomato and Black Beans

Recipe: Lettuce (or Tortilla) Hawaiian Chicken Tacos, with Mango, Avocado, Cheese, Tomato and Lettuce

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids; with extra chicken for another dinner or 4 lunches

Ingredients

1 Avocado

1 Tomato

1 Mango

Remaining ½ can of Black Beans

Whole Wheat Tortillas, corn tortillas and/or big leaves of lettuce – boston leaf lettuce, romaine, other good “sandwich” lettuce

Cheddar Cheese –  derived from cow or goat or soy

1 radish (optional)

1.5 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – use the left over from the Hawaiian Chicken

Salsa

Bragg Hawaiian Fat Free Dressing and Marinade

Instructions

  1. Slice and Dice Avocado, Tomato, and Mango.
  2. Dice chicken and warm on skillet over medium heat.  Set chicken aside.
  3. Heat Tortilla(s) on a skillet over medium heat.
  4. When tortilla starts to bubble ( is heated through), flip tortilla, sprinkle cheese on the hot side, and turn off heat.
  5. As cheese begins to melt, sprinkle chicken, avocado, tomato, mango, radish (if including) and black beans.
  6. If using flour tortillas, roll into a “burrito”: fold the bottom 1/8 of the tortilla on top of the chicken and other stuffings.  Fold in the sides  of the burrito and roll the tortilla into a log.
  7. Set on the side of the grill and make one for each person.
  8. If using corn tortillas, serve as a taco
  9. If using lettuce (and I used tortillas for the kids and lettuce for me):
    1. Warm chicken and beans.
    2. Sprinkle cheese in lettuce cup
    3. Add chicken and beans
    4. Top with avocado, tomato and mango, salsa, and Hawaiian dressing.

10. Serve – with carbs or without!

Pre-Prep Opportunities

1.  Make tacos as the second chicken meal of the week.  Prepare all chicken at the beginning of the week, storing leftovers in the refrigerator for later use.

2. Cut Mango, pepper, tomato, radish, and chicken ahead of time.  Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Sept 26-29 Weekly Menu and Master Shopping List

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Sept 26-29 Weekly Menu and Master Shopping List

It’s feeling like autumn and I am looking for warm recipes that meet the healthy, delicious, fast criteria that Busy Lives Healthy Eats is built upon.  I love to: cook once and “reinvent” the second meal; and pre-prep so that the amount of work required during dinner prep, which is often jumbled with carpools and homework, is minimal.  This week, all the recipes are new to me.  I have never prepared them.  I thought this would be a good test as many of the recipes I make would be new to you if you made them.  So be forgiving as I share my experiences of the week with these new recipes!

Weekly Menu:

Monday: Tomato-Herb Chicken, Broccoli, Fruit

Tuesday: Fish with Fall Harvest Red Grape Salsa, Peas, Side Salad, Fruit

Wednesday: Braised Chicken Gumbo, Side Salad, Fruit

Thursday: Mexican Vegetable Soup with Crushed Tortilla Chips and shredded cheese

 Give credit where credit is deserved:

Monday’s recipe is a slight variation of a recipe I found on EatingWell.com.  I was particularly excited when I saw their “reinvention” of the meal, which is the Braised Chicken Gumbo that is on my menu for Wednesday.  So thank you EatingWell!

Tuesday’s recipe features a “fall salsa”. While the rest of the meal is not new – we have cooked plenty of fish – I was looking for a fall flavor topping.  Better Homes and Gardens featured this fall salsa that looks amazing.  Stay tuned…

Thursday’s recipe comes from “Quick Vegetarian Pleasures”, a cookbook that I have had for over 15 years.  I have had great luck with several recipes of these recipes, and even used their Split Pea Soup recipe as a base for my variation last week. The additional twist is that I plan to make this a crock pot recipe.  Their recipe is cooked on the stove.

Master Shopping List

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids

 

Entrees

3.5 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breasts

1.5 – 1.75 lbs. fish – I will see what the prices are and what strikes me

Vegetables

Greens – for lunch and dinners

4 Red Onions

8 Cloves garlic

¼ C Fresh chopped parsley

2 Bell peppers, at least one red

3 Carrots

3 Medium zucchini

1 Head Broccoli

Fruit

1 C Seedless red grapes, halved

5 Pears

Other based on what is in season in the store

Dry Goods

1 t Dried thyme

1 t Fennel seeds

1 t Fresh ground pepper

1 Bay leaf

3 C Low sodium chicken broth

8 C Low sodium vegetable broth

1 T Lemon Juice

2 – 28 oz. Can tomatoes, or tomatoes in other shelf stable package

1 ½ t salt

1 T Olive oil or canola oil

2 T flour

1 C Cooked rice

1/8 t cayenne pepper

1 T Balsamic vinegar

1 t Ground cumin

1 15 oz. Can kidney beans

Bakery

Corn tortillas

 

Dairy

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional – for the Mexican vegetable stew)

 

Frozen

1 C Sliced Okra

2 C Frozen corn kernels

1 Bag Frozen peas

 

 

Split Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey Thighs

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Split Pea Soup - Comfort Food at its Best!

Recipe

2 C (1 lb.) Split Peas

10 C Water

½ C Celery, chopped

½ C Carrots, chopped

2 C Onions, chopped

2 Bay leaves

3 Garlic cloves, minced

2 t Ground cumin

½ t Dried thyme

2 T Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids or low sodium soy sauce

½ t Salt

2 Smoked turkey thighs

 

 

  1. Put everything in a crock pot and cook on high for 6-8 hours.

 

OR

 

  1. You can also cook on high for 3-4 hours the night before, put in the fridge before you go to bed, and finish cooking the next day.  Taking into account that the soup will be cold, cook on high for 6 more hours.
  2. Once soup is done, remove the smoked turkey thighs discarding the bones and skin.  Shred the meat and return to the soup.
  3. Serve with a dense whole grain bread (optional but delicious), and see how many recipes you can think of that taste this good and are this fast!

Split Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey Thighs

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9-22-11 Dinner Blog

Split Pea Soup - a very satisfying meal!

Last night’s story actually started Wednesday night.  To get a jump on Thursday’s dinner and knowing the flavor would be better if the soup had time to marinate, I gathered all the ingredients and within 10 minutes everything was in the slow cooker.

Split peas, carrot, onion, celery,smoked turkey thighs, and seasonings cook slowly to make this savory soup

I purchased pre-chopped vegetables to save time, so it was a matter of dumping the veggies, dropping in 2 smoked turkey thighs,  and measuring out the water and seasonings.  Super easy! Then I turned the crock pot on high for 4 hours.   Before I went to bed, I put the crock pot in the refrigerator over night.  The soup was not ready, but at least the flavors had begun to cook, and, around noon I took the soup out of the refrigerator and turned it on high for 6 more hours.  If you are going to be gone all day, you could probably finish cooking the soup on low for about 10 hours…

While I usually only shop once during the week, I did not want to get fresh bread on Sunday to use on Thursday.  So yesterday afternoon, I went to the local bread shop and purchased whole wheat sourdough bread – I had them slice it to save time.  It was a quick trip in and out, I didn’t buy anything else!!!

By 4 p.m., the house smelled amazing!  Due to sports, our family dinner was scheduled for 7 p.m.  To make sure we sat down right at 7, I pulled the smoked turkey thighs out of the soup at about 6:15, discarded the skin and bones, shredded the meat and returned the meat to the soup.  This took about 10 minutes – the meat just fell off the bones.

Once we were ready to sit down, I portioned the soup and stacked 5 pieces of bread on a plate (we had a guest for dinner).

Split Pea Soup ready for the table!

The Verdict
Two thumbs up all around!  A 10 from my son, a 9.5 from our guest, who is my brother and would never miss a chance to diss me, a 9 from my husband, and a 9 from my toughest critic, my daughter.  Wow!!!  It was quite satisfying.  The adults had an additional small portion, but the kids were quite satisfied with one bowl.

Split Pea Soup - a very satisfying meal!

You learn something new every day.  You can teach an old dog new tricks…  Yes, I am talking about myself…  I made some changes to this recipe, out of necessity, that really enhanced the flavor. I used to use ham hocks, but the store was out.  I explained to the butcher what I was making and he suggested smoked turkey thighs – said I wouldn’t tell the difference and I might even like it better.  A bit salesy?! He was right!  I love using the smoked turkey thighs and will try them in place of ham hocks in all future recipes that call for ham hocks.  Nothing against ham hocks except that they are bit more fatty.

The one thing about smoked turkey thighs is that they use salt in the process.  As a result, I used very little additional salt in the recipe.  No one asked to add salt. The flavor was just right!

I owe you the recipe for this.  It is too good to pass on!  Stay tuned…

Shrimp Stir-Fry with Vegetables and Soba Noodles

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9-20-11 Dinner Blog

 

Shrimp, Snow Peas, Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Green Onions, Pineapple, Soba Noodles, and Ginger Hoisin Sauce in the wok

An Easy Mistake to Make…

I started dinner early – around 3 o’clock when I took the shrimp out of the freezer and thought I would get ahead and make some brown rice for the stir-fry.  I set the rice cooker, put the shrimp in the fridge and left.

It wasn’t until I came home around 5:15 that I realized that I didn’t need brown rice – I was using soba noodles!  Well, now I have a generous portion of brown rice.  I will figure out some way to use it…

An Easy Fix…

Following “6 Steps to Better Stir-Fries”, from Cooking Light’s October 2011 issue, I began dinner prep by taking the shrimp and veggies out of the refrigerator. I rinsed the snow peas and heated water for the soba noodles.  Then I washed and chopped the green onion, tomato, bell pepper, and cut up the pineapple.  Then I made the ginger hoisin sauce, mixing green onions, rice wine vinegar, Braggs Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce, fresh ginger, honey and hoisin sauce.

With my ingredients ready to go, I heated the wok, added 1 T of canola oil down the side of the wok and spread it around. Adding the bell pepper and green onion, I let the veggies sit for a moment and then stirred it around, followed by the snow peas and tomato.

By this time, the water was boiling and I added the soba noodles.  I took the veggies out of the wok, added the shrimp and cooked for about 3 minutes.  Then I put the veggies back in, added the ginger hoisin sauce and the soba noodles that were now cooked.

2 minutes later, I portioned 4 servings topped with pineapple pieces and we sat down to eat!

Shrimp, Snow Peas, Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Green Onion, Pineapple, Soba Noodles and Ginger Hoisin Sauce

An Easy A

This was a winner!  A 9 all around! Even my toughest critic gave it a 9 and a two thumbs up! The ginger hoisin flavor was really tasty and everyone loved the shrimp. I really liked the soba noodles – a buckwheat noodle, it was a healthy option and a nice change from rice.  The meal was very satisfying.  3 of us had a small second portion, and there were no leftovers!

 

Recipe

Shrimp Stir-Fry with Vegetables and Soba Noodles

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids

 

Ingredients:

1 Package of Soba Noodles

1 Bell pepper

½ bunch green onions

1 Tomato

¼ – 1/3 lb. Snow peas

8 t rice wine vinegar

6 t Braggs Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce

2 t Fresh ginger, chopped

2 t honey

4 t hoisin sauce

1.75 lbs. shrimp

2 T Canola oil

Fresh pineapple cut into pieces

 

Instructions:

  1. Heat water for soba noodles.
  2. Wash and chop bell pepper, green onions, tomato.
  3. Rinse snow peas.  You can substitute with different vegetables: broccoli, mushrooms, edamame, etc.
  4. Combine rice wine vinegar, liquid aminos (or low sodium soy sauce), ginger, honey, and hoisin sauce and set aside.
  5. When water is boiling, add soba noodles per package direction (~6 minutes).
  6. Heat wok and pour 1 T canola oil down the side of the wok and spread the oil around.
  7. Add bell pepper and green onions.  Let sit a moment before stirring.  When beginning to get tender, add tomato and snow peas and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
  8. Remove veggies from heat.  Add one more T of canola oil down the side of the wok, spread it around and cook the shrimp 3-4 minutes or until cooked.
  9. Add the veggies, noodles and ginger hoisin sauce.
  10. Portion a serving on each plate, top with pineapple and serve!

Chicken Chile Bake

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9-15-11 Dinner Blog

Close up serving of Chicken Chile Bake

Vintage Dinner Reinvented

I was smiling to myself as I was making the Chicken Chile Bake last night, (which is basically a casserole), because I couldn’t bring myself to type the word “casserole” on Monday’s “Weekly Menu” blog…

When I think of casseroles, I think of canned cream of “something” soup, (with way too much salt), and the cooking genre of the 60’s and 70’s.  Remember the tuna casserole? Tuna, noodles and peas?  My mom didn’t make casseroles very often, (She was actually ahead of her time in terms of healthy cooking), but I had more than my fair share of tuna, and hamburger (remember?) casseroles at parties, friend’s houses and relative gatherings.

This recipe is not vintage, but it is a casserole.  I got it from a cooking class my daughter took at her school about 6 years ago.  I modified it to make it more healthy and added veggies.

Getting Dinner Together

It was 4:40 and I had to get dinner prepped and cooked before 5:25. Earlier in the day I had realized that I forgot to cook tonight’s chicken on Monday when I cooked the Southwestern Chicken.  That would have been a time saver… Note to self…

So I began by preheating the oven to 375 and turning the grill on high.  Luckily, I had already washed and cut the chicken on Sunday, so it was just a matter of putting the chicken on the grill.  You can also bake the chicken at 350 for about 20 minutes– but the real time saver is if you cook this chicken earlier in the week when you make the Southwest Chicken.

While the chicken was cooking, I mixed the following in a large bowl:

1 Diced onion

2 Bell peppers, (which I had diced on Sunday – score!!)

1 Can of black beans, drained

1 Jar of salsa (I mixed 2 kinds together to make “one jar”)

1 Cup of plain yogurt (Consider using instead of sour cream.  I use goat’s milk yogurt because of my daughter’s allergy to cow’s milk.)

The other half of the cilantro from Monday, chopped.

In the middle of getting all these ingredients into the bowl, I flipped the chicken (after about 3-4 minutes).  3 minutes later, I tested the chicken, pulled it off the grill, diced it and mixed it in the large bowl with the other ingredients.

Mixing Ingredients for the Chicken Chile Bake

Then I lightly sprayed the bottom and sides of a 9X13 and 8X8 pan with canola oil spray, and then placing one layer of whole-wheat tortillas on the bottom of the pan.  I followed up with a portion of the chicken mixture, and another tortilla layer.  I repeated the layering, ending with a layer of tortillas on top.

Building the "Casserole"

I topped the casserole (OK, now this word is coming out easier…:)) with cheddar cheese and popped the casseroles in the oven at 5:00. (Not being able to use cheddar cheese derived from cow’s milk, I used goat’s milk cheddar cheese, which, even the harshest critics in the family says tastes amazing!)

Putting the "Casserole" in the oven

After 20 minutes, I pulled the casseroles out of the oven and went to my second “Back to School Night of the week.

An hour later, I was home, preheated the oven to 375 and put the casseroles in for 10 minutes – just enough to heat through.

I laid out the plates, split an avocado among the four of us, and made a small side salad with figs, tomatoes, and mangoes, topped with the no oil balsamic vinaigrette. I pulled the casseroles out of the oven and served.

4 portions of Chicken Chile Bake

The Verdict

A 9!  Everyone loved the dinner.  My husband had a small second portion, but everyone else was full.  It was really great to have most of my nutrition in one dish.  You really don’t even need the salad, because you have a great variety of vegetables in the casserole, but if you like salad like I do, it is always nice to eat fresh fruit and vegetables.

I will be looking for more “casserole” recipes for the fall and winter sans the canned soup. The one dish meal – so easy!  …History repeats itself – with a healthy twist!

Recipe

For the “Casserole”

1.75 lbs. Chicken

1 Can black beans, drained

2 Bell peppers diced

1 onion, diced

1 jar salsa (you can mix a few together)

1 C plain yogurt

Cilantro

Canola oil spray

1 8 Whole-wheat tortillas

For the side dishes:

1 avocado

Greens with fresh fruit, tomatoes, or whatever salad fixin’s you have

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375

1.  Cook chicken – bake or grill.  Hopefully you can pair this dish with another chicken dish and cook the chicken at the same time and save time.

2.  In a large bowl mix all casserole ingredients, except the tortillas, in a large bowl

3.  Lightly spray bottoms and sides of a 9 X 13 and 8 X 8 baking pan

4. Place one layer of whole-wheat tortillas on the bottom of the pan, followed by some of the chicken mixture.

5. Repeat step 4, alternating a layer of tortillas and a layer of chicken mixture.

6.  Top with a final layer of tortilla and lightly sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

7. Place in 375 oven for 20 minutes to heat through

8. While Chicken Chile Bake is heating, divide the avocado across the 4 plates and lightly sprinkle salt if desired.  Portion some greens and salad fixin’s on each plate.

9.  Once Chicken Chile Bake is hot, pull out and serve with salsa on the side.  Ol´e!