Hawaiian Chicken, Broccoli and Rice

Posted on January 31, 2012 by kbergin

Hawaiian Chicken, Broccoli, Rice and Tomato

Chicken again? We eat a lot of chicken and it is easy to fall into the rut of serving the same thing. As I try to avoid the “rut”, I am always on the lookout for toppings, dressings, and marinades that are… tasty, low calorie, low fat, low sugar, and low sodium. Yes, I strive to have it all. You might liken my search to looking for a buried treasure, but I have actually found a few options that meet all these criteria.

Tonight’s chicken uses Braggs Hawaiian Dressing and Marinade. It has mango, pineapple, apple juice, lime juice, ginger, passion fruit juice and noni juice, which gives it a real tropical flavor. It also has stevia extract which is a sweetener that is not processed through the liver so it is not insulin producing. Per every 2 Tablespoon serving, it has 20 calories (much less than low fat salad dressings), 0 calories from fat, only 4 g of sugar, and 0 mg of sodium! For those with dietary restrictions, it is dairy free, egg free, and gluten free!

…

With meetings most of the day and a dinner meeting out, I scrambled to pull dinner together for the kids. Luckily, I was able to get some help from my son who got the rice going in the rice cooker before I got home.

Once I got home at 5:30, I pre-heated the grill to high, washed the chicken and marinated it in 1 Cup of Braggs Hawaiian Dressing and Marinade. Then I cut the broccoli, placed it on the roasting pan, and sprinkled, basil, oregano, salt and minced onion on top. Lastly, I sliced a tomato.

As my husband arrived home to pick me up and the babysitter walked in the door, I asked the babysitter to put the chicken on the grill and roast the broccoli. I also asked that she take a picture of the final product…

The Verdict

This is a keeper! I don’t know the details, but everyone really like the meal. My son and daughter rated it a 9. After having it for lunch the next day, I think that the chicken could have stayed in the marinade longer (pre-prep opportunity), but adding more dressing on top of the chicken once it is on the plate is a great fix.

In my search to keep chicken meals, fresh, can you help me out? Do you have any suggestions???

Ingredients

1 Cup White Rice (If you can make ahead, change to brown rice as it is healthier but takes longer to cook)

2 Cups Water

3.0 lbs. of Chicken (You will be cooking all the chicken for the week. If you are cooking this stand alone, use 1.5 lbs. of chicken.)

Braggs Hawaiian Dressing and Marinade

1 Bunch Broccoli*

1 t salt*

1 T Basil*

1 T Oregano*

1 T Minced Onion*

1 Tomato

*Make a double batch so that the broccoli is cooked for the week. You just have to warm up!

Instructions

Pre-heat Grill to High or Oven to 350

Measure 1 Cup rice and 2 Cups Water in a rice cooker and turn on. Or prepare using your preferred method.
Wash Chicken and mix with Hawaiian Dressing. Set aside.
Wash Broccoli and cut into small florets.
Place on lightly sprayed roasting pan and sprinkle salt, basil, oregano, and minced onion.
Place Chicken on grill and turn heat down to medium, or place in oven.
Place broccoli in oven.
Slice tomato and divide across plates.
Check on broccoli and chicken. Stir broccoli and if chicken is on grill turn it over.
Broccoli should be done in 8 -9 minutes. Oven chicken should take about 15-20 minutes and grilled chicken 12-15 minutes, (flipping chicken halfway through.)

10. Portion plates with chicken, rice, broccoli, and tomato.

11. Drizzle some extra Hawaiian Dressing on the chicken.

12. Serve and enjoy!

Pre-Prep Opportunities 1. Make rice a day ahead or earlier in the day that you will be serving it. Use brown rice since it will have more time to cook.

2. Wash chicken a day or two ahead, mix with marinade, and store in fridge.

3. Wash and cut the broccoli a day or two ahead and store in the fridge.

Seasoned Tilapia, with Onions and Red Peppers, Green Beans, Fresh Avocado, and a Side Salad

Posted on January 30, 2012 by kbergin

Besides it’s delicious, light, mild flavor and flaky texture there are more reasons to cook tilapia today with a knowing smile on your face. 1. 30-minutes or less: tilapia is fast and easy to prepare; 2. Tilapia is good for you! A high protein fish that is low in carbohydrates, it is low in sodium and is also low in mercury, due to it’s short life span and vegetarian diet. Tilapia is also low in fat with the USDA reporting 2 g of fat per 3.5 oz! Bring on dinner tonight!

Meal Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 350 or turn grill to high

I began meal preparation at 6:45, and while many times my late meal preparations are due to a frantic schedule, today I was timing my preparation to sync when my kids would arrive home from their activities, which was about 7:15.

First I cut the onions and red bell peppers. You can use any color bell pepper, but I use red bell peppers when I can as red vegetables are “heart healthy” vegetables. If you can find pre-sliced / diced veggies, always feel free to buy and use them. I sliced them myself and cut them into thin strips.

Preparing Tilapia

Next I rinsed the tilapia and placed it on foil on a baking sheet. Lightly spraying the tilapia with canola oil spray, sprinkling 2 t of the Magic Seafood seasoning, and topping with the onion and bell pepper strips, the tilapia was ready for the grill or the oven. If you are putting the fish on the grill, be sure to turn the heat down to medium low. Fish will cook for about 7-9 minutes.

If you are putting the fish in the oven, you may want to cover with foil to keep the fish moist. Fish will cook for about 15 minutes.

While the tilapia is cooking, portion enough green beans for the family into a microwave safe bowl. Consider ½ cup for each child and ¾ -1 cup for each adult. Cook beans in microwave for 2 ½ minutes.

While they are cooking, check the tilapia. The tilapia will begin to crack and will spring back to the touch when cooked through.

Continue cooking beans in microwave for short time periods (actual time will vary depending on your microwave) and portion salad, tomato and avocado on each plate. I make a traditional looking salad for my husband and I and separate the salad ingredients for my kids.

Kids Portion

Once the fish was cooked, I portioned the fish and green beans on each plate and served.

The Verdict.

A 10 rating from everyone! My family loves the flavors and green bean is a vegetable that everyone will eat. I love the taste as well but as a mom, I really love the fact that this delicious meal is also very nutritious. It’s a tried and true recipe that I can count on and a dinner to add to your rotation!

Tilapia - Adult Portion

Ingredients 1 Large Onion

2 Red Bell Peppers

1.5 lbs. Tilapia

2 t Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends Seafood Magic

Green Beans, Fresh or Frozen

Greens for Salad

1 Tomato

1 Avocado

Low Fat Dressing – I use no oil balsamic or a low-fat balsamic vinaigrette

Instructions

Pre-heat Grill to high or oven to 350

Cut onion and bell pepper into strips. (If you can buy pre-chopped, go for it.)
Rinse tilapia and place on foil on top of a baking sheet.
Sprinkle Seafood Magic seasoning on tilapia and top with onions and red bell pepper.
Place on grill and turn heat down to low, or place in oven.
Place enough green beans for your family in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2 ½ minutes. Check and heat for another 2 ½ minutes. Repeat until beans are done. (Based on how quickly your microwave cooks, adjust the time intervals as necessary.)
In the meantime check tilapia after 4-5 minutes.
Portion greens on plates and top with tomato and avocado and a light sprinkling of dressing. For my kids, I put a few leaves of lettuce, and separate the tomato and avocado on the plate. I also sprinkle a bit of salt on the avocado.
Pull tilapia when the top of the fish begins to crack and the fish springs back to the touch (like in baking).
Serve and see if this isn’t one of the easiest dinner recipes out there!

Pre-Prep Opportunity

1. Cut onions and bell pepper up to a day ahead of time. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Weekly Dinner Menu and Shopping List – Tested Jan 17-20

Posted on January 26, 2012 by kbergin

Weekly Dinner Menu

Tested Jan 17-20

Menu

Monday: Seasoned Tilapia, with Onions and Red Peppers, Green Beans, Fresh Avocado, and a Side Salad

Tuesday: Hawaiian Chicken, Broccoli and Rice

Wednesday: Meatloaf w/ Ground Chicken and Beans, Broccoli

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

Bonus: Weekend Dinner or Lunch: Meatloaf Sandwiches!

Pre-Prep

There are lots of pre-prep opportunities to make the actual dinner time prep even faster and easier. They are mentioned at the end of each recipe. Consider carving out time at the beginning of the week to get some or all of the suggested pre-prep done.

Recipes

Seasoned Tilapia, with Onions and Red Peppers, Green Beans, Fresh Avocado, and a Side Salad

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids

: Seasoned Tilapia with Onions and Red Peppers, Green Beans and Side Salad

Ingredients
1 Large Onion

2 Red Bell Peppers

1.5 lbs. Tilapia

2 t Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends Seafood Magic

Green Beans, Fresh or Frozen

Greens for Salad

1 Tomato

1 Avocado

Low Fat Dressing – I use no oil balsamic or a low-fat balsamic vinaigrette

Instructions

Pre-heat Grill to high or oven to 350

Cut onion and bell pepper into strips. (If you can buy pre-chopped, go for it.)
Rinse tilapia and place on foil on top of a baking sheet.
Sprinkle Seafood Magic seasoning on tilapia and top with onions and red bell pepper.
Place on grill and turn heat down to low, or place in oven.
Place enough green beans for your family in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2 ½ minutes. Check and heat for another 2 ½ minutes. Repeat until beans are done. (Based on how quickly your microwave cooks, adjust the time intervals as necessary.)
In the meantime check tilapia after 4-5 minutes.
Portion greens on plates and top with tomato and avocado and a light sprinkling of dressing. For my kids, I put a few leaves of lettuce, and separate the tomato and avocado on the plate. I also sprinkle a bit of salt on the avocado.
Pull tilapia when the top of the fish begins to crack and the fish springs back to the touch (like in baking).
Serve and see if this isn’t one of the easiest dinner recipes out there!

Pre-Prep Opportunity

1. Cut onions and bell pepper up to a day ahead of time. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Hawaiian Chicken, Broccoli, Tomato, and Rice

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids + Enough Chicken for another meal (Hawaiian Tacos) + 2-3 Lunches

: Hawaiian Chicken, Broccoli and Rice

Ingredients

1 Cup White Rice (If you can make ahead, change to brown rice as it is healthier but takes longer to cook)

2 Cups Water

3.0 lbs. of Chicken (You will be cooking all the chicken for the week. If you are cooking this stand alone, use 1.5 lbs. of chicken.)

Braggs Hawaiian Dressing and Marinade

1 Bunch Broccoli*

1 t salt*

1 T Basil*

1 T Oregano*

1 T Minced Onion*

1 Tomato

*Make a double batch so that the broccoli is cooked for the week. You just have to warm up!

Instructions

Preheat Grill to High or Oven to 350

Measure 1 Cup rice and 2 Cups Water in a rice cooker and turn on. Or prepare using your preferred method.
Wash Chicken and mix with Hawaiian Dressing. Set aside.
Wash Broccoli and cut into small florets.
Place on lightly sprayed roasting pan and sprinkle salt, basil, oregano, and minced onion.
Place Chicken on grill and turn heat down to medium, or place in oven.
Place broccoli in oven.
Slice tomato and divide across plates.
Check on broccoli and chicken. Stir broccoli and if chicken is on grill turn it over.
Broccoli should be done in 8 -9 minutes. Oven chicken should take about 15-20 minutes and grilled chicken 12-15 minutes, (flipping chicken halfway through.)

10. Portion plates with chicken, rice, broccoli, and tomato.

11. Drizzle some extra Hawaiian Dressing on the chicken.

12. Serve and enjoy!

Pre-Prep Opportunities
1. Make rice a day ahead or earlier in the day that you will be serving it. Use brown rice since it will have more time to cook.

2. Wash chicken a day or two ahead and store in fridge.

3. Wash and cut the broccoli a day or two ahead and store in the fridge.

Meatloaf w/ Ground Chicken and Beans, Broccoli, Tomato

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids for 2 meals -Meatloaf sandwiches, are in you future! YUM!)

: Meatloaf w/ Ground Chicken and Beans, Broccoli

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can or other shelf stable container of White Beans

½ of a 15 oz. can or other shelf stable container of Black Beans

5 Cloves Garlic, minced or pressed – include the garlic membranes if pressing

1 lb. Ground Chicken*

1 lb. Ground Beef*

1 small onion, diced – or purchase pre-chopped onion

5 oz. of tomato paste (buy smallest can and use it all)

Olive or canola oil spray

1 Bunch Broccoli**

1 t Salt

1 T Basil

1 T Oregano

1 T Minced Onion

1 Tomato

*You can substitute turkey or pork for chicken and beef – be sure to modify your shopping list accordingly.

**If you made all the broccoli yesterday, you have saved yourself some time. Just warm it up for today!

Instructions

Ahead of Time:

Mash white and black beans with 5 cloves of minced or pressed garlic (throw in garlic membranes if pressing). Store in fridge until ready to use.

Side Bar: Snack opportunity! Warm a small portion of bean and garlic mixture and spread on rice cracker or other cracker. My son loves this as a snack on teriyaki rice crackers!

Pre-heat oven to 350

Lightly spray loaf pan with olive or canola oil.
Mix bean-garlic mixture, ground chicken, ground beef and diced onion in a bowl.
Form mixture into a meatloaf shape and put in loaf pan.
Top with tomato paste.
Pop in oven for 1 – 1.25 hours, until meatloaf starts to pull away from pan. (Like in baking)
Wash and slice tomato, portioning across 4 plates.
Wash broccoli and cut into small florets.*
Sprinkle with 1 t Salt, 1 T Basil, 1 T Oregano, 1 T Minced Onion.
Catch up on the mail, help kids with homework, drive a carpool, call your mother – you can relax for a while!

10. Place broccoli in oven for about the last 5 minutes of the meatloaf’s bake time, stirring broccoli around just before you take the meatloaf out.

11. When meatloaf starts to pull from the sides of the pan, remove from oven – let rest for 5-10 minutes.

12. Remove broccoli from oven after about 10 minutes, when broccoli stems can be easily pierced with a fork.

13. Portion meatloaf and broccoli and serve!

14. This is not the way your mother made meatloaf, but it is really delicious!

Pre-Prep Opportunities

Put the meatloaf together ahead of time, place in loaf pan and store in fridge until ready to use. All that is left to do is pop it in the oven. Because it will be cold, you might consider putting the meatloaf in the oven earlier – during preheating.
Wash and cut the broccoli up to two days before.

*If you made the broccoli in yesterday’s meal, skip broccoli preparation steps. You just have to warm it up!

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

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

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

Slice and Dice Avocado, Tomato, and Mango.
Dice chicken and warm on skillet over medium heat. Set chicken aside.
Heat Tortilla(s) on a skillet over medium heat.
When tortilla starts to bubble ( is heated through), flip tortilla, sprinkle cheese on the hot side, and turn off heat.
As cheese begins to melt, sprinkle chicken, avocado, tomato, mango, radish (if including) and black beans.
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.
Set on the side of the grill and make one for each person.
If using corn tortillas, serve as a taco
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, tomato, and radish ahead of time. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Bonus Meal: Meatloaf Sandwiches!

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids

: Meatloaf Sandwiches with Side Salad

Ingredients

Left over meatloaf from above

Baguette / baguette rolls or other preferred bread

Barbeque Sauce

Side Salad – what’s leftover in your fridge? Lettuce, tomato, nuts, sunflower seeds, avocado, broccoli, green beans, bell pepper, mango, radish? – Finish things up!

Instructions

Slice meatloaf into ½ – ¾ inch slices.
Lightly spray griddle with canola oil and warm meatloaf on medium heat, flipping after a few minutes.
Portion salad on plates.
Spread barbeque sauce on bread – consider using ½ a roll or less bread since the meatloaf is so satisfying.
When Meatloaf is heated through, 6-8 minutes, make into a sandwich and serve.
Now that’s a sandwich!

Shopping List

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids

Entrees

1.5 lbs. Tilapia

3.0 lbs. of Chicken

1 lb. Ground Chicken*

1 lb. Ground Beef*

* substitute ground turkey if preferred

Vegetables

1 Large Onion

2 Red Bell Peppers

Green Beans, Fresh or Frozen

2 Tomatoes

1 Avocado

Greens for Salad

lettuce, romaine, other good “sandwich” lettuce

2 Bunches Broccoli – for 2 meals

1 Tomato

5 Cloves Garlic, minced or pressed – use the garlic membranes if pressing

1 small onion, diced – or purchase pre-chopped onion

1 Avocado

1 Tomato

1 radish (optional)

Fruit

1 Mango

Dry Goods

2 t Salmon Seasoning

Low Fat Dressing – I use no oil balsamic

1 Cup White Rice (If you can make ahead change to brown rice as it takes much longer to cook)

Bragg Hawaiian Fat Free Dressing and Marinade

1 t salt

1 T Basil

1T Oregano

1 T Minced Onion

1 15 oz can or other shelf stable container of White Beans

1 15 oz can or other shelf stable container of Black Beans

Olive or canola oil spray

3.5 oz of tomato paste

Salsa

Barbeque Sauce

Bakery

Whole Wheat Tortillas, corn tortillas and/or big leaves of lettuce – boston leaf

Baguette / baguette rolls or other preferred bread – despite the goal of shopping 1 time per week, fresh bread is key to a successful sandwich. You may want to purchase this bread over the weekend if you plan to have for a weekend meal.

Dairy

Cheddar Cheese – derived from cow or goat or soy

Mediterranean Quinoa with Shrimp and Vegetables

Posted on December 12, 2011 by kbergin

Dec 5 Dinner Blog

I was unable to shop on Sunday for the week. I was away and didn’t even get a chance to prepare a menu and master shopping list. Usually a recipe for disaster.

But my sister saved me. As we were talking, she mentioned this couscous dish that she loves and reinvents throughout the week. My curiosity was piqued! As I pushed the cart through the grocery store, she walked me through the recipe and I gathered all the ingredients. I could feel the stress of not having a shopping list in hand melt away.

This is a very easy recipe that can be put together quickly and tweaked throughout the week to keep it fresh.

Mediterranean Quinoa with Shrimp and Vegetables

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids for 2 Meals with enough for about 2 lunches

Rating: 10 all around!

3 C Quinoa

1/4 C Olive oil

Juice of one lemon and zest from 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper

1 Cucumber, diced in small cubes

Feta Cheese

12 Pitted Olives

1 Onion, diced

1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes

3/4 C Black Beans from can or other shelf stable container

1.5 lbs Peeled, deveined Shrimp

1.75 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, baked, grilled, or somehow cooked and diced. (for the second meal)

Instructions

1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Set aside.

2. Juice lemon, zest 1/2 of a lemon and mix in small bowl with olive oil. Set aside.

3. Dice cucumber, olives, and onion. Slice cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. Set aside.

4. Saute onion until soft and clear. Set aside. Cook shrimp in same skillet with a bit of olive oil. If you have any other vegetables you want to finish up, feel free to add. I added some left over diced bell pepper.

5. Once shrimp turns pink (3-4 minutes), it is time to put dinner together. Mix lemon-olive oil mixture into quinoa. Add cucumber, feta, olives, cherry tomatoes and black beans. Mix well. Then add shrimp and serve! (If this is the second meal, add the chicken and serve!)

6. Easy and delicious! But the best part is that you can reinvent the meal two days later with chicken! You could even add other vegetables such as squash or broccoli to give it a different taste!

Ratings

Everyone rated this dish a 10! Now that’s a winner!

11-29-11 Dinner…

Aside

11-29-11 Dinner Blog

It’s a 10!

Getting Way Ahead of Schedule

I made tonight’s soup earlier in the day. I had about an hour and decided to get all the prep done for as much of the week as possible. This is something I could have done ahead of time on Sunday or even Monday evening. Getting things done ahead of schedule always feels good, considering that I feel I am forever catching up and running behind…

Pre-Prep for Tonight’s Dinner

I made Dilled Vegetable-Barley Soup, in keeping with my goal of making one vegetarian dish a week. It is not a slow cooker recipe so it is probably a good one to make ahead of time when you can leave it on the stove and busy yourself with something else. I, for instance, prepared other meals. Starting with what we were eating tonight, I first prepared the barley. It’s a 1:2 barley water ratio. I put in ¾ of a cup of barley and 1 ½ cups of water and brought it to a boil. Then I turned down the heat to simmer and cooked for about 30 minutes.

While this was cooking, I also boiled water for Wednesday’s Orzo dinner and made the orzo. Continuing to multi-task, I prepared the rest of the soup.

I sautéed the onions, salt and bay leaf. Then added the carrots and celery. Unfortunately my grocery store was out of the pre-chopped carrot/celery/onion containers – major bummer – so I had to cut everything up. I highly recommend that if you don’t need “chopping therapy” – and looking at the glass as half full, something good has got to come from chopping vegetables– buy them pre-chopped. It saves a lot of time!

Finally, I added the vegetable stock, mushrooms, white wine, dill weed, pepper, and tamari sauce and let the mixture simmer for 1 ½ hours. When the barley was tender I added it to the soup pot. Pre-Prep for Wednesday and Thursday’s Dinner While waiting for the barley to finish, I prepared the tomato-saffron topping for the orzo. At this point I was drowning in food and felt that I had plenty for the rest of the week. I wasn’t sure that I needed Wednesday’s Pastel de Papa dish, a ground beef and potato casserole, but I figured that I would make it anyway and if I ended up not needing it, I would freeze it for another week.

While I waited for the potatoes to boil, I quickly made the oatmeal muffins for tonight’s dinner. Yes, I used a box. Yes, I am proud of that. Yes, they are delicious! There are lots of great box mixes out there. I happen to like Dr. Oetker’s brand, and they are easy to adapt to the vegan requirements I must follow due to my daughter’s allergies. I use flaxseed meal and water (3:1 ratio) for the egg, and rice milk or coconut milk for regular milk. Just to be more healthy and less caloric, instead of using oil, I substitute equal amounts of applesauce.

That was another half hour of my time, but now tonight’s dinner is completely ready and I know that the Pastel de Papa will come in handy (twice!) as I made 2 8×8 casseroles. So all I need to do is pop one in the oven, make a side salad, and sit down to eat! …I can’t wait to write that blog entry!!!

The Verdict For Dilled-Vegetable-Barley Soup

It’s a 10 all around! Everyone, including our special friend who joined us for dinner gave the meal a resounding 10. The soup, the muffins, everything! I served the soup with some grated manchenga cheese but you could also add toasted sunflower seeds or parsley. Everyone had a second portion of soup, including my son, who “detests” mushrooms (which is why I chopped them up really well). This is a thick soup, almost stew-like. In “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest” cookbook, the source of this recipe, author Mollie Katzen writes that some people might prefer to approach this barley soup with a knife and fork! A vegetarian dish, this is a very hearty, healthy, easy, delicious and satisfying soup!

This is one you really must try!!!!!

The Recipe Dilled Vegetable-Barley Soup

Source: The Enchanted Broccoli Forest Cookbook

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

3/4 C Raw pearl barley

1.5 C Water

1 T Butter

1 Onion chopped

1 t Salt

1 Bay leaf

3 Large carrots, chopped

1/2 Bunch celery, chopped

8 C Vegetable Stock or water (I buy 32 oz of regular vegetable stock and 32 oz of low sodium vegetable stock in shelf-stable containers)

1/2 lb. Mushrooms, chopped (I chop them so they are unrecognizable)

6 T Dry White Wine

1.5 t (2-3 T fresh) Dill Weed

1/4 t Fresh black pepper

1.5 t Tamari Sauce

Instructions

1. Place barley and 1 Cup water together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until barley is tender. Set aside. (You could do this even 2 days before and keep in fridge)

2. In a soup pot, saute onion, salt and bay leaf in butter until onion is soft and clear. Add carrots and celery cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients including barley.

3. Cover soup and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Try not to eat it right away as it is even better the second day!

5. Serve with whole grain bread or healthy muffins. Top w toasted sunflower seeds, chopped parsley, or parmesean/manchenga cheese.

New and Improved Orzo, Chicken, Peas and Saffron

Posted on December 1, 2011 by kbergin

12-1-11 Dinner Blog

Serving the leftovers was the way to go. Making a 3rd dish was just too much work and there was plenty of the orzo dish to go around. I rarely serve the exact same thing twice in a row, but I am doing it today. Will the ratings go down? I expect a less than enthusiastic response from my daughter.

Improving My Odds

While last night’s dinner was good, I kept comparing it to the paella that I make. So this afternoon, I took a look at the recipe and noticed that my paella includes smoked paprika. Based on the amount of the orzo dish I had left, I added 1/2 t, mixed it in, and returned it to the refrigerator. Time will tell…

Dinner in Minutes

Time to get dinner on. Instead of sliced apples as I originally thought, I remembered I had cut up pineapple in the refrigerator. I made a small spinach salad for my husband and I, topped with pineapple and pomegranate seeds, and served just the pineapple and pomegranate seeds to the kids – a small consolation for the instant replay meal…

Then I warmed the Orzo Mixture (with smoked paprika) in a soup pot and served!

The Verdict

New and Improved! While yesterday’s dish was really good, this was fantastic! My son and husband (who came home late, hence the empty dish above), increased their rating to 9.5. My son, suggesting that adding shrimp would send this dish off the charts, contemplated rating tonight’s dinner a 10… (You could also add a spicy chorizo… YUM!) My daughter, not surprisingly, thought the dinner was good but did not change her rating from yesterday. As she said, “8.5 is a good rating, Mom.” She doesn’t hand out 9’s and 10’s easily… In my opinion, I agree that the meal was even better than yesterday. I think the smoked paprika really helped blend the flavors and I will adapt the recipe accordingly.

The Recipe

Orzo with Chicken, Peas with Saffron and Smoked Paprika

Serves 6-8 ( 2 Adults and 2 Kids with leftovers for 2-3 more meals)

Adapted from “Vegetarian Entertaining”

Ingredients

1.5 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breast, baked or grilled (hopefully this is leftover chicken that you cooked earlier in the week.)

2 T Olive oil

4 Shallots, minced

2 Bell Peppers chopped

3 C Canned Tomatoes or tomatoes in a non-can, shelf-stable container

1 T Saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 C warm water

1 t Smoked Paprika

1/3 C Dry White wine

3/4 lb. Orzo

2 C Frozen Peas

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Grated parmesan or manchenga cheese

Optional Additions

1/2 – 1 lb. Shrimp

1/2 – 1 lb. Chorizo (spicy or mild), cooked

Instructions

1. Prepare the Orzo per package directions. When tender, set aside.

2. In a large sauce pan, Sauté shallots in olive oil until soft.

3. Add bell peppers and blend.

4. Stir in tomatoes, saffron with soaking water, and White wine.

5. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 8-10 min. Be careful not to burn the mixture.

6. Dice chicken.

7. Cook peas in microwave for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes.

8. Once liquid is mostly evaporated from tomato mixture, add peas, and chicken and any optional ingredients. Chorizo should be cooked before you add it to the pot. Shrimp will cook in 3-4 minutes in the mixture. The shrimp will turn pink when it is cooked.

9. Serve w parmesan or manchenga cheese.

10. Don’t be surprised if you start thinking about paella and a trip to Spain… Really!

New and Improved Orzo, Chicken, Peas and Saffron

Posted on December 1, 2011 by kbergin

12-1-11 Dinner Blog

Improving My Odds

Dinner in Minutes

Then I warmed the Orzo Mixture (with smoked paprika) in a soup pot and served!

The Verdict

The Recipe

Orzo with Chicken, Peas with Saffron and Smoked Paprika

Serves 6-8 ( 2 Adults and 2 Kids with leftovers for 2-3 more meals)

Adapted from “Vegetarian Entertaining”

Ingredients

1.5 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breast, baked or grilled (hopefully this is leftover chicken that you cooked earlier in the week.)

2 T Olive oil

4 Shallots, minced

2 Bell Peppers chopped

3 C Canned Tomatoes or tomatoes in a non-can, shelf-stable container

1 T Saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 C warm water

1 t Smoked Paprika

1/3 C Dry White wine

3/4 lb. Orzo

2 C Frozen Peas

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Grated parmesan or manchenga cheese

Optional Additions

1/2 – 1 lb. Shrimp

1/2 – 1 lb. Chorizo (spicy or mild), cooked

Instructions

1. Prepare the Orzo per package directions. When tender, set aside.

2. In a large sauce pan, Sauté shallots in olive oil until soft.

3. Add bell peppers and blend.

4. Stir in tomatoes, saffron with soaking water, and White wine.

5. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 8-10 min. Be careful not to burn the mixture.

6. Dice chicken.

7. Cook peas in microwave for 1 1/2- 2 minutes.

8. Once liquid is mostly evaporated from tomato mixture, add peas, and chicken and any optional ingredients. Chorizo should be cooked. Shrimp will cook in 3-4 minutes in the mixture. The shrimp will turn pink when it is cooked.

9. Serve w parmesan or manchenga cheese.

10. Don’t be surprised if you start thinking about paella and a trip to Spain… Really!

Orzo with Chicken, Peas and Saffron and a Side Salad

Posted on December 1, 2011 by kbergin

11-30-11 Dinner Blog

Tonight’s meal preparation was a bit crazy. My daughter was supposed to have a soccer playoff game at 6:30. I was planning to eat early and then go to the game. However, as is the case with schedules, things change and the game was moved up 1/2 hour, and I decided we should eat after the game.

Yesterday I made the Orzo and the tomato mixture and stored both in the refrigerator. Earlier in the afternoon, I made the salad. This was a great stroke of luck because my daughter’s game started late, went to two overtones and was eventually settled in penalty kicks. (In case you are in suspense, we lost.) But instead of getting home at 7, we got home at 8!

Luckily dinner was prepared. I just had to put it together. I put the Orzo and tomato mixture in a soup pot with about 3/4 C of water. As that heated, I cut the chicken and cooked the frozen peas in the microwave for 2 minutes. Then I mixed everything together and we sat down to eat – somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes!

The Verdict

Everyone recognised the saffron taste – I use it in the paella I make. This brought up fun stories of when we made paella as well as requests to make more paella soon. My son and husband rated the meal a 9 and 9.5 respectively. My daughter liked it but was a bit less enthusiastic and gave it an 8.5, although she loves paella. I think she may have been missing the shrimp and mussels which you easily could add… Additionally, it was not an immediate slam dunk because it needed salt. Not sure if I added it in when I made the tomato mixture yesterday – yesterday’s meal prep was a bit of a whirlwind – but I ended up adding salt to the dish after we had all tasted it. That really made a huge difference, which makes me think I did not put it in originally.

I also served a side salad with the seeds from ½ of a pomegranate, which everyone loved. I also added leftover mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, radishes, and bell peppers to the adult salads. I sprinkled the no-oil balsamic vinaigrette and it was a most delicious salad!!

So my next dilemma: do I make the Pastel de Papa tonight or use up what I have? I have enough of tonight’s dinner and I have a bit of lentil soup frozen in the freezer from when I made it in October…

…I think I will save the Pastel de Papa for next week and finish off what I have. The lentil soup will help keep the meal “new”. I will serve a side salad to the adults and apple slices to the kids.

The Recipe

Orzo with Chicken, Peas and Saffron

Serves 6-8 ( 2 Adults and 2 Kids with leftovers for 2-3 more meals)

Adapted from “Vegetarian Entertaining”

Ingredients

1.5 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breast, baked or grilled (hopefully this is leftover chicken that you cooked earlier in the week.)

2 T Olive oil

4 Shallots, minced

2 Bell Peppers chopped

3 C Canned Tomatoes or tomatoes in a non-can, shelf-stable container

1 T Saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 C warm water

1 t Smoked Paprika

1/3 C Dry White wine

3/4 lb. Orzo

2 C Frozen Peas

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Grated parmesan or manchenga cheese

Instructions

1. Prepare the Orzo per package directions. When tender, set aside.

2. In a large sauce pan, Sauté shallots in olive oil until soft.

3. Add bell peppers and blend.

4. Stir in tomatoes, paprika, saffron with soaking water, and White wine.

5. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 8-10 min. Be careful not to burn the mixture.

6. Dice chicken.

7. Cook peas in microwave for 1 1/2- 2 minutes.

8. Once liquid is mostly evaporated from tomato mixture, add peas, and chicken.

9. Serve w parmesan or manchenga cheese.

10. Don’t be surprised if you start thinking about paella and a trip to Spain…

Vegetable-Barley Soup

Aside

11-29-11 Dinner Blog

It’s a 10!

Getting Way Ahead of Schedule

Pre-Prep for Tonight’s Dinner

While this was cooking, I also boiled water for Wednesday’s Orzo dinner and made the orzo. Continuing to multi-task, I prepared the rest of the soup.

The Verdict For Dilled-Vegetable-Barley Soup

This is one you really must try!!!!!

The Recipe Dilled Vegetable-Barley Soup

Source: The Enchanted Broccoli Forest Cookbook

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

3/4 C Raw pearl barley

1.5 C Water

1 T Butter

1 Onion chopped

1 t Salt

1 Bay leaf

3 Large carrots, chopped

1/2 Bunch celery, chopped

8 C Vegetable Stock or water (I buy 32 oz of regular vegetable stock and 32 oz of low sodium vegetable stock in shelf-stable containers)

1/2 lb. Mushrooms, chopped (I chop them so they are unrecognizable)

6 T Dry White Wine

1.5 t (2-3 T fresh) Dill Weed

1/4 t Fresh black pepper

1.5 t Tamari Sauce

Instructions

2. In a soup pot, saute onion, salt and bay leaf in butter until onion is soft and clear. Add carrots and celery cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients including barley.

3. Cover soup and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Try not to eat it right away as it is even better the second day!

5. Serve with whole grain bread or healthy muffins. Top w toasted sunflower seeds, chopped parsley, or parmesean/manchenga cheese.

Orange Garlic Chicken, Brown Rice, and Green Beans

Posted on November 28, 2011 by kbergin

Nov 28 Dinner Blog:

Orange Garlic Chicken – 4 Servings

Orange Garlic Chicken

Tonight I was lucky to get home at 7:05. I was even luckier that dinner was basically ready. When I left the house at 2:45, I had the chicken in the slow cooker, brown rice in the rice cooker, leaving only the frozen green beans to warm in the microwave. Pre-prep earlier in the day paid off.

This afternoon I spent about 20 minutes, washing and preparing the chicken in the slow cooker and getting the brown rice in the rice cooker. First I measured out the thyme, pressed the garlic cloves, and mixed them together. Next I washed all the chicken and rubbed the thyme garlic mixture on the chicken. Once in the slow cooker, I stirred orange juice concentrate and balsamic vinegar and the rest of the thyme-garlic mixture together. Finally, I spooned the mixture over the chicken, and set the slow cooker to low for 5 hours. Once the chicken was done, I put brown rice and water in the rice cooker and left.

When I returned at 7, I warmed the beans in the microwave and served the meal.

Orange Garlic Chicken For 4

The Verdict

The meal received 8’s and 9’s and everyone thought it had good flavor, but I didn’t think it was my best meal. I don’t know if Melanie Barsuk’s negative comments about slow cookers are rubbing off on me, but I really think that chicken doesn’t do as well in a slow cooker as it does in the oven. Perhaps I am being too harsh – everyone liked it – but the chicken didn’t stay together as well as I would have liked. It would have been very difficult to cube, for instance…

I would like to “Dare to Compare” and try my luck making the same recipe in the oven…

BusyLivesHealthyEats

Healthy Eating For Busy Lives

Tag Archives: Healthy Dinners

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11-29-11 Dinner…

Aside

New and Improved Orzo, Chicken, Peas and Saffron

New and Improved Orzo, Chicken, Peas and Saffron

Orzo with Chicken, Peas and Saffron and a Side Salad

Vegetable-Barley Soup

Aside

Orange Garlic Chicken, Brown Rice, and Green Beans